Posts

To showcase Timeline, Microsoft demoed the feature during yesterday’s Windows Insider webcast. The feature is expected to make its debut in upcoming Redstone 4 preview releases. Microsoft says the next Insider release will be coming on Thursday, although it is not clear if Timeline will be in the next release. The live demo of Windows Timeline highlights some of the abilities of the tool. Timeline gives users in Windows 10 the ability to see what they are doing at a particular time....

Speaking of builds with the 17035 numbering, Microsoft also sent out Windows 10 SDK Preview Build 17035 to developers. The client and server feature updates known as Redstone 4 are going to launch March, 2018 (hence the 1803 number. Microsoft has yet to officially announce Redstone 4, but the company has been testing early versions through the Skip Ahead feature on the Insider Program. For Windows Server, Insiders can use build 17035 to select between VHDX format or ISO format....

Furthermore, Redmond has introduced new web standards proposals for developing both pieces of hardware. The Surface Neo Windows 10X 2-in-1, and the Surface Duo Android smartphone are moving ahead with development. We have already seen numerous Microsoft patents reflecting features for both devices. Now, Microsoft will introduce a preview SDK for Windows 10X in the “coming weeks”. This means Insiders will be able to start working with the platform that underpins the Surface Neo....

To be clear, Timeline will not be debuting with the Fall Creators Update. Instead, the company will likely roll it out with Redstone 4 early in 2018. That is the next build of Windows 10 to launch after the FCU. Some Windows Insiders are already testing the Redstone 4 branch with the Skip Ahead tool. Kevin Gallo, head of the Windows Developer Platform, showed the feature at Microsoft’s Developer Day....

For example, Microsoft has only highlighted how the pen will do basic tasks such as note-taking. Nothing new there. Of course, we have only seen a prototype of the Neo and hints of 10X’s capabilities. Could Microsoft be planning something more ambitious and really aiming for the pen-first UI? Well, Microsoft Research has showcased a technology that adds a potent sensor to tablets. This will allow the OS to adapt to however the user is holding the device....

Well, it is important to know Microsoft is not saying it is a requirement to move from UWP to Windows App SDK. The company makes it clear that UWP is staying, and developers are free to continue building apps in that way: “If you are happy with your current functionality in UWP, there is no need to migrate your project type.” Microsoft also points out that the Windows platform will also use UWP apps where it makes sense....

With Windows 11 scheduled for launch on October 5, Microsoft is ramping up its gatekeeping for who is allowed to the upgrade party. We already know that Windows 10 users can upgrade for free, but some will be shut out because of hardware requirements. Chief among them a 4GB of RAM and TPM 2.0 requirement. Microsoft has said the platform will only be available for laptops with Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2....

For the unfamiliar, TLS is a cryptographic protocol and the successor to SSL. It protects data in transit and sees use in email and general web browsing. TLS 1.0 is now almost 18 years old and has some issues. In TLS 1.0 attackers can downgrade user’s connection to SSL 3.0 before making use of other exploits. TLS 1.1 doesn’t have any glaring vulnerabilities, it doesn’t have the many security features of 1....

Changes have come to iPad, the Pro now supporting the command key for quick shortcuts and less touch input. The update also includes design tweaks for the hub, bundling downloads, reading lists, favorites, and more in a more intuitive manner. Changes also extend to Edge on iPad, which now makes better use of the device’s features. Microsoft Edge for Android Microsoft Edge for Android has also received improvements, though some quite niche....

However, there are some limitations to the tool. At launch, Web Capture on Microsoft Edge only provides a basic level of screenshots. In other words, you can take a screenshot and that’s it. Microsoft says more dynamic features like capturing complete webpages, scroll and mark, adding links, and highlights will come in a future update. Web Capture is currently in preview through the Canary and Dev channels. It is unclear if all those advanced features will be available before the tool lands on the release build of Microsoft Edge....

Out of all the new connectors, the three most important ones are MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Teradata. All three connectors are only available to Premium subscribers and are database connectors. They allow users to read data using the Get row or Get rows operations, but don’t let users write data into these databases for now. This is what they offer: “MySQL – an open-source relational database management system. PostgreSQL – a relational database management system developed by PostgreSQL Global Development Group....

Microsoft is rumored to be working on a Windows 10 SKU codenamed Centaurus. Not much is known about this SKU, but Microsoft watcher Zac Bowden suggests it runs Andromeda OS on Intel chipsets. One of the core selling points of Andromeda will be its ability to run a full Windows 10 desktop experience with Win32 app support. This would help Microsoft bridge the app gap it has faced on mobile before....

Microsoft Garage’s Dictate seeks to fill that gap. Many can speak must faster than they can type and the new add-in for Outlook, Word, and Powerpoint lets you utilize that. It takes the company’s breakthrough speech recognition and combines it with the AI from Microsoft Cognitive Services. Dictate Features It initially began during a Microsoft Hackathon, and quickly gained popularity across 40 countries and 1,500 employees. The result is the ability to create content with little physical effort, supporting advanced formatting and translation features....

For one, Microsoft is bringing its Dark Mode to LinkedIn. If you are unfamiliar with Dark Mode, it is a darkened UI that Microsoft has rolled out extensively across Windows 10. Microsoft is currently developing the integration and says it is “coming soon”. Elsewhere, LinkedIn for Android is receiving a new feature that will allow direct security authentication on the app. Reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong dug deep into the code of the application and found an App Lock feature in development....

If you’re unfamiliar with CyberX, it is a cybersecurity platform for IoT that works to cut risk. Furthermore, the service protects organizations from IoT-related outages, theft of IP, and operational problems. “We will continue to deliver more value to our customers as CyberX is further integrated with Microsoft’s broad portfolio of IoT security offerings in threat protection that span users, endpoints, applications, data and more.” – Microsoft. CyberX is a significant player in the IoT market....

It now seems Microsoft is planning to merge its modern code back into the legacy 2016 codebase. The two will be merged to create a single codebase from OneNote builds will ship from. As well as this, the company is planning several major feature additions in the next year and a half. One thing it’s promising is faster notebook sync thanks to modern sync services. It’ll also be adding @mention support via Microsoft Teams....

“I’ve heard from many of you that you’d like a primer on our monthly Windows 10 quality update servicing cadence and terminology. In response, I’d like to share our guiding principles, then dive into them further to provide context for the quality updates themselves,” he said. He went on to describe Microsoft’s goals when it comes to Windows servicing: simplicity, predictability, agility, and transparency. He also detailed the different quality update types and their schedule, from B releases to ‘out-of-band’, C, and D releases....

For users unfamiliar with Office Lens, it is a document scanning and editing tool that shows users the benefits of using Office. Among its features are image enhancements, changing documents to photos, and trimming content. Any saved files in Office Lens are placed in OneNote and can be converted to PowerPoint, Word, or PDF files. Earlier this year, Microsoft integrated Office Lens into OneNote. With integration with Android users will be able to perform Office Lens tasks in the note-taking app....

“We take reports of misuse of our platform seriously,” he said. “We are therefore investigating and if inappropriate activity is found, we will take steps to minimize such misuse in the future.” So far, a common theme of Russia’s campaign seems to be spreading support for Donald Trump and division among the voting populace. Federal and congressional investigators are trying to discern the extent of Kremlin influence. Facebook has since confirmed that at least $100,000 in ads were purchased by a Kremlin-associated ‘troll farm’....

Wall Street Journal says the company is looking to change that. Microsoft vice president David Ku told that paper that he’s looking to get users utilizing Cortana when they’re away from the PC. It’s a vague statement and Ku did little to elaborate. He mentioned using Cortana in the car as an example but gave no additional details. Nissan and BMW announced plans to integrate the assistant in their vehicles in 2017, and the recent mobile apps mean you can access her pretty much anywhere....