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A letter from the lawmakers was released in the wake of a controversial finding last week. Facebook, Google, and Microsoft were found to be sponsors of a conference called LibertyCon, which promotes the denial of climate changes. What’s interesting about the discovery is that all the companies have created programs supposedly embracing environmentally friendly practices. At LibertyCon, one speaker from the CO2 Coalition claimed the impact of climate change has been exaggerated....

Rollable displays are the obvious end goal of folding screens. Since Samsung showcased its Project Youm technology 6 years ago, the idea behind the companies folding screen development has been focused on rolling displays. Current folding screen devices like Samsung’s own Galaxy Fold simply open and close like a piece of card. The obvious benefit is being able to open a large screen device without compromising on form factor as the device can fold into a smartphone-sized unit....

If you are unfamiliar with the new feature, it is an addition for LinkedIn Messaging. It is available for mobile and desktop and allows your contacts to see if you are online or not. As such, they can see if you are available to receive messages. The Microsoft-owned network says there are two status defaults for Active Status: “The presence of a solid green circle next to someone’s name in LinkedIn messaging means they’re currently on LinkedIn and will be instantly notified when you send them a message....

While the new Terms and Services are published, they are not yet in effect. LinkedIn says they will become active on June 7, 2017. Among the changes made is a new privacy policy that covers upcoming network features. For example, the policy now reflects an incoming ability to make profiles more visible. The company says this makes social links easier. However, it also means that profiles will be open to “certain third-party services”....

The trojan uses adverts to direct Android phones to malicious websites, installing itself and asking for admin permissions under the guide of virus scanners or adult websites. If the user decides against those permissions, the app will loop, and continue asking until they consent. The app then hides its icon or masquerades as a real virus scanner. The second a user tries to revoke permissions, it will lock the screen and close the window....

Previously, Microsoft 365 has been sold as the bundle of software it is. However, Microsoft will now sell it as an integrated program. The decision comes after Microsoft’s recent executive reshuffle that saw Terry Myerson leave the Windows group. Corporate Vice President Brad Anderson now leads the Microsoft 365 team and Windows 10 in enterprise. With Windows 10 April Update launching next week, Anderson confirmed 365 is becoming an integrated solution....

The project will be an extension on Microsoft’s own various efforts to prevent child pornography online. Redmond has previously worked with NetClean use machine learning to match photos. Microsoft has also previously partnered with Facebook and other web giants to remove child abuse images from the web. Under the latest collaboration, Facebook and Microsoft will develop new solutions. Organizations will receive tools blocking child abuse images and grooming content online....

Jio is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited and acts as a 4G network provider in India. Microsoft says the partnership will last 10 years and aim to accelerate digitalization through solutions based on storage services, connectivity, and computing. Microsoft and Jio will work to improve digital transformation pathways through Indian society and economy. Among the technologies the companies will use will include AI, Internet of Things, blockchain, cognitive services, and edge computing....

That’s because the company plans to make Flipgrid completely free for schools to use. Microsoft did a similar thing with Office 365 Education, which is free in learning institutions. Flipgrid says its mission it to “Empower learners of all ages to define their voices, share their voices, and respect the diverse voices of others.” The company is unlikely to need to deviate from that mission as Microsoft says the platform will operate independently....

In typical Microsoft fashion, the naming here is a bit confusing. Skype Professional Account isn’t simply a different user for the regular Skype, but a whole new desktop client. The idea is to aid those who do business online. In particular, it targets those who utilize video calls to do so, such as language tutors, music instructors, personal trainers, and more. Currently, those people have to make choice of a variety of different software to manage their occupation, from calendar programs to hour trackers, and more....

In fact, we think you can count on Microsoft never following through with this. Naturally, Office 365 business users were less than pleased with the idea. No-one likes Spam and consistent Microsoft tips in an inbox would annoy many people. It certainly annoyed Reddit (I know, what doesn’t), where organization admins voiced their anger that Microsoft would enable the email tips by default. An easy step to disable the emails organization-wide was available, but admins rejected the plan....

Through November Microsoft was recommending users to “wait until the feature update is offered to your device automatically.” That is changing this week. Windows Latest reports the Windows Update and Windows Server 2019 update pages have been updated. Both the pages now reflect that Microsoft is allowing manual updates of Windows 10 version 1809 for advanced users: Rollout Status as of December 17, 2018: Windows 10, version 1809, is now fully available for advanced users who manually select “Check for updates” via Windows Update....

So, what does this exactly mean? Well, Microsoft says the app will launch itself 20% faster than it did before. The obvious question is whether the everyday user (that’s you and me) will notice this bump? The company says yes, and the performance boost is noticeable. Bug fixes and performance improvements. We have all seen this, usually at the end of every update changelog, well, ever. What does this mean and is it just companies ways of covering their asses?...

For the service, Microsoft leverages Network Performance Monitor (NPM). This allows customers to monitor end-to-end connectivity and performance across branch offices and VNETs. Before the release, Azure ExpressRoute customers would get connections enabled through exchange service and network service providers. These Microsoft partners are still in place, but the Network Performance Monitor has now been added. Users will find NPM under the Operations Management Suite with the following features:...

The latest Chrome-created tool coming to Chromium Edge is Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode from Global Media Controls. Google introduced the feature on Chrome through the Canary development branch last month. Microsoft has confirmed PiP is now coming to Chromium Edge. The tool has been introduced into Edge’s version of the Canary dev channel. It is part of Edge 82.0.442.0. and will now move through the development branches (Dev and Beta channels) before reaching the full Chromium Edge....

If you are unfamiliar with Snaps, they are created by Canonical and are essentially software packages in a container. Users can leverage Snaps on most Linux distributions and get automatic updates and the ability to rollback versions. Microsoft has been running Visual Studio Code on Linux since back in 2016, but never as a Snap. By bringing Snap support allows that seamless automatic updating which means Microsoft no longer needs to package separate Linux builds....

The General Data Protection Regulation is the biggest change to EU privacy law in decades. Under GDPR law, companies will be mandated to protect personal data. The European-wide law means organizations must respect data no matter where it is sent or stored. In a blog post, Microsoft says complying with the regulations will be challenging for companies. However, it promises its cloud services will meet the regulatory standards. The company says “GDPR is part of our holistic cloud compliance investments....

Microsoft Studios games on Nintendo Switch include Studio MDHR’s Cuphead, while Ori and the Blind Forest will come to Nintendo’s console too. However, some Xbox One fans have argued moving Microsoft-developed titles to other platforms is detrimental. While we don’t necessarily agree with it, Microsoft says it currently has no further plans to bring more games to Switch. “We have no plans to further expand our exclusive first party games to other consoles....

More specifically, the entry-level Surface Pro 4 is now more accessible, just in time for the holidays. It is worth noting that the entry-level device usually costs $899. With the new deal, customers can get the hybrid for $649, which represents a saving of $250. Interested parties need to be quick because this deal is only available for today (December 8). To sweeten the offering further, Microsoft is also throwing in a free sleeve for the device....

In addition, purchase of some Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 models will come with a $150 gift code. The savings aren’t major, this could tempt some reluctant customers to make the purchase. Though a voucher may seem like a cop-out, it would be well spent on the variety of Surface accessories. What to Buy with $150 Though it seems most natural to buy Surface accessories with the gift code, there are also a variety of other items you can buy with $150....