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1 Azure2 Xbox Microsoft has fallen into the habit of lumping multiple services and products into umbrella divisions. In other words, the company places Windows, Surface, and Xbox under More Personal Computing. As for Azure, it is hidden in Microsoft’s Intelligent Cloud umbrella. It is worth pointing out the company does detail growth or decline margins across individual products, but not specific sales for some. We can take this both ways and it’s obvious Microsoft enjoyed another bumper quarter regardless....

A report from Gaming Bolt points to several Microsoft job listings related to the Xbox division. These listings appear on the company’s official job board and include Senior Mechanical Engineer and Senior Electrical Engineer. Of course, a senior engineer is a broad title and does not necessarily mean these jobs are for Project Scarlett. However, the listing does make reference to future Xbox consoles. “The successful candidate will be the primary technical focal point for existing and leading-edge storage technologies on currently shipping and future Xbox design projects The Xbox Accessories Team is looking for a highly motivated and seasoned Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the mechanical system development of our next generation accessories....

Available on the Release Preview ring now is Build 18362.385 for Windows 10 19H1 (May 2019 Update) and Build 18363.385 for Windows 10 19H2. For Insiders running the Windows 10 19H2 branch, this update packages the same features that arrived on the Slow ring back in August. This is now shipping under the name Windows 10 version 1909, which can bee seen via Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update....

For Skype version 8.60, Microsoft has released one of the largest updates for the app in some time. Furthermore, the update is rolling out to all supported platforms. Leading the features is a 3×3 grid for video calls. Skype now supports up to nine participants on a call at one time. This feature was previously released on Teams. It is worth noting the 3×3 grid is limited to desktop versions of Skype....

Microsoft’s Surface Assistant tool wants to make the transition from Mac to Surface smoother. It helps users transfer their selected data and content from Mac desktops or MacBook laptops. The data can be transferred to a Surface Pro, Surface Book, or Surface Studio. It is probably worth mentioning that transferring content from Mac to Windows/Surface is not that hard anyway. Most modern users probably use cloud services, so data is always available....

The company is back with another blog post highlighting the secure nature of Windows 10. Every so often, Microsoft likes to double down and let us all know how protective Windows Defender is. The last such boast came just before the Fall Creators Update. This time Tanmay Ganacharya, Principal Group Manager, Windows Defender Research, describes Windows 10 as a “worthy upgrade”. He says 2017 highlighted the threat posed by ransomware....

It is now easier to share content in a meeting while using Microsoft Teams. Version 1.0.45 introduces the ability to share photos and videos within a meeting. These new media sharing capabilities are also coming to calls with this update. Also, Microsoft Teams on iOS now supports screen sharing when on a call or in a meeting. The sharing additions continue with the ability to share content from a phone through companion mode....

One new feature that is coming to the workplace chat and collaboration tool is the ability to post one message and spread it across multiple channels. Cross-channel posting has been confirmed by the Microsoft Teams Twitter account. The new tool will be accessible via a “Select Channel” button located at the top of the message box. Users will be able to select which channels they want to send a message to....

“Our partnership brings together Kroger’s world-class expertise in the grocery industry with the power of Azure and Azure AI,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. “Together, we will redefine the shopping experience for millions of customers at both Kroger and other retailers around the world, setting a new standard for innovation in the industry.” Fast and Efficient Now, Kroger is collaborating with the software giant. The company will open a pair of stores, one in Washington and the other in Ohio....

With that in mind, 2020 will be no different. ZDNet reports this year’s changes will include Microsoft’s sales and support divisions. Specifically, it seems the company will reorganize technical account managers, the Customer Success unit, and other support-oriented staff. Clearly, Microsoft is looking for a more efficient customer use experience. It hopes the shuffle will help foster an improved experience across its products and services. Importantly, it seems Microsoft won’t be embarking on any widespread layoffs from these divisions....

The release of this update brings Mixer up to Version 3.5.6. Microsoft biggest change is “significant” improvement for video playback. The company says it has also boosted memory and data consumption. Additionally, Clips on Mixer have received a work over with modification tools and a new delete function. The iOS app now also supports opening universal links, providing more tools to avoid leaving the apps. Below are the full release notes provided by Microsoft:...

The latest release brings the app to version 1.35.11921.0 and adds a couple of new features. Firstly, users can now designate the importance of their activities with a star system. Simply touch the number of stars, with the highest meaning an item is more important. A second new addition for To-Do is the ability to see who created and completed activities in shared lists. Here is Microsoft’s full changelog:...

Spotted by Gustave Monce, the image shows the Windows 10X emulator running on a large screen. It is unclear what device the emulator is running on. What seems to be clear is it is not a Surface product but instead an OEM product. Microsoft has now large screen Surface product in the pipeline aside from the Surface Book 3. It seems unlikely Windows 10X will be available on that hardware....

If you are unfamiliar with True Tone, it is a display technology that Apple uses on its devices. Currently used on the iPhone X series, iPad Pro, and 2018 MacBook Pro, True Tone adjusts the white balance of a screen to match the color temperature of the light in the environment. For example, if you are in direct sunlight or in a darker room, the display will adjust. True Tone essentially does this by tricking the eye into perceiving the display as a paper white....

That puts the overall figure at 22.2% and marks the largest decline since January. It follows a five-month slow down in losses, though it’s difficult to speak to the accuracy of short-term data. On average, however, Edge and IE seem to be losing market share of close to a percent each month. As Microsoft halts development for Internet Explorer, it appears users are heading to competitors rather than its new offering....

This round of patches follows fixes rolled out for the company for supported versions. Those already with patches are Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Server 2016, and Exchange Server 2019. With the latest round of security fixes, Microsoft is shoring up earlier Exchange versions. These are versions of the service that had fallen out of support for being too old. That’s a rare move for Microsoft but the gravity of the situation is clear with over 30,000 organizations compromised by the attacks....

According to Microsoft’s Mike Tholsfen in a Tech Community Post, Microsoft has been taking this request for some time: “The #1 request we’ve heard from educators and schools looking to move to the OneNote on Windows (Desktop) version is an option to allow the user interface to look similar to the OneNote for Windows 10 version of OneNote, with pages, sections and notebooks aligned on the left-hand side, and the horizontal tabs to disappear,” says Tholfsen....

The features are designed to simplify the process of arranging meetings without bombarding users with information. As such, Outlook will make several suggestions to help users on their way. One of the most notable additions is what Microsoft calls ‘smart time suggestions’. Rather than manually work out schedule gaps, Graph does the heavy lifting. It will automatically suggest times and days participants are free to meet as you create your event....

Speaking of the feature, senior director of Microsoft Store product marketing John Smith said: “Last Fall, the Microsoft Store enabled gifting of select Xbox One digital games, Xbox One downloadable game content (durables only), and Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. This feature has been a huge hit with our fans and has made buying presents for friends and family even easier, especially around the holidays.” “Today, we’re excited to announce that we have expanded digital gifting to include PC games and PC downloadable game content (e....

This replaces the previous technique, which shipped basic scanner and printer drivers with the image. The company said the change will have ‘no noticeable impact’ in most cases, but it could prove an annoyance for some users. Essentially, some users will need an internet connection before they can access basic functionality like printing. Thankfully, that’s not an issue in much of the globe, but connections are intermittent in some regions....