Update (25/7/17): Following on from yesterday's massive outpouring of support for MS Paint, Microsoft has confirmed that it won't be killing off the app after all. However, it will be moving to the Windows Store. You can find out more HERE. Original Story (24/7/17): Microsoft Paint has been a staple …
Read More »Microsoft is putting the brakes on console VR, focussing on bringing content to PC
At E3 last year when Microsoft first announced ‘Project Scorpio' (now Xbox One X), Phil Spencer promised to usher in two things, true 4K gaming and high-fidelity VR. When the Xbox One X was properly unveiled at E3 this year, 4K was still a huge sticking point but the company …
Read More »Microsoft waves goodbye to Windows Phone 8.1
Microsoft has had a difficult run with its Windows Phones, originally promising to become a third true mobile ecosystem but instead finding it difficult to gain support from developers. Today, the company is admitting defeat, killing off support for Windows Phone 8.1. AdDuplex estimates that only 20 percent of Windows …
Read More »Microsoft confirms plan to cut ‘thousands’ of jobs worldwide this week
Update (06/07/17): Today, Microsoft confirmed that it would be going through another round of restructuring, meaning thousands of job cuts will be made. In a statement sent out today, a Microsoft spokesperson said that the company is “implementing changes to better serve” its customers and partners. While the company did …
Read More »Microsoft will send update notifications to Windows 10 users not on the latest feature update
It looks like even those who did decide to make the jump to Windows 10 will start to receive Microsoft's persistent update messages. These update reminders first began popping up on Windows 7 and Windows 8 machines while Microsoft was offering free upgrades to Windows 10. Now, those same reminders …
Read More »Microsoft’s cancelled Surface Mini tablet has been unearthed
Way back in 2014, Microsoft was planning to expand its Surface tablet line with the launch of a Surface Mini. The tiny tablet was supposed to launch alongside the Surface Pro 3 that year but just a few weeks before the scheduled unveiling, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and former Nokia …
Read More »Microsoft insists Fireball malware has not infected 250m PCs despite security firm claims
Fireball has been a hot topic lately, with security firm, CheckPoint, claiming that this branch of Chinese malware has infected 250 million computers worldwide. However, it turns out that the number of infected PCs may have been massively overestimated, as Microsoft has since spoken out against this claim, asking for …
Read More »Microsoft’s Surface Laptop can’t be opened up without damage, impossible to repair
Microsoft’s Surface Pro 1 was the first to receive a shocking 1 out of 10 score for repairability, from the teardown experts at iFixit. Now this week, the company seems to have broken its own record with the new Surface Laptop netting the worst possible score of 0. Apple’s …
Read More »Microsoft’s E3 conference was filled with great game announcements but lacked new IP
While the Xbox One X was of course a key focus for Microsoft's E3 press conference last night, there were plenty of great game announcements to be made too. Not only did we get release dates for Crackdown 3 and Rare's Sea of Thieves, but we also saw the world …
Read More »E3 2017: Here is the schedule for each of the big conferences
E3 is consistently the most exciting time of the year for gamers everywhere and this year should be no different. The event kicks off in just a handful of days, so if you want to tune in to any of the major conferences to catch the announcements live, then look no …
Read More »Microsoft’s Hexadite acquisition means Windows Defender is going to get a lot more secure
It looks like Microsoft is looking to beef up its Windows Defender security system, following a new deal to acquire cybersecurity firm Hexadite. Once the deal is finalised, Hexadite's anti-virus technology will be rolled in with Windows Defender, paving the way for AI-powered automatic system scans and virus cleaning. Microsoft …
Read More »Kaspersky Lab files new antitrust complaint against Microsoft over Windows Defender
It looks like Microsoft is going to have to fend off a new antitrust complaint in Europe. This time around, Kaspersky Lab is filing a complaint against Microsoft claiming that the company is using its dominant position in the OS market with Windows to push its own anti-virus software over …
Read More »Microsoft’s live streaming service is now called ‘Mixer’, launches new features
Back in August, Microsoft acquired the live streaming service known as Beam, which came with a few distinct benefits over Twitch, with support for higher quality streams being the main selling point. Unfortunately, it looks like Microsoft couldn't get the rights to use the Beam brand globally, so the service …
Read More »Microsoft launches all new Surface Pro
A few weeks back, Microsoft made headlines when it denied that it was working on a Surface Pro 5, claiming that there would not be a new ‘Surface Pro’ until it could offer “meaningful change”. It seems that change has come a lot sooner than expected as today, Microsoft lifted …
Read More »Microsoft: Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility between companies and customers
On Friday, businesses, governments and the UK's National Health Service were left scrambling in the wake of a massive ransomware attack. The ‘WannaCry' ransomware swiftly spread across 200,000 computers in 150 countries, causing Microsoft to issue an emergency patch for those still running outdated Windows XP systems. It turns out, …
Read More »Harman-Kardon taps Microsoft Cortana for Invoke home assistant
The Home Assistant connected device market seems to be massive in the United States, with an estimated 60.5 million users this year taking up the devices, according to a recent report from eMarketer (that's a little under 1-in-5 human beings in the country) . So it stands as no surprise …
Read More »Microsoft waiting for “meaningful change” before making a Surface Pro 5
It looks like there won't be a new Surface Pro model any time soon as Microsoft's head of Surface devices has recently moved to squash recent rumours. Over the last few months, there have been increasing reports surrounding the ‘Surface Pro 5' but according to Microsoft's Panos Panay, no such …
Read More »Retail licenses of Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 can still upgrade to Windows 10
If you purposely missed the upgrade window for Windows 10, on your totally legit Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 machine, and now you are regretting the decision because Windows 10 is really the only way to go to keep your PC up-to-date, then there might be a little light at …
Read More »Qualcomm confirms release of Windows 10 devices by year’s end
During its quarterly earnings call, held last night, Qualcomm revealed its plans to deliver a Windows 10 on ARM-based PC by the end of the year. While Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf was short on details about the device, he did state it would be a mobile PC – the “Cellular …
Read More »Microsoft ‘Cloudbook’ is looking increasingly real
It seems more and more likely that Microsoft will release a new cheap, portable, device running a Cloud-based version of Windows, in time for the next back-to-school shopping season. It's been a busy 12 months for Microsoft. Early on we heard Windows running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon hardware. Even a trial test …
Read More »Maker gets Cortana with Windows 10 IoT Core Creators Update
Maker aficionados of the Windows 10 IoT Core persuasion will be happy to know that Cortana has landed. The Windows 10 Creators Update milestone has delivered on a number of new features, including the Cortana voice assistant, which can now be used by makers in their Windows 10 IoT implementations. …
Read More »AR brings back an oldie-but-goodie: meet HoloLems
Globacore, a Canadian company specializing in creating unique AR/VR experiences, has dug deep in the ol’ chest of fond memories and converted a childhood favourite into a HoloLens game. Aptly named HoloLems, the AR adaptation is basically a tribute to the classic 90s videogame. Lemmings was a 2D side-scrolling puzzle-platformer …
Read More »New Microsoft Surface Pro 5 details leak out
There have been quite a few Microsoft Surface rumours lately, most of which have surrounded the future of the Surface Book. However, this week, the rumour mill has turned its attention to the Surface Pro 5 instead, with reports this week revealing a few details about Microsoft's upcoming tablet. According …
Read More »Surface Book 2 and Surface Pro 5 may not appear next month after all
It looks like Microsoft's upcoming Surface Book 2 might take a bit longer than expected. We previously heard rumours that Microsoft might be planning to launch its next-generation laptop at its next event in April but reports this week point towards that not being the case, with reliable sources coming forward …
Read More »Microsoft is facing more legal complaints following buggy Windows 10 upgrades
It looks like Microsoft is facing more lawsuits over the rollout of Windows 10 as this week, three new complaints have appeared at the Chicago District Court. These new complaints claim that Microsoft “failed to exercise reasonable care” when pushing out the Windows 10 update, which caused data to be …
Read More »Microsoft’s massive service outage has been fixed
A few weeks ago, Microsoft services suffered an outage, affecting services like Skype, Outlook, Office 365, Xbox Live and more. This week, those service outages appear to be popping up again, with users across Europe and the US complaining about issues connecting to Microsoft services. These issues first appeared yesterday …
Read More »Microsoft may be unveiling the Surface Book 2 next month
Microsoft turned quite a few heads when it first announced the Surface Book. The two-in-one laptop had a detachable display and a custom Nvidia GPU built into the dock, making it a good choice for tablet use, as well as more serious work while in docked mode. Since then, Microsoft …
Read More »Project Scorpio rumoured to finally kill off the Xbox power brick, 4K/60fps game capture possible
Microsoft is currently gearing up to unveil Project Scorpio at E3 this year but thanks to some leaks, we have a bit of an idea of what to expect beforehand. Earlier this year we got some additional details on the hardware capabilities of the console but this week, some sources …
Read More »Microsoft’s service-wide log-in issues should now be fixed
Update: Yesterday, we learned that many users across the world were having issues with Microsoft's account-based services, with customers unable to login to Xbox, Outlook, Office 365 and even Skype. At the time, we didn't have official acknowledgement from Microsoft on the wide-spread issue but today, the company finally got …
Read More »Microsoft lowers Surface Book cost barrier by cutting out discrete GPU
Microsoft's took its first steps into the laptop market back in 2015 with the launch of the Surface Book and as impressive as it was, the laptop was also very expensive and thanks to the inclusion of a discrete Nvidia GPU, its value hasn't really depreciated at all since. This has …
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