Tag: microsoft

Microsoft approaches former Siri chief from Apple

Bill Stasior, longtime head of Apple’s Siri team, has left the company to join Microsoft’s AI division. After nearly a decade at Apple, Stasior will step into the shoes of a corporate vice president at Microsoft later this month. At his new job, the former Siri chief will lead an artificial intelligence group.

Last year, Apple poached Google’s former head of search and AI, John Giannandrea. The served as further indication of Apple’s woes with Siri, which beat the competition to the AI assistant race, but was relegated to a firm third place behind Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

Stasior’s reasons for leaving Apple aren’t clear at this point, but Giannandrea’s hiring is a likely guess. Since his hiring last summer, Giannandrea became very involved with the development of Siri and was eventually promoted to a senior vice president, reporting directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Although Stasior was in charge of Apple’s Siri team since the assistant’s initial launch, he won’t be working on Cortana at Microsoft. The company behind Windows is lagging far behind the competition, as far as AI assistants are concerned, with Cortana being a distant fourth to Google’s, Amazon’s, and Apple’s offerings. However, Stasior’s talents apparently won’t be used to better Cortana, but rather in Microsoft’s broader AI efforts. The Information reports that people familiar with the matter have said that the former Siri chief will head a special AI group at Microsoft
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September 3, 2019

Microsoft confirms Gears of War mobile game drops this month

Unveiled more than a year ago, Microsoft’s Gears of War mobile game will be released on August 22, just a few weeks before Gears 5 hits PC and consoles in September. Dubbed Gears Pop!, since it’s a collaboration between Microsoft and Funko Pop!, the game will be available on both Android and iOS devices, Microsoft announced earlier.

After a brief soft-launch, Gears Pop! will be fully available for everyone around the world with a compatible phone. The game features more than 30 Gears of War characters, ready to take your orders, all brought to life from authentic Funko Pop designs.

In Gears Pop!, you’ll be building your squad mixing and matching COG and Locust units, use ultimate abilities, as you strive for supremacy on popular Gears maps. You can play against AI opponents to try out new squads before you take on real players.

Since this is a free-to-play game, expect Gear Pop! to be heavy on in-app purchases, especially if you want to build a pretty solid team of Gears of War heroes and villains. You can still pre-register for the game via Google Play Store and App Store before the game launched on August 22.

September 2, 2019

Microsoft London’s flagship store opens

The new Microsoft London flagship store has opened, a stone’s throw from archrival Apple’s local store.

Among those welcoming the public on the 22,000sqft store’s launch day was the US tech company’s UK CEO Cindy Rose, who said the store was a “symbol of Microsoft’s enduring commitment to the UK”, which allows people to “experience the best the company has to offer.”

“Thank you for helping us make history today,” she announced.

The spacious three-storey Microsoft London venue features plenty of wood and glass surfaces prominently showcasing a large video wall and the brand’s most advanced devices. It houses a dedicated gaming room and technical support area, as well as a selfie area and a design lab where visitors can create their own personalised covers for Surface devices.

The store’s second floor enterprise area is a place to support, train and grow businesses using the Microsoft 365 software suite as well as to assist in solving business challenges such as AI, data security, collaboration and workplace efficiencies. It also contains an area for hosting events, as well as meeting rooms and a showcase space for demonstrating how customers – including Carlsberg and Toyota – are digitally transforming

“There are very few locations in the world that feature all the different parts that make up what Microsoft is,” said chief marketing officer Chris Capossela. “The early adoption of technology in the UK has been very impressive. That’s important when the company is thinking about what investments to make and where to make them. This flagship would not be in London if we didn’t have a very strong commercial business in this country. We thought very deeply about this.”

One customer at the Microsoft London launch, James from Reading, said: “I want to see what they can offer businesses. The outside of the store looks incredible; it’s a masterpiece of architecture.”

July 31, 2019

Microsoft makes OneDrive more secure with Personal Vault for Android and iOS

Microsoft has just announced it’s making OneDrive more secure with the addition of Personal Vault, a protected area that can only be accessed by the owner of the account, which features a strong authentication method or a second step of identity verification.

The new OneDrive Personal Vault is only accessible through the following authentication methods: fingerprint, face, PIN or code sent via email or SMS. On top of that, Microsoft says that all locked files in Personal Vault have an extra layer of security, but remain easy to access on PC or smartphones.

If you’re using the Microsoft Authenticator app, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s perfectly usable with OneDrive’s new Personal Vault, so you’ll be able to unlock it using this specific app.

There’s even a nifty feature that allows OneDrive users to scan and shoot pictures directly into Personal Vault. Simply use OneDrive app to scan documents, take pictures, or shoot video directly from within Personal Vault and they will remain securely locked, but easy to access at the same time.

Apparently, Personal Vault uses more than just two-step verification to keep files safe and private, but you’ll have to enable encryption your iOS or Android device to benefit from an extra layer of security.

In the same piece of news, Microsoft announced that it’s increasing the OneDrive standalone storage plan from 50GB to 100GB at no additional charge. Also, all Office 365 subscribers are offered a new option to add more storage when they need it.

July 18, 2019

Microsoft brings redesigned Apple Watch notifications for Outlook

A quick heads up for those of you who are using Outlook for iOS on a regular basis. It looks like Microsoft has decided to revamp the Outlook notifications for Apple Watch, so if own the wearable device, you should start seeing them after you download the latest update.

As per Microsoft’s announcement, the new notifications should allow Apple Watch users to see important emails, reminders, as well as detailed event information via Outlook calendar. It’s the only important change included in the update, at least according to the official changelog from the App Store.

This is the third Outlook update aimed at Apple Watch users that Microsoft releases this month, but that doesn’t mean that other platforms have been neglected.

Microsoft revealed last week important new features that will be coming to Outlook for Android and iOS soon, including the option to select favorite persons and notifications, Office Lens upgrades and a couple of other nifty improvements.

June 12, 2019

Microsoft adds requested new feature for the Your Phone Companion

Microsoft’s Your Phone Companion app allows users to sync their Android phone with their Windows 10 PC. Texts, notifications, and photos can be sent to your desktop or laptop from any phone running Android 7 or higher. With certain Android handsets including the OnePlus 6, OnePlus 6T, the Samsung Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy S8+, Samsung Galaxy S9, Samsung Galaxy S9+, Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy Note 9, apps can be mirrored on the PC as well.

Previously, the app worked using a Wi-Fi connection only. However, a tweet sent on Friday from Microsoft Lead Project Manager Roberto Bojorquez revealed that an update pushed out to the Your Phone Companion app allows your phone and Windows 10 desktop to sync using mobile data. The new capability surfaces on version 3.8.4 of the mobile app, although the version currently in the Google Play Store is version 3.4.8. Once the new version is installed on your Android phone, open the settings and enable “sync over mobile data” by using the toggle switch. The update also brings a new icon for the app.

As we pointed out earlier this year, there is a way to have the app work in reverse and send content from a Windows 10 PC to your Android phone. This requires you to install the Your Phone Companion app and the Microsoft Edge mobile browser on your phone. Web pages and other content you were viewing using the desktop version of Edge can be shared to the mobile version of the browser on your phone.

June 12, 2019

Outlook Mobile is Getting New Features

Microsoft has just announced its Outlook mobile app is getting some new features in the latest update, which will allow users to customize their email notifications from their favorite people. On top of that, the Redmond-based company announced it will add enhancements to Outlook for Android Contacts, along with additional use of intelligent technology from Office Lens.

The first important new feature you’ll be getting on Outlook for Android is the new special place in the sidebar that appears when you select someone as a favorite person. This will allow you to quickly access recent emails from them.

You can now manage favorite people, folders and Outlook groups by simply tapping the pencil in the sidebar to edit Favorites. According to Microsoft, all the changes that you make to Favorite in Outlook mobile will sync with Favorites in Outlook on the web.

Once you select your Favorites, you can set Outlook mobile to block all other notifications and let only those from your VIPs to go through, so that you can work without interruption. Also, in addition to the option to receive notifications from Focused Inbox, Focused Inbox or Other or no notifications, those who use the Microsoft sync technology for Outlook mobile can choose to be notified only when an email from one of their favorite people is delivered to the inbox.

Several enhancements to the Outlook for Android contact card have been implemented as well. Expect additional contact details, information about where they fit into the company reporting structure and insight about who they work with courtesy to the Microsoft Graph.

If you haven’t yet used Office Lens in Outlook, Microsoft made a video to show users how to scan a business card and convert it into an Outlook contact. It’s extremely convenient and save you a lot of time if you have several contacts that you want to add in Outlook.

June 5, 2019

Apex Legends is coming to mobile

Respawn’s wildly successful battle royale shooter, Apex Legends, is likely getting a mobile version, EA revealed in its quarterly earnings report. Unsurprisingly, the game was a huge hit and turned into “the fastest-growing franchise we’ve ever had,” the report says.

During today’s call, the publisher said that it has entered “advanced negotiations to bring Apex Legends to China and to mobile.” This is a strategy that both PUBG and Fortnite—Apex Legends’ biggest competitors in the battle royale genre—followed to great results, so it’s no wonder that EA is looking to replicate their success and keep Apex’s momentum going.

Fortnite’s approach is unique, however, as it is essentially the exact same game across mobile devices, consoles, and PC, which allows for seamless cross-platform play, while PUBG’s mobile outing is a separate entity that’s limited to smartphones and tablets. Unfortunately, it is yet unclear which approach EA is planning to take with the mobile version of Apex Legends, or when the game is going to release. Seeing as how the publisher has entered an advanced stage of negotiations to port the title to mobile devices, we might see something by the end of this year, though it depends entirely on how scalable the experience is going to be.

Respawn Entertainment, the game’s developer, further added that it is committed to “updating the game with seasonal updates, with a focus on the quality of content over novelty or speed of release.” This seems to be in an attempt to address complaints that the game is not getting enough new updates.

May 31, 2019

Outlook for Android and iOS gaining Fresh Feature

Microsoft is bringing support for a new feature to Outlook for mobile – Actionable Messages. The new feature will be available once the latest update goes live in the App Store and Google Play Store, and it’s meant to allow Outlook users to act fast while on the move.

For example, whenever you receive an email that has an option to take action (i.e. approving a timesheet, granting system access, answering a survey), you will now be able to respond right inside the email without leaving your inbox or switch apps.

Moreover, Actionable Message with Adaptive Cards will allow developers to deliver messages in Outlook so that users can stay in context and act fast when they need to. The first brands to work with Microsoft on Actionable Messages are SurveyMonkey, Freshworks, ServiceNow and Sage.

However, Microsoft is expected to partner with additional brands in the coming months. It’s also worth mentioning that Microsoft will be rolling out Actionable Messages to Android devices in the coming week, while iOS users will be able to take advantage of the new feature starting today.

May 27, 2019

Microsoft does something Unexpected

You didn’t have to be a techie, a fan boy or wealthy investor to enjoy the two-horse race last year between Apple and Amazon. Both companies were neck and neck in a race to be the first publicly traded U.S. firm to reach a trillion dollar valuation. Last August 2nd, Apple hit the milestone first, followed by Amazon almost exactly one month later. And that’s why it was such a surprise when Microsoft finished 2018 as the most valuable public company in the U.S.

Even though Microsoft finished on top as last year ended, it was the beneficiary of a sharp market correction that took Apple and Amazon down 32% and 27% from their 2018 highs, respectively. But the software giant had never actually joined Apple and Amazon in the trillion dollar club; that is, until today. A positive earnings report released by the gang in Redmond after the market closed last night has propelled the stock sharply higher. This morning, Microsoft’s shares reached a high of $131.37 and at that point, the company was worth $1.007 trillion dollars.

Microsoft investors have taken some profits, allowing the stock to drift back to $129.64 as we write this. That takes the company under the $1 trillion mark but doesn’t remove the accomplishment from the history books. Meanwhile, Apple and Amazon’s shares have recovered enough from last winter’s drubbing to make another run at a $1 trillion valuation. Apple, which reports earnings next week, is currently worth close to $975 billion. Amazon reports earnings later today and is currently worth $944 billion.

While some might say that Microsoft has failed miserably in the mobile industry with Windows Mobile and Windows Phone, others might point out the success it has had with the Surface Pro high-end tablets. And more importantly for Microsoft, it owns a slew of Android-related patents that bring in a huge sum of money every year.

May 15, 2019

View Android Notifications on your Windows 10

Last month, we told you that Microsoft was testing phone screen mirroring between Windows 10 and a limited number of Android handsets. The feature uses Wi-FI and Bluetooth to allow Android apps to appear on your Windows 10 PC. Originally, mirroring apps was a function available only for the Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy S8+, Samsung Galaxy S9, and the Samsung Galaxy S9+. Microsoft said that it would expand the list, and they weren’t lying.

Before we tell you the additional handsets that now support this feature, we do need to tell you that it requires you to install the Your Phone Companion app from the Google Play Store. Microsoft says that the additional phones that now support the mirroring include the OnePlus 6, OnePlus 6T, the Samsung Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy Note 9.

Besides the mirroring available with the aforementioned phones, the Your Phone Companion app allows your PC to get texts, documents, and photos from any phone running Android 7 and higher. And now, the app will allow you to see phone notifications on your PC screen. Microsoft says that insiders on the 19H1 build will soon receive a preview that brings these notifications from your phone to your desktop in real time. You can decide which apps you will see notifications from on the computer screen, and if you dismiss one from the desktop, it will also disappear from your phone. These new features also will soon appear in the Your Phone Companion app.

To see phone notifications on your Windows PC, your Android device running Android 7.0 or higher must have 1GB of RAM or more. and the Windows 10 PC must be using build 1803 (RS4) or newer. If notifications are disabled on the computer due to work policies, this feature will not work.

May 14, 2019

Microsoft, BMW team up to drive industrial IoT adoption

Microsoft and BMW have teamed up on a new initiative that they say will speed up the adoption of industrial IoT solutions.

The two announced at Hannover Messe earlier this month that they plan to develop an Open Manufacturing Platform (OMP) aimed at enabling faster and more cost-effective innovation in the manufacturing sector.

In manufacturing today, production and profitability can be hindered by complex, proprietary systems that create data silos and slow productivity.

The OMP is designed to break down these barriers with the creation of an open technology framework and cross-industry community, the companies said in a joint statement.

It is expected that the initiative will support the development of smart factory solutions that will be shared by OMP participants across the automotive and broader manufacturing sectors.

The goal is to significantly accelerate future industrial IoT developments, shorten time to value and drive production efficiencies while addressing common industrial challenges, the companies said.

The OMP will be built on the Microsoft Azure industrial IoT cloud platform. BMW already manages more than 3,000 machines, robots and autonomous transport systems on Azure cloud, IoT and AI. The company said it will provide use cases to other manufacturers who sign up to the platform.

Microsoft and BMW said they aim to bring in more manufacturers and suppliers and the goal is to have between four and six partners with them, working on 15 use cases by the end of the year.

According to the companies, members will have access to reference architecture with open source components to integrate their own systems and a repository of data models to apply machine learning solutions.

The platform meets the interoperability standards established by OPC.

“The use of open international industry standards such as OPC UA in the OMP community enables manufacturers, machine builders and suppliers to integrate their existing equipment and systems efficiently and securely,” said Stefan Hoppe, president and CEO of the OPC Foundation. For a long time, companies have promoted proprietary, closed ecosystems — the OMP commitment to open development will shape tomorrow’s manufacturing.”

May 14, 2019

Microsoft to bring its best car racing game to Phones

Microsoft has just announced that its best car racing franchise will make its debut on mobile later this year. The game is called Forza Street and seems to be part of Microsoft’s best-selling racing franchise, and, more importantly, will be free-to-play.

As a matter of fact, Microsoft confirmed Forza Street is now available as a free-to-play title for Windows 10 users, so if you don’t want to wait for the mobile version, you can start playing right away after you download it from the Microsoft Store.

Forza Street takes players to the streets of Miami where they can enter the ultimate street racing scene to win the car collection of their dreams. Simply pick an event, choose your car, and race for fame.The game allows players to collect and upgrade iconic cars, from classic to modern sport and retro supercars. Microsoft promises “streamlined controls,” but the best thing about Forza Street is that you’ll be able to race anytime, anywhere, assuming you have an Internet connection. You can even squeeze in a quick one-minute race while waiting for your bus, or get immersed in an endless story with multiple ways of achieving victory.

It’s quite interesting to see Microsoft giving a damn about mobile gaming, not to mention that the Forza series includes some of the best arcade racing games of all time. Hopefully, Forza Street will follow in the footsteps of its predecessors – Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon, and provide an immersive car racing experience.

May 6, 2019

Microsoft said to be prepping its own AirPods challenger

We know that Amazon is working on a pair of wireless earbuds that are supposed to offer better sound at a cheaper cost than Apple’s very popular AirPods. Now, according to Thurrott, it appears that Microsoft will also take a shot at Apple’s AirPods with its own wireless earbuds that could be named Surface Buds. This information comes from sources familiar with the company’s plans. Just as Apple’s AirPods come with Siri integration, and Amazon’s earbuds will be equipped with the Alexa virtual assistant, the Surface Buds will feature Cortana.

The project has the code name of Morrison, possibly named after the late Jim Morrison who was the lead singer for The Doors. This won’t be the first set of earbuds to be released by the company. Back when Microsoft sold its Zune music player (its Apple iPod competitor), it sold wired earbuds as an accessory for users of the device. Besides being equipped with Cortana, the Surface Buds are expected to feature noise cancellation and technology that will allow users to more easily read content from their phones. We would expect the product to be compatible with both Android and iOS devices.

If Microsoft is on the ball, it will have the Surface Buds available in time for the holiday shopping season. Besides Apple’s AirPods and Amazon’s upcoming earbuds, Microsoft will also be competing with the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Buds.

May 2, 2019