Yes, this is the same new Xbox Dashboard Microsoft initially revealed in August. There’s not much going on in terms of layout changes. Although, the new dashboard does boost the performance of the Xbox system. Running the new software, the Xbox Series X loads 50% faster than the Xbox One version and consumes 40% less memory. We are unsure if this translates to a noticeable improvement for users, but Microsoft says it will....
With this app, Windows 10 users can place a news ticker on their PC desktop. The app is available now from the Microsoft Store although it is only currently in beta testing. Furthermore, it seems as though the app is now available globally. According to Microsoft, News Bar acts as a notification taskbar for news items. You can see the latest news stories and get added information such as stocks....
Windows executive Joe Belfiore mentioned that the cloud storage service will move to an on-demand model. The transition was described as “upcoming” and Microsoft left it at that. As I said, a cameo. Luckily, we have not had to wait long to find out what the company has planned. At the SharePoint Summit, the company has explained exactly what we can expect from OneDrive Files On Demand and introduced new features to SharePoint....
Available now on the Microsoft Store, the app offers a simple set of tools that allow users to tweak Windows 11 HDR display settings. The Windows HDR Calibration app also supports improvements for standard dynamic range (SDR) displays. “Calibrate your HDR (high dynamic range) display for a better experience with HDR content on your Windows 11 PC. The Windows HDR Calibration app helps you improve color accuracy and consistency. It also lets you customize how vividly colors will appear for both HDR and SDR (standard dynamic range) content when HDR is turned on,” Microsoft says in its description of the app....
As the company points out, this is a preview for the next Annual Channel release of Windows Server. Microsoft runs Windows as a service these days. That means the company updates the platform Semi-Annually with two feature upgrades. These upgrades are when users get new features and tools. In-between the Semi-Annual Channel releases, Microsoft sends out monthly patches. The now well-known monthly Patch Tuesday’s service to shore Windows against security problems and fix known issues....
Available now in the new Microsoft Store for Windows 11, the Microsoft Defender preview is still only available for some users. In other words, this is a limited preview right now and not available to all members of the Windows Insider Program. However, Ahmed Walid was able to get the installer and posted the following images of the new Microsoft Defender experience. It seems users are able to get quite far into the installation process before being shut out....
The company says engineers say working with Rust has been “generally positive”. Still, many features are still absent with Microsoft promising to add support to help continue with experimenting. While C and C++ remain very popular, they are aging languages. Rust is a modern programming tool that is considered “memory-safe languages”. That’s because it is specifically designed to protect against vulnerabilities in memory corruption. Microsoft has said it is exploring the idea of re-writing its products in Rust....
If you’re unfamiliar with Windows Core OS (WCOS), it is a modular version of Windows 10. By creating a modular Windows experience, Microsoft can put the full power of Windows 10 on any device. WCOS will provide Microsoft with a platform that will work on mobile devices and PCs alike. Users on smartphones will be able to receive a full Windows 10 PC-quality experience. As the platform would be expanding across form factors, it makes sense some aspects of Windows 10 will look different....
We’ll get to the new additions shortly, but first, Microsoft has also tweaked the game itself. The company says Minecraft on Xbox now uses less memory thank to enhancements to the interface. Developer Mojang says the game should feel smoother even in intensive situations. Additionally, there are seven new achievements to play for. Of course, the most important thing is additional items and features. With that in mind, this update is well stocked....
In the post, Microsoft points out that it seeks to improve the Chakra JavaScript engine for Microsoft Edge through each update. For the Creators Update, the company says day-to-day performance has improved the browsing experience. Microsoft Edge now has improved memory usage through the defer-parsing mechanism. Not a new function, defer-parsing has been used since the days of Internet Explorer. The feature allows Chaka to check for syntax errors at startup and can delay full parsing until functions are called....
The accolade comes despite Edge’s relatively recent debut on the platform in October 2017. It offers users a degree of cross-platform compatibility with Windows 10, supporting the Timeline feature and the ability to open web pages on desktop with a tap. Also contributing to the rating is the app’s recent integration of Adblock Plus. When enabled, the feature will keep ‘acceptable ads’ by default, but can also be used to remove them entirely....
STOCKHISTORY tops into the Stocks data type in Microsoft Excel and also the dynamic arrays ability that came to the app last year. As the name suggests, STOCKHISTORY will compile stock values from different dates and present them all in Excel. Dynamic arrays is an important part of the new tool. The feature allows formulas to output values across cells as a list: “Using dynamic arrays, any formula that returns an array of values will seamlessly “spill” into neighboring unoccupied cells, making it as easy to get an array of values returned as it is to work on a single cell....
Microsoft has been increasingly embracing cloud computing as the idea of a connected world grows. By creating its own hardware standard through Project Olympus, the company wants to reduce the cost of creating platforms on Azure. You may remember Microsoft discussed the project last year. Kushagra Vaid GM, Azure Hardware Infrastructure said the company will share its cloud hardware designs when they are around 50% complete. Project Olympus consists of 1U and 2U server chassis, power supplies, power distribution, a universal motherboard and other components....
Below you find all the details about this quick fix from Microsoft. Please be aware of the Alpha status of those builds which means you might experience other severe issues, apart from the mentioned ones. In a related Reddit thread, users report that for instance YouTube and Microsoft Edge no longer load, severe dashboard performance and app loading issues. So while the Xbox One Party Chat crash bug fix might resolve one problem, it might cause others....
When a Patch Tuesday arrives, Microsoft details all security vulnerabilities it fixes. However, without digging deep into the release notes, some bugs are fixed and simply ignored. One such bug and subsequent fix came with no details during last month’s August Patch Tuesday. Specifically, this bug is known as Zerologon and is especially dangerous. Microsoft’s fix is under the identifier CVE-2020-1472 but was not detailed properly until Dutch security firm Secura B....
Specifically, instead of introducing it for all users as announced, Microsoft limited IE Mode to IT admins only. Microsoft seems to have had a change of heart and the IE-Mode is now back. However, it seems to be more hidden in the mix than it previously was on Chromium Edge. Also, users are likely to see a warning when they update the Edge Developer channel next week. Specifically, they will be warned that using unsupported command-line flags could cause a security risk....
At the moment, this is just based on the Store listing. Microsoft has yet to confirm the delay, but Spring 2018 would coincide with the launch of Windows 10 Redstone 4. Either way, we expect Surface chief Panos Panay to discuss the Surface Pro LTE at Future Decoded this month. The London event will see Microsoft discuss Surface hardware and could include a new device. At least, Panay will talk about the LTE model and probably announce its official release....
The new base color options come in the form of Ink and Mineral Blue, as well as Sierra Brown and Desert tan. Each looks great in its own right and offers a more subdued look. There are also 11 new thumbstick colors, including: Glacier Blue Zest Orange Retro Pink Electric Green Robot White Lightning Yellow Ash Gray Ink Blue Mineral Blue Sierra Brown Desert Tan The new body colors are also available as part of the new metallic finish option....
When users enter tablet mode in Windows 11, they can select between two options: First is a state where the taskbar is collapsed and displays important status icons only. The second is an expanded taskbar that will make it easier to touch apps and icons. Microsoft is locking this feature, which means it is exclusively for devices that can be used as tablets, such as full tablets and 2-in-1 convertibles....
In-app purchases (IAP) have become a hugely important revenue stream for developers. Love them or hate them as a consumer, they are now deeply integrated as a business model for apps and games. Indeed, Microsoft says over 90% of paid app revenue comes from IAP. The Payment Request API for Windows 10 will bring a new revenue stream to developers. Specifically, the API allows the sale of physical goods and other commerce that is now supported in the Windows Store....
