Extreme Tech Support Members Area

https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2021/05/ZohrehChildhood-Graduation.png At left, Zohreh Khademi at 8 years old; at right, graduating from USC. One of the most difficult and exciting challenges in my life was leaving my family in Iran and moving to the U.S. at 18 years old to pursue my dreams of higher education. As a foreign student, I initially struggled to fit in and find my place. I attended English as a Second Language classes at the same time as I was taking my first university classes at USC in Los Angeles pursuing an engineering degree, all while trying to adapt to an unfamiliar culture and start life on my own. Though I was grateful for t…

“If you were to walk the (virtual) halls at Xbox today, I think you’d find that to us, the idea of the ‘player’ has come to mean someone who plays many kinds of games on many different devices. PC gaming is part of this,” writes Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, on Xbox Wire. In this post, he goes over investments across the PC gaming ecosystem, including the launch of several games over the past 18 months: Age of Empires II and III DE, Gears Tactics, Wasteland 3, Minecraft Dungeons and Microsoft Flight Simulator. Head over to Xbox Wire to read more about those games, multiplayer cross-play, Xbox Cloud Gaming, multiple storefronts and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Cont…

In a blog post on the Dell Technologies Blog, Meghana Patwardhan explores a day in the life of a mobile professional working with the new Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable Windows 10 laptop, which comes with a fast charging stylus, Express-Sign-in and up to the latest 11th Gen Intel Core i7 vPro processors. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2021/04/Latitude-7320-Detachable-Side-View_crop-1024x577.jpg Read the rest of her post to see how the Latitude 7320 Detachable helps her go through a day filled with video meetings, powered by built-in AI software that manages efficiencies like battery life, audio settings and background applications. Continue re…

In the midst of the pandemic, Z by HP challenged seven of its global Z Ambassadors to collaborate on a mixed-media project that evolved over several months into a film and experiential art piece called “The Living System.” Like many people over the past year, these artists hopped on video calls to discuss their individual contributions. But they always aimed for a cohesive story that reflected how they were all interconnected in the creation process, using Z by HP devices and DreamColor displays. Along the way, they stepped out of their comfort zones, learned new techniques and found inspiration not only in nature and their neighborhoods, but in each other. “I alwa…

With the Galaxy Book Pro series, partners Samsung and Microsoft embrace open collaboration, building a new approach to mobile computing in which smartphones and PCs work together across operating systems. Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Book, Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360, ultra-thin and light Windows 10 laptops that can turn any location into a mobile office, theater or conference room. Studio mode in these laptops creates ideal video call environments that help you look your best, regardless of lighting or background, akin to Intelligent Noise Cancelling, which eliminates ambient noise from your microphone, you’ll always be heard with superior clarity. Combine…

https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2021/04/Ambition_Image-1-scaled.jpg Photo by Jordan Nicholson is courtesy of Disability:IN and licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0. More than 1 billion people around the world live with a disability, and at some point, most of us likely will face some type of temporary, situational or permanent disability. The practical impacts are huge. Employment and education rates are lower and poverty rates are higher for people with disabilities. And unfortunately, societal inclusion for this critical community has been flat for 30 years. Yet if there is one thing we have learned from 25 years of work on accessibility at Microsoft, it’…

Regardless of industry, digital transformation and adoption of digital tools at scale are among the most strategic decisions any organization can make and can have lasting impact on business outcomes. At the same time, digital technology must be the servant of business outcomes, allowing organizations to realize efficiencies across their business, harness data to deliver differentiated customer experiences, make collaboration seamless wherever employees are located and thwart emerging security threats. This is the foundation of co-innovation with our customers and partners, and how we work together to ensure their digital strategy is aligned to business outcomes and deliv…

I often share this quote by the French author and aviator, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “Your task is not to foresee the future, but to enable it.” Throughout my career at Microsoft I’ve been proud to play a part in enabling a safer, healthier, more sustainable and fairer future for our planet by supporting social entrepreneurship. It has helped me align my personal purpose with the purpose of Microsoft. We only do well when the world does well. Microsoft’s Global Social Entrepreneurship Program was created in early 2020, after we asked ourselves how we could further empower purpose-driven social enterprises that measure success not just by the profit they generate,…

As people spend more time on their Windows PCs, working, learning, connecting and creating, we’re making it easier to access personalized content that is available at a glance and updated throughout the day. News and interests on the Windows taskbar will begin rolling out to customers over the next several weeks. We are taking a phased and measured approach and broad availability will occur in the coming months. It should be easy to catch up on the things we care about. Yet, we’re often stuck juggling devices, jumping between websites and looking across sources before finally getting what we’re looking for: relevant and high-quality content. News and interests on the …

“Each year on April 22, Earth Day is observed around the world by people, governments and organizations that acknowledge how important protecting the planet is and commit to creating a more sustainable future,” writes Nick Parker, corporate vice president for Global Partner Solutions, on the Official Microsoft Blog. “In early 2020, Microsoft put a stake in the ground to accelerate our own sustainability journey by announcing our commitment to become carbon negative by 2030 and to reduce our historical emissions by 2050. Since then, we’ve also committed to become water positive, zero waste, build a Planetary Computer, and to protect more land than we use.” In the post, Par…

Each year on April 22, Earth Day is observed around the world by people, governments and organizations that acknowledge how important protecting the planet is and commit to creating a more sustainable future. In early 2020, Microsoft put a stake in the ground to accelerate our own sustainability journey by announcing our commitment to become carbon negative by 2030 and to reduce our historical emissions by 2050. Since then, we’ve also committed to become water positive, zero waste, build a Planetary Computer, and to protect more land than we use. We know these ambitions are bold, they must be paired with action and achieving them is a journey. . Our Microsoft 2020 Envi…

Our nation has a long journey ahead before it establishes the justice and equity that Black Americans deserve. The murder of George Floyd is a tragedy and a crime, and no jury can bring him back to life or reverse the pain and trauma experienced by his family and still felt across the country and around the world. Today’s verdict is a step forward in acknowledging painful truths and for the continued cause of defeating racism and fighting discrimination. Our company remains committed to the continued path ahead. The post Microsoft statement on Derek Chauvin verdict appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

With the free release of Season Two, Sea of Thieves Windows 10 players (as well as those with Xbox Game Pass and across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Steam) will find new events, ways to play and 100 possible levels of rewards. As in the previous Season, fans work their way up through the levels by living the pirate life, and steadily increasing Renown. Gain extra Renown by completing Trials: themed sets of Deeds. In this update, the Forts of Fortune have arrived, marked by an ominous new Skull Cloud looming in the skies over the Sea of Thieves. These encounters provide an even more rigorous challenge than other Skeleton Forts, with extra explosive potential and ever fier…

There’s so much to be grateful for about the internet – immediate access to the world’s information at your fingertips, discovering inspiring content like DIY videos, and staying connected with family and friends through social media (I love a good cat meme ). But with all the greatness the web has to offer, there is also a lot of online content that I wouldn’t want my kids to see and websites that aren’t age appropriate. With many of our kids spending so much more time online, and many parents and families sharing devices, we’ve been working on a solution and are excited to announce the general availability of Microsoft Edge Kids Mode! Kids Mode gives parents peace of mi…

We have lots of news this month to make the most of your time and help keep your family safer online. Today, we’re excited to unveil Microsoft Edge Kids Mode, a safer space for your child to discover the web. You can also learn more about Kids Mode by visiting our website. Along with this news, we also wanted to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of Give with Bing along with several new features across our web experiences team that are now generally available that help you make the most of your time online. If you’re running a Windows PC, you already have Microsoft Edge installed, so launch it and check it out. For those of you who haven’t tried Edge yet, download it and le…

To celebrate the arrival of five Aston Martin cars making their first appearance in Forza Street, players can add them through special limited events. The Aston Martin Series ends on May 10. Each week, from Monday to Friday, you can progress in three separate Events each with their own difficulty and rewards. During the weekend, a smaller special event will be available, featuring different progression paths. Find out more from the Forza Support Team. Continue reading...

Age of Empires III has debuted a new civilization, which will probably be instantly recognizable to you: The United States. But its features differ from other civilizations in Age of Empires, with a wide array of tools from which to choose and create individual strategies, ensuring no match plays out the same. Units, technologies and Home City cards offer a variety of playstyles, and with Federal Cards, you can adapt and evolve their deck based on the flow of the match. You advance in this civilization by admitting a new federal state to the union vs. picking politicians or council members to transition from Age to Age. Each state has unique, historically salient benefits…

Dell Technologies has redesigned its Inspiron series to connect you with what matters most to you, with an emphasis on minimalist aesthetics and being environmentally conscious. They’re made to handle everything from connecting with friends and family for virtual happy hour and keeping up with current events in online forums to editing blog entries and bingeing favorite shows. They come stacked with a top-notch visual experience and Dell Mobile Connect, a feature that seamlessly connects Android or iOS devices to the PC, so you never miss a text or call*. [caption id=attachment_175548" align="aligncenter" width="965]https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/…

When Sabrina Ionescu was in middle school, she wanted to join an after-school basketball program. But there weren’t enough girls to form a team and she wasn’t allowed to play with the boys. That didn’t stop her from crafting a solution – recruiting peers to form a new team. “I got a bunch of girls who were willing to play. It was a very pivotal moment and definitely motivated me to inspire young girls to break boundaries,” says the No. 1 WNBA draft pick of 2020, who joined the New York Liberty. Moved by her hustle (made famous by a Slurpee story she shared on Instagram), Xbox recently teamed up with Ionescu to surprise her former youth basketball club, The Cal Stars, w…

A new event, Age of Empires: Fan Preview, happens at 9 a.m. PDT April 10. It’s a half-hour broadcast hosted on AgeofEmpires.com, Twitch, Facebook Live, the Xbox YouTube channel and Bilibili for fans in China. For one week following the broadcast, there’s also a limited-time digital experience on AgeofEmpires.com to continue celebrating with the community. Get all the details over at Xbox Wire, which ran a story about this a few weeks ago. Continue reading...

For the past six months that they’ve been developing their first-ever video game, the Big Super Happy Fun Fun team knew pretty much from the get-go that their hometown of New Orleans needed to play a major part in it. This vibrant city – synonymous with multicultural food, music and architecture – shows up in the team’s hand-drawn rhythm game, Colin’s Crunchy Beets, through signature dishes, original music from a local band and in landmarks as the main character battles his way to victory. The game is still under development, but its progress in becoming a reality at all is a testament to Xbox Game Studios Game Camp New Orleans – Powered by Unity, an experience that ra…

Season 6: Raven, the latest season for Halo: The Master Chief Collection, has arrived with a lot of new content. This time around PC gamers can celebrate the heroic exploits of Fireteam Raven with unique themed armor sets, vehicle skins and weapon skins. You’ll also find more customization options with new in-game back accessories, animated nameplates and animated visors. Get all the details at Halo Waypoint. Continue reading...

Alienware has announced two new Windows 10 gaming laptops: the redesigned Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 and Dell G15 Ryzen Edition. Both come with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Laptop GPUs. Gamers can select up to QHD 240Hz or FHD 360Hz panels to deliver smooth gameplay on the m15, which supports the Alienware HD (1280x720 resolution) camera with dual array microphones and Windows Hello IR support. There’s also an optional ultra-low profile mechanical keyboard co-developed with Cherry MX that creates a distinctive typing experience and supports per-key RGB lighting. The Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 is available in the U.S. with select configurations on April 20 starting…

Microsoft announced on Monday that Microsoft Defender for Endpoint now supports Windows 10 on Arm devices. This expanded support is part of the company’s efforts to extend these capabilities across endpoints. Arm devices are designed to take full advantage of the protections available in Windows 10 such as encryption, data protection, and next gen antivirus and antimalware capabilities. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint compliments these features with a cloud-powered enterprise platform that helps security teams prevent, detect, investigate and respond to advanced threats, while delivering secure and productive end user experiences. Head over to the Microsoft Security Blog …

https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2021/04/HERO-Walking-in_microsoft-vaccine-009-scaled.jpg King County Vaccination Partnership-Redmond is located at the Microsoft Conference Center. Eligible members of the community can now register to be notified when appointments are available. (Photography by Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures) Microsoft has partnered with Seattle area hospital systems, EvergreenHealth and Overlake Medical Center & Clinics and Public Health – Seattle & King County to host a public community vaccination site at our campus headquarters in Redmond, Washington, called the King County Vaccination Partnership-Redmond. Anyone in th…