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Microsoft Build is our premier developer conference, providing access to cutting-edge technology, the ability to collaborate with peers, and an open door to fresh perspectives. Our goals are to foster community and transparently share our developer roadmap and monetization strategy — which we believe leads to even better collaboration and innovation. While it maintains its roots of being produced by developers for developers, this year’s event is focused on empowering developers of all kinds, from experienced computer scientists to tech beginners with big ideas we have so much in store! Whether you want to learn a new technology or level up your skills in a certain are…

As a judge on “American Idol” for 13 years, Jackson had to constantly assess contestants and their potential, gauging who had that It factor that would propel them into superstardom. You’ve probably heard of some of them: Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and Adam Lambert. Jackson had a lot of experience to make those calls. Catching the music bug when he was 14, listening to his brother’s band rehearse in their mother’s garage in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he would go on to play with Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and many others. By the time he was a fixture in American living rooms and mobile devices, he had racked up a long l…

The cloud is enabling organizations of all types to innovate and move faster toward their business goals. It has enhanced productivity and security and opened up new opportunities for companies to tap into the potential of technologies like artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT). The cloud is helping businesses in every industry transform: Retail is becoming more personal, banking is becoming more seamless, and healthcare is becoming more predictive and preventive. This digital revolution demands that technology vendors be open and flexible to help address a wider range of customer needs. Over the years, we’ve worked with partners to create solutions that…

Did you know you can now see your top sites in the Jump List on the Windows taskbar or Start menu, thanks to the Windows 10 October 2018 Update? Just right-click the Microsoft Edge icon to see a list of your most-visited sites and pin the ones that matter most to you. Right-click on any entry to remove it from the list. Check it out in action: https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/8bc578669fc7bfe6fa92e5f314dcd157.gif If you like this, check out more Windows 10 Tips. The post Windows 10 Tip: See your top sites in the Jump List appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18885 (20H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. NOTE: Windows Insiders on Build 18362.53 who were unable to update to Build 18875 will need to install Build 18362.86 (KB4497093) *FIRST* before being able to receive today’s build. Build 18362.86 includes the fix needed to update to the latest 20H1 builds from Build 18362.53. If you’re already on Build 18875, this build should come through normally. Earlier this month, we moved the Fast ring forward to 20H1 and merged the small group of Insiders who opted-in to Skip Ahead back into the Fast ring, which means Insiders in the Fast ring a…

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) has announced a top-to-bottom update of its gaming laptop family. The ROG spring 2019 collection mixes all-new models with refreshed systems to deftly balance the performance required by gamers, content creators and power users with the convenience of creature comforts that enhance everyday use. The lineup includes desktop replacements, ultra-slims and evolved expressions of traditional laptops. There are different levels to match performance requirements and the appetite for more engaging gaming experiences. S-class laptops offer a premium experience fit for professionals, while M-tier designs scale back slightly to find the sweet spot fo…

If you’re among the breed of gamers who like to take their action on the go, you’ll want to check out the five gaming laptops Lenovo has beefed up with the latest 9th Gen Intel Core mobile processors and the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 and 1660 Ti GPUs, plus two new laptops—the Lenovo Legion Y7000 and IdeaPad L340 Gaming—the company has added to its offerings. First unveiled at CES, the upgraded Lenovo Legion Y740, Y540 and Y7000p1 laptops have more than enough power to handle today’s most graphically intensive titles, from action-packed multiplayer online battle arenas to scenic role-playing games to heart-pounding first-person shooters. https://blogs.windows.co…

https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/Bank-of-America-MSFT-Campus-Ribbon-Cutting-1024x682.jpg Judson Althoff joins in the Redmond opening of the new Bank of America on Microsoft’s campus. The branch is testing new technologies powered by Microsoft Azure and AI. Recently, I joined a ribbon-cutting at the new Bank of America location on Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Washington. The financial center is a great example of co-innovation with our customers. It features some test technology only available at this location, like a holographic greeter, with capabilities in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. The bank’s associates are equipped wi…

Have you ever needed to look up something on your calendar – like when your boss is going to be on vacation, or when an important meeting is coming up? Now you can, thanks to the Windows 10 October 2018 Update. You can find past or future events by searching for the name, location, people included or words in the event description. Events that match your search will be clearly visible on your calendar, while those that don’t will be dimmed so you can find what you need quickly. Search works for Outlook.com and Office 365 accounts. Check it out in action: https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/7c872109ddc358bd6e996f7dfe23e29f.gif …

IoT sensors are being infused into just about everything, from industrial equipment to consumer devices, and increasingly these devices are connecting to the cloud. By 2020, Gartner predicts there will be more than 20 billion connected devices. In April 2018, we announced we’re investing $5 billion in IoT and the intelligent edge over the next four years. Since then, we’ve been making a number of investments from product innovation – including Azure Sphere, Azure Digital Twins, Azure IoT Edge, Azure Maps and Azure IoT Central – new partnerships with DJI, SAP, PTC, Qualcomm and Carnegie Mellon University for IoT and edge app development, and programs to help drive the next…

Every year, professionals from around the globe join us at Build, our premier developer conference, to learn about new technologies, gain hands-on experience, and level-up their development skills. It’s one of my favorite events, and this year, it’s getting even better as we extend these opportunities to students. For the first time, Build attendees are invited to bring up to two family members aged 14-21 to participate with them—for free. We’ll also bring in local Seattle-area high school students to participate in some of these learning opportunities. The newly created Student Zone at Build is designed to provide an immersive educational experience for the students a…

As part of Microsoft’s gaming vision spanning PCs, consoles and more, a new choice has emerged: the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/ac26ed2a372346969c0ed811f21a400a.jpg Since the first Xbox debuted in 2001, there’s been a digital transformation across gaming, music, TV and movies. The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition was created for those who prefer to find and play their games digitally and are looking for the most affordable way to play Xbox games. It comes bundled with three popular games – “Minecraft,” “Forza Horizon 3” and “Sea of Thieves” and is available for pre-order at $249.99. Find out m…

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/2a35f4792f9eaf6f3c2f5110f2f0cda6-1024x498.jpg From the top-rated Xbox racing franchise, Forza is excited to announce a new, on-the-go racing experience for Windows 10 devices. In “Forza Street,” players collect and assemble a legendary lineup of cars to compete in quick, cinematic races that are easy to learn, but hard to perfect. Read more over at Xbox Wire. The post Announcing ‘Forza Street’ – available today for Windows 10 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

If it’s been a minute since you’ve used Skype, there are several new features that have come out since the Windows 10 October 2018 Update: background blurring, OneDrive integration and live captions and subtitles. Background blur Did you ever video chat on Skype and the person you’re talking to seems to be looking at something behind you? Maybe it’s a pile of laundry, your cat photobombing the conversation or a distracting painting. Whatever it is, it’s taking the focus off you. These and many other examples are why Skype introduced background blur in February. As the Skype blog explains, “Background blur in Skype is similar to background blur in Microsoft…

At its annual global press conference Thursday in New York City, Acer launched ConceptD, a new brand of high-end desktops, notebooks, gadgets and monitors optimized for creators such as graphic designers, filmmakers, engineers, architects and developers. It also revealed new and refreshed devices for consumers, gamers and on-the-go professionals. A lot of great hardware was introduced; let’s kick things off with the new ConceptD lineup. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/91bac14af0e62c2c486fc3a19ace924b.jpg ConceptD family of devices The ConceptD 900 is a high-performance desktop for professionals running multiple complex and demand…

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are moving the Fast ring forward to 20H1 and merging the small group of Insiders who opted-in to Skip Ahead back into the Fast ring with the release of Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20H1 Build 18875. That means Insiders in the Fast ring and those who opted-in to Skip Ahead will receive the same builds going forward. IMPORTANT: As is normal with builds early in the development cycle, these builds may contain bugs that might be painful for some. If you take this flight, you won’t be able to switch Slow or Release Preview rings without doing a clean-install on your PC. If you wish to remain on 19H1, please change your ring settings via …

Hello Windows Insiders, Last week, we announced how we are improving the Windows 10 update experience with the Windows 10 May 2019 Update in a blog post from Mike Fortin. As part of that blog post, Mike outlined how we plan to deploy the May 2019 Update to customers. Right now, the May 2019 Update (Build 18362.30) is being rolled out to the Release Preview ring starting with seekers. The May 2019 Update will remain in the Release Preview ring for an increased amount of time in order give us additional time and signals to detect any issues before broader deployment. Check your Windows Insider Program settings With the Windows 10 May 2019 Update being rolled out …

In December, we announced our intention to adopt the Chromium open source project in the development of Microsoft Edge on the desktop. Our goal is to work with the larger Chromium open source community to create better web compatibility for our customers and less fragmentation of the web for all web developers. Today we’re embarking on the next step in this journey – our first Canary and Developer builds are ready for download on Windows 10 PCs. Canary builds are preview builds that will be updated daily, while Developer builds are preview builds that will be updated weekly. Beta builds will come online in the future. Support for Mac and all supported versions of Windo…

Did you know easy snipping is just a single step away, thanks to the Windows 10 October 2018 Update? Since it’s available in the Microsoft Store, Snip & Sketch (originally introduced as part of the Windows Ink Workspace under the name “Screen Sketch”) can update faster and more frequently. It’s already had four app updates with new features since it was introduced in the fall. Unlike Screen Sketch, the Snip & Sketch app will show up on the taskbar and in the task switcher (Alt+tab), which makes it much easier to multi-task. You can also set the window size, and it even supports multiple windows. To quickly snip and share a screenshot, press the Window…

While regular updates are critical to keeping modern devices secure and running smoothly in a diverse and dynamic ecosystem, we have heard clear feedback that the Windows update process itself can be disruptive, particularly that Windows users would like more control over when updates happen. Today we are excited to announce significant changes in the Windows update process, changes designed to improve the experience, put the user in more control, and improve the quality of Windows updates. In previous Windows 10 feature update rollouts, the update installation was automatically initiated on a device once our data gave us confidence that device would have a great updat…

One year ago, we announced our commitment to invest $5B in IoT (Internet of Things) and intelligent edge – technology that is accelerating ubiquitous computing and bringing unparalleled opportunity for transformation across industries. Our commitment is to a build trusted, easy to use platform for our customers and partners to build solutions – no matter where they are starting in their IoT journey. Our customers are embracing IoT as a core strategy to drive better business outcomes, improve safety and address social issues – from predicting and preventing equipment failures, optimizing smart buildings for space utilization and energy management and improving patient o…

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/c83ea2bc06e9f4ebf60162d24a136204-1024x536.jpg It began more than 20 years ago, in the days before sensors monitored soil health, before smart shelves managed product levels, before artificial intelligence and IoT-enabled cameras reduced violent crime. Before the term “Internet of Things” had been coined, Microsoft Windows was there—but not just on our PCs. It was quietly running on the smallest, embedded devices—the precursors to the intelligent, connected devices of today. In fact, Windows IoT is more than two decades in the making, and now, Windows IoT is helping businesses of all sizes achieve d…

The dissemination of news and information has always been the machinery that powers our democracy. Our society relies on stalwart reporters and news organizations to pursue the truth and hold the powerful accountable, even as the industry faces daunting challenges from political retaliation to economic viability. In support of these efforts, we are proud to announce the two recipients of the first phase of our grant program, in partnership with the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ): Josh Landis of Nexus Media News (Washington, D.C.) and Verah Okeyo of The Nation (Kenya).https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/ICJF_OMB-headshot-300x300.jpg …

Did you know you can change File Explorer to a theme that’s easier on the eyes, thanks to the Windows 10 October 2018 Update? https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/03/a2b65b066f7be59249f749280e163fb5.png As the Windows Insider blog explains, “Adding a dark theme to File Explorer has long been a top Insider request,” but it meant “breaking new ground to provide a dark theme to legacy parts of the shell.” The post goes on to explain the process of creating and refining the UI design, with the help of Windows Insiders’ feedback. “For example, Insiders told us that they’d like to see more use of grey tones — which we added to areas lik…

It’s a time of great disruption but great opportunity in the manufacturing industry, as businesses seek to find novel ways to create new business value, empower and upskill their workforce, optimize their operations and innovate for a sustainable future. Advanced technologies like AI, mixed reality and automation are helping drive Industry 4.0, creating a future where “intelligent manufacturing” is a reality. Today, we are introducing updates that help bring this reality even closer for our customers and partners, to deliver increased security, productivity and efficiency, which will help them achieve new business outcomes. As we head to Hanover, Germany, next week to …