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With Surface Headphones, you can tune in to what matters most by tuning out the world around you. With your Headphones and your Surface, your office, studio, or library is wherever you need to be. You’ve got the smarter way to listen. Surface Headphones can simultaneously connect with up to 10 devices, including your Windows 10 PC, and mobile devices running on iOS and Android. With it, you can listen to music while focusing at your Surface and seamlessly take a call from your phone. Setting up Surface Headphones To begin using your Surface Headphones, first pair them with your Windows PC or mobile phone. Press and release the power button quickly to turn y…

Earlier today, Microsoft released its fourth annual comprehensive workforce demographic report. This report reflects our commitment to continuous improvement, finding new ways of reaching diverse talent pools and continuing to evolve a culture of inclusion throughout every level of the company. The takeaway from today’s report is this: We are seeing signs of progress, and some of the seeds planted in prior years are beginning to take root, but we know we have more ahead of us than behind us. We know that diversity for our employee population requires a long-term commitment and success will not happen overnight. We must also continue to foster an inclusive working envir…

https://blogs.windows.com/uploads/mswbprod/sites/2/2018/11/1d1b149669a67f3376115c9aefe6ff40-1024x578.jpg Across geographic, social and cultural landscapes, Americans from backgrounds of all kinds don’t have enough money to meet their basic needs. Even when the larger economy is robust and job reports are positive, millions of Americans aren’t a part of that picture. They are white, rural, urban, black, married, single, Native American, Hispanic, gay, straight and gender nonconforming. They are religious and they are not. They are elderly and they are just babies. They are our relatives and neighbors – they are us. This November, Microsoft News is putting a focus on …

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18282 (19H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. REMINDER: As is normal with builds early in the development cycle, builds may contain bugs that might be painful for some. If this makes you uncomfortable, you may want to consider switching to the Slow ring. Slow ring builds will continue to be higher quality. If you are looking for a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring – head on over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here including a complete list of new features and updates that have gone out as part of Insider flights for the current…

Conversational AI is quickly becoming a way in which businesses engage with employees and customers: from creating virtual assistants and redesigning customer interactions to using conversational assistants to help employees communicate and work better together. According to Gartner, “By 2020, conversational artificial intelligence will be a supported user experience for more than 50 percent of large, consumer-centric enterprises.”* At Microsoft, we envision a world where natural language becomes the new user interface, enabling people to do more with what they say, type and input, understanding preferences and tasks and modeling experiences based on the way people think …

As more of our partners, clients and customers set out to design conversational interfaces such as chatbots and virtual assistants, they often ask us for advice on how to develop these technologies in a way that will benefit people while also maintaining their trust. Today, I’m excited to share guidelines that we’ve developed for responsible development of conversational artificial intelligence, based on what we have learned both through our own cross-company work focused on responsible AI and by listening to our customers and partners. The field of conversational AI isn’t new to me or to Microsoft. In fact, I’ve been working on conversational interfaces since 1995 whe…

In early October, we paused the rollout of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update as we investigated isolated reports of users missing files after updating. We take any case of data loss seriously, and as I noted on October 9, we have thoroughly investigated and resolved all related issues. In addition to extensive internal validation, we have taken time to closely monitor feedback and diagnostic data from our Windows Insiders and from the millions of devices on the Windows 10 October Update, and we have no further evidence of data loss. Based on this data, today we are beginning the re-release of the October Update by making it available via media and to advanced users …

Today we are re-releasing the October 2018 Update after pausing to investigate a small but serious issue. This is the first time in Windows 10’s “Windows as a Service” history that we have taken such an action, and as such it has naturally led to questions about the work we do to test and validate Windows quality before we begin rolling it out broadly. While our measurements of quality show improving trends on aggregate for each successive Windows 10 release, if a single customer experiences an issue with any of our updates, we take it seriously. Today, I will share an overview of how we work to continuously improve the quality of Windows and our Windows as a Service…

https://blogs.windows.com/uploads/mswbprod/sites/2/2018/11/e1ba62b030ccedbd1ddab08597b34e74-1024x578.png When I think back on a lifetime of giving holidays, I don’t always remember the exact presents or the pattern of the wrapping paper. What I recall clearly, though, is that smile, that laugh of someone unwrapping the perfect gift. For me – and from me – those gifts often had technology at the center, whether it was the latest gaming console I always wanted growing up, the perfect PC for my kids or the sold-out fitness wearable for my wife. Unwrapping a gift of technology always seems to generate a happy dance. For this holiday season and one of my favorite times o…

https://blogs.windows.com/uploads/mswbprod/sites/2/2018/11/61991192e9037d2b471a38179501d599-1024x691.jpgThe Microsoft News team has a mission to keep the world informed, with nearly half a billion people coming to MSN and Microsoft Edge every month to find out what’s going on around the globe. Each day, Microsoft News editors work with more than 1,000 premium publishing partners (such as “The New York Times,” “Fox News,” “USA Today” and “Sports Illustrated”) to curate the best news and high-quality, credible journalism across a variety of topics so that readers get the latest news. Each month, MSN will publish a list of its most-read news stories “in order to share …

Happy Diwali for the Indian Windows Insiders who are celebrating! Today, we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18277 (19H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. REMINDER: As is normal with builds early in the development cycle, builds may contain bugs that might be painful for some. If this makes you uncomfortable, you may want to consider switching to the Slow ring. Slow ring builds will continue to be higher quality. If you are. looking for a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring – head on over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here including a complete list of new features and updates that have gone ou…

https://blogs.windows.com/uploads/mswbprod/sites/2/2018/11/82ca87344e88872959db488ac066f58e-1024x517.jpg We work hard to improve the shopping experience in the Microsoft Store, and are always looking for ways to improve the discoverability and purchase of the products and services we sell. Today, we are excited to announce that customers can begin using our improved Shopping Cart and later this week, our new Wish List – two of the most-requested features from our fans. https://blogs.windows.com/uploads/mswbprod/sites/2/2018/11/cf3b870bfe372de521f10bd2bb895365-1024x501.png Shopping Cart As we mentioned previously, we’ve extended the existing Shopping Cart to w…

Hello Windows Insiders! Today, we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18272 (19H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. To help Insiders get started with the latest 19H1 builds, we’re also making the ISOs for Build 18272 available today by clicking here. (It make take a little bit for the build to show up so please be patient. ISOs should be up now!) This flight will not be available for ARM devices running languages other than English (U.S.). If you are looking for a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring – head on over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here including a complete list of new features and updat…

https://blogs.windows.com/uploads/mswbprod/sites/2/2018/10/45a01fc57b49b45ec5994e862ceb6310.png Our friends at Mixer have announced Mixer Season 2, the next major evolution of Microsoft’s interactive livestreaming platform. At its core, Mixer is a place where community comes first, so Season 2 covers new investments in innovation that ensure the community has a more active and engaging experience. Building upon what the team has learned since Mixer first launched, Season 2 gives viewers more fun ways to express themselves, supports creators with new monetization opportunities and strengthens streamer communities. Head over to the Mixer blog to learn more about the t…

Microsoft has completed its acquisition of GitHub. Nat Friedman, former CEO of Xamarin (acquired by Microsoft in 2016), is taking over as GitHub’s CEO, reporting to Scott Guthrie, Microsoft Cloud + AI Group Executive Vice President. GitHub will retain its developer-first ethos, operate independently, and remain an open platform. Together, the two companies will work together to empower developers to achieve more at every stage of the development lifecycle, accelerate enterprise use of GitHub, and bring Microsoft’s developer tools and services to new audiences. For more on what this means for GitHub and its community of developers, read new CEO Nat Friedman’s blog. …

Microsoft’s first quarter earnings show that we continue to gain momentum with enterprise customers across industries and solution areas. That momentum reflects a steadfast commitment to customer success, whether through cross-industry partnerships or through cloud- and AI-driven innovations that are transforming how organizations are building competitive advantages and creating value for their own customers. On the partnership front this past quarter, Microsoft joined with Adobe and SAP to launch the Open Data Initiative. The initiative aims to address one of the biggest challenges facing organizations today: barriers between customer interaction data and operational …

Hello Windows Insiders! Today, we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18267 (19H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. REMINDER: As is normal with builds early in the development cycle, builds may contain bugs that might be painful for some. If this makes you uncomfortable, you may want to consider switching to the Slow ring. Slow ring builds will continue to be higher quality. What’s new in Build 18267 Input Improvements Vietnamese Telex and Number key-based keyboards are now available on your PC: Do you write Vietnamese? We want you to have the best possible typing experience, so we’re happy to announce that with this build you can now use Vie…

HP Inc. launched on Tuesday a lineup of new devices combining premium design, security and performance. HP created its latest Spectre and Elite innovations to take PC experiences to the next level by enabling creativity, connectivity and confidence throughout the day. They build on a series of breakthrough devices, including the recently announced HP Spectre Folio. “There is a growing desire for personal computing devices that enable new experiences and are built for busy, on-the-go lifestyles,” the company said in a press release. “This is especially true for customers looking to purchase a premium device, as 45 percent spend a significant amount of time using their l…

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https://blogs.windows.com/uploads/mswbprod/sites/2/2018/10/add64b7c64e503aaca4b93c48c4fd862.jpg Samsung has announced a new advanced display technology for the HMD Odyssey+, bringing true-to-life visuals to its entry in the Windows Mixed Reality space that delivers an improved life-like and immersive experience. To push visual boundaries, the headset has dual 3.5-inch AMOLED displays and a combined resolution of 2,880 x 1,600. And on the audio end, it integrates AKG’s premium audio technology for exceptional and dynamic sound performance. You’ll feel truly in the moment with built-in 360-degree Spatial Sound support that simulates 3D sounds, delivering clear and preci…

The financial services industry is at an inflection point. Fintechs and challengers are entering rapidly as regulatory requirements are increasing. Consumers are expecting highly personalized experiences while security threats are evolving. The challenges for banks, insurers, payments tech providers and others are mounting high. Transforming these challenges into business opportunities is an imperative for financial services firms and central to success. Many ambitious digital leaders are already discussing their transformation journey, or are well on the way. As a result, our teams are having new conversations, from ‘how can new cloud-enabled business models keep me c…

Today, we are excited to announce that in addition to digital games, Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, we have expanded digital gifting to include apps and avatar items sold in the Microsoft Store. Here’s how to start sending digital gifts in the Microsoft Store in three easy steps: Head over to the Microsoft Store on your Windows 10 PC, Xbox console or online. Navigate to the product that you would like to purchase as a gift. Select “Buy as gift” and enter the email address of the gift recipient. (On Xbox One, you can choose a Gamertag from your list of Xbox Live friends.) https://blogs.windows.com/uploads/mswbprod/sites/2/2018/10/5bc1e4f64d0…

https://blogs.windows.com/uploads/mswbprod/sites/2/2018/10/2c697a6561eb0c64e9817cecbb13ce55-1024x714.jpeg Samsung Galaxy Book2 with included pen and keyboard Today’s workforce, along with the tech industry, is changing. More and more consumers are trading in traditional laptops and PCs for devices that do more – in both form factor and performance. Workers, consumers and enterprises also have an expectation of mobility, a seamless transition and integration between experiences. If you’re often working on the go, check out a new 2-in-1 portable PC that’s on and always connected, Samsung’s new Galaxy Book2, running Windows 10 and powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon …

Hello Windows Insiders! Today, we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18262 (19H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring AND those who have opted in to Skip Ahead. REMINDER: As is normal with builds early in the development cycle, builds may contain bugs that might be painful for some. If this makes you uncomfortable, you may want to consider switching to the Slow ring. Slow ring builds will continue to be higher quality. What’s new in Build 18262 See DPI Awareness in Task Manager Interested to know which of your running apps is DPI Aware? We’ve added a new optional column to the Details tab of Task Manager so you can find out the DPI awareness per…

Microsoft is mourning the passing of Paul Allen, a renowned philanthropist and business leader who co-founded the company more than four decades ago. He was 65. Allen died Monday from complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, according to a statement from Vulcan Inc. on behalf of the Allen family, Vulcan Inc. and the Paul G. Allen Network. In a written statement, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella noted Allen’s huge impact on technology and much more: “Paul Allen’s contributions to our company, our industry and to our community are indispensable. As co-founder of Microsoft, in his own quiet and persistent way, he created magical products, experiences and institutions, an…