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https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/44e84359311458813d4ca9fe4e75de17.jpg Microsoft Store continues to make it easier than ever for customers to experience virtual reality by rolling out four new VR game demos on Oculus Rift, powered by Windows 10, this week. Customers can try new demos including one of the biggest exclusive games for Oculus Rift, Rock Band VR, as well as Fruit Ninja VR, Lumiere’s Dress Rehearsal and Robo Recall. Rift and Windows 10 make it easy to step into new worlds and experience VR gaming like never before, while Oculus Touch motion controllers feel as natural as your own hands. Whether you’re rocking out onstage or mowing down …

Creativity has led the inspiration of our world’s greatest inventors, architects, educators, entrepreneurs, developers, and students, delivering advancements that move our world forward. Today, people value creativity more than ever, placing us on the cusp of a new wave of exploration, advancement, and impact. We designed Windows 10 to empower the creator in all of us. To us, that means that everyone has the power to dream big, whether that involves starting a company, developing a lesson plan, inventing a product, developing or broadcasting games, or imagining a whole new world in Minecraft or mixed reality. And we want Windows to be the place you love to create and p…

https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/49f26aa4213cff093f184c61c28863fe.jpg Spring is here, birds and blossoms are back, and Microsoft is charging forward with tons of exciting news. Thanks for joining us for this edition of Weekend Reading, where we round up highlights from across the company. This week, Microsoft announced that Windows 10 Creators Update will roll out to customers worldwide on April 11 as a free update, bringing 3D and mixed reality to everyone, enabling gamers to be broadcasters and making Microsoft Edge faster and safer. “We designed Windows 10 to empower the creator in all of us,” writes Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft corporate vice pre…

It was a busy week and this edition of Weekend Reading gives you the highlights, which include Microsoft’s first partner in a new intellectual property licensing program for connected cars, new joint solutions with Adobe and awards for world-changing ideas. On Wednesday, Microsoft announced an agreement to license its intellectual property (IP) for connected cars to Toyota, its first partner in the launch of a new auto licensing program. “As one of the leading auto companies in the world with a deep heritage of innovation and ground-breaking research and development, Toyota is already a valued partner of Microsoft through the Toyota Connected program and an early adopt…

Speaking to some of the best and brightest student developers at Imagine Cup, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella once said, “All of you represent that passion, that ability to dream the impossible and make it possible.” The Imagine Cup embraces this principle as the company’s global student innovation competition. Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, the competition represents Microsoft’s enduring commitment to supporting young developers and their drive to create the next game-changing innovations. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/dbaee1877f1c163bd3d1fd0a4302f8b5.jpg Last fall, we launched the 2017 Imagine Cup competition along with the news that we…

This week was a showcase of new technologies helping people to live, work and function better, from a digital workspace for teams to artificial intelligence for improving patient outcomes to a new physical programming language that enables children with visual impairment to create computer code. Let’s take a look. Microsoft Teams became generally available for Office 365 customers around the world in 181 markets and 19 languages. The new chat-based workspace provides a modern conversations experience with customization options, advanced security and compliance capabilities, and tight integration with Word, Excel and other Office 365 apps. Since its preview in Novembe…

We met a wide range of inspiring people this week, each of whom we’d gladly have over to the house for dinner. Their determination seems to reflect what Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” Plus – they’re awfully nice, which doesn’t hurt, either. Let’s meet them, and catch up on other news from Microsoft this week. Anyone who goes up against Anton Grotz will find they have big shoes to fill – snowshoes, to be exact. The 22-year-old is among 2,700 athletes competing in the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria March 14-25. Grotz’s “fighting spirit to win” and determination to always kee…

FoodFutures, an exhibition addressing food production needs in the year 2050, melds the seemingly strange bedfellows of urban farming, machine learning, research engineering and design. Its self-sustaining hydroponic and aquaponic farm modules use computer vision analysis to maximize efficient yield and crop health. The retro-futurist aesthetics nod to 2050 while remaining approachable and inspiring discussion about the challenges of feeding a world facing increasing climate change and urbanization. “The project proves how a vision, guided by design, can bridge various technical and scientific disciplines to create solutions and showcase urgent issues like food secu…

The last week of the year’s shortest month was a busy one at Microsoft, with an inspiring reflection on Microsoft Philanthropies’ first year, new insight into how the cloud could help fight disease, and the launch of a wealth of innovative new devices at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Microsoft Philanthropies was created to harness the promise and potential of technology for people worldwide. In 2016, its first year of operation, it made substantial progress toward its commitment to provide $1 billion in cloud services for nonprofits and researchers. Donations totaled $465 million to 71,000 organizations, providing connectivity to remote schools, health clinics …

Adewopo Marvellous Adedovin — Marvellous, as he’s known — lives up to his auspicious moniker. The 18-year-old Nigerian athlete won a silver medal in basketball in the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles and will compete in floor hockey in this year’s World Winter Games in Austria. Beyond his athletic talents, Adewopo is known as a natural leader who is widely respected by his teammates and peers. “He has this wonderful charisma that moves people to do more,” says Adeola Oladugba, the teen’s coach and the sports director for Special Olympics Nigeria. “He inspires his teammates. He’s a very good leader.” Adewopo is among several dozen athlete…

We admire the future – from 3D operating rooms to a young athlete’s rise to a universe five centuries ahead – in the latest Weekend Reading. Let’s begin at the most distant milepost, the year 2559, when the UNSC warship Spirit of Fire has embarked on a new journey. Awaiting its human crew are a savage mob known as the Banished. If those sentences hit home, you’re undoubtedly immersed in “Halo Wars 2,” following its recent worldwide launch on “Xbox One and Windows 10 PC. The new version dropped eight years after “Halo Wars,” which prompted Dan Ayoub, studio head of Strategy Games at 343 Industries, to thank fans for their patience, as so many waited so long “to get…

Driven by strong customer demand for cloud computing, we continue to invest to deliver an intelligent, global and trusted cloud for our customers. In India, Flipkart – the country’s leading marketplace – and Tata Motors, as well as Korean companies LG Electronics, Asan Medical Center and Samsung Electronics, are all leveraging the scalability, availability and resiliency of the Microsoft cloud to enable their digital transformation. I’m pleased to share that Azure is generally available from two new cloud regions in Korea, part of 38 Azure regions announced across the globe – more than any major cloud provider. With 13 of those regions in Asia, customers across the reg…

In this latest edition of Weekend Reading we have a lot to report, including news on the RSA Conference, an open source set of tools to help researchers and developers train and test drones and other gadgets, and how technology is transforming golf. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/a8697f8cfb1b4153e5cba405dea5142a.jpegThis year’s RSA Conference in San Francisco brought the world’s security professionals together to discuss cybersecurity at a critical time, writes Microsoft President Brad Smith. Just as the world’s governments came together in 1949 to adopt the Fourth Geneva Convention to protect civilians in times of war, “we now need a Digital Genev…

Today I’m thrilled to share that for the second year in a row, Microsoft has been positioned furthest to the right for completeness of vision within the Leaders quadrant of Gartner’s 2017 Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence and Analytics Platforms – the 10th consecutive year Microsoft has been positioned as a leader. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/f0cb2eda8af3abdde7ed07aaa4d96896.jpg We’re humbled by this recognition for the innovation we’ve delivered with Microsoft Power BI in the past year, including significant growth in both the vision axis and execution axis since the 2016 report. But, more importantly, we’re encouraged by the in ex…

Microsoft announces new health-focused initiatives and solutions, and emerging strategic research partnership with UPMC The goal is noble: Empower people to lead healthier lives. And yet, few industries in the world face more complex problems than health care. Disparate and disconnected information systems, the uncertainties within regulatory environments around the world and the inevitable disruptions in core business models all pose perplexing and interlocking challenges. As we look at some of the challenges in health care, a natural question we ask ourselves is, How can Microsoft bring its capabilities to bear to solve some of these problems? It’s a big chall…

For over 25 years Microsoft has been focused on bringing the developer community together with tech leaders like Bill Gates and Satya Nadella — at PDC and Build, from LA to San Francisco and now back to the clouds in Seattle. With more than 5,000 developers joining us in person and millions following via live stream, Build and Seattle will be the hub for what’s next. Build’s also the place to get deep technical dives into the great things we’re doing today to help developers build the next generation of intelligent apps and services. We’ve been “building” toward this for a while — for instance, Tuesday, we announced updates to our Cognitive Services that help developer…

Just over a year ago, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella spelled out Microsoft’s unique approach to cybersecurity aimed at reducing an estimated $3 trillion dollars’ worth of potentially lost productivity and growth. The approach is based on a vision of individuals, companies, organizations and governments working together to address cybersecurity. It includes Microsoft’s commitment to provide a comprehensive security platform, build out an Intelligent Security Graph and partner broadly with the industry as part of a $1 billion annual investment in security. Today I’d like to share the progress we’ve made in our cybersecurity journey and highlight several new products and collab…

Valentine’s Day is coming up, and if ostentatious displays of affection aren’t your thing – or even if they are – new Skype Mojis and emoticons will help you spread a little love to friends and family. You can even a record a special Valentine’s message with floating hearts to share with your loved ones over social networks. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/4960283a0b686e7e5b1c9e3148efb25f.png Valentine’s Day also means candy, and that’s something for which the century-old, family-owned Mars company has found a recipe for success. With 60 brands including chocolate, food, drinks, gum and pet care, Mars has a workplace that encourages mutuality and…

Rapid advancements in cloud computing are creating new capabilities, insights and efficiencies, allowing businesses big and small to transform the way they deliver products and services. As this transformation accelerates, virtually every company in every sector of the economy is becoming in part a digital business. And as a digital business, it must master the new legal challenges that come with participation in the booming digital economy. One challenge that technology leaders such as Microsoft have long addressed is the risk of patent infringement. We have over two decades of experience and a broad legal infrastructure designed to manage these risks. We’ve thought a…

We may be in the chilly depths of February, but there’s no winter hibernation going on at Microsoft. Join us for an overview of some of the big happenings over the past week. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/221b852bd4f4699a1003c3d84ed567b7.jpg New computing technologies like the cloud are making it possible to quickly respond to a disaster, to coordinate the response by governments and aid organizations, to provide analytics to better understand and track its impact, and to manage the aftermath. All of the same technologies and innovations that enable businesses to quickly respond to new opportunities and changing market conditions make the cl…

There was a lot of good stuff happening this week at Microsoft in education, communication, accessibility and industry news. Let’s dig in! To drive breakthroughs in education, Microsoft announced Intune for Education, a new, simple tool to help schools set up devices in classrooms and not have to touch them again for the rest of the year. The cloud-based application and service makes it easy for teachers and IT admins to set up and manage shared devices. Microsoft also announced the availability of new, powerful and affordable Windows 10 PCs for students from Acer, HP and Lenovo, with prices starting at $189. “We want to help all students – all over the world –…

This past year was an exciting one: we saw even more great Windows 10 devices introduced to our customers that take advantage of the password-free security benefits of Windows Hello. Built in to Windows 10, Windows Hello takes away the hassle of remembering passwords and minimizes security risks for millions of Windows customers. With Windows Hello, you can simply and uniquely use your face, fingerprints, or a PIN to quickly and more securely sign-in to your Windows 10 device. Over the last year, one of our top priorities was to make this technology available on the widest variety of devices. Today, Windows Hello can be used on nearly every Windows 10 device in the wor…

Microsoft has named Kevin Scott to a newly created role of Chief Technology Officer for the company. This role is an expansion of Scott’s new role at LinkedIn as senior vice president of Infrastructure. As Microsoft’s CTO, Scott’s will drive strategic, cross-company initiatives to maximize Microsoft’s impact with members and customers. To learn more, read the press release and Scott’s bio. Suzanne Choney Microsoft News Center Staff The post Kevin Scott named to newly created role of Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

We’ve been investing heavily over the last year in education software to drive a breakthrough in learning outcomes. We’ve developed technology like Windows Ink in Windows 10, which enables students to write on their device as naturally as a piece of paper, delivering up to 36 percent better test scores in math and science. Office 365 delivers productivity for the modern classroom with powerful intelligence features to help students become better writers, presenters and data analysts, while empowering students and teachers to create, edit, share and grade assignments with OneNote. With OneNote Learning Tools, students can de-clutter screen views to aid concentration, helpi…

Security threats are some of the leading concerns our customers have with technology today and that’s why we’ve built Windows 10 to be the most secure version of Windows ever. With comprehensive, built-in security features, Windows 10 provides protection from viruses and malware threats including ransomware, safer authentication with Windows Hello using your smile or fingerprint to login and ongoing security updates delivered monthly through Windows Update, to name a few. But you don’t need to be a security expert to help secure your device and understand the protections you have in place. In the Windows 10 Creators Update, we will introduce a new experience call…