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https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/06/54b9967237f71e52eb6f8a4354cc46bc.jpg Put together by employees across all continents, Pride at Microsoft is a grassroots and global phenomenon. “For us, Pride is an opportunity to reflect on our past and galvanize action,” writes Chris Capossela, Microsoft’s chief marketing officer and executive vice president of the worldwide Consumer Business. “We believe now more than ever we need to encourage open dialogue because it helps us create momentum, build empathy and change history. Yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision protects LGBTQI+ people in the workplace from discrimination — but also serves as a reminder that the journey toward a truly equitable future isn’t over. The events of these past few days, weeks and months are a call to action.” https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/06/201d6722db0496d6b73618343bfbc9f4.jpg During June, which is Pride month, Microsoft is making a $250,000 donation to nonprofits around the world to help in their fight for LGBTQI+ and racial equity. The company is also spotlighting various identities and expressions through limited-edition products designed with and by the LGBTQI+ community with the hope of giving visibility to often overlooked or neglected groups. The campaign shares employees’ stories and invites all to continue conversations to push inclusion forward. Find out more on The Official Microsoft Blog. The post #MicrosoftPride: Open dialogue, donations to LGBTQI+ nonprofits, actions for equity and visibility appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/06/23f4296da12457d6a1a261bc1af0e1bf-1024x578.jpg Sometimes a tie is exactly what Dad wants for Father’s Day, but not very often. Plus, it isn’t likely to convey to your father how much he means to you – Dad jokes and all. But a PowerPoint presentation that you personalize with photos and videos of your times together, all set to a recording of one of his favorite songs? That might just make him really happy and serve as something you both can enjoy for years to come. Head over to the Windows Home and Family Resources Blog to download the “Business of Fatherhood” PowerPoint template and get tips about how to personalize and present it to him and share over social media. The post Create the perfect presentation for Pop this Father’s Day appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/06/8174a32914092f7713bd813d91ba1926-1024x578.jpg To empower mass adoption of ultra-fast, low-latency laptop connectivity, Lenovo is partnering with Verizon, EE, Sunrise and CMCC. These mobile network operators are committed to making 5G computing a reality for consumers around the world. These collaborations follow the unveiling earlier this year of the Lenovo Yoga 5G (known as Lenovo Flex 5G in the U.S.) — the world’s first 5G PC in market [1]. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx 5G compute platform, this convertible laptop with Windows 10 delivers high-speed 5G network connectivity (through a 5G service provider) – up to 10 times faster than 4G [2]. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/06/294a1919df603e2ffb98fb7b9343dd0d-1024x683.jpg Thanks to that platform, you can stay online with up-to-24-hours battery life [3]. When secure, stable Wi-Fi isn’t available, the 5G network provides faster and more reliable connectivity options when streaming, real-time collaborating, video-chatting, gaming or file-transferring. The Lenovo Yoga 5G/Flex 5G will have 5G network coverage starting in the U.S. and select markets in Europe and China. You can buy the Lenovo Yoga 5G/Flex 5G starting June 18 in the U.S. online at Verizon for $1,399.99. For those in the U.S., a one-year Microsoft 365 Personal subscription is included with the Flex 5G through lenovo.com and Verizon. Later this year, the Lenovo Yoga 5G is expected to be available through Lenovo.com in select geographies and through EE in the U.K., Sunrise in Switzerland and CMCC in China. Each mobile network operator will share more details on pricing, availability and 5G data plans. [1] Based on research conducted by Lenovo in June 2020 of laptops sold by major PC manufacturers shipping > 1 million units worldwide annually. [2] Requires 5G network service and separately purchased cellular data plan that may vary by location. Additional terms, conditions and/or charges apply. Connection speeds will vary due to location, environment, network conditions and other factors. [3] Up to 24+ hours based on local, offline video playback on continuous loop, and requires unit configured with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx 5G Compute Platform. All battery life claims are approximate. Actual battery performance will vary and depend on numerous factors including product configuration and usage, software, operating conditions, wireless functionality, power management settings, screen brightness and other factors. The maximum capacity of the battery will naturally decrease with time and usage. The post Lenovo Flex 5G PC to be available in the US starting June 18 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Hey Folks! Today, we’re excited to announce some changes to the way we release new builds to all Windows Insiders. We are transitioning and converting our current ring model, based on the frequency of builds, to a new channel model that pivots on the quality of builds and better supports parallel coding efforts. In addition to this change, Insiders will also find similar offering names and expectations across Windows and Office programs and soon Microsoft Edge and Microsoft Teams. Our goal is to not only make it clearer for existing Insiders to choose the experience that’s right for them, but also for new Insiders to pick the right channel as they join. The Insider community is very important to us all and we’re working to align how all our Insider programs work better together across Microsoft. Read on to learn more about channels, why we’re making the change, and what existing Insiders need to do to be prepared. (Spoiler: Nothing. We got you covered!) Focusing on quality of the experience When we first began flighting new Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds over 5 years ago, Windows Insiders were asked to join one of two rings based on the frequency of when new builds would be delivered to their device—“Fast” or “Slow.” Insiders who wanted updates the fastest and were comfortable with some rough edges joined the Fast ring. Insiders who would rather wait for more polished and stable updates joined the Slow ring. And, in early 2016, we introduced the Release Preview ring for Insiders who wanted to receive early access to servicing updates on released versions of Windows 10. Over the years, we’ve adjusted how we’ve used the rings as we have evolved the way we build and release Windows 10. Originally, we flighted builds from a single product release. Now, we’re innovating on features in multiple product releases at the same time. In the middle of 2019, Insiders were running builds from 3 different releases (at various stages in our development cycle) with the Fast ring being on 20H1, the Slow ring on 19H2 code, and the Release Preview ring on 19H1 code. We began to realize that we were “outgrowing” the original concept for rings. As we continue to evolve the way we release Windows 10 and the diversity of Insiders we serve is greater than ever, it is critical that Insiders have a flighting option that is tailored to their needs. We believe the best way to do this is to shift focus from frequency to quality. Insiders can pick a channel that represents the experience they want for their device based on the quality they are most comfortable with. Our intention is to ensure Insiders will continue to receive frequent updates no matter which channel they’ve chosen. Moving to channels Later this month, the Fast ring will become the Dev Channel, the Slow ring will become the Beta Channel, and the Release Preview ring will become the Release Preview Channel. Here is what that mapping looks like: https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/06/be63c233f03586473dc5a970f53d284d.png Dev Channel Ideal for highly technical users. Insiders in the Dev Channel will receive builds that is earliest in a development cycle and will contain the latest work-in-progress code from our engineers. These builds will have rough edges and some instability that could block key activities or require workarounds. These builds are not matched to a specific Windows 10 release. New features and OS improvements in this channel will show up in future Windows 10 releases when they’re ready and may be delivered as full OS build updates or servicing releases. Insider feedback here will help our engineers with major fixes and changes to the latest code. Beta Channel Ideal for early adopters. Insiders and IT Professionals in the Beta Channel can check out upcoming Windows 10 features, while still getting relatively reliable updates that are validated by Microsoft. As a part of the Beta Channel, Insiders will see builds that will be tied to a specific upcoming release, like 20H1 previously. Your feedback will be especially important here, since it will help our engineers make sure that key issues are identified and fixed before a major release. Release Preview Channel Insiders and IT Professionals in the Release Preview Channel will have access to the upcoming release of Windows 10 prior to it being released to the world, with advanced quality updates and certain key features. These builds are supported by Microsoft. The Release Preview Channel is where we recommend companies preview and validate upcoming Windows 10 releases before broad deployment within their organization. As we continue to evolve the way we’re building and releasing Windows 10 in the future, we may introduce new channels for new experiences for Insiders. Aligning with Office We are extremely excited to be aligning with Office, where new channel names were recently announced. An Insider can make a choice as to which experience, they want and have it mean the same thing between Windows and Office. Insiders still need to opt into each Insider Program separately, but we are looking to improve this experience over time. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/06/2a5e88870862a87005e1018ced7ce331.png Moving to channels is another step in bringing the Windows and Office Insider Programs even closer together! Next steps For Windows Insiders, the move to channels will be easy. If your device is currently flighting, we’ll automatically move your devices based on your current ring to the new channel that best corresponds with that experience. You won’t have to take any action for this change to happen. Fast ring = Dev Channel Slow ring = Beta Channel Release Preview ring = Release Preview Channel Insiders can always adjust these settings by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program if they want to change channels and try out new experiences. IT Professionals can manage the Beta and Release Preview Channel builds using their typical Windows Update for Business or Windows Server Update Service management tool, or through the use of Azure Marketplace virtual machines (VMs). And if you’re not yet flighting, give it a try! Get started by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program and choosing with the channel/experience that best suits your needs. The transition to channels will start showing up on the Windows Insider Program’s Settings page in builds later this month. Thank you for helping us grow and evolving with us as we make this move from rings to channels. As always, feel free to share with us your thoughts or questions by tweeting at us or submitting feedback in Feedback Hub. Thanks, Amanda The post Introducing Windows Insider Channels appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

The HP OMEN 15 arrives with its smallest footprint yet with a frame that’s 8% shorter and 11% thinner, featuring a redesigned chassis. A new 180-degree flat hinge design for increased stability supports a 15.6-inch diagonal display with options up to FHD 300 Hz or OLED. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/06/be8d761951928ac75b583b8e687ae493-scaled.jpg HP OMEN 15 It also includes the industry’s first applied IR thermopile sensor in a gaming laptop [1] to push this laptop towards desktop-level CPU performance. Speaking of power, it comes with up to 10th Gen Intel Core i7 H-series processors. You can also experience AMD’s CPU debut on an OMEN laptop with up to AMD Ryzen 7 H-series processors, as well as up to 32 GB DDR4 RAM to make multi-tasking a breeze. Graphics will look better than ever with up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super with MAX-Q Design. You’ll also have a wide variety of storage options, including up to 1 TB PCIe SSD or dual PCIe SSD supporting RAID 0. Hardware customization is also possible thanks to an easy to use single panel access on the bottom. Updates to the OMEN Command Center [2] makes it possible to extend battery life when you’re watching movies or working, using the Graphics Switcher. OMEN Command Center also includes Performance Control, which makes controller thermals and fan speed simple. Additionally, it has performance mode which yields a 17% CPU and GPU power boost. It’s expected to be available June 2 via Best Buy and HP.com for a starting price of $999.99. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/06/f0c9574b1131afa2d8b9c7e932ab300d-scaled.jpg HP Pavilion Gaming 16 The new HP Pavilion Gaming 16 laptop is the company’s first ever 16-inch gaming PC, designed for reliable gaming and creating content. It features up to 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q design graphics within an angular black chassis. Micro-edge bezels and 300 nits IPS-level display deliver rapid refresh rates of up to 144 Hz at 1080p to help make games pop off the screen. It’s also the first Pavilion Gaming laptop to include OMEN Command Center and is equipped with a Wi-Fi 6 option to keep a reliable connection. It’s expected to be available this June via HP.com for a starting price of $799.99. To find out more about the HP OMEN 15 and Pavilion Gaming 16, as well as other accessories and monitors in this portfolio, go to www.omen.com. [1] Compared to all gaming laptop PCs currently in the market as of 06/02/2020. [2] Supported Devices: All Windows 10 based PCs (RS3 or later) will be supported by OMCC. This app should not install on any PCs which are not Windows 10 (RS3 or later). Support language: English/Arabic (ar)/ Chinese-S (zh-cn)/ Chinese-T (zh-tw) Croatian (hr)/ Czech (cs)/ Danish (da)/ Dutch (nl)/ Finnish (fi)/ French (fr)/ German (de)/ Greek (el)/ Italian (it)/ Japanese (ja)/ Korean (ko)/ Latvian (lv)/ Lithuanian (lt)/ Norwegian (no)/ Polish (pl)/ Portuguese (Portugal) (pt-pt)/ Russian (ru)/ Serbian (sr)/ Slovak (sk)/ Slovenian (sl)/ Spanish (es)/ Swedish (sv). The post HP reimagines OMEN 15 laptop and introduces Pavilion Gaming 16 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19645 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here, including a list of all the new features and updates released in builds so far. Not seeing any of the features in this build? Check your Windows Insider Settings to make sure you’re on the Fast ring. Submit feedback here to let us know if things weren’t working the way you expected. If you want a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring, head over to Flight Hub. Please note, there will be a slight delay between when a build is flighted and when Flight Hub is updated. Other updates for Insiders Your Phone app’s audio controls feature now rolling out to the public The audio controls functionality announced in April is now rolling out to the general public. This feature lets you control your music and audio apps from the Your Phone app. Now you can access and control the audio apps playing from your phone directly within the app, without needing to split your attention between devices or breaking your workflow. Your audio tracks will stay in sync between your phone and PC, and you can switch between multiple sources using the dropdown in the player. Please make sure you have the latest versions of Your Phone Companion and the Your Phone app to experience this feature. General changes & improvements We changed the servicing model for the Linux kernel inside of Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 distributions. This build includes this change to remove the Linux kernel from the Windows image, and instead have it be serviced via Microsoft Update, the same way that 3rd party drivers (like graphics, or touchpad drivers) are installed and updated on your machine today. For full details please read this blog post on the Windows Command Line blog and for information about the kernel version please view the kernel docs page here. Support for Nested Virtualization on AMD processors is now available. Being an early release we recommend you read this blog post for details on what platforms currently work as well as how to enable the feature. Fixes We’ve fixed an issue where some devices booting from eMMC storage bugchecked when resuming from hibernate. We fixed multiple Japanese and Chinese IME issues that impacted IME mode switching within applications and Windows notification area. We’ve fixed an issue where taskbar preview thumbnails weren’t rendering consistently (showing a blank area). We fixed an issue resulting in the handwriting input panel not appearing in certain text fields after being tapped with a pen. We fixed an issue where resizing a snapped application in tablet mode would minimize the app to the taskbar instead of adjusting the app size. We fixed an issue where Windows Hello Setup would crash if facial recognition was already set up and you chose the Improve Recognition button. We fixed an issue for some users where your PC wouldn’t recognize it when you inserted a smart card (event log showing error 621). Known issues We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build. We’re working on fixing an issue for a future Insider Preview build where in Settings > Privacy, the Documents and Downloads sections show a broken icon next to their page name (just a rectangle). Thanks, BLB The post Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19645 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

An email from CEO Satya Nadella to Microsoft employees: Seeing injustice in the world calls us all to take action, as individuals and as a company. Sometimes this action is personal – what do I do to change? Sometimes it is organizational – what changes do I need to make around me? And sometimes it is reflected into the world – what can we do as a company to accelerate the change we desire? As we see the everyday racism, bias and violence experienced by the Black and African American community, the tragic and horrific murders of so many, the violence in cities across the US, it is time for us to act in all arenas. As I shared in our Employee Town Hall last week, each of us – starting with me and the senior leaders at the company – has a role to play. We cannot episodically wake up when a new tragedy occurs. A systemic problem requires a holistic response. I am heartbroken by the deep pain our communities are feeling. The results of systemic racism, which have impacted opportunities and exacerbated injustices for Black and African American communities, urge me to consider my own role as a leader. I must continue my journey of understanding and empathy and examine actions I take, or don’t take, every day. Listening and learning from my Black and African American colleagues is helping me develop a better understanding of their experience. And I take accountability for my own continued learning on the realities of privilege, inequity and race and modeling the behavior I want to see in the world. As a company, we need to look inside, examine our organization, and do better. For us to have the permission to ask the world to change, we must change first. We have to embrace the same speed and mindset that we do in anticipating and building for future technological shifts. Each day, we work to bridge the gap between the culture we espouse and our daily lived experience, but we must do more and do it faster. In order to be successful as a business in empowering everyone on the planet, we need to reflect the world we serve. This is our commitment; we have goals and programs to improve representation in all roles and at all levels. We’re investing in the talent pipeline broadly, as we’ve expanded our connections with Historically Black Colleges and Universities. We also have to create an environment where all voices are heard and valued, that’s why inclusion is a core priority for each one of us. I ask each of us to recommit to our shared D&I priority, participate in our inclusion learning programs, use the tools and resources we have shared on becoming an effective ally for others. We have the capabilities to make Microsoft more diverse and inclusive, but we must do the work. We also have a responsibility to use our platform and resources intentionally to address systemic inequities in our communities and in society broadly. This is the work we need to do to have lasting impact. For example, we’re using our technology and our voice toward a more equitable criminal justice system with our Criminal Justice Reform Initiative. We created our Supplier Diversity program 15 years ago, so our supplier companies better reflected the diversity of our customers. Today, it makes up nearly 10 percent of our supplier spend. That spend has an amplifying effect, growing the local economies in the communities where those businesses are located. We need to keep building on this work in every community we operate in.  Finally, we must carry our company values out into the world in a way that reflects our strengths and expertise. To this end, we will deepen our engagement with six organizations that are advancing social justice, helping community organizers address racial inequality, and offering solidarity to the Black community: Black Lives Matter Foundation, Equal Justice Initiative, Innocence Project, The Leadership Conference, Minnesota Freedom Fund, and NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund. This starts with a company donation of $250,000 to each of these organizations ($1.5 million in total), followed by a company match of our employees’ contributions to eligible organizations. Together, through your giving and the company match, we have donated more than $15 million to civil rights, social action, and advocacy nonprofit organizations since 2015. I have heard from many employees over the past several days, expressing calls for action, calls for reflection, calls for change. My response to all of you is this: Yes. We have to act. And our actions must reflect the values of our company and be directly informed by the needs of the Black and African American community. We must continue to nurture the energy and passion that the Blacks at Microsoft employee resource group fueled in all of us since its founding in 1989. We have been on a cultural transformation journey and must accelerate our pace of change. Each of us, starting with me, must look at where we are as individuals, confront our fixed mindset and act. Our humanity is what calls out to us to make the world a better place. We all have a role to play. I will do the work. The company will do the work. I am asking each of you to do the work. And together, we will help make the difference we want to see in the world. Satya The post Change in ourselves helps drive change in the world appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19640 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here, including a list of all the new features and updates released in builds so far. Not seeing any of the features in this build? Check your Windows Insider Settings to make sure you’re on the Fast ring. Submit feedback here to let us know if things weren’t working the way you expected. If you want a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring, head over to Flight Hub. Please note, there will be a slight delay between when a build is flighted and when Flight Hub is updated. General changes & improvements Based on feedback, if your Downloads folder is synced to a cloud provider, we are disabling the option to have Storage Sense automatically clear out your Downloads folder on a cycle. We updated our login logic, so if your PC is set up so you need to type in your username when logging in, accidentally starting your username with a space will no longer result in an error. Known issues We’re looking into an issue where some devices booting from eMMC storage bugchecked when resuming from hibernate. We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build. We’re working on fixing an issue for a future Insider Preview build where in Settings > Privacy, the Documents and Downloads sections show a broken icon next to their page name (just a rectangle). We’re looking into reports that taskbar preview thumbnails aren’t rendering consistently (showing a blank area). Thanks, BLB The post Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19640 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/13490445505a068cce0bd60508edfa00-1024x578.jpg May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a great time to focus on reducing stress and anxiety, especially as we all face challenges working, learning and connecting in new ways. Head over to the Windows Home and Family Resources blog for 10 tech tips to help you juggle all your responsibilities as you take care of yourself and your loved ones. The post Let tech help you manage your well-being with these 10 tips appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19635 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here, including a list of all the new features and updates released in builds so far. Not seeing any of the features in this build? Check your Windows Insider Settings to make sure you’re on the Fast ring. Submit feedback here to let us know if things weren’t working the way you expected. If you want a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring, head over to Flight Hub. Please note, there will be a slight delay between when a build is flighted and when Flight Hub is updated. Fixes We fixed an issue resulting in the apostrophes in the Location not available dialog, Mount File dialog, and File Explorer folder options text not being displayed correctly. We fixed an issue where the Work or School account > Allow Windows Search to provide… toggle under Search Settings could be unexpectedly disabled. We fixed an issue resulting in cellular data not working on certain devices. We fixed an issue that could result in Settings crashing when changing display orientation or resolution. We fixed an issue resulting in some Insiders seeing a large number of “Program Compatibility Assistant Service stopped working” critical events in Reliability Monitor. We fixed an issue that could result in constant display flashing on certain devices. We fixed an issue with the camera on certain devices showing unexpected artifacts. Known issues We’re looking into an issue where some devices booting from eMMC storage may bugcheck when resuming from hibernate. We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build. We’re working on fixing an issue for a future Insider Preview build where in Settings > Privacy the Documents and Downloads sections show a broken icon next to their page name (just a rectangle). We’re looking into reports that taskbar preview thumbnails aren’t rendering consistently (showing a blank area). Online learning resources for kids Looking for new ways to teach your kids? Bing has just the right tools for you! Check out our learning resources feature for kids. Everything is online and free. From Brain Pop to Mind Yeti, we’ve made learning easy, fun, and accessible. Find the resources here and get ready to learn! If you want to be among the first to learn about these Bing features, join our Bing Insiders Program. Thanks, BLB The post Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19635 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

If you’re looking for a powerful, portable device that can handle big creative projects, check out the new Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition laptop, a mobile-workstation tailored to meet the needs of anyone from an audio engineer to VFX artist. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/b811bf0eca8bbaf28fe796c5ca9256fb.jpg It comes with the latest 8-Core 10th Gen Intel processor capable of up to 5.1 GHz clock speeds when utilizing Intel Thermal Velocity Boost technology. The increased core count over the previous generation paired with the higher boost clock speeds provides significant performance gains in CPU intensive applications. It’s also equipped with the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 GPU for creators and technical professionals working with dense 3D models or complex VFX designs. It includes 16GB of GDDR6 memory for multi-app creative workflows and 48 RT Cores for improved real-time ray tracing performance. At the software level, the Quadro RTX 5000 takes advantage of RTX acceleration in more than 45 of the world’s top creative and design applications. “If I was to ask myself a few years ago, if I could pull off a high concept CG animated project like ‘Battlesuit’ on a laptop remotely – I would probably think I was insane,” says Hasraf “HaZ” Dulull, the series’ director and producer. “Today, tools like Unreal Engine powered by NVIDIA GPU rendering on a Blade laptop are empowering filmmakers like myself to push the boundaries of sci-fi storytelling without restrictions, thus enabling me to realize my vision regardless of how wild my imagination is.” https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/7c74cea758ab3e5b3c7f337b90bfbaa5-scaled.jpg The laptop also comes with a custom calibrated 15.6-inch 4K OLED touch display, a UHS-III SD card reader and USB-C charging. All this comes in a thin and durable design, with a chassis crafted from a single block of T6 grade aluminum and anodized with a mercury white finish. Razer’s flagship creator laptop will retail for $4,299.99 and is available now at Razer.com and through select retailers in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Germany. It will come soon to select retailers in Europe, China, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. For more information and to check out other laptops geared for creators, head over to Razer. To learn more about how “Battlesuit” was created on a Razer Blade 15 by sci-fi director Dulull, visit #MADEWITHBLADE. The post Creators: You can push boundaries with new Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition laptop appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/81867fd371e1cce89331a3509f26053f-1024x578.jpg May’s free monthly update Lost Treasures is available now for all Sea of Thieves players on Windows 10 PC, Xbox One and Xbox Game Pass. A new checkpoint system helps players progress through the game’s Tall Tales, plus Daily Bounties and events spell a packed month of activity ahead. Head over to the Xbox Wire post for details. The post Sea of Thieves fans: Free Lost Treasures update brings bountiful booty of new tools and events appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/db71ecc7dc9baf27a110b06525c23156-1024x578.jpg Windows 10 continues to play a key role in how we learn, live and work during these unique times, and we want to ensure a high quality and reliable experience, while also delivering you the latest innovations. In mid-April, we announced the initial availability of the Windows 10 May 2020 Update through the Windows Insider Program’s Release Preview ring, allowing us to both monitor and improve the quality of the release. Based on affirmative preview feedback, today we are pleased to announce that we are starting to make the May 2020 Update available. In this blog, we will cover how you can get the update and choose when to install, and availability for commercial organizations to begin targeted deployments. How to get the Windows 10 May 2020 Update To ensure you continue to have a reliable, productive experience with your Windows 10 devices, we are taking a measured and phased approach to how we offer the May Update, initially limiting availability to those devices running Windows 10, versions 1903 and 1909 who seek the update via Windows Update. Beginning today, the May 2020 Update is available for customers who would like to install this latest release. If you are ready to install the update, open your Windows Update settings (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update) and select Check for updates. Once the update appears, you can select Download and install. (Note: You may not see Download and install on your device as we are slowly throttling up this availability over the coming weeks, or your device might have a compatibility issue for which a safeguard hold is in place until we are confident that you will have a good update experience.) Once the download is complete and the update is ready to install, we’ll notify you so that you can pick the right time to finish the installation and reboot your device, ensuring the update does not disrupt your activities. This new “Download and install” capability is available for devices running Windows 10, version 1903 or version 1909. For more information on the new user update controls and how to get the May 2020 Update, watch this video. Semi-Annual Channel released for commercial customers Today’s release of the May 2020 Update (Windows 10, version 2004) marks the start of the 18-months servicing support lifecycle. If you’re an IT administrator, we recommend that you begin targeted deployments to validate that the apps, devices and infrastructure used by your organization work as expected with the new release and features. Windows 10, version 2004 is available through Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), Windows Update for Business and the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) for phased deployment using Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager or other systems management software. For information about the latest features for commercial customers, see “What’s new for IT pros in Windows 10, version 2004.” For insights on how to update, see the Windows IT Pro Blog post on feature updates while working remote. If you’re curious about Windows Server, version 2004, which was also released today, see the Windows Server Containers blog. Keeping you protected and productive Given all the recent changes to work and home life, we are focused on meeting you where you are and helping you adapt to these new challenges. We have often noted that being on the latest version of Windows 10 provides you with the latest features, security improvements and control. This is even more true today. The May 2020 Update offers many new features that can save you time, make you more productive and help you have fun – in addition to further enhancing your control and choices related to updates. Find out more in the “What’s new in the Windows 10 May 2020 Update” blog. We will closely monitor the May 2020 Update experience and share timely information on the current rollout status and known issues (open and resolved) across both feature and monthly updates via the Windows release health dashboard and @WindowsUpdate. As always, please continue to tell us about your experience by providing comments or suggestions via Feedback Hub. The post How to get the Windows 10 May 2020 Update appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

The Windows 10 May 2020 Update has started to become available to customers around the world as a free update. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/508fa4ae6ed57e4be381c255fa6ad4fd-1024x578.jpg Since the beginning of this year, we have seen the world significantly change all around us. People, families and businesses are adjusting to new ways of working, learning and connecting. For many, our dining rooms have become home offices, our living rooms have turned into classrooms, and our kitchens social gathering spots and breakrooms. Amidst these changes, our needs to connect with one another and be productive from anywhere have never been more critical. More than ever people are turning to Windows PCs to support fundamental human experiences. Students and professionals are using Office and Microsoft Teams for remote learning and collaboration, and whether they are down the street or across the world friends and families are celebrating accomplishments and holidays on Skype, even playing games together online to have fun. As the world and people’s routines change, it is important that we focus on meeting the over a billion people around the world relying on Windows where they are now. That next step comes today with the release of the Windows 10 May 2020 Update. The May 2020 Update comes with feature improvements that will help save you time and maybe even be a source of fun. The new update is available today for those who want to seek it. You can get the update in a few different ways, visit this blog post to learn more about how to get the May 2020 Update today. Here’s what’s new in the Windows 10 May 2020 Update Faster and easier connections. We’re making it easier and faster to pair your Bluetooth devices to your compatible Windows 10 PC. Now you can take care of everything in notifications (instead of Settings) with fewer steps. Go passwordless. Did you know—for improved security and a simple sign-in experience, you can sign in with your face, fingerprint, or PIN? It’s easier than ever to enable passwordless sign-in for your Microsoft accounts: just go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options on your Windows 10 PC and select ‘On’ under ‘Make your device passwordless’. Note that this is hardware dependent. More ლ(╹◡╹ლ). We’re bringing the fun by making more kaomoji available directly in the Windows emoji keyboard. To access you can use the shortcut, Windows key + Period key to access (⌐■_■). Name your desktops. Now instead of “Desktop 1” or “Desktop 2” you can give your Virtual Desktops more descriptive, clever, or amusing names. Using Virtual Desktop in Windows 10 allows you to expand your desktop beyond the physical limitations of the space, organize groups of related tasks, and easily switch between them. Tackling what you want to—when you want to—just got a whole lot easier. Visit this post to learn more on how to access Virtual Desktop in Windows 10. See gaming in a whole new light. New DirectX 12 Ultimate features provide smoother graphics with increased detail—all without sacrificing framerate*. Customization and utility at your fingertips. Xbox Game Bar now supports third-party widgets, helping you customize the overlay experience to fit with the way you game. Improvements to some go-to apps help make that job, assignment, side hustle, homework, workday, work week—all of it—just that much better https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/172e12ad24335b71a61bdc496ddb55b9-1024x683.jpg Memory improvements in Microsoft Edge. The browser is the most used application and where people spend a large portion of their time on Windows. Segment heap has been the default heap for UWP apps for a while now. Windows is excited to announce that one of the first Win32 applications that will take advantage of segment heap capabilities is Microsoft Edge. The early internal testing results of devices on the May 2020 Update are showing a memory usage reduction of up to 27% when browsing with Microsoft Edge. Individual device performance will vary based upon configuration and usage, but the lower memory usage could provide a better device experience because more memory would be available for apps to use. Microsoft will be opening this capability to more developers very soon with supporting materials. Developers that take advantage of the expanded availability of segment heap memory improvements can also optimize their Win32 app memory utilization on Windows. Please this page for the latest developer information. Stay on top of your numbers. Keep the calculator close by—now you can choose to keep the Calculator app on top of everything. Notepad newness. The beloved 30-year-old text editor has some small but mighty improvements. There’s now wrap around find/replace, quick text zooming, and when you see an asterisk in the title bar you’ll know you have unsaved changes. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/0e6d1a6ec605e418a789abacb761fca6-1024x576.jpg Bringing your smartphone and Windows PC closer together. The May 2020 Update brings the popular Your Phone app’s Calls feature to ARM supported PCs from Microsoft and our OEM partners. You will now be able to place, receive, or text reply to your incoming phone calls directly on your PC without having your Android phone right next to your PC. That’s not all, with the Your Phone app, you can stay in your flow by sending or receiving texts, checking notifications and getting instant access to your Android phone’s photos and apps via your computer’s large screen and keyboard. To learn more about the Your Phone app visit this page. The new Cortana chat-based experience is here. Your personal productivity assistant now has an updated chat-based user interface where you can type or speak requests in natural language to save time finding what you need and stay on track. For the best experience, sign in with your work or school account and connect with people, check your schedule, add tasks, set reminders and more**. Visit our Microsoft 365 Blog for more information and select the Cortana icon to try out the experience for yourself with requests such as: “Am I free at [time]?” “Who is [person]?” “Find time with [person] to talk about ” “Join my meeting” “Remind me to [task] at [time]” “Change the brightness” “Is it going to rain tomorrow?” Accessibility improvements in Windows 10 to help empower everyone, everywhere https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/a8fb0bfad276066baab10ff5e3c83663-1024x683.jpg Narrator news. Narrator sounds have been revamped and are now more functional and responsive. There’s also a new command to summarize a webpage, and you’ll also hear some table reading improvements. Plus, Narrator will automatically start reading webpages and emails (when they’re opened in Outlook and the Mail app). Find that cursor faster. Windows Magnifier has a new ability to keep the text cursor in the center of the screen, making it easier and smoother to type. More Eye Control. Drag and drop is now here! We’ve also made improvements to the pause experience and provided some new opportunities in Settings. Note that a third-party accessory is required to access this experience. Language learnings. The Global Language Experience team continues to revamp Language Settings, bringing you quick and easy ways to check your settings at a glance. You’ll also find improved typing experiences in Chinese, Japanese and Korean. You can visit this blog post to learn more about the accessibility improvements coming in the May 2020 Update. We believe that Windows is the most powerful, productive and secure platform to help you do your best work, learn, connect with the ones you love, and have fun. We are excited to deliver the Windows 10 May 2020 Update to the over a billion people around the world using Windows today. And we want to extend a sincere thank you to our customers and the millions of Windows Insiders who have been on the Windows journey with us and helped provide important feedback throughout the development process. Windows will continue to get better and better. Today is just the next step in our journey. More to come. * DirectX 12 Ultimate available with supported games and graphics chips, and requires the latest Windows 10 update. **Cortana in Windows 10 productivity capabilities is currently available in English in the United States and will roll out in the coming months to more regions and languages with regular app updates through the Microsoft Store. Until then, international users and non-English speakers can use Cortana to get answers from Bing and chat with Cortana. The post What’s new in the Windows 10 May 2020 Update appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

The newest “Simply Windows” videos are now available, focusing on tips for working with virtual desktops and connecting to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices. If you’re new to Windows 10 or want to learn more about how to get the most out of it, this video series can help you get up to speed. And as writers in the series have had to work from home, like many people, they’re sharing their remote experiences in these newer episodes and answering questions from viewers. In episode nine, writer Maxx Ramos tackles a request from a viewer on how to do a lot – with less space – for those working from home, using their laptops. She shows how to set up and use virtual desktops to stay focused and organized when you’re working on multiple tasks/projects and want to keep them separate. In episode 10, writer Doug Thomas guides you through connecting your PC to Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth devices (such as mice, headphones and speakers) and printers. Find out more about “Simply Windows” and check out a playlist of previous shows. And if you like this, check out other Windows 10 Tips. The post Latest ‘Simply Windows’ episodes: Tips for using virtual desktops and getting connected appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/39d5d4123246e516a4511659d98873e5-1024x578.jpg Minecraft Dungeons is out now for Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. “Minecraft Dungeons promises challenges and adventure for players of all skill sets and playing types, but we think that no matter the player, it’s always better to explore together,” says David Nisshagen, executive producer for the game, in a post on Xbox Wire. “We’re happy to offer both online and local co-op play, so that you can team up with your friends and family from a distance or even on your own couch – perfect for spending time at home.” You can choose between the Standard Edition ($19.99) and the Hero Edition ($29.99), which includes the Hero Pass that has a hero cape, two player skins, two upcoming DLC packs and a chicken pet. To find out more and watch the trailer for Minecraft Dungeons, head over to the Xbox Wire post. The post Minecraft Dungeons now available on Windows, console and more appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Lenovo has propelled its latest consumer lineup forward by introducing two LTE-supported Windows 10 detachables: the Lenovo Yoga Duet 7i and the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/89c43179f061989a3c0e8c8872a7a235-1024x722.jpg The Lenovo Yoga Duet 7i, which weighs in at 2.55 pounds (including its folio case), is the first-ever Yoga PC with a detachable, backlit Bluetooth (5.0) keyboard to enable freestyle working mode, plus an adjustable kickstand for easier viewing and note-taking. It’s compatible with Intel Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) [1] for an ultra-fast connection and available with optional LTE/4G coverage [2]. Featuring up to 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processors with Intel Iris Plus graphics and Windows 10, this device has a 13-inch crystal clear IPS 2K touchscreen display with narrow bezels and 100% sRGB for a color gamut at 450 nits bright. It also offers up to 10.8 hours of battery life [3]. This 2-in-1 also offers a range of smart features, such as secure facial login via the infrared (IR) camera with Windows Hello. Glance by Mirametrix helps protect your screen from shoulder-surfing neighbors and pauses video play when you walk away; you can also move content from your display to a connected monitor with a turn of your head [4]. Users can try their hand at sketching in drafting mode with the new Lenovo E-Color Pen [5]; one touch is all it takes for the pen’s smart sensor to scan the color of any object. Apply any captured color code to your artwork created in design apps, such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/2177c39e9cfa6cf91eefba86b291bc4f.jpg Lenovo also introduced the multifunctional Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i, a new 2-in-1 device with optional LTE-connectivity [6]. Ultra-light at just under two pounds, it’s ideal for those who need a full-function PC but don’t want to be weighed down. This is Lenovo’s first-ever IdeaPad laptop with a detachable Bluetooth (5.0) keyboard and folio kickstand that supports Lenovo Digital Pen [7] for seamless notetaking. Powered by Intel Pentium processors and Intel integrated graphics, all IdeaPad Duet 3i models come with Wi-Fi compatibility and speakers tuned by Dolby Audio for clearer sound without distortion. Choose from four usage modes throughout the day: tablet, notebook, tent or stand mode. Stream shows on your up to 10.3-inch Full HD IPS panel display at 330 nits bright, without the need to hotspot from your phone when you go for the optional LTE model [6]. For more information on these products and announcements, head over to Lenovo. [1] Requires connection to separately purchased Wi-Fi 6 router. [2] Optional LTE and 4G are available in select markets. Requires separately purchased cellular data plan that may vary by location. Additional terms, conditions and/or charges apply. Connection speeds will vary due to location, environment, network conditions and other factors. [3] All battery life claims are approximate and based on test results using the MobileMark 2014 ver 1.5 battery life benchmark test. Actual results will vary and depend on numerous factors including product configuration and usage, software, operating conditions, wireless functionality, power management settings, screen brightness and other factors. The maximum capacity of the battery will naturally decrease with time and usage. For details, see https://bapco.com/products/mobilemark-2014/. [4] Glance software requires a manual click on items you wish to move to your external monitor with your head’s movement vs. moving using a traditional mouse or touchpad. [5] Lenovo E-Color Pen comes bundled with the Lenovo Yoga Duet 7i with Intel Core i7 processor in select markets. [6] Optional LTE is available in select markets. Requires separately purchased cellular data plan that may vary by location. Additional terms, conditions and/or charges apply. Connection speeds will vary due to location, environment, network conditions and other factors. [7] Lenovo Digital Pen is bundled in select markets only, sold separately in all other markets. The post Lenovo introduces new Windows 10 detachable laptops appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/73a6335a9d84d30372621875c5fe62bc-1024x578.jpg May 22 marks the 30th anniversary of Microsoft Solitaire, which has come a long way since it debuted as Windows Solitaire on Windows 3.0 in 1990. Today, the game is played on computers, laptops, tablets and phones in every corner of the globe, arguably by one of the most diverse gaming audiences in the world, says Paul Jensen, studio head, Microsoft Casual Games. “With a worldwide appeal, Microsoft Solitaire Collection, as it is known today, hosts over 35 million players each month, from more than 200+ countries and territories, in 65 different languages,” Jenson says. “And after 30 years, Microsoft Solitaire is still one of the most played games on the planet every day, with more than 100 million hands played daily around the globe.” Microsoft is celebrating the anniversary by inviting players to join an online event aiming to reach the most games of Microsoft Solitaire completed in one day. Join by downloading Microsoft Solitaire Collection for free on Windows, iOS or Android, or play through your browser. Visit the Xbox Wire post for details, to watch Major Nelson’s interview with a pair of Solitaire experts discussing the coveted winnability rate of the game, and check out Microsoft Solitaire T-shirts and mugs available now for the first time ever. The post Special event helps players set a record while celebrating the 30th anniversary Microsoft Solitaire appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19631 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. You can check out our Windows Insider Program documentation here, including a list of all the new features and updates released in builds so far. Not seeing any of the features in this build? Check your Windows Insider Settings to make sure you’re on the Fast ring. Submit feedback here to let us know if things weren’t working the way you expected. If you want a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring, head over to Flight Hub. Please note, there will be a slight delay between when a build is flighted and when Flight Hub is updated. Other updates for Insiders ARM64 VHDX available for download Back in February with Build 19559, we added the ability to install Hyper-V on ARM64 devices such as the Surface Pro X running the Enterprise or Pro editions of Windows 10. Today, we are offering the ARM64 VHDX for Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19624, so that Insiders can run Windows 10 as a guest OS in Hyper-V. You can download the VHDX here. We will regularly release updated VHDX downloads for newer Insider Preview builds going forward. Note: Hyper-V on Windows 10 ARM64 devices only works on Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds 19559 and above. Nested virtualization is not supported. General changes & improvements We updated the configuration of Windows Hello to make sure it works well with 940nm wavelength cameras. Fixes We fixed the issue causing the IIS configuration being set to default after taking a new build. We fixed an issue that could result in a key press not waking up a device from connected standby in certain scenarios. Windows Sandbox WSB files are now case insensitive. We fixed an issue impacting Remote Desktop reliability. Known issues We’re looking into an issue where some devices booting from eMMC storage may bugcheck when resuming from hibernate. We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build. We’re working on fixing an issue for a future Insider Preview build where in Settings > Privacy the Documents and Downloads sections show a broken icon next to their page name (just a rectangle). We’re looking into reports that taskbar preview thumbnails aren’t rendering consistently (showing a blank area). Free Online Games with Bing Looking for fun games to play online? Check out our online games and puzzles feature on Bing! Challenge your friends to a game of Uno, Checkers, Connect4, and more. If you want to be among the first to learn about these Bing features, join our Bing Insiders Program. Thanks, BLB The post Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19631 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/36966c202fc96ec3ad13b7d8068177c5-1024x578.jpg It’s already been two years since the arrival of State of Decay 2, and the team is celebrating with discounts, an update and a chance for a limited time to get some cool new apparel. Head over to the State of Decay blog to watch the video and find out about getting the game for 15% off through May 26, free playable content now available with Update 17, and the limited availability of the State of Decay-themed Logo Ninja Hoodie and Undead Green Cattleman Hat. The post State of Decay 2 celebrates 2 years with sale, new update and limited time outfits appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

I hope this blog finds you, your family and friends and your colleagues all healthy and safe during these changing times. I’m excited to share some of the updates we are incorporating within Windows 10 to make it easier to see and use for people with low or no vision. These improvements, coming to Windows 10 users in the May 2020 Update, represent the next steps in our journey to empower every person on the planet to achieve more. Thank you for all the feedback to date. Please keep it coming! Our users, especially Windows Insiders, are continuing to shape Windows 10 accessibility by helping us understand what improvements matter most. Information about how best to reach us is included at the end of this post. Making Windows 10 easier to see and use Text cursor improvements We recently made text and pointers easier to personalize in Windows 10. Millions of people prefer larger text, and larger and brighter pointers to make Windows 10 easier to see and use. Perhaps not surprisingly, many low vision users asked us to continue to make it easier to work with text cursors. More specifically, they told us that text cursors are difficult to find when they are too thin and don’t contrast enough with text. Now users can easily make cursors wider and add a text cursor indicator; we’ve even included the ability to choose custom colors, making it even easier to find their text cursor on the screen. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/68fffe8a28dece4425132eecb5d19cf5-1024x976.png Figure 1 – New Ease of Access Settings make text cursors easier to see and use. We made some related changes in Magnifier. We recently added a Magnifier option to follow the mouse pointer, so that users did not have to scan their display to find the pointer. Instead, they could rely on the mouse pointer to be in an expected location in the center of their display. Again, not surprisingly, users asked us to make it easier to work with text cursors with Magnifier. Now Magnifier will follow the text cursor in the center of the display by default, so that users can find the text cursor in an expected location. Magnifier reading reduces strain and fatigue We’ve heard from many Magnifier users that it can be difficult to read and work with text throughout their day; they often strain to read text and end their day with severe fatigue or headaches. We added a new feature that makes it easy to have text read aloud to reduce the strain of reading. Magnifier now includes Play, Pause, Next sentence, Previous sentence and Read from here controls to make it easy to read text in popular browsers including Edge, Chrome and Firefox and other Windows applications like Microsoft Word, Outlook and PowerPoint. Magnifier will highlight each word that is spoken and will scroll content into view if it is not currently displayed. Finally, we’ve improved the Magnifier user interface. Magnifier will now respond to larger text and Dark mode settings, so that it is easier to see and use. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/343dbcf643139fc55528c962b84b8da0.png Figure 2 – New Magnifier features include reading and support for larger text and dark mode. Making Windows easier to use without sight, with a screen reader We’ve made a few sets of improvements to Narrator, which is the free, built in screen reader in Windows 10. Narrator easier to use We made reading more natural by reducing unnatural pauses and processing complete sentences to aid with proper pronunciation. We also redesigned Narrator sounds to enable Narrator users to be more efficient. We added sounds for the most common actions while reducing the total number of sounds to make them easier to learn and use. For example, rather than having to hear “scan on” or “scan off” when switching between scan mode and other modes, now you can choose to hear tones instead of the words. By default, both the words and sounds are turned on, to learn the new sounds. You can then change the level of detail that Narrator speaks about text and controls to hear fewer words for common actions. Finally, we improved support for announcing capital words and letters, e.g., when proofing a message or document. Narrator will handle initial, mixed and all cap words. Smarter browsing We made multiple improvements to the Narrator browsing experience. First, Narrator will automatically start reading web pages from the top of the page. Automatic reading is intended to improve efficiency and give users confidence that the intended page loaded. Second, we implemented a page summary on demand. In addition to better understanding the complexity of a page, e.g., the number of landmarks, links and headings, you can also get a list of the most popular links generated by Bing to make it easier to get to where you want to go. Press Narrator key + S to hear the landmarks, links and headings on the page and press Narrator key + S twice quickly to bring up the page summary that includes a list of popular links. Third, we addressed one of the top accessibility issues with poorly crafted web pages. We made it possible to disambiguate links with titles like “Click here” without having to press the link to see where it goes. Press Narrator key + Ctrl + D, the same command to generate an image description, to hear the title of the linked page before pressing the link. Finally, we made multiple improvements to Narrator with popular browsers. In addition to Microsoft Edge and Chrome, Narrator now supports Firefox. We improved several Narrator experiences, including faster “Find” and more reliable table reading. We also added support for rich text in Chrome and Firefox, which makes it easier to consume content on sites like Wikipedia. More efficient Outlook mail In addition to general Narrator and Narrator browsing improvements, we improved Narrator’s Outlook experience. We optimized Narrator for the Outlook inbox to make it faster and easier to triage mail; we read a smaller set of data in the expected order. We also improved the message reading experience. Like when web pages load, we now automatically start reading content when you open a message. We also automatically enable scan mode and recognize and ignore layout tables to make it easier to navigate and read message content. We improved Outlook responsiveness, e.g., reducing lags when arrowing through messages in the inbox or through text in a message. Please keep the feedback coming While we are excited to share our progress, we recognize that we have more work to do to create delightful experiences for people with disabilities. Thank you to the many people who have provided feedback — both positive and constructive — to help make Windows great. If you’re interested in providing help or suggestions, we welcome your feedback via the Windows Insider Program. All the features referenced in this blog were shared with and shaped by Windows Insiders. Whether you’re using an Insider build, or a generally available version of Windows, Windows 10 makes it easy to share your thoughts and suggestions — just press Windows logo key + F to launch the Feedback hub and share what’s top of mind. Finally, if you are a customer with a disability and need technical assistance, the Disability Answer Desk is there to assist via phone (800-936-5900) and chat. In addition, we also have an ASL option available for our customers who are deaf or hard of hearing in the U.S. (+1 503-427-1234). Please contact us, we are always happy to help. The post What’s coming in Windows 10 accessibility appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/03/3ea18088ee8f320469d6ceb7a2871aa3.jpg The past few months have forever changed the way we work, learn and play each day. Our routines have been entirely disrupted, and we’ve had to adapt to new ways to stay productive, entertained and healthy. This change in our global landscape has increased our dependency on technology and highlights the importance of digital accessibility and inclusion – core to how we build products at Microsoft. Microsoft Edge is committed to building a more accessible web for everyone. A little over a year ago, we announced our intention to rebuild Microsoft Edge with the same open source technology as Google Chrome. Since then, we’ve committed over 150 changes on accessibility features alone back into the open source project with the support of the Google Chrome team. We’re proud to share this work and to continue building features that will benefit everyone. We have continued to be inspired as we hear stories like . Emmy is a fifth grader from Fairfax County Public Schools, who not only uses Immersive Reader herself but has also become an advocate for the tool by leading a tech chat for her teachers and helping her classmates. Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge truly empowers people to achieve more and today we are excited to highlight some of our new and existing features in Edge. New – Open Immersive Reader across the web https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/1eb8f4ba42bbad31585410cfb0b51cba.gif Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge is helpful for anyone who is looking to improve their experience reading online. You may recognize Immersive Reader across other Microsoft Products like OneNote and Word, and we took our lessons from these experiences to bring this important feature to Edge. Until recently, the primary ways to access Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge have been to click the icon in the address bar or to use our F9 shortcut on certain sites. Now, you can simply select content on a web page, right click, and choose “Open in Immersive Reader.” All three of these options will allow you to easily remove distractions and access a variety of tools that allow for personalization. New – View visual definitions of words with Picture Dictionary in Microsoft Edge https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/fa9e3758aa5da190dd2bd13b0bc3557c.gif One of our newest tools in this set will be Picture Dictionary which will help you view a picture representation of a word on a web page to increase comprehension. Ideal for those learning another language or for students learning on their own, it will allow you to stay in the flow of what you are reading. You’ll be able to simply select the word on a web page and see a picture that represents the word. You will be able to turn Picture Dictionary on by navigating to Reading Preferences and using the toggle. Picture Dictionary in Microsoft Edge is coming to preview builds soon. New – Translate full web pages into 54 languages within Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/8faaf3d880867d091862475fc3d1cca9.gif The web is packed with important information and many prefer to read pages in their native language. Translate in Microsoft Edge breaks down the walls of language by giving people the ability to easily translate web page text into one of 54 languages with the press of a button. This is ideal for students and professionals who are researching sources across the web and want to make the most of their time. To get started, navigate to the reading preferences in Immersive Reader, select your language of choice, and see the words change instantly to your preferred language. Translate in Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge is available in preview builds today. Hear the web with Read aloud in Microsoft Edge https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/8c7ea0f989f8a5062cd1865c488d74a6.gif Already in Microsoft Edge, Read aloud translates words on a web page into spoken text so you can absorb information in multiple ways. Anyone can benefit from using Read aloud to simplify their lives and listen to website content without being tethered to a screen. With Read aloud, you can hear the text read aloud to you and words are highlighted as you go so that you can easily follow along to aid comprehension. We currently have 25 voice options to choose from based on your preference for voice in 13 languages and 21 locales, with our most natural sounding voices yet. Read aloud is now generally available in desktop and mobile, and works on and offline. Read aloud for PDF is available in preview builds today. Celebrate our community with our featured Bing homepage image https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/05/c192b0d0b1dc18e31b63cca1b28a3d92-1024x576.jpg Beyond offering inclusive tools for web accessibility, Microsoft also highlights key contributors to this space. On Global Accessibility Awareness Day, on the Bing homepage, we are showcasing a painting by Jeff Hanson, an award-winning artist. Hanson is legally blind and only vaguely sees shapes and colors and has developed a unique tactile process that helps him feel his compositions by first plastering the canvas with a thick plastic material. Once that hardens, he uses the defined ridges to navigate the piece to apply his signature vibrant color. Today we’re featuring Hanson’s painting to observe the ongoing work to make technology accessible for more people around the world. Please visit Bing.com on May 21 to take a closer look at Hanson’s painting, plus listen to a short audio clip of the artist talking about his work. If you’re reading this after May 21, you can see the image here. Check out more of his paintings at JeffHansonArt.com. The web is for everyone, and we are committed to building more inclusive experiences in Microsoft Edge in the coming year. As a company our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more – and this is something we care deeply about. If you haven’t yet downloaded the new Microsoft Edge, please try it today. You can also read more about how students from Newmark Schools are using accessibility tools while learning from home in our Education blog. For other tips on how to make the most out of accessibility features across Microsoft products, please visit our remote learning resource site. We look forward to sharing what’s next. The post Making the web more accessible and inclusive for all with Microsoft Edge appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

For the past several years, developers from around the world have gathered here in Seattle, the original “Cloud City,” to meet, exchange ideas, hone or learn skills, build community. This year, we won’t be meeting in person, but the spirit of the event will continue as we move online – and the response we’ve received from our community of developers looking to learn, connect and code at Microsoft Build 2020 has been overwhelming, and quite frankly, humbling. This will likely be our biggest event ever … not just for Build, but for all the events that Microsoft holds. Wow. The title of our show is a fitting mantra to this unprecedented era we find ourselves in: Build. Socrates (not the Greek philosopher; the gas station attendant) once said: “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” We believe the developer community is the next wave to join the ranks of those who will build and re-build organizations, industries, communities. This week, we celebrate the critical role of developers and their tireless efforts to rally during this time of crisis. We’ve unveiled a range of new tools and services to meet their needs to provide immediate impact and value, empowering innovations that help organizations and individuals achieve more. As work environments evolve, you’ll see how we’re creating solutions to help companies build, rebuild and thrive, including new tools that enable developers to design and deliver artificial intelligence (AI) applications in an ethical and responsible way, as well as help them build connected productivity experiences. You’ll see an emphasis on impact and value, delivering solutions within Azure, M365 and Windows – from tools to help developers be more collaborative and productive at work, to services that give customers the flexibility to deploy AI capabilities in any environment – and with no prior coding experience. And finally, you’ll see a nod to technical excellence, and how we’re looking to help developers achieve more in the future through AI and other technology advancements. Key news highlights: We’re introducing Azure Synapse Link, bringing operational database services and analytics together in real-time. Launched initially in Azure Cosmos DB, but coming soon to all operational systems, Azure Synapse Link helps customers lower costs and reduce time to gain valuable insights without managing data movement. Platform enhancements to Microsoft Teams include a streamlined experience for developers to build and publish Teams apps from Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code; the ability for IT admins to evaluate and deploy line-of-business and ISV applications for their users in Teams; and new ways for people to discover and engage with apps in Teams. We are announcing updates to Fluid Framework, including making it open source to developers, and introducing the first way for end users to experience Fluid with the upcoming availability of Fluid components and Fluid workspaces in Office.com and Outlook for the Web. We’re delivering new Responsible ML tools in Azure Machine Learning and our OSS toolkits to help customers deploy AI models more responsibly by improving model interpretability, reducing unfairness while ensuring data privacy and confidentiality. To help unify app development across 1 billion Windows 10 devices we’re introducing Project Reunion: our vision for evolving the Windows developer platform to make it easier to integrate across Win32 and UWP APIs and build great apps that work across all the Windows 10 versions and devices people use. We’re further investing in bringing comprehensive low-code Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology into Power Automate with the acquisition of Softomotive, a leading provider of low-code, easy-to-use RPA development environments. Softomotive’s technology will complement UI flows to streamline how our customers get work done. We’re announcing one of the world’s most powerful AI supercomputers built in Azure. Developed in collaboration with and exclusively for OpenAI, this supercomputer is purpose-built to train massive distributed AI models, giving it all the benefits of a dedicated appliance paired with the benefits of Azure’s robust modern cloud infrastructure. We’re highlighting pitches from six finalist teams in this year’s Imagine Cup, and unveiling the 2020 champion as part of Microsoft’s commitment to helping students develop big, bold ideas by providing tools, programs and technology to learn the skills they’ll need to create. Top ideas include solutions that help improve treatment of youth living with mental illness; tools that help battle misinformation in the media; and technology that better enable physicians to detect early onset Parkinson’s disease and track patient progress throughout treatment plans. And lastly, we’re introducing Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, our first industry-specific cloud offering, which brings together capabilities for customers and partners to enrich patient engagement, connect caregiving teams, and improve collaboration, decision-making and operational efficiencies. Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare will support capabilities such as the new Bookings app in Teams, now generally available to customers across industries to help schedule, manage and conduct business-to-consumer virtual appointments. Teams supports HIPAA compliance and is HITRUST-certified. Thanks for joining us this year as we try something – and build something – new together. Be sure to check out all the highlights on our Microsoft Build site – including key segments from Microsoft executives – and other session content available virtually. fxs The post Microsoft Build 2020: Empowering developers to deliver impact today and tomorrow appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

Our CEO Satya Nadella references a term from the education field that I think is particularly fitting and important during this unprecedented time in history. Satya talks of the importance of being a “learn-it-all” instead of a “know-it-all.” Learn-it-alls are curious, resourceful and willing to fail, understanding that insights from failure lead to future success. Learn-it-alls see adversity as a challenge to be overcome, and they work toward the future with focus and determination. Right now, we’re all working toward the future in different ways. And the future itself is evolving rapidly as we work and learn together to fight and defeat COVID-19 across the globe. Work is changing, learning is changing, life is changing. Every person on the planet will need new skills to be successful tomorrow, one year from now, and one decade from now. This is particularly apropos for students (and the educators teaching them), with the World Economic Forum predicting that two-thirds of students today will work in jobs that do not yet exist. Likewise, LinkedIn continues to report cloud and artificial intelligence as top emerging jobs. Today’s students are the innovators and inventors of the future who can use technology as a bedrock to help find solutions to the types of problems we’re facing today — and those we can’t predict. Educators are key enablers of this ability, and that’s why I’m excited to announce a new set of opportunities and resources for educators to teach Microsoft technical skills aimed at supporting students to continue learning during this pandemic and beyond. Introducing Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors help their peers learn about things they care about most, from social issues to new technologies. Ambassadors get a first look at new Microsoft technologies, gain leadership skills, and receive mentoring from professionals in the industry, and their peers benefit from their knowledge, which can now be shared via the Microsoft Learn platform. All our incoming 2020 interns are invited to join the Student Ambassadors and it’s open to any higher ed student who wants to apply. We are aiming to help skill millions of students in the coming years — helping tomorrow’s leaders gain knowledge in areas spanning topics like responsible AI, Internet of Things (IoT), and building cloud-native apps, among so much more. New hub on Microsoft Learn for educators and students Students are natural continuing learners — it’s in their DNA. And to make it easier for them to both acquire and transfer knowledge, Microsoft Learn now has a new home just for educators and students, including our Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/prod/prod/prod/prod/prod/prod/2020/05/JPG-Interested-in-tech-career-scaled.jpg We’ve partnered with universities to create new learning paths based on their popular courses in data science, cloud development, and AI engineering, all tailored for the students that want to build in-demand job skills and educators that want to teach them: Carnegie Mellon University: Intro to Cloud Administration and Intro to Cloud Development Oxford University: Cloud & Artificial Intelligence: Principles of Edge Computing University of California at Berkeley: Foundations of Data Science We’ve also added a new series of learning paths to inspire and challenge students to build with social impact and responsibility in mind. These take a solution-driven, project-based approach to learning: Track Global Air Quality with Azure Maps Classify Endangered Bird Species with Azure Custom Vision Create a Chat Bot to Help Students Learn with Azure Bot Service Help Remote Farmers Protect their Crops with Weather Alerts using Azure Functions Track Wild Polar Bears with Stream Analytics and Machine Learning Classification Analyze Climate Data with Azure Notebooks We continue to offer foundational developer paths designed especially for students that faculty can easily teach in the classroom. These include: Object-oriented programming for beginners Learning paths for first-time Python and C# Intro to Bash Intro to Git Intro to Flask Educators play a pivotal role in empowering students for future success. At Microsoft, we’re committed to enabling and supporting them in their mission. Microsoft Learn for Educators curates online learning paths and supporting instructor-led training materials into the classroom. Eligible educators and faculty members at universities, community colleges, polytechnics and secondary schools can access Microsoft ready-to-teach curriculum and teaching materials aligned to industry-recognized Microsoft certifications. These certifications augment a students’ existing degree path and validate the skills needed to be successful across a variety of technical careers. Provided Microsoft curriculum and instructor-led training materials will cover: Azure Fundamentals Azure Data Fundamentals (coming soon) Azure AI Fundamentals (coming soon) Power Platform Fundamentals Python for Beginners on YouTube expands Last fall, we launched a 44-part video series called , consisting of short lessons aimed to help students learn Python and then build AI apps on Azure. People kept asking for more, so we’ve expanded on it with 50 additional that dive deeper into the popular Python libraries like NumPy, Pandas, and Scikit-learn. If you’re looking to try Python for the first time or brush-up your skills, ! https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/prod/prod/prod/prod/prod/2020/05/JPG-More-Python-for-beginners-1.jpg Students at Microsoft Build Microsoft’s annual developer conference, Build, is set to bring the developer community — including student developers and our 2020 class of interns — together virtually May 19-21 to learn, connect and code together. In the spirt of connecting students and professional developers, the Imagine Cup World Championship will be held during Build where teams will compete for the $100,000 grand prize and a mentoring session with Satya Nadella. The Imagine Cup is perhaps one of the most visible ways we encourage students to address real problems through teamwork and technology. Much like a sports bracket which requires repetitive wins to advance to get the World Championship, teams must win their regional competitions — an impressive feat by itself. This year, tens of thousands of competitors from more than 170 countries participated, culminating in 16 students representing six teams that made it to the championship. Beyond the excitement of Imagine Cup, the Student Zone at Build will have content tailored to and appropriate for students. Speakers include a variety of top influencers in the digital learning spaces, with content available for each skill level (13-21 years-old) attending our sessions virtually. And, special guest NASA Education Specialist Matthew Wallace will demo a machine learning tool that introduces students to process for analyzing images of Earth taken from the International Space Station, like our astronauts do. Azure for Students We believe strongly in providing access to the most current technology, and that’s why we’re providing free Azure accounts, plus a $100 credit, for qualifying students. With their accounts, students can develop in Visual Studio to create custom apps, explore AI through Cognitive Services and smart APIs, and build and train machine learning models faster with the latest open source technologies. Free developer tools are included, as are free learning paths and labs. I hope you’ll take advantage of all the free content that interests you and join us as learn-it-alls. The post Skills for the future start today — new resources for students appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

Today, we are announcing that we have signed a definitive agreement to acquire Metaswitch Networks, a leading provider of virtualized network software and voice, data and communications solutions for operators. The convergence of cloud and communication networks presents a unique opportunity for Microsoft to serve operators globally via continued investment in Azure, adding additional depth to our hyperscale cloud infrastructure with the specialized software required to run virtualized communication functions, applications and networks. This announcement builds on our recent acquisition of Affirmed Networks, which closed on April 23, 2020. Metaswitch’s complementary portfolio of ultra-high-performance, cloud-native communications software will expand our range of offerings available for the telecommunications industry. Microsoft intends to leverage the talent and technology of these two organizations, extending the Azure platform to both deploy and grow these capabilities at scale in a way that is secure, efficient and creates a sustainable ecosystem. As the industry moves to 5G, operators will have opportunities to advance the virtualization of their core networks and move forward on a path to an increasingly cloud-native future. Microsoft will continue to meet customers where they are, working together with the industry as operators and network equipment providers evolve their own operations. We will continue to support hybrid and multi-cloud models to create a more diverse telecom ecosystem and spur faster innovation, an expanded set of unique offerings and greater opportunities for differentiation. We will continue to partner with existing suppliers, emerging innovators and network equipment partners to share roadmaps and explore expanded opportunities to work together, including in the areas of radio access networks (RAN), next-generation core, virtualized services, orchestration and operations support system/business support system (OSS/BSS) modernization. A future that is interoperable has never been more important to ensure the success of customers and partners. By enabling advancements in enhanced mobile broadband, ultra-reliable low latency communications and massive machine-type communication to enable IoT at scale, 5G offers significant potential for enterprises and governments and in turn creates new opportunities for operators. 5G will ultimately give operators a path to accelerate service innovation and deliver new transformative experiences that are faster, more resilient and more secure, spurred on by software advances to drive transformation at scale. We have a long history of working with operators as they increasingly embrace software-based solutions and continue to support the advancement of cloud-based networking while helping create new partnership opportunities for existing network equipment providers. Our intention over time is to create modern alternatives to network infrastructure, enabling operators to deliver existing and value-added services – with greater cost efficiency and lower capital investment than they’ve faced in the past. The post Microsoft announces definitive agreement to acquire Metaswitch Networks, expanding approach to empower operators and partner with network equipment providers to deliver on promise of 5G appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...