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After installing Build 19564.1000, Windows Insiders will be offered Build 19564.1005 (KB4541095) as a Cumulative Update via Windows Update. This Cumulative Update does not include any new code and is designed to help us test our servicing pipeline. Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19564.1000 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. If you want a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring, head over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here, including a list of new features and updates. 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. What’s new in Build 19564 Graphics Settings Improvements We’ve updated the Graphics settings page (Settings > System > Display > Graphics settings), allowing for better control over designating which GPU your apps run on. With this update, the app list and GPU preference are pre-populated on a best effort basis to improve the default preference management experience. If your desired app isn’t pre-populated, you can still add it by using the app selection drop-down. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/02/ab377b0f73f0fd7001039bc50d2681ff.jpg You’ll notice alongside this, we’ve also added a search box and a filter for the list of apps. Other updates for Insiders Preview the new Calendar app on Windows 10 https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/02/e2aec566b5d53a9c3975edba936d0a0f.png We’ve been working on an improved version of the Calendar app for Windows 10 and the preview is now available to Windows Insiders! Here is a sneak peek of what’s new in the preview: New themes: choose from over 30 different themes! Improved month view: Month view now includes an agenda pane that lets you see your day’s events at a glance. Simplified event creation: We’ve made it even easier to add an event to your calendar. Redesigned account navigation: We’ve collapsed the account navigation pane, leaving more space for your day’s events. All of your syncing calendar accounts are now represented as clickable icons on the left. You can try the preview by going to the Calendar app and selecting the toggle to try the new experience. Don’t worry, you can always switch back at any time! We are excited to hear what you think of the new experience. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/02/ee1be90bafec72cebf91f763b0dedfa5.png Learn more about the Calendar preview here! General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC We fixed an issue resulting in East Asian IMEs (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and the Japanese IME) potentially being missing from the language/keyboard switcher (e.g. opened by Windows key + Space key) after upgrading from 20H1 Build 19041 or lower builds to Windows 10 Insider Preview build (19536 or later). Please note that this fix will stop it from happening, however, if you were already impacted from a previous build, you’ll need to remove and re-add any keyboards that are missing from the keyboard switcher by going to Settings > Time & Language > Language > Preferred languages, in order to get yourself back into a good We’ve updated the Japanese IME so that when using the new Microsoft Edge in inPrivate mode, this will also enable private mode in the IME. We fixed an issue from the previous flight where if you brought up clipboard history (WIN+V) and dismissed it without pasting anything, input in many places would stop working until you rebooted your PC. We fixed a rare crash when opening the Windows Ink Workspace. We fixed an issue that could result in the Wheel UI (that you’d see when using a Surface Dial) crashing when no custom commands had been configured. We fixed an issue that could result in the login screen password field unexpectedly not rendering. WSL Issue 4860: We’ve fixed an issue resulting in some Insiders experiencing this error message when using WSL2: A connection attempt failed on Windows. We’ve resolved one issue preventing some Insiders from updating to newer builds with error 0xc1900101. We’re continuing to review logs to further investigate additional issues with this error code. We fixed an issue with the Windows setup UI (that you would see when using an ISO, or if prompted to fix issues impacting Windows Update, such as low space) where the apostrophe in “you’re” was replaced by junk characters. We fixed an issue resulting in certain devices no longer sleeping on idle in recent builds. We reduced TLS usage in certain shell components. What does that mean for you? Basically, we made things take a little less memory, which also helps certain apps that are sensitive to TLS usage. We fixed an issue resulting in a small set of Insiders seeing their system time unexpectedly jump forward. We fixed a crash resulting in some Insiders seeing a green screen with a CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED error message. We fixed an issue that could result in a deadlock (where everything would freeze) when using your PC. We fixed a crash some Insiders were hitting in EoaExperiences.exe when using the text input cursor indicator. We fixed an issue resulting in not being able to set focus to the search box in the common file dialog when launched from remote desktop connection settings and certain other apps. We fixed an issue where File Explorer wasn’t calculating the correct folder size in Properties when the UNC path was longer than MAX_PATH. We fixed an issue where the banner at the top of Settings might say an update was in progress, even though Windows Update Settings would say you’re up to date. For Insiders that have the Settings header, you may notice the OneDrive icon has been updated with today’s build. We fixed an issue resulting in Settings crashing when selecting sync across devices > Get Started under Clipboard. We fixed an issue with wallpaper transitions on Build 19536+, which was affecting some third-party wallpaper apps. Known issues BattlEye and Microsoft have found incompatibility issues due to changes in the operating system between some Insider Preview builds and certain versions of BattlEye anti-cheat software. To safeguard Insiders who might have these versions installed on their PC, we have applied a compatibility hold on these devices from being offered affected builds of Windows Insider Preview. See this article for details. We are aware Narrator and NVDA users that seek the latest release of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium may experience some difficulty when navigating and reading certain web content. Narrator, NVDA and the Edge teams are aware of these issues. Users of legacy Microsoft Edge will not be affected. NVAccess has released a NVDA 2019.3 that resolves the known issue with Edge. We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build. We’re investigating reports that some Insiders are unable to update to newer builds with error 0x8007042b. The Documents section under Privacy has a broken icon (just a rectangle). When you upgrade with certain languages, like Japanese, the “Installing Windows X%” page isn’t rendering the text correctly (only boxes are displayed). The cloud recovery option for Reset this PC isn’t working on this build. Please use the local reinstall option when performing Reset this PC. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Bing Love is in the air! Valentine’s Day is this Friday and Bing wants to help you celebrate. Our Valentine’s Day spotlight provides gift ideas, recipes, love songs, and more. We even have a fun quiz where you can test your love songs IQ and challenge your friends! 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 19564 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. 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Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing 20H1 Build 19041.84 (KB4539080) to Windows Insiders in the Slow ring. This Cumulative Update includes quality improvements. Key changes include: Security updates to Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Microsoft Graphics Component, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Media, Windows Shell, the Microsoft Scripting Engine, Windows Fundamentals, Windows Management, Windows Virtualization, Windows Peripherals, Windows Network Security and Containers, Windows Storage and Filesystems, and Windows Server. We have fixed an issue where in certain cases, after Windows runs a scheduled task during a maintenance window, a PC may get into an unbootable state after installing Build 19041.21 (KB4535550). For more information about the resolved security vulnerabilities, please refer to the Security Update Guide. Known issues We are aware Narrator and NVDA users that seek the latest release of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium may experience some difficulty when navigating and reading certain web content. Narrator, NVDA and the Edge teams are aware of these issues. Users of legacy Microsoft Edge will not be affected. NVAccess has released a NVDA 2019.3 that resolves the known issue with Edge. Thanks, BLB The post Releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19041.84 to the Slow ring appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

The U.S. Air Force is breaking the glass as a leader in harnessing the power of cloud, rapidly rolling out modern services to enable airmen to advance the mission through more effective collaboration. As part of their digital transformation journey to achieve global access, persistence, and awareness for the 21st century, the U.S. Air Force is deploying targeted workloads that allow airmen to focus on their missions rather than spending time managing IT infrastructure. Mission focus and efficiency A key part of their digital transformation strategy is leveraging the technology industry’s capabilities for cloud infrastructure, allowing the U.S. Air Force to re-tool and refocus their resources. As part of our collaboration with the U.S. Air Force, we’re deeply aligned on a joint mission to drive IT enhancements that enable airmen to be more efficient and effective. Building out the capabilities for this targeted mission focus started with planning for how the organization will manage their data in the future, deploying core functions such as Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive and other capabilities delivered through the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity applications. Improved total cost of ownership The rapid deployment of cloud tools at this scale is made possible by the U.S. Air Force’s leadership in building the multi-cloud factory Cloud One, a migration center of excellence designed as a foundation for future innovation. Leapfrogging more traditional cloud migration strategies with a Platform as a service (PaaS)-first approach and secure systems boundary, Cloud One enables the U.S. Air Force to rapidly transform legacy systems into modern apps and exploit the agility, scale and global presence afforded by the cloud. William Marion, U.S. Air Force Deputy Chief Information Officer, says that Cloud One is the U.S. Air Force’s “path to the cloud, but further it is fundamental to the Digital Air Force and the future of Multi-Domain Operations. It enables our teams to achieve unprecedented cost efficiencies and productivity through automation, agile software development at scale, and a streamlined process for moving applications to production.” Cloud One has recalibrated what internal teams expect from a cloud migration, providing all the foundational cloud capabilities including networking, monitoring, access control and identity. In addition, apps deployed to Azure Government inherit the platform’s security controls by design, further reducing operational costs and freeing up resources to focus on the mission. Focus on security and compliance The U.S. Air Force understands the importance of a dynamic, foundational risk management framework that can react quickly to cyber-attacks and changes in the threat landscape. With Microsoft 365 Government and Azure Government, they can obtain the scale and performance of modern cloud tools while maintaining compliance with the strict compliance requirements of the Department of Defense (DoD), including DoD Impact Level 5. Next-generation collaboration One of the primary goals of the U.S. Air Force is to empower airmen to collaborate and execute their missions with modern technology best practices. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Enterprise IT and Cyber Infrastructure Division (AFLCMC/HNI) at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts has planned, tested and started deployment of Microsoft Teams to improve project management and teamwork. With geographically separated organizations, Teams will streamline collaboration and communication between airmen across the globe. The massive scale of this U.S. Air Force organization – wide rollout requires massive change management – so we’ve developed a joint plan with focused training, deployment and service adoption to drive mission-focused use cases. The plan includes learning events with modern modalities, creating consumable resources to enable airmen to learn more about how Teams can work for their unit. This includes product immersion events, ask-me-anything events, and video content so airmen can learn efficiently from wherever they are in the world. These advances in productivity, cloud acceleration, and collaboration are a result of ongoing teamwork across the 16th Air Force, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, and the Defense Information Systems Agency. As thought leaders and innovators, these organization have planned, built and deployed modern IT experiences at massive scale using Microsoft 365 Government and Azure Government, enabling airmen to continue to fly, fight and win in air, space and cyberspace. The post U.S. Air Force and Microsoft partner to empower airmen with modern IT appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/prod/prod/prod/prod/prod/2020/02/PNG-SarahCombined-BHM.png At left Gladys Hall in 1939; at right, Gladys Hall and Sarah Bond in 1999. Gladys Hall was born on March 19, 1925, in Atmore, Alabama, at a time when her prospects and those of her family were inextricably linked to the circumstances of her birth and race. Her father worked tirelessly to provide for his family. He ran a dry cleaning business from their home, where Gladys started working as a girl. She would meet customers out at their cars and carry their clothes up the hilly driveway back into the shop. One routine Saturday, men dressed in white robes and hooded masks pulled up in their car and asked 12-year-old Gladys where her father was. She quickly concocted a story about him being away and then ran up the driveway to warn him. Her father immediately fled out of the back of their home, in fear for his life, for simply the unchangeable fact that his skin was black. That man was my great-grandfather. Gladys was my grandmother. She could have taken that early experience – and all the other obstacles she encountered growing up – and allowed it to build hate and resentment in her heart. But instead, she chose to focus on building a better future for herself and for others. Her life spanned a time when there were great advancements in civil rights, making it possible for her to achieve things beyond what her father could have ever imagined. At the age of 45, Gladys Hall achieved her lifelong dream of attending college, graduating with a master’s degree in education – and she became a teacher. ‘Progress is not inevitable, but driven by the choices that we make as individuals’ Black History Month is a reminder for us all to reflect on the richness of our history and the lessons it has taught us. Each year it helps us move forward a little further together, as one. The origin of Black History Month came as a response to black people being largely left out of the history books, despite the many significant roles they played. Since first being celebrated in 1976, February is now recognized around the world as a month to pay tribute to the accomplishments and contributions of generations of people who may otherwise have been forgotten. For me, it’s also a reminder that progress is not inevitable, but driven by the choices that we make as individuals. Choices like the ones my grandmother made. This is one of the reasons why, for me, Microsoft is special. Our chosen mission is to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. Diversity and inclusion are core tenants of our culture and integral to achieving that mission. It is only when we empower everyone to realize their full potential – no matter the circumstances – that we reach our full potential as a society. ‘It is only when we empower everyone to realize their full potential – no matter their circumstances – that we reach our full potential as a society’ We kicked off Black History Month with our Blacks at Microsoft chapter ringing the Nasdaq closing bell on Wall Street for the third consecutive year. Throughout the month, Microsoft Stores around the globe will host Black History Month events, and if you live near one, I would encourage you to attend. We have the power to choose how we think, how we speak, and how we act – and we can choose to treat each other with dignity, respect and inclusion as our path forward. I celebrate Black History Month by reflecting on this lesson that my grandmother – the teacher – taught me. It’s my hope that this is a lesson Black History Month can teach us all. The post Black History Month: Building a better future together appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders! We are trying something new today with a end-of-the-week summary of updates across Microsoft we think are relevant to Insiders. Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19559 We released Insider Preview Build 19559 to the Fast ring earlier this week. For all the details on what’s included in this build and known issues – check out our blog post here. Remember, if you want a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring including the latest SDKs and Server Insider Preview builds, head over to Flight Hub. Windows Insider Podcast Episode 27 Check out Episode 27 of the Windows Insider Podcast with Jason! In this episode – Jason interviews Ian Todd, the interim lead of the Windows Insider Program. As the ongoing search for our new leadership continues, Ian talks about the future of the program and how we are working on what’s next. Additionally, Jason also looks at how the podcast gets made and at what’s next for the program’s marketing content with Allison Shields, our team’s content expert. Celebrate Black History Month with Bing! Want to learn more about moments in Black history? Check out our moments carousel, where we share some of the historical firsts and monumental events in Black history. We are highlighting Juneteenth, the election of Shirley Chisholm, and many more impactful moments. Celebrate Black history month and learn with Bing here! Microsoft Edge Updates Heads up for Insiders who are running Edge builds from the Dev Channel – the Edge Team has released the first Dev Channel update for February! Check out the improvements included in 81.0.410.1 here. The Edge Team has also announced that the new Microsoft Edge now features DevTools localized in 10 languages (in addition to English). More Windows Terminal Awesomeness Check out what’s coming soon to the Terminal in the latest status update from the Windows Terminal Team! This Week On Xbox Watch the latest episode of This Week On Xbox: Thanks, BLB The post Windows Insider Newsbits for the Week of February 7 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19559.1000 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. If you want a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring, head over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here, including a list of new features and updates. 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. General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC We fixed an issue with the IME candidate window for East Asian IMEs (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and the Japanese IME) not opening sometimes on recent builds. We fixed an issue that could result in explorer.exe crashing when backing out of folders containing .heic or RAW files. We fixed an issue that could result in explorer.exe hanging when attempting to delete certain large .tif files. We fixed an issue resulting in the top few pixels of a window getting clipped when using WIN+Up and then snapping the window to the side using WIN+Left/Right). We fixed an issue resulting in Event Viewer crashing when selecting certain events recently. For any of our Insiders using an arm64 device, such as the Surface Pro X, running Enterprise or Pro edition, you’ll now be able to see and install Hyper-V features. We fixed an issue resulting in some Insiders experiencing a green screen in recent builds with error KMODE EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED. Known issues BattlEye and Microsoft have found incompatibility issues due to changes in the operating system between some Insider Preview builds and certain versions of BattlEye anti-cheat software. To safeguard Insiders who might have these versions installed on their PC, we have applied a compatibility hold on these devices from being offered affected builds of Windows Insider Preview. See this article for details. We are aware Narrator and NVDA users that seek the latest release of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium may experience some difficulty when navigating and reading certain web content. Narrator, NVDA, and the Edge teams are aware of these issues. Users of legacy Microsoft Edge will not be affected. We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build. We’re investigating reports that some Insiders are unable to update to newer builds with error 0x8007042b. We’re looking into reports that some Insiders are unable to update to newer builds with error 0xc1900101. East Asian IMEs (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and the Japanese IME) may be missing from the language/keyboard switcher (e.g. opened by Windows key + Space key) after upgrading from 20H1 Build 19041 or lower builds to Windows 10 Insider Preview build (19536 or later) if you have multiple languages/keyboards added. We are investigating the issue. In the meantime, please remove and re-add any keyboards that are missing from the keyboard switcher by going to Settings > Time & Language > Language > Preferred languages. It doesn’t happen if you updated from build19536 or later. The Documents section under Privacy has a broken icon (just a rectangle). We’re investigating reports that certain devices are no longer sleeping on idle. We have identified the root cause and are working on a fix for an upcoming flight. If your device is impacted, manually triggering sleep should work (Start > Power button > Sleep). WSL Issue 4860: Some Insiders are experiencing this error message when using WSL2: A connection attempt failed on Windows. Thank you if you were one of those who reported it on the previous flight—we have a fix ready which will be including in an upcoming flight. There’s an issue in this build where if you bring up clipboard history (WIN+V) and dismiss it without pasting anything, input in many places will stop working until you reboot your PC. We appreciate your patience. Thanks, BLB The post Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19559 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/prod/prod/prod/2020/02/bam-nasdaq-group-photo-scaled.jpg Microsoft executives and Blacks at Microsoft leaders, award winners and chapter members rang Nasdaq’s closing bell to kick off Black History Month. In the front row, from left, Stacey Mahoney, Tekisha Thomas, Melinda Moyo-Turner, Amma Kwateng, Emmeline Jean, Rodney Williams; middle row, Felicia Gardner, Fanta Dicko, Albert Dankwa, Aissa Bautista, Mallory Banks, Erica Rhoden, Bianca Francis, Michael Dunner, Nicole Smith, Curtis Clay III, Brandon Clark, Kimberly Powell, Ray Wilson, Danielle Skeen; back row, Cassandra Young, Bambo Sofola, Ryan Trollinger, Travis Walter. As I reflect on the importance of Black History month, the words from Maya Angelou’s poem, “Still I Rise,” come to mind. “Bringing the gifts my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise I rise I rise.” Yesterday, my friends and colleagues proudly stood on the floor of the world’s largest stock exchange and rang the market’s closing bell, signaling an end to the day’s trading and serving as our kickoff for Black History Month festivities at Microsoft. There’s so much to celebrate during Black History Month, as it’s an opportunity to acknowledge and recognize the incredible contributions that our community has made to the very fabric of this country. While there’s plenty to celebrate, we must recognize that this is only possible because of the hard work and sacrifices made by our ancestors. Like many of us, I am a product of American history – a great-great granddaughter of slaves. Our ancestor’s struggles, triumphs, joys, perseverance and sacrifices have paved the way for our generation, and future generations yet to be born. A spark of that same perseverance and strength inspired the vision of the Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) founders more than 30 years ago. We were the first of many Microsoft’s employee resource groups. As we rang that bell today, some of their dreams were being realized. We stand on their shoulders and recognize how hard they worked to create a community that has meant so much to so many, and with that, we’re eternally grateful. For me, BAM represents our journey as black employees to learn, develop, grow and support each other through our collective community, with the ongoing support of many allies. That journey in turn, informs Microsoft’s diverse and inclusive culture which has a direct impact on our customers and partners as well. The journey is never complete, but the ongoing engagement and support of our collective community has had a lasting and positive impact on many, including me. As we celebrate our history and the accomplishments of many extraordinary people this month, I encourage you to reflect on your own learning journey. We all have a responsibility to learn from others and lend our help and support to others who can benefit from the same. At Microsoft we are all striving to become thoughtful and informed allies to others. While Black History Month is one moment in time, this commitment can allow us to understand and support each other all year round. Now more than ever, we need to galvanize as a community to pave the way for generations to come. We’ve come so far, but we still have a long journey ahead of us. It’s more important than ever for us to come together and work toward opportunity, equity and equality for everyone. Watch BAM team members in a “Behind the Bell” interview with Nasdaq on LinkedIn. The post We are the dream of our ancestors appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19555.1001 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. If you want a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring, head over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here, including a list of new features and updates. 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. General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC We’ve resolved an issue where certain external USB 3.0 drives ended up in an unresponsive state with Start Code 10 after they were attached. The cloud recovery option for Reset this PC is now back up and running on this build. We fixed an issue resulting in ARM64 devices not being able to upgrade to the previous build. We’ve updated Protection History in the Windows Security app to show a loading indicator in cases where loading is taking longer than expected. We fixed an issue with the modern print dialog not displaying the print preview correctly in certain cases in recent flights. We fixed an issue that could result in the Start menu and apps not opening until explorer.exe had been restarted after locking then unlocking your computer while listening to music. We fixed an alignment issue with the toggles under Windows Update > Advanced options when certain policies were enabled/disabled. Known issues BattlEye and Microsoft have found incompatibility issues due to changes in the operating system between some Insider Preview builds and certain versions of BattlEye anti-cheat software. To safeguard Insiders who might have these versions installed on their PC, we have applied a compatibility hold on these devices from being offered affected builds of Windows Insider Preview. See this article for details. We are aware Narrator and NVDA users that seek the latest release of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium may experience some difficulty when navigating and reading certain web content. Narrator, NVDA and the Edge teams are aware of these issues. Users of legacy Microsoft Edge will not be affected. We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build. We’re investigating reports that some Insiders are unable to update to newer builds with error 0x8007042b. We’re looking into reports that some Insiders are unable to update to newer builds with error 0xc1900101. The Documents section under Privacy has a broken icon (just a rectangle). The IME candidate window for East Asian IMEs (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and the Japanese IME) may not open sometimes. We are investigating your reports. As a workaround if you encounter this, please change the focus to another application or editing area and back to the original and try again. Alternatively, you can go to Task Manager and end the “TextInputHost.exe” task from the Details tab, and it should work afterwards. We’re investigating reports that certain devices are no longer sleeping on idle. We have identified the root cause and are working on a fix for an upcoming flight. If your device is impacted, manually triggering sleep should work (Start > Power button > Sleep). 2020 Grammy Awards Winners Did you miss the Grammys on Sunday? No worries, Bing has you covered. Check out our Grammy Award winners carousel. From Record of the Year to Pop Solo Performance, we cover it all. Select a winner and learn more about their career journey. Check it out here and let us know what you think! If you want to be among the first to learn about these Bing features, join our Bing Insiders Program. Give us your feedback about Microsoft Edge Help us continue to improve Microsoft Edge! Join our latest user research session today, January 30 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PST to give us your feedback. Get more details about this session. Thanks, BLB The post Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19555 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders! Today we are pleased to release a new Insider preview build of the Windows Server VNext Semi-Annual Channel Datacenter and Standard editions. What’s New This build includes a fix that enlightens National Language Support (NLS) components to be container-aware. NLS state is now instanced per container. This fix addresses some scenarios where a container OS components attempts to access data that is unavailable in the container due to instancing. Available Content Windows Server vNext Semi-Annual Preview The Server Core Datacenter and Standard Editions are available in the 18 supported Server languages in ISO format and in VHDX format in English only. Matching Windows Server Core App Compatibility FoD Preview Matching Windows Server Language Packs Symbols are available on the public symbol server – see Update on Microsoft’s Symbol Server blog post and Using the Microsoft Symbol Server. Containers: For more information about how to obtain and install Windows Server containers and Insider builds, click here. Quick start information, here. Keys: The following keys allow for unlimited activations of Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel Previews Server Standard: V6N4W-86M3X-J77X3-JF6XW-D9PRV Server Datacenter: B69WH-PRNHK-BXVK3-P9XF7-XD84W The Windows Server Preview will expire July 31st, 2020. How to Download Registered Insiders may navigate directly to the Windows Server Insider Preview download page. See the Additional Downloads dropdown for Windows Admin Center and other supplemental apps and products. If you have not yet registered as an Insider, see GETTING STARTED WITH SERVER on the Windows Insiders for Business portal. We value your feedback! The most important part of a frequent release cycle is to hear what’s working and what needs to be improved, so your feedback is extremely valued. For Windows Server, use your registered Windows 10 Insider device and use the Feedback Hub application. In the app, choose the Windows Server category and then the appropriate subcategory for your feedback. In the title of the Feedback, please indicate the build number you are providing feedback as shown below: [server #####] Title of my feedback See Share Feedback on Windows Server via Feedback Hub for specifics. We also encourage you to visit the Windows Server Insiders space on the Microsoft Tech Communities forum to collaborate, share and learn from experts. For Windows Admin Center, Send us feedback via UserVoice. We also encourage you to visit the Windows Admin Center space on the Microsoft Tech Communities. Terms of Use This is pre-release software – it is provided for use “as-is” and is not supported in production environments. Users are responsible for installing any updates made available from Windows Update. All pre-release software made available to you via the Windows Server Insider program are governed by the Insider Terms of Use. Thanks, BLB The post Announcing Windows Server vNext Insider Preview Build 19551 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

In December, we shared the State of Tech Intensity study, which highlighted a trend we are seeing in our work with customers: many organizations are going beyond simply adopting the latest tools and technologies and are building their own unique digital capabilities. This shift is accelerating change in these organizations and helping them propel their businesses forward in new ways. Leveraging innovative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning built on Microsoft’s cloud, there were numerous examples this past quarter of initiatives our customers across multiple industries are pursuing — and how many are putting technology at the heart of their business strategies. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2020/01/CR_EDIT-ZF_Microsoft_cubiX_Side_no-logos.jpg Example of software-driven connected chassis functions by ZF Friedrichshafen. In automotive, manufacturers are redefining experiences to shape the future of mobility, while also helping address challenges that conventional computing alone cannot solve. Through our partnership with , we’re exploring the potential for using quantum algorithms to solve urban traffic congestion. Bosch is leveraging Microsoft Azure data services to create one of the world’s first connectivity-based, wrong-way driver warning solutions aimed at helping drivers avoid serious accidents. Global technology company ZF Friedrichshafen is transforming into a provider of software-driven mobility solutions, leveraging Azure cloud services and developer tools to promote faster development and validation of connected vehicle functions at a global scale. Ericsson is integrating its Connected Vehicle Cloud, which connects more than 4 million vehicles across 180 countries, with Microsoft’s Connected Vehicle Platform to accelerate the delivery of safe, comfortable and personalized connected driving experiences with our cloud, AI and IoT technologies. We are also helping Scania build a modern workplace foundation to break down communication barriers and meet ever-growing security requirements through cloud-based collaboration tools like Microsoft 365 and Teams. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2020/01/maersk.jpg Maersk strengthens a global operation with fast thinking and an integrated security solution. In transportation and logistics, Danish company Maersk, one of the largest container shipping and supply vessel operators in the world, is leveraging Microsoft’s security capabilities in Azure and Microsoft 365 to streamline and automate classification for more than 6.6 million documents every month, improving communications and reducing the risk of data loss and regulatory non-compliance. Maersk has also implemented Identity Protection to further enhance its security posture. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2020/01/15_Canada_Sq_42_2770.jpg KPMG’s digital shift fuels AI-empowered audits and more, reducing risk across every industry. In highly regulated industries like insurance, where regulatory compliance and high security standards are a top priority, customers are choosing Microsoft as their trusted cloud provider to help ensure these needs are met while building new digital capabilities. KPMG is bringing the latest advances in cloud and AI to highly regulated workloads in tax, audit and advisory. This move is helping its clients achieve greater accuracy and decision-making capabilities, increased productivity and cost efficiencies with tools such as Dynamics 365 and Teams. German-based Allianz, along with our partner Syncier, is reimagining the insurance industry experience by creating a new cloud-based marketplace built on Azure with customized platform solutions and related services tailored to the industry. Automobile insurer GEICO is turning to Azure to modernize its internal business applications and create a frictionless experience for its customers, from real-time updates to performance and security. AXA, an insurance provider spanning more than 60 countries, is reimagining how it engages with its 105 million customers around the globe using Microsoft 365 productivity tools for its workforce. In the public sector space, we appreciate the opportunity to work with the Department of Defense to develop and deploy their general purpose enterprise cloud infrastructure. Under the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract, we look forward to helping the DoD bring the latest technology to our men and women in uniform in the years ahead. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2020/01/GettyImages-1130272752_Resized-jan-27.jpg Businesses are connecting people in new ways, from enhanced productivity to cloud transformations to helping people discover their favorite music and video. Our customers in communications, services and media have a unique opportunity to meet the growing global demand within their industries — by advancing their business with cloud-centric strategies. Telstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications company, is using Microsoft Teams and the Microsoft Power Platform to work more collaboratively across the organization. They are also leveraging insights from PowerBI to break down data silos and create a unified source of truth to help meet the needs of more than 18 million customers. Japan-based NTT has chosen Microsoft Azure as its preferred cloud platform for modernizing its global IT infrastructure and customer solutions in the areas of advanced analytics for cybersecurity threat intelligence and the hybrid-IT management platform. Our strategic collaboration with Nokia will apply our cloud, AI, IoT and machine learning expertise across mission-critical networking and communications to drive economic growth and productivity for both enterprises and service providers. We also further expanded our partnership with AT&T by announcing our first joint-offering, AT&T Network Edge Compute (NEC) technology, which weaves Azure services into AT&T’s network edge locations closer to customers, unlocking new scenarios for edge computing across industries. KKBOX Group is harnessing the power of our cloud for new music and video streaming experiences for customers as well as AI technologies to help people more easily discover and listen to music. And in October, SAP selected Microsoft Azure as its preferred cloud provider, deepening the relationship between our two companies in a differentiated way to help customers like Coca-Cola, Walgreens Boots Alliance and CEMEX simplify their cloud transformations. This agreement signals a shared commitment to fostering the growth of the cloud ecosystem. As we enter a new decade, I am extremely excited to see what new digital capabilities will emerge from our customers. From transforming businesses to advancing industries, the opportunity for our customers has never been greater, and we are ready to help them take the next step in their digital journey through close partnerships and new technologies. The post From tech adoption to tech creation: Customers across industries are using advanced cloud and AI tools to build their own digital solutions appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19551.1005 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. If you want a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring, head over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here, including a list of new features and updates. 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.  Other updates for Insiders We’re continuing to look at ways we can improve the update experience on Windows 10 PCs for our customers. As part of this effort, we are conducting an experiment related to how we deliver driver updates through Windows Update. During this experiment, drivers categorized as “optional” will not be automatically downloaded and installed on Windows Insider’s PCs running Build 19536 and newer. To install any new optional drivers available for a PC that’s involved in this experiment (including drivers for new devices that might get plugged in to a PC), Insiders can go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View optional updates and manually download these drivers. This experiment will be running now through March 5th, 2020. General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC We fixed an issue resulting in snipping not working on secondary monitors. Thank you for reporting that the Optimize Drives Control Panel was incorrectly showing that optimization hadn’t run on some devices. We’ve fixed it in this build. We’ve fixed an issue causing Remote Desktop Connection crashes when attempting to connect to multiple sessions. We’ve made a server-side fix to address the issue causing Narrator Home to crash when selecting the “What’s New” button in Narrator Home. We fixed an issue that could result in the language defaults listed at the top of Language Settings unexpectedly being blank. We’ve done some work to help address feedback reports that screenshots (WIN+Shift+S) pasted into Outlook would be unexpectedly large. We fixed an issue where, if you’d changed the candidate pane font for the Pinyin IME, it would be reset back to default after you reboot your PC. We fixed an issue resulting in the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon in the notification area sometimes unexpectedly drawing in white (making it unreadable) when using light theme. Known issues BattlEye and Microsoft have found incompatibility issues due to changes in the operating system between some Insider Preview builds and certain versions of BattlEye anti-cheat software. To safeguard Insiders who might have these versions installed on their PC, we have applied a compatibility hold on these devices from being offered affected builds of Windows Insider Preview. See this article for details. We are aware Narrator and NVDA users that seek the latest release of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium may experience some difficulty when navigating and reading certain web content. Narrator, NVDA and the Edge teams are aware of these issues. Users of legacy Microsoft Edge will not be affected. The cloud recovery option for Reset this PC isn’t working on this build. Please use the local reinstall option when performing Reset this PC. We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build. We’re investigating reports that some Insiders are unable to update to newer builds with error 0x8007042b. We’re looking into reports that some Insiders are unable to update to newer builds with error 0xc1900101. We’re looking into reports of certain external USB 3.0 drives not responding with Start Code 10 after they’re attached. The Documents section under Privacy has a broken icon (just a rectangle). The IME candidate window for East Asian IMEs (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and the Japanese IME) may not open sometimes. We are investigating your reports. As a workaround if you encounter this, please change the focus to another application or editing area and back to the original and try again. Alternatively, you can go to Task Manager and end the “TextInputHost.exe” task from the Details tab, and it should work afterwards. Australia Open 2020 Calling all tennis fans! The Australia Open tournament has begun, and Bing wants to keep you in the loop. Check out our Australia Open feature, where you can find information for matches, draws, and top players. Find out who is rank #1, get the results from past matches, and so much more. If you want to be among the first to learn about these Bing features, join our Bing Insiders Program. Halting Project Catnip We’re no longer planning to do external testing or a public release of our “Project Catnip PWA” for the Windows Insider Program. Due to some technical limitations, we were not going to be able to offer the experiences we wanted to for Insiders through the PWA. We’re still looking at solutions for some of the features we investigated in the PWA. Thank you as always for your enthusiasm. Thanks, BLB The post Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19551 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19546 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. If you want a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring, head over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here, including a list of new features and updates. 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. What’s new in Build 19546 Introducing Graphing Mode in Windows Calculator Today, we’re updating Windows Calculator for Insiders with a preview of our new graphing mode. Adding support for graphing is one of our top feature requests in Feedback Hub, and we’re excited to bring this feature to our users. Graphing capabilities are also essential for students who are beginning to explore linear algebra. With this feature, we hope to empower students to learn mathematics by improving their conceptual understanding and attitudes towards math. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/c6dacf6134679d74cfa73d5b0dab18b8.png Here are a few things you can try out with this new feature: Plot one or more equations on the graph. Enter multiple equations so that you can compare plots against each other and see interactions between the lines. You can also customize the line style and graph viewing window to suit your needs. Add equations with variables. If you enter an equation with a secondary variable (e.g., “y = mx + b”), you’ll be able to easily manipulate those variables so that you can quickly understand how changes to the equation affect the graph. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/a29d28b799810e34b47841971773c80d.gif Analyze the graph. Trace plots with your mouse or keyboard to better understand the relationship between variables in the equation on the graph. You can also analyze equations to help identify key graph features, like the x- and y- intercepts. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/f5428f6374b603a2bc37817e0a5f068a.png We’re looking for feedback! Tell us what you want to see next via the Feedback Hub under Apps > Calculator or select the Send feedback button on the About page in the app. If you’re a developer, check out the project on GitHub—we are always accepting contributions! #BuildTogether Other updates for Insiders Introducing the Indexer Diagnostics app Available now in beta via the Microsoft Store, the Indexer Diagnostics app was created to help enhance your understanding of the capabilities of search, as well as increase the troubleshooting ability and support for general Windows Search issues. The tool will continue to be improved with more functionality added over time—as always, appreciate your feedback! The app is available for anyone running Windows 10 version 1809 or higher. General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC We fixed an issue resulting in Timeline not showing any activities. We fixed an issue resulting in Outlook search not working for some. We fixed an issue significantly impacting Task View reliability for some. We fixed an issue where pressing Spatial Sound -> Off in the sound menu caused Explorer.exe to crash. Known issues BattlEye and Microsoft have found incompatibility issues due to changes in the operating system between some Insider Preview builds and certain versions of BattlEye anti-cheat software. To safeguard Insiders who might have these versions installed on their PC, we have applied a compatibility hold on these devices from being offered affected builds of Windows Insider Preview. See this article for details. We are aware Narrator and NVDA users that seek the latest release of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium may experience some difficulty when navigating and reading certain web content. Narrator, NVDA and the Edge teams are aware of these issues. Users of legacy Microsoft Edge will not be affected. The cloud recovery option for Reset this PC isn’t working on this build. Please use the local reinstall option when performing Reset this PC. We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build. We’re investigating reports that some Insiders are unable to update to newer builds with error 0x8007042b. We’re looking into reports of certain external USB 3.0 drives not responding with Start Code 10 after they’re attached. The Optimize Drives Control Panel is incorrectly reporting that optimization has never run on some devices. Optimization is completing successfully, even though it is not reflected in the UI. The Documents section under Privacy has a broken icon (just a rectangle). Remote Desktop Connection crashes when attempting to connect to multiple sessions. Snipping isn’t working on secondary monitors. The IME candidate window for East Asian IMEs (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and the Japanese IME) may not open sometimes. We are investigating your reports. As a workaround if you encounter this, please change the focus to another application or editing area and back to the original and try again. Alternatively, you can go to Task Manager and end the “TextInputHost.exe” task from the Details tab, and it should work afterwards. Test your Speed with Bing How fast can you type? Take the typing challenge on Bing and put it to the test! We’ve created a fun and interactive typing challenge that shares your score, speed, and accuracy. Test your typing skills and challenge your friends and family. 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 19546 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2020/01/MS-Event-2020-01-Carbon_T8A7561-small-1024x683.jpg Microsoft President Brad Smith, Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood and CEO Satya Nadella preparing to announce Microsoft’s plan to be carbon negative by 2030. (Jan. 15, 2020/Photo by Brian Smale) The scientific consensus is clear. The world confronts an urgent carbon problem. The carbon in our atmosphere has created a blanket of gas that traps heat and is changing the world’s climate. Already, the planet’s temperature has risen by 1 degree centigrade. If we don’t curb emissions, and temperatures continue to climb, science tells us that the results will be catastrophic. As the scientific community has concluded, human activity has released more than 2 trillion metric tons of greenhouse gases into the Earth’s atmosphere since the start of the First Industrial Revolution in the mid-1700s. Over three-quarters of this is carbon dioxide, with most of this carbon emitted since the mid-1950s. This is more carbon than nature can re-absorb, and every year humanity pumps more than 50 billion metric tons of additional greenhouse gases into the air. This isn’t a problem that lasts a few years or even a decade. Once excess carbon enters the atmosphere it can take thousands of years to dissipate. The world’s climate experts agree that the world must take urgent action to bring down emissions. Ultimately, we must reach “net zero” emissions, meaning that humanity must remove as much carbon as it emits each year. This will take aggressive approaches, new technology that doesn’t exist today, and innovative public policy. It is an ambitious – even audacious – goal, but science tells us that it’s a goal of fundamental importance to every person alive today and for every generation to follow. Microsoft: Carbon negative by 2030 While the world will need to reach net zero, those of us who can afford to move faster and go further should do so. That’s why today we are announcing an ambitious goal and a new plan to reduce and ultimately remove Microsoft’s carbon footprint. By 2030 Microsoft will be carbon negative, and by 2050 Microsoft will remove from the environment all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975. We recognize that progress requires not just a bold goal but a detailed plan. As described below, we are launching today an aggressive program to cut our carbon emissions by more than half by 2030, both for our direct emissions and for our entire supply and value chain. We will fund this in part by expanding our internal carbon fee, in place since 2012 and increased last year, to start charging not only our direct emissions, but those from our supply and value chains. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2020/01/ppt-slide-1.jpgWe are also launching an initiative to use Microsoft technology to help our suppliers and customers around the world reduce their own carbon footprints and a new $1 billion climate innovation fund to accelerate the global development of carbon reduction, capture, and removal technologies. Beginning next year, we will also make carbon reduction an explicit aspect of our procurement processes for our supply chain. Our progress on all of these fronts will be published in a new annual Environmental Sustainability Report that will detail our carbon impact and reduction journey. And lastly, all this work will be supported by our voice and advocacy supporting public policy that will accelerate carbon reduction and removal opportunities. Taking a principled approach Whenever we take on a new and complex societal issue, we strive first to learn and then to define a principled approach to guide our efforts. This has been fundamental to our work around the protection of privacy and the ethical development of artificial intelligence, and it’s the approach we’re taking to pursue our aggressive carbon goals as well. We’ve concluded that seven principles, or elements, will be vital as we continually innovate and take additional steps on an ongoing basis. Grounding in science and math. We will continually ground our work in the best available science and most accurate math, as we describe further below. Taking responsibility for our carbon footprint. We will take responsibility for all our emissions, so by 2030 we can cut them by more than half and remove more carbon than we emit each year. Investing for new carbon reduction and removal technology. We will deploy $1 billion of our own capital in a new Climate Innovation Fund to accelerate the development of carbon reduction and removal technologies that will help us and the world become carbon negative. Empowering customers around the world. Perhaps most importantly, we will develop and deploy digital technology to help our suppliers and customers reduce their carbon footprints. Ensuring effective transparency. We will publish an annual Environmental Sustainability Report that provides transparency on our progress, based on strong global reporting standards. Using our voice on carbon-related public policy issues. We will support new public policy initiatives to accelerate carbon reduction and removal opportunities. Enlisting our employees. We recognize that our employees will be our biggest asset in advancing innovation, and we will create new opportunities to enable them to contribute to our efforts. Grounding in science and math It’s vital that our work as a company to address carbon issues stay grounded in ongoing scientific advances and an accurate reliance on the basic but fundamental mathematical concepts involved. And this is true for all of us as individual consumers and the business community more broadly. In some respects, the situation is straightforward. As shown in the graph below, advances in human prosperity, as measured by GDP growth, are inextricably tied to the use of energy. This is true for the future as well as the past. If we’re going to continue to create more economic opportunity and prosperity, it likely will require even more energy use. This is true everywhere in the world, and it’s perhaps especially true among the world’s developing economies, which deserve the opportunity to catch up with the level of prosperity in more industrialized nations. For more than two centuries and especially since the 1950s, economic development has required an ever-increasing amount of carbon emissions. This is the part of the past that we need to change. In short, we need to use more energy while reducing our emission of carbon. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2020/01/ppt-slide-2.jpgThe importance of this issue is underscored by the advances in scientific research during the past few years. These findings make clear both that the average temperature on the planet has risen by 1 degree Celsius during the past 50 years and that carbon dioxide emissions have been a primary driver of this and this temperature increase. Indeed, if we fail to change substantially and quickly, there is a high risk that average temperatures will increase between another one and four degrees Celsius by the end of this century. And the impact of such a temperature increase would be catastrophic. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2020/01/ppt-slide-3.jpgA big part of the challenge is that as a society we have not committed sufficiently to reduce emissions. One conclusion we’ve reached is that we all need to learn – and get real – about “carbon math.” This is the basic mathematical concepts that are important to understanding how the carbon issue applies to each of us, whether as individuals, families, businesses, or other organizations. One aspect of this is relatively simple but quite important. Scientists account for carbon emissions by classifying them into three categories, or “scopes.” Scope 1 emissions are the direct emissions that your activities create — like the exhaust from the car you drive, or for a business, the trucks it drives to transport its products from one place to another or the generators it might run. Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions that come from the production of the electricity or heat you use, like the traditional energy sources that light up your home or power the buildings owned by a business. Scope 3 emissions are the indirect emissions that come from all the other activities in which you’re engaged, including the emissions associated with producing the food you eat, or manufacturing the products that you buy. For a business, these emission sources can be extensive, and must be accounted for across its entire supply chain, the materials in its buildings, the business travel of its employees, and the full life cycle of its products, including the electricity customers may consume when using the product. Given this broad range, a company’s scope 3 emissions are often far larger than its scope 1 and 2 emissions put together. This makes clear that we need to measure all three of these scopes. At Microsoft, we expect to emit 16 million metric tons of carbon this year. Of this total, about 100,000 are scope 1 emissions and about 4 million are scope 2 emissions. The remaining 12 million tons all fall into scope 3. Given the wide range of scope 3 activities, this higher percentage of the total is probably typical for most organizations. YouTube Video There’s another aspect of carbon math that’s also essential. This is the difference between being “carbon neutral” and being “net zero.” While they sound similar, in fact they’re different. Given common usage, companies have typically said they’re “carbon neutral” if they offset their emissions with payments either to avoid a reduction in emissions or remove carbon from the atmosphere. But these are two very different things. For example, one way to avoid a reduction in emissions is to pay someone not to cut down the trees on the land they own. This is a good thing, but in effect it pays someone not to do something that would have a negative impact. It doesn’t lead to planting more trees that would have a positive impact by removing carbon. In contrast, “net zero” means that a company actually removes as much carbon as it emits. The reason the phrase is “net zero” and not just “zero” is because there are still carbon emissions, but these are equal to carbon removal. And “carbon negative” means that a company is removing more carbon than it emits each year. While we at Microsoft have worked hard to be “carbon neutral” since 2012, our recent work has led us to conclude that this is an area where we’re far better served by humility than pride. And we believe this is true not only for ourselves, but for every business and organization on the planet. Like most carbon-neutral companies, Microsoft has achieved carbon neutrality primarily by investing in offsets that primarily avoid emissions instead of removing carbon that has already been emitted. That’s why we’re shifting our focus. In short, neutral is not enough to address the world’s needs. While it is imperative that we continue to avoid emissions, and these investments remain important, we see an acute need to begin removing carbon from the atmosphere, which we believe we can help catalyze through our investments. In addition, we’ve identified another shortcoming that we and many other companies need to overcome. Historically we’ve focused on Microsoft’s scope 1 and 2 emissions, but other than employee travel, we haven’t calculated as thoroughly our scope 3 emissions. That’s why we’re committing to becoming carbon negative for 2030 for all three scopes. Taking responsibility for our carbon footprint Based on this science and math, we’re launching today an aggressive plan to reduce Microsoft’s own carbon emissions. It has three broad components. First, we will drive down our scope 1 and 2 emissions to near zero by the middle of this decade through the following steps: By 2025, we will shift to 100 percent supply of renewable energy, meaning that we will have power purchase agreements for green energy contracted for 100 percent of carbon emitting electricity consumed by all our data centers, buildings, and campuses. We will electrify our global campus operations vehicle fleet by 2030. We will pursue International Living Future Institute Zero Carbon certification and LEED Platinum certification for our Silicon Valley Campus and Puget Sound Campus Modernization projects. Second, we will reduce our scope 3 emissions by more than half by 2030 through new steps, including the following: In July 2020, we will start phasing in our current internal carbon tax to cover our scope 3 emissions. Currently this fee is $15/metric ton and covers all scope 1 and 2 emissions, plus scope 3 travel emissions. Unlike some other companies, our internal carbon tax isn’t a “shadow fee” that is calculated but not charged. Our fee is paid by each division in our business based on its carbon emissions, and the funds are used to pay for sustainability improvements. Starting in July, all our business divisions will also pay an internal carbon fee for all their scope 3 emissions. We will start at a lower price per ton than our current fee for other emissions, but we will phase in increases over time until all our scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions are charged the same rate. This will both increase incentives across the company to reduce all scope 3 emissions and fund the added work to reduce our own scope 3 emissions and invest in carbon removal activities. By July of 2021, we will begin to implement new procurement processes and tools to enable and incentivize our suppliers to reduce their scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. We will work with our suppliers to implement consistent and accurate reporting and pursue effective steps to make progress against scientifically based targets. Third, by 2030 Microsoft will remove more carbon than it emits, setting us on a path to remove by 2050 all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975. We will achieve this through a portfolio of negative emission technologies (NET) potentially including afforestation and reforestation, soil carbon sequestration, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCs), and direct air capture (DAC). Microsoft will form its carbon removal portfolio annually by assessing NET attributes pertaining to four criteria: (1) scalability; (2) affordability; (3) commercial availability and (4) verifiability. Given the current state of technology and pricing, we will initially focus on nature-based solutions, with the goal of shifting to technology-based solutions between now and 2050, when they become more viable. Investing for new carbon reduction and removal technology Solving our planet’s carbon issues will require technology that does not exist today. That’s why a significant part of our endeavor involves putting Microsoft’s balance sheet to work to stimulate and accelerate the development of carbon removal technology. Our new Climate Innovation Fund will commit to invest $1 billion over the next four years into new technologies and expand access to capital around the world to people working to solve this problem. We understand that this is just a fraction of the investment needed, but our hope is that it spurs more governments and companies to invest in new ways as well. We will primarily deploy this capital in two areas: (1) to accelerate ongoing technology development by investing in project and debt finance; and (2) to invest in new innovations through equity and debt capital. We’ll focus our funding on investments primarily based on four criteria: (1) strategies that have the prospect of driving meaningful decarbonization, climate resilience, or other sustainability impact; (2) additional market impact in accelerating current and potential solutions; (3) relevance to Microsoft by creating technologies we can use to address our unpaid climate debt and future emissions; and (4) consideration of climate equity, including for developing economies. In addition to this new fund, we will continue to invest in carbon monitoring and modeling projects through our AI for Earth program, which has grown over the past two years to support more than 450 grantees across more than 70 countries. Empowering customers around the world We believe that Microsoft’s most important contribution to carbon reduction will come not from our own work alone but by helping our customers around the world reduce their carbon footprints through our learnings and with the power of data science, artificial intelligence, and digital technology. For many customers, sustainability is already a core part of their business, while others are just beginning their work to mitigate their carbon impact. Regardless of where organizations are on their journey, we’re committed to being of help. Better tracking of carbon starts by creating greater transparency on the carbon impact of services and products. Today we’re launching a new tool, the Microsoft Sustainability Calculator that analyzes the estimated emissions from Azure services through a Power BI dashboard. This helps customers better understand the carbon impact of their cloud workloads, discover the potential benefits from fully migrating to Azure, and assists them in reporting their carbon footprint for IT services for the often hard-to-track Scope 3 emissions. We will follow this with new solutions and offerings that go further, including providing insight across Scopes 1, 2 and 3 and material circularity related to all Microsoft Azure services. We will also provide greater transparency on the carbon performance of Teams, Edge and other services and solutions. This work builds on a foundation of science-based methodologies and transparency on environmental performance of our cloud infrastructure and supply chain. We are also launching a new 24/7 matching solution with Vattenfall – a first-of-its-kind approach that gives customers the ability to choose the green energy they want and ensure their consumption matches that goal using Azure IoT. This new level of transparency can enable users to adjust their business operations to better fit the availability of the green energy they prefer, further decreasing their carbon footprint. We are also committed to pursuing new partnerships with our customers to address carbon reduction. This will include co-innovating with customers and partners to develop low-carbon solutions, as we’ve done with L&T Technology Services, ABB, and Johnson Controls on sustainable smart building solutions capable of reducing energy consumption by 40 percent; embedding sustainability into our strategic alliances as we’ve pioneered with AT&T and NTT; driving cross-industry collaborations and coalitions to develop new standards and tools. The significance and complexity of the task ahead is incredible and will require contributions from every person and organization on the planet. That’s why we are committed to continuing to work with all our customers, including those in the oil and gas business, to help them meet today’s business demands while innovating together to achieve the business needs of a net zero carbon future. Continued improvement in standards of living around the world will require more energy, not less. It’s imperative that we enable energy companies to transition, including to renewable energy and to the development and use of negative emission technologies like carbon capture and storage and direct air capture. All this must be paired together to achieve the growing energy needs of an expanding global economy. Ensuring effective transparency When it comes to carbon reduction, real progress requires real transparency. As we’re doing today, Microsoft will continue to disclose the carbon footprint of our services and solutions. We will support strong industry-wide standards for transparency and reporting on carbon emissions and removal, and we will apply these ourselves. Today we are also signing the United Nations’ 1.5-degree Business Ambition Pledge, and we hope many other companies will also join. We will publicly track our progress in our annual Environmental Sustainability Report. Using our voice on carbon-related public policy issues We will also use our voice to speak out on four public policy issues that we think can advance all of the world’s carbon efforts: The need to expand global basic and applied research efforts on carbon, funded by governments, and reorient them towards targeted outcomes and enhanced cross-border collaboration to develop the breakthrough technologies needed to achieve net zero global emissions. The removal of regulatory barriers to help catalyze markets to enable carbon-reduction technologies to scale more quickly. The use of market and pricing mechanisms so people and businesses can make more informed carbon decisions. The empowerment of consumers through transparency based on universal standards to inform purchasers about the carbon content of goods and services. Enlisting our employees Finally, we’ll capitalize on the energy and intellect of our employees by inviting and encouraging them to participate in our carbon reduction and removal efforts. As we’ve found with Microsoft’s accessibility efforts, we believe that sustainability is a cause that is not only important to our employees, but an area where they can generate important insights and innovations across the company. We will create more opportunities for our employees to become actively involved, both in company-wide activities and in the work of their individual teams. We’re launching today an expanded internal site where our employees can learn more. Each year this work will culminate during our annual weeklong hackathon event that will include a specific focus and call for proposals on carbon reduction and removal. The world’s next moonshot Reducing carbon is where the world needs to go, and we recognize that it’s what our customers and employees are asking us to pursue. This is a bold bet — a moonshot — for Microsoft. And it will need to become a moonshot for the world. It won’t be easy for Microsoft to become carbon negative by 2030. But we believe it’s the right goal. And with the right commitment, it’s an achievable goal. We will need to continue to learn and adapt, both separately and even more importantly in close collaboration with others around the world. We believe we launch this new initiative today with a well-developed plan and a clear line of sight, but we have problems to solve and technologies that need to be invented. It’s time to get to work. The post Microsoft will be carbon negative by 2030 appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/ffe869c642be33cbb2c3e609e27beb29-1024x683.jpg A little over a year ago, we announced our intention to rebuild Microsoft Edge on the Chromium open source project with the goals of delivering better compatibility for everyone, less fragmentation for web developers, and a partnership with the Chromium community to improve the Chromium engine itself. At Ignite, we unveiled our new vision for the web and search, our colorful new icon, and how Microsoft Edge + Bing are the browser and search engine for business — and we are thrilled by the growing excitement we’ve heard from all of you who’ve tried it out and sent feedback! From this incredible momentum, today I’m pleased to announce the new Microsoft Edge is now available to download on all supported versions of Windows and macOS in more than 90 languages. Microsoft Edge is also available on iOS and Android, providing a true cross-platform experience. The new Microsoft Edge provides world class performance with more privacy, more productivity and more value while you browse. Our new browser also comes with our Privacy Promise and we can’t wait for you to try new features like tracking prevention, which is on by default, and provides three levels of control while you browse. Another innovative new feature in Microsoft Edge allows you to customize your online experience. Choose a new tab page layout or design, and select the types of news you want. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/309097d2b6292e65df7eb70c7ac47743-1024x674.jpg The last several months have been nothing short of inspiring for all of us working to deliver great new capabilities for Microsoft Edge including AAD support, Internet Explorer mode, 4K streaming, Dolby audio, inking in PDF, Microsoft Search in Bing integration, support for Chrome-based extensions, and more. If you’re a business or education IT administrator looking to deploy widely in your organization or school, we have you covered as well – you can download offline packages and policies and learn more on the new commercial site. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/17d9035e5ff5492e1e81864b6626f91b.gif People have downloaded the preview channels of the new Microsoft Edge millions of times to their devices, and we’ve seen many organizations begin to pilot these channels for their users. Enterprises and schools who have mission critical legacy applications and websites – but also want modern web and security – have turned to our new Internet Explorer mode as a “best of both worlds” solution. And for Microsoft 365 customers, using Microsoft Search to find files, people, office floor plans and more on your organization’s intranet is as easy as typing in the Microsoft Edge address bar. Our early customers are calling it “a win.” Moving to the new Microsoft Edge – what to expect Now that we’ve reached this milestone, you might be wondering what to expect on your PC. To get the new Microsoft Edge you have two choices: you can either manually download it today, or if you are a general consumer user, you can wait for it to be automatically released to your device via Windows Update. When you do make the switch, your favorites, passwords, form fill information and basic settings will carry over to the new Microsoft Edge without you having to do anything. You can read more about our rollout plans here. If you’re an IT administrator, you will need to download an offline deployment package to pilot within your corporate environment—the new Microsoft Edge will not automatically deploy for commercial customers. Additionally, none of the Microsoft Edge preview channels will update to the new Microsoft Edge, as they can be used side-by-side for testing and validation. We also know that deploying a new browser isn’t just “flipping a switch,” so we want to make the process as easy as possible. In addition to simplifying deployment with tools like Intune and Configuration Manager, we are committed to helping your organization transition to the new Microsoft Edge. At Ignite we announced FastTrack and App Assure support for Microsoft Edge. FastTrack will help you deploy Microsoft Edge to your organization at no extra charge if you are a customer with an eligible subscription to Microsoft 365, Azure, or Dynamics 365. And if your sites are compatible on Internet Explorer 8 and above, Google Chrome, or legacy Microsoft Edge, then they’ll work on the new Microsoft Edge. If not, contact App Assure and we’ll help you fix it. What’s next Of course, the innovation, testing, and new features don’t stop coming today, and this initial release is only just the beginning. If you want a sneak peek of what’s coming, we encourage you to keep using our preview channels – Beta, Dev and Canary – which will remain available for download on the Microsoft Edge Insider site. Not only will you get an insider’s look at our features pipeline for Microsoft Edge, but you’ll continue to have the opportunity to help improve Microsoft Edge with your valuable feedback. Your input helps make both the new Microsoft Edge, and the web, better for everyone. Thank you! A huge thank you to our community of Microsoft Edge Insiders as well as the engineers within the Chromium community who have worked with us to develop the new Microsoft Edge. We remain committed to actively participating in and contributing to the Chromium open source project. To date we’ve made more than 1900 contributions across areas like accessibility, modern input including touch, speech, digital inking, and many more. Keep telling us what’s working well, what needs to change and what you’d like to see in the new Microsoft Edge. Our heartfelt thanks – we couldn’t have made it here without you! JoeB The post New year, new browser – The new Microsoft Edge is out of preview and now available for download appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing 20H1 Build 19041.21 (KB4535550) to Windows Insiders in the Slow ring. This Cumulative Update includes quality improvements. Key changes include: Security updates to Windows App Platform and Frameworks, Windows Input and Composition, Windows Graphics, Microsoft Scripting Engine, .NET Framework, Windows Cryptography, Windows Subsystem for Linux, Windows Peripherals, Windows Storage and Filesystems, and Windows Server. For more information about the resolved security vulnerabilities, please refer to the Security Update Guide. Thanks, BLB The post Releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19041.21 to the Slow ring appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/12/ee7642ac84191c0f45e30dbf01d61b14-1024x578.jpg Intelligent Edge devices and solutions were on full display at the Microsoft CES 2020 Showcase this week. New PCs, connected storefront and IOT solutions demonstrated the power of Microsoft’s unique and growing relationship with its partners around the world. Working with this vibrant partner ecosystem has long been a priority for Microsoft and it is a key differentiator that’s helped make Windows 10 and Azure successful. Taking a collective, collaborative approach enables the top minds in our industry to work together, accelerate innovation, and ensure we bring great devices and experiences to market for our customers. Together with our partners, we are driving technology forward. During the first CES of a new decade, we’ve been doing our own 10-year challenge this week, looking back at where we were in 2010 in contrast with how dramatically things have changed since then. Every year along the way has brought exciting innovation across the intelligent edge and computing as a whole, and it’s at these milestones where we can see the dramatic shifts in the tech landscape. As we close out another great year at CES, let’s look at where we’ve been, how far we’ve come and where we’re headed. A decade of disruptive change In 2010, Intel launched its Core i7 line — the first six core desktop CPU. Blackberry owned double the market share of the iPhone and triple that of smartphones running other operating systems. The iPad and Instagram launched. Office 2010 was introduced and surpassed Microsoft’s previous records for adoption, deployment and revenue. Ten years later, we can see how some of those innovations moved entire markets. Some of them played their role then passed the baton to other creations. And new, disruptive technology trends have emerged, affecting the entire technology industry. Today we are in an age of services, cloud computing, AI and machine learning. Next-generation Windows PCs and entirely new product categories are being built to incorporate cloud and AI services, support new experiences like virtual and augmented reality, and address our insatiable demand for new ways to work with data. With these emerging technologies and trends, we are creating new possibilities for the modern PC that weren’t on the radar in 2010. Yet in today’s PCs we still see parallels with the innovation from a decade earlier—in 2020 as in 2010, the whole ecosystem remains focused on delivering new customer scenarios. And as we move into a more connected, intelligent era of computing, PCs today can do what PCs simply could not do a decade ago. Partner innovations at CES The impact of the past decade’s innovations is showing up in many ways across a spectrum of devices. Features like Windows Hello, Windows Ink and Cortana all require specific hardware to work well, and this week, our partners have demonstrated innovations that complement our software, like fingerprint readers on the power button and cameras with security features, among many other advancements large and small. Along with the evolution of devices have come changes in the expectations of both consumers and commercial customers. People want attractive, high-quality devices with no tradeoffs between cost and quality. At CES this week, we’ve seen how our partners continue to offer attractive, no-compromise devices packed with premium features to customers at all price points. The Windows ecosystem is growing every year, and CES 2020 showcased some of the most innovative devices we’ve seen—from incredibly thin and light laptops, convertibles and 2-in-1s, to powerful gaming rigs, always-connected devices and more. Some of the devices at the show included: https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/176f9b023e392859a4b444a53027464d-1024x578.jpg The Acer Swift 3, which supports fast-charging, enabling up to four hours of use with a 30-minute charge. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/08cd00043c7fb7e3e783555ed0d5efb8-1024x578.jpg The ASUS ExpertBook B9, which offers a frameless four-sided NanoEdge display meaning the 14-inch panel fits into a standard 13-inch laptop chassis with a 94% screen-to-body ratio. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/84c5f27be0da6350f77d893cbb0b0926-1024x578.jpg The latest version of the popular XPS 13 from Dell, which has reduced its InfinityEdge borders and has a 6.8% larger 16:10 display that spans from all four edges and is 25% brighter than before. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/1c9daab055dfbfa90ac0d4592323dcfb-1024x576.jpeg The HP Elite Dragonfly, the first world’s laptop with built-in Tile technology, which allows users to easily find a lost notebook, and is made with ocean bound plastic material with more than 82% of the mechanical parts made from recycled materials. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/29dd76eb119bfe4209251289e850395c-1024x578.jpg The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 with the exclusive Lenovo Q-Control Intelligent Cooling feature that uses AI to optimize battery life by an average of up to 20%. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/b4f4991b7fa045e982779728a779dd17-1024x578.jpg The Samsung Galaxy Book Flex α, which offers a long-lasting battery, an immersive QLED display capable of producing over 1 billion colors and featuring an ultra-thin bezel, and up to 17.5-hours battery life. The power of these products shows how Microsoft’s vibrant ecosystem continues to enable the top minds in our industry to work together, accelerate innovation and bring great experiences to market. Looking ahead In the next 10 years, we expect this pace of innovation will only accelerate. The 5G networks coming online will process extremely high volumes of data at much faster speeds, driving new streaming experiences and even more services across a range of devices. Graphics will get even better as HDR displays continue to improve and 8K becomes ubiquitous. New types of devices are sure to appear, with dual screen and foldable PCs already on the horizon for 2020. Customer expectations and demand for the most modern devices will keep rising, and the ways we use PCs will keep evolving as we expand our cloud computing capabilities and our understanding of AI and machine learning. As we work through this new decade, Microsoft will continue to innovate with our partners to meet these demands, so everyone can achieve more. From 5G to the power of the intelligent edge, I’m excited to see what our partners will bring to market in the new “roaring twenties.” The post Celebrating a new decade of Windows devices and innovation at CES 2020 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

The last several years have brought massive change – and opportunity – for the retail industry. Gone are the days when retailers chose when, where and what to sell; now consumers are in the driver’s seat, and retailers are being challenged to figure how to best engage with them. Additionally, they’re juggling pressures driven by industry trends such as the drive for more sustainability in retail, the proliferation of data, increased energy around “anywhere commerce,” the need to better equip store associates with technology and much more. But change often accelerates innovation, and because of this I believe that there’s never been a more exciting time to be a retailer at the intersection of retail and technology. Microsoft continues to innovate side by side with retailers to help them embrace their biggest opportunities and enable intelligent retail by empowering businesses to take control of their own digital evolution. Our solutions enable retailers to transform across all parts of their business – from how they better understand their customers and empower employees, to putting the right technology in place to deliver an intelligent supply chain and ultimately reimagine their businesses. In the last year and a half, we’ve established ourselves as a trusted partner to some of the world’s largest retailers such as Walmart, Kroger and Walgreens Boots Association, among others. And we’ve empowered their transformation by providing the platforms on which to build innovation for all parts of their businesses. We’ve learned a lot along the way both through our retail customers as well as our own physical retail presence about how technology can help this industry both embrace its biggest opportunities as well as tackle its biggest challenges. And today we’re sharing how our first-party innovations are helping to drive the future of intelligent retail across all parts of a retailer’s business. Gaining a better understanding of your customers If customers are the heart of the retail industry, data is the oxygen. Data has the potential to profoundly impact every single aspect of retailers’ businesses, including – and perhaps most importantly – how they respond to customer demands with differentiated and unique experiences. We’re helping retailers surface actionable customer insights with data solutions like Azure Synapse Analytics, which helps retailers not only analyze vast amounts of data, but also apply machine learning to quickly surface insights that can drive immediate impact for their businesses, and Dynamics 365 Customer Insights, which helps maximize customer lifetime value by surfacing a 360-degree view of the customer to drive personalized engagements at scale. This means that even the most complex retailers, with thousands of suppliers in their end-to-end supply chain and millions of item-store combinations, can quickly make the decisions needed to not only run their businesses most efficiently but also delight customers in the process. And with Dynamics 365 Connected Store, retailers like Marks & Spencer – which is piloting the solution in a store in London – can generate data within its physical stores that produces the same kind of actionable business insights as it gets from its digital storefronts. M&S is achieving this by analyzing data from smart devices such as video cameras and IoT sensors to provide real-time and predictive insights on everything from the current length of the checkout line to the traffic around endcap product displays to help associates make better decisions. We’re welcoming new retail customers into our Connected Store preview very day, so sign up here to request access. One of the customer demands becoming more and more evident as retailers reason over their data is the desire for a seamless shopping experience regardless of where, when and how they choose to buy. We’ve invested in helping retailers bridge embrace this concept of commerce anywhere (aCommerce) with Dynamics 365 Commerce, the evolution of Dynamics 365 Retail and a true multi-channel solution that transforms the customer experience by unifying retailers’ back-office, in-store, call center and e-commerce experiences. One experience across all channels – that’s what customers are demanding today. The result? More personalized engagement with customers, employees who are better equipped to provide the best customer experience possible and deep insights to empower advanced decision making across every piece of a retailer’s business. I’m excited to announce that Dynamics 365 Commerce, currently in preview, with become generally available to our retail customers on Feb. 3. Empowering employees with the tools they need to better serve customers Despite the rise of e-commerce over the past couple of decades, we know that most shopping – across generations even – still happens in person. Research from Forbes Insights shows us that 60 percent of consumers still prefer to shop in physical retail environments, and this number stays fairly consistent across generations. This means that first-line workers are still one of a retailer’s most valuable assets – many times, they are the first impression a shopper gets of your brand and they play a significant role in customer acquisition and retention. Retail associates need modern tools and experiences in order to remain productive and deliver the best customer service possible while on the store floor. With Microsoft 365, the world’s productivity cloud, and new first-line capabilities coming to Microsoft Teams later this year, we are in a unique position to help this often-overlooked part of the workforce get their jobs done. Today I’m thrilled to announce that we’re adding even more productivity and collaboration value into Teams, including task targeting, publishing and reporting, new workforce management integrations to streamline shift management and a new Walkie Talkie feature. By building push-to-talk functionality into Teams, we’re helping our retail customers turn company-owned smartphones and tablets into a secure walkie talkie, extending the range of traditional walkie-talkie communication and streamlining licensing and provisioning for retailers’ IT staff. Finally, as we extend modern tools and experiences across the first-line workforce, we know that we need to make it easy for IT to manage and help enable a secure and compliant experience for all employees. I’m excited to disclose enhanced identity and access management capabilities – such as shared device sign-out for Android and inbound provisioning from leading workforce management providers such as SAP SuccessFactors and Workday – that will make onboarding retail associates and operating shared devices more secure and scalable, something our retail customers have been asking us to add for some time now. And, later this quarter, retailers will be able to enable SMS sign-in to Microsoft 365 and custom applications for retail workers and empower their store managers with delegated user management capabilities, making it easier to reset passwords and manage workers’ identities without additional demand on IT staff. Infusing more intelligence into the supply chain A retailer’s supply chain can play a major role in customer satisfaction – outdated supply chain processes can mean delays, unfulfilled orders and more. By connecting devices and collecting data, retailers can analyze that information to create new insights and ultimately a truly intelligent supply chain that enables them to provide the best service possible to customers. This is the Internet of Things (IoT), and as IoT becomes more mainstream it continues to be a huge driver of data for retailers today. In fact, our IoT Signals for Retail study found that 92 percent of retailers have adopted IoT and are using it in various stages of trials and deployments, with the most common IoT scenarios being driving store analytics (57 percent), supply chain optimization (48 percent) and security and loss prevention (46 percent and 45 percent, respectively). We’re making building and deploying IoT applications in retail environments easier than ever with new Azure IoT Central solution templates that help retailers simplify IoT deployments to start driving immediate impact. Today, the Azure IoT Central Micro Fulfilment Center template joins five existing retail-focused templates – including for scenarios across connected logistics, digital distribution centers, in-store analytics and smart inventory management – to help retailers more easily optimize their fulfilment processes through a managed service that includes everything a retailer needs to get started today. Reimagining retail business models and customer experiences The success of today’s retailers’ physical store environments rests on their ability to disrupt themselves and their own status quo by pushing into new business models and providing new experiences and formats that engage customers and keep them coming back for more. We understand this better than most technology vendors, because we’re continuing to move through this same transformation journey with our own Microsoft retail stores. Over the past several years, we’ve digitally transformed and extended our physical retail store strategy from an exclusively consumer storefront to a commerce engine that connects with all customers – from commercial enterprises to small businesses and consumers. Partnering with enterprise sales, we’re offering new experiences in and through our stores targeted toward our enterprise customers such as J. Crew, Office Depot and Marks & Spencer. Our stores are also at the forefront of adopting new Microsoft technology across cloud, predictive analytics, machine learning, cognitive services and more to solve our most complex challenges – and we’re learning from those experiences to ultimately pass those lessons along to our customers. And of course, that’s a two-way street – we’re also learning from our retail customers to inform how we manage and operate our stores too, which is indicative of the true partnerships we strive to establish with every retailer we work with. While reimagining retail can lead to the kind of business transformation we’ve seen in our own store, it can take different forms as well, such as how retailers are tapping into new revenue streams and digitizing their own physical stores to drive new customer and employee experiences. Microsoft PromoteIQ is an end-to-end commerce marketing platform enabling retailers to create a new critical growth engine for their businesses through at-scale vendor marketing programs. With Microsoft PromoteIQ, retailers can empower their brand partners with powerful marketing technology to natively promote products to in-market shoppers, reaching them at the right time to increase digital sales – all supported by a deep analytics suite to deliver impactful audience insights. And now, thanks to the integration with Microsoft Advertising, we can offer our retailer partners a powerful new source of incremental demand for their programs. Take Home Depot, for example. While you may expect the world’s largest home improvement retailer to do most of its business in person, HomeDepot.com is the fifth largest e-commerce site in the U.S. Consequently, the company needed a solution to help it maximize the nearly 170 million visitors per month its site was seeing by integrating an end-to-end commerce marketing platform with capabilities to manage and scale its vendor-funded digital marketing. Since deploying PromoteIQ, Home Depot has seen very positive results, including double-digit sales growth for promoted products through this program. Of course, reaching customers at the right time is only half the equation; a retailer must also be able to deliver on what that customer is looking for. In fact, 80 percent of shoppers will abandon a site that produces poor search results. And that’s why we’re investing in this critical piece of digital commerce – product search. Microsoft Bing for Commerce is an intelligent artificial intelligence-driven solution for product search, personalization and product recommendations that gives retailers the power to meet today’s shopper expectations and grow revenue through more relevant and customized results that drive conversion. We’re also enabling our retailers to meet customers where and how they want to shop through visual search innovation included in Bing for Commerce, to help capture sales from new, emerging shopping behaviors. Connect with us at NRF Microsoft will have a significant presence at NRF once again this year, headlined by our own CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote session to open the show. You won’t want to miss hearing his perspective on business and cultural transformation, and how our retail customers are putting our technology into action to reimagine their businesses. And if you’re attending the show, make sure you stop by our Microsoft booth (#4501) to see how we’re bringing intelligent retail to life across all parts of a retailer’s business and how you can achieve the same – we’re offering complementary envisioning workshops, where retailers will have an opportunity to work directly with us to create a shared vision and digital road map to unlock a future of endless possibilities. You’re also invited to attend one of our sessions on the show floor – I’m leading a Big Ideas session where I’ll share my thoughts on the increasing importance of sustainability to the industry and how technology can help accelerate retailers’ sustainability visions. In addition, my colleagues Alysa Taylor, corporate vice president for Microsoft Business Applications and Global Industry, and Emma Williams, corporate vice president of Microsoft Office Vertical Solutions, and I will participate in the FQ Lounge at NRF along with many other “women rocking retail” for panel discussions about diversity and inclusion in the retail industry (we’re proud to be a sponsor of this space as well). And of course, visit Microsoft’s NRF page to keep up to date on the latest developments. The post Innovating to drive the future of intelligent retail appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, today we’re releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19541 to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. Don’t forget to read our last blog post to understand how the Fast ring will work going forward. If you want a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring, head over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here, including a list of new features and updates. 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. What’s new in Build 19541 Location in-use icon update As some keen eyed Insiders have noticed, we’ve updated the notification area icon for when an app is using your location. The new icon looks like this: https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/f3b5ee974cf44250d484db25447cce28.png Showing architecture in Task Manager When you’re using the Details tab in Task Manager, we’ve added a new option to show the architecture of each process. If you’re interested, you can add it by right-clicking on a column header, choosing Select Columns, and selecting Architecture from the list. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/5cd3aaadea5f925716341c53a4b89b20.png Other updates for Insiders Cortana App Update: Following up on our previous post, we want to let Insiders know that Bing Instant Answers and Timers are back online. We’re continuing to work on getting jokes (and other assistant conversations) back up and running, and appreciate your patience. If you’re running English (United States) and would like to try it out, here are some example queries you can use with Hey Cortana or by typing into Cortana: Set a timer for 10 minutes When was the Space Needle built? https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/a29f0e85bc73d7b0085b1301818eecf9.png General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC We fixed an issue impacted System Settings reliability. We fixed an issue that could result in Windows Update “Reboot needed” notifications persisting reboot. We fixed an issue that could result in the update speed in Task Manager unexpectedly being set to Paused. We fixed an issue when using Narrator that could result in Start not saying the correct index of an app in the all apps list. We fixed an issue where the Search window wasn’t showing acrylic at the top. We fixed an issue from the previous build resulting in the Feedback Hub unexpectedly not showing store apps in the list of contexts when logging feedback under the Apps category. This same issue resulted in the symptom of apps continuing to show Install in the Microsoft Store, rather than Launch, after the app had been installed. Known issues BattlEye and Microsoft have found incompatibility issues due to changes in the operating system between some Insider Preview builds and certain versions of BattlEye anti-cheat software. To safeguard Insiders who might have these versions installed on their PC, we have applied a compatibility hold on these devices from being offered affected builds of Windows Insider Preview. See this article for details. We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build. We’re looking into reports of certain external USB 3.0 drives not responding with Start Code 10 after they’re attached. The Optimize Drives Control Panel is incorrectly reporting that optimization has never run on some devices. Optimization is completing successfully, even though it is not reflected in the UI. The Documents section under Privacy has a broken icon (just a rectangle). Remote Desktop Connection crashes when attempting to connect to multiple sessions. Snipping isn’t working on secondary monitors. Timeline isn’t showing any activities. We’re investigating reports that Outlook search isn’t working for some Insiders. 2020 Grammy Awards Quiz Less than 20 days until the Grammy Awards! Are you ready? Check out our 2020 Grammy Awards Quiz to see if you truly know the nominees. Learn about the host, all-time records, and more. Test your skills and challenge your friends! 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 19541 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/9ee8fe99770bf59b06f1300b1bf34c28-1024x1018.jpg At CES 2020 Acer, Dell, HP and Lenovo delivered the latest advances in security and mobility in new devices for commercial customers. Head over to the Microsoft 365 blog for details of the new devices, each leveraging Windows 10 features to provide a productive, secure experience for on-the-go professionals. The post Acer, Dell, HP and Lenovo unveil new commercial devices at CES 2020 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

ASUS is having a busy day at CES 2020. In the afternoon it announced the Zephyrus G14 from its ASUS ROG brand and new Ryzen-powered TUF Gaming laptops, in addition to the company’s morning announcements of new laptop and desktop computers. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/8b0653778acb50268b23e046418ff4b1.jpg Zephyrus G14 The Zephyrus G14 brings premium innovations to a wider audience with an ultra-slim form factor at just 17.9mm thin and 1.6kg, all without compromising performance. The Zephyrus G14 gaming notebook features RTX graphics for high frame rates when playing popular games, and also lets gamers choose between high refresh or high resolution for their display; the choice of 120Hz refresh rate or WQHD resolution panels allows users to optimize for gaming or creating content. And to deliver nonstop speed, this new laptop is equipped with a ROG-exclusive 4th generation AMD Ryzen processor that has eight cores and 16 threads in a more energy-efficient 35W power envelope. Making the G14 extra portable are up to 10 hours of battery life, thanks to the ability to charge from compatible Type-C power packs. And the G14 is fine to look at, both aesthetically with subtle styling in Moonlight White or Eclipse Gray, and functionally, with the optional AniMe Matrix display that deepens personalization, enabling users to show custom graphics, animations and other effects across more than a thousand mini LEDs embedded in the lid. The Zephyrus G14 will be available later in 2020. ASUS TUF Gaming laptops are known for delivering high performance while standing up to the rigors of life on the go. At CES 2020, ASUS is introducing an all-new TUF Gaming family of laptops focused on further gains in performance, ruggedness and versatility. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/95ff4d798ecc7419db7cb8511103bebc.jpg TUF Gaming A17 The 15-inch TUF Gaming A15 and F15, along with their 17-inch A17 and F17 siblings, deliver an unprecedented experience for the price. Key to the experience is potent processing power, thanks to a choice between 4th Gen AMD Ryzen Mobile CPUs and upcoming 10th Gen Intel Core processors. NVIDIA Turing-based GPUs up to the GeForce RTX 2060 feed frames into fast displays that refresh at up to 144Hz and use AMD FreeSync technology to ensure smoother, tear-free gaming across a wide range of titles. Gamers who plan to spend long hours away from an electrical outlet can choose from bigger battery options – despite the smaller size of the units – ranging up to 90Whr, while the compact chassis make the new laptops easy to carry, and rugged, too, with updated military-grade durability testing demonstrating their ability to survive in the field. For more details on the Zephyrus G14 and the new TUF Gaming laptops, including availability, head over to ASUS Edge Up and the ASUS Newsroom. The post CES 2020: ASUS unveils Zephyrus G14 and Ryzen-powered TUF Gaming laptops appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Dell delivered welcome news at CES for new and price-conscious gamers with the announcement of the newly redesigned Dell G5 15 SE (Special Edition). It is the first Dell G Series laptop to feature 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen 4000 H-Series Mobile Processors (up to 8 cores and 16 threads) paired with the latest AMD Radeon RX 5000M Series graphics. The two chips work seamlessly together using AMD SmartShift technology to optimize performance by automatically shifting power as needed between the Ryzen processor and Radeon graphics, giving gamers precisely what they want at each moment of play. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/604f2a269a1487582c681db5cac93392.jpg Dell G5 15 Special Edition New features worth calling out include the Game Shift macro key, which allows quick launch of game-ready settings for enhanced performance, reducing latency and sharpening images for fast, immersive gaming. Also, Dell’s Alienware Command Center offers a hub for controlling in-game and peripheral lighting settings, integrating nahimic 3D audio to provide a 360 degree sound experience with Audio Recon overlay, and providing a central game library for easy customization. The G5 15 SE’s thin, sleek redesign features a modern “fighter plane” look wrapped in a premium iridescent silver finish with metallic accents. Along with a 15.6-inch FHD display panel, the new G5 15 SE has an optional 144Hz refresh rate, optional four-zone RGB keyboard with WASD and optional 68WHr battery for those who don’t want to stop when they game on the go. Did we mention the price? Dell is making the new G5 15 SE truly affordable with a starting price of $799.99 beginning in mid-April. Find out more about this and other announcements at the Dell CES 2020 press site. The post CES 2020: Dell introduces sleek, affordable laptop for gamers appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

At CES, Acer unveiled two new Swift 3 models in its popular ultra-portable notebook series: a 13.5-inch model (SF313-52/G) powered by the latest 10th Generation Intel Core processors and a 14-inch model (SF314-42) powered by the latest AMD Ryzen 4000 series mobile processors. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/abf4e901fe33287e695b718944f68437.jpg Acer Swift 3 (SF313-52/G) The Acer Swift 3 (SF313-52/G) clocks in at 0.63 inches (15.95 mm) thin and 2.62 pounds (1.19 kg) and delivers a high 83.65% screen-to-body ratio. The screen’s 3:2 aspect ratio gives 18% more room, in the form of vertical height, to read on. It includes the latest NVIDIA graphics and a long-lasting battery that offers users up to 16 hours of productivity [1]. It also supports fast-charging, providing up to four hours of use on just a 30-minute charge [2] and Windows Hello via a fingerprint reader for easier and more secure logins. Once logged in, a full function USB Type-C port gives users fast data transfer speeds over Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 Gen 2 or DisplayPort. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/790b2b58432ec432de572f72c7661331.jpg The Acer Swift 3 (SF314-42) is just 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg) light and 0.65 inches (16.55 mm) thin and comes in a lightweight metal chassis. The screen features a high screen-to-body ratio with ultra-narrow bezels. It has up to 16GB of LPDDR4x RAM, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and up to a 512 GB PCle SSD. It also supports more secure and faster logins via Windows Hello, and Wake on Voice, allowing users to interact with Cortana when the screen is off. Find more details on Acer’s website. [1] Listed battery life is based on MobileMark 2014 productivity mode testing with wireless on. Details of MobileMark 2014 testing are available at www.bapco.com. Battery life rating is for comparison purposes only. Actual battery life varies by model, configuration, application, power management settings, operating conditions and features used. A battery’s maximum capacity decreases with time and use. [2] “Use” refers to video playback and “charge-time” is under the condition of the device being switched off during charging. The post CES 2020: Acer adds two new ultraslim notebooks to its Swift series appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Lenovo closed out its announcements at CES with some big reveals: what it claims as the “world’s first 5G PC” [1] and a special limited-edition laptop that incorporates designs inspired by the company’s partnership with Ducati. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/e7eb0bd9aac9885658fb7c7dfb0a379a-1024x768.jpg The Lenovo Yoga 5G is the world’s first 5G PC, which means it supports both millimeter wave full-band and sub-6GHz 5G networks, so it’s capable of satisfying your need for speed with ultra-fast connectivity, reduced latency and wider bandwidth. Download large files nearly instantly or stream a high-resolution video with true Full HD clarity even in highly populated areas like airports with 5G [2]. First previewed at COMPUTEX, this ultra-portable 2-in-1 laptop is the first-ever PC powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx 5G Compute Platform, bringing you high-speed 5G network connectivity that’s up to 10 times faster than 4G through a service provider [2] when on the move and reliable Wi-Fi access at home. Need to edit video footage in real-time on set and then upload the finished film? Or how about faster screen refreshes for smoother mobile gaming? It’s all possible with lightning-fast download speeds supported by nine built-in antennas for a stronger signal. It’s also super-light at 2.86lbs (1.3kg). https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/283bec49a5d7255665e457e2ca2df418-1024x768.jpg The new premium Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 laptop comes in two ultraslim sizes: 14-inch or 15-inch. Both options have Windows 10 and the convenience of the exclusive Lenovo Q-Control Intelligent Cooling feature that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize battery life by an average of up to 20% [3]. Even more AI-enabled features are offered via Lenovo Smart Assist on the Yoga Slim 7, including a boost to attention-sensing functionality from Glance by Mirametrix. It has up to 10th Gen Intel Core i7 with Intel Iris Plus graphics. It also includes hands-free login and auto-logoff via IR camera and Windows Hello, plus an adjustable Smart Battery that transitions capability based on usage behavior, temperature and whether the device is plugged in. Find out more about these Yogas. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/e1bfcb58b406bf1777d303b215c95744-1024x578.jpg Two years ago, Lenovo brought its smarter technology to the racetrack by becoming the key technology partner of Ducati. Lenovo’s branding can be seen on Ducati racing bikes and MotoGP riders’ uniforms, and now, for the first time, Ducati’s branding will be on the special edition thin and light laptop: The Lenovo Ducati 5. It’s got wrap-around racing stripes, a colorful gift box and companion carrying sleeve with an emblazoned Ducati shield. “These devices feel special, almost custom-built. And with only 12,000 machines in this limited-edition made, it’s tailored for the biggest Ducati fans,” says Brian Leonard, Lenovo Intelligent Devices Group’s vice president of Design. “As a team, we spent our time concerned with which aesthetics were going to resonate well with fans of Ducati and Lenovo – a design that fused the two brands. A look and feel that was understated but special to allow diehard Ducati fans to appreciate the quality of the finishes and unique details.” Among those details: Notebook colors inspired by one of the Panigale street bikes, the special stitching pattern on the sleeve that matches the detailing on Ducati’s bike seats and typeface used to stamp individual serial numbers on the bottom laptop covers and on the commemorative cards is the same one Ducati uses to mark its collector edition bike parts. Find out more at Lenovo. [1] Based on research conducted by Lenovo in November 2019 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] AI-enabled middle setting extends battery life an average of up to 20% based on Intel verification testing. Actual performance will vary with use, system configurations and settings. The post CES 2020: Lenovo unveils ‘world’s first 5G PC’ and special limited-edition Lenovo Ducati 5 laptop appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

At CES 2020, ASUS unveiled its latest lineup of consumer devices, including refreshed VivoBook and VivoBook S-series notebooks, the 14-inch ZenBook Duo and esports-ready Strix gaming rigs. The company also released details on its latest ExpertBook B9 for business pros. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/8bde8fefaebf876a5f752a7a53b6c47e-1024x588.jpg The newest ASUS VivoBook S-series notebooks carry on ASUS’ tradition of balancing personality and performance. These laptops have 10th Generation Intel Core processors to handle multitasking and high-definition entertainment. They also come with up to next-gen WiFi 6 connectivity for significantly improved performance in congested environments, up to 16GB of RAM, a choice between Intel integrated graphics or NVIDIA GeForce graphics and an updated chassis across 13-inch, 14-inch and 15-inch sizes. They’re also celebrating the new decade with new colors, including Resolute Red and Gaia Green. The latest VivoBook 14 and VivoBook 15 notebooks are ready-made for your connected, creative lifestyle – especially on the go. Their compact, lightweight chassis design, as well as ultra-slim NanoEdge display bezels, make for a surprisingly small footprint. They also have up to Core i7 Intel 10th Generation Processors, the latest NVIDIA GeForce graphics for light gaming or photo/video editing, up to 16GB of RAM and optional WiFi 6 for top-notch connectivity. To speed up access to commonly used apps and files, there are also VivoBook models with Intel’s Optane memory. Enjoy a backlit keyboard, ports for HDMI and USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C, and a microphone array to interact with voice assistants like Microsoft’s Cortana from up to four meters away. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/3e01f24214dbf168d9290d0e1b62e930-1024x578.jpg The latest ASUS ZenBook Duo is a 14-inch laptop featuring the new ASUS ScreenPad Plus — a 12.6-inch full-width auxiliary touchscreen that expands and enhances the interactive capabilities offered by the original ASUS ScreenPad. ScreenPad Plus changes the way users can interact with their laptop, encouraging productivity-enhancing workflows and easy multitasking. A 10th Generation Intel Core i7 processor, combined with up to 16GB RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce MX250 GPU, provides extreme performance. Up to a 1TB PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD delivers ultrafast storage. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/4a2c3323117a473151f9b18e41e21501-1024x1024.jpg ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) also debuted new models: Strix GA35 and GT35 gaming desktops to get players tournament-ready for competitive esports. They’re engineered to sustain smooth gameplay under serious pressure, and offer the flexibility to do everything from producing top-quality streams to developing games. GPU power is crucial for maintaining an edge in multiplayer and rendering realistic visual effects that deepen immersion in AAA titles, so these Strix desktops feature up to an ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics card. For demanding workloads like content creation and heavy duty multitasking, the GA35 has up to a 16-core AMD Ryzen 9 3950X CPU, while the upcoming GT35 will feature 10th Generation Intel Core processors. The graphics card’s massive triple-fan cooler stands tall in an optional vertical mount, while a 240-mm radiator chills the CPU with liquid cooling. They’re part of a comprehensive cooling system that includes a multi-zone chassis optimized for airflow. The all-new case is simple to open and upgrade, giving gamers the freedom to build upon their investment. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/188f7e2d8df8cef79c11a0ef0ec754b3-1024x1024.jpg In addition to those new gaming devices, ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) also announced new Strix GA15 and GT15 gaming desktops that focus on gaming fundamentals for competitive esports players on a budget. Lean and lightweight, these leverage powerful, latest generation processors to capably handle hardcore gaming, streaming and multitasking. These use the latest 3rd Generation AMD Ryzen CPUs and upcoming 10th Generation Intel Core processors. The Strix GA15 is available with up to an AMD Ryzen 7 3800X CPU that has 8 cores and 16 threads to easily handle demanding and varied workloads. Top configurations add up to 32GB of high-performance DDR4-3200MHz RAM, ensuring responsiveness even under heavy loads. They fit it all in a compact, 10kg package with a built-in carrying handle for easy portability. The efficient cooling design helps quietly deliver a gaming experience that can hold its own at LAN parties, tournaments and more. Gamers may also appreciate the extensive personalization options that come with these desktops. The case comes with an EMI-shielded glass panel that showcases a range of internal components illuminated by RGB lighting. Customizable lighting also cuts across the front of the chassis with an evenly diffused glow. And for busy professionals who do business on the go, ASUS also announced the ExpertBook B9 laptop, weighing in at just 865 grams with a 14.9mm-thin profile. A frameless four-sided NanoEdge display means the B9450’s 14-inch panel fits into a standard 13-inch laptop chassis with a 94% screen-to-body ratio. Even with its small form factor, you can expect uninterrupted performance with long-lasting battery life to get through the work day. Professionals will find top-tier performance thanks to up to a 10th Generation Intel Core processor, two ultrafast 1TB PCIe 3.0 x4 SSDs, up to 16GB of RAM, next-gen connectivity with WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and two Thunderbolt 3 ports. And in addition to being built to last with military-grade durability, the B9450 integrates a Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM) security chip to keeps business-critical data safe, while a built-in IR camera allows for biometric logins. Find out more about all these devices at ASUS Edge Up and the ASUS Newsroom. The post CES 2020: ASUS refreshes VivoBook and VivoBook S-series, introduces the dual-screen ZenBook Duo and esports-ready Strix desktops, and details on latest ExpertBook B9 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

At CES, iBUYPOWER announced the expansion of its signature Element case line with the Element CL, which has been designed for easy integration of hardline custom cooling curated for pre-built systems, and the Element Dual, which will provide users with ample thermal support and a clean internal layout. The company also announced the next generation of its signature Revolt series. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/61e24e6f6a1af4117dcbe944fc62cec6-1024x578.jpg For a different take on the traditional PC layout, the Element Dual features a binary chamber design. With the PSU mounted vertically on the bottom right side of the case and hidden behind the motherboard tray, users will be left with an open aesthetic on the left side and substantial space for maximum component compatibility. This could include E-ATX and ATX motherboards, up to 400mm GPUs and 155mm CPU air coolers. Constructed with a black, full-steel frame and paneling and a tempered glass front and side panel, this case provides a clear view of the internal system components. Dust filters cover the four air intake zones to aid in thermal performance and reduce debris buildup. Users will have no shortage of connectivity with one USB 3.1 Type-C port, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports and one audio jack on the I/O. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/dab2c616fff5bcabf9a2aa896f06b254-1024x578.jpg Turning to the Element CL, this case for pre-built systems is designed with an integrated front panel distribution plate for easier bends and less complicated routing. It brings the efficiency of hardline liquid cooling to customers looking to buy a pre-built iBUYPOWER PC. Systems housed in it will also come equipped with custom water blocks for the CPU and GPU, as well as custom fittings that will minimize the risk of tubes coming loose. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2020/01/e0aff42d16e40f2000671285d5108bcf-1024x578.jpg The Element CL will be available in a black finish as well as a white Snowblind version, which will have all the features of the Element CL, with the addition of the signature transparent 1,280 x 1,024 19-inch TN LCD side panel. The Revolt GT3 will take on a new aesthetic compared to the asymmetrical design of its predecessors, housing small form factor systems and providing support for ITX motherboards and SFX power supplies up to 750W. Systems constructed in it will be mounted to and suspended inside an outer frame by flexible rubber supports designed to add both cushion from shock and vibration damping. It comes as a rectangular shape with five tempered glass panels on the front, sides, top and bottom of the case. Each of the glass panels are framed by a mesh border and are reversible to increase part clearance and the overall dimension of the case. Find out more at iBUYPOWER. The post CES 2020: iBUYPOWER shows off expansion of its Element case line and next generation of Revolt series appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...