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When Microsoft and SAP joined forces in 2017, it was aligned with a common goal: to provide enterprise customers with a clear roadmap to drive more business innovation in the cloud. It’s the same principle we called upon last year, when Microsoft teamed up with SAP and Adobe to launch the Open Data Initiative, which empowers companies to unlock more value from their most valuable asset, which is data. Today, Microsoft and SAP are announcing a new effort that was built with the customer in mind. Microsoft will be the first global cloud provider to join SAP’s new Embrace program. Project Embrace provides customers with an aligned pathway to the Intelligent Enterprise Project Embrace is SAP’s collaboration with public cloud providers and Global Strategic Service Partners to simplify and accelerate a customer’s journey to the cloud. Through a combination of market-approved journeys, reference architectures, select service partners, and the power of the Microsoft Azure cloud, customers will be able to accelerate their digital transformation. Embrace will help customers better manage refactoring and ongoing support costs, access the latest innovations, and improve the performance of SAP applications by leveraging Microsoft and SAP’s unified blueprint running S/4HANA on Microsoft Azure. Microsoft joins forces with SAP to accelerate customers’ journey to S/4HANA on Azure Microsoft has been working with SAP on Project Embrace for more than a year to deliver a joint roadmap with specific integrated reference architecture to run SAP S4/HANA on Microsoft Azure. The collaboration will provide customers with prescriptive guidance that facilitates a move from their current on-premise production landscapes to a digital enterprise in the cloud. Working hand-in-hand with SAP to make Project Embrace a success, Microsoft is developing an integrated, end-to-end process across product engineering, sales, marketing and support teams. As part of this effort, Microsoft and SAP are also aligning their joint Partner Ecosystem, as well as collaborating closely with the SAP Max Attention team to provide a more seamless customer support experience. Microsoft and SAP work together to drive success for their joint customers Microsoft’s unique position as the first global cloud provider to support Project Embrace speaks to its long history of partnership and co-innovation with SAP, a focus on joint customer success, and Microsoft’s strength in the enterprise market. Microsoft and SAP’s mutual customers have been asking for an offering like Embrace. Cemex, a global leader in the building materials industry, sees the enormous opportunity Embrace delivers, as Carlos Mantilla, the company’s Senior Director of Worldwide IT Enterprise Architecture told us: “We at CEMEX are excited to further explore Project Embrace with SAP and Microsoft! We believe it will assist us in accelerating our, already in-progress, Digital Transformation and Journey to S4/HANA in the Azure Hyperscale cloud.” This is a true example of partnership—the power of Microsoft, the power of SAP and a trusted relationship coming together to provide the best cloud experience for customers. The post Microsoft partners with SAP as the first global cloud provider to launch Project Embrace appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18894 (20H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. IMPORTANT: As is normal with builds early in the development cycle, these builds may contain bugs that might be painful for some. If you take this flight, you won’t be able to switch Slow or Release Preview rings without doing a clean-install on your PC. If you wish to remain on 19H1, please change your ring settings via Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program *before* taking this flight. See this blog post for details. If you are looking for a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring – head on over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here including a complete list of new features and updates that have gone out as part of Insider flights for the current development cycle. What’s new in 18894 File Explorer improvements We’ve heard your feedback asking for increased consistency, and to make it easier to find your files. Over the next few days we’ll be starting to roll out a new File Explorer search experience – now powered by Windows Search. This change will help integrate your OneDrive content online with the traditional indexed results. This rollout will start with a small percent, and then we’ll increase the rollout to more Insiders as we validate the quality of the experience. What does that mean for you? Once you have the new experience, as you type in File Explorer’s search box, you’ll now see a dropdown populated with suggested files at your fingertips that you can pick from. These improved results can be launched directly by clicking the entry in the new suggestions box, or if you want to open the file location, just right-click the entry and there’ll be an option to do so. If you need to use commands or dig deeper into non-indexed locations, you can still press enter and populate the view with the traditional search results. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/05/c091099f131f65e0eebfedbdfd3ab842.png We’ve also updated the design, so now as soon as you click the search box in File Explorer (or press CTRL+E to set focus to it), you’ll see the dropdown list with your search history. If you encounter any issues, or have any feedback, file them under “Files, Folders, and Online Storage” > “File Explorer” in the Feedback Hub. NOTES: You may notice in the screenshot, we’ve made the File Explorer search box wider so the suggestions dropdown has a bit more room to show results – that’s not a new option, but we figured you might want to know how to do it: just move your mouse to the starting border of the search box, and your mouse should turn into a resizing double arrow cursor. Just click down and drag the search box to be a bit wider. Accessibility improvements Narrator table reading improvements: Narrator is now more efficient when reading tables. Only the deltas are read when navigating. Entering and exiting tables is also less verbose. Narrator web page summary: There’s a new command in Narrator to give a webpage summary! (Narrator + S). Currently this command will give information about hyperlinks, landmarks and headings. Magnifier text cursor setting: Windows Magnifier has a new ability to keep the text cursor in the center of the screen making it easier and smoother to type. Centered on the screen is on by default and can be changed in the Magnifier settings. General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC We fixed an issue resulting in scrolling with the mouse wheel or touchpad not working reliably across the system in the last few flights. We fixed an issue where opening the Memory Integrity page in Windows Security would crash the app. We fixed an issue where the Windows Update icon in taskbar system tray is not high DPI optimized. We fixed a recent issue where the “Add someone else to this PC” window would crash if an MSA-attached user would try to add a local user to the PC. We fixed a typo in the WIN+(period) kaomoji section category names. We fixed a race condition that could result in users getting stuck with an outdated version of the search relevancy logic, impacting subsequent search results. We fixed an issue where Start menu wasn’t launching if the “continue experiences on this device” group policy was “disabled”. We fixed an issue where navigating using Narrator + R command got stuck in PowerPoint Edit View. Narrator no longer reads “null” after each command listed in the Narrator + F2 list. We fixed a problem where Narrator was at low volume and could not be increased. Known Issues Due to an OS bug, the Your Phone app will not work on this build (20H1 Build 18894). This issue does not impact the Your Phone app if you are in the Slow and Release Preview rings. We expect to have this issue resolved in the next flight to the Fast ring. Appreciate your patience. There has been an issue with older versions of anti-cheat software used with games where after updating to the latest 19H1 Insider Preview builds may cause PCs to experience crashes. We are working with partners on getting their software updated with a fix, and most games have released patches to prevent PCs from experiencing this issue. To minimize the chance of running into this issue, please make sure you are running the latest version of your games before attempting to update the operating system. We are also working with anti-cheat and game developers to resolve similar issues that may arise with the 20H1 Insider Preview builds and will work to minimize the likelihood of these issues in the future. Some Realtek SD card readers are not functioning properly. We are investigating the issue. If you use remote desktop to connect to an enhanced session VM, taskbar search results will not be visible (just a dark area) until you restart searchui.exe. We’re investigating reports that on certain devices if fast startup is enabled, night light doesn’t turn on until after a restart. (Note: The problem will occur on a “cold” reboot or power off / power on. To work around if night light doesn’t turn on, use Start > Power > Restart.) There’s a noticeable lag when dragging the emoji and dictation panels. Tamper Protection may be turned off in Windows Security after updating to this build. You can turn it back on. Some features on Start Menu and in All apps are not localized in languages such as FR-FR, RU-RU, and ZH-CN. In the Ease of Access settings, selecting a color filter may not take effect right away unless color filters option is turned off and back on again. The IME candidate window for East Asian IMEs (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and the Japanese IME) may not open sometimes. We are investigating the issue. In the meantime, going to Task Manager and ending the “WindowsInternal.ComposableShell.Experiences.TextInput.InputApp.exe” task from the from the Details tab should unblock you if you experience this issue. We are aware of an issue with the Bopomofo IME where the character width is suddenly changed to Full width from Half width and are investigating. Known issues for Developers If you install builds from the Fast ring and switch to either the Slow ring or the Release Preview ring, optional content such as enabling developer mode will fail. You will have to remain in the Fast ring to add/install/enable optional content. This is because optional content will only install on builds approved for specific rings. No downtime for Hustle-As-A-Service, Dona <3 The post Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18894 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/05/5f30da41732de2a9e35227ca320453ff-1024x768.jpg ORIGIN PC co-founder Kevin Wasielewski In the competitive world of gaming PCs, it takes a lot to stand out. It takes custom airbrushing a computer to look like an Audi R8. It takes dropping everything at a big show to work on a customer’s computers so that a new game plays the way it’s supposed to. It takes being playful enough to create a tongue-in-cheek, retro-80s neon rig with a “Vice” theme based on the company’s hometown: Miami, Florida. ORIGIN PC, like the sports cars its co-founder Kevin Wasielewski prefers, prides itself on being agile and quick, and being different from the pack. The South Florida-based company celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year and recently thanked its fans for reaching a milestone of one million followers on Twitter. It’s built up a reputation for specializing in high-end customization, 24/7 lifetime support and performance – with an emphasis on bringing products to market quickly. ORIGIN PC’s customers often write reviews about their overall experience. “When I decided to buy a new gaming PC, I took my time, literally spending months researching, reading reviews, comparing pricing, specs, etc. When I was ready to pull the trigger, I went with Origin and the experience couldn’t have been better.” At SXSW, Wasielewski was part of a panel of judges for the event’s gaming awards – something he’s more than qualified to do. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/05/210d8df00fc1154c28f6c5d1e7c92ffd-1024x576.jpg ORIGIN PC live build “We live in the space of where gaming is going. So for example, on Twitch, we were one of the first to sponsor influencers. We’ve been doing that for seven years,” Wasielewski says. “Because we are gamers and fans ourselves, we were watching people on their streams. We saw this as a cool way to interact with gamers. It’s so big because everybody’s gaming. It’s a better hobby than movies, TV, or watching traditional sports, in my opinion, because it’s interactive.” ORIGIN PC hosts their own streams across multiple streaming platforms, including Mixer. They play PC games, build PCs live and interview members of the gaming community. During these streams, they interact with the community by answering tech or gaming questions, as well host stream-only giveaways. “I often hear people say ‘Why would anybody watch somebody else play a video game, it makes no sense to me.’ But we watch other people play other things, like football, golf, or tennis. If you really like something and somebody in the world is way better at it than you, you’re curious. You want to watch, because you want to learn, or you just want to admire their skills,” Wasielewski says. “Some people follow people just to see their strategy, some people follow others because of their personality. And then you can also interact with them and interact with the other people watching so it’s a much more evolved experience than your traditional way of watching entertainment.” https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/05/e586803de7aa6c73e34024745f9101b2-822x1024.jpg ORIGIN PC BigO When it comes to customization, ORIGIN PC established itself early on with its Big O contraption in 2010 during a competition to build the Ultimate Dream Machine. ORIGIN PC built a more than $16,000 contest entry that paired a custom liquid-cooled PC on one side with a liquid-cooled Xbox 360 on the other side. It won 15 out of the 16 benchmarks, so it won the competition both for performance and customization. These very specialized devices were around for about a year, with Microsoft carrying some in their retail stores, before ORIGIN PC retired them. ORIGIN PC recently won the Intel Extreme Rig Challenge, which they’ve dominated for a number of years. At CES 2019, they introduced a new theme based on the neon inspiration of Miami’s “Vice” styling and its retro-modern appeal. They printed designs based on that look on glass and launched options on their website. Customers can also submit their own artwork. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/05/fbd75649dc783b0991209189f27bf5a5-1024x683.jpg ORIGIN PC Vice The year before at CES 2018, they unveiled HD UV printing and the latest version of their desktop with their patented Variable Mounting, which allows their desktops chassis to mount the motherboard four different ways, including the choice of the main window of the chassis to be on the left or right. For many customers who want one-of-a-kind designs for their PCs, the company engages local artists to create custom airbrushed designs, including one they found at a Miami car show for the gaming enthusiast in Dubai who wanted his computer to match his Audi R8. That same customer bought $40,000 worth of equipment, including 4K TVs. ORIGIN PC can customize what’s under the hood, too. Customers can choose colors for power cables, cooling liquid and hard, plastic tubes. Users can also pick the components they want and all the technical specs. Wasielewski and his two co-founders Richard Cary and Hector Penton figured out that offering different colors was one way to differentiate their company from the rest of the pack. “We basically want to take everything that we’ve learned in the past and take it to an even higher level,” he says. “That’s why we have offered almost any customization you want. And instead of just great support, it’s 24/7 lifetime support. When we launched our industry-leading 24/7 lifetime support that was a big differentiator. People love that because they can call us any time. They’re calling our techs. They’re not calling third parties. We often get people praising our support.” Besides CES, ORIGIN PC is a fixture at big gaming conferences, including PAX and E3. It was at the latter one year where they saved a major game that was crashing. The game makers had bought several computers from ORIGIN PC, but without telling them their intent to use the machines to demo the new game. The game kept crashing until one of ORIGIN PC’s techs figured out the game wasn’t optimized to the memory configuration they were trying to run on it. The tech removed a bunch of memory so that the game would run on 16 GB, and that did the trick. The game’s developers were so grateful, they flew ORIGIN PC to shows worldwide where game demos were held that year and included ORIGIN PC in the credits of the game. As strategic partners with NVIDIA and Intel (Wasielewski is on the board of advisors of the latter), ORIGIN PC can test new products sooner and are quick to put new parts on their website. For Wasielewski, who’s mostly self-trained through his experience at Alienware, it’s always been about going the extra mile – literally. Like the time he interviewed for Alienware, when he was still working at Electronics Boutique (later acquired by GameStop). An avid gamer since he was a kid, Wasielewski played everything offered at the store. Before YouTube, social media and the internet, face-to-face advice was the way to gauge a game’s worthiness before buying. “When a game comes out, I’m loyal to the games themselves, not the platform,” he says. “But PC is the best platform with the best graphics, so I play it there if I can.” He would often see people who he thought were sales reps wearing Alienware shirts, and he’d recommend games to them – as well as ones to avoid. “One day I got up the courage and asked one of them if they had any job openings,” Wasielewski says. “He told me send him my resume and gives me his card. That’s when I realized he’s the president and the owner.” So he sent his resume, but didn’t hear back for three weeks before he got a call back. They wanted him to interview that day, as soon as possible. “But I’m at work. I asked if I could call from home in 15 minutes. And he was like, ‘No no no, come right now’,” Wasielewski recalls. “I wanted to change out of my store uniform, print out my resume and get ready for the interview. But this owner of Alienware, he’s a very intense guy.” Wasielewski agreed to go to the interview right away. But in those pre-GPS, pre-cellphone days, he got lost. It was raining as he called on a payphone, trying to reschedule. But Alienware insisted on the interview, so finally, after many, many extra miles, he made it there. After asking two brief questions about PC games and what he was playing at the time, they offered him a job in quality assurance. Basically, he got paid to play games – three times more than what he was making. But he didn’t accept right away, as his original path was to make games. He also wanted to get on a management track. He was also studying computer science and discrete math at Florida International University (though he admits “that class kicked my butt”). But after his own manager at Electronics Boutique advised him to take the job, he took it, put school on hold and thrived for the next decade doing QA, tech support, sales and marketing. “The only skills and knowledge I had when I arrived there were from studying computer science at FIU and studying communications, PR, speechwriting, marketing and advertising at Florida State University and Miami Dade College. So I had that. And I played a lot of games,” Wasielewski says. “I basically stayed late every day. I learned other jobs, like how to build and how to integrate and just learning from other people that worked there.” Throughout the years he had seven promotions, leading eventually to his highest role as vice president of marketing. “I was living even better than the dream I had (working for a company making games) because when I was in marketing at Alienware, I was calling Activision, I was calling Microsoft. And doing deals with them,” he says. He never did finish the degrees in computer science or communications. He ended up with a two-year degree in liberal studies. But Wasielewski is not the kind of CEO who does anything traditionally. His wedding, for example, was “Star Wars”-themed, with his bride wearing a Captain Phasma helmet while his Boba Fett outfit paid homage to the classic series, and dinner tables were named after locations like the Death Star and Tatooine. The post ORIGIN PC sticks to its roots as it looks ahead to another 10 years appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Lenovo has announced the latest additions to its ThinkPad portfolio: the T495, T495s and X395. These new Windows 10 laptops, with up to the 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen 7 Pro Mobile Processors and integrated AMD Vega graphics, are designed to boost productivity, enhance multimedia and improve energy efficiency. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/05/f28bc706ddf936d2a5561744d2678b5e.jpg Lenovo ThinkPad T495 The new T and X series offer feature upgrades – without compromising a high level of hardware security and manageability. They have a longer battery life, too: up to four more hours on a single charge [1] and increased performance by up to 18 percent (compared to benchmarks of prior generations). With Radeon FreeSync technology, users will experience a fluid frame refresh rate, free of screen stutters—perfect for videos, presentations and light PC gaming on the side. New to the AMD series, the 14-inch Full HD (1920×1080) display at 400 nits makes text and icons easier to see in dim surroundings even at a lower power setting than other PCs its size. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/05/f99bb5d07515b773313bfcb8caa49550-1024x574.jpg Lenovo ThinkPad T495s For those who’ve struggled with garbled voices and distracting background noise on group calls, ThinkPad’s dual far-field microphones on the AMD models deliver improved 360-degree reception to enhance VoIP conferencing performance, especially when you’re in noisy environments. And since security is top of mind for everyone, Lenovo is delivering greater peace of mind with just a slide of the , the all-in-one integrated camera security cover that physically protects ThinkPad users from view of malicious webcam snoopers. For an extra layer of security, there’s an optional ePrivacy filter, the on both the T495s and X395, shielding your screen content from any unwanted side glances. Packed with these features and more, this line of ThinkPad laptops comes protected by Lenovo ThinkShield. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/05/fe461a96924bb857bfaf858c9a6bf5fa.jpg Lenovo ThinkPad X395 The ThinkPad T495 (14-inch) will be available in late May, with a starting price of $939. [2] The ThinkPad T495s (14-inch) and ThinkPad X395 (13-inch) will be available starting in early June, with a starting price of $1089. [2] Find out more about these devices at Lenovo. [1] All battery life claims are approximate and based on test results using the MobileMark 2014 ver 1.5 battery life benchmark test. Actual results will vary and depend on numerous factors including product configuration and usage, software, operating conditions, wireless functionality, power management settings, screen brightness and other factors. The maximum capacity of the battery will naturally decrease with time and usage. See MobileMark 2014 ver 1.5 – BAPCo for additional details. [2] Prices do not include tax, shipping or options and are subject to change without notice; additional terms and conditions apply. Reseller prices may vary. On-shelf dates may vary by geography and products may only be available in select markets. All offers subject to availability. Lenovo reserves the right to alter product offerings, features and specifications at any time without notice. The post Lenovo introduces latest Windows 10 ThinkPads appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Microsoft Build is underway in Seattle, and this year’s premier developer conference is focused on empowering developers of all kinds, from experienced computer scientists to tech beginners with big ideas. We’re sharing the latest on Microsoft platforms, tools and services that are making it easier to create and innovate using AI and mixed reality with the intelligent cloud and the intelligent edge, as well as helping people and organizations do more each day. Here’s a peek at some of the event’s highlights: 1. Check out the new features in Microsoft Edge built on Chromium OSS that will make it easier to collect, organize and share content, and give you additional privacy controls to make your own decisions about how third parties can track you. 2. See how technology is helping Starbucks and their baristas deliver great customer experiences including managing predictive maintenance on coffee machines with Azure Sphere; giving personalized recommendations to customers via the Starbucks mobile app with reinforcement learning on Azure; and powering digital traceability efforts to track coffee beans from farm to store with Azure blockchain service. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/05/Barista-1-1024x608.jpg Technology is helping Starbucks and their baristas deliver great customer experiences (Photo courtesy of Starbucks) 3. Read about Fluid Framework, a web-based platform expected to be available later this year that will give teams new ways to create together, enabling content to be deconstructed and reconstructed into modular components and allowing intelligent agents to work alongside people to co-author, provide photo suggestions, translate data and more. 4. Learn more about Microsoft’s vision for intelligent agents that leverage breakthroughs in conversational AI and machine learning pioneered by Semantic Machines, which Microsoft acquired in May 2018. We’re showcasing a calendaring application of the technology that can make organizing your day with an intelligent assistant a more natural and powerful experience, and the same technology will eventually be integrated into our conversational AI moving forward across all of Microsoft’s products and services. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/05/Build-OMB-image-1-1024x576.jpg A woman engages in a smooth, back-and-forth dialogue with an intelligent assistant that helps her juggle upcoming appointments on her calendar. 5. See how more everyday uses of AI in Microsoft 365 and Office 365 can help improve productivity, including Ideas in Word for Word Online, which can help you easily design and present polished documents, and Microsoft Search, a new enterprise search experience that applies AI technology from Bing and deep personalized insights surfaced by the Microsoft Graph. 6. Learn more about a new platform that can help make it easier for companies to create autonomous systems, whether it’s a robot that can help in life-threatening situations, a drone that can inspect remote equipment or systems that can autonomously calibrate factory equipment. The first component in this platform is now available in a limited preview program. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/05/sarcos-guardian-s-1024x576.jpg An experimental version of the Sarcos Guardian S, a robot that can be used in disaster recovery or for industrial inspections, uses Microsoft’s autonomous systems platform. (Photo by Dan DeLong) 7. Learn what developers will be able to do with Microsoft Graph data connect, a service that helps organizations bring together productivity data from the Microsoft Graph with their own business data securely, providing new opportunities to create insight-powered apps while helping address the challenges of moving and managing large amounts of data. 8. Learn about the new tools and capabilities in Azure AI for developers and data scientists, including Ink Recognizer, which lets developers embed digital ink recognition, an advanced speech-to-text capability that transcribes meeting conversations in real time so participants can fully engage in the discussion and know who said what later on. 9. See how the new Azure Blockchain Service will empower developers, letting them deploy a fully managed consortium network with a few simple clicks and use built-in governance to add new members, set permissions and authenticate user applications. They’ll also be able to monitor their network’s health and activity. 10. Check out IoT Plug and Play. One of the greatest challenges customers face when deploying Internet of Things solutions broadly is connecting their IoT devices to the cloud. IoT Plug and Play offers a new open modeling language to help make this happen seamlessly, as well as a large ecosystem of partner-certified devices that simply work, with over a dozen certified devices now available. Get more details on all of these announcements and more on our Microsoft Build 2019 website. Lead photo by Brian Smale The post 10 cool things to check out at Microsoft Build 2019 appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

Since the inception of Azure, we have been focused on delivering a true hybrid cloud where applications spanning public cloud and on-premises datacenters are built and run consistently. As organizations are now building applications that span the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge, the same approach is needed. Fundamentally, the principles and technology needed for developing hybrid cloud applications are the same as intelligent cloud and intelligent edge applications. Azure’s longstanding leadership in hybrid cloud provides developers with unique know-how toward building modern applications that span the edge and the cloud. Next week at Microsoft Build, more than 6,000 developers will join us in Seattle to experience the latest advancements in dev tools and cloud services. Today, to help usher in Build, I’m excited to share some of the new Azure innovations that we will be showcasing at Build that enable developers to build this new generation of hybrid applications with greater productivity and success. To begin, we’re announcing several new AI services and capabilities that makes it easier for developers to build AI-powered applications. Furthering our commitment to building the most productive AI platform, we’re delivering key new innovations in Azure Machine Learning that simplify the process of building, training and deployment of machine learning models at scale. These include new automated machine learning advancements and an intuitive UI that make developing high-quality models easier, a new visual machine learning interface that provides a zero-code model creation and deployment experience using drag-and-drop capabilities and new machine learning notebooks for a rich, code-first development experience. Furthermore, new MLOps (DevOps for machine learning) capabilities with Azure DevOps integration provides developers with reproducibility, auditability and automation of the end-to-end machine learning lifecycle. To enable extremely low latency and cost-effective inferencing, we are also announcing the general availability of hardware-accelerated models that run on FPGAs, as well as ONNX Runtime support for NVIDIA TensorRT and Intel nGraph for high- speed inferencing on NVIDIA and Intel chipsets. Azure Cognitive Services give connected devices, bots and apps the ability to see, hear, respond, translate, reason and more. Azure is the only public cloud that enables these Cognitive Services to be containerized to run on-premises, in the cloud and at the edge. Today we’re giving developers even more ways to create “smart” devices and services with a new Cognitive Services category called “Decision” that delivers users specific recommendations to enable informed and efficient decision-making. Azure Cognitive Services such as Content Moderator, the recently announced Anomaly Detector and a new preview service called Personalizer, which uses reinforcement learning to provide each user with a relevant experience to drive engagement, will be part of this new category. We’re also delivering several new services in public preview, including Ink Recognizer for embedding digital ink recognition capabilities; Form Recognizer for automating data entry by extracting text, key-value pairs and tables from documents; and new conversation transcription capability in Speech Service, which transcribes meeting conversations in real time so participants can fully engage in the discussion, know who said what when and quickly follow up on next steps. We are also bringing AI to Azure Search with the general availability of the cognitive search capability, enabling customers to apply Cognitive Services algorithms to extract new insights their structured and unstructured content. In addition, we are previewing a new capability that enables developers to store AI insights gained from cognitive search, making it easier to create knowledge-rich experiences leveraging Power BI visualizations or machine learning models. You can read more about today’s Azure AI announcements here. Intelligent cloud and intelligent edge applications have evolved from primarily low-compute IoT devices working with the cloud to powerful compute at the edge, which requires a new modern hybrid application approach. A key aspect of enabling this is supporting the spectrum of edge compute and data needs. SQL Server and Azure SQL Database are the leading data engines for enterprise workloads on-premises and in the cloud, respectively, and today we are bringing these powerful data and analysis capabilities to the edge with Azure SQL Database Edge preview. Azure SQL Database Edge runs on ARM processors and provides capabilities like data streaming and time series data, with in-database machine learning and graph. And because Azure SQL Database Edge shares the same programming surface area with Azure SQL Database and SQL Server, you can easily take your applications to the edge without having to learn new tools and languages, allowing you to preserve consistency in application management and security control. This consistency in database programming and control plane across cloud and edge is essential to running a secure and well-managed hybrid application. In addition, we’re announcing IoT Plug and Play, a new open modeling language to connect IoT devices to the cloud seamlessly, enabling developers to navigate one of the biggest challenges they face — deploying IoT solutions at scale. Previously, software had to be written specifically for the connected device it supported, limiting the scale of IoT deployments. IoT Plug and Play provides developers with a faster way to build IoT devices and will provide customers with a large ecosystem of partner-certified devices that can work with any IoT solution. Perhaps one of the best examples of a cloud and edge application is with Mixed Reality — using the combination of mixed-reality device with cloud services to create entirely new experiences. We have barely scratched the surface for possibilities with Mixed Reality development. Now we’re making it easier to create applications for HoloLens 2 with the HoloLens 2 Development Edition, which starts at $3,500 or as low as $99 a month. It provides the community of mixed-reality developers with access to solutions to help them build and run mixed-reality experiences across a range of mixed-reality devices, and with Azure credits and three-month free trials of Unity Pro and the Unity PiXYZ Plugin for CAD data. Unreal Engine 4 support for streaming and native platform integration for HoloLens 2 will be available by the end of May for developers to create high-quality, photo-realistic renders and immersive, augmented-reality and virtual-reality experiences for architecture, product design and manufacturing. Read more about our IoT and intelligent edge announcements here. Blockchain is showing potential across many industries to manage complex workflows and logistics. Last year we announced Azure Blockchain Workbench, which gave developers a simple UI to model blockchain applications on a preconfigured Azure-supported network. Today we are doubling down on our investments to empower blockchain developers by announcing Azure Blockchain Service, which simplifies the formation, management and governance of consortium blockchain networks, allowing businesses to focus on workflow logic and app development. Azure Blockchain Service deploys a fully managed consortium network and offers built-in governance for common management tasks, such as adding new members, setting permissions and authenticating user applications. And, the service is already receiving enterprise traction — we also announced this week that J.P. Morgan’s Ethereum platform, Quorum, is the first ledger available in Azure Blockchain Service, enabling Microsoft and J.P. Morgan to offer the first enterprise-grade Ethereum stack to the industry. Read more about today’s blockchain announcements here. Today’s announcements give developers cutting-edge tools to create the next generation of hybrid applications spanning the cloud and edge. We have even more to share on Monday at the start of Build. Be sure to tune into Satya’s keynote at 8:30 a.m. PT on Monday, May 6, here, and look forward to seeing what you go build! The post New intelligent cloud and intelligent edge advancements ushering in the next era of computing appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18890 (20H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. Last month, we moved the Fast ring forward to 20H1 and merged the small group of Insiders who opted-in to Skip Ahead back into the Fast ring, which means Insiders in the Fast ring and those who opted-in to Skip Ahead are receiving the same builds for now. IMPORTANT: As is normal with builds early in the development cycle, these builds may contain bugs that might be painful for some. If you take this flight, you won’t be able to switch Slow or Release Preview rings without doing a clean-install on your PC. If you wish to remain on 19H1, please change your ring settings via Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program *before* taking this flight. See this blog post for details. If you are looking for a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring – head on over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here including a complete list of new features and updates that have gone out as part of Insider flights for the current development cycle. General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC We fixed a hang in the audio service when checking whether a machine was licensed to use spatial audio. We fixed an issue that could result in the desktop being unexpectedly slow to refresh (if you right-click the desktop and select Refresh or press F5). We fixed an issue resulting in not being able to access network shares if you booted into Safe Mode with Networking. We fixed an issue where hardware keyboard text predictions wouldn’t appear (if enabled) when the es-US keyboard was active. We fixed an issue that could result in cumulative updates potentially failing with error 0x800f0982 if a language pack update was happening at the same time. Thank you for all of the feedback you provided on Friendly Dates in File Explorer. At this time, we’ve decided not to roll out Friendly Dates to users as part of the 19H1 release. Insiders will see this option go away starting today, regardless of build number. Known Issues There has been an issue with older versions of anti-cheat software used with games where after updating to the latest 19H1 Insider Preview builds may cause PCs to experience crashes. We are working with partners on getting their software updated with a fix, and most games have released patches to prevent PCs from experiencing this issue. To minimize the chance of running into this issue, please make sure you are running the latest version of your games before attempting to update the operating system. We are also working with anti-cheat and game developers to resolve similar issues that may arise with the 20H1 Insider Preview builds and will work to minimize the likelihood of these issues in the future. Some Realtek SD card readers are not functioning properly. We are investigating the issue. If you use remote desktop to connect to an enhanced session VM, taskbar search results will not be visible (just a dark area) until you restart searchui.exe. We’re investigating reports that on certain devices if fast startup is enabled night light doesn’t turn on until after a restart. (Note: The problem will occur on a “cold” reboot or power off / power on. To work around if night light doesn’t turn on, use Start > Power > Restart.) There’s a noticeable lag when dragging the emoji and dictation panels. Tamper Protection may be turned off in Windows Security after updating to this build. You can turn it back on. Some features on Start Menu and in All apps are not localized in languages such as FR-FR, RU-RU, and ZH-CN. Scrolling with the mouse wheel or touchpad may stop working in certain places after upgrading. If you experience this, going to Settings > Devices > Mouse, and changing one of the settings (for example, Choose how many lines to scroll each time) should resolve it until shutdown or reboot. Known issues for Developers If you install builds from the Fast ring and switch to either the Slow ring or the Release Preview ring, optional content such as enabling developer mode will fail. You will have to remain in the Fast ring to add/install/enable optional content. This is because optional content will only install on builds approved for specific rings. Join the Bing Insider Program Traveling internationally? Stay informed with Bing. No matter where you’re going, use Bing’s currency conversion to calculate the current exchange rate. If you want to be among the first to learn about these Bing features, join our Bing Insider Program. No downtime for Hustle-As-A-Service, Dona <3 The post Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18890 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

At Dell Technologies World 2019, Dell announced the launch of the latest additions to its portfolio: 10th generation of Latitude commercial PCs, the Dell Precision 3540 and 3541 mobile workstations, as well as two new Vostro laptops. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/3c3933a704a24d96d73e3f1522e5d82b-1024x1024.jpeg Dell Latitude 7400 Devices in the Latitude line — which run on Windows 10 Pro – have been completely reimagined to address the needs of the evolving workforce. The new portfolio of Dell mobile business PCs is designed with IT departments in mind and aims to get business users productive faster and keep them productive longer, no matter when, where or how they work. The Latitude series includes next-gen biometric sign-in and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) security options, as well as Express technology options to boost employee productivity. Designed for students and professionals with heavy Excel workbook, 2D CAD, or simple 3D CAD design workloads, the Dell Precision 3540 mobile workstation is an affordable solution for those looking for workstation-class performance in a small footprint. The new Dell Precision 3541 mobile workstation will offer additional power, with 9th generation 8-core Intel Core and 6-core Intel Xeon processor options. The new Vostro 13 5000 and Vostro 15 7000 are designed with the needs of small businesses in mind. Vostro laptops come with integrated security features. Running on Windows 10 Pro, they offer powerful processors to support editing and running applications. Find out more on the Microsoft 365 Blog. The post Dell announces latest additions to its portfolio appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Microsoft Build is our premier developer conference, providing access to cutting-edge technology, the ability to collaborate with peers, and an open door to fresh perspectives. Our goals are to foster community and transparently share our developer roadmap and monetization strategy — which we believe leads to even better collaboration and innovation. While it maintains its roots of being produced by developers for developers, this year’s event is focused on empowering developers of all kinds, from experienced computer scientists to tech beginners with big ideas we have so much in store! Whether you want to learn a new technology or level up your skills in a certain area, we have you covered. With more than 180 sessions, from developing for accessibility to responsible AI design to building apps for HoloLens, and a gamut of topics in between, class is in session. Speaking of class, for the first time, attendees are invited to bring two family members ages 14-21 to the event. The brand-new Student Zone is dialed in to provide students access to experts, hands on labs, co-coding opportunities and more. And for the first time, the Imagine Cup World Championship, a strongly contested student developer competition, will open the event! In the competition spirit, we’re also showcasing eight innovative startups and we invite you to help us determine the “Startups at Microsoft Build: Attendee Choice Award.” Meet these cloud-born founders in person and vote on which startup you feel has the most compelling pitch. To turbo-charge their growth, the winner will be awarded a comprehensive set of go-to-market benefits, valued at more than $1 million USD. We also have some very exciting news for our partners. We are deepening our investments and will be making several announcements benefiting both our ISV and reseller partners when they leverage our commercial marketplace to collaborate on joint sales. We also have dozens of partners on site at Build with deep dive sessions, hands-on labs, and an exhibition area with a ton of experts on hand. But that’s not all. We’re weaving wellness and community-focused areas throughout Build as well. Our Hang Out lounge provides a cozy place to recharge between sessions and features a variety of content from our Cloud Advocates and LEAP Program participants. It also plays host to daily popup experiences, including an IoT day and an opportunity to get hands-on with classic Commodore 64s, among other engaging opportunities. I encourage you to spend some time with the session catalog to craft your ideal schedule. These sessions are created and delivered by the engineers who create our products and provide a great opportunity to connect with them on a personal level. A couple can’t-miss sessions include: From Zero to DevOps Superhero: The Container Edition This is not another “Hello World” session with quick tips, but rather a deep dive into how you can truly go from zero to DevOps superhero by selecting container tooling built for simplifying the process. You’ll also learn how these tools can provide better orchestration for cloud services, abstraction and encapsulation for your microservices deployments and visibility into what runs where and why. Azure IoT platform services: a comprehensive overview In this demo-heavy session, you will learn what’s available for modern IoT developers. Azure IoT Hub, Device Provisioning Service, Time Series Insight, Azure Maps and Visual Studio Code will all be put to contribution and you won’t believe all that can be achieved in only 60 minutes. And, we’ll have exciting speakers who were selected from the call for proposals, including this one: Designing for speech Designing a natural language interface can be difficult. Is the interface supposed to be able to interpret every single nuance of speech? And how about slang? Or should we aim more towards forced language and make our users learn how to interact with simple commands? According to Comscore, 50% of all searches will be made by voice by 2020. Today, 40% of adults use voice commands at least once per day. Get ready now and your bots and apps will be a delight to talk to! While we’re hosting the physical event in Seattle, our aim is to make it interactive for those who can’t make it in person as well! Satya Nadella’s opening keynote will be streamed live beginning at 8:30 a.m. Pacific on May 6, and core sessions will be online for free viewing within 24 hours. You can find it all on the Build site. For those headed to Build, we can’t wait to welcome you to Seattle, to share and collaborate, and to imagine, create and code together! The post Build 2019 is packed with big potential to learn, create and have fun appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

As a judge on “American Idol” for 13 years, Jackson had to constantly assess contestants and their potential, gauging who had that It factor that would propel them into superstardom. You’ve probably heard of some of them: Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and Adam Lambert. Jackson had a lot of experience to make those calls. Catching the music bug when he was 14, listening to his brother’s band rehearse in their mother’s garage in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he would go on to play with Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and many others. By the time he was a fixture in American living rooms and mobile devices, he had racked up a long list of big names he’d played bass with, such as Journey. He attributes success – including his own – with timing. “When I was a kid growing up, I looked up to some of my music teachers in college. One teacher would always say, ‘The person that shows up at the right place at the right time with the right information will always get the job,’” he says. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/fb947d850beef25b50de8f435020dc9d-1024x761.jpg Despite all his hobnobbing with the rich and famous, he still applies lessons he grew up with, like “A thing is all in the way you look at it” or “Is the juice worth the squeeze?” His parents taught the boy who is now a father of three to make sure he knew when to switch up his game – or pursue a new one. As the owner of a music studio in Burbank, California, he’s also had to assess what technology fits best for his work, which includes producing EDM, trap, hip hop, Mariah Carey and music for TV shows. Though his studio started long after the days of tape and million-dollar consoles, he’d had the same equipment for 10 years before he decided to make a break from Apple. “I’m dedicating a room to Dell because of the quality and the power and the innovation that these guys have come with in the last couple of years, which is just astounding,” Jackson says. “I’m a high tech and low tech guy. I love analog but I also love the latest, greatest technology. Music is now driven by technology. It’s about who’s got the best quality and best power. Dell does. And at the most affordable price.” Jackson plans on stocking the room with Dell XPS products and a 39-inch curved monitor. He also can’t get enough of touchscreen capabilities. “One of the guys that works with me on my team says we’ve been using Apple exclusively for some time. He came to me and he said, ‘You guys are not going to believe this, but I’m done.’ He says Apple’s quality has gone down, it’s not what it used to be,’’ Jackson recalls. “And he said, ‘Listen, I’m doing some research. We should check out this Dell stuff.’ And like me, I think a lot of people don’t know the power of Dell.” He’s excited for the equipment’s potential to run the many DAWs (digital audio workstations) that he uses for recording, editing and producing audio files. At CES earlier this year, he hosted a fireside chat about Dell Cinema, and how the quality of its picture, sound and experience would be a tempting alternative to going out to see a movie. “You know what’s interesting about these guys at Dell? They keep outdoing themselves. You know the technology’s out there. But a lot of companies piecemeal it to you, because they know you want it. Not these guys,” he says. For him, the process of upgrading is part of a lifelong mission. “The greatest challenge is just trying to grow every year. And trying to stay humble and compassionate. And just trying to get better and trying to be a better person,” Jackson says. “You know what, I should get better at gaming because when my kids were younger, I played a lot. I’ve been working on my ‘Fortnite,’ I’ve been getting it together. This year, I’m vowing to be a better gamer. I want to join the ‘League of Legends.’” https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/975f3c87a46f759415004a20e68867ee-768x1024.jpeg Over on the other coast, entrepreneur Rakia Reynolds is embracing the next evolution of her Philadelphia-based Skai Blue Media multimedia communications agency. “When I started off in this industry, there weren’t a lot of women that I could turn to that look like me that came from places like Newark, New Jersey. And for me it was important to have mentors around me that could guide me,” says Reynolds, who was also making the rounds at SXSW, along with Jackson. “So I’m really proud that I found people to help me with the entrepreneurial journey. And I’m proud that I’m going into my 10th year of business. So this is a year of celebration.” She’s proud that she’s succeeded, as a Black woman in a business where people of color typically lack resources their counterparts take for granted; as a mother of three, who started her business when she was pregnant with her second child; and as someone who had previous careers in higher education and producing shows for MTV, TLC and Discovery Health networks. Among her clients: Serena Williams, who she met in 2013 through the Home Shopping Network. Reynolds worked with her behind the scenes on social media and communications with HSN, and then became the face of Williams’ business. Reynolds was Williams’ on-air brand expert for a number of years and now Skai Blue Media continues to work directly with Williams on brand partnerships and social media. Reynolds is also the face of Dell Small Business. “I’m still shocked. We know what this current climate is like and to have a young black woman as the face of small business for Dell speaks volumes,” says Reynolds. “And for me it was such a moment of, ‘Wow, I must be doing something right or I must be doing a great job.’ I’ve always noticed there are two things that people evaluate when they meet you: Can they trust you and can they respect you. A company like Dell trusts me to be this person.” https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/f18171277c7cf4c7c165d1fa896917e7-768x1024.jpeg “We love Dell products because we use them but it’s the community first,” Reynolds says. “As an entrepreneur, you get lonely. And I feel like with Dell, I’ve been able to be a part of such a great community, like the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur network. We have a WhatsApp group, a Facebook community. We can bounce ideas off each other. I can also run ideas by high performing executives at Dell. Some of the women at Dell have opened up so many doors for me, whether it’s introducing me to people or getting me to think about things a little differently.” Dell’s mobile devices, she says, adapt well to her fast pace and on-the-move lifestyle. “I don’t really have time to think about the functionality of things. I need something I can fit into my bag and that’s going to be there for me when I need it,” says Reynolds, whose go-to device is the XPS 13, which she uses to edit content and engage in video conferences with her team. Reynolds embraces the non-linear path she’s taken to get to this point in her life. “We live in an economy where everything is so accelerated or perceived to be accelerated and that puts so much pressure on us, to compare ourselves to other people and their timetables,” she says. “For me it’s been a steady, slow climb. It took time to figure out who I was.” She would also tell others that they don’t always have to launch something. They don’t always have to be talking about something. “I think sometimes we just have to be comfortable with saying, I don’t have anything going on today. Especially to a budding entrepreneur,” Reynolds says. “Not every day is going to be a day where you accomplish something. Not every day is going to be a day where you made some sort of impact, where you’ve done a really great job. And I just look at it a little differently than saying failing forward because not all failure is good failure. We glamorize this notion that failure is amazing and you should fail. And guess what, not all of us should fail because sometimes bouncing back is really hard and it sets you back. But what I’ve learned with setbacks is that you embrace it as a comeback.” And to do that, she had to overcome challenges such as navigating spaces unfamiliar to her, like public relations and marketing – at least in the beginning. She knew she could produce content as a television producer. She knew she could write stories because she was editing luxury publications, producing fashion editorials. She knew she could help tell stories for other people. She’s been doing that now for a decade, and as her business progresses she’s hoping to work with more marketing agencies that are trying to figure out the world of cultural competence, who are trying to understand how to tap into different audiences such as Generation Z, xennials and millennials. “Our newest client is of the deaf community. And it’s something that I’ve never envisioned. They found us,” Reynolds says. “So the fact that we’ve entered this next phase of the business where we are being inclusive of all communities is the most rewarding for me.” The post Find out how Dell helps ‘American Idol’ judge Randy Jackson and communications expert Rakia Reynolds appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

The cloud is enabling organizations of all types to innovate and move faster toward their business goals. It has enhanced productivity and security and opened up new opportunities for companies to tap into the potential of technologies like artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT). The cloud is helping businesses in every industry transform: Retail is becoming more personal, banking is becoming more seamless, and healthcare is becoming more predictive and preventive. This digital revolution demands that technology vendors be open and flexible to help address a wider range of customer needs. Over the years, we’ve worked with partners to create solutions that are customer-centric and enable easier adoption of technology. Some great examples include our partnerships with SAP, RedHat, Adobe, Citrix, and more. These partnerships are enabling customers to take advantage of Microsoft cloud solutions with the tools and technologies that already exist in their environments. Today, we are excited to continue this trend by announcing an expanded partnership with Dell Technologies to provide customers with a native, supported, and certified VMware experience on Microsoft Azure. Additionally, we are welcoming VMware into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem to extend the management and security capabilities of Microsoft Intune, as well as extend the capabilities of Windows Virtual Desktop. Azure VMware Solutions Azure VMware Solutions deliver a comprehensive VMware environment in Azure allowing customers to run native VMware-based workloads on Azure. Customers can now seamlessly run, manage, and secure applications across VMware environments and Microsoft Azure with a common operating framework. Customers will be able to capitalize on their existing VMware investments, skills and tools, including VMware vSphere, vSAN, NSX, and vCenter while leveraging the scale, performance and innovation of Azure. Azure VMware Solutions enable customers to extend and redeploy their VMware workloads natively on Azure dedicated hardware without having to refactor their applications. This integration also enables organizations to tap into Azure’s massive scale, security, andhttps://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/VMWare-Image-300x128.png fast provisioning cycles to innovate and modernize applications while improving performance. Some of the more common customer scenarios include datacenter reduction or expansions, disaster recovery and business continuity and modern application development. VMware workloads on Azure can be easily modernized via integration with a broad range of Azure services such as Azure Active Directory, Azure AI and IoT enabling new, intelligent experiences. Customers can also take advantage of unmatched Azure pricing and benefits for Windows Server and SQL Server hosted on Azure VMware Solutions including Azure Hybrid Benefits and free Extended Security Updates. Shifting to a modern workplace As customers embark on their digital workplace journey, Microsoft 365 provides organizations with a complete, intelligent solution to empower employees to be creative and work together, securely. We are excited to welcome VMWare Workspace ONE into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Customers will be able to use Workspace ONE to manage and secure the powerful productivity features of Office 365 across devices via integration with Microsoft Intune and Azure Active Directory Premium as part of the Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security suite. VMware Workspace ONE will be updated to integrate with APIs provided by Intune to deliver device status and health data to update the Azure Active Directory conditional access policy resolution status. Configuration of conditional access policies for Office 365 and Azure-based apps will continue to be done in the Azure Active Directory administration portal. This integration will provide additional technology choices for customers as they accelerate their digital transformation. We also recently announced Windows Virtual Desktop, the only service that delivers a multi-session Windows 10 experience, optimizations for Office 365 ProPlus, and support for Windows Server Remote Desktop Services (RDS) desktops and apps. The excitement for the public preview has been incredible, and thousands of customers have already previewed the Windows Virtual Desktop experience. As a part of today’s agreement, VMWare will extend the capabilities of Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop to enable customers to further accelerate their cloud initiatives. Initial capabilities are expected to be available as a tech preview by the end of calendar year 2019. Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. And we’re committed to realizing this mission through technology innovations and strategic partnerships that unlock shared value. This collaboration is a great example of our ongoing commitment to meet the evolving needs of our customers. The post Dell Technologies and Microsoft expand partnership with new VMware Solutions appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

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

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18885 (20H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. NOTE: Windows Insiders on Build 18362.53 who were unable to update to Build 18875 will need to install Build 18362.86 (KB4497093) *FIRST* before being able to receive today’s build. Build 18362.86 includes the fix needed to update to the latest 20H1 builds from Build 18362.53. If you’re already on Build 18875, this build should come through normally. Earlier this month, we moved the Fast ring forward to 20H1 and merged the small group of Insiders who opted-in to Skip Ahead back into the Fast ring, which means Insiders in the Fast ring and those who opted-in to Skip Ahead are receiving the same builds for now. IMPORTANT: As is normal with builds early in the development cycle, these builds may contain bugs that might be painful for some. If you take this flight, you won’t be able to switch Slow or Release Preview rings without doing a clean-install on your PC. If you wish to remain on 19H1, please change your ring settings via Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program *before* taking this flight. See this blog post for details. If you are looking for a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring – head on over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here including a complete list of new features and updates that have gone out as part of Insider flights for the current development cycle. Your Phone app Phone screen now supports additional Android devices As promised, we have expanded phone screen support to additional phone models – OnePlus 6, OnePlus 6T, Samsung Galaxy S10e, S10, S10+, Note 8, Note 9. Try out phone screen and send us your feedback. We will continue to expand the list of supported devices over time. Never miss your Android phone’s notifications Today, we are excited to provide a preview into the newest feature for the Your Phone app – Notifications. Stop reaching for your phone to check your notifications. Boost your focus and productivity by seeing your phone’s notifications on your PC. You are in control and manage which apps you want to receive notifications from. Dismiss a notification on one device and it goes away on the other. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/2ea23865eeb7e06ad76e04413111dfe9.png With this preview, you can: See incoming phone notifications in real-time View all of your phone notifications in one place Customize which notifications you want to receive Clear notifications individually or all at once This feature will gradually roll out to Insiders on 19H1 builds. It may take a few days for this feature to show up inside the Your Phone app. You can use the Your Phone app on any Windows 10 PC running Windows builds 1803 (RS4) or newer and most Android phones running Android version 7.0 or newer. We look forward to your feedback as we continue to test, learn, and improve the overall experience. Notifications Requirements Android devices version 7.0 and greater with at least 1GB of RAM. Windows 10 PC running Windows builds 1803 (RS4) or newer. Not supported on devices that have Notification Access disabled by work or other policy. Known issues Some notifications may not appear automatically. Please press refresh to see an updated list of notifications. Notification responses are not supported. Expanding dictation support to more languages Ever had a word that you just can’t figure out how to spell? Or like to think out loud and wanna automatically jot it all down? In addition to English (United States), we now support dictation when using English (Canada), English (UK), English (Australia), English (India), French (France), French (Canada), German (Germany), Italian (Italy), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Mexico), Portuguese (Brazil), and Chinese (Simplified, China) How to try it? Set focus to a text field and press WIN+H! Or you can tap the little microphone button at the top of the touch keyboard. Say what you wanna say, then press WIN+H a second time or tap the mic button to stop the dictation, or let the dictation session time out on its own. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/94f4aa708fe275c53e42d43be839f006.gif We’d love to hear your feedback – you can report issues or make feature requests under Input & Language > Speech Input in the Feedback Hub. Notes: Speech resources will need to be downloaded for dictation to work. To check that they’re available, go to Language Settings, click on the desired language, and then click on Options. If speech resources are available but haven’t been downloaded, there should be a download button. Dictation is based on the language of your active keyboard. To switch between preferred languages, press WIN + Space. Feedback Hub version 1.1903 rolling out to Fast Based on your feedback, with Feedback Hub version 1.1903, Insiders with Windows set to a language other than English now have the option of browsing English feedback within the Feedback Hub, as well as submitting feedback in English on the New Feedback form. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/6303e138488bd2649332ac72e894e36d.png Narrator Improvements There’s a new command in Narrator to give a webpage summary! (Narrator + S). Currently this command will give information about hyperlinks, landmarks and headings. General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC We fixed an issue that could result in USBs and SD cards being unexpectedly assigned a different drive letter after upgrading. We fixed an issue that could result in the post install setup message unexpectedly appearing while you were actively using your PC sometime after login. We’ve improved the layout of the App Volume and Device Preferences page in Sound settings and tweaked the page view for better usability. We’ve updated the text of the Storage Sense group policies to make them a bit more clear. We fixed an issue that could result in the “Make Windows better” page appearing after login showing “please wait”, with a progress wheel, for a long period of time. We also fixed an issue that could result in this page unexpectedly appearing while you were interacting with the device sometime after login. We fixed an issue that could sometimes result in Windows Hello looking for the user and immediately signing them back in right after locking the PC, rather than first prompting with “Welcome back, dismiss the lock screen to sign back in”. We fixed an issue that could result in some Insiders seeing only a flat blue screen when connecting to a recent build over remote desktop. Known Issues There has been an issue with older versions of anti-cheat software used with games where after updating to the latest 19H1 Insider Preview builds may cause PCs to experience crashes. We are working with partners on getting their software updated with a fix, and most games have released patches to prevent PCs from experiencing this issue. To minimize the chance of running into this issue, please make sure you are running the latest version of your games before attempting to update the operating system. We are also working with anti-cheat and game developers to resolve similar issues that may arise with the 20H1 Insider Preview builds and will work to minimize the likelihood of these issues in the future. Some Realtek SD card readers are not functioning properly. We are investigating the issue. If you use remote desktop to connect to an enhanced session VM, taskbar search results will not be visible (just a dark area) until you restart explorer.exe. We’re investigating reports that on certain devices if fast startup is enabled night light doesn’t turn on until after a restart. (Note: The problem will occur on a “cold” reboot or power off / power on. To work around if night light doesn’t turn on, use Start > Power > Restart.) There’s a noticeable lag when dragging the emoji and dictation panels. Tamper Protection may be turned off in Windows Security after updating to this build. You can turn it back on. Some features on Start Menu and in All apps are not localized in languages such as FR-FR, RU-RU, and ZH-CN. Known issues for Developers If you install builds from the Fast ring and switch to either the Slow ring or the Release Preview ring, optional content such as enabling developer mode will fail. You will have to remain in the Fast ring to add/install/enable optional content. This is because optional content will only install on builds approved for specific rings. March Windows Insider Leaderboard Now Available See if you topped our lists on the new March 2019 Windows Insider Leaderboard and try to make next month’s Leaderboard by giving feedback for new builds, getting upvotes on your feedback, and completing quests—all done through the Feedback Hub. Learn more about how you can be on the Leaderboard. Join the Bing Insider Program Winter is here. Keep up with the final season of Game of Thrones with Bing. Explore the cast and characters, test your knowledge of season 7, and keep track of every episode. Who do you think will win the Iron Throne? If you want to be among the first to learn about these Bing features, join our Bing Insider Program. No downtime for Hustle-As-A-Service, Dona <3 The post Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18885 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

If you’re among the breed of gamers who like to take their action on the go, you’ll want to check out the five gaming laptops Lenovo has beefed up with the latest 9th Gen Intel Core mobile processors and the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 and 1660 Ti GPUs, plus two new laptops—the Lenovo Legion Y7000 and IdeaPad L340 Gaming—the company has added to its offerings. First unveiled at CES, the upgraded Lenovo Legion Y740, Y540 and Y7000p1 laptops have more than enough power to handle today’s most graphically intensive titles, from action-packed multiplayer online battle arenas to scenic role-playing games to heart-pounding first-person shooters. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/8e2576747122e8315870ccd96c28eafd.jpg The Lenovo Legion Y740 now comes with up to the latest 9th Gen Intel Core i7 mobile processor and Windows 10 Home, plus top-of-the-line graphics with up to next-gen NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q design, available on both the 15-inch and 17-inch model, or the latest GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. With support for Dolby Vision and a brighter screen at up to 500 nits, the Lenovo Legion Y740 brings entertainment to life. Moving on to the refreshed Lenovo Legion Y7000p1, underneath its sleek aluminum metal design this mobile machine delivers massive gaming muscle per millimeter. Enjoy next generation specs with up to the new 9th Gen Intel Core i7 mobile processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, as well as GeForce GTX 1660 Ti and 1650 GPU options. Want more spice in a 15-inch gaming laptop? Meet the Lenovo Legion Y7000. With crimson red “Y” lighting and a full-sized red-backlit keyboard, its seriously bold looks complement the latest generation graphics, memory and storage. Get up to 9th Gen Intel Core i7 mobile processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU or choose between GeForce GTX 1660 Ti or 1650 GPUs. With its thin bezels, the Lenovo Legion Y7000 packs more than 2 million pixels into a near-edgeless 15-inch Full HD display. Combined with up to 144 Hz refresh rate, 300 nits of brightness and an IPS anti-glare screen, this laptop brings games to life. Meanwhile, available in 15-inch and 17-inch models, with up to a GeForce RTX 2060 GPU and 9th Gen Intel i7 processor, the Lenovo Legion Y540 packs plenty of power at a more accessible price point. The 15-inch model weighs in at only 5.1 lbs for portability and offers a white backlit keyboard and under 1ms input response time for the win. With elegant design including cool blue lighting, the Lenovo IdeaPad L340 Gaming is an ideal mainstream laptop for the modern multi-tasker and undercover gamer. Available in 15-inch or 17-inch models, the Lenovo IdeaPad L340 Gaming has next-gen features including up to the latest 9th Gen Intel Core i7 mobile processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPUs and jaw-dropping Dolby Audio hardwired into the laptop to take portable gaming into another dimension. Head over to the Lenovo blogpost for more about all the new laptops, including pricing and availability details. 1The Lenovo Legion Y7000p is known as the Lenovo Legion Y545 in select markets such as North America. LENOVO, IDEPAD and LENOVO LEGION are trademarks of Lenovo. The post Mobile mayhem abounds with Lenovo Legion and IdeaPad gaming upgrades appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) has announced a top-to-bottom update of its gaming laptop family. The ROG spring 2019 collection mixes all-new models with refreshed systems to deftly balance the performance required by gamers, content creators and power users with the convenience of creature comforts that enhance everyday use. The lineup includes desktop replacements, ultra-slims and evolved expressions of traditional laptops. There are different levels to match performance requirements and the appetite for more engaging gaming experiences. S-class laptops offer a premium experience fit for professionals, while M-tier designs scale back slightly to find the sweet spot for savvy users. The new G series focuses on core essentials to improve affordability and welcome more gamers into the Republic. An Intelligent Cooling philosophy guides ROG gaming laptops by combining the right thermal hardware with smart software to ensure optimal performance and acoustics for what’s happening in the moment. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/8eb9c76f979c58eb533766e063b3c584.jpg ASUS ROG GZ700 A vision for the future more than two years in the making, the ROG Mothership is more versatile than previous portable desktop replacements. Instead of lying flat on a desk, it stands tall to give the cooling system unrestricted access to airflow at the back. The keyboard separates and folds for maximum flexibility, giving freedom to position it for the perfect stance, and connects wired or wirelessly. Detaching the keyboard reveals a row of four speakers, creating an effective sound bar right beneath the display. The improved airflow from the upright design lets ROG shave down the chassis without sacrificing speed. An ultra-fast Full HD panel refreshes at 144Hz with 3ms response to satiate gamers who want to experience true triple-digit FPS for fast-paced play. While the ROG Mothership represents the future, the G703 takes the present into the next generation. Sticking to a traditional laptop form factor requires beefier cooling and a thicker chassis to achieve the same performance as its deep-breathing sibling. The larger heatsinks and fans are so effective that the G703 can keep up despite having much less room to breathe. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/dbacba9ad23339fb81a62f759ed9c941-1024x870.jpg ROG Zephyrus S GX701 Despite occupying a chassis just 0.7 inches thin, the new Zephyrus S GX701 has an expansive 17.3-inch display that feels larger than life. The slim body and super-narrow bezels make this the most compact 17-inch gaming laptop ever. With a 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms grey-to-grey response time, the screen doesn’t skimp on speed, and neither does the GPU. It’s available with up to GeForce RTX 2080 graphics pushed to 1230MHz at 100W with ROG Boost, which surpasses the specs of typical ultra-slims. Thanks to PANTONE Validation, it’s also a good fit for creative work. Each screen is calibrated at the factory to guarantee the color accuracy required for certification. ROG’s unique GPU switch further strengthens the GX701’s professional credentials by toggling between G-Sync mode for a better gaming experience and Optimus mode for longer battery life, while a bigger 76Wh battery further extends run times. A special version of the Zephyrus S GX701 is also available with an HDR panel that boasts more than a billion colors. It has higher brightness, better contrast and localized dimming across 15 backlight zones. HDR only works in Optimus mode. Putting high-end gaming components into an ultra-slim laptop is exceedingly difficult, especially when targeting a thinner chassis than ever before, but the Zephyrus S GX531 delivers with a remarkably compact body. The exterior measures nearly 0.6 inches thin and leverages a 15.6-inch display with super-narrow bezels to squeeze into a smaller footprint. While the Zephyrus S GX701 and GX531 have a forward keyboard position that leaves more room for cooling and reduces skin temperatures where hands normally rest, the all-new GX502 adopts a more traditional layout that works better in cramped quarters and on a lap. The esports-grade display makes fast-paced shooters silky smooth and crystal clear, while factory calibration with PANTONE Validation guarantees accurate colors for content creators. Despite the compact chassis, there’s room inside for dual M.2 SSDs that can be configured in a RAID 0 array that maximizes performance. Features and technologies from the S-class laptops trickle down to the more accessible Zephyrus M GU502, which strikes a balance between power and portability. Like the GX502, it has 144Hz and 240Hz display options with 3ms response times and PANTONE-validated colors. Type-C charging support, along with NVIDIA Optimus technology, helps the laptop last longer when working away from home base. In internal testing, the 76Wh battery delivered more than five hours of run time on a single charge. With up to GeForce RTX 2060 graphics, there’s enough graphics power to push triple-digit frame rates in popular games. The chip doesn’t require AAS to stay cool; even without it, the thermal module’s forceful fans and quad heatsinks are effective enough to clock the GPU up to 1435MHz at 90W with ROG Boost. Although it lacks an expanding vent, the chassis is nearly identical to that of the GX502. The rest of the specs match the Zephyrus S nearly step for step with ESS Sabre audio, support for dual NVMe SSDs in RAID, and a complete connectivity payload that includes dual display outputs, plus enough USB ports to connect a mouse, gamepad and external storage. Students and freelancers just starting their careers have even less to spend, but they’re among those who benefit most from ultra-slim gaming devices at affordable prices, like the Zephyrus G GA502, which combines GeForce graphics with a Ryzen CPU. Uniting NVIDIA and AMD processors is a favorite tactic of desktop gaming enthusiasts to maximize impact per dollar. In the GA502, the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GPU is clocked up to 1335MHz at 60W with ROG Boost. It delivers solid frame rates with reliable smoothness, reaching into high-refresh territory on the optional 120Hz display. Added to that is the Ryzen 7 mobile APU with quad cores and eight threads to blaze through everyday work. The power-efficient processor enables battery life up to seven hours, giving more freedom to roam. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/85608f01b5a3405166d4c631df6d3081.jpg ROG Strix G531 The latest Strix series represents the evolution of a more traditional laptop form factor that’s portable enough to carry around all day but not slim enough to encroach on Zephyrus territory. Available in 15.6-inch G531 and 17.3-inch G731 sizes with super-narrow bezels that make the footprints more compact, these mid-sized models are available in SCAR III and Hero III versions optimized for esports dominance, along with affordable Strix G configurations that focus on core gaming features. But it’s the Strix series’ design that might catch your eye, thanks to inspiration from our collaboration with BMW Designworks Group. Raised ridges race across the laptop’s spine and down the deck. Scissor-door hinges sit slightly forward to make more room for the extra ventilation in the 3D Flow Zone at the back, and an asymmetrical cut-out under the display avoids interfering with surrounding airflow. The hinges disappear into the laptop’s frame when closed, reducing exposure that can lead to cracking. ROG worked with professional esports teams and top tournaments to gather insight on the needs of professional players who increasingly demand 240Hz displays. The higher refresh rate provides a competitive edge in high-level play, especially with fast-paced FPS games. ROG Boost takes the GPU up to 1440MHz at 115W, which helps sustain the high FPS needed to saturate the screen. CPU options scale up to the Core i9-9880H, whose eight-core design adds multitasking prowess that can help with gaming and streaming on the same machine, along with more serious work like video editing and 3D rendering. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/5abd3bdc3085f7498cb9147a75cb6773-1024x1024.jpg Strix SCAR III ROG’s esports contenders each carry distinctive designs. The Strix SCAR III reflects its shooter inspiration with a gunmetal grey motif and carbon wave pattern on the interior, while the Hero III wears midnight black punctuated by stealthy cyber text slashed across the palm rest. Both designs split contrasting surfaces on metal lids that add a more premium feel. The collaboration with BMW Designworks Group on the ROG Face Off concept also inspired the transformative nature of the new ROG Keystone, which docks neatly with the chassis and offers a more personalized link to the laptop. This NFC-enabled device acts like a physical key; docking one can change system lighting and other settings based on Armoury Crate profiles, and grant access to a secret Shadow Drive that hides and encrypts important files. Finally, the Strix G concentrates on vital features and components that define the gaming experience, offering excellent value in a versatile laptop that can handle work and school too. Streamers who are starting out on a single machine will appreciate an upgraded video encoder that enables smooth, high-quality capture. With up to a Core i7-9750H CPU packing six cores and 12 threads, the Strix G can be configured to punch above its price tag. The post ASUS announces a lineup of new and refreshed ROG gaming laptops appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/Bank-of-America-MSFT-Campus-Ribbon-Cutting-1024x682.jpg Judson Althoff joins in the Redmond opening of the new Bank of America on Microsoft’s campus. The branch is testing new technologies powered by Microsoft Azure and AI. Recently, I joined a ribbon-cutting at the new Bank of America location on Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Washington. The financial center is a great example of co-innovation with our customers. It features some test technology only available at this location, like a holographic greeter, with capabilities in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. The bank’s associates are equipped with Surface Pros to help stay connected and deliver customer service. Like Bank of America’s example, businesses around the world are transforming. Our customers across finance, health and manufacturing are partnering with Microsoft to power solutions across cloud, AI and IoT, including companies like Neiman Marcus, Albertsons Companies, TomTom, Goodyear, ExxonMobil, Schneider Electric, Telefónica, AT&T, Razer, Emirates, Daimler AG, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, Electrolux, Airbus Defense and Space and Siemens Gamesa. We also announced new details about the Open Data Initiative, our partnership with Adobe and SAP that will enable mutual customers like Unilever, among others, to unify their business data across lines of business applications and unlock new AI-driven insights. There are innovation stories behind each of the diverse brands with which we have partnered over the last quarter. What I find most inspiring are examples of how customers are using our IP to innovate faster than ever. Here are just a few examples: A year ago, we announced a $5 billion investment in IoT. Fast forward to today, where customers like Starbucks, Chevron, Walmart, Walgreens, BMW, Volkswagen and Toyota Material Handling Group are leveraging Azure as their cloud platform with IoT and AI services to accelerate their digital transformation. In fact, IoT is creating a big impact in industries you encounter daily. For example, Ohio-based GOJO Industries, the inventor of PURELL Hand Sanitizer, is a growing digital innovator in public health. The company is using Azure IoT to power its PURELL SMARTLINK Technology solutions. It has about 25,000 connected dispensers that help more than a hundred healthcare facilities streamline hand hygiene compliance through motion sensors, Internet-connected dispensers and a cloud platform that collects and analyzes data. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/2-Gojo.jpg GOJO Industries, inventor of PURELL Hand Sanitizer, helps hospitals monitor hand hygiene with secure IoT dispensers and hand hygiene data from a PURELL SMARTLINK Technology solution running on Azure IoT. In the manufacturing sector, digital transformation from the top floor to the shop floor continues to reshape how customers and partners run their businesses. At Hannover Messe 2019, for instance, we partnered with BMW Group to launch the Open Manufacturing Platform (OMP) built on the Azure Industrial IoT cloud platform and designed to break down productivity-slowing data silos by creating an open technology framework and cross-industry community. The OMP’s goal is to significantly accelerate future industrial IoT developments, shorten time to value and drive production efficiencies while addressing common industrial challenges. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/BMW-OMP.jpg Microsoft’s Azure Industrial IoT cloud platform powers the partnership announced with BMW Group. A long-standing challenge for manufacturers is how best to boost productivity while simplifying employee training and development. Commercial truck designer and manufacturer PACCAR shows digital solutions can be applied to manufacturing and across other industries as well. Thanks to its adoption of Dynamics 365 Guides and HoloLens 2 — our next generation wearable holographic computer that enables businesses to take advantage of out-of-the-box applications — PACCAR employees can access step-by-step holographic instructions to guide them through unfamiliar tasks like assembling a truck door or follow lighted arrows from each instruction card to the precise hole where a wire needs to be threaded or to the location of the correct tool on the factory floor. Holographic drawings superimposed on the actual door demonstrate how to perform that task and brighten structures behind the steel panel that normally cannot be seen. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/hololens-2-kentworth-paccar-chelsey-potts-1024x576.jpg PACCAR is exploring Guides and HoloLens 2 to improve manufacturing productivity and employee onboarding. PACCAR employee Chelsey Potts works on a Kenworth truck assembly line. Toyota Material Handling Group offers an additional manufacturing example. The company is the largest forklift maker in the world, but its customers require much more than warehouse trucks and equipment. By providing solutions with artificial intelligence, mixed reality and the IoT, Toyota Material Handling Group is helping customers meet the global rise in ecommerce, and move goods quickly, frequently, accurately and safely. With Microsoft technologies, the solutions range from connected forklift and field service systems available today to AI-powered concepts that pave the way for intelligent automation and logistics simulation – all designed with Toyota’s standards for optimizing efficiency, operation assistance and kaizen, or continuous improvement. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/Toyota-Materials-Handling-1024x600.jpg Toyota Material Handling Group innovates forklift, factory, service and logistics solutions with digital transformation, and Microsoft Azure AI, IoT and mixed reality. Customers looking to accelerate the digital evolution of their business need partners who can collaborate, co-create and co-innovate with them. That was the impetus behind the February launch of the Accenture Microsoft Business Group, a venture created by Accenture and Microsoft, in conjunction with Avanade, that brings together more than 45,000 professionals — the world’s largest group of Microsoft solution experts — to advance organizations’ digital transformation agenda. When it comes to collaboration and the modern workplace, Razer is a global phenomenon in a multibillion-dollar industry that boasts 2.3 billion customers worldwide. Razer has 15 offices and is recognized as the leading brand for gamers. Today, the company uses Microsoft 365, a complete, intelligent solution that supports creative teamwork, to achieve the same rapid communications, fast decision making and real-time collaboration required to win a game, while using these same attributes for a competitive advantage in the business world. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/Razer-virtual-teamwork-1024x576.jpg Virtual teamwork that happens regularly in the Teams collaboration environment inspires creative problem solving at Razer where stakeholders in product development weigh in on design issues, despite time zones and geographies. In the airline industry, Virgin Atlantic wants employees to have the tools and information they need to make each travel step as smooth as possible. Using Microsoft PowerApps and Dynamics 365, Virgin Atlantic now has a better view of its customers and can quickly and easily develop apps that help its business and field workers excel at their jobs and create an enjoyable travel experience. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/2-Virgin-Atlantic-1024x462.jpg Virgin Atlantic turns to Microsoft PowerApps to help increase customer satisfaction, boost employee engagement, and reduce costs. Digital is also changing how public sector agencies help families and children. For example, New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) caseworkers are using Microsoft 365 security, Office apps, and Surface Pro devices running on Windows 10 to investigate more than 50,000 cases a year of suspected child abuse or neglect. That time-sensitive work used to involve hours of typing reports and multiple trips between families’ homes and the office to retrieve documents. Now, from anywhere in the field, they can instantly access critical resources and capture notes to focus on protecting and advocating for children and families. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/NYAC-Caseworker-1024x768.jpg New York City children’s services caseworkers are using Surface Pro devices enabled with LTE to help manage their digital files and notes securely. Shown here: Eric Blackwood, Child Protective Specialist. No matter the industry sector or geography, digital continues to drive how companies and organizations are reimagining their business models — from how they generate new data and insights, to how they engage customers and enhance workplace experiences for employees. We look forward to extending our collaboration with our customers and partners as they unlock new capabilities and pursue new markets thanks to their digital transformation. Continue reading...

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

IoT sensors are being infused into just about everything, from industrial equipment to consumer devices, and increasingly these devices are connecting to the cloud. By 2020, Gartner predicts there will be more than 20 billion connected devices. In April 2018, we announced we’re investing $5 billion in IoT and the intelligent edge over the next four years. Since then, we’ve been making a number of investments from product innovation – including Azure Sphere, Azure Digital Twins, Azure IoT Edge, Azure Maps and Azure IoT Central – new partnerships with DJI, SAP, PTC, Qualcomm and Carnegie Mellon University for IoT and edge app development, and programs to help drive the next wave of innovation for our customers. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/expresslogic_new_yellow_medium-003-300x48.pngToday, I am incredibly excited to share we have acquired Express Logic, a leader in real time operating systems (RTOS) for IoT and edge devices powered by microcontroller units (MCUs). Express Logic’s ThreadX RTOS has over 6.2 billion deployments, making it one of the most deployed RTOS in the world. This widespread popularity is driven by demand for technology to support resource constrained environments, especially those that require safety and security. Manufacturers building products across a range of categories – from low capacity sensors like lightbulbs and temperature gauges to air conditioners, medical devices, and network appliances – leverage the size, safety and security benefits of Express Logic solutions to achieve faster time to market. Even highly constrained devices (battery powered and having less than 64KB of flash memory) can use Express Logic solutions. Over 9 billion of these MCU-powered devices are built and deployed globally every year, many of which can benefit from Express Logic solutions. With this acquisition, we will unlock access to billions of new connected endpoints, grow the number of devices that can seamlessly connect to Azure and enable new intelligent capabilities. Express Logic’s ThreadX RTOS joins Microsoft’s growing support for IoT devices and is complementary with Azure Sphere, our premier security offering in the microcontroller space. Our goal is to make Express Logic’s ThreadX RTOS available as an option for real time processing requirements on an Azure Sphere device and also enable ThreadX-powered devices to connect to Azure IoT Edge devices when the IoT solution calls for edge computing capabilities. While we recommend Azure Sphere for customers’ most secured connections to the cloud, where Azure Sphere isn’t possible in highly constrained devices, we recommend Express Logic’s ThreadX RTOS over other RTOS options in the industry because of its additional certifications and out-of-the-box connectivity to Azure IoT Hub. As we’ve stated consistently in the past, our primary goal is to simplify IoT – from the cloud all the way down to the smallest MCU based devices. We do this by meeting our customers where they are with the right developer tools, software and intelligent cloud services to manage their solutions at scale. Express Logic’s technology and team will be an incredible addition to Microsoft in our quest to give every customer the ability to transform their businesses, and the world at large, with connected solutions. Continue reading...

Every year, professionals from around the globe join us at Build, our premier developer conference, to learn about new technologies, gain hands-on experience, and level-up their development skills. It’s one of my favorite events, and this year, it’s getting even better as we extend these opportunities to students. For the first time, Build attendees are invited to bring up to two family members aged 14-21 to participate with them—for free. We’ll also bring in local Seattle-area high school students to participate in some of these learning opportunities. The newly created Student Zone at Build is designed to provide an immersive educational experience for the students and attendees, with access to a Surface-equipped lab, on-site experts, a career center, workshops, tech talks and live co-coding opportunities. Naturally, there will be Minecraft—and so much more. Students can talk to cloud engineers, explore data with Azure Cognitive Services, learn about how to code on GitHub and use Visual Studio Code. There will be opportunities learn more about AI and explore the most important technologies and skills developers of tomorrow will need. Microsoft is committed to empowering the next generation of creators to pursue their dreams through access to technology, resources and learning opportunities. One way we encourage students to break boundaries and address real problems is through the Imagine Cup, which has seen students from around the world continually raise the innovation bar through teamwork. Now in its 17th year, the competition empowers tomorrow’s talent to use their creativity, passion and diverse perspectives to solve the world’s most pressing issues. Momentum for the Imagine Cup continues to grow—more than 2 million students from 190 countries have competed in Imagine Cup since it started—and this year, I’m excited the World Championship will be held during Build. In fact, the Imagine Cup champion will be announced to kick off Day One of the event and will be immediately followed by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote. Returning host, Corey Sanders, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Solutions, is especially fitting for the Imagine Cup—he holds four patents and was the creator of the Infrastructure-as-a-service offering for Azure, so he’s deeply familiar with the innovation cycle on many dimensions. Last year’s MC, Kate Yeager, is also making a return appearance to call the action. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/Kate-Yeager-150x150.jpg To get to the World Championship, teams must win their highly competitive regional competitions, which are wrapping up soon. These finalists have developed truly life- and world-changing ideas, like last year’s winning concept, smartARM, a robotic hand that uses a camera embedded in the palm to recognize objects and calculate the most appropriate grip for the object. This year’s champion will take home $100,000 USD, $50,000 USD in Azure credits, mentorship from the team at M12 (formerly Microsoft Ventures) and a mentoring session with Satya Nadella. A team of business and technology professionals will collectively decide the 2019 winning team, and you can watch the championship via live stream on the Build site on Monday, May 6 at 8 a.m. Pacific Time. If you are interested in attending Build and haven’t signed up, there is still time to register. Judges include: Amy Hood, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, who leads Microsoft’s worldwide finance operations, including acquisitions, treasury activities, tax planning, accounting and reporting, and internal audit and investor relations. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/Amy-Hood.png Arlan Hamilton, Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, who built a venture capital fund from the ground up, while homeless. Her firm is dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBTQ. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/Arlan-Hamilton-300x300.jpg Amjad Masad, CEO and founder of it, who has dedicated his career to making programming more accessible. A founding engineer of Codecademy, he helped build the platform that introduced tens of millions of people to coding. He later joined Facebook to lead the JavaScript Infrastructure team to build and maintain developer tools like React.js. With Repl.it, he’s focused on building collaborative developer tools that lower the barriers to entry for building and shipping software. https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/2019/04/Amjad-Masad.jpg Each year, I’m more and more impressed by the solutions created by Imagine Cup students. And I’m thrilled that hundreds of students will be joining us at Build this year to form lifelong memories while exploring what could become a future career in tech. The future is in their hands, and I’m confident they’re up for the challenge! Continue reading...

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

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

If it’s been a minute since you’ve used Skype, there are several new features that have come out since the Windows 10 October 2018 Update: background blurring, OneDrive integration and live captions and subtitles. Background blur Did you ever video chat on Skype and the person you’re talking to seems to be looking at something behind you? Maybe it’s a pile of laundry, your cat photobombing the conversation or a distracting painting. Whatever it is, it’s taking the focus off you. These and many other examples are why Skype introduced background blur in February. As the Skype blog explains, “Background blur in Skype is similar to background blur in Microsoft Teams…With a simple toggle, right-click, or even through your Skype settings, your background will be instantly and subtly blurred, leaving just you as the only focal point.*” Check it out in action: https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/3faf53d4dafb1c76d04cf148b5535ef3.gif OneDrive integration Have you ever been chatting with someone and wanted to share links to files and folders – either just for show or for collaboration? With the latest version of Skype, you can quickly browse, search and share files from your personal OneDrive storage into Skype chats. Instead of sending large files over Skype, you can share Office documents, PDFs or any of the more than 300 file types that OneDrive supports through links. When you sign in to Skype with a Microsoft Account, the OneDrive associated with that account is available to you under the Content and tools panel. Check it out in action and find out more in the Skype blog: https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/3bb4a1619e5be1d3f1e9d3430c9bceef.gif Live captions and subtitles   If you want to read the words that are spoken during an audio or video call, now you can with the latest version of Skype. You can turn live captions and subtitles on for a single call or keep them turned on for all your calls. Find out more on the Skype blog. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/bf7cacede78c6c17ebdb00e2bd9ee6ab.jpg If you like these features, check out more Windows 10 Tips. *Skype will do its best to make sure that your background is always blurred, but there’s no guarantee it will always be blurred. The post Windows 10 Tip: What’s new in Skype for Windows 10 PCs appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

At its annual global press conference Thursday in New York City, Acer launched ConceptD, a new brand of high-end desktops, notebooks, gadgets and monitors optimized for creators such as graphic designers, filmmakers, engineers, architects and developers. It also revealed new and refreshed devices for consumers, gamers and on-the-go professionals. A lot of great hardware was introduced; let’s kick things off with the new ConceptD lineup. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/91bac14af0e62c2c486fc3a19ace924b.jpg ConceptD family of devices The ConceptD 900 is a high-performance desktop for professionals running multiple complex and demanding applications. It has dual Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processors with up to 40 cores, 80 threads, NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 and 12 memory slots for a total of up to 192GB [1] of ECC memory. It’s perfect for filmmakers, animators, product designers and architects to get lost in the creative process without worrying about long render times. It’s also ideal for AI and deep learning developers who need outstanding computing and graphics power. The ConceptD 500 has up to 9th Generation Intel Core processors and up to NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 GPUs [1] to make workloads and multi-media creation smoother and faster on complex projects. Its multiple CPU cores achieve high single-core speed while staying cool with low heat output and low power consumption. With up to NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 GPUs [1], this desktop supports four 5K displays (5120×2880 @ 60Hz) with HDR color, making visual effects, motion graphics and animation rendering a breeze. It’s also designed to grow with users to meet ever-changing workload requirements. With four DIMM slots for up to 64GB 2666 MHz DDR4 memory, it has more bandwidth and capacity for fast performance when working on complex design tasks. The onboard PCIe M.2 NVMe SSD allows for large models and complex 3D rendering in real time. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/c8f7c47545caa3373f5cba60106c61b7.jpg ConceptD 9 ConceptD 9, 7 and 5 creator notebooks each feature a 4K UHD IPS [2] PANTONE Validated display. Colors are as accurate as possible as the display covers 100 percent of the Adobe RGB color gamut. These creator notebooks stay quiet with Acer’s 4th generation AeroBlade 3D Fan with a noise reduction mechanism that emits less than 40 db of noise — equivalent to the sound level of a library — while maintaining high computing and graphics performance. Creators need color accuracy beyond what most mainstream monitors can offer, and so Acer created ConceptD UHD monitors. Featuring a remarkable color accuracy of Delta E <1 and a modern slick, black finish with a wood-patterned base, these new PANTONE Validated monitors are optimized so creators can do more. The ConceptD CM7321K is a 32-inch monitor ideal for 2D creators. Its VESA-Certified DisplayHDR1000, 32-inch 4K UHD display delivers 1152 zones of local-dimming with Mini LED technology and DisplayHDR 1000, plus 99 percent coverage of the Adobe RGB color space and 89.5 percent Rec.2020 so creators and filmmakers can bring their ideas to life. The ConceptD CP7271K is a PANTONE Validated 27-inch monitor optimized for 3D creators. It has an impressive color accuracy of Delta E <1, a wide color gamut of 99 of the AdobeRGB and 93 percent DCI-P3. It also features GSYNC Ultimate and DisplayHDR 1000 for unparalleled color and image detail. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/9f0f816caf38705dff3f81ae1b2aec34.jpg Aspire 5 Acer also updated its popular Aspire series of notebooks powered by Windows 10 that cater to a wide range of needs, and revealed new features. For users looking for lightning-fast performance, the Aspire 7 rises above similar products in its category by featuring an 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor and the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics, and an all-metal top cover and palm-rest area. The Aspire 5 is ideal for bloggers, photographers and media enthusiasts, and offers exceptional processing and graphics performance with an 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce MX250 GPU for powerful everyday computing. The Aspire 3 is a great value laptop built for everyday tasks at home, work or school, such as web browsing, social media and watching movies, while also offering vast storage capabilities for family photos, films and videos. On-the-go professionals will appreciate the new Spin 3, the latest addition to Acer’s Spin convertible notebook series. Its combination of power, value, long battery life and generous screen size sets it apart from the competition. Powered by up to an 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor and an optional NVIDIA GeForce MX230 GPU, it features a 512GB PCIe SSD and up to 1TB of HDD storage, a dockable and rechargeable pen and enhanced Wi-Fi 5 performance. The Spin 3’s 14-inch Full HD IPS [2] touch display allows for pen and touch simultaneously, and the Acer Active Pen enables precise and direct on-screen input at multiple points of contact, improving your efficiency working on more complex projects. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/c7e80b6fcf4300f2f1e7bb2d3236086f-1024x819.jpg TravelMate P614-51 For those who really put their devices to the test, the new TravelMate P614-51 is a thin, light and durable commercial notebook series built for professionals who travel frequently or work in the field. Robust and powerful with long battery life, it’s built to withstand life on the road and support heavy workloads. It’s designed to handle the bumps and bangs of airport security checks, accidental drops and other mishaps. It complies with MIL-STD 810G [3], 810F, a set of U.S. military-grade tests that check the durability of a wide range of products. The standards follow stringent procedures such as a drop test involving 26 drops from a height of approximately 48 inches on various parts of the frame — landing on two inches of plywood placed on concrete. Other tests check the laptop’s resistance to rain, humidity and extreme temperatures. It sports a premium quality magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis, which weighs less and is stronger than standard aluminum alloys at the same thickness. Weighing just 2.4 pounds and measuring only 0.6 inches thick, it doesn’t take up much room in a briefcase or backpack. With up to 20 hours [4] of battery life, professionals can stay productive on international flights or work through two full days on the go without having to recharge. And for gaming enthusiasts, Acer had plenty to show off. The new Nitro 7 laptop is for casual gamers looking to boost their performance as they compete with friends online. It has a brand-new sleek metal chassis measuring just 19.9 mm [1]. Its high-resolution 15.6-inch display reproduces lifelike colors at a 144 Hz [1] refresh rate with a 3 ms [5] response time for a tear-free gaming experience — crucial while in the throes of battle. A 9th Generation Intel Core processor [1] and the latest NVIDIA GPUs power the Nitro 7 to ensure a seamless gaming experience. It also has ample storage, with two slots available for M.2 Gen 3×4 PCIe SSDs using NVMe technology in Raid 02 [1], and up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM with up to 2TB of HDD storage. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/60ece15ba75bee64466f0e84e5dff449.jpg Nitro 5 In addition, Acer has updated the Nitro 5 series laptop with the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics, a new display with a 144 Hz [1] refresh rate, and a low-latency response time of only 3 ms [5]. It effortlessly streams gameplay with Gigabit Wi-Fi 5 with 2×2 MU-MIMO technology. Users can also connect supporting gadgets with an array of ports such as HDMI 2.0, USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1 and more. Acer also unveiled two new Predator Helios Windows 10 gaming notebooks at the global press conference. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/6ebe3bb4edf9d88dd9af00ea802e1e8f.jpg Predator Helios 700 The all-new Helios 700 includes a HyperDrift keyboard that slides forward, increasing airflow directly through the top of the notebook. This keyboard is part of the notebook’s thermal architecture, which consists of two of Acer’s custom-engineered 4th Generation AeroBlade 3D Fans, five copper heat pipes, a vapor chamber [6] and Acer CoolBoost Technology. By sliding the keyboard forward, two additional air intakes appear above the keyboard and below the display, giving the powerful heat-generating components extra air flow for maximum cooling and unleashed overclocking. The glass panel also provides a view of the notebook’s heat pipes. The HyperDrift keyboard also improves ergonomics. With the keyboard closer now, gamers can keep a good distance to the 17-inch screen without overextending hands, providing desktop comfort in a notebook form factor. The keyboard also features per-key RGB lighting, anti-ghosting and MagForce WASD keys. TheMagForce keys use analog-like linear switches that trigger actuation immediately upon the initial press, and increase up to 100 percent to give players more control over precise movements in the game. A Precision Touchpad is outlined with blue lighting and features two discrete mouse buttons below the pad for easy clicking. The redesigned Predator Helios 300 raises the bar for midrange gaming notebooks with the addition of powerful technologies and features, along with a new sophisticated design. Gamers will be most excited about the addition of a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 GPU with Max-Q Design supported by a Turbo key for one-punch overclocking and Killer DoubleShot Pro for fast and lag-free networking. Paired with up to the latest 9th Generation Intel Core i7 processors, up to 32GB of DDR4 2666MHz memory and up to two PCIe NVMe SSDs in RAID 0 plus a hard drive, it’s the powerhouse gamers crave for playing today’s AAA games. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/f44795ad98cf0e89540399c249ff2ca2.jpg Predator Helios 300 It’s well-suited for task-heavy computing, as its high-end hardware provides the performance needed for gaming, streaming, and video and photo editing. Praised for being one of the first notebooks in its class to feature a 144Hz display, the new Helios 300’s bright 15.6-inch or 17.3-inch Full HD IPS [1] display is now framed by a narrow border and includes 3 ms overdrive response times. Finally, Acer revealed new additions across its growing Predator line that appeal to high-performance gamers. The new Predator Orion 5000 (PO5-605S) adopts the overclockable octa-core 9th Generation Intel Core i9-9900K (with Z390 chipset) with support for dual-channel DDR4 configurations (up to 64GB). For superior graphics performance, the revolutionary NVIDIA Turing architecture combines real-time ray tracing, artificial intelligence and programmable shading to immerse players in a visually stunning gaming experience. A Cooler Master CPU Liquid Cooler [1] regulates temperature to maximize peak performance. Strategically placed intake and exhaust fans, as well as a shrouded power supply unit outfitted with its very own removable dust filter, ensure each internal component of the Orion tower stays cool during extended gaming sessions. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/1663170c1dbbd7d190bf1d1147ad03ec.jpg Predator Orion 5000 The tower’s chassis has been trimmed down to just 30 liters, while the see-through side panel includes a layer of metal mesh which, along with the rest of the case, provides EMI shielding to inner components. Users can maintain superiority over the competition with 2.5Gbps Ethernet, and when victory is assured, they can hang the headset on either of the chassis’ two headset cradles. In addition, Acer launched a massive 43-inch Predator Monitor alongside new additions to its growing series of Predator peripherals. Designed for hardcore PC and console gaming enthusiasts looking for ultra-high definition (3840 x 2160), the 4K monitor features a fast 144Hz refresh rate for smooth and tear-free imagery, essential for tracking objects as they zip across the screen. The monitor’s AdaptiveSync feature adapts to the frame rate of the outputting device, resulting in uninterrupted gameplay. Console gamers will appreciate its three HDMI ports, plus a Type-C and a display port. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/4a99eb6328b26505bee1bcad495f5551.jpg Predator Monitor The 43-inch Predator Monitor also saves power through a light sensor that can detect the light level in the room and automatically adjusts brightness for comfortable viewing, and a proximity sensor, so as viewers move to the front of monitor it will automatically wake up from standby mode, or revert to sleep mode when no one is in the room. It also includes a remote control, making it convenient for living room use. Find out more about all these devices at Acer. [1] Specifications may vary depending on model/country. [2] All brands and product names mentioned herein include trademarks of their respective companies and are used solely to describe or identify the products. [3] Tested by qualified third-party labs for certain test procedures under MIL-STD 810G (Oct 2008) for environmental conditions that include high and low temperatures, humidity, vibrations, mechanical shocks on drops, rain, dust and sand. [4] Battery life claim based on MobileMark 2014. Actual battery life varies depending on product specifications, computer settings and applications or features launched. All batteries’ maximum capacity diminishes with time and use. [5] Nitro 5/7 both support 144 Hz and 3 ms response time Overdrive. [6] Vapor chamber not available on all models. The post Acer family grows with ConceptD portfolio for creators, Spin 3 series, gaming notebooks and more appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are moving the Fast ring forward to 20H1 and merging the small group of Insiders who opted-in to Skip Ahead back into the Fast ring with the release of Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20H1 Build 18875. That means Insiders in the Fast ring and those who opted-in to Skip Ahead will receive the same builds going forward. IMPORTANT: As is normal with builds early in the development cycle, these builds may contain bugs that might be painful for some. If you take this flight, you won’t be able to switch Slow or Release Preview rings without doing a clean-install on your PC. If you wish to remain on 19H1, please change your ring settings via Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program *before* taking this flight. See this blog post for details. If you are looking for a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring – head on over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here including a complete list of new features and updates that have gone out as part of Insider flights for the current development cycle. What’s new in Build 18875 East Asian Microsoft Input Method Editor (IME) Improvements: The New Japanese IME is now available to all Insiders in Fast! During 19H1, we announced we were working on a new Japanese IME. We got a lot of great feedback, and the IME was taken offline for a time while we worked on improving the experience based on what you’d told us. Today the IME – now more secure, more stable, with improved game compatibility, and more – is once again available for all Insiders starting with this build. If you speak Japanese, please take some time to evaluate how it feels to use the IME (with all the improvements) for daily usage, and let us know what you think! If you already were using the Japanese IME, you’ll automatically have the new one when you install this build – if you weren’t already using the Japanese IME, you can add it by going to Languages Settings and adding Japanese to the list. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/ae100c83b587fe0bade0cbfe9c73f552.jpg New IMEs are available for Simplified and Traditional Chinese! Just like the Japanese IME above, we’ve been working on refining your Chinese typing experience, and are happy to share that we have new versions of the Chinese Simplified IMEs (Pinyin and Wubi), as well as the Chinese Traditional IMEs (Bopomofo, ChangJie and Quick). We’ve improved the security and reliability by redesigning how they work with applications. You’ll also notice we’ve added a cleaner interface for the candidate window and settings pages. Improved and renewed settings of the IMEs are available in the Settings app. If you’re using one of the IMEs and you’d like to check it out, the fastest way there is to right-click the IME mode indicator in the taskbar and select Settings (you can get there from the Language Settings page by clicking the language, and going into options). Looking forward to hearing what you think about it! General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC We fixed an issue that could result in a freeze on the lock screen if you interacted with the touch keyboard and then switched keyboard layouts. We fixed an issue resulting in Settings sporadically crashing in the last few builds. We fixed an issue resulting in some Insiders being prompted to setup their device after every reboot. We fixed an issue resulting in some of the text under Settings > System > Storage > Temporary Files being unexpectedly garbled in Chinese and Japanese. We’ve made a change in Timeline for keyboard-only users, so if you’re doing a search and haven’t opted in, you’ll no longer have to tab past the opt-in text before you can get to the search results. We fixed an issue that could cause certain applications to flicker if they were maximized and you launched the touch keyboard. We fixed an issue where, if the Photos tile was pinned to Start, it could potentially result in unexpected battery drain as the tile animation would trigger even if Start wasn’t open. Known Issues There has been an issue with older versions of anti-cheat software used with games where after updating to the latest 19H1 Insider Preview builds may cause PCs to experience crashes. We are working with partners on getting their software updated with a fix, and most games have released patches to prevent PCs from experiencing this issue. To minimize the chance of running into this issue, please make sure you are running the latest version of your games before attempting to update the operating system. We are also working with anti-cheat and game developers to resolve similar issues that may arise with the 20H1 Insider Preview builds, and will work to minimize the likelihood of these issues in the future. Some Realtek SD card readers are not functioning properly. We are investigating the issue. Creative X-Fi sound cards are not functioning properly. Creative has released updated drivers for some affected X-Fi sound cards. Please refer to Creative’s website for details on your particular hardware and any available updates. Known issues for Developers If you install builds from the Fast ring and switch to either the Slow ring or the Release Preview ring, optional content such as enabling developer mode will fail. You will have to remain in the Fast ring to add/install/enable optional content. This is because optional content will only install on builds approved for specific rings. Join the Bing Insiders Program Tech specs at your fingertips. Get relevant technical information on your smartphone. Bing shows you the specs of any mobile phone, including display, storage, camera, and more. If you want to be among the first to learn about these Bing features, join our Bing Insider Program. No downtime for Hustle-As-A-Service, Dona <3 The post Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18875 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders, Last week, we announced how we are improving the Windows 10 update experience with the Windows 10 May 2019 Update in a blog post from Mike Fortin. As part of that blog post, Mike outlined how we plan to deploy the May 2019 Update to customers. Right now, the May 2019 Update (Build 18362.30) is being rolled out to the Release Preview ring starting with seekers. The May 2019 Update will remain in the Release Preview ring for an increased amount of time in order give us additional time and signals to detect any issues before broader deployment. Check your Windows Insider Program settings With the Windows 10 May 2019 Update being rolled out to the Release Preview ring today, we’re planning to move Windows Insiders in the Fast ring forward to 20H1. We will also be merging the small group of Insiders who opted-in to Skip Ahead back into the Fast ring. We are looking to make this change in the coming weeks. Now is the time for you to verify your desired Windows Insider Program settings by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program to ensure you’re on the ring you want to be on before this change occurs. If you are an Insider who wishes to remain on the May 2019 Update – you will want to switch to the Slow or Release Preview rings. IMPORTANT NOTE: 20H1 builds are from our development branch (RS_PRERELEASE) and as is normal with builds early in the development cycle, these builds may contain bugs that might be painful for some. If you are in the Fast ring and your PC gets updated to 20H1, you won’t be able to switch your ring to the Slow or Release Preview rings without doing a clean-install on your PC and starting over. We will begin releasing 19H2 bits to Insiders later this spring and will talk more about what that will look like in the near future. How to get the May 2019 Update from the Release Preview ring For those who are not already in the Slow and Release Preview rings – you can get the May 2019 Update today by joining the Windows Insider Program with your Microsoft account (MSA) or Azure Active Directory account and joining your PC to the Release Preview using the following steps. Step 1: Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program and click the “Get started” button. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/ca408ebeb60f1388261eb7771231c5bf.png Step 2: Link your Microsoft account or Azure Active Directory account. This is the email account you used to register for the Windows Insider Program. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/30ce367bfefd841c44483701b7526ea4.png Step 3: Choose “Just fixes, apps, and drivers” to join the Release Preview ring and get the May 2019 Update. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/6ee8456d51191ccb95b1683c73642e7e.png Step 4: Confirm the legal stuff. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/c9d9b8d19c827f9461fd8d30def7455f.png Step 5: Press “Restart Now” to ensure your PC is now in the Release Preview ring. Without restarting your PC, your PC won’t be fully be joined. A restart is required. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/69d68fca05eb4cf62106c0da46de51e4.png Step 6: After rebooting your PC, double-check your Windows Insider Program settings via Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program and make sure it shows “Release Preview” under “What pace do you want to get new builds?”. https://blogs.windows.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/2/2019/04/c9b0a5500a271e80eb40c95bbdbc7f2a.png Step 7: If you go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and press the “Check for updates” button – your PC should receive the May 2019 Update. Once your PC is on the May 2019 Update, we will continue to release Cumulative Updates over the coming weeks that improves your experience. Thanks, BLB The post Releasing the May 2019 Update to the Release Preview ring appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...