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Sky Yi didn’t expect to get a response when he wrote a letter to Microsoft President Brad Smith last spring. Sky penned it as part of an assignment from math teacher Ken Jordan, who asked his students at Silverland Middle School in Fernley, Nevada, to write letters to the businesses that they like. “I know this letter won’t be opened by you on the spot, as I’m sure you guys get millions of letters,” Sky wrote. “I bet whoever is getting this letter, whether it be your secretary or whatnot, is probably just throwing this away or something like that.” Still, he added, “Keep up the good work running that company.” Sky’s letter was not only read, it resulted in Smith visiting the Nevada school to meet Sky in person as part of the company’s effort to draw attention to the importance of math and encourage students and teachers who are passionate about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. Sky is “one of my smartest kids,” says teacher Jordan, and Smith gave Sky props for his math smarts. He also gave him something else. Watch the video to learn more. “At Microsoft, we’ve been working with middle schools for a long time, especially on subjects like middle-school math,” Smith said at the end of his visit. “Because what we’ve learned, what the country knows, is that middle-school math is a game changer. If kids make it through seventh- and eighth-grade math, and they succeed, they’re almost certain to keep succeeding, they’re almost certain to graduate from high school. And one of the things that makes this story exciting, is that this is a middle school that clearly has some great math teachers doing really creative work, drawing kids in, helping them not just learn to count and focus on things like algebra, but showing how math has a real-world impact, and as schools are finding out across the country, that makes all the difference.” The post As kids head back to school, we hope Sky Yi’s letter inspires you like it did us appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/6aa8c1c8b06dae0da1750e4e90d7fb4d.jpg I first met Lucas Rizzotto at a Microsoft HoloLens hackathon last December, where he and his team built a holographic advertising solution. Fast forward to August, and he’s now an award-winning mixed reality creator, technologist, and designer with two HoloLens apps in Windows Store: MyLab, a chemistry education app, and CyberSnake, a game that makes the most of spatial sound…and holographic hamburgers. Little did I know, Lucas had no idea how to code when he started. Today, he shares how he and you can learn and design mixed reality, as well as some tips for spatial sound. Dig in! Why HoloLens, and why Windows Mixed Reality? It’s the future! Having the opportunity to work with such an influential industry on its early days is a delightful process – not only it’s incredibly creatively challenging, you can really have a say on what digital experiences and computers will look like in 10, 20 years from now – so it’s packed with excitement, but also responsibility. We are designing the primary way most people will experience the world in the future, and the HoloLens is the closest thing we’ve got to that today. The community of creators around this technology right now is also great – everyone involved in this space is in love with the possibilities and wants to bring their own visions of the future to light. Few things beat working with people whose primary fuel is passion. How did you get started developing for mixed reality? I come from mostly a design background and didn’t really know how to code until two years ago – so I started by teaching myself C# and Unity to build the foundation I’d need to make the things I really wanted to make. Having the development knowledge today really helps me understand my creations at a much deeper level, but the best part about it is how it gives me the ability to test crazy ideas really quickly and independently – which is extremely useful in a fast-paced industry like MR. HoloLens wise, the HoloLens Slack community is a great place to be – it’s very active and full of people that’ll be more than happy to point you in the right direction, and most people involved in MR are part of the channel. Other than that, the HoloLens forums are also a good resource, especially if you want to ask questions directly to the Microsoft engineering team. Also, YouTube! It has always been my go-to for self-education. It’s how I learned Unity and how I learned a ton of the things I know about the world today. The community of teachers and learners there never ceases to amaze me. Speaking of design, how do you design in mixed reality? Is anything different? MR is a different beast that no one has figured out quite yet – but one of the key things I learned is that you need to give up a little bit of control in your UX process and design applications more open ended. We’re working with human senses now, and people’s preferences vary wildly from human to human. We can’t micro-manage every single aspect of the UX like we do on mobile – some users will prefer to use voice commands, others will prefer hand gestures – some users get visually overwhelmed quickly, while others thrive in the chaos. Creating experiences that can suit all borders of the spectrum is increasingly essential in the immersive space. 3D user interfaces are also a new challenge and quite a big deal in MR. Most of the UI we see in immersive experiences today (mine included!) is still full of buttons, windows, tabs and reminiscent visual metaphors from our 2D era. Cracking out new 3D metaphors that are visually engaging and more emotionally meaningful is a big part of the design process. Also, experiment. A lot. Code up interactions that sound silly, and see what they feel like once you perform them. I try to do that even if I’m doing a serious enterprise application. Not only this is a great way to find and create wonder in everything you build, it will usually give you a bunch of new creative and design insights that you would never be able to stumble upon otherwise. An example – recently I was building a prototype for a spiritual sequel to CyberSnake in which the player is a Cybernetic Rhinoceros, and had to decide what the main menu looked like. The traditional way to set it up would be to have a bunch of floating buttons in front of you that you can air tap to select what you want to do – but that’s a bit arbitrary, and you’re a Rhino! You don’t have fingers to air tap. So instead of pressing buttons from a distance, I made it so players are prompted to bash their head against the menu options and break it into a thousand pieces instead. This interaction fulfills a number of roles: first of all, it’s fun, and people always smile in surprise the first time they destroy the menu it. Secondly, it introduces them to a main gameplay element (in the game players must destroy a number of structures with their head), which serves as practice. Thirdly, it’s in character! It plays into the story the app is trying to tell, and the player immediately becomes aware of what they are from that moment forward and what their goal is. With one silly idea, we went from having a bland main menu to something new that’s true to the experience and highly emotionally engaging. HoloLens offers uniquely human inputs like gaze, gesture, and voice. So different from the clicks and taps we know today! Do you have a favorite HoloLens input? Gazing is highly underestimated and underused – it implies user intention there’s so much you can do with it. A healthy combination of voice, hand gestures, and gaze can make experiences incredibly smooth with contextual menus that pop in and out whenever the user stares at something meaningful. This will be even truer once eye-tracking becomes the standard in the space. What do you want to see more of, design wise? I want to be more surprised by the things MR experiences make me do and feel challenged by them! Most of the stuff being done today is still fairly safe – people seem to be more focused on trying to find ways to make the medium monetizable instead of discovering its true potential first. I live for being surprised, and want to see concepts and interactions that have never crossed my mind and perfectly leverage the device’s strengths in new creative ways. Describe your process for building an app with Windows Mixed Reality. I try to have as many playful ideas as I possibly can on a daily basis, and whenever I stumble upon something that seems feasible in the present, I think about it more carefully. I write down the specifics of the concept with excruciating detail so it can go from an abstraction into an actual, buildable product, then set the goals and challenges I’ll have to overcome to make it happen – giving myself a few reality checks on the way to make sure I’m not overestimating my abilities to finish it in the desired time span. I then proceed to build a basic version of the product – just the essential features and the most basic functionality – here I usually get a sense if the idea works or not at a most basic level and if it’s something I’d like to continue doing. If it seems promising, then the wild experimentation phase begins. I test out new features, approach the same problem from a variety of angles, try to seize any opportunities for wonder and make sure that I know the “Why?” behind every single design decision. Keep doing this until you have a solid build to test with others, but without spending too much time on this phase, otherwise projects never get done. In user testing, you can get a very clear view of what you have to improve, and I pay close attention to the emotional reactions of users. Whenever you see a positive reaction, write it down and see if you can intensify it even further in development. If users show negative emotional reactions, find out what’s wrong and fix it. If they’re neutral through and through, then reevaluate certain visual aspects of your app to find out how you can put a positive emotion on their face. Reiterate, polish, finish – and make a release video of it so the whole world can see it. Not everyone has access to an immersive device yet, but most people sure do have access to the internet. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/4f8354c35260cf2100c173fabea4eefe.jpg https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/c54b05962e63bffeb5f8bebac7e27f8b.jpg CyberSnake’s audio makes players hyper-aware of where they are in the game. Can you talk about how you approached sound design? After all, spatial sound is part of what makes holograms so convincing. Sound is as fundamental to the identity of your MR experience as anything else, and this is a relatively new idea in software development (aside from games). Developers tend not to pay too much attention to sound because it has been, for the most part, ignored in the design process of websites and mobile applications. But now we’re dealing with sensory computing and sound needs to be considered as highly as visuals for a great experience. CyberSnake uses spatial audio in a number of useful ways – whenever user’s heads get close to their tail, for example, the tail emits an electric buzz that gets louder and louder, signaling the danger and where it’s coming from. Whenever you’re close to a burger, directional audio also reinforces the location of the collectibles and where the user should be moving their head. These bits of audio help the user move and give them a new level of spatial awareness. Sound is an amazing way to reinforce behaviour – a general rule of thumb is to always have a sound to react to anything the user does, and make sure that the “personality” of said sound also matches the action that the user is performing thematically. If you’re approaching sound correctly, the way something looks and moves will be inseparable from the way it sounds. In the case of CyberSnake, there was some good effort to make sure that the sounds fit the visual, the music and the general aesthetic – I think it paid off! Spending some time designing your own sounds sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn’t. Grab a midi-controller, some virtual instruments and dabble away until you find something that seems to fit the core of what you’re building. Like anything else, it all comes down to experimentation. What’s next for you? A number of things! I’m starting my own Mixed Reality Agency in September to continue developing MR projects that are both wondrous and useful at a larger scale. I’m also finishing my Computer Science degree this year and completing a number of immersive art side projects that you’ll soon hear about – some of which you may see at a couple of major film festivals. So stay in touch – good things are coming! As always, I’m impressed and inspired by Lucas’s work. You can connect with Lucas on Twitter @_LucasRizzotto and his website, where you’ll find nuggets of gold like his vision for mixed reality and AI in education. And maybe even his awesome piano skills. Learn more about building for Windows Mixed Reality at the Windows Mixed Reality Developer Center. Lucas is right about spatial sound—it adds so much to an experience—so I asked Joe Kelly, Microsoft Audio Director working on HoloLens, for the best spatial sound how-tos. He suggests using the wealth of resources on Windows Mixed Reality Developer Center. They’re linked below—peruse and use, and share what you make with #MakingMR! Spatial sound overview Designing/implementing sounds Unity implementation Programming example video (AudioGraph) GitHub example (XAudio2) The post Making mixed reality: a conversation with Lucas Rizzotto appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

From finding a cure for cancer to making vehicles safer to fulfilling the promises of artificial intelligence, today’s complex problems require the ability to harness massive amounts of computing power. For too long, Big Computing has been accessible only to the most well-funded organizations. At Microsoft, we believe that access to Big Computing capabilities in the cloud has the power to transform many businesses and will be at the forefront of breakthrough experimentation and innovation in the decades to come. Thus far, we have made significant investments across our infrastructure, services and partner ecosystem to realize this vision. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/7f3261054f80d3ea14be343788f52a2a.jpg As a further step in this direction, I’m pleased to share that we’ve acquired Cycle Computing, a leader in cloud computing orchestration, to help make it easier than ever for customers to use High-Performance Computing (HPC) and other Big Computing capabilities in the cloud. The cloud is quickly changing the world of Big Compute, giving customers the on-demand power and infrastructure necessary to run massive workloads at scale without the overhead. Your compute power is no longer measured or limited by the square footage of your data center. Azure has a massive global footprint and, more than any other major cloud provider. It also has powerful infrastructure, InfiniBand support for fast networking and state-of-the-art GPU capabilities. Combining the most specialized Big Compute infrastructure available in the public cloud with Cycle Computing’s technology and years of experience with the world’s largest supercomputers, we open up many new possibilities. Most importantly, Cycle Computing will help customers accelerate their movement to the cloud, and make it easy to take advantage of the most performant and compliant infrastructure available in the public cloud today. We’ve already seen explosive growth on Azure in the areas of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and deep learning. As customers continue to look for faster, more efficient ways to run their workloads, Cycle Computing’s depth and expertise around massively scalable applications make them a great fit to join our Microsoft team. Their technology will further enhance our support of Linux HPC workloads and make it easier to extend on-premise workloads to the cloud. Customers like the City of Hope and MetLife have already benefited from the flexibility and scalability of Azure HPC data-processing capabilities to achieve faster and more accurate results, while saving significant infrastructure costs. We look forward to hearing many more success stories from other customers as well, and we’re excited for you to put Azure to the test. In the meantime, I’m excited to welcome the Cycle Computing team to Microsoft, and look forward to seeing the impact their technology and talent will have on Azure and the customer experience. You can also read a blog post from Jason Stowe, founder and CEO of Cycle Computing, here. The post Microsoft acquires Cycle Computing to accelerate Big Computing in the cloud appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

Did you know with July’s updates to Office 365, it’s easier than ever to create high-impact presentations? Now PowerPoint Designer recognizes times, dates and topics on your slides and intelligently redesigns your content into professional-looking timelines.* Here’s how to get started: https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/43a4fa60f07b14ef0cf128fcfb18f987.gif Start with a list of dates, then simply select Design Ideas in the Design tab and choose your favorite layout from the set of suggestions! In case you missed it, head over here to read last week’s Windows 10 Tip: Have a great week! *PowerPoint Designer support for timelines is available in English and Spanish. The post Windows 10 Tip: Turn text into timelines in PowerPoint appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

No dog days of summer here. This week, Microsoft worked on enterprise technology, modern workplaces and new ways to improve productivity and gaming. And that’s not including teens who gave up part of their summer to work on digital civility. Let’s take a look. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/b063a2cc5be876128506f23e9c974abc.jpg How can artificial intelligence (AI) make meetings less painful? This week’s .future podcast explores that question and others in a lively discussion on technology that’s changing productivity, collaboration and work in the 21st century. The episode is the last podcast in the series’ season. Also this week, Microsoft introduced the Coco Framework to make blockchain technology ready for enterprises. The Coco Framework is a pioneering innovation that addresses the need for transaction speed, distributed governance and data confidentiality – ultimately advancing commercial adoption of blockchain and cementing its potential to transform business across many sectors. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/66ac56ef113398f2eb038868fbc85a6b.jpg Microsoft’s first Council for Digital Good. Back row, from left: Bronte Johnson, Rees Draminski, Jacob Sedesse, Robert Buckley and William Fischer. Front row, from left: Katherine Choi, Miosotis Ramos, Champe Scoble, Judah Siegand, Christina Woodrow, Sierra Williams-Mcleod, Erin Roberts, Isabella Wang, Indigo Eatmon and Jazmine Harry. Photo by Chris Neir, digital media specialist. It may be summer, but a group of teens were hard at work at the inaugural meeting of Microsoft’s new Council for Digital Good in Redmond, Washington. The youths came together to discuss how to advance digital civility and safer online interactions. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/19350deae863338906a348a1f27a878a.png Microsoft introduced the new Outlook.com beta, which has an improved photo experience, new personalization options and a smarter inbox that shows quick suggestions as you type. A toggle switch lets users easily move between the beta and regular Outlook.com experience. Xbox insiders got the first look at a major Xbox update to the Xbox One and Windows 10 PC gaming system. The release was designed to make Xbox gaming more fun, personalized and social, with better navigation, new customization choices and a more immersive community experience. Meanwhile, the Xbox Live Creators Program rolled out on Xbox One and Windows 10 with its first wave of games from developers large and small. The program allows any developer to quickly and directly publish their games to Xbox One and Windows 10, with a simplified certification process and no concept approval required. The new MINECON Earth livestream event and related community events were announced this week to help more people celebrate “Minecraft” and its global community. Fans around the world will be able to watch the interactive livestream on Nov. 18. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/ad1fd709a31bc48a22b70f3d16fff3fa.jpg Finally, in app news, Spotify became available on Xbox One in 34 markets around the world and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” arrived in the Windows Store two weeks before heading to Blu-ray. Thanks for reading and see you next week! Vanessa Ho Microsoft News Center Staff The post Better meetings with AI, teens focus on digital civility and advancing blockchain for enterprises – Weekend Reading: Aug. 11 appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

We hope you enjoyed today’s episode of This Week on Windows! Head over here to learn about the exciting changes coming to MINECON and what’s new to Office 365 in July, read our Windows 10 Tip on how you can see your 3D creations take life in Remix 3D, or, keep reading for what’s new in the Windows Store. In case you missed it: Join Xbox Academy at the Flagship Microsoft Store to design and create your first video game https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/dfcae6678feedf4879a4264f0d4f27bd.jpg Microsoft Store is excited to announce Xbox Academy is back – this time class is in session at the New York and Sydney flagship stores! Xbox Academy is a series of FREE, hands-on game development classes that aims to foster creativity and STEM education outside of the classroom. The program will feature three unique courses, each covering a different aspect of the game development process to inspire new ways to build, create, play and transform ideas. Read more over at Xbox Wire! When and How to Join Flagship Microsoft Store in New York: Sunday, Aug. 20 to Sunday, Sept. 3; visit here to register. Flagship Microsoft Store in Sydney: Monday, Sept. 25 to Sunday, Oct. 1; visit here to register. Here’s what’s new in the Windows Store this week: Explore your favorite car in stunning detail in the Forza Motorsport 7 Garage https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/ae005f6394893af1c8c3a26b269a2a13.jpg Welcome to week four of the Forza Motorsport 7 Garage, where we are well on our way to revealing the more than 700+ vehicles that will be a part of Forza Motorsport 7 at launch. With hundreds of cars to race, customize, and explore, this week we’re focusing on the “exploration” part of the game. After all, every car in Forza Motorsport 7 features a full Forzavista experience, thereby allowing players to discover each car’s unique characteristics in exquisite detail. This week in the Forza Motorsport 7 Garage we are proud to announce a deep list of cars from America; more than 100 cars and trucks from as early as 1970 (earlier models were announced during week 2 Vintage Week). Whether you prefer classic muscle or the latest trends from Detroit, this week’s lineup will never leave you wanting for power. Head over to Xbox Wire to read more! Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/23d236b8ef7a831fd7a328a0c03658c5.jpg Set to the sounds of Awesome Mixtape #2, Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ($19.99 HD) continues the team’s adventures as they seek to unravel the mystery of Star-Lord’s parentage. Get the blockbuster hit today in the Movies & TV section of the Windows Store, two weeks before it comes to Blu-ray! Travel Essentials Collection https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/fbbaffdde4d1103affd2e2e61893ca71.jpg Travel the world with a little help from Windows Store in our new Travel Essentials Collection. Whether you’re itching for a worldwide adventure or a weekend getaway, do it with the help of the apps we’ve assembled – from Lonely Planet and Tripwolf for your research, Expedia for bookings it all, and movies and more from Netflix to enjoy along with way. Summer Entertaining Collection https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/21cf71ffd2f3b61b2ad1466f0eb789bf.jpg You just might get bragging rights to the best summer barbecue in town when you enlist the Windows Store and our Summer Entertaining Collection. This curated collection of entertaining apps and books can help you learn the basics of cooking with How to Cook Everything, easily find and save your recipes with Recipe Keeper Pro, and make the perfect cocktail with guidance from The Art of Mixology. Have a great weekend! The post This Week on Windows: Microsoft Education, MINECON, Mixed Reality and more appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Earlier this summer I shared that we believe in a healthy antivirus ecosystem working with us in protecting our shared customers from security threats. Our top priority is and always will be to protect our customers with security innovations for the Windows platform, increase our customers’ pre- and post-breach security stance, and provide a platform that offers choice. Part of delivering on that commitment is listening and responding to feedback from our customers and partners. We work closely with AV partners like Kaspersky Lab, and at our Microsoft Virus Initiative forum last month, we made great progress in building upon our shared understanding of how we deliver Windows 10 updates and security experiences that help ensure the ongoing safety of Windows customers. I’m pleased to share these discussions have helped us clarify our roadmap and implementation plans. As a result, we are making updates to our AV partner requirements today that reflect the interests of the community and our shared customers. We will also implement changes in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. Here are some of the changes we are making to support our partners in delivering security protections to Windows customers. We will work more closely with AV vendors to help them with compatibility reviews in advance of each feature update becoming available to customers. This means customers can expect we will have worked through compatibility issues with AV providers before offering the update to customers running that AV. We will give AV partners better visibility and certainty around release schedules for feature updates. This includes increasing the amount of time AV partners will have to review final builds before the next Windows 10 feature update is rolled out to customers. We will enable AV providers to use their own alerts and notifications to renew antivirus products before and after they have expired. We have modified how Windows will inform users when their antivirus application has expired and is no longer protecting them. Instead of providing an initial toast notification that users could ignore, the new notification will persist on the screen until the user either elects to renew the existing solution or chooses to rely on Windows Defender or another solution provider. We appreciate the feedback and continued dialogue with our partners and are pleased to have found common ground with Kaspersky Lab on the complaints raised in Russia and Europe. We look forward to our continued partnership with the industry. Customers deserve the best and most up-to-date protection possible. Microsoft and our security partners share a commitment to keep them safe. The post Evolving our Windows approach to AV, thanks to partner feedback appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders! We are releasing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 15240 to Insiders in the Fast ring. For this flight, it’ll be a bit of a staggered release and it might not show up for you until tomorrow morning. Please be patient while waiting for the build to show up. What’s New in Build 15240 for Mobile Emoji 5.0: Just like we did on PC, we have added support for the latest Unicode updates – including new snacks, actions, dinosaurs, and even fantasy characters like genies, fairies and zombies – to Windows 10 Mobile in this build. They’re all accessible via both the touch keyboard and the Emoji Panel. We’ve tweaked some of our original emoji designs based on your feedback and to improve consistency with how the emoji is displayed on other platforms (while maintaining our Windows style). New emoji include: https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/84bfe915e408ec5f3ec2b8d4c2ba1782.png Examples of updated emoji – before: https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/0b582a3ea6b4ae54b8c2843dc9ed13fb.png And after: https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/ffb5cfad44b6f837c160ec6137bb901d.png Chinese Lunar Calendar: We have received questions about supporting the Chinese Lunar calendar on Windows 10 Mobile. The power of a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app is that it can run on any Windows-based device. The Calendar UWP app supports the Chinese Lunar calendar on both PC and Mobile. Here’s how you can enable the calendar on Mobile: https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/7a412c7f1aca487989170e663d03122c.png Launch the Calendar app Select Settings >Calendar settings Enable “Alternative Calendars” and select Chinese and Lunar in the dropdowns. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/c06eb69ede600b6381a53abe17ad2fc5.png Et Voila – you have the Chinese Lunar Calendar on your phone! General changes, improvements, and fixes for Mobile We fixed the issue where trying to update Windows Store apps saved to your SD card resulted in an 8007000B error. Apps installed on SD cards should update without any issue. We fixed an issue where there was no icon shown for Windows Update for either new notifications or on the settings page under Settings > System > Notifications & actions. Known issues for Mobile Occasionally, Narrator speaks phrases in English rather than the chosen non-English language. There is a problem with the HP Elite X3 with wired docks where the portrait orientation setting is lost when the external display is disconnected and reconnected. A workaround for this is to reboot the phone after tapping the “OK” button instead of disconnecting and reconnecting. This workaround must be performed every time you connect to an external display you want to use with Continuum in portrait orientation. When installing or updating a Windows Store app, you may see error 80070057. As a workaround, you can get the latest app by uninstalling the older version of the app from your device and reinstall latest version from Store. No downtime for Hustle-As-A-Service, Dona <3 The post Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 15240 for Mobile appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders! Today we are very excited to be releasing Windows Server Insider Preview Build 16257 to Windows Insiders. To access, register at the Windows Insiders for Business program or the Windows Insider program and then navigate to the Windows Server Insider Preview download page. This release also includes the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) packages. When installed on a Windows 10 client, RSAT allows a user to remotely manage and administer Insider builds of Windows Server via GUI tools. Valid on Windows 10 client builds greater than 16250. General Scenario Highlights Developers and Containers: New base container images (available on Windows Insider Docker Hub repo) Optimized Nano Server base image (over 70% smaller) The .NET team is providing a preview image based on Nano Server with .NET Core 2.0 The PowerShell team is providing a preview image based on PowerShell 6.0 [*]Optimized Server Core base image (over 20% smaller) [*]Support for SMB volume mounting [*]Infrastructure for Orchestrators Networking enhancements for ongoing Kubernetes work Named pipe mapping support [*]Bug fixes, performance enhancements Cloud Guest: IIS TLS info: administrators can make specific recommendations to default to HTTPS [*]Disaster Recovery Storage Replica Test Failover [*]Guest + Host better together vPMEM in Guest: Tenants can use and manage PMEM/SCM Tenant-Aware VM Start Ordering: App Ready / OS Heartbeat for better load balancing Guest RDMA [*]Improvement in time accuracy [*]Azure enlightened clusters – optimized to run on Azure IaaS Cloud Host: Software Defined Data Center (SDDC) host Security Shielded Linux VM SDN: Encrypted virtual networks Secure clusters SMB 1 disabled by default [*]Resiliency and Availability SDN: Reduced downtime for tenant connections through gateways Spaces Direct: Scoped Spaces to mitigate impact of multi-node loss Spaces Direct: Marginal drive handling for predictive detection of drive failures [*]Efficiency Data Deduplication available for ReFS New Data Deduplication DataPort API for optimized ingress/egress Space efficiency with ReFS Compaction Performant Spaces Direct Multi Resilient Volumes (MRV) [*]Hyper-converged Scale Cluster Sets: Significantly increases hyper-converged SDDC cloud scale by grouping multiple clusters into a larger fabric [*]Hardware support Support for Storage Class Memory (SCM) in Spaces Direct What’s New in Build 16257 for Windows Server Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is available on Windows Server Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is now available on Windows Server along with a compliment of Linux distributions. Test WSL on Windows Server. WSL runs unmodified Linux (ELF64) binaries natively. With the additions of WSL you can run node.js, Ruby, Python, Perl, Bash scripts or other tools that expect Linux behaviors, environment, or filesystem-layout, the ability to install and run Linux with WSL expands the tools at your disposal on Windows Server. At this time, WSL does not support persistent Linux services (such as daemons and jobs) as background tasks. To enable WSL and install a Linux distribution, see Enable the Windows Subsystem for Linux and Install a Linux distribution in the Windows Server 2016 Installation Guide on GitHub. Read more in this blog or follow the installation guide to try it out. Delivery Optimization is available for Windows Server Delivery Optimization has been the main downloader of Windows Update and Windows Store content since the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, providing faster and more reliable downloads. Starting in the latest builds for Server, Delivery Optimization is now the downloader used by Windows Update on Windows Server.Delivery Optimization can also provide Peer-to-peer bandwidth optimization between Windows Server machines. To enable peer-to-peer downloads open Settings -> Update & Security -> Advanced Options -> Delivery Optimization and turn ON the toggle to “Allow downloads from other PCs”. For more information on Delivery Optimization including configurations you can set via group policies or MDM policies please visit http://aka.ms/waas-do How to Download The latest Windows Server build and matching symbols are available for download here. Matching Windows Server container images will be available via the Docker Hub. For more information about Windows Server containers and Insider builds, please visit http://aka.ms/containers/insiders. The following keys are available for unlimited activations of Windows Server. These keys may be used throughout the pre-release cycle. Server Datacenter Core: B69WH-PRNHK-BXVK3-P9XF7-XD84W Server Standard Core: V6N4W-86M3X-J77X3-JF6XW-D9PRV NOTE: If you signed up for Windows Insiders for Business using an AAD account, there is a temporary issue with access to the Windows Server Download page using AAD accounts. If you registered using an MSA account at the Windows Insider program, your MSA account may be used to access the page and to download builds until this is resolved. It’s all about your feedback! Use the Feedback Hub app to provide feedback on Windows Server builds. Feedback Hub comes pre-installed on Windows 10. Register a Windows 10 device with the Windows Insider or Windows Insider for Business programs. Open the Feedback Hub application. Choose the Server category and then the appropriate subcategory for your feedback. Please indicate what edition and build number you are providing feedback on. The Feedback Hub app cannot scan a server for diagnostic information, however you may manually attach screenshots or other files to your feedback entry. We encourage you to visit the Windows Server Insiders space on the Microsoft Tech Communities forum to collaborate, share and learn from experts. The expiration date for this server preview build is 12/4/2017. Known issues The background tasks infrastructure service (Bisrv.dll) may cause a system crash because of a null class pointer read error (0xC0000005) or a failfast corrupt list entry (0xC0000409) during a Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) launch, or because of a critical process bug check (error code 0xC0000409, bug check 0xEF) in the host process for Windows services (Svchost.exe). Calling into the firewall service may hang: Apps that call into the firewall, such apps that use networking, may become unresponsive until the user reboots because of an application hang end-task error (0xCFFFFFFF) in the Windows firewall API library (FirewallAPI.dll), which occurs when the library is blocked on an advanced local procedure call (ALPC) port while attempting to diagnose a connection failure and retrieve information. Cluster Sets: A couple of key functionalities to enable end-to-end testing of Cluster Sets scenarios are not present in this build, so defer all evaluation of this scenario to a future build. Bugcheck during volume creation: A stop error may occur during volume creation in a cluster. The recommended workaround is, after restarting the computer, to delete the volume and try creation again. Bugcheck during volume repair: A stop error may occur during volume repair in a cluster. The recommended workaround is to restart the computer. No corruption or data loss is expected. No downtime for Hustle-As-A-Service, Dona <3 The post Announcing Windows Server Insider Preview Build 16257 appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/2172d86d7a6d356a3ae015b7cb108011.jpg MINECON is a worldwide celebration of the community, the game, and the joy that Minecraft continues to bring people around the world. In the past, it’s been a single massive convention – but today, the Minecraft team announced how they’re shaking up MINECON this year with two new elements! Here’s what you can expect: MINECON Earth MINECON Earth is a global interactive livestream event broadcast from two continents on November 18 and viewed by players around the world from their living rooms or at local viewing parties, retailers, theatres and community events. The 90-minute livestream will take place on November 18 at 12 p.m. EST / 5 p.m. GMT on mixer.com/minecraft. If you’re new to Mixer, head over here for tips on getting started viewing and streaming! Official Minecraft Community Events We’ve teamed up with Minefaire, MineVention and BLOCKFEST to create authentic Minecraft events, a little closer to home. Players will get to meet their favorite YouTubers and streamers, compete in tournaments and costume contests, see unique content and much more. We’re excited to share more details really soon, but check out the Minefaire and MineVention websites for more info in the meantime! With the combination of our livestream and the official Minecraft community events, we’re excited to make it easier for EVERYONE to participate from all around the world. Anyone with a broadband internet connection can watch the livestream from wherever they are. We’ll have more details to share soon on exciting ways for you to get involved from wherever you are. Save the date for MINECON on November 18, and head over to Minecraft.net for even more details about this exciting news! The post Announcing exciting changes coming to MINECON! appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

In the early morning hours of Aug. 5, 1888, Bertha Benz – yes, the Benz in Mercedes-Benz – and her two teenage sons rolled the first patented horseless carriage onto the drive outside their home in Mannheim, Germany. Unbeknownst to her husband, Karl, Bertha was taking his three-wheeled contraption on a 60-mile journey that would later become known as the automobile’s very first road trip. The trip was significant for several reasons, write Brad Smith, Microsoft president, and Carol Ann Browne, Microsoft director of executive communications, in the new “Today in Technology” series on LinkedIn. Bertha Benz had financed her husband’s car operation with her dowry. She knew the innovative car needed to capture the public’s attention and that by being out on the road with it, it would garner lots of interest. Bertha’s road trip did, indeed, make headlines around the world, setting the stage for a new era of motorized transportation and the future success of the Mercedes-Benz motor company, Smith and Browne write. “Her drive more than a century ago reminds us that innovation takes a village, or at least a family in Mercedes-Benz’s case,” write Smith and Browne. “And it shows us the opportunities for future innovation that come from bringing more diversity and an inclusive and creative workplace to the world of technology.” Read the full post on LinkedIn. The post Why great inventions may need a village, but often a family appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

Last week, we announced new capabilities in Remix 3D – Parts and Remixes – an all-new way to experience the relationship between 3D content and see how it can transform and take new life when shared with a creative community. Here’s how to get started with Parts and Remixes: On any model page on Remix3D.com, you’ll see two new tabs: Parts and Remixes. Simply click on Parts and scroll down to see the individual parts that make up the model. A dog with a party hat and party favor may have three parts: the dog model, the hat model and the party favor model. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/60e07baaceb0d52f92dc3b3ac84a45c0.gif But what if someone remixes that dog and adds a birthday cake? That would appear under Remixes. The Remixes tab is a way to show how creators are building off other amazing creations. If someone remixed a model you created, their new design would point back to your original model in the Remixes tab. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/719d189ef21f992f1383f5882008c379.gif If you’re working in the Paint 3D app, you can click on the Remix 3D tab, find a model and then click “Place in project” to start creating your own Remix! https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/b535c88bb3906449c51635a21d4e9f83.gif Parts and Remixes will be available everywhere Paint 3D and Remix 3D are available. Head over here for tips on getting started with Paint 3D, and, in case you missed it, here’s last week’s Windows 10 Tip: Have a great week! The post Windows 10 Tip: See your 3D creations take life in Remix 3D appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Those enhancements included improving in-product information, updates to the Microsoft privacy statement, and publishing more information about the diagnostic data we collect. Since then, feedback we’ve received about the Creators Update has been positive. This is great news to us because what we hear from you directly impacts the improvements we make. For example, 71 percent of customers are selecting Full diagnostics data to help us fix things and improve Microsoft products. While your direct feedback like, “The privacy settings added to clean installs are a boon for the privacy minded,” and “Very well done,” is great to hear, we know there is still work to do to meet and anticipate the expectations across our diverse customer base and provide you with the best privacy experience possible. We’ve also seen a positive reception to the web-based privacy dashboard which allows you to see and control your activity data across multiple Microsoft services. Announced back in January, the privacy dashboard has been visited by more than 23 million people on accounts.microsoft.com. With more than 500 million devices running Windows 10, the opportunity to refine our approach to privacy and implement your feedback is exciting. We are also ensuring Windows 10 is compliant with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that goes into effect in 2018. Fundamentally, the GDPR is about protecting and respecting an individual’s privacy rights and Microsoft’s enduring commitment to trust is well aligned through the privacy principles that shape the way we build our products and services. For those of you who participate in the Windows Insiders Program, you can expect to see some of the privacy changes showing up in Insider builds in the coming weeks, and we welcome your feedback in helping us make create the best Windows ever. I look forward to a continued dialogue and thank you for your feedback – please keep it coming! -Marisa The post Your feedback is helping shape Windows privacy appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/5e97e7d72a233190078c07a8ae5060cb.jpg Former NFL player Steve Gleason with his son. “Anyone can drive change every day. Everyone can make an impact.” Who said it? The answer is to be found in this edition of Weekend Reading, along with news about the addition to Windows 10 of an eye tracker that will enable people to operate an on-screen mouse, keyboard and text-to-speech experience using only their eyes; the importance of inclusive design in technology; and expanded purchase options for Surface devices. Windows 10 will include built-in eye tracking support and an experience called Eye Control that empowers people with disabilities to use a compatible eye tracker to operate an on-screen mouse, keyboard and text-to-speech experience in Windows 10 using only their eyes. “Having Eye Control in Windows 10 continues to bridge the gap between widely used technology and people with disabilities. It’s simply liberating,” says former NFL athlete Steve Gleason, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s). Three years ago, Gleason challenged Microsoft to help him during the company’s inaugural One Week Hackathon. ALS has robbed him of his ability to speak, move so much as a finger or breathe without a respirator. During the hackathon, employees who made up the Ability Eye Gaze team developed the Eye Gaze Wheelchair, which allowed Gleason to drive his wheelchair using only the movement of his eyes as he looked at controls on his Surface device. The project was received so enthusiastically by employees and the ALS community that a new Microsoft Research team was created to understand the potential of eye-tracking technology. Eye Control creates options and is inclusive, something that is vital to good technology design, even with items like the OXO Good Grips fruit and vegetable peeler. Millions of them have been sold, but the peeler was inspired by one person. One person who wanted his wife, who had arthritis, to be able to cut and peel fruit just like everyone else. Inclusive design, design that benefits everyone, is the topic of the latest .future podcast which looks at how inclusive design is making technology work better for everyone. It features Jenny Lay-Flurrie and Sean Marihugh from Microsoft, as well as Angela Glover Blackwell, the founder and CEO of PolicyLink, and Dan Hermosa, a design consultant and professor. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/bfa0868f159861646027d11dc5ce926e.jpg In time for back to school, and for anyone looking to get a Surface, the Surface Plus and Surface Plus Business programs were announced this week. Both programs offer flexible financing options designed to help more people and businesses take advantage of the power a Surface Laptop, Surface Pro, Surface Book or Surface Studio for a low monthly payment and zero percent interest. Surface Plus also offers customers the opportunity to upgrade their devices after 18 months for no additional cost. Also with the classroom in mind, Microsoft announced new deals on the Surface Pro 4 and select devices from ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Toshiba and more. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/04ecfa4d03791ea535a3d7032bfd6392.jpg Teachers getting ready to head back to the classroom may want to do some fun learning to prepare. Microsoft is holding its first “Back to School LIVE” series, starting Aug. 15 with a global #MSFTEduChat TweetMeet at both 10 a.m. PT and 4 p.m. PT. Then, on Aug. 16, “Back to School LIVE” starts a day-long series of Facebook live videos, from 11 a.m. PT until 5 p.m. PT, on the Microsoft Education Facebook page. Teachers will find out how to collaborate seamlessly on projects, learn to code and let creativity loose from the very first day of school. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/d6bc103d8e3c91ac075bfaa10482d704.gif You can now transfer money to friends and family using PayPal on Skype with the new Send Money feature that began rolling out Wednesday. When you’re using the Skype mobile app on your phone, swipe right, tap Send Money and use PayPal to get the money on its way. The feature is available in 22 countries and includes options for currency exchange. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/26bd414cb4662cd1e8a1e662c3d67eab.jpg WE co-founder Craig Kielburger participating in the Microsoft Design Experience through Skype for Business. (Photo by Devon Young) More than 20 years ago, inspired by a news story on child slavery, a family of organizations known as WE was started by Craig Kielburger and his older brother Marc. Since then, WE has grown into a global movement that brings young people together to change the world. We met Kielburger this week, and learned about the work his organizations do. WE’s ongoing steps to modernize include using cloud services such as Microsoft Azure and Office 365 (donated by Microsoft Philanthropies through its free and discounted offerings for nonprofits), Microsoft Dynamics and Power BI. “WE makes doing good doable,” says Kielburger. And, he says: “Anyone can drive change every day. Everyone can make an impact.” (Ding-ding-ding! If you’ve followed along from the start of Weekend Reading, give yourself props for reading comprehension!) https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/57c5609c2b4fbcc6db56300147ce872e.jpg Gamers have more choices in accessories with three new Xbox wireless controllers, a new smaller Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows 10 and two new controller bundles announced this week. The wireless controller designs include Green/Grey, Patrol Tech Special Edition and Volcano Shadow Special Edition. Each controller pairs seamlessly with any Xbox One, including the newest member of the Xbox family, Xbox One X. For PC gamers, the new Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows 10 is half the size of the previous Wireless Adapter design, taking up less space around USB ports. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/aa343825731fd05cd45cf72bfbee0eba.jpg Alison Wonderland This week on the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn pages, we featured Alison Wonderland, a rising star, DJ and producer on the electronic music scene. Together, we developed a custom Surface-powered tour kit that can be controlled from the stage, allowing her to connect deeper with her audience by taking the live visual experience to the next level. The compact set-up works with Kinect in real time to tailor visuals to any venue and insert her human element and distinct style into each performance. That’s it for this edition of Weekend Reading. We’ll see you back here next week! Suzanne Choney Microsoft News Center Staff The post Eye Control for Windows 10, inclusive tech design for all and more options for getting a new Surface device – Weekend Reading: Aug. 4 edition appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

We hope you enjoyed today’s episode of This Week on Windows! Head over here to catch up on our latest programs and deals for back to school, read our Windows 10 Tip on how to use Surface Dial with Paint 3D – or, keep reading for what’s new in the Windows Store. In case you missed it: Here’s what’s new in the Windows Store this week: The Better Together Beta for Minecraft is here! https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/7936db4bc968912a61ca5a7e867d8426.jpg If you’re on a Windows 10 PC, your world expands to being able to play with friends across devices. The Better Together Update we announced at E3 2017 is designed to unify the console, mobile and Windows 10 PC versions of the game under one single Minecraft edition, which will include infinite worlds, the community Marketplace and community servers (which are coming to the beta later on!). It’ll introduce cross-platform support, allowing console, Windows 10 PC and mobile Minecrafters to play together for the first time! Who can participate? Players on Windows 10 PC, Android and soon Xbox One are welcome to jump into cross-platform play with other beta testers across all three devices. For the full announcement, head over to Minecraft.net! Build the Car of Your Dreams in the Forza Motorsport 7 Garage https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/fd8595d33a6b36feb304374c458e1f9f.jpg Welcome to week three of the Forza Motorsport 7 Garage, our weekly look at the 700+ cars coming to the game at launch. This week, in addition to announcing a massive collection of Japanese vehicles – 77 in total – we’re also turning the spotlight on the body customization options available to players in Forza Motorsport 7. For the first time in the Forza Motorsport series, we’re bringing wide-body kits to a number of cars in Forza Motorsport 7. In addition, numerous body-kit options from Forza Horizon 3 will also be available in Forza Motorsport 7, including Upgrade Heroes like the Nissan S14 and the 240SX SE announced today. Wheel options will be abundant in Forza Motorsport 7. In addition to bringing over a number of the new-entry wheels from Forza Horizon 3, we’re adding a selection of new race-inspired. Read more over at Xbox Wire! Alien: Covenant https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/d9e913ea3465b3849b8cb63cc3a13aff.jpg While on a colonizing mission in a distant corner of the galaxy, the ship Covenant stumbles upon a planet that appears to be an undiscovered paradise…but is actually home to something more terrifying than they ever could have imagined. Watch Alien: Covenant ($19.99 HD, $17.99 SD), now available in the Movies & TV section of the Windows Store two weeks before it comes to Blu-ray. For a limited time, win fun swag courtesy of #AlienCovenant! Learn more here. New Minecraft Marketplace Content! https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/83c12223ec609033a00241d3b337c999.jpg Today, we’re releasing even more new content created by our Marketplace partners Noxcrew, Eneija, Razzleberry Fox and Jigarbov: Infinity Dungeon EX map, Summer Festival Skin Pack, Survivors Skin Pack, Kings and Paupers Skin Pack, and the Sports Skin Pack! Anyone on Bedrock Engine platforms can download the new content for now (Windows 10 & mobile devices), but we’re bringing Xbox One and Nintendo Switch into the Bedrock ecosystem soon. To learn more, head over to Minecraft.net! Have a great weekend! The post This Week on Windows: Remix 3D, Minecraft and more appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Last October, we announced our vision of bringing 3D to everyone, making it easy to create, remix and share in 3D. With the release of the Windows 10 Creators Update, we made this vision a reality with the release of Paint 3D and the Remix3D.com community. Today, we’re excited to announce new capabilities in Remix 3D – Parts and Remixes – an all new way to experience the relationship between 3D content and see how it can transform and take new life when shared with a creative community. With the explosion of content surrounding us, the original attribution of a creation tends to get lost. The idea of remixing content into something new, and then seeing the “parts” of that new creation (with attribution to the original creators), lets everyone see and get inspired by each part, each remix, and each artist who contributed to a 3D creation. Let’s dig into how these new features work: In our weekly show, This Week on Windows, we talked with Scott Porter and Amy Henson from the Remix3D team about the new features. You can check it out below: On any model page on Remix3D.com, you’ll now notice two new tabs: Parts and Remixes. Parts will display the individual parts that make up the model. An island with a tree and a pirate on it may have three parts: the island model, the tree model and the pirate model. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/9205b15895ea966468911dca7661bd5f.jpg But what if someone remixes that island and adds a ship? That would appear under Remixes. The Remixes tab is a way to show how other creators are inspired and building off other amazing creations. If someone remixed a model you created, their new design would point back to your original model in the Remixes tab. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/cb08949e7cdce7ee47d308bcf555d291.jpg Whether you’re a professional 3D modeler or just a curious beginner, we invite you to join our community and upload, collaborate, and remix with us and inspire all new ways to create! We’ve already been inspired by your creativity, we can’t wait to see what’s next! Parts and Remixes will be available everywhere Paint 3D and Remix 3D are available. If you’d like to learn more about how to get started with Paint 3D, visit this blog post. The post See your 3D creations take life with the newest update to Remix 3D appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Hello Windows Insiders! Today we are excited to release Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 16257 for PC to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring and also in Skip Ahead! We are also releasing Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 15237 to Insiders in the Fast ring. We won’t have a new Windows Server Insider Preview build for Windows Insiders this week. What’s New in Build 16257 For PC Eye Control (beta) Yesterday, we announced Eye Control, which makes Windows 10 more accessible by empowering people with disabilities to operate an on-screen mouse, keyboard, and text-to-speech experience using only their eyes. The experience requires a compatible eye tracker, like the Tobii Eye Tracker 4C, which unlocks access to the Windows operating system to be able to do the tasks one could previously accomplish with a physical mouse and keyboard. We are starting by supporting the EN-US keyboard layout, and we are looking to expand to more keyboard layouts in the future. We are excited to release this experience as a beta and would love your feedback! Setting up Eye Control: Own or purchase a Tobii Eye Tracker 4C (Coming next will be support for Tobii Dynavox PCEye Mini, PCEyePlus, EyeMobile Plus, and I-series.) Download and update to Tobii’s Core eye tracking hot fix release 2.10.11.6458 and run calibration with your own profile Check for Windows Updates; the new Tobii Eye Tracker HIDClass Driver should be found on Windows Update and installed automatically. Make sure your Tobii eye tracker is connected to your PC and turn on Eye Control by going to Settings > Ease of Access > Other Options > Eye control. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/5dfdc59db9b497936c42e885425155e9.png Eye Control launchpad – When you turn on Eye Control, the launchpad will appear on the screen. This allows you to access the mouse, keyboard, text-to-speech, and to reposition the UI to the opposite side of the screen. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/615b54fb52b2eeab2a63fecbe67da85f.png Eye Control interaction model – To interact with the UI for Eye Control, simply look at the UI with your eyes until the button activates. A visual affordance will appear around the UI that you are looking at. Eye Control mouse – To control the mouse, select the mouse from the launchpad, position your eyes on the screen where you want the cursor to be placed, fine tune the position, and select what action you want to take (left click, double left click, right click, or cancel). https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/e69a22a4a163ee203beb92a637b3f3c0.gif Eye Control keyboard – To use the keyboard, select the keyboard from the launchpad, and dwell at the characters you want to type. You can type numbers and symbols on the &123 page and function keys on the Fn page. We currently support the EN-US keyboard layout. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/3962647936b660b8ce584e09a6fb5632.gif Eye Control shape-writing – Type faster with your eyes by shape-writing on the Eye Control keyboard. To use shape writing, turn it on from the keyboard settings (found on the Fn page). Once it is on, you can form words by dwelling at the first and last character of the word, and simply glancing at letters in between. A hint of the word predicted will appear on the last key of the word. If the prediction was incorrect, you can simply select an alternative prediction provided. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/0595527534040e8f931c15cd4e7e9c18.gif Eye Control text-to-speech – Communicate with your family and friends in person by using text-to-speech. To use text-to-speech, select text-to-speech from the launchpad. From here, you can use the keyboard to type sentences and have it spoken aloud. At the top are phrases that are spoken aloud immediately and can be edited to say different words. This uses the default text-to-speech voices, which can be changed in Settings > Time & Language > Speech > Text-to-speech. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/12fd70b0f390e3d4cdd8ebf68275a76a.png Eye Control settings – Access settings from the Fn keyboard page to adjust the dwell times, turn on/off shape-writing, and turn on/off the gaze cursor used to test hardware calibration. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/0ee7156ae8c9626b2037b1dd4a1ecdee.png Known Issues: Eye tracking does not work well in direct sunlight. The device may require new calibration when moving to a location with different lighting conditions. The launchpad partially blocks the Tobii UI during device calibration. To work around this, turn off Eye Control during calibration and turn it back on when you are done. You can also use touch or mouse to reposition the UI during calibration. Sometimes shape-writing can get stuck on. You can fix this by dwelling at the shape-writing icon to turn it on and off again Sometimes the reposition UI icon in the launchpad takes focus after exiting text-to-speech Hardware support: Currently, Eye Control works with select Tobii hardware. We are open to working with additional hardware vendors to provide customers a broader set of hardware options to enable this experience. To learn more: If you have questions or feedback on how we can continue to improve our products and services, you can also contact us through the Disability Answer Desk (now with ASL support) and Accessibility User Voice Forum. You can learn more about accessibility at Microsoft by visiting, http://microsoft.com/accessibility. Microsoft Edge Improvements https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/1667128513aad1bfc1344b9323890ebc.png We’re giving Microsoft Edge a refreshed and more modern look in the browser frame, inspired by the Fluent Design System. The use of Acrylic material provides depth and transparency to the tab bar and other controls, and we’ve improved button animations to feel more responsive and delightful. Based on your feedback we’ve adjusted the design of the address bar so now even if the address bar isn’t in focus to start with when you click and drag the text it will remain under the cursor. Previously the text would shift as the “http://” appeared – this change will make it easier to quickly edit parts of the URL. We fixed an issue where right-clicking on an image in Microsoft Edge and selecting copy then later pasting the clipboard content would result in the image URL being pasted rather than the image itself. We fixed an issue where if a tab had been opened while Microsoft Edge was in full screen mode, using Ctrl + W to close that tab while still in full screen mode would close the content but leave the tab in the frame. We fixed an issue where if you had two unrelated tabs in Microsoft Edge and opened a link from the first in a new tab, the new tab would appear to the right of the second tab rather than the first. Console Improvements During the Creators Update development we updated the Windows Console to support full 24-bit RGB color and today the Windows Console’s default colors are getting their first overhaul in more than 20 years! Yay! The default color values have been changed to improve legibility of darker colors on modern screens, and to give the Console a more modern look & feel. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/3fb9bc308cf010ea2deabba9fc60862c.png To preserve your preferences, this new color scheme will only be visible in Properties if you clean install this build. For more details about Windows Console, head to the Command Line Blog. Input Improvements We’ve improved the performance of launching the touch keyboard after tapping the touch keyboard button in the taskbar. We fixed an issue where using WIN+H to dictate into a UWP app’s text field wasn’t working. We fixed an issue resulting in the Japanese IME prediction candidates position being shifted and overlapping with typed text if you set the page zoom level to something other than “100%” in Microsoft Edge. We’ve adjusted the design of the Japanese curve-flick touch keyboard to display numbers and English letter keys in a smaller font that’s more consistent with the size of the Japanese character keys. Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG) Improvements We have added new status strings to the WDAG splash dialog to provide more information about the startup stages for WDAG. These new strings will be displayed to users when WDAG is starting up and when it’s being resumed from a paused state. We have also made significant improvements to container launch times by optimizing background preparation of the WDAG container. We fixed a number of issues that were impacting networking inside the WDAG container as well as a poor user experience when connecting to the WDAG container. Fixed an issue where the WDAG launch resulted in Error Codes 0x02 / 0x00 or 0x02 / 0c. Fixed an issue where only part of the WDAG window was being displayed after launch. Added a registry key to allow users to optimize WDAG launch times during active browsing by not suspending the WDAG container when the WDAG window is closed. You can set the registry key to optimize for performance here: Computer\HKLM\Software\Microsoft\HVSI\, Value name: SuspendOnContainerClosed, REG_DWORD, Value data: 1. Note: Setting this key will result in the container not pausing and the container will not release committed memory. General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC We fixed an issue where the battery flyout might have shown unexpected text for the % charged (specifically “%1!s!%2!s!% until fully charged”). We’ve fixed an issue resulting in certain network setting being lost on upgrade and reverting to default. Specifically, static IP address configuration was reverted to DHCP, and networks marked private were reverted to public. If you had installed Builds 16226-16237 and had found Storage Spaces to not be working, today’s build expands upon the fix in 16241 to remediate those PCs that had upgraded from the impacted build range and were still in a bad state. Thanks again to the Insiders that have helped us investigate this! We fixed an issue where if you switched to a new tab and back in Microsoft Edge, Narrator would start reading from the top of the page again, rather than remember where you had been on the page. We fixed an issue where right-clicking on a folder in File Explorer and saying Scan with Windows Defender wouldn’t work if the folder name contained #. We fixed a rare issue where the Windows Search Service might get stuck on initialization after upgrade, resulting in File Explorer showing “Working on it…” infinitely when accessing certain folders. We fixed an issue resulting in certain games such as Wargaming’s World of Tanks, World of Warships, and World of Warplanes appearing to hang/freeze shortly after launch when played on x86 PCs in recent flights. We fixed an issue where some Insiders were not being offered builds higher than Build 16241. We fixed an issue where connecting to a VPN using a solution downloaded from the Windows Store may result in a system crash. Known issues for PC Start, Action Center and notification toasts may at times have a background that is 100% transparent. A fix will be available in later flight – for now, if you encounter this issue, try ending ShellExperienceHost.exe via Task Manager or rebooting to resolve the issue. We’re investigating reports where Action Center shows it has some number of notifications but when you click to open Action Center, there are no notifications shown. We’re investigating reports that suggested apps are visible in Start despite the related setting being off. For now, if you encounter this please try toggling Settings > Personalization > Start > “Occasionally show suggestions in Start”. When installing or updating a Windows Store app, you may see error 80070057. As a workaround, you can get the latest app by uninstalling the older version of the app from your device and reinstall latest version from Store. General changes, improvements, and fixes for Mobile We made some improvements to the Field Medic Store app, where we fixed an issue with collecting Watson crash data, enabled spell checking when editing a report, and updated the PowerOn/PowerOff profiles to include additional battery info. We fixed an issue where the screen would occasionally flash black after launching or rotating the Camera app. We fixed an issue with the HP Elite X3 reporting that the SD card had been removed from the device when it had not. We fixed an issue with Continuum where, after the attached monitor is unplugged, occasionally the mobile LCD does not power off and the mobile battery could be drained. We fixed an issue with the Windows inbox NFC driver where occasionally the wrong card type data was reported. We improved the Cortana resume-from-suspend behavior to enable a Cortana skill to be authenticated before the user interacts with the skill. We fixed an issue with the behavior of the hardware search button in countries where Cortana is not available. In this case, the OEM provides the search app or URI. Known issues for Mobile There is a problem with the HP Elite X3 with wired docks where the portrait orientation setting is lost when the external display is disconnected and reconnected. A workaround for this is to reboot the phone after tapping the “OK” button instead of disconnecting and reconnecting. This workaround must be performed every time you connect to an external display you want to use with Continuum in portrait orientation. If you have apps saved to your SD card, you may see error 8007000B when trying to update those apps. As a workaround, you can move these apps to internal memory, update them, and then move them back to your SD card. Thank you to all the Insiders who reported this to us! When installing or updating a Windows Store app, you may see error 80070057. As a workaround, you can get the latest app by uninstalling the older version of the app from your device and reinstall latest version from Store. Support for 3D in Office apps Windows Insiders who are also Office Insiders will be able to incorporate 3D objects in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Easily insert a 3D object from the Remix 3D catalog or your PC, change its perspective and use transitions like Morph in PowerPoint to create cinematic animations between slides to bring 3D objects in your presentations to life. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/05eb2c37df9bb4721d08a152d1e5e285.gif Not an Office Insider? Sign-up here! Community & Team Updates We have some updates to our team! https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/d68bf77953d1949b691d015234b8c282.jpg Joining team “Something Happened” are: Marissa Zhang – Marissa, our intern, is reporting to Jason this summer and she is working on Insider communication channels. LinkedIn? Instagram? Forums? She is helping us choose the channels and what kind of content we want to show on each! Vivek Elangovan – Vivek is a software engineer AND a film-maker who just finished his first feature film. He’s helping us talk to the creatives, artists, film-makers, VR designers in our Insider audience and make sure their voices are heard in product development as well! He is also going to lead the charge on app flighting. As a reminder, the rest of the team and what they work on are: Tyler Ahn – leads the Insider MVP program, our website development (and soon forums) and the global Windows fan programs. Jason Howard – leads debugging Insider issues on social and forums and is the resident Webcast MixerMaster. Jeremiah Marble – is our program architect who figures out what more we can be doing for our various Insider audiences. Brandon LeBlanc – works with all the product teams to write content for our blogs, websites, Feedback Hub, etc for Insiders. Also has the best Star Trek outfit collection on earth! Dona Sarkar – wrangles the product teams into making sure the right bugs are fixed and causes general chaos. Blair Glennon – is Lord of Insider Data. He works with the Data Science team to understand the telemetry, feedback and survey results from Insiders and make recommendations as well as leading WIP4Biz. One more thing – this month’s webcast on Mixer will be focused on our Engineering Systems. This includes the building of the Windows OS, code-flow processes, ISOs, symbols, our migration to Git, and much more. We’d love to take your questions in advance so we can try to address them in the webcast. Click here to submit your questions! No downtime for Hustle-As-A-Service, Dona <3 The post Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 16257 for PC & Build 15237 for Mobile appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Well gang, it’s officially August, and our wonderful teachers are setting up their classrooms, and parents and students are starting to fill backpacks and dorm rooms with supplies. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/716db9b889d67d0da5f6f13249d855bd.jpg To help prepare for the school year ahead, today, we’re sharing new deals and programs from Microsoft and our partners to get you the best offers on the latest hardware – whether you want a new Surface Laptop, a powerful new Surface Pro, or the latest PC from Dell, HP, or Samsung – we’re here to help. Back in May, we shared our vision for how technology can inspire creativity in the classroom with the announcement of a set of products and tools inspired by teachers and students, including: a new Windows experience called Windows 10 S – streamlined for simplicity, security, and superior performance – new collaboration experiences in Microsoft Teams, new features in Minecraft: Education Edition, and a range of affordable Windows 10 PCs built for students of all kinds. We also announced the newest members of the Surface family – Surface Laptop powered by Windows 10 S and the all new Surface Pro – both built with superior performance and power to help you better create and be more productive. With any of these devices, you can take advantage of Windows Ink to easily make notes directly on a web page in Microsoft Edge, bring your ideas to life with Paint 3D, keep track of your lists with OneNote – free in the Windows Store, and more. We also offer Office 365 for Education – the most complete, intelligent, and secure service for teaching and learning – free for students, faculty, and staff. Office 365 for Education is the broadest and deepest toolkit for content creation, personalized learning, and modern classroom collaboration. These new products, tools, and programs are designed to empower today’s students and teachers to create the world of tomorrow – we cannot wait to see what you will do! Just in time for school, we’re announcing a new way to buy the latest Surface device https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/35b12e7fd4c0cb95b64c2a85448d3fb7.png With Surface Plus students can take home one of our best in class Surface devices like Surface Laptop, Surface Pro, Surface Book, or Surface Studio – all for a low monthly payment and 0% interest. Surface Plus also offers customers the opportunity to upgrade their device after 18 months for no additional cost, access exclusive deals and get the best in service and support. Available exclusively at Microsoft Store and Microsoft.com, take advantage of Surface Plus and experience the power of Surface. To learn more about this program, head over to our Devices Blog to get all the details, or come into a Microsoft Store and let us help find the right Surface for you with a device fitting. Introducing Back to School LIVE https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/3893e4b954e098a39c8b85746e5bf265.png The education team introduced Back to School LIVE, a new series designed to help teachers get ready for the new school year with online workshops, tweetmeets, and tips on exciting new products like Microsoft Teams and Minecraft: Education Edition. The series will kick off with a global #MSFTEduChat TweetMeet on August 15 at both 10 a.m. PT and 4 p.m. PT. Then, on August 16, we will host a “Back to School LIVE” to help you get started in some of our newest tools for the classroom. To learn more about Back to School LIVE, visit the Microsoft Education Blog. We’ve also rounded up some of the top Windows 10 PC deals to pack your bags with: Starting at $329, the Acer Swift 1 is great for students https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/27ea5eb9c5a4e85d6453ee53adeacddb.jpg ASUS Premium 2-in-1 Q series Laptop Save up to $125 on select ASUS Q Series Notebooks and desktops https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/78e9e04cdc9d1d4bd6b6bcb7c7d5e8c3.jpeg Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Laptops Save up to $250 on Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Laptops (US)Fujitsu offers over 20 devices with various solutions and services around the world for education: Check out their website for more information about these devices. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/644977e09ba932d2fddc516630b18664.jpg Save up to $150 on select HP notebooks and desktops: including HP Pavilion, Pavilion Power, OMEN and ENVY, now through August 31 with coupon and code ‘150BTSDEAL’ Get a Lenovo N23 ($249 USD) and N24 ($279 USD) with Windows 10 S, available worldwide just in time for heading back to the classroom. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/6ae331f2b1f30d1c77791af5552e647f.jpg Get $200 off the Samsung Notebook 7 2-in-1 PC the weeks of 7/30-8/5 and 8/13-8/19 in addition to the $125 Back-to-School deal promotion for students. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/599bb09d583755b528642aae88af45d3.png Get at least $150 off any featured Toshiba laptop computer purchased through toshiba.com until August 31. Restrictions may apply. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/5ff7775e89af3e2f733c0092fc28b6b1.jpg Save up to $150 on Surface Pro 4: These well-crafted, beautiful devices empower the creator in all of us. Surface Pro 4, a device that offers the balance of portability and performance of a laptop when you’re on the go, perfect for anyone taking a device to class. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/85508ca43e0805b36fd6752e886a34b5.jpg Save $200 on HTC Vive with the purchase of select VR-Ready PCs: The HTC Vive allows true-to-life immersion in the virtual world thanks to a high-resolution headset display, stunning graphics, two wireless controllers with haptic feedback and room-scale motion tracking. Want to test it before you buy? You can try HTC Vive for yourself at select Microsoft Store locations. Get 20 percent off on Hyper X Headphones with Xbox One console or PC purchase: A feast for ears, sharpen your competitive edge with Hyper X Headphones and hear every detail of your favorite game without sacrificing comfort. Find something to celebrate the accomplishments for anyone on your list at your local Microsoft Store and Microsoft.com. Students can also take advantage of some great deals available at Best Buy and BestBuy.com/studentdeals: https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/7c8758c258535e20d8ae6d1a6ca0ef94.jpg Save an extra $100 on select Laptops (Windows 10 laptops) Save an extra $125 on select Desktop & All-In-One Computers (Windows 10 Desktops & All-In-One Computers) Save up to $125 on select ASUS Q series Notebooks, Gaming Notebooks, and desktops Save $130 on Samsung Galaxy Book through Sept 2 Save 10% on new Surface Devices (Surface Laptop & Surface Pro) Save $40 on Microsoft Office with qualifying purchase Visit BestBuy.com/studentdeals to sign up to receive exclusive coupons you can redeem in-store and online for these deals and more. We hope you take advantage of some of these great deals and are wishing all the students out there a fantastic school year in 2017/8. To ALL our teachers – we are grateful and know that technology is only a small part of the incredible work you do to inspire the next generation of creators. Here’s to you! The post Get ready for back to school with Microsoft’s latest programs and deals appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/7936db4bc968912a61ca5a7e867d8426.jpg The Better Together Update we announced at E3 2017 is designed to unify the console, mobile and Windows 10 PC versions of the game under one single Minecraft edition, which will include infinite worlds, the community Marketplace and community servers (which are coming to the beta later on!). It’ll introduce cross-platform support, allowing console, Windows 10 PC and mobile Minecrafters to play together for the first time! The Better Together Update also brings the biggest collection of new features ever to players on Bedrock Engine platforms (Windows 10, mobile), including the very long awaited and much in demand stained glass, fireworks, PARROTS THAT DANCE, customizable banners, armor stands, jukebox and music discs, recipe book and ravines. And for Windows 10 PC versions, integration with Paint 3D and Remix3D.com, making it easy to export and share 3D creations and inspire others. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/eef9369018f0ec7f5926abb0b1248168.jpg Who can participate? Players on Windows 10 PC, Android and soon Xbox One are welcome to jump into cross-platform play with other beta testers across all three devices. Xbox One and Windows 10 PC beta testers will need to have downloaded the Xbox Insider app, and players on Xbox One will need to own a digital version of Minecraft. Beta testers on Android will need to have devices that support Google Play and own a copy of the game purchased through the Google Play Store. For the full announcement, head over to Minecraft.net! The post The Better Together Beta for Minecraft is here! appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/8a8cf8ac72007ee534675d19b7b47842.gif Whether you’re an artist, student or mobile professional, Surface Dial optimizes your digital workflow by bringing your most-used shortcuts and tools to your screen with simple presses and turns of the Dial. You can also use Dial to do things like play music or skip tracks in Groove Music, scroll through web pages in Microsoft Edge, scroll through documents in Microsoft Word off-screen, and so much more. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/3d3eeb4aedd70ed14bec8c6b2b4727d1.gif Today, we’re going to show you a couple ways you can get started using your Surface Dial with the Paint 3D app in Windows 10.* If you have the new Surface Pro or the Surface Studio, you can use the Dial with Paint 3D directly on your screen.** Set-up Make sure you have the Surface Dial connected via Bluetooth to your device. You should be able to press and hold the dial to see a context menu pop-up. Open the Paint 3D app to get started and make sure you are in the Paint 3D app when you are using the Surface Dial to access the features below. The dial will have haptic feedback as you use different features in Paint 3D. Change the color easily using the color wheel https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/d2f3c2f6af00a69ea80f2688b8fa3a4c.gif It’s super simple to change brush colors. On the Surface Studio, press down on the Surface Dial to select the color palette and the color wheel will pop-up. Turn the Dial and the dot will move to show you what color you have selected. Press down to select the color. On a Surface Pro device, press down on the Surface Dial to select the color palette. Turn the dial and the color selection in your tool bar will move to the right and left. Press down to select the color. Be playful as you adjust colors & brushes There’s no need to stop painting just to change the color or brush thickness. Create seamless tapered strokes by turning the Surface Dial to adjust color, brush thickness, and opacity while drawing. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/60cb29dcaba23bc19050d2e01961cb1b.gif Click on the art tools button, and select a brush. To change colors dynamically, press down on the dial and select color palette. Use your pen to draw and turn the dial simultaneously to instantly change from one color to the next. To change the thickness, press down on the dial and choose thickness on the context menu. Press down to select. Turn the dial to the left to taper the line smaller and to the right to make the line thicker. Rotate objects while painting https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/23ea68724dffda9991cb01547651f51d.gif The Surface Dial makes it easy to rotate as you paint. Using your digital pen, use the 3D tools to draw a 3D object or pull a model from the Remix 3D community. Click on the art tools button and choose a brush and color. Start painting on your 3D model and keep your pen stationary while turning the dial to rotate the object underneath. Hit undo https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/9d4d474a7b819e2a2215b3f6ebc089da.gif Don’t be afraid to experiment with easy access to the undo button on the Surface Dial. Press and hold for the context menu, and scroll to the last button, undo. Press down on the dial to select and turn the dial to roll-back any changes you’ve made. Stamping and stickers https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/d40314f40544920c2873feb4025449a3.gif Click on the Stickers Tool and select a pre-made sticker, or upload your own. Choose where to position the sticker 3D model and simply press down on the Dial to stamp the sticker onto the 3D object. It’s super fun and easy. If you don’t have a Surface Dial yet, you can order one here from the Microsoft Store. Head over here for five things you need to know about Surface Dial, or check out tips on getting started using Paint 3D. In case you missed it, here’s last week’s Windows 10 Tip: Have a great week! *Surface Dial is compatible with any Bluetooth-enabled, Windows 10-enabled PC, laptop, and tablet running on Windows 10 Anniversary Update. ** Surface Dial is on-screen compatible with Surface Studio and Surface Pro only. The post Windows 10 Tip: How to use Surface Dial with Paint 3D appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Visionary minds melded near and far this week – from students imagining a cloud solution for diabetes management to the people reinventing their lives through “Minecraft.” Around the planet, Microsoft employees hacked big world problems. At home, Microsoft researchers created a new path toward machine reading comprehension. Meantime, an old invention has gone digital – to keep you chill in summer heat. Let’s sample how innovative spirits infused this week’s news. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/b963f0493c413868866fe56816388d95.jpg Happy tears flowed Thursday as winners of the 2017 Imagine Cup were announced. Team X.GLU, three students from the Czech Republic, took top honors for their project merging hardware and Microsoft Azure to help people with diabetes better cope with the disease’s symptoms. The victors get a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, $100,000 in cash, a $125,000 Azure Grant and a trip to the 2018 Build developer conference. The field spanned tens of thousands of students who pitched ideas to change the world using code and who then spent months developing their solutions and go-to-market plans. In all, 54 teams from 39 countries were selected to compete at the World Finals in Seattle, Washington. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/7c9f00e874f2d41be3a175f95b386a1f.jpg Microsoft’s One Week Hackathon wrapped up Friday, marking five days when nonprofits and employees formed teams to hatch ideas that address some of the planet’s largest challenges. Following Hackathon, participants showcased their creations at Science Fair, held at locations around the world. In its brief history, the event has fueled 23 projects that shipped for customer download through the Microsoft Garage, while more ideas made it into Microsoft products and apps, including the newly released Seeing AI, as the Microsoft JobsBlog writes. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/3ee6c63fa5d1045de466b549a6773338.jpg From an urban revitalizer in Mumbai to a poet in England, people around the world have used “Minecraft” to change their lives. The latest .future podcast shares stories of folks who tapped the game to build new futures. For some, “Minecraft” fueled self-reinvention. For others, it helped them heal and even empower their communities. The podcast, produced in partnership with Gimlet Creative, is a Microsoft series about making the future happen, exploring tomorrow’s technology today and how it will affect generations to come. Mixed reality is a blend of the physical and digital worlds, unlocking an entirely new vision of what’s possible – a reality formerly attainable only inside our imaginations. How will this next evolution in human-computer interaction empower you to do the previously impossible? Check out latest episode of the Microsoft Story Labs animated series “Explanimators” above to learn all you need to know about mixed reality. And be sure to pay extra attention to the pants. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/f6cc92e50ea4a3c5953ae8edc16f3f0f.jpg Amid a glorious summer, the last thing we want to mull is winter. But inspiration rooted in the chill of Wisconsin winters continues to impact our lives in the form of thermostats. At the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, professor Warren Johnson had a brainstorm 130 years ago. He saw janitors frequently interrupting his lectures to check classroom temperatures and adjust the basement furnace. That led Johnson to invent the Electro Tele-thermoscope, the first thermostat to monitor room temperature. In time, that gave way to Johnson Controls. A new LinkedIn post, co-authored by Brad Smith, Microsoft president and chief legal officer, and Carol Ann Browne, Microsoft director of executive communications and public affairs, examines today’s Johnson Controls. The Milwaukee-based company offers a Smart Connected Chillers platform, enabling technicians to use digital tools and predictive analytics to identify early indicators of potential issues and address them before they become problems. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/3c1c0e42e8f8726be18dea4142b175da.jpg Reading, as they say, is fundamental. Reading comprehension is a basic human task. For artificial intelligence, however, full reading comprehension remains an elusive goal. For that reason, building machines that can perform machine reading comprehension (MRC) would mark a major technological advance. A vital extension of that pursuit includes building an MRC system for a new domain. Recently, top minds from Microsoft Research AI and Stanford University developed a transfer learning algorithm for MRC to attack this problem. In September, their work will be presented at EMNLP 2017, a top natural language processing conference. This represents a key step toward developing a scalable solution to extend MRC to a wider range of domains, writes principal researcher Xiaodong He on the Microsoft Research Blog. Microsoft is focused on machine reading and is currently leading a competition in the field. https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/8d6d07f1daeb283efa6b8c28bfec3aec.jpg An outpouring of love and support for MS Paint colored many conversations across social media as fans rallied behind the 32-year-old app ahead of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. Not to worry. Microsoft announced this week that MS Paint will live on – and now be free and occupying a new home in the Windows Store. Also, try Paint 3D, available for free with the Windows 10 Creators Update. Many of the MS Paint features that cultivated lifelong fans – such as photo editing, line and curve tools and 2D creation – are in Paint 3D. Find out more on the Windows Blog. And keep up with what’s hot, new and trending in the Windows Store on Twitter and Facebook. Bottom line: We love MS Paint as much as you do. Great minds do think alike. Check back next Friday for another edition of Weekend Reading. Posted by Bill Briggs Microsoft News Center Staff The post Imagination fuels invention among students, gamers and researchers – Weekend Reading: July 28 edition appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...

We hope you enjoyed today’s episode of This Week on Windows! Head over here to catch up on the news out of Imagine Cup, check out our Windows 10 Tip on getting started with Windows Help Me Choose, dive into Shark Week – or, keep reading for what’s new in the Windows Store. In case you missed it: Here’s what’s new in the Windows Store this week: Halo Wars 2: Serina & Spearbreaker Bundle https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/760b153a90be2b5c217bd3662a84c3b9.png The latest update to Halo Wars 2 features two exciting new story missions in Operation: Spearbreaker, and a beloved, digitally deceased but downloadably undeterred new Leader – the UNSC Spirit of Fire’s former AI Serina. Both Serina and the Operation: Spearbreaker story missions are available now for Windows 10 as part of the Halo Wars 2 Season Pass, as individual purchases at $5.99 USD each, or a special 2-pack version that includes both pieces of content for $9.99 USD. Fable Fortune (Game Preview) – Buy for $11.99, through July 31 https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/8ddd730ee5a5378c0a145df086d8d84f.png Play as one of six unique Heroes in a collectible card game that combines the iconic world and characters of Albion with fast-paced and thrilling tactical gameplay. In Fable Fortune (Game Preview) ($14.99 Regular Price, $11.99 Sale Price through July 31) your destiny is on the cards! Starting today, Fable Fortune is 20% off through July 31, 2017. Sci-Fi Sale in Books* https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/a34da16de4786ed40b9194f18313a14d.jpg Summer is when we escape the rhythms of the rest of the year – and many of us dive into a great book to do that. The Science Fiction Sale in Books makes this easy and fun, with the ten top sci-fi titles on sale for just $2.99 through July 31. Netflix – Ozark https://extremetechsupport.com/data/MetaMirrorCache/f75ce87f84949ceba551921bef01ec96.jpg Netflix (Free, with IAP options) brings a stellar cast – and a compelling plot – together in its new original series Ozark. Watch as financial adviser Jason Bateman drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri’s Ozark mountains, where he must launder $500 million in five years to appease a drug boss. Laura Linney co-stars as his wife in this compelling, not-to-be-missed new drama. Have a great weekend! *US only The post This Week on Windows: Shark Week, Imagine Cup, Help Me Choose and more appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

For the past several months, I’ve shared insights on our roll out approach for Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703). We’re now moving from a targeted offering to full availability for all compatible devices running Windows 10 globally via Windows Update. Similarly, our commercial customers should feel confident to deploy this release broadly across their organizations. Predictable semi-annual release aligned with Office In response to feedback for a more predictable feature update model, we are moving to a new twice-yearly release cadence called the Semi-Annual Channel that replaces the Current Branch (CB) and Current Branch for Business (CBB). As we announced in April, Windows has aligned with Office 365 ProPlus to simplify IT deployment cycles, targeting releases in March and September. Both feature releases will be serviced for 18 months from the date of release. The Creators Update marks the first of our Semi-Annual Channel releases. Empowering organizations to decide when and how to deploy The new Semi-Annual Channel update cadence and life cycle model provides commercial customers with greater predictability and simplicity to take advantage of the latest capabilities and integrated security, as quickly as is practical for their organization. This predictable release cycle enables enterprises to plan combined servicing of Windows and Office and create deployment plans tailored to their needs. Starting with the Windows Insider Program for Business, IT Pro early adopters can evaluate pre-release builds early and provide feedback across the ecosystem – to us and their IHV/ISV partners – so we can, together as an ecosystem, build reliable, highly productive and secure products and experiences for our customers. When the Semi-Annual Channel feature update is released, organizations can begin targeted deployments to a select group of machines to validate their apps, devices, and infrastructure, prior to beginning a broad deployment at a time that is right for them. For details on Semi-Annual Channel servicing, see our article on TechNet. You’re most secure on the latest version of Windows 10 We are excited to make the Creators Update fully available to all our customers. We also encourage commercial organizations to begin broadly deploying Windows 10, version 1703, if you haven’t already done so. You can verify your system is up to date on the Windows Security page. We will continue to ensure all eligible devices can now move forward to the Creators Update, if you are having trouble updating your device, see this helpful article. Staying up to date on both the latest feature and quality updates assures you of being on the most secure version of Windows 10 ever (version 1703). The post Windows 10 Creators Update fully available for all Windows 10 customers appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

Today, we are excited to announce Team X.GLU of the Czech Republic are the official 2017 Imagine Cup champions. X.GLU’s project combines hardware and Microsoft Azure cloud to help diabetics better cope with the disease’s symptoms. As the victors, X.GLU wins a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, $100,000 in cash, a $125,000 Azure Grant and a trip to the 2018 Build developer conference. In tackling diabetes, X.GLU seeks to improve the quality of life for the 422 million people worldwide impacted by the disease, a significant percentage of whom are children. In many cases, younger patients are burdened with having to check their blood-sugar eight to 10 times per day. Though critical to their continued good health, many children tire of the process around routinely checking their blood-sugar levels, and, as a result, don’t keep up with this crucial aspect of living with the disease. X.GLU’s concept gamifies the process, awarding children “strawberry” icons for correctly guessing their blood-sugar range during tests. “I loved X. GLU’s project because my mother has diabetes and I know she gets tired of checking her blood sugar each day, too,” said Imagine Cup guest judge Meghan Camarena (Strawburry17). “Even though this was designed with children in mind, I think the concept is one that anyone living with diabetes could appreciate, and it could truly help save lives.” — Imagine Cup guest judge Meghan Camarena Today’s students are the makers and doers that will change the world as we know it. Each year, Imagine Cup has proven that technology is merely a tool to unlock students’ innate creativity and ingenuity. “In a time like this, where every walk of life in every society and every economy is being fundamentally changed and shaped by digital technology, developers like you are going to change the world,” Said Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella. “You’re going to bend that curve of progress.” — Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella For more details on the two-day competition, head on over to the Official Microsoft Blog. The post Announcing the 2017 Imagine Cup Champions appeared first on Windows Experience Blog. Continue reading...

By Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Worldwide Education, Microsoft, and Charlotte Yarkoni, Corporate Vice President, Growth + Ecosystems, Microsoft At its core, Imagine Cup is all about empowering today’s brightest young minds to create the world of tomorrow through technology and teamwork. Since its inception 15 years ago, Imagine Cup has inspired nearly 2 million students from all over the world to bring their biggest, boldest ideas to life. Today, we are excited to announce Team X.GLU of the Czech Republic as the 2017 Imagine Cup champions. X.GLU’s project is a combination hardware and Microsoft Azure cloud solution designed to help diabetics better cope with the disease’s symptoms. As the victors, X.GLU wins a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, $100,000 in cash, a $125,000 Azure Grant and a trip to the 2018 Build developer conference. Second place went to Team Oculogx of the United States, which built a mixed reality app that uses HoloLens and Microsoft Azure to improve the process and experience for locating items in large warehouses. Third place went to Team Nash of Argentina for its project, RESCUE, a Microsoft Azure-powered platform that uses drones to reduce response times during natural disasters. Finally, fourth place went to Team NeuroGate of Canada, which created a solution that uses Microsoft Kinect motion data and machine learning to analyze gait patterns and diagnose potential neurodegenerative diseases. The road to the World Finals was taken by tens of thousands of students with an idea on how to change the world using code. They then spent months developing their solutions, go-to-market plans and competing in National Finals across the globe. Then 54 teams from 39 countries were selected to compete in the World Finals. The projects featured in the World Finals spanned leading-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, virtual / augmented reality, the Internet of Things and the cloud. The teams represented some of the best computer science schools in the world, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Oxford University, Tokyo University and the University of Toronto. Over the course of two days, the 54 finalist teams competed head to head until the field was narrowed to the final four that would compete to be the next Imagine Cup champion. The final teams competed in front of three tech titan judges from across academia, Microsoft and the broader technology industry, including Black Girls Code founder Kimberly Bryant, Harvard University computer science professor Dr. David Malan and Microsoft’s own Mark Russinovich, a Microsoft Technical Fellow and the chief technology officer for Azure. Microsoft Executive Vice President of Cloud and Enterprise Scott Guthrie hosted the Championship Show and announced the winner. The competition was hard fought to the end. If you haven’t had a chance, be sure to view the Championship Show video above to see some of the best student developers in the world deliver their ideas for the technologies of tomorrow with passion and enthusiasm. On behalf of Microsoft, we’d like to congratulate our new Imagine Cup champion, Team X.GLU, and all of the students who worked so hard to make this 15th anniversary Imagine Cup the most thrilling one yet. — Anthony & Charlotte The post Meet your 2017 Imagine Cup champions – Team X.GLU of the Czech Republic! appeared first on The Official Microsoft Blog. Continue reading...