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Tag: Microsoft

  • Minecraft Earth Early Access Now Available in 9 Countries

    Minecraft Earth Early Access Now Available in 9 Countries

    Microsoft has released the early access build of its augmented reality game, Minecraft Earth. The company confirmed that the game has arrived on PlayStore for Android and AppStore for iOS in nine countries. These include the UK, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Iceland, the Philipines, South Korea, and Sweden.

    Users in the supported regions can now play the early access version of Minecraft Earth, which offers more features than its earlier beta version. That said, the beta version won’t be a complete reflection of what the game will look like upon its final release.

    Microsoft appears to be a tad behind schedule with the game’s release. The company earlier said that it plans to release Minecraft Earth in all countries before the end of 2019.

    With Minecraft Earth, Microsoft wants to take on other popular AR games like Pokemon Go and Wizards Unite. Much like the current Minecraft game for PC, Minecraft Earth is also a block building and adventure game. However, the game is specifically designed for Android and iOS and uses augmented reality to build creations wherever you like using your smartphone. You can place your creations on the streets, in a park, or even around the home, so that other Minecraft Earth players can view them using their smartphones.

    Minecraft Earth is completely free, implying that the full version of the game will be a free-to-play game. Android and iOS users can download it at no cost and play the game as much as they’d like without any hidden costs. There will, however, be a store to purchase extra Mobs and skins though Microsoft is yet to reveal exact details of in-app purchases. In the meantime, you can find out more about the game from the official website.

  • Microsoft Surface Pro 7 launched with 10th gen Intel Core processors

    Microsoft Surface Pro 7 launched with 10th gen Intel Core processors

    Microsoft announced the new Surface Pro 7 during its hardware event in New York. The latest Surface Pro model happens to be a rather subtle upgrade compared to the current model. It packs more or the less the same hardware as its current model, however, the new Surface Pro 7 comes with the latest 10 Generation Intel processors.

    With the new 10nm Ice Lake processors, the latest Surface Pro 7 is the most powerful Surface model to date. The chipset can be paired with up to a maximum of 16GB RAM and 1TB of storage. Elsewhere, the new Surface Pro 7 comes with a USB Type C port, which replaces the older DisplayPort connector.

    Not to mention, the USB Type-A port also comes with the new Surface model, along with Surface Connect and a microSD card slot. Besides, the device is claimed to offer up to 10 hours of battery life. Key specifications on the Surface Pro 7 include:

    Processor: Intel Core i3-1005G1, i5-1035G4 or i7-1065G7 CPU
    RAM: 4GB, 8GB or 16GB of 3,733 MHz LPDDR4x RAM
    Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB SSD
    Camera: 5-megapixel front-facing camera with 1080p video; 10-megapixel rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p video
    Two far-field Studio Mics, 1.6-watt stereo speakers

    Apart from these changes, the rest of the device remains pretty much unchanged. Therefore, current-gen Surface Pro owners might find it hard to upgrade to the new Surface Pro 7, unless they want a slightly more powerful device.

    Pre-orders for the new Surface Pro 7 have already begun, so you can head over the
    Microsoft Store to pre-book your device. It will be available starting at $749 while shipping begins on October 22.

    With the launch of the new Surface Pro 7, Microsoft has slashed the prices of the Surface Pro 6 by as much as $400. Hence, it might be a good time to get one for yourself given the subtle upgrades on offer with the new model.

  • Microsoft finds critical zero-day bug in Internet Explorer

    Microsoft finds critical zero-day bug in Internet Explorer

    Microsoft has alerted users about a new flaw found in its age-old Internet Explorer browser, citing a vulnerability which allows hackers to take control over a user’s entire PC. The vulnerability has been described as ‘scripting engine memory corruption’ by Clement Lecigne at the Threat Analysis Group.

    According to Microsoft, the vulnerability causes memory corruption in a way that allows attackers to hijack a user’s entire PC. For instance, it gives the hacker the same administrative rights as the legit owner who can perform tasks such as install or delete programs.

    “In a web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit the vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the website, for example, by sending an email,” Microsoft explained.

    Besides, Microsoft also notes that the flaw is found in all versions of Internet Explorer, be it Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or even the latest Windows 10. To tackle the issue, the software giant has rolled out an emergency patch to fix the ‘critical’ bug. Microsoft is now urging users to install the patch immediately.

    Is it time to ditch Internet Explorer?

    Microsoft’s Edge is now the default browser in Windows, however, it doesn’t mean that IE is dead. The company would have axed IE a long time ago had it not been for compatibility reasons.

    The issue with Internet Explorer is that many apps are specifically designed and optimized for the browser, which means that Microsoft has no other choice but to keep it around for a little longer. Therefore, even though we have new Chromium-based browsers in Windows, IE is the only browser that is compatible with such apps.

    However, users not using such apps should refrain from using Internet Explorer and replace it with modern browsers such as Edge and Chrome, as they offer better security, privacy, cookie controls, and so much more.

    Put simply, Internet Explorer is just a piece of history, which’ll get axed sooner or later. Though for now, the sensible thing to do would be ditch IE and move on to a modern browser which offer better security, privacy, and customization.

    Besides, Microsoft’s security chief has also warned millions of users who still use Internet Explorer as their default web browser are putting themselves at a huge risk.

  • Microsoft Surface Pro 7 key specifications leaked

    Microsoft Surface Pro 7 key specifications leaked

    Microsoft is expected to unveil the Surface Pro 7 at the company’s hardware event on October 2. So far, not a lot of information has been revealed about this model in the form of leaks and rumors. That said, with less than a month to go before the official unveiling, a new leak has emerged purportedly revealing the hardware configurations that Microsoft will offer for the Surface Pro 7. According to a report by WinFuture, Microsoft plans to offer as many as five different models in order to attract as many buyers as possible.

    The leak indicates that the Surface Pro 7 will be powered by the latest-generation Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5, and Intel Core i7 processors. The leak further notes that the device wiil be offered in five different hardware configurations. These include:

    • Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Intel Core i3, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD
    • Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD
    • Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
    • Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD
    • Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD

    In other related news, Microsoft is also expected to launch a refreshed Surface Go model alongside the Surface Pro 7. And a recent Geekbench listing suggests that the Surface Go might get upgraded with a new processor to boost overall performance. According to the Geekbench listing, the new Surface Go gets powered by the Intel Core m3-8100Y processor, unlike the Pentium Gold 4415Y chipset found on older models.

    Microsoft has already confirmed that its next hardware event is scheduled to take place on October 2 in New York City. The software giant is expected to take the wraps off several Surface models at the event.

    Besides, Microsoft is rumoured to be working on a foldable Surface device for a couple of years now. This dual-screen Surface model is said to come with two separate screens, and might also be unveiled at the October 2 event.

  • New Microsoft Surface Go variant spotted on Geekbench

    New Microsoft Surface Go variant spotted on Geekbench

    Microsoft has scheduled an event on October 2 where the company is expected to introduce several new Surface models. Along with Surface Pro 7, we might also see the introduction of an overhauled Surface Go model. A recent Geekbench listing suggests that the Surface Go might receive a refresh with a new processor to boost overall performance.

    According to the Geekbench listing, the new Surface Go gets powered by the Intel Core m3-8100Y processor, unlike the Pentium Gold 4415Y chipset found on older models.

    The upgrade to a new processor shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Microsoft itself planned to use an m3 chip on the original Surface Go model. However, the company eventually decided to stick with the Pentium Gold version to keep the costs down.

    The Geekbench listing indeed suggests a new Surface Go model might be incoming. That said, it’s unclear whether Microsoft will announce the device at its October event. For now, we can only speculate that it might be the case.

    Microsoft has already confirmed that its next hardware event is scheduled to take place on October 2 in New York City. The software giant is expected to take the wraps off several Surface models at the event. One of the models said to get a refresh is the Surface Pro, likely to be called Surface Pro 7.

    Besides, Microsoft is rumoured to be working on a foldable Surface device for a couple of years now. This dual-screen Surface model is said to come with two separate screens, and might also be unveiled at the October 2 event.

    Microsoft’s hardware event on October 2 is certainly worth keeping an eye on. Besides, more information about new Surface models is likely to show up before their official release. We’ll update you as soon as we hear anything new. Until then, keep checking back for more.

  • Microsoft shows off next gen Xbox code-named Project Scarlett

    Microsoft shows off next gen Xbox code-named Project Scarlett

    Microsoft unveiled the upcoming Xbox console at E3 2019 codenamed Project Scarlett. The company claims it’ll be up to four times more powerful than Xbox One X. That said, Microsoft did not reveal any key hardware details about its next console.

    For now, all we know is that Project Scarlett will support 8K resolution and run content at 120FPS. The HDD will be replaced by SSD, which is an advanced storage solution with some advanced cloud capabilties.

    “We’ve created a new generation of SSDs. We’re using the SSD as virtual RAM,” said an Xbox spokesperson in the unveiling video. Now, this should increase performance substantially over the current gen Xbox, with faster game loads.

    Besides, the next Xbox will have a custom designed CPU based on AMD’s Zen 2 and Radeon RDNA architecture. Microsoft is also adding a fast GDDR6 RAM, which the company claims will offer resolution and frame rates never seen before.

    During the ongoing E3 conference, head of Xbox division, Phil Spencer, also said that inputs from fans indicated they want something focused entirely on gaming, and not a jack of all trades. It’s not clear how this is going to work out, but most probably, the console won’t have stuff like Netflix or YouTube, which also seems highly unlikely.

    Microsoft plans to release Halo Infinite alongside the next-gen Xbox console, laying the groundwork for Microsoft’s next generation console gaming.

    The next-gen Xbox console is expected to release in 2020, sometime during the winter holidays. It’s still a long way to go, therefore, more details about Project Scarlett are likely to surface at next year’s E3.

  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription launched at $14.99 a month

    Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription launched at $14.99 a month

    Microsoft announced Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription earlier this year, however, it was only in beta. Now, the company has finally released it to all users along with the addition of PC games. This essentially means you’ll get Xbox Live Gold and and Xbox Game Pass for both Xbox and PC for a single subscription of $14.99 a month.

    Put simply, it’s a great deal for gamers who play both Xbox and PC games, as it offers a bunch of different titles for both PC and consoles. The standalone cost for Xbox Game Pass for PC is avaialble at $4.99/month, Xbox Game Pass for Xbox at $9.99/month, and Xbox Live Gold at $9.99/month. Now, that amounts to a total of $24.97. Therefore, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription saves you nearly $10 a month if you want all three subscriptions.

    Essentially, Microsoft is now offering a total of four subscription services.

    These include Xbox Game Pass PC for $4.99 a month, Xbox Game Pass Console Games at $9.99/month, Xbox Live Gold at $9.99 a month and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at $14.99 a month. The latest Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Subscription is now available at the official Microsoft site.

  • Amazon overtakes Microsoft and Apple to become the most valuable company

    Amazon overtakes Microsoft and Apple to become the most valuable company

    Amazon has now become the world’s most valuable company, as it manages to surpass Microsoft, who has enjoyed the top spot since November last year. According to a report by BBC, Amazon has become worth $810 billion, while Microsoft is now valued at $789 billion. The duo are followed by Google’s parent company Alphabet at $752 billion, while Apple is now valued at $702 billion.

    The report further notes that Microsoft overtook Apple in late 2018, while Amazon edged past the iPhone-maker in December to take the runner-up spot.

    Apple, the once most valued company in the world, keeps going down. Last year, the Cupertino giant became the world’s first trillion dollar company. However, the company has been on a steady decline over the past 6 months.

    Now, this is primarily because of low sales of its most popular product – the iPhone. Apple’s latest iPhone-lineup, which was supposed help the company get back at the top, is selling well below expectations. This led to a decline in the value of Apple’s shares. However, CEO Tim Cook asserts Apple is still well positioned in the market as a leader.

    “I’m never surprised by the market, to be honest with you, because I think the market is quite emotional in the short term. We sort of look through all of that. We think about the long term. And so when I look at the long-term health of the company, it has never been better. The product pipeline has never been better. The ecosystem has never been stronger. The services are on a tear,” Cook said in an interview with CNBC.

    Meanwhile, Amazon has enjoyed a constant growth since early 2017. The company’s Founder, Jeff Bezos, also became the richest person in the world last year at a net worth of $150 billion.

  • Windows 10 reportedly surpasses Windows 7

    Windows 10 reportedly surpasses Windows 7

    Windows 10 has finally surpassed Windows 7 in terms of users. Officially released back in 2015, the latest version of Windows now has more users than Windows 7. According to a report by Net Market Share, Windows 10 has now captured a user base of 39.22 percent, beating Windows 7’s user base of 36.90 percent.

    Hence, Windows 10 becomes the most popular OS in the world, way ahead of macOS X which has userbase of 9.61 percent, followed by Windows XP and Windows 8.1.

    Microsoft originally hoped to achieve over one billion Windows 10 devices in a span of three years, though that did not happen. The company announced back in May last year that nearly 700 million PCs are running Windows 10.  It’s also worth noting that Windows 10 growth was impacted ever since the end of the free upgrade offer for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users.

    The latest version of Windows did see an increase market share, though at a much slower pace, as more and more businesses moved away from Windows 7. With that being said, one can’t deny the fact that Windows 10 adoption accelerated throughout 2017-18.

    Users still running older versions of Windows

    That said, the majority of users are still running older versions of the OS even now. Extended support for Windows 7 will come to end in 2020, and by that time Microsoft should be able to achieve that 1 billion target.

    During the initial launch of the OS, Microsoft said it won’t have much trouble getting users to upgrade to newer versions of Windows in the near future. The company’s Windows as a Service strategy has performed rather well so far, with more than 20 percent of all Windows 10 users already using the latest feature update for the OS, which rolled out in October.

    Not to mention, Microsoft has a huge year ahead of itself with one major update planned for the first half of 2019, while another in the second half of 2019.

  • New PS5 and next-gen Xbox details revealed

    New PS5 and next-gen Xbox details revealed

    While Sony and Microsoft have already confirmed they’ve begun work on the PS5 and the next-gen Xbox console, though we haven’t heard anything substantial so far. We’ve come across plenlty of leaks and rumours, though nothing concrete from the companies themselves. That said, developers and industry experts keep discussing about it giving us a good idea about what to expect. The latest information comes from Cradle Games technical director Marc-Andre Jutras, who recently had a brainstorming session with GamingBolt about to what to expect from next-gen consoles.

    He suggests we won’t see a huge upgrade in RAM, as most games don’t require that much memory anyways. Instead, he stated that we might see an increase in processor cores.

    “I don’t think we will see 16GB of RAM, most games don’t use that much RAM anyway. I think the next generation will be between 8 and 12, probably. What you will see however is probably a good amount of cores. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next gen was Ryzen 2600 or something like that. Because it is really stable, cheap, and has a good amount of cores,” said Jutras to GamingBolt.

    He also spoke about what major changes in hardware we might see with upcoming consoles, which would be the focus on VRAM. He explained that 4K games need good amount of VRAM to buffer smoothly, unlike the PS4 which currently offers shared RAM space.

    “So if you end up with a 4K buffer, you need four times the VRAM. So I think you will see, you won’t see shared RAM space next gen like you do with the PS4. I don’t think you will see that because it’s a big bottleneck. You’ll see more VRAM to support 4K and 5K and whatever else comes around. Just how much of that? I wouldn’t be surprised if the PS5 had 8GB of RAM and 8GB of VRAM,” he added.

    It will intersting to see what Sony and Microsoft have to offer with their next-gen gaming consoles. That said, we’re bound to come across a barrge of rumors and speculations before the big reveal. We’ll update you as soon as we hear anything more. Until then, keep checking back for more.

  • Windows 10 October 2018 update now available for all

    Windows 10 October 2018 update now available for all

    Microsoft has finally resolved several bugs that stopped some Windows 10 users from downloading the latest Windows 10 October 2018 update. The update is now available for everyone to download via Windows Update. In an update on its support page, Microsoft confirmed that ‘Windows 10, version 1809, is now fully available for advanced users who manually select ‘Check for Updates’ via Windows Update.

    You can now download and install Windows 10 version 1809 on your system by heading over to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates.

    The availability comes more than two months after Microsoft orignally released the October 2018 update. Besides, the software giant had to re-release the update last month after a file deletion issue eventually led Microsoft to halt the rollout.

    Following which, Microsoft opted for a slower rollout to ensure a smoother update experience for all PCs. In the wake of this, the company also prevented the manual download option from Windows Update, even for systems that were fully compatible. Since then, Microsoft has been working to ensure that all PCs get this update, though it was blocked on systems that were found incompatible.

    “If we detect that your device may have an issue, such as an application incompatibility, we will not install the update until that issue is resolved, even if you ‘Check for updates,’ so you avoid encountering any related problems,” explained Microsoft.

    After a buggy year of updates, Microsoft plans to now focus on the quality of updates in Windows 10. The Windows-maker also promised it’ll make sure such glitches don’t happen with forthcoming Windows 10 updates. The company says it’ll pay more attention to the quality of updates it offers to Windows 10 users in the future.

  • Microsoft reportedly prepping a Chromium-powered web browser

    Microsoft reportedly prepping a Chromium-powered web browser

    Microsoft is reportedly working to replace its Edge browser in Windows 10 with a new Chrome-based browser. The Windows-maker could announce its replacement as early as this week. The new broswer might be released to Insiders in the next few Windows 10 builds. However, it is likey to see its final release in the next 19H1 update for the OS expected to arrive in Spring next year.

    Sources indicate that Microsoft has approached Google to offer assistance with the new broswer. The next-gen browser will feature a rending engine from Chromium, replacing Edge’s EdgeHTML engine. Going by reports, the new browser will essentially be based on the same engine that powers Google Chrome.

    Hence, the upcoming browser would be more or less be Microsoft’s very own version of Chrome. The Chromium-powered browser would hopefully fix stabilty and comaptibilty issues that have led to Edge’s potential demise. Besides, it also has the potential to work seamlessly on ARM-based Windows PCs.

    Google’s Chrome browser reportedly commands more than half of the global market share. The reason being that it gets updated regularly, offers plethora of extensions, and uses an advanced engine that correctly renders most of the websites out there.

    Microsoft originally promised to make all Google Chrome extensions compatible with its Edge browser. However, it turned out to be quite an uphill task for the company given that both browsers are based on different engines. It’s pretty evident Microsoft needs to spruce things up in the browser department if it has any chance of competing with the likes of Chrome.

  • Microsoft confirms another bug in Windows 10 version 1809

    Microsoft confirms another bug in Windows 10 version 1809

    Microsoft has announced yet another bug in Windows 10 October 2018 update (version 1809), adding that it’ll block the update on more PCs. The company said it’s working together with Morphisec to fix some issues with Morphisec Development Kit. The software giant says that cusotmers using these solutions might not be able to use Microsoft Office if they’ve upgraded to Windows 10 version 1809.

    “Microsoft and Morphisec have identified an issue on devices that have installed Morphisec Protector or another application that uses the Morphisec Software Development Kit (SDK) including:  Cisco AMP for Endpoints. These applications may impact customers’ ability to save Microsoft Office documents,” Micrsoft explained on its Windows 10 version 1809 status page.

    Microsoft says it’s further looking into the matter, and the only workworund for users right now is to uninstall products that have been affected. The company added that Windows 10 version 1809 upgrade will be blocked on their PCs as long as incompatible software is detected on their systems.

    “Uninstall affected applications and get updated versions from respective vendors when available. Next Steps: We are working with Morphisec and Cisco to address this issue in updated versions of their applications,” explained Microsoft.

    For now, Microsoft hasn’t announced an exact time frame for the bug fix to roll out. That said, the company is expected to roll out new cumulative updates for Windows 10 version 1809 in the next few days.

    Earlier, Microsoft had blocked the rollout of Windows 10 October 2018 update due to a bug which completely wiped out users data,

  • Apple fixes iCloud for Windows compatibilty issues with a new update

    Apple fixes iCloud for Windows compatibilty issues with a new update

    Apple has finally rolled out an iCloud for Windows update to fix compatibilty issues with the latest version of Windows 10. iCloud for Windows version 7.81 has been specifically released by Apple to address compatibilty issues with Windows 10 October 2018 update (version 1809).

    To recall, Microsoft prevented users from downloading iCloud for Windows software after an incompatibilty was discovered by Apple. The issue led to problems updating Shared Albums after users downloaded Windows 10 version 1809.

    That time, Microsoft promised it had joined hands with Apple to roll out a fix for the iCloud software that’ll work properly with the latest version of Windows 10.

    “Apple has released an updated version of iCloud for Windows (version 7.8.1) that resolves compatibility issues encountered when updating or synching Shared Albums after updating to Windows 10, version 1809. We recommend that you update your iCloud for Windows to version 7.8.1 when prompted before attempting to upgrade to Windows 10, version 1809,” said Microsoft.

    Users can manually check for the update by heading over to Windows Update and Check for Updates. The update is being rolled out in phases to devices that are fully compatible with Windows 10 version 1809. Hence, if your system has no compatiblity issues, the download would be ready and should show up while checking for updates.

    Besides, Microsoft is also working on fixing several other bugs in Windows 10 October 2018 Update. The company has released a new cumulative update for Insiders in the Preview ring to test some of these fixes.

  • Microsoft dethrones Apple to become the most valuable company by market cap

    Microsoft dethrones Apple to become the most valuable company by market cap

    Microsoft has surpassed Apple to become the world’s most valuable company. The Windows-maker is now reportedly worth $753 billion, compard to Apple which has now come down to $746 billion.

    It appears Microsoft’s startegy to invertments in products like Office, Azure, and Cloud has fetched good returns for the company. Reports further add that Microosft is possibly on its way to become a trillion dollar company, something which Apple was once.

    Shrinking of global iPhone demand has caused a substantial dip in Apple’s shares prices. The Cupertino giant’s shares revcently fell to $172.2, after it announced reduced production orders for the iPhone XS and iPhone XR. Not to mention, Apple also has plans to resurrect the iPhone X and reduce iPhone XR prices in Japan to mitigate losses.

    Apple’s stock has shrunk by over 10 percent since November. During that time, the company also announced that it would not disclose iPhone sale units to investors. Since then, Apple’s stock has been constantly sliding.

    Earlier this week, a WSJ report also claimed that Apple is offering subsidies to carriers in Japan to reduce iPhone XR prices. Besides, the report also mentioned the company’s plan to resume iPhone X production. One of the problems the company is facing is the fact that older iPhone models still have massive popularity in countries like Japan, most probably because they’re much cheaper than the latest iPhone models.

    Apple has also cut down production orders because of lower than anticipated demand for new iPhone models, as well as overall shrinking of the smartphone-market. Reports further cite that weak demand in China is another reason for cutting down production of newly launched iPhone range.

    Besides, renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also suggests that Apple will see an year-over-year decline in iPhone shipments during the first quarter of 2019.