Microsoft news recap: Microsoft officially pulls the plug on Windows 8.1, Mobile operators for Microsoft’s Always Connected PCs announced

Microsoft's News overview is a weekly feature that highlights the most important Microsoft news from last week. Sit down, drink a cup of coffee and enjoy reading!

Microsoft officially takes the plug on Windows 8.1

Remember Windows 8.1? Microsoft finally ends the support. Although patches will be released for the operating system until 1 January 2023 for security purposes, Microsoft has officially stopped issuing important patches or improvements to the now outdated operating system. Now that Windows 10 has copied a number of functions under 8.1, this will not be a problem for most users.

Mobile operators announced for Microsoft's always connected PCs

Microsoft is looking for opportunities to release an ever connected PC, and this week they have shed light on how they do it. In collaboration with Qualcomm, the giant Redmond has announced which operators will support these PCs on their LTE networks. China Telecom takes care of business in China, Italy TIM (Telecom Italia) will offer its network, EE will be the preferred company in the UK and Sprint and Verizon will be options for customers in the United States.

Microsoft Launcher 4.5 arrives for testers

Are you one of the Android users who wants extra features to make your user interface more beautiful? You may already be a Microsoft Launcher user. The beta testers for the Android application have just gained access to version 4.5, which has yielded a significant set of new features and improvements. Things such as setting the icon size, setting backgrounds on the house and the lock screen and recurring reminders are shown in the menu this time. Lots of fun!

Bing achieved huge improvements, including flight status and better sports results

Bing has been one of the first Microsoft services since its inception and offers one of the few useful alternatives for Google. Microsoft continues to repeat the search engine and adds additional features such as sports scores, predictions and more. The latest changes to the Microsoft browser include the status of the follow-up flight and the improvement of movie listings and sports scores. Highlights include the ability to check a flight without having to know your flight number, and the addition of a section entitled "What's Popular at Amazon" for movies.

Microsoft pushing out emergency fix for newly disclosed processor exploit

Following up on the disclosure of exploits that affect Intel, AMD, and ARM processors, Microsoft is rolling out an emergency update for Windows users. In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft also confirmed that it is deploying fixes to its cloud services.

From Microsoft:

We're aware of this industry-wide issue and have been working closely with chip manufacturers to develop and test mitigations to protect our customers. We are in the process of deploying mitigations to cloud services and have also released security updates to protect Windows customers against vulnerabilities affecting supported hardware chips from Intel, ARM, and AMD. We have not received any information to indicate that these vulnerabilities had been used to attack our customers.

According to The Verge, Windows 10 users will be automatically updated with the patch today through Windows Update. And while the patch will be available from Microsoft for Windows 7 and 8 users today, they will have to wait until Patch Tuesday to receive it automatically via Windows Update.

The changelog for KB4056892 includes:

• Addresses issue where event logs stop receiving events when a maximum file size policy is applied to the channel. Addresses issue where printing an Office Online document in Microsoft Edge fails.
• Addresses issue where the touch keyboard doesn't support the standard layout for 109 keyboards.
• Addresses video playback issues in applications such as Microsoft Edge that affect some devices when playing back video on a monitor and a secondary, duplicated display.
• Addresses issue where Microsoft Edge stops responding for up to 3 seconds while displaying content from a software rendering path.
• Addresses issue where only 4 TB of memory is shown as available in Task Manager in Windows Server version 1709 when more memory is actually installed, configured, and available.
• Security updates to Windows SMB Server, the Windows Subsystem for Linux, Windows Kernel, Windows Datacenter Networking, Windows Graphics, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and the Microsoft Scripting Engine.

The update follows a whirlwind of developments, starting with initial reports that Intel processors were impacted by a new security vulnerability. Researchers later disclosed virtually all modern processors are affected by two new exploits, dubbed Meltdown and Spectre, that can act as vectors for attackers to access things like passwords, photos, emails, and other sensitive information.

Meltdown is the easier to exploit of the two, according to researchers, and only appears to impact Intel processors. Patches for Meltdown are also already available, including those for Linux, macOS, and today's Windows update. Spectre, on the other hand, impacts a much wider array of processors, including those from Intel, AMD, and ARM. While it's more difficult to exploit, it is also much harder to fix.

Microsoft is also noting what could be a fairly severe "known issue" with this release, which is likely due to the rushed nature of the situation.

Update installation may stop at 99% and may show elevated CPU or disk utilization if a device was reset using the Reset this PC functionality after installing KB4054022..

Microsoft brings app add-ins to Outlook on Android

Microsoft has done programming tasks, taking notes and responding to emails with fun GIFs in Outlook much easier for Android users with Outlook.com and Office 365 business accounts. It brings third-party add-ons to Google's mobile operating system, some months after the iOS feature was launched, the list of applications that the e-mail client can access has even increased. Just go to Settings, then click Add-ons and press the plus sign next to the apps you want to enable.

In addition to giving you the power to save notes in Trello or Evernote and to translate emails with Microsoft Translator from within the application, Outlook also gives you access to Wrike, JIRA, MeisterTask, Gfycat and MojiLala.

The top three are all software designed for teams and can respond to work emails while on the road or on vacation (not if applicable) much faster. Gfycat and MojiLala, on the other hand, can add color to their responses with reaction GIFs and cute stickers. There is no need to leave Outlook to find the same Keanu you saved years ago.

These new applications will be available in Outlook not only for Android, but also for iOS, Windows, Mac and the Web. As a surprise, Microsoft promises to give you access to all these add-ons if you use your Outlook account with the Gmail application on iOS and Android in the near future.

Microsoft just made it easier for programmers to use archrival Amazon's cloud

Amazon and Microsoft, two archivists in cloud computing and rigorous competitors for Seattle's technological talent, cooperate much more.

Earlier this week we saw the wedding of Alexa's virtual assistant from Amazon and Cortana from Microsoft.

Then, on Thursday, the companies announced that they were joining together so that programmers could more easily take the code they handle in Microsoft tools and publish it in the Amazon cloud.

On Thursday, Microsoft launched a blog post detailing how its local Team Foundation Server software and its cloud service in Visual Studio Team Services can connect to various Amazon Web Services tools.

Once the new tools are installed, developers can transfer content to the widely used S3 storage service of AWS, automate implementations with the AWS CodeDeploy tool and execute applications with the server service without Lambda server, among others, without leaving the limits of Microsoft products

To build integrations, Amazon engineers have collaborated with members of the Microsoft Visual Studio ALM Rangers group, Microsoft program manager Joseph Bourne wrote in the blog entry. The ALM Rangers group is responsible for providing out-of-band solutions for missing features or guidelines, Microsoft said.

In fact, Microsoft provides a new revenue stream for AWS, the largest cloud around and the top competitor of Microsoft's Azure cloud. This is notable because historically, Microsoft has announced the possibility that people use their source code management programs with Azure.

But if Microsoft is serious about making things as simple as possible for end users, the move is logical.

The opening fits in with Microsoft's recent move led by Satya Nadella to work with non-Microsoft platforms. For example, Microsoft has allowed users to use Linux on their Windows 10 operating system.

Seattle modeling firm sues Microsoft over missed payments

A Microsoft modeling agency committed to showcasing its HoloLens headphones follows the company and one of the technology giant employees, claiming that an intermediary has not paid for the modeling business in its entirety and to have stopped promising more work.

The modeling company Genesis Industries also said that the Microsoft employee who won the contract decided not to renew the agreement after being confronted with its alleged misconduct towards employees.

A complaint filed Friday in federal court in Seattle says Genesis founder Jennifer Kelly approached in early 2015 by Jonathan Plumb, a leader of the Microsoft HoloLens team. Plomada was looking for "brand ambassadors" for upcoming events to promote the new reality hull mix, and Kelly said he could offer.

The lead supervisor ordered Kelly to sign a contract with the robot, a technology services company from Bellevue, Microsoft, chose to manage work related HoloLens.

Genesis has a six-month subcontracting agreement in June 2015, in which the company would submit utility bills and Microsoft Robot Robot could charge its turn.

It is not unusual for Microsoft, which relies on thousands of enterprise contractors for a variety of tasks, special events in hiring and software development and testing. Some of these entrepreneurs exist mainly to subcontract the work to other companies.

Robot, according to demand, did not work on the layout "other than being a placeholder."

Genesis then provided personnel for HoloLens demonstrations at events around the United States and Canada to Microsoft's address, according to the complaint, resulting in travel costs and other expenses; That through robot, the company would be reimbursed.

As of August 2015, began to shed Robot Genesis bills, according to the lawsuit, costs that amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the complaint.

When Kelly raised the issue with Microsoft, Microsoft said plumb line would ensure that Genesis was repaid. Plomada also said that Genesis should reject other jobs next year, while Microsoft plans to renew HoloLens contracts, the lawsuit says.

At some point, according to the lawsuit, lead began to "aggressively pursue" sexual Kelly and made "hypersexualized comments" about other unnamed Genesis employees. In December of 2015, he confronted Kelly Plumb, criticizing his behavior and a Facebook message that appeared to show the uptake of alcohol by a minor employee of Genesis.

Plomada then limited the work of Genesis and did not renew his contract when it expired a couple of weeks later, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, which names Microsoft and Plumb, looking for a sum for unspecified damages.

A Microsoft spokesman said the company was reviewing the lawsuit.

Plomada and the robot did not respond to messages for comment. Kelly declined to comment, and her lawyer did not respond to the messages.

Microsoft Monday: Mixed Reality Headsets, Face Swap App, Update For Minecraft: Pocket Edition

Microsoft Monday is a weekly column that focuses on updates on the Redmond giant. This week, Microsoft Monday includes details on the new mixed helmets, new Skype features, a partnership with Purdue University, an interview with former CEO Steve Ballmer in the conference code, the new face application swap, The 'Planner for iOS, PC to come with mobile chips and LTE modems and aircraft manufacturer co-founder Paul Allen.

Microsoft reveals several mixed reality headsets

At the Computex Technology Show in Taipei last week, Microsoft revealed several new mixed hulls (MR). Mixed-mode headphones are manufactured by Dell, Lenovo and Asus with the Microsoft mixed-media platform. "These headphones that sell holidays, using the Microsoft platform to provide a single consistent user interface, standardized inputs and a universal application platform for developers," Microsoft said in a blog post.

What makes it different from the virtual reality of mixed reality is that the old digital images, in addition to the user environment layer, while the second is a completely virtual environment. You can also remember that HP and Acer have released pre-orders for the new Windows kits Shadow Wind Mixed Reality in the developer conference Build 2017. And Microsoft also announced new motion controllers for Windows Reality Mixed.

Microsoft is preparing to introduce the next generation of Skype. Group conversations on Skype are now more "alive". And now you can personalize Skype with your favorite colors.

And one of the new features of Skype called Outstanding. Highlights let you create your daylight coil 70-417 dumps from your collection of photos and videos. And post a highlight by a scanner to access the camera and take a photo or a video, followed by a publication in its strengths. Or you can send it directly to your contacts or groups.

After publishing a strong point, friends and family can react with emoticons. You can also draw on photos and apply stickers.

More Skype has a new "Search" panel that allows Skype to be queried. The new search function is a universal search that allows you to find conversations, images and supplements.

There is also an integration of third-party applications that will be integrated with Skype. For example, a robot in the StubHub application can find ticket prices and seating options. BigOven and pulls add-on recipes and helps you plan shopping lists. In addition, the Skype Exit engine helps to check flight schedules and prices.

The new version of Skype will initially focus on the mobile and desktop. Specifically, it will be released on Android first followed by the iPhone. And it will be on Windows and Mac in the coming months.

Microsoft has partnered with Purdue University to build a topological topological computer Exams4sure

Purdue University has signed a five-year agreement with Microsoft in a topological quantum computing project called Station P. The consortium now includes Purdue University, Delft Technical University in the Netherlands, Niels Bohr Institute in Denmark University of Sydney in Australia ETH Zurich in Switzerland and the University of Maryland. Microsoft and Purdue are working together on quantum computing for over a year.

"What's interesting is that we make science and engineering hand in hand at the same time," said Purdue Q station director and Purdue University professor Michael Manfra in a press release. "We are fortunate to be part of this truly amazing global team."

The advantage of quantum computation with respect to vector calculus is that quantum computers would be better used to treat cryptographic systems and modeling of molecular interactions. "The topological quantum computer uses qubits that store" non-local "information and external noise sources have less effect on the qubit, we expect to be more robust," added Manfra.

How will Purdue University be involved? Purdue will focus primarily on the study of ultra-pure semiconductors and hybrid semiconductor systems that could power quantum Q. computer zone

Microsoft said a fix for OfficeBackgroundTaskHandlerRegistration Bug is coming

There is a Microsoft Office bug - which is known as OfficeBackgroundTaskHandlerRegistration error - which causes the appearance of a popup every hour. "There is a patch that makes the way through slow #OfficeInsiders rings slow," said Microsoft Knight Jen in a tweet. This can be quite annoying when using full screen applications. The file that starts every time is called officebackgroundtaskhandler.exe and is located in C: / Program Files (x86) / Microsoft Office / root / Office16 / officebackgroundtaskhandler.exe.

Microsoft and Cisco Partner in Things Internet Solutions

Microsoft and Cisco Systems have announced an Internet alliance of things. Under the partnership, Microsoft Azure IO Suite will connect to Cisco deployments of fog. The partnership will also provide intelligence capabilities "and treatment closer to the origin of the data." And the partnership will help Cisco to optimize the costs of Internet deployment of things by sending just the necessary information to the cloud.

"We believe IO, cloud and IO Edge will continue to play a key role in digital transformation. We are very pleased to expand our work with Cisco and provide the value of IO technologies and Microsoft solutions to more customers," he said. The director of Microsoft's Azure Internet partner Sam George's stuff in a blog post.

Former CEO Steve Ballmer at the Code Conference

Last week at the Code Conference, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer explains why he had invested heavily in Twitter. "There is a real opportunity to make this a valuable economic asset," Ballmer said through TechCrunch. Ballmer added that he believes in Twitter because "it gives people the opportunity to communicate directly with people who want to talk to the world." And Ballmer said Twitter was "tidy" or "going to be a valuable asset for someone to buy."

In October 2015, Ballmer said he owned 4% of Twitter. It is unknown how it still has. Ballmer also revealed that Microsoft has not tried to buy Twitter when he was the company's commander.

Ballmer acknowledged Microsoft has been slow to develop materials

During the Conference Code interview, Ballmer acknowledged that Microsoft was slow to develop material. "I think it was too slow in cases to recognize the need for new capacity, especially in hardware," Ballmer said. "I wish I had built the ability to be a world-class hardware business because one of the new expressions of software is essentially the material."

Why is not Ballmer in politics

In the interview, Ballmer took a few moments to talk about politics as well. In particular, Ballmer said he had no interest in politics: "zero, nothing, no." "These rich guys like to think of their basketball team," Ballmer joked during the interview.

Ballmer also gave his opinion on some political issues. He said, "the budget should be balanced." He also believes that children should have easier access to education.

Microsoft's Future Success Can Be Found In Google's Dominant Nature

No longer only in units sold with the operating system on board is, it uses the operating system to generate revenue streams to countless countless consumers. Android is a master in the field, but Microsoft is catching up on the challenges of smart application quickly in Windows 10.

Take the news that Apple's dominance in profits by selling smart phone environment. Taking over one hundred percent (with global losses counted in stocks), IOS has an advantage in Google. However, Google should not be too worried about this news. The focus on sales on the computer, while the current value of each Google device is to put another person in the Google service (or presence of your consolidation life of an existing user). These users are monetized by Mountain View from the list price or the benefit obtained in the matter.

This also means that Google can get into a slice of iOS users. Assuming that consumers have a lot of cloud data and multiple service accounts, applications for Gmail, Google Calendar, YouTube and others provide Google with their hardware (and OS), it does not make premiums control. Good job if you can get it.

Is it a wonder Microsoft is following the same path?

Microsoft's cloud computing strategy is not unique, but we rarely see a review of this scale. Follow the same principles as the Google app. The key is to allow the user to use the service capability of the Microsoft platform, no matter what they are in, not just Windows 10. If they are on iOS, Outlook email should be an option. Yes Running OneNote on MacOS X. MS Word and MS sheet are available on Android. Wherever there was a user, Microsoft wants to be there to take their share of their lives, using online, online services.

What should be more exciting than Windows 10 continues to grow is how Microsoft monetizes the Windows 10 user base to a greater degree than previous platform iterations. Not only does the cloud account of the user integrated into the operating system, but additional services such as cloud storage, Office 365, and Groove Music (to name three) are part of the Microsoft user account.