Microsoft announces great value Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
As well as revealing the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition yesterday, Microsoft also has another treat in store for gamers -- the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Just as there had been rumors about the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition ahead of the announcement, there had also been talk about this new combined subscription. Due to launch at an undisclosed time later this year after beta testing, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate combines the existing Game Pass with Xbox Live Gold, all for $14.99 per month.
Microsoft revives TechNet and MSDN blogs
After a wave of apparently unexpected complaints, Microsoft has announced that it is to restore the TechNet and MSDN blogs it recently started to retire.
The company warns that this is not something that's going to happen overnight -- there is a lot of content to re-activate -- but the announcement is great news for anyone who has found the blogs to be invaluable sources of information.
Microsoft announces stupidly named Xbox One S All-Digital Edition -- a neutered game console no sane person should want
Download-only gaming for home consoles is certainly the future. It is definitely not the present, however. I can envision all next-generation game consoles being produced without any optical drive or card slot, but to do that with a current-gen system would be asinine. And so, Microsoft has done it.
Yes, the worst kept secret in the video game community is officially announced today. As the leaks suggested, Microsoft unveiled the "Xbox One S All-Digital Edition." What does "all-digital" mean? Well, apparently, the Windows-maker thought optical discs were analog, as this branding simply means the Blu-ray drive has been removed. Yeah, the name sort of makes no sense. In other words, Microsoft hopes you will be crazy enough to buy download-only games at the tail end of the Xbox One's life. You won't fall for that trickery, will you?
Internet Explorer flaw leaves Windows users vulnerable to hackers -- even those who don't use the browser
A zero-day exploit found in Internet Explorer means hackers could steal files from Windows users. What's particularly interesting about this security flaw is that you don't even need to be an Internet Explorer user to be vulnerable.
A security researcher has revealed details of an unpatched exploit in the way IE handles MHT files, and the problem affects Windows 7, Windows 10 and Windows Server 2012 R2. It leaves users vulnerable not only to having their files stolen by hackers, but also means they could be spied upon.
Microsoft email hack was worse than first thought -- some users' messages were accessed
Over the weekend we reported that hackers gained access to Microsoft's web-based email services for a period of three months. Microsoft tried to calm users' concerns by saying that only "your e-mail address, folder names, the subject lines of e-mails, and the names of other e-mail addresses you communicate with" had been accessed. But for some people, things were rather worse.
It transpires that some users have been sent a notification from Microsoft informing them that hackers were able to access the content of emails.
Leaked: Microsoft's Xbox One S All Digital console
The future of the Xbox console certainly appears to be a disc-less one. German website WinFuture has obtained images and details of the console which could be officially revealed in the coming days.
The name has already been spotted on packaging, so we can be fairly sure that it is the final name. As the moniker suggests, the Xbox One S All Digital eschews discs in favor of game downloads -- the packaging itself proclaims "disc-free gaming". The box also reveals some details about the hardware specs of the Xbox One S All Digital.
Microsoft reveals hackers gained access to its web email services for three months
Microsoft has confirmed that hackers were able to access customers' web-based email accounts for a period of three months at the beginning of the year. Between January 1 and March 28, unknown hackers hit the accounts of various Microsoft email services.
The company is in the process of sending notifications to those who have been affected by the issue and it recommends users change their account passwords. (Update: it's worse than first thought!)
How to secure Windows 10 -- Microsoft reveals SECCON framework to protect systems
Based on the DEFCON levels, Microsoft has unveiled the SECCON framework -- a series of guides for securing a range of Windows 10 configurations in different environments.
Starting with an "Administrator workstation" at level 1 and building up to "Enterprise security" at level 5, the framework is Microsoft's attempt to simplify and standardize security. While it is not a one-size-fits-all solution, the company says it is "defining discrete prescriptive Windows 10 security configurations to meet many of the common device scenarios we see today in the enterprise".
April's Patch Tuesday updates are causing Windows to freeze or slow down
If you installed the latest batch of patches from Microsoft this week and found that your computer started to freeze up or fail to boot, you are not alone.
The problem is affecting Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2, and stems from a compatibility issue with antivirus software. Users with antivirus tools from Avast, Avira and Sophos have experienced problems -- including slowing down Windows 10 -- and Microsoft has blocked the rollout of updates to some systems to try to limit the damage.
Skype beta adds screen sharing feature
Since acquiring Skype, Microsoft has been slowly but surely developing the messaging tool, most recently increasing the number of chat participants to 50. Now the company has released a new version of the software -- in beta for the time being -- in which it is possible to share your screen with whoever you're chatting with.
The beta feature is available to people on the Skype Insider program, and it allows for mobile screen sharing on both iOS and Android.
Microsoft releases cumulative update for the Windows 10 May 2019 Update
Microsoft has pushed out the next big feature update for Windows 10 to the Release Preview ring, but it will be a while yet before it’s properly available for prime time.
It’s only just been declared ready for serious testing, but already the software giant has issued an update for it, and identified a known issue.
How to enable dark mode in new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge
There has been talk of a Chromium-based version of Microsoft Edge for a while, and now Microsoft has finally released the browser to those willing to take part in the Insider program.
While it's early days for this new version of Edge, there is already the Microsoft Edge Insider Addons website to investigate, but you may also want to experiment with settings. One such setting is dark mode -- something which has proved very popular in all sorts of apps. Here's how to enable it.
How to get the Windows 10 May 2019 Update now
As part of efforts to avoid repeating the sort of mess we saw with the October 2018 Update, Microsoft last week announced that its next big Windows 10 feature update would first be pushed out to the Release Preview ring, where it will spend an extended time in testing.
If you’re interested in installing the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (Build 18362.30) you can do so now. Here’s how to get it.
Microsoft Edge Insider Addons website launched
The first official builds of Chromium-based version of Microsoft Edge are now available to download, and Microsoft has also launched the Microsoft Edge Insider Addons website.
Anyone using the standard, non-Insider version of the browser is probably familiar with the addons and extensions that are available from the Microsoft Store for Edge. But with the new Chromium version of Edge, the new website gives an easy way to extend the capabilities of the Dev and Canary builds.
First official builds of Microsoft's Chromium-based Edge browser now available to test
Four months ago, Microsoft announced that it planned to switch to the open source Chromium for its Edge browser, and two weeks ago we got a sneak glimpse at it.
Today, the software giant unveils official previews for the Chromium-based Edge browser, and you can download Dev and Canary builds of it now.
Recent Headlines
Most Commented Stories
Windows 12.1 is everything Windows 11 should be -- and the Microsoft operating system we need!
Apple Intelligence will launch in beta and that’s unacceptable for a trillion-dollar company
© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.