When you download Windows 10 November 2019 Update (Windows 10 version 1909), you might be somewhat surprised at just how small it is.

At a ridiculous 180KB (yes, you did read that correctly) this is a tiny size for a feature update -- but it doesn't signal the way things are going to be moving forward. So how on earth did Microsoft manage to make this update so small? What's going on?

Continue reading →

If you were hoping to get your hands (or ears) on a pair of Microsoft's Surface Earbuds for Christmas, you're going to have to wait a little longer.

Originally pencilled in to launch before the end of the year, Microsoft's $249, AirPod-baiting wireless earphones have been delayed. The worldwide launch is now destined for spring 2020 according to a tweet by Panos Panay.

Continue reading →

Now that the Windows 10 November 2019 Update is done and dusted, Microsoft is hard at work putting the finishing touches to the 20H1 release, due out next year.

The software giant rolled out another Insider flight earlier in the week, Build 19028, and today -- in time for the weekend -- it treats us to a second new build.

Continue reading →

Ah, Black Friday -- the day after Thanksgiving where people run to the store to score great deals on various items. Technology enthusiasts in particular love this day, as you can save a lot of money on computers, tablets, smartphones, and more. Over the years, however, Black Friday has begun starting earlier and lasting longer -- it no longer lasts just a single day. Hell, you don't even need to leave the house anymore -- many retailers put the same deals online.

Case in point, starting today, Microsoft is launching some of its Black Friday deals -- an entire week in advance! This includes both online and physical Microsoft Store locations. Not all of sales start today, however -- the company is staggering the dates a bit. And yes, this sale includes many of the the products you love, such as Xbox, Surface, and other Windows 10 devices.

Continue reading →

Three-hundred-and-sixty-two in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Microsoft Store in the past seven days.

Microsoft released the November 2019 Update for Windows 10 this month and enabled the upgrade via Windows Update and the Update Assistant.

Continue reading →

Microsoft seems to have started rolling out new integration options to Outlook.com, making life easier for anyone who uses both Microsoft and Google services.

As well as offering Gmail integration to allow people to read emails from their Google accounts within Outlook online, Microsoft is also in the process of adding support for Google Calendar and Google Drive.

Continue reading →

Now that the Windows 10 November 2019 Update is widely available, Microsoft’s attention is firmly on the next feature release, due out next year.

The latest builds on the 20H1 branch haven’t introduced any new features, instead the focus has been firmly on fixing problems and making improvements.

Continue reading →

Joining the likes of Mozilla and Google, Microsoft has announced that it will support DNS over HTTPS (DoH).

The company says that the adoption of encrypted DNS is important for the overall health of the internet ecosystem. It goes on to set out a number of principles that will be at the heart of adopting DoH in the Windows DNS client.

Continue reading →

Microsoft has announced changes to its Online Services Terms for commercial cloud customers after an EU investigation raise concerns about existing policies' compliance with European regulation.

The company bills the changes as the introduction of "more privacy transparency" in the wake of a probe into potential violations of GDPR relating to telemetry data collected from Office 365 users. Microsoft says the new contractual terms will be offered to customers globally, not just within Europe.

Continue reading →

For most people, playing a video game is as easy as picking up a controller. Unfortunately, there are some folks out there that cannot hold a typical gamepad due to disability. For a long time, people with disabilities were forced to either not play video games or struggle with what was available.

These days, however, the gaming market is more thoughtful regarding the less-able. A great example of this is Microsoft's Xbox Adaptive Controller -- a special device designed to make gaming a reality for disabled people. Today, Logitech G is taking things further with its Adaptive Gaming Kit -- a brilliant add-on to Microsoft's offering. For this new product, Logitech even consulted with AbleGamers -- a charity focused on inclusion in gaming.

Continue reading →

Some drivers for Realtek Bluetooth radios are casing compatibility issues with Windows 10 November 2019 Update, leading Microsoft to block the update on affected systems.

Anyone with an outdated version of the Realtek Bluetooth driver will be greeted by a message informing them: "Realtek Bluetooth: Your PC has a driver or service that isn't ready for this version of Windows 10". Updating Windows 10 to the latest version is blocked until users follow the steps set out by Microsoft.

Continue reading →

Microsoft has quietly confirmed the rumors that it is planning to discontinue its Cortana digital assistant for some users. Starting next year, the company will no longer support Cortana on either iOS or Android in certain markets.

While Microsoft is yet to confirm which countries will be affected, the UK, Canada and Australia are known to be on the list. The change means that there will be no Cortana mobile app, and integration will be removed from the Microsoft Launcher.

Continue reading →

Three days ago, Microsoft rolled out new Windows 10 20H1 Builds for the Fast and Slow rings, and made the Windows 10 November 2019 Update available for non-Insiders.

Today, Fast ring Insiders get another yet release -- Build 19025.

Continue reading →

When Microsoft was awarded the controversial $10 billion JEDI contract by the US Department of Defense, many people voiced surprise -- including rival bidder Amazon.

Now Jeff Bezos' company is heading to court, claiming that the process of choosing who to assign the contract to was biased. But these claims have been denied, with the Department of Defense saying there was no outside influence involved in the decision.

Continue reading →

As the world’s leading suite of business productivity software, Microsoft Office helps users complete common business tasks, including word processing, email, presentations, data management and analysis, and much more.

Whether you need accessible instruction on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, or Access -- or all of them -- Office 2019 for Dummies makes it much easier.

Continue reading →