[Updated] Microsoft has patched Windows against the KRACK Wi-Fi vulnerability -- Google will secure Android soon
Earlier today, news broke about the KRACK vulnerability that affects the WPA2 protocol. Security researchers have warned that the problem affects millions of devices running everything from Windows to Android and Linux.
Microsoft has announced that it has already released a security patch to fix the vulnerability in Windows. Google says that a patch for affected Android devices will be released "in the coming weeks."
Microsoft showcases the Fluent Design changes found in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update and beyond
When you update your copy of Windows 10 to the Fall Creators Update (from tomorrow), one of the changes you may notice is the introduction of a new, but quite subtle, look to the OS.
Microsoft's Fluent Design language is essentially like Aero, with cool transparency and blur effects added throughout.
LinkedIn is testing autoplaying video ads
Looking for new ways to make money out of its professional social network LinkedIn, Microsoft is testing video advertisements. Currently in closed beta testing, video advertising is available to "a limited number of advertisers" and it may well prove unpopular with LinkedIn users.
Following a well-worn path set out by the likes of Google, Facebook and others, the video ads will autoplay. The one saving grace is that videos will play without sound, but this is unlikely to be enough to prevent them from quickly becoming an irritant.
Windows 10 telemetry violates privacy laws
The data collecting activities of Windows 10 has landed Microsoft in trouble again. Investigating the telemetry built into the operating system, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) has said that Microsoft's spying is a violation of local privacy laws.
Of particular concern to the authority is the fact that users are not clearly told that data will be collected in both Windows itself and Microsoft Edge. With Microsoft's web browser gathering data about every URL that's visited by users who have not opted out of telemetry, and Windows 10 itself sucking up detailed information about app usage, the DPA is concerned that users are not adequately informed or protected.
Arrow Launcher for Android exits beta and becomes Microsoft Launcher
It came as something of a shock to people when Microsoft first released an Android launcher in the guise of Arrow Launcher. Now the company is making it more obvious who is behind the app, bringing the launcher out of beta and relaunching it as Microsoft Launcher.
Joe Belfiore only very recently admitted that Windows Phone is dead, and this is something that is borne out by Microsoft's increasing interest in developing iOS and Android software. What may well come as a surprise to many is that Microsoft Launcher is actually a decent piece of software.
Microsoft rolling out Windows 10 Fall Creators Update cumulative update Build 16299.19
Windows Insiders who haven’t yet updated to the new Windows 10 RS4 build released today (and there may be many, as we're hearing reports of problems with its deployment), have a cumulative update heading their way.
Build 16299.19 (KB4043961) is currently rolling out to Windows Insiders running Build 16299.15 (the Fall Creators Update RTM), and offers a number of quality improvements.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17017 to the Fast ring and Skip Ahead
Last week, Microsoft rolled out Build 16299.15 -- the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update RTM -- to Insiders on the Fast ring, and then also released it to those on the Slow and Release Preview rings.
The official Fall Creators Update rollout starts next week, meaning we’re now starting to see builds from the Redstone 4 (RS4) branch making their way to Insiders, as the Fast and Skip Ahead branches merge. Build 17017 for PC arrives today in time for the weekend, introducing some useful new features.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Fall Creators Update SDK
Microsoft took the Windows Developer Day as an opportunity to release a couple of new features and announce some fairly big changes to some of its best-known platforms
Among the biggest things announced are the launch of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update SDK. With the new SDK, which was in preview until now, developers will be able to submit everything they do, including apps, games and updates, to the Microsoft Store.
Download Microsoft Edge preview for Android
Microsoft only recently announced that its Edge browser would be coming to both iOS and Android -- and now the company is making good on its promise. A preview version of Microsoft Edge (described by the software giant as "unreleased") is now available on Google Play.
Based on Chrome's Blink engine, Edge for Android has a particular treat for anyone using Windows 10 Fall Creators Update -- they can take advantage of the "continue on PC" feature. This lets users start browsing the web on their phones, and then switch to a computer and pick up from where they left off.
Microsoft is hilariously pretentious as it unveils Surface accessories in aqua color
Microsoft Surface computers are rather nice, but sometimes Panos Panay and team get a little wacky when describing the design process. Look, I get it, Panay is passionate about his job, and that is respectable. But come on, creating Surface devices isn't exactly like painting the Mona Lisa.
Today, Microsoft announces that some Surface accessories will soon be available in a new aqua color. Now, I suppose the color is decent, although it reminds me of a hospital. It is the type of color you paint the rooms of an assisted-living facility for the elderly. As Microsoft describes the process of selecting the color aqua, however, you would think they cured a disease -- the explanation is hilariously pretentious.
Microsoft invites you to report malicious and phishing websites as it crowdsources security
Microsoft is opening itself up to submissions from the public, making it possible for people to provide information about malicious websites. A new page on the Windows Defender Security Intelligence (WDSI) website gives anyone the opportunity to pass on details of phishing sites and other malicious pages directly to Microsoft.
The WDSI portal is described by Microsoft as being in preview, so it's possible that what you see now may change over time.
Install Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Bloatware Free Edition now
The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is due to begin its rollout on October 17, but if you want to install it right now, and without joining the Windows Insider Program, you can.
The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Bloatware Free Edition isn’t an official release from Microsoft -- it’s a special edition built using the MSMG Toolkit v7.7 and the latest Windows 10 Fall Creators Update RTM Build 16299.15. As you can tell from the name, the Bloatware Free Edition removes a lot of unwanted extras from the OS.
Microsoft killing Surface line is just a 'tabloid rumor'
Even though Microsoft is not making a lot of money by selling Surface devices, it is hard to imagine that the PC line will be put out to pasture by 2019 because of it, as some top industry executives believe. It plays too big of a role in the PC ecosystem to be killed off.
As I explained in the article discussing those claims, we should not look at Surface "as a standalone effort, but rather as part of a long-term strategy" through which "Microsoft is not only making high-end Windows devices more attractive, it is also encouraging its partners to come up with better designs." Unsurprisingly, my view is mirrored by Surface chief Panos Panay, who calls those claims the "tabloid rumor of the week."
Warning: Microsoft is using Cortana to read your private Skype conversations
Cortana is a decent voice assistant. Hell, "she" is probably better than Apple's woefully disappointing Siri, but that isn't saying very much. Still, Microsoft's assistant very much annoys me on Windows 10. I don't necessarily want to use my desktop PC like my phone, and sometimes I feel like she is intruding on my computer. While some people like Cortana, I am sure others agree with me.
Depending on how you feel about Cortana, you will either hate or love Microsoft's latest move to shoehorn the virtual woman into your life. You see, starting today, Cortana is coming to Skype on mobile for both Android and iOS. I don't think anyone actually wanted her in Skype, but oh well, she is on the way. Unfortunately, there is one huge downside -- Microsoft is using her to scan your private messages! Yup, the Windows-maker seems a lot like Google with this move.
Support for Windows 10 version 1511 ends tomorrow
Windows 10 receives two big feature updates a year, which means there are lots of different versions of the operating system for Microsoft to update. This obviously isn’t practical, and so the company drops support for older releases after a period of time has elapsed.
It ended support for the original Windows 10 release (1507) five months ago, and from tomorrow, October 10, the software giant will end support for version 1511, also known as the November Update.
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