Poor reliability means Consumer Reports no longer recommends Microsoft Surface -- or any other Microsoft laptop or tablet
Influential reviewer Consumer Reports says that it no longer recommends Microsoft Surface tablets and laptops. The consumer group says that poor predicted reliability for the Surface range means that it is pulling its "recommended" tag.
More than this, Consumer Reports goes on to say that it "cannot recommend any other Microsoft laptops or tablets." Recent studies suggest that a quarter of laptops and tablets from Microsoft will present problems for users within two years of ownership.
Microsoft appeases Kaspersky with security changes to Windows 10 Fall Creators Update
Two months ago, Russian security software firm Kaspersky Labs filed antitrust complaints against Microsoft in Europe, alleging that the software giant was favoring its own Windows Defender over third-party anti-virus software in Windows 10.
In response to that lawsuit, Microsoft has made changes to how the forthcoming Windows 10 Fall Creators Update works with anti-virus software, and an appeased Kaspersky has dropped its complaint.
Use this simple trick to force Outlook.com to give you access to the new beta version
Yesterday, Microsoft announced it was rolling out a new beta version for its Outlook.com webmail service. This offers a number of improvements for users, including better performance, a smarter inbox, and greater personalization.
The problem, as with all Microsoft rollouts, is only some users will be able to access the beta. The majority have to wait to be invited, and that could take weeks. Fortunately, there’s a simply trick you can use to access the beta right now.
Microsoft launches new Outlook.com beta -- here's how to try it
Outlook.com struggles a bit in the shadow of Google’s Gmail. While the latter is incredibly popular, Microsoft’s webmail service fails to attract users in the same way, which is a shame because it has a lot to offer.
It might be pulling in more users soon though, as Outlook.com is set to receive a big makeover that, in Microsoft's own words, takes advantage of "recent advances in programming, design, and artificial intelligence." Among the promised changes are improved performance, a smarter inbox, and better personalization. If you want to try it out, you can. This is what you need to do.
Microsoft does Windows 10 privacy propaganda well
One of the big complaints people had about Windows 10 when it first launched was how the new operating system spied on its users.
Microsoft has since reigned in this spying and introduced controls to give users greater management over their privacy, and now the software company has issued a lovely piece of spin, with an equally lovely headline -- Your feedback is helping shape Windows privacy -- to convince Windows 10 doubters the problems of the past are rapidly receding.
Microsoft video confirms Spotify is coming to Xbox One
It has long been expected that the Spotify app would make its way to Xbox One, and evidence supporting this has been mounting for some time. Now a video by Major Nelson -- or Larry Hryb, if you prefer -- confirms the existence of the app.
Earlier in the week, eagle-eyed Xbox One users noticed Hryb was using the app. Later, a screenshot of Microsoft's ExpertZone website showed further evidence in the form of a (now-deleted) page referencing "Spotify goes Platinum" and a note that "Spotify is coming to Windows 10 and Xbox."
Bad news for Windows Insiders hoping to try Windows 10 Redstone 4
It’s a good time to be a Windows Insider. Microsoft is busy cramming in last minute features and changes to the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (also known as Redstone 3), including rather unexpected surprises, and the builds are a lot more stable now.
A week ago, Microsoft introduced the option to bypass any future Fall Creators Updates builds and skip ahead to the Redstone 4 branch. If that sounds like something you would have liked to have done, there’s some bad news -- it’s now too late.
Windows 10 still failing to challenge Windows 7's market dominance
Last month I reported how, according to NetMarketShare’s figures, Windows 10 had managed to grow its usage share by just 5 percentage points in an entire year. That's a shocking state of affairs for a relatively new -- and regularly updated -- operating system, especially given that Windows 7 enjoyed a 2 percentage overall increase in the same time frame.
In July, perhaps buoyed by the news that the Windows 10 Creators Update was finally going to be offered to (nearly) all, Windows 10 posted its largest usage increase for three months, although still nothing for Microsoft to get excited about.
Canonical publishes laughably simple guide to upgrading to the Ubuntu app for Windows
It is not long since Ubuntu made its debut in the Windows Store, much to the excitement of Linux fans.
Now Canonical has provided a guide to upgrading from the "bash on Ubuntu on Windows" experience that's built into Windows 10, to the full-blown Windows Store version.
Try the public preview of new sign-in experience for Azure AD and Microsoft accounts
Microsoft has redesigned the sign-in process (or "experience" as the company refers to it) for both Azure AD and Microsoft accounts.
The interfaces for the sign-in screens for both types of account have been updated so they are the same, and there's now a Google-style two-page sign-in procedure. The updated design is available as a public preview and the change has come about through telemetry data collected by Microsoft.
HP ElitePOS is a secure retail point-of-sale system powered by Microsoft Windows 10
Windows 10 has proven to be a bit disappointing for some users, but for others, it can be a satisfying experience. If you cannot afford a Mac, and learning Linux is out of the question, Microsoft's desktop operating system is your best bet. Look, Windows 10 isn't a bad OS at all. Actually, it scales rather well to many computer types and screen sizes. For instance, no other desktop OS can match it on a touch screen.
To highlight this, today, HP announces a beautiful Windows 10 point-of-sale system. Called "ElitePOS," it leverages many of Windows 10's strengths, such as touch-input and security. The little business computer is quite attractive too, which is very important for a customer-facing machine. The machine has solid hardware on the inside as well, featuring Kaby Lake processors and DDR4 memory. The body doesn't just look good, it is built well too, with military-grade ruggedness. In other words, this POS computer is not a "POS."
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Build 16257, with one big unexpected change
Windows 10 Fall Creators Update isn’t too far off being ready for release, which should mean that the new builds we see are pretty unexciting, with bug fixes and minor improvements the order of the day.
But it appears Microsoft didn’t get that memo, as there’s several big changes in new Build 16257, including one that no one saw coming, and which won't be visible to most.
Microsoft partners with PayPal on new 'Send Money' funds transfer feature for Skype
Skype isn't the best communication service. Actually, it is often quite bad. Microsoft's development team seems to not care about the user interface as it looks terrible compared to competitors. Quite frankly, it is often a frustrating experience. The saving grace for Skype is its cross-platform nature -- there are clients for all popular operating systems. Not to mention, many users likely use it out of habit and name recognition.
All is not lost, however, as Microsoft still has plenty of time to right the ship and make Skype better. Today, the Windows-maker unveils a new feature that, while cool, doesn't exactly address Skype's needs. But OK, I'll take it. What is it? Well, Microsoft has partnered with PayPal for a new way to transfer funds using Skype. The unimaginatively named "Send Money" feature lets you easily do things like split a restaurant bill with friends or family, pay a dog-walker, and more.
From hack to product: soon you'll be able to control Windows 10 with your eyes
There are a lot of accessibility options built into Windows 10 at the moment, and soon there'll be a new feature. Brought about by an idea raised at Microsoft's 2014 hackathon, the company is bringing Eye Control to its operating system.
As the name suggests, Eye Control gives users the ability to control and interact with Windows 10 using eye movements -- something which is incredibly useful for anyone with limited movement. The feature is destined for inclusion in a future version of Windows 10, but a beta version will be made available to Windows Insiders.
How to download and install Windows 10 S
Windows 10 S is a special locked down version of Microsoft’s new operating system. It’s aimed primarily at those in education, and can only run apps from the Windows Store, which offers security benefits, including protection from ransomware.
While the OS is predominately to be found on new hardware like the Surface Laptop, Microsoft last week made it available for developers, and from today anyone can officially download and install it. Here’s how.
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