Articles about Microsoft

The Surface Pro only just went on sale, but you might want to reconsider that purchase. Don't get me wrong, Microsoft's hybrid tablet looks great, but ASUS has a very similar new Windows 10 PC that might be better. Called "Transformer Pro T304," it features the ports that are missing from the Surface Pro, such as HDMI and USB-C -- no dongles needed. Don't worry, there is a USB Type-A port too.

Not only does the Transformer Pro T304 have plenty of ports, but plenty of horsepower too. Regardless of configuration, you get a 7th-generation Core i7-7500U and 12.6-inch display with a 2160x1440 resolution. While the display is slightly larger than Surface Pro, the resolution on the ASUS machine is less -- something to consider. For memory, 8GB is standard, but you can opt for 16GB. The increase in RAM also gets you a storage bump, going from 256GB to 512GB. The superior model also gets Windows 10 Pro rather than Home.

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When Microsoft revealed that Project Scorpio was the Xbox One X, there was immediate excitement about "the world's most powerful console". But while there is eager anticipation of true 4K gaming, and a wealth of titles to look forward to, there is something of a dark shadow hanging over the upcoming console: that price.

At $499, the Xbox One X is (or will be) the most expensive gaming console on the market and there are understandable questions about why the price is so high. Vice President of Xbox and Windows Gaming VP, Mike Ybarra, has shed some light on the issue revealing that Microsoft simply wasn't willing to compromise.

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Earlier today, Microsoft quietly unveiled a cool new product. Called "Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID," it is designed for Windows Hello -- the biometic login feature found in Windows 10. It features Bluetooth 4.0/4.1 and a wireless range of up to 50 feet.

The weird thing about the product is that it has what Microsoft calls a "hidden" fingerprint scanner. I call this odd because the scanner is literally in a key with a fingerprint label on it! In other words, it is hiding in plain sight. It seems Microsoft is proud that the reader itself is "hidden" underneath the key, but since it is labeled as such, I don't know why that matters.

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Move over, Billy Mitchell. There's a new 1980s arcade video game master, and his name is...well, he doesn't have a name. And it's also not a "he" -- it's Microsoft's latest demonstration of artificial intelligence.

The team at Maluuba, a Canadian artificial intelligence firm acquired by Microsoft earlier this year, has managed to program a system that can play the Atari 2600 version of Ms. Pac-Man indefinitely without ever being hit by a ghost, allowing it to rack up a score of 999,990 before being reset to zero.

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Microsoft has been developing its Surface line of computers for years, and it has been exciting to see the evolution. What started out as a tablet with a terrible keyboard has evolved into a world-class desktop (Surface Studio), tablet (Surface Pro), and notebook (Surface Laptop). Slowly but surely, the company has created a diverse product line that focuses on elegance and productivity.

While pre-orders were already available, today is finally the day you can buy the all-new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro. Consumers have a hard decision to make -- which one should they buy? While Surface Pro stays true to the original Surface mission of being a tablet and laptop in one, the Surface Laptop is true to its name -- a notebook only.

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Microsoft's latest anti-Google ad campaign has more than a slight whiff of Scroogled from a few years back. A pair of advertisements lay into Chromebooks, and suggest that Windows 10 devices are far better for both business and education.

Google has made much of the benefits that Chromebooks can bring to the classroom, but Microsoft disagrees -- and says Windows 10 Pro is far better for businesses too. In the two ads, the company highlights the security and features of Windows, painting Google's software as insecure and underpowered.

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Microsoft is an open source champion. It is weird to say, I know, but it is fact. Yeah, the company makes most of its money from closed source technologies, such as Windows and Office, but it is an open source contributor as well. It has made many quality open source projects available, such as Cognitive Toolkit and PowerShell. Heck, it was even revealed that Microsoft has the most open source contributors on GitHub! Its support for Linux on Azure deserves major kudos too.

Today, Microsoft takes its open source focus even further. You see, the Windows-maker has become an official Cloud Foundry Foundation Gold Member. Microsoft is in excellent company, with other big-name Gold Members, such as Google, Ford, and Huawei.

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Last month Microsoft made the decision to issue a "highly unusual" patch for Windows XP. Despite the fact the operating system has not been supported for some time, the patch was released in an attempt to thwart the WannaCrypt ransomware attacks.

Now, in an even more unusual move, Microsoft has chosen to include Windows XP in this month's Patch Tuesday. Windows Vista is also included in this batch of security updates which Microsoft says should address the "elevated risk of cyberattacks by government organizations."

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Microsoft announced a new Files On-Demand feature for OneDrive at Build last month. This lets you access all of your files in the cloud without having to download them first.

The files you have stored in OneDrive can be viewed in File Explorer and interacted with just like every other file on your device. If you used OneDrive on Windows 8.1 previously, you’ll be familiar with idea as it’s essentially an improved version of the old placeholders feature.

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With staggeringly coincidental timing, just as Microsoft revealed its upcoming Xbox One X console, the company received some great news from the US Supreme Court. In an 8-0 decision, the court overturned an earlier ruling in what has become a complex and lengthy case.

What originally started off as a fairly simple case around a decade ago about game discs scratched by Xbox 360 consoles, has evolved into quite a different beast. The latest ruling means that a case that was to be brought collectively by tens of thousands of gamers cannot be granted class action status.

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Cyber attacks aren't limited to desktop systems, mobile endpoints are equally at risk and for enterprises this is something else that needs protection.

Mobile threat defense specialist Zimperium is announcing an integration with Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security to integrate its product with the Microsoft Intune mobile device and application management product.

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Today is a historic day for gaming, as earlier, Microsoft revealed its newest video game console -- Xbox One X. The latest variant of Xbox is smaller and more powerful than any model before it. It is backwards compatible with all Xbox One titles, and it also works with Microsoft's "Game Pass" subscription service, which offers over 100 downloadable games.

Regardless of which version of the console you have -- Xbox One, Xbox One S, or Xbox One X -- there is a good chance you might fill the internal hard drive. While 500GB or 1TB seems like a lot, it can fill quickly -- especially with the aforementioned subscription service. Today, Seagate announces a special USB hard drive for Xbox One. Called "Game Drive Hub," it features a 3.5-inch 8TB drive and a front-facing two-port USB hub.

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Microsoft is due to hold a press conference at E3 2017 today. The topic is the future of Xbox, and we should hear more about Project Scorpio, the latest version of the Xbox One which is expected to feature VR and 4K support.

The price of the Xbox One S has just been reduced by $50 as Microsoft has done in the past before the launch of a new version of the console. If you're keen to find out what's new, you can watch the Twitch stream live, here at 5PM ET / 2PM PT / 10PM BST. As well as learning about the specs of the machine, we may also have the rumored price of $499 confirmed.

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Later today at E3, Microsoft is expected to reveal all about its latest gaming console -- currently known as Project Scorpio. Ahead of this, and as has happened in the past before the launch of a new console, the company is reducing the price of the Xbox One S.

While the $50 saving is hardly earth-shattering, it does equate to essentially getting a free game with the console. But before you get too excited, it's important to note that not every Xbox One S will be reduced in price, but there is still quite a choice.

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Docs.com is a file sharing service from Microsoft that lets you publish and share content from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Sway, and Minecraft world, as well as PDF documents.

It was originally created as part of a collaboration with Facebook in 2010, and then revamped in 2015. However, while it’s a useful site, it never really gained the traction that Microsoft had hoped for, and today, June 9, the software giant announces it’s shutting it down.

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