Articles about Windows 10

While Windows users have long had the ability to use an official client for Spotify, there is a big dilemma -- Windows 10 S. The most recent version of Microsoft's operating system is limited to apps from the Windows Store. In other words, the official "Win32" Spotify client will not be compatible.

Luckily, Microsoft announced that both Spotify and iTunes were coming to the Windows Store. When they were coming, however, was unknown. While Apple's program is still missing, Spotify is finally here. As of today, Windows 10 users can get the official client from the Store.

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Two weeks ago, Kaspersky Labs filed antitrust complaints against Microsoft in Europe, alleging that the software giant disabled third-party antivirus software in Windows 10 in order to benefit Windows Defender.

In a long blog post today, Rob Lefferts, director of program management for Windows enterprise and security, admits (without mentioning Kaspersky specifically) that Microsoft "temporarily" disabled some parts of AV software it considered incompatible with Windows 10 Creators Update.

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Windows laptops are certainly getting more beautiful with every passing year. Elegance used to largely be an Apple-only affair, but that has been changing. Quite frankly, there are countless such notebooks on the market, making choosing one a bit difficult -- a good problem for consumers.

Today, ASUS unveils one of the most beautiful such Windows laptops. Called "ZenBook 3 Deluxe," it is insanely thin at a mere 12.9mm. It is quite light too, at only 2.42 pounds. Despite its svelte body, it is packed with plenty of excellent specs, such as a Kaby Lake Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB PCIe SSD. It has three USB-C ports, one of which is USB 3.0 speed, while the others are 3.1 Gen 2/ Thunderbolt 3. It even leverages biometrics for logging in, with a Windows Hello compatible fingerprint reader on the trackpad.

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From the fall, Microsoft is disabling SMBv1 in Windows 10. With the release of Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (or Redstone 3 if you prefer), the protocol that was exploited by the WannaCry ransomware will be no more.

The file sharing protocol was developed by Microsoft over two decades ago, and the company recognizes that the time has come for it to be retired. Internal builds of Windows 10 being tested by Microsoft already have SMBv1 disabled, and similar builds will make their way to Windows Insiders and the wider public in due course.

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With the Surface Laptop, Microsoft is testing the water with Windows 10 S, its cut-down version of Windows 10. For those who find they can't live with the restrictions the operating system imposes on them, there is the possibility of upgrading to Windows 10 Pro -- but Microsoft warns that this is a one-way, irreversible process.

Except it's not, of course. While it's not possible to "uninstall" Windows 10 Pro and downgrade to Windows 10 S, there's nothing to stop you from restoring your computer to its factory state -- something that Microsoft has just made a great deal easier by releasing the recovery images for Windows 10 S version 1703.

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

Microsoft released a new Windows Insider build recently, and it brought back one of the most requested features: OneDrive placeholders.

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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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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 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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No other device in Chuwi's range stands out more than the Hi13 does right now. The large tablet, with a proper keyboard and a stylus, is similar to Microsoft's Surface Book and Surface Pro devices in a number of key areas, but can be had at a fraction of the price as it costs less than $400 for the whole shebang.

It has all the right features that you expect from a modern Windows 10 device, a nice design, and some unexpected benefits as well. But, just how good is it to use? I've tested the Hi13 to find out.

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

Microsoft released a massive Insider Preview update yesterday that introduces new features such as dictation support, better Start menu handling, website pinning, and a lot more.

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It’s been nearly three weeks since Microsoft last rolled out a new Windows 10 build to Insiders on the Fast ring. Well, three weeks if you don’t count the buggy, chaos-causing internal Build 16212 which leaked out last week.

But today the wait for a new update is over, as Build 16215 comes to the Fast ring, and the good news is this release is definitely worth your attention, not least because it introduces new UI for both the Start and Action Center that makes use of Microsoft's new Fluent Design System. The software giant describes this as "an eloquent design system for a complex world," and we explained all about it here.

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When WannaCry was running rampant on older versions of Windows -- Windows 7 being the most at risk -- Windows 10 was unaffected. According to Microsoft, "no Windows 10 customers were known to be compromised by the recent WannaCry (WannaCrypt) global cyberattack."

That’s great news for anyone running the latest version of the OS, and the software giant says it is working to ensure Windows 10 remains safe from other future attacks. However, if you want to guarantee your safety from ransomware, then Microsoft points out there’s an even more secure option to consider -- Windows 10 S.

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Security software firm Kaspersky Labs has filed antitrust complaints against Microsoft in Europe. The complaints center around Microsoft disabling third party antivirus software in Windows 10 to favor its own Windows Defender.

The Russian company complained to the German Federal Cartel Office and the European Commission, saying that Microsoft abused its position. Microsoft has made some changes to the way Defender works, but Kaspersky does not believe this goes far enough.

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