Technology and Computing
Once upon a time, Microsoft symbolized all that was wrong with the tech world: greedy, monopolistic, single-mindedly focused on profits while caring little about the public good. In the heyday of Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, the company ran roughshod over competitors in its attempt to corral the worldwide market for both operating systems and application software. But today, Microsoft has embraced the role of the tech world’s better angel. And as events show in recent weeks, that’s not hype.…
If I were in charge of Microsoft, besides fully embracing Linux for the desktop, I’d give up on trying to challenge Google’s Chromebooks with lightweight versions of Windows. It hasn’t worked before, and it won’t work now. But I’m not in charge of Windows. Indeed, since Terry Myerson was shown the door in March 2018, no one in Microsoft’s mahogany row has represented Windows. That lack of top leadership may be why Windows quality assurance hit new lows with the Windows 10 October 2018 Update.…
To address “residual risks”. Australian government agencies have been told to use “additional configuration and security controls” before committing workloads to Microsoft’s new protected-level public cloud instances. The guidance, published late Friday, appears to treat Microsoft’s protected-level cloud services differently from similarly classified products on the government’s Certified Cloud Services List (CCSL). Microsoft’s protected classification – for both Azure and Office 365 – is a first for a hyperscale public cloud operator in Australia. It was touted last week as “a clear…
Chromebooks in education market. Microsoft is taking on Google’s Chromebooks and Apple’s iPads in the education space through a new hardware partnership with Lenovo that aims to push Windows into the classroom. The two companies have launched four low-cost PCs running Windows 10 that are specifically aimed at users in education. Despite the low cost, Microsoft says the new devices will have a full set of hardware features such as touchscreens, pen support and 3D capability, and will be able to…
The Surface Laptop couldn’t have come at a worse time, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a lackluster product. Quite the opposite really. Instead, nowadays, it’s an affordable alternative to the Surface Book 2for those users who don’t plan on taking advantage of the detachable display. In other words, the Surface Laptop is a more traditional notebook compared to some of the other devices in Microsoft’s Surface device portfolio. It isn’t too expensive either, but it comes with the catch of…
We wouldn’t blame you for having missed Microsoft’s 12 Days of Deals across Windows 10 devices. After all, it only lasted for 12 days. But, what you might not have realized is that – even without a discounted price attached – the 2017 Surface Pro is already sold at a justifiable expense. It’s the follow-up to the Surface Pro 4, and although it doesn’t formally use a numerical moniker in its packaging and marketing, it’s essentially the Surface Pro 5 in everything but the name.…
The internet can be a marvelous thing that gives us access to all the world’s information. However, it also gives us access to all the world’s malware. Every browser maker has implemented tougher security in recent years, but Google and Microsoft are particularly intent on competing with each other. In the latest volley, Google has rolled out a major new enterprise security feature in Chrome called site isolation. It’s a stronger version of the browser’s existing sandboxing feature. Starting in Chrome v63,…
We’ve known for a while that the Windows Phone was dying. But over the weekend, Microsoft has publicly confirmed that the platform is — officially — dead. Joe Belfiore, Microsoft’s Windows 10 chief, admitted in a series of tweets on Sunday that the company will no longer be developing new features or hardware for the Windows 10 Mobile operating system. Belfiore tweeted that Microsoft will still issue bug fixes and security updates to users of the platform, but that new features and…
Upgrading computers is an expensive hassle. Microsoft wants to make it less so if you’re buying on of its Surface PCs. The company today introduced a new Surface Plus program that lets you pay off your computer in 24-month installments with zero percent interest if paid off in time (19.99 percent otherwise). It’s basically the same thing phone carriers do in the US. More interesting is the ability to upgrade your computer after 18 months. Hand in your old computer in working condition,…
Microsoft is taking important steps to make Windows 10 more accessible for everyone, adding a built-in eye tracking function to the OS for users who can’t control a computer through more traditional input methods. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the upcoming new feature, dubbed Eye Control, at the company’s One Week Hackathon. The native eye tracking support will allow users to launch programs, type, and scroll through documents — just about everything you can do on a PC — by just looking at the…
Upgrading computers is an expensive hassle. Microsoft wants to make it less so if you’re buying on of its Surface PCs. The company today introduced a new Surface Plus program that lets you pay off your computer in 24-month installments with zero percent interest if paid off in time (19.99 percent otherwise). It’s basically the same thing phone carriers do in the US. More interesting is the ability to upgrade your computer after 18 months. Hand in your old computer in working condition,…
It’s time to install Visual Studio 2017: Microsoft released Windows 10 SDK Preview Build 16232 for developers, and the company said the Windows SDK will now “formally only be supported by Visual Studio 2017 and greater.” So if you want to use the latest-and-greatest in your software, you’re going to have to stay up to date with one of the various iterations (Community, Professional, Enterprise) of Visual Studio going forward. Besides the requirement to stay hip–or at least as much as using…