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The company says expansion to other platforms allows Quantum Development Kit to reach more developers. Microsoft wants quantum computing to be the future and predicts it will solve many of today’s technological problems. First released in preview in December, Quantum Development Kit is the fruition of several years of development. The suite comes with a brand new programming language, called Q#. It has a compiler for scalable quantum computing. Visual Studio integration and Azure cloud support allows over 40 logical qubits of power....

The video is below and is worth checking out. However, you should set some time aside as it will cost an hour of your time. Still, Tim Golik, Director of Program Management for Microsoft, walks us through Surface and its growth. For example, he says the division is dedicated to innovation and engineering. Golik was speaking at Ignite, where he presented the video to attendees. When launched, the division was part of former CEO Steve Ballmer’s plan to morph Microsoft into a hardware company....

Microsoft launched SMS Organizer in India, but it has since arrive in the United Kingdom and United States. However, it is in India where the app has become increasingly popular. SMS Organizer is a useful tool despite the popularity of services like WhatsApp. At the moment it is only available in India, where many areas do not have the connection power to send messages online. SMS still plays a vital communication role in low-connectivity locations....

Users running Windows 10 on the Fast Ring of the Windows Insider Program are now seeing the new icons. Microsoft started revolutionizing icons with Fluent Design through its Office apps. However, these services (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) just scratched the surface. In December, Redmond announced new icons for hundreds of apps across the OS. Keeping in line with the ethos of Fluent Design, these icons will roll out in stages....

Ok, it seems rather pointless to be concerned over a lack of one component. However, a USB Type-C is an important port, and on a machine that costs $1000, it is very strange to see it omitted. Of course, during the development of the Surface Laptop, Microsoft went through numerous prototypes. It seems that one of the earlier editions of the Windows 10 S machine did have a USB Type-C port....

This time, the company is once again putting Google in its crosshairs. More specifically, the company’s Chromebooks. Two new ads make no apologies about saying Windows 10 is better than Chrome for education and business users. In the first ad, Microsoft focuses on business customers. The company says the Windows experience is ‘nothing short of superior’ compared to Googles platform. Microsoft cites features such as Windows Ink, Cortana, and Windows Hello as defining factors in this superiority....

According to Microsoft, users should instantly see a difference when they start searching on Teams. Firstly, the search is less messy with summary results providing more instant context. Microsoft is also adding more filters to make it easier to narrow down searches. Microsoft is putting an increasing focus on search, despite the company not being known as a major search name other than the so-so performance of Bing. As Microsoft Teams becomes increasingly integrated with Windows 11, search across the platform and app is important....

Microsoft Teams Changelog With this update, the Android version is boosted to 1.0.0.2017062601, and has the following enchancements: The iOS verson, now at 1.0.15, is very slightly different, missing the notifcation reply feature but addidng bug fixes and performance improvements: Though the changes are relatively few, they are actually fairly major. The sotrage option ability was announced for desktop last month, but it provides vital options for those who are reliant on Google Drive, Dropbox, and more....

Microsoft is pitching Teams as a true competitor to Zoom these days. While the battle for enterprise chat is more weighted in Zoom’s favour, in terms of additional abilities there’s no doubt Teams leads the way. Integration with Power Apps and Power Virtual Apps adds abilities to Microsoft Teams that Zoom cannot achieve. In terms of Power Apps, Teams users can now create custom low-code applications that work within the platform....

In a press release today, Microsoft says the commitment is part of both companies’ membership in the Apollo platform. Announced by Baidu in April, Apollo is an open source platform. It is focused on bringing autonomous vehicle solutions to in-car systems. It supports features and functions of autonomy through cloud services, an open stack, and reference hardware. Baidu envisions Apollo as an Android for the car, an all-encompassing platform that will be adopted by third-party OEMs....

Of course, that hint leads to all kinds of speculation around new consoles and so on, but the reality is a little more grounded. Firstly, the Xbox One X launched just last year, and the new Xbox generation is expected in 2020. In other words, this is just not the right time for a new console to be revealed. Microsoft sent out a separate Xbox Wire post clearing up the speculation....

The company says Microsoft 365 and other apps will stop supporting the browser from August 17, 2021. Next year, the desktop app will stop receiving support. It’s hardly a surprise that Internet Explorer is heading to the sunset. Microsoft Edge has been around since 2015 as the default browser on Windows 10. Since the initial launch, Edge has been moved to Chromium base, which is also now on all new Windows machines....

Whether using Azure AD or MSA, users will get the same log-in process. When Microsoft confirmed this testing last month, Chief Marketing Officer Chris Capossela showed how this feature will look. The finalized public preview matches the test design. With the recent changes, Microsoft has redesigned both Azure AD and Microsoft Account sign-in screens. Importantly, the two separate services will get a consistent experience that looks and behaves the same....

HoloLens users on the Windows Insider Program are receiving the first Redstone 5 (rs5) preview for the device. As expected for a first build this late into the rs5 development branch, the update is extensive. Insiders running the Windows 10 April 2018 Update will see Redstone 5 version 10.0.17720.1000 on their HoloLens. As all users a running a developer edition, the device can be set to receive Insider builds. To do this, just head to Settings>Update & Security>Windows Insider Program and choose “Get Started”....

Microsoft has now issued an update for SMS Organizer, bringing the app up to version 1.1.147. In this bundle, Microsoft has added new features, made some performance improvements, and fixed some bugs. Among the new features Microsoft has worked on include support for quick replies when in a conversation. Microsoft says SMS Organizer is also receiving separate channels for notifications. Below is the full version 1.1.147 changelog: Support for quick replies in conversation Separate channels for different notifications Fixes for class 0 message handling Fix for train live status tracking Updated SMS patterns Bug fixes...

Translator on iPhone and iPad now has enhanced support for the Apple Watch. Microsoft promises a smoother and more efficient experience when running Microsoft’s translation app on Cupertino’s wearable. Elsewhere, Microsoft has added an improved interaction between with the microphone in the Conversations section. Translator also has better permissions requests wit request removals for geolocation. Below is the full changelog: Significantly improved support for “Apple Watch” Improved interaction with microphone button in the Conversations features Revised permissions requests, including removing request for geolocation Improved copy text option for image translation General bug fixes and improvements...

Specifically, the Xbox team confirmed xCloud trials now include 50 titles. If you have been previewing the platform so far, you will know this is a significant jump. Indeed, over its first weeks in testing, xCloud has offered just four games to users. It seems Microsoft has decided to one-up Google’s Stadia. That rival cloud gaming service will launch next week with a total of 12 games available. If you are unfamiliar with xCloud, it is a service that allows users to play Xbox One games anywhere and, on any device, including smartphones....

Specifically, the company wants to add full support for the Windows.Gaming.Input API into Chromium. In doing so, the API would become an optional back end for gaming through Google Chrome, as well as Microsoft Edge. It is worth noting Chrome already uses the Gamepad JavaScript API to deliver gaming controls to the browser. Microsoft’s software would provide an alternative and wider support for controllers. For example, it would allow the paddles on the Xbox One Elite controller to work in Chrome....

Known as CVE-2017-11882, the vulnerability allows RTF files loaded with malicious content to be implemented. Attackers can run their code without needing any interaction from the user. Microsoft says while a patch was issued for all Office and Windows versions dating to 2000 in 2017, the exploit is still being used in attacks. In a tweet, the company said users still need to download and install the relevant security fixes....

1 How the malicious code works2 Microsoft: Customers should be cautious3 A spin-off of Locky ransomware? A Reddit user has now revealed in a thread that a malicious ad appeared while he was on Skype’s home screen. The ad pretended to be a Flash update for the computer’s browser and would prompt the user to download an HTML application named “FlashPlayer.hta.” It appears that once opened, that HTML app would download a malicious payload, which could potentially harm a computer in the long run....