microsoft news

Microsoft has not been doing too much work promoting their new flagship Windows 10 Mobile handsets, so it is always welcome to see some high-profile marketing for the handset.

It’s therefore nice to see the device being splashed on TV as part of Sky’s Formula 1 coverage, where the handset is seen in Ferrari’s pit stop presumably powering some universal windows app or terminal session.

Of course we doubt most watchers would know what they are looking at, but at least presenters will not be calling it an iPhone, until something goes wrong of course.

Microsoft Dynamics has previously sponsored Romain Grosjean and the Lotus F1 Team, which also included the Lumia 950.

Intel is increasing the price of its Realsense SR300 camera’s price for developers on April 1. The company has been selling the device for $99, and the price will go up to $129 starting April 1. If you purchase the device before April 1, you will be able to buy it for only $99, however.

For those who don’t know, the Intel Realsense SR300 camera allows users to try Windows Hello. The camera is pretty much like the F200 camera from Intel, but it includes the following improvements:

• Support for the new Hand Tracking Cursor Mode
• Support for the new Person Tracking Mode
• Increased Range and Lateral Speed
• Improved Color Quality under Low-light Capture and Improved RGB Texture for 3D Scan
• Improved Color and Depth Stream Synchronization
• Decreased Power Consumption

Intel will start shipping the SR300 developer kit in late March, or early April once it receives the first inventory. The company states that we will see the SR300 in Windows 10 devices later this year.

You can pre-order the SR300 here.

Alcatel’s upcoming Windows 10 Mobile superphone is getting a new name. Previously, we reported that the company’s Windows Phone flagship will be called the Idol 4 Pro and Idol Pro 4. However, as it tus out, Alcatel is giving the device a new name: the Idol 4S with Windows 10. For those who don’t know, the Idol 4S is an Android smartphone from Alcatel which will soon have its Windows 10 variant, too.

As for the specs, Alcatel is providing a lot more power in the Idol 4S with Windows 10 device when compared to the Android variant. The device will pack the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Continuum support, and more:

• 5.5-inch Full HD
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
• 4GB of RAM
• 64GB inteal storage
• 21MP rear camera
• 8MP front camera
• Continuum for phone support
• 3000 mAh battery
• Coming to T-Mobile in the US

Considering the fact that Alcatel already renamed the device a few times, we suspect the final name for the device could be something else. Nonetheless, in case you are wondering, the Idol 4S with Windows 10 is still coming to T-Mobile in the United States, so that’s definitely some good news. What do you think of the new name for Alcatel’s superphone? Discuss in the comment section below.

Microsoft has released a new update for Microsoft Phone that adds a new feature for getting a reminder when you reject a call via Cortana. This feature can come handy for ones who reject a call and then forget to call back that person. You can find the “Remind Me” option sitting right between the “Ignore” and “Text Reply” option. Tapping on “Remind Me” will open the reminders section of Cortana where you are asked to add either date/time or place and leave the rest on Cortana. Check the screenshot below to see it in action.

We think this is a cool and handy feature for everyone. What do you think about this new improvement?  Let us know in the Idea section below.

Bing Rewards has been available in the United States only for a while. Now, it seems like Microsoft is finally bringing the service to other countries, starting with India. If you live in India, you can now ea credits while searching the Inteet with Bing.

With the credits, you can redeem a lot of things online, which is pretty nice. For those who don’t know, Microsoft is offering 10 credits if you register with Bing Rewards now. After that, you will get 1 credit for every new search on Bing, as well as 10 daily credits.

If you live in India, you can check out Bing Rewards here. 

Microsoft has now announced Forza Motorsport 6 eSports touaments where fans will have chance to test their skills against fellow Forza Motorsport 6 players around the world. Forza is not new to eSports world, it was already part of programs such as ForzaFuel for Forza Motorsport 6 and Forza Horizon 2, the Mazda MX-5 Challenge, the Audi AXF-24 Challenge and most recently, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series, as well as other live events at the Gfinity Arena in London, San Diego Comic-Con, E3 and BMW Welt in Munich.

Microsoft is announcing following new touaments today,

ESL, Formula E and Forza Motorsport 6 – Race Off Pro Series
The all-electric FIA Formula E Championship has launched its first ever virtual championship – the Race Off Pro Series. Held alongside the real-world season of the ground-breaking inteational race series, five online rounds serve as the preview to on-track action happening in Long Beach, Paris, Berlin, Moscow and London. Kicking off on March 24 with the first in a series of Formula E-themed Rivals qualifying events in Forza Motorsport 6, the virtual series will allow fans to compete online for a chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to London, where they will race in the inaugural Race Off Pro Championship and compete for a cash prize pool against the top ten finishers of the season. To lea more, including how to participate, visit the official touament website.

Major League Gaming – Forza Motorsport 6 Touament
On March 26 through May 7, Major League Gaming will host its first Forza Motorsport 6 online touament. Open to all Forza Motorsport 6 fans, the free-to-enter event will allow players to compete in weekly one-on-one and team-based online race events, featuring S-Class cars on a variety of tracks found in the game. Players will be competing for a chance to race in the live Finals event and ea a share of the cash prize pool, which will be broadcast from the MLG studios in New York City on May 21. In addition, all touament finalists will receive an in-game gift car. Visit MLG.tv/Forza6 for more information on the touament and to sign up.

NemoLabs just updated their two Universal Windows 10 apps and put them on sale to celebrate Windows 10 release to mobile devices.

“Horror Fists For Band” is a casual fitness game available for all Windows10 devices and uses Microsoft Band as a controller. The game received a 33% discount (.99$).

“Sort My Stuff !” is the most advanced visual inventory app available for Windows10, useful for home inventory, for your move and can also be used for small businesses. It has a free trial and you can buy the full version for 50% of it’s normal price (.99$).

Developer: Nemo Labs

Price: $1.49

Developer: Nemo Labs

Price: $1.99

Did you ever wish to manage a football team and lead it to the top of the world?
Now you can!

Master Football 2016 is the brand new football management game, available for Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile, which will put you in the role of a manager/coach of a football team.

As such, you will be able to:

• Play through 17 nations (others will be added in the future) and 51 championships, choosing the division in which you want to start your career
• Manage the formation
• Easily customize your team, in order to shape it like your own unique football team
• Upgrade the team to power-up your eaings
• Manage every single player of your team, with the ability to upgrade its qualities and, eventually, to put him on sale
• Read rankings and fixtures
• Manage the market
• Play the match and manage the formation during the 90 minutes
• Choose your new team at the end of the season
• Win dozens of trophies

And, if you will have worked well, you will be promoted in the upper division (in case you started from a lesser one) or you will win a new trophy (in case you won the championship).
But beware to the relegations!

You can buy the game at $1.29 or download the free trial first. Get it from the Store here:

Developer: Giuseppe Zolli

Price: $1.29

Slack beta app for Windows Phone devices today received a minor update in Store to version 2016.318.0.0. This update only includes few bug fixes, find the details below.

Change log:

• Fixed: Some users couldn’t get in via SSO. We’ve now added an alteate way for those few lost users.
• Fixed: A l’il bug that meant a very few people couldn’t access the app as it kept forgetting who they were. A very rare case but now hopefully resolved. Sorry again, those people.
• Fixed: A prickly DM conversation bug where users were unable to DM other team members unless they’d had previous message history with them. But talking to new people is good! We’ve embraced that now.

Download Slack Beta for Windows Phone from the store link below.

Developer: Slack Technologies Inc.

Price: Free

Microsoft has today updated OneNote app for iOS with lots of new features. OneNote app now allows you to embed videos from YouTube, Vimeo, and Vine. Also, outlines, images, and other items are now free to move anywhere on a page. Find the full change log below.
What’s New in Version 15.20:

• “Motion Pictures” – Embed videos from YouTube, Vimeo, and Vine alongside your notes with the Share Extension.
• Freedom of Translation- Rearrange your notes, ex post facto. Outlines, images, and other items are now free to move anywhere on a page
• Flex Select- Wrangle together selections of text, images, and other page content with the lasso tool. Let the shape of your selection be bound only by your imagination (and the confines of a Euclidean plane)
• Darkroom, Lite – Rotate and resize images to your heart’s content

Download the update from App Store.

The Sims FreePlay game has been updated in Windows Phone Store to v5.20.0.0.  The Easter-themed update adds a new Easter Egg hunt with great prizes.

What’s New:

Look here, thereand around coers: there are delightful hidden colored chocolate eggs in the City of Sim!
• Find hidden eggs in the hunt for chocolate eggs.
• Wearing colourful pajamas inspired by chocolate eggs.
• Search eggs pigiamoni wearing bunny.
• Transform your home into a paschal wonderfully with time-limited Decorations.
• Produces chocolates in new hobby chocolate.
• Create homes so beautiful that you would eat with the mobile Gingerbread

Download it from the Windows Store here.

Developer: Electronic Arts

Price: Free

Back in February, we exclusively reported that Alcatel’s upcoming Windows 10 Mobile “superphone” will be the Idol Pro 4. In our report, we confirmed that the device will pack the Snapdragon 820, a Full HD display, and Continuum support. Today, VentureBeat confirmed the specs of the Idol Pro 4 which we reported earlier this year. Additionally, the publication also revealed that the Idol Pro 4 will have a 5.5-inch Full-HD display. The report also states that the Idol Pro 4 will come with 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of inteal storage. As for the camera, Alcatel is expected to pack a 21MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera. The device also packs a fingerprint reader, according to the report.

So here are the reported specs of the Idol Pro 4 so far:

• 5.5-inch Full HD
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
• 4GB of RAM
• 64GB inteal storage
• 21MP rear camera
• 8MP front camera
• Continuum for phone support
• 3000 mAh battery
• Coming to T-Mobile US

For now, there is no info on price and availability of the Idol Pro 4. However, as per usual, we will let you know once that is available.

Here is a great deal, you can now get up to $150 off on Surface 3 models from Microsoft Stores and Amazon.

With the ability to run desktop software, a full-size USB 3.0 port, and an integrated Kickstand, Surface 3 is the perfect productivity device for school, home, and on the go. Also, it includes Office 365 Personal 1 year subscription.

Order it here from Microsoft Store and order it from Amazon here.

Microsoft last month announced that they are acquiring Xamarin, a leading platform provider for mobile app development. Today, Miguel de Icaza, co-founder of Xamarin tweeted that Xamarin is now officially part of Microsoft which means that Microsoft’s acquisition process is now complete.

Along with Visual Studio, Xamarin provides a rich mobile development offering that enables developers to build mobile apps using C# and deliver fully native mobile app experiences to all major devices – including iOS, Android, and Windows. Apart from their app dev platform, through Xamarin Test Cloud, all types of mobile developers—C#, Objective-C, Java and hybrid app builders —can also test and improve the quality of apps using thousands of cloud-hosted phones and devices.

Microsoft will have more info about Xamarin’s future with Microsoft at the upcoming Build developer conference.

Earlier today, Microsoft announced that the company isn’t planning a second wave release for Windows 10 Mobile. The company released the OS for the Lumia 1520, 930, 640, 640XL, 730, 735, 830, 532, 535, 540, 635 1GB, 636 1GB, 638 1GB, 430, 435, BLU Win HD w510u, BLU Win HD LTE x150q, and the MCJ Madosma Q501. Unfortunately though, many devices like the Lumia Icon didn’t get the OS upgrade for some unknown reason — even though it’s basically the Lumia 930 (which is getting Windows 10 Mobile).

Now, Microsoft’s Gabe Aul stated that the company is still “considering” the Lumia Icon for Windows 10 Mobile:

@talmage69 @sebagomez @thurrott Icon is being considered.

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) March 18, 2016

It isn’t yet clear if or when Microsoft will indeed roll out Windows 10 to Icon, but if you own an Icon, don’t give up your hopes.

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that they will only support select Skylake PCs on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Also, they listed over 100 models of PCs with Intel’s 6th generation of processor(Skylake), that will be supported on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. And support for these PCs will be provided until July 17, 2017. Today, they announced changes to this previous announcement by extending the support for 1 more year.

1. To help provide greater flexibility for customers who have longer deployment timeframes to Windows 10, the support period for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 devices on Skylake systems will be extended by one year: from July 17, 2017 to July 17, 2018.
2. Also, after July 2018, all critical Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 security updates will be addressed for Skylake systems until extended support ends for Windows 7, January 14, 2020 and Windows 8.1 on January 10, 2023.

Microsoft is encouraging companies to upgrade to Windows 10 by citing stats related to Windows 10 performance advantage. Compared to Windows 7 PC’s, Skylake when combined with Windows 10, enables up to 30x better graphics and 3x the battery life. Read more about it here.

Last night, Microsoft introduced Extensions support for Edge in Windows 10 Build 14291. The company released three official Extensions for Microsoft Edge yesterday, and more are expected to come later this year. Now, Microsoft’s Jacob Rossi today announced on Twitter that the company will be releasing a porting tool which will allow developers to port their Chrome extensions to Microsoft Edge. The company is apparently working on it now, and it isn’t finished as not all the APIs are supported just yet.

Lots of questions on this: yes we're working on a porting tool to run Chrome extensions in Edge. Not yet finished and not all APIs supported

— Jacob Rossi (@jacobrossi) March 18, 2016

It is worth noting that porting Chrome extensions to Microsoft Edge is actually quite easy. If you are a developer, you will be able to port your Chrome extension to Edge pretty easily after changing several lines of code. Nonetheless, this upcoming tool should make porting Chrome extensions to Edge even easier, and we hope to hear more about it from Microsoft at Build 2016 later this month.

Telegram for Windows Phone has seen another updated to version 1.23. The update brings improvements to the Super group feature.

On the phone the app will now support up to 5000 users in a super group, and users will be able to convert any group to a super group.

This feature was already available in the desktop app but not the phone.

You can get the company’s Windows Phone app here and the desktop app here.

Developer: Telegram Messenger LLP

Price: Free

Microsoft today announced that the company is teaming up with Lowe’s for its HoloLens device. The company recently started taking pre-orders for the device. Now, the company’s partnership with Lowe’s promises to “redefine” your next home renovation. With the Microsoft HoloLens, Lowe’s customers can get a new experience which will feel “real”. Microsoft stated:

Using HoloLens, Lowe’s is providing customers in select pilot stores with a new way to experience home improvement. Lowe’s is using HoloLens to demonstrate a variety of design options for kitchen cabinetry, countertops, appliances and features like backsplashes, in a visually-rich and interactive way. Lowe’s customers will be able to experience a holographic representation of a completely new kitchen, adjust finishes and options instantly, and share their designs easily online.

According to Microsoft, Lowe’s is testing this new experience with the HoloLens in-store at the greater Seattle area. If you live somewhere near there, make sure ot check it out at the Lowe’s store. Also, Microsoft says Lowe’s will starting testing the new experience in Raleigh, North Carolina soon, too.

What do you think of Microsoft’s partnership with Lowe’s? Discuss in the comment section below.