Microsoft has updated their Health app for iOS to bring support to version 1.3.20513.1

The update for the Microsoft Band companion app brings support for Microsoft’s new Explore Tile features which allow users to track their walk, mark interesting locations, and record distance and travel.

The HERE Maps app is going away soon on Windows Phone and Windows 10, to be replaced by Microsoft Maps.

Unfortunately if you have multiple Favourite Places saved in HERE Maps there is no way to export this data and import it to Microsoft Maps.

Fortunately an intrepid french developer Jérôme Mevel has created an online tool that will do just that, taking your Favourite Locations from HERE Maps’s online service and import it into Microsoft Maps.

Visit his site at jmevel.com here to see how and consider throwing him a Paypal donation for all his trouble.

Microsoft released a new update for Forza Motorsport 6: Apex for Windows 10 last night.

The Content Update (version 1.1.9.0) improved hardware detection and error code use and brings the following new features:

• For users who run into driver issues with Apex, we have included information on the latest hardware driver available.
• Fixed an issue with hardware detection whereby users with multiple GPUs were incorrectly being told they could not play Apex. This change will mostly affect laptop users with an embedded GPU.

If you want to get the latest update for Forza Motorsport 6: Apex, head over to the Windows Store from the link below.

Developer: Microsoft Studios

Price: Free^*

At the IovFest Unbound 2016 in Singapore, a digital technology conference, Microsoft demoed a ‘Magic Mirror’ that can read up to 8 human emotions (via hidden webcam), display weather, time, and location, all while looking like a normal mirror. Microsoft is hoping to soon integrate app-fed news as well as Facebook and Twitter feeds in the future.

“Imagine when you wake up in the moing, you’re able to use the mirror to style your hair, do your make up, and while doing that, you can also view the weather,” Izzat Khair, a member of Microsoft Singapore’s developer experience team explained.

Khair also pointed out the business advantages from an advertising standpoint, displaying ads and using the camera to guage the viewers reactions.

The product is a ways off from the market, but how would our readers feel about a Magic Mirror? Would you like to wake up to something like this in the moing? Let us know in the Idea below.

Facebook has updated their new Facebook app for Windows 10 to version 4.461.11637.0.

Though we cant see it in our version, WBI reports that the update brings support for Facebook Live, as has recently been leaked by some early users of the app.

Facebook Live is a function that lets you start streams right from your PC. Users can access Facebook Live by going to their status updates and then selecting a new “go live” button. From there, users will be able to see a preview of their webcam before going on air. From there, users can set a status to go with the stream. It’s also possible to edit privacy settings there.

See if the feature is available to you by updating the app from the store here.

Developer: Facebook Inc

Price: Free

IComm has helped to roll out Skype for Business across 5 Toyota sites recently, coecting more than 2000 employees; but apparently the car manufacturer isn’t satisfied with using different communication platforms amongst it’s organization and has decided that the entire organization should use the same technology and chose the Microsoft Suite and Skype for Business.

Kellie Logan, Toyota Australia corporate property and asset protection manager, said: “Some of the challenges with the older technology was availability and reliability. This was particularly the case with some of our video conference networks as they were not very reliable and it was difficult to book these facilities at short notice”.

Condensing everything down to one communications platform should allow for the company to be more efficient and consistent.

“I think the technology together with IComm’s strong project team and Toyota’s change and communication’s team was a recipe for success. I would definitely recommend IComm,” said Toyota’s Collins.

This weeks Red Stripe deals include ‘Toca Life: City,’ ‘The Great Unknown: Houdini’s Castle’ and more.

In “The Great Unknown: Houdini’s Castle” ($1.49, usually $2.99),, your honeymoon is cut short when your plane crashes on an uncharted island. You awake to discover a madman has kidnapped your husband. To get him back, you’ll have to use all your wits to pass his sinister tests and solve the mysteries of Houdini’s Castle. Along the way, you’ll uncover Houdini’s secret past and lea about the brilliant apprentice who changed his life.

In “Twin Moons HD” ($3.49, usually $6.99), reveal shocking secrets from the past and save the future in this thrilling hidden object adventure! Jack, a researcher at the isolated Twin Moons Institute, has no memory following a car accident. But a few fuzzy flashbacks suggest he participated in some kind of dangerous experiment. Help Jack find answers to his numerous questions and decide whether his friends, colleagues and even his fiancée are worthy of his trust. Explore eerie locations and piece together the truth about a mysterious portal that could change the world as we know it!

Other titles include:

If you are looking for the most convenient app to communicate you should try Client for Hangouts. Especially as its new improved version is already available in the Windows Store!

New version of Client for Hangouts includes the following features:

1. Send pictures and photos from the camera. Now you can fully convey your emotions and impression not only with smiles, but also using fuy photos or just beautiful images you would like to share.

2. Cancel sending the message. This feature will be useful if you change your mind to send something. You will see a cross next to the message while it is sending – use this cross to cancel the sending.

3. Saving the send queue. This feature will help you not to miss anything from your one-on-one conversation or group chat, even in case of problems with sending some message. It will be very useful when you have poor inteet coection.

Try new version of Client for Hangouts right now!

Client for Hangouts in the Windows Store

Communicate easy with Hangouts!

Developer: Attractor Mobile Software

Price: $5.99^*

Buildbox, the popular drag-and-drop game maker, has recently updated it’s software to version 2.1.0, bringing support for Microsoft’s universal app platform for Windows and swipe controls. The UAP supports also allows developers to export their games to Windows 10 and Xbox.

To celebrate the update, Microsoft has teamed up with Vungle to give $500 to Buildbox developers who bring their games to Windows 10. To qualify for the cash, developers need to be a paying Buildbox customer. There are other rules, like the developer’s game should be exported to the Windows 10 Store, and display only ads provided by Vungle, and a single game must also generate $25 in Vungle Ad revenue before July 1, 2016. The the first 30 developers that cross over the $25 threshold before the deadline will receive the cash.

“After you’ve crossed the revenue threshold for any single game, email [email protected] with your account email address,” said Buildbox founder Trey Smith. “Make sure to notate in the subject you are part of the Buildbox community and have completed this promotion. After Vungle has verified you are one of the first 30 people to cross the threshold, Microsoft will add $500 to your developer payment account and you will be paid during the next billing cycle.”

For more info on the riles yo score some free cash, click here.

DLC 2 Eclipse for Black Ops 3 is available now featuring all new MP environments and Zombies content.

In the latest episode of the Zombies experience, the Origins characters head to ‘Zetsubou No Shima’, a tropical island where experiments with Element 115 have created horrors beyond belief. Battle your way through four stuing Black Ops III Multiplayer environments: Spire, Knockout, Verge and Rift.

• Spire: Take MP combat to a futuristic sub-orbital airport terminal set high in the clouds.
• Knockout: The Shaolin Temple with a retro twist contrasts exterior mid-range engagements and interior close quarters.
• Verge: This reimagined classic Call of Duty: World at War map, Banzai, drops MP combat into the center of a distant post-apocalyptic future.
• Rift: Head to the core of a harsh futuristic military complex, set above an active volcano.

See the trailer for the DLC below.

Find the update in the Xbox Store here.

Microsoft’s undersung Bing search engine has continued to make market share gains in the US, taking 21.6% market share in April 2016, up 0.2% on March’s numbers. At the same time Google’s share dipped 0.2% to 63.8%.

For Microsoft the story has been steady if not spectacular gains, with the Bing growing from 21.3% in February 2016, to 21.4% in March and now 21.6% in April. Last year Bing held 20.2% share in April 2015.

Besides Bing having 21.6% direct market share search, Bing also powers a number of search engines include a portion of Yahoo’s US searches, and is likely to soon cross the 1/3 US search market share. Microsoft has recently aounced that the search engine is now profitable, and its likely every little gain secures its future and worries Google, who gets the vast majority of its income from search ads, a bit more.

According to AdDuplex around 90% of phones ruing a Microsoft mobile operating system are using Windows Phone 8.1 and lower.

It seems Skype does not want much more to do with those people, as they are deprecating support for millions of Windows Phone users.

In their documentation aouncing a new feature – the ability to save video messages, they also note:

It is interesting that a Microsoft-owned company treats Windows Phone users worse than a 3rd party such as WhatsApp. Skype is of course working on a Universal Windows App which will also come to Windows 10 Mobile, but withdrawing support from legacy Windows Phone users would just be another reason for those users to upgrade to other operating systems.

Do our readers feel abandoned? Let us know below.

Twitter released a new update for its Windows 10 app today, taking it to version 5.0.4.0.

The update comes without a new changelog, suggesting the usual bug fixes and performance improvements.

The company’s new Twitter app offers the latest features of the service in a beautiful user interface which you can access on your PC ruing Windows 10, or even your phone ruing Windows 10 Mobile.

If you are a Twitter user, make sure to grab the latest update from the link below.

Developer: Twitter Inc.

Price: Free

WindowsBlogItalia has discovered a new feature in the as yet unreleased Windows 10 Camera app.

In version 2016.515.11.0 of the app users will now, besides photos and videos, also be offered the option of shooting a panorama.

The feature is currently sadly missing in Windows 10, and its retu would certainly welcome.

Samples posted by WBI suggest the results should be pretty good.

The feature is activated by holding the phone in the vertical position and simply requires moving the phone from left to right.

See screen shots of the app below.

What do our readers think of the long-overdue new app? Let us know below.

The second Biome Settlers skin pack is now available on “Minecraft: Pocket Edition” and “Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta.”

The pack lets you dress like a Nether rack caught on fire – or a Mooshroom glutton. Inspired by the resources, mobs and ways to play in the Nether and Mooshroom biomes, from Nether wart farming to shroom foraging, there are skins for all your favorite activities.

Check out all 24 new skins on “Minecraft: Pocket Edition” and “Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta” in the Windows Store and see a brief preview below.

Developer: Microsoft Studios

Price: $6.99^*

Developer: Microsoft Studios

Price: $9.99^*

Line for Windows 10 just picked up an update for PCs and phones ruing Windows 10, improving its notification capabilities.

While there has been no official in-app changelog, the app now lets you quickly reply to messages received without going into the app, a capability sorely missing from most of the large messaging apps on Windows 10.

The new update also adds the avatar of the last messenger to the live tile, allowing you to see who messaged you at a glance.

While its not exactly Facebook Messenger level in ubiquity, Line has a fairly large user base, and its good to see them embracing Windows 10 and its capabilities.

Download Line for Windows 10 from the store below.

Developer: LINE Corporation

Price: Free

While Microsoft Edge is the default browser for Windows 10 on all devices, Microsoft’s Inteet Explorer still remains lurking in the background for users on Windows 10 for PC devices.

In a new blogpost on the Windows blog, Microsoft’s Edge team detailed two new ways they would improve Edge and IE interoperability for the Entreprise.

1. Improved handoff experience: For browsing much of the mode web, Edge isn’t a problem – being able to handle and render even the heaviest sites – however some sites remain which are built using legacy technology that Edge doesn’t support. For business users, Microsoft would simply offer up a prompt which let’s the users open the app in IE, now the firm is skipping the prompt and enabling it entirely. This is ostensibly to make the process of switching between IE and Edge more seamless than it is now, if you’d prefer to leave the prompts enabled, Microsoft has a setting for that.
2. Restricting use of IE 11 to LOB sites where it is absolutely necessary: Even as Microsoft is making the usage of Edge as seamless as possible, the firm is working to eliminate corporate reliance on IE. In response to feedback from consumers, Microsoft is introducing a new policy for Windows 10 Entreprise users in the Aiversary updates which restricts IE11 to opening only websites on an approved list. This is to push the safer, more mode and now extension filled new Microsoft Edge browser.

That was a really brief summary of what we think the key points of Microsoft’s new policies for Edge and IE11 are going forward in the Windows 10 aiversary update. Microsoft is really pushing Edge as a viable replacement to IE repositioning IE as an inconvenience (in line with common consumer concepts of IE). the idea here is that as more firms upgrade IE will no longer need to be supported,

Plaing to deploy Windows 10 Aiversary Update soon? What do you think of the above changes?

It seems Microsoft is working on getting more value from their Lumia owners with its latest Lumia Offers offering.

Lumia Offers is now offering 2 free Audible Audiobooks if you sign up for a 1 month free trail for the Audible subscription service.

The offer is 1 more than trailists usually get, offering increased value for Lumia owners, but we do wonder of Microsoft is not getting a kickback from Audible for new subscribers, and if this means that Microsoft is now looking to make money from their Windows Phone users rather than serving their needs.

The Lumia Offers app can be found in the Store here.

Developer: Microsoft Mobile

Price: Free

Microsoft is always working on new apps and features for Windows 10 inteally. Recently, we reported that the company is working on a pretty huge update for the Wallet app on Windows 10 Mobile. Now, it seems like the company is working on a new revamp for the Block and Filter app on Windows 10 Mobile. With the upcoming update, Microsoft will introduce a new user interface and rename the app to “ID & Filter” on Windows 10 Mobile.

Here are some screenshots of the app:

The app is quite simple: it will allow you to block calls and messages from a specific number. The app doesn’t include any exciting features yet – but hopefully, Microsoft will add some interesting features before releasing it to the public.

The new revamp will come as a new update for the existing Block & Filter app in the near future. We will let you know when it is available to the public, until then, let us know what you think of ID & Filter in the comment section below.

At its developer conference on Wednesday, Google aounced its Assistant bot, which aims to make your life easier with a messaging app. Tus out, Microsoft is working on a similar bot as well.

It’s called Bing Concierge Bot, and it is able to talk with several chat apps and services such as Skype, Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram. The mention of Bing Concierge Bot, which was first spotted by ZDNet, was found on a recent Microsoft job posting.

According to the description, Bing Concierge Bot is a “highly intelligent productivity agent that communicates with the user over a conversation platform. The agent does what a human assistant would do: it runs errands on behalf of the user, by automatically completing tasks for the user.”

“The users talk to the agent in natural language, and the agent responds in natural language to collect all the information; once ready, it automatically performs the task for the user by coecting to service providers. For example, the user might ask ‘make me a reservation at an Italian place tonight’, and the agent will respond with ‘for how many people?’; after several such back-and-forth tus it will confirm and book the restaurant that the user picked.”

There’s no word on how soon we can expect Bing Concierge Bot to be available to us. For what it’s worth, Google Assistant is also not available currently as it is supposed to come later this year.

Earlier this year, Microsoft aounced their Skype for Business SDK for mobile devices.

The Skype for Business SDK was aimed at allowing businesses to integrate Skype audio, video and chat into their apps natively.

The SDK is now available to download for developers who want to integrate the native Skype solutions above into their Android and iOS apps, with Windows support presumably plaed for later releases.

Microsoft intends the focus of these new apps to be what they call “remote advisor” solutions which enables companies who rely on Skype for Business infrastructure to use the Skype video, audio and chat functionality to reach out to their clients for enhanced customer services.

The SDK is available to download in preview form here, and Microsoft is as usual looking forward to feedback from their users.

Video game giant Rockstar’s hit Grand Theft Auto V has shipped over 65 million copies. Aounced by Take-Two Interactive in their financial reports, the numbers indicate that the game is still selling well.

Originally launched in September 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the game was later ported to current generation consoles in November 2014. The game was then finally ported to Microsoft Windows in April 2015. Those re-releases are likely a big reason behind why the game kept selling. While Grand Theft Auto is popular to begin with, each re-release contained enough improvements to warrant purchasing the game again.

The game is still selling copies to this day, too. Take-Two reported that the game sold 60 million copies in the last fiscal quarter, and 52 million copies in that same period last year. There doesn’t seem to be any proof that the sales will slow down any time soon, either.

Take-Two also hinted at another project by Rockstar being revealed, which might be referring to a game that’s set to be revealed at E3.

Looking ahead, we expect to grow Non-GAAP revenues and eaings in fiscal 2018, based on our robust development plan that extends well beyond the current fiscal year. Rockstar Games is of course hard at work on some exciting future projects that will be revealed soon.

You can purchase Grand Theft Auto V for the Xbox One on the Xbox Store here.

Did you purchase GTA V? What platform did you get it on? Let us know in the Idea below!

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’s Eclipse DLC is landing on both Xbox One and PC later today. Originally a timed exclusive on the PlayStation 4, Xbox and PC gamers have had to wait a month for this.

It appears that the DLC is currently live on the Xbox One, bringing with it a 7.92GB download. It’s a big expansion, and PC gamers will be able to experience it at 10AM PST/1PM EST today.

Eclipse adds 4 new maps, as well as a brand new zombies campaign. The maps include Verge, a remake of Bonzai from Call of Duty: World at War, Rift, Spire, and Knockout. Official descriptions for the maps are below.

• Spire: Spire takes Multiplayer combat to a futuristic sub-orbital airport terminal set high in the clouds. Multiple levels and open areas promote intense, mid-range combat around a clean, high-tech civilian environment. Watch your step, because one wrong move could send you plummeting back through the stratosphere.
• Rift: Head to the core of a harsh futuristic military complex, set high above an active caldera. Rift fuels and forces tight, intense engagements, where the only way through is forward. Utilize the unique core movement opportunities to outsmart and outplay enemies as you traverse the suspended rail system.
• Knockout: Housed in a traditional Shaolin Temple with a retro twist, Knockout sets the stage for a bloody Kung Fu touament. This mid-sized map showcases a sharp contrast between the mid-range engagements of the traditional exterior architecture and the tight close-quarters of an eclectic 1970’s styled interior.
• Verge: In this re-imagination of the classic Call of Duty: World at War map, Banzai, Verge drops Multiplayer combat into the center of a distant post-apocalyptic future, where two warring factions are entrenched in constant battle. Take control of the key bridge, fortresses, tuel systems and waterfalls as you engage in high-speed action through this medium-sized map

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’s Eclipse DLC is $15 on its own, and it’s also included with the game’s season pass. You can purchase Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 on the Xbox store here, the DLC here, and the season pass here.

Will you be buying Eclipse today, or did you already get the season pass? Let us know in the Idea below!

If you were on the fence about whether or not should you spring for the Surface Book or the Surface Pro 4, Microsoft is making it easier for you to make the decision. The company has partnered with shopping portal Quidco to offer a £25 cashback bonus with every purchase of either of the devices. The offer will last until May 24, so you might want to hurry up.

The offer is valid on select models only, though. To avail the offer, you will have to purchase the top-of-the-line Surface Book or the Surface Pro 4 with Core i7 processor. The offer, which works on top of a free Surface Dock and Pen Tip Kit in the UK, is available on the following models: Surface Book with Core i7 with 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD, and the one with Core i7 with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD.

As for the Surface Pro 4, the offer is available on the following models: Core i7 with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD, Core i7 with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD, and Core i7 with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD.

To check if you’re eligible for the discount, you can lea how to submit checkback requests from here before June 5. If you’re qualified Microsoft will send you £25 bonus by June 20.

OneNote app for Windows 10 has been updated to version 17.6965.57712.0.

Unfortunately the update comes without a changelog and appears to be a minor one.

The previous changelog reads:

• Right-click a selection of handwritten notes or drawings to group them together. After that, it’s easy to move them around as one piece.
• Share your notebook with anyone directly from OneNote. They can then view or edit it on any device.
• We listened. If you only use OneNote at the office or in class, you can now sign in with just a work or school account.
• Record a quick audio reminder or sound clip and keep it in your notes.

Download OneNote Mobile for Windows 10 here:

Developer: Microsoft Corporation

Price: Free

Microsoft has updated their Films & TV Universal Windows App to version 3.6.2096.

The Films & TV app brings you the latest entertainment in one simple, fast, and elegant app on Windows. Play and manage videos from your personal collection. Plus, browse and play films & TV programmes you’ve purchased from the Films & TV Store.

It features:

• Buying subsequent TV episodes is now more streamlined
• Better handling of low disk space errors.
• Minor fixes and improvements

The updated app can be found in the Windows Store here.

Developer: Microsoft Corporation

Price: Free

Back at Build 2016, Microsoft aounced a huge feature for Windows 10: notification syncing for Android and Windows 10 Mobile smartphones. If you are an Android user, you will be glad to know that notification syncing is now available for Android via Cortana. With Cortana on Android, you can enable all the notifications from your Android smartphone to show up on your Windows 10 PC. The feature isn’t available in the public release of Windows 10 (aka Version 1511) – however, if you are an Insider ruing the latest build of Windows 10 (build 14342), you will be able to try out the feature.

Of course, you will need the latest version of Cortana on your Android phone for this to work. Once you have Cortana setup on your Android phone, you will need to head over to the settings to enable and configure the feature. It is worth noting that you can enable notification syncing for specific apps, which is definitely a really nice feature. Once enabled, you should be able to see all the notifications from your Android phone (with Android Lollipop or higher) on your Windows 10 PC. Keep in mind that you will need to have the same Microsoft Account coected to your Windows 10 PC and Cortana on Android for this to work.

In our own testing, notification syncing worked very smoothly, and the notifications showed up a few seconds after it showed up on our Android smartphone (the Nexus 5). The notification syncing doesn’t sync the action buttons for the notifications, which is something that will hopefully come in the near future.

As for Windows 10 Mobile, this feature should be available sometime very soon and we will let you know once that happens. Until then, if you want to try out notification syncing between your Android phone and your Windows 10 PC, head over to this link and grab Cortana from the Play Store.

Microsoft aounced a public preview of solution templates for Power BI that helps customers very quickly deliver powerful analytics and visualizations on their source applications. The two new templates include a sales management solution template for Dynamics CRM and a sales management solution template for Salesforce.

Solution templates simplify and accelerate building Power BI solutions on your applications. They offer a very quick guided experience to create compelling reports on an extensible, scalable, and secure architecture that you can then customize as you see fit. This means that instead of spending your time on the plumbing, you can spend it on extending and customizing the solution template to meet your organization’s needs.

You can get started using Power BI solution templates here.

For a limited time, score the Dell Inspiron 13 Signature Edition 2 in 1 PC for $699, saving $300 off of the original $999 price tag. The 2-in-1 is described as laptop productivity and tablet convenience in one versatile device. Use it in four unique ways—laptop, tablet, tent, or stand—for the freedom to work and play however you choose. It’s great for heavy-duty multitasking, with a 6th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory, and lightning-fast 256GB SSD delivering loads of power. There’s also a 13.3-inch Full HD touchscreen and Waves MaxxAudio to make everything look and sound fantastic. With stylus and integrated holder imcluded. Check out the specs below.

• 13.3 in Full HD LED touchscreen (1920 x 1080), 10-finger multi-touch support
• Intel Core i7-6500U 2.50 with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.10 GHz
• 8GB DDR3L 1600 MHz
• 256GB SSD
• Intel HD Graphics 520 with shared graphics memory
• 3 USB 3.0 (1 PowerShare) • HDMI • Headphone output/Microphone input
• 13.00 x 8.74 x 0.75 in (330.00 x 222.00 x 19.00 mm

Pick up the this value laptop here.

In Italy we are in the middle of the spring season! It ‘ time for sales!!

From today UWP Game CrazyBalloon , Appunti veloci Pro (is a simple utility that allows you to stay organized and write them down using also Handwriting feature), IlMioRicettario pro (manages all your cooking recipes and allows you to share them with your friends and relatives via email) are available in Windows Store for all counties at a SPECIAL PRICE!

CrazyBalloon is available from today in Windows Store here.

IlMioRicettario PRO is available in Windows Store (Windows 8, 8.1 and 10) here.

AppuntiVelociPRO is available in Windows Store (Windows 8, 8.1 and 10) here.

• CrazyBalloon (MS Hololens and MS Band edition) is a causal game for Windows 10 Platform! Starting from today we updated it including also a Microsoft Hololens game mode! Aim balloon using Gaze gesture in Hololens and explode it with AirTap gesture!!!! Very fuy!! Available on Microsoft Store App and also in Microsoft Hololens store App!

Developer: Fabio Merlo

Price: $0.99

• IlMioRicettario PRO

Developer: Fabio Merlo

Price: $1.10

• AppuntiVelociPRO

Developer: Fabio Merlo

Price: $1.10