From the “that was fast” segment, WhatsApp beta has just added two-step authentication to their Windows Phone app only days after this feature was noticed in the translation requests for the app. The app has been updated to version 2.16.280 with the following changelog: Two- Step Verification:Allows you to create one more verification step via a passcode that you need to enter. For enabling two-step verification you need to go to settings–>account–>two-step-verification and enable it. Storage Information:Shows the amount of storage for Messages and Calls. For enabling it you need to go to settings–>chat & calls–>storage information and check it. See screen shots of the feature below: If you don’t have WhatsApp Beta we’ll let you know once this feature is available for all users — so keep an eye out for it. Developer: WhatsApp Inc. Price: Free

Microsoft has released a new update for the Skype Preview on Windows 10 for Insiders on the Fast Ring. The update to version 11.9.256.0 brings a number of new features including: Web link preview: Now you can show preview of website that you send or receive links of on Skype Streaming media content: It means you can play streaming media from third-party providers. Test video option : This is enabled by going to setting -> Audio & Video test options. If you are a Windows Insider in the Fast Ring, you can get the latest update for Skype Preview from the link below: Developer: Skype Price: Free Switch to next tab

The upcoming Xbox Holiday Update will bring new features like Arena, Clubs, Looking for Group and more. Xbox Engineering team yesterday posted couple of videos explaining the Clubs and Looking for Group features on Xbox. Check them out below. Jasmine Lawrence from the Xbox Engineering team walks through the new Clubs feature coming in the Xbox Holiday Update. [embedded content] Clubs on Xbox Live: Clubs on Xbox Live is a gamer-created and managed groups that help you meet people and create communities of gamers who love the same things you do. Club members can chat, set up parties, play games together, and share content with the club across your Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, and mobile phones through the Xbox app. There will be Clubs for everything. For example, there will be Clubs for gamers who love drifting cars in Forza, or Minecraft players who work together to make scale replicas of Star Wars spaceships, or you can create a Club filled with just your closest friends just to make i

Speaking to Venturebeat, Lili Cheng, general manager of FUSE Labs at Microsoft Research explained one of the major problems Microsoft wanted to solve for developers was the discoverability for their new chat bots. Microsoft’s Bot Framework is being used by 45,000 developers but Cheng noted that surveys found one of the top issues for developers was “Hey I made this bot, how am I going to get it promoted?” Microsoft therefore wanted to work on an open cross-platform bot directory which did not just include bots made with their own technology but was more a kind of bot search engine. Cheng noted: “We’re still trying to figure out how that would actually work in practice. I think there’s some startups doing, not authenticated directories but here’s a list of bots that you can use that can have been trusted in these disparate networks. Anyway my hope is that we can do something more like search does with web pages than like a very closed directory that just Microsoft own

While Microsoft has decided to postpone the update to their Surface tablet line till next year, it appears Lenovo is getting ready to deliver a new iteration of their Surface clone in time for the Holiday season. Winfuture.de has managed to obtain pictures and specs for their new PC tablet, the Lenovo Miix 720, which includes updated specs and new features which should make it competitive with Microsoft’s still unaounced new Surface Pro successor. The Mixx 720 features Intel’s latest “Kaby Lake” processor available in i3, i5 or i7 versions (2.4 to 3.5 GHz with turboboost), 4-16 GB RAM, 128 to 1024 GB storage, a 12 inch high-resolution 3:2 2880×1920 pixel display with Gorilla Glass 4, multiple USB ports, a stylus with 2048 pressure levels and Windows Hello via an iris scaing infra-red camera. A keyboard cover is also available which now comes with a backlight. The tablet also has a 1 megapixel front and 5 megapixel rear camera. See all the specs below: The tablet is dif

Last week, Microsoft aounced Surface Dial, a new peripheral designed for the creative process. It integrates with Windows 10 to work with Surface for a faster and more intuitive way to scroll, zoom and navigate. You can manipulate images, adjust volume, change color hues and much more, all with simple gestures. According to Microsoft, the following apps will support Surface Dial accessory on launch. Bluebeam (Revu)Drawboard (Drawboard PDF)Mental Canvas (Mental Canvas Player)Silicon Benders (Sketchable)Smith Micro (Moho 12)Spotify (Spotify)Staffpad (StaffPad)Windows (All)Word, PPT, Excel (Office Win32)OneNote (UWP version)Windows MapsPlumbagoSketchpadGroove MusicPewPew ShooterMicrosoft PhotosPaint Surface Dial features: Press and hold: For menu Rotate: Freely/continuously (both directions); 0.30 N-cm resistance torque Click: Activates a momentary switch with 300g force; Rotate detection functional in up and down button positions Dynamic feedback: Provides tactile feedback in softwa

While some media outlets have run poorly thought out articles talking about how people who haven’t used the Surface Studio already find it useless, the people behind Drawboard PDF have drafted up a post explaining how they worked with Microsoft to make the Surface Studio work with Drawboard PDF to make a good experience. The Surface Studio – being a device that can act as a canvas for your desk, is suited not only to artists but also to architects as well. The Surface dial and Surface Pen provide excellent accessories for professionals to use in creating designs by using the dial to draw perfect lines, make accurate measurements and write on the screen at angles. The new Surface Studio and Surface Dial provide a larger and more versatile canvas for people to take advantage of Drawboard PDF,” said John Richards, General Manager of Surface at Microsoft. “Architects, engineers and construction professionals will have amazing access to a full range of inputs?—?including touch

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and disappointment caused by the missing content on PC. We understand the frustrations but we do hope that you enjoy the rest of the Fear Evolved Patch.” This comes on the heels of the new v248 update, which brought new dinosaur including the Kaprosuchus Paludentium, Diplodocus Insulaprincep, and Chalicotherium Obsideoquus; a neuter/spay option for Tamed Dinos; the ability to directly wield weapons when mount-riding smaller Dinos; the ability to generate your very own unique, customized or randomized world; and a 70% HP and 50% resistance to explosive damage for Tree platforms. The new update is available on PC via Steam Early Access and Xbox One via Game Preview. Ark:Survival Evolved is also on sale through Steam for 50% off at $14.98, and the DLC Scorched Earth is 30% off for $13.99 for the week.

Microsoft has rolled out a new preview update for the Xbox One. The new update for preview users is version :rs1_xbox_rel_1610.161026-1900 and should be available now and queued for download. The update doesn’t add any new features like Microsoft’s other updates, instead it fixes issues with power and start up introduced in older preview updates. Like all recent preview updates, it isn’t an entirely painless affair. Microsoft’s changelog indicates that the update will also wipe out your chats (text and more) from the Clubs new feature in order to continue developing new features for Microsoft’s new club service. OS version released:rs1_xbox_rel_1610.161026-1900 Available: 2:00PM PDT 10/29 (9:00PM GMT 29/10) FIXES: Power & Start up Resolved an issue which could cause system updates to stop at 91%, and the console to boot to a green screen for several minutes after attempting to restart. Sign-in Fixed an issue which sometimes prevented certain users from sig

Sunday, October 23rd, the Seattle Sounders will take on the Real Salt Lake at CenturyLink Field to wrap up their regular season. Securing a win will push the Sounders into the MLS playoffs as a No. 4 seed. But hopefully luck is on the team’s side as they wear their Pacific blue Xbox ‘Gears of War 4’ jerseys. This will actually be the second time that the team has wo the jerseys, the first being during a match against the Los Angeles Galaxy on September 25, which the team won 4-2. This will be the second time the team has switched jerseys in support of Microsoft, as the team wore “Halo 5: Guardians” jerseys in October 2015. Fans who want to nab one of these special jerseys can do so Sunday at CenturyLink Field, though there are expected to only be limited quantities. You can also enter a special sweepstakes via the Sounders website to win an Xbox One S Gears of War 4 Bundle and a Gears 4 Seattle Sounders FC jersey. “Continuing our collaboration with Xbox to close the r

Ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has revealed that at one point Microsoft made an offer to purchase Facebook for $24 billion. In an interview with CNBC he revealed Microsoft made the offer in 2010, when the company was still ‘itsy-bitsy.’ At the time Facebook was still two years away from its $100 billion IPO but was already “growing like mad.” Ballmer notes that Microsoft was serious about the offer, which Facebook eventually tued down. “I think $24 billion when the company was itsy-bitsy and [Zuckerberg] said no,” Ballmer said. “And I respect that.” Microsoft was an early investor in Facebook, and held 1.6% of its share at one point, and the companies have always had a cordial relationship. Facebook’s Facebook for Work product may however see the two companies sit on the opposite sides of the table as it will bring Facebook in direct competition with Microsoft’s own collaboration products, but then of course Microsoft did just recently purchase their own social

Microsoft yesterday aounced the release of Update 1610 for System Center Configuration Manager Technical Preview. This release includes several new features like the ability to deny previously approved application requests, and more. Update 1610 preview features include: Improvements to the notification experience for high-impact task sequence and required application deployments – Task sequence deployments that have a high-impact to the end user, such as operating system deployments for example, now display more intrusive notifications. However, end users can dismiss (snooze) these notifications, and control when they reappear. Any relevant client settings for notification frequency are still honored. Deny previously approved application requests – As an administrator, you can deny a previously approved application request. This prevents new installations of the application To install this application later, users must resubmit a request. If the application was previously