Microsoft Office 2016 for Windows Rollout Begins September 22

Microsoft has announced that Office 2016 for Windows will be available starting September 22.
Announcing the release date, Julia White, General Manager of Office 365 Technical Product Management in a blog post detailed how the Office 2016 productivity suite for Windows will be rolling out "broadly" to users. An earlier report citing Microsoft memo had claimed September 22 release for Office 2016.

For users with volume licensing agreements, Office 2016 can be downloaded from the Volume Licensing Service Centre starting October 1. Users of Office 365 ProPlus, the subscription version of Office apps for companies and organisations, will receive the new features in an update starting September 22 and will include all of the new Office 2016 app updates. Office 365 Personal and Office 365 Home users can start installing Office 2016 apps starting September 22 from office.com while the automatic updates will begin rolling out in October. To recall, Microsoft had releasedOffice 2016 for Mac back in July.

The company stresses that Office 2016 brings additional IT capabilities to the Office platform. Apart from IT features, the new Office also brings support for Data Loss Prevention across the Office 2016 apps, Multi-factor Authentication and other mission critical control capabilities.
Office 2016 comes with a number of other new features and improvements, including the much-anticipated dark theme, and a 'Tell Me' help assistant which can be found in the Ribbon UI. The new Office also comes with automatic rotation feature which automatically detects and fixes the orientation of an image. Furthermore, Outlook sync options now allow users to download 1, 3, 7, or 14 days of recent emails.
Some of the new features in new Office 2016 include math input control (which is already available in OneNote and Window); improved conflict resolution in PowerPoint; Quick Shape formatting; new timeline view in project; higher DPI support for 250 percent and 300 percent; pan and zoom while loading large charts/SmartArt; Colourful Office theme; insert images with the correct orientation; Lync is now Skype for Business, and read-only mode for Excel.

Read More

Microsoft to Launch New Lumia Phones and Surface Pro 4 in October: Report

Microsoft is reportedly set to launch two new Lumia smartphones, the Surface Pro 4 tablet, and the Microsoft Band 2 at a media event in October. This ties in with a report from last month as well, which claimed that Microsoft could launch its new smartphones at an October event rather than at IFA 2015 in September.
Rumours of two new Windows Phone (Windows 10 Mobile) smartphones have been circulating since past few months. Codenamed Cityman and Talkman -- believed to be the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950XL -- the handsets are reported to offer high-end hardware modules. Chinese website WPDang reports (also corroborated by The Verge) that Microsoft will officially take the wraps off the two smartphones at the event.
The company is also expected to utilise the event to also release the next generation Surface tablet. The reports noted that the Surface Pro 4 could be launched by the company. Sadly, not much is known about the tablet at the moment except for the possibility of it integrating a fingerprint sensor on the Surface keyboard. Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 was launched in 2014. The device has sold well and was also well-received by enthusiasts. The company launched the Surface 3, a smaller and less-powerful variant of the Surface Pro 3, in March this year.
The Microsoft Band is also said to receive a major overhaul, as per the reports. The company is expected to launch the Microsoft Band 2 at the event. Not much about it is known either. The company had troubles meeting the high demand for its fitness tracker last year, perhaps this time it has better plans to go about it.
If Microsoft indeed launches the two handsets, they will be the two most powerful Windows Phone (Windows 10 Mobile) handsets in the market. As per past reports, the Lumia 950 (Talkman) is said to have a 5.2-inch WQHD (1440x2560) display. It is said to be powered by a Snapdragon 808 processor with 3GB of RAM. Other features of the device include 32GB of internal storage with support for microSD card, and 20-megapixel and 5-megapixel camera sensors, and USB Type C charger. The Lumia 950 XL (Cityman) is said to have a 5.7-inch QWHD display and Snapdragon 810 chipset, with most other features largely being same as the Lumia 950.
With Microsoft significantly toning down its mobile phone efforts, these two Lumia smartphones hold the fate of the future of company's mobile operating system. If these too also fail to garner traction from users, it could be the last nail in the coffin of Windows Phone (Windows 10 Mobile).
You will want to take the timing of the event with a pinch of salt, as several reports suggest that Microsoft would launch the two Lumia devices at IFA 2015, which begins on September 2. It will be interesting to see how things pan out, and how much truth is in these rumors.

Read More

Microsoft Issues Fix for Critical Vulnerability in Internet Explorer

Less than 10 days after Microsoft released an out-of-band (unscheduled, emergency) security update to patch critical vulnerabilities in a number of products, the company on Tuesday rolled out another out-of-schedule security update. The update centres on fixing a vulnerability in Internet Explorer and has been flagged as 'critical' by Microsoft.
Microsoft noted a vulnerability in its Internet Explorer browser in an advisory posted on Tuesday. The vulnerability, if exploited, allows an attacker to remotely execute codes via a specially-crafted website. The flaw, which has been categorised by the company as "zero-day," targets the way Internet Explorer handles objects in memory.
"This security update resolves a vulnerability in Internet Explorer. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Internet Explorer. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the current user," wrote Microsoft in a blog post. "Customers whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than those who operate with administrative user rights."
The vulnerability affects Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 10, and Internet Explorer 11 (also on Windows Server systems) - which essentially means that users on from Windows XP to higher versions are affected. Microsoft said that the Edge browser, which debuted in Windows 10, doesn't have the said vulnerability.
The comforting part of the news is that no user has been reported to be a target of the vulnerability as of now. The patch is available to download via Windows Update, as well as through Microsoft's website. Microsoft credited Google researcher Clement Lecigne for finding the flaw.
It is worth noting that Tuesday night's update is the third out-of-band security update sent by Microsoft in 2015. The company released another emergency update on August 11 which offered security patches for a number of Microsoft products.

Read More

Microsoft Releases Photo Story App for Windows Phone 8.1

Microsoft has launched a new photo app for its Windows Phone (also Windows 10 Mobile) mobile operating system. Called Photo Story, the app automatically arranges the best representative photos of an event together and makes a themed video album featuring them. Photo Story is a product of Microsoft Garage Project.
Photo Story is a full-fledged app, which in addition to creating video albums, also offers editing and sharing tools apart a plethora of transition effects to allow users to do everything without ever needing another app. It also lets users add stylised music to the videos.
How the app categorises the images is just as interesting as the features it comes with. Microsoft says that the app uses machine learning in the selection process. It's worth pointing out that a similar feature was introduced by Google in its Photos app at its developer conference I/O in May.
The app will get better at recognising and sorting similar photos over time, Microsoft said. "Photo Story's algorithm isn't just looking for technical quality, such as whether or not it's blurry or the exposure is correct," the company noted in a blog post. It looks for something called "interestingness" instead.
But how speedy is the app? Microsoft insists that the app won't take much time as it does all the processing on the device itself cutting the waiting period wasted in uploads and downloads. Photo Story supports voice commands via Cortana, so for instance, saying "Story from today" will make the app start sorting the photos you took today. You can download it from the Windows Store.

Read More

Microsoft Aims to Reboot Connections With Windows 10

Microsoft is aiming to build lasting relationships with Windows 10, the operating system to be launched on Wednesday and seen as critical to reviving the fortunes of the once-dominant tech giant.
For the first time, Microsoft is making a major new version of Windows available free as an upgrade to anyone using either of the prior two generations of the system.
The goal is to swiftly have Windows 10 powering a billion devices, creating a gigantic audience to induce developers to crank out must-have apps for the platform.
Microsoft hopes to break the cycle in which consumers shun Windows for mobile because it lacks the large catalog of applications found on rival platforms, thus discouraging app makers from creating Windows versions.
Hit apps could ramp up popularity of Windows-driven hardware made by Microsoft and its partners, and increase opportunities for the company to make money from online activities such as search, shopping and software as services in the Internet cloud.
"This is all in the direction of building a relationship, being connected with you," Forrester Research analyst Frank Gillett said of Windows 10.
"They make it free so developers make good stuff. And then create an ongoing relationship instead of just a transaction, which is how Microsoft has operated in the past."
Microsoft has built its empire on packaged software sold to computer users and makers.
Windows remains the leading operating system for personal computers but has failed to gain traction on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, dominated by Google's Android and Apple's iOS.
'Aggressive' move
Special events are planned in 13 cities around the world in tribute to the more than five million "insiders" who took part in a Windows 10 test period.
The operating system will come as a free upgrade to people who already use Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and will be available in 190 countries.
Microsoft is not making Windows 10 free to computer makers, which is where it has historically gotten the bulk of its revenue from the operating system.
"The piece that is given away free is a piece that nobody was buying anyway," Gartner analyst Stephen Kleynhans told AFP.
"You can think of the free upgrade almost as being a teaser a free sample of the new operating system."
Microsoft has also made Windows available free to makers of small-screen gadgets such as smartphones or tablets to gain traction in the mobile market.
Windows 10 will come pre-installed on Microsoft-compatible computers and tablets from July 29 and will be available for purchase later in the year.
The move marks a major launch for Microsoft, after the lukewarm response to Windows 8, which was rolled out in 2013.
To mark the shift, Microsoft skipped directly from Windows 8 to Windows 10.
"This the first time they have gone two generations back and said you are getting it free. It is pretty aggressive," said independent technology analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group.
"They are doing it because Windows 8 bounced. They have to move the Windows 7 and 8 users and do it en masse."
High hopes
Microsoft has high hopes for Windows 10, which it wants to see installed in a billion devices around the world by 2018. Some 1.5 billion machines run on earlier versions of the operating system.
Windows 10 boasts a common base on which developers will be able to build apps that work on smartphones, tablets, PCs and desktops, and even Xbox. It will also feature virtual assistant Cortana.
The new operating system is critical for Microsoft as the PC market has been shrinking while smartphone sales have boomed.
And even in PCs, the longtime Microsoft bastion is under siege by devices such as Android or Apple tablets and Google Chromebooks.
"The hope is to pull the application guys over, particularly on the phone side where Microsoft has struggled, and give users a common experience on phone, tablet, and PC," Enderle said.
"Microsoft phones are still strategic."
Early this month, Microsoft said it will cut 7,800 jobs and wrote down the value of the struggling mobile phone division it acquired last year from Nokia by some $7.6 billion (roughly Rs. 48,681 crores).
The announcement represented the second major round of layoffs in a year for Microsoft, which cut some 18,000 jobs a year ago as part of its effort to integrate the Finnish-based phone group.
Microsoft said that it would "restructure the company's phone hardware business to better focus and align resources."
Satya Nadella, who became chief executive in 2014, is seeking to reinvigorate a company that had been the world's largest but which has lost the leadership of the tech sector in recent years.
Gillett predicted that Microsoft will shift from doing major Windows releases to routinely honing the software and adding features.
"The dramatic idea is that this is Windows as an ongoing service experience that evolves with you," the Forrester analyst said.
Microsoft's efforts to adapt to modern Internet trends have included making popular productivity programs available as cloud services and as applications on mobile devices powered by Apple or Android software.
"They really are focused on delivering a range of cloud services, and in a lot of cases it won't just be on Microsoft's platforms," said Gartner analyst Kleynhans.
"It's a good strategy."

Read More

Microsoft Plans Celebratory Debut of Windows 10

Microsoft on Monday announced plans for a celebratory debut this month of Windows 10 operating software designed to spread the US software titan's offerings across a broad range of devices.
Word that Windows 10 would be welcomed in grand style came less than a week after Microsoft said it will cut 7,800 jobs and write down the value of its struggling mobile phone division acquired last year from Nokia by some $7.6 billion.
The announcement represented the second major round of layoffs in a year for the US tech giant, which cut some 18,000 jobs a year ago as part of its effort to integrate the Finnish-based phone group.
Microsoft said in a statement that it would "restructure the company's phone hardware business to better focus and align resources."
Microsoft will make the latest version of its Windows operating system will available July 29 for computer and tablet users.
Insider events
Special events are planned in 13 cities around the world in tribute to those who took part in a Windows software test period, Microsoft executive Yusuf Mehdi said in a blog post.
"We will celebrate the unprecedented role our biggest fans - more than five million Windows Insiders," Mehdi said.
"These celebrations will offer hands-on opportunities, experiential demos, entertainment and opportunities to meet the Windows team."
The list of cities where Windows 10 launch events will take place includes Beijing, Sydney, Tokyo, London, New Delhi, Sao Paolo, and New York.
The new Windows 10 software will come as a free upgrade to people who already use Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and will be available in 190 countries.
Windows 10 will come pre-installed on Microsoft-compatible computers and tablets from July 29 and will be available for purchase later in the year.
The move marks a major launch for Microsoft, after the relative failure of Windows 8, which was rolled out in 2013.
High hopes
Microsoft has high hopes for Windows 10, which it wants to see installed in a billion devices around the world by 2018.
Windows 10 boasts a common base on which developers will be able to build apps that work on smartphones, tablets, PCs and desktops, and even Xbox.
As part of the launch celebration, Microsoft will invest $10 million (roughly Rs. 63 crores) to support missions of nonprofit groups including Malala Fund, CARE, Code.org, Special Olympics, and The Nature Conservancy.
While it still dominates the market for personal computers, Microsoft has struggled in the market for mobile devices, the majority of which are powered by the Google Android system or Apple's iOS.
Satya Nadella, who became CEO in 2014, is seeking to reinvigorate a company that had been the world's largest but which has lagged in recent years as Google and Apple have taken leadership of the tech sector.

Read More

Microsoft to Now Launch Only Up to 6 Smartphones Each Year: Report

Microsoft's mobile business is set to go through a major transition as the company on Wednesday announced plans to cut 7,800 jobs alongside confirming it will reorganise the Windows Phone unit. In its latest attempt to restructure the phone business, Microsoft is said to decide on launching one or maximum two models each year in three different categories catering to affordable segment, business customers, and premium end or the flagship segment.Soon after the news broke out, Satya Nadella in an email on Wednesday to employees detailed plans on sharpening the firm's business focus. Nadella discussed several points alongside shared plans about the phone business, detailing the firm's focus on three particular segments.
"We plan to narrow our focus to three customer segments where we can make unique contributions and where we can differentiate through the combination of our hardware and software. We'll bring business customers the best management, security and productivity experiences they need; value phone buyers the communications services they want; and Windows fans the flagship devices they'll love," he said, describing the categories which could also be detailed as business phones, budget phones, and high-end phones.
Bloomberg citing a person familiar with the company's plans reports that Microsoft's restructuring includes reducing the number of handsets it releases. The person, who asked not to be named as the plans had not yet been made official, added that Microsoft is looking to launch "one or two models a year in each of three categories." The source said the release cycle would be close to one launch a week "when counting variations for geographical markets."
The report also claimed that Microsoft has plans to exit locations and carrier relationships where it has not tasted success in the market.
"While the US has been a difficult market for Nokia, Microsoft is unlikely to stop making phones for the country because of its size," report quotes the person. Microsoft's spokesman, Pete Wootton, declined to comment on the restructuring plans.
Looking at Microsoft's phone launches this year, the Redmond giant has largely focused on budget to mid-range segment announcing the Lumia 430 Dual SIM, Lumia 435, Lumia 532, Lumia 535, Lumia 540, Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL.
Nadella in his email also added that the company has written down the value of the phone business acquired from Nokia, "We announced a fundamental restructuring of our phone business. As a result, the company will take an impairment charge of approximately $7.6 billion related to assets associated with the acquisition of the Nokia Devices and Services business in addition to a restructuring charge of approximately $750 million to $850 million."
To recall, Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system would be hitting the market on July 29.

Read More

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 gets a cheaper variant with Intel Core i7 CPU

Microsoft has added a new Surface Pro 3 model to its convertible tablet lineup. The newcomer is the most affordable variant of the slate with an Intel Core i7 CPU.

The new Intel Core i7-based Surface Pro 3 has 128GB of built-in storage and 8GB of RAM. It costs $1,299, which also happens to be the price of a version with Intel Core i5, 256GB of onboard storage, and 8GB of RAM. Therefore, one can go for a powerful Intel processor teamed with same amount of RAM but will have to compromise on the storage.
Now there are six Surface Pro 3 models in the Microsoft’s lineup, with three of them packing Intel Core i7 and 8 GB of RAM.
• i3-4GB RAM-64GB – $799
• i5-4GB RAM-128GB – $999
• i5-8GB RAM-256GB – $1299
• i7-8GB RAM-128GB – $1299
• i7-8GB RAM-256GB – $1549
• i7-8GB RAM-512GB – $1949
Microsoft will likely launch a successor of the Surface Pro 3 in the near future. The tablet was announced in May last year.

Read More

Microsoft Office for Android is now available for everyone

Microsoft took the Office apps for Android out of their beta status. The productivity applications are now available for users across 83 different countries.

Microsoft introduced the Office for Android preview for smartphones back in May. The preview was also available for certain Android tablets since last year.
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Android are already available in Google Play. It is important to note that the Office apps will only work on smartphones with at least 1GB RAM, running Android 4.4 KitKat or higher.
Those with Office 365 subscription can obviously enjoy the full Office suite experience. Besides that, users will get the ribbon options customized for a mobile experience. Syncing documents and opening them anytime is made possible with support for several cloud services such as OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, SharePoint or Box.
Source

Read More

Microsoft Now Offers Its Full Product Range In India Through Snapdeal

Microsoft has taken steps to tremendously extend its online market reach in India. The US tech giant just launched a store on India’s Snapdeal, containing its full range of products. The partnership could potentially be huge for Microsoft, as, it extends the company’s online reach in the vast new market to as many as 5000 cities.

This was perhaps an ideal course of action, as Microsoft can now capitalize on the existing popularity of Snapdeal in India, not to mention the functioning supply chain. Sharlin Thayil, group OEM director at Microsoft India, commented on the expansion:

"Our latest store on Snapdeal will help us reach more such customers and offer excellent choice, value and service that customers expect from Microsoft stores."

Another key aspect of Microsoft’s new online outlet is that it put a lot of new offers on the table. India users can now easily purchase a wide array of Microsoft products and devices online. This extends beyond Lumia smartphones and also includes tablets, laptops and software packages. The wide selection of goods also comes with an added guarantee for quality and customer support, seeing how in is an official outlet.
The store is live now at microsoft.snapdeal.com and is already buzzling with tech. We can only assume that the new store will also adopt current Microsoft marketing techniques, so, users can expect special offers and promotions in the future as well.
Source | Via

Read More

Microsoft To Retire The Modern Skype App On July 7

Microsoft announced today it is going to retire the modern version of the Skype app for Windows. As Windows 10 launch comes closer it makes sense for Microsoft to unify the user experience across its core apps.

Read More

Microsoft Launches Refreshed Nokia 105 With Dual-SIM Variant

Launching a refreshed version of the very popular Nokia 105 feature phone, which was launched in 2013, Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled the Nokia 105 (2015) and Nokia 105 (2015) Dual SIM. The handset (and its dual-SIM variant) comes with several minor upgrades over its predecessor. Priced at $20 (roughly Rs. 1,300) before taxes and subsidies, the device will reach only select markets in single and dual-SIM versions.

Read More

Microsoft will control firmware updates for Windows 10 handsets

Microsoft will have direct control over firmware updates for Windows 10 smartphones. The Redmond giant will take the step in order to ensure that all Windows 10 hardware, including PCs, tablets, and smartphones, will get important security and reliability fixes as they become available.

Read More

Microsoft officially announces Windows 10 editions, reveals naming for mobile version

Today Microsoft is officially telling us what all the different editions of the upcoming Windows 10 release will be called. On this occasion, the software giant has also revealed the naming for the Windows 10 version for phones. This will be Windows 10 Mobile, and the branding will be the same for smartphones as well as small tablets.

Read More

Microsoft Said to Have No Plans to Pursue Salesforce

Microsoft Corp currently is not weighing an offer for Salesforce.com Inc, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday, dampening speculation that Microsoft could be drawn into bidding for the cloud software company.

Read More

Microsoft Explains Why Windows 10 Will Be the Last Version of the OS

Microsoft Windows 10, which will be launched for PCs this summer, will be the Redmond-based tech firm's last Windows OS version, said Jerry Nixon, a Microsoft employee and developer evangelist, at the company's ongoing Ignite conference in Chicago.

Read More

Microsoft Office 2016 Public Preview now available as free download

A public preview version of Microsoft Office 2016 has been released for all Windows users to download and try out. Microsoft is working to release the next version of its productivity suite by the second half this year.

Microsoft Office 2016 brings in new tricks including Universal Apps, which were showcased during the BUILD 2015 conference last week. This preview version mostly focuses on the integration of the Office suite programs with the Microsoft’s Cloud-based service Office 365 in real-time.

Read More

Microsoft Will Include the 'Middle Finger' Emoji in Windows 10

Microsoft is set introduce the 'middle finger' emoji with its Windows 10 OS releasing this summer. The Redmond giant will be the first company to add the offensive emoji as both Apple's iOS and Google's Android have given it a miss until now.

Read More

Microsoft's Outlook.com Will Soon Be Powered by Office 365: Report

inShare2

Microsoft might soon make some changes to its Outlook.com website in order to streamline the service with its Office 365 platform. The firm is likely to change the user interface and the technology behind the service later this year to match the Outlook Web App offered with Office 365.

Read More

With Microsoft's DirectX 12, Final Fantasy looks like real life

For anyone that isn't a developer, the second keynote during Microsoft's Build 2015 conference was a bit of a snoozer. But Square Enix, the game studio behind the acclaimed Final Fantasy series, swooped in to save the day with a stunning game demo using DirectX 12.

Read More