Bing is dead, long live the new, cross-platform Microsoft Search

Microsoft is augmenting, upgrading, and ultimately evolving its search tools in Office, Windows, and on Bing, to something a little more unified. Like Windows itself, which has seen unification across multiple platforms, Microsoft is now maneuvering its search tools into a similar digital form factor. Microsoft Search, as it will be known, will be the main search tool for Microsoft Office, Windows itself, and the online Bing search platform.

In converting its search tool into something more widely applicable to different software and web platforms, Microsoft will also be making it smarter contextually. Searching in Bing or within Windows after the update will see a combination of web and local results display, each of which takes into consideration the user, the device they’re on, and any applications they’re running. Results may contain Windows commands, or quick links to certain application features, as well as personalized web search results.

“We think we have great technology that is under utilized,” said Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Office, Jeff Teper, in a chat with The Verge. “We want to hear from people that they’ll be more productive.”

For organizations working on a plural number of Office documents, users will be able to find elements of all of them within Office’s various platforms, helping them to navigate to the right document. For those wondering how to perform certain tasks, searching should give users quicker access to those commands without having to dig through menus to find them.

According to Verge, the most accurate representation of the new search function operating today is Microsoft Teams. The organizational Slack competitor has been around since 2016 and has its own command/search bar at the top which provides the same sort of functionality Microsoft is talking about rolling out to so many of its other platforms and services.

Microsoft has pledged to begin rolling out the new search tool to Bing and Office users immediately, with Windows itself receiving the updated search functions at some point in 2019. Microsoft applications will also receive built-in navigation and search functions in the new year, with all platforms seeing a rollout of third-party application commands support within the search tool around the same time.

In the meantime, want to know how to make the most of Windows search? Check out our guide.

Updated on September 9, 2018: Updated text and title to clarify that Bing will not be replaced.

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MetroPCS is now Metro by T-Mobile and includes Amazon Prime

Looking for a great prepaid phone plan? MetroPCS is now Metro by T-Mobile, and the veteran carrier is promising to provide users with a wide variety of prepaid phone plans that offer great value for money, starting from October. Best of all, customers will also get the choice of two new unlimited data plans that include Amazon Prime and Google One.

Making sure that customers know they can get great value out of a prepaid plan is of particular importance to T-Mobile, as prepaid plans have suffered under the assumption that they offer terrible phones, awful coverage, and bad service. But with Metro being backed up by T-Mobile, customers will be able to benefit from service that covers 99 percent of the U.S. population, a great selection of devices, and nationwide reach and support.

“It drives me crazy that literally millions of hard-working people are struggling to get by yet feel stuck with AT&T and Verizon because they think prepaid wireless is subpar”, said T-Mobile U.S. CEO John Legere. “That’s outdated thinking! Metro by T-Mobile customers aren’t making a compromise, they’re REFUSING to make a compromise.”

T-Mobile claims that customers could save as much as 45 percent when compared to two-line plans on AT&T or Verizon — totaling up to potential savings of $1,000 a year. It’s worth noting that Metro by T-Mobile customers may get bumped to the back of the queue if the network gets congested, but T-Mobile says they’ll otherwise be given the same speeds. Taxes and regulatory fees are included with all plans, so the price you see is the price you get, and there are no service or phone contracts.

Amazon Prime & Google One

Top tier customers will also get access to services from Amazon Prime and Google One. Customers paying for unlimited data at $50 a month (for a single line) will benefit from Google One’s cloud storage and mobile backup — though there’s no mention which tier of Google One is included in the plan.

Subscribers paying $60 a month (for a single line) will also get access to Amazon Prime’s vast array of benefits and perks. These include free next day delivery (or same day in some parts of the U.S.), unlimited free photo storage on Amazon Photos, and access to unlimited streaming from Amazon’s array of Prime movies and TV episodes.

This is the first time that any wireless provider has been able to offer deals like this with Google and Amazon, and it could mean a great deal for you. As always though, check out your options and shop around to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal.

Editors’ Recommendations

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U.N. security blunder left secret Trello boards, Google Docs exposed

Secretive documents related to the United Nations were left vulnerable to unauthorized access by anyone who stumbled upon the right link, after Trello, Jira, and Google Docs accounts were left improperly configured by staffers. The security gaffe left passwords, organizational documents, and security plans belonging to governments of the United Kingdom and Canada open to the web.

Maybe they should have read our guide on how to use Google Docs.

Although each of the unsecured documents did require a unique URL in order to be accessed, that proved far from an effective protective measure when security researcher Kushagra Pathank discovered links to a U.N.-controlled Trello organizational board. In that tool’s ‘card’ system, he went on to find other links to other documents that lead to Google documents and U.N. pages on Jira, an issue-tracking service. These in turn had more links, all of which contained sensitive information. In total, Pathank discovered some 50 boards and documents that he was able to access because of the lack of security options implemented during their setup.

Some of the information he was eventually able to glean from these documents included access to a remote U.N. FTP server, credentials to log in to a Google and Vimeo account associated with the U.N.’s language and learning program, remote access information for certain U.N.-linked meetings, and detailed information about the U.N. website and its development.

Pathak contacted the U.N. in late August to inform it of the issue. Although, as The Intercept highlights, the organization’s technical department ran into some problems replicating the issue, much of the sensitive content has now been taken down or protected behind security credentials. In a statement to The Intercept, a U.N. spokesperson said that all relevant staff had been warned about trusting third-party tools and services with sensitive information and that they should make necessary precautions to protect such data in the future.

Despite rhetoric to the contrary, Pathak believes that much of these latest security concerns arose simply because leaving boards unsecured is easier than securing them. By not adding users to boards and locking them to authorized accounts only, U.N. staffers were able to share URLs in order to give others access. “Adding people to the board seems to be a huge task for these people, but in fact it is really easy,” Pathak said in a statement.

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Back for the boardroom, Microsoft outlines the future of the Surface Hub

The Surface Hub 2 is still slated for an early 2019 release.

Back in the spring, Microsoft shared its vision for taking over executive boardrooms, the Surface Hub 2 — a modular 4k video wall that companies could use to spruce up conferences and usher in a new world of digital office communication. While the Surface Hub 2 is still unavailable to the general public, Microsoft wants to let you know that it has a few more ideas for the workplace, including the new Surface Hub 2S and Surface Hub 2X.

Advertising the next generation of your product offerings generally isn’t a great idea when you current generation has yet to hit the market, just ask the Osborne corporation, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping the folks at Microsoft. At the company’s 2018 Ignite developer conference, it was proud to announce that it would be moving forward with the Surface Hub, an idea initially unveiled in 2015.

The new Surface Hub 2S is a slimmed down version of Microsoft’s standard Surface Hub 2 digital whiteboard, set to target businesses who may already have the first generation of the Surface Hubs within its offices. Based around older software, the Surface Hub 2S will fit perfectly into office spaces in which employees are accustomed to the first generation Hub, but want a bit of a style upgrade.

On the other hand, the Surface Hub 2X is garnered as the next generation of Surface Hub, after the regular Surface Hub 2. Why Microsoft doesn’t opt to name this new generation the Surface Hub 3 we can’t tell you, but we can say that they are ready to add on new features. The Surface Hub 2X will support the ability to tilt and rotate the display, as well as allow multiuser login, and compatibility with Microsoft 365.

While Microsoft plans on launching the Surface Hub 2 and 2S and in the first half of 2019, those interested in the future Surface Hub 2X won’t see a release until at least 2020. The early announcement is curious as while it leads excellent insight into Microsoft’s devotion for the workplace platform, it may put some organizations off, pushing them to skip the current generation for promises of better future experiences.

Editors’ Recommendations

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Alto’s Adventure Now Available on macOS

Developer Snowman today announced that its popular endless runner game for iOS, Alto’s Adventure, is now available on macOS computers. The developer says that the launch of the game on macOS was timed with the upcoming release of macOS Mojave and the new Mac App Store, which should arrive at around 10:00 a.m. PT later today.

You don’t need macOS Mojave to download Alto’s Adventure, however, since the game is out on the Mac App Store now for $9.99 [Direct Link]. The game follows Alto as he journeys across various environments on an endless snowboarding adventure, where players have to guide Alto and chain together combos using a one-trick button system.

Alto’s Adventure first launched for iOS in February 2015, and was followed up this year with a sequel called Alto’s Odyssey. The sequel is still an endless runner, but introduces new features, controls, and a new desert location. Snowman says there’s a good chance that Alto’s Odyssey will appear on macOS as well.

Tag: Alto’s Odyssey
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Apple Finalizes Shazam Acquisition, App Will Soon Become Ad-Free

Apple today announced it has completed its acquisition of music recognition service Shazam, after reaching a preliminary agreement in December. Apple says the Shazam app will soon become ad-free for all users.

Oliver Schusser, Vice President of Apple Music:

Apple and Shazam have a long history together. Shazam was one of the first apps available when we launched the App Store and has become a favorite app for music fans everywhere. With a shared love of music and innovation, we are thrilled to bring our teams together to provide users even more great ways to discover, experience and enjoy music.

Shazam is a popular service that can identify the names and lyrics of songs, music videos, TV shows, and more, simply by listening to and deciphering whatever is playing. Shazam has apps across iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, iMessage, and Mac, and has been built into Siri since iOS 8.

Apple announced its plans to acquire Shazam in a statement provided to MacRumors and other media outlets back in December:

We are thrilled that Shazam and its talented team will be joining Apple. Since the launch of the App Store, Shazam has consistently ranked as one of the most popular apps for iOS. Today, it’s used by hundreds of millions of people around the world, across multiple platforms. Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion for music discovery and delivering great music experiences to our users. We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam upon approval of today’s agreement.

Shazam issued the following statement at that time:

We are excited to announce that Shazam has entered into an agreement to become part of Apple. Shazam is one of the highest rated apps in the world and loved by hundreds of millions of users and we can’t imagine a better home for Shazam to enable us to continue innovating and delivering magic for our users.

Apple completed its acquisition of Shazam just a few weeks after European regulators approved of the merger. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but a report from TechCrunch’s Ingrid Lunden valued it around $400 million.

Shazam’s app was optimized for iOS 12 on Friday.

Tags: Apple acquisition, Shazam
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DisplayMate: iPhone XS Max Has Best Smartphone Display Ever

iPhone XS Max has the best smartphone display ever, according to display testing and calibration firm DisplayMate Technologies.

iPhone XS Max has a number of notable improvements over the original iPhone X, including higher peak brightness and better color accuracy, and matches or sets smartphone display records in a number of areas, according to Dr. Raymond M. Soneira, President of DisplayMate Technologies.

For example, DisplayMate says the iPhone XS Max has a peak full-screen brightness of up to 660 nits for the sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamuts, which improves screen visibility in high ambient lighting conditions. By comparison, the iPhone X achieved a peak full-screen brightness of 634 nits in its year-ago tests.

DisplayMate measured the iPhone XS Max’s screen reflectance to be 4.7 percent, close to the lowest that it has ever measured for a smartphone. As a result of this high brightness and low reflectance, the iPhone XS Max has one of the best contrast ratings in high ambient light on any smartphone it has ever tested.

DisplayMate provides an extensive overview of the iPhone XS Max display, concluding that it is a “very impressive top tier smartphone display.”

Based on our extensive Lab Tests and Measurements the iPhone XS Max receives our DisplayMate Best Smartphone Display Award, earning DisplayMate’s highest ever A+ grade by providing considerably better display performance than other competing smartphones.

Of note, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max use the same display technologies.

DisplayMate’s iPhone XS Max OLED Display Technology Shoot-Out article is a worthwhile read for anyone looking for comprehensive analysis and testing of the iPhone XS Max display. DisplayMate has been a provider of display calibration software for consumers and technicians since 1991.

Related Roundup: iPhone XSTag: DisplayMate
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Apple Releases tvOS 12.0.1 Update for Fourth and Fifth-Generation Apple TV

Apple today released tvOS 12.0.1, a minor update for the tvOS operating system designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models. tvOS 12.0.1 comes just one week after Apple released tvOS 12, the latest version of tvOS.

tvOS 12.0.1 can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the Apple TV by going to System -> Software Update. Apple TV owners who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to tvOS 12.0.1 automatically.

It is not clear what features or bug fixes are included in tvOS 12.0.1, but given that it’s a minor 12.x.x update, it has likely been released to address issues discovered in the tvOS 12 update.

If we discover what’s new in tvOS 12.0.1, we’ll update this post with info, but Apple often provides little detail on tvOS updates.

tvOS 12.0.1 follows tvOS 12, an update that introduced support for higher-quality Dolby Atmos sound, zero sign-on, and new aerial screensavers created in collaboration with the International Space Station.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 12Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
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Apple Releases macOS Mojave With Dark Mode, Stacks, Dynamic Desktop and More

Apple today released the newest version of its operating system for Macs, macOS Mojave, to the public. macOS Mojave is a free download that’s available today for anyone who has a compatible Mac, and it comes after 11 rounds of betas.

macOS Mojave can be downloaded from the Mac App Store, with a direct link to the download available here.

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macOS Mojave is a significant update to macOS, introducing a new systemwide Dark Mode, with Mojave users able to choose between a light theme or the new dark theme, which changes the color of the dock, menu bar, apps, and other elements.

Dark Mode is accompanied by Dynamic Desktops, aka wallpapers that subtly change throughout the day to mimic the progress of the sun across the sky outside.

In the afternoon, for example, the lighting of the Mojave Desert wallpaper is at its peak brightness and the image of the desert is depicted as it would be if you visited it in the daytime with well-lit sand dunes and a bright blue sky.

At night, the sky in the wallpaper shifts to darker blue to reflect that it’s now evening. The shift between daytime and nighttime happens gradually over the course of the day, so you’ll see subtle changes each time you look at your Mac’s display. It’s a neat new feature that can be enabled in the Desktop & Screensaver section of preferences.

macOS Mojave also includes Stacks, a new desktop organization system that keeps desktop files neat and organized to cut down on clutter. The Finder window has been enhanced with a new Gallery View for previewing larger versions of photos and documents, a Sidebar for easier navigation, a revamped Quick Look option for quick document editing, and Quick Actions, so you can do more in the Finder window than ever before.

Screenshots that you take on the Mac can now be edited using built-in Markup tools and a new management options that also allow for easy screen recording. Continuity camera, a useful new feature, allows you to import photos and document scans directly from an iPhone or iPad to the Mac.

The Apple News, Stocks, Home, and Voice Memos apps have been ported from iOS to macOS as part of a multiyear project Apple is working on to make it easier to bring iOS apps to Macs, and Apple has introduced several new privacy protections to keep your data safer than ever.

Apple is also making it harder for websites to track you with a range of new Safari tools, and it’s also easier to make and store secure, hard-to-guess passwords for each and every website.

Apple has added an entirely revamped Mac App Store to macOS Mojave that makes it easier to discover apps with a featured section and specific categories for games, creative apps, productivity apps, apps for developers, and more.

macOS Mojave was initially supposed to include a Group FaceTime feature that includes support for chatting with up to 32 people at one time, but it was removed in the macOS Mojave beta and will be introduced in a future Mojave update.

macOS Mojave drops support for many older Macs compared to macOS High Sierra and it is compatible primarily with machines manufactured in 2012 or later. A full list of Macs that can run Mojave is below:

• MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
• MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)
• MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)
• Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
• iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
• iMac Pro (2017)
• Mac Pro (Late 2013, plus mid 2010 and mid 2012 models with recommended Metal-capable GPU)

For more details on all of the features included in macOS Mojave, make sure to check out our macOS Mojave roundup.

Related Roundup: macOS Mojave
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Salesforce Partners With Apple, Will Release SDK for iOS Later This Year and Redesigned iOS App in Early 2019

Apple and Salesforce today announced that the two companies have reached a strategic partnership in customer relationship management.

Working with Apple, Salesforce has agreed to redesign its mobile app to take full advantage of iOS features like Face ID, Siri Shortcuts, 3D Touch, Apple Business Chat via iMessage, and more. The new app, slated for release by early 2019, will also better adhere to Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines.

Salesforce will also be releasing a new SDK for iOS by the end of 2018. Optimized for Apple’s programming language Swift, the native SDK will enable businesses and developers to build and deploy apps for iPhone and iPad on the Salesforce Lightning Platform, and distribute them through the App Store.

To support developer learning and career growth, Apple is launching a new Get Started with iOS App Development course on Trailhead, Salesforce’s free, web-based learning platform. The course, which will teach anyone how to build native iOS apps in Xcode with Swift, is available starting today.

Attendees of the Dreamforce 2018 convention can get an early look at the new Apple and Salesforce offerings in the Salesforce Campground, in the Moscone South Halls ABC, or the Trailhead Area in Moscone West Level 1.

Tag: Salesforce
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