Microsoft is reportedly making a ‘light-weight’ mobile email app
Hey, Google: you might not be the only tech giant that can rethink email apps. Twitter user WalkingCat claims to have discovered a download page for Microsoft’s “Flow by Outlook,” an iPhone email app that’s all about “rapid” and “light-weight” conversations. Reportedly, the software tosses out the usual trappings, such as subject lines and signatures — you’re supposed to use Flow almost like a chat client, and it only includes threads that started within the app. There’s no mention of when Flow would arrive (or spread to other platforms), and Microsoft isn’t commenting on the leak. If the scoop is accurate, though, you’ll probably get a chance to try this client at some point in the relatively near future.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: WalkingCat (Twitter 1), (2)
MixRadio leaves beta, announces new partnership with HTC
After being purchased by LINE from Microsoft and Nokia, MixRadio has ditched its beta tag and hit Google’s App Store. The music streaming service tries to offer a more personalized approach to your music by learning what you like and playing things it thinks you’ll like. Other apps have tried to do this with mixed success, so it’ll be interesting to see if MixRadio can pull it off.
The app has also announced a partnership with HTC that will curate music news to BlinkFeed on HTC devices. As the service learns what music you like, it will display relevant info and news about artists and genres you like in your news feed. It’s a pretty nifty use of BlinkFeed that hopefully works as well as it sounds.
Anybody up for trying out a new music streaming service?
Come comment on this article: MixRadio leaves beta, announces new partnership with HTC
Microsoft opens beta testing for Office for Android on smartphones
This past January Microsoft released Office for Android on tablet devices that were at least 7-inches in size. Today they announced another step in their effort to make the suite of desktop applications truly cross-platform and cross-device with the launch of beta testing of the app on Android smartphones. Microsoft says the interfaces for Word, Excel and PowerPoint have all been optimized for use on Android phones while preserving formatting and content.
Besides standard capabilities related to creating and editing documents on the go, Microsoft says they have built in support for OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, SharePoint, Dropbox, Google Drive and Box. This should make it easy to get to your Microsoft documents regardless of which cloud-based file storage service you use.
In order to participate in the Preview program and serve as a beta tester, users need to join the Office for Android community on Google+. Once they sign up there, they can click the links to the apps to become a tester. Microsoft does indicate users should wait for Google Play to replicate permissions so they will be allowed to install the Preview versions of the apps and this could take around 4 hours in some cases.
For those users who currently have the Office Mobile app installed, Microsoft says that app will continue to work during the Preview stage for the new apps. Plans for Office Mobile will be announced later when Office for Android on smartphones moves out of beta and into general availability.
source: Microsoft, +Microsoft Office for Android
Come comment on this article: Microsoft opens beta testing for Office for Android on smartphones
Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint beta testing for Android phones now open
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Microsoft has released a beta program this morning that brings the usual suite of office apps to your Android smartphone. Before the beta testing the apps were only available for Android based tablets, not phones. Now Microsoft is scaling the apps to be usable on all our beloved devices. In doing so the apps listing in the Play Store have now dropped the “for tablet” listing and are just the apps traditional name.
However, one can not simply install the app to your phone via the Play Store. Rather you will need to join the Microsoft Office for Android community and become a tester. Once in you will be able to grab the beta versions of each app to utilize. The company just pushed this information out at 8:20 a.m. this morning so there is likely going to be a few hours where things haven’t fully propagated through to let you access them. The original G+ post reflects some having access to Word, but not to Excel and Powerpoint just yet.
Head on over to the Microsoft Office for Android community and get signed up to be a tester when you get a chance. The same post will also link you to the beta test versions of Word, Excel and Powerpoint.
Source: Microsoft G+ Via 9to5Google
The post Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint beta testing for Android phones now open appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Microsoft reveals Office preview for Android smartphones
Microsoft has been enthusiastically rolling out touch-friendly Android (and iOS) versions of Office, even before it launches on its own OS. It just outed a preview version for Android smartphones, although this time, Windows did get it first. As with the tablet version, Microsoft said the apps marry the “familiar look, feel and quality of Office” apps — including Word, Excel and PowerPoint — to a touch-friendly smartphone experience. You’ll be able to open documents not only from Redmond’s OneDrive, but also via Google Drive, Dropbox, and a few other cloud services.
To get on board with the preview, you’ll need a device with at least KitKat 4.4.x and 1GB or more of RAM, and then to jump through a few hoops. Namely, you’ll need to join Microsoft Office for Android’s Google+ community then sign up to become a tester for each of the three apps. You’ll have to wait a few hours, then sign in with a Microsoft account to save any files. From there, you can easily create tiny little charts and documents, assuming the Android app is as good as the iPhone version. Microsoft hasn’t shared exactly when it’ll come out of beta, though you’ll need an Office 365 subscription to make full use of it when it does.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Microsoft
Microsoft marks 25 years of Solitaire with a tournament
Microsoft Solitaire, aka Windows’ biggest productivity killer, is turning 25 this year — and the team in Redmond is going to mark the occasion in style. The company is starting with an internal tournament this month that will determine who rules the roost within its own ranks. You’ll get to participate in June, when the company releases the tournament’s challenges to the public through its Solitaire Collection. If you’ve spent years mastering the art of ordering cards, your finely-honed (if not exactly practical) skills are about to pay off.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, Microsoft
Source: Blogging Windows
Microsoft Outlook will clean up your email by default
If you saw Microsoft’s Clutter feature and dreamed of a day when your email inbox was always under control, you’re about to get your wish. The folks in Redmond have revealed that Outlook (both on the web and in the Office 2016 Preview) will turn on Clutter by default for new and existing mailboxes in June. Once it’s activated, you’ll only have to see high-priority messages in your inbox until you’re ready to dive into a folder containing everything else.
This sounds like it could be annoying if you weren’t expecting a change, although there will be some measures to prevent this email cure from being worse than the disease. Clutter won’t turn on if you’ve tried the feature before and decided against it. Also, Microsoft is replacing Clutter’s inbox notifications with less frequent alerts (no more than one per day) that appear when new types of not-so-important messages show up. No, this probably isn’t going to save you from being looped into inane office banter, but it could make sure that you spend more time doing your job and less time wading through mail you’d rather ignore.
[Image credit: Moonboard/Getty Images]
Filed under: Internet, Software, Microsoft
Via: The Next Web
Source: Office Blogs
Microsoft wants to keep your online data secure while you’re using it
There are plenty of security measures to keep your online files safe, but they frequently diminish or disappear when you’re actually using those files. What if someone tries to swipe your data while you’re working on it? Microsoft thinks it can help. It just unveiled VC3 (Verifiable Confidential Cloud Computing), a system that keeps your info secure at virtually every step. Whenever you open content, it’s sent to a locked down device which limits access to you and you alone — theoretically, this prevents even insiders (such as coworkers, cloud providers or government spies) from intercepting your secrets.
It’s not clear how soon VC3 might reach services, and it’s mostly targeted at businesses. You might not get to use it when you’re dipping into Office 365 at home, unfortunately. However, it could help stem the tide of data breaches at hospitals, stores and other big organizations. You might not have to worry that your bank is exposing your personal details during an account update, even if it’s just for a brief moment.
Filed under: Internet, Microsoft
Source: Next at Microsoft, Microsoft Research
‘Mass Effect’ director Casey Hudson joins Microsoft’s HoloLens team
Casey Hudson, the producer largely responsible for EA and BioWare’s Mass Effect trilogy, is now Creative Director at Microsoft Studios, where he’s working on HoloLens and Xbox games. Microsoft appears to be all-in on HoloLens development — Hudson now works alongside former Lionhead Studios boss John Needham and he reports directly to CVP of Next Gen Experiences Kudo Tsunoda, who previously led Microsoft’s Kinect Games initiative. Hudson relocated from Edmonton, Canada, to Redmond, Washington, for his new role.
Hudson says he’s passionate about augmented reality and its potential to shape the way people interact with computers in their daily lives:
My primary focus will be the creative direction of HoloLens Experiences…. I feel that the work being done at Microsoft on mixed reality and holographic computing will have a tremendous impact on how all of us interact with technology in the coming years.
He’ll also have a hand in developing “innovative new Xbox titles,” and driving the creative focus of Xbox and Windows gaming. We’ll see if Hudson can Shepard in a modern era of fresh, epic, augmented reality games at Microsoft Studios.
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Source: Xbox Wire
The top 15 smartphones you can buy right now
It’s been a while since we took time out to list our favorite smartphones, which means we’ve had to make more than a few updates to our buyer’s guide. Big players like LG, HTC, Samsung and Motorola have unleashed a flurry of updates to their previous lines, and in most cases the devices are better for it. The G Flex2 has restored our confidence in LG’s curvacious form factor, piling on strong internals and improved specs. Samsung stepped up its game for the with the gorgeous Galaxy S6, while HTC built on the success of its One line to bring us the M9. Motorola added LTE to the Moto E for 2015 and partnered with Google to launch the super-sized Nexus 6. There are plenty of options for all budgets and power requirements, so cruise through the gallery or head over to our buyer’s guide for help picking out your next daily driver.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Samsung, Sony, Microsoft, HTC, Nokia, Google, LG
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