Sunrise calendar app now adds easy scheduling with a new keyboard
The first major change to Sunrise Calendar since its acquisition from Microsoft is an interesting one to say the least. In order to make scheduling easier, the app now comes equipped with its own calendar keyboard to schedule appointments on the fly.
There is a new feature called “Meet” that basically changes your devices keyboard so that you can at an instance see what appointments are available without having to change apps. The app goes as far as letting you send multiple options to your friends, family, and colleagues as far as possible appointments and as soon as they decide it will automatically update the appointment for you. This is meant to take ease of scheduling one-step further to save you time and also frustration between switching apps and finding times.
Admittedly as cool as it is, I was personally struggling to get my Galaxy Note 4 to switch between the Samsung Keyboard and the Sunrise Keyboard. After setting it as the default option the keyboard did come up and work as promised.
To activate the feature, you must go into the settings. You will see the option there for “Meet” and you can go in there to activate it. Once it is activated you should be able to switch easily between keyboards and insert information appropriately. This is a clever idea and is a great first step since Sunrise has been engulfed by Microsoft. Lets hope that the innovation keeps moving forward.
You can download Sunrise Calendar for free through the Google Play Store.
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Microsoft study shows that tech is shortening your attention span
Think the abundance of technology in your life is making it harder to concentrate for long periods? Microsoft might just have some evidence to support your theory. It recently published a study (conducted using both surveys and EEG scans) suggesting that the average attention span has fallen precipitously since the start of the century. While people could focus on a task for 12 seconds back in 2000, that figure dropped to 8 seconds in 2013 — about one second less than a goldfish. Reportedly, a lot of that reduction stems from a combination of smartphones and an avalanche of content. Many younger people find themselves compulsively checking their phones, and the glut of things to do on the web (such as social networking) makes it all too easy to find diversions.
Thankfully, it’s not all bad. While tech is hurting attention spans overall, it also appears to improve your abilities to both multitask and concentrate in short bursts. You not only get a better sense of what deserves your attention, but do a better job of committing useful things to memory. There are limits to these improvements (heavy social networking tends to make things worse as a whole), but you can take comfort in knowing that there’s an upside to your gadget addictions.
[Image credit: Shutterstock]
Filed under: Cellphones, Science, Internet, Mobile, Microsoft
Via: Medical Xpress
Source: Microsoft
Pirated Windows 10 installations will rock a desktop watermark
You dirty Windows pirates will have to live with a constant reminder of your crimes come Windows 10. Pirated versions of the new operating system will be stuck with a desktop watermark reminding users of their non-genuine status, Microsoft EVP of operating systems Terry Myerson said in a blog post today. The announcement comes after Myerson confused the tech world a few months ago by declaring that pirated versions of Windows could partake in Microsoft’s free upgrade offer for Windows 10. It turns out that’s not exactly true: The company later said that non-genuine installations would have to go through the Windows Store to upgrade to Windows 10, which was a strong hint that it would make pirates pay. Myerson notes today that Microsoft and its partners will offer “very attractive” genuine upgrade options for pirates.
“Non-Genuine Windows has a high risk of malware, fraud, public exposure of your personal information, and a higher risk for poor performance or feature malfunctions,” Myerson wrote. “Non-Genuine Windows is not supported by Microsoft or a trusted partner.”
With Windows 7, pirated installations occasionally display messages reminding users of their misdeeds. Additionally, those users only have access to critical Windows updates, not optional ones. We’d expect Microsoft to use similar tactics for Windows 10.
Myerson’s earlier comments made it seemed like Microsoft was going to offer free Windows 10 upgrades to pirates mainly to fix the massive piracy issues it’s facing in China. While that seemed a tad overly ambitious, even for Microsoft, the current plan still leaves room for an easier upgrade path. It could offer free or very low-cost upgrades for non-genuine installations going through the Windows Store in China and other Asian countries, for example, while making users elsewhere in the world pay more.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Microsoft’s new Hyperlapse Beta app lets you create beautiful time-lapse videos on Android
Microsoft has just released its Hyperlapse Mobile application to Android, but only as a beta version. The app, which is now available on Android, Windows Phone and on the desktop, allows you to create super smooth time-lapse videos with ease.
Normally, speeding up videos seems like an easy way to make your content much more exciting, but that only accentuates each and every shake and stumble your smartphone camera happens to capture. But with Hyperlapse Mobile, you can capture video and convert it into a sped up, smooth piece of footage at speeds ranging from normal time up to a 32x speed up.
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There’s a lot of interesting technology behind this app, and here’s a small glimpse from Microsoft:
Rather than stitching together various pieces of frames, (Neel Joshi, a researcher in Microsoft Research’s Graphics group) created technology that looks for entire frames that have the most overlap with each other. Instead of just arbitrarily choosing every 10th frame, for example, the system might pick out the first, 12th, 18th and 29th frame.
The application lets you record footage and upload previous videos you’ve taken with your smartphone’s camera. If you’d like to upload additional footage that’s not kept on your smartphone, you can download the Hyperlapse Pro preview app for the desktop.
Since the Android app is only in beta for now, you can only use Hyperlapse on the following devices:
- Samsung Galaxy S5, S6, S6 Edge and Note 4
- Nexus 5, 6 and 9
- HTC One M8 and M9
- Sony Xperia Z3
Want to try it out for yourself? First you’ll need to join the Microsoft Hyperlapse Mobile for Android preview Google+ community. After that, head to this site to become a tester. Lastly, head on over to the Google Play Store to download the application. Be sure to let us know how you like the app!
Xbox One pulls off an unlikely sales victory over the PS4
Well, this is kind of surprising: the Xbox One lead console sales last month. I say it’s surprising because there wasn’t an exclusive game that launched for the system, nor was their a new bundle deal going at the time, either. Regardless, it’s good news and something that Redmond hasn’t seen in an awfully long time. The company says that domestic sales of the console increased some 63 percent compared to last April while active Xbox Live users on a global scale grew by 24 percent in the same window. Of course, we still don’t have hard numbers in terms of sales about the Xbox One, and until the console breaks 20 million sold you can bet that we almost assuredly won’t.
What’s Sony have to say about it all? That it led software sales for the month (Mortal Kombat X was the top selling game overall) and that it remains the cumulative sales leader in the United States. So there’s that.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Sony, Microsoft
Candy Crush Saga to jeopardize productivity of Windows 10 users
Know what game’s coming to all versions of Windows 10 aside from the usual ones like Solitaire and Minesweeper? Candy Crush. Yes, the same sugar-filled time-sink that’s already taken over a lot of people’s souls through iOS, Android and Windows Phone. The game’s coming later this year, presumably around the same time the new OS arrives. It will even come pre-installed with the platform for anyone who upgrades for a limited time following its launch. According to Microsoft, the game will feature cross-play options for Android and iOS devices, ensuring that you can’t escape from its sticky, sweet grasp wherever you go.
Filed under: Gaming, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Xbox Wire
Microsoft ban for ‘Gears of Wars’ leakers only knocks them offline
Remember that Xbox One Gears of War remaster leak from a few weeks back? Well, the folks who gave word about it and then proceeded to upload video of the game in action have apparently had their Xbox Live accounts “permanently disabled” and supposedly “all of their Xbox One privileges” have been blocked according to an email from the game’s testing agency that was obtained by Kotaku. As Microsoft tells us, that isn’t quite the case; it’s more of a soft ban that means the affected accounts can’t go online:
“To be clear, if a console is suspended from Xbox Live for a violation of the Terms of Use, it can still be used offline. Microsoft enforcement action does not result in a console becoming unusable. Suspensions for both consoles and accounts are determined by looking at a number of factors. To avoid enforcement action including suspension from the service, users should follow the Xbox Live Terms of Use and Code of Conduct.”
So, the affected game testers (who almost assuredly signed nondisclosure agreements that are supposed to ensure these types of leaks don’t happen) can still use their retail Xbox One consoles, but can’t go online with them. It isn’t effectively bricking, it’s just removing any type of connected functionality from them. Which, admittedly is a lot, but they should still be able to play games or watch a Blu-ray. We’ve reached out for further clarification and will update this post when we have it.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Source: Kotaku
Microsoft will push mobile-friendly websites in its search results
Google isn’t the only big internet company that will promote mobile-friendly websites in its search results — Microsoft says it will soon give higher rankings to mobile-optimized sites in Bing. While the company won’t push these sites at all costs (it’s still interested in giving you the most relevant links), it expects these tuned pages to float closer to the top. To help things along, it’s planning to release a tool that tells site operators whether or not their content is ready for smaller screens. Microsoft doesn’t expect to roll out this updated search code for another few months, but it shouldn’t be too long before the days of constant zooming and scrolling are over.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Bing Blogs
Windows 10 phone preview tests out universal Office, Xbox apps
Microsoft’s latest preview version of Windows 10 for phones is here and whether you prefer work or play — or non-Lumia Windows phones — it has something new to offer. This is the first one ready to test out the new Universal Office apps (Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote) that are built to run across PCs, phones and tablets alike. Control them via touch, pen, keyboard — whatever you have they’re ready to do business. This access arrives because build 10080 is also the first with a beta version of the new Windows Store. It’s a universal app too (notice a theme here?) with a new look, but there are some known issues and the old Store app is still there in case you need to fall back on it. Microsoft announced that it would bring carrier billing for all with the new app and while that’s still on the way, it’s not enabled yet.
For your entertainment the Windows 10 Xbox app is making its debut on phones, along with updates for the Video, Music and Camera experiences. Finally, it has support for even more devices. That list includes the Lumia 930/Lumia Icon, Lumia 640 and 640XL, and the first non-Lumia phone with access to the preview — The HTC One (M8) for Windows. Sure, Windows 10 won’t get a proper release on phones until after the desktop version arrives, but clearly the team is still hard at work — just sign up here and then double check the blog post for all of the updates and known problems before installing.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Blogging Windows, Xbox Wire, Office Blog
Microsoft intros Hyperlapse (beta) video app for Android
Earlier today, Microsoft unveiled Hyperlapse, an app for Windows Phone, Windows PCs, and Android devices, according to PhoneScoop. Android’s version is currently a beta for now. Catch a video of Hyperlapse here.
The app can stabilize unsteady footage or create fast-moving time-lapse videos with playback speeds between 1x and 32x. Existing video files can be imported from the device’s camera roll.
Importantly, if you’d like to use Hyperlapse on your Android, there are some tasks you must do. First, you need to join the Microsoft Hyperlapse Mobile for Android Preview community on Google+. Next, become a tester by vising this link. Finally, wait 10 minutes to two hours as the Play Store replicates permissions. Click the second link again and follow the subsequent download link to install apps from the Play Store.
For now, the app only works on the following devices running Android 4.4 or later:
- Samsung Galaxy S5, S6, S6 Edge, and Note 4
- Google Nexus 5 and 6, Nexus 9 tablet
- HTC One M8 and M9
- Sony Xperia Z3
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