Microsoft will stop making the Surface 3 in December
Microsoft’s Surface 3 has been on the market for over a year with no successor in sight, but it now looks like the lower-cost Windows tablet is on its way out… well, eventually. The company has confirmed to ZDNet that it will stop producing the Surface 3 by the end of December, or more than a year and a half after it hit store shelves. As it stands, the company says that stock is “limited.” You might not get the model you want at your preferred store, then.
The question is whether or not there will be a replacement around that time, assuming there is one in the works. Microsoft says that there has been “strong demand and satisfaction” for the Surface 3, but it’d odd to wind down sales of a popular product half a year before production stops. And there’s no doubt that the higher-end Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book are the stars of this hardware generation. While the Surface 3 lowered the barrier to getting a Microsoft tablet with pen support and a full app ecosystem, its Atom chip and limited storage make it a tough sell as a laptop replacement. This isn’t necessarily the end of the line for non-Pro Surface models. However, Microsoft may only want to jump back in when it can sync with a major new Windows release (ZDNet points to the rumored “Redstone 2”) and make a more compelling case for a lower-cost tablet.
Source: ZDNet
Roku puts your laptop in control of movie night
Roku already had a Windows 8 remote control app for phones and tablets, but to keep up with the times it’s released a new Windows 10 version. Aimed at tablets and laptops, it makes controlling your Roku player as easy as tapping the screen or clicking a mouse. Like Roku’s apps on Android and iOS, you can pop open channels, control playback, search for content or easily play photos and music from your computer to the TV. It’s a universal Windows app, but at least for now there’s no word on a new version for Windows phones. That said, it does have Cortana support, so even if your hands are otherwise occupied, voice control is also an option — grab it from the Windows Store for free here.
We’re thrilled to announce the new #Roku app on @Windows 10 Laptops & Tablets!
Read more: https://t.co/OBmHte6Q3j pic.twitter.com/W2OMYZ6VFp
— Roku (@RokuPlayer) June 23, 2016
Source: Roku Blog, Windows Store
Microsoft puts your company intranet on your iPhone
Look, we know: accessing your company’s intranet is about as exciting as watching paint dry. However, wouldn’t you rather have the option of using it from your phone, instead of having to sit at a computer? Microsoft thinks so. It just launched SharePoint for iOS, its first mobile SharePoint app. The tool gives you access to the files, portals, sites and teams that you’re used to on the desktop. It’s also smart enough to hop between apps depending on what you’re accessing. It’ll jump to OneDrive if you’re peeking at the company’s document library, for instance, or switch to one of the Office apps if you’re opening a recent file.
Microsoft is quick to admit that this is a “first step,” and that there may well be features you’ll miss (such as company-wide announcements) that are coming later this year. You should also see Android and universal Windows apps in a similar time frame. So long as those aren’t showstoppers, though, the app should be worth grabbing — if just because it can keep you away from your desk for a little bit longer.
Source: Office Blogs, App Store
Microsoft updates Windows Maps as Here set to expire
Microsoft’s mobile ecosystem is in rough shape, so it didn’t help when Nokia sold its Here mapping software to a German auto consortium. That group promptly pulled Windows support, leaving users with few navigation options. However, the software giant is working to improve Windows Maps, the native app for Windows 10 users, and has just issued a big update. It says the improvements go “far beyond directions,” but perhaps the biggest one is for guided navigation.
The company made turn-by-turn instructions easier to see at a glance, whether you’re in landscape or portrait mode. To make it easier to use the app with one hand, navigation has also been positioned at the bottom of the screen. Transit users get some love too, as the app will notify you to get off the bus or train, even if you don’t have the app active.
For planning, you now get multiple searches on a single map view. That means you can find one restaurant, view it on the map, and then search another without losing the first results. It also shows a label for each location, rather than making you cross-index a number to a list of results. Once you’ve settled on a spot, you’ll get improved detail cards that show walking, driving and transit directions.
Like Here, Windows Apps has offered offline map support for a while now. However, the new release lets you save favorite spots offline, making it easier to plan a vacation. When you travel, Cortana will even remind you to download maps before you leave.
Finally, to help users migrate from Here to Windows maps, Microsoft is letting users import up to 300 favorite Here locations to Windows Maps automatically. As a reminder, Here apps (including Here Drive, Drive+, Maps, Transit and City Lens) will completely stop working on Windows 10 devices on June 30th, and while they’ll still work on Windows Phone 8 or Windows Phone 8.1, they won’t be updated. The apps will continue to work on Android and iOS.
Source: Microsoft
Microsoft’s ‘internet mash-up’ service Flow gets a mobile app
Microsoft introduced the world to its online automation service just last month, but now it’s announcing Flow mobile for iOS. If you missed it, the service allows you to join up myriad online apps and services (including Microsoft’s own), For example, it lets your Instagram account magically post pictures, not links, to Twitter, or you could program it to automatically save all your Tweets to a single OneDrive file. Like IFTTT, there’s a whole lot of permutations to try — and now you can test ’em from your phone.
A mobile edition was one of the biggest requests from its users, letting you start and stop flows direct from your phone, as well as getting real-time notifications for “important events.’ The app also lets you see a detailed run history on your flows, and you can view — even filter — everything you have running through the service, which is good for when one of your internet mash-ups unintentionally crashes.
Microsoft has also upgraded the base service, with more templates to get you started and a single sign-on feature if you’re already using Office. The company promises an Android version will also launch soon — but no word on Windows Mobile.
Source: Microsoft Flow
Microsoft brings mobile payments to your Windows 10 phone
Windows 10 users have been left out of the tap-to-pay trend while their friends use the likes of Android Pay and Apple Pay, but they’re about to catch up in style. If you’re a Windows Insider in the Fast Ring and use a Lumia 650, 950 or 950 XL, you can get a new version of the Wallet app that gives you NFC payments at stores that support it. It’ll seem mostly familiar if you’ve used current Android or iOS options — it’s just a matter of unlocking your phone and bringing it close to the shop’s terminal. The app will hold your coupons, loyalty cards and passes, too.
Don’t expect to use all the features just yet. Payments only work in the US right now, and only for some cards (Bank of America’s Visa card being one of them). And of course, you’ll want to hold off if you’re not a fan of running potentially buggy preview software. Microsoft hasn’t nailed down just when the new Wallet will be available to everyone, but it wouldn’t be surprising if you see it arrive alongside Windows 10’s Anniversary Update this summer.
Via: MSPowerUser
Source: Windows Experience Blog, YouTube
Microsoft Launches ‘Flow’ Workflow Service Management App for iOS
Microsoft yesterday launched a management app for its online workflow service and IFTTT competitor, called Flow.
For those unfamiliar with the idea, services like IFTTT let you connect different digital platforms and automate actions between them, like having all Gmail attachments save to a Dropbox account, or making every new entry added to a contact list sync to a Google spreadsheet.
Flow first debuted in April as a web service for creating workflows for two or more cloud services, simplifying things like file synchronization and data organization. But Flow also supports a number of other triggers, like receiving a text message when a particular person emails you, or automatically following a Twitter account that mentions your business in a tweet and adding it to a database.
With the launch of the iOS app, Flow now supports workflow options for more services, but keeps the focus on integrations with Microsoft’s own business tools, such as Office 365, Dynamics CRM, PowerApps, and Yammer. Automation for business-related services like MailChip, GitHub, Salesforce, and Slack are also supported.
The iOS app lets users manage existing ‘flows’ created from the web service, allowing users to disable them, view their properties, and generate error checking reports to ensure they’re working properly. There’s also a searchable activity feed in the app that shows all recent Flow actions, which can be tapped to get more details on.
The app also supports push notifications for trigger issues, and Microsoft promises it will soon include the ability to create new workflows without having to sign into the web-based service.
Microsoft Flow is a free download for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. [Direct Link]
Tag: Microsoft
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Microsoft helps you create links to your phone apps
You know the problem — you want to go back to something you saw in a mobile app, but you either forgot to save your place or couldn’t save it at all. What to do? If Microsoft Research has its way, you’ll never be left scrambling again. Its uLink experiment creates links to mobile app pages on the fly, helping you find that hotel listing without having to re-do all the steps you took to see it. It’s a bit like Google’s deep app linking without the need to go online.
Don’t expect to see uLink everywhere in the near future. Microsoft has only shown it running in Android so far, and the current implementation is fairly basic (you shake your phone to add bookmarks and visit a simple app to see them). Regardless, it’s easy to see a future where you can always revisit specific spots in your favorite apps.
Source: Microsoft Research, YouTube
Microsoft trashes Chrome’s battery life
Your choice of web browser can have a tremendous effect on your laptop’s battery life, and Microsoft is determined to prove that its Edge browser the most efficient of them all… at Google’s expense, of course. The crew in Redmond has posted battery tests showing that Edge lasted longer in web video playback and standardized surfing tests than any other browser (including Opera in low-power mode), and over 3 hours longer than Chrome in the video test. And this is with the current version of Windows 10, Microsoft notes. Edge in Windows’ Anniversary Update should be downright miserly thanks to lower resource usage and tighter restrictions on Flash.
Of course, it’s a wise idea to take this (and any other company-run benchmark) with a grain of salt. Most people don’t spend all day watching Netflix on the web, and Microsoft doesn’t mention exactly how long the browsers lasted in the generic browsing test. Also, it conducted the tests on Surface Books. Your mileage is likely to vary with third-party hardware. The company does point to lower overall power consumption based on data from “millions” of Windows 10 PCs, but that will only tell you so much about your own experience.
Still, it’s no secret that Chrome is relatively power-hungry. Google’s attempts to improve Chrome’s battery efficiency have only gone so far, and it’s practically common wisdom that you use another browser if you need an extra hour or two of runtime. It’s just important to remember that Microsoft has a strong incentive to trash talk Chrome, and that battery life isn’t always the most important factor.
Via: The Verge
Source: Windows Experience Blog
Microsoft Groove builds smart music playlists around your tastes
Smart music discovery playlists are all the rage right now (just ask Spotify), and Microsoft knows it. It recently introduced a Your Groove feature to Groove Music that automatically creates playlists suited to your taste. It’ll generate track listings for your existing OneDrive music collection based on your listening habits, moods and artist activity, so you can revisit a favorite band when it’s on tour. However, the real party starts when you have a Music Pass — Groove will throw new songs into the playlists to expand your horizons.
Microsoft is quick to warn that it’s still early days for Your Groove. There are already interface tweaks in the works, and it wants your feedback to fine-tune the experience. Even so, it’s an important update if you’re all-in on Groove and want to either rediscover your library or venture beyond familiar territory.
Via: The Digital Lifestyle
Source: Microsoft Community
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