Microsoft CEO Stokes Surface Phone Rumors With ‘Ultimate Mobile Device’ Comments
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has stoked speculation this week that Redmond is prepping a new line of smartphones under the Surface brand for launch in early 2017.
In an interview with the Australian Financial Review published on Monday, Nadella said the company was conducting innovative research that would ensure it continued to have a presence in the smartphone market. However, rather than follow a present trend, Microsoft would attempt to re-define the field in a single-handed pursuit of the “ultimate mobile device”.
Underlining his philosophy, Nadella said that the company would not launch into a device category without bringing something different to the table, because it was more interested in how individuals and organizations were using devices, and less in the devices themselves.
“We don’t want to be driven by just envy of what others have, the question is, what can we bring? That’s where I look at any device form factor or any technology, even AI,” he said. “We will continue to be in the phone market not as defined by today’s market leaders, but by what it is that we can uniquely do in what is the most ultimate mobile device.”
Rumors of a “Surface Phone” that would complement the popular Surface Book and the highly praised Surface Studio have been bubbling away for a while. Some rumors suggest a device running Windows 10 Mobile OS, others predict a range of devices, some of which could sport a keyboard flip case reminiscent of Blackberry phones. Meanwhile, several observers have pointed to the HP Elite x3 – part smartphone, part mini PC – as a potential indicator of where the company could take its mobile ambitions, possibly as soon as early next year.
The introduction of a Surface Phone would represent a bold return to the smartphone market for Microsoft, after its consumer phone ambitions fell flat following the company’s Nokia mobile acquisition over two years ago. Microsoft subsequently laid off hundreds of employees tied to its smartphone business in May, suggesting the company had all but given up on the consumer phone market.
Tags: Microsoft, Windows Phone, Microsoft Surface
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The best deals for Black Friday
Black Friday, the shopping mania that occurs the day after American Thanksgiving, may be more important than ever in 2016. Between 4K TVs, new game consoles, media hubs, mobile devices and wearables, there are many potential gifts this year — those discounts could be crucial to splurging on someone or treating yourself. But where do you go to find the best bargains? Never fear, as we’re rounding up some of the bigger deals you’ll see on and around November 25th. And many of these deals will be online, so you might not have to brave packed stores and shopping malls to save some cash.
Microsoft’s ‘Solitaire’ heads to iOS and Android
If you’re one of the millions addicted to Microsoft’s Solitaire on Windows, now you’ll be able to get your card fix for free on iOS and Android. This marks the first time the Solitaire Collection has appeared outside of Windows, as The Verge reports. The mobile version will include FreeCell, Klondike, Spider, Tripeaks and Pyramid game modes, and it’ll sport Xbox Live integration as well, so you you won’t have to play it alone. (Yes, I realize that’s the point of Solitaire for many.)
While there are already countless versions of Solitaire available for iOS and Android, it makes sense for Microsoft to bring its popular version of the game over. I know some PC users who refuse to play anything but Microsoft’s version of the game. While both versions are free, you can also shell out $2 a month for a “Premium Edition,” which will remove ads and double coin rewards.
Via: The Verge
Source: Google Play, iTunes
Revisit ‘Burnout: Paradise’ for free on Xbox next month
Xbox’s Games With Gold subscription service has come a long way. At the start of the generation, Games With Gold offered very few AAA titles, its game lineups paling in comparison to Sony’s PlayStation Plus counterpart. Over the last couple of years however, Microsoft’s service has seen a very noticeable rise in quality.
As of next month, existing Xbox Live Gold members will have free access to two Xbox One games — Sleeping Dogs and Outlast — and two Xbox 360 titles — Burnout: Paradise and Outland.
As the game that set the template for open-world racing, Burnout: Paradise has been highly requested ever since Microsoft first announced Xbox One’s backward compatibility program. Made by beloved British studio Criterion Games, Burnout: Paradise was one of the first true sandbox racers. The game wowed players at the time, offering a large city to explore, addictive multiplayer and sealing the deal with Burnout’s uniquely captivating crash mechanics.
While the studio originally announced it was working on a Burnout successor at E3 2014, the game was soon cancelled, with EA shifting the team to help out on new Star Wars projects. With the studio’s co-founders also recently departing the company, this Xbox 360 title may be the closest gamers get to a new Burnout for a while.
Poignantly, Burnout: Paradise isn’t the only bitter-sweet open-world inclusion in this month’s lineup. Waypoint recently uncovered documents detailing the developer’s plans for an ambitious, cancelled Sleeping Dogs sequel. In Sleeping Dogs 2, the developers planned to give players the ability to manipulate the world with a companion app, to introduce co-op and even to implement a system where they could read cloud saves, adjusting policing levels for each player’s game.
With PS4 owners recently getting their hands on the Amnesia Collection, the inclusion of nail-biting horror title Outlast should help to appease Xbox-dwelling horror fans. After the recently released Outlast 2 demo, this also gives Xbox Gold members a chance to scare themselves silly before next year’s sequel.
Source: Major Nelson
Microsoft Launches Classic Solitaire Game on iOS
Microsoft today launched the “Microsoft Solitaire Collection” on iOS and Android, a package of classic Solitaire games that include Klondike, Spider, FreeCell, Pyramid, and Tripeaks. As noted by The Verge, Microsoft’s version of Solitaire has been available on Windows for more than 25 years, but this marks the first time that the game has been extended to other platforms.
The app will offer daily challenges for players, with four varying levels of difficulty, and Xbox Live integration will let anyone with a subscription to Microsoft’s console service sign into their account, compete with friends, and earn achievements. Cloud saves will allow for multi-device use as well.
The World’s #1 Solitaire game is now on iPhone and iPad! For over 25 years, Microsoft Solitaire Collection remains one of the most played games of all time and is now available FREE for your iPhone or iPad! The Microsoft Solitaire Collection offers FIVE of the best Solitaire card games in one app!
Microsoft Solitaire Collection is available to download for free from the iOS App Store [Direct Link], and there’s also a premium upgrade that gets rid of ads, includes double rewards bonuses, and offers other incentives for $1.99 per month.
Tag: Microsoft
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Google, other tech giants outline ways to improve IoT security
Google, Intel, Microsoft, Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and a handful of other tech industry giants joined former FCC Chief Technologist Dale Hatfield to form the Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group in 2010, in an attempt to develop a set of best practices for broadband management and security. Today, BITAG laid out its recommendations for a rapidly growing industry within the world of online communication: the Internet of Things.
Connected home devices occupy the wild west in terms of security and privacy practices; there’s little to no regulation in terms of the software that powers smart homes. BITAG says some IoT devices have security vulnerabilities relating to outdated software, unauthenticated and unencrypted communications, data leaks, malware, and service interruptions.
This isn’t just speculation: IoT devices enabled two widely publicized DDoS attacks in October, one that took out the internet across the United States and another that disabled the website of security researcher Brian Krebs. The Krebs attack infiltrated an estimated 145,000 IoT devices, mainly security cameras and DVRs.
BITAG recommends a handful of security standards for IoT devices, including timely, automated and secure software updates, password protection, and increased testing of customization options. The group also suggests implementing encryption best practices, plus the ability for these devices, particularly home alarm systems, to function if internet connectivity or the cloud fails. BITAG even wants to establish an industry cybersecurity program that includes a seal for certified “secure” devices.
BITAG doesn’t have any actionable power to enforce these recommendations, but its report can influence regulatory discussions in the future.
Source: BITAG
Xbox One games stream to your Oculus Rift on December 12th
You can already stream Xbox One games to your PC. But what if you’d rather not make it patently obvious that you’re playing Gears of War? You’re in luck. Microsoft and Oculus are launching an app that, as promised, will let you send Xbox One games to an Oculus Rift headset attached to a Windows 10 PC. The software, which arrives December 12th, won’t magically turn your favorite titles into virtual reality experiences. Instead, you’re getting a Netflix-style virtual screen. This is more for private gameplay (say, to prevent your kids from seeing gore) or giving yourself a larger screen than you can fit in your den.
The app will be free, although this clearly isn’t the cheapest way to play Xbox One games away from your TV: on top of the Xbox One, you’ll need a fast PC and a Rift. Still, this might beat having to sit in front of your monitor the entire time… or having to awkwardly explain an ultra-violent game to your little ones.
Via: The Verge
Source: Xbox Wire
The biggest ‘Minecraft’ console update of 2016 lands in December
The final Minecraft: Console Edition update of the year is also its largest. The Holiday Update will land in late December, bringing the Elytra (wings that allow players to glide), Amplified Terrain, End Cities, the Dragon’s Breath potion ingredient and more features to PlayStation 4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Vita and Wii U. This means that the console versions will be nearly on par with the PC edition, Microsoft promises.
The Holiday Update polishes the UI and includes new mobs, items, blocks and status effects. Players will find the Elytra in The End, Minecraft’s third and final dimension. The End itself will be updated with End Cities, End Ships, Chorus Plants, Chorus Flowers and Purpur blocks, among other features. There are also new enemies, including Shulkers, which hide near Purpur blocks and fire homing missiles at encroaching players. The Dragon’s Breath ingredient allows players to create Lingering Potions — just throw one of these suckers on the ground to leave some status effects behind for enemies or friends to find.
Developer Mojang is giving players a sneak peak at the update today, meaning there will be more surprise features when it actually goes live in late December. The Holiday Update is free for anyone who owns Minecraft: Console Edition. The Windows 10 and Pocket editions of Minecraft recently saw updates that brought those versions nearly on par with the original Java version as well. Plus, Minecraft is scheduled to hit Apple TV before the end of the year. Happy holidays, indeed.
Source: Mojang
4K Netflix is finally available on Windows 10 PCs
Netflix has been pushing out 4K content to its apps on streaming boxes and Smart TVs for awhile, but the entertainment industry’s anti-piracy crusade and some DRM limitations have meant PC users looking to stream ultra HD episodes of Bloodline have been out of luck until now. Starting today, Netflix’s 4K content is available to stream on Windows 10 PCs — but only if your machine is a fairly recent one.
The catch: you’ll need a new or new-ish Windows 10 PC with a seventh-gen Intel Kaby Lake processor and 4K display to take advantage. So, your options are basically limited to the Lenovo Yoga 910 and a handful of gaming laptops and desktop machines at the moment. Assuming your hardware is good to go, you’ll also need to upgrade to the $12 monthly Premium subscription with Ultra HD streaming. Users with older Home Theater PCs are still out of luck, unfortunately.
On the bright side, the new partnership with Netflix — which includes getting Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life in 4K a few days before everyone else — gives Redmond the opportunity to tout battery life improvements they’ve made to their very own Edge browser. According to Microsoft, you’ll be able to squeeze in one more episode before your battery dies if you’re streaming on Edge instead of Chrome. Of course, a Chromecast Ultra would also do the trick.
Source: Windows Blog
Microsoft hints at what you’ll need to run Windows 10 VR headsets
There’s still much we don’t know about Microsoft’s plan to deliver virtual reality in Windows 10. At this point, we’ve heard it’ll start with $299 headsets from a variety of PC manufacturers, and support for the Windows Holographic VR platform will arrive in in the Windows 10 Creators Update next year. There’s plenty left up in the air beyond that (we’ll likely hear more during an event next month). For now, we’ve got a sense of minimum PC requirements to run VR experiences, The Verge reports.
According to the “Windows Holographic First Run” application, which is available in the most recent Windows Insider test builds, the VR platform will need at the minimum 4GB of RAM, a DirectX 12 graphics card, USB 3.0 support and four CPU cores. If you’ve got a dual-core CPU with hyper threading (which appears as four different cores in Windows), you’ll probably be safe as well.
Of course, Microsoft’s final specs will likely include more detail about the actual CPU speed and GPU hardware you’ll need, but for now these requirements make it clear Windows Holographic should run on mid-range computers. It’s also unclear what sort of VR experiences these specs will get you — they likely won’t be enough to run Eve Valkyrie well.
In comparison, both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive require a quad-core Intel Core i5 4590 or faster processor, 4GB of RAM, USB 3.0 and either an NVIDIA GTX 970 or AMD R9 290 video card. Oculus also just rolled out a new feature that’ll let its VR headset run well on even slower hardware. Based on what we’ve heard from Microsoft, it seems like the company is trying to make VR more accessible than the Oculus Rift and Vive. That starts with cheaper headsets, but hopefully its final PC specs will come in much cheaper than the competition as well.
Source: The Verge
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