Microsoft works on an app that reads the news to you
Microsoft is testing a new app called NewsCast, which makes a playlist of news story summaries and reads them to you, according to Neowin. The publication came across a page on the Microsoft Azure Web Sites domain that had the app for download. In it, the company mentioned that the program was created by the Bing team and is meant to make commutes more productive, since you can listen to playlist even while driving. Unfortunately, the download’s no longer available, but Neowin managed to take some screenshots that you can see below the fold.
NewsCast reportedly uses Bing’s text-to-speech program to read out blurbs that last 30 seconds each, though the voice isn’t as organic as Cortana’s. It allows you to save summaries for later and also has a feedback button that launches a three-question survey for testers. Curiously, the app that was on Azure was available only for iOS devices, though it’s probably because a lot of Microsoft employees/testers use iPhones and iPads. As you can see, it’s not quite identical to the breaking news app Facebook’s reportedly developing, as well, but the two could very well be rivals in the future.
[Image credit: JeepersMedia/Flickr, Neowin]
Filed under:
Misc, Mobile, Microsoft
Via:
PCWorld
Source:
Neowin
Tags: app, ios, iphone, microsoft, mobilepostcross
New in our buyer’s guide: the Chromebook Flip and some gaming gear
Yes, we know: A bunch of phones just came out. Don’t worry, we’ll be reviewing those shortly. In the meantime, we have a handful of items we’d like to induct into our buyer’s guide. Included among them: not one, but two laptops, including the impressive Chromebook Flip and MSI’s GT80 Titan gaming notebook, which packs a mechanical keyboard. Rounding out the list are Teenage Engineering’s pocket-sized synthesizers and a pair of gaming peripherals, including the newer Xbox One Kinect sensor and the PlayStation Camera. Also, though there’s nothing wrong with the old wireless Xbox 360 controller, we’ve updated our guide to recommend you hold out for the wireless Xbone version. In any case, that’s all for now — check back next month to see what we add next.
Filed under:
Laptops, Wearables, Sony, Microsoft, ASUS, LG
Source:
Engadget Buyer’s Guide
Tags: asus, buyers guide, buyersguide, engadget buyers guide, engadgetbuyersguide, lg, microsoft, sony
Xbox One to Windows 10 streaming has a hidden video setting
Redditor OomaThurman recently detailed a hidden “very high” video quality setting tucked within the Xbox One’s streaming app. Thurman writes, “Simply edit the userconsoledata in the xbox app folder and change IsInternalPreview to true,” though there are actually a couple of additional steps needed to do that.
The process is pretty straightforward:
- First, past the string “localappdataPackages” into Explorer on your PC.
- Find the “Microsoft.XboxApp.” folder and navigate to “Local State” within it.
- Next, find and open the “userconsoledata” file in a text editor, then search for the ‘IsInternalPreview’ variable.
- Set that variable to “true” then save and close out the file.
That’s all there is to it. The difference is certainly noticeable, as you can see between the Very High setting in the image at the top of the post versus the High setting in the image immediately above.
[Image Credit: Chickern/Reddit]
Filed under:
Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Via:
Windows Central
Source:
Reddit
Tags: hdpostcross, microsoft, settings, streaming, video, videogames, windows10, xboxone
Outlook plays nicely with Office for iOS, PayPal and Uber
Outlook is now a more powerful tool if you get a lot of work done on your phone… or just need a quick ride to the airport. To begin with, the iOS versions of Excel, PowerPoint and Word have received tight integration with Outlook. You can send a document you’re working on as an Outlook email attachment, or edit someone else’s attachment and return directly to Outlook with a new message ready and waiting. Also, some big, promised third-party Outlook web add-ons have gone live. You can set Uber ride notifications in your calendar, or put Evernote clippings into email. Boomerang will schedule both meetings and messages, while PayPal lets you pay a friend for last night’s meal. Tie-ins with IFTTT, Wunderlist and Yelp are still “coming soon,” but there’s already plenty here to keep you busy.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Microsoft
Source:
App Store (1), (2), (3), Office Blogs
Tags: boomerang, email, evernote, excel, ios, microsoft, mobilepostcross, office, paypal, powerpoint, software, uber, word
Microsoft’s 84-inch Surface Hub won’t ship until 2016
If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on Microsoft’s 84-inch 4K collaborative pen display, you’re going to have to wait just a little longer: the company says the $20,000 Surface Hub won’t ship until January 1st, 2016. By the time it reaches customers, it will have almost been a year since it was originally announced.
A little lost? Let me catch you up: the Surface Hub was a surprise announcement at Microsoft’s Windows 10 event in January — a TV-sized tablet designed as an advanced, collaborative teleconference system for enterprise customers. It comes in two flavors: the above mentioned $20,000 84-inch unit with a 4K display and NVIDIA Quadro K2200 graphics and a cheaper $7,000 model with a 55-inch HD screen and an Intel HD GPU. Microsoft announced both would miss their September 1st ship date when pre-orders outstretched its manufacturing expectations.
Is your office waiting on the Surface Hub? Does this delay change anything for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
Filed under:
Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Via:
ZDnet
Source:
Microsoft
Tags: hdpostcross, microsoft, surface, surfacehub, windows10
Dear Veronica: Does Microsoft’s new browser have the Edge?
It’s a new Wednesday, which means I’m back to answer more of your questions! This week, we have Dana Wollman on to talk all about Microsoft’s new Edge browser and how it compares to IE. Read her full review here.
We also have some of your responses to our “are portable gaming devices dead?” question from a few weeks ago, plus some super-awkward social media problems!
Don’t forget that you can subscribe to the show on iTunes or via RSS, and keep sending in those questions on Twitter using #DearVeronica, or via email. See you next time!
Filed under:
Microsoft
Tags: dear veronica, microsoft, Veronica Belmont, video
Skype for Business coming to Android soon
The mobile version of Skype‘s Business edition that allows video conferencing with up to 250 people is soon coming to Android and iOS devices. Launched by Microsoft two months ago, the service integrates into MS Office Calendar and lets users send group messages and participate in video chats.
The upcoming mobile app will feature a dashboard where you can find your scheduled meetings, search contacts and read recent conversations. To find a contact, you simply have to enter either their first name, last name, email or phone number. You can also keep a tab of your meetings by clicking on the read more option of your calendar.
The app, which will hit the Android devices sometime later this year, is currently open for preview by businesses. Corporate IT administrators can nominate up to eight employees (four Android and four iOS users) to participate in the preview by signing up on http://www.skypepreview.com before August 14th. If they are accepted for the preview, Skype will send them an email notifying them about the same by August 17th.
Source: Microsoft Office Blog
Come comment on this article: Skype for Business coming to Android soon
Skype for Business is coming to your mobile device
Two months after Microsoft launched Skype’s Business edition, which integrates into MS Office Calendar and allows for group messaging/video chats/calls for up to 250 people, the video conferencing company announced on Tuesday that a mobile version for both iOS and Android devices is in the works. The mobile app will feature a central dashboard from which the user can search for contacts, check for and RSVP to upcoming meetings and dig through past archived conversations. Additionally, actually contacting people will be easier thanks to larger onscreen buttons and a full-screen video chat option.
The apps aren’t ready quite yet though. Skype is currently recruiting businesses to participate in its preview program. Corporate IT managers can sign to eight employees (four for iOS, four for Android) up for the preview at www.skypepreview.com before August 17th. Once the apps actually go live “later this year,” users will need to have Lync 2013, on which this system is built, installed on their device in order to use them.
[Image Credit: shutterstock]
Filed under:
Internet, Mobile, Apple, Microsoft, Google
Source:
Microsoft Office Blog
Tags: android, apple, calendar, google, ios, messaging, microsoft, mobiledevice, mobilepostcross, office, skype, video, VideoConferencing
Microsoft OneNote introduces Floatie feature – like chat heads for notes
Facebook’s introduction of the floating chat heads has been a game-changing move from the social network. Being able to message your Facebook friends without having to switch apps is simply genius, and it benefits both the user and the service. Why is it no other company has joined the floating content bandwagon? We can complain more another day, but today we are here to introduce Microsoft OneNote’s new tool, which applies very similar elements.
OneNote’s added feature is called Floatie, and despite its cute name, it will likely be among the most powerful attributes the note-taking app now has. Floatie makes it possible to easily take notes while doing other things in your phone. A OneNote icon simply floats on the side of your device, making sure it’s out of the way by only showing half the circle. Once ready to take a note, the user can simply pull out the Floatie and start jotting down all the details.
#gallery-1
margin: auto;
#gallery-1 .gallery-item
float: left;
margin-top: 10px;
text-align: center;
width: 25%;
#gallery-1 img
border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
#gallery-1 .gallery-caption
margin-left: 0;
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Floatie is also amazingly easy to manage. One can simply go into the OneNote app and hit the menu button. After that, select the “Start floatie” option and you will be ready to go. Tap and hold on the bubble to drag it to the “X” on the bottom and get rid of it, if you no longer want it around. It’s that simple!
This will be very helpful if you want to take notes while browsing the web, or maybe when you want to transfer information from a separate app without switching too much. I almost wish Google’s Keep app had something like this. Regardless, those of you who like Microsoft’s OneNote will love this update.
The update is rolling out to the Google Play Store. As always, it can take some time for you to get your own improvements, so sit tight and be patient!
Custom ‘Minecraft’ PC is more than a skin-deep tribute
You may see yourself as a big Minecraft fan, but Spencer Kern just took that devotion to another level. The Microsoft game artist marked the launches of both Windows 10 and its special version of Minecraft by building Redstone, a custom PC that’s a tribute to Mojang’s construction game in more ways than one. Kern didn’t just slap some pixel art on a case and call it a day — he custom-built the cube to pay homage to its namesake game resource through and through, including eerie red lighting, custom storage labels and a miniature version of Steve lurking inside. He even personalized his gamepad, headphones, keyboard and mouse to match the theme. You sadly can’t buy Redstone, but Kern has documented enough of its assembly that you could theoretically create a reasonable facsimile with enough time and elbow grease.
Filed under:
Desktops, Gaming, Microsoft
Via:
Kotaku
Source:
Spencer Kern (Sway)
Tags: computer, desktop, gaming, microsoft, minecraft, mojang, pc, spencerkern, videogames
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