Author: Microsoft Stories

Microsoft released a free tool for Windows 10 that claims to scrub PCs of the “bloatware,” also called “crapware” that computer makers pack on new machines. Refresh Windows, which must be downloaded from Microsoft’s website, currently works only on preview builds of 10, those seeded to participants of the Insider program. Since Insider is a precursor to the production code, the tool should be usable by owners of systems upgraded to the Anniversary Update, version 1607.

Microsoft’s black box is available at a host of gaming stores across the country. Particularly the 500GB Kinect edition complete with three games for Rs. 45,990. These are Kinect Sports Rivals, Dance Central and Zoo Tycoon all as digital codes. Several store Managers have confirmed that these were official stock complete with warranty from Microsoft India and its distributor sticker.

Technology giant Microsoft has finally got the long awaited official Facebook app for Windows that would be available for Windows 10-powered personal computers and smartphones. The mobile app that was available till now was developed by Microsoft on behalf of Facebook. The new app, now in beta, is being developed and published by the social networking giant.

Console brands Xbox and PlayStation are finding ways to keep their players on board by offering something for everyone. Both Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation are changing their approaches to console gaming. At E3 2016, Xbox announced not one but two console revisions August 2016’s Xbox One S, 2017’s Project Scorpio while PlayStation confirmed its PlayStation 4 upgrade, the PS4 Neo, in the days before. Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, opened his division’s gaming showcase by introducing a smaller, slightly more powerful version of 2013’s Xbox One. Two hours later, he closed with a look at the ambitious tech behind Project Scorpio, a machine set to become the most powerful console on the market at launch.

Earlier this year, Microsoft officially opened up Xbox Live, finally allowing for the prospect of true cross platform play. With this restriction no longer in place, would Square Enix now consider an Xbox One port? Final Fantasy 14 Director Naoki Yoshida told Polygon, “Microsoft actually approached the Final Fantasy 14 team about the cross-platform opportunity. The Final Fantasy 14 team has fed back to Microsoft that there are certain elements of its regulations that we would have to consider waived. We’re waiting on Microsoft’s response for that, but we are having discussions.”

Speaking during Microsoft’s E3 live coverage, Aaron Greenberg, Xbox head of marketing, hinted at a great lineup to come for Xbox. He said, “Of course the games are what it’s all about, right? This year we’ve shown that over the next year we’ll launch more first party games that we’re developing with our internal studios and our partners that we’ve ever had in the history of Xbox.”

Dartmouth College computer science professor Hany Farid, using funding from Microsoft, has developed technology to help scrub extremist content from the internet. Working with the nonprofit think tank Counter Extremism Project, Farid built software capable of identifying and tracking photo, video and audio files, even if they’ve been altered. The unveiled software would allow websites such as Facebook to automatically catch flagged content and remove it or prevent it from being uploaded.

Microsoft has opened its largest centre of excellence for the oil & gas industry in Dubai, to assist organizations in the sector to drive digital transformation, cut costs and optimization of their operations. The new centre will help companies in the sector take advantage of the latest trends such as the Internet of Things, advanced analytics, modern productivity and cloud computing using Microsoft technologies like Microsoft Azure and Office 365. “Digital transformation is top of mind for Executives in the oil and gas industry, which is why we built the centre of excellence in the Middle East,” said Omar Saleh, Director for Oil and Gas, Microsoft, Middle East and Africa.

The list of Xbox 360 games backwards compatible with the Xbox One has now reached 200 titles with the addition of fan favorites Portal 2 and Left 4 Dead. Additionally, support was also added for Flashback, Brain Challenge and Babel Rising. Support for multi-disc games was added last month, starting with Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Since Project Scorpio will be compatible with all Xbox One titles, it’s very likely that backwards compatible 360 games will carry over as well.

Microsoft has been selected as the technical partner for HRD ministry’s SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) platform that will launch 2,000 massive open online courses (MOOC) for over three crore students this year. Sources said the technology giant will deploy a team of dedicated people to set up the state-of-the-art application for which Microsoft and All India Council of Technical Education has signed a deal of Rs 38 crore. Microsoft will be running the app for three years after which it will be taken over by AICTE.