In the News

Microsoft India has announced the winners of the 24 hour hackathon held as part of the first Machine Learning & Data Sciences (ML&DS) Conference. Team Builders won the grand prize, while Eavesdroppers and NHacks emerged as the first and second runners up respectively. These winners created applications to address challenges in the field of agriculture, call center management and human behavior.

Windows 10 IoT Core is the version of Windows 10 intended for development of embedded or dedicated purpose devices and the choice for the Maker community. This package contains the bits and tools needed to install Windows 10 IoT Core on the MinnowBoard Max based on Intel Atom E38xx series SoC (also referred to as MBM board), the Raspberry PI2 based on the ARM Cortex-A7 based SoC (also referred to as the RPI) and the DragonBoard 410c based on the QualComm Snapdragon 400 series processor (also referred to as the Dragon).

Microsoft last week bolstered its claim that Windows 10 will be its last operating system by extending the OS’s support lifetime to 2026. After the release last week of Windows 10 Anniversary Update, Microsoft refreshed the Windows support lifecycle database to signal a one-year extension to Windows 10 Enterprise. Enterprise is the only SKU (stock-keeping unit) that comes in a static version that does not change during its lifespan. Dubbed “Long-term Servicing Branch,” or LTSB for short, the version is intended for systems for which stability and longevity trump the latest features and the newest shiny thing.

Microsoft has rolled out an update for its Translator app. The update introduces quicker and improved communication features. In addition, it also brings the Phrasebooks and Bilingual Dictionary features. The update is available for both iOS and Android devices. The Phrasebooks feature enables users to find sentences, phrases or words in a language, which they don’t know. The phrases can be quickly sorted by topic and the app allows adding of often-used phrases as favorites.

Microsoft has unveiled a new platform that enables developers to improve the accuracy of predicting target scores in weather-interrupted cricket matches besides helping sports administrators manage other sports related activities. “We believe the possibilities for machine learning in sports are vast from monitoring player condition on the field to predicting injuries and taking early preventive actions,” said Joseph Sirosh, Corporate Vice President of Data Group at Microsoft.

Microsoft has been pretty gung-ho about Project Scorpio, the successor to the Xbox One that will enable true 4K gaming and also support VR. Though the company has been insisting that it’s for players with 4K screens, it was also noted that there wouldn’t be any “exclusives” per say. However, in a recent tweet, Xbox boss Phil Spencer when asked if developers were already working with Scorpio, relpied, “Yes, hardware, platform and games.”

The 2TB Xbox One SKU, the first console to be made available to the general public, seems to have sold out in Europe. More importantly, it also sounds like Microsoft have no plans on actually replenishing the stock, and on making more units available in Europe. Speaking to Eurogamer, a Microsoft executive confirmed that there appear to be no plans to replenish stock of the 2TB Xbox One S model, going forward.

Duelyst, the card-based tactical strategy title from Counterplay Games, has a decent following despite being restricted to its own launcher. That will be changing in the coming months though, as the developer has announced that Duelyst will be available on the Xbox One, PS4, Steam and mobile devices.

Although it is difficult to categorize all the features that come with the new Windows 10 update, certain features can really swivel the market in favor of Windows. Cortana has become a more personalized digital assistant, Windows Hello protects laptops and phones using fingerprint sensor or facial recognition, the new Edge browser offers more and Ink allows users to paint, draw, scribble and take notes using the pen.

Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system was free for all. Not anymore. If you did not upgrade your existing Windows 8 or Windows 7 (with SP1) laptops and PCs before July 29, well, bad luck. Now that Microsoft’s free Windows 10 upgrade offer is over, you’ll have to spend some money to purchase it. Prices start at Rs 8,999 for Windows 10 Home and go all the way up to Rs 14,999 for Windows 10 Professional.