In the News

Microsoft is reportedly testing a new Authenticator app for Windows 10 that will let users unlock their PC over Bluetooth. Microsoft has been trying to bring new ways to secure and unlock Windows 10 PCs, which includes introducing fingerprint reader and camera support for Windows Hello. The app, however, is listed for “internal testing purposes only”, and is currently limited to smartphones running Windows 10 Mobile.

Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC and Rakuten Inc. signed a worldwide patent cross-licensing agreement covering their respective consumer electronics products, including Linux and Android-based devices. Nick Psyhogeos, President of Microsoft Technology Licensing, said, “Our agreement with Rakuten reinforces the opportunities that cross-licensing can bring to companies across the technology spectrum. We’re pleased to have found a mutually beneficial path of collaboration that will ultimately benefit consumers.”

Primary Health Medical Group and Proskriptive from Idaho were awarded a 2016 Microsoft Health Innovation Award in the category of “Building the Intelligent Cloud”. Laura Wallace, Vice President, Health & Life Sciences, Microsoft, said, “The health industry is undergoing a seismic shift in which intelligent technologies are helping organizations, communities and individuals improve care by helping them better understand and share information. This year’s Microsoft Health Innovation Award recipients are advancing the goals of improved patient engagement and care coordination through their pioneering use of Microsoft devices, platforms and cloud services.”

Microsoft Corporation announced that Microsoft Dynamics AX, its next-generation cloud ERP solution, built on and for Microsoft Azure, is now available in 137 markets in 40 languages. The enterprise-class business application brings the power, speed and intelligence of cloud computing to people and organizations to achieve more. Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Cloud and Enterprise said, “Customers from around the world are using the cloud in incredible ways to accelerate and transform their business. Today’s release is an exciting milestone extending Microsoft’s business cloud offerings. It’s now possible for organizations to run their entire business in the cloud with Microsoft from productivity with Office 365, to business analytics with Power BI and Cortana Analytics Suite, customer engagement with Dynamics CRM and business operations with Dynamics AX.”

Be it work, travel or the mundane house chores that come with the daily routine of activities in life, multitasking is an art that comes naturally to most women. Technology has played a significant role in assisting them further to dodge daily roadblocks. 10 recommended apps for today’s women are featured in the article.

Microsoft’s Windows 10 has a lot of improvements but perhaps the most important aspect of the new OS is what the company calls Universal Windows Platform. In an interview, Harish Vaidyanathan, Director, ISV Business, Microsoft, said, “If you think about continuum specifically, it is essentially the ability to take apps running on the phone and get them to scale on a bigger display and for other input types. That’s the promise that Universal Windows Platform offers. So, all universal apps could take advantage of such features today. So, if a Chrome has a universal apps, then that can also take advantage for the same.”

Microsoft is planning to unveil its universal Xbox apps by the end of March. The software giant is expected to launch the number of apps at the Build conference in San Francisco. Xbox Chief Phil Spencer tweeted, “We will discuss our next steps with the Universal Windows Platform at build later this month. Windows has always been an open ecosystem welcoming the contributions of hardware and software partners, and will always continue to be.”

Microsoft was the number one buyer of smaller companies in 2015. Noteworthy Microsoft acquisitions include the $2.5 billion acquisition of “Minecraft” developer Mojang and the purchase of popular email app Acompli, which became Outlook for iPhone and Android.

On Monday, Microsoft Corporation and Wistron Corporation announced a renewed Android patent licensing agreement covering Wistron’s tablets, mobile phones, e-readers, and other consumer devices running on Android and Chrome platforms under Microsoft’s patent portfolio. “Combining access to Microsoft’s cutting-edge technologies with Wistron’s impressive engineering capacity is a powerful recipe for improved customer solutions,” said Nick Psyhogeos, President of Microsoft Technology Licensing.

Microsoft’s Hyperlapse, the time-lapse video app, has now received an update that brings support for recording in full-HD (1080p) resolution. Users can also export the recorded videos on to the microSD card of the handsets. Until now, the Hyperlapse app let users export videos in HD resolution only without an option of saving them in the handset’s external storage. The new updates can be accessed from the three-dot option menu right on the starting screen of the app.