In the News

Ever since the Windows 10 launch in the country, there has been a lot of hype and curiosity around Cortana, Microsoft’s very popular virtual assistant, and its expected arrival on the upgraded Windows version. Though there is still some time till the much-touted feature is rolled out on Windows 10 in India, as the excitement builds up, let’s look at what makes Cortana a feature that is so worth waiting for.

Global technology giant Microsoft will be working with the Andhra Pradesh government on a pilot project called the ‘White Spaces’ in Srikakulam, a technology that uses unused television spectrum to deliver low cost Internet connectivity. It is for the first time that this kind of a technology is being implemented in India. Highlighting the potential of TV White Spaces, the Chief Minister (N Chandrababu Naidu) said that the project will help in the last-mile connectivity.

The game, Halo 5: Guardians, will depict interstellar combat in new levels of graphical realism and offer new twists in multiplayer capabilities. It will be the latest game in the Halo series, one of the biggest in the industry, with more than $3.5 billion in global sales. “With Halo 5, we’re getting back to what the core of the game is,” says Frank O’Connor, Franchise Development Director for Halo.

Cortana – Microsoft’s alternative to comparable virtual assistant services like Siri and Google Now – can do more than perform boring tasks like sending texts and managing your schedule. Cortana’s also on constant standby for a round of fun, corny banter. Cortana editorial manager Jonathan Foster says, “”We want people to feel positive [whether] it’s because they think she’s funny or intelligent or contextual or just really understands them.”

Microsoft likes to trot out the stat that it’s invested $15 billion in building out Azure, its cloud computing product where you swipe a credit card and get access to essentially infinite computing power. That $15 billion bet could have a big payoff for Microsoft. There are indications that Azure is gaining steam to challenge that leadership position. “Azure’s growth has been incredible,” says Azure CTO Mark Russinovich. “It’s been a fun challenge to meet the demand.”

New data from Net Applications, a U.S. analytics firm, suggests that users have taken a shine to Windows 10: Microsoft’s new OS ended last week powering a record 3 percent of all Windows devices. Back of the envelope calculations show that 3 percent figure represents approximately 45 million systems.

Microsoft will begin inviting users to test the new iOS and Android apps of Skype for Business, the enterprise communications software whose latest version was launched a few months ago. The preview will include a number of benefits including a redesigned in-call experience. The new call screen features larger buttons to make it easier to manage a call on a phone’s smaller screen.

As WinBeta notes, Microsoft will provide an update for Windows RT next month will bring a variant of the Start menu to Windows RT 8.1, according to an FAQ posted to Microsoft’s website. The FAQ also states that Microsoft will bring an updated lock screen to Windows RT.

Tech giant Microsoft has revealed its plans to launch some major new projects and features on Xbox One in the coming months. The company has announced that they will unveil a redesigned dashboard on the Xbox One in November which will introduce Windows 10 to the console. Identical to Xbox 360, the Xbox One chat pad has also been unveiled by Microsoft.

Microsoft has unveiled new features in an update for its OneDrive, a cloud storage platform. The new feature allows the users to add shared files to their primary OneDrive folder so changes can be synced across their Mac or PC device. Also, the users can edit shared files on mobile devices via the OneDrive mobile app. The OneDrive app will now send a notification on mobile device, when a document is being edited, as well as who is making the changes.