Category: Microsoft

Xbox Live Outage Forces Gamers Offline During Peak Weekend Hours

The Xbox Live gaming and entertainment platform suffered a major outage for several hours on Saturday, rendering significant elements of the console useless.

Gamers were unable to sign into their accounts so were unable to engage in multiplayer action, or access the suite of entertainment apps that are tied to Xbox Live subscriptions (i.e. Netflix, YouTube, etc.).

In a statement provided to Game Informer, a Microsoft representative informed that the outage was due to routine maintenance. Some individuals had claimed that hacking brought the service down yesterday. But Microsoft assured that this is false.

For the most part, Microsoft has addressed the issue and users are now able to sign in to the service, though some lingering issues remain. For example, Microsoft says users may experience “difficulties” creating new or accessing existing Minecraft game saves, and listening to music via Last.fm is spotty. In both cases, Microsoft says it’s working on a fix.

In the meantime, these problems underscore why gamers take issue with the concept of an always-on console. It’s been rumored that the Xbox 720 (Durango) will feature an always-on Internet requirement, and Microsoft has yet to confirm or deny if the rumors are true. In cases where Microsoft is having problems on its end, an always-on requirement could render the console unusable.

With Xbox Live outages not exactly a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence, where would this leave gamers every time the company has problems with the online portion of its service?

[Game Informer]

April 15, 2013
New Windows 8 Hardware Specs Point At 7-Inch Tablet

Up until a couple of weeks ago, Microsoft required that all tablets made specifically to run Windows 8 have a minimum display resolution of 1366×768. This was because Microsoft also made 1366×768 as the minimum for Windows 8 Modern apps to run while in snap view mode.

A few days ago, it was discovered that the leaked build of Windows Blue actually lowered that app snap view minimum resolution down to 1024×768. As it turns out, Microsoft recently, and quietly, announced that Windows 8 tablets can now be made with a 1024×768 resolution screen, down from the previous requirement of a 1366×768 resolution.

The change is thought to be a sign that Windows 8 devices are about to arrive with mini sized screens (and prices?) to compete head on with the likes of the Google Nexus 7, Amazon Kindle Fire and Apple iPad mini and other successful devices that have with 7- and 8-inch displays.

One of the headline multitasking features of the currently shipping version of Windows 8, snapping, won’t work at this lower res. However, a leaked build of Windows Blue has revealed that Microsoft is changing its Snap View support to let 1024 x 768 users take advantage of a 50 / 50 Snap View. The changes are all part of improved support for 7- and 8-inch form factors and Microsoft’s official guidance notes that “partners exploring designs for certain markets could find greater design flexibility helpful.”

The change was announced on Microsoft’s Windows Certification Newsletter earlier in March. In making the change, Microsoft stated that while their were not encouraging PC OEMs to offer a lower resolution for their Windows 8 tablet products, they admitted, “We understand that partners exploring designs for certain markets could find greater design flexibility helpful.”

[Neowin, ZDNet]

March 29, 2013
Microsoft : Windows Phone Is Outselling iPhone In 7 Markets, Including India

On Wednesday a blog post from Frank Shaw, head of PR at Microsoft, revealed that Windows Phone is outshipping the iPhone in seven countries.

According to the IDC, who measures shipped numbers, more Windows Phones were shipped into 7 markets than iPhones and more than Blackberry in 26 markets.

But before Apple fans explode with indignation, yes there is a catch. Windows Phone outsold the iPhone in a smattering of emerging markets, where the high price of Apple’s trendy phone is probably a barrier to sales success. In total Windows Phone led the iPhone in Argentina, India, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, and “rest of central and eastern Europe”.

In India, the arrival of low-end Windows Phone devices — namely Nokia Lumia 510/620/820 – has certainly boosted Windows Phone. Nokia’s also trying to market its Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 handsets via television and print campaigns. So it won’t come as a surprise if shipments are higher than that of the iPhone given that the iPhone commands a much higher retail price.

IDC’s numbers also reflect only the official number of cellphones imported into the countries. IDC said that in some countries, like Argentina and India high government taxes mean there is a very significant gray market in cellphones, which IDC doesn’t track. So it is hard to know actual market share in those places.

While it’s certainly good news that Windows Phone is breaking into emerging markets, Windows Phone has had issues breaking in to the tough, and arguably more significant North American market as of late. Tackling the developed markets is no doubt a priority for Microsoft at the moment, and with Nokia continuing to release new devices, hopefully for Microsoft, progress will come.

Do these facts diminish Microsoft’s announcement that Windows Phone outshipped the iPhone in seven countries — or not? Tell us in the comments, below.

[Mashable]

March 28, 2013
Microsoft To Release Windows Blue Public Beta At BUILD 2013

There’s certainly been no shortage of leaks surrounding Microsoft’s Windows Blue in recent weeks, but now the company has confirmed that the long-rumored Windows 8 update is underway.

Microsoft confirmed to The Verge on Wednesday that the public preview version of Windows Blue will debut at its Build developer conference in late June. Sources familiar with the company’s plans revealed that Microsoft began working on a “milestone” preview of the software update earlier this month.

Some of the features that have been exposed in the new build include a new File Manager app, improved multi-monitor support, more customisation options for the Start screen and a Windows Phone-style”slide-to-shut-down” feature.

Microsoft is also said to be working on various new first-party apps for Windows Blue, in addition to some of those already revealed in the leaked build. Further, it’s said that Blue will indeed introduce optimisations that will bring Windows 8 to smaller 7- and 8-inch tablets. The leak has already revealed that the minimum resolution that will support the side-by-side Snap View for apps has been lowered to 1024x768px.

Frank X. Shaw, Corporate Vice President of Corporate Communications at Microsoft states that customers have already experienced the “ongoing rhythm of updates and innovations” – aka new devices, services and apps — that have rolled out over the last six months. This continuous development cycle is the new normal across Microsoft.

What’s more, Microsoft is very likely to choose a different name for Blue, as this is only the internal codename for the company’s new “set of plans.”

The BUILD 2013 conference is happening in June this year at San Francisco.

[The Verge]

March 27, 2013
Windows 8 Mail, People, Calendar Apps Updated, Ditch Google Calender Support

Microsoft previously promised to release updates to Windows 8 core apps before Windows Blue becomes available, and it seems we don’t have to wait long before that happens – these updates will roll out tomorrow, Tuesday, March 26, according to a post on the company’s official blog.

None of the updates reinvent the proverbial wheel, but each app is receiving numerous tweaks designed to improve basic usability. Windows tablet owners will be especially happy with the new-look apps.

The Mail app will support organizational functions like flagging emails and creating folders. The Calendar app will get a new look and meeting scheduling support. And the People app will sport a new command bar to make it quicker for you to navigate through your contacts. There are a few other changes too of course.

When Microsoft released Windows 8 in October, its core productivity apps lacked deep functionality and features. Mail couldn’t even compare with Outlook.com, let alone with the full-blown Outlook Office application. Calendar had the basic bones, but again, lacked functionality compared to the Outlook calendar. And People was more novelty app than something actually useful.

However, it turns out that the newly updated Mail, Calendar, People and Messaging app for Windows 8 has removed support for Google Calendars entirely, pulling the ability to sync both new and existing calendars due to Google pulling the plug on Exchange ActiveSync support. Upon attempting to use the updated app you’ll receive a message similar to the one below, instructing you to reconnect your account.

We can’t connect to [address]@gmail.com because Google no longer supports Exchange ActiveSync. Reconnect to get your emails and contacts using a different method. Cancel to save your drafts and reconnect later

Once the update is available tomorrow, just tap or click on the “Updates” link that appears in the top right-hand corner of the Windows Store to install the update. If you have the Windows Store pinned to your Start screen, its live tile will alert you that you have an update available. You are required to go to the Windows Store to get the update as it won’t install automatically.

March 26, 2013
Windows Store Hits 50,000 Apps

According to an unofficial tally by the site MetroStore Scanner, Microsoft has pushed past 50,000 total apps within the Windows Store.

The service also noted that there has been a large decline in new submissions since November of last year, with averages dropping from 400 to 150 in February before seeing an uptick to 200 in March.

It is unclear whether Microsoft’s new rewards program has helped in the growth. The company began offering developers $100 per app for new published apps submitted to either the Windows Phone Store or the Windows 8 Store before June 30th. Each developer can qualify for up to 10 apps per store, for a net total of $2000 in bonuses. All apps must meet standard certification requirements, and the app must do more than just launch a web page. Additionally, you cannot clone existing published apps.

The offers runs until June 30 but is exclusive to those living in the US.

As TechCrunch’s Matt Burns notes, it’s difficult to compare the growth of apps in the Microsoft Store versus rival Apple, which lists approximately 13,000 total apps or so in its Mac App Store as of this article’s writing, as there is a huge difference in the quality of apps available for the 2 OSs.

While this is good news for Windows 8 PC users, it’s not so great for Windows RT tablet users considering the iPad has 376,000 dedicated applications.

With that in mind there’s still plenty of work for Microsoft to do, but signs are more encouraging.

[Via TechCrunch]

March 24, 2013
Nvidia CEO : Windows RT Is Disappointing

Add Nvidia CEO Jen Hsun Huang to the list of people disappointed with the debut of Windows RT.

[pullquote_left] “We expected to have sold more than we did,” he said Tuesday. “I think everybody expected to have sold more than we did.” [/pullquote_left]

Huang was speaking to financial analysts on the sidelines of Nvidia’s GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, California.

That “everybody” includes companies like Samsung, which launched the Ativ Tab with Windows RT, then canceled its future Windows RT tablet plans.

Toshiba pulled out from Windows RT production before it even released a single RT device.

Meanwhile, next to the Microsoft Surface RT, the Asus Vivo Tab RT,Lenovo Ideapad Yoga, and Dell XPS 10 have been hanging in there.

Windows RT is a version of Windows 8 for Arm-based chips like Nvidia’s Tegra processors. Traditional versions of Windows are written to run on Intel and compatible chips, but they won’t run on Arm processors. With Arm becoming so popular in tablet computers, Microsoft developed Windows RT to match Android.

While Huang’s comments on Windows RT’s current lack of success were to be expected, he then surprised the analysts by his pleas for Microsoft to launch an Outlook client that would run on Windows RT. In fact, he flat out said he has been praying to the “Outlook God” to make this happen.

He stated that if Outlook for Windows RT were released, “It would make my life complete. My life would be complete. I don’t know about you guys but I would need nothing else. I am one Outlook away from computing nirvana and I just hoping he is listening now. Outlook God, please.”

At the moment, the only Microsoft mail client for Windows RT is the Mail Modern app.

March 21, 2013
Skype For Windows Phone v2.4 Update Brings HD Video Support
Skype for Windows Phone 8 has received an update today. Now at version 2.4 this popular video calling app update brings 720p HD calls to “higher-end devices,” such as the Nokia Lumia 920, HTC 8X and Samsung Ativ S.

“Lower end handsets” will have to settle for VGA video, though Microsoft says call quality across the board was improved in update 2.4.

We assumed Microsoft were going to send out several updates to bring the application to par with it’s Android and iOS counterparts, given how the Redmond giant now owns Skype. But that wasn’t the case. Updates have been few and far between, with the last one coming in January.

Version 2.4.0.108 of the Skype for Windows Phone application mainly brings People Hub integration. Unfortunately, you have to have installed the Portico update to be able to take full advantage of the People Hub integration. If all is well, you should be able make Skype calls and send messages straight from you contact list.

New features in Skype for Windows Phone 8 Preview v2.4
- Higher quality video calling, and up to 720p on supported devices and depending on network conditions
- Video calling in landscape mode
- Ability to switch between front and back cameras on video calls
- Skype contacts are now listed in the People Hub to start a conversation easily
- Option to switch accounts
- Bug fixes
You might have to wait until the update is available your area/region. If the update hasn’t been pushed to your region yet and you are desperate for it, you can always hit the Window Store icon > hit search when in Store > type Skype > Choose Skype and the update should show up.
March 19, 2013
Microsoft To Support Windows Phone 8 Until July 2014

A support document on Microsoft’s website reveals that the company will end support of both Windows Phone 7.8 and Windows Phone 8 in the second half of 2014. For Windows Phone 8 the “Mainstream Support End Date” is July 8th, then Windows Phone 7.8 ends in September 9th – both revealing an 18-month support cycle.

The document also says Windows Phone 8 is already past its “lifecycle start date”, aka the point at which Microsoft starts counting down to the end of support.

Those who enjoy death riding Microsoft’s mobile efforts, which have never achieved success commensurate with the company’s size and influence, could see the short life of Windows Phone 8 as a sign Redmond is backing away from the mobile phone, the better to concentrate on its Surface hybrid tablet devices.

A more favourable and sensible interpretation could suggest the swift demise of Windows Phone 8 is actually a sign of strong ongoing support for Windows Phone, as if Microsoft already knows the day on which it will shut down support for Phone 8 it must have either Windows Phone 8.5 or Windows Phone 9 ready to go pretty soon now.

There has been rumours that Microsoft will unveil the “next release” Windows Phone, currently codenamed “Blue,” sometime during the holiday period of this year. However, there’s no indication of what new features will be included.

[Via Engadget]

March 18, 2013
Kinect for Windows SDK March 18 Update To Bring Kinect Fusion With It

Microsoft is expected to release Kinect for Windows SDK 1.7 this Monday, March 18th, and the SDK brings with it the long awaited Kinect Fusion.

Microsoft announced two new gestures for Kinect for Windows, the PC-specific version of its Kinect interface. Within the new Windows for Kinect 1.7 SDK are two new gestures: the “push” or “click” gesture, and a closed-fist gesture for scrolling and panning a screen.

Bob Heddle, Director of Kinect for Windows at Microsoft states users can expect “push-to-press buttons, grip-to-pan capabilities, and support for smart ways to accomodate multiple users and two-person interactions,” Engadget reports.

Perhaps most importantly, SDK version 1.7 will include “Kinect Fusion,” Microsoft’s at-home 3D modeling solution that allows the Kinect to capture and fabricate real-time 3D models of people and objects. We first saw Kinect Fusion in action way back in August of 2011, when the concept surfaced as a Microsoft Research project.

“Kinect for Windows SDK 1.7 will be made available this coming Monday, March 18. This is our most significant update to the SDK since we released the first version a little over a year ago, and I can’t wait to see what businesses and developers do with the new features and enhancements. On Monday, developers will be able to download the SDK, developer toolkit, and the new and improved Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) from our website,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

Bob Heddle, Director, Kinect for Windows at Microsoft, said that these “Kinect Interactions” (as the gestures are called) came about because Microsoft notices that many developers were using the Kinect for core UI functions much more than Microsoft originally expected. Microsoft wanted to standardize those gestures so developers could focus on the unique parts of their apps.

The company will also make code samples for its open-source channel, the Kinect for Windows development site (CodePlex)

[Engadget]

March 17, 2013
Microsoft Targeting Next Release Of Windows Phone During The Holiday Season

Microsoft is planning to release a new version of Windows Phone for the holiday season, according to a job listing posted by the company.

In the listing, Microsoft is looking for a software development engineer which would work on Windows Phone software.

[quote]

According to the listing :

This is a great time to join as we’re completing our current release are getting ready for our next release targeting the holiday of this year and we’re chartered with keeping the momentum for Windows Phone by bringing new killer devices and delightful user experiences. There are enormous growth opportunities in this role and organization.

[/quote]

Windows Phone is considered key to Microsoft’s mobile strategy, as well as Bing’s mobile market share. However, Windows Phone has been slow to catch on with consumers, a majority of whom continue to snap up iPhones and Android devices.

“Next release” does not give us much in terms of features or any other details, but we’d expect the update to be a major one, since Windows Phone 8 was launched in October 2012, and the previous major update, Windows Phone 7.5, was released in September 2011.

According to earlier reports, the next WP release, codenamed “Windows Phone Blue,” should bring both kernel updates and user-interface improvements.

Microsoft recently released “Portico,” the first significant WP8 update, and the software maker is planning other improvements under a broad effort known as “Apollo Plus.”

[WMPU]

March 4, 2013
Microsoft Photosynth For Windows Phone 8 Devices Finally Here

Microsoft’s ever-popular panoramic app Photosynth has arrived on the company’s own Windows Phone 8 platform. The app had previously only been available for iOS devices (as well as WP7), but after being absent from Microsoft’s new mobile platform for several months after its release, Windows Phone 8 users can now capture Street View-esque panoramic images with their new Windows Phone devices.

The app was initially slated for the OS’ launch in late October, but Joe Belfiore, Windows Phone team lead, said he “asked them to ‘re-do’ their UI to be a terrific lens experience and they obliged.” In other words, the app had to be retooled to be successfully integrated into the new Lens system, a feature Microsoft has been touting as especially convenient for users.

Three main improvements include:

– Lens integration – Quickly capture and view panoramas by launching Photosynth directly from the camera.
– Ability to view shared panoramas—New sharing capabilities let other Windows Phone 8 users view your panoramas on their phone, and as always you can show off your panoramas by email, Facebook and Twitter.
– More camera controls – Adjust for various lighting conditions by using new exposure and white balance locking options.

One of the biggest criticisms of Windows Phone (as well as BlackBerry and other smaller phone systems) is that not as many apps are available as there are for Android and iOS. However, Microsoft has been steadily increasing the number of apps available for its newest smartphone operating system to catch up with its bigger rivals.

If you’re an avid photographer, download Photosynth for WP8 and stitch some scenes together.

March 3, 2013
Microsoft Expected To Reveal Xbox 720 in April

Following Sony’s PlayStation 4 announcement earlier this week, Microsoft is said to announce the next-generation Xbox console at a media event in April, according to publication Computer and Video Games.

Sony’s “surprise” PlayStation 4 announcement earlier this week reportedly caught Microsoft off guard at first, according to one Sony senior official that asked not to be named. The person in question said they definitely ruffled some feathers which seems likely considering most expected the two companies to announce their next generation consoles at E3 later this year.

Further evidence supporting Microsoft’s decision to host a one-off event is the fact that Ustechs, a company that has worked with Microsoft in the past on other media briefings, recently registered the domain XboxEvent.com.

Leaks for the Xbox 720 (codenamed Durango) have indicated it will feature some serious power internally. An 8-core 1.6GHz processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, an 800MHz graphics card, a 6x Blu-ray drive, USB 3.0, and gigabit Ethernet are rumoured to be included.

Microsoft is also said to include a new Kinect sensor that will include not only better tracking results for large rooms, but will ship with the console by default.

At its media event, Sony wasn’t able to show the actual hardware for its PlayStation 4, and only detailed a few specs, the new UI, and controller with touchpad. It’s not known if Microsoft will show off the Xbox design at its event. Leaks haven’t pointed to what the design will look like as of yet.

Baird Equity Research last month said the next-generation Xbox will be sold for $350-$400 in the autumn, right in time for the Christmas shopping season that’s sure to bring a slew of sales to the company.

[Pocket-Lint]

February 23, 2013
Microsoft Reveals It Was Hit By Cyber Attacks

Microsoft officials revealed on Friday that the Redmond, Washington-based company had been targeted by the same hackers who had previously set their sights on Apple and Facebook.

Last week Apple announced it had been hit by malicious software, known as malware, which took advantage of a vulnerability in a Java program used as a plug in for web browsing programs.

A few days earlier Facebook admitted it had been targeted in a similar way through a loophole in Java software created by a mobile developer called Oracle.

Facebook said that the malware infected employee laptops even though they were running up to date antivirus software, and described the attack as “sophisticated”

[quote]Describing the attack on Microsoft, Mr Thomlinson said: “As reported by Facebook and Apple, Microsoft can confirm that we also recently experienced a similar security intrusion. During our investigation, we found a small number of computers, including some in our Mac business unit, that were infected by malicious software using techniques similar to those documented by other organisations. We have no evidence of customer data being affected and our investigation is ongoing.”[/quote]

Like Facebook, Microsoft says it is still investigating how malicious software was planted on what it said were a small number of its computers.

February 23, 2013
Outlook.com Passes 60m Users, Exits Preview
Microsoft’s webmail, Outlook.com, has exited its preview stage with 60m users. According to Engadget, a third of those users have skipped over from Gmail, although they may still be using Google’s service as well.

As part of the process, all users of Microsoft’s Hotmail and other email services operating under different domains such as MSN.com will be automatically converted to Outlook.com by the summer, if they don’t voluntarily switch before then. All the old messages, contacts and settings in the old inboxes will be exported to Outlook.com. Users will also be able to keep their old addresses.

In short, Outlook.com is leaving its early days behind, as in the eyes of Microsoft it is ready for full-time usage, and thus the firm can finally ax the Hotmail product as a relic from a previous era.

Here are the key usership milestones for Outlook.com, to put the 60 million figure into perspective:
- August 1, 2012: 1 million users
- August 14, 2012: 10 million users
- November 27, 2012: 25 million users
- February 18, 2013: 60 million users
To welcome new users, Microsoft is financing what it believes to be the biggest marketing blitz in the history of email. Outlook.com will be featured in ads running on US primetime TV, radio stations, websites, billboards and buses. Microsoft expects to spend somewhere between $30 million to $90 million on the Outlook campaign, which will run for at least three months.

The Outlook ads will overlap with an anti-Gmail marketing campaign that Microsoft launched earlier this month. The “Scroogled” attacks depict Gmail as a snoopy service that scans the contents of messages to deliver ads related to topics being discussed.

[Fox News]
February 19, 2013