Tag: microsoft

Microsoft Issues Apology And Explaination For Outlook Outage

During this week, Outlook.com suffered from an outage causing users to not be able to read their emails nor could they retrieve their files stored on Microsoft’s SkyDrive service. Today, Microsoft has offered an apology and an explanation on why this outage happened.

The company posted a message on its service status page to describe the problems, explaining that it was all just a glitch caused by a caching service.

Here’s the full message posted by Microsoft on the recent Outlook.com outage:

“This incident was a result of a failure in a caching service that interfaces with devices using Exchange ActiveSync, including most smart phones. The failure caused these devices to receive an error and continuously try to connect to our service.

This resulted in a flood of traffic that our services did not handle properly, with the effect that some customers were unable to access their Outlook.com email and unable to share their SkyDrive files via email.

In order to stabilize the overall email service, we temporarily blocked access via Exchange ActiveSync. This allowed us to restore access to Outlook.com via the web and restore the sharing features of SkyDrive. These parts of the service were fully stabilized within a few hours of the initial incident.

A significant backlog of Exchange ActiveSync requests accumulated as we worked to stabilize access. To avoid another flood of traffic, we needed to restore access to Exchange ActiveSync slowly, which meant that some customers remained impacted for a longer period of time.”

Microsoft has also decided that it’s the time to issue an apology for all its users, as many have turned to the company’s support forums to express their frustration regarding the outage.

“We want to apologize to everyone who was affected by the outage, and we appreciate the patience you have shown us as we worked through the issues,” it said.

Microsoft admits it has learnt from the incident and has made two changes to the networks.

August 19, 2013
Halo: Spartan Assault Is Now Available For All Windows Phone 8 Users

Microsoft has released Halo: Spartan Assault for all Windows Phone 8 owners in the US. The company made the title available for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 devices worldwide back in July, but there was a catch in the US, where Verizon took over the initial distribution rights to leave AT&T and T-Mobile customers facing a wait.

Halo: Spartan Assault

Halo: Spartan Assault is a big deal for Microsoft as it is the first time that its renowned Halo franchise has been released for mobile devices. The company and its partners like Nokia will hope that the game provides another factor to persuade consumers to purchase a Windows Phone 8-powered device.

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Halo: Spartan Assault game is priced at $6.99 and requires 1GB of RAM for installation. It’s been well received, to date, and includes 25 new missions for Halo enthusiasts to get their teeth into, although the most dedicated fans outside of the US have probably already done so.

We will have to wait and see if and when this game will make its way to India. Also, we will have to see if this step by Microsoft will help them to increase sales for Windows Phones. Recently Windows store reached more than 1,00,00 apps, which means Nokia and Microsoft are working hard for making Windows Phones considered in the ‘Best Sellers’ list.

[via]

August 19, 2013
Confirmed : Windows 8.1 Will Launch On October 17th, Free For Existing Users

Microsoft has just made Windows 8.1 release date official, and it is right on schedule for the operating system’s one-year anniversary.

Windows 8.1, a free upgrade to existing users, will be available on October 17th digitally, and for purchase in stores on October 18th.

As we reported yesterday, preview of the first major update to operating system has been available since June, and Microsoft is said to be now testing near-final versions of new OS.

Windows 8.1 includes a number of concessions for desktop users, as well as new features for the modern interface. Users will be able to boot straight to the desktop, disable modern-style “hot corners” and access key desktop functions by right-clicking on the newly-restored Start button. The modern interface includes major improvements to built-in apps, the ability to use three apps side-by-side, overhauled Bing search and more. The net effect is that it’s easier to stay on the desktop if you want, but not unthinkable to switch to the modern UI.

We already know that the upgraded operating system Windows 8.1 will run Internet Explorer 11, the new version of the web browser which Microsoft have claimed is “fast, fluid and perfect for touch,” providing “the best web experience across the full range of Windows devices and screen sizes”.

Windows 8.1 will also allow users to circumvent the ‘Live tile’ interface built for touch screens and go directly to the desktop mode. And there will be direct support for 3D printers – signalling a hope that the new technology will become mainstream in the near future.

A number of tutorials and explanatory menus will be added to the operating system, Microsoft said, to help users adjust to the updates.

August 14, 2013
Microsoft Posts New Video To Discuss 40 New Improvements In The Xbox One Controller

Microsoft has published a new video in which Xbox community mouthpiece Larry Hyrb and Xbox One general manager Zulfi Alam discuss the creation of the console’s brand-new controller.

Microsoft has “redefined” the wireless protocol used in the Xbox One’s wireless controller to reduce input lag by 20 per cent over the current Xbox 360 wireless controller.

“There were two goals: first increase the bandwidth of this wireless protocol, significantly more, 20x more than what we have right now. And the other one was to reduce the latency, so the moment you press the fire button, the time it takes to go to your console and back, essentially we reduce that.”

The controller is confirmed as having haptic feedback, advanced rumble motors, and a more comfortable design. There is also a USB input on the back of the pad, which gives consumers the option of playing either wired or wireless.

“The moment you plug in the wire essentially the radio in the controller shuts down, and at that point the controller transforms into being a truly wired controller,” he adds, with data carried purely through the USB cable.

The pad also has IR LEDs so that the system knows – thanks to Microsoft Xbox Kinect – who is holding the pad. The Xbox One automatically shifts gamers profiles depending on who is handling it.

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August 12, 2013
Ex-Microsoft Executive Bill Henningsgaard, Son Killed In Plane Crash

Bill Henningsgaard, an ex-Microsoft vice president and the co-founder of education group Eastside Pathways, and his son were killed in a small plane Friday morning that crashed into two homes in East Haven, CT.

According to CBS New York, National Transportation Safety Board Investigator Robert Gretz said there were casualty reports of two or three people in the plane and two or three on the ground.

The father and son duo left the West Coast on Monday to tour colleges on the East Coast and New Haven was on itinerary. He was flying out of Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and tried to land at Tweed-New Haven Airport but was unable to for unknown reasons, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The plane was attempting a second landing when it crashed into two homes in East Haven at 11:25 a.m., engulfing both houses in fire.

Bill Henningsgaard was the son of former Astoria Mayor Edith Henningsgaard-Miller and brother of City Attorney Blair Henningsgaard.

Blair Henningsgaard, the victim’s brother, said the 54-year-old retired from Microsoft years ago and dedicated his life to helping underprivileged youth through Eastside Pathways, a non-for-profit organization he had set up.

Seattle-based non-profit organization Social Venture Partners confirmed the death of board member Mr Bill Henningsgaard in a tribute on its website.

‘There are hundreds of people that have a story about Bill Henningsgaard- when he went the extra mile, when he knew just the right thing to say, how he would never give up,’ SVP said in a statement. ‘He was truly all-in for this community, heart, mind and soul.’

August 10, 2013
Microsoft Points System Will Be Removed With The Next Xbox 360 Update

Earlier, Microsoft announced it would be retiring its Microsoft Point system for purchasing games and other virtual items on the Xbox One when it launches in favor of using real money from a user’s local currency. Today, there’s an update on the Microsoft Points shutdown which concerns current Xbox 360 owners.

“Our goal is to make this transition as easy as possible for you,” Whitten wrote on the Xbox blog. “After the next Xbox 360 system update, when you go to buy something or redeem a Microsoft Points card or code on your console with your Microsoft account, we’ll add to your account an amount of currency equal to or greater than the Xbox Marketplace value of your Microsoft Points, which will be retired.”

Some of the added benefits of the change include faster and easier purchases with no need to calculate the conversion of your local currency to Microsoft Points. Whitten assures that you’ll still be able to purchase content directly from Xbox stores using any form of payment in your region. Furthermore, in late 2013 you’ll be able to buy new Xbox Gift Cards through Microsoft’s online retailers and local retail stores.

Whitten said that any Microsoft Points earned by people as part of their now shut down Xbox Live Rewards program will remain in their account and will also be converted to real money with the Xbox 360 update. A new rewards program will be announced on September 1st.

[Via]

August 10, 2013
Bill Gates : People Dying of Malaria Don’t Need Google Project Loon

Google recently unveiled Google Loon, which intends to use hot air balloons 49 feet wide stationed 12 miles above the planet, in order to provide high speed Internet services to regions without adequate broadband infrastructure. While most people around the world, whether they understood the concept or not, were impressed by the idea, Microsoft founder Bill Gates wasn’t.

The following is an excerpt from Gates’ interview published by Business Week :

One of Google’s convictions is that bringing Internet connectivity to less-developed countries can lead to all sorts of secondary benefits. It has a project to float broadband transmitters on balloons. Can bringing Internet access to parts of the world that don’t have it help solve problems?

“When you’re dying of malaria, I suppose you’ll look up and see that balloon, and I’m not sure how it’ll help you. When a kid gets diarrhea, no, there’s no website that relieves that. Certainly I’m a huge believer in the digital revolution. And connecting up primary-health-care centers, connecting up schools, those are good things. But no, those are not, for the really low-income countries, unless you directly say we’re going to do something about malaria.

Google started out saying they were going to do a broad set of things. They hired Larry Brilliant, and they got fantastic publicity. And then they shut it all down. Now they’re just doing their core thing. Fine. But the actors who just do their core thing are not going to uplift the poor.”

August 8, 2013
Microsoft’s Augmented Reality Gaming Glasses Patent Revealed

Microsoft is jumping on the wearable display bandwagon, but don’t expect a Google Glass competitor. This week the company patented a head-mounted display aimed at bringing augmented reality to gaming.

The fact that Microsoft is planning to make AR goggles was leaked last year, when a 56-page ‘roadmap’ for the Xbox One (pictured below) found its way onto the Internet. Microsoft subsequently confirmed that the roadmap was genuine, but outdated.

Beyond mimicking some of the functions of Google Glass though it was never really clear what exactly the AR glasses, codenamed Fortaleza, were for.

“In one example, a potential player invitation program receives user voice data and determines that the user voice data is an invitation to participate in a multiplayer game,” the patent request continues. “The program receives eye-tracking information, depth information, facial recognition information, potential player head-mounted display device information, and/or potential player voice data. The program associates the invitation with the potential player using the eye-tracking information, the depth information, the facial recognition information, the potential player head-mounted display device information, and/or the potential player voice data.”

Apart from acknowledging that the roadmap leak was real Microsoft has never mentioned the glasses officially and it’s unclear if and when they will do so. Many of the projects rumoured in the roadmap have since been revealed by Microsoft, including new Kinect, Xbox One, and forthcoming entertainment services.

The patent though, which was only published yesterday, suggests the idea is still well underway.

[Via]

August 2, 2013
Microsoft Releases Office Mobile For Office 365 Android App

Last month Microsoft unveiled the Office Mobile for Office 365 for iOS and now the Redmond company is following up with an Android version.

Office Mobile 365 enables Word, Excel, and PowerPoint document creation straight from the source. The app works by linking with a SkyDrive or SharePoint account and keeping documents stored online in a cloud locker that regularly synchronizes across devices. Someone can start a document on a desktop computer and then edit on their smartphone, or vice versa. A list of recent documents appears on the phone or desktop, and changes saved to documents are universal.

“The release of this app shows that we’re committed to keep providing additional value for Office 365 subscribers,” Microsoft senior product manager Guy Gilbert wrote in a blog post.

Microsoft has tried to leverage the widely used Office, which is preinstalled on mobile phones running its Windows Phone operating system, to eke out market share in the smartphone business that’s dominated by devices running Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems.

Initially, Office 365 is rolling out in the U.S., but will eventually be available in 33 languages and 117 markets. That expansion should begin in the coming weeks. You need an Android 4.0+ phone, not tablet which is an annoying limitation as people are more likely to edit a doc on a tablet than a phone.

July 31, 2013
Microsoft To Rename SkyDrive After Losing Trademark Case

Microsoft has to come up with a new name for Skydrive, its cloud based data storage service.

Skydrive is used by Microsoft users to upload and share content. Unfortunately Microsoft did not give enough consideration to the fact that British Sky Broadcasting might have had a trademark on the word “sky”.

A UK court has ruled that Microsoft has infringed on a trademark owned by British Sky Broadcasting Group with the name “SkyDrive.” Microsoft has reportedly agreed to change the name, and they will not appeal the court’s decision.

A new name will not be given overnight. BSkyB will continue to let Microsoft use the name for a “reasonable period of time” as they try to rename the service. Microsoft has been using the SkyDrive name for their cloud-storage service for around 5 years now. The name has become synonymous with Windows 8, Windows Phone, and all of Microsoft’s new devices. Hopefully this brand change does not disrupt Microsoft’s vision.

There were also some financial and other terms in the agreement, however the details are confidential.

“We’re glad to have resolution of this naming dispute, and will continue to deliver the great service our hundreds of millions of customers expect, providing the best way to always have your files with you,” said Microsoft.

[Via]

July 31, 2013
Google Employee Awarded First Microsoft Bug Program Bounty

In June, Microsoft announced new “bounty programs” for people who could find exploits inside Windows 8.1 or vulnerabilities in the Internet Explorer 11 preview. This week, Microsoft announced that it has already informed one person that he has won money for finding an issue in IE11.

According to a post published by Katie Moussouris, senior security strategist at Microsoft, the company has already paid one security engineer for finding a glitch in Internet Explorer 11, but no specifics have been provided.

“The security community has responded enthusiastically to our new bounty programs, submitting over a dozen issues for us to investigate in just the first two weeks since the programs opened. I personally notified the very first bounty recipient via email today that his submission for the Internet Explorer 11 Preview Bug Bounty is confirmed and validated. (Translation: He’s getting paid.)” Moussouris wrote.

And still, Moussouris mentioned the name of the lucky winner in a short tweet the past week, revealing that he’s none other than Ivan Fratric, a Google information security engineer who also won $50,000 (€38,300) in 2012 in the software maker’s BlueHat contest.

While the Windows 8.1 bounty program is ongoing, the IE11 preview bounty program will end on July 26. Moussouris said a number of other researchers have also found exploits in IE11 and will be notified of that fact very soon. The reported vulnerabilities can qualify for bounties between $500 and $11,000, or even more in particular cases, depending on the gravity of the vulnerability and the quality of the report.

[Via]

July 15, 2013
New Zynga CEO Tried To Buy Company While He Was At Microsoft

Ex-Xbox chief Don Mattrick tried to tempt Microsoft bosses into buying Zynga years before his recent appointment as its CEO, a new report suggests.

Don Mattrick attempted to orchestrate an acquisition of Zynga during his tenure as head of Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division.

According to a report on Bloomberg, which cites a number of people familiar with the matter, Mattrick opened negotiations with Zynga CEO Mark Pincus in 2010. At that time, Facebook games were ascendant, adding millions of new players every month.

Though Zynga’s market dominance has floundered in the past few years and – according to Bloomberg’s sources – the negotiations fell through, Mattrick’s interest in the company clearly never waned as he’s set to succeed Pincus with a rather attractive deal that was detailed in all in its financial glory last week.

The Xbox head honcho eventually left following a storm of controversy over policies for Xbox One and an eventual, embarrassing U-turn on the ones that were most unpopular. Far from a knee-jerk reaction to Microsoft’s troubles, Mattrick’s departure appears to have been long planned.

Mattrick is said to make $19.3 million this year, and as much as $50 million over the next three years if certain parameters are met.

[Via]

July 8, 2013
Skype For Android Gets New Design

Skype has pushed out a major redesign of their Android app today – now looking very Metro, or what their design team is calling a “modern design.” Updated to version 4.0, the app was completely rebuilt and is ’faster and more reliable,’ aiming for improved stability, performance, and loading times. Key to this version is the focus on conversations and having the ability to quickly access your contacts and video calling.

Earlier versions of Skype for Android loaded a very simple screen at launch, with big buttons for Contacts, recent messages, a dialer, and your profile.

With Skype 4.0, you get more information right away by taking you straight to your Recent view. You can swipe to move to People or Favorite tabs, and you can tap a dialer button from any screen to launch a voice or video call. The new app has also reportedly been rebuilt “from the ground up” to be more responsive.

There’s no word on when this redesign will come to iOS, but as for future upgrades to Android, Skype stated that “This release is just the beginning. We have more updates in the coming months and year ahead to make Skype for Android even more reliable, reachable, and mobile-friendly.” Skype for Android tablets will see an update “just around the corner.”

Skype for Android has recently crossed the 100 million user milestone.

July 2, 2013
Age Of Empires Heading To Android And iOS

According to a report from Japanese news outlet the Nikkei, by way of Reuters and MacRumors, Microsoft is gearing up to release some of their classic gaming franchises on iOS and Android devices. This initiative will begin this year and it is said that the first title to grace our touchscreens will be the historical real-time strategy epic Age of Empires.

A Microsoft representative has confirmed that a mobile version of the Age of Empires series is being developed for mobile devices as a result of the partnership, with no other games currently announced.

Microsoft has released an official statement to Polygon saying:

“Today, KLab Inc. announced a licensing agreement with Microsoft Corp. to develop a mobile version of Microsoft Studio’s Age of Empires franchise, which will be initially developed in English for iOS and Android and launched globally, with plans to release the game in other languages and on Windows Phone in the future. Some reports included incorrect information about additional Xbox Live-based games on iOS and Android but there are no further announcements beyond Age of Empires at this time.”

The mobile version of Age of Empires will follow a free-to-play model, and will be released by the end of the 2013 financial year. There are no more details at this time about which other titles Microsoft will bring to iOS and Android.

[Via, Via]

June 25, 2013
Microsoft Set To Reshuffle Company Structure

According to sources at AllThingsD, Microsoft is poised to make major changes to its executive team, cutting the fat from the top and reorganizing the company into four distinct parts — operating systems, applications & services, hardware, and enterprise — overseen by Steve Ballmer.

The company is holding its annual Build developer conference later this week, which coincides with a public launch of Windows 8.1, the first major update for the new operating system which was released in late October.

One virulent rumour to emerge from this department shuffle is the unification of Windows and Windows Phone into a single division, something that was seen as inevitable given the former’s dominance and the latter’s sustained obscurity. Windows Phone 8 brought a unified kernel, which made it easier to develop apps and games for both platforms at once, but the operating systems maintain separate app stores and update processes. Windows Phone also suffers from the fact that it entered a market entrenched by two dominant players, and has struggled, despite a warm reception, to gain market share, especially in North America.

Creating unified ecosystems for mobile and desktop seems to be a common theme for big tech companies at the moment, and might position Microsoft to challenge the king of the ecosystem – Apple – more effectively.

Microsoft is likely going to issue updates to its Surface RT and Pro tablets later this year, informed by the improvements made to Windows 8.1. Rumours persist of a smaller, cheaper Surface, likely in the 7- to 8-inch form factor, to better compete with the iPad mini. The Redmond-based company has recently been discounting its RT tablet, which runs an ARM-based Tegra 3 chip and is limited to apps distributed through the Windows Store, to spur lukewarm sales.

Microsoft is expected to issue a minor update Windows Phone 8 this summer with a more extensive “GDR3 overhaul coming later this year, which would bring 1080p display and quad-core chip support. Nokia will likely announce its Lumia 41MP EOS smartphone next month with the GDR2 update on board.

According to sources close to the situation, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is likely to unveil his plans to restructure the tech giant to a larger group of senior execs by July 1.

[Via]

June 25, 2013