Our coverage on all things Microsoft. Founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975, Microsoft is one of the world’s leading software and hardware companies. As of today, Microsoft distributes, licenses and supports a wide range of products related to consumer electronics and personal computers among which Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook, as well as the video game console series Xbox.
All stories in Microsoft
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Microsoft is listening to you via your Xbox One
If you haven't had enough stories about contractors listening in on your conversations, good news: we've found even more of them. This time the contractors in question work for Microsoft and have been listening to you through your trusty Xbox One. The new report from Motherboard reveals that contractors listened to commands that were supposed to be triggered by the words "Xbox" and "Hey Cortana," but were sometimes captured by accident. That seems ...
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Sony's acquisition of Insomniac mirrors Microsoft's aggressive expansion
Sony's absorbed its perennial partner, Insomniac Games -- probably to protect it from Microsoft, which has acquired multiple ...
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Sony boss wants to bring first-party PlayStation titles to PC
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) boss Shawn Layden yesterday alluded to the possibility that first-party PlayStation ...
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Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is arriving on November 14 in 4K
Microsoft has announced that Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition will launch on November 14 across Microsoft Store, Xbox ...
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Vitalik Buterin: Using Ethereum is expensive, and its blockchain is 'almost full'
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has reiterated warnings that his blockchain has significant scalability problems, and ...
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NotJordanPeterson lets you generate uncannily realistic Jordan Peterson sound bites
NotJordanPeterson is a mind-boggling voice AI that lets you say anything you'd like in the voice of Canadian psychologist ...
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Xbox confirms Project Scarlett is the only console it has in the works
Xbox chief Phil Spencer confirms the company isn't working on a cloud gaming console -- and not to expect one any time in ...
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PSA: Update your Windows machine now to fix 29 Critical security vulnerabilities
Microsoft has patched four serious vulnerabilities that could allow a malicious actor to remotely take control of Windows ...
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Microsoft Edge can now read aloud websites with human-like voices
Microsoft's Edge browser has a neat feature you might not have been aware of: it can read websites out loud for you. Handy ...
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Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo join forces against lootboxes
The three big console makers have just pledged to put an end to the "gambling" aspect of lootboxes, meaning the gaming industry might finally put this whole shady moneymaking operation behind us -- and not a moment too soon. The Federal Trade Commission's August workshop on lootboxes ...
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Step up your note-taking game with these easy to use apps
Here are some of the best note-taking apps and tools: use them and you'll spend more time working on your ideas than waiting ...
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Microsoft: Russian government hackers are targeting IoT devices
Microsoft today warned that Russian government hackers have been using video decoders, printers, and internet of things devices ...
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Mixer is taking heat over its oddly conservative dress code
Microsoft-owned streaming service Mixer is catching some heat over its rules concerning appropriate clothes, which seem to ...
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Streaming superstar Ninja leaves Twitch for Microsoft's Mixer
The world's biggest game streamer, Fortnite golden boy Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, today revealed his leaping off his heretofore-unstoppable ...
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Apple denies favoring its own apps in App Store search results
A new investigation by The Wall Street Journal has revealed that the company's own mobile apps are often first in App Store ...
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We have some questions about Microsoft's 'Mac Book' advert
Microsoft released a new advert for its Surface 2 laptop and... it's... really... something. So, say hello to Mac Book. And ...
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NSO Group's WhatsApp spyware can now snoop on your Facebook, Google, and iCloud data too
Israeli company NSO Group has developed new technology that can clandestinely steal a user's data from Apple, Google, Facebook, ...
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Explosive Switch and PS4 sales show third-party exclusives are king
The PlayStation 4 and Switch sales are through the roof, most likely thanks to their excellent exclusives. Hopefuly the next ...
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Microsoft removes Cortana from the Xbox One in latest update
Microsoft is retooling the Xbox Home page yet again, and this time, in addition to "streamlining" the interface, they're ...
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The AI community's reaction to Microsoft's $1BN 'investment' in OpenAI is priceless
Microsoft recently announced plans to invest $1 billion in OpenAI, an AI startup co-founded by Elon Musk (no longer involved) ...
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Microsoft sinks $1B into OpenAI to build 'supercomputer AI' for Azure
Microsoft has invested $1 billion in Elon Musk-founded company OpenAI in an effort build supercomputer AI technologies for ...
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Consoles aren't selling because the next-gen is coming
Sales of current-generation consoles are starting to drop dramatically -- most likely because the next generation is on the ...
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Google and Facebook are tracking your porn preferences – even in incognito mode
It turns out Google and Facebook are tracking your porn consumption habits – and even incognito mode can't save you from ...
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Full moon patents: Disney's immersive VR and Microsoft's next-gen virtual assistant
Disney's working on adding another dimension to VR experiences, and Microsoft is thinking about a virtual assistant that ...
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RIP Backgammon -- Microsoft to shutter its Internet Games service by next year
Pour one out for a casual gaming staple. Microsoft announced it'll be shuttering its Internet Games service for Windows XP, ...
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Microsoft may still have a streaming-only console on the drawing board
Microsoft's new baby, the console codenamed Project Scarlett, is currently getting the lion's share of attention. Despite ...
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Review: Microsoft's Windows 1.11 is an Upside Down mess
Microsoft today announced that it was the year 1985. We checked the Microsoft store to confirm this and, as Windows 1.11 ...
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Is Microsoft teasing a Netflix tie-in? Stranger Things have happened
Microsoft yesterday took to Twitter and Instagram to tease social media denizens with a cryptic Windows 1.0 video. After ...
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Console makers warn Trump that tariffs could cost US gamers up to $840M
Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft collaborated on an open letter warning the Trump administration console tariffs could make ...
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Microsoft's mysterious dual-screen Surface will reportedly run Android apps
The rumor mill has long suggested Microsoft is working on a dual-screen Surface, but we've seen little in the way of specifics. ...
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GitHub acquires Pull Panda and makes its code review tools available for free
Exactly one year after buying GitHub for $7.5 billion, Microsoft has now purchased Pull Panda to beef up the software development ...
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Xbox head thinks E3 is about boosting gaming's reputation -- it's not
Xbox's Phil Spencer says gaming companies should stand together to change public perception of gamers -- except that's never ...
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Microsoft's Project Scarlett might be the most backwards-compatible console ever
In the midst of the rest of the news from E3, Microsoft quietly revealed it'd no longer be adding older games to its Backwards ...
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Sony's already won the next console war thanks to PSVR
Sony skipped gaming's biggest event, E3, this year and Microsoft pounced. Xbox stormed the stage with a veritable bevvy of announcements about new games and services, and a slew of details about its next generation console -- dubbed Project Scarlett. It was a fantastic showing ...
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Microsoft bundles Xbox Game Pass and Live Gold in a $15 monthly plan
Microsoft officially launches Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $14.99, almost two months after it was unveiled as a beta.
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Microsoft's next Xbox is coming in 2020 with 8K graphics and SSD storage
At its E3 briefing today, Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the working name for its next-generation Xbox game console. ...
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Here's what the Vatican, US Evangelicals, and Satanists say about AI
The religious have been contemplating the existential threat of artificial intelligence for millennia. Long before Alexa ...
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Microsoft seems very proud of its smart contract auditing tools for blockchain
Microsoft is very proud of its Azure Blockchain-powered smart contract auditing tools for Ethereum which supposedly make ...
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Microsoft stops asking you to change your Windows 10 password every 60 days
Microsoft has finally removed its 60-day password expiration policy from its Windows 10 security baseline. So no need to ...
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Microsoft courts Steam’s audience with Xbox Game Pass on PC
Okay, Microsoft, what bad karma are you trying to negate? The company is not only bringing several of its games to Steam, ...
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Microsoft hints towards a new 'modern OS' with seamless updates
Microsoft's Nick Parker, hinted yesterday towards a new 'modern OS' with seamless updates at the Computex trade show in ...
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Microsoft brings back the legendary IntelliMouse Explorer, now with a proper gaming sensor
When Microsoft brought back the IntelliMouse Explorer - one of the most iconic mice ever made - I lamented the fact the company ...
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Moonday Mornings: Microsoft helped Louis Vuitton put overpriced rags on the blockchain
Louis Vuitton is launching a blockchain pilot, ConsenSys says the industry is boombing, and other cryptocurrency news you ...
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GitHub rolls out Patreon-esque feature to let you tip open source developers
GitHub Sponsors, a Patreon-like funding model, is the means to financially support developers through recurring monthly payments. ...
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Sony blindsides PS5 team with news of Microsoft partnership
The team-up announced last week between gaming's eternal blood rivals, Microsoft and Sony, came as a surprise to many -- ...
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Microsoft unveils Minecraft Earth, the new AR hotness
In celebration of Minecraft's tenth anniversary, Microsoft played its Pokemon GO card and released an augmented reality phone ...
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Microsoft's AI hallucinates unique whisky flavors
When whisky is made in Scotland it's called scotch. When it's made in Kentucky it's called whiskey – the Irish also add ...
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Microsoft announces cloud gaming partnership with Sony
Microsoft and Sony, makers of the eternally-competing Xbox and PlayStation consoles, respectively, today announced they were ...
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Designing products for people with disabilities has never been so important
Google and Microsoft have designed a variety of assistive tools and services that allows differently abled people lead a ...
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The most compelling tech tools to assist the visually impaired
In celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, here's a look at some of the most innovative apps and solutions helping ...
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Skype didn't deliver on P2P's promise, but Estonia has
Skype was one of the bright lights of the P2P internet era, but failed to live up to its promise. It did make a difference ...
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Passwordless web gets a boost from Windows Hello FIDO2 certification
Microsoft announces that Windows Hello, a passwordless authentication method for Windows 10 users, is now a FIDO2 certified ...
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Windows 10 gets a legit Linux kernel and a souped-up terminal app
Oh Satya, you are spoiling us.
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Microsoft files patent for controller with Braille readout
Microsoft has apparently applied for a patent for a new Xbox controller with the ability to show visually-impaired gamers ...
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Microsoft releases Visual Studio dev kit for Ethereum dapps
Microsoft is further broadening its suite of enterprise-grade blockchain tools with the launch of a dapp development kit ...
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Microsoft teams up with JP Morgan to shill enterprise blockchains
Microsoft and American banking giant JP Morgan are teaming up to make it easier to put enterprise businesses on the blockchain. ...
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Xbox enshrines wholesome 'trash talk' in its community standards
Microsoft changed the wording of its standards, explicitly banning offensive trash talk on its services and offering less ...
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This ad agency is creating fake worlds to sell real products
We took a deep dive into the creative process behind the wildly surreal marketing campaigns W+K's Department of New Realities ...
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Microsoft's cheaper, disc-less Xbox One S sounds like a good buy in 2019
Microsoft has just unveiled the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, a new version of its gaming console that doesn't include ...
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Why corporate acquisitions could be good for the open source community
Open source is all over the media, IBM announced its acquisition of Red Hat, one of the largest in tech history, for $34 ...
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40 years of console wars, spellbindingly charted for your viewing pleasure
We've taken data from the last 40 years of video game console sales and put them into a charming animated graph, just for ...
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Windows 10 now lets you pull out USB drives without 'safely removing' them
For years you might have been clicking on safely remove hardware to remove your USB drive, no more. Micrsoft's new policy ...
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You can now try Microsoft's Chromium-powered version of Edge
Back in December, Microsoft surprised everyone - those who hadn't been following the rumors, anyway - by announcing it was ...
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Windows 10's next update will give you more freedom to upgrade when you want
It's a good idea to update your computer. Updates keep you safe from ever-evolving malware and sometimes include cool new ...
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Microsoft's Bing blocked 5,000,000 cryptocurrency ads in 2018
Microsoft's Bing has boasted it successfully blocked more than 5 million cryptocurrency-related ads, after it imposed a strict ...
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Xbox Live comes to Nintendo Switch, starting with Cuphead
Cuphead is the latest hit indie game to make its way to Nintendo's Switch -- and it's bringing Xbox Live with it, piggyback-style. ...
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Microsoft brings Halo to Steam, pigs fly
Microsoft today announced it's bringing the Halo Master Chief Collection to the PC -- and not just to its own store. Instead, ...
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Google’s gamepad patent hints at its plans for Project Stream
Yanko Design has discovered a patent detailing a controller that Google designed; it could give us some clues about what ...
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Microsoft just open-sourced the iconic Windows Calculator
Can you think of a more iconic piece of software?
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Why online service providers shouldn’t partner with big tech
Hosting providers like GoDaddy, 1&1 Ionos, and even Wix and Squarespace, started out offering a single service to business ...
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Inside NEO’s plans to get Microsoft .NET devs to build apps on its blockchain
We spoke with NEO insiders to find out about NEO 3.0, and understand its plans to decentralize the blockchain (and get Microsoft ...
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Full moon patents: Disney’s acrobatic robots and Ford’s drive-by drone deliveries
Ugh, the Gregorian calendar is so boring. That’s why we’re disrupting monthly series with a lunar cycle-based series ...
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Crackdown 3 is like a sugary treat with no filling
Crackdown 3 is one of the brightest, most addictive games to come out so far this year. It may be shallow, but it's a lot ...
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Intel takes on IBM and Microsoft with its own ‘off-the-shelf’ blockchain packages
Intel is expanding its blockchain offering even further to make it easier for businesses to get into the blockchain game. ...
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Apex Legends’ chat options provide a roadmap for voiceless accessibility
Accessibility in games is more important now than ever, thanks to changing legislation in the US and increased awareness ...
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How to blur your background on Skype video calls
Microsoft just added a 'Blur my background' feature to Skype's video calling functionality. Here's how to use it and avoid ...
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I was wrong about retro consoles – they're a huge success
The numbers for 2018 are coming in, and it appears the video game industry is getting along just fine. The year turned out ...
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Microsoft doubles down on education with cheap laptops and a $40 Surface pen
Microsoft may be king when it comes to mainstream PCs, but it's no secret Google has built a commanding lead selling devices ...
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Recycling the world’s plastic garbage could buy you the NFL, Apple and Microsoft
This year, I served on the judging panel for The Royal Statistical Society’s International Statistic of the Year. On ...
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Microsoft is euthanizing Windows 10 Mobile in 2019
Just a few days after announcing it would stop supporting Windows 7 soon, Microsoft is sounding the death knell for another ...
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Windows 10's search bar and Cortana split up on good terms
Since Windows 10's inception Cortana has been directly integrated into the search bar. The idea was that it would make it ...
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After four years, Microsoft may unveil HoloLens 2 next month
Mobile World Congress - the world's biggest expo focused on smartphones and mobile devices - starts February 24, and it seems ...
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Goodbye old friend: Microsoft to end support for Windows 7 in one year
It's not surprising to see PC users running an old version of Windows. Whether they refuse to switch to Windows 10's service ...
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New blockchain center opens in New York amid cryptocurrency market woes
The city of New York has a new Blockchain Center.
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Microsoft Bing search surfaces and suggests images of child sexual abuse
According to a report by TechCrunch and online safety firm AntiToxin Technologies, Microsoft’s Bing search engine surfaces images of child sexual abuse, and even suggests additional keywords in some cases. AntiToxin conducted its research between December 30 and January 7 with ...
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PSA: Windows 10 will soon 'reserve' 7GB of your system drive for updates
Fair warning: next time Microsoft rolls out one of its big semi-annual Windows 10 updates, you'll probably lose a big chunk ...
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These are the coolest things we reviewed in 2018
We review a lot of cool stuff at TNW. In fact, it's one of the best parts about working here -- instant access to some of ...
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TNW's favorite apps for Windows users in 2018
Microsoft's app store for Windows has become a fairly impressive library of software for users, and we want our readers to ...
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TNW's top 11 women making waves in STEM from 2018
You've heard it a million times before — in the science, technology, engineering, and math industries, women are still ...
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2018 proved that computer vision is the most powerful manifestation of AI
You probably use computer vision every day and don't even think about it. Enjoy checking out the latest Snapchat filters? That's ...
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The best and worst gaming stories of 2018
2018 has been a year with some awesome games, and some not-so-awesome things happening in the gaming industry. Here are the ...
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Microsoft's Hummingbird app uses AI to deliver a personalized news feed
Microsoft has quietly released an AI-based news app called Hummingbird on Google Play and Apple’s App Store. It's currently ...
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Microsoft launches its Clarity web analytics tool for A/B testing and visualizing user sessions
To help webmasters understand how visitors interact with their sites, Microsoft has launched its new Clarity analytics tool ...
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Microsoft confirms Edge will support Chrome extensions with Chromium switch
When Microsoft announced its Edge browser would be transitioning to the Chromium platform next year, I had one question: ...
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Microsoft Teams is growing ridiculously fast
Microsoft Teams will be the second-biggest chat app by 2020
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Microsoft Teams can now blur backgrounds during video calls, thanks to AI
Microsoft Teams now has a Background Blur feature for its video calls, so you no longer have to worry about the messy room ...
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Microsoft Teams' new free plan looks like a better deal than Slack's
It's not secret Slack has dominated workplace communication among tech companies the last few years, but Microsoft began ...
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Microsoft just made 60,000 of its patents open source
In a move that might surprise a few people, Microsoft announced that it is joining (OIN) – and making its entire portfolio ...
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Mozilla is deeply concerned about Microsoft killing EdgeHTML
Monopolies are bad.
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France will tax tech giants in 2019 if EU doesn’t step up
France hasn't given up on creating a tax on digital revenue to prevent the likes of Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and ...
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Mixer may have found the secret sauce for paying streamers full-time
Mixer, Microsoft's game streaming service, has always played second fiddle to Twitch. But a new payment paradigm on Mixer ...
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Experts warn AI could hardwire sexism into our future
From Apple's Siri to Amazon's Alexa, voice recognition and AI assistants are typically female by default. Technology isn't ...
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Microsoft is reportedly building a Chromium-based browser to replace Edge
Microsoft is working on a replacement for its Edge browser - which is the default option in Windows 10 - that will use Google's ...
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To achieve ethical AI, we need better training and boundaries
Autonomous decision-making systems are in place already today, including ones that support life-critical scenarios and travel. ...
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Report: Microsoft’s enterprise products covertly gather personal data on users
Microsoft collects and stores personal data about the behavior of individual users of its enterprise offerings on a large ...
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Germany wants a global 'minimum tax' for tech giants' revenue
Germany's finance minister, Olaf Scholz finally supports global minumum tax on tech giants. France and Germany push for the ...
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How an employee screw-up made my company better at employee retention
In order to keep a start-up company’s momentum going, you have to be proactive and creative in retaining employees -- since ...
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Microsoft debuts Project xCloud for streaming games to PCs and phones
Microsoft today revealed Project xCloud, a game streaming service that would bring the company's games to multiple devices, ...
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Microsoft's new Surface Headphones have 13 levels of noise cancellation
Microsoft had a jam-packed event today, announcing the Surface Studio 2, Surface Laptop 2, and Surface Pro 6. But it had ...
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AR's success depends on perfecting input methods
There are challenges in inputting AR into an eyewear device and reworking the interaction between man and machine is only ...
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Full moon patents: Alphabet isn’t giving up on Google Glass
Ugh, the Gregorian calendar is so boring. That’s why we’re disrupting monthly series with a lunar cycle-based series ...
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Skype has yet another new design, but hasn't fixed its core problems
Skype is walking back its controversial Snapchat-esque redesign, but Microsoft hasn't addressed any problems the app had ...
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Both Yahoo and AOL are scanning customer emails to attract advertisers
Oath, the advertising arm of Verizon -- which owns both Yahoo and AOL -- has been pitching advertisers a service that would ...
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Microsoft announces All Access, a sweet Xbox financing plan with a not-so-sweet catch
Xbox All Access is a new way for users to get their hands on a One S or One X for a low price, but it all depends on where ...
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Nintendo wants you to play with your friends
With the upcoming releases of 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate' and 'Super Mario Party,' Nintendo is making a big play for the ...
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Microsoft reportedly wants to rent out Xboxes to gamers for a monthly fee
Microsoft is prepping a subscription plan that will net US-based gamers an Xbox console, and access to Xbox Live and Xbox ...
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Thailand’s central bank will issue its own digital currency — but there’s a catch
The central bank of Thailand has revealed details of its new digital currency, developed using ledger technology built by ...
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Big banks want to issue new blockchain bond on Ethereum, but there’s a catch
Even the World Bank isn’t immune to the hype: it wants a bank in Australia to issue the first bond managed completely via ...
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No, Samsung will not be accepting cryptocurrency payments in the Baltics
Samsung has denied rumors about partnership with blockchain startup CopPay, claiming it won't be accepting cryptocurrency ...
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Microsoft teases Xbox hardware reveal next month
Microsoft today hinted it could be showing off some fun new hardware at a major gaming event next month and be still, my ...
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Skype finally gets call recording feature
Only 15 years after it was launched
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The $24 billion chatbot industry sucks because it needs better AI
In 2014, WIRED would profile a “boring” company called Slack beginning a media and venture-based obsession with bringing ...
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Experts throw shade on Australia's $750M investment in IBM blockchain tech
The Australian government has awarded IBM with a lucrative $750 million contract to develop blockchain and other related ...
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The Surface Book has an amazing feature no one's talking about: User upgradability
The Surface Book has one cool feature no-one is talking about: you can upgrade it to perform better by simply switching the ...
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Tempted to try Windows 10? New 'emulator' let's you do it without installing the OS
If you're an OS X user that's curious about Windows 10 -- or perhaps you're a Windows 7 or 8 user that keeps swatting away ...
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Age of Mythology just got its first new expansion in 13 years
One of the best real-time strategy games ever just got a big update.
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The ways people described computers in the 1990s are hilarious
In the 1990s, the internet was a hard-to-explain concept to people. Even though it's commonplace now, the idea of electronic ...
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Learn to crunch numbers with Microsoft’s best programs for under $30
Data analysis isn’t magic. And while it’s definitely not simple, those numbers are tameable...as you can learn with the ...
