Monthly Archives: January 2020

This week,Kotaku reported that PlayStation 4 exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn may come to the PC in the near future. And let me first say, its interesting this became big news because when Quantic Dream announced that Detroit: Become Human was coming to PC last yearanother Sony-published gameit didnt inspire nearly the same levels of pontificating about Sonys intentions for the PC.

Of course, people generally praised Horizon: Zero Dawn and disliked Detroit. Maybe thats the only difference, that Horizon is seen as one of Sonys prestige games.

It does have me thinking about the PC though, and specifically about the PC as an arm of Microsoftbecause thats what its become to some people. The PC is seen as an extension of the Xbox platform, or perhaps the Xbox is an extension of the PC. Hell, I even wrote that the Xbox Series X sure does resemble a PC tower when Microsoft teased it at Decembers Game Awards.

And its fascinating how times have changed. Only a little over a decade ago, Games for Windows Live seemed like a colossal overreach. Microsofts first attempt to wed PC and Xbox manifested as a buggy launcher with buggy authorization and buggy multiplayer functionality and it sucked. It wreaked havoc on the PC, and continues to do damage even today. Just this month Rockstar pulled Grand Theft Auto IV from Steam, citing a lack of Games for Windows Live keys as the reason.

With that failure, Microsoft pseudo-abandoned the PC againor at least, thats what PC gamers claimed. Really this period of benevolent neglect was the start of the PCs resurgence. Windows 7 kicked ass. Valve built an empire. The average PCs performance pulled way ahead of console hardware, and that status quo held even upon the release of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2013.

A bigger audience meant more money, which meant developers started returning to the PC, the ports got better, and the PC began feeling like digital Switzerland. It was neutral territory, or ostensibly neutral. 2014 and 2015 were the heyday of the Console Exclusive, games that were either coming to the Xbox One or the PS4but which were definitely coming to PC as well.

Thats how we started this console generation.

Grim Fandango Remastered is still on PC and PS4 but not Xboxeven though Microsoft now owns Double Fine. Console exclusives! Wild!

The situations changed though. Maybe five years ago now, Microsoft started quietly integrating the PC and Xbox again. The process has not always been smooth, nor subtle. The all-but-forced move from Windows 7 to Windows 10 proved controversial. The early years of the Windows 10 store even more so.

Valve tried to secede from Windows entirely, dreaming of a Linux-based future with SteamOS and Steam Machines. Epics Tim Sweeney penned a letter for The Guardian decrying the UWP format, calling it a distribution and commerce monopoly.

This was just four years ago .

And listen, Im not going to act like the PC and Xbox are the same platform now. Theyre not, and ideally never will be. But Microsofts done quite a bit with the PC in the last five years.

Again, not every move Microsofts made has been successful. Enough of them have though, and the result is that in 2020 the PC feels firmly like Microsoft Territory again. Thus when Sony wants to bring a game like Horizon: Zero Dawn to the PC its seen as a Big Statement.

And thats disappointing, because it simply didnt have to be this way. Microsoft does make Windowsthats not in dispute. Perhaps this was always the most obvious outcome, given Microsoft can entrench the Xbox name at the OS level. Sony will always be an outsider of sorts.

The Xbox Console Companion, one of many Xbox-branded programs in Windows 10.

I still get occasional activity on a tweet from five years ago though. With the specter of Games for Windows Live looming overhead, Microsoft announced Xbox Live would be built into Windows 10 at the system level. I, like many others, reacted with alarm. Would we have to pay? What fresh hell was this? And Xboxs Larry Hyrb, otherwise known as Major Nelson, replied with Not charging. Xbox Live Gold will not be required for online multiplayer gaming using our service on Windows 10 PCs and Phones.

[Side note: Remember Windows Phones?]

And it wasnt. Xbox Live support on PC is barely noticeable, especially outside the Windows Store. I bring this up though mainly to illustrate that people didnt want Microsoft and/or Xbox meddling with PC gaming. The PC was proudly independent, even from its parent.

Nowadays Microsofts presence is seen as largely a net positive though, and its no wonder some have started to view the PC as an Xbox fiefdom. Still, Id argue its equally the result of Sonys inattention as Microsofts generosity.

There was a period between 2010 and 2015 when developers were slowly remembering the PC existed again after a decade spent pretending otherwise. EA, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Capcom, Square, Activisionthey all began putting more money into their PC ports, catering to the PC with dedicated servers and 4K texture packs. I began spotting PCs at trade shows more often, both on-stage and in behind-closed-doors demos.

Really Im just mad Bloodborne never came to PC.

Sony simply never showed up. The DualShock 4, a fantastic controller thats sported Bluetooth since day one, only mostly works with the PC. You cant play Uncharted 4 on PC, or Bloodborne, or God of War, or Until Dawn. And Im not going to say that was a bad choice for Sony. It undoubtedly sold hardware. I own a PlayStation 4 Pro that Ive played...maybe six games on. Pretty much the ones I just listed, plus Horizon: Zero Dawn.

I wont turn Sony away, either. I think every game should come to PC, and if this is the start of Sonys big push? Great. Id love to go into the PlayStation 5 era neutral again.

It feels like perhaps its too late though, that even Sony has come to the conclusion the PC is Microsofts domain. Well get the one-offs, the ports that are either too old or too niche to matter much. And why not? Microsoft is all about services, about the Xbox platform, and its built that belief and brand into major parts of modern PC gaming. If God of War were to come to PC now, it would feel a bit like a capitulation, even if Microsoft doesnt benefit monetarily.

If Sony had come to the PC with everyone else, I dont think it would feel so weird. I dont think wed see people weighing in on Sonys plans for the PC as a platform, because back in 2013 and 2014 it was still surprising to get a competent PC port of any game, publisher be damned. Wow, a fully-functioning port of the Tomb Raider reboot? And they even did work to make the hair look better on PC? I cant believe it.

Under those circumstances, a God of War port wouldve only seemed as far-fetched as Halo on PC. And yet in 2020, I can load upHalo: Reach through Steam. Who wouldve guessed, right? Its a shame Sony ceded the battle without ever mounting an offensive. Heres hoping theHorizon: Zero Dawn rumors prove true.

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Microsoft didn't win the PC turf war. Sony never showed up. - PCWorld

Microsoft is unveiling its first TV commercial for Microsoft Teams this weekend. A 30-second ad will air during Sundays NFL playoffs, and will also be shown in the UK, France, and Germany next month. Dubbed The Power of Teams, the ad opens with boring business meetings, flip charts, ancient speaker phones, and slidedecks printed on paper before quickly moving on to Teams. Microsoft has been aligning its Teams software as the hub for the future of its Office suite, and this ad plays into that.

This TV commercial, which also includes Microsofts latest Surface hardware, is obviously designed to take on Slack in markets that may consider the rival group chat software over Microsofts alternative. Microsoft has successfully chased and overtaken its Slack competition during the past year, leading to Teams being used actively by 20 million people daily compared to Slacks 12 million.

The competition has been tense recently, with Microsoft claiming Slack doesnt have the breadth and depth thats really required to reinvent what it looks like to work together. Slack has claimed its not worried about the reach of Office 365, and its focused on how many of its users love its product and the amount of time they spend using the app. Slack even mocked Microsoft last year, accusing it of ripping off its ads.

Despite the increased competition between both companies, theres likely room for both Slack and Microsoft Teams in the market. A large number of small businesses rely on a combination of Zoom, Slack, Google, and Dropbox instead of an Office 365 subscription. Whereas Microsoft is comfortably winning the larger enterprise side of the chat app market, with 91 companies from the Fortune 100 already using Microsoft Teams.

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Microsoft puts the pressure on Slack with first TV ad for Microsoft Teams - The Verge

Microsoft has filed a patent for a solar panel built into the cover for a device. The companys application confirms its for a Surface Pro-style of device, where the cover includes a keyboard and, in this case, solar panels as well. Besides the saleable environmental qualities of a solar-powered device accessory like this, Microsoft has always made a lot of money off of Surface peripherals like interchangeable covers.

Microsoft sells supplemental type coversthe now-familiar term for the combination cover and keyboard sold for Surface tablets since the beginningfor prices that begin at $130. Other branded accessories include a $150 stylus, $80 wireless mouse, and $250 wireless headphones. Microsofts demographics might be just right for a premium solar-powered keyboard cover sometime in the future. The company filed the patent in 2018, but it just became public.

The most efficient way to feed solar panels is with direct, full sunlight, which isnt typically the environment in which someone wants to use a tablet or computer. Indeed, its hard to imagine that regular outdoor conditions are the intention herewhat, youll leave your $900 Surface or even its likely $200+ type cover outside in the weather? But the panels can also charge (less efficiently) from indirect sunlight or even indoor light like incandescent or LED bulbs.

Industry experts quoted in Tech Xplore wonder if the solar type cover is a way to extend the battery life of the Surface family of devices, and its true that solar panels are a lot more efficient than they ever have been. But the Surface, which emerged as an aspiring iPad killer and uses very light weight and elegance as its selling points, is unlikely to attach a clunky solar device to anything. A real application of the patent is likely years down the road.

Surface Pro 7 (Core i5, 256 GB)

Surface Pro Signature Type Cover

The iPad also has its own robust category of keyboard cases now. In terms of direct competition, the Surface product line is targeting the iPad Pro by competing for real performance instead of just portability and touchscreen noveltyand Apple in turn adopted the keyboard case model because of the Surface, not just the Surfaces included keyboard, but the thriving secondary market for even more and better keyboard covers.

This patent could be Microsofts preemptive claim to the solar keyboard cover market. Surface units come with keyboards, which you can choose to upgrade or replace for more money. Solar could entice even stubborn users of the included keyboard. And when the cheapest iPad costs just $330, but the add-on keyboard costs $160, the Surface solar keyboard could boost how much you spend on a complete setup from the beginning.

By saving energy, hypothetically extending battery life, and jamming Apple out of the first batch of solar tablet keyboards, Microsoft may have written its own check in patenting the solar-panel type cover.

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Does Microsoft Want to Put Solar Panels on the Surface Pro? - Popular Mechanics

Microsoft is beefing up the team reporting to Senior Leadership Team member Kurt Delbene starting next month. Delbene, who is Microsoft's Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Core Services Engineering and Operations (as well as the company's CHief Digital Officer) is getting two new reports, both of whom are industry veterans.

Bobby Yerramilli-Rao is joining the company as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and Corporate Vice President (CVP) of Corporate Strategy, leading the Corporate Strategy team and reporting directly to Delbene. And Andrew Wilson will become the Chief Digital Officer (CDO) and CVP of Core Services Engineering, reporting directly to Delbene. Core Services Engineering is Microsoft's own internal IT operations -- basically, the team at Microsoft that builds and manages the products and services that Microsoft itself runs on.

Yerramilli-Rao is the co-founder and co-chair of Cambridge Epigenetix, a biosciences company, as well as co-founder of Inflex, a stealth-mode company working on applying biochemistry to cancer treatment. He also was the co-founder and managing partner of Fusion Global Capital, formerly Hermes Growth Partners (HGP), according to his LinkedIn profile. Wilson had been with Accenture for 31 years and was Chief Information Officer of the company for more than six years. Both execs will officially start at Microsoft the first week of February.

Delbene rejoined Microsoft in 2015 after serving as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, where he was charged with trying to fix Healthcare.gov. After leaving that role, DelBene joined Madrona Venture Group in September 2014, to focus on investing and advising tech startups in the Pacific Northwest. Before leaving Microsoft in 2013, he was President of Microsoft's Office Division.

In other organizational news, Microsoft publicly announced on January 17 that it is adding two new senior appointments to its government affairs team and will be opening a new Microsoft representation office to the United Nations in New York. The two appointments: John Frank, currently vice president of EU government affairs, who will establish the new UN representation office; and Danish Ambassador Casper Klynge, who will join Microsoft as the new VP of European Government Affairs. Frank and Klynge will both report directly to Microsoft President Brad Smith.

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Microsoft to add new Chief Strategy and Digital Officers to its executive roster - ZDNet

Right on schedule, Microsoft today released the first stable version of its new Chromium-based Edge browser, just over a year after it first announced that it would stop developing its own browser engine and go with what has, for better or worse, become the industry standard.

You can now download the stable version for Windows 7, 8 and 10, as well as macOS, directly. If you are on Windows 10, you can also wait for the automatic update to kick in, but that may take a while.

Because all of the development has happened in the open, with various pre-release channels, there are no surprises in this release. Some of the most interesting forward-looking features, like Collections, Microsofts new take on bookmarking, are still only available in the more experimental pre-release channels. That will quickly change, though, as Edge is now on a six-week release cycle.

As Ive said throughout the development cycle, Edge is a competent Chrome challenger and I have no hesitations to recommend it to anybody who is looking for a browser alternative. Its still missing a few features, most importantly the ability to sync your browser history and extensions between devices. Ive never found that to be much of a roadblock to using Edge as my main browser, but your mileage may vary.

Like all modern browsers, Edge features various options for protecting you from online trackers, support for extensions (both from the Chrome Web Store and Microsofts own extension repository), reader mode, the ability to switch profiles and pretty much everything else you would expect.

What it doesnt have yet is a killer feature or something that really makes it stand out from the rest. While Microsoft seems quite excited about Collections, I admit that its not something Ive found all that useful for my own workflow. But the team now has a stable platform in place to start innovating on, so well likely see a stronger focus on new features going forward.

With Firefox going through its own renaissance, the Edge team may have trouble convincing people that they should switch back to a Microsoft browser, no matter how good it is. For most users, switching browsers isnt a casual thing, after all.

Either way, if you were hesitant to try out the new Edge, now is the time to give it a shot. The easiest way to do so is to download the update directly. If youre on Windows 10, the new Edge will replace the old Edge over time through the usual Windows OS update channel, but Microsoft is making this a very gradual rollout that it expects to last several months (and once its installed, it will update independently, outside of the Windows Update system).

Enterprise users get a choice for how and when they want to make the move, of course, which Microsoft detailed here and here. Because Edge features an Internet Explorer mode, I would assume that a lot of businesses will quickly move to Edge.

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Here is the first stable release of Microsofts new Edge browser - TechCrunch

TLDR: The Ultimate Microsoft Access Mastery Bundle collects the best training in the worlds top database management tool for only $29.99.

Whats the most popular Microsoft Office app? While its tough to make that call with certainty, its hard to imagine Microsoft Word doesnt lead that pack. Ask for other Office features that get lots of use and youll likely hear plenty of votes cast for Excel, Outlook, or PowerPoint.

One app you dont hear cited nearly as often is Microsoft Access. But in an age where data is king, you may be shocked at the everyday utility of the industry-leading information management tool.

The Ultimate Microsoft Access Mastery Bundle ($29.99, over 90 percent off from TNW Deals) can help open your eyes to the power of databases and what they can mean to your daily workflow as well as your professional future.

With 224 lectures covering over 50 hours of training, this bundle pulls together all the best recent Access 2019, 2016 and 2013 training, offering up a fully-rounded view of how to get the most out of this sneaky, powerful software.

Filled with exercises and testing, this training delves into everything you need to know, from creating and maintaining Access databases; to using Access tables, relationships and keys; to task automation and customization; to producing advanced reports that dig deep into your data.

Regularly $594, this coursework can turn you an advanced Access user for just $29.99.

Software not included. Prices are subject to change.

You cant beat free! Get $70+ worth of premium Mac apps for free today!

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Microsoft Access can change the way you work with data. Master it for $30 - The Next Web

Microsoft's stock price has more than quadrupled since Satya Nadella took over as CEO six years ago, thanks to the company's rapid growth in cloud computing.

But Nadella credits his predecessor, the louder and more outspoken Steve Ballmer, for making the decision to take on Amazon Web Services in cloud infrastructure, where Microsoft is now the clear No. 2 player.

"The guy who gave me permission to do all this was Steve Ballmer," Nadella told CNBC's Jim Cramer on Thursday, in an interview on"Mad Money"from Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington. "He wanted us to be bold and go at the cloud very aggressively, and that's what we did."

With a market value of $1.27 trillion, Microsoft is the third most valuable public company, behind Saudi Aramco and Apple. The stock rose 58% in 2019, its best year in a decade, and continues to push the S&P 500 higher.

Microsoft's stock under Nadella

CNBC

The story was much different during Ballmer's tenure, as sales growth slowed and the stock flatlined. But even in those years, Ballmer's Microsoft was in the early phases of assembling a cloud that could challenge AWS. Azure was announced in 2008, six years before Nadella became CEO.

Nadella then took steps to make Azure an easier choice for software developers. Two months after he became CEO, he changed Windows Azure to Microsoft Azure, underscoring the service's ability to handle computing tasks from Linux, which had long been a rival to Windows. Nadella also forged partnerships with competing companies like Red Hat and SAP.

While Nadella wants to recognize Ballmer for guiding Microsoft toward the cloud, he's made a number of decisions to undo moves made by the prior CEO, who now owns the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers.

Nadella backed Microsoft away from mobile hardware by selling off the feature phone business it picked up with the 2013 acquisition of the Nokia devices and services business. And while Windows was at the very center of Microsoft under Ballmer and even Bill Gates, in October Nadella told Wired that "the operating system is no longer the most important layer for us."

Steve Ballmer, left, and NBA Commissioner Adam SIlver attend an NBA playoff game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on May 11, 2014 in Los Angeles.

Noel Vasquez | GC | Getty Images

Under Nadella, cloud has become the centerpiece of the business, with Azure serving as the backbone for cloud-based Office applications and other services for personal and home use as well as powering other large enterprises and government agencies. On Thursday, Nadella called out cloud customers Marks & Spencer, Walmart and Walgreens.

"I think you have to have conviction on where the world is going, make sure you bet long before anybody gives you credit for it, and then, of course, execute," Nadella said. "That's what we have done in every layer of the stack."

In comparing the Microsoft of today to the company Gates led in the 1970s, Nadella highlighted the current focus on artificial intelligence, distributed computing and "completely different ways to think about even end-user computing with things like HoloLens."

There's one fundamental similarity.

"But guess what?" he said. "It's software."

Follow @CNBCtech on Twitter for the latest tech industry news.

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Satya Nadella credits Steve Ballmer for pushing Microsoft into the cloud - CNBC

As Apple squares off for another encryption fight, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella offered mixed messages on the encryption question. In a Monday meeting with reporters in New York, Nadella reiterated the companys opposition to encryption backdoors, but expressed tentative support for legal and technical solutions in the future.

I do think backdoors are a terrible idea, that is not the way to go about this, Nadella said. Weve always said we care about these two things: privacy and public safety. We need some legal and technical solution in our democracy to have both of those be priorities.

Along those lines, Nadella expressed support for key escrow systems, versions of which have been proposed by researchers in the past.

Apples device encryption systems first became a point of controversy after a 2016 shooting in San Bernardino, which led to a heated legal push to force Apple to unlock the phone. That fight ultimately ended in a stalemate, but many have seen the recent shooting at a naval base in Pensacola as a potential place to restart the fight. Committed by a Saudi national undergoing flight training with the US Navy, the shooting has already been labeled a terrorist act by the FBI, and resulted in 21 other Saudi trainees being disenrolled from the program. Two phones linked to the assailant are still subject to Apples device encryption, and remain inaccessible to investigators.

But Nadella stopped short of simply saying companies could never provide data under such circumstances, or that Apple shouldnt provide a jailbroken iOS modification under the circumstances. We cant take hard positions on all sides... [but if theyre] asking me for a backdoor, Ill say no. Nadella continued, My hope is that in our democracy these are the things that arrive at legislative solutions.

Thats a significantly milder tone than Microsoft took during the San Bernardino case in 2016. At the time, Microsoft expressed wholehearted support for Apples position in the case, and joined Apple in opposing some of the encryption bills pushed in the wake of the trial.

Correction 9:43PM ET: Due to a transcription error, Nadellas two priorities were listed as privacy and national security. He said they were privacy and public safety. This has been corrected.

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Microsoft CEO says encryption backdoors are a terrible idea - The Verge

Samsung and Microsoft are joining together to bring an ingenious new idea to the workplace. Are you ready to have your mind blown? Get this: walkie talkies.

Ok, so maybe its not exactly a new idea, but by building push-to-talk capabilities into Samsungs new Galaxy XCover Pro, thats one less device for employees to lug around or, worse, lose when things take a turn for the chaotic.

Announced in a Sunday blog post, the Galaxy XCover Pro is Samsungs stab at making an enterprise-edition smartphone, much in the same way last years Tab Active Pro filled that niche in a tablet. It marks a joint venture with Microsoft, using the companys recently announced Walkie Talkie function in Microsoft Teams (a text and video chat platform integrated with Microsofts suite of Office tools) to enable frontline workers and deliver new mobile-enabled business solutions, the blog post reads.

It functions similarly to Apples Walkie Talkie app for smartwatches, operating via Wi-Fi or cellular data. Though, heres hoping thats where the similarities end and Samsungs iteration wont be plagued by the same bug that briefly let Apple users eavesdrop on others iPhone conversations. Especially since Samsung appears to be marketing it as a more secure alternative to consumer chat apps like Facebooks WhatsApp that folks working in retail, healthcare, and the like might also rely on.

Sundays announcement slots the Galaxy XCover Pros release for the first half of this year starting at $499, and Samsung says itll be working with Verizon to roll out its new phone to market. At that price point that also puts it in the running for anyone looking for a no-frills, mid-range phone that lasts all day. And I mean all day; at 4,050 mAh, it comes in just below the S10+ in terms of lasting power, and, if you do manage to burn through that, its replaceable as well.

Microsoft and Samsung have a deep history of bringing together the best hardware and software to help solve our customers challenges, said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in Sundays post. The powerful combination of Microsoft Teams and the new Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro builds on this partnership and will provide firstline workers everywhere with the technology they need to be more collaborative, productive and secure.

As for perks specific to the workplace, its water- and dust-resistant, as to be expected, and can survive about a 5-foot-drop unfazed. Its interface has been widdled down to two programmable buttons, one of which sports a fingerprint reader so unlocking the device doesnt require touching the screen, and its 6.3-inch, 1080p screen has been outfitted to better decipher inputs by gloved hands, per a TechCrunch report. It also comes with NFC support and point-of-sale software already built-in, allowing users to ring up any customers using an NFC-equipped credit card. And Verizons already approved the device for its Tap to Phone payments pilot program.

All that said, a reminder that this phones built specifically for work environments, so its specs wont exactly be raising any eyebrows: a 2 GHz eight-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage (though it does support expandable storage with a microSD slot), and for cameras youve got a 13-megapixel front-facing camera and a two rear cameras: a 25-megapixel camera and an 8-megapixel fixed-focus unit.

All in all, it feels like Samsung and Microsoft are busy pushing forward full-steam moving in on that enterprising niche Google Glass found a surprising second life in.

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Samsung and Microsoft's Working-Class Smartphone Coming to the U.S. for $499 - Gizmodo