Monthly Archives: May 2020

Microsofts revealed its a user of QUIC the TCP successor thats integral to HTTP3 but hasnt quite excited too many folk beyond Google and Cloudflare.

QUIC an acronym for Quick UDP Internet Connections is a Google emission from 2013 that aims to help the internet scale and speed up by offering an alternative to TCPs chatty and OS-dependent ways. Google and Cloudflare, who both have an interest in faster and more elegant internetworking, eased QUIC into an IETF standards process and the protocol has become a part of HTTP/3.

While QUIC has made it into Chrome observers like W3Techs detect just three or four percent of web sites using the protocol.

Which is why Microsoft putting its hand up as a user, advocate and source of code with which to implement QUIC caught your vultures eye!

True to form, Microsoft has cooked up its own QUIC and changed the typography by calling it MsQuic. The companys post revealed its using MsQuic as follows:

The post also tells us a little about why Microsoft is playing with QUIC:

QUIC is still on the IETFs standards track. Microsoft says MsQuic shares QUICs status as ready for prototyping and testing and has promised a deeper dive into its implementation of the protocol soon.

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Microsoft reveals its rolled its own QUIC and is testing it on Microsoft 365 and in .NET Core 5.0 - The Register

New hacking threat to Microsoft Teams users revealed

Although the likes of Telegram, the secure messenger service with 400 million users, has confirmed it is moving into the video chat space, the most immediate threat to the dominance of Zoom is Microsoft Teams. Especially when it comes to doing business during the work from home transition for so many employees worldwide. This should come as no great surprise, given that the number of daily active users jumped from 44 million to 75 million across just two weeks at the end of March.

A new report reveals how security researchers have observed thousands of cloned Microsoft Team login pages being used in an attempt to harvest account passwords.

At the same time that increasing numbers of prominent organizations have been announcing bans on the use of Zoom, somewhat unfairly in my never humble opinion, so many have been turning to Microsoft Teams instead. This doesn't necessarily mean they are off the cyber-hook when it comes to being attack targets.

Hot on the heels of a report on how Microsoft Teams users were vulnerable to a malicious GIF that could have stolen account data, comes this news of another security threat to those looking for an alternative to Zoom.

The discovery by researchers from Abnormal Security reveals what it says is a multi-prong Microsoft Teams impersonation attack. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an alert dated April 29, warning of just such attack methodology uptick given the speed of deployment as organizations migrate to Microsoft Office 365 during the COVID-19 lockdown. That alert warned how such "hasty deployment can lead to oversights in security configurations and undermine a sound O365-specific security strategy."

In the case of the attacks seen by Abnormal Research, however, neither security configurations nor vulnerabilities in Microsoft Teams were at fault. Instead, what they observed were convincingly-crafted emails impersonating the automated notification emails from Microsoft Teams. The aim, simply to steal employee Microsoft Office 365 login credentials.

To date, the researchers report that as many as 50,000 users have been subject to this attack as of May 1. This is far from your average phishing scam, however, and comes at precisely the right time to fool already stressed and somewhat disoriented workers. Instead of the far more commonly used "sort of look-alike" alerts and notifications employed by less careful cybercriminals, this new campaign is very professional in approach. "The landing pages that host both attacks look identical to the real webpages, and the imagery used is copied from actual notifications and emails from this provider," the researchers said.

The attackers are also using newly-registered domains that are designed to fool recipients into thinking the notifications are from an official source. I recently reported how this tactic is being used by cybercriminals looking to defraud U.S. citizens waiting for their stimulus package payments to arrive. No less than 712 malicious or suspicious stimulus package domains had been registered. Abnormal Security researchers gave the example of a fraudulent domain registered in Panama that included both "SharePoint" and "IRS" in the name to give that air of authenticity to the Microsoft Teams notification email.

As far as the credential-stealing payload is concerned, this is delivered in an equally meticulous way. With multiple URL redirects employed by the attackers, concealing the real hosting URLs, and so aiming to bypass email protection systems, the cybercriminals will eventually drive the user to the cloned Microsoft Office 365 login page.

An example of one such attack was given by the researchers where a document link was provided, that document being located at an unwary email marketing provider site. Within the document was an image asking the reader to log in to Microsoft Teams. Click on the image, and they are deposited at the cloned login page. Another example involved a link hosted on YouTube that redirected twice before landing on the malicious Microsoft Teams credential-stealing site.

"Recipients would be hard-pressed to understand that these sites were set up to misdirect and deceive them to steal their credentials," Abnormal Security said, "given the current situation, people have become accustomed to notifications and invitations from collaboration software providers."

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Beware This New Microsoft Teams Password Hacking Threat To 75 Million Users - Forbes

Microsoft posted the third quarter of its 2020 financial results today, and all eyes are on the early impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The company is reporting revenue of $35 billion and net income of $10.8 billion. Revenue is up 15 percent, net income jumped 22 percent, and Microsoft says COVID-19 had minimal net impact on the total company revenue.

Microsoft does note that, in the final weeks of the quarter, which ended March 31st, there was a slowdown in transactional licensing, particularly in small and medium businesses, and a reduction in advertising spend in LinkedIn. Windows has been a surprising bright spot this quarter thanks to an increase in PC demand, but Microsoft has clearly struggled with supply constraints in China for both Surface and lower end OEM PCs.

The pandemic has obviously boosted remote working, and Microsoft has benefited through its Office business and cloud offerings. Weve seen two years worth of digital transformation in two months, explains Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. From remote teamwork and learning, to sales and customer service, to critical cloud infrastructure and security we are working alongside customers every day to help them adapt and stay open for business in a world of remote everything.

Theres certainly been an increased demand for Windows PCs during the pandemic for both work-related activities and students trying to learn from home. Windows OEM Pro revenue grew by 5 percent, thanks to increased demand to support remote work and learn scenarios. Some of this demand increase was offset by supply issues in China, though. Non-pro revenue declined by 10 percent, though, as Microsoft continues to see strong competition for lower-priced devices and supply constraints in China.

Speaking of PCs, Microsofts Surface revenues only increased 1 percent this quarter, likely because the company hasnt launched any new Surface products during the recent quarter. Microsoft has been selling its updated Surface Pro 7, Surface Laptop 3, and the new Surface Pro X for around six months now, though.

Were now expecting Microsoft to unveil new Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2 devices in May, and rumors also suggest the company is ready to launch its Surface Buds and potentially an update to the Surface Dock. Microsoft has not yet announced any Surface hardware event for May, but given the pandemic, any hardware unveils will be online either way.

Microsoft is still continuing work on its Surface Duo Android hardware, and were expecting to hear more about plans for this device at the virtual Build developer conference next month. Microsofts other dual-screen device, the Surface Neo, has reportedly been delayed, so were no longer expecting to see that device in 2020.

Xbox and gaming were both strong for Microsoft this time last year, and recent reports have suggested console spending has increased during the pandemic. Microsoft says overall gaming revenue declined 1 percent this quarter, with Xbox content and services increasing by just 2 percent despite increased engagement during stay-at-home orders.

Microsoft is expected to further detail its plans for the Xbox Series X in the coming weeks, including unveiling some games that will be available on the console. The company revealed its full Xbox Series X specs last month, including a 12 teraflop GPU, 16GB of memory, and special 1TB expansion cards.

Satya Nadella did surprise with some new Xbox numbers during an earnings call with investors, though. Xbox Game Pass has hit 10 million subscribers, and Xbox Live has nearly 90 million monthly active users. These are both impressive figures, and its the first time Microsoft has provided Xbox Game Pass numbers.

Like most of Microsofts revenue quarters, the real growth comes from the companys cloud and Office divisions. Office Commercial products and cloud services revenue increased 13 percent, and even Office Consumer products and cloud services revenue increased 15 percent, with Office 365 consumer subscriptions hitting 39.6 million.

Microsoft Teams usage has also hit 75 million daily active users, up 70 percent in just a month. Nadella also noted that Microsoft saw 200 million meeting participants in a single day earlier this month, a figure that brings Teams closer to Zooms 300 million daily meeting participants.

Server products and cloud services revenue has increased 30 percent this quarter, year over year, and this part of Microsofts revenue takes up the biggest chunk at $12.3 billion. Productivity and Business Processes, which includes Office, LinkedIn, and Dynamics, generated $11.7 billion this quarter, with More Personal Computing revenue (that includes Windows, Surface, and Xbox) making $11 billion. Microsoft continues to hold a diverse slate of products and businesses.

Microsoft also became a $1 trillion company around this time last year, and the company has maintained that market cap despite the ongoing pandemic. While the pandemic had little effect on todays Q3 results, Microsofts guidance for Q4 still shows revenue growth for its businesses.

In an investor call, Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said the company expects continued demand across Windows, Surface, and gaming, and that the outlook assumes this remains through much of Q4. Assuming that advertising spend wont improve, search and LinkedIn revenue will be impacted.

Update, April 29th 6:40PM ET: Article updated with guidance and comments from Microsofts earnings call.

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Microsoft reports increased PC demand during coronavirus and minimal impact on revenue - The Verge

Online team collaboration is the new norm as companies spread their workforce across the globe. Gone are the days of primarily relying on group emails, as teams can now work together in real time using an instant chat-style interface, no matter where they are.

Microsoft Teams is one of many collaboration tools designed to bring company workers together in an online space. Its not designed for communicating with family and friends, but instead provides a platform for video conferencing, real-time discussions, document sharing and editing, and more for companies and corporations.

If you want to know more about Microsoft Teams, read on!

Microsoft Teams is a chat-based workspace initially introduced in 2016 for customers subscribing to the Office 365 Enterprise and Business plans, serving as the successor to Microsofts Skype for Business platform. It also replaced the Microsoft Classroom service in Office 365 Education.

Microsoft Teams became widely available on March 14, 2017, for all Office 365 subscriptions. A free version arrived on July 12, 2018, providing most of the subscription-based features while limiting storage capacity and user count. The mobile version received family-friendly features starting in March, though Microsoft Teams is still not designed for personal use.

Overall, Microsoft Teams breaks down into five main components:

Administrators first create a team followed by individual channels. For large organizations, multiple teams with a handful of channels may be necessary. The client supports more than one team, allowing members to access multiple teams through a single interface.

Most input is through instant messaging, but members can conduct VoIP calls and video conferences. With the latter, Microsoft increased the maximum limit to 10,000 participants in April, up from 5,000. Members can add others to a speed dial list or create a group for a multi-user conference. There is a voicemail feature too.

Members of a team have access to a pool of shared documents by clicking Files in the client, including images and videos uploaded in channels. Members can open these files in a browser, download them to their PC, or retrieve a link to share with others. The OneDrive feature enables users to create shared folders, Word documents, Excel workbooks, PowerPoint presentations, and more.

Finally, Microsoft Teams integrates with third-party apps, including Trello, Zoom, Asana, GitHub, Evernote, Adobe Creative Cloud, Salesforce, Google Analytics, and many more. It even works with social apps like YouTube, StubHub, and several others.

Microsoft Teams is one of several team collaboration tools. Its biggest competitor is Slack, and we pit the two against each other in a separate in-depth article. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, but if you need a tool that works alongside Microsoft 365, Teams is your best bet.

Workplace from Facebook is a similar business-oriented collaboration tool. One of the major differences is that direct messaging takes place within Microsoft Teams while Facebooks alternative relies on a separate Workplace Chat app. Meanwhile, Facebooks platform is mobile-first whereas Teams puts the desktop worker first. Workplace also places a heavy emphasis on Live Videos, but its compatibility with other apps is significantly lower than Teams.

Another popular team collaboration tool is Discord. It targets gamers offering free voice and instant message capabilities. In this scenario, gamers create or join public and private servers rather than teams. Like Microsoft Teams, each building (server) hosts multiple rooms (channels), only these rooms are dedicated to either text or voice, not both. There is a Go Live feature as well that automatically detects your game and allows you to stream it directly to your Discord server. Want to make a video call to friends or family? Discord has your back too all for free.

The interface presents three basic components. On the left is the navigation bar hosting multiple tabs: Activity, Chat, Teams, Calls, and Files. You will also see a three-dot ellipsis icon that opens to a pop-up window hosting additional apps, like OneNote, the Teams wiki, and Help. Here you can click the More Apps link to connect your favorite third-party apps like Trello and Zoom.

Information in the second column is determined by the tab you select in the navigation bar. Click Activity and the second column lists all the mentions, replies, and other notifications. Select one of these activities and the third column displays the related conversation. Click the filter button in the second column and you can reduce the list to just mentions or replies.

Likewise, if you click the Chat tab, the second column lists your private conversations by the recipient. Select a listed recipient and the third column displays the entire conversation. Click the three-dot ellipsis icon next to the recipient and you can pin the conversation, add the individual to your contacts, receive a notification when the individual signs on, and more.

Finally, click the Teams tab and a list of your connected teams and their channels appears in the second column. Channels with new activity are highlighted in bold text. Select a channel and the messages contained within that channel appear in the third column. Any mentions within an unselected channel are highlighted by an exclamation point next to the channel name.

Whats interesting about Microsoft Teams is that you can collaborate with individuals who speak a different language. When a comment appears in a channel thats not your native language, simply click the More options icon next to the comment and select Translate on the drop-down menu. Microsoft Teams supports 44 languages.

When typing a message, youll find formatting tools similar to Slack, such as setting the font size, creating a bullet list, setting a specific subject, using a highlight, and more. You can also mark a message as a new conversation or announcement, lock responses only to you and moderators, and post the message to multiple channels (if allowed). Other tools include adding emoji, stickers, GIFs, and files.

To conduct a video meeting, you can simply click the Meet Now camera icon on the message toolbar in the third column. Scheduling requires a paid plan, which appears as a calendar icon on the message toolbar.

The free model includes the following features:

Microsoft 365 Business Basic costs $5 per user per month whereas the Business Standard plan costs $12.50 per user per month. Here are the included Microsoft Teams features:

Office 365 E3 costs $20 per user per month. It adds:

Ultimately, if you need a tool to communicate with friends and family, Skype is your better solution, not Microsoft Teams. Small businesses could get away with using the free model, but large businesses and corporations should investigate the three paid plans.

For a more detailed view, Microsoft lists every feature across all four free and paid models on its website.

Microsoft Teams is available on the following platforms:

If you want to sample Microsofts collaboration platform, heres how. For the free version, the only requirement is a Microsoft account, which you can create during the setup process. You do not need a Microsoft 365 subscription to use Microsoft Teams for free.

Step 1: Go to teams.microsoft.com and click the Sign up for free button.

Step 2: Enter a Microsoft account email address. If you use a different email address, it will be used to create a Microsoft account.

Step 3: Select your intent use Teams for school or work and then click the blue Next button. Do not select Friends and Family, as you will be forced to use Skype.

Step 4: Click the blue Create Account button if you are not using a Microsoft account. Otherwise, use your Microsoft account password and skip to Step 8.

Step 5: Create a password and click the blue Next button

Step 6: Enter the verification code emailed from Microsoft and click the blue Next button.

Step 7: Repeat another code shown on the screen and click the blue Next button.

Step 8: Finally, enter the required credentials and click the blue Set Up Teams button.

Step 9: Follow the initial setup process and start inviting team members.

You can invite members three ways: Copy a link to your PCs clipboard, invite them through contacts stored in your Microsoft Account, or send an invitation by email.

The April 2020 update brought many additional features to better support teams working from home. These include:

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What is Microsoft Teams? A look into Microsofts collaboration platform - Digital Trends

Microsoft now has 10 million subscribers to its Xbox Game Pass service, the company confirmed during an investor call yesterday. Its the first time Microsoft has publicly disclosed Xbox Game Pass numbers, and its a sign that the companys ambitious bet on subscription gaming is starting to pay off. Microsoft has been trying to build a Netflix for video games for years, and it looks like its taking an early lead before a significant expansion to game streaming later this year.

10 million Xbox Game Pass subscribers is a significant milestone. EAs competing subscription services, EA Access and Origin Access, hit more than 5 million subscribers last year, and Sonys PlayStation Now subscriber base reached 1 million in October, five years after its debut. Apple and Google havent disclosed numbers for Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass, and Nvidias GeForce Now service reached 1 million users shortly after its launch.

Microsoft is also sharing some additional Xbox Game Pass statistics today. Since March, Xbox Game Pass members have added over 23 million friends on Xbox Live, which is a 70 percent growth in friendship rate, explains Xbox chief Phil Spencer. Game Pass members are also playing twice as much and engaging in more multiplayer gaming, which has increased by 130 percent.

A lot of this increased usage could be attributed to the coronavirus pandemic, and increased gaming activity that weve seen elsewhere. Xbox Live active users jumped to nearly 90 million this quarter, which includes Xbox, Windows 10, and mobile devices using Xbox Live.

Xbox Game Pass is currently available in 41 markets worldwide, priced at $9.99 per month for console access with more than 100 titles in the library that subscribers can download and play. Microsoft also expanded to Japan and Korea earlier this month. The software maker has been aggressively building up Xbox Game Pass since its debut nearly three years ago, and has regular introductory offers to incentivize people into subscribing to the service.

Its still difficult to measure the revenue impact of Xbox Game Pass on Microsofts earnings. Xbox content and services increased by just 2 percent in the recent quarter, despite increased engagement during stay-at-home pandemic-related orders.

There are a variety of ways to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass too, and Ultimate versions even include Xbox Live Gold access. Microsoft also launched a PC version of Xbox Game Pass last year, with more than 100 titles available as part of the monthly $4.99 charge during the beta period.

Microsoft is now gearing up for the next significant stage of Xbox Game Pass: streaming. Later this year our cloud game streaming technology, Project xCloud, will come to Game Pass, says Spencer. Microsoft hasnt revealed pricing for the combination of Xbox Game Pass and xCloud, but its reasonable to assume the streaming aspect will likely be bundled into some Game Pass tiers.

After dodging Xbox One sales numbers for years, Microsoft is clearly confident enough in its Xbox Game Pass strategy to reveal some early success rates. The company boldly claimed it wanted to reach 2 billion gamers in the world two years ago, and the combination of Xbox Game Pass and xCloud will be key to that.

Microsoft faces some roadblocks, though. Xbox Game Pass and Project xCloud are only available on Windows PCs, Xbox consoles, and Android devices. Microsoft is still working through some restrictions with Apples App Store policies, and theres no signs yet that Xbox Game Pass or xCloud streaming will be available on Sonys PlayStation 4 or Nintendos Switch consoles. Microsoft did partner with Sony last year, with Sony now looking to Microsofts vast cloud experience to help power its existing and future streaming services.

That unique partnership hints at where the industry is heading, as Microsoft and Sony look to share tech to fend off new competitors. Google launched its Stadia game streaming service last year, and its attempting to leverage its strong base of YouTube, Gmail, and search to convince people to subscribe to Stadia Pro. Spencer has also previously admitted that Microsoft sees Amazon and Google as its main gaming competition for the future, not Sony and Nintendo.

Microsoft missed the hardware sales opportunity during this current generation of Xbox consoles, lagging behind Sonys PS4 sales and even Nintendos Switch sales according to industry estimates. Xbox Game Pass offers a new path forward for Microsoft, particularly if the company can launch some solid first-party exclusives for the service ready for the Xbox Series X and beyond.

How Microsoft positions the combination of Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X, and Project xCloud, remains to be seen. Pricing will be key here, and Microsoft has already committed to Xbox All Access bundles that split the cost of an Xbox Series X console, Xbox Game Pass, and Xbox Live into monthly payments. A second next-gen Xbox thats cheaper and less powerful looks like an ideal pairing for Xbox Game Pass, but Microsoft isnt ready to discuss these plans just yet.

Were also inspired to deliver you our fastest, most powerful console ever that will set a new bar for performance, feel, speed and compatibility when it releases this holiday; as well as a library of games from our 15 Xbox Game Studios and thousands of development partners around the world, says Spencer. The combination of a new Xbox console, Xbox Game Pass, Project xCloud, and 15 Xbox Game Studios certainly sounds impressive on paper. Its now up to Microsoft to prove it can combine all these Xbox efforts and succeed with its plan to reach 2 billion gamers.

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Microsofts big Xbox Game Pass bet is starting to pay off - The Verge

The concept of smart cities has long-been seen as the epitome of human civilisation: collecting data about citizens their shopping choices, the way they travel and how they think communities could be improved and using it to improve public sector services. Organisations like Microsoft are realising this kind of innovation.

There are many challenges that smart cities could help to solve, says Kirk Arthur, senior director of business development for government at Microsoft. They range from reducing congestion through data-enabled transportation systems and managing urban waste more efficiently, to caring for vulnerable populations and improving cybersecurity for citizens and governments.

Many technologies can be employed to create this type of hyper-aware urban infrastructure, including the internet of things (IoT), according to Arthur.

IoT solutions can help connect infrastructures to better regulate traffic, make emergency systems more efficient and reduce emergency response times, he explains. Microsoft gives its customers access to a comprehensive portfolio of products, services and solutions to make the most of those IoT opportunities across devices, cloud, analytics and back-end systems. We make it possible for governments to bring IoT to any device and any platform so they can use their existing infrastructure and have a flexible and scalable solution that adapts to their needs and processes.

Having worked with various governments and public sector organisations for over 40 years, Microsoft has a wealth of experience in providing smart technologies to solve problems facing communities, including public safety in emergency situations. In partnership with IT solution provider Insight, Microsoft deployed an IoT-enabled alert and emergency response system built on the Microsoft Azure platform called ActiveShield in the Aldine Independent School District in Texas, USA.

Combined with data from cameras, motion sensors and alarms, Insight Connected Safety enables two-way communication and real-time alerts designed to protect students, staff and first responders in the event of an emergency, says Arthur. This is just one of the ways that we are using our solutions to realise smart cities based on data-enabled decisions.

IoT can also transform urban transportation by reducing congestion and emissions. The Belgian city of Antwerp employed the expertise of Microsoft and mobility expert Be-Mobile to enhance the citys transportation network with smart technology.

The city was facing increasing congestion, aggravated by the need for roadway repairs, explains Arthur. To head off gridlock, Be-Mobile designed a solution based on Microsoft Azure that guides traffic to off-street parking, provides mobility insights and suggests alternative transport modes. As a result, there are fewer cars entering the city centre, improved mobility flow and an increase in the use of active transport modes.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is also rising in popularity as it enables improved decision-making and accelerated operations through automation and instant business insights. However, according to Martin Neale, CEO of AI solution provider ICS.AI, public sector uptake of the technology has been much slower than the private sector. This is partly a result of a lack of awareness about what AI can do for local authorities.

Most people have an Alexa and know what it does, or have seen Terminator, he says. Anything between and beyond those extremes is alien. People, including those leading public sector organisations, simply arent aware of what they can do with AI and how it can be used to create a smart city.

But resources are also a consideration. Money is a critical factor for local government and while AI can ultimately improve how resources are prioritised, the potential cost of its implementation often inhibits further consideration.

Attitudes are changing though, with the help of companies like ICS.AI and Microsoft, and smart city solutions are on the rise.

We have deployed citizen assistants with many of our public sector customers, says Neale. These are AI bots that can answer peoples local government queries quickly and around the clock. It is a really good example of how councils can use AI to reduce costs and improve customer service in one fell swoop.

The benefits of IoT and AI for smart cities are not limited to reduced costs, increased efficiency and more informed decisions. These technologies are also essential to ensure civilised society operates as usual in times of global uncertainty, such as the current Covid-19 outbreak.

Online communication becomes not only desirable, but critical while people self-isolate to prevent the spread of the disease, says Neale. In situations like these online access is likely to play a major part in how people will continue to be relevant and knowledgeable in the workplace, and ensure that government, education and healthcare services continue to operate effectively.

This article was originally published in the Spring 2020 issue of The Record. Subscribe for FREE here to get the next issues delivered directly to your inbox.

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Microsoft technology is realising the smart city (r)evolution - Technology Record

Microsoft delayed its new Surface Earbuds from a 2019 release to spring 2020 in November, and although were still waiting to hear exactly when theyll finally come out, the user manual for the earbuds has hit the FCC. That indicates the wireless earbuds could be coming out soon.

Whats interesting in the manual are the details about the swipe gestures for the big circular touch pads on the Surface Earbuds:

And if you were curious about what the differently sized earbud tips looked like, the manual gives a closer look at those:

The manual also says that the Surface Earbuds will have eight hours of music playback, the charging case can hold up to 16 hours of battery life, and the case will charge over USB-C.

New photos of the Surface Earbuds also appeared from the FCC. Weve collected a few of those in the gallery below, if you want to take a closer look:

The Surface Earbuds will also have dictation for Office apps. Theyll cost $249.99 when they launch. My colleague Dan Seifert got to try the Surface Earbuds when Microsoft announced them in October, and you can check out his impressions in this video:

In addition to the Surface Earbuds, Microsoft appears to be preparing to launch an updated version of the Surface Headphones with 20 hours of battery life, up from 18 hours on the current model, as well as support for Bluetooth 5.0 and the aptX codec for high-definition audio. The Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2 could also be unveiled soon.

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Microsofts Surface Earbuds user manual hits the FCC, hinting the launch may be soon - The Verge

Microsoft has a range of Microsoft Teams-certified headphones from its partners, and now, some are getting the ability to integrate more deeply into the chat app. A new button feature will allow headset owners to bring Teams to the front on a Windows PC, join a meeting, or check missed calls and voicemail. Some existing headsets are getting firmware upgrades for the button support, and there are also new devices that are launching with dedicated buttons.

Its up to headset manufacturers to choose how the button interacts with Teams, and whether existing devices will get firmware updates to enable this functionality. Epos and Poly are both supplying firmware upgrades to enable the button support and integrate more deeply with Microsoft Teams.

Jabra is also introducing a new Evolve2 headset with a dedicated Microsoft Teams button that includes alerts for notifications. Logitechs Zone Wireless and Zone Wired headsets will let Teams users join a meeting from a button.

A button to launch your favorite corporate communications app might seem like something from the 1990s, but heavy users of Microsoft Teams will find this addition useful for managing meetings. The new button support comes just as Microsoft has revealed Teams usage has jumped again to 75 million daily active users.

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Microsoft Teams headphones now have a button to launch and control the chat app - The Verge

Zooms growth has exploded in recent weeks, leaving rivals like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook scrambling to respond. Millions of people have turned to Zoom to hold virtual get-togethers, birthday parties, and yoga classes during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This extra attention hasnt gone unnoticed among Zoom rivals, who are looking on enviously at Zooms growth: up from 10 million daily users in December to more than 300 million in April. While Zoom now battles security and privacy concerns, its rivals are starting to hit back.

Google is announcing today that its Meet video conferencing service, known previously as Hangouts Meet, is now free for anybody who wants to use it. Previously geared towards enterprise and educational use, Google Meet can now be used by anyone with a Google account, and supports meetings of any amount of time (at least until October when they might be limited to 60 minutes) for up to 100 people. Its a big move thats clearly designed to counter Zooms popularity.

Google is also seeing its own increase in demand for Meet, with more than 100 million daily meeting participants as people shift to remote work and schooling. That doesnt come close to the 300 million daily users that Zoom claims it has, but Google Meet is clearly emerging as a strong Zoom alternative.

Google is now adjusting how Meet works in response to Zoom. The option to show up to 16 people simultaneously rolled out just last week, and it looks very similar to Zooms popular gallery view. Meet is even being integrated into Gmail. This tighter Meet and Gmail integration is being overseen by Javier Soltero, Googles GM and VP of G Suite. Soltero was the co-founder of Accompli, the email app Microsoft acquired and turned into Outlook for iOS. Soltero left Microsoft at the end of 2018 after previously leading the companys Cortana efforts, and joined Google six months ago.

Zooms rise in popularity also caught Microsoft by surprise, even though the company recently identified Zoom as an emerging threat. Skype has failed to fully capitalize on the video calling market it once dominated, leaving the door wide open for competition. While Skype usage has increased to 40 million daily users (up from 23 million previously), its not been enough to counter Zooms popularity. Microsoft is now focused on rapidly improving its Teams product instead. Sources familiar with Microsofts plans tell The Verge that the company has been reassigning engineers to quickly roll out features in Teams that it had been planning for later this year.

Microsoft has been closely monitoring how people are using Teams for remote working, and finalized the rollout of new features like custom backgrounds recently. Virtual backgrounds have become very popular on Zoom, even reaching meme levels of admiration. Microsoft announced its own surge in Teams usage last month, alongside some new features its planning to deliver later this year. One feature, a virtual raise your hand for attention, is already beginning to roll out to Teams users. Much like Google, Microsoft is also preparing to increase the number of participants who can be viewed simultaneously in the coming weeks. Zoom currently supports 49 people in its simultaneous gallery view, with Microsoft about to support nine and Google at 16. Microsoft and Google are both planning to support even more people in the future.

We understand Microsoft had been planning to announce some of these new Teams options later this year, but the company has been forced to prioritize additions like a new real-time noise suppression feature as more people are working in makeshift home offices with noisy children and pets in the background. Microsoft also improved meeting management earlier this month a subtle response to Zooms problematic meeting administration and predicted that the coronavirus pandemic will forever change the way we work and learn.

Microsoft is also racing to get Teams ready for consumers to use this summer. The Teams for consumers push is part of a broader Microsoft 365 consumer subscription effort, and it involves tweaking Teams to make it friendly for groups of friends or families. Microsoft is aiming Teams at people who plan trips with friends, or those organizing book clubs and social gatherings. New features include the ability for friends to connect in a group chat or through video calls, and options to share to-do lists, photos, and other content in a single location.

Google and Microsoft arent the only competitors looking to respond to Zoom, though. Facebook quickly scrambled to launch Messenger Rooms last week, an answer to Zoom and Houseparty. The New York Times reported that Zooms popularity caught the attention of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who reportedly ordered the company to respond as employees openly gawked at public data showing Zooms growing popularity.

Some rivals have even turned to highlighting Zooms security issues as a method to hit back. Cisco, which operates the popular Webex web conferencing service, has been encouraging employees and partners to ask questions about Zooms security and privacy flaws, according to an internal document seen by The Verge. The document encourages Cisco partners not to buy into the Zoom hype, and includes several talking points for how Cisco Webex employees and partners can respond to Zooms increase in market share. Cisco even openly questions what did they [Zoom] do with the data they already sold? in the document that highlighted Zoom privacy fears last month.

The real test for Zoom and its competitors will be the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. Microsoft is preparing for a future thats vastly different, but one where the company believes this video calling surge will decline. Nobody could have predicted Zooms rapid rise in popularity in response to a global pandemic. The race is now on to see which company leads the way in shaping how many of us communicate with friends, family, and coworkers in the new normal that emerges in the months ahead.

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Google and Microsoft chase after Zoom with new features and free services - The Verge