Microsoft gets sued, there are now 350 million users of Windows 10, and we get a date for the Anniversary Update. In addition, it looks like a Surface all-in-one could happen sometime later this year or, more likely, early 2017.
If you missed the week in Microsoft news here is our roundup of all the major stories.
Windows
After a rash of complaints, and at least one lawsuit, over Microsoft approach to getting customers to upgrade to Windows 10, the company has decided to change their tactics. Customers on older versions of Windows will now be given three options: upgrade now, schedule an upgrade, or decline the free upgrade altogether.
In this final month of the free offer, Microsoft will use a full-screen prompt to drive the point home.
Insiders in the Release Preview ring were able to upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile build 10586.456, delivering a handful of fixes and improvements.
Meanwhile, build 14372 went out to the Slow ring and the Fast ring got preview build 14376.
Microsoft announced that they will no longer be including the previously-announced "Messaging Everywhere feature" in this summer's Anniversary Update, choosing instead to scrap the Messaging app and work on incorporating it into Skype at a later time.
And speaking of the Anniversary Update, it's official; the big day is August 2nd. A Microsoft blog post accidentally spilled the beans, but a day later, Redmond confirmed.
With Anniversary builds already available via the Windows Insider Program, the question is should you upgrade now or wait until August?
Other notable items:
- Windows 10 PC Insider preview build 14366 ISO files now available for download
- How to disable or uninstall OneDrive on Windows 10 PC
- How to disable location tracking on Windows 10 PC
- 15 tips for better browsing using Microsoft Edge on Windows 10
- How to configure Quiet Hours in Windows 10
- VLC for Windows 10 is now available for everyone to enjoy
- How to change your keyboard layout on Windows 10 PC
- Windows 10 now running on over 350 million devices worldwide
- Windows 10 Anniversary Update to include lots of security improvements
- Microsoft launches Office Delve PC preview app for Windows 10
- How to customize your Start Menu in Windows 10
- How to disable the Windows 10 lock screen
- How to join the Windows Insider Program
- Skype Preview updated for Windows 10 Anniversary Preview with minor fixes
- How to manage local users in Windows 10
- How to fix "This app has been blocked for your protection" prompt on Windows 10 PC
- Microsoft shows how developers can add HDR image features in Windows 10 camera apps
- Microsoft Whiteboard for Windows 10 will enable teachers and students to share ideas
- How to close and permanently delete your Microsoft account
- Windows 10's PC worldwide market share exceeded 19% in June
- How to disable Bing search in the Windows 10 Start menu
Microsoft
The Microsoft Band 2 picked up a firmware update, although no details were given on exactly what it included.
Microsoft has decided to discontinue Xbox Fitness feature over the next year. Current users can no longer purchase new content, but they will still be able to use what they have until June 30, 2017.
The company is doing a little bit of backpedaling on another feature that they said they were discontinuing. When asked about the recently-cancelled TV DVR in an interview with GameSpot, Xbox general manager Dave McCarthy said he "wouldn't rule it out entirely." McCarthy stated that they are constantly evaluating customer feedback and that if enough people requested it, we could see and Xbox One TV DVR in the future.
Details on the Xbox Anniversary Update were confirmed ahead of the August 2 rollout. Some of the marquee features to expect are Language Region Independence, support for background music, Cortana, and the new Xbox Play Anywhere program, which will allow you to play some of your games on both your game console and your Windows 10 PC.
The Xbox Play Anywhere program will officially launch on September 13 with the release of ReCore.
And it looks like Microsoft may be bringing back an iteration of the PixelSense table-PC as an all-in-one Surface for your living room. However, French company Kineti beat them to the punch, unveiling their own 42-inch touchscreen PC built in a coffee table.
Other notable items:
- An (A)I, (B)ots and (C)anvases Conversation Part I: My evolving view of Microsoft's AI vision
- The Surface Pro 4 is now even more affordable at Staples
- Microsoft Research's hand gesture recognition tools pick up where Kinect left off
- 10 tips for speeding up a slow PC
- Check out the full tour of Microsoft's Surface labs from today's livestream
- Microsoft's latest smartphone patent agreement is with Luna Mobile
- Former Microsoft Press Play team members get together to form Lightbulb Games
- Microsoft's Xbox team promotes its 'record-breaking' E3 2016 stats
- Microsoft is rolling out new travel and package tracking features for Outlook
- Satya Nadella offers his thoughts on building helpful artificial intelligence
- There are now 1 million Xbox One Elite Controllers in the wild
- Merging the Microsoft HoloLens and Kinect could get us one step closer to the holodeck
- Students in the U.S. and Canada can save at least $300 off a Surface-Xbox One bundle
- Satya Nadella to write non-fiction book "Hit Refresh", coming Fall 2017
- Microsoft's latest Groove Music Pass promo offers 4 months for the price of 1 (US only)
- Microsoft's 1TB Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 are available in 10 more markets
- Microsoft and Sprinklr team up to create new experience management suite
- Wunderlist Chief Design Officer leaves for Microsoft's Outlook team
- Microsoft confirms launch of Windows Insider MVP Program
- New Xbox One Preview experience rolling out, brings Movies & TV app and more
Miscellaneous
SanDisk announced two new 256GB microSD cards, including the Extreme microSDXC UHS-I card, which promises transfer speeds as fast as 100MB/s. The regular chip will hit shelves in August for $150, and the Extreme is due out later this year for $200.
Dell unveiled a new 70-inch touchscreen monitor intended to replace the whiteboards in schools and businesses. The 1920x1080 is designed to work with Windows 10 PCs and will run you about $5000.
Facebook will be implementing changes to the News Feed that are designed to prioritize posts by the people you hold most dear. The idea is to raise photos, videos, status updates by close friends to the top of the feed so you don't miss those moments.
And finally, please join us in welcoming MrMobile! Michael Fisher will be giving you his take on everything mobile, so be sure to check it out.
Other notable items:
- Best UK roaming data plans for Europe
- Best home video editing software
- SanDisk Extreme 510 is a portable SSD that's essential for creators
- Best external Blu-ray drives
- GTX 1060 shows up in Hong Kong, may turn out to be NVIDIA's answer to the Radeon RX 480
- Panasonic's 4th-gen Toughpad FZ-G1 comes with improved performance and battery life
- Huawei MateBook Review
- Evernote hikes up prices, limits free users to two devices
- ASUS announces the ROG STRIX RX 480, its first AMD Polaris graphics card
- HTC confirms setting up a Vive subsidiary, but for alliances, not sale
- Amazon Prime Day makes its triumphant return on July 12
- Turtle Beach's HyperSound Glass was the most jaw-dropping discovery at E3
- AT&T customers can claim free movie ticket as part of new rewards program
- [Dell discontinues Android-based Venue tablets in favor of Windows 10 2-in-- One touch Cortana – Our Satechi Bluetooth Cortana Button review for Windows 10
Share your thoughts on this past week of news! And we'll be back again next week to do it all over again.
