ICYMI: June 6, 2015

A lot can happen in a week. Seven days might not seem like much, but it can be an eternity in the tech news cycle.

Between Windows news, hardware and software developments and Microsoft's fast-paced movements throughout the technology landscape, it's never easy to keep your hand on the pulse of technology. Not to mention everything that's going on right here at Windows Central!

Every week we're going to compile the biggest stories into one post, so you never fall behind – In Case You Missed It (ICYMI).

Windows

Windows

Windows news this week was dominated by information about Windows 10's release and the upgrade process. Microsoft when they announced that Windows 10 is launching July 29. Windows 10 is a free upgrade that anyone with a Windows 7 or Windows 8 PC can reserve right now

When you do, Windows 10 will be pre-loaded on your PC ahead of its July 29 launch if you upgrade and be ready to install on the release date. You can find out which version of Windows 10 you will get when you upgrade here.

If you are planning on purchasing Windows 10, you can expect that Windows 10 Home will be $119 while Windows 10 Pro will run you $199. We ran a readers' poll and found that a whopping 80 percent of you are gearing up to upgrade to Windows 10 on July 29.

Not sure if your current PC can handle the upgrade? Check out the Windows 10 system requirements. And be sure you know what features and apps from Windows 7 and 8.1 will be affected.

For those of you who are not interested in taking Microsoft up on their offer, you can remove the 'Get Windows 10' App from your PC and cancel your upgrade reservation.

Other notable items:

  • Microsoft releases ISOs for Windows 10 build 10130, delays Slow ring push Windows 10 build 10136 screenshots posted by Windows Insider chief
  • Microsoft won't offer a new Windows 10 build today, release notes for build 10135 leaked
  • Windows 10 build 10134 gets leaked on the Internet
  • Windows 10 build 10134 may be next for Fast ring users, 10130 could go to Slow ring
  • Fresh Windows 10 video reveals new Cortana notifications, highlights OS features
  • New OS market share data for May hints that Windows 8.1 could take second place over XP in June
  • Windows 10 PC preview build 10130 updated to fix some Outlook Mail bugs
  • Windows 10 Store updated with UI improvements, automatic downloads, and Live Tile option
  • 10-year old kids upgrade a PC to Windows 10 with ease in new Microsoft videos
  • Microsoft: 4 million Windows Insiders, 96 new Windows 10 devices in the pipeline
  • Don't worry, Windows 10 can be cleanly reinstalled if need be after free upgrade
  • Learn more about how Windows 10 handles snap modes for apps

Microsoft

Microsoft

On Monday, a report came out that Microsoft had bought 6Wunderkinder, maker or "to-do app" Wunderlist, for somewhere around $200 million. Sure enough, Microsoft confirmed it the next day.

In a blog post, Eran Megiddo. Microsoft's General Manager for OneNote, stated:

"The addition of Wunderlist to the Microsoft product portfolio fits squarely with our ambition to reinvent productivity for a mobile-first, cloud-first world. Building on momentum for Microsoft Office, OneNote and Skype for Business, as well as the recent Sunrise and Acompli acquisitions, it further demonstrates Microsoft's commitment to delivering market leading mobile apps across the platforms and devices our customers use – for mail, calendaring, messaging, notes and now tasks."

Microsoft also launched a new website for Microsoft WiFi, an upcoming re-branded version of Skype WiFi enabling consumers to connect to public hotspots around the world.

Skype made some waves when it was revealed that a simple eight-character message could cause it to crash. Thankfully, Microsoft quickly followed up with an update to fix the message crashing bug](/microsoft-has-updated-skype-fix-eight-character-message-crashing-bug).

They also rolled out some new features for Office 2016 public preview. They include:

  • Real Time Presence in Word
  • Simplified file sharing
  • Insights for Office
  • Version History improvements

Other notable items:

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

We were live at Computex, the gigantic tech conference in Taipei. Our own Richard Devine [put together a list of our top picks, which includes the stunning new ASUS Zen AiO, the newly-overhauled Dell XPS 15 with Infinity Display, Acer's Predator X34 Ultrawide curved gaming monitor, and more.

We got a look at Intel's Skylake reference devices, which pack top-of-the-line technology into the miniscule form factors.

And if you have an extra $1000 burning a hole in your pocket and can hold out until July, you can bolster the storage on your mobile device with the Microdia Xtra Elite512GB microSD card.

Other notable items:

Share your thoughts on this past week of news! And we'll be back again next week to do it all over again.

Seth Brodeur