Microsoft Support & Discussions

Just another regular workweek gone by, you say? Not at Microsoft. We’ve been busy, with mosquitoes, drones and disease prevention in our sights; working to increase Internet access in rural areas around the world; and providing a very big canvas for collaboration in the office. Microsoft researchers are working with academic partners on Project Premonition, a system that aims to detect infectious disease outbreaks before they become widespread. The system collects and analyzes mosquitoes to look for early signs that potentially harmful diseases are spreading. Drones fly mosquito traps in and out of remote areas in a semi-autonomous way. Once the mosquitoes have been co…

WiFi thermostat manufacturers claim they can make sure you're not running the air conditioning too long in the summer or the heat too long in the winter, and ultimately generate energy bill savings. Are those savings enough to be worth the initial investment? The novelty value of being able to control home temperature with your iPhone or iPad is high, but in terms of real dollars and cents, WiFi thermostats are expensive compared to normal programmable thermostats, especially if you require pro installation. The degree of energy savings will determine whether a WiFi thermostat is a worthwhile purchase, and we're going to help you figure that out. Scheduling your WiF…

Twitterrific has added in enhancements to usability on both the iPhone and Apple Watch. The app now also fully supports Twitter's tweet quoting feature. Twitterrific 5.12 makes the app easier to use with one hand, adding the option to move the tab bar to the bottom of your timeline. Doing so will also reveal a customizable slot on the bar. The app has also added full support for Twitter's tweet quoting feature. Hold down on the retweet button to quote a tweet. Apple Watch owners can now use quick replies with Twitterrific, along with emoji. You can see all of the new features coming along with Twitterrific 5.12 in the list below: Full support for Quoted Tw…

Google Slides has gained Airplay support, making it even easier to set up and give presentations from your mobile device. Google has added Airplay support to its Slides app, letting users cast their presentations to a larger screen with ease. With the addition of Airplay support, getting set up for presentations and even controlling them, has been made a great deal easier. When you're up on the big screen, you can use your smaller screen to advance slides, view speaker notes and stay on track with a built-in timer. This way you can focus more on telling your story and engaging your audience...instead of on logistics. The updated Slides app with Airplay sup…

You can buy an iPhone 6 from Apple anodized with matte gold coloring. It's a nice enough phone, but it's no luxury. That gold iPhone costs no more than one in silver or space gray, and it does nothing else different. Apple also makes a solid gold Apple Watch. It costs much more than a standard aluminum or steel Apple Watch. The Apple Watch Edition has a nicer buying experience and improved customer support (not that Apple's ever been lacking in that department). But even at up to $17,000 it too does nothing that a $350 Apple Watch Sport doesn't do. Well, the Apple Watch Edition is exclusive and brings the bling, it has that going for it. But luxury can be much mor…

In a new blog post and vlog, T-Mobile CEO John Legere expresses some extreme concern about the future of the internet, and in his normal ways tries to get everyone else involved. John Legere is looking to rally together smartphone users to make sure that the future of the mobile internet is not left in the hands of the wrong people. In a new blog post and vlog, Legere states "if you're not pissed off, you're not paying attention." This type of behavior is what we have come to expect from the outspoken CEO, but when he is passionate about something he wants to make sure that passion is shared. From his blog post: Spectrum is valuable, and there is a finite amo…

Foxconn is reportedly looking to start manufacturing iPhones in India, and is scouting locations in the countries for factories. Foxconn, Apple's primary device manufacturing partner, is reportedly scouting locations in India for a factory focused on Apple devices. This would be an expansion of Foxconn operations, and would allow the company to base their manufacturing sites in more places where devices are sold. Manufacturing in India could allow the cost of iPhones to drop slightly for that country, according to Reuters: Foxconn Technology is in talks to manufacture Apple's iPhone in India, government officials said, in a move that could lower prices in the w…

Sonic Dash has been enjoyed by millions of fans, and to celebrate the 100 millionth download across all platforms SEGA has teamed up with Rovio to bring across the Angry Birds crew. For a limited time only, players will be able to collect special Angry Birds Epic tokens to unlock three characters - Red 'Knight,' Chuck 'Mage,' and Bomb 'Pirate.' You'll be able to race through the endless runner as one of three unlocked characters. The Angry Birds will remain playable following the close of the event. If you're lazy and don't wish to collect said tokens in-game, you're able to purchase the characters outright using premium currency. Hitting 100 million downloads…

The SURFACE Reveal Case is the ultimate low-profile iPhone 6 Plus hard cover; combining a super-slim design with a protective outer shell that reveals the Apple logo on the back. The exterior features a soft coating that provides additional grip, too! Available in black, blue or gold for only $17.95 Continue reading...

Transistor, the strategic action game from the creators of Bastion, is now available for iPhone and iPad. Transistor, the latest game from the creators of Bastion, has arrived on the iPhone and iPad. An action-RPG, Transistor takes place in Cloudbank, a city on the verge of destruction. You take on the role of Red, a famous singer in the city who has lost her voice following an attack. With the help of the Transistor, a massive, seemingly-conscious sword, you fight against and uncover the mystery of the Process, a robotic army bent on wiping out the city. Your battle against the Process will unlock several unique abilities that let you shoot energy beams, thr…

The popular mobile puzzle game Threes! can now be played for free in a new version, but it comes with in-game ads. The great puzzle game Threes! was released for the iPhone and iPad over a year ago, but it costs $2.99, which is a barrier for many people who simply don't want to pay for their games. Now the team behind Threes! has a new version of the game that's completely free to play, but it does contain in-game ads. The free version contains all of the content offered by the older paid game, but players will have to look at ads periodically. The free version doesn't have the option of turning the ads off for a fee, but players who don't want to deal with th…

One of the great features of SmartThings is the open platform. That means the system isn't just compatible with first-party devices, but a plethora of officially (and unofficially) supported devices as well. One such device that works with SmartThings — though isn't yet officially supported — is the ecobee 3 smart WiFi thermostat. If you haven't heard of it before, SmartThings is a smart home system that supports various connected devices like door sensors, smart locks, motion sensors, connected lights, and much more. Using SmartThings is one of the easiest ways to get started making your home a smart one. Diving into this, we're assuming that you're already a Sma…

ResearchKit, the open source project from Apple aimed at improving medical research using apps, has reached a new stable version and added support for the iPad. ResearchKit, the framework created by Apple that allows developers to build apps for medical research, has hit a new stable version, 1.1. Among the improvements in the latest stable version is iPad support. This should allow developers and medical institutions to build diagnostic and research apps specifically for the iPad. The larger screen on the iPad could be easier for some patients to navigate and use, compared to the iPhone's smaller display. Below are many of the significant contributions found in R…

Hearthstone has some changes coming down the line that include a new play mode, new heroes, and other features. If you're a big fan of Blizzard's digital card game, Hearthstone, you'll be happy to know some big changes are coming. Perhaps the most notable of these changes is the addition of a new game mode called "Tavern Brawl," which is a repeating, temporary event that adds some unique flavor to matches. Here's how Blizzard describes it: Each week, a different Tavern Brawl will pit you head to head versus another player using exciting and unique rules. One week might feature preset decks, while another week could have you crafting a brand new Tavern Brawl d…

TheScore eSports has picked up live scoring information and stats for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. If you're into competitive gaming and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is your main squeeze, you can now track live score coverage and stats from your iPhone with theScore eSports. You'll get full live coverage of major Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments, including push notifications, stats on kills and assists, and more. If you're unfamiliar with theScore eSports, the app comes from the maker of popular traditional sports tracking app, theScore, and was released earlier this year as the first dedicated app for comprehensive eSports coverage. With toda…

Twitter has announced that they will now allow users to share lists of blocked accounts from the web version of the service. Twitter has announced that users of its web app will now be able to share their lists of blocked accounts with others. This initiative is an extension of Twitter's anti-harassment tools, introduced late last year. Now, if you want, you can export your list of blocked accounts, sharing it with another user, letting them block multiple accounts at once. From Twitter: You can now export and share your block lists with people in your community facing similar issues or import another user's list into your own account and block multiple accoun…

FiftyThree's Bluetooth-connected stylus Pencil is on sale right now, with prices starting from $39.95. The Graphite version now available for $39.95 (down from $49.95), and the prices of the Walnut and Gold editions have been slashed to $49.95 from their usual retail price of $59.95. Last year, FiftyThree launched a Software Development Kit for the stylus, giving third-party developers the ability to build in support for features such as palm rejection, erase, and blend into their own apps. The list of Pencil-ready apps currently include Autodesk's Sketchbook, Adobe's creative utilities, Procreate, Noteshelf and much more. Buy FiftyThree's Pencil stylus …

Attorneys general from two states are investigating Apple for anti-competitive tactics in its deals with record labels for Apple Music. Apple Music was only just announced, but the attorneys general from both New York and Connecticut are investigating Apple over concerns that the company may be pressuring or working with record labels to discourage free streaming options from rivals like Spotify. From The New York Times: The attorneys general wanted to know whether Apple pressured the music labels — or whether the labels conspired with Apple and one another — to withdraw support for popular "freemium" services offered by companies like Spotify in favor of Apple's…

IFTTT — recently rebranded to just IF — is an extremely powerful tool for our connected universe, and pairing it up with the center of your smart home is a no-brainer. Recently added to the IFTTT arsenal of channels is the ecobee 3 smart WiFi thermostat. Using IFTTT with your ecobee 3 allows you to take even more control over your heating and cooling system, interacting with other smart services & devices in your home and making your life a whole lot easier. The ecobee 3 is already an insanely smart thermostat out of the box, but bundle in some great IFTTT recipes and you have many amazing tools at hand. Much can be done within ecobee already, but IFTTT expands t…

You showed us your best #shotonapplewatch photos, and here's our winner! The Apple Watch's Camera Remote feature is great for shooting photos you might not otherwise be able to take. A few weeks ago, we challenged you to take great #shotonapplewatch photos, and here's our pick! "Two thousand fifteen?! You mean we're in the future!" #shotonapplewatch A photo posted by Justyn McCabe (@ijustyn) on May 26, 2015 at 2:38pm PDT Congrats, Justyn McCabe! His Back to the Future-inspired entry is above. When entering, Justyn said: Finally have my 42mm Silver Sport with a white band. I used a plastic cup as a tripod for my iPhone 6. Then made a few edits with…

Why upgrading to HomeKit often requires new hardware for new features. There's an article in Fortune today that talks about the transition to HomeKit, Apple's home automation framework, and the hardware upgrades it necessitates. Unfortunately, instead of trying to inform people about what's happening and why, so they can make better buying decisions, the article sensationalizes it. And that hurts the reader. So, what's really happening? The article tries to say HomeKit is a "mess" because of the hardware requirements. The truth is, home automation is a mess, and HomeKit's hardware requirements are an attempt to clean it up. Until now, there were no security re…

I’m pleased to announce that Microsoft has completed the acquisition of BlueStripe Software, a leading provider of application management technology. BlueStripe’s solution helps map, monitor and troubleshoot distributed applications across heterogeneous operating systems and multiple datacenter and cloud environments. BlueStripe is commonly used today by customers to extend the value of Microsoft System Center by adding application-aware infrastructure performance monitoring. More and more, businesses are turning to applications to drive innovation and gain competitive advantage. To support this explosion of applications, agile cloud development environments and more c…

Every Tuesday, the iTunes Store adds new music, movies, and more to its lineup. This week, we have new music from Muse and Of Monsters and Men, , and more. This week in new music, we have Muse's seventh studio album, Drones. Icelandic group Of Monsters and Men have released their second album, Beneath the Skin. HBO also got in on this week's new music, releasing the soundtrack to the fifth and current season of their hit Game of Thrones. Drones - $10.99 - Download Now Beneath the Skin - $9.99 - Download Now Game of Thrones: Season 5 soundtrack - $9.99 - Download Now A couple of movies have come to iTunes three week ahead of their Blu-ray and DVD releases…

Google maps will now let you send directions from your desktop to your iPhone. If you're planning a trip in the near future, Google Maps got a nice update that's sure to come in handy. Users can now send directions from their desktop browser straight to their iPhone. The way it works is fairly simple, but you'll need to do a couple of things to get set up. After you grab the update, head into the settings menu for Google Maps and enable notifications sent from desktop maps. After that's taken care of, you can simply head to Google Search on your browser and type "send directions to my phone," at which point you can enter your destination and, well, send the direct…