Microsoft Support & Discussions

A new version of Apple's wireless keyboard seems to have popped up on a number of the company's online stores around the world. The new keyboard, like those found on Apple's MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops, now seems to have backlight controls on the F5 and F6 keys, indicating that the standalone keyboard could be backlit, though there are no other signs that this is the case. Previously, those keys were blank, with no pre-assigned function. The keyboard also appears to have a power button taking place of the eject key, which now has little purpose on most Apple devices. Images of the keyboard have been spotted on Apple's Online Store for the Czech Repub…

When I joined Microsoft last September, it was evident I joined a company with bold ambitions and one eager to rethink business norms and foster a new culture of creation. This was motivating given my charter to drive business deals and strategic partnerships across various industries. In the past year, Microsoft has made a series of moves to win over the hearts and minds of customers. We’ve re-engineered many of our flagship products to be more modern, we’ve acquired companies that are rethinking traditional categories of productivity, and we’ve made some of our most popular services more readily available than ever. Our aspirations are simple: continue to grow and bu…

It took 18 months to for authors Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli to get Apple executives on board with their new biography, Becoming Steve Jobs. The book explores the personal and professional evolution of the late Steve Jobs. Drawing Schlender's 25 years of reporting on Jobs, the book also features several interviews with Apple executives, including Jony Ive and Tim Cook. However, Apple initially declined to participate, according to The New York Times: Apple's cooperation wasn't easily won, Mr. Schlender and Mr. Tetzeli said in an email interview. When the veteran tech journalists first approached the company about the book in 2012, both were told executives w…

April's issue of fashion magazine Elle will not only feature the Apple Watch, but provide guides on looking good with the smartwatch. The Apple Watch has yet to go on sale, but that hasn't halted fashion sources from prepping helpful tips and guides as to how purchasers can integrate their upcoming investment into their personal style. The smartwatch starred in a photo shoot with Elle fashion editor Sara Smith. Various styles are covered, including fashion for the workplace, as recommended by Smith herself: "Wear a sexy silk Equipment shirt, buttoned down low with a black silk camisole underneath, and add a sharp tailored blazer and man-style pants. Mean busine…

Got a message on your Mac that says you have to update Flash? Make sure it's not a malware hijack, and update Flash safely! Adobe frequently updates its Flash software with security improvements and other changes. Seeing update messages has become routine enough that some malware developers have started using "Flash updates" as a way of infecting your computer. Learn how to safely update your Mac to the latest version of Flash without worrying about malware or adware getting on there too. What is Flash? Adobe's Flash multimedia software remains very popular for web content. Apple no longer pre-installs Flash on the Mac, but many of us have put it on on so we ca…

The iPhone 6 debuted in September 2014 and the HTC One M9 is just about to hit the shelves, but for the next 6 months they'll be going head-to-head. That means a lot of people are going to be comparing them and wondering which to go home with. As luck would have it, Phil Nickinson and the team at Android Central have just posted their complete HTC One M9 review. Both have great build-quality, great screen quality, and more. But they also have a lot of differences, including the differences between Android and iOS. If you're a longtime HTC owner, the One M9 might just be enough to keep you. If not, it might give you reason to switch to iPhone. Either way, here's what yo…

Apple TV has a problem with errors. It gives them when they don't really exist. Luckily, once you know the system is broken, you can work around it. One of the biggest things that complicates Apple TV — and iTunes in general — is the content delivery networks that serve up all the movies, TV shows, music, apps, and podcasts. Which individual server has what and when can lead to search results not populating and purchased content not showing as available. It can even lead to the dreaded 'iTunes Store currently unavailable' for some TV shows when it's perfectly available for others. Here's how to fix it. How to work around an 'iTunes Store not available' error on Appl…

You land on a web page in mobile Safari and all of a sudden you're torn away and dumped into some game on the Apple Store. We've gotten complaints about this — and experienced it ourselves — for what feels like a couple years. Something causes a web page, when opened, to immediately redirect you to the App Store, almost always to the listing for a popular game. Maybe the perpetrators are hoping you're so enticed by the game you download it even after being hijacked, so they'll get some revenue, direct or affiliate. But it deplorable and, even after a couple of years, it's unclear how and why it keeps happening. Apple patched Safari iOS 8 in an effort to prevent just…

The Amzer Jelly Case is made out of 100% premium silicone and is a great, lightweight option for protecting your iPhone 6. It comes in five colors with access to all the ports and buttons of the device. Get yours today for only $4.95 Continue reading...

Many game developers don't bother with Mac support, but 11 bit does. Here's why. 11 bit Studios is the game developer behind the popular Anomaly series and This War of Mine, a powerful new game that casts you in the role of a survivor of a civil war trying to scavenge to live in the ruins of a city under siege. I recently took a look at the game and came away impressed. Turns out they have a pretty good attitude about supporting the Mac, too. In an interview with MacGamerHQ, the developers explain that money isn't the big reason they support Mac and Linux alongside Windows. It really makes sense to build connection with Linux and Mac gaming community. They'r…

Despite ongoing attempts to spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt, banks still bullish on Apple Pay. A curious cluster of articles appeared in the newspapers over the last two weeks attempting to link Apple Pay to heightened levels of fraud. The sensationalist headlines and narratives never matched the facts, however, and now we know why — the facts didn't support them. . CNNMoney did some actual reporting: But CNNMoney spoke to the nation's largest banks, an association of community banks and Apple. The takeaway? This high level of fraud isn't really widespread. Banks also make this point: Banks get stuck with fraud costs. Yet dozens of small banks are in a lon…

[/url] Bands, loops, classic and modern buckles, or link bracelets — the Apple Watch collection offers a wide range of straps for you to choose from. That gives you a lot of choice, but it also means you might have a harder time making a choice. There are bands for active lifestyles, for casual comfort, and for elegant occasions. There are bands with pins, with magnetic fasteners, and with traditional buckles. There are bands with earth tones and made of metal. There are... a lot of bands! If you're having trouble deciding, here's some help! Two case colors, fourteen bands The Apple Watch collection comes in two different case colors — stainless steel and di…

Step by step instructions on how to replace a broken loud speaker in your iPhone The loud speaker in your iPhone is what makes it possible for you to talk on speakerphone, play music, and hear alert notifications for text messages, phone calls, and more. If the loud speaker is defective or blown, you may experience symptoms such as no sound at all except through the earpiece, crackling audio, or intermittent audio issues. If any of that sounds like something you're experiencing, your loud speaker will most likely have to be replaced. If you're out of warranty or own an older iPhone, a DIY repair can save you some money if you aren't yet ready to purchase a new iPhone. …

Not looking for multiple layers of protection? This durable hard case from Wireless One is a great solution for your iPhone 6! The quick and easy snap-on application is a breeze, and even leaves openings for all your ports and buttons. Pick your favorite color today for only $8.95 Continue reading...

Never mind GarageBand. Here's a drum machine that works in a web browser! Roland's TR-808 is the legendary drum machine responsible for some of hip-hop and electronica's most recognizable sounds. Now it's emulated on an HTML5-based web site, along with other popular drum machines. HTML5 Drum Machine operates in a web browser. I couldn't get it to work in Safari 8.0.5 on my Retina MacBook Pro running a beta version of 10.10.3, but Firefox worked just fine. The site features not only the TR-808 but also Roland's TR-909, Elektron's Machinedrum, the LinnDrum and plain old acoustic drums too. Just choose the "Drum Kit Select" menu to cycle through the different opti…

Control Center is a way to get at all your toggles, sliders, buttons, and basic actions, all in one place. Since it's debut in iOS 7 back in 2013, Control Center hasn't changed much. Pull it up from the bottom of the screen and you get quick access to a variety of options. The top row gives you airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, do not disturb, and orientation lock. Next is a brightness slider. After that is media, including play, pause, skip, and volume. Then you have AirDrop and AirPlay. Last row is flashlight, timer, calculator, and camera. iOS 8 gave Control Center a minor facelift, something to make the different regions neater and easier to parse visually. There…

The iMore show brings you everything you need to know about the week in iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple! On this episode — Should you get an Apple Watch? Which size should you get? Which Collection? Which band and in what color? We've got your complete Apple Watch buyers guide here! With Serenity Caldwell, Peter Cohen, Georgia Dow, Ally Kazmucha, Rene Ritchie. Subscribe in iTunes: Audio Subscribe in RSS: Audio Download directly: Audio Show notes Apple Watch buyers guide Apple Watch FAQ Hosts Serenity Caldwell Peter Cohen Georgia Dow Ally Kazmucha Rene Ritchie Join us live! The best way to enjoy the iMore show is by joining us live. Not only d…

Two of the smartest Apple minds I know on The Talk Show this week: Serenity Caldwell and John Gruber. They talk MacBook, Photos for Mac, the PowerBook Duo, and (of course) the Apple Watch. Special guest Serenity Caldwell joins the show. Topics include last week's "Spring Forward" Apple media event; the new Force Touch Trackpad for MacBooks, and the prospects for force touch in future iOS devices; and of course, Apple Watch. You can grab a beverage and stream it now via the dingus above or, better still, subscribe to it via Daring Fireball. Continue reading...

Apple's most recent 13-inch MacBook Pro, along with both of the new MacBook Air models, ship without Boot Camp support for Windows 7. Boot Camp allows Mac users to install Windows on a hard drive partition. On Apple's latest 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, as well as the most recent models of the MacBook Air, only the 64-bit release of Windows 8 is supported in Boot Camp. All three of the new laptops were announced earlier this month at Apple's "Spring Forward" event. If you own one of these machines, and need to run Windows 7 on them, you'll need to turn to another solution, such as VMWare Fusion or Parallels. You can find the full list of Boot Camp-capabl…

I'm curious about how Apple Watch technology will evolve. I'm also excited to see the third party market. I admit that I'm later to the Apple Watch game than some of my colleagues. It was only recently that I had an epiphany about how the Apple Watch could really change things for me. I'm excited about them now. But what I'm even more excited about is seeing what happens from here. For my part, I finally realized how helpful and personalized the Apple Watch will be to help me manage chronic health conditions. That's a game-changer. Thinking beyond what the product that's about to go on sale can do, however, my imagination reels at the possibilities opened by we…

Brent Schlender, co-author of the upcoming Becoming Steve Jobs, opens up about his relationship with Jobs in the new book. Jobs and Schlender first met in 1986 as Jobs was trying to get publicity for NeXT. Schlender, who at the time was working for The Wall Street Journal, refused to do a story on Jobs and the company. But that didn't sour Jobs' opinion on him, and it marked the beginning of what would be a 25-year relationship between subject and reporter, according to Fortune: "Not writing a feature was the first salvo in the twenty-five-year-long negotiation that marked our relationship," writes Schlender in the prologue that kickstarts the book. "There was …

We may have gotten our first look at the Demo Kits that will be used to allow customers to try on in-ear headphones in Apple Retail Stores. Apple's intention to let customers try on in-ear headsets in their stores was reported earlier this month. The Demo Kit were reported to consist of six pairs of headphones: The urBeats, Beats Tour, and PowerBeats 2 Wireless, all made by the Apple-owned Beats Electronics, and the RHA MA450i, JayBird BlueBuds X, and the Bose QC20. An image of the kit has reportedly surfaced, thanks to Japanese blog Macotakara. Customers who make use of the Demo Kit are said to be able to keep the tips that are used when trying on headphones…

http://www.zdnet.com/article/will-microsoft-piracy-obsession-create-a-windows-10-licensing-mess/#ftag=RSSbaffb68

Need help planning your wedding? These iPhone apps are sure to help you plan the perfect day you'll never forget! Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, for both you and your partner. For most of us that also means a ton of things to get done between now and then. That's why I've gathered together the very best iPhone apps to help make planning your wedding as stress free as possible. From finding the perfect dress to picking a venue and everything in between, we've got you covered! 1. Appy Couple For getting the word out The first thing you have to do is let people know the good news! Appy Couple is an easy and elegant way to d…

Apple once again rumored to revamp Apple TV, this time for WWDC in June. The specs are pretty much the same as previous reports — a modern chipset, an App Store, HomeKit, and Siri. Which makes sense given the last update was March, 2012 and Apple has updated a lot of their core technologies since then. John Paczkowski, writing for BuzzFeed: As for the new Apple TV box itself, expect an updated design and new innards: the company's latest A8 system-on-chip — or a variant of it: a dramatic increase in on-board storage to accommodate app downloads — well beyond the 8GB in the current device; and an improved operating system that will support Siri voice control Apple…