All the important Microsoft news stories for April 30, 2016

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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

Fast ring users received Windows 10 build 14332 this week. The new build brings Cortana search for Office 365, as well as the usual fixes.

The update also kicked off Microsoft's "Bug Bash" initiative, which offers unique quests for Feedback Hub for Insiders to complete.

Word has it that Microsoft is targeting a late July launch for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Thurott.com writes:

"Considering that Windows 10 was released on July 29th, it would make sense that the company would release the Anniversary update on or around that date."

Facebook released official apps for many of its services on Windows 10 this week, including a Facebook PC app and a companion app for Facebook Messenger. An official Instagram app for Windows 10 computers and tablets is due out sometime later this year.

Other notable items:

Microsoft

Microsoft

Microsoft's Word Flow keyboard officially launched for the iPhone and iPad. The keyboard features type or swipe, advanced word prediction, autocorrect, and the ability to switch to Arc mode for one-handed typing.

Microsoft's recently-purchased Xamarin SDKs have been released as open source and offers some new features as well.

A leaked document lends credence to an Xbox One 'Slim' being announced at E3. The document says that the "Xbox One II" project started back in 2014, but just began production in February.

There are also rumblings that a new standard Xbox One controller, very similar in appearance, but in a new color, could make an appearance at E3.

Straight out of a sci-fi movie comes news that Microsoft "ten million long oligonucleotides" of synthetic DNA to be used to explore new methods of storing digital data. Although far from being ready for commercial purposes, it is said that one gram of DNA could be used to store about one trillion gigabytes of data.

And Microsoft will be throwing its hat into the political arena, but as a non-partisan technology supporter at both the 2016 Republican and Democratic conventions.

In a blog post, Fred Humphries, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President of U.S. Government Affairs, said:

"Based on our conversations with the Republican National Convention's host committee and committee on arrangements, we decided last fall to provide a variety of Microsoft technology products and services instead of making a cash donation. For the Democratic National Convention, we're providing access to similar Microsoft technology as well as some sponsorship of host committee activities. The Microsoft technology for both conventions includes Office 365, Azure, Surface and other products."

Other notable items:

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

A recent screenshot making its rounds online suggests that Google could be on its way to opening up the Google Play store to Chrome OS users, giving them access to the countless apps available for Android. A move like this could also eventually lead to us seeing Android apps running on Windows in the future, potentially threatening Microsoft's UWP strategy. However, at the moment, all of this is simply theory and speculation.

Information from hundreds of Spotify accounts were posted online, sparking concern that the music streaming company's systems had been breached. Spotify contends that this is not the case and that the account information was likely obtained through social engineering:

"Spotify has not been hacked and our user records are secure. We monitor Pastebin and other sites regularly. When we find Spotify credentials, we first verify that they are authentic, and if they are, we immediately notify affected users to change their passwords."

The Indian government announced that, starting in 2017, all phones sold in the country will be required to have a panic button that can be used to dial their "112" emergency number for police, fire, and medical assistance.

Dropbox introduced Project Infinite, a new feature that will let users access all of their online files using installed apps, regardless of how much free space they have on their device.

And the latest IDC numbers indicate that tablet shipments were down in Q1 2016, in favor of detachable devices, like Microsoft's Surface line of products. The trend points to consumer demand for more versatile devices that have the power of a computer with the convenience or a tablet.

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.

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Seth Brodeur
Seth Brodeur