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
This week, rumors from multiple sources claimed that extension support for Microsoft Edge may be coming to Windows 10 Insider builds soon.
Microsoft announced long ago that their browser would support extensions from third parties, the same way that competitors Chrome and Firefox do. The thought of most people is that the feature will be part of the Windows 10 "Redstone" update, but if these rumors prove true, it could arrive for Insiders as soon as this week.
Microsoft took quick action, pushing out an out-of-schedule critical update for Adobe Flash on Windows 10. The patch fixes a security hole "that could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system."
A new report from IDC says that Windows-based devices are poised to dominate the detachable tablet market shortly. While IDC predicts a %6 overall drop in tablets this year, sales are expected to pick up in the next few as detachable tablets, like Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 catch on with more consumers.
The report explains:
"This momentous shift in form factor will bring along the first significant impact of Windows-based devices that the tablet market has seen," said Ryan Reith, Program Director with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers. "Windows 10 seems to be making headway in both the PC and tablet markets, mainly driven by devices with larger screen sizes. Despite the free licensing on products under 9 inches the growth for Windows-based tablets will be primarily on devices with displays between 9 and 13 inches. Until we see a day where touch is introduced for Mac OS X and inroads are paved to bring Android and Chrome more closely aligned, we believe Windows remains the logical choice for detachable products."
Other notable items:
- Skype for Windows desktop gets updated, no word on any changes
- How to set up and manage Windows 10 HomeGroup on a local network
Microsoft
A report by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley says that Microsoft is slated to release a new line Windows 10 devices in early 2017. This is the reason why the second part of the "Redstone" update for Windows 10 was pushed back, so it would coincide with the next wave of the Windows 10 family. Foley writes:
"Last year, there were two releases of Windows 10 "Threshold": The initial RTM version out in June and the November update, known as Windows 10 1511. The plan was to follow a similar cadence with Windows 10 "Redstone," according to my sources, with Redstone 1 due in June and Redstone 2 in the November-ish time frame. However, according to my contacts, enterprise push-back isn't the reason for the Windows 10 Redstone 2 delay. Instead, it's supposedly the next wave of Windows 10 devices from Microsoft."
There was a lot of action in the realm of Skype this week. OneDrive and Office Online both got Skype chat and calling support and Skype Translator added Arabic to the list of languages it can speak.
Additionally, Microsoft announced that June of 2016 marks the end of support for Skype apps on televisions. The Microsoft Band 2 picked up some cool new features. One update lets the Band 2 render True Type fonts and emoji.
The second adds the ability to automatically pause a tracking sessionif you stop running or biking. The new Auto Pause is both optional and easy to set up on your Band.
Recent Xbox Live service outages have caused enough downtime to prompt some subscribers to request recompense from the company. Microsoft's Larry Hryb said on Reddit that he is discussing the possibility with his peers to see what can be done:
"I've taken some of the more thoughtful comments and shared them with a few folks on the Xbox team to make them aware of this request. That's about all I've got right now - but when I am back in the office, I am going to stop by and chat 1:1 with some folks about this as well."
Other notable items:
- Xbox One Preview update pushing out to add backwards compatible games to the Store
- New Surface Book TV ads take time to slam the Mac
- Microsoft Edge and Office gain image search feature via Bing
- Microsoft's MVP influencer program moves focus to developers and IT pros
- Bill Gates talked about the Surface Book, his thoughts on VR, and more in his latest Reddit AMA
- Bing adds an interactive solar system simulation in its search engine
- Microsoft HoloLens app team reaches halfway point in creation of Galaxy Explorer
- Microsoft may have closed five more internal game studios
- Microsoft clarifies its game studio plans, Project Spark servers have been offline for days [Update]
- Microsoft signs patent licensing deal with Rakuten covering Android and Linux devices
- Epic's Tim Sweeney offers some ideas on how to turn Microsoft's UWP into an open ecosystem
- Microsoft offers a way to import Evernote content to OneNote for Windows
- Check out astronauts using the Microsoft HoloLens in space
- French startup Opuscope wants to bring HoloLens to the museum
Miscellaneous
The new Samsung Galaxy S7 has hit the shelves and has generated some pretty high praise from our sister site, Android Central, amongst other reviewers. With Samsung putting out such an impressive device and Microsoft's recent decision to eschew porting apps from Android to Windows 10, we pose the question of whether or not Windows users should be interested in the new smartphone.
Sonos announced that it will be laying off some of its employees as the company realigns. Although the loss of jobs is never a happy occasion, the company they are "making a decision to substantially and confidently increase our investment in the future of music," which means moving away from devices that focus on in-home stored media and looking ahead to online media streaming.
The latest version of Opera's web browser now includes a built-in ad-blocker, eliminating the need for any extensions. A press release by the company says that the new optional feature "nearly doubles load speed" by incorporating it into the browser itself.
And finally, the annual BAFTA Game Awards nominees have been announced. Those in the running for Best Game are: Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, Fallout 4, Life is Strange, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Rocket League, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Other notable items:
- Valve's Robot Repair Center for HTC Vive puts you inside Portal's Aperture Labs
- Dell XPS 13 9343 vs 9350: Which should I buy?
- AMD adds Hitman support and more in Radeon Software update
Share your thoughts on this past week of news! And we'll be back again next week to do it all over again.
