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Deceptive UI design, known as ‘dark patterns’, is extremely effective. With users being constantly bombarded by information, the buttons that stand out the most are the ones they’re most likely to click. Microsoft was using this previously, but it’s now switching to more aggressive tactics. Some users, in both the US and Germany, are reporting that the offline account option only shows up when they aren’t connected to the internet....

The information comes from Thurrott’s ever-reliable Brad Sams, who recently published his book on the brand, Beneath a Surface. However, it’s clear that though ARM-based Windows devices have made significant progress, they’re not yet able to provide the same stability and power as Intel. “Make no mistake, the days of everyone using an ARM-powered laptop or desktop is still several years, or longer, away,” said Sams. “…but as both Microsoft and Qualcomm continue to push forward, there is no doubt that they’re making serious progress in terms of performance at the chip and OS level....

Detailed by Twitter user Florian B, Microsoft has already started development of the integration and it is working in some accounts. Florian B was able to access the Google services and screenshot them for his tweet. Users can link their Google Account to Outlook.com, allowing, Gmail, Drive documents, and Google Calendar to appear in Microsoft’s client. When information from those Google services is available, they will be automatically included in Outlook....

Starting with the regular Surface Go. Microsoft says the latest firmware patch solves several security vulnerabilities. Looking at the Surface Go LTE, it receives the same security patches while also getting a fix for a separate security issue that was unique to the device. You can check out the full changelogs below Microsoft releases a new firmware update for the Surface Go, and Surface Go LTE, the most affordable members of the Surface family....

The company usually rolls out Fast Ring releases on a weekly basis, while reserving Slow Ring updates for monthly launches. However, Microsoft has been sporadic with its Windows 10 Slow Ring updates in recent months. Why that has happened is not clear. The company has been working on Fast Ring upgrades for the Creators Update. Indeed, Slow Ring releases have been an afterthought. The last PC release was Windows 10 build 14986 back in December....

Several features have been added to Microsoft Launcher 5.8, including improved app install tools. Users will now see that the Launcher adds new app icons automatically when an application is installed. The icons are added onto the smartphone homescreen. Microsoft says the feature is available for devices running Android 8.0 and newer. Also bundled into Microsoft Launcher 8.8 is integration with Microsoft’s Intune service to IT admins. With this latest beta update, the Launcher works on Intune Fully Managed Devices....

“Today, we are announcing the first AI for Accessibility grantee, Zyrobotics,” Microsoft says. “They are developing unique solutions for accessible science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, like ReadAble Storiez, that are adaptive to the diverse needs of students. We are thrilled to have them as part of our program and we can’t wait to see the impact they will have!” Zyrobotics is an Atlanta-based will now benefit from funds and guidance coming from the AI for Accessibility program....

In its announcement (delivered via email), Microsoft says the cut-off date for the service is May 1, 2018. Despite that being seven months away, Microsoft is urging users to start saving files now and prepare for the exodus from Mix. If you are unfamiliar with Office Mix, it was a free add-in for PowerPoint. It allowed users to turn presentations in interactive online recordings. Because Microsoft is integrating the same features directly into Office 365, there is no need for the separate extension....

As a temporary remedy to the situation, Microsoft has pulled the driver from Windows Update. It has also released an update that will remove the driver from the devices of affected users. Unfortunately, if a user has restarted after installing the driver, things are a little harder. Microsoft recommends that those presented with the error on the boot enter the Windows 10 Recovery environment or install it to a USB Drive....

Both those Chromium browsers support PWAs, which Microsoft has been increasingly exploring over the last year. Microsoft has already made its Outlook email web app available as a PWA on Chrome and Edge, and is now expanding to Microsoft OneDrive. It is worth noting one of the benefits of a PWA is the ability to work offline. It does not seem the OneDrive PWA has this ability. Instead, it displays as the OneDrive for Web portal running in Chrome or Microsoft Edge....

The toolkit is a part of the Microsoft Learn program and aims to tach users about promoting self belief, dealing with adversity, and other topics. “Our goals are to help to usher in a new and diverse generation with the technical and resilience skills needed to have great impact in the world,” Microsoft says in a blog post. “We aim to build a more inclusive future by fostering confidence, resilience and a sense of belonging across industries....

Together, the group has created a consortium that develops the standard known as UCIe 1.0. This is short for Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express 1.0. It is direct alternative to PCIe, USB, and NVMe, but while those are universal standards, the chiplets are not. Instead companies use their own interconnects which means there is often compatibility issues with cross-brand components. So, at the moment it is not possible to simply plug and use....

“Office 365 Government Secret which is currently in government review pending accreditation and targeting availability starting mid-2022. This environment is built to support the US Federal Civilian, Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community (IC), and US government partners working within the Secret enclave with our best-in-class software as a service (SaaS) capabilities.” Of course, the big difference here compared to regular Office 365 is compliance and security specifically for use in government agencies....

Brad Smith says social media and tech companies can currently not be sued for what a user says on their platform. That legal stipulation is under Section 230 of the U.S. Communications Decency Act. Introduced in the late 1990s, but Smith says companies no longer need to be governed under the law. He says they have a “new level of responsibility”. With several countries seeking to pass new laws around social media, Smith says tech companies will make changes whether the U....

In Word, users should note some much-needed improvements to zooming. When you pinch, documents now fit automatically to your screen size without wasted space. This makes it far easier to find the right balance on smartphones. In Outlook, users can now quick reply to a message while keeping the conversation. They can also view all group files from the ‘Group Details’ page. Office for Android PowerPoint Improvements Microsoft’s other focus is PowerPoint, which has also received zoom tweaks....

A new Microsoft Research paper shows the company is working on a system known as Argus, which leverages blockchain technology on the Ethereum crypto. Microsoft describes the Argus as the “first public anti-piracy system”. Microsoft Research collaborated with Alibaba and Carnegie Mellon University on the project. Together, the project team has released an 11-page paper describing the creation, usage, and results for the Argus system. Argus will operate on a public blockchain, which Microsoft says means people who inform on digital pirates can stay anonymous....

Microsoft has been snapping up major game studios for years, but the company is also working on developments behind the scenes. We already know about Project xCloud and the push towards the “Netflix of gaming”. However, with the new Azure Studio Alpha solution, Microsoft is upping the ante further. With Studio Alpha, Microsoft is taking its concepts for game studios and applying it to the world of governance. It’s gaming ideals for the enterprise grade customers....

Specifically, the exploit would work only with BitLocker in its basic configuration. This is where the encryption services logs into a PC and unlocks the drive. Users running a more secure configuration require a password login, so are unaffected. Pulse Security says it could bypass BitLocker through a FPGA chip to find the Windows encryption keys during boot as BitLocker moved from TMP to the Low Pin Count (LPC) bus....

Microsoft explains the release in a Windows Blog post: “Starting today, Windows games can ship with DirectStorage. This public SDK release begins a new era of fast load times and detailed worlds in PC games by allowing developers to more fully utilize the speed of the latest storage devices. In September 2020, we announced DirectStorage would be coming to Windows, and after collecting feedback throughout our developer preview, we are making this API available to all of our partners to ship with their games....

While tech events are trivial in the face of a public health crisis, the economy is also under attack from COVID-19. Microsoft is now moving to a virtual approach for events and says DirectX Developer Day will be streamed on Mixer. The event will get underway on March 19, 2020. Major events like Build 2020 or MWC 2020 cannot go ahead virtually simply because of their size, but smaller events can....