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Chris McNulty, a product marketing manager for SharePoint Online, announced tenant-level blocking changes will be made. Even if organizations had set up some blocks, they will be bypassed by the changes. McNulty says the change will happen in April and will be for organizations still on the classic UI who have not updated to modern through the tenant setting. He says these companies will see their UI “automatically shifted”. “This update is only a change to the administrative settings, not the user interface....

The latest toolkit release has a focus on accessibility and stabilization. Though it does contain some new features, most build on existing infrastructure. One example is more accessibility options for each control. They can now be used via the keyboard, mouse, or touch input. This combines with better Narrator support so screen readers have less trouble. Microsoft also rolled out new more support tools in the form of a new NuGet package....

As usual, the company has also listed known issues with this build and what’s been fixed. Insiders can, of course, provide feedback on the build. A couple of things happen when we get nearer to a full launch of a feature update. Firstly, the amount of preview releases increases. This is evidenced by the fact Windows 10 preview 15042 dropped just four days ago. Secondly, the number of features in these updates drops significantly....

1 Xbox One Build 15058 Changelog2 Known Issues Xbox One Build 15058 Changelog While the improvement isn’t huge, it is very useful. Rs2_release_xbox_1703.170313-1900 brings the following enhancements: “New Update Screen: When your console downloads a system update, a new update screen will pop up the next time the console is powered on. This update screen has some basic details about the update, as well as a link to a video (for more information) or the option to go to Home....

Ok, here’s the important thing of this update … it means little. It is simply adding a family tag to let families know they can share calendars across devices. If you are mother trying to organize your kids, I can certainly see how this is a good thing. However, the ability to share calendars in Outlook is not new at all. Indeed, it has been available for years. Either way, Microsoft is announcing it as something worth exploring for families who may not have been familiar with the feature....

If you have been using the Windows 10 Maps app on the latest Insider builds lately, you may have spotted that 3D buildings look somewhat different. Insiders on the Fast ring (5.1611.10447.0) see monuments such as the Eiffel Tower in rendered vector block form. On the current version of the app on the production ring (5.1611.3342.0), the Eiffel Tower is depicted with a realistic 3D image. Despite the fact that vector graphics are less impressive, it seems like Microsoft has managed to render many more buildings in 3D form....

Gaze tracking is a tough tech to master even if its possible applications are hugely important. The ability to automatically assists in eye tracking could help people living with disorders affecting motor systems. However, there are some unique challenges associated with predicting a person’s gaze and tracking it. Many variables must be measured, including head position, head tilt, distance, lighting, background noise, eye rotation, and any facial coverings such as glasses....

Apps reacting to device accelerometers and automatically switching screen modes between landscape and portrait is hardly a new thing. However, Microsoft Research has made a breakthrough allowing orientation based on tilts. The Surface Studio is a good test device because it can be sat in various guises and angles. Any way the display is angled, (low, high, or another gradient), there are limitations. One angle may be good for a specific task but not for another....

In its release blog, Microsoft provides a thank you to the open-source .NET community for feedback and contributions through the development of .NET 7. According to the company, it received 28,000 contributions from more than 8900 different contributors. Among the changes in the latest package is ARM64 support. As always, Microsoft is rolling out a bunch of documentation. So, I recommend heading to the .NET 7 portal to find all the technical breakdown of the changes in the new platform....

“It is based on a set of principles designed to address co-created technology and intellectual property (IP) issues that give customers clarity and confidence regarding their work with Microsoft,” explains president Brad Smith. “The initiative is designed to strike a healthy balance that will both help our customers grow their business through technology and enable Microsoft to continue to improve its platform products.” The idea is to assuage worries that the company will use knowledge from partnerships to compete against innovators in their own market....

Among the abilities of the tool includes a feature for running desktop installers directly in the service. Additionally, MSIX packages can be installed on devices and moved straight to the Microsoft Store. Microsoft Account holders can download the tool from the Microsoft Store here, while it can be downloaded offline for Microsoft Store for Business customers. As Microsoft has previously noted, the MSIX Packaging Tool comes with the following requirements:...

Users on iPad and iPhone can now update To-Do to version 1.37. The chief new addition to the app is more efficiency in creating recurring tasks. Microsoft says building recurring to-dos is much easier. That’s because the option to repeat tasks is now handily located directly above the detail view of a task. As usual, Microsoft has also made some under-to-hood improvements. Interestingly, the company says it has made some subtle tweaks to the UI for To-Do....

WinAppDriver is a Windows 10 service that gives users UI automation tools. With the platform, users can test applications to find and fix UI problems. This is mostly achieved through the Inspect tool, which allows developers to select specific parts of the UI and view relevant data. Inspect is ideal for viewing accessibility data, but it is not the best solution for supporting UI automation. With the release of WinAppDriver UI Recorder, users can fill the gaps in Inspect’s abilities....

Twitter user and Microsoft-watcher, Albacore, reports a new UI experience will come to the OOBE. This experience comes from Windows 10X, the company’s lightweight and modular version of Win10. When Windows 10X launches in the coming months, it will obviously take plenty of inspiration from the normal variant. However, standard Windows 10 will also borrow form 10X. This UI change for the initial setup is one example. Options for customization and configuration are now on a white background, reflecting the more modern look of Windows 10X....

For some users, being able to optimize their PCs is essential. Windows doesn’t really do a good job of handling the software you use. PC Manager is seeking to change the situation by providing a suite of features such as cleaning temporary files, handling startup apps, and monitoring resources. However, there is also a not-too-subtle ulterior motive behind PC Manager… another feature to try to convert users to the Microsoft Edge browser....

Project Torino is an extension and improvement over current easy coding methods. For example, children can be introduced to coding through tools that use drag and drop commands. This allows simple programs to be created. Torino uses colored pods to make code building simpler. Microsoft Research says the new solution will help children who cannot see traditional methods well to join in within normal classes. However, researcher Cecily Morrison believes Project Torino will have an impact for all learners, not just the visually impaired....

Before continuing, it is worth noting gaming bots have rarely been successful. Admittedly, bots are still nascent, but gamers typically want outside distractions removed from their experience. However, the gaming bot Microsoft is developing could be different. According to a trademark application filed by the company, the “Radbot” is a customer service offering. It acts as an “online customer service in the field of online gaming and streaming.” To be clear, it does not seem the bot would interfere with actual gaming....

While we are waiting for Microsoft’s Andromeda folding screen phone/laptop device, it will not drop next month. Indeed, as we reported several months ago, Andromeda may be changing into something else entirely behind the scenes. We know Andromeda is real and Microsoft has openly discussed the device that would accompany the OS. The company was also reportedly working on apps with developers, and included Andromeda in its Surface roadmap. However, it now seems the company has killed the idea of Andromeda becoming a smartphone-like device....

Microsoft says the Surface Laptop Studio creates a new category. You may be able to guess by the name where the company is going with this product. It combines two of Microsoft’s leading Surface devices into one new form factor. Specifically, a new device that combines the power of a desktop with the convenience of a laptop, along with the portability of a tablet. So, how does Microsoft achieve this in a way that is not a convoluted hardware mess?...

The Dutch DPA, Autoriteir Persoongegevens said on Friday Microsoft is failing to tell Windows 10 Home and Pro customers which data the platform collects. Regulators also claim the company muddies the process of giving users proper ways to validate consent for personal data collection. In its statement, the watchdog said Windows 10 “does not clearly inform users that it continuously collects personal data about the usage of apps and web surfing behaviour through its web browser Edge, when the default settings are used”....