Most of us have heard of Wait But Why, and it goes into great depth to explain complex (and weird) things. Microsoft is also launching a similar series, but only focusing on advanced technology such as deep neural networks, AI, and machine learning. The new series is from Microsoft's Story Labs team, who are calling the series "Explanimators."
The first episode of Explanimators has already been released, where Microsoft explains how artificial intelligence works using animated characters and Cortana:
Of course, Explanimators don't go into all the details about tech, but it gives us a good idea of how some of the tech that powers parts of our daily lives actually work. For instance, in the first episode of Explanimators, Microsoft goes into some of the key points about AI and how algorithms can power experiences like Cortana.
Microsoft Store UK is now offering some big discounts on the Surface Pro 4. You can get up to 19% off the Surface Pro 4 devices. You can get the Surface Pro 4 with 128GB and Intel Core i5 for £764.10 and the entry-level Core M model for just £674.10.
Surface Pro 4 is ultrathin, fast and versatile, the perfect balance of portability and power. With 6th generation Intel Core processors and up to 1TB of storage, it's built to run professional-grade software. And the PixelSense Display has stunning colour and contrast that comes to life with Surface Pen and touch. You can order it using the below link,
Windows Live Tiles are one of the more uniquely identifiable features of Windows 10 and Windows Mobile, perhaps it's time for Microsoft to get rid of them. To briefly recap on the history of tiles, Microsoft first introduced that user interface paradigm with Windows Phone 7 around the initial debut of Windows Phone. The user interface was praised as different from iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Symbian at the time and it represented n authentically digital take on home screens. Live tiles and the Start Screen were a notification centre and home screen rolled into one, and pundits and users alike loved it.
Let's not mince words about this, on phones and tablets, Live Tiles made sense back in 2010 when we were still figuring out which way we wanted our modern mobile OSes to work. We weren't sure whether icons, widgets or some other user interface was what was needed, and manufacturers reached out with different exciting user interfaces and modes of interaction. Android had Honey Comb's tablet UI, BlackBerry and Nokia came out with swipe-heavy interfaces, and Microsoft innovated away with live tiles.
Xbox UI with transparent tiles
The debate has long since been settled, the "boring", "tired" and "static" grid of icons actually turns out to be what almost everyone wants. Even Android manufacturers like Huawei, LG and Samsung who went crazy with widgets here, there and everywhere at the start are beginning to experiment with removing the app drawer and pushing everything onto the screen. While widgets still abound, they differ from app shortcuts and are used sparingly, and in differing ways by users. Android users often pin a clock and weather widget on their home screen, with a task screen widget for some and perhaps even emails, while iOS widgets are either to the left of the home screen, lock screen or notification centre.
For PCs, there was no such debate. We have the Windows taskbar and desktop, Mac OS's dock and the ChromeOS shelf. All these metaphors tell us that when we want to launch an app, we simply want to click on the icon that launches it and we don't give it more thought than that.
Which brings me back to live tiles, as someone who's used Windows 10 on both phones and tablets, it turns out that live tiles are actually their own worst enemy. The main draw of live tiles is that they display continually updating information on the home screen of your device. The Microsoft Photos app, for instance, will show you rotating pictures from various albums, the messaging app will show you your last text message, Facebook will display random photos etcetera.
This constant change is antithetical to the main reason we use app launchers though — to launch apps quickly and without fuss. Live tiles slow down the app launching process. For myself –and I imagine others too –when a phone or tablet or laptop is picked up, 90% of the time there is some task in mind. We want to message someone, or look at some pictures, tweet, or write the next big novel in Word or Docs or what have you.
Live tiles slow down that process on mobile because they are constantly changing, flipping and updating. We can't pin down where the apps we want to get to are because the screen is fluid, tiles can be scrolled down and change their position, icons can change into photos, etc. I for one, have stared at my screen looking for an app or two before realising that the icon or tile has metamorphosized into something else entirely. Sure we can kill the liveness of the tiles, but then what's the point?
In addition, they are also high maintenance on touch devices. Sure, live tiles can make for beautiful home screens, but that requires more work than you would have to put in on other OSes. On iOS and Android, you can simply drag and drop a row of icons, throw in a wallpaper and leave it as that and everything looks fine. On Windows, you'll have to experiment with the right tile sizes and arrangement to get something that looks just right, and even then you'll still deal with the cognitive issues faced when using the Start Screen as an app launcher.
For traditional PCs, on the other hand, they are vestigial and tolerated at best, and intrusive and reviled at worst. When I talked to people about Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, most users I know talked about "hating the squares". The most popular app in Windows 8 era was an app which reverted the Start Screen to the Windows 7 Start Menu, and Windows 10's biggest hit feature was bringing the Start Menu back.
Yes, you can use live tiles on Windows 10 PCs and they are out of the way and not as rage-inducing as they were in Windows 8 now, but that doesn't make them useful. If you keep in mind the main purpose of live tiles when introduced was to serve as a notification centre and app launcher combined, it becomes clear that they no longer do that well. In Windows 10 Live Tiles aren't the best at notifying you – the Windows Action Center has that covered and is more useful. They also aren't very good at launching apps either, for reasons mentioned above. In addition to that, both the taskbar and the desktop make better app launchers for the average user. With that in mind, what purpose do live tiles serve then?
An article elsewhere this weekend pointed out that Windows 10's My People feature shows Microsoft recognising the folly of Start Menu tiles. Consider, My People essentially is Microsoft transplanting the deep pinning ability of The Windows 10 People app to from the Start Screen to the Windows taskbar. It is essentially recognising that deep pinning isn't an effective way to get things done on PC, and is taking a more PC centric approach to the matter. That's progress.
So perhaps, its time to move on. Live tiles have been fun while they lasted, but every product that has had it as a unique selling point has failed to attract users. They're high maintenance for the users that love them, and most users actively hate them. It's time for Microsoft to quit while they're behind and leave this contentious metaphor in the past.
Microsoft's Education-focused event is happening tomorrow in New York City. Microsoft has a much bigger event next week as well, where the company will reveal the next big step for Windows 10 and a lot more. So what exactly is Microsoft going to announce at the event tomorrow? Well, there's quite a lot of things — most of which focus on one thing: Microsoft's education audience. Redmond is introducing a new version of Windows 10, and a new type of Windows devices to take on Google's Chromebooks.
Windows 10 Cloud
Microsoft will unveil a new version of Windows 10 tomorrow. The new version of Windows 10 is called Cloud –and it's not an OS based on the cloud. Windows 10 Cloud is essentially the backbone of the hardware Microsoft will be introducing at the event tomorrow. That's because Windows 10 Cloud is a lightweight version of Windows 10 that offers increased security, and only lets users download apps from the Windows Store.
With Windows 10 Cloud, Microsoft is clearly planning to take on Google's Chromebooks. Devices powered by Windows 10 Cloud will be quite affordable, and Microsoft will be targeting them towards its education audience. Windows 10 Cloud is still Windows 10 as we know it, minus the fact that you can't install apps outside of the Windows Store. You will still be able to download some of the Win32 apps that are available on the Windows Store, including the likes of Evernote, Slack, and even the full-fledged Office apps. This is also a security feature for Windows 10 — as users can only download apps from the Windows Store, their Windows 10 device can no longer be affected my malware.
The best thing about Windows 10 Cloud is the fact that users will be able to upgrade it to the regular version of Windows 10 at a price, which is really great because some users may still want to download the classic Win32 apps online and get access to all of the advanced features in Windows 10.
Along with Windows 10 Cloud, Microsoft will introduce new hardware that comes with it. The new hardware is going to be called CloudBook, and Microsoft will likely also introduce its own CloudBlook — possibly under the Surface brand. It is highly likely Microsoft will show off some other CloudBook devices from its OEM partners such as Dell, HP, Acer, and Asus as well.
As the CloudBook devices are supposed to be Chromebook competitors, they will be affordable — which means you won't get the fastest CPUs or the best display. Instead, these devices will focus on the price while providing a seamless experience. According to a recent leak, the recommended minimum specs for a CloudBook includes a quad-core Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage, a better larger than 40WHr so that it's capable of providing an all-day battery life for most students.
If Microsoft does introduce its own CloudBlook device, it will likely include a slightly more powerful set of specs, which means it will be a bit more expensive — and if it is indeed part of the company's Surface line of devices, that will be completely fine because of the brand.
There's a lot we don't know about CloudBook, and that, of course, includes the price which is really crucial for Microsoft. CloudBooks need to be cheaper than most Chromebooks, or at least come at the same price range — and if that's not the case, I doubt Microsoft's plans will succeed.
Office on Windows Store
Another big part of Windows 10 Cloud and CloudBook is Office. Microsoft's Office suite is probably the most important applications for its education audience. But as Windows 10 Cloud is only able to downloads app from the Windows Store, that's a major problem for Microsoft. Sure, the company already has the Office Mobile apps on the Windows Store but they aren't quite full-featured.
As we previously reported, Microsoft is also expected to bring the full-fledged Office desktop apps to the Windows Store tomorrow. The company is bringing the classic Office desktop apps to the Windows Store using its Desktop App Bridge which essentially allows developers to bring their classic Win32 apps to the Windows Store.
By bringing the classic Office apps to the Windows Store, Microsoft is removing the biggest hurdle for Windows 10 Cloud and CloudBooks. Along with being able to download and install the classic Office apps from the Windows Store, Windows 10 users will also be able to buy Office 365 subscriptions directly from the Windows Store. And that's pretty neat.
CONCLUSION
The May 2nd event is quite substantial for Microsoft. Chromebooks are posing quite a lot of threat to Microsoft, and even Apple. Microsoft knows it needs to compete with Google before it's too late, and the May 2nd event could possibly be the start of something new for Microsoft. Even though there are quite a lot of cheap Windows 10 tablets that are trying to compete with Chromebooks, CloudBooks might be even cheaper as Windows 10 Cloud will likely be available at a lower price than Windows 10 Home or Pro to OEMs. That'll cut the cost of production for OEMs, which means they will be able to sell their Windows 10 devices at a lower price.
Will it work out for Microsoft? Who knows. The company's Windows RT was quite similar to Windows 10 Cloud, but Windows 10 Cloud is still a lot different from Windows RT. When Microsoft launches Windows 10 devices powered by ARM processors, Windows 10 Cloud might turn out to be immensely useful, but that's something we'll get to see in the future. But for now, the May 2nd event should be very interesting and give us some more details on Microsoft's plans for killing the Chromebook.
Catch MSPU's live coverage
As per usual, we will be covering the May 2nd event live, which starts at 9:30AM Eastern Time (that's 13:30 GMT). We are actually attending the event in New York City tomorrow, so we'll also be publishing a lot of hands-on pictures, videos, and all the other good stuff. The best way to keep up with all the news from the May 2nd event is to bookmark our dedicated event page and follow us on Twitter.
As per usual, Windows 10's market share experienced a slight bump last month. According to the latest report from Net Market Share, Windows 10 now claims 26.28% of the market. That's just about 1% more than March when Windows 10 claimed 25.36% of the market. Windows 7, on the other hand, saw a pretty decent growth in March but its market share is decreasing once again. Back in March, the OS claimed 49.42% of the market, but now that's down to 48.5%.
Here are the shares of the other OSs:
Windows 10's growth rate is pretty steady at the moment, although it's still far from taking over Windows 7. That will likely start to look way different once Windows 7's mainstream support ends in a few years time. A lot of organizations are expected to deploy Windows 10 on their systems by late 2017, so Windows 10's market share will likely see a huge growth in the coming months.
Microsoft won't really have to worry about their customers using outdated versions of Windows once Windows 10 is on the majority of computers in the world. That's because of how Microsoft delivers updates to Windows 10, which is working flawlessly for the software giant — for instance, the latest major Windows 10 update that started rolling out on mid-April is already powering nearly 10% of Windows 10 PCs.
Every week a handful of games release on Xbox One and many elude owners of the console due to their timid marketing. Xbox Wire makes sure you know about them but can't provide gamers with recommendations. A lot of these titles are absolutely phenomenal and it's a shame that they aren't noticed. Here are some games coming out between May 1 and May 5 which you should check out. Some of the experiences are quite obvious while others may surprise you.
In Prey, you are the key subject of an experiment meant to alter humanity forever—but events have gone terribly wrong. The space station has been overrun by hostile Typhoon aliens and you are now being hunted. As you dig into the dark secrets of Talos I and your own past, you must survive using the tools found on the station: your wits, weapons and mind-bending abilities.
Guide a group of space settlers trying to establish a base on a remote planet. Grow food, collect energy, mine resources, survive disasters and build a self-sufficient colony in a harsh and unforgiving environment. If you're intrigued by games like Aven Colony, then you should check out Planetbase.
A teleportation-mishap, a broken contract, a mysterious tree and a foolhardy expedition set the stage for our 4 heroes. Follow Lumina, Teri, Knaus and Clonington on a rip-roaring adventure full of twists and turns through the World to the West!
Dreamfall Chapters
Dreamfall is a popular adventure game series available on Steam. In Dreamfall Chapters, Zoe Castillo's story comes to a close. Players will revisit familiar characters and locations previously experienced in the franchise. The game was supposed to come out in March 2017 but suffered a last-minute delay until May 5. It also looks like they changed the game's name a bit.
Bit Dungeon+
You wake up in a prison cell after what seems like days, and your beloved friend has gone missing. With a sword in one hand and revenge on your mind, embark on an epic quest to find the demons who captured you and destroy them.
Apart from the games mentioned above, Xbox One is getting Save the Ninja Clan. There might be other surprise releases in there too like last week's classic ACA NeoGeo Alpha Mission II. This week is definitely more eventful than the last few put together because heavy-hitters like Planetbase and Prey are coming out. All of these are great experiences Xbox One owners should try out.
A major focus for Microsoft over the last few years has been bringing a Natural User Interface to Windows 10, which has meant in practice more integration of voice, touch and stylus to allow us to operate our PCs in a way that is intuitive to us from our day-to-day lives.
Now Microsoft has applied for a new patent "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTHENTICATION WITH A COMPUTER STYLUS" which would bring another element of our daily lives, authorising something using your signature, to our electronic world.
The abstract for the patent reads:
A method for securing operation of a computing device operated with a stylus includes recognizing a pre-defined gesture performed by a stylus on a touch screen, the pre-defined gesture defined as a user command to lock an item displayed on the touch screen, determining a location of the gesture, determining identity of the stylus, locking an item displayed at the location determined, and recording identity of the stylus. A method for operating a computing device with a stylus includes receiving a command with a stylus to add restricted annotations to a document, receiving identity of the stylus, linking an annotation to the identity, restricting display of the annotation on the document to a computing device receiving input from the stylus; and displaying the document absent the at least one annotation on a computing device on which input from the stylus is not received.
The patent focusses on two elements – using an active pen such as the Surface Pen as a secure token which would by itself be part of a two factor authentication system, and then adding a second factor via an authorization gesture such as a signature to allow either users access to secure data such as unlocking their PC or to make verified annotations to documents e.g. adding their real signature to a document.
With Windows Hello Microsoft, of course, has a flexible interface for secure authorization on Windows 10 PCs, and I would not be surprised if unlocking your PC with your signature is a new perk for Surface Pen users or Windows 10 PCs with other active pens.
