Newsletter Archives
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Windows 11, Surface, and Windows Copilot
ISSUE 20.39 • 2023-09-25 MICROSOFT NEWS
By Will Fastie
In case we didn’t realize it already, Microsoft told us where we are headed.
Last week, Microsoft held an event in New York. The bulk of the presentation was about AI, specifically Windows Copilot. Not Copilot, but Windows Copilot.
This is deeply significant.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.39.0, 2023-09-25).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter. -
Second city — the AI view from Washington
LEGAL BRIEF
By Max Stul Oppenheimer, Esq.
Multiple players are deciding their opening moves in reacting to the sudden entry of this technology into the public consciousness.
Not surprisingly, their approaches differ because their interests differ.
In my previous installment (2023-08-28), we saw how Microsoft is grappling with how to protect its interests — offensive and defensive — in a highly volatile and unpredictable future. In the short time since that article published, it appears that Microsoft may already be fine-tuning its approach.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.38.0, 2023-09-18).
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A t-AI-l of two cities
ISSUE 20.35 • 2023-08-28 LEGAL BRIEF
By Max Stul Oppenheimer, Esq.
Generative artificial intelligence is the latest of the “we’ve never seen anything like this before — something must be done” technologies.
Earlier examples are biotechnology, the personal computer, the video recorder, the record player, and probably fire — none of which caused the world to end.
Multiple players are deciding their opening moves in reacting to the sudden entry of this technology into the public consciousness. Not surprisingly, their approaches differ because their interests differ. That certainly applies to the Microsoft Services Agreement.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.35.0, 2023-08-28).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter. -
More Microsoft Rewards tips and tricks
MICROSOFT
By Mary Branscombe
You can earn points by playing games on Xbox — even if you don’t have a Game Pass subscription — or even by learning about new games!
Last week, I looked at all the ways you can earn daily and weekly Microsoft Rewards points by using the Bing search engine and the Edge browser. But if you have access to an Xbox, you can earn significantly more points, even if you’re not a regular gamer.
The number of apps involved depends on where you live and how much you travel, because the Rewards program has become attractive enough to exploit.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.33.0, 2023-08-14).
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Make the most of Microsoft Rewards
ISSUE 20.32 • 2023-08-07 MICROSOFT
By Mary Branscombe
Microsoft will give you points for using Bing, and more!
Welcome to this first of a two-part series on how to earn rewards points, where to spend or donate them, and how to maximize your earnings.
You can view the Rewards program as a bit of a bribe to use Microsoft’s search engine and browser, or you can see it as getting your share of the advertising money Microsoft earns on Bing and MSN. Every search engine makes money, but only Microsoft shares it with users through what’s now called Microsoft Rewards.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.32.0, 2023-08-07).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter. -
BitLocker, Windows 11 security, and you
BEN’S WORKSHOP
By Ben Myers
BitLocker, a major part of a more secure Windows 11, is treated differently by the Windows Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) setup than by an install and setup using the standard Windows 11 installation image downloaded directly from the Microsoft website.
This is a significant difference, so let’s explore these two ways to install Windows 11, adding useful background and facts plus analysis of what Microsoft keeps close to the vest. (OOBE is an abbreviation coined by Microsoft.)
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.31.0, 2023-07-31).
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Zero day in the cloud
ON SECURITY
By Susan Bradley
If you are a consumer, home user, small-business user, or even a medium-sized business user, today’s column may anger you — or at least cause you to mutter, “I told you so.”
For those of you who work in large companies and government entities, your size allows you to complain more loudly than most. I hope you will, because the event I’m about to discuss, plus all our past and present complaints, should make all cloud vendors, especially Microsoft, take note.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.30.0, 2023-07-24).
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Will the last tech worker who is fired please turn off the server
PUBLIC DEFENDER
By Brian Livingston
A wave of layoffs by the world’s largest technology companies is causing widespread fears. People are afraid that the growth spurt in online commerce that occurred during the coronavirus pandemic may be over — and opportunities for tech employment may never be the same again.
Firings and separations are certainly ripping through the Internet at a rapid pace. But the impact of all this downsizing may not be exactly what you might expect.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.51.0, 2022-12-19).
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Microsoft’s fall Surface event
MICROSOFT NEWS
By Will Fastie
For once, Microsoft pulls off a professional event.
For those of you who follow my coverage of significant Microsoft announcements, you know I’ve had a somewhat negative opinion of the presentations. On October 12, the company conducted its fall event to announce new Surface models. The presentation may not have exceeded my expectations, but it at least met them.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.42.0, 2022-10-17).
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The worst software in the world
COMMENTARY
By Will Fastie
If I were grading the various apps in Microsoft’s Casual Games collection, they’d be lucky to get a D.
It’s not because the games themselves are bad. It’s because they are all based on the same underlying game engine, one designed with multiple capabilities. The emphasis on the engine has diverted attention away from the games themselves, which have been in general disrepair for some time.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.30.0, 2022-07-25).
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$68.7 billion? Peanuts.
MICROSOFT NEWS
By Will Fastie
Frenzy around corporate acquisitions is nothing new; but this time, for Microsoft, it seems overstated.
Last week, Microsoft announced its planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the well-known maker of such game franchises as Candy Crush, Call of Duty, and World of Warcraft. Part of the frenzy surrounded the price — almost three times more than Microsoft’s previous large acquisition, LinkedIn.
Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 19.04.0 (2022-01-24).
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Bulging batteries in Surface laptops are a growing issue
PUBLIC DEFENDER
By Brian Livingston
More and more users of Microsoft Surface 2-in-1 laptop computers are reporting a bent and battered screen that’s been curved by a dangerously bulging battery that protrudes from its frame.
This was first covered in an AskWoody post on December 5, 2019. At that time, the post linked to 10 forum threads at Microsoft Answers, Reddit, and elsewhere. The forums contained dozens of stories describing similar-sounding problems.
Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.44.0 (2021-11-15).