Newsletter Archives

• Windows 11, Surface, and Windows Copilot

  Posted on September 25, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  

  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.

  Microsoft News AI, Copilot, Microsoft, Microsoft Paint, News, Newsletter, Surface, Windows 11, Windows Explorer

• Second city — the AI view from Washington

  Posted on September 18, 2023 at 02:43 CDT by Max Stul Oppenheimer • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  Legal Brief AI, Generative AI, Government, Microsoft, Microsoft Service Agreement, Newsletters, Policy

• A t-AI-l of two cities

  Posted on August 28, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Max Stul Oppenheimer • Comment in the Forums

  

  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.

  Legal Brief AI, Copyrights, Generative AI, Microsoft, Microsoft Privacy Policy, Microsoft Service Agreement, Newsletters

• More Microsoft Rewards tips and tricks

  Posted on August 14, 2023 at 02:43 CDT by Mary Branscombe • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  Microsoft Bing, Edge, Loyalty Programs, Microsoft, Newsletters, Rewards, Travel, Windows, Xbox

• Make the most of Microsoft Rewards

  Posted on August 7, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Mary Branscombe • Comment in the Forums

  

  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.

  Microsoft Bing, Edge, Loyalty Programs, Microsoft, Newsletters, Rewards, Windows

• BitLocker, Windows 11 security, and you

  Posted on July 31, 2023 at 02:44 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  Ben's Workshop Bitlocker, ISOs, Microsoft, Newsletters, OEM, security, Windows, Windows 11

• Zero day in the cloud

  Posted on July 24, 2023 at 02:42 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  On Security Cloud, CVE-2023-32019, Email, Email security, Microsoft, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts

• Will the last tech worker who is fired please turn off the server

  Posted on December 19, 2022 at 02:44 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  Public Defender Amazon, Facebook, Financial, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, Newsletters, Tesla, Twitter

• Microsoft’s fall Surface event

  Posted on October 17, 2022 at 02:43 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft News Microsoft, Microsoft News, Surface, Windows 11

• The worst software in the world

  Posted on July 25, 2022 at 02:42 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Commentary AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Games, Microsoft, Software Quality

• $68.7 billion? Peanuts.

  Posted on January 24, 2022 at 02:41 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft News Acquisitions, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft, Microsoft News, News

• Bulging batteries in Surface laptops are a growing issue

  Posted on November 15, 2021 at 02:44 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Batteries, bulging battery, Microsoft, Public Defender, Surface
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