Never 10 Prevents Windows 7, 8.1 PCs From Upgrading to Windows 10

Plenty of people, including us, like Windows 10. It's a substantial upgrade over Windows 8.1, giving users a plethora of improvements and features. We aren't, however, a big fan of how Microsoft is pushing this upgrade to some people. Ten months since Windows 10's release, users on Windows 7, and Windows 8.1 continue to report incidents about Microsoft forcefully downloading and upgrading their computer to Windows 10. You can stop the company from doing that with a new tool.
Well known software developer Steve Gibson has released a new tool called Never 10, which according to claims, allows a user to completely disable automatic updates. "The elegance of this "Never 10' utility is that it does not install ANY software of its own. It simply and quickly performs the required system editing for its user," says Gibson on his page about the new utility.
"Using this utility, inexperienced users will be able to easily use Never 10 themselves, while advanced users will likely appreciate that fact that no additional software is installed and will be able to refer friends and family, whom they support, to this easy-to-use utility," Gibson notes.
All a user is required to do is install this free application, and run it. This should come as a big relief to many Windows 7 users who're afraid that one day they will accidentally click on a prompt and Microsoft will upgrade their computer to Windows 10.
Microsoft has made Windows 10 available as a free update to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users - provided they have the genuine licensed copy. Last year, the company gave users with the ability to reserve their copy of Windows 10 when it becomes available on July 29. But later, the company also began downloading the Windows 10 installation files on different systems, and many users accidentally clicked on update prompts, ending up getting Windows 10 on their system.

The Internet corrupted Tay, Microsoft's AI chat bot, in less than 24 hours

Remember Tay, the chat bot with the personality of a 19-year-old American girl that Microsoft released just yesterday? The casual conversation bot was designed to get "smarter" over time and pick up on the personalities of the people it chats with via social media.
There's just one problem – Microsoft seemingly overlooked the fact that the Internet isn't always a nice and friendly place.
Less than 24 hours after going live, Microsoft's AI chat bot turned into a raging racist. Virtually any offending topic was fair game including Hitler, 9/11, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, African Americans, Mexicans and so on. Tay's Twitter account – with more than 55,000 followers – is still alive but Microsoft has deleted all but three of its tweets.
To be fair, it's not entirely Microsoft's fault as the AI learned the "bad behavior" from people on the Internet. Still, they probably should have seen this coming.
In a statement provided to USA Today, Microsoft said Tay is as much a social and cultural experiment as it is a technical one. Unfortunately, Microsoft continues, within the first 24 hours of coming online, they became aware of a coordinated effort by some users to abuse Tay's commenting skills to have it respond in inappropriate ways.
Microsoft has decommissioned the experiment, at least for now.
If nothing else, the experiment should demonstrate to parents why they shouldn't let kids online without proper supervision.

Microsoft launches Tay, an AI chat bot that mimics a 19-year-old American girl

Microsoft has unveiled a new artificial intelligence-powered chat bot called Tay. Developed by Microsoft's Technology and Research team with help from the Bing team, Tay isn't a virtual assistant like Siri or Facebook's M. Instead, it's a true chat bot in the sense that it's meant to engage and entertain people.
Surely Microsoft didn't build an AI bot just to entertain people, right? Of course not. Tay is an experiment to conduct research on conversational understanding. Artificial intelligence and machine learning have become incredibly skilled over the past several years but most platforms still struggle with things like language context and humor.

Like other AI systems, Tay – who has the personality of a 19-year-old American girl – gets smarter over time and picks up on your personality. She can tell jokes, play games with you, read your horoscope, comment on a photo and more. If you are a parent or grandparent that's not hip to the cool lingo today's teens use, maybe some time with Tay can help.
Microsoft says Tay was created by mining relevant public data and by using AI and editorial developed by a staff that included improvisational comedians (unfortunately, Microsoft didn't specify which comedians).
Do note that Tay will build a basic profile of its users that includes nickname, gender, favorite food, zip code and relationship status. Microsoft says the data and conversations you provide to Tay are anonymized and may be saved for up to a year to help improve the service.
Tay isn't a standalone app. Instead, it's being offered through some of the communication apps you may already be using. You can currently add Tay via Kik, GroupMe and Twitter. It also has its own Facebook account and is on Snapchat as "TayStories."

Microsoft finally begins Windows 10 Mobile roll-out

Microsoft has finally begun rolling out Windows 10 Mobile to older Windows Phones, months after the operating system first appeared on the company's flagship devices, the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL.
Windows 10 Mobile is being delivered to a collection of older devices via an over-the-air update. Users with an eligible handset running Windows Phone 8.1 can download the Windows 10 Upgrade Advisor app from the Windows Store, which will check if an update is available, before heading to the Phone Update section of the settings screen to initiate the download and installation process.
Despite Microsoft initially promising that all Windows Phone 8.1 devices would be upgraded to Windows 10 Mobile, only some are eligible to be updated today. The list of eligible handsets mostly includes recent Windows Phones, including the Lumia 1520, 930, 640, 730, 830, 540 and 430, while older devices like the Lumia x20 series (eg. the Lumia 920) aren't getting the update just yet.
Microsoft's reasoning to leaving out older handsets is as follows:

"As Windows 10 delivers significant new innovations, many older devices are not able to successfully upgrade without an impact on the customer experience. Our goal is to only offer the Windows 10 upgrade to devices that we are confident can continue to deliver a good customer experience."

At least Windows 10 Mobile is actually rolling out to some users now after a long wait, and those with newer Windows Phones will be able to enjoy the new features the operating system brings.

Microsoft kills off Skype for TVs because people prefer to use the app on mobile devices

 
When it was first introduced back in 2010, using video communications app Skype on a smart TV sounded like a good idea. The application was available to download on many sets, and even came preloaded on some televisions from certain manufacturers. But now, owner Microsoft has announced that it is dropping support for Skype TV software.
The Redmond company’s decision was discovered on a Skype support page by the BBC. It states that, starting in June 2016, the application will no longer be supported and will no longer receive updates. The document goes on to say that “TV manufacturers may remove the Skype for TV application from some or all of their models” after this date.
Microsoft says that the main reason behind the decision to end TV support is because the majority of those who use Skype now do so via a mobile device, even when they are in a room containing a Smart TV that has the app installed.

Over the years, users have changed the way they use Skype, with the majority accessing it from a mobile device – including when in the living room. We want to make sure we prioritize delivering the best possible experience to the platforms our users are asking for, which is why we’ve decided to focus our efforts in other areas while supporting key functionality on Skype for TV for as long as possible.

If you are a fan of the Skype TV app, you’ll still be able to use it after June 1 - even though it won’t be receiving any more updates. But it’s more than likely that the application will stop working completely on all smart televisions before the end of this year.

Adobe issues emergency patch as more security vulnerabilities are found in Flash

If you’re one of the few people still using Flash Player, then you should heed Adobe’s advice and update it ASAP. The company is urging users to patch its web platform after 23 security vulnerabilities were identified in the current version of Flash, including one that’s already being used in the wild.
"Adobe is aware of a report that an exploit for CVE-2016-1010 is being used in limited, targeted attacks," the company said.
There are four different types of vulnerability that the patch addresses: integer overflow, use-after-free, heap overflow, and memory corruption. The exploit that is already being used in attacks, which Adobe says was discovered by Anton Ivanov of Kaspersky Lab, stems from an integer overflow vulnerability.
Of the other vulnerabilities discovered, Google's Project Zero team and HPE's Zero Day Initiative found eight each, while Alibaba, Tencent, and Microsoft security teams found two each.
Adobe advises users to upgrade Flash Player to version 21.0.0.182 for Windows or Mac and version 11.2.202.577 for Linux.
Flash Player plug-ins bundled with Chrome, Internet Explorer on Windows 10 and 8, and Microsoft Edge browsers will update automatically. Any Windows 7 Flash users must update manually.
Adobe has also released version 21.0.0.176 of AIR Desktop Runtime, AIR SDK, AIR SDK & Compiler and AIR for Android.
Once found on over 800 million cell phones manufactured by 20 handset makers, the constant vulnerabilities that are being discovered in Flash - along with the move toward HTML5 - is causing the platform to slowly die off. Used by 50 percent of websites in 2011, less than 20 percent of sites now feature Flash Content (including ads).

The Lumia 650 may be the last smartphone from Microsoft to feature the famous brand name

Microsoft has launched what could be its last smartphone to bear the Lumia name: the Windows 10-powered Lumia 650. Priced at a budget $199, the device comes in black and white, and will only be available in select markets in Europe from February 18. There’s no word when or if it will launch in the US.
The Lumia 650 features a five-inch, 1280 X 720 OLED screen, has a thickness of 6.5mm and weighs 122 grams (4.3 ounces). Microsoft says the display offers crisp, bright, vivid colors and deep blacks. "It's by far our most beautiful screen ever at this price point,” said Samuli Hänninen, general manager of Microsoft’s phones program management.
The device also sports a 5MP wide-angle, front-facing camera, an 8MP rear-facing shooter, 1GB of RAM, 4G LTE connectivity, a 2,000 mAh removable battery and 16GB of internal storage which is expandable up to 200GB using a micro SD. Microsoft is pushing the Lumia 650 as a “business class” device that offers a cheap way for businesses to get a mobile version of Windows 10 into employees’ hands.

“We designed the Lumia 650 to bring first class to business class; giving our customers the best of Microsoft productivity and security,” Hänninen wrote. “We think professionals and Windows fans alike will love using it every day.”
Slightly surprisingly for a smartphone aimed primarily at business users, the Lumia 650 contains a Snapdragon 212 (probably to keep the price down), which means there’s no Continuum support for using the phone like a PC. It does, however, include preloaded Microsoft Office apps, OneDrive Syncing, Cortana, and other productivity features.
Not only has Microsoft’s phone-based revenue continued to fall drastically, but the company is rumored to be focusing efforts on its upcoming Surface Phone - a rumor based on it relocating the Lumia team into the Surface team. So it really does look as if this may be the last Lumia device we’ll see, and it might not even make it to US shores.

Microsoft working on a "breakthrough" smartphone, strongly hints that it's the Surface Phone

Microsoft’s past performance in the smartphone market hasn’t been particularly impressive. Windows phones made up only 2.6 percent of the worldwide smartphone OS market in the second quarter of 2015, a decline from 3.4 percent in 2013. But now, the Redmond company has confirmed that is working on something that may turn its smartphone fortunes around.
Speaking during an episode of This Week in Tech’s Windows Weekly podcast, Microsoft executive vice president and chief marketing officer Chris Capossela revealed that the company is working on a “breakthrough” new smartphone – and it’s not a going to be another Lumia.
While Capossela didn't specifically say the new device will be the long-rumored Surface Phone, he did strongly hint at it. “With Surface we had a bunch of early misfires, but that notion of a tablet that could replace your laptop. That notion of saying, Hey, Apple wants to sell you an iPad and they want to sell you a Mac, we think there’s one device that exploits the seam between those two devices. We need some sort of spiritual equivalent on the phone side that doesn’t just feel like a phone for people who love Windows.”
Compared to today’s smartphones, the Surface Phone is expected to be much more like a PC. Microsoft will likely ditch the traditionally-used Qualcomm chips for Intel architecture and use a software setup more commonly found in home computers. It’s also rumored that Microsoft will be giving the Surface Phone the ability to run full Windows software, not just apps from the Windows Store market, creating a true PC/smartphone hybrid device.
A Surface Phone would likely utilize Windows 10 Mobile’s Continuum feature that can turn a smartphone into a PC by allowing it to attach to a monitor, mouse and keyboard in order to create a desktop-like experience.
We may have to wait a while before we see the Surface Phone, although some reports say it could be here as early as the second half of 2016. Speaking about the mystery device, Capossela said "I think we have to do more breakthrough work" to make Apple fans "pause before they buy their 17th iPhone.”

Eight Simple Tips to Increase the Battery Life of Your Mobile Device

Most smartphones today pack huge, high-resolution screens, powerful processors and lots of memory to multitask and handle really complex tasks. This also unfortunately means that they struggle to handle a full day's worth of heavy usage, and so power banks are now a must-have accessory.
The same can be said for our laptops, and the need to tether them to the plug point grows as the battery ages. Most of our consumer electronics devices come with Lithium ion and Lithium Poly batteries that are geared for quick recharging, and not for long term life. Often, you're better off replacing your battery instead of upgrading your laptop, because of how quickly the battery ages.
Whether you're using a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, here are some general purpose tips on prolonging its lifecycle and usage between recharge cycles.
1) Keep it cool
Exposing the battery to high temperatures can be more stressful than cycling. According to Battery University, which runs an extensive array of battery tests - cycling, elevated temperature and ageing decrease the performance of your battery over time. Keeping your devices in a cool environment (battery dwelling above 30°C (86°F) is considered elevated temperature) will certainly enhance the lifecycle of your device.

In the testing, capacity dropped to 60 percent when exposed to 60-degree temperature for three months, and 65 percent when the temperature was 40-degrees. For this reason, don't expose your gadgets to heat like leaving them bake in the sun inside a car.
It's also a good reason to worry about heating issues on a smartphone, as it can plunge the battery life quite drastically over time. On a laptop, you should look at using a cooling pad to make sure the CPU vent is being vented away. Exposure to dust can clog vents and make your fans run on overtime, leading to an additional resource burden, so keep the environment clean and dust free.
2) Go for paid apps, instead of free ones
Ad-supported apps reduce battery life by 2.5 to 2.1 hours on average, a study conducted by US-based researchers revealed. To quote the study, a phone's processor is like its brain - and ads eat up a lot of that brain power, slowing it down.
Not all free apps are draining your battery, but if you're seeing advertising on it then assume it comes with a bandwidth and processing burden. Spending a bit on apps might pay off handsomely, considering some apps are available for as low as Rs. 10 on both Google Play and the App Store.

On a laptop, running a local application to do something like text editing will consume less battery than firing up your browser and using an online resource. So, if you're not using it, turn your Wi-Fi connection off - on a Windows PC this is as simple as pressing Fn+F2 on the keyboard. The exact function key can vary, depending on the device manufacturer, so just look for a key with a Wi-Fi symbol next to it.
3) Turn off location tracking
According to a recent news report, the Facebook app drains the battery of iPhone users as it's constantly tracking the user's location using the GPS module. Turning off location tracking for apps that don't need your location will certainly help.


In most Android devices, you can head to Settings > Location, and toggle it off to disable location tracking entirely. The functionality to set app level permissions is only enabled in Android M.
On iOS 9, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and turn it off on a per-app basis, leaving location access on for just important apps, if you really need to.
4) Partial recharges are better than full-depth recharges
Another invaluable trip from Battery University can be explained with the metaphor of a running a marathon. Instead of letting your battery cycle all the way from 100 percent capacity down to zero, keeping the depth of discharge to 50 percent of your battery capacity, between 30 and 80 percent can increase the number of discharge cycles by three times.

Lenovo internalises this principle in its Battery Maintenance settings in the Power Manager bundled with their laptops, which can be customised to power plans that best suit your needs. To optimise for many years of usage, Lenovo recommends you set the charge threshold to start at 40 percent capacity, and stop at 50 percent.
5) Turn down display brightness
This is an obvious tip that applies to both laptops and mobile devices. On most devices, brightness settings are easily accessible, and you can also apply screen dimming techniques through third party apps like Lux, which overlays an opaque graphic to reduce brightness and change the colour cast of the screen.

However, a software layer only saves power on OLED screens, while LCD screens can only save power by decreasing backlight brightness.
Reducing the amount of time your display stays on while inactive can also save a fractional amount of battery life. In Android, this can be accessed in Settings > Display. On iOS, Settings > General > Auto-Lock lets you tweak this setting.
On a Windows laptop, right-click on the battery icon and click on Power Options. Change the setting to Power Saver to maximise battery life - Windows will lower the brightness, and change the standby and other settings to prioritise battery usage instead of performance.
6) Schedule app updates over Wi-Fi or when you are plugged in
In general, anything that is processor or bandwidth intensive is likely to consume a lot of CPU power. For the best standby times it's best to be stationary, and sipping on a Wi-Fi than your data plan. For this reason, it's best to schedule app updates to happen only over Wi-Fi, or if your device supports it, while you are plugged in.

This setting can be accessed in Play Store app on Android. Launch the app, then open the menu by swiping in from the left side of the screen. Go to Settings > Auto-update apps, and select Auto-update apps over Wi-Fi only. On an iPhone or iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular, go to Settings > iTunes & App Store and turn Use Cellular Data off.
7) Turn on low power mode
Not all Android phones have battery saver mode, but if you're on Android 5.0 or later (Lollipop) then you are likely have this feature. It automatically kicks in when your battery hits 15 percent, and disables background app refreshes, location tracking, and other syncing activity to save on battery life. With Android Marshmallow, a new feature called Doze puts your phone in deep sleep mode when it's lying unused for a long time. This feature is apparently doubling standby times. Unfortunately, if you're on an older phone, then you won't get the feature.

With iOS 9, iPhones have a Low Power Mode that cuts down on background refreshes, visual effects, and automatic downloads. This can be accessed in Settings > Battery.

If you're using an older Android phone, then your phone's manufacturer might have included its own Low Power mode feature - on Sony phones for example, it's called Stamina Mode, while HTC calls it Extreme Power Mode. There are also third-party apps you can try, though in our experience, the built-in apps are more effective.
8) Discover flight mode
The phone's distance to a cellular tower is known to affect standby time as well. So, if you're in a place with no network, it's best to turn your smartphone into Airplane mode (called Flight mode on some devices) to conserve battery life, rather than let your phone constantly seek a tower.
Follow these tips and you'll find that your phone will last a little longer between recharges - and the fewer recharge cycles you put it through in a day the longer the overall battery life will be.

How to Spot a Fake Online Review

Do you trust online reviews? Now that Amazon is suing more than 1,000 people who allegedly offered to write glowing product reviews for cash, you might reasonably be concerned.
Turns out, deceptive reviews are commonplace online - and so are doubts about them. The research organization Mintel found that 57 percent of surveyed consumers are suspicious of companies or products that only have positive online reviews. And 49 percent believe companies probably give incentives for online reviews.
Fortunately, there are a few good techniques that can help you tell truth from fiction.
Don't trust yourself
A team of researchers at Cornell University created a computer algorithm for detecting fake hotel reviews by analyzing the language used in legitimate and phony write-ups. The computer program, Review Skeptic, is accurate about 90 percent of the time, but humans alone performed poorly at determining the truth teller.
"People are terrible," said professor Claire Cardie, who helped develop the system. "I was very surprised. We just cannot tell the difference much more than chance."
Listen to the language
Beware of extremes - overly enthusiastic or negative reviews are red flags. False reviews tend to use more extreme language to get their message across. So if someone says "It is the most comfortable bed ever," perhaps in all caps, take pause.
Additionally, the Cornell researchers found that when it comes to hotels, fake reviewers tended not to talk about the spatial details - such as the floor or bathroom. Instead, they focused on the reason they were there, such as describing a recent fake vacation or business trip. In practice, this makes sense because someone who has never been to a location might have a tough time describing it accurately.
Junk the jargon
On the flip side, beware of recommendations that read like product manuals. Reviews that repeat the full product name or model number may be an attempt to game the search engine system. And if they use excessive technical or marketing jargon, odds are they aren't providing a genuine review - most real people don't talk like that.
Review the reviewer
Check out the profile of the person providing the review, said Louis Ramirez, senior features writer with online deal site DealNews. If they only write reviews for a particular company, that's a huge warning sign they could have a vested interest in that business. Some sites let people upload pictures of the item they bought, which can help add credibility.
Amazon verifies some of its reviewers, indicating they actually bought the product (although some of the people it's suing allegedly found ways around that). Some other sites only allow posts from people who've made a purchase there. Look closely on the site for their review policies.
Pay attention to detail
If you think about your own experiences with an unpleasant experience or product, you can probably explain exactly why it was bad. Ramirez suggests if you're unsure about a review, put more stock in someone who provides details of why they didn't like a product ("Oh, the battery only lasted four hours") that in someone who complains more generally ("I hated this laptop. It was horrible").

How to Stop Facebook Videos From Automatically Playing

Facebook recently enabled autoplaying videos on its website and apps and this feature is great if you watch a lot of videos and have a fast Internet connection with a generous data cap. However, many people are likely to find autoplaying videos annoying, especially because they start playing even when you're just scrolling down and don't pause at the video. It can waste data, and sometimes people will share videos that you would rather just not see, but avoiding them when they start playing in front of you without warning can be difficult.
It's actually possible to disable the autoplay quite easily, though the settings aren't very obvious at first glance. Don't worry though - whether you want to disable autoplaying videos on the Facebook website or Android or iOS apps, we've got you covered. Follow these steps to stop Facebook videos from automatically loading and playing.
If you are using Facebook on the Web (desktop browser):
1) Go to Facebook's video settings page when you are logged into your Facebook account.
2) Click the button to the right of Auto-play Videos and choose Off from the drop down menu.
If you are using the Facebook app for Android, use the following steps to stop Facebook videos from autoplaying:
1) Tap the three horizontal lines icon.
2) Scroll down and tap App Settings.
3) Tap Video Auto-play.
4) Tap Off to stop videos from automatically playing, or Wi-fi only if it's okay for videos to autoplay when you are on Wi-Fi.

If you are using the Facebook app for iPhone, use the following steps to disable video autoplay:
1) Tap the three horizontal lines icon labelled More near the bottom right corner.
2) Scroll down and tap Settings.
3) Tap Account Settings.
4) Tap Videos and Photos.
5) Tap Auto-play.
6) Tap Never Auto-play Videos to completely stop Facebook videos from automatically playing, or On WiFi Connections Only if you don't mind videos autoplaying when you are on Wi-Fi.

If you are using the Facebook app for iPad, use the following steps to stop videos from automatically playing:
1) Tap the three horizontal lines icon labelled More near the bottom right corner.
2) Scroll down and tap Account Settings.
3) Tap Videos and Photos.
4) Tap Auto-play.
5) Tap Never Auto-play Videos to completely stop Facebook videos from automatically playing, or On WiFi Connections Only if you don't mind videos autoplaying when you are on Wi-Fi.
You have one less annoying thing in your life now that Facebook videos autoplay is disabled

How Microsoft Reworked Its Activation Rules to Block Windows 10 Pirates

For more than a decade, Microsoft has lost money because of the way its activation program worked in Windows. 'Activation cracks' for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 have been readily available on the Internet, allowing anyone to bypass authenticity checks and essentially use Microsoft's desktop operating system for free. Microsoft has quietly updated this mechanism in Windows 10 in order to help prevent unauthorised usage or piracy of the desktop operating system.
There are several tools available online designed to let you retrieve the product key of your installed copy of Windows. However, if you try using any of them on Windows 10, you will be surprised to learn that the keys they return are generic. This is because of a fundamental change to the underlying activation mechanism in Windows 10, something Microsoft hasn't discussed publicly.
Prior to Windows 10, activation relied on a unique ID which was generated from hashes of your hardware and your product key. This allowed Microsoft to recognise your computer if you tried reinstalling the operating system using the same licence key, even with minor hardware changes.
As ZDNet reports, Microsoft has now gone to great lengths to change the product activation mechanism in Windows 10. If you have a legitimate copy of Windows, Microsoft will issue a certificate, which it calls a "digital entitlement". If you are upgrading from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, Microsoft will check your current activation status -- not the product key. If you have a genuine copy, Microsoft will generate the entitlement for Windows 10 based on your PC's hardware.
Thus, no product key is generated or distributed. The Software Licensing Manager utility on each Windows 10 system will be able to retrieve the digital entitlement specific to that PC automatically. This works even if you wipe your hard drive completely. You won't have to enter any key when reinstalling Windows 10. Small hardware updates such as changing a hard drive, graphics card or RAM should not cause any change to the status of an entitlement. However, significant changes such as an upgraded motherboard will most likely cause the activation check for previously activated systems to fail, and users will need to call Microsoft's activation helplines or possibly purchase a new license.
If you buy a Windows 10 USB stick from Microsoft and use it on a wiped hard drive or on a new computer, you will have to generate a new entitlement by entering the key that comes with it.
However, since Microsoft hasn't officially detailed exactly how the new activation works, there are still several potential scenarios in which it is not clear how an entitlement status will be determined. In a statement to PC World, Microsoft clarified that "your activation product key stays with your PC," but did not elaborate on if the product key is tantamount to a "digital entitlement".

Microsoft writes down Nokia acquisition, loses $3.2 billion in Q4

Microsoft has released their financial results for the fourth quarter of their 2015 fiscal year, and thanks to a hefty $7.5 billion write down of the Nokia acquisition, the company lost several billion dollars in the quarter.
In Q4, Microsoft recorded $22.2 billion in revenue for an operating loss of $2.1 billion, which extends to a net loss of $3.2 billion when taxes are factored in, resulting in a $0.40 loss per share. Without factoring in charges related to the Nokia write down, Microsoft's operating income was $6.39 billion.
Aside from the losses as a result of the Nokia write down, Microsoft didn't exactly have a great quarter. Revenue is down five percent compared to the same quarter last year, and income (minus the Nokia charges) was down three percent.
The company also recorded a significant decrease in revenue in several key business units. Windows OEM revenue declined by 22% due to the weak PC market, while the Devices and Consumer unit's revenue as a whole declined by 13%. Windows Phone also isn't doing well, seeing a 68% decline in revenue despite a 10% growth in Lumia sales, mostly because most Windows Phones sold were low-end devices.
There is some good news for Microsoft, though. The Surface division saw revenue grow by 117% on the back of strong Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3 sales. Xbox revenue is also up by 27%, and the company managed to add three million Office 365 subscribers in the one quarter. On the commercial side, cloud service revenue saw strong growth.
With Windows 10 set to launch next week, there is hope that Microsoft will see better financial results in the next quarter as people begin to upgrade to systems running the new operating system.

Microsoft Today Doesn't Have Good Flagship Smartphones, Admits Nadella

 

Microsoft reported its biggest ever quarterly net loss of worth $3.2 billion (roughly Rs. 20,357 crores), citing the write-down of recently-acquired Nokia unit, and falling demand for its Windows operating system. Microsoft's mobile business lately has also been going through a major transition as the company announced it will cut 7,800 jobs alongside confirming plans to reorganise the Windows Phone unit.Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, during an earnings call (via Neowin) discussed plans to offer premium or high-end Windows Phone to consumers soon. Talking about flagship smartphone, Nadella admitted that Microsoft still don't have good devices. He said, speaking in context of the flagship segment, "In which we don't today have good devices." Nadella however was confident that with restructured plans for mobile business, the company can turn its fortunes.
Further, he again stressed that Microsoft will launch one or at most two models each year in three different categories catering to affordable segment, business customers, and premium end or the flagship segment.
Last week, Nadella in an interview talked about the company's plans for Windows Phones in depth. He stressed that despite recent announcements the company was still focused on its mobile-first strategy, and in fact, the Windows 10 free upgrade offer was meant to boost the Windows Phone platform.
Soon after announcing restructuring plans for its phone business, Microsoft had confirmed that it would announce "premium Lumias designed for Windows 10" soon. Preliminary leaks have suggested that Microsoft is working on two high-end Lumia handsets codenamed 'Cityman' and 'Talkman', and both the smartphones are said to be targeted at the premium segment.
Looking at Microsoft's phone launches this year, the Redmond giant has largely focused on budget to mid-range segment announcing the Lumia 430 Dual SIM, Lumia 435, Lumia 532, Lumia 535, Lumia 540, Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL.
Recently, Microsoft India was reportedly rolling out an OTA (over-the-air) update for select Lumia handsets that enabled 4G connectivity option on these devices.

Using Windows 10 isn't enough, Microsoft plans to "Upgrade the World" too

When Microsoft introduces Windows 10 on July 29, it isn't settling for a press conference or a single event launch. Instead, Microsoft will begin their campaign to “Upgrade the World” through global advertising, a marketing campaign, and charity work.
On July 29, there will be a slew of Microsoft hosted fan celebrations in 13 cities around the world, including Sydney, Beijing, Tokyo, Sao Paolo, London, Berlin, Madrid, Singapore, Johannesburg, Nairobi, New Delhi, Dubai and New York City. What can you expect to find at these events? There will be hands-on activities, demos, entertainment and interaction with the Windows team.
If you’re not close to one of the fan celebrations, Microsoft will also celebrate the Windows 10 launch in more than 110 Microsoft stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. These events also happen on the 29th, with in-store stations designed to help customers upgrade to Windows 10.
Microsoft has also arranged extra help for consumers looking to upgrade through retail partners such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart. Partners will provide data migration services and experience stations where people can try out Windows 10.
From the beginning, Windows 10 has been unique... Our approach to launch is also unique - focused on a more aspirational goal, inspired by Windows 10," said Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President, Windows and Devices Group, in a blog post detailing the launch plans.
Prepare for a new onslaught of TV and digital ads, part of a multi-million-dollar global campaign from Microsoft, highlighting Windows 10 features, such as Windows Hello security technology and Microsoft Edge browser.
“Upgrade Your World” isn’t just a slogan. It is Microsoft’s year-long initiative to work with 10 global and 100 local nonprofits "to help them upgrade the world." The company will invest $10 million in cash to the participating partners, which include CARE, Code.org, Keep a Child Alive, The Global Poverty Project, The Malala Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Pencils of Promise, Save the Children and Special Olympics.

Microsoft handing display ads to AOL, says Bing is a multibillion dollar business

Microsoft on Monday revealed it will be shutting down portions of its display advertising business across nine markets and handing off those duties to AOL and AppNexus. In exchange, Bing will now power search and search advertising across all of AOL’s properties for the next 10 years.
Rik van der Kooi, Microsoft corporate vice president of advertising and consumer monetization and Frank Holland, Microsoft corporate vice president of A&O, announced the change in a blog post earlier today. The duo said the news was evidence of Microsoft’s renewed focus on its strengths. In a rare disclosure, the Microsoft executives also mentioned Bing is a sustainable multibillion-dollar business, so that's where they are focusing on.
Sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that up to 1,200 people could be impacted by the move.
Microsoft’s decision to outsource its advertising sales department isn’t all that surprising.
The company entered into a 10-year partnership with Yahoo in 2009 in which Yahoo would be responsible for selling Bing ads. In April, CEOs Marissa Mayer and Satya Nadella mutually agreed to amend the original partnership which meant Microsoft was once again in charge of selling its own ads.
AOL has been in the news a lot as of late. Just last week, Verizon completed its $4.4 billion acquisition of AOL just six weeks after announcing the deal.
Nadella’s vision of what Microsoft should be continues to take shape. A handful of senior executives announced plans to depart a couple of weeks ago including former Nokia chief Stephen Elop. Days later, Nadella e-mailed staffers regarding its updated mission statement with hopes it would serve as a rallying cry following the company’s tumultuous past few years.

Microsoft launches Windows 10 Preview build 10158

About a month away from Windows 10's official launch, Microsoft has launched a new Windows 10 Insider Preview build that aims to fix bugs and increase the level of polish throughout the OS. The new preview version, build 10158, is now available to Insiders on the Fast Ring.
Most of the additions to Windows 10 in this build are fairly minor. Windows 10 build 10158 has ditched Project Spartan branding for their next generation browser in favor of Microsoft Edge, and that brings with it a new app ID and a subsequent loss of existing user data. A number of minor improvements have been made to the browser as well, including the addition of a home button and the ability to import bookmarks from other browsers.
General user experience improvements in build 10158 include updates to Continuum's Tablet mode, new gestures in the Start menu, navigation tweaks, and changes to the way the taskbar notifies users of file transfers and apps seeking attention.
Cortana has received a range of updates in build 10158 as well, including integration into Office 365, flight and parcel tracking support, email sending support (for those with their language set to US English), and the ability to receive notifications about going to and from work.
Microsoft has also updated the Photos app for this build, bringing support for animated GIFs among other improvements. The Snipping Tool has also received minor changes that allow you to add five second delays to your capture.
For those Insiders out there currently in the Fast Ring, Windows 10 Preview build 10158 is now available to download through the usual update process.

Identify your long-lost twin with this Microsoft tool powered by machine learning

Microsoft published an online tool last month that attempted to guess the age and gender of a person based on a single photo. How-Old.net, which was developed in a single day to demonstrate the power of machine learning, quickly went viral and has since been used by millions of people.
The same developers behind that project have created TwinsOrNot.net which, as you can likely surmise, uses machine learning to determine how similar two people look. You’ll get a score from 0 to 100 once the tool works its magic.
Microsoft’s Mat Velloso built the tool in just a few spare hours while staying at a hotel in the Czech Republic. He outlined the entire build process in a recent blog post should you be interested in digging deeper.

Clean installs can be performed after free Windows 10 upgrade

After you upgrade to Windows 10 through Microsoft's free upgrade offer, you'll be able to perform a clean install on the same machine without having to specifically purchase a Windows 10 license, according to the head of the Windows Insider program, Gabe Aul.

@dinchy87 @PiotrGoreckiJr Once you upgrade W10 w/ the free upgrade offer you will able to clean reinstall Windows 10 on same device any time

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) June 3, 2015

It's not clear whether you'll be able to clean install Windows through standard Windows 10 media, or whether you'll need to use the included recovery tools within Windows itself. Microsoft will soon clarify this process, but at least we know that you will have the option to start fresh after moving to Windows 10 even if you upgrade for free.
However, like Microsoft has already made clear, if you are building a new PC or upgrading from an OS older than Windows 7, you'll have to purchase a full Windows 10 license for at least $119. OEMs will almost certainly get a discount on these prices, as has been the case in the past.
Windows 10 will launch on July 29th, Microsoft confirmed earlier in the week. If you are currently using Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you can already reserve your free upgrade through the Windows 10 app that has recently appeared on these operating systems.

Skype's real-time translator app now open for anyone to try

Skype’s real-time translation service is now available for anyone to preview, allowing speakers of four different languages to carry a conversation much like the universal translator used in Star Trek to communicate with alien races.
During a conversation, each participant speaks their native language. As words are being spoken, Skype Translator is busy translating each and every word before spitting it back out on the other end in that person’s native language either audibly or via transcript. Aside from the translation, Skype Translator works just like the regular Skype app.

While not quite perfect just yet, it works well enough that two people can hold a conversation without issue. It’s worth mentioning that you’ll get the best results if both participants are using a headset and are on a wired, broadband connection.
Microsoft demonstrated Skype Translator nearly a year ago during Re/code’s Code Conference before accepting applications to preview it in November. A month later, the Redmond-based company launched the service in limited beta with support for English and Spanish. In April, Microsoft expanded on its capabilities by adding Italian and Chinese (Mandarin) to the mix.

Skype Translator also offers a written, instant message translation service that supports more than 40 languages.
The Skype Translator app is available in the Windows Store for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 Technical Preview users. No word yet on when Microsoft plans to move the service out of beta status.