Tag: Microsoft

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Tech

Microsoft Extended Windows 7 Support Until 2023, But It Won’t Be Free

Are you still running Windows 7? The fact is that Windows 7 still has a large market share nowadays and it appears that Microsoft plans to expand the support for this OS even more, as part of the “Windows 7 Extended Security Updates” program. However, Microsoft will charge for security updates for Windows 7.

Microsoft extended the support for Windows 10 until 2023, but it will charge you for it

The Windows 7 official support will expire on January 14th, 2020, but because of various factors such as its large market share, Microsoft has agreed to launch a special program known as “Windows 7 Extended Security Updates.”

The new “Windows 7 Extended Security Updates” essentially means extended support for Windows 7. In other words, Windows 7 will keep getting security updates until 2023, three years after the end of its official support in 2020.

However, there is a very significant point. Namely, Microsoft will charge for this extended support for Windows 7. For “Windows 7 Extended Security Updates” you will be charged since it will be marketed for a single device and its prices, which are yet unknown, will rise year by year.

Only Microsoft Windows 7 Professional and Enterprise will be eligible for “Windows 7 Extended Security Updates”

Microsoft announced they extended the support for Windows 7. However, only Windows 7 Professional and Enterprise versions of the renowned Microsoft’s OS will be eligible for the “Windows 7 Extended Security Updates.”

This program will be available for Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise. Likewise, all those clients who have Office 365 Pro Plus will be free to use this suite on Windows 7 as long as they have purchased this bundle.

After 2023 there will not be much more to be done than to upgrade to Windows 10 Home or to the Pro version to get in line with the latest security updates. However, Windows 7 will remain there permanently for all users or companies that would like to keep on using it, but with no security updates.

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Games News Tech

Xbox Adaptive Controller Launched By Microsoft For Gamers With Reduced Mobility

Microsoft has released yesterday the Xbox Adaptive Controller for Xbox One and PC, which simplifies the buttons and control of the console controller and is dedicated to gamers with reduced mobility. The new Xbox Adaptive Controller, which Microsoft first presented last May, can now be purchased from the official Microsoft store.

Microsoft launched the new Xbox Adaptive Controller for gamers with reduced mobility

Microsoft developed this new controller after collaborating with players with reduced mobility, while The AbleGamers Charity, The Cerebral Palsy Foundation, Craig Hospital, Special Effect, and Warfighter Engaged have also participated in the development process of the Xbox Adaptive Controller.

It features a black and white design that is larger than the usual Xbox controller and features two large circular buttons that can be programmed according to the player’s needs. The new peripheral has a reduced number of buttons, and it also eliminated the triggers on the back of the regular Xbox controllers, making it possible for gamers with reduced mobility to use placed on a table.

The new Xbox Adaptive Controller was released yesterday and is available on Microsoft Store.

Xbox Adaptive Controller is compatible with Xbox One consoles and Windows 10 computers, as well

To offer more possibilities to people with mobility issues, the new Xbox Adaptive Controller includes several additional ports that allow you to connect speakers or headphones directly to it, but also other control devices such as external buttons or joysticks. In this regard, Microsoft developed the new controller with two USB ports for thumb controls, a USB-C for charging, and a total of 20 3.5-mm jacks for speakers and additional peripherals with different functions.

Xbox Adaptive Controller is sold in a special cardboard package designed specifically for gamers with reduced mobility, which is easier and quicker to open. Microsoft’s new peripheral is designed for Xbox One video games consoles, as well as for computers running Windows 10 operating system.

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Tech

Microsoft On Android – Word, PowerPoint, And Excel Exceed 500 Million Downloads

Word, PowerPoint, and Excel have surpassed 500 million downloads on Google’s mobile operating system. That confirms, once again, that the presence of Microsoft on Android is growing.

Microsoft released the primary applications of the Office productivity suite on Android in June 2015. The decision marked the end of Microsoft’s ambitions in the mobiles’ universe with its own Windows Mobile OS, following the decline of Nokia and a market share of less than 1% in smartphones.

If the end of Windows Phone/Mobile was a disaster Microsoft, the Office installations data reveals the success of Microsoft’s new strategy, offering a large number of applications and services on the Google and Apple platforms that monopolize the mobile market.

In the past, there has been an internal debate at Microsoft about the convenience of keeping its most relevant software exclusively for its platforms. Today, whether out of conviction or necessity, Microsoft is working thoroughly to improve its appearance on Android.

The presence of Microsoft on Android is growing

A few months ago the Word word processor for Android exceeded 500 million downloads on Android and this week, the Microsoft’s presentation app, Powerpoint, as well as Excel, have made the same breakthrough.

Nadella’s arrival at the head of the Microsoft and the end of Windows Phone/Mobile has changed the strategy. The cancellation of the “devices and services” strategy versus the “reinvention of productivity” has led to the arrival of Microsoft software on all existing platforms regardless of whether they are rivals or not.

The company intends to place Office on any system and device. On Android, it continues to cash in with every Android device sold and continues to launch apps and services for Android and also for iOS.

The presence of Microsoft on Android is growing as more and more users download the Microsoft launcher, Bing, Skype, besides the most-valued and massively downloaded Office suite.

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Tech

Xbox All Access Offers Xbox Consoles, Games, And Services Under A Monthly Subscription Plan

Entering the Microsoft’s gaming ecosystem could be much easier if indeed they confirm the Xbox All Access that is being promoted currently by several US news portals. This new Xbox All Access membership would include the video game console and would allow access to the other Xbox services with only a single monthly payment.

Xbox All Access would allow access to Xbox Live Gold, Game Pass, as well as to an Xbox console

Xbox All Access would be offered under a biannual subscription plan and would include the console itself and access to the most comprehensive Xbox experience, with all the online multiplayer features Xbox Live Gold offers and a growing library of more than 100 games to start with under the Game Pass.

According to the information, Xbox All Access would cost $22 per month for the Xbox One S subscription and $35 per month to get the Xbox One X. Doing the math isn’t a bad business, as adding the cost for an Xbox console and a two-year subscription to Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass would add up to nearly $600.

According to some sources, the new Xbox All Access service would be available only in the US

The new facility would be cheaper than purchasing the components separately and, in addition, could be paid for in monthly installments until the two-year contract is completed. Once the contract ends, the customer would own the console. No doubt, Microsoft wants to make it as easy as possible to add customers to its gaming ecosystem.

If you’re wondering why Xbox All Access hasn’t been announced at the Gamescom 2018 Insider Xbox conference, sources say the service will only be released across the United States. The official announcement from Microsoft is expected in the upcoming weeks.

The new service for Microsoft’s Xbox would be a great achievement for the company and would undoubtedly attract more new gamers.

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Games News

Minecraft: Education Edition For iOS To Come Out In September

If a few years ago we had been told that a game of building exaggerated polygons would serve to teach the younger ones in the classroom, we would not have believed it at all. That is what is happening with Minecraft, which, since Microsoft bought it, has not stopped growing in many aspects, including the education. And, by the way, Microsoft: Education Edition will be available for iOS in September.

Microsoft is convinced that Minecraft can significantly help students to become interested in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines, so in order to reach as many students as possible, they have had to directly address to the most successful device in the classroom, namely, the iPad.

Apple’s work in providing resources and tools to schools has been incredible, lately, so it’s no surprise that their iPad tablets are among the most popular products found in schools.

Minecraft: Education Edition – A game designed for education purposes

As the iPad is the most popular device in schools, it hasn’t been a questionable choice for Microsoft to come up with a new Minecraft: Education Edition for iOS version. Even more, this brand new version of Minecraft for Apple devices will come out in two variants, one for teachers and one for students, each with its features.

The teacher would not be in charge of creating content in the Minecraft’s universe of blocks, but they could propose tasks and exercises that the students will have to complete. In this way, the students have the opportunity to learn and review concepts as they play, either alone or as a team.

The new Minecraft: Education Edition will arrive on iOS in September, right at the end of the holiday period, and it will be available for download directly from the official Apple’s App Store on iPad or iPhone, as well.

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