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Microsoft clarifies Windows 10 upgrade process for pirated copies
Yesterday, we heard that Microsoft planned to give people with pirated copies of its software a free way to upgrade to Windows 10. According to Reuters, Microsoft's goal with this plan was to combat piracy in China, though the idea was to expand said offer beyond that country. Well, as it turns out, it won't be that simple -- and, frankly, is anyone really surprised? Microsoft tells The Verge that it will provide "a mechanism" for pirates to upgrade to the latest version of its OS, but they will have to go through the Windows Store in order to get a genuine (read: officially supported) upgrade. In other words, those with a non-genuine copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8 will have a way to get Windows 10, but there's no confirmation that it will be at no cost.
Microsoft's Lumia 430 is the cheapest route to Windows 10
If your budget is tight but you still want the new notifications and other stuff coming with Windows 10, Microsoft has your back -- depending on where you live. It just revealed the 4-inch Lumia 430 Dual SIM model that's Windows 10-ready for around 70 bucks. For such a price, you'll get about what you'd expect: a WVGA display, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 CPU, 8GB of upgradeable storage and a 1,500 mAh battery. Unfortunately, the biggest compromise is with the cameras: it has a meager 2-megapixel front/0.3-megapixel shooters that will make for passable selfies and not much else.
Windows 10 launches this summer in 190 countries (update)
Microsoft's leaner, meaner, latest iteration of Windows is coming in just a few months, and it's launching in 170 countries, in 111 languages. Don't forget: Windows 10 is a free upgrade if you're already using Windows 7 or 8. Hiding in its imposing shadow, and launching at the same time, the company will release special free version of its OS for Internet of Things devices, which Microsoft's Terry Myerson reckons could well find its way into ATMs and ultrasound machines. Curiously, anyone that has a Xiaomi Mi 4 will also able to download the preview of Windows 10 ahead of it's release -- despite it being an Android phone.
Windows 10 takes up less space and lets you easily kill bloatware
Microsoft is finally fixing a few of the most hated things about Windows. In a blog post, the software giant revealed that compared to Windows 8.1, Windows 10 will take up as much as 6.6GB less space, will re-install faster and possibly be easier to rid of crapware. To achieve those goals, Microsoft is using "Wimboot" disk compression to reduce system file and app sizes. To make sure it doesn't compromise performance, the OS will check your system RAM and other parameters before installing it. Also, instead of being stuck with files needed to recover from a failure, you'll create your own to backup and restore the OS and apps on PCs and tablets (Windows phones already have this feature). It added that the new technique will still allow recovery from "severe corruption."
Windows 10 log-in options will include fingerprint, facial and iris recognition
Microsoft thinks it's high time you ditch your passwords. The company, which is readying Windows 10 for release later this year, just announced that its next-gen OS will include built-in support for several alternative log-in options, including fingerprint, facial and iris recognition. That means so long as a Win 10 machine has at least one of the necessary sensors -- a fingerprint reader, eye scanner or illuminated IR sensor for facial recognition -- there will be a built-in framework called "Hello" that helps users enroll their fingerprints, or face, or what have you. In other words, then, regardless of who made your machine (Acer, HP, et cetera), you'll get a consistent user experience for setting up a biometric log-in.
Windows 10 will deliver updates through your fellow PC users
Not fond of having to wait (and wait, and wait) while you download Windows updates from Microsoft's servers? You might not have to when Windows 10 arrives. The Verge has noticed that a leaked version of the operating system lets you grab updates from other computers, whether they're on your local network or online -- yes, it's a peer-to-peer network for patches. Besides accelerating the upgrade process, the option could save precious bandwidth (important on capped data plans) if you have a multi-PC household. There's no telling when this feature will show up in a Windows 10 build you can try, assuming Microsoft doesn't get cold feet. A new public test release is reportedly coming soon, though, so you probably won't have to wait very long.
Xbox Live on Windows 10 won't charge for online multiplayer
The news of Xbox Live coming to Windows 10 was a bit confusing last week, but, slowly, details of how it'll work are surfacing. Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb recently responded to PCWorld's Hayden Dingman on Twitter saying that Xbox Live Gold won't be required for online multiplayer using Live on WIn10 and mobile (like it is on consoles). Great news, right? Well, like The Verge notes, it should be for anyone who remembers the disastrous Games for Windows Live program that Microsoft tried implementing around 10 years ago. We reached out to the company for additional information and were told that there wasn't anything more to share at this time, but that'd change over the coming months.
Xbox Live and ID@Xbox are coming to Windows 10
If the news of Xbox games coming to HoloLens and Elite: Dangerous hitting Xbox One this summer wasn't nearly enough, Microsoft has a few other tidbits to share from this year's Game Developers Conference. First up: Redmond is bringing the Xbox Live SDK to Windows 10. It's part of the universal apps push that the outfit's making with its new operating system, and will give game developers of any size access to a "vast majority" of Xbox Live's services. It wouldn't be the first time Microsoft's done something like this, but let's hope it doesn't turn into another disaster like Games for Windows Live was. The post on Xbox Wire also mentions there will be a new tier of the company's online gaming service coming as well that specifically allows "any developer to engage with the Xbox Live community." We've reached out for clarification of exactly what that translates to.
Microsoft's new browser previewed in video
It was back in January that Microsoft showed off its long-awaited replacement for Internet Explorer, currently named "Project Spartan." The new browser is designed to be light, nimble and secure, with the company stressing how deeply Cortana, Microsoft's virtual assistant, is baked into the software. Now, thanks to WinBeta, we've gotten the first sense of how that'll work out in the real world. For instance, visit the homepage of a restaurant and the blue circle in the address bar will bounce to advise you that more information is available. In addition, you can highlight and right-click a word to define it, and typing in keywords in the address bar -- such as weather -- will bring up relevant information. The video is short, but you can expect plenty more like that when the previews of Windows 10 (with Spartan) arrive at the end of the month.
This is how Microsoft will unite your Windows 10 devices
Microsoft's big promise with Windows 10 is its ability to run apps across the entire platform. The framework for these universal apps hasn't been described in much detail, but a post on the Windows Blog gives a bit more insight under the hood. Redmond's calling these "mobile experiences," meaning apps you can use across a variety of different devices; the software is mobile, not the gizmo you're using it on. Cortana moving from smartphone to desktop and the Xbox One's Game DVR tool being available on your gaming PC are but a few examples. The idea is to offer a set of standards across the Windows 10 platform so everything remains familiar regardless of what piece of hardware you're accessing the application from. That means everything should have, in Microsoft's words, an adaptive user experience with natural inputs; calls for cloud-based services including Cortana integration and the action center and one design language across the board.
'Fable' going free-to-play on Xbox One and Windows 10
Now you can add "price" alongside "gameplay" to the list of aspects that separates Fable Legends from its forebears. That's because the game's launching as a free-to-play title on Windows 10 and gratis with an Xbox Live Gold subscription on Xbox One. What's it all entail? A lot of similar bits if you've paid attention to how free-to-play stuff typically works (microtransactions for cosmetic items, for example), but with a few unique wrinkles. The official FAQ stresses that you'll be able to play the game from beginning to end without spending any real cash, and that all quests and storylines will be free -- same goes for "everything that affects gameplay." There's a possibility that some customization options won't be purchasable with the in-game currency you earn, and with its rotating system for playable characters, you have the option to permanently unlock a favorite character with cold hard cash, too.
Microsoft will soon help you find friends with Windows phones
It's fairly easy to locate friends and family if you have an Android or iOS device, but finding your pals with a Windows phone? Not so much, unless you come across the right third-party apps. That may not be a big challenge for much longer. Spanish site Microsoft Place has detailed an as yet unreleased service, People Sense, that will let you share and track locations with other Windows phone owners. The basic concept is familiar if you've seen Apple's Find My Friends, but there's a stronger emphasis on reaching out -- you can call or message contacts in-app, and even get directions if you'd like to meet face to face. People Sense is still in private beta testing (it's listed as "Buddy Aware" at the moment) and has no clear release date, but it won't be surprising if the software plays a role in Windows 10.
An in-depth look at the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones
By now, you will have heard at least something about Windows 10, the next iteration of Microsoft's OS that aims to create a unified experience across all the devices it'll eventually inhabit: everything from PCs and laptops to tablets and phones. Microsoft already released several preview builds for computers, and now the first Windows 10 Technical Preview is available for phones. You're highly unlikely to want to install this buggy early build on your daily driver, but don't sweat it. I've got just the phone for the job: a Lumia 630, which happens to be one of the few compatible devices at the moment. So let's take a look at what's new, and what's still to come.
Windows 10 Technical Preview arrives on phones
Been jonesing to see what Windows 10 looks like on smaller screens? You now have your chance. Microsoft has just released a Technical Preview of the new OS for smartphones. This extra-early version won't include the next-gen Spartan browser and still has a lot of unfinished elements, but it'll give you a good sneak peek at Action Center upgrades, across-the-board voice dictation support and the better photo browser. Future test builds will also bring the much-improved Calendar and Mail apps, unified messaging and phone versions of universal Office apps.
Parallels just made it easier to try Windows 10 on your Mac
If you're eager to try Microsoft's Windows 10 technical preview on a PC, you'll either need to mess with your existing machine, use a spare you don't mind borking or run it on a virtual machine like VMware. Mac users on OS X (including Yosemite) have a couple of options including Boot Camp, but they now have one more: Parallels 10. Using the latest build, you can download Windows 10 directly from the desktop, then run it in a virtual machine alongside your Mac stuff. That'll let you scope the incoming OS and its resurrected Start menu, Cortana support, new browser and Office Preview for Windows 10. You'll also get direct access to your iCloud and iPhone library and be able to share files, text and pictures from Windows. There is one serious gotcha: you'll have to pay a steep $80 for Parallels 10, or $40 to upgrade.
Microsoft rolls out new Windows 10 preview with Cortana and Continuum
We spent a decent chunk of our Wednesday getting a load of what Microsoft's added to Windows 10 since the last time we saw it, and now the bravest among you can take (most of) that new stuff for a spin. The company launched the next build of the Windows 10 Technical Preview earlier this afternoon, and with it comes long-awaited features like Continuum -- for when you're running Windows on shape-shifting devices -- and a new Xbox app that focuses on "the basics."
Do you want a virtual assistant on your desktop?
Microsoft showed off a number of new features from its upcoming Windows 10 yesterday. It brings support for things like universal apps, a new and improved web browser, potentially free upgrades, cross-platform gaming and more. One of the more interesting announcements was that Cortana, a voice-controlled virtual assistant similar to Apple's Siri and Google Now, would be available on your desktop. Many of us spend our days in office environments, where it's not convenient to talk to our computers (besides, I have other issues with virtual assistants as well). Is this something you'll find useful on your computer? Head over to the Engadget forums and let us know what you think.
Surface RT will only get some of Windows 10's upgrades
Well, that was quick: Despite Microsoft saying that Windows 10 was coming to its misfit tablet, the Surface RT, that isn't quite the case. As Thurrott reports, Redmond is working on an update for Surface which will have "some of the functionality" of Windows 10. The SuperSite for Windows founder goes on to say: "Since those [Windows RT and Surface RT/2] are the only Windows RT devices that ever sold in any measurable quantity, two conclusions are obvious. Other Windows RT devices may not be updated at all (i.e. this Windows 10 subset update may literally only be for Surface RT/2 devices). And more generally, Windows RT is dead." And it very well may be. The RT platform's always been a bit of an odd duck with its inability to run standard Windows apps, and it looks this this could be Microsoft's kiss of death. You can read the official word from a Microsoft spokesperson after the break.
HoloLens is and isn't Xbox One's answer to PlayStation 4's virtual reality headset
Finally, we can stop asking Microsoft's Xbox lead Phil Spencer about virtual reality headsets. "For us, I think this is the area," Spencer told a group of interviewers at yesterday's Windows 10 event. He was responding to whether or not there's also a virtual reality headset in the works at Microsoft, just an hour after the company unveiled HoloLens: a "mixed reality" headset that enables the wearer to see holograms in real life. For Spencer, HoloLens is both Microsoft's alternate answer to the recent virtual reality explosion and a potential answer to Sony's Project Morpheus headset -- a VR peripheral that works with the PlayStation 4, where HoloLens could work with the Xbox One. "It's very cool. To me there's not a successful consumer electronics device on the planet where gaming is not a primary form of app category on the thing," Spencer said. There's even a "Minecraft-inspired" demo -- which answers that question -- for HoloLens that shows the implications of gaming with holograms. But no demo showed the headset working with the Xbox One in any capacity. Spencer instead talked around that possibility: "I think gaming will be important. Specific scenarios with the Xbox, we're thinking hard about. People could ask about streaming solutions. Could I use it as a display for my Xbox? We don't have answers to any of those things, but know it's all part of the same organization."
Windows 10 means big changes for the future of Xbox
Microsoft made a lot of sweeping statements yesterday about what it wants for the future of Xbox and Windows. We don't like broad statements here at Engadget; we like specifics. Good news! We've broken down the aforementioned statements into the stuff that really matters: how you will be affected by the upcoming launch of Windows 10, specifically as it pertains to the game console you own and the PC you use for games. We've got answers on everything from in-home game streaming to Xbox's biggest games heading to the PC, so head below for a beat-by-beat breakdown of what yesterday's big announcements mean for the future of the Xbox platform as we know it.
