Microsoft Adds New Release Preview Ring to Windows Insider Program

Microsoft announced today that it’s adding a new ring to its Windows Insider program, which allows intrepid users to gain access to, and give feedback on, new features in Windows 10 before the general public. The new Release Preview Ring will allow Insiders to stay with the current Windows 10 build while receiving early access…

Edge Browser to Get Makeover in 2016

Microsoft Edge: It’s fast, and it’s new. But its lack of support for browser extensions, or other clear advantages over popular browsers, have some calling it Internet Explorer with lipstick. On Wednesday, Microsoft laid out a road map of improvements it plans to make to Edge and EdgeHTML, the engine that powers the browser, in…

Microsoft Accelerates Windows 10 Preview Schedule, Releases Build 14251

A new Windows 10 build goes out today to Insiders in Microsoft’s Fast track, and it includes previously announced changes to Cortana. The Fast track is living up to its name, with this new version, Build 14251, released just a week after Build 11102. (Don’t be confused by the leap in numbers; Microsoft is simply…

Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 With 1TB of Storage Go on Sale Today

Looking for a little more juice in your caboose? Microsoft today started selling its most powerful versions thus far of Surface Book and Surface Pro 4, each with 1 TB of storage,  Intel Core i7 processors and 16GB of RAM. The high-end Surface Book convertible laptop, priced at $3,199, is available online only, while the $2,699…

How to Make Your App Visible in Windows Store

Windows Store has long been plagued with complaints about the low quality of apps, prevalence of spam, and the fact that popular apps are unavailable or missing key features. It’s a problem for Microsoft, which urgently wants to inspire more developers to build universal Windows apps. In its quest to improve the quality of apps…

The Next Market for Windows 10: Vending Machines?

Among the products Microsoft is showing off this week at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show is a vending machine with a 40-inch touch screen powered by Windows 10. Built by Mondelez International—the makers of Oreo cookies, Ritz crackers and Trident gum—the machine allows users to view snacks in 3-D and read nutritional information before…

New App Analyzer Will Help Developers Prep for iOS to Windows Bridge

Microsoft is moving forward with a bridge to allow iOS developers to easily create versions of their apps for Windows 10. In an update to the Windows Bridge for iOS website (first spotted by  Frawin.com), Microsoft says it’s planning a rollout “in the coming weeks” of a web-based tool that will analyze apps for compatibility…

Microsoft Offers R Server Free to Developers

Microsoft is releasing a free developer edition of its Microsoft R Server, an analytics platform for enterprises based on R, the most popular programming language for statistical computing and predictive analytics. The company has been working to integrate R into its big data products since acquiring Revolution Analytics, a provider of R software and services,…

Google Sets Dates for I/O 2016, Registration Opens Soon for Microsoft’s Build

Google will hold its tenth-anniversary I/O developer conference May 18-20 in Mountain View, CA, CEO Sundar Pichai said in a Tweet on Tuesday. It’ll take place at the Shoreline Amphitheater, a massive outdoor concert arena (yes, a developer conference held outdoors), and the most likely big reveal would be a peek at Android’s newest version, Android…

Microsoft Continues Focus on IoT, Announces Partnership With Samsung

While Microsoft hasn’t had much of an official presence at CES 2016, its fingerprints are all over the various Windows 10 devices on display at the convention, including the new ultrathin Galaxy TabPro 5 from Samsung. On Thursday, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President for Windows Terry Myerson joined Samsung’s president, Won-Pyo Hong onstage to announce that…

AT&T Announces New Developer Tools, and Other CES 2016 News

The world’s biggest gadget-fest, CES, officially kicked off in Las Vegas today. The gaggle of products on display ranges from the weird (smart bras) to the derivative (a slew of Surface knockoffs) to the undeniably cool (a drone with built-in VR headset that lets you share its birds-eye view? Yes, please!). Amid all the hardware…