Xiaomi agrees to pre-load Office and Skype on its phones in exchange for Microsoft patents

Posted on by Adrian Diaconescu

The “Apple of China” is looking to consolidate its relationship with not only Google, but rival tech colossus Microsoft as well. After selling the Mi Pad 2 in both Android and Windows 10 flavors, and allowing Mi 4 phone users to participate in W10M’s Technical Preview, Xiaomi just reached a mutually beneficial arrangement that will pre-install some of Redmond’s mobile apps on devices like the Mi 5, Mi Max, Mi ...

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Facebook Messenger Group Calling is a free challenger to Skype

Posted on by Jules Wang

“I’m gonna Facebook you” probably doesn’t mean you’re going to make a voice call to a person, but Facebook is still trying to make that happen with Messenger‘s new

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Microsoft promptly reacts to Japan and Ecuador earthquakes with free Skype calls

Posted on by Adrian Diaconescu

If there’s one thing that brings together people of all ages, races, sexes, cultures, nationalities, religions and professions, it’s the way we’ve become accustomed to respond to devastating natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis.Everyone’s thoughts and prayers right now go out to folks in Japan’s Kyushu region and Ecuador’s northwest pacific coast, where recent seismic waves have killed at least 41 and 272 respectively, according to the latest estimates.If you know somebody that might have been affected by the quakes, but haven’t gotten in touch yet, ...

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Microsoft’s vision for the future of computing is bots, bots, and more bots

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Last week, Microsoft suffered a pretty embarrassing PR hit upon the deployment of its AI chatbot Tay: just hours after going live, users had managed to train the bot to start spewing racist tirades. You might think that after an incident like that, Microsoft would be planning to shy away from AI-driven bot interactions at Build 2016, but that couldn’t be further from the case. Instead, CEO Satya Nadella has made he clear that he sees such bots as the future of computing, with natural human language taking the place of ...

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Microsoft strikes app-loading deal with Acer, 74th of its kind

Posted on by Jules Wang

The Office pool has grown just a bit larger.ASUS signed with Microsoft to include the latter’s suite of productivity apps. After a few bouts of fighting, so has Samsung. Acer thought it was time to do the same as it will begin pre-loading

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Skype now hides your IP address by default on both desktop and mobile

Posted on by Adrian Diaconescu

It took Microsoft a vexingly long time (several years, to be exact), but at long last, Skype’s most serious security vulnerability has been patched with a simple update. No more following a few quick steps on nefarious websites to uncover the IP address of any given user, as the immensely popular video chat service hides such information by default now.The desktop and mobile amendment available on all platforms tackles concerns voiced primarily by gamers over time, but individuals attentive to data privacy should come together and relish the change, no matter their online preferences and ...

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Skype for iOS enhanced with 3D Touch options and video filters

Posted on by Jaime Rivera

Microsoft continues to prove that it’s not just out to add a few of its apps to other platforms, but to also make these apps a favorite among consumers. We’ve seen the company aggressively take advantage of proprietary features on each platform in order to make the best of the experience, and that’s actually proven on today’s Skype update for iOS. 3D Touch is the new thing for iPhones, and as such, Microsoft has taken advantage.Skype for iOS now gets enhanced features for 3D Touch if you have a ...

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Deeper Skype integration on Android teased with Microsoft Dialer app

Posted on by Jaime Rivera

Microsoft is out for more when it comes to its approach for other platforms. Just as we saw the company’s iPhone Pro as a showcase of how many Microsoft apps work on the iPhone, we also see that same effect on Android today. Skype is one of the major services that Redmond wants to extend further, and today we learn of a new approach.Microsoft is currently testing a new Dialer app for Android in India. The idea seems to be a smartphone dialer replacement that seamlessly connects with Android. India ...

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Skype Translator will reach Skype for Windows soon

Posted on by Jaime Rivera

Surely many questioned Microsoft’s original intent for spending a good deal of money on Skype, but it clearly has served Microsoft well. Skype as a separate business has proven to be the right strategy for Microsoft, even though we’ve seen how the company’s use of the service as an added value to other tools like Office 2016 has made these products more useful. Today we learn more ...

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Skype for Android and iOS loses the old Metro look and feel

Posted on by Jaime Rivera

Microsoft has tried time and time again to sell us its old Metro UI, which yes, we know has another name now. We won’t deny that most of us find it cool and intuitive, but it does seem that it doesn’t fly with consumers. In the past, most of Microsoft’s apps would be designed this way, but it seems that’s going to change.Microsoft has just launched version 6.0 of Skype for both iOS and Android. The major change is that the Metro look and feel of the app is no longer part of the update. The ...

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Skype for Business preview lands on iOS & Android – what about Windows 10?

Posted on by Jules Wang

The slow roll towards the debut of Windows 10 Mobile continues as the last preview build before final release is out. Or at least, what we think will be the final preview build. Application development for Windows Phone 8.1 has all but stood still for obvious reasons. Yet, each day that Microsoft isn’t updating its core apps on its home platform, it’s doing so for others. Microsoft’s Office suite ...

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Here’s what you’ll lose when Skype for Modern Windows stops working (if it hasn’t already)

Posted on by Adam Z. Lein

As you may already know, the Skype team at Microsoft somehow decided to discontinue the “modern” full-screen touch-friendly version of Skype for Windows 8 before any reasonable replacement was available. I received an email on June 16th, 2015 that said, “From 7 July, 2015 you’ll no longer be able to sign into the Skype for modern Windows app.” After July 7th, the modern app was supposed to forward you to a website where you can download the x86 desktop version of Skype. The big advantage here would be that Skype no longer would have to keep developing two versions ...

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Skype gets smart about notifications on multiple devices

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

If you’re anything like us, staying connected means a lot more than simply carrying around a smartphone. Once the mobile device bug gets you and the gadget-lust takes hold, it’s easy to find yourself packing a tablet, a smartwatch, and maybe even a backup phone or two. But juggling multiple devices can be tricky when we’re dealing with online services, with them never really sure where to contact us – and instead, that means getting the same notification on multiple devices. But now

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Google Nexus 5 revision, Samsung division merger, iWatch charger & more – Pocketnow Daily

Posted on by Jaime Rivera

Watch today’s Pocketnow Daily as we talk about the new Skype for Android tablets, and how this will enhance your experience on video calls. We then go through a recent design revision to the Google Nexus 5, and what this means to new Nexus 5 customers. Sprint is next as we go through the rumors of a possible merger with T-Mobile next year. Apple follows as the company might adopt wireless charging in the future iWatch we’re still waiting for. We end today’s show talking about Samsung’s recent move to merger its mobile device and digital imaging divisions together. ...

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Skype for Android tablets gets a floating window mode

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Multitasking on smartphones has reached a bit of a crossroads. We’ve seen platforms deliver all manner of optimizations for how we switch between tasks, but we’re still largely talking about working with only one app at any given time. Progress to move from a full-screen to a more window-based system has been slow, but not without some victories; Samsung has its Multi Window View mode, and even YouTube teased at something along these lines a few months back, with

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