Microsoft - page 11

Every week here at the Cult of Mac Store, we’re busy finding great deals on tech tools, gadgets, and courses. This round, we’ve got an email app contender for Outlook and Gmail, and an all-purpose, waterproof HD camera. Also check out the comprehensive course in the Microsoft Office suite, and a video editor packed with 60 video assets. So there’s something here for everybody, read on for more details:

Apple just gave Microsoft’s search engine Bing a huge blow today by replacing it with Google on iOS and macOS.

The company previously used Bing search results as the default when users made a search query via Siri on iPhones or from Spotlight on Macs. Bing will still be around in some capacity, but it appears that the company has given in and turned back to using Google.

Apple has confirmed that it is working closely with Microsoft to resolve an issue with Mail syncing in iOS 11.

Some users have discovered that they are unable to send emails using their Exchange or Outlook accounts since updating their devices. Apple promises a fix will be available in a future iOS 11 release.

Apple will have to fight off fresh competition from new Surface devices next month. Microsoft has confirmed it will be holding a keynote in London during its annual Future Decoded event, and sources familiar with its plans say we can expect at least one new device.

A leaked Microsoft memo confirms that Consumer Reports was right to retract its recommendation rating from the Surface lineup due to reliability concerns.

Microsoft previously denied that users were experiencing an abnormal number of issues with its devices, but an internal document reveals that the Surface Book and Surface Pro 3 both have unusually high return rates long after launch.

Consumer Reports has pulled the “recommendation” rating it awarded to four Microsoft Surface devices.

The publication says the change was made as a result of “poor predicated reliability,” and said the estimated breakage rate for Microsoft tablets and notebooks was higher than that for most other brands.

Facebook is planning to make its first foray into hardware next year and according to a new report it may start competing directly against Apple.

The social network is reportedly building a stand-alone video chat device with a built in touch screen that is focused on helping bring Facebook users closer together.

Microsoft’s Word Flow keyboard for iPhone has been pulled from the App Store now that the company’s “experiment” is over.

The unique keyboard, which made its debut last April, was designed for one-handed typing on larger displays. Now Microsoft is advising fans to switch to SwiftKey instead.

Adobe is ready to call it quits on its once-omnipresent plugin that has helped powered internet browsers for over a decade. 

Flash is finally ready to die.

Apple’s freshly unveiled HomePod speaker may soon get some competition from its Silicon Valley neighbor Facebook. The social network giant is supposedly developing a smart speaker of its own and based on a report out of Asia, it could pack some features that HomePod can’t match.

Bixby, Samsung’s latest competitor to Siri, will finally find its voice in the U.S. next month.

A leaked internal email reveals Bixby Voice will make its official debut before the end of August. Until now, the feature has only been available in Samsung’s home country of South Korea.

Its incredible accessibility features make the iPhone the perfect smartphone for the visually impaired. And it just got even better, thanks to a new app from Microsoft that uses artificial intelligence to describe the world around you.

Here’s hoping everybody’s summer is rolling along nicely. This week at the Cult of Mac Store, we’ve got three personal audio upgrades that can help dial in the summer vibes. Because some people are still thinking about their work, we’ve also got a pair of courses in Excel. That’s a skill that looks good on any resume. Everything is available at a major discount – read on for more details:

Predicting the future is tough, even for the experts. That’s the only lesson we can learn from looking back at these horribly misguided iPhone predictions that greeted the device at its launch 10 years ago.

Before most people had even wrapped their fingers around Apple’s first-gen smartphone, tech pundits, analysts and competing CEOs were already writing off the iPhone as a disaster similar to Apple’s previous excursions into video game consoles and the like.

Here are just a few of the laughable reactions that greeted the iPhone in 2007.

In love with your new iPad Pro? You can thank Microsoft for that.

Microsoft executive Ryan Gavin claims Apple’s latest take on tablets wouldn’t have happened without the Surface Pro. It is a “clear example” that the company is following Microsoft’s move into ultraportable 2-in-1 machines.

Microsoft has beaten Apple to delivering a wireless keyboard with biometric security.

Its new Modern Keyboard is built out of aluminum to be slim and strong and features a hidden fingerprint scanner that makes login passwords a thing of the past. It’s also compatible with your Mac.

Apple supplier Largan says it will ship its new 3D sensors in time for iPhone 8, while another supply chain vendor confirms waterproof wireless charging technology.

Largan’s sensors are capable of carrying out facial and iris recognition and provide an alternative to fingerprint scanning. They could be the solution Apple turns to if it is unable to embed a Touch ID scanner beneath the iPhone 8’s display.

More tech giants are joining Apple in the consortium bidding to acquire Toshiba’s semiconductor business.

Led by Foxconn, other companies involved in the potential bid include Dell, Google, Microsoft and Cisco. Amazon is also reportedly considering joining.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition is getting support for cross-platform multiplayer, giving iOS users the ability to team up with friends on other devices — including consoles.

The latest systems from Nintendo and Microsoft will be compatible, alongside computers running Windows 10, but Sony is yet to pledge support for its own hardware.

It’s finally starting to get hot out there, but few things are as hot as the new deals in the Cult of Mac Store. The best of this week’s batch include a game-changing tool for mapping and optimizing Wi-Fi connections, and an app that’ll save you time by shortcutting your typing habits. There’s also a massive certification bundle covering all of Microsoft Office, and a top shelf Bluetooth speaker. Everything is discounted by 60 percent or more, read on for more details:

Apple’s first major event of 2017 is right around the corner. WWDC will deliver our first previews of the next big upgrades to its software platforms, with the possibility of new hardware thrown in for good measure.

But with three months left to wait for the iPhone 8, will the event really be all that exciting? Will Apple’s improvements to iOS and macOS be all that significant? And is anyone actually looking forward to a 10.5-inch iPad Pro?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we discuss whether WWDC 2017 will be worth watching.

A simple to-do list isn’t enough when you’re managing tasks for more than one person, which is why Microsoft gave us Planner.

Its productivity tool makes it easy to organize teamwork among multiple people, and now it’s available on Android and iOS.

Mixer, Microsoft’s new game streaming platform, has landed on iOS.

Formerly known as Beam, Mixer is taking on the likes of Twitch with live-streaming “that’s actually live” — not delayed. The iOS app lets you enjoy broadcasts in real-time, connect with your favorite streamers, and more.

The iPad Pro is getting some fresh competition from Microsoft after the company just took the wraps off its newest tablet, the Surface Pro.

It’s been over 16 months since Microsoft’s would-be iPad-killer was last updated. Although its the 5th version of Microsoft’s tablet, this go around the company decided to ditch the number suffixes and pack the Surface Pro with more features than ever before.

As part of some big improvements coming to Windows 10, Microsoft is stealing the iOS Control Center to give users a quick and easy way of changing display brightness and toggling settings from the desktop.

Unlike Apple’s Control Center, however, Microsoft’s will be customizable.