Microsoft | Gear Diary

OPPO’s Bold Plan: Making Generative AI-Powered Phones Accessible to 50 Million Users in 2024

AI is everywhere, but it is particularly useful in smartphones because it powers features like virtual assistants, improved photography, battery management, and personalized content. It boosts security with facial recognition, offers real-time translation, improves text prediction, tracks health metrics, and enhances accessibility, making smartphones more intuitive and efficient. But sometimes, budget phones miss out on all of these features. With that in mind, OPPO has announced its plan to make AI-powered smartphones even more accessible by bringing generative AI features to around 50 million users this year.

Gear Bits

Microsoft Announces Permanent Store Closures

In an announcement that may surprise a few (and impact fewer), Microsoft announced today that it will be closing all retail stores.

Reviews

The Surface Pro 6 Isn’t Perfect, but It’s The Best 2-in-1 I’ve Ever Used

I used to be a fan of netbooks back when they were a thing. However when you travel for work, you often have downtime and I like to keep work and private life as separate as possible. So I went looking for a small laptop that could also do some video editing, and the Surface Pro 6 fits the bill nicely.

News

Samsung’s Galaxy Book 2 Is the Culmination of 2-in-1 PC Promises

The only thing more sought-after than cold fusion and alchemy is a tablet/laptop hybrid that actually delivers on the best parts of each. Microsoft laid the groundwork with the Surface line, and now Samsung is jumping in with the Galaxy Book 2, boasting Windows 10, LTE connectivity, and an eye-popping 20 hours of battery life.

Events

There’s a Massive Art Installation in Times Square Meant to Wake Us up About Climate Change

If we don’t make an effort to reduce climate change, in 100 years parts of Manhattan could be under water. That’s a scary thought, and just the kind of thought meant to be evoked by the ‘Unmoored and Wake’ by Mel Chin art installation that was unveiled today in Times Square.

Deals, Game Diary

Xbox One S Bundle Deals Make for a Great Last Minute Gift

If you missed last month’s Black Friday Xbox One S deal, don’t fret because Microsoft just announced several great deals that you can grab just in time for Xmas.

Events, News

HARMAN Introduces Voice-Activated Intelligent Speakers for Alexa and Google Assistant

If you’ve got an Amazon Alexa or Google Home device, then you’ve already found out that while intelligent speakers are okay, they usually aren’t that great to look at nor do they sound as amazing as one might hope.

Editorials

Are Digital Assistants a Gateway to a Hacker’s Paradise?

Digital assistants have come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. Starting with Apple’s clunky early iteration of Siri in 2011, it’s only taken a few years to get here, with multiple competitors in common use (including Cortana and Google Now) and dozens of new versions to come.

Editorials

The Surface Pro 3 Is Ready to Meet All Your Computing Needs

Years back, I got caught up in the UMPC — UltraMobilePC- fad. (I blame James Kendrick and his JKontheRun blog.) None of those devices lived up to their promise of a full PC in a small, touchscreen device. Fast forward, and that promise has been realized in the Microsoft Surface line of computers. microsoft, via CDW sent one to Judie; I “borrowed” it. 🙂

News

Microsoft Releases Surface Pro 4, Surface Book, Microsoft Band 2, and New Lumias!

Microsoft may be a software and services company, but when they deal in hardware they aren’t joking around. They proved it today with a jam-packed presentation, releasing a new wearable, demoing a future holographic XBox option, new Lumia phones, a new Surface Pro 4, and a surprise release of a laptop called the Surface Book!

Game Diary, Reviews

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Game Announcement

The popular Deus Ex video game series will continue with the next installment titled Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, a first-person stealth-adventure game with third-person cover elements featuring a familiar character and expanded weapon customization options.

News

Microsoft Swings for the Fences with the Surface 3

Microsoft is a lot like the Little Engine That Could. Like the Little Engine, it keeps scaling big mountains that no one expected it to climb. Maybe this analogy doesn’t make any sense, but what does make sense is the new Surface 3, a full Windows machine in tablet form. RT is dead, but the Surface lives on!

Game Diary, News

Get in Line: ‘Halo 5: Guardians’ Release Date Revealed!

One of the most anticipated Xbox One exclusive video game releases of this year now has a release date. Published by Microsoft Studios and developed by 343 Industries, the first-person shooter game Halo 5: Guardians will be the sixth installment in the popular game series featuring the Master Chief along with the new Spartan Locke character who appeared in the live action series Halo: Nightfall.

News

Microsoft to Battle Windows Piracy with Free Windows 10 Upgrades!

Piracy limits the revenues a software maker can collect. It also limits the ability to update security and other essential services at the operating system level. This combination can result in all computer systems being less secure and potentially compromised. To battle this, particularly in piracy-rampant China, Microsoft is “offering free upgrades to Windows 10 to all Windows users.”

News

Check Out the Next Version of Microsoft Office for Mac Before Release!

It seems instead of consolidation in office software we’re getting proliferation – at lower cost! Google Docs and Apple’s iWork are capable products challenging the Microsoft Office supremacy, but Microsoft isn’t standing still. Between more frequent updates and their Office365 initiative there’s lots of good news, now you can get an advanced look at the upcoming Microsoft Office for Mac!

News

Microsoft and Google Need Couples Counseling

If I had to break down my online presence by companies, I’d say I’m split between Microsoft and Google. Microsoft Onedrive is my main backup, and OneNote is just awesome, while Google handles my email, calendar and contacts. My jump from Windows Phone to Android was easy, but as Clinton Fitch points out, it’s because of Microsoft and not Google.

News

Why I Don’t Use Dropbox

When I first started storing backups of photos and key files online, I signed up for Dropbox and free 2GB of storage. It became quickly apparent that was far too small, but I was too cheap to pay $100 to jump to the next level. Instead, I started using Microsoft Skydrive, now OneDrive; as of yesterday I have 121GB free!

Editorials, Game Diary

New to Gaming? Which System Should You Buy?

It’s easy to assume that everyone out there already has a favorite gaming system, whether it be Xbox, Playstation, Wii, or something else. But what if you are totally new to gaming? What if you want to play, but you have little experience with any of the available gaming options, and you have no idea where to get started?

News

Take the Outlook Mobile App Challenge!

Yesterday I wrote about the new Outlook app for iOS/Android, calling it a truly universal inbox that aggregates emails from all of the popular webmail services – Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo!, Hotmail, and Outlook – into a single unified Inbox. I am settled in my dual Mail/Mailbox routine, so Wayne challenged me to try Microsoft Outlook only for a week. Are you in?

News

New Outlook App Brings Truly Universal Inbox to iOS and Android

The quest for a truly ‘universal’ inbox for iOS is something many of us have been on since the beginning – we already had accounts on iCloud, Hotmail, Yahoo and of course Gmail … but there have always been limitations around notifications, account handling and more. Based on Accompli, the new Outlook app seeks to become your truly universal Inbox.

Game Diary, News

Defense Grid 2 Now Available for PS4, XBOX One, PC, Mac, and Linux!

Back in 2008, Hidden Path Entertainment released Defense Grid: The Awakening, which catapulted the popularity of the resurgent ‘tower defense’ genre into the mainstream. In 2012 they launched a Kickstarter project to help fund the sequel, and this week it arrived! Defense Grid 2 is available on PlayStation®4 and Xbox® One and Steam (PC, Mac, Linux).