Microsoft

The fiercely competitive software giant is positioning its wares for cloud computing with software and services. The company's two cash cows - operating systems and the Office productivity suite - are performing well.

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Microsoft adds 'Near Share' feature to new Windows 10 'Redstone 4' test build

Microsoft is testing a new option for sharing files, photos, URLs, and more between nearby Windows 10 PCs with its latest Windows 10 test build, No. 17035.

Microsoft to integrate third-party security information into its Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection service

Microsoft is partnering with Bitdefender, Lookout, and Ziften to integrate their macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android threat-detection offerings with Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection.

Microsoft Office 365 users to get LinkedIn-powered Resume Assistant

Microsoft is tying together LinkedIn Insights and Word to create a new Resume Assistant feature for Office 365 users.

Microsoft introduces new secure firmware spec via the Open Compute Project

Microsoft is tackling the security piece of datacenter hardware with the latest phase of its OCP 'Project Olympus' efforts.

Microsoft acquires 'living photo' app maker Swing's people, technology

Microsoft is getting the technology and people from Swing Technologies, a photo app startup, and is merging them into the Skype team.

Microsoft: Help us kill off two banking trojans that learned from WannaCry

Microsoft warns that more and more businesses are being infected by consumer-focused banking trojans.

Windows 10 power tips: Secret shortcuts to your favorite settings

Are you tired of clicking through categories to find a specific Windows 10 setting? If you know the right commands, you can create shortcuts that take you to specific pages with a single click. Ed Bott.

Windows 10: If you want a highly secure device, follow these rules, says Microsoft

Microsoft has published a new standard for creating a very secure Windows 10 machine.

Microsoft quietly announces end of last free Windows 10 upgrade offer

More than a year after ending its free Windows 10 upgrade program, Microsoft is getting ready to shut down the last official free upgrade extension. The news wasn't exactly shouted from the rooftops.

How to install, reinstall, upgrade and activate Windows 10

FAQ: Here's what you need to know before you repair, reinstall, or upgrade Windows 10 including details about activation and product keys.

Microsoft: Our Azure cloud will devour all of this new wind farm's output

Microsoft is making headway on its plan to become 50 percent renewable-powered by 2018.

What's new in Microsoft's Windows 10 IoT Fall Creators Update release

Microsoft's Windows 10 IoT Fall Creators Update release includes a bunch of new and enhanced features, plus a couple of new capabilities still in preview.

Windows 10 Fluent Design: Microsoft's new-look Mail, Calendar now open to all

More Fluent Design apps come to the general public.

Under the Surface at Microsoft's Future Decoded

Peter Kyriacou heads up the program management team for all Surface devices. The secret to product perfection, he tells ZDNet, is to test lots of ideas, 'fail fast', and develop the good ones.

Windows 10 tip: Use the hidden repair option to avoid uninstalling an app

Windows 10 includes two panels where you can manage apps and desktop programs. If you dig deep enough, you'll find useful repair and reset buttons that can help you quickly fix a misbehaving app.

Microsoft adds more business apps to Office 365 Business Premium subscriptions

Microsoft is continuing to add more apps to Office 365 Business Premium, and by extension, its Microsoft 365 Business bundle.

Samsung Focus for Galaxy owners: Better than Outlook for business users

Samsung wants to be the smartphone brand for the enterprise and thanks to powerful communication consolidation apps like Samsung Focus, it's definitely doing what it needs to in order to gain followers.

Inside the Museum of Failure: Microsoft's Kin to Apple's Pippin, the world's greatest flops

Coke 2, Bic's 'she-pen', and Nokia's 'taco phone' N-gage probably shouldn't have been released, but they shouldn't be forgotten either.

The best software inventions ever

In this series, we look at everything, large and small, that has changed the way we do things or has significantly enhanced our lives. In part 13, we look at software innovation.

Meet the army of Surface Pro clones and lookalikes

They laughed at the original Surface RT. But Microsoft persisted, refining the Surface Pro's features and engineering away its flaws through multiple iterations. The proof of success? Just look at all the Surface Pro clones.

Photos: This Microsoft-powered store uses Kinect, Azure to show you the future of shopping

If you want to take a walk round the shop of the future, a good place to start is a supermarket located in the Bicocca district of Milan, Italy. There, thanks to a blend of gaming technologies, IoT and cloud computing, you can seamlessly interact with the products that interest you and make better buying choices.

10 great Microsoft Edge extensions

As Microsoft Edge adoption increases, critical extensions are starting to show up for the promising new browser. We spotlight ten of them.

Azure HDInsight click-by-click guide: Get cloud-based Hadoop up and running today

Click by click, we'll show you how to get Microsoft's Apache Hadoop-based big bata service up and running.

Hands-on with Azure Data Lake: How to get productive fast

Microsoft's Azure Data Lake is now generally available, but what does it do, and how does it work? Here's a tour around the service's tooling and capabilities, to help you understand it and get productive with it, quickly.

Top Windows 10-powered alternatives to the MacBook Pro (2017 edition)

Those who want a Windows powered laptop don't have to feel jealous of those who choose the macOS path, because there are some truly awesome Windows 10 laptops available.

Windows tablets through the ages: The good, the bad and the ugly, in pictures

Windows tablets existed long before the iPad was even dreamt of. Take a tour through some of most popular - and most unusual - devices of the last decade.

The 25 biggest events in Linux's 25-year history

A year by year summary of the most significant events in Linux's history to date.

Eleven alternatives to LinkedIn for business social networking

If you are uncomfortable with the thought of Microsoft owning LinkedIn and having access to your career data, here are some other business social networks you could try instead.

10 must-have Microsoft apps for your Android phone

Surprise! Microsoft is among the most prolific developers of apps for the Android platform. And Redmond has turned on the afterburners in the past year, releasing a string of quality business-focused apps. Here are my 10 picks for the best of the bunch.

Best productivity accessories for your Windows 10 PC

Here is a selection of accessories for your Windows 10 PC or laptop to help boost your productivity.

The best ways to run Windows applications on a Mac

Being a Mac user doesn't mean that you have to turn your back completely on the Windows ecosystem. There are a number of ways that you can run your favorite Windows applications on your Mac - and some won't cost you a penny.

A bulletproof Windows 10 device? Microsoft sets the rules

Microsoft has published a new standard for creating a very secure Windows 10 machine.

Just upgraded to the latest Windows 10? Our to-do list

You've just upgraded to the most recent version of Windows 10. Use this checklist to ensure that you've cut annoyances to a bare minimum.

Microsoft expands network to create AR and VR content with a new mixed reality studio

Microsoft's new Mixed Reality Capture Studio will crate content for HoloLens and other virtual reality headsets.

What makes Microsoft's Surface devices special?

We hear from the man leading their development.

Sonar: Microsoft's new open source tool to help web developers secure their sites

Microsoft's Sonar checks accessibility, interoperability, performance, Progressive Web Apps, and security.

To shield your files from ransomware, check Windows 10 new security feature

Microsoft explains how its next-gen security can protect files from being encrypted by ransomware extortionists.

Microsoft Surface Book 2 first look

A new 15-inch size, plus updated Intel CPUs and gamer-ready Nvidia graphics hit Microsoft's pro-level Surface 2-in-1.

Microsoft Redmond employees working in the trees

Thanks to new Wi-Fi-enabled tree houses, which are intended to boost collaboration and productivity.

Google Assistant vs Siri vs Bing: This IQ test shows which is smarter

One AI has the highest IQ of them all, but it's still low by human standards.

AWS, Microsoft team up for machine-learning models library

The interface Gluon gives developers a place where they can prototype, build, train, and deploy machine learning models for cloud and mobile apps.

Your Skype account just got a new contact: AI assistant Cortana

Cortana searches your Skype chats to find answers and help set reminders.

Microsoft tapping wind power to ease data center burden on Ireland

Microsoft buys wind energy from GE and a license to supply energy to Ireland's grid.

Microsoft's Edge browser has arrived for iOS and Android phones in beta

Microsoft is rolling out new Edge apps for iOS and Android (plus an updated Launcher app for Android) as part of its strategy to try to keep Windows 10 PCs central to users' computing mix.

Swimming with the stream: Microsoft kills Groove Music and partners with Spotify

Microsoft is dropping out of the music streaming game. Instead, it's partnering with Spotify, further reducing the number of first-party consumer-specific cloud services Redmond offers.

These are the top business tech stories from Microsoft's Ignite

Get ready for a new Microsoft 365 bundle, updates to SQL Server for Windows, and Bing and Skype for Business. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley analyzes the top news stories from Microsoft's Ignite event.

Microsoft Surface Studio, First Take: An appealing all-in-one debut, but the price is high

Now on sale in the UK, Surface Studio offers excellent engineering, touchscreen controls and the optional Surface Dial. But even creatives may find the price tag steep.

Surface Pro (2017): Small refinements to a familiar design

First Look: Don't call it Surface Pro 5. The latest iteration of the Surface Pro loses the model number, keeps the kickstand, and adds mostly subtle refinements.

Microsoft Teams review: Serious competition for Slack and HipChat

Microsoft's new 'Slack competitor' has improved dramatically since the preview, and new features are arriving regularly. Where it shines is threaded chat, easy video meetings and superb integration with other Office 365 tools.

Email Insights, First Take: A handy email search utility

This experimental minimal email search tool from Microsoft is useful, but it's more likely to turn into a feature than an actual product.

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 review: $288 for a compelling business smartphone

At just $288, the Alcatel Idol 4S is a solid piece of hardware and does well at running Windows 10. There are some minor performance issues with Bluetooth and the fingerprint scanner, but if you like the Live Tile interface then it's one of the best available to hold you over until a possible Microsoft Surface phone.

Teclast Tbook 16 Pro review: A compact dual boot workhorse for the mobile worker

Microsoft Planner for Office 365, First Take: Shaping up to be useful

A visual planning tool that fits in between personal task management and full project management, Planner has a nice approach to the basics but needs more powerful features to really shine.

Six months with the Surface Pro 4: Patches, lappability, and battery life are key

Six months ago, I decided to replace my desktop PC with a Surface Pro 4 and a Surface Dock. After a few frustrating months, I think this might work out.

Huawei P9 review: Smart camera has it snapping at the heels of the flagship titans

Despite its innovative dual-lens camera system, the P9 doesn't threaten today's leading flagship smartphones. However, it wouldn't take much to turn the P-series into a genuine challenger.

Samsung Galaxy TabPro S review: Fantastic display, reasonable price, more business capable than an iPad Pro

Microsoft Surface Book review: High-quality premium-priced 2-in-1 hybrid

Interesting design ideas, solid construction and a high-end specification make Microsoft's first hybrid laptop an intriguing option at the more expensive end of the market.

Dell XPS 12 2-in-1 review: A Surface Pro 4 alternative for the enterprise buyer

After owning both the first Surface Pro and the Surface Pro 3, I never thought I would consider any other device for my home office. Dell has shown me that there are other viable alternatives.

Hands on with the Chuwi Vi8 plus 8 inch Windows 10 tablet

Microsoft Lumia 950/950 XL review: A decent option for the fans, but price and trade-offs are too much for others

Office Sway, First Take: Digital storytelling, Microsoft-style

Sway doesn't replace PowerPoint: it lets you create interactive, dynamic stories that you can use for training, newsletters, brochures, and even presentations.