Tag Archives: microsoft

How To Enable Two-Factor Authentication For Your Outlook Account

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Microsoft has added two-factor authentication for Outlook accounts, allowing users to protect their accounts better. Unlike Google that allows you to receive your authentication code on your phone, Outlook offers three different options for setting up and receiving the authentication code. Naturally, with two-factor authentication, you will lose access to the service from some connected apps when you enable the feature, and will have to sign in to them again. For those familiar with how Gmail’s two-factor authentication works, the whole process should be fairly simple. Read on for a step-by-step on how to enable two factor authentication and connect any apps that may have stopped syncing. Read More

Microsoft’s HelpBridge Is A Virtual, Mobile Disaster Relief Center

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A disaster does not give one time to prepare and usually strikes when it is least expected. You might not be able to avoid a calamity completely, but once you are in the middle of it, timely assistance and some common sense can save countless lives. If you ever find yourself stranded somewhere due to a hurricane or earthquake, the first thing you're bound to do is reach for your cellphone to call for help or to check on your loved ones. It is for such situations that Microsoft has released HelpBridge for iOS (Update: Now available on Android and Windows Phone as well). This useful app lets you create groups of important contacts that you can instantly get in touch with in case of an emergency. The app lets you contact others via Facebook, email and SMS. Apart from being your aid during emergencies, HelpBridge is also a great medium for finding ways you can reach out to others who are in need. Users get recommendations for volunteering and donating to various causes, along with every necessary detail regarding the philanthropic organizations listed in the app. Read More

Official Microsoft SkyDrive Android Client Released In Play Store

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It’s been almost nine long months now since Microsoft released the official SkyDrive mobile client for Windows Phone 7 and iOS-powered devices, whereas Android users had to wait in anticipation. However, it all changes today, as the guys over at Redmond have finally landed the official Android client of their cloud storage service on the Google Play Store. Packed with almost the same set of goodies as its iOS and WP7 counterparts, the app lets you access your world of SkyDrive storage right from your Android device. Be it the content that you’ve pushed to your personal cloud space, files shared by your colleagues, or your recently used documents, you can access and manage them all via the app. In addition, it supports batch uploading of photos & videos, and lets you share required content with your mates on-the-go. Sporting a gorgeous blend of Android’s Holo and Windows’ Metro Modern UI, the official SkyDrive Android app also lets you download content from cloud to your Android, stream music & videos, preview common file formats via thumbnails (both online & offline), view images in full-screen, switch between multiple browsing modes, create new folders and upload any required file format from your device to cloud on the move. Read More

Microsoft Research Introduces Cliplets, A Windows Application For Creating Cinemagraphs

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Cinemegraphs have seen a lot of popularity during the past few years. It’s a photography technique where certain subjects in the image make brief and repetitive moments, while the rest of the picture remains still, creating a blend between image and video. If you like making cinemagraphs, then you’re definitely going to love Microsoft Research Cliplets. Being promoted under the tagline "juxtaposition of still and dynamic photography", the application emphasizes on creating seamless loops of selected areas from your videos, into what Microsoft refers to as, “Cliplets”. While most of the cinemagraph tools only enable you to generate outputs in GIF format, the beauty of Microsoft Research Cliplets lies in the fact that, along with GIF, you can save your cliplets in MP4 and WMV formats. Coupled with an intuitive interface, the application is not only easy to use, but contains a handful of options to create countless varying cliplets. Keep reading for a detailed review. Read More

Official Microsoft My Xbox LIVE Android App Hits Google Play Store

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The folks over at Redmond have been showing lots of love for Android lately. Just weeks after releasing the innovative Android task automation tool, on{X}, the tech giant, Microsoft, has brought the official My Xbox LIVE client to the Google Play Store. The app lets you access your Xbox LIVE account, edit your avatar and indulge with your XBL mates via messaging right from your Android device. In addition, you may remotely track your achievements, check your LIVE game history, sneak peek into Xbox-related news, check Spotlight feeds and request your friends to reserve a spot for you in your favorite game. The app has a Metro UI, as should be expected, and is quite smooth despite sporting rich graphics. Read More

Microsoft Launches on{X} For Android; Redefines Rule-Based Mobile Task Automation [Review]

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Task automation or remote control is nothing new for Android. Those familiar with the likes of Tasker, Locale, or several other similar apps, like Modus Operandi, Sleep Timer, Bluetooth On Call, Proximity Sensor et al know very well what possibilities a task automation app can achieve by utilizing the various resources of the OS and device. However, when the tech giant, Microsoft, decides to enter the task automation arena with its very own solution, you can expect exactly what you’ll be getting. Labeled on{X}, this Android-exclusive app (currently in beta) is Microsoft’s attempt to make task automation easier. It provides users with remote control over automating every action or task on their devices from triggering a custom status bar notification upon unlocking your device to setting your favorite music player to start playing music when you begin jogging. Read More

USB Fix It: Microsoft’s Answer To USB Device Related Issues

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Sometimes, while trying to connect new devices to the PC, for instance, a new printer, a scanner or a USB flash drive, we run into USB issues. Some of the most common problems related to USB occur while you are ejecting the USB device. It happens that sometimes Windows does not allow you to remove it using the Safely Remove Hardware dialog box. It displays messages such as, USB can’t be ejected currently, or sometimes, the icon does not do anything when clicked. You have to plug it out without performing the Safely Remove Hardware check, which means that there is a chance of your data being corrupted because of improper removal of Flash Drive. To solve all these USB related issues faced by the users of Windows, Microsoft has released a tool called USB Fix It, which automatically diagnoses and repairs all common USB device related problems on your system. Keep reading to find out more about USB Fix It. Read More

Windows 8: Our Detailed Coverage, Everything You Need To Know

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Over the past few months, there has been a lot of buzz about Windows 8, ever since Microsoft initially showcased it last year and released a developer’s preview, which we extensively covered for you. Today, at MWC 2012 in Barcelona, Microsoft is releasing the Consumer Preview of Windows 8 and as always, we will be providing you with an in-depth coverage of everything Microsoft’s latest operating system optimized for both PCs and tablets has to offer. Read More

Official Microsoft OneNote Mobile Client Released For Android

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Today seems to be a good day for Android fans with a couple of big announcements coming from tech giants. First, it was news of the release of Google’s Chrome browser for Android, and now it’s Microsoft bringing its trusted note-taking and sharing tool, OneNote, to the Android Market. Initially released as an iOS-exclusive app, and then released for Windows Phone 7, Microsoft’s official OneNote client is now available to Android users with all the note management features it is known for, including remote access to your SkyDrive account for syncing notes and notebooks in real-time (with support for offline access), enhanced text formatting (with built-in spell check tool), in-app photo capturing and attachment, option to add hyperlinks, images and bullets to notes and plenty more. Read More

Let Microsoft Know What You Want In WP7 Using The Suggestion Box App

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Looks like Microsoft has really stared to take the improvement of Windows Phone 7 pretty seriously. A few days ago, WPDev Feedback was released, which was an app focused on gathering suggestions from developers of the Mango OS, so that WP7 can get features which can prove helpful in making it more attractive as a development platform. As mentioned in our review of that app, a similar service of Microsoft already exists, which is for non-dev WP7 users. So, it doesn’t come as a big surprise that, now, the WP7 user Suggestion Box has got an app, too. Read on to find out what the app is all about. Read More

Microsoft Releases Official SkyDrive App For Windows Phone 7 & iOS

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Almost every smartphone these days has its own cloud solution. Google has cloud services for its Android platform, while iCloud exists for iPhone users. Microsoft, however, has gone an extra mile, and has released its official SkyDrive cloud storage service app for both Windows Phone 7 and iOS. With Microsoft SkyDrive app installed on your Windows Phone/iOS device, you can view existing files in your SkyDrive account, upload photos, or create new folders on the go. SkyDrive app demarcates your personal and shared folders in your files collection view. Details after the break. Read More

Microsoft HealthVault For WP7: Track Your Fitness & Medical History

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Keeping records of medical tests, appointments and medication is never easy, especially in case of some chronic ailment. Simple charts for small things like temperature and blood pressure can become hard to manage, once they grow in size. Wouldn’t it be a relief if we could take care of all our health issues in our Windows Phone 7 on the go? Microsoft HealthVault has just released its mobile client for Windows Phone 7, where you can constantly consult and update medical information about yourself, and your loved ones, with just a tap of your finger. Read More

Microsoft Releases iPad Client For OneNote

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Whether you are out shopping for groceries or making a list of the buddies you want to invite for a Friday night bash, you need a handy note-taking tool to store information anywhere and anytime. We don’t have a database with SQL running in our brains, and it's only natural to go blank about even the most important tasks, whether they are of a personal or professional nature. Microsoft's virtual notebook OneNote serves that purpose pretty effectively. The OneNote mobile client for iPhone has been around for quite a while, and now, an iPad version of the app is also available on the App Store. For those of you who aren't familiar with what the app does, it allows you to create notes and checklists, share them via email, attach photos to notes, and sync all with your SkyDrive account on the go. Read More

Microsoft Releases Lync 2010 Client For Windows Phone 7

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Good news for professionals who own Windows Phone 7 devices: Microsoft has released a mobile client for their remote conferencing service Lync 2010 to the Windows Phone Marketplace. With Lync 2010 for WP7, you can hold instant message conversations or VoIP calls with your professional colleagues with just a tap of your finger. Lync 2010, like its desktop version, follows a solid security protocol to protect your confidential conversations. In what follows, we will take a brief look at Lync 2010 and the features offered by this mobile remote conferencing app. Read More

Microsoft Tag Reader – Render And Save Microsoft Tags In Image Formats

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High Capacity Color Barcode (HCCB) is a Microsoft developed procedure for encoding data in a 2D "barcode" using clusters of colored triangles instead of the square pixels associated with 2D barcodes. Microsoft Tag is an implementation of HCCB using 4 colors in a 5 x 10 grid. This can be used as for example, a Tag on a company insignia which might be printed large enough to be read by a reader. Microsoft Tag Reader is an open source application, which is designed to render Microsoft tags while allowing you to convert tags in various image formats, including PNG, JPG, BMP, JPEG SR and SVG. Read More

How To Troubleshoot Facebook Texting In Mango

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Microsoft promised that Windows Phone 7’s latest version Mango will come up with about 500 new features. Well, we don't know about that yet, as the version is still only in its beta testing phase. But what we can confirm is that Mango does have a bunch of really cool and helpful new features that weren’t there in any previous version of WP7. Seeing the emergence and continuous rise of social networking, an organization as adaptable as Microsoft is bound to go with the flow. That’s why Facebook chat is now integrated with the stock messaging app for Mango. This means that you can now interact with your Facebook friends just like you were texting them. But not all is going according to the plan, and there are a few glitches with these feature. A lot of users have complained that there device's screen just keeps showing them as signing in and no online contacts actually show up in the Facebook tab of the Messaging hub. Many people have also faced problems just trying to link their Facebook account with their Live ID if their Facebook login email address is of some other service. If you are experiencing some of these issues, here are the solutions to all your Facebook-related problems. Read More

Fix Laptop Power Consumption And Extend Battery Life With Microsoft Fix it

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Microsoft Fix it solutions are meant to provide Windows users with easy and automatic solutions for troubleshooting and resolving Windows issues. One of the major issues for laptop users is often the excessive power consumption of battery power which reduces battery life. Microsoft Fix it Solution has just released the latest tool which fixes this problem. This portable tool will detect your laptop's battery issue, and when detected, will automatically fix it. Read More

How To Jailbreak Samsung Omnia 7 On Windows Phone 7.5 Mango [Guide]

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Windows Phone 7.5 Mango beta has caused quite a buzz in the smartphone community straight from its release. Developers are scrambling to get their hands on this latest OS update by Microsoft. If your phone is running on WP7 and is developer unlocked, you are free to get a taste of this almost-ripe, delicious-looking mango. But if you are a developer or even an advanced user, you have got to be thinking that what’s the point of having Mango when you don’t have root access on it. Without jailbreaking it, the OS must be feeling like a treasure in your hands but with a guardian serpent slithering vigilantly over the box. However, Samsung Omnia 7 users do not have to contend with such despairing thoughts any more. Read More

Download And Install Skype 2.0, Cracked To Work On All Android Devices

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Android users can now enjoy Skype 2.0 (complete with video calls and SMS support). Just hours ago Microsoft released this new version of the interactive app to the Android market. The new Skype 2.0 has quite an improved UI which keeps functionality and convenience in a perfect balance. Android users have long clamoured for the ability to make video calls via Skype, and now they have finally got it. But wait a minute, there’s a big disappointment in the official release. The app only runs on 4 predefined Android phones. Google Nexus S, HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo and Sony Ericsson Xperia pro make up the list. Even if you are already using Skype on your Android, but it is not among the lucky few who have been deemed eligible for the update, you will have to keep putting up with the original Skype app. At least, that is what the official take on things is. There is a hacked version of the updated app available that can be used on any Android phone capable of running older versions of Skype. Read More

Microsoft Download Manager Enables Quick Download Of Large Files

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Microsoft RTM builds can often take forever to download. This is mainly due to frequent errors during the downloading process. Even common download managers like Orbit can suffer from download errors when downloading a Microsoft ISO file. Microsoft Download Manager is a download management application released by Microsoft to enable quick download of large files, such as application and media files. It is mainly designed to help users download files from Microsoft supported websites, nonetheless, you can also use it like any common download manager. Read More