Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 240 #OTP
Welcome to Episode 240 of Observed Tech. In this muscle spasm shortened episode there is a lot of Windows 10 news as we talk about the two year anniversary of the operating systems release. We also get a chance to discuss Windows 10 S, the latest Windows Insider builds for Windows 10 PC and Mobile devices, plus my initial experience with the new Eye Tracking feature that is in these latest builds of Windows 10. In addition we talk about a new funding option for buying Surface hardware for both consumers and small/medium sized businesses and the status of the Acer/HP HMDs pre-orders. Of course, as always there are plenty of other tidbits across a wide range of tech subjects throughout the show so be sure to listen all the way until the end. As always enjoy the show and thanks again for listening!
Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 239 #OTP
Welcome to Episode 239 of Observed Tech. This week there is a bunch of Windows 10 news around the Creators Update, the upcoming Fall Creators Update, and even the feature update that is expected in the Spring of 2018. I finally got to install and try out Windows 10 S this past week to begin trying out the “app only life”. I started by doing a clean install on a Lenovo Miix-720 and getting it all setup including hardware drivers and apps including Office 365 from the Windows Store. The big challenge is installing drivers that are embedded within executable files but there is a work around and I share the details. Of course, spread throughout the show are plenty of other tidbits across a wide range of tech subjects so be sure to listen all the way until the end. As always enjoy the show and thanks again for listening!
Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 238 #OTP
Welcome to Episode 238 of Observed Tech. This week was actually not too busy in the world of Microsoft with the exception of Microsoft’s 4th Quarter FY17 financials being announced and they were very good. The companies stock continues to trade at all time highs which is great for stock holders and the continued transformation of their business on the digital front is working in many ways. On the Windows 10 development front we saw no new builds this week because a tentatively planned release hit a publishing snag and so it did not get pushed out to testers. However, there were two Windows Insider Bug Bash Livestreams on Mixer and we learned a few things from those about future updates and features. The final Bug Bash for the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update wraps up this weekend and it also looks like this feature update is pretty well locked in on the feature side including its name. I also delve into an opinion piece that surfaced this week about the Windows Insider Program and how that author feels like the program has lost its way. Spread throughout the show are plenty of other tidbits across a wide range of tech subjects so be sure to listen all the way until the end. As always enjoy the show and thanks again for listening!
Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 237 #OTP
Welcome to Episode 237 of Observed Tech. Once again a very busy week that included Microsoft Inspire, the event formerly known as the Worldwide Partner Conference, and the continued development of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. At Inspire there were several new announcements ranging from changes to Microsoft’s sales organization to better align with their partners as they provide Microsoft Cloud based solutions to their own customers. We heard about the new Microsoft 365 subscriptions for businesses and enterprise customers that now include Windows 10, Office 365, and several other cloud based services such as OneDrive and Skype for Business. Microsoft also spent some time talking about their efforts to get broadband to more rural Americans, using AI to benefit the planet, and helping customers comply with the new General Data Protection Regulations (GPDR) that go into effect across the European Union in 2018. On the Windows 10 development front we saw a new Slow Ring build make its way to testers along with ISOs to help facilitate clean installations of the OS for those who want to do that as the final Bug Bash for the next feature update for Windows 10 gets underway. The Windows Insider team also released new Fast Ring builds for PC, 16241, as the week closed out. Tow big new shell features in the last two builds includes controls over bandwidth and data usage for Windows Update plus the ability to finally reset your PIN and password from the Windows 10 Lock Screen. Spread throughout the show are plenty of other tidbits across a wide range of tech subjects so be sure to listen all the way until the end. As always enjoy the show and thanks again for listening!
Observed Tech PODCAST Episode 236 #OTP
Welcome to Episode 236 of Observed Tech. After a brief hiatus for the long holiday weekend here in the US last week, I am back with plenty of news and follow up items. I discuss the Petya Ransomware outbreak and continue to ask the question of why don’t people update their systems? After WannaCrypt you would expect that those vulnerable systems would have been patched but that was not the case once again. The Windows Desktop Bridge is delivering two of my favorite desktop programs to the Windows Store. Irfanview is already available and soon Paint.net will join it according to its developer. Security is always an important subject and even more so these days, especially after the last two big ransomware attacks, so Microsoft is really ramping up the security profile for the upcoming Windows 10 Fall Creators Update and we talk about those features. We also learned this week that two major features, which were heavily marketed at Build 2017, are not going to make the Fall Creators Update feature list. The delay of Windows Timeline and the Cloud-Powered Clipboard is unfortunate but Microsoft needs to temper their tendency to over promise and under deliver. Spread throughout the show are plenty of other tidbits across a wide range of tech subjects so be sure to listen all the way until the end. As always enjoy the show and thanks again for listening!