Microsoft could release its own external webcams next year, with one aimed at extending Windows Hello facial recognition to all Windows 10 PCs. Windows watcher Paul Thurrott reports that Microsoft is making the new 4K cameras for Windows 10 PCs and its gaming console Xbox One. The camera targeted to Windows 10 will for the first time bring facial recognition to all Windows 10 PCs. Presently Windows Hello facial recognition is restricted to the built-in webcams like the ones on Microsoft's Surface devices. The webcam, which could be named under the Surface brand, would also return a Kinect-like feature to the Xbox One, allowing users to authenticate by putting their face in front of the camera.Microsoft's planned webcams are said to be linked to the USB-C webcams that it has previously said could ship with the forthcoming Surface Hub 2, which features a USB-C port. The Surface Hub 2 is also due out in 2019. Surface boss Panos Panay suggested Microsoft could release a … [Read more...] about Microsoft plans new 4K webcams to bring facial recognition to all Windows 10 devices, says report
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How Microsoft won and Apple didn’t lose
These two are like George Clooney and Russell Crowe. They've been around forever, yet still somehow manage to do enough to recalibrate themselves for a new generation.Sometimes, their work verges on the vacuous. Sometimes, they'll go and do something genuinely surprising that makes you think they have hidden depths.Also: Goodbye iPhone XR: Signal strength and size bring me back to the iPhone XSStill in 2018, Microsoft and Apple managed to maintain a significance that defies time. Why, for one shining moment, Microsoft's market capitalization exceeded even Apple's this year. The bigger transformation is, of course, Microsoft's.Stealthily, it's moved away from being Windows, Bill Gates, and a vast vat of nasty to being a company that seems to have so many digits in so many pies that it needs to use its toes. It isn't just that CEO Satya Nadella has cleverly projected an image of human decency -- despite his adoration of the corrupted game of cricket.Also: Apple sued for … [Read more...] about How Microsoft won and Apple didn’t lose
Microsoft Launcher’s latest update brings Sticky Notes, To-Do integration, Cortana support
Just before Christmas, Microsoft has decided to offer those using its Android launcher a nice present in the form of a major update. The latest version of Microsoft Launcher adds integration with some of the Redmond-based company's other mobile apps like Sticky Notes and To-Do, but it also brings Cortana support. For those of you who've been using the beta version of Microsoft Launcher , the latest update is nothing new since all the features and improvements announced recently are part of the previous beta build. But just in case you're not running the beta version of Microsoft Launcher, here are the most important changes the new update adds to the Android app. Track your screen time, app usage and phone unlocks with the new screen time card. You can even use the screen time widget to view this info on your home screen; The Launcher To Do card now shows tasks from apps like Microsoft To Do, Outlook and Skype; The Launcher Notes card now shows your Notes from Sticky Notes on … [Read more...] about Microsoft Launcher’s latest update brings Sticky Notes, To-Do integration, Cortana support
Microsoft’s first webcams in years might include Xbox One support
The insiders also said that one of the webcams would support Windows Hello authentication. If so, it'd be the first time Microsoft has offered the feature in a separate camera. You've so far had to buy a Surface computer if you wanted the company's official approach to face recognition.It's not certain just when the cameras would ship, although one of them is apparently "enterprise-focused" and might be a companion to the Surface Hub 2. However things shake out, Microsoft's return might be welcome. Logitech is currently the biggest name in town when it comes to webcams, and this could give it some fresh competition. … [Read more...] about Microsoft’s first webcams in years might include Xbox One support
Microsoft rumored to be working on 4K webcam for Windows 10, Xbox One
Microsoft is rumored to be jumping back into the webcam industry in 2019, with at least one of the products in development being a 4K webcam that will work with both Windows 10 PCs and the Xbox One. The 4K webcam will support Windows Hello, and will bring back a feature last seen in the discontinued Kinect for Xbox, Thurott.com reported, citing two separate sources. Windows Hello, which is fast and easy to set up, allows users to sign in to their Windows 10 devices using biometric data such as fingerprints or facial recognition. There are already several Windows Hello webcams out in the market that enable the facial recognition feature of the security system. The rumored 4K webcam, however, will be the first standalone Windows Hello camera from Microsoft, as the company has so far only provided the feature through built-in webcams in Surface PCs. It will be interesting to see how the new device will differentiate itself from the other available Windows Hello webcams. The 4K … [Read more...] about Microsoft rumored to be working on 4K webcam for Windows 10, Xbox One