Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 15042 for PC and Build 15043 for Mobile arrive on the Fast ring
Like buses, you wait over a week for a new Windows 10 Insider Build… and then two come along at once.
In this case, there are two distinct builds -- Build 15042 for PC, and Build 15043 for Mobile. We’re edging ever close to the release of the Creators Update, and so while a lot of the changes in these releases are about squashing bugs and fixing issues, Microsoft has still managed to introduce some new features.
You'll be able to unlock any device running Windows 10 Creators Update with a Samsung phone
If you own a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, and run Windows 10, we’ve got some good news for you.
From April, which is when it’s anticipated that Microsoft will be rolling out the Windows 10 Creators Update, you’ll be able to unlock any Windows 10 device by using your phone… and that’s not all.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Two-hundred-and-twenty in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Windows Store in the past seven days.
As always, if I missed an app or game that has been released this week that you believe is particularly good, let me know in the comments below or notify me via email instead.
First Windows 10 Redstone 3 build sighted
Microsoft is currently working hard on the next big update to Windows 10, which it’s calling the Creators Update. This will be the second release on the Redstone branch (Redstone 1 being the Anniversary Update).
There is yet another release from the Redstone branch planned for later this year, and although Microsoft has yet to name it, work is already underway internally.
Organizations can avoid 94 percent of critical Microsoft vulnerabilities just by killing admin rights
When vulnerabilities are found in Microsoft products, collective breaths are held until the company releases security bulletins. But analysis of security issues by software manufacture Avecto shows that the overwhelming majority of these vulnerabilities can be mitigated against by simply removing administrator right from users.
Avecto CEO Mark Austin and CTO Marco Peretti say that organizations need to address the problem of "over privileged users". The duo say that this would help to avoid the security problems caused by 94 percent of critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft products. The research also found that Windows 10 had the highest proportion of vulnerabilities of any operating system.
Updates to Windows 10 Mail and Calendar apps bring Focused Inbox, @mentions and more
Microsoft is pushing out updates to the Mail and Calendar apps in Windows 10, introducing a number of new features including the Focused Inbox we've already seen in the mobile version of Outlook.
The new features come ahead of "architectural improvements" that will speed up performance, and Microsoft is seen borrowing ideas heavily from Google's Gmail and Calendar tools in a bid to make its own apps more useful and helpful.
Windows 10's strong security will make mobile devices a more attractive target
As enterprises move to Windows 10, and take full advantage of the advanced security features offered in the operating system and in Microsoft Edge, cyber criminals will increasingly look towards the mobile ecosystem for exploits.
This is according to Fujitsu's latest report, which believes 2017 will see an even bigger increase in attacks against the mobile world.
How to find (and copy) your Windows product key
There are all sorts of reasons why you might need to locate your Windows product key. Perhaps you’re thinking of upgrading from Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10 (doing so is still free, despite what Microsoft has said), or you might want to perform a clean install.
In the past, tracking down the key usually involved finding your installation media, but the more modern approach is to simply pull it directly from your Windows installation.
Microsoft issues some Windows security patches in February after all
Patch Tuesday occurs on the second Tuesday of every month, and is when Microsoft releases security patches for all supported versions of Windows.
However, due to a "last minute issue," Microsoft was unable to push out the patches for February, and made the decision to delay them until next month, a move that understandably didn’t go down all that well with customers, and even led to Google publishing details of an unpatched Windows bug.
Microsoft confirms another 2017 update after Windows 10 Creators Update
If you're not a Windows Insider, it has been a little while since your copy of Windows 10 received a major update -- but that is about to change. 2017 will see the release of not one, but two major updates to the operating system.
Windows 10 Creators Update is due to arrive in the spring, and at Microsoft Ignite in Australia, the company confirmed that a second major update is on the way later in the year. We don’t know a great deal about this update, but it's likely to incorporate Project NEON design elements.
Europe still has concerns about privacy in Windows 10
Privacy fears abound with Windows 10, with individuals and privacy groups continually questioning the company's motives in gathering user data. The threat of a court case in Switzerland resulted in Microsoft making changes to Windows -- in addition to the privacy changes it had already made.
But for European privacy watchdogs, the latest batch of changes are still not enough. The Article 29 Working Party voices concern about the settings that are in place by default, the lack of control users are given over data collection, and a general lack of transparency.
Chuwi's Hi13 Windows 10 hybrid retails for $369, promises Ubuntu support
The Chuwi Hi13 is a very interesting proposition in the Windows tablet market. It has a display similar to that of the Microsoft Surface Book, support for a detachable keyboard and stylus, expansion ports, and competitive internals, but, unlike the devices that it has in its crosshairs, it features a really attractive price tag.
When I discussed the Hi13 earlier this year, I mentioned that Chuwi expected to sell the device for around $500 or less, which seemed like a fair price considering everything that it has to offer. However, as it turns out, the Hi13 will actually retail for much less -- $369 to be exact. The value proposition is hard to beat.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Two-hundred-and-nineteen in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Windows Store in the past seven days.
As always, if I missed an app or game that has been released this week that you believe is particularly good, let me know in the comments below or notify me via email instead.
Microsoft delays its February patches for a month
For the past several years, Microsoft has released security patches on the second Tuesday of the month -- the so-called Patch Tuesday.
However, Microsoft missed the date this month and now says the new patches won’t arrive until the middle of next month.
Microsoft unveils Windows Insider program for enterprise users
Microsoft may have a "mobile first, cloud first" mantra, but we shouldn't forget that the software giant is also highly invested in the enterprise market as well. It's incredibly lucrative, as business clients spend billions upon billions of dollars on its products, a list of which includes the likes of Windows and Office.
So, naturally, when Microsoft is working on a product it has to take that into account as well. With Windows 10 things have been going rather well, if you compare it to Windows 8, when it comes to enterprise adoption, but the software giant is looking to improve things with a new Windows Insider program aimed at businesses, referred to as WIP4Biz.
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