Windows

Microsoft MVP Susan Bradley has written an open letter to top management at Microsoft about the quality of Windows 10 patches. She has also pointed to results of her survey of IT admins who are admittedly not very happy with shoddy patches and that the Windows Insider program isn't helping in identifying issues. Microsoft, however, thinks otherwise.

Although he previously stated that the Intel Core i5-powered XPS 15 9570 would get the 97 WHr battery option, Frank Azor has recently revealed that those who want this power pack should "move up to the next config" to get it. This means a US$500-worth jump to the cheapest Intel Core i7-driven model.

The VersaPro VU is a 2-in-1 Windows 10 tablet that will only be available in Japan. The 1920 x 1200 touchscreen does not come with fancy thin bezels, but NEC does provide a tactile pen. It is powered by the Gemini Lake Celeron N4100 CPU coupled with 4 GB LPDDR4, and users can choose between 64 or 128 GB of eMMC storage. Also included is the docking keyboard, which comes with more ports.

Microsoft has re-opened the Skip Ahead ring for Windows Insiders with a new build from the 19H1 branch alongside a new Redstone 5 build for Fast Ring Insiders. These builds come with a new Mixed Reality Flashlight feature that allows a quick peek at the outside world without having to remove the headset. Also included are a slew of improvements to Microsoft Edge, time accuracy, Kiosk Setup, and new update experiences.

The new stable Steam Client for Windows, Linux, and Mac brings an all-new chat feature that is also available for web browsers, GPU acceleration in web views by default, support for the PlayStation 3 controller, 15 Xbox controllers, and more. In the near future, Windows XP and Vista will no longer be supported by the Steam Client.

Lenovo is apparently preparing a big announcement for its ThinkPad laptop line, a completely new model to compete with Dells XPS 15. The new ThinkPad X1 Extreme was leaked by known leaker Roland Quandt and it might be released at IFA 2018.

The upcoming Xbox console could come in two versions — a conventional console with top of the line hardware and a streaming-only version that has lower compute ability and streams games from what is internally being referred to as the 'Scarlett Cloud'. 'Scarlett Cloud' could mean that gamers will be able to stream Xbox games on virtually any device with an internet connection.

Microsoft has released a strong set of financial results for the fourth quarter of the 2017/2018 financial year and equally impressive results for the full fiscal 2017/2018 year. Growth was strongest in cloud services (matching the third quarter results), but gaming and Surface also showed good increases.

The Surface Go created a bit of a splash when Microsoft announced it two weeks ago. The ultracompact 10-inch 2-in-1 is the spiritual successor to the non-Pro Surface 3, but with the advantage of using a higher spec'd x86 processor for smoother performance. CostCo is now advertising a new configuration that wasn't announced at launch, including the Type Cover at no additional cost.

At the Inspire partner show this week, Microsoft executives talked about plans to bring back consumers into their fold with the inclusion of Gaming and Modern Life under the Modern Life Services umbrella in Microsoft's core digital solutions across the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge. The idea is to make these services attractive for professional consumers with the goal of making them even more productive.

Although the changes were quickly removed, Dell's Chilean website has been up for a while showing the XPS 13 convertible with two Amber Lake processors, namely the Intel Core i5-8200Y and the Intel Core i7-8500Y. Now, it only remains to see how long does it take for Dell to make these processor options available for real.

Kensington has announced the availability of the SD7000 dock for the Surface Pro. The SD7000 dock connects to the Surface Pro using the Surface Connector and provides USB ports, Ethernet, USB-C, HDMI, and a DisplayPort converting the tablet into a mini Surface Studio of sorts.

The upcoming free campaign and content update for Sea of Thieves is called "Cursed Sails" and will go live on July 31. The three-week campaign will bring skeleton ships to challenge players on the seas and bring terror to outposts. Fortunately, those who will not be able to take part in the campaign will be able to enjoy the new content in the future as well.

Microsoft's Surface chief Panos Panay recently opened up on the WIRED's Gadget Lab podcast and talked about the Surface Go and its position in the Surface family. However, he categorically denied the possibility of a Surface Phone but did say there will be new form factors and new change in the market.

Although the new story content will be playable starting on July 25 and the Battle of Azeroth update is set to arrive on August 14, the pre-patch can be downloaded already. World of Warcraft 8.0.1 comes with multiple changes, including an updated PvP Honor and Prestige system, the ability to create and join cross-realm social groups, updated classes and specializations, and more.

ATARI's classic arcade game Tempest that was released in October 1981 is making a return as Eat Electric Death! Tempest 4000 with new features and 4K graphics. This title is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PCs for US$20 or US$30 — depending on the market and platform, of course.

Glare getting in the way of work? These consumer notebooks may not necessarily be the best, but they are some of the brightest available for outdoor visibility with some models reaching close to 700 nits.

Dominic Maas has developed an extension for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox that enables users of these browsers to sync their activity across devices via Windows Timeline. Among browsers, Microsoft Edge is the only one with Timeline support as it requires developers to enable explicit support for Microsoft Graph in their apps.

The MateBook X Pro ships with a Thunderbolt 3 port not unlike many newer Ultrabooks and gaming laptops. What Huawei isn't telling you, however, is that the port appears to offer just half the PCIe lanes for half the theoretical transfer rate of an otherwise regular Thunderbolt 3 connection.

The Battlefield V Closed Alpha stage has just reached its final day and now this title is ready for the next step. According to DICE, the Open Beta for Battlefield V will go live in the first part of September. The full game is scheduled to launch mid-October for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

AMD is trying to break Intels dominance in the mobile PC market. For that, it needs the PC manufacturers to put out good laptops with Ryzen. The affordable ThinkPad models E485 and E585 with Ryzen could potentially attract a large number of customers – and they are now available in the US and elsewhere.

The XPC SH370R6 supports Coffee Lake CPUs up to i7-8700K with max 95 W TDP, plus there's enough room for up to 64 GB of DDR4-2666 RAM, 4 SATA bays and even a PCIe 3.0 16x slot for discrete GPUs. While it is not the most compact barebone out there, the new XPC SH370R6 can easily replace the usual desktop PCs or even more cumbersome workstations.

The Darksiders 3 studio, namely Gunfire Games, is now working on a brand-new title, the third-person survival-action shooter Remnant: From the Ashes. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic future and involves interdimensional fights with a mysterious race called The Root. If everything works as planned, the game should launch next year.

While some businesses would like to order the XPS 15 9570 with an Intel Core i7 or even an Intel Core i9 processor inside, but without dedicated graphics, Dell has no plans to offer such hardware configurations. The answer to this question comes from Frank Azor via Twitter, as usual.

Those eagerly waiting for the XPS 15 9575 with 32 GB of memory have just received a new confirmation from Frank Azor, who mentioned on Twitter that Dell is currently aiming for a September launch. For now, this convertible is only available with 8 GB or 16 GB of soldered memory that cannot be upgraded.

Microsoft has launched the Surface Go, a US$399 Windows 10 tablet targeted at the students, schools and the entry-level tablet market dominated by the Apple iPad. As rumored, the device is powered by an Intel Pentium Gold chip instead of an ARM-based chip as could have been the case for this type of device.

The deal will run until the end of this month and it will also include a single FandangoNow digital movie rental for free. The G3 gaming laptop is Dell's entry-level gaming system equipped with GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti options ranging from $700 to $1000 USD.

After the changes brought by the post-meteor strike Season 4, Season 5 of Fortnite is now on its way and will kick off on July 12 at 4 AM EDT (08:00 GMT). The strange rift events that have started to appear after the recent in-game missile launch will probably play a role in Season 5 as well, but the details are not public yet.

The affordable Microsoft tablet — most likely the one known as Lex and supposed to arrive this fall — will apparently land in stores this Friday. According to insiders familiar with the matter, this 10-inch Windows slate will start at US$399 for education customers and will go up to US$829 (without accessories).

Those waiting for a Coffee Lake refresh for the latest Alienware 13 gaming laptop should give up all hope because Frank Azor has just confirmed that such a thing is not in the cards. The models currently available on the market use 6th and 7th generation Intel processors, as well as NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050/1050 Ti/1060 graphics.

Prominent Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley has learnt that Microsoft is still working out the nitty-gritty of the long-rumored Surface Phone or 'Andromeda' device, whose leaks and renders have been doing the rounds on the Internet. The delay in launching the device is apparently being attributed to the unfinished state of the 'Andromeda' shell and other quality and scheduling issues.