Windows

• Microsoft is ready to start nagging users about Windows 7's end of support deadline. So here come the pop-ups. Luckily, you can turn them off completely.
• Plus: Microsoft brings DirectX 12 to Windows 7 ... for some reason.
• Windows 10 19H1 users start testing Android app-mirroring.
• Breaking: Windows 10 19H1 Home edition may allow you to defer updates by 35 days! (This is in A/B testing it seems)
• Windows 10 now on more than 800 million active devices. Right on schedule!
• Microsoft makes good on its year-old promise to give consumer app devs a 95% cut of revenues.
• Microsoft says it is now able to remove faulty Windows 10 updates without user intervention – but are they? A mysterious support article mentions this with no details

Xbox + Gaming

• Microsoft demos xCloud game streaming service.
• There's a cool new controller, but it's not the Elite rev we all want
• Minecraft is FINALLY coming to Xbox Game Pass in April
• Master Chief Collection is FINALLY coming to Windows
• Plus: Microsoft announces 13 new ID@Xbox titles
• Plus: Xbox and PS gamers can now play Fornite together
• Plus: Google is about to announce some big gaming news. But first, their controller.

Microsoft

• Microsoft cuts 200 jobs in commercial sales
• Microsoft sues Foxconn parent Hon Hai over 2013 patent-licensing deal

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Crackdown 2 is now free on Xbox One
• Plus: Spotify Premium users can get free (ad-supported) Hulu
• App pick of the week: Google Chrome 73
• Plus: CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2019 is here, and you can get it on the Mac too!
• Plus: our favourite podcast app.
• Enterprise pick of the week: No more Semi-Annual Channel releases for System Center
• Developer pick of the week: DTrace is coming to Windows 10 19H1
• Beer pick of the week: Two Roads Brewing Co. Irish Exit

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

• go.itpro.tv/windows use code WW30
• Atlassian.com/IT

• Here's the real reason Microsoft is already testing 20H1
• Also: Windows Calculator is open-sourced for some reason. Could Notepad be next???
• Microsoft Edgium screenshots leak. Surprise, it looks like Chrome, not Edge. But that could change.
• Microsoft Band was dead two years ago, but now it's really, really dead. A look back at Microsoft Band from its biggest fan
• It's interesting to watch Intel follow Microsoft down the same path to the future
• The USB Promoter Group needs to be stopped: It announced USB 3.2 and then USB4 within a week of each other.
• And in "better late than never" news, MJF got to try the HoloLens 2 -- and may have discovered an interesting bug.
• Microsoft will allegedly ship a "disc-less" Xbox One S in May
• Plus: Microsoft plans to announce a new Xbox One console at E3 in June. Expect NvME storage and 4K/60 fps.

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Surface Pro 6 + Type Cover Bundle
• App pick of the week: Pocket Casts
• Plus: Grammarly Keyboard for iOS adds Dark theme, more.
• Enterprise pick of the week: Excel (mobile) can turn photos of table data into working spreadsheets
• Enterprise pick No. 2 of the week: Microsoft opens its first datacenters in Africa
• Beer pick of the week: Jack's Abby Barrel Aged Framinghammer

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

• WordPress.com/windows
• LastPass.com/twit

HoloLens 2 at MWC

• As expected, Microsoft announces HoloLens 2 at MWC 2019. Paul goes hands-on.
• Mary Jo says it's all about the cloud. Azure Remote Rendering, Azure Spatial Anchors, Dynamics 365 apps and subscription pricing.
• Paul sees how it fits perfectly into the new Microsoft under Satya Nadella, hitting all of the AACO ("Accessibility, AI, Cloud, and Open") bullet-points that products need to survive there.
• Accessibility - This one is a bit light, but it's more accessible in the sense that it can more easily be used by anyone and without training or complex setup
• AI - Poster-child for Microsoft's AI prowess
• Cloud - HoloLens 2 won't ever be a direct money maker, instead, it's a supporting piece for Microsoft's cloud subscriptions
• Open: Open stores, open app support (including Firefox). Even anti-Microsoft veteran Tim Sweeney is on board, and he's insane. (What do we make of Microsoft's comments about "an open store" for HoloLens?)
• Inside scoop: Sources have confirmed that Microsoft had no idea what developers would do with HoloLens. But the market has spoken, and the games focus we saw during the 1.0 announcements were nowhere to be seen for v2.
• One more thing: Oh, Microsoft also announced Azure Kinect because it uses some of the same elements as HL2.

All the Rest

• Build 2019 registration is open. Mixed reality is on the agenda (but no mention of Windows/Microsoft 365)
• Lite, Centaurus, Pegasus, Santorini, oh my: There was nothing announced at MWC, but Microsoft's post-Windows client future is becoming clearer every day.
• There were two more Windows 10 Insider Preview builds this past week • Chromium-based Edge preview should be coming soon.
• Microsoft will detail next-gen consoles at E3 this year
• Microsoft to bring xCloud, Game Pass to Nintendo Switch
• Xbox Spring 2019 Update revealed
• Tip of the week: Games with Gold for March is up
• App pick of the week: Google Fi
• Enterprise pick of the week: Windows Defender ATP finally supports Windows 7, 8.1
• Enterprise pick No. 2 of the week: Even more new Dynamics 365 apps are coming
• Beer pick of the week: Torch and Crown Intersect

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

• Atlassian.com/IT
• Wasabi.com offer code Windows

• Microsoft is adopting the "Inner Source" methodology from the open source world. Where does the madness end?
• Microsoft releases a 20H1 build of Windows 10. Yes, you read that right.
• Microsoft brings Timeline to Chrome. You'll be able to browse your WSL file system with File Explorer in 19H1
• Related: No word on Chromium-based Edge yet, but Google backed down on a poorly-received proposed change to Chromium
• Related: Google no longer considers Cortana a competitor
• Visual Studio 2019 launches on April 2

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Get 2 months of Xbox Game Pass for $1.
• App pick of the week: Greenshot
• App pick of the week 2: Zoho Suite is a free set of great web apps that can replace Office or Google Docs.
• Enterprise pick of the week: SAC-T gets sacked.
• Enterprise pick of the week No. 2: Windows 7, Server 2008 users – make sure you're patched for SH-2.
• Beer pick of the week: Toppling Goliath Pseudo Sue

Don't forget to tune in to watch Microsoft's Mobile World Congress press conference on Sunday, Feb. 24. Starts at 9 am PT/12 noon ET. Betting we'll see HoloLens Next!

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsor:

• Sophos.com

• Latest Windows 10 19H1 build brings underlying gaming improvements, free game to play
• Paul's top 5 new features in Windows 10 19H1 - inspired by last week's big list, I made a smaller list.
• Microsoft to modify Office ProPlus by end of April in response to Dutch ministry's privacy concerns
• Skype picks up background blur - but only on desktop (Not Windows 10 version)
• Teams is going to get a background video replacement option (along with blurring)
• LinkedIn Live, a new video-streaming service, is coming.
• Microsoft is bringing Surface Pro 6, Laptop 2, and Studio 2 to 20 new (but unnamed) markets. And it's bringing Surface Headphones to 8 new markets.
• In just one week, Apex Legends is already bigger than Fortnite. Yikes! And this is a big deal: eSports will be a $1 billion THIS year.
• Let's speculate about Chredge. Edgromium?
• Special guest Richard Campbell of .NET Rocks and Run As Radio joins us!

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Personalize Chrome with new Google themes
• Also: You can now buy Google Fi SIMs at Best Buy
• App pick of the week: Postbox
• Enterprise pick of the week: Office Home Use Program
• Codename pick of the week: Shimla
• Beer pick of the week: Perennial Abraxus

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Guest: Richard Campbell

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

• expressvpn.com/windows
• capterra.com/windows
• Atlassian.com/IT

• Happy 5th anniversary, Satya Nadella! Let's talk about highs and lows during his tenure.
• Windows 7 patches, post end of support, may not be as pricey as you thought.
• Latest Windows 10 19H1 build adds Win32 apps to Mixed Reality
• Build 2019: We're going back to Seattle May 6 to 8 this year.
• Microsoft Q2 FY19 earnings recap: how Fortnite saved Xbox
• Xbox Live is coming to mobile, Switch (and more, I bet)
• Microsoft renames its in-house gaming studios department to Xbox Game Studios
• February is shaping up to be another great month for Xbox Game Pass

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Skip Office 2019 and head to the cloud! You want Office 365 instead. It's a no-brainer.
• App pick of the week: Password Checkup for Chrome
• Enterprise pick of the week: Microsoft Managed Desktop
• Enterprise pick of the week No. 2: Quick Assist
• Beer pick of the week: Westvleteren 12

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

• Wasabi.com offer code Windows
• LastPass.com/twit

• Time to revisit what's likely to make it into Win 10 19H1 - It's actually a bit more than you might think.
• Where are we at right now with new feature updates.
• 1809 usage doubled, but it's still on relatively few PCs.
• 19H1/1903/April 2019 update is in bug bash phase.
• Windows 7 non-controversy of the week does mark the passing of an era.
• Cortana integrates with Microsoft To-Do everywhere now.
• Microsoft To-Do picks up file attachment support.
• Nokia phones will finally sell through US wireless carriers.
• Apple is going to try a gaming service too, more competition for Microsoft.
• Coming up right after Windows Weekly: Microsoft's Q2 FY19 earnings. Expect lots of commercial cloud; good Surface/Xbox holiday quarter talk.

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Xbox One is on sale. Again.
• Plus: Here's February's Games with Gold lineup!
• App pick of the week: ACDSee Photo Editor 10
• Enterprise pick of the week: New privacy, security dashboards for M365 admins.
• Codename pick of the week: Project Rome
• Beer pick of the week: Bell's Black Note Stout

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsor:

• WordPress.com/windows

• Cortana will soon just be a skill on Alexa and Google Assistant. Microsoft said it would not miss the next wave. Has it?
• Microsoft announces new software, services, and PC partner hardware for education at BETT
• Windows 10 enters its final phase of deployment. What does that mean?
• What's going on with Windows Server 1903/19H1? A few incremental features have been announced. Is there more?
• Yet another Cumulative Update for 1809 went out this week (fourth Tues of the month)
• Bug bash for Win 10 19H1 starts today
• Support is ending for the last versions of Win 10 Mobile in December 2019
• Microsoft pledges $500 million to help improve affordable housing in Redmond area. But isn't this a problem of its own making?
• The Power Platform: One of Microsoft's biggest bets for 2019 and beyond

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Finding news you can trust
• App pick of the week: Microsoft To-Do
• Enterprise pick of the week: Microsoft Customer Agreement
• Enterprise pick No. 2 of the week: Dynamics 365 April '19 update
• Beer pick of the week: Sierra Nevada Resilience

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

• Sophos.com
• Atlassian.com

Windows 7: The one-year support cutoff countdown begins

• One year from January 14, Microsoft will no longer support Windows 7 for free. (Only for pay).
• Is there any chance of an XP-like extension?
• Don't expect a huge upgrade wave. But Microsoft has a way around this...
• Microsoft is pushing Microsoft 365 (not simply Windows 10) as the upgrade path for Windows 7. Will folks bite?
• Free support for lots of other products expires on January 14, 2020, too: Office 2010, Windows Server 2008/R2, Exchange Server 2010, SharePoint Server 2010 and more.
• Related: Desktop App Assure is generally available. Will it convince Win7 users that their apps will likely work on Win 10?
• Related: PC sales have now fallen for seven years. But there is some good news too.

Folding Windows, Dual-Screen Style

• A leaked build of Windows 10 19H1 indicates Microsoft is adding support for foldable (aka, dual screen) devices to Windows.
• What does this really mean? Is Andromeda in the wings? (NOPE).
• Meanwhile: Speculation mounts that Microsoft could show off the new HoloLens at MWC in February.

Windows 10

• Microsoft pushed a bunch of Cumulative Updates with loads of bug fixes for WIn 10 1703, 1709, 1803.
• It also (interestingly) pushed a small Cumulative Update with fixes for Win 10 19H1 Fast Ring build 18312.

Microsoft's latest customer wins: Some patterns emerge

• Microsoft is having luck courting retailers who are scared of Amazon (See Kroger, Walmart and most recently, Walgreens). Good news for Azure, M365.
• Cortana was MIA at CES, but its "Virtual Assistant Accelerator" wasn't. MS gets its virtual assistant tech into BMW, UEI, LG Electronics.
• The $10 billion JEDI jackpot's coming up in April. Looking like an Amazon-Microsoft dogfight. MS keeps adding more govt. certifications leading up to it (Outlook Mobile is latest).

Tips and picks

• Tip of the Week: How to Switch to Chronological Timeline on Twitter.
• App pick of the week: DuckDuckGo.
• Enterprise pick of the week: Where's Windows Server 2019?
• Codename of the week: Sydney (Hololens 2)
• Beer pick of the week: Grimm Double Negative

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

• capterra.com/windows
• Wasabi.com offer code Windows
• go.itpro.tv/windows use code WW30

• CES is this week: let's not beat this to death. A lot of computers were announced, including a Surface Studio clone from Lenovo.
• It looks like Intel is serious about moving to 10nm this year, and Intel is talking up 'Project Athena,' its strategy for going beyond ultrabooks.
• Privacy (as a service): Microsoft should stop marketing AI and market privacy instead. First step: Bali, a way for users to control data that's been collected about them.
• Microsoft giveaway update: we gave away the Xbox Game Pass and Office 365 Home product keys and the hardware just arrived. Here's how you can win a Surface Go with Type Cover or Surface Headphones! (U.S. and Canada only, sorry)
• Two major signs of sanity in Windows 10 19H1: 7-day update delays in Windows Update in Windows 10 Home, Microsoft finally silences Cortana in Windows 10 Setup (but not in Home).
• Windows 10 19H1 build adds support for password-less Microsoft accounts and sign-ins.
• Build 18312 was released today with Reset This PC improvements.
• Let's revisit Windows 10 on ARM. Yes, this really matters.
• Non-controversy of the week: Windows 10 will now set aside 7 GB of disk for coming updates
• About Citrix's plans for Windows Virtual Desktop
• GitHub to give free users unlimited private repos
• Microsoft should make Surface-branded wireless earbuds (Update: They are working on it)
• Microsoft continued losing to Sony in the console wars in 2018, but there was a lot of good news too

Tips and picks

• Tip of the week: Choose the right digital assistant
• App pick of the week: Firefox ARM64 for Windows 10 on ARM
• Enterprise pick of the week: Teams gets more firstline worker features
• Buzzword pick of the week: "Partner"
• Beer pick of the week: Firestone Walker Propagator Generation 1

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly

Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com

Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Sponsors:

• Atlassian.com
• expressvpn.com/windows