O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: Windows 10

  • Microsoft opens limited Xbox Cloud Gaming beta for iPhone, iPad users

    Microsoft opens limited Xbox Cloud Gaming beta for iPhone, iPad users

    Microsoft on Monday announced that its browser-based Xbox Cloud Gaming service will enter beta for selected testers on the iPhone and iPad platforms today.

    The company began sending out invites to selected Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to test the Xbox Cloud Gaming limited beta for ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, and Windows 10 PCs using a web browser. Invites will be issued on a continuous basis to players in all 22 supported countries.

    The platform will be available at xbox.com/play, and will work in the Safari, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge web browsers. Microsoft has stated that it plans to “iterate quickly” on the beta, and open up to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members in the coming months. Games will be playable via a controller or touch controls for more than 50 games at first.

    This marks the first time that the Xbox Game Streaming service has been made available for the iPhone and iPad since it launched exclusively on Android devices in 2020. Last year, plans to bring an Xbox game streaming app to iOS stalled due to Apple’s App Store rules, which forbids apps from streaming multiple games from the cloud via a single app. This is because Apple believes that its inability to review each game in the service’s library is a potential security risk. Game Pass streaming would only be viable if each game was available as its own app under Apple’s rules.

    Microsoft then offered the go-between idea of using a web browser as opposed to an app to circumvent Apple’s App Store rules while still offering the service. Microsoft says that creating a browser-accessible service has a number of advantages in making cloud gaming more accessible, as well as streamlining development into a singular, universal platform.

    Microsoft’s games streaming service is bundled as part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for $14.99 per month, with more than 100 games available.

    If you get a chance to test this out on your iPhone or iPad, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via MacRumors and news.xbox.com

  • Microsoft overhauling web-based Outlook client, will create universal client for macOS and Windows operating systems

    The web-based Microsoft outlook client you use is about to get an overhaul.

    According to Windows Central, Microsoft is building a universal Outlook client that will function across both the Windows and macOS platforms. The effort, currently named “Project Monarch,” will eventually replace the default Mail and Calendar applications on Windows 10:

    The article offered the following:

    Project Monarch is the end-goal for Microsoft’s “One Outlook” vision, which aims to build a single Outlook client that works across PC, Mac, and the Web. Right now, Microsoft has a number of different Outlook clients for desktop, including Outlook Web, Outlook (Win32) for Windows, Outlook for Mac, and Mail & Calendar on Windows 10. Microsoft wants to replace the existing desktop clients with one app built with web technologies. The project will deliver Outlook as a single product, with the same user experience and codebase whether that be on Windows or Mac. It’ll also have a much smaller footprint and be accessible to all users whether they’re free Outlook consumers or commercial business customers.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via The Mac Observer and Windows Central

  • Apple Q2 2020 earnings call to take place on Thursday, April 30th

    It’ll be an interesting quarter.

    Apple has announced that its Q2 2020 earnings call will take place on Thursday, April 30th.

    The livestream will begin at 2:00 PM PT, or 5:00 PM ET.

    If interested, you can listen to the stream in a variety of ways:

    • iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch using Safari on iOS 10 or later
    • Mac running macOS 10.12 or later and Safari
    • Second generation or later Apple TV via AirPlay with the latest version of tvOS.
    • PCs using Windows 10 and Microsoft Edge.

    You can stream on your Mac or Windows PC through this link via Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge.

    Apple announced in February that it was set to miss its earnings targets for the quarter due to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via The Mac Observer

  • Dell working on software that will enable iPhone screen sharing on its notebooks

    You may like or dislike Dell, but this is a pretty interesting.

    Computer manufacturer Dell has announced that it will be releasing software that will enable iPhone screen mirroring on Dell notebooks.

    Screen mirroring means your iPhone’s screen will be displayed on another device. Users will be able to control things on their iPhone from their Dell notebooks. It will come as an update to Dell’s Mobile Connect software and will be supported on Dell XPS, Inspiron, Vostro, and Alienware laptops running Windows 10.

    Dell’s Mobile Connect users can already receive iPhone notifications and send texts and calls at this point in time. Via the feature, you’ll also be able to drag and drop media files from your iPhones to your Dell notebook.

    This arrives as a welcome shift for customers, as iPhones and Macs have had integration in the form of the Continuity feature for some time, but not screen mirroring.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via The Mac Observer and Bloomberg

  • Researchers point out Bluetooth Low Energy exploit that can be used to access data in iOS, Windows 10 devices

    It’s theoretical, but it’s interesting.

    A pair of researchers have discovered a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) vulnerability that can affect Apple devices and allow for tracking and data leakage.

    Researchers Johannes K. Becker and David Starobinski wrote a paper called Tracking Anonymized Bluetooth Devices. They presented it yesterday at the 19th Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium in Stockholm, Sweden.

    The flaw allows an attacker to track a device and extract information such as the device type and other data. The vulnerability can occur when devices are paired using non-encrypted public channels to ping nearby devices. While BLE lets device manufacturers use a randomized address that changes constantly, the researchers were still able to find a way around it.

    Per the paper:

    “We present an address-carryover algorithm which exploits the asynchronous nature of payload and address changes to achieve tracking beyond the address randomization of a device. We furthermore identify an identity-exposing attack via a device accessory that allows permanent, non-continuous tracking, as well as an iOS side-channel which allows insights into user activity.”

    The exploit can work on Apple devices and Windows 10 devices, but not Android devices at this point.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via The Mac Observer, The Next Web, and PET Symposium