According to Microsoft's own tests, at least, Edge in Windows 10 Creators Update has the best battery life compared to other popular browsers — Chrome and Firefox. The company had done the same testing earlier, but yesterday Microsoft published an updated video comparison of how long you could use your device using different browsers. The scenario stays the same: all three Surface Books used in this video are configured identically, not plugged in and were running the same OS version, showing the same video content in the browser.
Author: Roman Linev
Long time news writer, Microsoft ecosystem fan, Android user. Loves Japanese culture, photography and his cats. You can also follow Roman on Twitter.
Microsoft to hold a Windows Cloud-focused event in May 2017
Microsoft was expected to hold a Surface-centered event this April: originally, rumors suggested that we may see the mysterious Surface Phone for the first time, but later that plan was abandoned; the event should've been a place where Microsoft was going to announce new Surface tablets and notebooks. But it seems like this plan has changed too. Microsoft still hasn't said anything about it to the press, but thanks to the new report from ZDnet we now know, that the company will hold a different event about Windows 10 Cloud a few days before Build 2017 starts in early May. New Surface devices may still appear though.
Universal Skype app is finally out of preview
It's been more than a year since the first preview version of Skype's Universal Windows app was introduced. Earlier this March, Microsoft finally ditched the Skype Preview branding in one of the updated releases for Insider Program participants. After some additional testing, it's now available for everyone on Windows 10. The update is also bringing some new features to users of the production builds, including some calling and messaging improvements.
Windows 10 Mobile devices will get Creators Update on April 25, 2017
While Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703 or build 10563) will start rolling out for the majority of Windows 10 users today, the same update for Windows 10 Mobile users will be released two weeks later. According to the official blog post, Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update will be released on April 25, 2017 and only a small number of existing phones will receive it. The update will be released in several waves just like the last time, which means your device may receive it even later, and not on the day when the rollout starts.
Windows Vista extended support ends today
Ten years after its original release, Microsoft is finally terminating extended support for Windows Vista, the big release of Windows which overhauled the operating system's internals. Mainstream support originally ended back in 2012, but as always, enterprise users and IT professionals were given more time to properly consider their options and migrate their infrastructure to a newer OS. Starting April 11, 2017, no system or security updates will be released for Windows Vista or Internet Explorer 9 (which is the last available Microsoft browser for it). This leaves the system vulnerable to new viruses and existing unpatched threats.
Wileyfox is considering creating a Windows 10 Mobile device for business
You've probably never heard about the small phone brand Wileyfox, but it's getting really popular in some countries. The company has tried to win consumers' love by making affordability and quality as its priorities for new devices and also by using CyanogenOS as the operating system. The latest reports, however, are saying that Wileyfox is considering a Windows phone running Windows 10 Mobile with business users in mind. The company has clearly had some inspiration from the success of HP's Elite x3, which is really popular among business users tied to the Microsoft ecosystem.
Windows 10 MyPeople feature has been found in Insider Preview build 16170
Last week, Microsoft released the first Windows 10 Insider Preview build (16170) from the Redstone 3 development branch. After spending some time with the new build, some people noticed there are hidden and disabled options in it, including the MyPeople feature which was first introduced back in October 2016 and was later cut from Windows 10 Creators Update. The feature is working in this build as expected and almost fits all the scenarios shown by Microsoft officials during its first demo. It has some rough edges and the user experience is a bit ambiguous, which has possibly been the reason for its removal from Creators Update.
Telegram client is now available in the Windows Store
Telegram Messenger has been available on multiple platforms for years now, including Android, iOS, Windows PC and Windows Phone. Sadly, the current app for Microsoft platforms is not universal and runs only on mobile devices, while desktop users had to download a classic Win32 version of the client from the official site. Yesterday a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) version has also become available to install from the Windows Store. But this has been made possible with the help of the official Microsoft Desktop App Converter tool.
Microsoft extends Windows 10 1507 lifecycle by two months
If you're still running the original version of Windows 10 that was introduced back in July 2015 (version 1507) and for some reason still ignoring all of the offered major updates for it, Microsoft is giving you two extra months to decide if you want to get future patches and security updates. The updated end-of-life date now states 'May 2017' compared to the previous March 26 schedule. All machines running Windows 10 1507 (build 10240) will continue to get updates during that period.
Microsoft to start selling Build 2017 tickets on February 14, 2017
Microsoft's Build event for developers has been the main conference for the company for quite a few years now and 2017 won't be an exception. Build 2017 is happening in May and this time, it will be held in Seattle.
