Some time ago, Microsoft announced that its service for creating 360° panoramas, called Photosynth will shut down in 2017. Keeping this in mind, if you have used this service or any of its apps to create something, you probably want to download your synths to keep them after the service is gone. Microsoft has published instructions to do so about a month ago, but now the company has released a separate app to view them offline.
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.
Windows Update troubleshooting tool for Windows 10, 8.1 and 7
Even though Microsoft is always working to fix bugs and issues that users are running into when using Windows, just like every piece of software, the operating system can't be perfectly bug-free. For example, there are still random errors that users experience with Windows Update so Microsoft is offering a new tool for its users to troubleshoot them. The tool is available as a Fix It package and can be used on Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.
AliExpress UWP app is now available in the Windows Store
AliExpress is one of the most popular online markets with more than 100 million items available for purchase. With the rise in its popularity, the company behind it, Alibaba Group, had created an official app for Android and iOS long ago. The main purpose of the app was to keep customers updated about new deals, send order status updates and offer mobile-exclusive price cuts. There wasn't an official app for AliExpress for Windows until now but yesterday, the first version of a Universal Windows Platform app was released for Windows 10. But there's a catch.
Rumor: Microsoft is already working on HoloLens 2.0
Microsoft HoloLens was first announced almost two years ago and during that time it has not only created countless possibilities for developers all around the world but has also become the flagship device for the new wave of mixed reality headsets: the entire family of Windows Holographic devices coming later next year is inspired by Microsoft's own product. But now it seems like the company itself isn't planning to just stay in the shadows — new rumors suggest that Microsoft is already working on HoloLens 2.0.
OneDrive for Mac is updated with new UI features and more
Earlier this week, Microsoft started rolling out an update for its OneDrive client for Mac. This update is bringing some under-the-hood changes but also includes a new UI flyout, similar to the one Microsoft is testing with Windows 10 users right now. The new flyout shows all of your recent OneDrive activity in one place and also allows you to quickly jump to Sync settings or open the main folder. There are also some improvements to the overall sync speed but developers aren't saying much. They are only stating that OneDrive is now "faster than ever before".
Cortana Devices SDK will allow OEMs to create Cortana-enabled devices
Right after announcing that Cortana will be available on devices running Windows 10 IoT Core, Microsoft has announced a few tools for developers to start creating and testing the new experiences in their projects. However not all of the devices that can be used to interact with Cortana are running Windows 10 or have a screen, so Microsoft has announced a separate SDK for developers to integrate the digital assistant with them.
Initial Windows 10 themes appear in Windows Store
Some of you may already know about Microsoft's intention to distribute themes for Windows 10 via the Windows Store. This move will not only allow developers to sell their own themes on Microsoft's platform, but will also secure users from the dangers of downloading potentially dangerous UI customization tweaks from other unknown or untrusted sources. Well, at least that's what Microsoft wants us to believe. The first set of themes seems to be already available in Windows Store and was spotted by some enthusiasts, who made them available to download ahead of schedule.
OEMs are already working on first Windows 10 devices with ARM64 chips
Recent Microsoft announcements about Windows 10 arriving on ARM64-based devices and its support for x86 apps has attracted a lot of attention in the tech industry. Many are speculating about the potential success of such devices compared to the ones running Windows RT and whether x86 emulation and support for 32-bit classic apps could make a difference. And now, as sources close to Microsoft and its partners told Digitimes, some OEMs already working on such devices for test purposes.
Visual Studio 2017 RC receives a bug fixing update
The first Release Candidate build of Visual Studio 2017, the next version has become available for everyone to try a few weeks ago, during Microsoft's Connect(); 2016 event for developers. Since then developers have sent enough feedback to Microsoft for releasing an update including fixes for most popular and annoying issues and improving how some of the new features work.
Microsoft won’t release new builds for Windows Insiders until 2017
Since the holidays are around the corner, Microsoft has decided to not release any more builds for its Windows Insider program this year. The reason for that, according to the program's head Dona Sarkar, is that the company doesn't want to ship a build with a possible breaking bug and have Insider Preview members dealing with it during the holidays.
