March 2015

Microsoft Will Let Pirates Update to Windows 10, But it Likely Still Wants Them to Pay

Leave a Comment / Windows 10 /

Microsoft will allow Windows pirates to upgrade to Windows 10, but it’s likely still hoping to get them to pay. Microsoft tells The Verge that people with pirated copies of Windows will still be considered to have unofficial copies after the update. If they want to go official, they can — they’ll just have to get it through the Windows Store. “We will provide a mechanism for non-genuine Windows 10 PC devices to ‘get genuine’ via the new Windows Store, whether they are upgraded versions of Windows or purchased,” a Microsoft spokesperson says. Microsoft notes that its upgrade practice will be consistent globally.

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There’s been confusion around the offer to pirates since Microsoft first discussed it yesterday. It was originally reported that pirates will be able to upgrade for free, but Microsoft has declined to explicitly confirm this. It certainly sounds like pirates will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 at no cost — the alternative, that they could pay to upgrade to a copy of Windows that still isn’t considered genuine, would be strange — but it’s quite possible that Microsoft will include some restrictions on unofficial copies that have yet to be mentioned. It could be a limited offer, include a trial period, or have some other promotion around acquiring a genuine license.

Presently, people running pirated copies of Windows are not presented with major restrictions. They still receive critical security updates and are only blocked from receiving what Microsoft calls “optional updates or benefits” — it lists its free security suite as an example. Pirated copies of Windows may also have their desktop turn black once an hour as a prompt is displayed informing the user that they aren’t running a genuine copy. Presumably, similar limitations will continue for pirated copies of Windows 10 in order to drive upgrades, but we’ll have to wait longer to find out whether other factors will be in play.

Source: Microsoft will let pirates update to Windows 10, but it likely still wants them to pay | The Verge.

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Microsoft Wants to Convert Android Devices to Windows 10 Phones with Special ROM

Leave a Comment / Windows 10, Windows Phone /

Microsoft is developing a Windows 10 ROM that can be flashed onto Android devices to easily convert them to Windows Phones.

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As part of its announcements surrounding the upcoming launch of Windows 10, Microsoft also mentioned that Xiaomi, an up and coming Chinese smartphone company, is currently testing Windows 10 for phones on its Mi4 flagship.

While that may sound like a new partnership between the two companies, Xiaomi emphatically denied that that was the case. In fact something even more interesting is taking place.

According to a report from TechCrunch, citing unnamed sources, as well as Microsoft’s own statements, the Windows maker is developing an image of Windows 10 for phones that can be easily flashed onto Android devices, essentially transforming the device into a Windows Phone on the spot.

It’s this image, similar to the ROM provided by Cyanogen or others, that Xiaomi’s community is currently testing. If everything goes well Microsoft supposedly has plans to expand the program to other devices and manufacturers as well. And there should be a dual-boot option too.

This is indeed intriguing especially to the countless folks who enjoy tinkering with their devices and having the freedom to run whichever operating system they want to. This approach may also resolve some of the community’s concerns regarding flagship Windows phones, at least in some cases: imagine picking up any high-end Android phone and simply flashing Windows 10 onto it. While, more generally speaking, this approach might prove to OEMs how simple it is to switch to Microsoft’s platform.

Here’s Microsoft’s full statement on the matter:

As part of the Windows Insider Program, Microsoft will partner with Xiaomi to offer Windows 10 free downloads to a select group of Xiaomi Mi4 users. Xiaomi Mi4 users will get the ability to flash their phones with the new Windows 10 OS and provide feedback to Xiaomi and Microsoft on their experience. This partnership will allow Xiaomi and Microsoft to get direct user feedback and continue to improve the experience for China. Microsoft is thrilled to see Xiaomi embracing Windows 10 and offering this great value to their customers. We’re excited to see the feedback we receive from this audience.

Xiaomi is a leading phone manufacturer in China undergoing significant global expansion. We are excited to partner with them in China and jointly gather feedback from Chinese users on their experience with Windows 10 to jointly collaborate on product and services development for the platform.

Availability will be announced in the months to come.

Xiaomi has now published an image of Windows 10 running on its Mi4 flagship, and promises that it “will release the ROM Pack soon in the MIUI forum.”

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Source: NeoWin – Microsoft wants to convert Android devices to Windows 10 phones with special ROM [Update].

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Windows 10 Will Be Free for Software Pirates

Leave a Comment / Windows 10 /

Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users this summer, but Microsoft is also extending its offer to software pirates.

“We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10,” says Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s Windows chief, in an interview with Reuters. The move means that thousands, perhaps millions, of machines will get a free copy of Windows 10 even if a license has not been properly acquired. “Anyone with a qualified device can upgrade to Windows 10, including those with pirated copies of Windows,” says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge. “We believe customers over time will realize the value of properly licensing Windows and we will make it easy for them to move to legitimate copies.”

Microsoft has a long history of attempts to thwart software piracy. Windows XP was the company’s first operating system to introduce software activation to verify license keys, but it was quickly defeated using a corporate license key that many pirates shared on the internet back in 2001. Software activation has evolved throughout various versions of Windows, but pirates have largely managed to bypass it each time. While Microsoft’s plan might seem like letting software pirates go free, studies have found that in many cases pirated Windows licenses are installed on new machines without customers even knowing they have an illegal copy. Microsoft has tried various methods to encourage those customers to return their machines or seek out a legal copy, but it’s headache and a bad experience of Windows itself if that’s the first thing you have to deal with in certain regions.

Windows software piracy is no small feat, so Microsoft’s move is surprising and meaningful. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer revealed in 2011 that only one customer in every 10 is actually paying for Microsoft software in China, and he joined President Obama and other business leaders to highlight the issues. Microsoft has also continually highlighted the financial impact of software piracy, but it continues to be a problem in Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

Source: Windows 10 will be free for software pirates | The Verge.

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Microsoft Opens Skype to the Business World

Leave a Comment / Skype, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows Phone /

You’ve probably used Skype to chat with your family and friends. Now you can use it to chat with colleagues and co-workers as part of your official workday.
Unveiled Monday, the Skype for Business Technical Preview will give you a chance to try the workday edition of the software before it officially launches next month, Giovanni Mezgec, general manager for the Skype for Business team, said in a blog post.

Designed to replace and expand on Microsoft’s Lync communications platform, Skype for Business will allow you to search for, connect with and chat with other Skype users, whether inside or outside your organization. The new Skype for Business will also be integrated into Microsoft Office, so instant messages and voice and video calling with be accessible within Office as well. Otherwise, Skype for Business will work and act like the consumer version.

Meanwhile, don’t fret about any changes to those weekly video chats between the little ones and their grandparents. “The consumer experience known and loved around the world will continue to be referred to as Skype,” Microsoft’s Skype team said in a blog post. “You will still be able to use Skype the way you always have — with the same user account and contacts.”

Since taking over as Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella has been on a mission to transform the company into one that emphasizes “productivity and platform” and not just devices and services. Skype for Business falls into that new strategy, as the product is geared toward helping business users better collaborate with each other. The business-oriented version also emphasizes Microsoft’s need to continue to focus on corporations as a key source of customers and revenue.

Skype for Business is specifically geared toward companies and other organization as it offers enterprise-level security along with the necessary management controls for IT professionals. IT pros and business users can browse to the Office Evalutions page to register for and download Skype for Business.

Along with Skype for Business, a preview edition of Microsoft Office 2016 is now available for the enterprise crowd. The IT Pro and Developer Preview of Office 2016 for the Windows desktop offers enhancements for both users and IT administrators, including quicker searching and improved readability in Outlook and easier ways to deploy Office bug fixes and updates.

IT admins and business users who want to check out the new Office can sign in to download the program at the Office 2016 Preview (for Business) Profile page.

Source: Microsoft opens Skype to the business world – CNET.

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Microsoft To Deliver Windows 10 Updates Using Peer-to-Peer Technology

Leave a Comment / Windows 10 /

Microsoft is planning to distribute future Windows 10 updates using a peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol. While Microsoft has traditionally uses Windows Update to deliver OS and some application updates from a single source, the latest leaked build of Windows 10 reveals that the company is moving towards P2P. A new option allows Windows 10 users to enable “updates from more than one place,” with the ability to download apps and OS updates from multiple sources to get them more quickly.

Apps and OS updates can be downloaded from Microsoft and PCs on a local network, or a combination of local PCs, internet PCs, and Microsoft’s traditional Windows Update servers. It’s no surprise that Microsoft is moving towards this distribution model. The software maker acquired Pando Networks in 2013, the maker of a peer-to-peer file sharing technology that’s similar to BitTorrent. It’s not clear what technology Microsoft is using for its Windows 10 testing, but it’s reasonable to expect it has evolved from the Pando Networks acquisition.

Microsoft has not yet officially announced its P2P plans, but the company is planning to release an official Windows 10 preview shortly that will likely include the new changes. While Microsoft’s changes could prompt security concerns over the validity of OS updates, it’s likely that the company has built-in methods to prevent tampering and a means to verify update packages before they’re applied to Windows 10 systems.

Source: Microsoft to deliver Windows 10 updates using peer-to-peer technology | The Verge.

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