Microsoft

Despite the move to digital and the flood of digital note-taking apps, there is never a shortage of digital sticky notes on almost any platform. There is, perhaps, something to be said about colored (mostly) square notes you can place almost anywhere on your screen. But while most sticky notes app, Windows 10’s included, have gone beyond some of the limitations of physical sticky notes, they’re often still stuck in one OS. Microsoft, however, might soon liberate its Sticky Notes so you can stick them on your chosen smartphone as well.

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Fans of Microsoft's Forza racing series, listen up: if you never got around to checking out Forza Horizon 2, your time is running out. Developer Turn 10 revealed this week that the game, first released in 2014, is reaching its "end of life" and will be delisted from the Xbox store at the end of next month. With Forza Horizon 4 releasing in October, and Horizon 2 no longer being supported, both the older game and its DLC will no longer be for sale after September 30th.

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Microsoft has updated its OneDrive cloud storage service with new auto-backup options, making it easier for users to make sure all of their content is safety stored with as little effort as possible. Microsoft calls the feature Folder Protection, offering a Windows 10 prompt that instructs users on how to setup that automatic backups. Desktop, Documents, and Pictures are all options.

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Having trouble finishing your math homework? Microsoft has a solution. The company recently updated its Bing for iOS app to include a new "math mode" that solves equations in a snap...literally. Snap a picture of the problem, give Bing a second or two to process it, and you'll be given the answer without any additional interaction. The feature is powered by Bing's Camera Intelligent Search technology.

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If you're in the mood to combine your Amazon and Microsoft-made smart assistants on any one device, today's your day. Alexa can open Cortana and Cortana can open Alexa. Because there might be a very rare instance in which you want one or the other, this particular tie-in is live. It's just live in preview mode when this article is first published, but live nonetheless.

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Almost one year ago exactly, Amazon announced plans to integrate Microsoft's Cortana with its Alexa personal assistant. Under this integration, Alexa will be able to communicate with Cortana, and Cortana will also be able to communicate with Alexa. Today Amazon revealed the latest evolution in this plan, introducing a public preview that enables customers to experience the new functionality.

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Microsoft has been giving Insiders a foretaste of features and changes that are coming in the next Windows 10 version. Naturally, it is presumed that those features won’t actually be arriving until that version rolls out later this year. That was definitely the presumption for the “Your Phone” app that promises a seamless connection between Windows 10 and, at least initially, Android smartphones. It turns out, though, that the app is now generally available to all, even on the current 1803 version of Windows 10.

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This week there's a GameStop deal in which the Xbox One X can be had for around $200 - sort of. There's a rather big proviso here, and it involves you paying with more than just money. Assuming you're in the market for an Xbox One X, all you need to do is give GameStop your old (yet basically new) console and a couple Benjamins and you're good to go!

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If you're in the market for an Xbox Wireless Controller, you might want to delay your purchase a little longer. Microsoft has announced a pair of new controllers that are scheduled to launch next month. Even though they won't be arriving until we're into September, they're going up for pre-order today.

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During E3 2018, Microsoft revealed Halo: Fireteam Raven, an arcade game based on the popular video game franchise. The arcade game is exactly what it sounds like: a physical gaming device that can be installed in arcades, giving players the chance to experience Halo in a new way. The first of those arcade units are now available to play in the US and Canada, and they'll be arriving in other countries soon.

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Microsoft has teamed up with Agile Networks to launch broadband Internet throughout rural Ohio, the companies have announced. The launch will cover 900,000 Ohioans who currently have inadequate access to the Internet, this being part of Microsoft's larger Airband Initiative. Under that, Microsoft aims to reduce the number of American communities without broadband, covering 2 million people by 2022.

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Disney has set out to do something pretty ambitions in launching Movies Anywhere, as it wants to provide something of a digital locker for all of your movies - or at least as many as possible. With so many different places to buy movies digitally, that's no small task. One by one, however, Disney has been tempting distributors into the fold, and its latest one is a particularly big fish: Microsoft.

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