Windows 10

App store businesses are a hot topic these days, with governments on both sides of the pond and across the world trying to put Big Tech under a microscope. Apple and Google are, of course, the poster boys for app stores but they are hardly the only big ones out there. There's Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox, for example, and even Microsoft has its own Windows app store. The latter is now being promoted as the more open app store by codifying what almost all developers already know: you don't have to be on the Microsoft Store.

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Microsoft has made the Windows 10 setup process straightforward and simple, requiring very few inputs from users aside from input methods and privacy settings. While that makes the process less daunting, it also means users less control over what gets set up from the get-go, requiring them to dig into settings after the setup process finishes. In future versions of Windows, however, Microsoft may be giving users a bit more say but still makes those options a bit mysterious.

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Microsoft almost seemed to be on the verge of redefining its Surface brand yet again when it revealed the Surface Neo and the Surface Duo dual-screen devices last year. 2020, however, caught everyone unawares and plans had to change drastically. The Android-based Surface Duo launched a bit earlier than the initial late 2020 schedule but the Surface Neo was delayed instead. Now it appears the Windows 10X dual-screen computer could be delayed even further than most presumed, increasing the chances it could be scrapped entirely.

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HP has introduced the latest in its Spectre x360 line of flexible laptops with the new HP Spectre x360 14. This 15-inch model packs the larger screen size into the form factor of a 13.3-inch laptop, according to HP, which says that it designed this model to be 'adaptive and smart,' the latter referring to intelligent features like AI-based audio. HP co-engineered the new Spectre x360 model with Intel.

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Microsoft made a big boast about revolutionizing computing with a new breed of devices running Windows on ARM, specifically Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips. While the hardware by itself may be commendable, especially for power-efficiency, Microsoft once again oversold the software story. Not only was the initial Windows experience slow and disappointing, the number of popular Windows software you could run was also extremely limited. Fortunately, that number may skyrocket with x64 software emulation coming in November, at least for brave Insiders.

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Microsoft released a set of optional driver updates to Windows 10 computers that should never have been delivered. Inappropriate driver updates appeared for a set of users that did not request them, nor require them. This isn't like your everyday average "this latest Windows 10 update has a few bugs" situation - it's more like Microsoft released a software update (or set of updates) by mistake.

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Google recently got a lot of flack for its aggressive campaign to push Google Meet to everyone and inserting links to it in apps like Gmail. Now it seems that Microsoft is following suit, though not with Microsoft Teams. Instead, the latest Windows 10 Insider Preview Build reveals the company's plans to make Meet Now in Skype as an integral part of the Windows experience. Whether it will be received more favorably will depend on Insider feedback.

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Today Microsoft revealed the Surface Hub 2S, the latest in a line of massive touch displays running Windows 10. This device is 85-inches diagonally - bigger than any computer you've ever used before. It's gigantic - and it's only the most recent iteration of this computer that Microsoft's made for the Windows workspace. Here in 2020, it's more imperative than ever that devices like this allow workers to interact without being physically face-to-face.

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This afternoon the developers at Cyan revealed a new version of the classic PC game MYST. This game is a "brand new version of Myst, completely re-imagined for modern game systems and - for the first time for any game in the Myst series - including optional VR support!" If you're a fan of the original MYST series, please feel free to flip out with happiness.

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When Samsung announced the Galaxy Note 20 last month, it revealed a new feature that is one of the fruits of its closer partnership with Microsoft. Your Phone, which is Microsoft's bridge to the Android world, would allow individual Android apps to be launched in their own windows. That period of exclusivity to the Galaxy Note 20 is over and the Apps feature is now rolling out to more Android phones, as long as those phones were made by Samsung.

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The Surface Duo just went on sale and immediately went out of stock for a brief moment. The Android-based phone, however, wasn't the only dual-screen device Microsoft had planned to launch this year but it will be the only one that actually sees the light of day. Much to fans' disappointment, the Windows-based Surface Neo was put on hold, some saying indefinitely even. Microsoft's Panos Panay now sets the record straight that the device is only delayed and even teases that more might be in the works, too.

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Microsoft's next low-cost notebook computer was leaked today looking like a perfect companion to the Surface Go tablet. That tablet was released with a price that's been central to its success at $399. That's by no means "cheap", but it's certainly on-point for what's offered in the device. The same looks to be true of the notebook codenamed "Sparti", tipped to take on the $500-$600 price range with a 12.5-inch display and the latest in Windows 10 feature power for students.

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