Ask Paul: November 22 (Premium)

Happy Friday! With Thanksgiving and Black Friday happening next week, this will be the last Ask Paul for the month.

Lost phones

ErichK asks:

Paul, have you ever lost a phone? There have been so many that have come and gone in your life.

No, I guess I’ve been lucky that way. I did leave an iPod touch on a plane once, back when I used it for a media device. But never any phones.

I’ve also been lucky with smartphone displays, in that I’ve never broken one while I was using it or could be using it. I did break the display on my Lumia 1020 years after the fact, possibly during our move to Pennsylvania, which is kind of ironic because I used to drop it all the time and marvel at its durability. I even broke a bathroom tile with it once.

Windows 10 version 20H1 is done?

madthinus asks:

Slow ring is now 5 days behind fast ring (on build 19025) for 20H1. How done is this thing? “Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing 20H1 Build 18845 to Windows Insiders who have opted into Skip Ahead. Remember – these builds are from the 20H1 development branch. Some things we are working on in 20H1 require a longer lead time.” I am still looking for that “Some things” in this build. The only thing that kinda checks that box is WSL 2.0.

We discussed this on Windows Weekly this week, but the short version is that Windows 10 version 20H1 appears to be nearly complete from a development perspective, and Mary Jo believes it could be “RTMed” as soon as this coming month. That’s rather incredible, but like you, I’ve wondered why they started testing it so early, and had originally assumed there would be something major from a UI perspective.

Since that hasn’t happened, and since we now know that Windows 10X will arrive in late 2020 (and thus be based on Windows 10 version 20H2), I’m thinking that the additional testing was more foundational than surface level and that it does have something to do with 10X and whatever underlying changes that requires.

UPDATE: Since writing this, Microsoft released a new 20H1 build with no watermark on the desktop, an early indicator that the release is done.

Pixel 4XL

wolters asks:

Hey Paul…I’m curious to see how life with the Pixel 4 XL has been for you? Has it consistently lived up to your expectations and needs? For me, it has been outstanding. Despite the legitimate comments on the lack of features and specs, it has been a joy to use.

I’ve had the same experience: It works great, it’s (almost) exactly what I want (OK, an ultra-wide-angle lens would be nice), the battery life is fine (with the understanding that the non-XL version is probably not), and the performance is great. It’s a little boring in that it’s just the same old, same old from a UX perspective. But maybe that’s a good thing. I don’t ever wish I was using something else. And I certainly have that option if I did.

Moving a custom domain to Outlook.com

simont asks:

I am looking at moving my custom email domain from GSuite to Outlook.com (I have an Office 365 subscription). Any tips or suggestions. One problem I have found is that Outlook.com can’t import archived mail from Gmail/Gsuite, any suggestions?

I recommend waiting. With the news this week that you will soon be able to access your Google Gmail/Calendar/contacts from Outlook.com, you may not need to go through this process. (I’ve heard it works with G Suite accounts, and can’t wait to try this myself.)

If you do want to move to Outlook.com, however, you’ll need to move your domain to GoDaddy first, as that’s the only registrar that Microsoft supports. And you will need an Office 365 Personal or Home account attached to the same Microsoft account you use for Outlook.com.

This isn’t very sophisticated, but when I’ve wanted to move large amounts of email from one account to another in the past, I’ve connected them both to a local email application and then moved them between the accounts that way.

But again, just wait and see if the new Outlook.com feature solves the problem without needing to go through all that.

Also, this Microsoft support document is useful.

Brave, Outlook.com, and PWAs

dmos01 asks:

Actually a complaint, but while checking out Brave this past week I installed the outlook.com PWA from the URL bar. At that point I realized I now had two apps called Outlook, both with identical icons! One is good and the other … needs to die.

Outlook.com isn’t actually a PWA, but no matter: You can create a shortcut to any web app or site and use it like an application in Windows 10, just as you can with Chrome and the new Edge. You can also change the name it uses at the time of creation.

I then had to figure out how to uninstall such a PWA. Answer: You don’t. You just delete the icon in the Brave folder.

You can just uninstall it: Open the Start menu, right-click its icon, and select Uninstall. Or, navigate to brave://apps/ in Brave, right-click it, and select “Remove from Brave…” Either way works.

Cybertruck

Daishi asks:

It so far outside your wheelhouse that you can feel free not to answer, but: Cybertruck. Thoughts?

I’m a car enthusiast and always have been. But unlike many in the tech business, I’m not a fan of Elon Musk, Tesla, or its vehicles. The Cybertruck looks ridiculous and I have no interest in it at all.

Sorry. I know many are fans of this guy and his company.

Google experimenting in Chrome

Sprtfan asks:

I saw an article last week that Google launched an “experiment” on stable versions of Chrome without letting anyone know. The change left thousands of machines in businesses with broken Chrome browsers and their IT dept in the dark on what could have happened with no knowledge anything had changed. I understand that accidents happen, but this appears to have been done on purpose (secretly pushing out the update not breaking the browser). This seems like a pretty big deal and a good way to erode trust. Would I be right in thinking this? Could this be incentive for some businesses to switch to the new edge when it comes out? At least when Microsoft breaks something you know that you updated and where to start.

Google apologized, and the issue was traced back to an experimental feature that was designed to improve battery life by reducing the amount of resources consumed by hidden tabs. That sounds reasonable enough, but it’s unclear why Google tested this secretly and whether they do this with other experimental features. That kind of thing is unacceptable for individuals, but it’s even worse in the enterprise, which expects to have full control over its environments. That Google was able to secretly make this change and then just as secretly roll out a fix is problematic.

Microsoft’s new Edge launches in just two months. This is good timing for the software giant.

A Microsoft account is a Microsoft account

JustMe asks:

MSA-related question this week. Given my recent experiences running the OOBE in Windows 10 Home and my “discoveries” regarding my existing MSA, I decided to go through the experience of making a new one. I was surprised to find out how little Microsoft actually explicitly tell you about the account without you poking around. They dont explicitly tell you they have created a Skype account or Outlook.com alias for you, though you’ll find that you can use those services for free. This leads me to my question: what is Microsoft’s logic behind creating an “aliased” Outlook.com account for you? If they allow you to sign in with a non-Outlook.com address, why would they not use that and just give you the option of creating an Outlook.com address – because unless you know to go and look for it (or create it explicitly when creating a Microsoft account) you would never know its there. I completely understand touting system and service integration, but I just find it odd that they dont tell you what they have created for you – something like, “Hey, welcome to Microsoft. We’re setting up your free Outlook.com aliased email account….”

When you create a Microsoft account, you’re not also getting a Skype account, an Outlook.com account, and whatever else. Those things are part of the Microsoft account. You don’t have to use them, of course, but it is a Microsoft account. It exists so you can access Microsoft products and services. Here’s how Microsoft describes it:

“A Microsoft account is a way to sign-in to services provided by Microsoft through one username (email) and password. Empowering your use of technology is a critical component of the account. Much like you have an email address or social media account, a Microsoft account works in a similar way. You can communicate with others using Outlook.com and Skype, store pictures on OneDrive, and play games with friends on Xbox Live.”

I guess there could be a better onboarding experience, but I bet most people sign-up for an MSA in the process of trying to access one of those services, and that email has to be one of the most common.

Surface Pro X vs. iPad Pro

dremy1011 asks:

I’m interested in your thoughts on the Surface Pro X and how it relates to the iPad Pro. Also the future of Windows on ARM.

That’s actually a really big set of topics. 🙂

So let me boil it down a bit. And start with the last bit: Microsoft is clearly serious about Windows 10 on ARM. They’ve just released a flagship device running this system, the Surface Pro X, and they’ve custom-designed a new ARM processor, the SQ-1, specifically for it. The SQ-1 appears to be optimized for running the Intel x86 instruction set, and Microsoft is working on getting x64 compatibility working in the future as well.

That said, Surface Pro X is in a weird place right now because it’s running Windows 10 on ARM, which looks/works like the normal versions of Windows 10 but does lack 64-bit app compatibility and Windows device driver compatibility. It’s a device that naturally lends itself to apps it cannot run, like the latest versions of Photoshop.

Apple’s iPad Pro looks similar to the Surface Pro X: It’s a tablet PC with an optional keyboard cover and smartpen. But it’s nothing like Surface Pro X because it runs a mobile platform rather than a desktop platform. (It can’t run full Photoshop either, but that’s another story.)

I sort of feel like the natural evolution of Windows 10 on ARM is to move to being more like Windows 10 X (and iPadOS). And that such a system would make more sense on that kind of hardware. And Surface Pro X would be an amazing Windows 10X system. Assuming app compatibility wasn’t further compromised.

I may need to write something bigger about this.

Programming Windows

christian.hvid asks:

It’s been about a month or so since the most recent episode of the Programming Windows saga. Do you have anything in store for us?

The short version is that I’ve been too busy with the Windows Forms Notepad series to do both at the same time. I may get back into that soon, as the Notepad series is winding down now.

The longer version is a bit more complex. I’m far more interested in the history part of the pre-.NET days, and far more interested in the coding part of the .NET era, if that makes sense. So while I was researching topics for Programming Windows, it was interesting to run those old environments and experiment with things I’d not used in a long time. But I found myself really drawn to the .NET tools and languages, maybe because I had pretty much stopped programming by that point and feel like I’ve missed it. So I spent a lot of time this summer, when I was working on the pre-.NET Programming Windows series, working with .NET code. If that makes sense.

I originally thought that I could do both series at the same time. But that hasn’t been the case. So maybe I’ll move in and out of each going forward. I’m not sure what I want to do next.

Surface Headphones

helix2301 asks:

I was thinking about buying a pair of Surface over the ear headphones but with Cortana being killed on everything I am afraid I am going to end up with a pair of $250 headphones that are going obsolete or useless. I know you always say never trust Microsoft with a consumer product.

In this case, I’ll just say that I don’t recommend buying Surface Headphones because of Cortana integration. But you can improve the battery life markedly by disabling Cortana integration, which is interesting. And everything else about these headphones seems solid if that’s what you’re looking for.

On a related note, I am starting to wonder if Microsoft delayed the Surface Earbuds because of Cortana. Perhaps they will bring other assistant support to their headphones and earbuds.

Surface Neo display

AnOldAmigaUser asks:

I was wondering about the Surface Neo. Are the screens each 3:2? I ask because if they are 9″ screens diagonally, a bit of back of the envelope math would suggest each screen is roughly 5″ x 7.5″, which would make the keyboard addition a bit of a joke. On the other hand, folded, the device would fit neatly in a sportscoat pocket, and unfolded they would provide a 12.5″ screen, sort of a foldable Surface Pro, which could work nicely with a Bluetooth keyboard. While I am sure it will be a bit pricey, this could make it an interesting device for travel.

So, Microsoft has never discussed the aspect ratio of the Neo displays. But since they have high-quality video of the device available, it was a simple matter to capture a still and check. And no, they are not 3:2. But they are also not 16:9 or 16:10. More like 3:2.2. (That’s when rotated, like 1280 x 956 or 1920 x 1435 or so.)

What’s interesting is that the two displays together seem to be even closer to 3:2: They’re roughly 3:1.9. And maybe that’s the trick: Maybe Microsoft is shooting for 3:2 when used together to keep it consistent with the rest of the Surface family.