Almost two months after it issued the first Windows 10 Technical Preview 2 build, Microsoft today has announced that it will finally deliver its first update. The new build comes after the software giant had promised to be deliver updates more quickly, a pledge it reiterated this week. But this time it has a plan.…

UPDATE: Microsoft has responded, sort of, to criticism that it is not moving quickly enough to release new Windows 10 preview builds. Honestly, this post doesn’t say much, nor does it express the timing for a second build this calendar year. –Paul In January, Microsoft promised that it would deliver Windows 10 preview builds in 2015…

In the most recent episode of What the Tech, Andrew Zarian and I discuss Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the Samsung Galaxy S 6 and S 6 Edge, Google’s hybrid wireless network plans, and what Microsoft showed off at MWC. Running time: 52:00 Subscribe Audio: iTunes | RSS | Stitcher | TuneIn Video: iTunes (HD) |…

Much of my email traffic is from people looking for help, but regardless of that it’s full of mostly positive exchanges. Sometimes, however, I get truly ignorant feedback. This is one of those times. I don’t intend to normally share this kind of email, and I see the “Ask Paul” series as a way to…

Unlike Microsoft, Samsung went for the Apple jugular at Mobile World Congress this week, announcing its next flagship phones, the Galaxy S 6 and Galaxy S 6 Edge. Both are stunning in their own rights, and I’ll be writing more about them soon, and reviewing the Edge later this year. But a juicy rumor about…

Microsoft released a major update to OneDrive for Windows Phone, adding support for multiple personal accounts, a new photo albums view and optional PIN code security protection. This is a pretty serious update. New features include: Multiple personal account support. In previous versions of OneDrive for Windows Phone, you could configure multiple business accounts (OneDrive…

IDC this week is reporting that Android and iPhone combined to control 96.3 percent of the smart phone market in 2014, a stunning one-two punch that left little room for Windows Phone. Yes, Microsoft’s smart phone platform handily out-performed BlackBerry, Firefox, Sailfish and the rest, but it is at best now an also-ran in smart…

Fulfilling its promise to quickly update the Outlook for Android and iOS apps with new features, Microsoft this week delivered a major update to the apps that provides new security features and other changes. Microsoft had previously pledged to update these apps every two weeks, so this is timely: The original release of Outlook for…

Wireless charging has always been better in theory than reality, but Microsoft seeks to change all that with its latest wireless charger, the Nokia Wireless Charging Plate DT-903. This unique accessory offers a much bigger and error-free charging area, emits colorful notifications, and comes in fun colors. What’s not to like? The problem I had…

Well, it’s been an interesting 24 hours. I spent most of yesterday afternoon—and much of last night—working to install Windows 10 Technical Preview 2 on some of my Windows mini-tablets. The experience was excruciating, and while I can only claim partial success, this episode highlights, I think, a broader problem with the Windows tablet ecosystem.…

Microsoft today announced major improvements to the photos experiences in OneDrive on the web and on mobile devices and PCs.

Microsoft’s bundling of an Office 365 Personal subscription with Windows 8.1 with Bing on many low-end PCs and devices is a godsend to cash-strapped consumers, since it provides a full-year of Office 2013—a value of $69.99—for free. But here’s a secret: You can easily convert that Office 365 Personal subscription into an Office 365 Home…

As you may know, Windows 10 will ship with two browsers: Internet Explorer for legacy business users and a new browser currently code-named Spartan. This new browser is much more efficient and standards-compliant than IE, though it’s not available yet in WTP2. But here’s how you can at least enable its rendering engine in IE…

Windows 10 Technical Preview 2 users gain access to an interesting peek at Microsoft’s coming Office Touch for Windows: a preview version of the OneNote universal app. This app shows that complex productivity solutions are possible in the Modern environment, and we can now compare this app to the version for iPad to see what’s…

Windows 10 Technical Preview 2 is the first pre-release version of Microsoft’s next OS to enable a feature called Continuum, which provides a sort-of seamless way to transition between the traditional windowed desktop view and a full-screen tablet mode. But Continuum only works with Surface Pro 3 in this build. So here’s how you can…

Microsoft Band is powerful but confusing, and before you can even start tracking your activity there’s so much to learn. So here’s a quick rundown of the things you need to understand to use this new fitness tracker most effectively. The basics, if you will. Note: This article is excerpted from my free e-book, Microsoft…