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By Abhay V
Microsoft releases firmware and driver updates for Surface Laptop and Pro devices
by Abhay Venkatesh
As part of the regular updates for its Surface devices, Microsoft is rolling out a bunch of firmware updates to the Surface Laptop 1, Laptop 2, Pro 5, and Pro 6 devices. The updates are rolling out to devices running the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903) or newer and bring a bunch of audio, reliability, and other improvements.
The first-gen Surface Laptop updates mostly bring audio performance and playback improvements, in addition to the general system updates to enhance stability. Here is the complete changelog for the update:
Windows Update History Name
Device Manager Name
Version and Update
Realtek Semiconductor Corp. - SoftwareComponent - 11.0.6000.92
Realtek Hardware Support Application - Software components
11.0.6000.92
Improves application stability during audio playback. Realtek Semiconductor Corp. - Media - 6.0.8936.1
Realtek High Definition Audio (SST) - Sound, video, and game controllers
6.0.8936.1
Improves audio performance and battery life. Realtek Semiconductor Corp. - Extension - 6.1.0.6
Realtek High Definition Audio (SST) Extension - no Device Manager notes
6.1.0.6
Improves integration between system services. Surface – System – 6.105.139.0
Surface Integration Driver Service – System devices
6.105.139.0
Improves integration between system services. The updates for the Surface Laptop 2 are mostly identical, including the same audio performance improvements. However, the second general clamshell laptop is receiving an additional fix for the Serial Hub Driver that fixes issues with the system experiencing bugchecks. Here is the changelog for the additional driver update:
Windows Update History Name
Device Manager Name
Version and Update
Surface - System – 9.49.139.0
Surface Serial Hub Driver – System devices
9.49.139.0
Addresses system bugcheck. Next up are the Surface Pro devices. The update changelogs for the fifth-gen and sixth-gen Surface Pro devices are identical to that of the first-gen Surface Laptop, bringing similar audio and stability fixes to the devices.
The company has not listed any known issues with these updates, which is always a good thing. As usual, these firmware releases will be rolled out in a staggered manner, meaning that not all devices will receive the update right away.
Again, users of these PCs should be running Windows 10 version 1903 or newer. With this version of the OS soon reaching the end of support next week, Microsoft has already begun force-upgrading users to Windows 10 version 1909, so it shouldn’t be a problem for most users. You can head to Windows Update to check if your device has been offered the updates yet.
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By Sszecret
Microsoft Weekly: Halo 4 finally on PC, more Fluent icons, and optional updates
by Florin Bodnarescu
The last week brought Halo 4 for the first time to PC players the world over, a Fluent Design upgrade for Edge icons showed up – as well as multiple new features -, plus some security fixes for a range of Windows 10 versions. You can find info about that, as well as much more below, in your Microsoft digest for the week of November 15 - 21.
Halo 4 finally on PC
After much anticipation, the final title in the Master Chief Collection, aka Halo 4, has finally arrived on PC. Bringing cross-play support and a bunch of new enhancements, the game is now live on Steam, the Microsoft Store and Xbox Game Pass for PC. If you’re curious as to what exactly the title has to offer, do take a peek at the review that’s currently up, in which our very own Pulasthi Ariyasinghe calls the FPS a “satisfying conclusion to the Master Chief Collection”.
Continuing with the first-party news, Sea of Thieves has received its November update, complete with a range of bug fixes, upgrades to Treasure Vault voyages, performance improvements, and much, much more. The update comes in at 6GB on Windows 10, Xbox One X, and Xbox Series X, with the One S and Series S owners receiving a slightly smaller 5GB update. Steam owners are the luckiest with a measly 3.6GB required to download.
And since we mentioned it, before we get back to the game news, it’s worth interjecting with the fact that new Xbox Series S orders may arrive after the holidays. This is because, unsurprisingly, the Series S is out of stock.
Returning to first-party games, Minecraft has just gotten a new Star Wars-themed DLC, and if that’s not quite what you want to be playing this week, there’s always a bunch of Deals with Gold to browse, including ones for Code Vein, Dark Souls, Ace Combat 7, and much more.
Ending this section is a bit of gameplay from both the Xbox One X and Series X for CD Projekt RED’s upcoming open-world RPG, Cyberpunk 2077. Switching between the two consoles frequently, the video highlights interiors, exteriors, combat, and other NPC interactions.
More Fluent icons
Regardless of your opinion of the new Edge, one major change in comparison to the Legacy version is that the browser gets updated more frequently than before.
As such, everybody in the Dev and Canary channels can now start using the text comments in PDFs feature. If you haven’t gotten it yet, the Dev build is 88.0.702, in case you want to try out this capability.
There are also new features added to Edge this month, like an improved copy-paste experience, better integration with Bing rewards, new shopping features, and much more.
Staying on the subject of improvements, now when you open history, it will show a pop-up window which allows you to more easily navigate through your previously opened links. Furthermore, you’re now able to pin a history icon next to the address bar for easy access.
Microsoft was also eager to share the fact that Edge WebView2 is now available for .NET. This, for folks not aware, is the Chromium Edge equivalent of Project Spartan’s (old Edge) EdgeHTML-based WebView. Additionally, the Redmond firm also aims to stop Chromium browsers from launching with elevated privileges.
Finally, for those of you who wish the company would just stop for a second and update everything to its (for now) unified Fluent Design system, there’s good news. Chromium Edge is going to be getting a new set icons to bring the entire experience more in line with the company’s design aesthetic du jour. The first phase is currently being rolled out.
Optional updates
If you’ve been running Windows 10 for a while, you’ll be aware that Microsoft also releases optional updates from time to time, beyond its Patch Tuesday patches.
If you’re on 1809, or the October 2018 Update, you’ll get KB4594442, which bumps up the build number to 17763.1579 and addresses a security bug with Kerberos authentication and ticket renewal. If you’re running the Anniversary Update (1607), that same fix will come through for you as KB4594441, bumping the build number up to 14393.4048, while folks on the May 2019 Update (1903) and November 2019 Update (1909) will be getting KB4594443, with builds 18362.1199 and 18363.1199, respectively.
Finally, those on either the May 2020 Update (2004) or October 2020 Update (20H2) will receive KB4594440, with builds 19041.631 and 19042.631.
Microsoft was busy releasing even more builds however, so here’s what else you need to be on the lookout for:
May 2019 Update / November 2019 Update (1903/1909): KB4586819, builds 18362.1237 / 18363.1237 – fixes a bug that causes Edge to open in the background when the device is in tablet mode, as well as bugs with USB 3.0 hubs, Narrator, and WMR headsets running in lower resolution modes. October 2018 Update (1809) Enterprise, Education: KB4586839, build 17763.1613 – fixes the same bugs for the version above, as well as the issue which may cause the HDD to fill up in certain error situations. The known issues for all updates above remain the same ones outlined in the Patch Tuesday wave of updates.
In other news, Microsoft will not release any optional Windows 10 cumulative updates in December. This applies to preview updates (so basically A, C, and D wave updates, rather the B wave ones which come with Patch Tuesday every month). This is due to “minimal operations during the holidays and the upcoming Western new year”.
Over in the Insider Dev channel, the company unleashed build 20262 with a number of fixes, as well as 20262.1010, the of which was simply a Cumulative Update to test out the servicing pipeline.
Dev channel
Polls in Teams meetings have now started rolling out. New Power Apps and Dataverse are now generally available for Teams. Photoshop Beta is now available for ARM-based Windows 10 and macOS devices. WinUI 3 Preview 3 is now out, featuring ARM64 support. Dynamics 365 Project Operations has been announced, aimed at service-based businesses in India. Microsoft 365 is now available from datacenters in Brazil. The November updates for Microsoft 365 include new Teams apps, among other features. Teams personal features are now rolling out on desktop and the web. The Surface Studio 2 has gotten new firmware updates to fix audio performance and stability, with the Go 2 and Book 3 now available for purchase in India. Logging off
We cap things off with a new security chip that Microsoft intends to introduce for Windows-based devices.
In what the firm will be dubbing Pluton going forward, Microsoft has announced essentially the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip equivalent, but integrated on the SoC.
Seen in other solutions like the Xbox consoles or Azure Sphere, this is basically an intersection of software and hardware to provide the benefits of TPM chips in terms of security, but (currently) none of the drawbacks. Specifically, since TPM is separate from the CPU, perpetrators are able to target the channel between the CPU and TPM chip with their attacks.
Working with AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm on the solution – with AMD being the first to use it -, Microsoft says that the Pluton chip will work with BitLocker and System Guard, and that information can’t be removed from the chip via malware or any other way.
Integrated with Windows Update in the same way Azure Sphere Security Service integrates with IoT devices, the chip will make sure that firmware updates come directly from Microsoft.
There’s currently no word as to when we’ll be seeing the chip’s debut in PCs.
Missed any of the previous columns? Be sure to have a look right here.
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By Abhay V
Surface Studio 2 updates now rolling out with audio performance and stability fixes
by Abhay Venkatesh
Microsoft has released new updates to Surface Studio 2 PCs, just a few weeks after serving new firmware updates to its newer batch of devices – the Book 3, Laptop 3, Pro 7, and the Go 2. Just like for those devices, the Studio 2 updates bring fixes for audio issues and improvements to overall system stability.
As usual, these updates will be made available to devices running Windows 10 version 1903 (May 2019 Update) or newer. Considering that version 1809 (October 2019 Update) reached the end-of-support this month, most devices should be moved to version 1909 (November 2019 Update) automatically. However, if your device is still running 1809 or an older version of the OS, it is best to upgrade to a supported version.
Here is the complete list of fixes:
Windows Update History Name
Device Manager Name
Version and Update
Surface - Firmware - 532.3389.768.0
Surface UEFI
532.3389.768.0
Improves system stability. Realtek Semiconductor Corp. - SoftwareComponent - 11.0.6000.92
Realtek Hardware Support Application - Software components
11.0.6000.92
Improves audio performance while streaming content. Realtek Semiconductor Corp. - Media - 6.0.8936.1
Realtek High Definition Audio (SST) - Sound, video, and game controllers
6.0.8936.1
Improves audio performance and resolves associated system bugcheck. Realtek Semiconductor Corp. - Extension - 6.1.0.6
Realtek High Definition Audio (SST) Extension - no Device Manager notes
6.1.0.6
Improves integration between system services. As with all such releases, the updates will be available via Windows Update. However, they roll out gradually to all users, so it might be a while before all devices receive the bits through Windows Update. Additionally, the firm notes that there are no known issues, which is always a good thing.
Microsoft recently also updated the Surface lifecycle information document, providing timeframes on driver and firmware support for its PCs. The Surface Studio 2 is slated to be supported until October 2022, adhering to the minimum four years of support that the company promises.
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By Ather Fawaz
The new Intel Open FPGA Stack is geared towards easing development of custom platforms
by Ather Fawaz
Today at the Intel FPGA Technology Day, Intel showed off its newest offering in the eASIC lineup, the eASIC N5X. Alongside it, the tech giant also debuted its Open FPGA Stack (Intel OFS), a scalable, source-accessible hardware and software infrastructure meant to power customized, high-performance workloads.
Distributed via git repositories, the Intel OFS will be geared towards easing the process of development and deployment on FPGAs by enabling greater code reusability and modularity. Vendors will be able to provide native support to third parties and proprietary Intel-OFS platforms, this would lead to greater portability across Intel FPGA platforms and enable native support across major OS vendor distributions. All of this would lead to a smaller barrier to entry, enabling increased adoption of FPGAs in the industry.
"With the proven success from our early-access customers, we are excited to launch the Intel Open FPGA Stack, with its demonstrated ability to dramatically both reduce the development time and also increase code and hardware design reuse for customers and partners looking to accelerate their workloads,” said Dave Moore, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of the Programmable Solutions Group.
If you are interested in trying out Intel OFS, it is currently in early access. For details on that, as a starting point, you should contact an Intel sales representative. The firm aims to provide assistance regarding the same over the next year. For more details, you may refer to this blog post.
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By Usama Jawad96
Microsoft is partnering with Qualcomm to enhance AI and ML developer experience
by Usama Jawad
Microsoft has been working very closely with Qualcomm recently. In the past couple of months, Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G compute platform for Windows on ARM PCs, and also revealed that App Assure is coming to platform, a major step in app compatibility.
Now, the two organizations have announced that they are collaborating to enhance the artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) developer experience.
Microsoft and Qualcomm will be working to improve the development and deployment of AI and ML solutions for developers working in this domain. This partnership mainly benefits organizations which utilize Microsoft's AI and Azure solutions in combination with Qualcomm's IoT processors and other products which utilize AI.
While Microsoft hasn't gone into the details of what this collaboration entails as of yet, it has highlighted that Qualcomm is in a decent position to make use of the Redmond tech giant's polished AI and ML solutions - such as the Azure IoT platform - to "drive hardware-accelerated inference capabilities from ultra-low power edge AI solutions all the way to high-performance AI inferencing in the cloud using the Qualcomm Cloud AI 100, leveraging 5G deployments with commercial customers".
Keith Kressin, Senior President and General Manager, Compute and Cloud at Qualcomm Technologies had the following to say regarding the new partnership between the firms:
Microsoft hopes that this collaboration will enhance the AI and ML development and deployment experience for developers working in various industries.
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