Neowin

Welcome back to another edition of Microsoft Weekly where we recap all the important events that happened in the Redmond technology giant's universe in the past few days. Dive right in!

Although Google Authenticator customers are rejoicing over the addition of sync functionality to the app, security researchers have noted that it does not have end-to-end encryption yet.

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a challenge against the USPTO by a computer scientist. The latter claims that their patent should attribute their AI system as the inventor.

The latest edition of Microsoft Weekly contains all you would need to know about the latest events that transpired in the world of Microsoft during the past week, dive right in without further ado!

As a response to the growing tech export bans from the U.S., Huawei has announced the go-live of its in-house ERP system to reduce dependencies on U.S. vendors like Oracle, SAP, and more.

Although some European countries are rushing to ban ChatGPT and related technologies, Ireland is taking a more measured approach where it wants to fully understand the benefits and risks of AI.

Hacker Gary Bowser from the infamous Team-Xecuter Nintendo piracy group has been released early from prison. However, he will likely be paying off fines to Nintendo for the rest of his life.

This week has been quite busy when it comes to Microsoft news. We have a lot to unpack including Windows bugs and their respective fixes, new GPT integrations, and upcoming Windows features.

Razer has launched the Stream Controller X with 15 switchblade LCD keys, a swappable faceplate, and integration with some leading streaming tools. It rivals Elgato's Stream Deck with a $150 price tag.

Child safety advocates have written a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, asking him to stop plans to make his metaverse, Horizon Worlds, open to younger audiences, or risk losing their trust again.

Microsoft has unveiled improvements to its Bing integration with multiple apps and services including Microsoft Start, SwiftKey, and Skype. The company is on a mission to bring Bing everywhere.

WhatsApp Beta users on Android can now start leveraging companion mode on their smartphone. The nifty functionality is an extension of Linked Devices and allows you to pair with up to four phones.

This week's Microsoft Weekly digest is chock-full of news items related to controversies related to AI-powered products, the arrival of free USBs for Windows Insiders, and multiple app updates.

Microsoft has emphasized the importance of its Responsible AI principles. This comes at an interesting time considering it recently laid off its Ethics and Society team responsible for ensuring this.

Microsoft has published an explainer detailing why it does not publish specific performance metrics for its Windows 365 Cloud PC offerings. It does publish relative performance details though.

OnePlus has officially revealed the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite (quite a mouthful) and the Nord Buds 2 today. The former targets the mid-range market with an affordable price tag and impressive specs.

Microsoft has announced a significant change to the release cadence of Configuration Manager. The Intune product will now receive two updates per year instead of three, to closer align with Windows.

The latest edition of Microsoft Weekly packs news items related to "Windows 12" leaks, some hidden capabilities in Windows 11, and a bunch of app updates, with a sprinkle of Windows 7 news.

Microsoft has published the release notes for all the improvements and changes it made to the Windows 11, desktop, web, and mobile version of Teams Free throughout the course of March 2023.

Microsoft has detailed all the changes it made to Excel across the web, Windows, and Mac during this month. They include a capability which makes online collaboration easier on both Windows and Mac.

Microsoft has brought several sophisticated cybersecurity features to Teams through Microsoft Defender 365. However, the capabilities are only available to customers with certain licenses.

Microsoft has decided to effectively delay the deprecation of Remote PowerShell in Exchange Online in order to allow customers more time to migrate to the more secure REST-based v3 PowerShell module.

Japan has become the latest country to approve Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 billion. It seems like the tides are finally turning in Microsoft's favor.

As announced back in January, Microsoft is increasing the cost of its Microsoft Cloud services by up to 15% in certain regions of Europe. This move will impact organizations, not consumers.

The latest edition of Microsoft Weekly is filled to the brim with news about updates to Microsoft 365 apps and services like Teams and Edge, new features and bugs in Windows, and Copilot upgrades.

U.S. federal cybersecurity agency CISA has developed a Python-based utility to detect signs of hacking in Microsoft cloud environments including Microsoft 365, Azure, and Azure Active Directory (AAD).

Meta has been added to a lawsuit filed by a school board against tech firms which allegedly contribute to social media addiction and mental health problems among children by promoting toxic content.

Microsoft has updated its Microsoft 365 Roadmap to add a plethora of features that are being implemented for Teams customers and are scheduled to roll out within the coming weeks and months.

WhatsApp has unveiled many improvements for its Windows client. These include better aesthetics, faster performance, audio and video calls with larger groups, and more. A Mac app is being built too.

Although Apple is yet to conduct major layoffs (unlike its other big tech counterparts), it is enacting certain cost-cutting measures such as delaying some bonuses and slowing down hiring.

When Spotify announced HiFi back in 2021, its main competitor was Tidal, which charged a premium for lossless audio. However, the situation has changed since then, likely contributing to HiFi's delay.

Google Play games on Windows PCs are coming to more regions, including Europe, soon. Google has also partnered with Intel to facilitate faster routes to market for mobile games on desktop.

Microsoft has announced major changes to the structure in its board. Veteran lead independent director John W. Thompson is stepping down from his role while Satya Nadella is re-elected as chairman.