Windows Weekly 669

Microsoft 365 for consumers is here

•  Microsoft has made the shift from Office 365 Personal/Home to Microsoft 365 Personal/Family
•  What's changed? (Just the brand)
•  What about all those new features that Microsoft promised?
•  What about Teams? There's a lot of confusion about this one.

Mo' Microsoft 365

•  Microsoft integrates Yammer into Teams. Is this the beginning of the end of Yammer?
•  Skype gets custom background images

Surface

•  It looks like a virtual launch for Surface Go 2 and Surface Book 3. And probably a new Dock and those Earbuds we all forgot about. Latest rumor: A bigger screen for Surface Go 2.

Windows 10

•  Microsoft finally moves Windows 10 version 2004 into Release Preview. No tea leaves are needed: This is the beginning of the end. Or the end of the beginning.
•  New Fast and Slow ring builds today too

Xbox

•  New Xbox dashboard launches quietly, with no announcement
•  Microsoft trademark application reveals the new X Series logo

Tips and picks

•  Tip of the week: You don't necessarily have to pay for Microsoft 365. Here's what you get for free.
•  App pick of the week: New web browsers. Vivaldi gets serious about tracking and ads. Opera adds Instagram integration
•  Plus: Curtains for Windows 10 brings back the XP look and feel, more
•  Plus: Fornite is finally in the Google Play Store
•  Enterprise pick of the week: Microsoft Research podcast. One of the best podcast series at Microsoft these days is the Microsoft Research podcast. The breadth of the topics covered is fantastic. They also offer some excellent explanations of existing cutting-edge tech. (And they have full transcripts online, too.) Check it out: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/category/podcast/
•  Codename pick of the week: Project Moca. Remember that Outlook Spaces feature that the Walking Cat unearthed a while back. Turns out, it's still under development and now goes by the "Project Moca" codename. (Thanks to one of our fans from Portland, Oregon, for the codename tipoff.)
•  Beer pick of the week: Other Half All Together IPA. Other Half Brewing in Brooklyn has open-sourced a beer recipe, hoping other brewers will make versions of their own. This solid New England IPA called All Together, is meant as a benefit project for the hospitality industry workers who've been affected by COVID-19. All the proceeds are going to the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation. Keep an eye out for your local breweries' All Together releases.

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Check out Mary Jo's blog at AllAboutMicrosoft.com

The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin.

Links

• Microsoft 365 Family and Personal subscriptions now available for purchase
• Thurrott.com
• Skype Now Supports Custom Background Images
• Microsoft readies new Surface products for virtual spring launches
• Surface Go 2 Could Feature a Slightly Larger Screen, Slimmer Bezels
• Microsoft rolls out Windows 10 2004 release preview ahead of expected May release to mainstream users
• The Latest Xbox One System Update Is Here
• This Could Be the Xbox Series X Logo
• Master 365: What Do You Get for Free? (Premium)
• Vivaldi Takes a Stand on Tracking, Privacy, and Ads
• Opera Now Integrates with Instagram
• Curtains Brings the Windows XP Nostalgia to Windows 10
• Epic Games Brings Fortnite to the Play Store After Months of Feud With Google
• Microsoft Research Podcast
• Microsoft could add new 'Spaces' organizational tool to Outlook
• ALL TOGETHER