75 million devices (90,000 unique PC or tablet models, and some from 2007) running Windows 10 in 192 countries
Microsoft today revealed 9 Windows 10 facts. Yusuf Mehdi, the Corporate Vice President at Windows and Devices Group announced the facts on Twitter. Here’s a quick list of all the facts:
◾More than 75 million devices are running Windows 10
◾Windows 10 is running in 192 countries – that’s virtually every country in the planet
◾More than 90,000 unique PC or tablet models have upgraded to Windows 10
◾Some devices from 2007 upgraded to Windows 10 as well
◾More than 122 years of gameplay have streamed from Xbox One to Windows 10 devices
◾10 million achievements unlocked: Microsoft Solitaire Collection, Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta
◾Cortana has told over half a million jokes since launch
◾Windows Store for Windows 10 has seen 6X more app downloads per device than Windows 8
◾Over 2,000 organizations vying to win the global partner slot in the #UpgradeYourWorld campaign
ROUND 2 #ALSIceBucketChallenge: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella along with vice president of Windows and devices Terry Myerson just took the 2015 #ALSIceBucketChallenge after being nominated by ALS patient and advocate Steve Gleason! In turn, Mr. Nadella nominated 6 MILLION Windows users worldwide!
The Ice Bucket Challenge is back. A year after the social sensation took the Internet by storm, the ALS Association has introduced the hashtag #EveryAugustUntilACure, encouraging people to once again take the icy plunge, and keep it going every August till there's a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Actress Renée Zellweger joined the challenge on Tuesday, standing in a trough so that her horse could drink the water afterwards. The association is suggesting a number of ways to complete the challenge in a drought-conscious way, such as using an existing body of water or using an alternative substance.
How to add, remove and modify fonts in Windows 10 by Rick Broida
Want to install new fonts or remove unwanted ones? Here's how, along with the quickest way to change font settings.
People often tell me I'm a font of wisdom, so allow me to share some wisdom about fonts. (Needless to say, I'm not a font of humor.)
In Windows 10, not much has changed about the way typefaces are installed, deleted and otherwise modified, but if you're not familiar with the processes, well, it's all new to you. Here's everything you need to know.
First up, you'll need to access the font control panel. Easiest way by far: Click in Windows 10's new Search field (located just to the right of the Start button), type "fonts," then click the item that appears at the top of the results: Fonts - Control panel.
As you can see, there's no clearly identified option to add new fonts, but the process is easy: just drag any TrueType font file to the main window containing all your other installed fonts. (See screenshot at top.) When you drop it, you'll see a brief "installing font" message, and then, presto, you're done.
Removing a font is even easier: Click one, then click Delete. Just be careful not to remove any important system fonts like Calibre, Microsoft Sans Serif and Tahoma.
Finally, if you want to make systemwide changes to your font settings, you can do so here by looking to the toolbar on the left side of the Font control panel. For example, to increase or decrease the font size for, say, menus and icons, click Change Font Size. Choose the item you want to change, then select a size. (You also have the option of ticking the Bold box, which is actually kind of a nice tweak for things like title bars.)
After making your selection, click Apply, noting that it'll take a few seconds for the change to go into effect.
And that's it! Now you know the basics of Windows 10 font management.
The first antennae connecting the town of Nanyuki to the Internet using underutilized broadcast bandwidth, or TV white spaces, was placed two and a half years ago at Gakawa school.
The signal from Mawingu, a local company, traveled more than five miles in every direction, connecting the secondary school with the Male School down the road, and opening up the world to residents and students alike.
Gakawa Principal Beatrice Ndorongo remembers how excited her students were — and how hungry they were for information.
“All the students would ask when the computer time each day would be. We did it over lunch time. And in the evening. And they didn’t want to leave,” she says. “Every student wanted to have access. To sit and work on a computer. It was very exciting.”
You can still hear that enthusiasm in Ndorongo’s voice. And see it in the eyes of the students at Gakawa.
A collection of cinderblock buildings perched on the precipice of an expansive valley, Gakawa Secondary School is at the terminus of a long, winding dirt road. There’s a mural of Mount Kenya on one wall and a view of the peak in the distance.
Like many places in Nanyuki and the surrounding area, the school lacks running water. Still, its students show up daily in uniform: maroon v-neck sweaters, ties and slacks for the boys, colored shirts, green sweaters and shirts for the girls. They are enthusiastic, and curious.
Ndorongo says that in the two and a half years since the connection was established, students at Gakawa Secondary School have improved their scores in every single subject on the Kenya National Exam.
It’s opened up new ways of teaching, helping students to better prepare for the future and become independent learners, Ndorongo explains.
“We are far different. Today, they have a new way of learning,” she explains. “The teacher helps the students access the material. The student can work on his or her own. There is independence. Without any assistance from the teacher. That is good practice for the future.”
Self-charted learning is a practice schools in developing countries are also starting to get their arms around. Advocates say it’s necessary for growing independent, lifelong learners with the modern skills needed to thrive in a global marketplace. With access to the Internet, these Kenyan students will have a better chance at unlocking some of the same opportunities as their peers in larger cities.
“It’s so satisfying as a teacher and as a principal when you’re able to give your students what other students are receiving,” Ndorongo says. “We live in a hardship area. Before, if our students wanted to use a computer, they had to travel 11 kilometers [nearly 7 miles].”
Most of the school’s 213 students, who range in age from 15 to 21, were not computer literate before Mawingu brought access to the Internet. Today the subjects they study online range from English and the humanities to geography, science and math.
Gakawa Secondary School student Tabitha Wanjiku Kieru, 17, arrives early, around sunrise every morning, to study. She’s interested in business and economics and says the Internet has already had an impact on how she learns.
“Before the computer lab, we couldn’t get much information. Many of our textbooks were old and outdated. Now I can look up the things I need to know. I improved from a B+ to an A-,” she says. “Having a computer in the school will help me with my future learning. I will know how to operate in business.”
Students and teachers alike picked up on how to use the devices easily, Ndorongo says. “They are quick learners. Very sharp.”
Computer literacy is essential here, as it is anywhere, to get into university, to get a job, and ultimately, to make a living. Now that Mawingu has brought affordable, high-speed Internet to Nanyuki, everyone wants to go to the schools where there are computers.
“It’s a new dawn for our students,” Ndorongo says, smiling broadly. “Society will be happy to have more students going to university. They won’t have to do hard labor. These students will be more marketable. They will be the masters of their society. This is a miracle.”
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella visited Gakawa Secondary School on Wednesday as part of his visit to Nanyuki, Kenya. There, he and Ndorongo’s students used Skype to communicate with a classroom in India.
“I admire the passion every one of you have and the fearlessness with which you go for what you want to achieve,” he told them.
Before he left, Nadella presented Ndorongo with a copy of a collection of poems from T.S. Eliot.
“This is my most favorite poet, and a great inspiration to me,” Nadella said. “You have been a great inspiration with what you’ve done here and what you continue to do. When I think about why we exist as a company, it’s because of examples like these. Your students are the future. The fact that tech is playing a role is heartening to see.”
Windows 10 is officially out. It’s the biggest update to Windows in years and represents a number of new directions for Microsoft’s premier software product. Windows 10 replaces Windows 8 and 8.1, and serves to attract those Windows 7 users that never bothered to update to Windows 8. There are a host of new features in Windows 10, ranging from updated interfaces to new apps and services. For all of our in-depth thoughts on the new platform, be sure to check out our full review.
Perhaps the most notable thing about the new platform is that you don’t have to pay for it, so long as you already have Windows 8 or Windows 7. But if you’re looking for a reason or two to update your current Windows 8 machine or aging Windows 7 box, here are the top new features in Windows 10 that might make you want to.
Join Managed Solution at one of our Windows 10 Roadshow events for a demonstration on the new features and mingle with industry experts! Click on a Local Roadshow Location to REGISTER:
Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - Irvine, California
Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - Los Angeles, California
Friday, August 7, 2015 - Scottsdale, Arizona
Tuesday, August 18, 2015 - San Diego, California
5 Things Windows 10 Can Do That Apple’s OS X Can’t via @DanielHowley
Microsoft’s Windows 10 is nearly upon us, and from what we’ve seen so far, it looks like a seriously huge improvement over the disaster that was Windows 8.
But regardless of how much better Windows 10 is than its predecessor — which, again, was awful — the big question on many minds will be: How does Windows 10 compare to Apple’s OS X?
And, sure, while there are plenty of things that Windows 10 seems to have “borrowed” from OS X — the new notification panel is just like the Notification Center in OS X, and Windows’ Task View is a dead ringer for Apple’s Mission Control — there are a bunch of features in Windows 10 that OS X can’t match. Here are five of the most notable.
1. Scribble on web pages
Yep, we’re going there: Touchscreens were both a curse and a blessing for Windows 8. When Windows 8 first came out, using a touchscreen on a laptop or desktop felt strange and confusing. But after a while, you came to expect your PC to have a screen that responded to your touch.
Windows 10 is doubling down on touchscreen capabilities by letting you do things like annotate webpages using the new Microsoft Edge Web browser by writing directly on the screen, so long as your computer has a touchscreen display. Once you write on the page, you can save your chicken scratch as an image file or share it with your friends and colleagues.
Oh, and you’ll still be able to play touch-based games like Fruit Ninja.
2. Switch between desktop and tablet
Speaking of touchscreens, Windows 10 will also work much better when used on laptop-tablet hybrids such as the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga, thanks to its new Continuum Mode.
With Continuum, you’ll be able to use your Surface Pro 3 like a regular Windows 7-style laptop and then automatically switch to the Windows 8-style tablet mode when you disconnect the Surface’s keyboard.
Your Apple friends, on the other hand, will still have to carry around their iPads and MacBooks if they want to have both a tablet and laptop.
3. Search by voice
OK, the concept for Microsoft’s Cortana digital assistant is a pretty big rip-off of Apple’s Siri. But whereas Siri is trapped on the iPhone and iPad, Cortana is coming to your desktop and laptop PC, which means you’ll be able to search the Web and your PC using just your voice.
But Cortana is more than just someone to talk to when you’re lonely: She, er, it will also provide you with weather updates and sports scores, help manage your schedule, and more — all on your desktop, laptop, or laptop-tablet hybrid.
4. Stream Xbox One games
Xbox One and Windows 10 are going to be excellent bedfellows, thanks to Windows 10’s new Xbox One game-streaming. As the name implies, the feature will let you wirelessly stream your Xbox One games directly to your Windows 10 desktop, laptop, or tablet over your home’s Wi-Fi network, so you’ll be able to play Call of Duty from the comfort of wherever.
But that’s not all Xbox One streaming gets you. It will also let you play multiplayer games with your friends who have an Xbox One from your PC — a feature gamers have wanted for years.
5. Play the hottest games
Of course, like its predecessors, Windows 10 will be the go-to operating system for anyone who wants to play the latest and greatest computer games with the best graphics possible. Sure Apple’s App Store offers some game titles. But the selection is nothing like what’s available for Windows. So if you want to be able to play things like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or Mortal Kombat X, you’re going to need a Windows 10 PC.
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Windows 10 was unveiled in September with a plan for a new era of Windows. Windows was created to empower people and organizations to do great things. The vision was one platform, one store, and one experience that extends across the broadest range of devices from the smallest screens to the largest screens to no screens at all.
From the beginning, Windows 10 has been unique – built with feedback from five million Windows Insiders, delivered as a service with ongoing innovations and security updates, and offered as a free upgrade* to genuine Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 customers.
Windows 10 is available in 190 countries today. The launch of Windows 10 is being celebrated around the world with global fan celebrations and a new yearlong initiative to celebrate people and organizations making a difference around the world. We’d love to hear how you plan to help #UpgradeYourWorld. Starting today, you can vote for a global nonprofit to receive a cash donation by simply tagging their social handle and using #UpgradeYourWorld and #vote on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. More information on Upgrade Your World can be found at http://www.windows.com/upgradeyourworld.
