This release also includes a couple visual improvements over the current version like an updated search field, resizable peek view and improved tab support. Get the new VS Code 1.2 update today through the app itself by navigating to Help > Check for updates or download the latest version at code.visualstudio.com

Learn more about the new update in the source link below

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But it wasn’t always like that. Prior to the ZenFone series, ASUS had this glorious idea of turning a smartphone into a tablet with their PadFone series. Sounds familiar right, that exactly what Microsoft aims to do with Contininuum on Windows 10 Mobile but instead of an actual hardware transition, they are focusing more towards a software transition.

In case you are unfamiliar with the ASUS’s PadFone series, it is basically a line up android based smartphones that ASUS made from 2012 to 2014. The PadFone series is unique because it is designed to be a smartphone that is also able to power a tablet.

ASUS’s PadFone series was a very ingenious idea when it first came out. The PadFone series went through several iterations that improved both the software and hardware experience. In 2014, ASUS seemingly lost all hope after releasing the PadFone X and since then, the series has been discontinued.

Personally, I think the reason why the ASUS PadFone series never managed to fly off the shelves is because of the software experience. Back when the PadFone series existed, Android was still an operating system that was filled with uncertainties both in terms of the UX and general performance. I believe that ASUS also had a hard time optimizing the performance of the PadFone.

That coupled with the rise of phablets caused the death of ASUS’s infamous PadFone series. Smartphones were just getting bigger and the PadFone series was never a elegant setup by any means with it’s somewhat clunky design.

It is 2016 and advancements like the advent of USB Type C, improvements in the manufacturing process that enable devices to be thinner than ever without sacrificing the performance and the fact that Microsoft has built a software experience that aligns with the vision that ASUS had with the PadFone series makes it a win win situation.

Unlike Android, Windows 10 Mobile was built to transform a smartphone into a laptop. The apps and UI has also been built to scale to any display which makes this idea even better. Just imagine that that such a dock exists, you can practically have both a laptop and phone by just buying one device.

However, ASUS doesn’t seem to have any interest in making phones that run Windows, I guess it is up to somebody else to make this dream a reality. Who knows, maybe Microsoft’s Surface Phone will work like this. But either way, I am pretty sure that some company is bound to make such a device once again since Microsoft has been working hard to bake Continuum right into Windows 10 Mobile.

Below are a couple of images for you to marvel on the possibilities.

The post ASUS should ressurect their PadFone line with Windows 10 Mobile appeared first on Windows Latest

It is no secret that Google and Microsoft has this weird relationship. For years now, both companies have been battling it out in just about every aspect. Chrome vs IE, Office 365 vs Google Apps for Work, Gmail vs Outlook, Google vs Bing, Microsoft Azure vs Google Cloud Platform, the list goes on and on.

But why is Google acting like this?

When Google was founded in 1998, the company wasn’t much of a threat to anyone. But in the last couple of years, the search company evolved into the tech giant we know today with both hardware and software products deployed all around the world. Today, Google has a broad range of services and in order to succeed, they have chosen to purposely avoid Microsoft because they are are big threat in Google’s eye.

Google can easily close their eyes to Microsoft products like Windows Phone and Windows 10 because frankly speaking, Microsoft hasn’t been getting much success with Windows Phone in particular. Likewise, the big reason why Google is heavily supporting Apple is because iPhones and iPads are everywhere. Like what Sundar Pichai says, mobile is the future and supporting Apple is a key part of Google’s success.

If you think about the relationship between Microsoft, Google and Apple; it does feel like a love triangle. Google hates Microsoft; Apple hates Google; Google likes Apple; Apple likes Microsoft; Microsoft is neutral towards Apple and Google.

As a Windows Phone user, I don’t think that Google is treating the Windows platform fairly. Why is there only an official Google Search app in the Windows Store. Where are apps like Gmail and Google Maps? I still remember when Google purchase Waze back in 2013, shortly after that, Waze announced that they will no longer support the Waze for Windows Phone app. What the hell, Google. It’s clear that it was done on purpose.

But thankfully, Microsoft is not like Google. Ever since Satya Nadella took over Steve Ballmer’s job as Microsoft CEO, the company has transitioned into a better company. One that is open to change and open to competition.

Just take for example with Windows 10, Microsoft didn’t only build the operating system to support Windows Phones, they built it to also natively support Android and iOS devices. And with the Windows 10 Anniversary update, Android notifications will be able to be mirrored to Windows 10 PCs through the Cortana application.

Speaking of apps, Microsoft have been working real hard in the last year to build Android versions of their applications and the results are impressive. Apps not only come with all the latest features but they are also built in accordance with Google’s Android app design specifications. In addition to building a whole army of Android apps, Microsoft also spent a lot of money to acquire some app developers to strengthen their portfolio. The latest being Swiftkey, the most popular third party keyboard option on Android.

Maybe 300,000,000 Windows 10 users is not enough to convince Google how big the Windows Platform is. But I believe that in time, Google will come to realize that they will need to support the Windows platform.

It would be nice if Google can be like Microsoft.

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The offer which is valid through 30th June 2016 will allow Lumia 920, Lumia 925 and Lumia 1020 users to trade in their device to receive a $150 store credit towards a purchase of a Lumia 950 or Lumia 950 XL. The device being traded in must be in full working condition and does not have a cracked screen, missing parts, warranty sticker must still be intact and must have no sign of liquid damage.

At the moment, Microsoft is only opening up this offer to users in the US and Canada and those who are interested in trading in their old device can do it directly through a physical Microsoft Store or through the dedicated website here

The post Microsoft is ready to give you $150 for your old Lumia 920, 925 or 1020 appeared first on Windows Latest

Coincidence? I think not..

Through a video by Microsoft posted on YouTube, Microsoft announces their partnership with Telstra as the Australian telco provider has chosen Windows as the core software platform of their company. The video shows how Telstra is using Windows to not only provide a better experience to customers in terms of interactivity in their flagship store in Melbourne but other Microsoft services like PowerBI and Office is improving the workflow of not only their staff but also helps customers find the products that is suitable for them

Check out the video below

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Shortly after joining Microsoft in 2014, Stephen Elop left his executive position in Microsoft last year due to an executive shakeup but it looks like Elop is back again. Telstra which is Australia’s biggest telco provider has announced that starting April 4, Stephen Elop will be the company’s new Strategy Chief and he will be based in both the US and Australia. Let’s just hope that this does not end up like how Nokia did.

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Microsoft expects to contribute to the Eclipse Foundation through plugins which are quite popular with Eclipse developer and they are starting off with open-sourcing one of their existing Team Foundation Server plugin available for Eclipse. While Microsoft did not announce any plans to bring support for C# to the Eclipse IDE any time soon, rest assured that Microsoft will still continue to work on Visual Studio.

The post Microsoft joins the Eclipse Foundation appeared first on Windows Latest

Additionally, the source also mentioned that initially Microsoft will not be actively promoting the update due to stability issues that might occur but only later this year will Microsoft start to aggressively get users to install the new Windows 10 Mobile update. This means that the update will be available but users will need to manually initiate the update process.

Although this report does come from a credible source, we are unable to confirm the roll-out. But either way, expect to hear more about the Windows 10 Mobile update in the coming weeks and also during BUILD 2016 at the end of the month. In case you are interested in trying out the Windows 10 Mobile update for your phone, you can consider trying out the Windows Insider program but beware, the software bites.

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During the event, devices like the Lumia 1520, Lumia 1320 and the Lumia 2520 made their debut. But the most significant announcement during Nokia World 2013 (to my debate today) is that the long awaited Instagram app for Windows Phone is finally happening.

A couple weeks after Nokia World 2013, the official Instagram app for Windows Phone finally arrived on the Windows Phone store but the app has left everyone wanting for more. Unfortunately, Instagram (or It’s owner Facebook) abandoned the application after several updates.

Did you hear the news? Instagram is on its way! #InstagramOnLumia pic.twitter.com/y79Qc9VvTL

— Nokia (@nokia) October 22, 2013

That brings us to the present day, after a leaked video hit the web yesterday, today Instagram is officially launching their Windows 10 Mobile application and just like the old Instagram app for Windows Phone 8, the Windows 10 Mobile app will also begin as a bet application.

As unfortunate as it sounds, this application will only support Windows 10 Mobile devices for the time being and there’s no word as to whether this Instagram app will make it to other Windows 10 devices or even Windows Phone 8.1 devices in the future.

The very first question that I have is why is the icon in black and white. This somehow makes the app look like one of those knockoff applications on the Windows Store.

And my second question which just so happens to be the title of this article is whether the official Instagram app for Windows Phone is necessary at this point in time given that Windows Phone already has a great Instagram client called 6tag and that app is poised to become a Universal Windows application sometime this year.

Nobody can be certain whether Instagram will continue developing this application and they might very well just repeat history and leave the Instagram app in beta once again after updating it a couple of times. They’ve abandoned the platform once and it is very much possible that it might happen again.

But beyond the speculation of the possible future of this application, the hot conversation about this new Instagram application for Windows 10 Mobile is that it is in fact a port from the iOS version. It is actually pretty easy to spot how this is indeed an iOS port. From the login screen itself, the popup dialog for my mistyped password brings up the iOS popup dialog and looking closer into the settings, you can see the iOS specific toggles.

Ok, so the ios port of Instagram has exactly the same issues than Silverlight: No scaling, lags, no continuum, etc… (1/2)

— Rudy Huyn (@RudyHuyn) March 7, 2016

So many reason to continue to work on 6tag UWP, the difference on performance is huge! #NativeAppsRoxx (2/2)

— Rudy Huyn (@RudyHuyn) March 7, 2016

I am not going on a full revolt to criticize Instagram (or Facebook) on this little issues because this is a beta application after all and this is the very first iteration of this application and hopefully in further revisions, Instagram will update this official application with native controls and they should also work on the performance of the application as I have noticed a lot of screen tearing when scrolling on my feed.

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