Microsoft is allowing its employees to work from home permanently. While the vast majority of Microsoft employees are still working from home during the ongoing pandemic, the software maker has unveiled “hybrid workplace” guidance internally to allow for far greater flexibility once US offices eventually reopen.

Microsoft will now allow employees to work from home freely for less than 50 percent of their working week, or for managers to approve permanent remote work. While most employees will be able to easily take advantage of the less than 50 percent working from home option, some roles will be difficult, or even impossible, to permanently transition to the remote.

Microsoft highlights a few roles that still require access to the company’s offices, including those that require access to hardware labs, data centers, and in-person training. Employees will also be allowed to relocate domestically with approval, or even seek to move internationally if remote working is viable for their particular role.
While Microsoft employees will be allowed to move across the country for remote work, compensation and benefits will change and vary depending on the company’s own geo pay scale. Microsoft will be covering home office expenses for permanent remote workers, but any that decide to move away from Microsoft’s offices will need to cover their own relocation costs. Flexible working hours will also be available without manager approval, and employees can also request part-time work hours through their managers.

Microsoft’s move to more flexible working comes months after the company notified employees that its US offices wouldn’t reopen until January 2021 at the earliest. Microsoft originally allowed its employees to work from home back in March before enforcing a mandatory work from the home policy as the pandemic spread across Seattle and further into the US.

Microsoft isn’t alone in allowing employees to permanently work remotely. Facebook is shifting tens of thousands of jobs to remote work, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that up to half of employees could work remotely within five to 10 years.

Source: verge

---

Reviews is conducting a weekly contest. Answer a simple question and get a chance to win exciting gift hampers from Aiken Care Package. Go to our Facebook page for more details or also can check the details on our Instagram page.

---

Also Read:

VG SUZUKI TWO-WHEELER BRINGS THE DASHAIN TIHAR OFFER

TOP FIVE LIPSTICK BRANDS IN NEPAL | REVIEWS NEPAL

SUZUKI “PARVOTSAV” FESTIVAL SCHEME LAUNCHED

ONEPLUS 8T CHARGING: NOT JUST 65W WRAP CHARGE BUT ALSO SUPPORT 45W PD PROTOCOL

BEST FESTIVE OFFERS ON TWO WHEELERS | REVIEWS NEPAL

FURNITURES FOR YOUR BEDROOM | REVIEWS NEPAL

DARK MODE FOR GOOGLE MAPS IS HERE!

When Microsoft’s Panos Panay took to the stage late last year to introduce the world to the Surface Duo, ‘the holidays 2020’ was announced as the retail launch. For many, including myself, that suggested a fourth quarter appearance for the dual-screened Android-powered device.

Now it looks like we’ll be seeing the revolutionary device in the next few weeks. Let’s look at the clues that are building up towards a surprising release date.

Lets start with the paperwork. The Surface Duo has picked up a number of certifications in the last few weeks, including from the US FCC and variants for Canada and Japan. As well as the regulatory details, you also have Google’s all-important Android Compatibility Test Suite that opens up a number of critically important features:

"Arguably this is a formality for an Android device, but the certification is vital for another part of the Android ecosystem that the public is familiar. Google Mobile Services - which is required to have the Google Play Store (and other associated services such as Youtube) - has ‘Android Compatibility’ as part of its requirements.”

Then there’s the visuals, because we also have new images from the device. The PR materials have leaked via a US carrier - the Surface team may have pushed the line that the Surface Duo is not a phone heavily, but it still has a cellular data connection. Jon Fingas for Engadget:

“Well-known leaker Evan Blass has shared …a batch of renders for the Surface Duo while claiming the dual-screen Android device will launch with AT&T. He didn’t provide release details or pricing, but it’s safe to say that monthly payments could make it easier to justify the unique clamshell device.”

Finally, perhaps the biggest signal comes from long-term Microsoft commentator Paul Thurrott. As well as noting the leaked press material, he also highlighted the briefings that will be taking place in the next week:

"As I noted on Twitter myself, Microsoft MVPs were invited to attend a virtual Surface briefing, presumably for Duo, on August 12."

There’s a lot of information out there, and none of them have a specific date that says ‘The Surface Duo will launch on this date’, but the momentum is building and the moment is close.

Source: Forbes

 

Also Read:

FACEBOOK’ SYSTEMATIC COPYCAT STRATEGY FOR INSTAGRAM

SAMSUNG GALAXY FOLD 2 MAY LAUNCH BEFORE GALAXY S11

APPLE IPHONE 12 DESIGN LEAK

APPLE, SAMSUNG TO BOOST CELLPHONE MANUFACTURING IN INDIA

SAMSUNG ANNOUNCES THE GALAXY NOTE 20 AND NOTE 20 ULTRA WITH SPECS

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB S7+, GALAXY TAB S7 WITH DUAL REAR CAMERAS, S PEN SUPPORT LAUNCHED

SAMSUNG LAUNCHES GALAXY WATCH3 AND BUDS LIVE

Microsoft is revealing today the exact time you’ll be able to preorder an Xbox Series X or Series S console on September 22nd — and in the hours since we initially wrote this post, it’s now expanded the list to include those details for many other countries as well.

In the US, preorders will start at 11AM ET / 8AM PT on September 22nd at Amazon, Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Costco, Sam’s Club, Gamestop, Newegg, and Army and Airforce Exchange Service.

In Canada, they’ll also start at 11AM ET / 8AM PT on September 22nd at the Microsoft Store, Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, EB Games, The Source, and “other participating retailers.”

In the UK, it’ll be 8AM BST at the Microsoft Store, GAME, Amazon, Dixons, Currys PC World, Argos, John Lewis, Smyths Toys, and “other participating retailers.”

In Australia, it’ll be 8AM AEST at the Microsoft Store, JB Hifi, EB Games, Telstra, Harvey Norman, and “other participating retailers.”

In New Zealand, it’ll be 8AM NZST at the Microsoft Store, JB HiFi, EB Games, Spark, and “other participating retailers.”

For other parts of the world, here’s Microsoft’s guidance:

Across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, you can pre-order online starting at 9AM CEST at Microsoft Store, Amazon, MediaMarkt, GameStop, FNAC, Elkjøp/Elgiganten, and other participating retailers. Retailers and availability may differ by country.

The Xbox Series X is priced at $499, and the Xbox Series S will be available at $299. Microsoft says supplies are, naturally, limited, and it’s not clear how many consoles will be available in the initial preorder phase. You can also buy the consoles for $24.99 a month and up through the company’s Xbox All Access program, which includes Game Pass Ultimate. Microsoft’s also got a list of participating retailers for that program in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden right here.

At least we have a clear time and list of retailers for the next-gen Xbox consoles, though. Both Sony and Nvidia have made a mockery out of the preorder process this week. Sony vaguely announced PS5 preorders were set to start today at select retailers, without any details or times. Walmart quickly opened its own preorders less than two hours later, and other retailers soon followed. It was a mess, all just weeks after Sony opened a weird registration for invite-only PS5 preorders that it hasn’t even started taking yet.

After the PS5 preorder fiasco, Nvidia was equally unclear on timings for its RTX 3080 launch. Nvidia refused to take preorders, but the company never made it clear exactly when cards would be available to order from retailers. News broke that RTX 3080 cards would be available at 6AM PT this morning, and the cards are pretty much sold out everywhere online.

Source: TheVerge

Also Read:

APPLE TO LAUNCH FIRST ONLINE STORE IN INDIA NEXT WEEK

AUSTRALIA TO AMEND LAW MAKING FACEBOOK, GOOGLE PAY FOR NEWS

TATA ALTROZ UNVEILED IN NEPAL | PRICE, SPECS, FEATURES, VARIANTS, DESIGNS

APPLE ENVISIONED ITS FITNESS SERVICE LONG BEFORE WORK-FROM-HOME

WHY IS GAMING MOUSE BETTER THAN NORMAL MOUSE?

HYUNDAI GRAND I10 NIOS LAUNCHED IN NEPAL

BEST BUDGET EARBUDS UNDER RS. 6000 IN NEPAL | 2020

The new Microsoft Flight Simulator is an immersive beast of a PC game, and we can only imagine how immersive it might get in VR — but you might not have to imagine much longer, because Microsoft has just opened signups (via Eurogamer) for a closed beta of the virtual reality experience.

There are quite a few requirements if you want to be considered, though. Not only do you have to own the game, have a Windows Mixed Reality headset, be a registered Microsoft Flight Simulator “Insider” and sign an NDA, but you’ll also need a slightly beefier PC than the base game — with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 or better sporting 8GB of VRAM, as well as 16GB of system memory.

And, you’ll need to prove your PC qualifies by submitting your DxDiag (press your Windows start button, type “DxDiag”, hit Enter) so Microsoft can confirm those specs and that your system isn’t prone to BSODs or other major system errors.
(The DxDiag file is basically just an inventory of your system, but it does also list recent application crashes.)

Intriguingly, it doesn’t look like you’ll need the HP Reverb G2, the specific headset that Microsoft originally said would get first dibs on the game. Any Windows Mixed Reality headset will apparently do to start, which should be neat for those who got deep discounts on items like the Lenovo Explorer and Samsung Odyssey over the past couple of years.

In a video Q&A, developer Asobo Studio says the beta should kick off in late October or early November. The company had previously promised a free VR update this fall, so it probably shouldn’t be much longer than that. If you’ve got an Oculus, HTC, or other VR headset, there’ll be a second wave of the closed beta for other devices as well — Asobo says it hasn’t decided when that wave will kick-off.

It’s not surprising Microsoft might want to be cautious with the VR rollout, because the game initially tended to eat powerful gaming PCs for lunch. Even our Nvidia RTX 3080 wasn’t enough to run it at full bore, partly because we hadn’t paired it with a fast enough CPU. That said, we’ve seen some framerate improvement in recent updates, so perhaps VR won’t be a tremendous stretch this holiday. And maybe it’ll give you more time to find a flight stick.

Source:theverge

Also Read:

BEST ONLINE SITES FOR ELECTRONIC GADGET PURCHASE IN NEPAL

WHY IS GAMING MOUSE BETTER THAN NORMAL MOUSE?

MICROSOFT'S WORLDWIDE LIST OF XBOX SERIES X AND S PREORDERS WILL BEGIN

TIPS FOR LONG-LASTING TYRES

GMAIL CAN NOW BE SET AS THE DEFAULT IOS 14 EMAIL APP

SOUTH KOREA REMAINS THE GLOBAL LEADER IN 5G, SWITZERLAND TOPS EUROPE 

INDIA MIGHT PLAN TO LAUNCH OWN APP STORE AS START-UPS CRITICIZE GOOGLE