Microsoft is making a big push to entice fans of Zoom over to Microsoft Teams with a new all-day video calling option that can be used for free. While the software giant launched Microsoft Teams for consumers on mobile earlier this year, it’s now bringing Teams’ friends and family features to the desktop and web allowing you to create a Microsoft Teams meeting for up to 300 friends and family that can run all day free of charge.

You won’t need a Microsoft Account or the Microsoft Teams app to join calls, as you can join free via a web browser. Microsoft Teams will also support seeing up to 49 friends or family members in a gallery view or through its Together Mode feature that puts you side by side in a virtual environment.

With Thanksgiving just a week away, it’s clear Microsoft is positioning Teams as a way for families to connect virtually during the pandemic. That’s particularly relevant, as officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended that people should not travel for Thanksgiving. Zoom surged in popularity earlier this year after thousands of people flocked to the video calling service to connect to coworkers, fellow students, or even friends and family.

Teams might be a little late to the consumer party, but with a long 24-hour limit on meeting length and an easy to use web app, it suddenly looks like Microsoft is offering the best way (until it imposes limits) to connect with friends and family free of charge. Zoom has its own 40-minute limit, which the company is lifting temporarily for Thanksgiving, and other competitors like Google Meet (60-minute limit) and Cisco Webex (50-minute limit) also have similar restrictions. Microsoft had been trying to push Skype Meet Now for this previously, but everyone has mostly forgotten Skype exists.
To get started as a meeting host all you need to do is visit Microsoft’s new Teams web link and sign in with a Microsoft Account. Once you’ve created a video meeting you can simply share the link with friends and family, and they’ll be able to join via the web free of charge without needing a Microsoft Account.

source: avinteractive

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Despite the privacy and security concerns the use of video conferencing platform Zoom, accounted for the most downloads of the application in April 2020, according to the data released by Sensor Tower. Previously, we reported that a significant portion of Zoom’s 300 million daily meeting participants globally.

According to a report by Sensor Tower, Zoom was the most downloaded non-game app worldwide for April 2020 with close to 131 million installs, which is 60 times higher than the numbers in April 2019. While India accounted for 18.2 percent of Zoom’s total downloads, users from the United States accounted for 14.3 percent downloads.

TikTok was the second most installed non-game app worldwide in April with more than 107 million installs— a 2.5x increase from April 2019. As per the report, India also accounted for the largest number of TikTok installs at around 22 percent downloads followed by the US at 9.4 percent.

In March 2020, TikTok was the most downloaded non-game app worldwide with more than 115.2 million installs with India (29.5 percent) accounting for the most downloads followed by Brazil (9.4 percent). WhatsApp was the second most downloaded app worldwide followed by Zoom.

Even though Zoom was the most downloaded application on Apple App Store in March itself, it was on the fourth position in the number of downloads on the Google Play Store. In April 2020, Zoom is now rocking the charts for both App Store and the Play Store as the most downloaded application worldwide.

On the April 2020 chart, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger take up the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth spots respectively.

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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

 

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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

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