Hasta La Gadget!

Solar energy is a great idea as it means that we don’t need to draw from our finite resources. However, apart from it being used to power homes and offices, we haven’t really seen it make its way into consumer electronics, at least not in a very big way, but Microsoft could be looking to change that.

According to a recently discovered patent, it seems that Microsoft could be toying with the idea of introducing solar panels to future Surface Pro tablets. The patent shows how Microsoft is looking into the idea of integrating solar panels into the Surface Type Cover, where it could be used to charge the tablet.

The fact that the panels are installed on the kickstand suggests that it could be adjusted to ensure optimal solar energy intake, although this could possibly come at the expense of the viewing angle of the tablet and also comfort levels. That being said, with this being a patent, it’s hard to say if Microsoft ever plans on making it a reality.

It is a good idea though, although some have criticized solar for being relatively slower compared to regular sources of energy, so whether or not it can be used as a main source of power or if it is merely used to extend the overall battery life of the tablet remains to be seen.

Microsoft’s Next Surface Pro Could Be Powered By Solar Energy , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

One of the confirmed features of Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox is that it will offer backwards compatibility on day one. This means that gamers who have a library of Xbox One games should have no issues playing their games on the new console. However, a new report from Game-Experience.it suggests that there could be more to it.

According to the report, they are claiming that the next-gen Xbox could actually support Windows-based games through a feature called “Windows Mode”. This would essentially allow the console to boot up Windows 10 and in turn, run Windows-based games and applications, although to what extent we are unclear, like whether it will be only for gaming or if the Xbox Series X could actually turn itself into a full-fledged PC.

In addition to that, the report goes on to claim that as such, storefronts such as Steam and the Epic Game Store will be available and access to Xbox gamers, where gamers can access their Steam and Epic libraries to play games through the console. This part of the rumor does seem like a stretch.

This is because why would Microsoft willingly cede their marketplace to a competitor, right? In any case, it’s probably best to take this with a grain of salt, but hopefully we’ll have more details soon.

Microsoft’s Xbox Series X Might Be Able To Play Windows Games , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Google first introduced Guest Mode on Chromecast to let your friends easily cast from their phone to your TV just by entering a four-digit PIN code. Later on, it carried the feature over to Google Home speakers so that guests could easily play music…

It is no secret that companies such as Microsoft have been outsourcing the analysis of recordings made through platforms such as Cortana. The analysis is meant to help the company better understand how to improve their services, although we imagine that not many people are too thrilled at the idea.

However, to make matters worse, a recent report from The Guardian has revealed that not only has Microsoft been outsourcing recordings made through Skype and Cortana, but they have been sending them to China without any security in place. Sources told the publication that new hires weren’t even vetted to ensure that they were trustworthy.

It was also revealed that they were told to create accounts with the same password for the sake of convenience. The contractor also revealed more details such as how his account username and password was sent to him over email and he was even allowed to do his work from home, meaning that in theory, anyone else could have just as easily listened in on those recordings as well.

Microsoft later issued a statement in which they stated that the information sent for analysis only contained short lengths of audio that had been de-identified. The company added, “Review snippets are typically fewer than ten seconds long and no one reviewing these snippets would have access to longer conversations. We’ve always disclosed this to customers and operate to the highest privacy standards set out in laws like Europe’s GDPR.”

Microsoft Outsourced Skype, Cortana Recordings To China With No Security In Place , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Due to the fact that a lot of the world is connected, it’s not surprising that when we play games, more often than not we meet people from all over the world. Now it seems in an amazing story, it tells the tale of how a 20-year old gamer from America managed to save the literal life of her teammate who was living over 5,000 miles away in the UK.

According to the story, 20-year old Dia Lathora from Texas was playing video games with her friend and teammate, a 17-year old teen from North West England called Aidan Jackson. However, while on voice chat with Jackson, she heard what could only be described as a seizure and quickly started searching for emergency numbers in the EU to make a call on Jackson’s behalf.

For whatever reason, Lathora had Jackson’s home address and managed to alert authorities to what was going on, where they managed to arrive 40 minutes after the seizure had started. By that time, Jackson had somewhat recovered as when they entered his room, they found him “extremely disorientated”, but otherwise seemingly fine.

Speaking to the BBC, Jackson’s mother was quoted as saying, “We are extremely thankful for what Dia did and shocked that we could be downstairs and not know anything was happening. Dia had our address but didn’t have any contact numbers, so it was amazing she managed to get help from so far away. I’ve spoken to her and expressed our thanks – she’s just glad she could help. Aidan is a lot better and hopefully everything is OK when he has his appointment at the hospital but he’s doing well.”

Gamer Saves Teammate’s Life Despite Being 5,000 Miles Apart From Each Other , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.