The latest news from Microsoft Build 2015: Windows 10, HoloLens, and more – The Verge

Virtual reality is for watching things. HoloLens is for making them

2015-05-05T11:04:28-04:00

At a SXSW panel in March, Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey weighed in on the HoloLens, an augmented reality headset that Microsoft revealed in January. Unsurprisingly, he was more excited about virtual reality tech like the Oculus Rift. The reason? There were better things to do in VR. "Nobody has ever proven a killer application for augmented reality. Most proposed [augmented reality] killer apps, it's not that they're not cool, they're just kind of boring," he said. "It's things like assisting you with how to use a tool or telling you where you're walking or where do I go, the best restaurant nearby. We're not excited by those things as muc …

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Microsoft’s HoloLens is new, improved, and still has big problems

2015-05-01T11:43:35-04:00

Microsoft's HoloLens is the kind of thing that science fiction has been preparing us for for decades. From the moment I saw it, I knew exactly what I wanted it to do: project a heads-up display around real life, let me play with imaginary toys and sculpt in holograms, produce weird optical illusions with its magical power to rewrite reality. Unsurprisingly, these are expectations that no product in 2015 could possibly live up to. Within carefully managed conditions, HoloLens is one of the most amazing pieces of tech I've seen. But for all its potential brilliance, it's still struggling hard - and failing - to break down the walls between fan …

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Up close with Microsoft’s HoloLens headset

2015-04-30T18:50:57-04:00

Microsoft isn't letting the media take pictures of the HoloLens experience itself, but we just arrived at the company's demo station here at Build and there's a unit under glass. It looks identical to the press photos we've seen before, with a futuristic looking visor and the transparent glass that lets you see your environment while holograms project around you.

After introducing HoloLens at its Windows 10 event in January, Microsoft has been showing off more ways it envisions people will use it. Build is its chance to get developers on board with that vision, since they're going to be the ones to be creating software for it. Even so, Micr …

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Watch Microsoft’s three-hour Build keynote in just nine minutes

2015-04-29T19:09:07-04:00

Microsoft had a lot on the docket for its Build developer conference today, so much that it ran just a hair under three hours. A lot of that was code demos, some third-party code demos, and even more demos that happened to involve code. But there were also some pretty exciting moments too. Things like augmented reality robots, new browsers that are not named Internet Explorer, and Microsoft giving us a look at how developers can bring over their software from Android and iOS. We've condensed these things and more into just nine minutes. If time was money and you were being paid the minimum wage, that's less than a cup of coffee in most place …

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Microsoft’s Edge logo clings to the past

2015-04-29T15:33:30-04:00

The image of a lowercase "e" encircled by a halo of light is one of the most recognizable items in any computer interface. Familiar though it may be, however, the Internet Explorer icon is more infamous than famous: everyone knows what it points to, but nobody's excited to go there. Call it the post-IE6 trauma that will never go away.

Microsoft has been on a mission to right the wrongs of its web browser and has been getting better with every new iteration of IE, and for Windows 10 it's going one step further and renaming the software with the new title of Microsoft Edge. But that rebranding hasn't gone all the way. The icon is still a lowe …

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Microsoft used this adorable robot to show off new HoloLens features

2015-04-29T15:04:17-04:00

We've learned some amazing things about Microsoft's Windows Holographic platform since it was announced back in January. We know that NASA is using it to virtually explore Mars, and you can play Minecraft on your coffee table, and today we learned that the company will integrate all universal apps running on Windows 10 into the experience.

But a short demo near the end of today's Microsoft Build 2015 keynote showed us a little bit more about how HoloLens can help blend virtual reality with the real world to create what the company calls "mixed reality." A small metal robot drove on stage, and the presenter used HoloLens to make a cute robot …

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Microsoft wants to put ads on the Windows 10 lock screen

2015-04-29T14:22:59-04:00

Microsoft is unveiling a new lock screen for Windows 10 today that will change over time and customize itself based on how each person uses their computer. The new lock screen is optional, but if you do enable it, you'll see something a lot like the Bing homepage: a beautiful image provided by Microsoft with a number of hot spots on it that you can mouse over for more information. It's not quite the same, however. On the lock screen, it sounds like the image will change closer to once a week, and those hot spots will also provide tips on how to use Windows and suggestions for what apps you might want to download. These are effectively ads, t …

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Your Windows 10 phone can turn into a full PC

2015-04-29T14:01:46-04:00

During its Build 2015 keynote, Microsoft just unveiled a new Windows 10 feature it's calling Continuum for Phones. It allows smartphones running Microsoft's latest OS to transform into desktop PCs - or at least an experience that's very close - when connected to larger screens. We've already seen Continuum help ease the transition for users switching between tablet and PC modes, and this is an even better example of what's possible when developers go along with Microsoft's universal apps plan.

Read next: Our Microsoft Windows 10 review.

The company is giving developers the tools to create software that runs across PCs, tablets, convertible …

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This is Microsoft Edge, the replacement for Internet Explorer

2015-04-29T13:50:18-04:00

Microsoft first revealed its new browser plans back in January. Known as Project Spartan initially, Microsoft is revealing today that the company will use the Microsoft Edge name for its new browser in Windows 10. The Edge naming won't surprise many as it's the same moniker given to the new rendering engine (EdgeHTML) that Microsoft is using for its Windows 10 browser.

While Microsoft Edge is the successor to Internet Explorer, Microsoft will keep its aging browser around for enterprise customers. Microsoft Edge is designed to be basic and minimalist for the future, and early previews include new features like digital ink annotation, Cortana i …

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Windows 10 can run reworked Android and iOS apps

2015-04-29T13:30:07-04:00

After months of rumors, Microsoft is revealing its plans to get mobile apps on Windows 10 today. While the company has been investigating emulating Android apps, it has settled on a different solution, or set of solutions, that will allow developers to bring their existing code to Windows 10.

iOS and Android developers will be able to port their apps and games directly to Windows universal apps, and Microsoft is enabling this with two new software development kits. On the Android side, Microsoft is enabling developers to use Java and C++ code on Windows 10, and for iOS developers they'll be able to take advantage of their existing Objective C …

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