Microsoft announced the Community-First Grants program, allocating $1 million to nonprofit organizations in King County, Washington. The initiative, open for applications until October 23, 2026, targets 501(c)(3) groups that do not already receive Microsoft funding and aims to address community needs such as facility upgrades, youth and senior services, and transitional housing. Grants will be awarded across four focus areas—civic life, education and workforce development, housing and basic needs, and sustainability and transportation—and recipients will be notified in November 2026, with [...]

Microsoft inaugurated its fourth Indian cloud region, India South Central, in Hyderabad, creating a three‑zone hub for Azure and artificial‑intelligence services. The facility is positioned to serve enterprises across Asia and the Global South while meeting data‑residency, Digital Personal Data Protection, RBI and CERT‑In regulations. Major customers such as Adani Group, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Bank and PB Pay have already signed up. The launch is part of Microsoft’s $20.5 billion India commitment and aligns with a Boston Consulting Group [...]

Legendary game designer Hideo Kojima told The Washington Post that Sony attempted to cancel his upcoming Xbox Series X|S title Physint during a Zoom call, a move that surprised him but did not provoke anger. He later posted on Kojima Productions’ X account, warning fans that online rumors about Sony, the commercial performance of Death Stranding, and the game’s funding lack any official source and should be viewed skeptically. Kojima affirmed his studio’s financial health, confirmed ongoing development with Xbox’s support, [...]

Microsoft engineer Raymond Chen explains that Windows’ “file system tunneling” causes a newly created file to inherit the creation timestamp and short‑name mapping of a recently deleted file with the same name. The feature, present in NTFS and FAT for decades, stores metadata in a per‑volume tunnel cache for a brief period—about 15 seconds—after a delete or rename operation. When an application saves a document by writing a temporary file, deleting the original, and renaming the temporary [...]

Microsoft confirmed that it will modernize every legacy dialog in Windows 11, beginning with the rarely used Voice packages dialog in Settings, which still displays square corners despite the OS’s rounded‑corner design language. Partner Director of Design March Rogers reiterated the effort after users highlighted inconsistencies such as the Windows 8.1‑style “Reset this PC” and other dialogs dating back to Windows 95. The company is rewriting older UI elements in WinUI 3 where feasible and adding dark‑mode support to lower‑risk areas. Recent [...]

Sean Endicott writes for Windows Central, covering Windows 11, Surface devices, Microsoft 365, AI, and related apps. Since 2017 he has produced over a thousand pieces, ranging from breaking news to opinion and weekly “Windows Wrap” columns that synthesize major PC‑industry stories. His reporting tracks Microsoft’s software updates, hardware launches, and the firm’s expanding AI and services strategy. Endicott holds a First‑Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and began his career in journalism and media production, [...]

In June, Sony informed Hideo Kojima via a Zoom call that it would cease funding the PlayStation‑exclusive title Physint, a spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid. Kojima, accompanied by Kojima Productions president Shinji Hirano and talent‑development head Aki Saito, said the announcement left him stunned and raised immediate concerns about cash flow, staff retention, and pending loans tied to the studio’s recent projects. Facing the loss of one of only two active contracts—Physint and the Xbox‑bound game OD—Kojima feared a [...]