Microsoft is planning to release its first update to Windows Phone 8.1 soon, and the company has started detailing some of the upcoming features to phone manufacturers. One of the main visual changes with Update 1 is the introduction of folder support, allowing Windows Phone users to drag one Tile on top of another and create a folder to organize apps. Its a feature both Android and iOS have had for years, so its encouraging to see Microsoft is finally close this gap. One of the more interesting...

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Today, were excited to release the preview of Catan Anytime – the entirely new social version of the beloved board game . Play is completely free and available on any device with a modern browser. We hope Catan fans will appreciate its simplicity – Catan Anytime is fast, fluid and designed for touch making it easy to play the game from mobile to your big screen with IE on XBOX and everything in between. Catan Anytime is a partnership with creators of Catan, Mayfair Games and Bontom Games. This...

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Theres no app version of Settlers of Catan — the island building board game beloved by geeks worldwide — for Windows Phone, although its iOS and Android versions are excellent. So Microsofts Internet Explorer team announced an HTML 5 version thats truly cross platform — in addition to running on devices with IE, like Windows Phone, it should work in any modern browser that supports HTML5. Catan Anytime is a multiplayer web app: Youll need to find at least two friends, because...

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Google has reached a deal to buy game livestreaming firm Twitch for $1 billion, according to sources familiar with the matter. Citing unnamed sources, Variety said back in May that Google had made an all cash offer and that the deal could be announced soon. If confirmed, the deal will underscore the value of live Internet streaming and the rise of competitive gaming as a spectator sport — something that draws millions of viewers, can offer prize pools that surpass pro golfs marquee events,...

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Satya Nadella has been CEO of Microsoft for five months, and he's made it clear he intends to change and re-focus the software behemoth as it navigates the next generation of technological change. To mark the closing of Microsoft's fiscal year, Nadella released a long, detailed memo laying out his grand vision for the future of Microsoft. He talked about the importance of mobile and the cloud, the end of Microsoft's focus on devices and services, and laid the foundation for big changes in... ...

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Here are this week’s games and add-on deals on the Xbox Games Store.Discounts are valid now through 28 July 2014 […] The post This Week’s Deals with Gold appeared first on Xbox Live's Major Nelson.

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