Microsoft Windows 8: How Bad Could it Be?

Anyone who has purchased or tested Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system can tell you the system is confusing. But just how poorly has Microsoft fared with its biggest Windows overhaul in nearly two decades? 

It depends. If you are talking about the tablet version with touch controls and a stylish look, then maybe not so bad. In fact, there may even be room for cautious optimism. However, (gulp) if you are talking about upgrading to a new version of the familiar feeling, productive, extremely popular Windows system, well, there's bad and there is utterly useless.

Windows 8 Not Making it to the Enterprise

Microsoft has made a calculation that it needs to be more invested in the consumer tech world. Of course, it has seen the popularity of the iPad, and perhaps its response was a bit heavy handed. Its Surface tablet is on sale now, but by next year, does anyone think the iPad will have not destroyed it in the marketplace?

You would think a Microsoft computer would run things many people run on their non tablet versions. You would be wrong. Yes there is a special Office version that runs on the Windows 8 RT system for tablets, but things like the Chrome browser, Adobe Reader and iTunes will not work. Only sanctioned Microsoft apps will run on Windows 8 RT.

For non tablet devices, the Windows 8 system is, as you may have heard, really two systems in one. The tile based layout that matches the tablet version is what appears on boot up. The more familiar desktop is underneath this layer, and there are some handy upgrades, but reviews are coming in from groups like Forrester and from prominent tech heads like Jakob Nielsen and David Pogue, and they aren't good. 

Dead on arrival, Forrester researcher David Johnson said in his blog about Win 8 in the enterprise. Only about 24% of enterprises surveyed said they were planning on upgrading, and even they had no specific plans yet.

There was much more fanfare over Windows 7 in 2009 than for Windows 8 in 2012.

Windows 8 just came out, and Win 7 is only about 4 years old, so those both no doubt play into many companies' lack of commitment. Four years from now, that could change, but Windows 8 will likely have the most impact on IT when it comes to people bringing their own tablets to work, Johnson said.

Weak on Tablets, Terrible on PC's

Microsoft has made a misguided effort with Windows 8, usability expert Jakob Nielsen said in his review. Menus are too scattered, tools are confusing, and the biggest mistake is that the idea of Windows is now dead. Windows, being the concept of many views into the system. Microsoft has discontinued this feature, and Win 8 will only allow one window open at a time. Bad for power users, Nielsen said. 

For example, it forces people to remember which things they were searching for just before they launched a new window to search for something else, and that means added complexity resulting in memory overload, Nielsen said. On the tablet side, swiping gestures did not appear to be intuitive at all owing to the fact those swipes will do different things depending on where the touch originated.

In Pogue's review for the New York Times, he points out the seemingly nonsensical layout of the browser search bar in the tile view and in the desktop view. In the tile view, the search bar is at the bottom, and in the desktop view, it's at the top. The learning curve for Windows 8 looks a bit like Mt. Everest, Pogue said.

In software releases, as in mountain climbing, many steps have to be taken. Microsoft has taken the first step on its journey of creating one OS for pc's, smartphones and tablets with Windows 8. They didn't get it right, but the vision is certainly there. Future releases can only get better from here, and by the time the next one comes out, perhaps more people will be ready to upgrade, and by virtue of necessity, perhaps willing to accept a few mistakes along the way. 

 

 

Source : cmswire[dot]com

Bringing HTML5 to Windows Phone 8

Microsoft is promoting the new software developer kit (SDK) available for the IE10 browser as containing an emulator that allows testing of sites on the Windows Phone 8 platform. Microsoft says this functionality will help IE10 sites provide the same experience on mobile devices running Windows Phone 8 as they do on PCs and other devices.

‘Beautiful, Intuitive’ Sites for Windows Phone 8

IE10 developers will have the ability to create “beautiful” and “intuitive” site experiences for Windows Phone 8 users, according to Microsoft. The vendor says expanded CSS3 support enables features such as 3-D effects, faster animations and transitions, and aesthetic touches including CSS gradients and custom fonts. In addition, Microsoft says the IE10 SDK allows developers who lack “CSS and HTML ninja skills” to still create site features such as multiple columns, positioned floats and device adaptations.

Other features include an HTML5 application cache that makes website files available offline and indexed object storage. Microsoft cautions that IE10 for Windows Phone 8 is not quite as feature-rich as IE10 for Windows 8. Features not included in the Windows Phone 8 version include inline video, ActiveX and VBScript and drag-and-drop APIs, among others.

Microsoft Applies Responsive Design Principles to Windows Phone 8

While Microsoft’s IE10 development approach to Windows Phone 8 may not fully constitute a responsive design strategy, it does include many responsive design principles. As detailed in CMSWire's May 11 webinar, "Optimizing Mobile Customer Experience with Responsive Design," responsive design involves designing a site at different “break points,” or standard screen sizes, that allow designers to accommodate many different devices at once.

Instead of designing for a specific device, responsive design best practices dictate that you should plan to scale your digital experiences for a range of screen sizes, focusing on the smallest screen first and drawing from a single codebase. Responsive design relies on functionality of HTML5 and CSS3 to allow seamless adaptation of websites to mobile formats, and this aspect of responsive design is clearly evident in Microsoft’s IE10/Windows Phone 8 strategy.

Windows Phone 8 Leaps Ahead

While the Webmonkey developer news site does not give the new IE10/Windows Phone 8 development strategy unqualified praise, it does credit Microsoft for bringing IE 10 on mobile “leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessors and support(ing) web app essentials like the Application Cache API for creating offline apps and IndexedDB for storing data.” Although Webmonkey concludes the Windows Phone 8 release of IE10 is “very close to feature parity with the desktop/tablet release,” it does find the lack of support for the File Access API and other missing features “disappointing.”

 

 

Source : cmswire[dot]com

Sony VP: We're Not Disadvantaged By Windows 8

"I wouldn't say it's a disadvantage," says Sony VP Steven Nickel. "I think the opportunity is just to see what Windows 8 brings in terms of mobility."

The day after Apple unveiled its iPad Mini, essentially the company's fifth-generation tablet, I trekked uptown to the W Hotel in New York's Union Square, where more than a half-dozen hardware makers had set up shop to showcase their competing devices. That week, Microsoft was launching its new operating system, Windows 8, the software breathing new life into mobile products from manufacturers such as Sony, HP, and Dell. At the same time, it's also the dependence these companies have on Microsoft that left them trailing years behind Apple in the consumer market. Wasn't such deep reliance on third-party software like Windows a disadvantage?

Below The Surface

Around Microsoft's launch of Windows 8 and Surface, Fast Company asks hardware giants tough questions about innovation, disruption, and their future.

Previously:

• Why Steve Ballmer Still Hearts Microsoft's Hardware Partners
• HP Explains Why You Don't Want The iPad, Surface
• Dear Windows 8 Hardware Makers: Stop All The Horribly Named Products
• Dell, Samsung On Why They Didn't Invent The iPad
• 5 Ways Hardware Makers Are Hurting Windows 8
• Windows 8: The Boldest, Biggest Redesign In Microsoft's History
• Why Windows 8 And Apple's Tacky Philosophy Caused A Design Revolt

That's the question I posed to a slew of hardware makers that day, as part of our series on the disruption these OEMs are facing in a world increasingly dominated by smartphones and tablets--Apple, for example, now sells more iPads than these tech giants sell PCs. In candid conversations with top players from HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba, we discussed a range of topics including Apple, inflection points, and the innovator's dilemma. For Sony Vaio VP Steven Nickel, the answer to my overarching questions--whether Sony's reliance on Windows hurt the company--was a simple one. "I wouldn't say it's a disadvantage," Nickel says. "I think the opportunity is just to see what Windows 8 brings in terms of mobility, and how it opens up opportunities for new form factors. It still enables us to do things that are unique to Sony. So I don't see it as limiting."

Nickel's answers contrasted many of those given by others, including execs from Dell and Acer, who felt their partnerships with Microsoft and Google for software had its handicaps. Nick's answers also contrasted, in some ways, some of the products he was there to demo. When I ask whether the company is experiencing any sort of innovator's dilemma, Nickel, who tends to delve into corporate speak, says, "Well for us, mobility is in our DNA. Thin and light mobile products are something that we really built a heritage on. To be able to have the operating system and the support around it to further enhance that capability, and to bring the quality that you expect from Sony to it--it enables us to take it to the next level."

Yet for all his talk of mobility--of thinness, of light products--sitting in front of Nickel was the Sony Vaio Tap 20, a gigantic desktop computer designed for what he referred to as "in-home mobility," which actually sounds pretty immobile. It's ironic that the day after Apple rolls out the iPad Mini--a device as paper-thin as it is wafer-light--Sony presents what's essentially the Tablet Humongous. At 20 inches and 11 pounds, the Vaio Tap is a coffin of a computer, seemingly requiring pallbearers to, as Nickel describes, "use it upstairs in the den as a desktop PC, or go down to the kitchen, to set it up to look at some recipes."

But Nickel also praised Windows 8 for the new form factors it enabled, especially compared to Android. "Android is more entertainment focused--that's something we really drive through the Sony tablets," he says. "Windows 8 comes at it from productivity. We're trying to merge somewhere in between--this idea of duel uses. People are now using their PCs for entertainment and productivity, and ultimately, that's what Windows 8 enables us to do. That's why you see these new exciting form factors."

Yet, again, the products in front of Nickel told a different story. Of the three products Sony decided to demo (including the suitcase-size Tap 20), one was the Vaio T13 ultrabook, a laptop not even designed for Windows 8. The device had been released over the summer for Windows 7; the company decided to reintroduce the T13 for the Windows 8 launch, with the same form factor, though the product now included a touch-sensitive screen.

Which made his answer all the more backward when I asked Nickel whether Sony's PC business had reached an inflection point, given the massive growth of Apple's tablet business. (Only the day before, Apple CEO Tim Cook boasted to the world that Apple had just sold its 100 millionth iPad.) "No, because I think you have all these exciting new form factors," Nickel says. "We can bring things to these areas that no one else can."

And I found it particularly surprising that Sony didn't decide to unveil its own standalone Windows 8 tablet. Given the success of the iPad, given the attention paid to Microsoft's Windows-based Surface tablet, and given that Sony already makes Android tablets, you'd think the company would create its own Windows 8 slate. Nickel would only say, "I think there is room for both ideas: for the hybrid [PC] with the attached keyboard, as well as a standalone tablet form factor. There is a fit and customer for each of those different solutions."

Instead, Sony demoed neither solution that day: not a standalone Windows 8 tablet, nor a hybrid PC with an attachable keyboard. Rather, the company showed off the Vaio Duo 11 laptop, a bizarre notebook that looks like something wrong in the PC-to-tablet metamorphosis (or mutation) process. A thick slab of a keyboard is glued to the bottom of the expensive device, and slides out rather than detaches, making the device either a particularly immobile tablet or a particularly second-rate laptop. Even the way these components work together--with lots of visible moving parts--looks slipshod. As one reviewer put it, "The exposed ribbon cable that attaches to the screen also gives me pause; it gives the PC an unfinished look, and I have definite concerns about its ability to hold up over time."

Ultimately, of all the products I played around with that day, Sony's showcase was easily the least impressive. With so many weak products, lost opportunities, and uncreative form factors, Microsoft should be worried--it too is relying on hardware makers like Sony to make Windows 8 a success. And with observations like the following, Redmond should be especially nervous going into the holiday season: "Overall, from Vaio's strategic point of view," Nickel says, "We're betting heavily on the touch aspect of Windows."

Yes, because touch screens are what will really set Sony apart from every single Windows smartphone, tablet, and PC on the market.

Source : fastcompany[dot]com

Perceptive Software Releases Perceptive Mobile for Windows 8 and Windows RT

Lexmark Company, Perceptive Software today released Perceptive Mobile for Windows, making its enterprise content management software accessible through the Windows 8 and Windows RT operating system.

Busy Year for Perceptive

Perceptive Software integrates ECM and BPM solutions primarily to the education, government and financial sectors.The company was bought by Lexmark in 2010. Following the merger, Perceptive introduced two new products: Interact, an Embedded Solutions Framework and ImageNow, a document management, document imaging and workflow solution, while in April, the company introduced mobile apps for the iPhone and Android devices.

What Does this Release Bring to the Table?

In addition to being able to access information and business processes from Perceptive Software, there are a variety of features that go along with this release. Perceptive Software wants to ensure that their products are not only compatible with the most recent operating systems, but also keep in line with the needs of today's information worker:

Perceptive Mobile for Windows is the latest example of Perceptive Software’s commitment to developing the most user-focused products in the industry,” said Brian Anderson, Chief Technology Officer at Perceptive Software. “It is another step in our vision to deliver the most relevant information in whatever context users work, regardless of location or platform.”

The  Perceptive Mobile Windows version is a compliment to the previous iPad and Android mobile offerings, and gives users the full range of Perceptive software capabilities to allow workers information and document access from wherever they are.

The announcement follows the Windows 8 release earlier this week. Other companies have also started releasing new products for Windows 8 that include NewsGator's Social Sites App and Box's Mobile App for the Windows 8 Phone.

Perceptive Mobile for Windows is available for Perceptive Software customers through the Windows Store.

 

 

Source : cmswire[dot]com

Google Cancels NY Nexus Event as Social Media Tracks Hurricane Sandy

 It looks like Microsoft has the stage all to itself today with a west-coast launch of Windows Phone 8. Google has been forced to postpone its Fall product launch due to the impending hurricane, which is being recording in minute detail across the web. 

Not A Good Day

With the impending hurricane threatening a large part of the east coast and New York, Google had little choice but to cancel its launch of the new Nexus 4 smartphone and the expanded range of Nexus tablets. Since most of the information is already out there, a delay won't hurt the company, and with minds on more practical matters, focus and coverage would be limited. 

That leaves Microsoft with a free run across the tech press with its San Francisco Windows Phone 8 launch event, assuming they've cleared up from all the rioting last night over the Giant's World Series win. That will come hot on the heels of the Windows 8 launch, that Microsoft managed to pull off in Times Square before the weather closed in. 

Social Takes Over

With so much information about the hurricane needing to be dispersed over such a wide area, social media is leaping to the fore. Not only can those in the hurricane's track keep a detailed eye on its progress vita Twitter, but the world is watching on beach-front web-cams and every local news site is doing its best to keep readers informed. 

Google isn't abandoning its users though, a mash-ups of Google Maps and the storm track, or more practically, evacuation center information and other details are being put online to help. Those faraway, perhaps on one of the thousands of cancelled flights, are getting help and advice online wherever they are stuck. 

Decision makers and the general public are all getting direct data as the weather recon planes and sea buoys measure the surging tides and wave height, and the plummeting air pressure in the heart of the storm. As long as the power holds out, this will be the best recorded hurricane in history. 

On a local, state, national and global basis, everyone's actions are under scrutiny. From foolish weather presenters trying to get closest to the storm to the politicians and civil leaders who must manage the response, the next few hours and days won't be a good time to make a public mistake. Stay safe if you're in the direct path, under the threat of blizzards or flooding inland and we'll hope to see you on the other side. 

 

 

Source : cmswire[dot]com

NewsGator Releases Social Sites App for Windows 8

NewsGator has moved its Social Sites to the new Windows 8 platform. The Denver-based company announced this week an app that will offer its Social Sites on devices using that new OS.

The app is also touch-enabled for those who want to use it on Windows 8 touch-based devices. It employs Lookout, a new drag-and-drop interface that was introduced by NewsGator in August as part of a major version 3.0 update of Social Sites for SharePoint 2013. Lookout allows users to pick and choose from the activity streams and other information emanating from SharePoint.

Multi-Column Dashboard

The company said Lookout is intended to solve the tendency of activity and other informational streams to overwhelm a user, causing important information to be overlooked. The interface allows a user to choose and configure which content to view from activity streams, people, communities, topics, subjects, notifications and other areas, including documents from SharePoint that match search terms.

Lookout presents the information as a multi-column dashboard view, and the columns can be dragged-and-dropped into a customized configuration. New or unread information is visually highlighted so users can quickly scan and locate the latest content.

Also displayed is “social intelligence” via recommendation engines, with descriptions why colleagues and communities are being recommended. And the app has the ability to include HD video, private messaging or email. As with the previous version of Social Sites, users can respond to notifications and conversations from activity streams via email.

Filtering Information

Brian Kellner, NewsGator’s executive vice president of development and product management, said in a statement that the company built Social Sites because “our customers told us they needed a better way to filter, refine, interact and consumer large amounts of information in the social streams.”

The intent of the new Windows 8 app, he said, is to “focus on a more human-centric approach,” since other tools on the marketplace “do not empower the end user.” He added that the app is making “social technology smarter and better-enabling the end user to surface relevant connections when and where they need it.”
 

 

 

Source : cmswire[dot]com

Box Unveils New Mobile App for Windows 8

Microsoft isn't the only company making an announcement surrounding the newest version their Windows Operating System. Box has also announced that they have designed a new version of their file managing app — specifically for Windows 8.

More Than a File Manager

Earlier this year, Box announced a new app for the Windows Phone, but with the launch of Windows 8 they are expanding on what their product can offer Windows users.

The new Box app was announced in conjunction with the launch of Windows 8 today, while Simon Tan, Box’s Product Manager of Mobile elaborated on the details in a blog post. Tan confirmed that the new Box Windows app would have all the features of its predecessors, such as being able to manage individual files and folders, adding collaborators by email and working with colleagues through document collaboration.

The Windows 8 version of the app will include a variety of features to enhance the user experience. They include:

• A Semantic Zoom feature allows users to avoid using the ‘pitch to zoom’ technique, as they can see all of their files and folders with an easy to read summary, where they can pick a file by letter, date or size.
• Files can be easily managed with either a sibling folder tree tool or hierarchy drop down tool.

• Files and folders as links can be shared via a Windows 8 Share charm.
• Box is part of a cloud file system, which allows users to not only create, upload and download files into other sources, but also is a ‘file source and file target.” As a source and target, information or files from other apps can be stored or opened in Box.
• Not only can files be edited within Box, but any changes made outside of the app to a file will automatically be saved to the Box version when it's opened with the app.
• Box can be linked with Live Tiles,so that any updates to the Box system are seen on the start screen, while individual file and folders can be pinned to tiles.
• Box for Windows 8 is currently available in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian and Chinese. Other languages will follow when the app is updated.

Security Features

The security features available for Windows 8’s version of Box are similar to those available to mobile users; they include SSO login support and a passcode lock.

 

 

Source : cmswire[dot]com

Microsoft Launching Windows 8 Now, Watch Live

       The computing world won't change overnight with the launch of Windows 8, but in a few years time, the digital environment could be influenced heavily by what Microsoft shows today in New York. 

The Big Day is Here

It is kind of odd watching a Microsoft software launch, we've seen the operating system in action since the first builds, developer betas, public trials and all the way up to RTM. So, there isn't a huge amount for Microsoft to amaze us with.

But, combined with all the new hardware that's coming, Microsoft can still pull off a few tricks. And it has to both amaze, inform and delight with the launch, as hundreds of millions of perfectly happy Windows 7, Vista and XP owners remain to be convinced.

You can watch the webcast here, and we'll update with product and feature news as it happens. With Microsoft having taken over a chunk of Times Square for the whole day, it could be quite a long running series of events. 

 

 

Source : cmswire[dot]com

Windows 8 Pricing and Packaging Revealed, Pre-Order Now

 Windows 8 pricing has been unveiled by Microsoft, with online upgrades from $39.99, along with the rather fetching eco-friendly box art for those who still enjoy packaged versions of their software. 

Still Paying the Windows Tax?

Starting today, U.S. PC users will be able to pre-order their Windows 8 Upgrades on DVD for US$ 69.99. For those who don't need the disc, the online upgrade is available from $39.99 in a promotion that will last until the end of next January.  

For some reason there, are five different pieces of box art for the same Windows 8 Pro upgrade, but they are now made from all-paper materials to reduce production costs, greenhouse gas emissions and to reduce transport weight. 

Pre-orders for new Windows 8 PCs are also kicking off today from the likes of ASUS, Dell, HP, Samsung and Sony, among other partners. They'll all be keen for their new generation devices to go flying off the shelves.

While there is no "Full version" of the new OS to buy directly, the prices of Upgrade and OEM versions are appearing online at various retailers, for example New Egg is listing:

Windows 8 Professional Upgrade – $69.99 (saving $130)
Windows 8 Professional Pack – Product Key Card (no media) - $69.99 (saving $30)
Windows 8 (Full Version) – OEM Version $99.99
Windows 8 Pro (Full Version) – OEM Version $139.99

Windows Around the World

This comes hot on the heels of the news that Microsoft Office 2013 has gone gold and will soon be available, creating huge possibilities for those looking to upgrade their systems. Will Windows 8 be the massive event Microsoft is planning on? 

With the keen pricing and the huge amount of hype on the way, Windows 8 could well kick-start a new love affair with Windows for some. But, for the hundreds of millions of Windows 7 users, will all the slick new features and sexy hardware be enough to relaunch a floundering industry?

Pricing for other territories will be announced soon with global buyers hoping that there is minimal upswing in the conversion rates from dollars to their local currency. 

 

 

Source : cmswire[dot]com

Microsoft Extends Mainstream Support for Windows 2008 to January 2015

Microsoft has decided to extend the mainstream support window for Windows Server 2008. The change is likely welcome news for businesses running the operating system that don’t have immediate plans to move to Windows 2012.

Stay of Execution

Microsoft originally planned to transition Windows Server 2008 from free, mainstream support to fee-based, extended support on July 9, 2013. Customers will now receive two additional years of free support, which will end on January 15, 2015. The company made a similar move with Windows XP (whose support will finally end in April 2014), but the Windows 2008 support extension was not driven by customer demand. It was due to the release date of the next version of Windows.

Microsoft typically offers five years of free, mainstream support for every Windows release. However, the release date of a product’s successor can also impact the free support duration. Customers receive free Windows support for 24 months after a new version of Windows ships, if that date is later than the normal five year window. Once mainstream support ends, customers have five years of optional, paid, extended support. During extended support, security updates remain free, but other updates require a fee and a hotfix contract. Once all support windows end, Microsoft stops releasing all updates or fixes for the product.

The Future of Microsoft’s Software

In addition to the support Window extension, Microsoft also released a new Community Technology Preview (CTP) for SQL Server Service Pack 1. The release includes:

• Improved AlwaysOn Availability Group migration
• Better query capabilities over XML data
• Better SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) for Express users

Microsoft’s profits are heavily driven by Windows, Office and its server products. However, the company’s dominance continues to be challenged by cloud-based alternatives. It’s obvious that while Microsoft must focus on continuing to innovate the capabilities of its core product families and strengthen its cloud offerings, the company should also consider its support strategy. 

Engaging with Microsoft’s support organization is not always a pleasant experience. Additionally, some customers may develop a lower tolerance for software having an end-of-life model when most cloud solutions offer lifelong updates (for a monthly- or use-based fee, of course). Microsoft and other vendors may need to start rethinking their release and support strategies. 

 

 

Source : cmswire[dot]com

Microsoft to Release Unified Communications Tool Lync 2013 for Windows 8, RT

Microsoft plans to release a new version of its Lync communications platform that will be compatible with Windows 8 and Windows RT-based devices. Lync 2013 will be available as both a mobile app and desktop client.

Delivering the Full Lync Experience via Mobile Device

The new Lync app, slated for release at the end of October 2012, will be optimized for touchscreen devices (which at this point covers virtually any mobile device released in the last few years) and provides integration of voice, video, telepresence, IM and online Lync Meetings. Using the H. 264 SVC (Scaling Video Coding) standard, Microsoft says Lync Meetings will be delivered to devices of varying screen sizes without “heavy transcoding.”

In addition, the new mobile app will deliver VoIP and video to Windows Phone, iOS and Android devices and be compatible both Lync Server 2010 and Lync Server 2013.

Connecting to Skype, Office

Microsoft also plans to connect Lync to the Skype VoIP service, which it purchased in May 2011. Lync users will have full access to Skype users, including “seeing” their availability and directly communicating with them via IM, phone call or telepresence.

Furthermore, connections between Lync and Microsoft Office will enable activities such as presence information, click-to-communicate capabilities and social network integration. In addition, Office users will have direct access to Lync communications and meetings directly from Office documents, and the new SharedOneNote feature will let Lync Meeting attendees all share and work from the same iteration of a note created in Office.

Microsoft Lync Joins the ‘Elites’

CRN is gung ho about the upcoming revamped version of Lync, stating that “Lync's embrace by both customers and the channel thrust Microsoft into the elite class of unified communications (UC) providers, where it competes head to head with Cisco, Avaya, Siemens Enterprise Communications and a number of smaller vendors.” Considering the general acknowledgement of Cisco as the leader in unified communications, placing Microsoft in the same UC category is high praise indeed.

Billion Dollar Baby?

Microsoft released Lync in November 2010 with much fanfare as the new family brand of products formerly known as Microsoft Communications Server, Microsoft Office Communications Online and Microsoft Office Communicator. The brand also includes Microsoft Lync Web App and Microsoft Lync Online. As a single platform, it integrates instant messaging, presence, audio, video and web-conferencing with a single interface that can be linked with Microsoft Office, Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Exchange.

At the time of release, Kurt DelBene, president of the Microsoft Business division, indicated that Microsoft was hoping that Lync will be a billion dollar business in much the same way that SharePoint has been. A billion dollars is a lofty goal, even for Microsoft — but the upcoming revisions to Lync, particularly on the mobile side, should bring it at least a little closer to the hopes and dreams expressed at its birth.

 

 

Source : cmswire[dot]com

Microsoft Debuts Windows Phone Dev Center

Windows Phone developers now have a new online home, courtesy of Microsoft. The technology giant has unveiled the Windows Phone Dev Center, which it calls an evolution of the retired App Hub Developer Portal.

Top to Bottom Redesign

In a post on the Windows Phone Developer Blog, Microsoft describes the Windows Phone Dev Center as being “redesigned from the ground up.” In addition to streamlined menu options and links on the front end, on the back end the site sits on top of a more robust and scalable infrastructure.

Beyond changes to site layout and infrastructure, Microsoft is expanding the reach and payment opportunities for developers, who in the near future will be able to register in four times as many countries or regions, and get paid in three times as many as what’s possible today. Microsoft is also in the process of tripling the number of consumer storefronts for developers to sell their Windows Phone apps.

The Dev Center also now supports PayPal and allows developers to enter a unique price in each country or region. Furthermore, Microsoft is promising to provide the ability to add and manage in-app merchandise and track sales in the next version of Dev Center.

There are also other changes besides those to the site’s financial capabilities. For example, Microsoft has streamlined the account signup and submission processes and integrated Dev Center more with Microsoft Advertising’s pubCenter, so it’s possible for developers to create a pubCenter account and ad units from the same place they manage their apps.

In addition, Microsoft says it has improved features such as reports and analytics, beta testing, and portal integration with MSDN.

Windows Phone Readies for ‘Ramp-Up Year’

Although Windows Mobile/Windows Phone shipments only represented a small portion of worldwide smartphone shipments in Q1 2012 as reported by IDC, the research group said 2012 should be “considered a ramp-up year for Nokia and Microsoft to boost volumes.” During Q1 2012, there were 3.3 million global Windows Phone 7/Windows Mobile smartphone shipments, representing 2.2% of the market. Although the Windows Phone market share dropped from 2.6% in Q1 2011, total phones shipped grew a healthy 26.9%.

Windows Phone 8 Nearly Complete

Although Microsoft has not said whether the Windows Phone Dev Center will immediately be compatible, Microsoft should have the smartphone version of the Windows 8 operating system done in the next few weeks, with Nokia expected to announce new devices for a coordinated launch later in the year. One of the major aims of the new OS is to help Microsoft get back into the smartphone race.

Developers can use Windows Phone Dev Center for Windows Phone 7.5 or earlier apps. Microsoft says it will “fine tune and optimize the site and infrastructure in the weeks ahead.”

 

 

Source : cmswire[dot]com