Author: Microsoft Stories

Microsoft had taken everyone by surprise when it decided to sell Samsung’s latest flagship Galaxy S8 in its own stores. Now, strongholding its commitment towards a non-Windows mobile ecosystem at this year’s Build conference, confirming that in addition to Android, iPhones are also a key part of its vision. Company executives who took the stage used iPhones for most demos, and this happened for a good reason: all the new Windows 10 features that will be part of the Fall Creators Update will work on Apple’s device as well.

India has become a land of software developers with the country accounting for the third largest number of such professionals, a senior Microsoft official has said. Driven by immense opportunities that the Indian Government’s digitization program, it opens up a new vista of more than a billion plus market inside the country, there is a new level of enthusiasm and confidence among the Indian developer’s community, said Narendra Bhandari, GM Developer Group in India, Microsoft.

Microsoft Academia Accelerator, the tech giant’s campus engagement program, will see an increased presence and reach among Indian educational institutions. In an interaction, Anil Bhansali, Managing Director, Microsoft India (R&D) said, “Each year we work with various academic institution. We have fairly deep engagement and work closely with faculty in terms of courses, guest lectures. Our goal is to work with students and foster a culture of innovation and expose them to newer technologies and skills.”

Artificial intelligence or AI as it is called in cyber parlance, and believed to be the next big thing in information and technology, can play key role in good governance, a senior Microsoft official has said. “We are seeing that governments are benefitting through Artificial Intelligence and are able to bring governance closer to people in their countries,” Dave Forstrom, Director of Communications for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) group at Microsoft.

Auto component maker Uno Minda Group has tied up with Microsoft India to offer connected vehicle technologies for the automotive industry. Minda iConnect, the connected vehicle and telematics arm of Uno Minda Group, inked a strategic pact with Microsoft India in this regard. “With this collaboration, Uno Minda and Microsoft aim to enhance in-vehicle connectivity and efficiency to provide an enriched driving experience to automotive users in the country,” the auto component maker said in a statement.

Microsoft launched its Surface Pro 4 tablet back in 2015 and has ever since stood as a competitor against the Apple iPad Pro. The Surface Pro 4 comes with accessories like the Type Cover and the Surface Pen. Speaking about its accessories, Microsoft had launched the Alcantara Type Cover for the Surface Pro 4 last April, priced at $160 (Rs 10,400 approximately), and is made of two-tone gray Alcantara which is a luxury synthetic material.

Microsoft’s Build Conference in Seattle, Principal Program Manager Scott Hanselman, announced a couple of major updates for Microsoft’s cloud computing platform.

At Microsoft’s Build conference in Seattle, Andrea Carl, Director of Commercial Communications at Microsoft, demonstrated how the Azure stack, Azure IoT Edge, Microsoft Cognitive Services, and commodity camera equipment can make the workplace safer.

Microsoft says a half billion devices are now running Windows 10, its latest operating system. That’s up from 400 million disclosed last September. Microsoft has already acknowledged it won’t hit 1 billion in time. Getting halfway has taken nearly two years.