Author: Microsoft Stories

The beta test of Microsoft’s web-publishing app, Sway, is no longer by invitation-only: the company said it’s open to all. Since Sway’s October debut, more than 175,000 people have requested an invitation to the trial preview, with thousands more submitting requests daily, Microsoft said in a blog post. Sway has been designed for use on mobile devices and in web browsers to publish web-based content.

Microsoft has added Yammer to Office 365 plans used by organizations with a fleets of shared PCs. “In an effort to bring enterprise social networking to desk-less workers, we’re excited to announce Yammer Enterprise is now included in the Office 365 [K1] kiosk plan,” wrote Microsoft’s Office 365 Team in a blog post.

Turtle Beach, the leading audio brand in the video games industry, announced that Superhuman Hearing and Mic Monitoring will be featured in two new officially licensed headset audio controllers for the Xbox One. The Ear Force Headset Audio Controller and Ear Force Headset Audio Controller Plus are designed to make a wide range of Turtle Beach headsets compatible with the Xbox One.

Google has revealed that Xbox One was the most searched gaming console in 2014. The listing comes under Consumer Electronics where the Xbox One was placed 7th behind iPhone 6, Samsung Galaxy S5, Nexus 6, Moto G, Samsung Note 4 and LG G3. Google does not have a specific category for consoles and the PlayStation 4 was not in the top 10.

Taking the spirit of openness forward, Microsoft has announced that its Project Orleans cloud computing web framework will be open-sourced. The framework is been extensively used in Azure cloud, and is also known for powering Halo 4, the popular first-person shooter video game. “Orleans gives developers a virtual ‘actor space’ analogous to virtual memory, which allows them to invoke any actor in the system, whether or not it is present in memory,” Microsoft said in a blog post.

Microsoft has launched its first 4G-enabled smartphone in India, the Lumia 638, for Rs. 8,299. The phone has a 4.5-inch FWVGA display with a pixel density of 221 ppi, and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz, with 1GB RAM. The phone runs the Windows Phone 8.1 OS, and makes use of on-screen Windows Phone software buttons.

Covacsis Technologies has developed an Intelligent Plant Framework (IPF) solution using Microsoft SQL Server 2014 that brings Internet of Things to the shop floor in process and discrete manufacturing. Tyler Bryson, General Manager, Marketing and Operations, Microsoft India, said, “SQL Server 2014 is fast becoming the database of choice for SMBs as well as large enterprises for its large data-handling capability and in-memory processing to deliver real-time insights.”

Skype shortly after introduced its real-time Translator Preview programme, it announced a limited time offer that gives its users in India the ability to call any landline or mobile number in the US or Canada free of cost. The offer is valid for both new and existing Skype users until March 1, 2015.

Lenovo has launched the ThinkPad 8 tablet for Indian professionals. The Windows 8 tablet is equipped with a full-HD screen, Quick Photo Capture combined with four times faster graphics. This 8.3-inch tablet offers multimode features like a full Windows 8 ecosystem, 2MP front-facing webcam for crystal-clear video conferencing, supported by dual digital array microphones.

Microsoft has unveiled a new application, “Gestures Beta”, for Lumia Windows Phone allowing users to operate the phone without touching the screen, but by performing a few simple gestures instead. Microsoft said some of the features of the app would be limited to Lumia 630, Lumia 635, and Lumia 530.