In the News

Almost a week ahead of the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft has announced that Cortana, its virtual assistant, will be rolled out (on Windows 10) in India and other new markets via the Windows Insider Program for beta testers. The company said in a blog post, “Cortana is also aware of important cultural touchstones in each market. In France, Cortana celebrates the Cannes Film Festival. In Canada, Cortana loves hockey, and in India, Cortana celebrates cricket star and national hero Sachin Tendulkar.”

In the war between Microsoft and Google for office cloud software domination, Microsoft just won another big battle. It landed General Electric as a huge customer for Office 365.GE will be bringing Office 365 to its 300,000 employees, making this one of the largest contracts for Office 365 to date.

Microsoft confirmed that its upcoming Windows 10 operating system will be available on USB drives soon after a couple of Amazon listings claiming to sell Windows 10 versions on USB drives were spotted. Amazon.com started taking pre-orders for Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro on USB flash drives at $119.99 (approximately Rs. 7,600) and $199.99 (approximately Rs. 12,700). Notably, the retailer listed Microsoft as the seller of the USB flash drives with Windows 10

Microsoft has combined its note taking app OneNote for the iPhone and iPad and added new features for Android devices. Using the latest version of OneNote the iPad users now will be able to create notes and lists from a new Today widget in the Notification Center. It also now allows the users to move and copy pages between notebooks and sections on Android.

Microsoft has launched its cloud version of its PhotoDNA service, which helps law enforcement services and websites detect illegal images including those depicting child sexual abuse from massive photo libraries. Microsoft says that it has enhanced the algorithm used to identify illegal images making PhotoDNA 1,000 times faster than previous versions.

As part of Surat Smart City project, IT giants IBM and Microsoft will prepare a comprehensive database of citizens, which will have all details about their professional skills. The data will include all possible skills of persons such has gardeners, house maids, drivers, doctors, etc. Besides the skills, the data will also include the medical history of people. The process of data collection will begin next month and will be completed in six months.

The Citrix app and desktop virtualization software and migration tools enable partners and IT organizations to deliver immediate access to core business applications on new Windows 10 PCs and tablets, simplify the rollout of Windows 10 desktops and streamline the business app migration process.

Just after announcing the global launch of Windows 10, Microsoft has declared its plan to bring its much acclaimed Surface 2-in-1 devices to the Indian market. According to Vineet Durani, Director – Windows Business Group at Microsoft (India), the company is looking at bringing the Surface devices to India, following feedback from its current and potential customers including CXOs.

Microsoft’s India-born CEO Satya Nadella’s emphasis on “mobile-first, cloud-first world” fits well into India’s needs as the strategy will ensure affordable technology to millions of small businesses, a senior company executive has said. “We have millions of small businesses that are beginning to understand that technology can be helpful to businesses and grow their top line and bottom line,” said, Meetul Patel, General manager SMS&P, at Microsoft India.

The tech industry is increasingly supporting Microsoft’s Cloud computing platform, Azure. Enterprise virtualisation company, Odin, has announced its support of Azure services automation offered through the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program. Announced at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, service providers will now be able to offer Azure services through the CSP program. Partners can manage the lifecycle of their own customers with direct provisioning, billing and 24/7 support of Microsoft Cloud services.