Recent News

Microsoft now holds the Guinness World Record for Quietest Place on Earth. Eckel Noise Control Technologies helped the tech giant get there. Microsoft is known as a leader in computer and electronics R&D, and continually invests in upholding that reputation. So, when the company needed a new anechoic chamber for audio and device testing at its Redmond, Washington Audio Lab, the engineers aimed to create a truly state-of-the art acoustic environment.

The combination of familiar software and enterprise-class support is bringing early adopters disappointed by Google’s lack of progress back to Microsoft. Not all companies who switch to Office 365 are using it as a cheap licensing deal for the Office applications. They also value Microsoft’s enterprise know-how. “As a CIO, the goal is to run a balance between keeping all the employees happy and keeping the IT staff from pulling out their hair trying to centrally administer everything,” Espinosa says.

Microsoft is giving database administrators working with Azure SQL Database a new suite of security tools to check out. A new Always Encrypted feature will be available as a public beta by the end of the month. It allows users to encrypt sensitive data within an application using their own keys without relinquishing those keys to Azure SQL Database. It’s a feature that lets companies maintain better control over critical applications they want to keep as secure as possible.

Microsoft said XBox One will now also be available on e-commerce portal Flipkart. Xbox One, Xbox Live, Xbox One Accessories and all Microsoft-published Xbox One game titles will be available on Flipkart alongside Amazon.in. The consoles will be available at a price starting at Rs 34,990. “Over the last one year, through our partnership with Amazon.in, we have received an overwhelming response from consumers for Xbox One and Xbox 360 in India. Responding to this growing demand, we are now extending the availability of our portfolio to Flipkart,” said, Anshu Mor, Microsoft India Director.

Microsoft’s Skype for Business app for iOS devices has now been publically released. The preview on iOS saw a good response and Microsoft claims that the sign in issues that some users experienced with Lync 2013 on iOS 9 have also been resolved. An updated dashboard in Skype for Business iOS brings contact search bar, upcoming meetings and most-recent conversations to one place. Full screen video, larger buttons help manage the call. The user can also view content being shared and the speaker’s video simultaneously. The new Skype for Business iOS app is now available as a Universal app in the iTunes Store.

Microsoft has smoothed over the upgrade process with the latest preview build of Windows 10, meaning that those upgrading for free can perform a clean install of the new OS if they wish. “If you do a clean install of Windows 10 by booting off the media, you can also enter the product key from prior Windows versions on qualifying devices during setup,” said Microsoft’s Gabe Aul, Vice President, WDG Engineering Systems.

Microsoft and its Windows devices globally accounted for 6% of business smartphones and 10% of tablets in the second quarter of 2015, breaking the double-digit mark for business tablets for the first time, according to Strategy Analytics. Overall, the market research firm said business smartphone shipments were 89.3 million in the second quarter, while shipments of business tablets were 19.6 million.

People who want to buy Microsoft’s new Surface Book laptop-tablet hybrid will have to look somewhere other than the company’s online retail store, for the moment. Fortunately for Microsoft, this means that there’s healthy demand for the machines. It’s a positive sign that the Surface Book, which marks Microsoft’s entry into the laptop market, has clearly piqued users’ interest.

Microsoft has entered into a partnership with budget accommodation marketplace Wud-Stay to facilitate hotel bookings on the Windows platform. This is the American technology company’s first tie-up in online budget accommodation business in India. “Millions of Windows users in the country now have an opportunity to book a WudStay and enjoy additional discounts or purchase special packages on their Windows devices,” said Harish Vaidyanathan, Director-independent software vendor programmes, Microsoft India.