Recent News

The company has announced that it will be rebranding its enterprise-focused instant messaging service Lync as ‘Skype for Business’. As part of the rebranding, which will happen in the first half of 2015, Microsoft will make the new versions of Skype for Business, Skype for Business on-premises service, and Skype for Business online services and bundle them as a part of Office 365. Microsoft will be utilizing the Skype icons for calling, adding video, and enabling a call in Skype for Business.

Microsoft Corp. said it will make its .Net programming tools freely available in an open source model, a significant move by CEO Satya Nadella to enable the company’s software to work with rival technologies. The company will also expand the .Net tools so they can run on Linux and Apple Inc.’s Mac operating systems. The products that will be available in an open source model include all of the .Net programming tools that are used to develop applications for server networks.

Microsoft has officially unveiled its first smartphone without Nokia branding—Lumia 535. The smartphone will be available in dual-sim and single sim variants from November at an estimated price of 110 euros (Rs 8,400 approximately) (excluding taxes and subsidies) with sales starting in China, Hong Kong and Bangladesh. The phone has a 5MP front camera for selfies and Skype calls, and an LED flash at the back to take low-light photos.

At a press conference on Microsoft’s campus, CEO Satya Nadella spoke about how Microsoft’s two biggest rivals Apple and Google have a clear identity and are clearly the best in their various fields of specialization—in Apple’s case it is hardware that they excel at, while for Google the key is search. According to Nadella, Microsoft is really about productivity. They are the “tools provider, the platform provider,” to those who want to create their own app or even a document.

Owing to long working hours, people complain about back problems, pains in joints and muscle cramps. However, there’s a simple solution to this, stand up while you work. The idea of standing and working has been gaining traction in the Indian cubicle space. Rohit Thakur, Head, Human Resources at Microsoft India, says, “The trend is definitely becoming more evident as people become more conscious of their health. As the workforce increases, so will the need to support diversity and flexibility in the workplace. A standing workstation is an example of adapting to the needs of employees to help them feel fit and better engaged at the workplace.”

Children nowadays have 24×7 access to technology and live in a digital world. While this has immense benefits, parents are increasingly concerned for their children’s safety and the kind of content they are being exposed to. Microsoft provides several features and apps across its devices and services which provide children with a secure digital environment and parents with peace of mind. Services such as My Family, Kid’s Corner, Guardian and web filtering help parents to monitor and manage what their children are consuming on the Internet.

“Technology is always latest on cloud and if partners provide cloud-based services to their customers it will certainly expand their customer base,” said Hrushikesh Desai, Cloud Specialist, Microsoft, during the Vadodara Tech Caravan event. Highlighting benefits of Office 365, Desai said that it abolishes maintenance costs for midsize business enterprises. He said Office 365 provides manageability, flexibility, security and control and energy efficiency.

Microsoft has joined hands with Guide Dogs charity and the UK’s Future Cities Catapult to develop a revolutionary gadget, which will help the visually impaired navigate through crowded subways, trains and roads with little or no help from passers-by. According to the Microsoft website, the headset will work with Windows phones to give the wearer voice instructions to help them navigate an unfamiliar area. The device is said to provide orientation, navigation and contextual information through the built-in GPS tracker, compass and gyroscope.

The customization-focused November update for the Xbox One has gone live, and can be downloaded now by owners of the console worldwide. According to Microsoft, one of the most requested features from fans of the Xbox One has been the ability to use custom backgrounds. Now, each profile will be able to have its own colour scheme and background. Moreover, user bios can now be updated with location, and tweet game clips directly via a share button. The update also brings a fresh ‘Games with Gold’ section on SmartGlass.

Microsoft India is ready with a plan to provide free last-mile Internet connectivity across the country. It proposes to use the white space—the unused spectrum between two TV channels—to provide free connectivity to large sections of the Indian population. Bhaskar Pramanik, Chairman, Microsoft India, said, “Wi-Fi has a range of only about 100 meters, whereas the 200-300 MHz spectrum band available in the white space can reach up to 10 km. This spectrum belongs mainly to Doordarshan and the government has not used it at all. We have sought clearance for a pilot project in two districts.”