Microsoft, assuntos gerais

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft scoops up calender app maker Sunrise for $100 million

Microsoft has reportedly acquire Sunrise, which is a calendar app maker for a swift $100 million. Both sides haven't confirmed the deal, but sources close to TechCrunch have said that the deal is wrapped up for over $100 million.

image: http://imagescdn.tweaktown.com/news/...00-million.jpg

Sunrise was founded in 2012, where it has since raised $8.2 million from investors like Balderton Capital, SV Angel and BoxGroup. But what can make it an attractive acquisition target for Microsoft? Well, Sunrise consolidates calendars from various providers, making them available on different platforms like iOS, Android and the web.

The acquisition of Sunrise by Microsoft is an interesting one, as it shows that Microsoft is happy to support other, competing operating systems. If Microsoft does indeed acquire Sunrise and continues development of the application for iOS and Android like it does for Office, it could eventually lead to great things.

Noticia:
http://www.tweaktown.com/news/43371/...ion/index.html



Ora saem mais 100 milhões...

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft Quietly Had a Really Good Week

Microsoft got some positive buzz this week for a few different moves, but the sum is even greater than those noteworthy parts. Taken together, the developments show that Redmond is not just thinking differently, but acting differently.
Since his first day at the helm, CEO Satya Nadella has pledged to bring Microsoft’s services to all the devices that a customer uses. Increasingly, that has become a reality.
On Monday, Microsoft announced it had turned last year’s $200 million Acompli acquisition into Outlook for iOS and Android. While bearing the Outlook name, the program is a conduit for a wide range of e-mail and online storage services including names like Apple, Google, Box and Dropbox, in addition to Microsoft’s own storage and email services.
Later in the week, even the technorati were still heaping praise on Microsoft over Outlook. A report on TechCrunch surfaced that the company is close to acquiring Sunrise, a calendar app for the Mac, iPhone and Android. Sources told Re/code that the acquisition, while not quite ready to be announced, is essentially a done deal.
Buying Sunrise shows that Microsoft isn’t just looking to check a couple of boxes on a compatibility chart, but is instead quite serious about being a leader in productivity apps for iOS and Android. Indeed, the company now has more than 100 apps for iOS and Android, according to Quartz.
Finally, Microsoft showed that it is finally making progress in bringing its own key products to the touch version of Windows. After showing off full-touch versions of its Office suite earlier this month, the company released them for download alongside the technical preview of Windows 10.
The preview versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote are designed to coincide with Windows 10, the new version of the operating system that aims to marry the classic Windows desktop to the touch-based apps Microsoft introduced with Windows 8. Windows 10, like the new Office apps, is due later this year.
Bringing its services to other people’s platforms is necessary, but Microsoft’s future depends on it being able to also sell a new generation on Windows, and is perhaps the most pressing task facing Nadella.
Having a touch-first version of Office won’t guarantee success for the new Windows, but its absence was a huge stumbling block for Windows 8. In making sure that it is ready for Windows 10, Microsoft is demonstrating its confidence in the software, and leading by example.
Microsoft has even more challenges when it comes to its mobile operating system, Windows Phone. Despite years of investment, Microsoft still has just a tiny sliver of the phone business, and many developers have written off the effort. In just the past month, two big banks — Bank of America and Chase — said they will stop supporting the Windows Phone apps they have.
With Windows 10, though, Microsoft may get a second crack at developers. That’s because this time around developers will be able to write one “universal” app that runs on Windows 10 desktops and laptops, as well as on phones and tablets.
The ability to reach all Windows customers with one app may appeal to some developers who weren’t interested in writing an app that only worked with Windows 8, or only on Windows Phone.
Microsoft also indicated that in the second half of this year it will have a new full version of Office for traditional keyboard- and mouse-based computers. Office 2016, while perhaps not as sexy as some new touch-creen app, can provide some of the old-school profits Nadella will need in order to pay for the transformation he has been leading.

Noticia:
http://recode.net/2015/02/08/microso...lly-good-week/

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft to hold MWC press conference on 2nd March

As readers are probably aware the next big tech events on the calendar are the Mobile World Congress (MWC) and the Game Developers Conference (GDC). Both events kick off in a little under three weeks from now on 2nd March. We've already heard some juicy morsels about what will/might be happening at both events. Now we've just seen official confirmation that Microsoft will be holding a press conference on 3rd March at MWC, the day after Samsung is hoping it has already stolen the show with its own Galaxy Unpacked presentation.

Details about what Microsoft will be talking about and/or revealing haven't been officially hinted at, however GSM Arena thinks that "it's safe to assume we're going to see some new phones getting unveiled". Despite the length of time since the last Lumia flagship was revealed, under the Nokia brand, it would still be a bit of a surprise to see such a device at this stage. Instead we are likely to see Microsoft flesh out its mid-range a bit more after releasing a bevy of lower end devices in recent months.
A possible candidate for a mide-range smartphone that might be first shown at the upcoming MWC is the Microsoft Lumia 1330 - what the Lumia 1320's successor is expected to be called. This large smartphone is expected to offer a 5.7-inch 720p display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC, 1GB RAM and 32GB of storage built-in. Its imaging ability will be pretty good with a 13MP PureView main camera paired with a 5MP front-facing camera.
Windows 10 on smartphones
While we are on the topic of Lumias there have been some updates about how the new OS will work on lower end models. We previously heard that all Lumias that run Windows Phone 8.1 right now would be able to upgrade to Windows 10. However it seems the full truth is a little bit more complicated than that.
It is no big secret that the bulk of Lumias sold are indeed the lower end models. With this in mind Microsoft is pushing hard to get Windows 10 to work within the 512MB RAM most of these phones have installed. As The Verge reports the best selling Lumia 520, Lumia 630, Lumia 625, and Lumia 530 all have 512MB of RAM.
Joe Belfiore Tweeted that Windows 10 features coming to the above mentioned smartphones "may vary".

Belfiore also let his Twitter followers know that "we're on track for Insider build coming 'in Feb' as Terry said at our 1/21 event. We need to complete internal testing 1st, hang in!" This initial test release will be available to a "subset of phones". Paul Thurrott reckons that the Preview release may come with a rollback feature to make it safer for users to test.
Are you looking forward to upgrading your Lumia to Windows 10?

Noticia:
http://hexus.net/mobile/news/windows...nce-2nd-march/

[Jorge-Vieira]

VirusTotal, Microsoft team on false-positive eradication

Microsoft and Google subsidiary VirusTotal have teamed forces on a project which it is claimed will help reduce the number of 'false positive' detections suffered by anti-virus users.

The majority of anti-virus packages on the market rely on a mixture of signature-based detection which looks for a particular string or hash within infected files and heuristic detection, the latter using rudimentary 'intelligence' to find viruses that have not yet had signatures created or that have been modified such to change their signatures. This combination does a pretty good job of picking out the nasties, but comes with a cost: the better the heuristic is at finding unknown viruses, the more likely it is to accidentally flag a valid file as suspicious - known as a 'false positive' detection.

False positives are at least as dangerous as false negatives, where a piece of malware is mistakenly given a clean bill of health by the anti-virus software: a false positive in a system file can lead a user to quarantine or even delete the file, resulting in a system that can no longer boot. That's no theory, either: Windows has found itself kneecapped in the past by packages including McAfee and AVG, while other packages have broken everything from World of Warcraft to iTunes.

Now, malware analysis specialist VirusTotal, acquired by Google in 2012, has teamed up with Microsoft to help anti-virus makers reduce false positives. 'VirusTotal is strongly committed to helping the antivirus and security industry, this is why we also wanted to collaborate on this front. Our first shot at this is a project that we call trusted source,' explained VirusTotal's Emiliano Martinez in the project's announcement. 'The goal of this first stage is to have huge software developers share the files in their software catalogue. These files are then marked accordingly at VirusTotal and whenever an antivirus solution (mistakenly) detects them, we notify the pertinent vendor, allowing them to quickly correct the false positive. Additionally, when files get distributed to antivirus vendors, they are tagged so that potential erroneous flags can be ignored, preventing a snowball effect with detection ratios.'

The figures are certainly impressive: its partnership with Microsoft has resulted in over 6,000 false positives being fixed in various anti-virus vendors' packages. With that success under its belts, VirusTotal has indicated it is looking for other very large software vendors to provide metadata on their valid software packages in order to expand the project's horizons.

Noticia:
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/bits/20...se-positives/1

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft still thinks the pen is mightier than the swipe

Buys Israeli company
Software giant Microsoft has written a cheque for the Israeli tech manufacturer N-trig which specialises in the development and production of digital pens and touchscreens.


It seems that while the rest of the world is going touch screen, Vole still sees legs in having tablets with pens. Microsoft wants to bring handwriting recognition into the 21st century, just as the kids of today have forgotten how to do it.
The deal is supposed to be worth a couple of hundred million dollars and means that a new R&D centre will be established that will investigate the possibilities of new touch technology in combination with digital stylus input.
N-trig hires 190 employees, 160 of which are based in Kfar Saba in the Sharon region of Israel. One hundred of these are actively engaged in research and development. The staff are thought to be headed for integration with Microsoft Israel.
Eyal Leibovitz, Vice-President of R&Dsaid that N-Trig had overcome some of the typical problems that had plagued stylus input in its earlier days.
Vole uses N-trig hardware in its Surface Pro 3 slab-top; N-trig's advances in touchscreen development allowed it to remove a superfluous layer from the original specs of the device's screen, reducing the weight of the device.

Noticia:
http://www.fudzilla.com/news/37018-m...than-the-swipe

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft responds to Turkey investigating violence in Minecraft

Minecraft is likely one of the last games you would expect to come under fire for violent content but that is exactly what has happened over in Turkey. The country’s Family and Policies Minister, Aysenur Islam, has launched an investigation in to the game under the impression that it promotes aggressive tendencies and even depicts violence against women.
The investigation could result in a nationwide ban of Minecraft. With Minecraft being a sandbox game, there is an element of combat in survival mode, in which you need to fight genderless creatures in order to survive (mostly at night) and gather materials. However, there are other game modes that remove combat entirely and purely focus on building.

Since this news broke, Microsoft has responded, defending the game: “Minecraft is enjoyed by many players in a wide variety of ways. Many enjoy the creative freedom that’s presented by Minecraft and its tools, some are more interested by the opportunity to explore a landscape without boundaries and to go on exciting adventures with friends.”
The statement goes on to say that the game actively encourages you to co-operate with others in order to succeed, whether that be through building, exploring or adventuring.
“The world of Minecraft can be a dangerous place: it’s inhabited by scary, genderless monsters that come out at night. It might be necessary to defend against them to survive.”
The company then sends out a reminder that if combat is an issue for you, then you can play in creative or peaceful mode and cut out the combat entirely.

Noticia:
http://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthe...-in-minecraft/

[Jorge-Vieira]

Minecraft creator comments on why selling Minecraft was the right choice

Markus ‘Notch’ Persson has commented on the criticism he faced following the sale of Minecraft studio, Mojang, to Microsoft for $2.5 billion, explaining why it was the best choice but also admitting that he does indeed feel like a bit of a sellout.
Speaking on Twitter, a fan jokingly asked if Notch felt like a sellout, to which he replied: “I kinda feel like I am, but I still feel like I made the right choice. I guess some things always come at a cost.”

Notch later added that ultimately being seen as a “one trick pony” was hard to deal with, as matching the success of Minecraft would have been impossible. Although he has since made his peace with the idea of Mojang just being ‘the Minecraft studio’.
Notch now owns the most expensive mansion in Beverly hills and makes games for fun once again, often not showing his small prototypes to anyone. He also noted that his love for programming has now returned: “The fun is back! Programming is annoying and frustrating, but SO MUCH FUN. Then when most prototypes are horribly unplayable, nobody judges me ”
In all, the short Twitter conversation was a nice little insight in to Persson’s mindset, sure some may consider him a sellout but he seems to be very happy with the decision.

Noticia:
http://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthe...-right-choice/



Bem lorpa era se não vendia por $2.5 Biliões...

[Winjer]

Ele não recebeu os 2.5 mil milhões todos, pois não era o único dono da empresa. Mas mesmo assim são muitos milhões.
Não há uma pessoa neste planeta que não tivesse feito o mesmo, na mesma situação.

[Jorge-Vieira]

Apple and Linux buggier than Windows

Buggier than a Sardinian cheese
Despite what you might get told by Apple and Linux fanboys, their operating systems are less secure and more buggy than anything which comes out of Redmond.

This surprising news comes from the National Vulnerability Database which is a US government repository of standards based vulnerability management data. It details security issues detected in different operating systems and software titles.
We say "surprising" as only the Tame Apple Press actually believes that Apple iOS is secure, although the Linux figure did surprise us.
In 2014, it is OS X that was found to be riddled with the greatest number of security problems -- 147 in total, including 64 rated as high severity, and 67 as medium. Also from the Apple stables, iOS did not fare all that much better: 127 vulnerabilities including 32 high and 72 with a medium rating.
Windows 8.1 had only 36 vulnerabilities, while its predecessors, Windows 8 and 7 both had the same number. For enterprise users, Windows Server 2007 and 2008 both have 38 vulnerabilities. Windows is reported as having no vulnerabilities of low severity; they cluster under the medium and high labels.
There was a huge increase in the number security vulnerabilities in the database. In 2013 the number stood at 4,794, but this shot up to 7,038 in 2014. A lower percentage are rated as high severity, but the number has still increased.

Noticia:
http://www.fudzilla.com/news/37082-a...r-than-windows

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft Is Giving A Few Lucky Windows Insiders Tickets To MWC In Barcelona

If you're looking to score some free tickets to the biggest mobile event of the year, and you also happen to be using the Windows 10 preview, Microsoft would like to help. Well, if you're lucky enough to be chosen from a huge pool of people, that is.
In one of the more unique giveaways Microsoft's held, all someone has to do to find out if they've won a free ticket to the upcoming Mobile World Congress is to load up the Insider Hub app that comes with the Windows 10 preview. Yup - that's it. As you can see in the shot below, I am unfortunately not one of the lucky ones.

It's not entirely clear exactly how Microsoft is distributing these tickets, but it could be based on raw activity, amount of feedback given, or perhaps more likely, based on known email addresses of developers.

Gabriel Aul @GabeAul Follow
We’re sending a few #WindowsInsiders a special notification. If you’re running Win 10 on PC, check Insider Hub app for a chance to win!
12:43 AM - 22 Feb 2015




Airfare and hotel accommodations don't seem to be included, but there are a number of perks that come with this ticket. For starters, winners will be invited to a special Windows Insiders dinner, as well as Microsoft's App Developer Conference.
Clearly, such an event would benefit actual developers more than regular folk, but if you're able to get to Barcelona and happen to be using Windows 10, you may want to check your Insider Hub and see if a golden ticket awaits.

Noticia:
http://hothardware.com/news/microsof...c-in-barcelona

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft's Vision Of The Future Includes Bendable Displays, Holograms And 3D Printers

Need a pick-me-up? Give Microsoft six minutes to show you its vision of the future. Bendable, paper-like displays, scuba masks with hologram technology, and some very cool 3D printing applications are just a few of the technologies that will get your creative juices flowing.

Most of the tech that appears in the Productivity Future Vision won’t be ready for primetime soon. Microsoft indicates that this is a look at what’s possible five to 10 years from now, based on technologies that are being worked on at present. Still, they’re worth checking out.

If Microsoft has its way, it looks like holograms will be a big part of work life. Holograms are featured prominently in the video, appearing on coffee tables, turning walls into high-tech workspaces, and putting people into offices far away, à la Star Wars: A New Hope.

One of the most interesting devices in the video is the bendable display. Marine biologist “Kat” brings the device to a café and places it on the table so that it looks like a magazine. We quickly see that both sides of the display are touch-sensitive and capable of displaying video. Kat is eventually hired by “Lola,” who uses a variety of tablets to locate Kat as her top choice and send a job offer, which Kat receives on a bracelet. With an earpiece and the bracelet in hand, she’s able to research the company a table-sized display.




These sorts of videos are meant to give Microsoft’s enterprise partners a taste of what’s possible and, of course, impress. If you have checked it out, the video is, at the very least, a fun watch.

Noticia:
http://hothardware.com/news/microsof...nd-3d-printers




O futuro, segundo a M$

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft might replace your doctor

You are suffering from a blue screen of death
Software giant Microsoft might be able to resolve a staff shortage in doctors and nurses with AI.

Silicon Valley-based Sense.ly is working to bring a human face to telemedicine using Redmond's Kinect-powered ‘nurse avatar.’ This can provide patient monitoring and follow-up care. Apparently it talks with patients in an incredibly lifelike manner. Probably because they have access to a patient’s records and asks appropriate questions related directly to the patient’s past history or present complaints.
The Kinect for Windows Team said the AI nurse had a pleasant, caring demeanor that puts patients at ease.
San Mateo Medical Center is one of several major hospitals recently added the Microsoft gear to its staff and found that value of such solutions in handling patients who suffer from long-term conditions that require frequent monitoring, such high blood pressure or diabetes”.
Patients did not have to wait in line to see a doctor or nurse.
The Kinect-based solution can be installed in a patient’s home or in a local clinic. Not to mention, some sick people may avoid monitoring their health due to long waits and inflexible office-hours;
Healthcare professionals will be able to focus on the truly sick, leaving the more trivial or routine things to the non-human.

Noticia:
http://www.fudzilla.com/news/37132-m...ce-your-doctor


A M$ vai ser o medico de todos nós no futuro... tenham muito medo

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft And Deutsche Telekom Announce Strategic Partnership

Today at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Deutsche Telekom and Microsoft Corp. announced a broad, strategic partnership to expand and market Microsoft Lumia smartphones and online services such as Office 365 and OneDrive across sales and marketing channels in all 12 European countries* that Deutsche Telekom is in presently. Through this partnership, both Deutsche Telekom and Microsoft aim to expand the Microsoft ecosystem to new consumer and business customers, enabling people to do and achieve more. The agreement includes a joint international marketing campaign spanning advertising, sales support and training, custom application development, and experiential activities, tailored by market.

Noticia:
http://www.hardocp.com/news/2015/03/...p#.VPc9yuFv7P4

[Jorge-Vieira]

It Only Took One Tweet for Microsoft to Buy Minecraft

Minecraft has been one of the most successful games this decade and by far the most impressive startup. The creator, Markus ‘Notch’ Persson, has now been honored for his accomplishments by a cover story in Forbes magazine. The article reveals a couple interesting things about Notch and among them, that it only took a single tweet from him for Microsoft to purchase his share of Mojang, the original company behind Minecraft.

Noticia completa:
http://www.eteknix.com/took-one-twee...buy-minecraft/



Interessante estes pormenores

[Jorge-Vieira]

Microsoft Sinks Legal Claws Into Kyocera Over Smartphone Patents

Microsoft is asking a federal judge in Seattle to issue an injunction against several of Kyocera's smartphones, claiming they infringe on seven of the company's patents. According to the lawsuit, the cellphone models belong to Kyocera's Duraforce, Hydro, and Brigadier lines, all of which are Android-based devices.

Though patent lawsuits can often be downright nasty, as we've seen several times over in various lawsuits filed between Samsung and Apple, it appears Microsoft is making an effort to keep things civil in its dispute with Kyocera.

image: http://hothardware.com/ContentImages...cera_Hydro.jpg

"We respect Kyocera but we believe they need to license the patented technology they are using. We're hopeful this case can be resolved amicably," Microsoft deputy general counsel David Howard said in a statement, according to Reuters.

The patent technologies in question have to do with location services and text messaging. Microsoft has previously claimed that Android infringes on some of its patents. Microsoft also has a licensing program available to smartphone makes who use Android, and several vendors have signed up, including Samsung, Hon Hai, HTC, LG, and ZTE.

Noticia:
http://hothardware.com/news/microsof...sJX5w4CeMy4.99