Scribbled notes listening in to Microsoft build event today -
Windows Phone 8.1 -
1 Microsoft announces Cortana on latest Windows Phone 8.1  build - which is similar to Siri/Google now :)
2 Microsoft announces Visual Studio update that allows developers to build apps - both consumer and enterprise across devices- PC's, Windows Phone,  Xbox One… (love this!) You can publish these apps in Windows Store, sell them  and make money :)  Customers can buy once and use an app anywhere (Windows and Windows Phone). This also extends to in-app purchases: if you buy something on your phone, you’ll get the same access on your PC.
3 Launch of Enterprise mobility suite (EMS) - that allows more security - encrypted emails, VPN and others
4 Push for Skype integration for video calls
5 Workflow keyboard - swipe keys … doesn’t this come from Samsung? :)
6 IE 11 update on Windows Phone - with in private browsing and reading mode
7 Bits should be available for developers … @ Microsoft
8 Roll out of Win Phone 8.1 coming to consumers in next few months (date not announced)
9 Windows free for sub-9" devices on phone…  is this strategy more for early adoption and Windows market share? How do they plan to monetize - by selling apps?

New features for Windows 8.1 update (and oh! Microsoft already planning Windows 9 next summer 2015) - 1 Brings Start menu back (is this considered a feature.. .?  You take it away and then bring it back :))
2 Windows feature - that allows Metro apps to appear as distinct windows in desktop mode
3 Release update - Win 8.1 update roll out available - starting Apr 8th
Interesting and encouraging moves, hopefully makes everyone's life better...

Cheers -DJ

 

Open Innovation share

This is deck shared around Open innovation and thoughts actually from the book "Ten Types of innovation"....
http://www.slideshare.net/openinnovation/10-types-of-innovation

- D

Accenture Interactive with Fjord and Technology trends 2014...

Fjord and Accenture come together to define major trends that we believe will transform what we do, our clients’ business, and ultimately, the way we live.

Fjord comes together to brainstorm the key trends in service design, and this year our new colleagues at Accenture Interactive also joined us. The result is our combined thoughts on what to expect in the year to come.

Read more around Accenture Technology Vision here -
http://www.accenture.com/Microsites/it-technology-trends-2014/Pages/home.aspx

Read full report here - http://www.accenture.com/microsites/it-technology-trends-2014/Pages/tech-vision-report.aspx

Cheers - DJ
 

Unified “one Microsoft” culture... for 100 years

Unified “one Microsoft” culture.... interview with Satya Nadella, the new chief executive of Microsoft, was conducted and condensed by NYTimes... http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/21/business/satya-nadella-chief-of-microsoft-on-his-new-role.html?ref=business&_r=0 

What are top 5 things that successful people do on consistent basis?

What are top 5 things that successful people do on consistent basis?

Time management - They manage their time effectively such that they always have time to do right things at right time and meet/connect with right people! They don't believe in Inbox Zero :)

Work-life balance  - They would work hard, play harder… will thrive to effectively balance their workload and family pri's!

 

Socialize - This is controversial as few people are introverts and great leads. However, personally have found that successful people can easily connect/talk with anyone and make friends...

External hobbies/Interest - Some like to reflect over time and meditate to seek inner growth  Helps them be balanced at work and in their personal life. Others, tend  to be a outdoor person with heavy focus on sports and other outdoor activities. Whatever method one applies, strongly believe doing something outside our day to day activities/routine helps boost your productivity.

 

Respect and value for an individual - Successful people have usually gone through different phases of life and they understand well the value of life and respect for an individual and their time.

 

Sure, there are more to add to this list...

Gigastone SmartBox Now Available at U.S. Retailers Nationwide

Gigastone, a leading Taiwan-based technology innovator, announces the availability of the SmartBox at U.S. retailers nationwide. The patented SmartBox is three devices in one -- a wireless card reader, portable content streamer, and backup battery charger. With a free mobile app for Apple and Android, up to six users can wirelessly stream content to their tablet or smartphone, without an Internet connection.

Pricing & Availability:The Gigastone SmartBox is currently at Fry's, B&H, BestBuy.com and Amazon.com starting at $39.99. It includes a microSD adapter and USB cable for charging.

 

Watch Apple's livestream to today's ipad event - here's how to watch

Apple to Livestream Today's iPad Event here - http://www.apple.com/apple-events/october-2013/

Watch streaming video from this special event and learn more about our exciting announcements.

Live Streaming video requires Safari 4 or later on OS X v10.6 or later; Safari on iOS 4.2 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 5.0.2 or later.

 

Just SAFARI... fair play? If competitors in Seattle do something like this.... then there is huge noise :) Anyways you can watch this event only from Apple ecosystem and not Windows PC!!

More innovation is expected this time around, here you go (lighter side:))... various color options iPad, few pounds lighter, new lightning charger that makes old one and other third party devices you invested in obsolete, 3D/4D maps, Keyboard/keypad this time around to be little productive, voice recognition software - Siri who is trying to get better, higher screen resolution, higher MP camera, video burst shooting, security software/biometrics and more applications (actually meant games :))! Cost ...slightly higher of course we deserve more margins but don't worry we also have mini! :) Let's stay tuned and see how many are correct :)

Stream events (fun moments) -

LaserLock announces updated version of VerifyMe for identity verification...

LaserLock announces updated version of VerifyMe for identity verification...

LaserLock provider of identity verification and product and brand authentication, company that authenticates products and people, today announced a new version of VerifyMe.

VerifyMe™ is a free app for iPhone, iPad and iPod that allows users to store their passwords locally and access password protected websites with a unique identifier based on a swipe pattern and color choice chosen by the user. VerifyMe™ is available for free on iPhone, iPad and iPod now in the Apple Store at http://applestore.com/verifymesso.

-D

Microsoft officially releases Visual Studio 2013

Microsoft officially releases Visual Studio 2013 and is available now for download (link below):

Personally still haven't installed it myself but planning soon. Here are few highlights as read on MSDN forums and blogs on the new VS 2013 released:

•	New project template for Office 365 Cloud Business App - to enable developers to quickly build modern business applications that can integrate with and extend the Office 365 platform experience. The Cloud Business App template provides a rich set of tools and built-in functionality that make it easy to work with data and leverage Office 365 services such as identity and social.   New MVC 5 web application template and SharePointContext for SharePoint apps - MVC web application template for app for SharePoint has been introduced since Office Developer Tools for Visual Studio 2013 Preview. In this Visual Studio 2013 RTM release, the MVC web application template in app for SharePoint has been updated based on the latest one for MVC 5.   SharePointContext is a set of classes (in SharePointContext.cs/SharePointContext.vb) that provides a set of APIs to relieve you from the tedious steps of dealing with communication between SharePoint and web application. Need to decide whether your app be authenticated with Windows Azure Control Services or a certificate (high-trust)? SharePointContext makes it possible for you to use the same snippet of code no matter which way you go. Need efficient but safe strategy to cache the access tokens? APIs in SharePointContext provide a good pattern and the default implementation for you. Which APIs can you use for hosting web and which ones for app web? API naming convention carefully designed in SharePointContext gives you an explicit view what you can use in which case. You can also easily extend the SharePointContext helper by subclassing to provide more advanced features to fulfill your scenarios. Apart from the Visual Studio 2013 in-box release, the new SharePointContext helper is also included in App for SharePoint Web Toolkit - NuGet package, which means you can install the package and leverage the helper APIs in any VS 2013 or VS 2012 project that you want to communicate with SharePoint. For the app for SharePoint projects that you’ve created with VS 2013 Preview, you can simply upgrade the SharePointContext helper to the latest by updating the App for SharePoint Web Toolkit NuGet package (which is installed in the web project when you created the app for SharePoint).
•	Support for Windows 8.1 app development: Visual Studio 2013 provides the ideal toolset for building modern applications that leverage the next wave in Windows platform innovation (Windows 8.1), while supporting devices and services across all Microsoft platforms. Support for Windows Store app development in Windows 8.1 includes updates to the tools, controls and templates, new Coded UI test support for XAML apps, UI Responsiveness Analyzer and Energy Consumption profiler for XAML & HTML apps, enhanced memory profiling tools for HTML apps, and improved integration with the Windows Store.
•	Web development advances: Creating websites or services on the Microsoft platform provides you with many options, including ASP.NET WebForms, ASP.NET MVC, WCF or Web API services, and more. Previously, working with each of these approaches meant working with separate project types and tooling isolated to that project’s capabilities. The One ASP.NET vision unifies your web project experience in Visual Studio 2013 so that you can create ASP.NET web applications using your preference of ASP.NET component frameworks in a single project. Now you can mix and match the right tools for the job within your web projects, giving you increased flexibility and productivity.

You can download Visual Studio 2013 here - http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=306566 

Thanks - Dipesh

Seed funding... Microsoft Ventures

Found this interesting and thought to share - If you are looking to buy a house, this is the wrong place :) but if you are intending to fund your startup probably Microsoft ventures program that was launched recently would be of interest.

"Microsoft Ventures is a strategic partner for promising startups around the world focused on business growth & customer development, industrial strength technology and beautiful usable products. We’re especially keen to partner with proven young B2B startups looking to leverage our global routes to market. "

Buzz Table, Buddy and KitchenBug are few of the initiatives funded...

More here... https://www.microsoftventures.com/

Cheers- D