Microsoft Windows 10 Devices Event Preview

So the folks over at Windows Central have a countdown clock, and we have 7 hours 2 minutes and 27 seconds until Microsoft reveals its latest versions of Surfaces and Lumias in New York City. I’m glad Microsoft is doing the event on the East coast, but it’s really early in the morning.

I think most of us can already guess what Microsoft will show off in a few hours. There will be a new Surface Pro model, two new Lumias, and peripherals. The next iteration of Microsoft’s wearable, the Band, is also widely expected to be on hand.

Microsoft is expected to unveil the Lumia 950 and 950 XL. Both phones have flagship specs with the larger model supposedly coming with support for inking. Both models will be encased polycarbonate plastic and include wireless charging. Both Lumia models are also expected to be sold across carriers except for Verizon; however both 950/950XL work on both CDMA and other bands.

image: Microsoft

The Surface brand will be the star of the show with the possibility of multiple devices. Of course many expect to see an updated Pro model. The Surface Pro 4 is expected to be a modest revision with the biggest update being under the hood. The Pro 4 is rumored to be packing Intel’s new Skylake processor. There are also rumors of another Surface device that is at least 14 inches. One story reported by WinBeta is that it is a 12 inch Surface model which can switch the screen to be 13 inches like Intel’s North Cape concept. Another rumor posted by Paul Thurrott says this potential device is a 2-in-1 with a foldable keyboard making this Pro model Microsoft’s first laptop.

Early rumors indicated a new model Xbox would be announced but that was squashed by Xbox chief Phil Spencer. However many believe the Xbox Slim is still in the works. Microsoft is still rumored to show off the second iteration of Microsoft Band which should improve on the first model. Band 2 is rumored to be a more curved model to better fit the wrist and improved sensors.

I am hoping Microsoft may show off a Surface 4 model for those of us who like portability. Also new versions of the Surface Pen and TouchCover. However I think the biggest news will be around applications. Recent rumors have announced the possibility of Google finally creating apps for Windows 10.

If you want to watch the event it will be available online HERE.

Also know various tech sites will be doing liveblogs:

Windows Central

The Verge

Thurrott.com

#LoveWins

image: thefederalist.com

Today in 5-4 ruling the United States Supreme Court has ended the decades long issue of Gay marriage by legalizing it in all 50 states. The ruling follows a previous case that overturned the Defense of Marriage Act (DoMA which federally ruled marriage to between a man and woman) and the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy that prevented gay and lesbians openly serving in the US military. Today’s ruling eliminates the last 14 states that prohibited gay marriage or did not recognize such unions if done in other states.

The ruling’s decision was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy who was the deciding vote while the four dissenting Justices including Chief Justice John Roberts wrote individual dissents.

I am not surprised by the decision. I mean the Court had already made it legal by overturning DoMA which was a federal law. I am surprised that some thought Chief Justice Roberts wouldn’t dissent and be on the “right” side of history. It actually interesting in looking at what both he and Kennedy wrote as both the bookend to the issue of Gay marriage and the next chapter.

Kennedy writes of interracial marriage and the sanctity of marriage as an institution. He talks about the fact that denying marriage to gay and lesbian couples was a denial of personhood. It is an evocative piece that is an illustration of the Constitution as a living document; one that adapts.

Robert’s dissent is also interesting but in a different way. He isn’t dissenting because he is against gay marriage but against having to decide the case in the Courts. He writes about the precedent it sets that any law created by states can be overturned by simply going to court. As Roberts says the Court isn’t about making law and this case, Obergefell v. Hodges, should’ve been resolved in the Legislature and the States.

So what is my opinion?

I’m keeping that to myself. But I will make a prediction that some states will be looking hard at creating religious freedom laws similar to the ones in places like Arkansas and Ohio. I also expect cases to crop up over issues of whether its discrimination or religious observance when someone refuses to do a service for a gay couple.

So Love wins.

Windows 10’s Continuum for Phones Opens up new Hardware Possiblities

There has been so much news coming out of this year’s Build Conference that it’s hard to just recap daily events. Beyond HoloLens which is amazing is a number of initiatives and changes that are making Windows 10 this very intriguing platform to watch. In particular the future of the UI once known as Metro and Continuum.

Now this isn’t exactly breaking news, other sites have reported it, but during one of the sessions on Windows Live Tiles one of the slides listed Interactive Tiles as a feature being worked . While Live tiles allow you to see information without having to open an application you still have to open an app to do anything proactive. Interactive tiles function like Widgets which allow you to interact with info without leaving the Start Screen. Interactive tiles were introduced as a research project two years ago and it looks like they will be coming in Windows 10.

On the other side of things is Continuum. Continuum is a system that makes it easy for users of Windows to switch between the Desktop and Tablet environments. Basically it’s a tablet mode for Windows PCs and 2-in-1 devices. On Wednesday Microsoft introduced a version of Continuum for Windows Phones running 10. unlike the PC/Tablet PC version, Continuum for Phones turns smartphones into PCs. This means with a dock, wireless dongle, or USB cord your Windows phone can deliver a PC experience.

Now during a talk on how to implement Continuum for Phones members of the Continuum team briefly showed a slide that showed a device they described, “as not a PC but a device powered by a Phone.” The white laptop dock, which was also described as a detachable tablet PC, would work like a cross between Windows RT and a Chromebook. The team described it as one of a new class of devices that could be powered by Continuum for Phones. The idea of using a phone to power a laptop isn’t new; Motorola did it with the Atrix and Palm with the Foleo. Asus also markets the Padfone as tablet/phone device. The difference here is Microsoft is designing its software to work across screens and providing developers with the tools to do the same.

The fact that the developers showed off a picture of a device looks like Microsoft or one of its hardware partners is planning on showing us something cool.

The Bridge: Build 2015 Day One

Yesterday Microsoft kicked of its annual developer conference, Build, in San Francisco. With a packed audience the Day One keynote covered Microsoft’s cloud offerings, Office, and of course Windows.

Going into Wednesday’s event much was riding on what would be said by CEO Satya Nadella and various VP. While Windows 10 has been largely lauded Windows and the PC have seen declines in sales; along with the dismal fortunes of Windows Phones. So a lot was in play.

What followed in the two and half hour keynote was something that stated exactly what Microsoft is along with raising a few questions on where Windows is going.

Unlike pasts Builds the Day One event did not start off with Windows but Azure. In fact one of the interesting things about the keynote was it covered Azure, Office, and Windows with Windows going last. The Azure platform continues to grow and this year’s announcement’s by Server and Enterprise chief Scott Guthrie were about filling out the cloud story. On tap were improvements to Azure SQL Server, a new service for big data called Azure Data Lake, and Azure Data Warehouse. The big news for developers is a new product for Visual Studio called Visual Studio Code. Code is an code editing program that for the first time brings Visual Studio to OSX and Linux. It is also available on Windows. Code is currently in preview and free. Code along with Azure services continue to signal Microsoft’s commitment to cross platform. Next up was a brief run through of Office,

For a while now Office has been slowly moving from a pure application to a service; now its morphing into a platform. On the stage Wednesday, Nadella himself helped demo the ability to run add-ons like car service Uber within Outlook and Excel. Unlike the Micros of yesteryear, the new apps work across PC, Mac, and browsers. Along with the new initiative it was also announced that Skype will be launching an API for integrating into apps and the web.

Then came Windows.

Now between each segment Nadella would walk out and introduce the next speaker. With Windows OS chief Terry Myerson came out to give an overview and update on Windows 10. He reiterated that 10 will be a free upgrade in its first year out. He also added that Microsoft’s goal was to have Windows 10 on over a billion devices across three years (That’s ambitious). Myerson also unveiled four new ways to create applications on Windows: Web, .NET/Win32, JAVA/C++ (Android), and Objective C (iOS). The addition of Android apps was and is a controversial move and you could tell from the reaction of developers. iOS was a surprise. Both moves make it easier for developers to port applications to Windows.

With the opening out of the way he introduced Joe Belfiore and Alex Kipman to show demos. Belfiore who heads up design and UX walked through changes to Windows 10.

The big news around Windows 10 in Build (other than HoloLens) was Continuum for Phones. Unlike the version on the PC which let’s users switch between touch and keyboard the phone version allows you to turn a phone into a PC like device. Belfiore also showed off further finishes such as an transparency layer similar to Aero and a new look to the Start Menu when in tablet mode. Kipman caped off the demos with the first look at HoloLens’ finished product and another UI demo. Basically HoloLens is the future even its only 15 minutes. The HoloLens demo showed how you can pin Video and Skype to a wall (and make it go with you), place a 3d weather model on a table, and have the wildest anatomy class ever. HoloLens continues to rack up workplace scenarios that make it feel more like a tool than a plaything.

Satya Nadella came back on stage to close out the presentation and once again drove home that his Microsoft was about reaching its customers where they live; that means both on Windows and across other platforms. I will have more to say later as the conference moves on but for now onto Day 2.

images: Microsoft

Build 2015: The Last Stand

So it’s that time again, Microsoft’s Build conference. In a few minutes Microsoft will once again take the stage in San Francisco’s Moscone Center to talk about Windows and Azure. This time the Redmond gang will be talking Windows 10 and Windows across devices.

This year finds Microsoft in the now familiar position of underdog trying to sell developers on a platform many consider irrelevant, especially in mobile computing. Windows 8 wasn’t well received and Windows Phone has only made headway as budget phone option (barely). Microsoft’s own moves to push out services on other platforms has left users confused and concerned as to whether Microsoft still considers Windows valuable. And I will not even start on how people are reacting to changes in the UI/UX of Windows 10; let’s just say it is ugly.

So Build will be important because people want a definitive answer, let us hope Microsoft has the answers.

No Longer Here: Nokia considers selling Mapping Service

So it seems Nokia wants to sell off its HERE maps division; or at least seriously considering it. In reports coming out today from Bloomberg and Reuters, the Finnish mobile giant is in talks to sale HERE which is a mapping competitor to Google Maps. No reason is given (that I’ve read yet) for the sale but the articles indicate Nokia is looking to concentrate on its backend businesses Nokia Technologies and Nokia Networks. Nokia made a few waves with sort of backdoor reentry into mobile with the N1 tablet, but that was part of a licensing deal with Foxconn. The HERE sell would further remove Nokia from the consumer mobile market.

Now as of this writing this potential deal is a rumor; it could fall through. But the sale has interesting ramifications for a number of companies.

Here Maps was a division created from Nokia’s mapping service and Navteq which Nokia purchased in 2008 for $8.1 billion. It is one the few mapping companies that can compete against Google in terms of services like street side views and indoor mapping. The division was almost snapped up when Microsoft bought Nokia’s hardware division last year. That deal fell through according to reports due to Nokia wanting more than Microsoft thought it was worth.

Right now potential buyers seem to include a lot of private equity firms who may maintain the business as is but more than likely cut it up and keep the patents. HERE’s business provides backend mapping data to a number of companies including Microsoft, Amazon, and YAHOO any of whom is a potential buyer. HERE also sells services to manufacturing and automotive companies for in car units and amongst those Uber (the ride sharing company) has come up as a potential suitor. Personally I would add Apple as a credible buyer due to its wanting to reduce its reliance on Google for essential services; also it has the most in the bank to close this deal.

Where ever HERE ends up the future of the company will be up for grabs. Companies like Apple or Amazon will most likely purchase them to enhance their own services and end any cross platform play. An equity firm will most likely push HERE to be service company focused on manufacturing and being the map your car uses. YAHOO could sweep in but I don’t think they have the cash but you never know. Then there could be a surprise like Google snapping HERE up but in my opinion they would do it so no one else could. Lastly Microsoft could finish what they started when they bought the Nokia hardware unit. Bing uses HERE’s map data and they wanted the unit before. But Microsoft may be a little gun shy given past history and Nokia wanting to get as close to what they bought it for in 2008. And even with all this speculation Nokia could decide not to sell. They want to recoup some of that original buying price when they bought Navteq (right now HERE is worth $2.1 billion). If they don’t see a number they like they could decide it’s just cheaper to keep her.

All in all it is surprising news from the Espoo tech company which has been quiet until now.

image: SuperNerds.it

Spartan Days

This week the minds in Redmond have decided to add to the flood of information that has been steady this month.

So after Mobile World Congress, GDC, and a renewed WinHEC the Internet Explorer team decided they needed to do something too.

Yesterday the IE team held a Developer Workshop at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley campus on Spartan for select developers, enterprises, and web tool makers. Like similar Windows 10 events the workshop provided an early look at Project Spartan. The event was a surprise and not live streamed so news trickled out through the usual Twitter stream.

The developer workshop coincided with news that Adobe was contributing to Spartan. Adobe is contributing assets in CSS gradients and an upcoming CSS image specification from the W3C (the web standards body). Adobe is part of a larger initiative to include more web developers and tool makers in constructing Spartan; it may even foreshadow Project Spartan being open sourced.

Another bit of information disclosed by Spartan’s project manager Kyle Pflug was a shifting policy on Spartan and IE.

With Windows 10 Microsoft will deliver two browsers, IE11 and Project Spartan. Originally both browsers would run a combination of Spartan Edge engine and IE’s Trident engine with the later only used when accessing legacy sites (sites built using old web technologies). The goal was to make the transition easier on businesses and users who needed legacy support but the matter muddied the waters.

That is until now.

Now Microsoft is drawing a line between Internet Explorer and Spartan. Starting now Spartan will run the Edge engine and IE11 will run unchanged to maintain commonality across Windows 7, 8.1, and 10. According to Pflug the reason for the separation was user and developer confusion and the need to make a truly forward facing browser.

The move simplifies the issue but it’s risky. Pulling out the legacy support from Spartan makes it easier for companies to hang onto IE (and older version of Windows). But the move also signifies that Spartan will be the future Microsoft browser going forward

WinHEC 2015

This week Microsoft re-launched it’s hardware conference, WinHEC (Windows Hardware Engineering Community), in Shenzhen China. WinHEC is aimed at PC and Phone makers along with companies working on software and drivers.

In the past WinHEC was a showcase for hardware collaborations between Microsoft and its partners and new initiatives that the software company wanted to push. WinHEC’s return comes as Microsoft prepares to launch Windows 10 across phones, tablets, and PCs and the company needs to get makers on board. Microsoft finds itself having to hustle in mobile and recalibrate in the PC market.

The choice of Shenzen is appropriate as its one of the key manufacturing hubs for almost all the tech we purchase. This conference will be one of four held across Asia aimed at getting companies on board for Windows 10. So what was shown at this WinHEC? Well here are the biggest stories.

New Hardware

At the opening session Windows chief Terry Myerson announced that Lenovo would be launching a series of Windows 10 phones later in the year. The phones will be sold in China as is most of Lenovo’s branded phones. The bigger news (which was tempered) was a pilot program between Microsoft and the hot Android maker of the Xiaomi. The two companies are working on porting a ROM of Windows 10 to Xiaomi’s Mi4 phone. Xiaomi’s VP Hugo Barra called the announcement an experiment between Microsoft and the Mi community. According to sources if this becomes popular Microsoft may offer this option to others. Either way running Windows on an up and comer like Xiaomi is a big deal.

Save the Date

So we now know when Windows 10 will launch; sometime this summer. Myerson revealed that summer is the end goal for the release. Windows 10 will launch in 190 countries and in 111 languages. The only question will be can Microsoft achieve delivering the new OS in time. Right now the company is in the middle of testing Windows 10 across phones and PCs taking user feedback and one has to ask if doing this will delay release.

The Percision TouchPad

With Windows 8 Microsoft introduced native support for multitouch not just for screens but also for touchpads. A few companies got on board like HP to integrate it. The Percision touchpad was introduced with Windows 8.1 and added additional support. With Windows 10 Microsoft is going all in on making touchpads work like Apple’s with more options and gestures.

USB-C

There was a number of sessions on support for USB-C, the successor for current USB technologies. USB-C is faster than current USB technologies and also easy to plug in. USB-C has been in the news lately because it will be on the new adjectiveless MacBook and the refreshed Chromebook Pixel. USB-C is part of new docking initiatives that include Intel’s WiGig (a form of wireless docking).

Log On with your FACE

Last week, before WinHEC, Microsoft announced Windows Hello. Hello is a new way to login into Windows using facial recognition and (I think) fingerprint. Microsoft also announced Windows Passport which allows programs to use Hello as way to securely sign into websites and apps.

There was plenty more announced but for now these are the big headlines.

Aluminium, Gold, and Steel: The Apple Watch Revealed

So Apple revealed the Apple Watch, again, yesterday along with a price drop for the Apple TV and a new MacBook.

The Apple TV (Briefly)

I’m not going to go through the Apple TV news except to say it’s price has dropped down to $69 from it previous $99 price tag. Apple TV is also getting HBO Now, HBO’s new steaming service not tied to cable that will run you 15 dollars a month. No new hardware or services. And that was Apple TV.

MacBook, Slim and Plain

The most interesting device to come out of yesterday’s announcement in my opinion (and seemingly others) wasn’t the watch; it was laptop. The MacBook (just MacBook) is Apple’s first fan less laptop. Apple’s says it’s a reinvention of the notebook; with a 12 inch Retina screen powered by a Intel Core M processor and littered with batteries. The new Mac is thin, thinner than the Air and weighing 2 pounds.

The keyboard is a new design that goes edge to edge on the device and is almost like the Microsoft Type Keyboard or the Dell XPS 11’s.The MacBook also comes with a new Force TouchPad that includes a form of haptic feedback and the ability to do a force click which brings out things like definitions and maps.  The MacBook comes in three colors similar to the iPad: Gray, Silver, and Gold. The big news about the device is it has one port, and that port is the not widely available USB-C. The new Mac is like a better designed version of 1st MacBook Air (that had more ports). The new MacBook will run you $1299 before tax. Personally I can’t wait for the PC clone of this thing.

And now the not iWatch

And this is part of where the wheels go off. Let me preface this by saying I was an Apple user and I like Apple products. Many of the company’s products are lust-worthy (see new MacBook). Having said that I don’t get the Apple Watch. Apple left the Watch to the end and added two products that shouldn’t have been there to I guess pad the affair out. What we got was one celebrity endorsement in the form of model/activist Christy Turlington-Burns (who’ll be blogging about her experiences) and a demo session by Apple VP Kevin Lynch that was sort of awkward. It was interesting that the watch section of the program was the part Apple CEO Tim Cook had the most stage time.

He tried very hard to make the case for the Apple watch and at best it seems its to provide glancible information without pulling out your phone. The Apple watch will come in three models: Sport, Steel, and Edition (Gold). The Sport is the cheapest starting at $349 and the gold Apple Watch Edition will run $10,000 on the low. Looking at the videos showing the process of making the watches its clear they were well designed; truly lovely pieces of wearable tech. The problem for me is the Apple Watch is more jewelry than tech. Beyond this being an Apple branded device I see no point why you’d buy it. It’s use cases are limited and niche. Like someone else said this will be bought so one can say, “I bought an Apple Watch”.

Maybe its me but the presentation left me feeling what I’ve long suspected; Apple is the Nike of technology.

images: Apple

Spring Foward…for the Apple Watch

Tomorrow Apple is expected to announce its apple Watch to the world. This is largely due to the invitation to the announcement said “Spring Forward”. Recently there was also a rumor that the presentation may include a new MacBook Air with a Retina Screen (perhaps even the MacBook Air 12 since we’re speculating).

What is there to say? This is the apple Watch; the rumored device that made a number of device makers jump into making jewelry. It was announced and now it is finally here for us to covet. Out of all the gadgets dubbed the next big thing by pundits and enthusiasts, smart watches never made sense. I get the nerd-love, it’s a new technical toy to play with when the smartphone no longer tickles the fancy. Fitness monitors like FitBit, the Nike Band, and the Microsoft Band provide health information (and this is to me the big potential benefit of these digital rubber bands). However other than a niche use smart watches seem to be nerd jewelry. But hey, this is Apple the company that can do no wrong and it’s watch will sell like and it will disrupt everything again and we will all covet the timepiece whenever it goes on sale.

If you want to watch live (this requires you have an Apple device) go HERE.

image: Hardwarezone.com