Posts

If you are unfamiliar with Databricks, it is an analytics service based on Apache Spark. It aims to simplify data information by streamlining workflows and allowing one-click setup. “Azure Databricks is designed in collaboration with Databricks whose founders started the Spark research project at UC Berkeley, which later became Apache Spark,” explains Rohan Kumar, corporate vice president, Azure Data said earlier this year. “Our goal with Azure Databricks is to help customers accelerate innovation and simplify the process of building Big Data & AI solutions by combining the best of Databricks and Azure....

Events are the building blocks of most modern applications. Event-based programming has become the most popular method of creation for developers. Events within an app include uploading a photo, responding to user clicks, updating a database, etc.) Microsoft says it created Azure Event Grid to give developers smoother tools for event-programming. Serverless platfroms like Azure Functions and Logic Apps have become important tools for event-based developers. Event Grid makes event-based and serverless apps easier to create and functions as an extension of Azure....

This is a bundle package that includes an Xbox One S console with 1TB of storage and a controller. The hardware is all decked in purple. In terms of games, what are Microsoft offering considering Fortnite is free (Battle Royal, at least)? Well, Redmond is giving access to an exclusive Dark Vertex Cosmetic Suit that is only available with this bundle. Of course, Fortnite is as much about collecting items as it is gameplay, so this may appeal to many gamers....

“Starting today, Microsoft Defender ATP customers who have turned on preview features can access Microsoft Defender ATP for Mac via the onboarding section in Microsoft Defender Security Center,” Microsoft says in an announcement. Windows Defender ATP was launched in 2016 and is aimed at enterprise customers on Windows 10. The service provides an early barrier against cyberattacks, detecting and dealing with incoming threats on enterprise networks. On Mac devices, Defender ATP features UI that is based on the Windows 10 version....

“We’re very excited about Crackdown 3, and so are many fans, and so it’s a difficult call to move the release date,” she said in an email interview. “However, we want to make sure to deliver the right game, with the right quality, and at the right time. Crackdown 3 is a hugely ambitious game and we want to ensure we deliver the right experiences all the way through every part of the game, whether that’s campaign, co-op multiplayer or our competitive multiplayer mode, Wrecking Zone....

Obtained by The Verge, the document discussed the pocket-sized Surface device. From various other pointers, we know Andromeda is a hinged device with two screens. Like a mini-laptop but the size of smartphone. We have written before about the possibilities for Andromeda. The device is rumoured to be as powerful as a full laptop, but ultra-portable. Perhaps the biggest what if is in regard to its mobile capabilities. Will Andromeda be a smartphone, the almost mythical Surface Phone?...

Available in Microsoft Edge 105, the new feature is known as Windows Controls Overlay. This is an API tool for Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) that Microsoft has been planning for around two years. Microsoft has put plenty of R&D into trying to make PWAs feel more like a native experience. The company’s results rely on changing the UX of the apps instead of focusing on performance. So, a PWA will have a title bar of an app that matches the OS default instead of its own title bar....

Power users will be familiar with slowdown if they are running multiple open browser tabs on a system that does not have much RAM. Microsoft Edge could ease the resource burden with Sleeping Tabs. This interesting new feature will allow Edge to automatically make background tabs idle and consume less power. Microsoft is currently testing the new tool on the Canary testing channel (build 87.0.643.0) on Windows and Mac. As you may know, the Canary channel is the first and most unstable Edge testing ground....

Anyway, it turns out Microsoft Edge has won an Emmy. That’s because the awards body also recognizes select tech support within the TV and film industries. “The Technology & Engineering Emmy Award was the first Emmy Award issued in 1949 and it laid the groundwork for all the other Emmys to come,” said Adam Sharp, President & CEO, NATAS. “Weare especiallyexcitedtobehonoring these prestigious companies and presenting our gala again at the NAB Show where the intersection of innovation, technology and excitement in the future of television can be found....

1 Keeping Partners in the Loop2 Improving Virtualization on iPad This week, Microsoft has expanded on the abilities of Windows Virtual Desktop. The company also seems to have fulfilled a promise to keep virtualization partners relevant despite WVD. Furthermore, Microsoft has also promised some virtualization improvements on Apple’s iPad. One of the obvious concerns about WVD was that it would make Microsoft’s virtualization partners redundant. Citrix is one of those major collaborators and at its Citrix Summit this week, the company teamed with Microsoft to discuss details of WVD and mergence with other virtualization tools....

According to Business Insider, the company has informed employees already working at home that they will continue to do so until October. It is worth noting some Microsoft employees continue to go to work, but most are not working at home. Also, the extension also only includes employees in the United States, where 85,000 of Microsoft’s 144,000 global workforce are located. On Monday, the company circulated an internal notice telling staff they can remain at home even when the government lifts stay-at-home orders....

Until now, developers creating Azure Mobile Apps have only been able to download a client from the Quickstart blade. With the new ability, users can instead find all the projects in repository form on GitHub. It is worth noting that the previous method is still available to developers who prefer that path. Thanks to the new availability, developers can fork a repository and start building apps without accessing the Quickstart blade....

“npm is a critical part of the JavaScript world. The work of the npm team over the last 10 years, and the contributions of hundreds of thousands of open source developers and maintainers, have made npm home to over 1.3 million packages with 75 billion downloads a month,” he said. “Together, they’ve helped JavaScript become the largest developer ecosystem in the world. We at GitHub are honored to be part of the next chapter of npm’s story and to help npm continue to scale to meet the needs of the fast-growing JavaScript community....

Windows 10 version 1803 is known as the April 2018 Update. Microsoft confirmed last month this Windows build will reach end of service on November 12, 2019. It makes sense for the company to be going full steam ahead with its roll out of Windows 10 May 2019 Update to older builds. On its @WindowsUpdate Twitter account, Microsoft said it using machine learning to deliver Windows updates to Windows 10 version 1803....

The company has announced bandwidth improvements, as well as innovative new video encoding and decoding techniques. It’s also installing new server blades with the power of multiple Xbox’s, combining their components. It seems Microsoft Research is also part of that equation, getting a mention in Microsoft’a blog post about the matter. Teams are working to combat latency, but also test xCloud on upcoming advances like 5G and the current 4G....

This is an interesting and surprising update because Microsoft delayed its monthly patches. Instead of rolling out Patch Tuesday as normal, the company postponed it. In a statement, Microsoft claimed it needed to fix a last-minute problem. There will be no Patch Tuesday this month, with the next roll out delayed until March 14. If the company felt the need to break that delay to fix the Flash Player, then it must have been a serious problem....

One of the most significant additions builds on the gesture system Microsoft has been slowly patching in. Users can now swipe up on folder or app icons to open or click to launch. It’s joined by further customization options in the last row of the expanded dock, which not has a variety of choices. You can add apps, folders, pinned contacts, search bar or widgets to suit your needs. Microsoft is also refining its UI, adding a blur option, animation adjustments, and app badges in the drawer....

By leveraging the SDK, developers can integrate Microsoft’s blockchain technology with third-party SaaS. The company says it created Azure Blockchain Development Kit as another part of its serverless technology. The idea of the SDK is to provide an extension of the Azure Blockchain Workbench. Developers can use this service to set up, deploy, and manage a consortium network. Among the integrations in the SDK are off-chain identity, Azure services, and monitoring, messaging, and data APIs....

As the name suggests, Learn Chinese offers tools to help people learn how to speak Chinese languages. Microsoft has compared the application to a teacher’s assistant. In other words, the company does not see this as a replacement for a human language teacher. However, Learn Chinese is available 24/7 and can be focused on one student… the user. Whenever a person uses the app and speaks, Learn Chinese provides feedback....

According to the official blog post: All the new changes in Microsoft Office 2019 are a subset of features that are already available on Office 365. Office 2019 is a one-time release and won’t receive future feature updates apart from regular security and stability. However, we’ll continue to add new features to Office 365 ProPlus monthly, including innovations in collaboration, artificial intelligence (AI), security, and more. What’s new in Office 2019?...