Not for the first time in its 40-year of corporate history, Microsoft Corporation finds itself at a crossroads. The Redmond-based software giant, once synonymous with the very word “monopoly”, is becoming increasingly sidelined by a post-personal computer (PC) world gone mobile whizzing past to leave the $340.8-billion company of Bill Gates and Paul Allen in a bit of a tail-spin.Microsoft is still one of the most-valued brands in the world and its software is still on 90 per cent of the computers on the planet. But then, as the company’s Indian-born chief executive officer, Satya Nadella, admitted, Microsoft has made the mistake of thinking everything revolved around the PC, and that was just not true any longer. Nadella took over the charge in February 2014, what everyone said was the thoroughly unenviable job of steering Microsoft away from looming irrelevancy after an era under Steve Ballmer — the former CEO. By then, it was obvious that Windows 8 was an unloved schizophrenic mess of an operating system (OS) that no one wanted to operate, and Microsoft’s mobile business, with Nokia like a millstone around the neck, was sinking into quicksand. Nadella immediately began speaking a different language and of the need for a complete culture change at Microsoft. Over the past year, many from the old guard began to exit — and are still doing so even today. That includes Stephen Elop, responsible for Microsoft Devices and the Nokia acquisition and recent write-off resulting in the loss of about 7,800 jobs.Power PlayAn unfazed Nadella gripped the whole mess by the throat and set off on a different course, armed with a new strategy: one that means the company and its customers must recognise that computing is going to be everywhere in a ‘mobile-first, cloud-first’ world. “When we talk about mobile-first, we’re talking about the mobility of the experience,” he said in his keynote address at the company’s Worldwide Partner Conference. “As we look out, the computing that we’re going to interface with, at home and at work, is going to be ubiquitous. We’re going to have sensors that recognise us, we’re going to have computers that we wear on us, computers that we touch, computers that we talk to, computers that we interact with as holograms. There’s going to be computing everywhere. And what we need across all these computers is out experiences, out applications, our data, and what enables that is, in fact, the cloud…” “We Have No Plans To Charge Consumers A Subscription For Windows 10”Vineet Durani, Director, Windows Business Group, Microsoft IndiaAnd that’s the backdrop against which Windows 10 was launched. It’s already installed on 50 million computers, the fact that the upgrade is free, no doubt spurring users to go ahead and download the new operating system. There’s some confusion over what happens after a year of the free upgrade is up. “We have no plans to charge consumers a subscription for Windows 10,” says Vineet Durani, director, Windows Business Group, Microsoft India. “A free upgrade to Windows 10 will be available to qualified new and existing genuine Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 devices. We want an engaged customer base on the latest version of Windows 10 and we will continue to keep it up to date for the supported lifetime of the device, keeping it more secure, and introducing new features and functionality over time — at no cost.”Search Gets WiderThe upgrade must be done within the first year for this however and Microsoft has been criticised about their messaging regarding this point. There are still dozens of unanswered questions on different upgrade scenarios.To be sure, this is the first time Microsoft is offering its OS free, where once it was expensive enough to spark off a whole industry of piracy. That doesn’t mean everything is free, however. Users are beginning to discover, for example, that they have to pay a monthly fee for Solitaire. Windows Media Center has now disappeared but at a cost, one can buy a DVD playing add-on, which everyone is pointing out is both unfair and unnecessary.But by and large, those who have upgraded to Windows 10 give it a thumbs-up. The first thing anyone will tell you when you ask them how they like the re-imagined OS is: “The Start button is back.” You wouldn’t think a little interface feature like a menu button would be so critical to users, but it is. The Start button is now beautifully arranged and can be popped up from the lower left corner, just where users before Windows 8 expect to see it. It’s eminently customisable.In one section, you have most-frequently used applications. This looks like a mini-version of the tiled desktop from Windows 8. You can pin apps and move live tiles around on it and resize it. In another, you have the whole list. It’s an elegant implementation and one that looks both modernised and familiar against the desktop style users have always known.Built into the Start menu is also one of Windows 10 most interesting features, Cortana — a chatty voice assistant. An answer to Apple’s Siri and Google Now, Cortana will give you the same kind of information they do, like the weather, sports scores, etc. But Cortana is meant to be most useful when you move across devices, which is when she can help you retrieve information she knows from one system into another. The more you use Cortana and allow her to know more information about you, the more useful you will find her over time. Cortana is the one feature that really does most to bridge the gap between personal and work information. “Microsoft has made the mistake of thinking everything revolved around the PC, and that was just not true any longer”Satya Nadella, CEO, MicrosoftOf course, whether people will use Cortana at workplaces or in public is difficult to say. “It’s cool but sorry, I can’t talk out loud to my laptop at work,” says Mala Sarkar, a young HR professional. “I’m sure my colleagues would look at me strangely and if we all start talking to our computers, it would just be chaotic.” While voice assistants are getting more powerful and contextual, it remains difficult to use them outside private spaces, at least in India. All the same, Cortana would make Microsoft’s Continuum concept work smoother, as a user is assisted to take up where he left off on one device to another. Continuum refers to the way Windows 10 will format itself to fit on different devices going from a PC-friendly mode to a tablet-friendly one and, after a few months, a phone-friendly one as well.Filling GapsWindows 10 actually has new features baked right into every aspect and it also includes a new browser, Edge, which kicks the bug-ridden Internet Explorer out of the way.There are many other bold moves Microsoft is making to catch up with the rest of the mobile world. The company has all but stopped trying to run down Android and Apple products and is instead making apps — free at that — for these platforms. And Android apps will be able to run on Windows-based phones, when they get their act together.Will Windows 10 and Microsoft’s new open strategies mark a turnaround for the company? Especially with the enterprise where Microsoft will make its revenues, selling various services around Windows and Office 365. “Corporates will need to be dragged kicking and screaming away from Windows XP,” says Prasanto Roy, writer and speaker on technology and head of media at Trivone. “They’ve just about begun to figure out Windows 7 and how to get their IT departments trained on support. So the thing is corporates never see any real advantage to upgrading.Consumers may be happy with new features and so on, but in an organisation where you have people doing specific work with dedicated software, there’s little point to a snazzier and cloud-first OS,” he adds. “In fact, if they were to get PCs with a newer Windows, it will be difficult to stop them from downgrading.”Migrating, for enterprises, is more than just downloading a new OS on to PCs. “Windows 10 will not have any disruptive impact on the market,” says Vishal Tripathi, IT analyst with Gartner. “There is no denying that with Windows 10, there is definitely a value-addition in terms of security and some licensing benefits. But enterprises will adopt a wait-and-watch strategy unless they have a compelling business reason to migrate.”Farooq Kwaoosa, lead analyst at CyberMedia Research, feels that one doesn’t really have any other option, but Windows. “On technical parameters, I don’t think there are any issues,” he says. “It’s the first operating system from Microsoft to cater to an entire ecosystem — it can be used for the Internet of Thing, for tablets and computers. But I don’t see any scenario whereby it makes for a turning point in mobile. And I don’t see that changing any time soon.”Tripathi agrees on the criticality of getting mobility right. “Microsoft needs to build value and uniqueness around Windows Phones, where people can really benefit with the same experience across devices,” he says. “Otherwise organisations will not be able to reap the real benefits, which Windows 10 brings to the table and it will remain another operating system.” mala@businessworld.in; @malabhargava(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 07-09-2015)
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A quick week after a global launch, Samsung has brought the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus to India. It’s to cost Rs 57,900 and will be available from the 28th of August. A wireless charger (recommended) and a case will cost extra. The S6 Edge Plus is one of two devices recently launched in New York by Samsung, the other being the Galaxy Note 5. Of the launch of the Note 5, there is no date being given. “Very soon” is what Samsung India execs promise. As the name suggests, the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus is a larger version of the S6 Edge, but it does have additional features. The Edge devices are the result of Samsung’s research on bendable or flexible screens, showcased about two years ago in what is a world first. The “Edge” refers on Samsung’s smartphones refers to the way the screen wraps around the edges. This not only gives a bezel-less look with more screen space, but actually allows the side to be used for additional information, once apps that are meant specially for this purpose are downloaded. To see the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus is a different experience from viewing it in videos or pictures online. The device, specially in its titanium version, is stunning. The 5.7-inch screen is the best available at 2560x1440 at 518ppi density. Although it is said often enough that the human eye cannot tell the difference beyond a point, a comparison with the Note 4 shows this to be untrue. The camera on this device is currently the most capable around and takes crystal clear video and photos – and live streams straight to YouTube. This is a clever new feature that gives Periscope and Meerkat, live streaming apps, a run for their money and can easily be pushed downwards to the previous devices, but Asim Warsi, Vice President of Marketing, IT and Mobile at Samsung India said there was no current guidance on any such thing and the feature would be, for now, exclusive to the new devices. The Galaxy S6 Edge Plus comes to India in a 32GB version and any higher internal storage will not be possible as there isn’t an expansion slot in this unibody design – nor a way for a user to swap the battery inside. “We have brought in the 32GB version keeping in mind the user demand and have no guidance to give on other variants at the moment,” said Warsi. The lack of storage expandability and access to the battery are two major complaints regarding this otherwise top notch device. However, the wireless fast charger with the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus gives a charge quick enough (90 minutes) to counter the need for a user to swap batteries. Samsung has been facing considerable pressure from newer players such as OnePlus, Xiaomi and others in the smartphone space, as they offer considerable hardware specifications for one-fourth the price of a Samsung flagship. Looking at the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, one can see immediately that they don’t match up, but for those who can’t afford these devices, the options offered are certainly getting better and better. Warsi expresses confidence about the potential of the new devices “The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have done better in the Indian market than any many other devices before. Prebookings for those phones were unprecedented in India,” he says. “After the launch as well, these phones have done very well.” And consumer interest in India in large format devices is very strong. So we are quite excited by the potential of the S6 Edge Plus. In fact, the combination of the large screen and its dual curved screen is going to be greater interest to the consumer.” Apple, Samsung’s biggest rival, is expected to soon launch its successors to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
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Microsoft’s Windows 10 update was released just a few weeks back bringing a much needed change in the UI (since Windows 8 was a disaster) and a much smoother and intuitive experience to the PC. While the new update has turned out to be success for Microsoft, there is a crucial matter that has stumped a number of users of the update. According to various reports, a specific point under the new End User License Agreement (EULA), Microsoft has mentioned that they could automatically disable counterfeit or pirated software, games and even hardware from your Windows 10 PC. This has created quite a buzz among Windows users, especially PC gamers. The EULA states “We may automatically check your version of the software and download software updates or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorised hardware peripheral devices.” In simpler terms, Microsoft will be able to scan your copy of Windows 10 for unlicensed or counterfeit software and remotely disable them. Windows 10 comes with forced system updates, which unlike Windows 7 and 8 cannot be disabled. Thus, there is a good chance that the service which will be scanning your PC for unlicensed software cannot be blocked. Now this does sound big and could prove to be one of the biggest move by Microsoft to eradicate software piracy, but there is a catch. The point mentioned above is actually not the Windows 10 EULA but comes under the Microsoft Services Agreement. Which means that the scanning will be done for Microsoft’s various online and cross-device services like Cortana, Office 365, Skype, Xbox Live, and Xbox and Windows games published by Microsoft. So if you have any software, service or a game that has anything related to Microsoft, it will be scanned and checked for licensing and authenticity. You can check the Microsoft Services Agreement over here which also includes the list of all software and services that come under it. It is safe to say that Microsoft will not scan every single software on your system, but it does raise privacy issues as Microsoft is clearly picking up data from your system at any point of time. This also proves that Microsoft wants to provide wholesome and clean package to users once they update to Windows 10
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As July came to an end, all social media platforms released their second quarter results. So how did Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn do this quarter?Twitter, which is in the midst of a leadership change, had a troubled quarter. While its revenue rose 61 per cent year-on-year this quarter as it reached $502 million, its user growth has slowed. The monthly average users were 304 million for the second quarter compared to 302 million in the previous quarter.“The product initiatives we’ve (introduced) like instant timelines and logged out experiences have not yet had meaningful impact on growing our audience or participation. This is unacceptable and we’re not happy about it,” said Jack Dorsey, interim CEO of Twitter.Facebook, on the other hand, had a good quarter. It generated $4 billion in revenue. “This was another strong quarter for our community. Engagement across our family of apps keeps growing, and we remain focussed on improving the quality of our services,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO.In June, approximately 1.31 billion people accessed Facebook on mobile devices, up 23 per cent from last year.LinkedIn’s revenue for the quarter was $712 million, an increase of 33 per cent compared to the same quarter last year. “LinkedIn continued to deliver increased member and customer value in the second quarter while delivering solid financial results. We continued to invest in our long-term strategic roadmap and began integrating the acquisition of lynda.com that closed during the quarter,” said Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn.BRAND BUZZVideo Without AudioYahoo’s new one-to-one live video texting app Livetext allows users to text, with the immediacy and vividness of live video, but without the audio. It is a new way to communicate that blends the ease of texting with the expressiveness of video.Arjun Sethi, senior director, Product Management, Yahoo said on the launch, “We see video as a way to make your conversations more authentic, and we see text as a way to connect that’s quick and non-intrusive.” The app will be rolled out globally soon.DIG THE DATATeen AddictionA recent study by Pew Research Center shows that 24 per cent of teens admit to going online ‘almost constantly’, which is undoubtedly linked to the widespread availability of smartphones. Ninety-two per cent report going online at least once a day, and 56 per cent admit they go online “several times” a day. This means only 8 per cent of teens are able to resist going online every day.The Chosen OneFacebook has more than 1 million small and medium entrprises advertising. It is estimated that larger companies are spending as much as $100 million on Facebook advertising per year according to Smallbiztrends.com.LEADERJeff Weiner@jeffweiner CEO, LinkedIn“Almost without exception, the best products are developed by teams with desire to solve a problem; not a company’s need to fufill a strategy”Uday Kotak@udaykotak CEO, Kotak Mahindra Bank“RBI moves forward on ease of doing business: allows bank branch shifts,merger. In physical + digital era, serving customers efficiently key”(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 07-09-2015)
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Lenovo Group Ltd said on Tuesday (18 August) it was establishing a smartphone assembly unit in India, becoming the biggest Chinese company so far to respond to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign to turn the country into a manufacturing powerhouse. Partnering with contract manufacturer Flex, previously known as Flextronics, Lenovo said in a statement it is working on a new assembly line in the southern Indian city of Chennai. Using imported parts, it will have an annual production capacity of 6 million smartphones and employ 1,500 people. Production of its MotoE range of smartphones has already begun, it added. Keen to grab a larger slice of the world's third-largest smartphone market as well as counter accelerating wage inflation at home, China's phone manufacturers have been quick to seize opportunities made possible by Modi's "Make in India" campaign. China's Xiaomi this month said it was joining forces with Taiwan-based tech giant Foxconn to start assembling phones in India. Foxconn, the trade name for Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, has also announced it will invest $5 billion in Maharashtra. It has not said what it will be making but a local minister told Reuters that it has been in talks to manufacture Apple iPhones. India is the world's fastest growing smartphone market, but so far a lack of good suppliers and infrastructure have hampered efforts to manufacture phones in the country, forcing most of its more than 100 different phone companies to import from China and Taiwan. India is a relatively bright spot for Lenovo, the world's biggest maker of PCs, which has struggled with its $2.9 billion acquisition of Google Inc's Motorola handset division. Losses at the division were a key factor behind a halving of Lenovo's net profit in the latest quarter. In India, however, Lenovo is the only China-based company to rank among with top five smartphone vendors, capturing 6 per cent of the market with its Lenovo and Motorola brands, according to figures from IDC. Smartphone shipments to India jumped 44 per cent to 26.5 million units in the second quarter this year from the same period a year earlier, IDC said.(Reuters)
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Cyber security firm, Fortinet, has announced its cloud-based FortiCloud management system and a new line of cloud-managed wireless access points (APs).FortiAP-S series of wireless access points empower organizations to forego separate WLAN controllers without exposing the network to cyber-threats. Every FortiAP-S series access point is centrally managed through the cloud-based FortiCloud management system, enabling effortless Wi-Fi network deployment and management, increasing security, visibility and control, and reducing overall infrastructure complexity. This makes it easy for organizations to implement and manage a secure Wi-Fi network, while the scalability of cloud management makes the solution ideal for distributed enterprises that may have thousands of sites."With the explosion of BYOD in the enterprise, and the subsequent mission-criticality of mobile devices and applications, organizations have struggled to balance the concerns around providing pervasive, easily managed WiFi coverage with WLAN security and compliance," said Nolan Greene, research analyst, IDC Network Infrastructure Group. "Fortinet's new FortiAP-S series of access points integrates the simplicity of cloud-based WLAN management with the cybersecurity protection that Fortinet is known for."It is loaded with advanced security features like intrusion prevention, web filtering, rouge AP detection, antivirus security protection, granular application controls and more, all running directly on the access point. These features are all backed by FortiGuard Labs' industry-leading threat intelligence to ensure each FortiAP-S is protected against the very latest advanced threats, in real-time. This sophisticated level of hardware and software integration is only made possible by Fortinet's expertise and dedication to high-performance security engineering and research.Rajesh Maurya, Country Manager, India & SAARC at Fortinet, said, "We can now apply mobile-specific security policies and updates such as application control and virus scanning directly to the wireless access points, giving the customer a layer of perimeter defense for BYOD devices."(BW Online Bureau)
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Dating app, Woo, has launched a feature TagSearch for people to allow users to view profiles based on attributes such as city, profession, the author they follow or their favourite music.Sumesh Menon, CEO and co-founder of Woo, said, "The user should be able to steer what kind of profiles they see every time they use the app. Smarter discovery means more matches, more matches mean more people who actually find love through Woo".Woo takes a design thinking approach to the current problems users face on matchmaking apps, such as users being forced to ‘like’ or ‘dislike’ every profile or the problem of conversations fizzling out. Its feature Reconsider allows users to revisit profiles they’ve passed over and another key feature QuestionCast, allows users to cut to the heart of the matter and ask important questions that can set the basis for substantial conversations.(BW Online Bureau)
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Google gave us a preview of its upcoming software update for its highly popular mobile operating system, Android M, at Google I/O earlier this year. The company has a tradition of naming the updates after desserts but didn’t announce the official name at the preview, obviously to build up some hype around the new update. Well the wait is over as Google has officially revealed the new name for the upcoming update as Android ‘Marshmallow’ and also confirmed that the update number will jump to 6.0.The last Android update (Lollipop) was more focused on bringing a fresh look to the OS, but the upcoming Android 6.0 Marshmallow update will serve as should arrive by October this year but till then here are some of the features that you can expect from the new update.Google NowGoogle Now will also see a huge update and will bring in a bunch of new features and as well as provide contextual information on whatever you have opened on your smartphone. Suppose you have a text from a friend regarding a movie plan, a long press on the home button will automatically trigger Google Now which will give you suggestions about all movie theatres around you, or suppose you are watching video on YouTube, again a long press on the home button will give you info about the video.App permissionsGoogle has completely changed its app permissions policies and with Android 6.0 you won’t get a long list permissions. Now all of these permissions will have a separate setting which the user may or may not give to certain apps like access to camera, GPS location, microphone, etc. This will give a better control over apps to the user.Fingerprint scannerAndroid 6.0 will natively support fingerprint scanners which means that Google will give access to developers to integrate the scanner as a method of authentication into apps. This means that we will be seeing more smartphones coming with a fingerprint scanner.DozeTo improve battery life, the new Android update will include a new feature called Doze. This will allow the device to calculate a specific time period when it is not used, mostly when you are sleeping. During this period most of the battery eating apps will be shut down to conserve battery. According to Google this feature will improve up to two-times the battery output. Android PayAndroid launched Google wallet back in 2010 as its own payment service. Sadly it didn’t gain any popularity while Apple and Samsung launched much better and secure NFC payment services which have already started rolling out in select countries. Google will be revamping its payment service and will be re-launching it as Android Pay. The new service will include the creation of a virtual account number to make the process more secure. The new service will also allow users to pay for in-app purchases.Simple volume controlsOne of the most disliked feature on Android Lollipop was the volume controls as it confused a lot of consumers. Google will be fixing the issue and will be bringing the old volume controls back in the new Android Marshmallow update.Of course there will be a bunch of bug-fixes and improvements that will arrive with the new update. You can expect the new update to start rolling from October for all Nexus devices, while other manufacturers might take their time to bring the new update to its users.
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