Pedro Hernandez

Following up on May’s preview of the new SQL Database for Azure service tiers, Microsoft announced that it has streamlined the process of moving between those tiers. SQL Database for Azure service tiers allow Microsoft Azure customers to adjust their cloud-based SQL setups according to their performance needs. Microsoft has a total of four SQL […]

Yammer is increasingly becoming a standard part of Microsoft’s cloud-enabled productivity software ecosystem. The software giant is now including Yammer Enterprise with all Office 365 Midsize Business and Office 365 Education plans, the company announced. The move comes after Microsoft began bundling the enterprise social networking platform with its Office 365 Enterprise editions in November. […]

Microsoft is rolling out a new Xbox One update within the next few days that expands upon one of the device’s hallmark features, Snap. Xbox Live Director of Programming Larry Hryb announced in a brief Xbox Wire post that the company is in the midst of issuing the update (version 6.2.11274.0) this week. The update […]

Microsoft has issued the second update to its new Skype app for iPhone less than a month after it was released, the company announced on July 7. Skype 5.2 for iPhone brings back a feature that was conspicuously missing in the “remastered” 5.0 release, namely voice messages, revealed Skype Product Marketing Manager Gary Wong in […]

Windows users have only about a week to wait for the new Kinect to become available for Microsoft’s flagship operating system. The company is currently taking preorders for the second-generation motion sensor at the official online Microsoft Store. According to the product listing, the device ships on July 15 and has a price tag of […]

Microsoft is cutting a few steps out of the process of working with email attachments with a new update for Outlook Web App users. The company has rolled out a new document collaboration feature, announced Microsoft Exchange’s Steve Chew, senior product marketing manager, and Joey Masterson, senior program manager. As its name suggests, Outlook Web […]

Another device maker has taken Microsoft up on its offer to share IP. Microsoft has entered into a patent cross-licensing deal with Canon, the Japanese camera and imaging equipment maker. “With this agreement, Microsoft and Canon gain licenses to each other’s highly valued and growing patent portfolios,” said the companies in a joint statement. The […]

“Mobile-first, cloud-first” may be Microsoft’s new mantra, but another term has been has been increasingly creeping into the company’s lexicon of late. As one of the components of Microsoft’s growing slate of smart services, machine learning is also guiding part of the company’s product strategy, according to Microsoft Research Distinguished Scientist John Platt. First, it […]

If nothing else, last year’s National Security Agency (NSA) spying scandal helped spark a tech industry movement to embrace encryption and improve cloud security. Redmond, Wash.-based IT titan Microsoft said that it is delivering on some of the promises it made late last year to harden its cloud services against snooping. Outlook.com and OneDrive now […]

Microsoft’s security division hit a big milestone this week. Richard Domingues Boscovich, an attorney with Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit, announced in a June 30 statement that the company flexed its legal muscle leading to the company’s tenth “malware disruption,” and the third such action since the Microsoft Cybercrime Center opened its doors in November. The […]

Microsoft is steadily turning Office Mix into an interactive learning platform. Office Mix is a free PowerPoint add-on that allows users to create sharable interactive presentations. Although it carries the Microsoft Office branding, the offering is aimed at educators—albeit not exclusively. The cloud-enabled software offers tools for video-enriched digital lessons. A main draw is the […]

Brad Smith, general counsel and executive vice president of legal and corporate affairs for Microsoft, left little doubt on his company’s stance regarding the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on cell phone warrants. After tackling two high-profile cases, Riley vs. California and United States vs. Wurie, the nation’s top court ruled on June 25 that […]