Pedro Hernandez

Microsoft continues to break down language barriers in business. Yammer has rolled out “message translation in both the iOS and Android Yammer apps, powered by Microsoft Translator,” Adrianne Martinson, product manager, said in a statement. The technology, which hails from the Microsoft Research division, powers the company’s translations apps for Windows and Windows Phone along […]

Starting up and managing Docker hosts on Microsoft Azure is now easier, courtesy of new code that integrates with the cloud service’s updated command-line interface (CLI) tools. Now, Docker-enabled virtual machines (VMs) can be created by simply “running the command ‘azure vm docker create,’” explained Ross Gardler, a Microsoft Open Technologies (MS Open Tech) senior […]

The Skype for iPhone app is getting a makeover. Microsoft announced that Skype 5.0 for iOS 7 will soon be sporting a new look. “The new Skype for iPhone is redesigned to put your conversation at the center of a faster, smoother and far more integrated experience,” Skype product marketing manager Eric Lin said in […]

In the wake of last year’s National Security Agency spying revelations and after the discovery of the high-profile “Heartbleed” vulnerability, security has become a top priority for cloud services providers. Microsoft, for its part, is hardening its Azure Web Sites service with support for Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), announced Erez Benari, an Azure Web Sites […]

Microsoft has released a new Google Chrome extension that allows users to “clip” Web pages directly into their OneNote notebooks. Once installed, the free extension, called OneNote Clipper, appears as an icon that resides just to the right of the browser’s “omnibox,” Google’s combined search and address bar. Clicking the icon saves Web pages as […]

Starting June 9 and amid the E3 2014 proceedings, Microsoft is offering the Xbox One, stripped of one of its major features, for $399. It’s a price point that matches the cost of rival Sony’s PlayStation 4. Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of the Redmond, Wash.-based tech giant’s Devices and Studios division, said in […]

Microsoft is in the midst of rolling out a new feature, called document conversations, that enables Yammer users to collaborate on Office files in real-time. Document conversations is one of several capabilities that the company is implementing to align Office 365 and Yammer, according to Christophe Fiessinger, a group product manager on Microsoft’s enterprise social […]

Businesses may be eyeing the cloud to maximize their IT budgets and provide their users with bleeding-edge capabilities, but they might not be prepared for the aftermath. GSX Solutions, a Geneva-based provider of monitoring and reporting solutions for enterprise messaging and collaboration platforms, is offering companies that are mulling a switch to the Office 365 […]

While a year may have passed since Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, shed light on the U.S. government’s sweeping cyber-spying capabilities, the effects of those disclosures are still rippling across the IT industry. Microsoft’s Brad Smith, general counsel and executive vice president of Legal and Corporate Affairs, authored a June 4 […]

TV and tweets go together, according to Microsoft and Twitter. Later this year, Microsoft and Twitter will bake the microblogging service into the TV channel listings displayed by the Xbox One. “Twitter will be directly integrated into Xbox One’s TV experience in the U.S.,” announced Microsoft in a blog post. Users won’t have to reach […]

The Computex trade show in Taiwan draws a massive crowd, and Microsoft is working with OEM partners to showcase the scope and variety of the Windows device ecosystem. Nick Parker, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Original Equipment Manufacturer Division, said in a June 4 blog post that his company’s partners are helping it “deliver a […]

Microsoft Azure HDInsight has gained support for Hadoop 2.4, the latest edition of the popular open source big data framework. Microsoft announced the new update during the Hadoop Summit, currently taking place in San Jose, Calif. The Redmond, Wash.-based software maker first released HDInsight in March 2013 as a public preview, allowing Azure customers to […]