Pedro Hernandez

Microsoft has set group video calling on Skype free, allowing users to conduct virtual face-to-face chats without paying extra. The software giant announced on April 28 that group video sessions are now enabled for users of the free version of Skype on Windows, Mac and Xbox One. In the past, the feature was available only […]

Like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, Microsoft is jumping on the original-content bandwagon with its own Xbox Originals service. The company today announced a lineup of shows that will start premiering on the new service for the Xbox 360, Xbox One and “other Microsoft devices” like Windows 8 PCs and Surface tablets this June. Each show […]

Last week, during an April 15 Internet of things-themed customer event, Microsoft officially released Analytics Platform System (APS), a SQL Server-based offering that leverages Hadoop that the company asserts changes the economics of gleaning business-boosting insights from massive stores of data. The product arrived amid the backdrop of SQL Server 2014’s launch. The company envisions […]

After clearing some regulatory hurdles, Microsoft has finally closed on a $7 billion acquisition that brings Nokia’s Devices and Services business into the software and cloud services giant’s ecosystem. The companies first announced the deal on Sept. 2, 2013. “Today we welcome the Nokia Devices and Services business to our family. The mobile capabilities and […]

While mostly under the leadership of new CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft beat Wall Street analyst estimates on the company’s profitability for the third-quarter fiscal year 2014 ending March 31, 2014. Nadella took over as CEO from Steve Ballmer on Feb. 4. After market close on April 24, the software and cloud services giant announced that […]

Microsoft has formalized its policies regarding how the tech giant sources materials for its hardware and packaging, announced Brian Tobey, the company’s corporate vice president of Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Information Services. Characterized as a “natural evolution” of Microsoft’s Supplier Social and Environmental Accountability program, the new policy, called “Microsoft’s Responsible Sourcing of Raw Materials,” […]

Data center operator Equinix is now offering Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute to select customers as the company plans to gear up and expand the offering to 16 markets across four continents. ExpressRoute allows businesses to link public and private cloud infrastructures, essentially enabling them to launch hybrid clouds that can seamlessly scale in accordance to their […]

After a limited pilot program, Microsoft is opening an express lane for schools interested in the company’s ad-free, safe-search program called Bing in the Classroom. A new streamlined sign-on process with “no waitlist, no installation or new settings” is now available to schools, said Derrick Connell, corporate vice president of Bing Search, in an April […]

Earth Day (April 22) has emerged as an opportunity for tech companies to voice their support for clean energy, low-waste IT operations and environmentally-friendly policies. This year, Microsoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella, has joined the chorus. Amid the backdrop of the eco-themed day’s festivities, Nadella touted his company’s efforts in steering the tech industry toward […]

Microsoft is working on technology that makes linear, by-the-numbers presentations a thing of the past. As countless office workers can attest, PowerPoint, while useful for structuring meetings and illustrating complex issues, is predominantly an on-rails affair. Interactivity and deviations from the slide deck aren’t part of the deal, in general. Microsoft is readying a free […]