Pedro Hernandez

It’s Computer Science Education Week, and Microsoft is betting that exposing students to an “Hour of Code” will not only give the IT industry a lift, but will also radically change lives. Coding can have a dramatic effect on a person’s career trajectory, according to Peter Lee, corporate vice president and head of Microsoft Research. […]

Surface Pro 2 can get down to work, but Microsoft is betting that the tablet can also provide a powerful canvas for digital artists. “With the Wacom-enabled, pressure-sensing pen, Surface Pro 2 is the perfect device for those looking to sketch, draw and build models on the go,” stated Markus Weickenmeier, a manager for Microsoft […]

Microsoft has released a preview of new group management capabilities for Windows Azure Active Directory (AD), further narrowing the features gap between the on-premise and cloud-based implementations of the company’s user-management technology platform. “Admins can now add, delete and manage the membership of security groups directly in Windows Azure AD in the cloud,” Alex Simons, […]

Ford’s CEO, Alan Mullaly, may not let go of the wheel at the automaker in time to succeed Steve Ballmer when he retires from Microsoft. Mullaly, considered the frontrunner in Microsoft’s search for a new CEO, will stay with Ford throughout 2014. Bloomberg reported that Edsel Ford II, board director at Ford and great-grandson of […]

Microsoft is fed up. After pleading with the U.S. government for more transparency concerning law-enforcement requests for user data and voicing its support for legislation that seeks to curb the National Security Agency’s (NSA) powers, Microsoft is weighing in on the controversy in the starkest terms yet. And the software giant signaled that it will […]

Microsoft has published an updated Lync app for the company’s recently released Windows 8.1 operating system. As its name suggests, the app provides users access to the video conferencing and voice over IP (VOIP) services provided by Lync, Microsoft’s enterprise communications platform. The revamped software offers new features and enhancements that leverage Windows 8.1’s new […]

As promised, Microsoft is finally issuing Windows Store gift cards in time for the holidays. The move addresses one of the Windows Store’s most glaring omissions. Both the Apple App Store and Google Play offer gift card purchases. Now, Microsoft is getting in on the act by kicking off a promotion in time for the […]

Microsoft is banking on schools to add millions of new users to its cloud-friendly Office 365 platform. The software maker has officially launched its Student Advantage program, which provides students with free access to Office 365 ProPlus. Announced first in October, the program is open to schools and universities that license Office 365 ProPlus or […]

Microsoft is reportedly working to unite the desktop and mobile flavors of its Windows operating system in an initiative code-named Threshold. Due in the spring of 2015, Threshold may radically alter the Windows ecosystem, bringing Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox One—and the development efforts surrounding each—in sync. In a Dec. 2 report, ZDNet’s Mary Jo […]

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2013 (MDOP) R2, the company’s desktop virtualization and management toolset, is now available for download. MDOP 2013 R2 is a suite of desktop management solutions that provides enterprise desktop virtualization, application virtualization and unified user experience capabilities. It also includes the company’s Diagnostics and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT), Advanced Group Policy Management […]