Pedro Hernandez

Microsoft made waves earlier this year when it announced that its SQL Server database was heading to Linux in mid-2017. For an early peek at what that experience is like, curious database administrators can download a beta release of the software. Version 1.1 of the so-called SQL Server vNext Community Technology Preview (CTP), released nearly […]

Capping an AI-themed week at Microsoft, the company released MS MARCO, a data set of 100,000 questions and answers that researchers can use to train their artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The software maker’s own researchers based MS MARCO, short for Microsoft Machine Reading Comprehension, on anonymized data gleaned from the real-world queries posed to the […]

For Skype users, putting together a travel itinerary on Expedia may soon feel like chatting with a live travel agent. In a week studded with artificial intelligence (AI) announcements from Microsoft, the company gave a early peek at what the Skype Bot ecosystem will look like in 2017. Skype Bots made their debut in late […]

The writing is on the wall, or rather, all over the web. Adobe Flash is becoming a relic of the early commercial web. This summer’s Anniversary Update for Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system introduced a click-to-play function to the Edge web browsing experience that “paused” Adobe Flash content, requiring users to click ads, videos and […]

Microsoft wants to build a new “world graph,” an index of devices and objects, their locations, and how they are interconnected. Using the graph, the company envisions that internet of things (IoT), smart city and connected car technology providers will incorporate location-based data into their platforms, enabling a new generation of intelligent services with a […]

Skype Translator impresses with its ability to deliver speech translation in real-time during a video or voice call. The downside, of course, is that both sides of the conversation must use Skype. That changes this week with the latest version of the Skype Preview app for Windows Insiders. Now, users can call landline or mobile […]

Microsoft warned of several new cyber risks faced by IT organizations, including the “weaponization of the cloud” in the company’s latest Security Intelligence Report covering the first half of 2016. IT security professionals today are well-versed in the dangers of botnets, particularly now that vulnerable internet of things (IoT) devices are being enlisted by the […]

Amazon Echo and Google Home will soon get competition from Microsoft. Intelligent assistants are all the rage and today during an artificial intelligence (AI) media event in San Francisco, Microsoft announced the Cortana Devices SDK (software development kit). It allows electronics manufacturers to incorporate the software giant’s AI-infused virtual assistant into their devices. One of […]

Microsoft is taking the mystery out of performance issues that may impact the performance of SQL database workloads on the company’s Azure cloud. The Query Store service for Azure SQL is now on and available by default, the company has announced. “Query Store acts as a ‘flight data recorder’ for the database, continuously collecting critical […]

Microsoft Ventures, the Redmond, Wash. software maker’s venture capital arm, announced a strategic investment in Element AI, a Montreal-based artificial intelligence (AI) research lab and incubator whose aim is to help build commercial-grade AI systems. Financial terms were not disclosed. The financing is part of a new fund earmarked for “AI companies focused on inclusive […]