Build 2013 kicked off June 26 with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, rattling off some of the "exciting innovations" that the Redmond, Wash.-based company has been working on.
During the first part of his Day 1 keynote speech, Ballmer repeated once again that Microsoft is moving away from offering only software and towards hardware and services, aided by a rapid release schedule for Windows and Windows Phone 8.
Though largely developer focused, Ballmer and a supporting cast of Microsoft executives outlined the changes coming with the Windows 8.1 update, new apps and features and outlined new functions of the Windows Store during the Day 1 keynote.
We have much more from our conference coverage as Day 2 gets rolling, so keep your gazing moving for all the latest:
Windows 8.1 RT hands on review
Don't worry, RT. We haven't forgotten about you.
While Windows 8.1 got most of the attention here at Build, we were sure to take advantage of its OS sibling, going hands on with the far more useable update here on the conference floor.
The system is still missing much, but as an update, getting Windows 8.1 RT on your RT device is a good way to go. Just remember, once you've downloaded it, you can't go back.
Read our Windows 8.1 RT review
How to prep for Xbox One app development
Developers wondering what they can do in the months ahead of the Xbox One release can heed advice laid out by Microsoft's Steve Guggenheimer during the Day 2 keynote: start developing for Windows 8.
Because of the common core between the Windows 8 found in the next-gen console and W8 itself, developing for the system is, Guggs suggested, fairly similar.
App development processes for Xbox One is still unclear, but this sheds a little light on what developers and gamers can look forward to.
Foursquare checking in
Facebook and Flipbook got the love during Day 1, but June 27 was all about Foursquare. OK, and a few other apps.
Microsoft's Steve Guggenheimer showed off a native Foursquare tablet app for Windows 8 today while also chatting up a few other additions like ABC News and Walgreens. Mint is heading to Windows and Windows Phone, where Xfinity TV Remote will join it as Rhapsody heads to W8.
There's still no Instagram, but Microsoft is racking up a number of crucial applications.
Number call
What's a keynote without some digit-rattling bragging? Microsoft was no exception as during Day 2 the company laid out a few new numbers for how many people are using its services.
According to the company, Skype now has 299 million connected users. Bing sees 1 billion mobile notifications a month, and SkyDrive has soared past the 200 million mark, now touting 250 million account holders.
Xbox Live's 300,000 servers got a mention, as did a number of other...numbers.
Microsoft looks to make devs lives a walk in the park
OK, it's never easy to develop, but Microsoft unleashed a number of tools to help those who create apps for its Windows and Windows Phone platforms do what they do.
The announcements came during the Day 2 keynote and centered on Windows Azure, the company's cloud offering. Some high points were the opening of the Azure Mobile Services and Azure Web Sites.
All in all, the dev crowd ate it up and just maybe will start making the apps Microsoft needs to be successful.
IE11 updates outlined
IE11 is intrinsically tied to Windows 8.1, and the company announced during a press briefing that the updated web browser is available in preview mode with Windows 8.1 (also in preview).
Optimized for touch, IE11 aims to bring personal web exploration to users, trouncing competitors not only in speed but in battery efficiency and functionality.
Though he didn't say explicitly, Dean Hachamovitch, corporate vice president, Internet Explorer, said that in a "secret Batman cave," teams from Xbox, Windows Phone and Windows are working together with IE11. We should have more on Windows 7 support soon, too.
Metro could be fashionably late on Office apps
Windows head Julie Larson-Green may have demoed a very early version of a Metro PowerPoint during the Build Day 1 keynote, but don't look for similarly styled Office apps to land anytime soon.
One report pegs Metro refreshes of the currently desktop-version Office apps - Word, Excel, etc. - to land in 2014, while another says 2013 will indeed see a Windows 8 look land on the core productivity apps.
We will know all in a few months regardless, but look for more as Windows 8.1 nears launch.
Come and get it: Windows 8.1 available now
It's been known for what feels like forever that Microsoft would release a preview version of Windows 8.1 at the beginning of Build, and sure enough, Ballmer told the gathered and watching crowd that the free update was available for download right now.
The update "blends the desktop and the modern experience," Ballmer said, and includes the return of the start button and a boot-to-desktop option.
More Windows 8.1 tablets coming soon
More Windows tablets are coming to a retailer near you soon, particular those of the petite persuasion. Ballmer proclaimed as Build 2013 opened that we'll see a "proliferation of Windows small tablet devices" in the next several months.
Office 2013 software will be included on these Windows 8.1 tablets, and every attendee of Build will be able to walk out with one of these tablets - the Acer Iconia W3 tablet with Office.
Lookin' good, Windows Store
The Windows Store gets a face lift in Windows 8.1, or Windows 8.1 Store, if you will. The store was redesigned in an effort to help users find new and popular apps.
What's more, the news Windows Store features a bit of personalization for the user. The new "Picks for You" section will be different for everyone because it's a mix of what's popular in the Store in categories you use.
Speaking of apps...
It's about time. Facebook and Flipboard apps will be included in Windows 8 via the Windows Store, Microsoft announced, as well as the NFL.
Although we didn't see a Facebook nor a Flipboard representative take to the stage, Ballmer spoke up for the newest Windows 8 app-developing companies.
Microsoft says 'Bing it on' to developers
Microsoft announced that it opened up the search engine tools of Bing as a platform.
Now, third-party apps you download will no longer be shut out of using advanced Microsoft technologies like 3D mapping, contextual voice search, and OCR translation.
"Knowledge of the web is now available to your applications," said Microsoft Corporate Vice President Gurdeep Singh Pall at today's conference in Seattle.
The company's also added native 3D printing support, so hold off buying any vases for the time being.
Here's a look at what we expected to see at Build 2013:
The annual Microsoft Build developer's conference has a bit of Google IO glow surrounding it this year, thanks in no small part to the Windows 8 conundrum.
Is it a failure? Is it the beginning of a software revolution? What about apps? How many Surfaces have been sold? When will we see new devices? And what the heck is going on with Windows RT?
Microsoft has already given us more than a taste of what to expect between June 26 - June 28 in the form of Windows Blue news, but plenty of possible announcements on new devices, services and updates remain distinct possibilities.
We'll be at the conference live starting at 9 a.m. PT/5 p.m. BST starting Wednesday, June 26, so check back here for all the latest coming out of the show.
Until then, we've gathered what we know about Build 2013 into one handy guide for you (right here, of course) plus added some well-informed hypotheses on what you can expect from the conference, taking place in the halls of San Francisco's Moscone Center late next month.
1. Xbox Music on the web
After all the chatter on Xbox Music's redesign, Microsoft threw a bit of a curve ball June 24 by revealing its plans to launch a web-based version of the streaming service during the week of July 1.
"Yes, a web version for Xbox Music will launch next week," a Microsoft spokesperson told us. "We will have more details to share then."
While details are due after Build, Microsoft may still touch on what it envisions for the service plus offer some clues as to whether we'll see Xbox Music land on iOS and Android.
Stay tuned.
2. Start 'button' functions surface
Microsoft began rolling out a preview of Windows Server 2012 R2 on June 24. While the year may seem 6 months too late, this preview has many features of the same features as the preview of Windows 8.1, due out June 26, giving us a glimpse of what to expect from the Windows 8 update in PC and tablet.
Most exciting of all from the screen grabs floating about are the quasi-Start button functions available in the R2 preview.
Credit: CNET
By right clicking the 4-squared icon, users will be able to pull up a list of functions, including the ability to shut down and restart their computer, according to CNET.
Observers will also notice the "Computer" tile has been named "This PC," while an arrow at the bottom of the Start screen brings users directly to their Apps. Different tile sizes - small, medium, wide and large - are offered (though only two for non-Metro apps) and users should be able to run a single command on multiple tiles at the same time.
We'll know much more about the preview of Windows 8.1 in the coming days, so check back for more.
3. A message from Guggenheimer
On June 24, just two days before Day 1 of Build, Corporate Vice President of Developer Platform & Evangelism at Microsoft Steve Guggenheimer took a moment to set the stage for the 3-day dev fest.
To sum it all up, look for "synergy."
"At Build 2013, we will talk about how developers of all types will be able to use Microsoft's broad portfolio of product level capabilities spanning our devices and services, and show how these capabilities can be used together to address the needs of today's developers," he wrote in an Official Microsoft Blog entry.
"As we look even further toward the future, this platform synergy will continue to get better and better to support a thriving ecosystem of developers and even greater opportunity."
What does this mean for in practical, consumer-facing terms? We'll find out soon enough from Microsoft and developers alike, but look for Redmond to push this message in the days that comprise Build.
4. The Oracle of Redmond
Oracle piped up in the week before Build that its president, Mark Hurd, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Azure chief Satya Nadella are hosting a joint press conference June 24.
What did they announce? Well, let's just say the old enemies are turning a page as Microsoft announced it plans to support Oracle software on its cloud-based platforms, as reported by Reuters.
Through the partnership, Microsoft will offer Windows Azure customers Oracle-owned Java, Database and WebLogic Server, oddly enough promoting two software strains (Linux and Java) that compete with Windows.
Now, this is rather enterprise-y, but look for Microsoft to talk about the partnership and possible further collaborations between the two firms. The company is clearly ready to make friends with old enemies in an effort to compete, and it will be interesting to see if it lays out any more strategy during Build.
5. Two roads diverged at a conference...
It helps to have some clear cut routes laid out before heading into the bedlam of a developer conference, and it looks as though we have some such paths carved out.
Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet chatted with Microsoft executives in the days before Build, and was told that the conference will focus on two main audiences: the .Net community and the startup community.
"We need a good conversation with that community," Steve Guggenheimer, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Developer and Platform Evangelism Group, told Foley of .Net devs. This group has apparently felt left in the lurch as Microsoft has pushed developers towards HTML/JavaScript.
While he wouldn't divulge on specific products or software, Guggenheimer noted that Microsoft will continue messaging around why shared/common code among its core products is beneficial, showing "how strong the bridges are" between product families like phone, PC and Xbox.
Don't expect sharp turns, the VP said, but instead look for much talk on cross-platform development.
6. A new tune for Xbox Music and the Windows Store
Build is gearing up to be a time of change for Microsoft, and some screenshots leaked just a week before the conference kicked off detail revamped looks headed to Xbox Music and the Windows Store.
For Music, we're seeing streamline take over, with a two-panel interface and a new "explore" button that allows for search in addition to the navigation bar.
Microsoft actually pushed out an update to the Xbox Music app for Windows 8/RT the weekend before Build, adding an in-app search button and a free trial for the app's ad-supported, free streaming service. What's more, Smart DJ is now "Radio," though the change seems to be named-based only.
As for the Windows Store, the 2.0 version of the offering incorporates a "shelf" feature to give additional descriptions for apps as users are perusing. Recommendations for similar apps will also be part of the redesigned package.
The whole look, according to Paul Thurrott over at Supersite for Windows, is remarkably more attractive and more usable.
Now whether Build is the time Microsoft is ready to lift the lid off these Windows 8.1 wonders remains to be seen, but try to act surprised if we see a rethought Xbox Music and Windows Store land in late June.
7. Is Windows Phone Blue taking its time?
We also may have gotten our first look at Windows Phone Blue June 9 when shots of a new notifications center surfaced, along with a modified calendar app. However, Build may not be the time when WPB rears its head.
According to Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet, an update to the mobile OS isn't expected until about six months after Windows 8.1 is released to manufacturing. While the team is working to come up with smaller and incremental Windows Phone 8 updates, the likelihood that we'll hear public pronouncements on Windows Phone Blue during Build is slim, Foley reports.
Of course, there may be plenty of dev session discussions on what updates we can expect, so we'll keep our ear to the ground during the conference.
Source : techradar[dot]com
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