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Microsoft
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The battle to lead in cloud computing narrows down to two key players of the internet named Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. Both have made massive investments in their services and get profits of billions. “95% of Fortune 500 companies use Microsoft Azure while AWS (Amazon Web Services) has a hold on 62% of the market. As a result, AWS revenue got increased by times of Azure´s revenue.” Microsoft Azure, formerly called Windows Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing platform is the top vendor in the launched in 2010. Today it is available to 140+ countries across 54 regions, provides hundreds of services and best end-to-end tools. AWS launched in 2006; today spans 19 geographical regions around the world. It is an evolving and comprehensive cloud computing platform provided by Amazon. While Microsoft offers Platform As a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure As a Service (IaaS), and Software As a Service (SsaS), Amazon also provides all three major categories of Cloud computing. However, Microsoft Azure greatly deals with PaaS and SaaS. But, AWS IaaS services are divided into five different categories Storage, Database, Computes, Networking, and Content Delivery. According to Synergy Research Group, AWS is leading the public cloud infrastructure with 34% market share whereas Microsoft is at 14% market share, IBM Cloud at 7% and Google Cloud at 6% market share. “Thus, AWS stands out to be the first company offering pay-as-you-go cloud computing service model.” AWS vs. Azure: Basic Highlights Both companies offer similar services, such as microservices, DevOps, Big Data, and databases. So let’s first check basic things about both AWS vs Azure: AWS Basics Amazon’s AWS Infrastructure-as-a-Service has services in four different classes: Content storage and delivery Compute Networking Database Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) and Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) are the core platforms on which everything is...
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Microsoft announced today that Apple’s iCloud app is now available in the Microsoft Store for Windows 10. Apple put a lot of focus on iCloud at their WWDC conference, so it is not surprising that Apple would launch its new iCloud app for Windows 10 this week. Back in April of 2018, Apple launched iTunes in the Microsoft Store which looks to be the final version of iTunes. iCloud is home to iCloud Drive, iCloud Photos, Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Reminders and Safari Bookmarks which sync to Apple iPhones, iPads and Macs. Microsoft announced on their blog “The new iCloud for Windows app introduces a new iCloud Drive experience for Windows 10 users powered by the same Windows technology that also powers OneDrive’s Files On-Demand feature, enabling users to be more productive offline on mobile devices and quickly share files on iOS.” iCloud added some additional features to their client Access your iCloud Drive files right from File Explorer, without using up space on your PC Choose the files and folders you want to keep on your PC Safely store all your files in iCloud Drive and access them from your iOS device, Mac and on iCloud.com Share any file right from File Explorer and easily collaborate with others – edits will be synced across your devices iCloud for Windows is now available to download as an app in the Microsoft Store worldwide.
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Microsoft today announced the preorder of Microsoft To-Do for the mac via Twitter. Microsoft has been improving Microsoft To-Do across all platforms but has yet to ever put out a Mac App. It’s almost here! Pre-order the Mac app today—https://t.co/iHVNnmHT9J pic.twitter.com/1d4sydJSu4 — Microsoft To-Do (@MicrosoftToDo) June 10, 2019 Microsoft To-Do is free or can be part of the Office365 package. On the app page on Apple’s website, the following features will be available on the launch date. Stay focused with My Day, a personalized daily planner with suggested tasks Get your lists anywhere, on any device Share lists and tasks with your friends, family, colleagues, and classmates Create color-coded lists Set one-time or recurring due dates and reminders Break your tasks into manageable steps Add notes to any task Attach files up to 25 MB to any task Sync your tasks between Outlook and To-Do Add multiple accounts and quickly switch between school, work, and personal lists The Microsoft To-Do app on the Mac is overdue with many Mac users complaining about using the web app that was offered by Microsoft since the web version of To-Do is slow to get as feature updates like the Windows 10 or mobile apps gets regularly.
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June 5, 2019Microsoft is rolling out a screen sharing a new feature for Skype on iOS and Android. Skype now lets you screen share your phone’s screen with your friends on Skype without the need for a third-party solution or app. The feature works for iPhones running on iOS 12 or newer and uses the native Screen Recording feature on iOS to record your screen and stream it live on video calls. As for Android, it should work for devices running Android 6 or newer. Skype blog notes “Whether you have a last-minute meeting on the go, or your dad doesn’t know how to use his phone—screen sharing on Android and iOS lets you get it done from anywhere. Maybe you want to shop online with your best friends, or you need to collaborate with someone on the other side of the world from the comfort of your couch—no need to drag out the laptop! Simply start a Skype call, tap the brand new “…” menu, and start sharing your screen.” Skype went on to announce the redesign of mobile calling features. That brings features, like screen sharing, call recording, and subtitles to the new clutter-free design seamlessly. “A single tap will dismiss the call controls and let you fully experience the most essential Skype feature—a video call without any obstructions. Want to make it even cleaner? Try a double tap to remove it all. A single tap brings all the controls back, with everything you need the most at the front and center.” I think these features will be most useful for Skype Users on the go every day.
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June 4, 2019WWDC had some big announcements one that iTunes will be broken up into three separate apps Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV on all MacOS devices but what does this mean for Apple music users who use Windows. According to Apple, they have 100 million users on MacOS but Microsoft Windows is the most popular desktop platform with 1.5 billion users. Many Apple Music users like me that run Windows were wondering what is going to happen to Apple Music on Windows. Arstechnica reports on their blog “Apple says users of iTunes under Microsoft Windows will not see any changes. It won’t be broken up into several apps; it will work just like it does now. However, Apple did not provide any clarification about what support will be like for future features. The company simply says that Windows users will continue to have the same experience as before and that it is not announcing any plans to end support for iTunes in Windows. But keep in mind: that only means for now. Apple might one day bring an Apple Music application to Windows just as it has to Android. But just as the iTunes era seems to be ending for the Mac, it will continue for the immediately foreseeable future in Windows—so iTunes is not really dead. At least not yet.” Many people have brought up that Apple Music and Apple TV will be on Android. My take on all this is Apple Music is on Android for the same reason that iTunes was on Windows back when the iPod was released. Apple simply has no choice, due to the popularity of that platform and the edge it gives to competing services. Apple needs to be on Android to compete with Spotify. Apple needed iTunes for Windows at the...
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May 29, 2019I recently purchased a Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 to replace the aging HP that I have been using to test and work on Windows 10. Microsoft has been pushing the Microsoft Surface brand for many years now and has become one of the top five computer manufacturers in the world by selling only premium Microsoft Surface laptops and tablets to consumers. I really like the Surface Laptop 2 as it’s a big improvement over my Surface Pro 3 and my HP laptop for one the screen is better with the 2256 x 1504 (201ppi) this is a huge jump for me over my HP. I find the display very sharp and the fact that its touchscreen does make me favor it over my MacBook Pro for reading. I got the Intel i7 which is a great processor and I am guessing that Microsoft will release the Surface Laptop 3 or make an upgrade to the Surface Laptop 2 to allow the Intel i9 as Apple did recently. I was surprised as well that I cannot add more than 16 gigs of ram to this computer there is no option on the Microsoft Site I am again guessing that may be an option for the next model. I did get a 512 Solid State Drive to make sure I had enough storage I thought the 1 TB might be overkill and decided to save a little money considering the 1 TB drive added another $500 dollars to the already $2,000 purchase. I did order my Surface Laptop 2 with Window 10 Pro you can order it with Windows 10 Home and save a few dollars on the cost I would rather pro personally. I like how the front-facing camera is 720p Windows Hello facial authentication since I plan on using Windows...
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May 28, 2019Microsoft has been pushing their new Edge browser which is based on the open-source Chromium browser standard. The truth is Microsoft needs to standardize Edge on the Chromium standard since their current edge browser has little to no mark share. Microsoft made a big mistake tying Edge to the operating system in the first place a few years ago when Windows 10 was released. Windows 10 gets updated with features twice a year where Chrome gets updated every six weeks which right from the start put Edge at a disadvantage. Then the lack of browser extension support for Edge I think was the final end for Microsoft and the reason the shift to Chromium happened. If Microsoft would have made Edge available on every platform like they did with Internet Explorer and now Edge built on Chromium they would have not fallen to a four percent market share in the browser market. Microsoft needs Edge to be Chromium based because they need a browser that has a rich browser extension store to offer users of Edge. Using Chromium as the browser base allows Microsoft to port their apps over and allows users to install extensions from other stores like the Google Play Store. Using Chromium allows Microsoft to break the browser off from Windows 10 and develop for other platforms like Windows 7, Windows 8 and MacOS. Since Chromium looks like Chrome it allows Microsoft to possibly make users stay with Edge and not download Chrome. Going with the Chromium standard allows Microsoft the ability to update Edge every six weeks like Chrome rather than twice a year with the cumulative update packages. Going with an open standard like Chromium helps Microsoft by making it easier for developers to make extensions. Before making extensions for Edge was complex and developers...
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May 15, 2019If you have been reading my G Suite vs Office 365 Series Round 1 and G Suite vs Office 365 Series Round 2 have key points you should read as well. When it comes to comparing G Suite vs Office 365 in education you cannot even compare these two products. Both Google for education and Office 365 for education are free for all schools K-12. Google Classroom’s document sharing, data collection, communication channels, and closed environment are great benefits. It’s very easy to start a classroom helpful instruction guide you through the entire process. Once you add students, sharing is even easier; you just send resources to the entire class. Googles tight app integration, ease of use, people’s familiarity with Gmail and Android have pushed education towards Google. Googles well-designed chrome browser and a huge selection of apps in the chrome apps store makes G Suite for education an easy pick for schools. Microsoft partnered with PowerSchool’s largest student and education manager in the industry to help them gain ground on Google who is dominating this market in the united states. Microsoft Office 365 for Education gives educators access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive and all the core features of Office 365. Microsoft Teams also helps teachers collaborate on lesson plans and school events. Microsoft’s built-in video conferencing tools for Teams gives teachers another way to connect across schools and districts. Skype is another powerful tool allowing school districts to communicate with other districts across the world which is something I don’t see anyone doing with Google Hangouts. Google puts out cheap Chromebooks which are very cheap compared to traditional computers while Microsoft tried to compete with the cheap Chromebook by putting out Windows S, but it failed due again to Googles well-designed chrome browser and a huge selection of apps in the chrome apps store. Google has taken things to the next level with Chromebooks offering integration with printing using cloud print and...
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May 2, 2019When you compare to G Suite and Office 365 you can’t compare in house business apps at all for the simple fact Google really does not make any. While Google supports many more third-party apps then Office 365 hands down they do not make anything comparable to Office 365 Invoicing and Booking in house. While G suite has support for thousands of apps they are all third party none of them are made in house by Google. Microsoft makes Customers, Invoicing and MileIQ. Googles G Suite has not competitor they build internally but they do compete in with Microsoft in other areas. G suite comes with Google Sites which is a very close competitor to Microsoft SharePoint and is at times easier to use than Microsoft SharePoint. When it comes to basic apps G Suite has Docs, Sheets, Slides, Keep, Forms and Drive which is a direct competitor to Microsoft Word, Excel PowerPoint, OneNote, To Do, Forms and OneDrive. When you start getting into more advanced features of Office365 like Microsoft StaffHub, Sway, Dynamics and Planner Google G Suite has no competitor in this market unless you pay for a third-party app. Microsoft Flow and PowerApps which is a very easy way to get apps to work together between Microsoft Office 365-third-party apps or to build custom apps. Microsoft made everything very easy and visual and drag and drop. While Google does have a very open API platform that works with all their apps Microsoft Flow and PowerApps does work well and is very easy to implement with no programming or technical knowledge. Microsoft has Stream which is a great way to stream events for up to 10,000 attendees. Whether at home, work, or on the go everyone has a seamless video experience across web and mobile apps. But to be honest as great as this is for Microsoft, I know very few companies that use it and a YouTube just has...