Pedro Hernandez

Windows Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, is growing at a brisk pace and notching some crucial customer wins. Several of the biggest U.S. companies have adopted Azure, claims Microsoft. In a blog post, Windows Azure general manager Steven Martin wrote, “In just a year, we have grown to over 200 services for our platform, more […]

During the last half of 2012, Microsoft’s legal team handled thousands of requests for user information from U.S. government and law enforcement agencies, the company revealed. Microsoft has joined Facebook and Apple in opening up about what role, if any, the cloud and online services providers played in the U.S. National Security Agency’s (NSA) PRISM […]

After months of leaks and rumors, Office is finally available for Apple iOS. But don’t expect to purchase it from Apple’s iTunes app store. Microsoft announced June 14 that it released an Office Mobile app. And as its listing in the iTunes app store states, only iPhone users—and Office 365 subscribers at that—will get an […]

Businesses that offer employees, partners and customers access to their Windows Azure Active Directory (AD) managed apps can now add another layer of security to data that’s stored on Microsoft’s cloud. Microsoft announced Active Authentication, a new multifactor authentication offering based on the company’s PhoneFactor acquisition. The software giant bought the firm in October 2011 […]

When Apple previewed its redesigned iOS 7 on June 10 during its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, among the surprises was Siri’s new partner in mobile search: Bing. When iOS 7 is released this fall, Apple will be switching from Google to Microsoft’s Bing for Siri’s default Web search functions. While the move is […]

Sony had a tough act to follow. After teasing its next-gen video console on Feb. 20, the Japanese electronics giant finally unveiled the PlayStation 4 on June 10, just hours after Microsoft hosted a games-focused media event packed with blockbuster franchises and highly anticipated titles for the Xbox One. Despite some lulls and a lack […]

Kicking off the E3 video game trade show in Los Angeles today, Microsoft finally revealed when consumers can expect to buy the company’s new cloud-connected, social-enabled video game console, the Xbox One. Games were the focus of Microsoft’s June 10 media event. After previewing several exclusive Xbox One titles, which are set to be released […]

Microsoft, the tastemaker? Apple has long held the design crown among PC and consumer electronics makers. Its sleek and understated approach to industrial design helped propel the company’s iPhone and iPad to record-breaking sales. The MacBook Pro’s distinctive style has spawned countless Windows-based clones. Yet when it comes to operating systems, Apple may be following […]

Microsoft has stopped playing coy when it comes to its big Windows 8 update. In sharp contrast to the tight-lipped stance Microsoft took when details of Windows Blue (now Windows 8.1) first emerged, the company is now demonstrating the software in some high-profile settings. Microsoft picked the Computex tradeshow in Taipei, Taiwan, to give its […]

Good news for Nokia? A new forecast from Canalys may give the Finnish maker of Windows-based smartphones reason to be optimistic about its partnership with Microsoft. Although Windows Phone commands only a sliver of the smartphone market at present, things will change radically in a couple of years. According to the analyst group, Windows Phone […]