Pedro Hernandez

Microsoft had bigger plans for its Azure DocumentDB NoSQL service. During the Build developer conference this week, the software giant announced its replacement, the globe-spanning Azure Cosmos DB. Joseph Sirosh, corporate vice president of Microsoft Data Group, described Azure Cosmos DB as “the industry’s first globally-distributed, multi-model database service,” in a May 10 blog post. […]

The next major update to Windows 10 will arrive later this year, Microsoft announced during its Build developer conference on May 11. Dubbed the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, it will carry forward the content creation theme of its predecessor with an added emphasis on cohesive cross-device experiences, even when some of the devices involved […]

Developers building intelligent applications now have more Microsoft Cognitive Services to work with, the software giant announced at its annual Build developer conference in Seattle as part of its push to bring artificial intelligence (AI) into mainstream computing. Microsoft Cognitive Services is a collection of APIs (application programming interfaces) that are infused with AI, which […]

Office 365 has more than 100 million commercial users, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella noted during his opening keynote at the Build developer conference this week in Seattle. If that’s not reason enough for developers to consider creating applications in support of Microsoft’s cloud-based productivity software suite, the software giant introduced new features and updates that […]

Microsoft finally released Visual Studio for Mac during the Build developer conference in Seattle May 10, nearly half a year after releasing a preview version of the developer toolkit in New York City. Scott Hanselman, a principal program manager at Microsoft, delivered the news during a demonstration of how developers can use the company’s integrated […]

Opportunity was the theme of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s opening address as he took the stage at his company’s annual Build developer conference in Seattle May 10. And the technology giant used the occasion to announce several new tools and services intended to help its developer community capitalize on the possibilities that an increasingly data-rich […]

A revamped Microsoft Windows Maps app is rolling out alongside the Windows 10 Creators Update, offering users more ways to interact with the company’s location information. Virtual reality, built-in 3D support and other capabilities aimed at PC enthusiasts and creative professionals may have stolen the spotlight during the recent release of the Windows 10 Creators […]

Microsoft is taking a cue from hardcore PC gamers and upgrading its graphics hardware. But rather than splash eye-catching visuals onto computer monitors, the software giant is accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) workloads on the cloud. The company announced this week that Azure customers using Microsoft’s GPU-assisted virtual machines for their AI applications will have newer, […]

The smart speaker scene is going to get a little more crowded this fall. Harman today officially took the wraps off the Invoke, a new speaker that will join Amazon Echo and Google Home in an increasingly competitive market for voice-activated virtual assistants. Late last year, Microsoft and audio equipment maker Harman, a subsidiary of […]

Marketing folks who use Excel to analyze the performance of their social media campaigns now have a new reporting tool to help make sense of their Facebook advertising data. And there’s a good chance these days that more marketers are keeping a close eye on their Facebook stats. Last week, media planning firm ZenithOptimedia reported […]