Business News Holding

Tag: microsoft

  • Microsoft Lync: A New Name for a New Generation of UC Solutions

    Microsoft announced the release candidate of Microsoft Lync, the next generation of Microsoft’s unified communications software. Lync is the new family brand for the products formerly known as Communications Server, Communications Online and Communicator, and it also now includes Lync Web App, and Lync Online.

    The release candidates of Lync 2010 and Lync Server 2010 are now available for businesses of all sizes to try for free. Microsoft said this broad release candidate is the last step toward release to manufacturing and general availability scheduled for later this year.

    According to the company, Lync can make every engagement a virtual face-to-face meeting, because any interaction can include video and audio conferencing, application and desktop sharing, instant messaging, and telephony.

    Lync has been designed from the ground up to work with Microsoft Office, SharePoint and Exchange, which helps reduce end-user adoption hurdles and increase return on investment. People can also stay connected to others on a wide range of devices while away from the office and manage their communications and calls in new ways, such as moving a call from a PC to a mobile device while leaving the office without disrupting the conversation.

    Microsoft revealed that more than 120 enterprise customers and partners are enrolled in the Microsoft Technology Adoption Program (TAP) for Lync, testing early releases and providing feedback, and over 400 unified communications partners are involved in readiness activities, preparing for general availability of the software later this year.

    In addition, more than 30 partners have announced beta versions of their Lync-compatible hardware, software and service products. Hardware products include a variety of internet protocol phones and USB endpoints optimized for Lync. Software solutions include contact centers, call recording, accounting and new applications that incorporate communications right within business processes. Routing services work with Lync to allow companies to meet United States E-911 requirements for all U.S.-based workers, regardless of location.

    “Over the past five years we have been on a journey to transform communications with the power of software,” said Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president of Unified Communications at Microsoft.

    “Lync delivers on this vision by unifying enterprise voice, instant messaging and web-, audio- and videoconferencing into a new, connected communications experience,” he added.

  • Xbox LIVE Video Kinect Brings Video Chat to Your Living Room

    Along with the announcement of Kinect for Xbox 360 (formally known as ‘Project Natal’), Microsoft yesterday unveiled Xbox LIVE Video Kinect that lets you chat with other Xbox 360 users.

    But the next year, Microsoft is going to link Video Kinect with Windows Live Messenger, allowing the Xbox LIVE community to have real-time video conversations with hundreds of millions of PC users around the world. The new service will also integrate custom news feeds, weather and videos from Bing.

    The Natal camera’s "Autozoom Focus" instantly finds and follows you when you move so you always stay in frame; no headset is required.

    No more details have been given except those given by Piero Sierra, Group Program Manager, Windows Live Messenger & Mail at Microsoft in his blog post: “When we told you earlier about what’s coming in the next version of Messenger, one of the things we discussed was how we’re improving the core instant messaging experience, and making big improvements to video chat and media sharing with built-in features like HD support, full-screen video chat, and more engaging ways to share photos and videos,” he wrote.

    And added: “If you’ve been following the E3 conference, you know that today Microsoft unveiled new details about the controller-free Kinect for Xbox 360, including how it enables Xbox LIVE users to have real-time video conversations with Windows Live Messenger users.

    This functionality will release in the next year, and we’re excited about how it helps make your communication experience even richer by bringing Messenger and your friends directly into your living room.”

    Related articles
    fring Gives Android Users the 1st Mobile 2-Way Video Calls
    Report: European Videoconferencing Endpoints Market
    GIPS Enables HD Voice and One-Way Video Chat to the iPad

  • Microsoft Introduces KIN Windows Phone

    Microsoft finally announced KIN, a new Windows Phone designed specifically for people who are actively navigating their social lives. The phone is brought to life through partnerships with Verizon Wireless, Vodafone and Sharp.

    KIN supports Microsoft’s new cloud computing service with an optimized GUI. The hardware design was developed in partnership with Sharp. There are two models called KIN ONE and KIN TWO. Both phones feature a touch screen, slide-out keyboard and very simple interface.

    ONE is small and compact; TWO has a larger screen and keyboard, in addition to more memory, a higher resolution camera, and the ability to record high-definition video. The 5 and 8 megapixel cameras in ONE and TWO, respectively, have image stabilization and a bright LumiLED flash.

    KIN automatically brings together feeds from Microsoft and third-party services such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. The home screen of the phone is called the KIN Loop, which is always up to date and always on, showing all the things happening in someone’s social world.

    Another new feature, the KIN Spot is a new way for people to share what’s going on in their world. It lets them focus first on the people and stuff they want to share rather than the specific application they want to use. Videos, photos, text messages, Web pages, location and status updates are shared by simply dragging them to a single place on the phone called the Spot. Once all the people and content are in the Spot to share, the consumer can choose how to share, and start broadcasting.

    KIN Studio is a phone online. Almost everything created on the phone is available in the cloud from any Web browser. Photos and videos are freed from the confines of the phone and presented in an online visual timeline.

    The KIN Studio automatically backs up texts, call history, photos, videos and contacts, and populates a personalized digital journal.

    It also gives customers tons of storage to keep all those photos, videos, contacts and texts.

    KIN will be the first Windows Phone to feature a Zune experience — including music, video, FM radio and podcast playback. With a Zune Pass subscription, users using Zune software on their PC can listen to millions of songs from Zune Marketplace on their KIN while on the go.

    KIN will be exclusively available from Verizon Wireless in the U.S. beginning in May and from Vodafone this autumn in Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.

  • Motorola Partners with Microsoft for Search and Maps Services

    Motorola announced a global alliance with Microsoft to deploy Bing services on Motorola devices powered by Android.

    This new offering, launching in China on smartphones in Q1, will provide consumers a choice when using search and map functions on their Android-based devices.

    This collaboration will bring a pre-loaded Bing bookmark on the mobile browser and an enhanced search widget with Bing integration.

    According to Motorola, by enabling users to customize their devices and select their own search provider, the company, with help from Microsoft, is expanding the capabilities and range of services currently offered in the marketplace and opening the doors for increased personalization.

    According to Christy Wyatt, corporate vice president of software and services at Motorola Mobile Devices, “the consumer choice is one of the most critical components to ensuring a rich and seamless client experience".

    He said the addition of Bing services to their Android-based smartphones in China is “another important step in empowering Motorola’s end-users."

    "Mobile devices continue to be a critical place for customers to access location-based services such as local search and mapping," stated Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of the Online Services Division at Microsoft.

    Search and Maps capabilities through Microsoft will initially be available in China, starting in Q1 2010, through either pre-load or over-the-air updates for devices already in market.

  • Windows Mobile 6.5 Phones Coming October 6th

    The new phones will be the first to feature Windows Mobile 6.5, the latest version of Microsoft’s mobile phone software.

    The company didn’t unveil any new details, they just promised “easy-to-use user interface”, “better browsing capabilities” and “access to valuable services”, which will be Windows Marketplace for Mobile (the company’s app store) and Microsoft My Phone (backup cloud service), that are also set to launch on October 6.

    “Windows phones bring together the best of the Web, the PC and the phone so you can connect instantly to the experiences you care about, no matter where you are,” said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO at Mobile World Congress 2009 in February this year, when the company revealed the new series of smartphones.

    In North America mobile operators like AT&T, Bell Mobility, Sprint, TELUS and Verizon Wireless, and phone manufacturers like HP, HTC, LG, Samsung and Toshiba are committed to updating or expanding their portfolios to include phones with Windows Mobile 6.5

    Also AT&T has informed that starting on September 14th, customers with Wi-Fi-enabled Windows Mobile smartphones and unlimited/other qualifying data plans will receive unlimited access to AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots nationwide.

  • JAJAH Brings SIP Trunking Services to the Enterprise

    JAJAH, the IP communications company, is working with Microsoft to provide SIP Trunking services to Microsoft enterprise customers globally. According to the firm this will allow companies to make high quality voice calls over JAJAH’s IP Platform in the cloud, without requiring an infrastructure upgrade.

    Enterprises using Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 can now connect directly with JAJAH’s global carrier-grade IP network to make high quality voice calls.

    The company says that in addition to the ‘significant’ cost-benefits, JAJAH’s extensive range of calling solutions integrate seamlessly into the enterprise, so voice calls can be made from computers and landlines.

    JAJAH’s SIP Trunking services connect phone calls from computers, IP-phones and mobile phones to virtually any device in the world.

    SIP Trunking is the delivery mechanism that underpins unified communications, providing the function of connecting an organization’s PBX(s) to the necessary service providers. In doing so, it ensures phone calls and other IP-based communications originating from an employees’ phone or computer are connected to the destination.

    "The combination of JAJAH and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 gives enterprises a powerful and rich external telephony solution," said Warren Barkley, Microsoft Senior Director Unified Communications.

    "Enterprises across the world can implement VoIP and unified communication easily and cost effectively with Microsoft and JAJAH," added JAJAH CEO Trevor Healy.

  • Microsoft Unveils Zune HD Details

    Microsoft announced today that the Zune HD, its long-awaited media player, is available now for pre-order and is set to hit store shelves on Sept. 15.

    The black 16 GB version will sell for $219.99, and the 32 GB "platinum" device for $289.99. Both 16GB and 32GB capacities will be available in five different colors with the option to customize the player with one of 10 new engravings designed by guest artists.

    Pre-order starting Thursday, Aug. 13 at https://www.zune.net/zunehd and purchase in stores on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

    Those who want a sneak peek, can visit select stores in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C., areas on Aug. 22 and 23.

    Zune HD features 3.3-inch glass screen and 16:9 widescreen format display (480 x 272 resolution) and have HD video output to allow video to be played on an HDTV.

    It comes also with built-in HD Radio receiver, an OLED touch screen interface, wi-fi, a multi-touch UI for Internet Explorer and has access to TV, movies and games through the Xbox Live Video Marketplace.

  • Toshiba Integrates VoIP System With Microsoft OCS RCC


    Toshiba’s telecommunication division has announced integration of Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007 Remote Call Control (RCC) capabilities with its Toshiba Strata CIX family of VoIP business communication systems.

    Brian Metherell, vice president and general manager of Toshiba America Information Systems, Telecommunication Systems Division, said that with the integration, enterprise users of Toshiba’s Strata CIX family of VoIP business communication systems can Click-to-Dial from Microsoft OCS 2007 using a Toshiba Strata telephone device.

    He said it is compatible with Toshiba’s most popular IP and digital telephones as well as Toshiba’s SoftIPT softphone.

    Users also gain telephony status information for other callers on the Strata CIX system, viewable from their Microsoft OCS Enhanced Presence screen.

    "In providing an integrated solution with Microsoft OCS 2007, Toshiba is delivering on its promise to expand its Unified Communications offerings by giving customers a choice in how they communicate with their Toshiba Strata CIX VoIP system," he said.

    The Toshiba Strata CIX VoIP system is available through authorized Toshiba dealers.

  • JAJAH Connects One Billionth Call, Promises "Genuine" UC


    JAJAH has announced that it has just connected its one billionth call – a 29-year-old woman in San Francisco who was calling her mother in India.

    Not bad going for a company that launched just three years ago as a web-based consumer VoIP service and now has has over 25 million users and partnerships with the likes of Intel, Microsoft and Yahoo!

    In announcing it billionth call, JAHAH said it was particularly special because it came via one of its partners – in this case Yahoo! – which uses the JAJAH platform to operate its Yahoo! Voice service.

    Earlier this month JAJAH CEO Trevor Healy said there is a "sea change" currently taking place in the communications industry – and that has resulted in JAJAH itself evolving from a consumer VoIP focus to become a global IP communications platform provider.

    The company is currently preparing a new "in the cloud" Unified Communications Platform able to manage any form of data communication.

    It claims this will open up a new phase of genuinely unified communications – something that has been hampered by issues with interoperability and integration.

  • Paid Apps Imminent For Android Market


    Google’s Android Market is expected to begin accepting paid applications this week for the first time.

    The move could provide a much-needed boost to the platform, which currently has around 800 applications.

    This is far below what Apple’s App Store had achieved in its early months. Incidentally, the App Store has just passed the 20,000 mark for apps, with over 500 million downloads.

    While Android Market’s position can partly be attributed to the G1 not being as popular as the iPhone, that’s not the whole story.

    Another key element could be the fact developers haven’t been getting paid to come up with shiny new apps for Android.

    With the incentive of remuneration thrown in, the desite to create software for the G1 and soon-to-be launched handset additions to the Android platform is likely to be much stronger.

    Interestingly, Google is deviating from Apple’s revenue model in that it receives nothing from the downloading of paid apps.

    Both app stores will give developers 70 per cent of the revenue, but whereas Apple pockets the other 30 per cent Google is passing it on to the carriers and to pay settlement fees.

    Anything that gets the Andoid Market rolling has to be welcome, expecially as others – including RIM, Microsoft and Palm – are expected to launch their own app stores very soon.