Microsoft Gives Away More Office Software To Attract Mobile Users

Popular Application Give Away – Word/Excel/PowerPoint - 

The popular Word, Excel and PowePoint applications are now made available for free on Android tablets recently by Microsoft Corp, marking the latest step in its drive in order to get several mobile users as possible to use its software.

Besides this, it also released for its popular Outlook email program, an app to run on Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPad with a hope of attracting millions of users who are familiar with Outlook from their work desktops. These are the latest releases which according to Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadella is an attempt to fight back the initiative in the battle for mobile consumers where Microsoft had fallen behind Google Inc. and Apple.

With this release, last March, Nadella broke the decades of traditions by releasing a free, touch-friendly version of Office for Apple’s iPad prior to any such software made available for Microsoft’s Windows devices. Making its industry standard Office app available on Apple’s popular iOS and Google’s Android operating systems, Microsoft has created a possibility of building a base of users who could later be persuaded to sign up for Office 365, the full internet based version of Office which would be $7 for personal user for a month.

Test Versions of Office Apps on Android 

Test versions of the Office apps on Android had been offered by Microsoft for almost three months but Thursday marked the first day it was made available as a completed product from the Google Play online app store. Key elements of Microsoft’s top selling Office suite of application, namely, Word, Excel and PowerPoint were a hit on Apple’s mobile devices according to Microsoft, with around eighty million downloads since last March.

Moreover, Microsoft has plans in releasing new; touch friendly versions of its Office apps for Windows devices as well, later this year on release of the Windows 10 operating system. The latest version of Outlook app is based on a popular app that was made by Acompli and bought by Microsoft in December, will now enable iPhone and iPad users with a much easier way of linking email to calendars as well as working with file attachments. It is said that Microsoft is also releasing a test version of the Outlook app for Android users.

Microsoft – Growth for Cloud Centric Strategy

The upcoming Windows 10 operating system will be given away by Microsoft Corp as a free upgrade to users of the latest versions of windows and Windows Phone, being the world’s biggest software company is working on holding onto consumers in the new mobile age. Terry Myerson’s announcement, running the Microsoft’s operating systems group is a change for Microsoft which had charged for new versions of Windows, one of its main profit driven targets.

Microsoft needs a steady growth for its cloud centric strategy and Window 10 seems to be the main centre of the strategy. According to Myerson, Windows 10 is probably expected on the market this autumn and would be available for a period of one year as a free upgrade for Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1

Apple Patent Reveals Expanding Home Button For Games Players

Apple’s Patent - `Multi-Function Input Device’

It has been reported that Apple has been granted a patent known as `Multi-Function Input Device’ by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office recently which was originally filed by Colin Ely and Fletcher Rothkopf on July 9, 2013 who presently are Apple’s product design executive.

This newly revealed application reports plans for a spring loaded home button which pops up to turn into a joystick whenever the need arises. The home button of the iPhone has various functions. The fingerprint sensor on the home button can unlock the iPhone with Touch ID. Siri gets activated on holding down the home button and on tapping on the home button, one is led to the home screen or it indicates which apps are open.

Apple AAPL+5.67% has been granted patent which shows that a joystick could be built for future iPhones in the home button. The mode of the joystick could be activated on pushing down on the home button where a spring mechanism beneath the surface of the home button could pop up the home button. On using the joystick, one can push the home button once again to return the home button to the normal mode.

Small Joystick For Gaming 

The multi-function input device indicates an iPhone or iPad home button which can change into a small joystick for gaming and is believed that it would maintain the present Touch ID fingerprint sensor where a single click could enable it to pop up as well as transform it into a slightly raised joystick.

A mere push of the raised home button back in a flush position with the body of the iPhone tends to bring it to its original position when gaming is done. The patent states that the multi-function input device is functional in at least a first mode and a second mode and in one example, the multi-function input device could have a button mode as well as a joystick mode.

The diagrams that have been included in the application indicate very low-profile joystick. The input device head may not project outward from the surface when not in use as in the case of a joystick, thus avoiding comprising aesthetic appearance of the electronic device, preventing damage to mechanisms used to project the input device head or/and keeping the input device head out of the way when not in use as a joystick.

Tactile Feedback

Apple has also admitted that in some games, a touchscreen would not be ideal. Touch screens which could be appropriate to applications like Internet browser application have some advantages for operating game applications on portable devices though they could also have some shortcomings.

For instance, a user’s finger would need to cover a certain part of the screen while controlling the game and this could interfere with the user’s capabilities to see what is in control and/or other areas of the game display. Moreover, a touch screen could also be unable to provide tactile feedback and to provide tactile feedback at the time of the game could enhance the player’s gaming experience. Some game lovers are of the opinion that realistic game play could not be experienced fully with the joystick and/or the tactile buttons.

Facebook to Sell Real-Time Super Bowl Ads, Taking On Twitter

Super Bowl Facebook – All New Marketing Gaming Plan

For the first time during a football championship, Super Bowl Facebook is deploying an all-new marketing gaming plan which will help companies to purchase ads in real time. Facebook earlier had sold Super Bowl ads based on user’s prevailing likes, profiles as well as demographic information.

 This made it the first time that the site would be using new targeting features which would customize audience clusters for advertiser, as briefing with regards to the game is revealed. According to Reuters, video ads for instance, triggered by using certain keywords which members would mention in their post on Facebook, while watching the American football game, would automatically begin to play within the user’s news feeds.

Twitter’s platform has already been in real-time marketing for years but the strategy represents a first for Facebook. Tablets and smartphones have provision of a second screen for the Super Bowl’s 100 million television audience to comment, regarding the proceedings of the game, giving advertisers an appropriate option to target messages.

Twitter – Mantel of Real-Time Platform

Twitter has owned the mantel of a real-time platform though the sophistication of Facebook’s ad targeting is unparalleled, according to Noah Mallin MEC, head of social for North America, a media buying agency and a part of WPP. Twitter has been leading in this arena which other social media networks are seeking to match up with.Super Bowl marketers on Facebook, last year, couldaim ads to segment of members depending on their likes, demographic information and profiles and Facebook had introduced real-time targeting features thereafter.

The social network this year with around 155 million daily users in United State as well as Canada could customize audience clusters which advertisers could target in real-time at the time of the game. According to the head of social media at the marketing agency Eleven Inc.

Maura Tuohy, states that Facebook had to work hard to dispel the notion that people do not use the network while watching live tent pole events and that people are talking about the shows on Facebook.

Need of Strong Presence – Online/Mobile

According to the director of traditional and emerging media at Toyota, Dionne Colvin-Lovely, comments that the automaker is running two commercials at the time of the Super Bowl though has turned to digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Inc.’s YouTube as well as Hulu in order to generate a conversation around car buyers. Colvin-Lovely further adds that the TV is an important media which is not much dominant and there is a need to make sure of a strong presence, online as well as well in mobile.

For the Super Bowl, Twitter has been staffing `war rooms’ of 13 advertisers which includes PepsiCo as well as Anheuser Busch, triple the number of companies who worked directly with Twitter for the big game last year. Both Facebook and Twitter are speculating that by executing memorable real-time ads with a more concrete way in reaching consumers, would be an additional advantage in their long-time efforts to have a bigger slice of the estimated $66 billion television advertising profits. Several marketers are also turning to digital platforms which also include YouTube.

Windows 10 on Your Phone: What We Know So Far

Recently, saw the unwrapping of many ambitious features and products centering around windows 10 operating system by Microsoft. The company also presented and exhibited demonstrations of new apps, hardware and web services that will all be tying and be part of so called Microsoft’s huge ecosystem, having the aim of touching the lives of people in their homes, office and while on move. The company has assured that the operating system on the phone will not be treated differently but it will have the same essence with the assurance of touch-based input being prioritized for the small screen. The company is hoping that the operating system will be able to make every platform treat this just as another web service along with frequent updated. So of the important facts to know about the OS on smartphones:

1. Free for Windows 8.1 users with free updates- The Company is hoping to encourage the Window 7 users on desktop to move to this operating system by offering free Windows 10 upgrades after a year or so after the launch. They will be including 8 and 8.1 OS as they are planning to eventually fade away. Regardless of device type, it is important for the company to get everyone of the same platform. Only drawback being that early adopter of Windows 7 will be left out.

2. PC and mobile experience is expected to be the same. Action center of all the devices will operate in a similar manner and will be releasing notifications at the same time. The desktop of the new OS will be inheriting the quick settings to keep things familiar for the users.

3. Lots of new apps- Office apps will be installed on phones and other smaller devices. Common windows foundation across different device types making it a universal app. One-Drive will be used for synchronizing document between different platforms.

4. UI Tweaks- Users will be able to set any image as their wallpaper. Even though 8.1’s wallpapers gained lot of popularity but still lots of people were comfortable with the traditional wallpapers. The top drawer will give more importance to the recently launched apps.

5. New Hardware- A the windows 10 launch, at least one new flagship-level smartphone is expected to be released. A new phablet can be expected to be released by the company.

6. Skype and One-Drive- A lot of windows 10 ecosystem will be powered by the company’s in-house Skype and One-Drive properties. Messaging system is expected to be tied to Skype on desktop and mobile and in Windows 10 operating system, these SMS will be automatically routed through their network. File storage and synchronizing will be powered by One-Drive. Still users might need more than one location for storing the files.

7. New powers of Cortana- According to the demonstration given by the company, Cortana will have an advanced sense of personality and humor. What is more interesting is the fact that Cortana will now be able to learn more about the personal schedules and preferences of the users.

Will Apple's 12-inch MacBook Air Use One Port to Rule Them All?

There has been lot of rumors doing round pertaining to the new MacBook Air, which got lot of people full with enthusiasm. However, if you are thinking it is about the Retina Display then you are very wrong. Instead, some of the rumors have indicated that the Apple's redesigned MacBook Air will not only be remarkably smaller, having only a 12-inch screen but also will be having just a single port. According to the reports, these rumors came from Mark Gurman of 9to5mac.com, who stated that the new MacBook Air design is expected to drop their current MacBook Air's USB 3 ports and do away with the SDXC card slot, MagSafe 2 charging connection and Thunderbolt port.

Can a replacement is in place? Well, a single USB Type-C port is capable of connecting to multiple kinds of devices apart from displays and storage. Additionally, the C port will be capable of charging the new 12-inch MacBook Air as well. The idea itself sounds very crazy for many.

Time to get over the old: 

Is it really time people to move on to this new concept? Apple is known for making amendments to the old standards in the pursuit of making thinner hardware design until perfection. When 5.25 inch was very common, the first Mac went ahead with 3.5-inch floppy disk drive. Later on, the company completely ditched the floppy drive concept and moved on with the USB ports and CD drives in their new iMac. Later on Mac Book was completely on its own as the developers left out the CD/DVD drives. Apple has been known for innovation and the example was set by creating the Thunderbolt ports, which replaced FireWire ports in different types of MacBooks.

So what new with the Macbook: 

The new Macbook is not only expected to have smaller screen size, but also be a quarter inch less wide compared to the previous versions. To make the device the company has reduced the bezel and squished the keyboard keys more closely making the keyboard fit the entire laptop body. The function keys have been modified to fit in the power button.

The rumors seems to be confirmed by some of the inside sources of the company. The company always maintains silence in terms of innovation and devices to stun the people with their product and information is released only on need to know basis. However, the company had confirmed the release of their 12-inch Macbook last year but due to unforeseen circumstances, the release was delayed. Reports suggest that with the thinner design it is difficult for the company to add any additional ports.

What should be expected? 

With the device being so small, the customers would like to be able to the same to printers and storage, the company can actually come up with a lightweight hub as accessory. They can add ports in the power brick as an additional means. The product is expected to replace the previous version but still there are questions pertaining to the addition of Retina-class display.