Microsoft launches the Microsoft Band

After some speculation and buzz, Microsoft made public and available not a smartwatch but a smartband instead that works with all the 3 major smartphones operating system (Windows Phone, iOS and Android).

It started to popup today in app stores a new Microsoft application called Microsft Band Sync or Microsoft Health depending of the O.S.






The Microsoft Band it's similar to other fitness bands but will also allow users to view and sync emails, contacts, task, etc.

This again shows Microsoft trying to make a change on the way it looks to the market and getting late to a saturated market.

The smarband it's only available on the U.S. markets right now with a nice price of 199$.






Here's the promotional video of Microsoft Smartband:



Microsoft Smartband Specifications

• Band material: Thermal plastic elastomer with adjustable fit clasp

• Display Size: 11mm x 33mm

• Display Type: Capacitive 1.4" TFT full color display

• Resolution: 320 x 106 pixels

• Battery life: 48 hours of normal use; advanced functionality like GPS use will impact battery performance

• Average charge time: Full charge in less than 1.5 hours

• Battery type: Dual 100mAh rechargeable lithium-ion polymer batteries

• Operating temperature ranges: -10°C to 40°C (14°F to 104°F)

• Maximum operating altitude: Approximately 12,000m

• Sensors:
 o Optical heart rate sensor
 o 3-axis accelerometer/gyro
 o Gyrometer
 o GPS
 o Ambient light sensor
 o Skin temperature sensor
 o UV sensor
 o Capacitive sensor
 o Galvanic skin response
 o Microphone

• Additional technology: Microphone, Haptic vibration motor

• Connectivity:Bluetooth 4.0 (Low Energy)

• Supported mobile devices: Works with Windows Phone 8.1 update with Bluetooth, iOS 7.1 and later: iPhone 4S, 5, 5C, 5S, 6, 6 Plus and Android 4.3-4.4 phones, with Bluetooth.
• Charge cable connector: Magnetically-coupled connector to USB

• Water resistance

• Dust-and-splash resistant

• What's in the box:
 o Microsoft Band
 o USB magnetic connector cable
 o Safety & warranty document
 o Quick Start Guide

Windows 10 - New multi-monitor features support and...learning with Apple

During the opening keynote on Microsoft Teched Europe 2014 in Barcelona, Joe Belfiore showed up among other things, some features of Windows 10.

One of the features showed was the capacity of making windows snapping with multi-monitors.
Basically will be possible to easily snap a window in the middle of the 2 monitors when using extended desktop.
Although this is not a "top of the art" feature, makes me believe Microsoft it's again looking to that small details that all together make a better O.S.

Another small but really nice feature it's one thing that almost all Apple users talk about when working on their Macbook. The capacity their touchpad have to do...everything!

Take a look at the video here:

Microsoft TechEd Europe 2014 - Live Stream

For everyone not able to go to Microsoft TechEd Europe in Barcelona (Spain), Microsoft is livestreaming the event through their Channel 9 website so you don't loose any bit of it.

Channel 9 - TechEd Europe 2014 - Live Stream

MDT - Error Code 193 on Deployment Summary

For some time I was getting a strange return code when deploying a specific image with a specific application.
In this case, I was a warning with the return code 193.

After some search, I've found that it was as simple as changing the install parameters for that application like in this example:

Previous command line:
application.msi /qr /norestart ALLUSERS=2

Correct command line:
msiexec.exe /i application.msi /qr /norestart ALLUSERS=2

Well...and no more warning on the Deployment Summary.
As simples as that!

Windows Phone - Getting a little taste of Cortana

Well...if you're like me and live outside U.S. and don't want to mess with your region or locale on your Windows Phone, well...I think we have a lot of time to wait for...

But...If you want to have a taste of Cortana's feature and like Cortana's voice, redditor clang-ley have created and made available on it's OneDrive a bunch of MP3 files with Cortana's voice that you can use to customize your ringtone and notifications.

It's not Cortana but you'll have a little taste of it:
Clang-Ley OneDrive - Cortana Voice Files

Microsoft UserVoices - Other Products

Following the last post, Microsoft also has available another "UserVoices" for other products.
Here's the list:

• Lumia Apps Betas
• Cortana
• Xbox
• Xbox Music
• Xbox Video
• Remote Desktop
• Visual Studio
• WPDev
• Windows Phone Facebook App
• Windows Phone

Windows 10 - Help shape Windows!

Do you have ideas for the future Windows 10?
There's a key feature that you'd like to see implemented on it?

There's something that would work better in a different way?
Now you can make your voice/ideas heard on the relatively new website that Microsoft created.

On Windows Feature Suggestion Box we can suggest Microsoft  what we would like to see on it's future OS.

This is another initiative that Microsoft creates in a new way to communicate to final consumers and IT professionals.

Take a look:
Windows UserVoice

Windows 10 - Command line console improvements

Aside of the new Task View, Virtual Desktop and of course, the revamp of Start Menu, Microsoft didn't forget about those who uses for most of it's work time the command line console.

Simple things like...stretching the console window or copy+paste it's now available!

For a complete list of command line console improvements, read this article!
Windows Blogs - Command Line Console Improvements

Windows 10 - New Keyboard shortcuts

Microsoft has posted on it's http://blogs.windows.com blog a new set of shortcuts available on Microsoft Windows 10 Technical Preview:

• Snapping window: WIN + Left or Right (You can use it with Up and Down to get them into quadrants)
• Switch to recent window: ALT+ TAB (holding shows up the new Task View)
• Task view: WIN + TAB
• New Virtual Desktop: WIN + CTRL + D
• Close Virtual Desktop: WIN + CTRL + F4
• Switch Virtual Desktop: WIN + CTRL + LEFT or RIGHT

There's also a complete list of hotkeys for the new Command Prompt, posted by Microsoft's Scott Hanselman here:

Scott Hanselman - Windows 10 Command Prompt Hotkeys

Windows 10 - Presenting "Continuum" mode for hybrid tablet-notebook

Joe Belfiore showed this of on a press conference about Windows 10.
The idea of an operating system that automatically adapts to the device where it's running its one of the major goals with Windows 10.
This feature, that for now has been codenamed "Continuum" brings this idea a little further.
With "Continuum" depending of the device "state" the OS automatically adapts to it.

For example, if you're using Microsoft Surface has a tablet (without a cover) the OS will be presented and adapted to give the user a tablet experience. If the cover it's connects, the user will automatically receive an alert asking if it wants to change to a "desktop experience".
All this on-the-fly.

Take a look on this demo here:

Windows Phone 8.1 - "Resuming" screen after live lock screen beta uninstall

I've bought my new Nokia Lumia 925 last week.
Of course I had a big list of things to download from Windows Store that I was anxious to test since I was a lot of time with my Nokia Lumia 800 (which was not upgradable to Windows Phone 8).

So...after a lot of downloading, testing...uninstalling, I was time to test "Live Screen Lock BETA" from Microsoft.

Well, didn't liked that much, so I've uninstalled it. Since than I found out that I had a side-effect.
Now, every time I locked my phone, when pushing the button to wake up the phone, a nice "Resuming...."  showed up for a couple of seconds.

Solution:
Go to Settings > Lock Screen and set the "Background" to something else. Lock screen, unlock the phone and choose again your "Background".

And you're done!

VMware View - Mouse Disappearing with Internet Explorer 8 and PCoIP

Well, after a "nice" morning trying to troubleshoot an issue with a colleague of mine, finally the answer!

First things first...

The symptoms:
Some users complaining that when navigating on some websites the mouse simply disappeared.


Analysis:
First thing we've noticed was that using RDP protocol instead of PCoIP "solved" the issue.
Using a different browser like Google Chrome also "solved" the issue.

Changing pool settings like Flash Optimization, 3D Renderer, didn't do any effect.


Solution:
Then, after a lot of searching my colleague found this article:
Mouse cursor disappears when using Internet Explorer 8 after upgrading to VMware View Agent 5.2 or 5.3 (2063083)

:) exactly the issue we had!

So, we've download VMware View Agent 5.3.2 from MyVMware, tested it and voilá! Problem solved!


Additional Info:
VMware Horizon View Agent 5.3.2


Hope this helps some people to loose less time that we did! ;)

Windows 10 - Press Event Video

Although there was no live stream for Windows 10 presentation, Microsoft posted the press event video on Windows YouTube Channel.
It's a almost 40 minutes video where Terry Myerson and Joe Belfiore demoed some of the new features of Windows 10.

Take a look:

Introducing Windows 10 - Quick Joe Belfiore Demo

After the official Microsoft Windows 10 Technical Preview presentation to the world, here's a very quick demo from Microsoft's VP Joe Belfiore.