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Windows Azure: General Availability of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Sudhirh — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:19:04 GMT

This is awesome news for all our customers. Windows Azure IaaS is not GA. Great article by Scott providing details and there is a link to Bill Hilf’s article below with some great customer case studies.

This morning we announced the general availability release of our Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) support for Windows Azure – including our new Virtual Machine and Virtual Network capabilities. This release is now live in production, backed by an enterprise SLA, supported by Microsoft Support, and is ready to use for production apps. If you don’t already have a Windows Azure account, you can sign-up for a free trial and start using it today.

In addition to supporting all of the features and capabilities included during the preview, today’s IaaS release also includes some great new enhancements:

New VM Image Templates (including SQL Server, BizTalk Server, and SharePoint images)

New VM Sizes (including Larger Memory Machines)

New VM Prices (we’ve reduced prices 21%-33% for IaaS and PaaS VMs)

Below are more details on today’s release and some of the new enhancements. You can also read Bill Hilf’s blog post to learn about some of the customers who are already using the IaaS capabilities in production.

Windows Azure: General Availability of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - ScottGu's Blog

Getting started with Xbox Music on Windows 8

Sudhirh — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 05:29:09 GMT

Good CNET article on XBox Music.

Xbox Music is the new streaming music service from Microsoft. We'll show you how to get started with Xbox Music on Windows 8.

by Ed Rhee

October 31, 2012 12:06 PM PDT

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

Xbox Music was initially announced in June of this year and released toXbox 360 users first. When Windows 8 reached general availability on October 26, Xbox Music became available to all Windows 8 users as well. Like Spotify, Microsoft's new music service can stream full songs on demand, as well as play taste-based radio like Pandora. Here's what you need to know to get started with Xbox Music on Windows 8:

To begin using Xbox Music, click on the orange Music tile on your Windows 8 Start screen and sign in with a Microsoft account.

Streaming songs on demand
To start listening to music right away, click on "Play an artist" and enter the name of an artist you want to listen to. A random selection of songs by that artist will begin playing immediately.

To play specific songs or albums, you can browse music from the All Music and Top Music sections. You can also use the Win+Q shortcut to perform a quick search.

Click to enlarge.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

Once you've found music that you like, you can add it to a playlist by right-clicking on the track/album details. The control bar will appear at the bottom of the screen with the option to add the song or album to a playlist. In addition to playlists, you can also add songs or albums to My Music. When looking at track/album details, you'll see the option to "Add to my music."

Click to enlarge.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

Smart DJ
Smart DJ is a taste-based radio feature, similar to Pandora and Spotify Radio. Just click on "New Smart DJ" and enter an artist. It will begin playing music right away and add the new Smart DJ station to My Music. Unfortunately, Smart DJ doesn't have a rating system, so you can't customize the station as you go along.

Adding your own music
To add your own music to My Music, open Windows Explorer (Win+E) and copy your music files to the My Music library. When you go back into Xbox Music, you'll see your music in the My Music section.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

Managing My Music
You can manage the music in My Music by clicking on the heading. You'll be able edit playlists, delete Smart DJ stations, and remove albums and songs.

Click to enlarge.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

That's it. Don't forget that you can also look at your account details and set other preferences from within the Xbox Music app by using the Win+I shortcut

Getting started with Xbox Music on Windows 8 | How To - CNET

Entertainment is more amazing with Xbox

Sudhirh — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 06:56:19 GMT

Since November 2011, I have been working in Entertainment Services team as part of Xbox Live. Last week was a huge milestone for us, millions of customers around the globe started getting updates to their Xbox 360 and hopefully millions more will be buying and installing Windows 8 especially Surface from Microsoft. All these devices have a common and consistent entertainment experiences powered by services built by our team. Yes when you play a track on Xbox Music or watch a movie on Xbox Video that experience is powered by our team. It is amazing to be at the edge of a space that is changing so fast.

It was amazing experience to drive key discovery scenarios for the release including

Most Popular Music, Movies and TV
Top Purchased/Rented Music, Movies and TV
Top Rated content
Search Relevancy

Pictures are worth 1000 words:

Windows 8 Music App: Top Music

Windows 8 Music App: Top Songs

Windows 8 Music App: Top Artists and Play Top songs

Windows 8 Video App:Top Rented Movies

Windows 8 Video App: Top Selling TV Series

Working on more amazing stuff but more on that once we launch.

Windows Azure Marketplace expanded to 12 New Countries

Sudhirh — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 05:25:15 GMT

Great news!!! ISVs in 12 new countries can now sell their apps & data on Windows Azure Marketplace.

We are excited to announce the latest update to Windows Azure Marketplace, which brings some exciting new features, and commercial availability to 12 new countries. Now ISVs in 38 countries can benefit from the Windows Azure Marketplace.

New Features

Integration of a self-publish app catalog in the Seller Dashboard,

Availability of the Bing API exclusively through the Marketplace,

Expanded offers through the introduction of Sample Data, and

Integration of PowerPivot.

New Countries

Currently, the Windows Azure Marketplace serves approximately 50,000 users and more than 70,000 subscriptions.

The new release expands commercial availability to the following countries: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Greece, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Peru, Romania, South Korea, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Windows Azure Marketplace Update: New Features, Availability in 12 New Countries - Windows Azure - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

SQL Reporting for Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud goes live

Sudhirh — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 05:40:42 GMT

Azure SQL Reporting goes live. Finally we have started taking our core assets into the cloud.

Summary: Microsoft’s reporting services for Azure is finally generally available.

Microsoft’s announcement of its Windows Azure spring update included a lot of moving parts. One that didn’t get as much attention as it deserved was the the general availability of reporting services for the Azure cloud.

Windows Azure SQL Reporting is the new name of the reporting services component (which was formerly known as SQL Azure Reporting Services).

With the new service, developers can use the Business Intelligence Development Studio and SQL Server Data Tools to author reports, the same way they can with SQL Server Reporting Services on Windows Server. Users can export reports to file formats including Excel, Word, HTML, PDF, XML, and CSV, according to a June 12 post on the Microsoft BI blog.

Until August 1, the new reporting service is available for free; after that, it will be .88 per hour per reporting instance.”SQL Reporting on Azure offers a fully backed SLA (Service Level Agreement) and enables you to publish reports to the cloud or embed reports directly within on-premises applications that can be accessed via your browser, mobile devices or desktops,” the blog post noted.

Microsoft announced plans for SQL Azure Reporting Services in the fall of 2010. The service has been available to testers since then, but didn’t reach the general availability milestone until last week.

SQL Reporting for Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud goes live | ZDNet

How Xbox SmartGlass will work - CNN

Sudhirh — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 05:54:13 GMT

CNN article on SmartGlass. SmartGlass has created some good buzz at E3. It is pretty awesome stuff. Check it out once we release it this fall.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Xbox SmartGlass aims to make the console a key entertainment component

App will tie TV and console with tablets and smartphones

It uses Windows 8, but Apple and Android mobile devices also will work

SmartGlass app will be free and available this fall

(CNN) -- Perhaps the biggest splash in the early going of this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles was made by Microsoft with its unveiling of Xbox SmartGlass.

And while there's a video-gaming aspect to it, the feature promises a lot more (which, to be honest, is the sort of thing that plays bigger in the rest of the world than it does at E3, where the crowd is heavily made up of hard-core gamers who were probably more excited about the preview of "Halo 4").

Less than a day after SmartGlass was introduced, details are still emerging about how it will work.

But what's clear is that the application, which will work hand in hand with the upcoming Windows 8 operating system, is Microsoft's play to make the Xbox 360 an indispensable tool for all kinds of entertainment.

How Xbox SmartGlass will work - CNN.com

Xbox at E3

Sudhirh — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 06:53:28 GMT

Video of Microsoft at E3. This is going to be great holiday season. Am working on some of the Xbox live features that power some of the features you see in the video.

Microsoft at E3 2012

Xbox Beyond the Box

Sudhirh — Wed, 30 May 2012 07:11:22 GMT

Good article by Yusuf Mehdi.. Am looking forward to E3.

Next week, the Xbox team heads to Los Angeles for E3. Having recently joined the team, I have the benefit of fresh perspective, and one of the things that has struck me is the amount of opportunities we have ahead.

Before joining Xbox, I had the fortune of being a part of some incredible periods of innovation and incubation such as in the early days of Windows and Internet Explorer, and, more recently, with the creation of Bing. I have also had a great passion for gaming and entertainment, and watched the growth of MSN into one of the world’s largest media sites on the Internet.

Similar to many of those experiences, the Xbox has arrived at an important inflection point in its growth and development. In particular, in the last year, the Xbox has transcended from a gaming console to a broad entertainment device inclusive of movies, TV, music and sports. I will give you an example of what that means.

Xbox Beyond the Box - The Official Microsoft Blog – News and Perspectives from Microsoft - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

Amazon Instant Video now on Xbox 360

Sudhirh — Wed, 30 May 2012 07:03:44 GMT

It is great to see Amazon app go live on XBox 360.. Already installed it and looks great

If you've bought or are currently renting movies or TV shows from Amazon Instant Video, you'll now be able to watch them via an Xbox 360 console.

It's part of the new Amazon Instant Video app that Amazon.com and Microsoft introduced today for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. The app also offers access to Prime Instant Video, if you're an Amazon Prime member.

The Xbox 360 joins other devices, including the Roku box and Sony's PlayStation console, that can stream Amazon Instant Video.

"Working with Amazon.com marks a significant milestone in our mission to make the entertainment you love more amazing on Xbox," Ross Honey, general manager of Microsoft's Xbox LIVE Entertainment and Advertising, said in a news release.

It's all part of Microsoft's move to make its Xbox not just a gaming console but also the hub of all living room entertainment, as well as a gateway for entertainment on everything from PCs to tablets to phones.

With the launch of Windows 8, which many speculate will happen in October, "we'll bring Xbox entertainment to everyone," Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's chief marketing officer for its Interactive Entertainment Division, wrote in an official blog post previewing the Xbox team's appearance at the E3 conference next week. "With Xbox on Windows 8 devices, we rapidly accelerate the reach of Xbox entertainment from more than 60 million people to hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

Since the Xbox 360's launch in 2005, about 67 million consoles have been sold, according to Mehdi. It currently holds 47 percent of the console market.

In the past six months, Microsoft has increased its entertainment library to include more than 200,000 movies and TV shows and Xbox Live subscribers now spend an average of 84 hours per month on the console, compared with the 150 hours per month of TV the average American watches, Mehdi wrote.

Amazon Instant Video now on Xbox 360 | Microsoft Pri0 | The Seattle Times

Kinect for Windows is now Available!!!

Sudhirh — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:17:27 GMT

Kinect for Windows is now available. Below are details from the Kinect for Windows Blog …

On January 9th, Steve Ballmer announced at CES that we would be shipping Kinect for Windows on February 1st. I am very pleased to report that today version 1.0 of our SDK and runtime were made available for download, and distribution partners in our twelve launch countries are starting to ship Kinect for Windows hardware, enabling companies to start to deploy their solutions. The suggested retail price is $249, and later this year, we will offer special academic pricing of $149 for Qualified Educational Users.

In the three months since we released Beta 2, we have made many improvements to our SDK and runtime, including:

Support for up to four Kinect sensors plugged into the same computer

Significantly improved skeletal tracking, including the ability for developers to control which user is being tracked by the sensor

Near Mode for the new Kinect for Windows hardware, which enables the depth camera to see objects as close as 40 centimeters in front of the device

Many API updates and enhancements in the managed and unmanaged runtimes

The latest Microsoft Speech components (V11) are now included as part of the SDK and runtime installer

Improved “far-talk” acoustic model that increases speech recognition accuracy

New and updated samples, such as Kinect Explorer, which enables developers to explore the full capabilities of the sensor and SDK, including audio beam and sound source angles, color modes, depth modes, skeletal tracking, and motor controls

A commercial-ready installer which can be included in an application’s set-up program, making it easy to install the Kinect for Windows runtime and driver components for end-user deployments.

Robustness improvements including driver stability, runtime fixes, and audio fixes

More details can be found here.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, without many years of intense R&D efforts, including research investments of hundreds of millions of dollars, and deep partnership between our research teams, software teams, hardware teams, manufacturing teams, and games studios, Kinect simply wouldn’t exist. Shipping Kinect for Windows was another cross-Microsoft effort: not only did the hardware and software teams work closely together to create an integrated solution, but our support, manufacturing, supply chain, reverse logistics, and account teams have all been working hard to prepare for today’s launch. As well, our research, speech, and Xbox NUI teams have contributed to making Kinect for Windows a better product. Microsoft’s ability to make these kinds of deep investments makes Kinect for Windows a product that companies can deploy with confidence, knowing you have our support and our ongoing commitment to make Kinect for Windows the best it can be

Kinect for Windows Blog - Site Home - MSDN Blogs