The Infosys press release might not be what it seems. What looks like an enterprise-scale managed service provider deal between Infosys and Microsoft (the former serving the latter) is really a consolidation of IT services that Microsoft had been outsourcing all along. It's somewhat of a reduction of the vendor outsourcing list, with the deal ringing the cash register in favor of Infosys for the next three years.
According to Redmond editor Jeffrey Schwartz's article, Infosys will realize a 90 percent
increase in new business from the deal.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 04/13/2010 at 11:59 AM0 comments
I loved the Wired headline on the Microsoft Kin phone announcement: "Hands-On: Can Kin Phones Make Microsoft Cool Again?"
How about a question to answer a question? When was Microsoft "cool"?
Gimme your best answers here or via e-mail. My random fave will earn you a Redmond t-shirt.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 04/12/2010 at 11:59 AM0 comments
Net Applications offers a compelling graphic of Windows' unshakeable dominance in the OS space in its March 2010 results, with Windows 7 gobbling up more than 10 percent of the pie. That's 2 points better than last month. The new OS continues to climb, but XP still rules the Redmond universe.
What's interesting to note is that Win7 seems to be gaining at the expense of XP and Vista, but that's to be expected with upgrades. Even more interesting: Win7 has bigger marketshare than all other non-Windows OSes combined by almost 2 points.
Net Applications bases its results on site visitors, not actual sales figures. So, take these results for what they're worth.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 04/09/2010 at 11:59 AM1 comments
April proves yet again to be the cruelest month, in terms of patches.
Expect 11 fixes for 25 holes among versions of the Windows OS, Office and Exchange.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 04/08/2010 at 11:59 AM0 comments
The Microsoft Certified Master program seems to the average MCP to be a program for the elite, but reading along in the blog (which I haven't done in quite a while until I was alerted to some news there by one of our editors), there's a flurry of activity in the MCM community.
Just last month, Microsoft minted five new MCMs specializing in Exchange 2010. Only one of them works for Microsoft. The title is new enough, that it's not even listed on the MCM info page yet.
The MCM title can be a hard one to crack, as it's one that takes lots of dedication in time, working with mentors, and knowing the technology like you wrote it. As if you're not busy enough, right? Oh, yes, and the backing of your company, unless you want to pay the fees, which can be pretty expensive.
More info on the new MCM: Exchange 2010 folks here. More about obtaining the MCM here.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 04/08/2010 at 11:59 AM0 comments
April proves yet again to be the cruelest month, in terms of patches.
Expect 11 fixes for 25 holes among versions of the Windows OS, Office and Exchange.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 04/08/2010 at 11:59 AM0 comments
The Internet makes lots of things easier. Like
cyberbullying. Even the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959...well, it seems that his offices in New York
were under siege from Internet-based attacks originating from -- where else? -- China. It just goes to show that no one is safe from the long reach of the Web.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 04/08/2010 at 11:59 AM0 comments
There's no ignoring the iPad. And that iPad is slick, but HP's Slate, from the looks of this video,
looks slicker. Of course, the problem here is that the Slate is pretty much like the lottery jackpot you're waiting to claim, if only your lucky numbers would come up. It's hasn't happened; meanwhile, the iPad
made its audacious debut this past weekend.
A few friends were in line to claim their iPads and they've been gushing publicly via FB. My opinions on the iPad have been mostly ambivalent, until recently. I'm now convinced that it's a mistake to call the iPad a bigger iPhone. iPhones are useful and sometimes they're worthwhile for making phone calls and listening to music. But browse the Web or tap out text messages on those tiny screens with my aging fingers and eyes, and I'm even more convinced that using a device that's about 4+ times bigger will be awesome -- if I ever get to check one out on my own for any extended period.
If and when that HP Slate ships, though, it's anyone's guess whether it can match the expectations of the demo video -- having a card reader and USB ports and doohickeys built right into the side of the tablet makes it infinitely more useful than the iPad, as does the ability to use off-the shelf software rather than using App-ified versions of software. If the Slate runs Google Chrome and Adobe Flash and has any reasonable wifi service, that'd probably sway me to open the wallet. Continue reading.
Dumb Trivia: Apple's iPad was the second iteration of a tablet PC. What was the first iteration called? One right random answer to [email protected] wins a Redmond Media Group T-Shirt.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 04/06/2010 at 11:59 AM0 comments
Sounds like we're talking about another time change with a bunch of letters crammed together like that. It should mean something to MCDST title holders, though, as Microsoft has released the one exam they need to
upgrade the MCDST to the new era-sounding Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Enterprise Support Technician paper.
Exam 70-682 PRO: Upgrading to Windows 7 MCITP Enterprise Desktop Support Technician went live March 23 worldwide in its English form (other languages will follow in the coming months).
Are you an MCDST cert holder who's planning to upgrade? Yes or no, we want to hear about it at [email protected].
Posted by Michael Domingo on 04/01/2010 at 11:59 AM1 comments
Virtualization. Yeah, there's an exam for that. Exam
70-693 PRO: Windows Server 2008 R2, Virtualization Administrator went into wide availability at the end of March. It's one of three exams candidates would need to take in order to obtain the MCITP: Virtualizaton Administrator title. But that can't happen for a while, as the desktop-based TS exam, 70-669, isn't quite done just yet.
Details at the Born2Learn blog. (And stay tuned, as we have those exams slated for review right here on MCPmag.com.)
I'm not so sure there's a big audience for Exam 70-580 TS: Windows Mobile 6.5, Application Development, as Windows Phone 7 is just out and is running high enough on hype that development in the current OS seems like real old news. For what it's worth, this WinMo 6.5 exam went live earlier this month.
Let me know if you plan on taking this. If we get enough interest from readers, I may be looking for an exam reviewer for this one (but for now, it'll be just under consideration).
Posted by Michael Domingo on 04/01/2010 at 11:59 AM0 comments
The Apple iPad will see daylight this weekend. As an
April Fool's Joke, I thought about holding an iPad giveaway hoax here on MCPmag.com. But the idea lasted for a second; I didn't want to have to clean out my cubicle for the next person who'd be taking my job and cleaning up the mess I made, which would have been the next logical thing to do after I explained the prank to my bosses.
But this is no joke: Redmond Developer columnist Andrew Brust is purchasing his first ever Apple goodie, and it is indeed the iPad. He explains here.
There's a lot of hype around the device, even some calling it a game-changer for apps and Web site strategies (no Flash support is one of the biggies). What do you think, and who, like Andrew, plans to buy one or two? Comment here.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 04/01/2010 at 11:59 AM1 comments
Google slid its "don't be evil" motto under the rug some time last year, but it seems to be a philosophy that the company continues to live by, if
its actions in China are any indication.
For months, Google had been censoring search results on its Chinese portal as it contemplated how not to be evil in this regard. But then last week, Google stopped censoring searches at its Hong Kong portal. Chinese officials may try to block searches there, and pundits believe Microsoft may benefit as it said it would continue to filter searches to its Chinese portal. Interestingly, Alexa's rankings of the top sites in China put Google at No. 4, Microsoft Live at 20, and Bing at 60 (of search engines originating in China, Baidu tops all, with Sina.com at 3 and Sohu at 9).
Is it our place to tell China how to run businesses there, or is Google right to do something here? What about Microsoft? Should they stay the course or should it unite forces with Google?
Posted by Michael Domingo on 03/29/2010 at 11:59 AM3 comments