Microsoft Windows 10 will allow for Android apps
Microsoft is determined to stay relevant in a world that is run almost completely by Android and iOS devices, with over 96% of the mobile market under their combined belt. That unfortunately only leaves about 4% for Microsoft and other manufacturers Well, Microsoft is not one throw the towel and give up, as today they have announced that they will be releasing some new tools that will help developers port over their existing apps for Android and iOS with as little work as possible.
Android developers will be given the ability to use Java and C++ code on Windows 10, so they won’t have to rewrite their entire apps code from the ground up to get it to work on Windows 10. iOS developers will be able to continue to use their existing Objective-C code, so they will have a little less of a hard time. All welcome addition for those few that may have been dying to port their apps over to Windows from either platform.
Microsoft is hoping that by easily allowing developers from both rival competitors to easy port their code over to Windows, they will be more willing to do so, since they will no longer be looking at having to either rewrite the entire apps code or have to learn a complete new programming langue to start development on Windows.
While this idea, in theory, sounds like it could be a great boon for Windows, reality is that there will likely not be many devs that are going to want to make the move over, no matter how easy the move may be. With Android and iOS holding such a major share of the mobile market, it would make more sense for devices to instead focus on improving their apps on their current platform instead of wasting resources to port it over to Windows.
Only time will tell of course as to whether this move will indeed help propel Microsoft back to the forefront of the mobile industry.
Source: The Verge, Digital Trends
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Android applications will be able to run on Windows 10
During the company’s Build 2015 developer conference, Microsoft announced that both Android and iOS applications will be able to run on the upcoming Windows 10 platform. Using the new Project Islandwood (iOS) and Project Astoria (Android) development kits, developers will be able to port their applications and games to Windows universal apps. Microsoft is letting Android developers use Java and C++ code on Windows 10, allowing applications to be quickly and easily compiled for the platform. Since the majority of the code being used by Android devs is being recycled, this will save app makers a ton of time and money in the long run.
Microsoft is urging developers to bring their code to Windows 10 with only minor changes at the start. Once the bulk of the app is built, the devs are encouraged to take advantage of some key integration points to build in Windows-specific features like Cortana, Live Tiles, Xbox Live, Holograms and more, which are all included in the Project Astoria dev kit. Microsoft has been testing its new APIs out for the past few months, specifically on the popular puzzle game Candy Crush. In fact, the Candy Crush version that’s currently on Windows is converted from iOS code using Microsoft’s new Windows APIs.
To clarify, this doesn’t mean you’ll be able to install any APK on Windows 10. This is simply just Microsoft making it much easier for Android devs to convert their applications. Microsoft has struggled over the years to keep up with the number of apps available for both Android and iOS, so for the end user, this is certainly great news. The Google Play Store will never come pre-loaded on any Windows 10 devices, but rest assured many more applications will soon make their way to the platform.
We’ll be sure to update you as we learn more.
Microsoft shows off Windows Holographic running Windows 10 apps
When Microsoft debuted its Windows Holographic software and HoloLens headset a few months back, Windows 10 apps were mentioned as a possibility. Well, at Build 2015 today, the folks in Redmond offered a look at Windows 10 Universal apps in holographic action. During the onstage demo, apps could be placed on walls or set to float in space, and resized based on the user’s needs — something we’d only seen in videos up to this point. Of course, this means that users in different locations can collaborate on 3D models without having to be in the same room. Any Windows 10 app can be used as a hologram with the headset, so getting work done at a place other than your desk will soon be a possibility.
With those apps in play, you can overlay a hologram on top of a physical object and make tweaks without heading back to the keyboard. Just like the real and virtual robots we saw onstage, you wrangle simple changes, like the color of an LED, with gestures and the projected UI. Microsoft partnered with Case Western Reserve University to develop medical solutions for the platform, and those were shown off, too. Up-close examinations of the nervous and skeletal systems are now possible without the use of cadavers, and each of the body’s systems can be displayed as a separate model in seconds. For architects, Windows Holographic brings the ability to walk through buildings without leaving the office, or through those projects that are still just blueprints. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see what the final version looks like, but Microsoft’s vision for how we’ll work in the near-future is pretty enticing.
Your Windows 10 phone is a tiny desktop computer with Continuum
Microsoft just demoed its 2-in-1 Continuum feature on a Windows 10 phone giving the mobile device the ability to become a really tiny desktop computer. Continuum adjusts the UI of Windows 10 on a device from desktop to tablet mode based on what’s plugged into it. If you plug a keyboard and mouse into a tablet or phone, it goes into desktop mode. When those are unplugged, a pop-up asks if you want to enter tablet mode with touch input. Desktop mode includes the Start Menu and Taskbar you usually associate with a full-size computer. For anyone that travels who would like to pare down the devices they pack, this is great. Corporate Vice President of the Operating Systems Group Joe Belfiore did note that phones would need a hardware upgrade to fully implement the feature.
Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Peripherals, Software, Microsoft
Microsoft expands Office integration with third-party apps
So far, Microsoft’s Build 2015 keynote has mostly been focused on the tools available for developers. But, having said this, the company just made an announcement that’s beneficial to its core consumer base. Rob Lefferts, GM of the Office Extensibility, took the stage to reveal that the Office productivity suite will be further integrated with third-party applications and services. With Uber in Outlook, for example, you can click on a button and quickly catch a ride to your next appointment, all without having to manually enter a destination address — it does this automatically by grabbing data from your email accounts.
Another “add-in” mentioned was PicHit, a webstore that sells photos, which users can now easily access within PowerPoint. You can expect more of these soon too, especially with Microsoft making a huge push toward opening up its platforms to developers. Not surprisingly, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella took the opportunity to briefly talk about Skype’s web API and its ability to bring voice and video chats to any site.
Filed under: Microsoft
Carrier billing is coming to all Windows devices
Wish you could put that Windows app purchase on your phone bill rather than rack up a separate charge? Microsoft just made your day. It’s bringing carrier billing to all Windows devices, so you only have to make one payment to cover everything. There are 90 providers involved, too, so there’s a very good chance that your network of choice is eligible. The move is welcome, if not totally surprising. When Windows 10 focuses heavily on universal apps that run on both phones and PCs, it only makes sense to pay through your carrier on whichever hardware you use.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Wireless, Software, Mobile, Microsoft
Desktop apps are coming to the Windows Store
One of the reasons some people didn’t like Windows 8 was that it seemed to include two versions of Windows: Live Tiles and the desktop, with touch-friendly apps kept far away from traditional x86 programs. With Windows 10, Microsoft seems to be trying hard to make the user experience feel less jarring, and now, it’s taking things a step further with the Windows Store. Once home exclusively to touch-friendly, “Metro-style” apps, it will now house a mix of Win32 and .NET apps as well, along with server-hosted web applications. The result is that users will now have a one-stop show for all manner of Windows downloads. From a developer standpoint, meanwhile, all of these apps will be able to take advantage of the same Windows Store platform — that means updates are delivered the same way, and developers can also enable in-app purchases, as they would in any other Windows Store download.
Additionally, Microsoft is giving developers an easy way to port over code from their Android and iOS apps, making it (relatively) painless to convert them to Windows applications and them put them up in the Store. This, too, should soon make the Windows Store catalog look bigger than it once was.
Filed under: Microsoft
Any site can be a Windows app
At today’s Microsoft Build conference, vice president of operating systems, Terry Myerson announced that websites can now be placed inside a Windows 10 universal framework. In other words, developers can make a Windows 10 app out of their site. The site-based apps can be listed inside the Windows Store and support Cortana notifications and in-app purchases. Building these apps is pretty simple according to Myerson. Couple this with news that the company is helping iOS and Android developers port their apps to Windows 10 and the inclusion of .NET and Win32 apps in the marketplace and it’s pretty clear Microsoft really, really wants you to start using the Windows Store.
Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Tablets, Internet, Software, Microsoft
Windows 10’s web browser is called Microsoft Edge
Cyanogen eyes new Chinese vendors for partnerships
During the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing, Cyanogen’s CEO Kirt McMaster revealed the company is looking to partner with some new Chinese smartphone vendors to carry their CyanogenMod operating system in the future. McMaster did not name names, but he did indicate the vendors they are courting have plans to participate in the international market and not just China. By finding new vendors to install their operating system, Cyanogen hopes to expand the installed basis for their version of Android beyond the current 50 million users they claim.
The move to connect with new smartphone manufacturers comes as the Cyanogen and OnePlus partnership comes to a close according to Cyanogen chief technology officer Steve Kondik. After some rifts developed between the two young companies, OnePlus began development of their own custom Android build to use on their devices. That new ROM was released last month. While OnePlus co-found Carl Pei noted that the partnership has been “mutually beneficial,” McMaster indicated that OnePlus shipments constituted “reasonable volume, but nothing compared to what some of these other partners can ship.” McMaster also claimed OnePlus essentially rode on the back of Cyanogen and would not have been nearly as successful without the partnership.
Cyanogen also managed to entice Microsoft to come on board as a partner recently and the move to help some bigger companies than OnePlus is a benefit for the new partnership. McMaster thinks OnePlus will be able to help these Chinese handset makers break out of China onto the international scene thanks to the visibility of CyanogenMod and Microsoft.
source: PCWorld
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