Tech Force One is my web log related to technologies, I use day to day.
Nokia will try Microsoft Windows Phone to fight Android »
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- Nokia announced today that it will adopt Windows Phone as its primary smartphone strategy. It is quite understandable that Nokia wants to be “different” from the Android crowd. Given that Android is pretty successful, it is no easy task, even for Nokia to make its dent.
After trying hard with Symbian and MeeGo, it is now partnering with Microsoft to push Windows Phone platform. It also plans to use Bing for its Search services and its maps (Nokia Maps) service will be a core part of Microsoft’ mapping services. Interestingly Nokia partnered with Intel to create MeeGo a year ago, and it did not take off too well. I am not sure if tying up with Microsoft will help much in the long term. In the short term, it might help, but one has to look at the loyalty of its user base. iPhone users love Apple. Android users love Android for a totally different reason. While Android has nice features, it has Google’s aura around it. It gives a different appeal to the product. I don’t think users look at Microsoft’s products as cool…do you remember Microsoft Zune and Microsoft Kin?? I believe Nokia embracing Microsoft is probably not that smart, but again, what option does it have now?
Microsoft WebMatrix – a free web development environment »
As from the Microsoft website:WebMatrix is everything you need to build Web sites using Windows. It includes IIS Developer Express (a development Web server), ASP.NET (a Web framework), and SQL Server Compact (an embedded database). It streamlines Web site development and makes it easy to start Web sites from popular open-source apps. The skills and code you develop with WebMatrix transition seamlessly to Visual Studio and SQL Server.
Just like XAMPP, WebMatrix provides you a complete web development environment on Windows, that supports both ASP.Net and PHP. WebMatrix supports a new scripting syntax, called Razor for ASP.Net web pages. It also has a built-in SEO report to make the site more visible to search engines. With built-in support for FTP, publishing the site to production environment is also easy.
Microsoft’s hardwork in 2009 »
Mashable has an interesting article on Microsoft’s products in 2009 and how it corrected its course (with encarta, flight simulator etc). We saw some big products like Bing and Windows 7 in this year. Read more about it here.
Microsoft pulls Juku after Plurk complaint »
After the Canadian startup, Plurk claimed 80 percent overlap between its code and that of Juku, another microblog created for MSN China, Redmond responded by pulling the site down and starting an investigation. I think Microsoft is handling the situation well. Read more about this here.
The most secure OS on the planet »
Microsoft COO, Kevin Turner thinks that Microsoft Vista, post SP2, is the most secure OS on the planet. I am not sure of the name of the planet he is referring to, but Vista does not mean much to me. Then why, you wonder, I picked up this news for my blog?
Interestingly, that statement reminded me of two things:
1. An old Apple’s Get a Mac Ad – (It needs quicktime).
2. Charlie Anna’s statement in Roadside Romeo – I am so dangerous that sometimes, I get scared of myself.
Anyway, security is good and if they believe that Vista is the safest product they ever launched, thats even better. They are trying their best, whether you and I use it or not.
10 worst Microsoft product names »
We all know how important it is to brand a product. We would have debated hours, if not days, on selecting a cool name for the product. But finding an appropriate name is very tricky…unless, of course, you follow Microsoft naming convention for its products, it is has one 
(What is Windows 2000 and Windows ME?)
Here is an article from PC World on the 10 worst Microsoft product names.
Microsoft and Red Hat virtualization deal »
Less than two years back, Microsoft claimed that software like Linux, violates its patents. You can read all about that here. But lately, Microsoft is changing its approach towards the Open Source community. I recently posted about Project Stonehenge here.
Now, Microsoft and Red Hat signed agreements to test and validate server operating systems running on each other’s hypervisors. You can read more about it here. This is a very good development because customers can now get support for the OSs on the virtualization platforms.
