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Find Out What’s New At Microsoft Build 2016

What’s New At Microsoft Build 2016

Nadella showcased improvements to Cortana and announced previews of new cloud services and toolkits designed to understand the world around us and create intelligent bots. Myerson announced the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which will deliver significant new innovations for consumers and developers for the Universal Windows Platform.

“As an industry, we are on the cusp of a new frontier that pairs the power of natural human language with advanced machine intelligence,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “At Microsoft, we call this Conversations as a Platform, and it builds on and extends the power of the Microsoft Azure, Office 365 and Windows platforms to empower developers everywhere.”

“With Windows 10 now running on over 270 million active devices, we’re celebrating with our fans by delivering the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. This significant update will help you interact with your Windows 10 devices as naturally as you interact with the world around you — using your pen, presence and voice,” Myerson said. “We are dedicated to making Windows the most productive development environment for all developers, with all-new capabilities for the Universal Windows Platform and all-new tools for bringing apps to Windows 10 from any platform.”

Introducing cloud services that understand, interactive bots and the Cortana Intelligence Suite

The Cortana Intelligence Suite, formerly known as the Cortana Analytics Suite, is powered by cutting-edge research into big data, machine learning, perception, analytics and intelligent bots. Built on Microsoft Azure, these capabilities can be used by developers and businesses to create intelligent end-to-end solutions, including new apps that learn about our world and bots and agents that interact with people in personalized, intelligent ways.

Wednesday, Microsoft announced new additions to the Cortana Intelligence Suite, both in preview. The first, Microsoft Cognitive Services, is a collection of intelligence APIs that allows systems to see, hear, speak, understand and interpret our needs using natural methods of communication. The second, the Microsoft Bot Framework, can be used by developers — programming in any language — to build intelligent bots that enable customers to chat using natural language on a wide variety of platforms including text/SMS, Office 365, Skype, Slack, the Web and more.

Microsoft demonstrated how developers can use services, like those found in the Cortana Intelligence Suite, to transform not only businesses but people’s lives. Seeing AI, a research project under development, shows how these new capabilities can help people who are visually impaired or blind better understand who and what is around them.

Wednesday, Microsoft also released the Skype Bot Platform, which includes the SDK, API and Workflows all in the new Skype Bot Portal. With this platform, developers can build bots that leverage Skype’s multiple forms of communication, including text, voice, video and 3-D interactive characters. Customers can get started with Skype Bots by downloading the latest Skype apps for Windows, Android and iOS. Developers can start building Skype Bots today using the Skype Bot Platform and reach hundreds of millions of Skype users.

Those interested can learn more about Cortana Intelligence Suite and the new previews here, sign up to learn more about Seeing AI here, download the new Skype client here and sign up for the Skype Bot Platform.

New Windows 10 innovations deliver more personal computing and opportunities for developers

Windows 10 was designed to deliver more personal computing, with experiences that are more natural, more trusted and extend across devices. With features such as Cortana and Windows Hello, Windows 10 began to deliver on this vision.

Today, Windows 10 is off to the fastest start in Windows history with over 270 million active devices, outpacing Windows 7 by 145 percent. And, customers have spent more time in Windows 10 than ever before — over 75 billion hours since its launch.

As a result of this rapidly growing base, Microsoft is seeing new universal apps from Twitter, Uber, King, Disney, Wargaming, Square Enix, Yahoo and WWE; with new apps on the way from Bank of America, Starbucks, Facebook, Messenger and Instagram. The Windows Store has seen over 5 billion visits as Windows fans are discovering apps for Windows 10, including nearly 1,000 Cortana apps.

At Build on Wednesday, Microsoft shared the next chapter in its more personal computing vision — with an all-new Windows 10 Anniversary Update featuring innovations for Windows Ink, Cortana, Windows Hello and gaming. Windows Ink is a new experience, putting the power of Windows in the tip of your pen.

With Windows Ink, you can write on your device as you do on paper, create sticky notes, draw on a whiteboard and easily share your analog thoughts in the digital world. New Cortana features enable you to receive proactive guidance from Cortana throughout the day and speak with Cortana, even while your device is locked1, without logging in.

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New Windows Hello features extend the security of Windows 10 to multiple devices and to Microsoft Edge, so you can log into your devices and websites with enterprise-grade security. These are just a few of the many features that will become available this summer when the Windows 10 Anniversary Update becomes broadly available.

Microsoft also shipped Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition for the first time, extending the Windows experience to holograms and allowing developers to begin helping build the future of holographic computing. Microsoft highlighted commercial customers in several industries that are using HoloLens today, including Case Western Reserve University and NASA. Developers can use the Universal Windows Platform to create new mixed reality with holograms.

For over 30 years, Windows has been an open ecosystem, welcoming the contributions of hardware and software partners and developers around the world. The Universal Windows Platform extends this commitment, combining the openness of the history of Windows with the best of today’s modern application platform.

On Wednesday, Microsoft shared all-new capabilities for the Universal Windows Platform. They include full access to Cortana’s proactive intelligence and the Windows 10 Anniversary SDK, which offers all-new APIs and tools to integrate the latest Windows 10 innovations into apps, including Windows Ink and Windows Hello. And with the Xbox Dev Mode, any Xbox One can be a developer kit, enabling anyone to develop for the living room.

Microsoft also shared all-new tools for bringing apps to Windows 10 from any platform.

Web developers, including American Express, BBC Sport, Yahoo Mail, zulily and more, have seen great success with Windows 10 Hosted Web Apps. And now, Windows 10 has support for native Bash with access to the Windows file system and the universe of open source command line tools.
Microsoft shared its new desktop app converter for Project Centennial, which will enable Win32 and .NET developers to easily bring more than 16 million apps to the Universal Windows Platform. Developers can extend their applications with Universal Windows Platform capabilities and distribute their apps in the Windows Store.
Xamarin will help make it possible for .NET developers to more easily share common app code across Windows, iOS and Android apps while still delivering fully native experiences for each platform.

Those who want to try the new innovations coming in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update can join the Windows Insider program and install the latest build. Starting today, developers in the Windows Insider Program can access the Windows Anniversary SDK Preview to explore the new features.

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Chatime Malaysia’s Bubbling Success With Microsoft

As one of the top beverage companies in the world, Chatime aims to be the most loved beverage by revolutionizing the tea drinking culture in the country. The company today employs over 800 trained tearistas (tea equivalent to baristas), across 150 outlets, offering up to 80 choices of beverages daily.

To handle its robust and growing business, the company often struggled with its old point-of-sale (POS) system that could no longer fulfil vital requirements that the team needed in order to drive their business forward.

“Keeping pace with our growing business and customer base was a growing challenge for us. In order to serve a beverage liked by all, we use only high quality tea leaves and ingredients to serve close to four million Chatime in Malaysia drinks a month,” said Bryan Loo, Managing Director of Loob Holding Sdn Bhd, the license owner of Chatime Malaysia.

“Our expanding business meant that we were in need of a system that was capable of more than just tabulating sales numbers. We believed that we needed to better understand customer behavior better – essentially, what makes them tick, and what doesn’t – and ultimately, this would be translated into business insights that we could use to consistently serve quality drinks.”

Eliminating The Limitation

Chatime previously relied on a traditional POS system in each store that is connected to a main server back at the headquarters, which needed to be manually updated on a daily basis – a time-consuming task which resulted in delayed results. As the system operated in an almost standalone basis, the company found itself wasting valuable time in communicating changes to the POS system and monitoring its business activities in this way.

“A lot of thought was put in researching and deciding on the solution that best fits our needs. Given the size of our business, we wanted a solution that was efficient, that didn’t consume time and resources, and more importantly – it had to be one that was familiar and cost-effective,” added Loo.

Armed with comprehensive research and from feedback from various vendors, the company decided to explore the possibility of using Microsoft technology. In 2014, Chatime turned to WebBytes to help design a new Cloud-based POS system that runs on Windows 8 and the Microsoft Azure platform, that would address the company’s needs.

Modernizing Business Operations With Windows And Azure

Chatime began deployment in April 2014, which saw the company replacing its traditional POS systems with Windows 8, specifically tailored for a growing SMB such as Chatime, whose main focus was on mobility, ease-of-use, and flexible access to data insights.

And to improve mobility, the company used devices powered by Windows 8, which they could easily bring along to different locations based on business needs. Hosted on Azure, the centralized POS system was fully connected to a Cloud infrastructure, allowing Chatime to access transaction data all of its outlets, live – literally, anytime, anywhere – and extract it in a suitable format that would help them translate the numbers and data into a workable report.

By storing all transaction data on the Cloud, Chatime effectively minimized the risk of data loss due to hardware failure. With Microsoft’s commitment in providing a trusted cloud, Chatime is assured that the security and privacy of their data will not be compromised.

[adrotate group=”2″]The new POS system was also capable of providing Chatime with real-time customer purchasing information, which the company uses to gain insights – such as analyzing sales per customer, the top items sold, what type of toppings customers enjoyed, in addition to the top sellable drinks – allowing them to better manage their inventory and resources. The company has since made changes to their menu to reflect real-time needs and preferences of Malaysians for their much-loved bubble tea.

According to Howard Woon, Technology & Operations Excellence Manager at Loob Holding Sdn Bhd, the new system has helped the company streamline its operations, “With the new cloud-based POS solution, we were able to link stores nationwide with our central office to communicate any new changes to our offerings or promotions quicker than ever before. As the data from every transaction made in store is automatically stored and synchronized, we were able to gain instant business insights, real-time. In fact, the data representation was so efficient we were able to pull up very specific information from the system, from top selling drinks and the most popular toppings, down to peak sales times.“

Commenting on the portability of their new POS system, Woon said the company hopes to leverage this mobility advantage as it looks into expanding this to its kiosks and during events, “We are now able to operate our POS system entirely on a Windows 8 device, giving us the flexibility to move our operations to other locations, particularly when it comes to setting up one-off kiosk locations during specific campaigns or events. For the month of Ramadhan last year, we have actually tested the system at some of our kiosks at Ramadhan bazaars around the KL city center. We simply needed to hook it up to a running Internet connection, and we were ready for business!”

Chatime’s Future Plans

The company joins a growing number of businesses around the world who are thinking beyond tactical server migrations and adopting a cloud-first approach to focus on their core capabilities to realize tangible business benefits more quickly.

Owing to the successful implementation of its mobile POS system, Chatime is also considering additional Microsoft Surface tablets that will run on Windows 10 to meet their business needs in new, modern ways – eliminating their reliance on multiple devices. The plan will largely improve Chatime’s out-of-store operating capability to enable the company expand its number of temporary kiosks in the future, ultimately fulfilling its brand promise and commitment to continue to serve the best quality beverages and cultivate a modern tea culture in Malaysia.

“Chatime’s decision to move to Microsoft Windows and Cloud-based Azure came at an opportune time for the company, as more and more SMBs in the food and beverage industry are realizing the need for a modern and affordable, yet scalable platform to remain nimble in a fast-paced industry,” said Azizah Ali, General Manager, Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partners. “With Microsoft’s affordable cloud-based platform that minimizes capital expenditure, improves operational efficiency and ultimately optimizes revenue in the long run, we hope to empower SMBs in Malaysia to focus their efforts in what matters to them most – growing their business,” she concluded.

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Microsoft Malaysia’s Windows 10 Media Treasure Hunt

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On the 3rd of February, Microsoft Malaysia organised a treasure hunt for the Malaysian media. It was a way to familiarise the participants with the Surface Pro 4 and Lumia 950, as well as a great way to start 2016 with a bang!

The Windows 10 Treasure Hunt

Microsoft Malaysia began the treasure hunt by briefing all five teams (teams Blue, Green, Grey, Red, and Yellow) about the key features of two Windows 10 devices – the Surface Pro 4 and Lumia 950. Innovative characteristics such as Windows Hello, Edge annotation, superior camera optics, and multitasking functions were used by each team to finish their respective challenges.

Each team had to complete six challenges at six stations, with the help of the Microsoft Senior Leadership Team (SLT) – Michal Golebiewski (Chief Marketing & Operations Officer) and Bruce Howe (General Manager of Consumer Channel Group). After collecting their respective survival kits, containing a Surface Pro 4, Lumia 950, cereal bars and an energy drink, the teams were off to attempt their first challenge.

Participants attending the Windows 10 Treasure Hunt briefing at Coffee Planet

Each station had a particular challenge that required either the Surface Pro 4 or Lumia 950 to complete. Station one was at Avenue K, and the challenge was to sing along with buskers on a song unknown to each team. As an answer to this challenge, the Surface Pro 4 was used as a multitasking device, activating its snap assist function, allowing each team to refer to the song lyrics and the karaoke video of the song simultaneously. The SLT joined in the fun, belting their lungs out as well!

Team Yellow at Avenue K attempting the multitasking challenge

Team Red at Avenue K attempting the multitasking challenge

At Station two (at Break Out, Avenue K), the challenge was to take a picture of a hidden message in low light conditions. For this challenge, the Lumia 950 flung into action with its 20 MP Carl Zeiss optics, allowing each team to identify the message with a breeze, even in low light situations.

Team Green at the Microsoft Authorized Reseller Store attempting the last minute challenge

Station three was a security challenge, where teams were required to find the right Bryan. The catch was that there were actually four similarly dressed individuals, of which one was required to unlock a Surface Pro 4 with Windows Hello – an inherent biometric security feature within Windows 10. Windows Hello successfully identified the right Bryan 100% of the time, across all five teams. Of course, more fun and physical activities ensued in the process.

Team Blue at Avenue K attempting the Windows Hello challenge

The next challenge at Station four, was a game of vocabulary. It required each team to go to a DoGreatThings microsite and with the use of nothing but a digital pen, to solve a crossword puzzle and share their answers via e-mail. The Surface Pro 4’s sensitive 12.3-inch PixelSense display with 3:2 aspect ratio was ideal for comfortable viewing and note-taking, allowing each team to use the digital pen and Surface as if it were the real thing.

Team Grey at Aseana Cafe attempting the annotation challenge

Each team would then have to make their way to Station five (Microsoft Authorized Reseller (MAR) Store at Suria KLCC) for their next challenge. This challenge aimed at replicating real-life working scenarios, with tight deadlines. It required each team to proofread a PowerPoint presentation with the use of the Lumia 950. A cool and nifty Windows 10 feature, called Continuum, allowed each team’s Lumia phone to literally work like a PC. With the use of an additional docking station available at the MAR Store, each team was able to complete their proofreading task in under 15 minutes! Now that’s what you call productivity.

Team Green at the Microsoft Authorized Reseller Store attempting the last minute challenge

At Station six, also known as the Bonus Round, was a test of wits. A levitating Master Yoda was present to guide each team to find a similarity between a picture he was holding, and the Surface Pro 4. After completing the challenge, participants were then told where lunch would be served.

Team Grey with the floating Master Yoda attempting the test of wits challenge

Team Blue with the floating Master Yoda attempting the test of wits challenge

The treasure hunt ended with all teams, albeit exhausted but thoroughly engaged, having lunch with both Michal and Bruce at Tujo Bar-serrie & Grill, where both the team and individual winners were announced. With a full belly, and an enhanced experience with Microsoft’s Surface and Lumia devices, each team left the treasure hunt with an enriched understanding of Windows 10 and greater sense of camaraderie.

Vernon Chan winning the social media popularity contest with Bruce Howe (R) presenting the Lumia 950 to him, and Andres Sirel (L) looking on

Winners of both the social media popularity contest (Vernon) and overall treasure hunt (Team Grey) together with Michal Golebiewski and Bruce Howe

Group picture with all 5 teams together after lunch at Tujo Bar-serrie & Grill

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