Category: Microsoft

The OneDrive for Android app has receive a big update today, bringing several new features including the ability to stream videos within the app itself.  The update, version 3.0 for those keeping score at home, is now available at the Play Store and is free.  Like on Windows Phone, OneDrive is a free service for 15GB of storage and if you allow the app to upload your photos automatically from your camera roll, you get another 15GB free.  It is one of the best values for cloud storage available today and sticking with Microsoft’s drive to have their apps on all platforms, is available on Windows Phone, Android, iOS, PC and Mac.

OneDrive for Android – Free – Download Now

The Microsoft Outlook app for Android has received a minor update today, bringing performance and stability improvements to the app.  The update, version 1.2.1 for those keeping score at home, is designed for both Android phones and tablets and requires your devices be running Android 4.0 or later.  The app is free.

Microsoft Outlook for Android – Free – Download Now

According to a blog post by Gabe Aul, if you own a Lumia device you will likely have the next Windows 10 for Phone preview available on your device.  The news is certainly welcome to everyone who was disappointed by the limited number of devices the original preview was available for in January.  That seems to be resolved thanks to the partition stitching process that had to be resolved on many devices and within the next couple of weeks we should see a new build.

Building on the announcements that they made at Mobile World Congress, Microsoft and Samsung today have announced a furthering of their relationship which will include the pre-install of Microsoft Office apps on Samsung Android-based tablets.  The announcement, while not a complete surprise, is good news for Samsung devices users as they will get these apps and the impact of this is both for consumers and businesses.  While I have been quite critical of how Google themselves had played with Microsoft, it is clear that Samsung sees the value of a relationship between the two companies even after a contentious legal battle.  While I’m not sure this is all kiss-and-make-up, it certainly is a step in the right direction.

The WinHEC event in China has been a big event with a lot of news about the release of Windows 10 this summer and, for the first time, the hardware requirements for Windows 10 for PC, Tablets and Windows 10 for Phones.  The minimum specifications do have some interesting tidbits in the information but equally not a huge change from Windows Phone 8.1.  Perhaps the biggest change is the screen sizes that Windows 10 for Phones will run on as well as the minimum memory requirements based on the screen sizes of those devices.

In a post on the Windows Blog at Microsoft, the company has committed to Windows 10 being released this summer for PCs, Tablets and Phones.  It is the first solid commitment they have made other than “Coming in 2015” and gives an good indication that the company feels they are making good progress on the release thanks to the help of Windows Insiders.  While no specific date was provided in the post from Terry Myerson, Executive Vice President of Operating Systems at Microsoft, it is does mean that we will likely see Windows 10 on our devices within 6 months.