It was a ginormous week for developers and Microsoft at Build in San Francisco. As always, Weekend Reading, at your service, with a recap of all the excitement. Read on!
Build, Microsoft’s annual developer conference, kicked off Wednesday with announcements about new features in Windows 10 and the unveiling of software development kits (SDKs) to help developers bring their code for the Web, .NET, Win32, Android and iOS to Windows 10. Says Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella: “Together, we will create more personal and more intelligent experiences that empower billions of people to achieve more.”
In addition to opening Windows 10 to makers, Microsoft Wednesday introduced more ways for developers to reach 1.2 billion Office users, including the new Office Graph API, expanded add-in capabilities for the iPad and Outlook, and unified APIs.
Developers at Build also saw the future revealed with on-stage demos and videos illustrating the magic of HoloLens. “With the ability to design and shape holograms, you will have a new medium to express your creativity, a more efficient way to teach and learn, and a more effective way to visualize your work and share ideas,” wrote Todd Holmdahl, who leads Microsoft’s next-generation devices team.
New features for Microsoft Edge (formerly Project Spartan), the new browser for Windows 10, were also unveiled, offering developers better discoverability of their apps. With the new browser you can write directly on Web pages (and share them), read online articles free from distraction or use the offline reading feature for greater convenience.
Speaking of apps, the Windows Store will offer a single unified experience for Windows 10 customers across devices and make finding great content easier than ever — across apps, games, music, video and other content, writes Steve Guggenheimer, corporate vice president of Developer Experience & Evangelism on the Official Microsoft Blog. Adding to the app titles announced Wednesday, Microsoft showed that Windows 10 momentum is building, with new apps from top brands including FitBit, Shazam and rdio.
Day Two of Build 2015 kicked off Thursday with an awesome drumming demo by the folks at Muzik, and even a special greeting from Questlove of Roots fame. Muzik has created low-latency Bluetooth drumsticks that enable musicians to “air” drum with full spatial awareness. Translation: No need for a full drum set and the potential for silent practice. Parents, take note! The Propellerhead team also shared their experiences building a music collaboration app across Windows, Android and iOS.
In other customer stories, Ziosk introduced sweet, new tabletop tablet technology available at Chili’s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PJMffsWPrY
Also announced Thursday at Build, the availability of the Microsoft Band SDK, enabling developers to create third-party tiles using icons, text, buttons, barcodes and more. The SDK supports four platforms: Windows, Windows Phone, Android and iOS.
Build wraps up Friday in San Francisco, but continues into May with a Build tour to 25 cities around the world.
Hope your weekend is equally awesome, though it likely won’t include a special appearance from Questlove. We’ll be back for more Weekend Reading, and a wrap up from Ignite, next Friday.
Posted by Aimee Riordan
Microsoft News Center Staff