Category: Technology

AzureCloudDeveloperEventsIoT

Microsoft Ignite 2021 Book of News (March 2-4)

Microsoft Ignite starts today and runs until March 4. Once again this is a virtual event and registration will remain open during the duration of the event. You can register at https://register.ignite.microsoft.com/

As typical Microsoft provides a Book of News for the event. What is the Book of News? The Microsoft Ignite 2021 Book of News is your guide to the key news items that are announced at Ignite 2021.

Click here to read the Microsoft Ignite 2021 Book of News!

Further reading

If you missed out on Microsoft Ignite 2020 or want to quickly see what was announced, checkout the Microsoft Ignite 2020 Book of News for what was announced at that event.

Enjoy!

AzureDevelopmentPresentationsTechnology

An Introduction to Serverless Compute with Azure Functions–My presentation at CTTDNUG

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Last week I did a presentation on Azure Functions at Canada’s Technology Triangle .NET User Group (CTTDNUG) in Kitchener, Ontario. One of the audience members was kind enough to film the presentation and post it on YouTube.

Here is a link to my presentation on An Introduction to Serverless Compute with Azure Functions.

Enjoy!

References

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPMzW10pECQ&feature=youtu.be

DevelopmentIoTTechnologyWindows

Unboxing Adafruit Starter Pack for Windows 10 IoT Core on Raspberry Pi 2

AdafruitDisplay

Today I received my Starter Pack for Windows 10 IoT Core on Raspberry Pi 2. I purchased it from Adafruit, which you can order from here.

“Windows 10 IoT Core is a new edition of Windows targeted towards small embedded devices and maker boards such as Raspberry Pi2. IoT core is designed to work with low-level bus interfaces such as I2C, SPI, USB. You can write a Universal Windows Application using a variety of programming languages in Visual Studio to rapidly create maker projects.

You can use Windows 10 IoT Core to read sensor data, control actuators, connect to the cloud, create IoT applications and much more. The Starter Pack from Adafruit includes parts to get you started.”

Let’s get started!

Unboxing

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The Parts

Essentials

Item Quantity
Raspberry Pi 2 Board (Included in some versions of the Adafruit Starter Kit) 1
Adafruit Raspberry Pi Case 1
8GB SD card with Windows IoT Core 1
5V 2A Power Supply with MicroUSB Cable 1
USB WiFi Module 1
Ethernet Cable 1
Full Size Breadboard 1

Components

Item Quantity
Premium Male/Male Jumper Wires 1
Premium Female/Male Jumper Wires 1
MCP3008 – 8-Channel 10-Bit ADC 1
Assorted LEDs 6
Potentiometers 2
Tactile Switches 3
Resistors 10
Capacitor 1

Sensors

Item Quantity
Photocell 1
Adafruit BMP280 Temperature + Barometric Sensor 1
Adafruit TCS34725 Color Sensor 1

 

Setup

Plug in the HDMI and Ethernet cables and then plug in the power source. It was too late at night to setup the wifi, so I’ll leave that for another day.

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It took about 5 minutes for the Raspberry Pi to boot up the first time.

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Once it was booted up you see the following screen which allows you to interact with the device.

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Next Steps

Now that you’ve connected your Raspberry Pi, you need to configure your PC and Raspberry Pi before your can start development.

  1. Setting up your PC
  2. Setting up your Raspberry Pi
  3. Start Coding!

Enjoy!

TechnologyWindows

Easily Edit the Hosts File in Windows 10

Came across a great article today on how to edit the Hosts file in Windows 10.

Enjoy!

Most operating systems, including Microsoft Windows versions, use the hosts file to translate computer names. Also known as “host names” to numerical IP addresses, the hosts file is similar to using a phone book to find the matching phone number of a specific person’s name.

References

http://www.petri.com/easily-edit-hosts-file-windows-10.htm

MobileTechnology

10 New Features in Windows 8.1 Preview that saved my Surface RT

Great post by Scott HanselMan on 10 New Features in Windows 8.1 Preview that saved my Surface RT.

MobileTechnology

Improved Windows Phone App for Desktop is now available for Windows 7 and Windows 8

There is now a new version of the Windows Phone desktop app for syncing your Windows Phone 8 content and includes a number of improvements.

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Previously you had to visit the WindowsPhone.com site to see if there was an updated version. Now the Windows Phone desktop app has added a way to automatically check for an newer version of the application and notify you.

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Other enhancements are expanded podcast support, simplified updates, flexible library selection and many bug fixes.

Download

You can download the Windows Phone desktop app from the WindowsPhone.com site.

Source: Microsoft

MobileTechnology

Surface Pro launches in Japan and packs 256GB for the first time + Office 2013 in included

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Microsoft will start selling the Surface Pro tablet in Japan on June 6 and it will be sold in 2 different versions as is the case elsewhere in the world, but with some noticeable differences. The storage will double to 128 GB and a 256 GB and it will include Office Home and Business 2013.

Let’s hope the rest of the world get’s these storage updates and that Office 2013 is included for free, similar to the Surface RT.

Sources: Engadget and WinsuperSite

MobileTechnology

Nokia Lumia 920 wins prestigious ‘Innovative Handset’ Award 2013

Congratulations Nokia on winning this prestigious award.

“When you take a look at the Nokia Lumia 920 it’s easy to see why it should be given the award. Not content to simply cram more processing power into an old design, the Nokia Lumia 920 brings innovation to the screen in the use of PureMotion HD+ to deliver the fastest screen refresh rates yet, while the super-sensitive technology means you can use the screen even when wearing gloves.

When it comes to innovation in camera tech, the Nokia Lumia 920 delivers Optical Image Stabilisation that is normally only found in high-end video cameras, while the use of PureView delivers stunning low-light images for an amazing experience.

Then there are the little touches, like bringing wireless charging and NFC to the mainstream, as well as the wealth of apps you’ll find from Nokia that support and expand the ecosystem.”

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References

http://www.noknok.tv/2013/03/15/nokia-lumia-920-wins-prestigious-innovative-handset-award-2013/

http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/2013/03/15/o2-wins-hat-trick-of-gongs-at-mobile-news-awards-2013/

Technology

Internet Explorer 10 Now Available for Windows 7

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Today Microsoft finally releases Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7. Internet Explorer is 20% faster for real world web sites and there is also a 60% increase in support modern web standards.

As mentioned on the IEBlog today, Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7…

improves performance across the board with faster page loading, faster interactivity, and faster JavaScript performance, while reducing CPU usage and improving battery life on mobile PCs.

The biggest news on the Windows 7 front is performance.

IE 10 for Windows 7 in the real world is 20 percent faster than IE 9. We spent a lot of time on this.

Read more

Download

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MobileTechnology

Nokia Lumia phones to get more exclusive Windows Phone apps

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More Nokia announcements today on exclusive Nokia Lumia apps…

  • GoPro app
  • Burton and  Burton Sequencer apps
  • Foursquare app
  • Tumblr (official) app

Finally Nokia has struck a deal with Dreamworks Animation. Dreamworks will use Nokia’s API to create rich, interactive entertainment experiences exclusively for Nokia devices. No details on what ‘interactive entertainment experiences’ are coming, but we should know more later this year and hopefully see them in the second half of 2013.

Read more

Enjoy!