Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Wanna decorate your office?  How about a nice Azure poster?

Have you ever wondered where all those great posters for the Microsoft Cloud and Microsoft’s Enterprise Products & Services come from?  Like that Azure poster I posted the other day?

Here’s the links to all of them.  Or you can use the QR Codes below.

• Azure Infographics: http://aka.ms/azposters
• Azure Architecture Blueprints: http://aka.ms/azblueprints
• Windows Server: http://aka.ms/serverposters
• System Center: http://aka.ms/scposters
• SQL Server: http://aka.ms/sqlposters
• Posterpedia App: http://aka.ms/posterpedia

Did you know that the USB charger you use as well as the USB cable can make a dramatic difference in how fast your phone gets charged?

Most people know that cheap dual USB port wall chargers will often split the amperage available between each port, so if both ports are in use, instead of delivering 2.1A to each device as you would expect, you only get 1A to each.  Thus it’s important to find USB chargers that deliver a true 2.1A to each port.

This however is not what I’m talking about.

BACKGROUND: MY PANTECH’S USB 2.1A CHARGER
This all started when I discovered that the Pantech USB 2.1 charger is the single fastest charger I own.  It charges at a rate that is 2-3x faster than any other USB charger I have in my arsenal.  This was repeatedly documented by the logs/reporting that my Battery monitor app for Windows Phone did.

I asked the electronics experts in the Windows Phone User Group I run what was up.  What they explained was enlightening.

#1: VOLTAGE REGULATOR MODULE
According to Dan Dickerson, an engineer in our group, USB chargers that come equipped with better Voltage Regulator Modules (VRMs) that can dissipate heat (or have a heat sink on them) well, can charge much better and more consistently than those with cheap VRMs.  These tend to get warm when charging as a result of charging at a higher rate than cheaper units.

The Pantech chargers I’ve been using fall into this category.  The problem is determining how well power is being pushed to your phone from them & what other chargers have high quality VRMs in them.

There are intermediary testing devices that will measure the power coming out of your USB adapter & cable to your device.  If you notice that the power being delivered is less than the expected 2.1A, these devices won’t tell you what component is limiting the charge but you at least know that something is causing a weak charge. 

John Hung, a IT consultant in our group, recommended a few of these USB power testing devices that you might find useful:

• DC Ammeter for Solar Panels, Mains Chargers, etc.
• Power Practical Practical Meter

Here’s a few chargers that provide high quality VRMs:

• PortaPow Crystal 4 Port 4.2A USB Charger with travel plugs
• Photive 50 Watt 6 Port USB Desktop Rapid Charger. Intelligent USB Charger with Auto…

#2: DATA-SYNC MODE OR CHARGE-ONLY MODE
Apparently, if the device is connected using a data-ready cable, the device-to-be-charged can assume that it should be syncing data as well as charging.  This results in a substantially lowered charge rate. 

As a result, it is possible to do one of 2 things:

• Get a cable that is charge-only.  These are cables that have the data pins shorted, forcing the device to go into charge-only mode, a much more rapid charging state.
  http://www.amazon.com/PortaPow-Specialised-Blackberry-Transformer-Charging/dp/B00RL68RNS/
• Get a charge-only shunt.  These go between the power adapter and a data-ready USB cable to block the data pins, again forcing the device into charge-only mode.
  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QRRZ2QM/

#3: SHORT vs LONG CABLES, 17 GAUGE vs 28 GAUGE
Simply put, the shorter the cable, the least resistance there is.  The thicker the cable, the more power it can push through it.  You can easily test this yourself using the meters reference above in point #1. 

It becomes very obvious that short, thick cabling is the best when it comes to USB charging performance.  If you need to get traditional charge & sync cabling (standard USB cables), I’ve found that Amazon Basic’s cabling is quite good as is PortaPow’s.

• AmazonBasics USB 2.0 Cable 2-Pack – A Male to Micro B – 3 Feet (0.9 Meters)
• PortaPow 3.3ft 20AWG Charge+Sync Micro USB Cable

This is the perfect music scenario everyone’s been waiting for:  Upload all your music to the “Music” folder in your OneDrive, and access the entire library from the Xbox Music apps below, including Xbox 360/One.  Simple as that.

March 18, 2015

We’re happy to announce that Xbox Music has integrated with OneDrive to allow access to your entire personal music collection from your Xbox Music application for free!  As of today, any music files that you upload to your new “Music” folder in OneDrive will start to show up in your collection on music.xbox.com and in the Xbox Music apps for Windows 8.1, Windows Phone 8.1, Xbox 360, and Xbox One – no Music Pass required!  If you do have a Xbox Music Pass, you even get an extra 100GB of storage on your OneDrive! 

For more information, visit http://music.xbox.com/onedrive

If you have questions or feedback about this new feature, please visit the FAQ or the Microsoft Community forums. Please continue making your feedback about our app known on User Voice, in store reviews, and elsewhere on the Internet. We’re listening!

Thank you for your continued support,

The Xbox Music Team

Taken from the official announcement here:

• OneDrive Integration is Live! | 3/18/15
  http://xboxmusic.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/517320-onedrive-integration-is-live-3-18-15

This is really exciting for folks interested in increasing the speed of access to their Office 365 tenants.  Net net:

• Customers can now establish private, managed connections to their Office 365 tenant
• Network performance can be a predictable 1Gb or 10Gb depending on configuration
• Circuits have 2 active physical connections with the only 99.9% SLA in the cloud industry
• Both Azure & Office 365 may use the same network connection – again, unique to the cloud industry
• Available Q3/2015

Here’s our networking partners:

<taken from the Office Blog announcement by Microsoft Office General Manager, Julia White>

We’re pleased to announce that starting later this year, Office 365 customers will be able to use Azure ExpressRoute to establish a private, managed connection to Office 365. This is something our customers have been asking for since ExpressRoute launched last year. Currently, ExpressRoute provides customers with dedicated network connectivity through a private connection from their network to Microsoft Azure, and we’re excited to extend the same option for connectivity to Office 365.

Read the details below:

• OFFICE BLOG: Announcing Azure ExpressRoute connectivity to Office 365
  http://blogs.office.com/2015/03/17/announcing-azure-expressroute-connectivity-to-office-365/
• SITE: Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute
  http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/expressroute/

When you register to take an MCP exam between January 5, 2015, and May 31, 2015, you become eligible for a free retake if you don’t pass it. You have 30 days from the date you took the initial exam to schedule a retake.

To schedule your retake, sign in, select your exam from the exam list, and click Schedule now for free. Second Shot is available for exams taken from January 5, 2015, through May 31, 2015. If you fail your initial exam at the end of May, you still have 30 days to schedule the exam retake. Candidate must login to their personal dashboard at Microsoft Learning to redeem their Second Shot offer within 30 days of their failed exam.

For details, visit the following site:

• MICROSOFT LEARNING: Get a free Second Shot on your MCP exam
  https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/second-shot.aspx

Learn about deals like this and more at the Microsoft Certified Professionals web site:

• BORN TO LEARN: Get Certified!
  https://borntolearn.mslearn.net/goodstuff/p/mcp

The following infographic provides an overview of Azure features, services, and common uses.  There are 41 different services within the Azure umbrella listed including:

• Compute
  • Virtual Machines
  • Cloud Services
  • Scheduler
  • Remote App
  • Batch
• Storage
  • Storage Blobs, Tables
  • Files
  • Import/Export
  • SQL Database
  • StorSimple
  • DocumentDB
  • Redis Cache
• Networking
  • Virtual Network
  • ExpressRoute
  • Traffic Manager
• Backup
  • Backup
  • Site Recovery
• Media & CDN
  • Media Services
  • CDN
• Hybrid Integration
  • Storage Queues
  • Service Bus
  • BizTalk Services
  • Hybrid Connections
• Development
  • Visual Studio Online
  • Application Insights
• Management
  • Automation
  • Operational Insights
  • Management Portal
  • Key Vault
• Web
  • Websites
• Mobile
  • Mobile Services
  • API Management
  • Notification Hubs
  • Mobile Engagement (Preview- Not shown)
• Data
  • Search
• Analytics
  • HDInsight
  • Machine Learning
  • Stream Analytics
  • Data Factory
  • Event Hubs
• Identity & Access
  • Active Directory
  • MultiFactor Authentication
• Commerce
  • Marketplace
  • VMDepot

DOWNLOAD: What is Microsoft Azure?
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=397969&clcid=0x409

DOWNLOAD: Other Azure Infographics
http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/infographics/

VIDEO: Azure Architecture Blueprints
https://msdn.microsoft.com/dn630664
#fbid=rVymR_3WSRo

VIDEO TUTORIALS: Get started with Azure
http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/get-started/

We released an awesome bracket builder for March Madness this year, and it leverages the power of machine learning & our intelligent cloud to help you with your picks… and impress folks in your pools, of course.

WHY USE BING BRACKET BUILDER?
For the 1st time ever, Bing has partnered with the NCAA® to gain unprecedented access to over 10 seasons worth of Division I basketball data – and we’re putting that knowledge to work for you. Combined with the industry-leading predictions of our Bing Predicts team, we’re giving bracket builders the ultimate March Madness® experience.

From the announcement:

We know that as much as we all love basketball, we don’t have time to follow all 68 teams. In fact, according to a YouGov survey commissioned by Bing, most of us only follow 1-2 teams in the regular season. That means we can’t all be experts and nearly 40 percent of us simply guess when filling out a bracket. Don’t worry, Bing is here to level the playing field for the average fan and make you look like that smart sports analyst.

Beginning today, on Selections Sunday™, we are launching the Bing Bracket at www.bing.com/bracketbuilder with a slew of features to help you build the best bracket, including:

• Intelligent Predictions: We’ve built Bing predictions right into our bracket builder. So as you hover over a team, we give you all the data you need to make an informed decision on a matchup. Of all the features of our bracket, few are more exciting than our predictions. Once the bracket is announced, our servers need a couple hours to run through all possible 9.2 quintillion outcomes of the bracket, stay tuned to @Bing for updates on when the NCAA bracket builder goes live after 3pm PT! To learn more about how Bing Predicts works, click here.
• Auto-Fill: Only 1 in 5 people follow more than five teams, so how do you fill out an entire bracket with 68 teams when you really only care about whether your team makes the Final Four? Use the auto-fill function and Bing will help you fill out the rest using smart predictive capabilities and accounting for your favorite teams.
• Search within your bracket: If you don’t want to take Bing’s predictions for granted, we give you the next layer of team stats to help you make the most informed decision on the possibility of an upset. If you’re one of the 44 percent of us that do research online as we fill out our brackets – the Bing Bracket is for you!
• Interactive Highlights: With the Bing Bracket you can follow along during the tournament and watch highlights, research teams and players, check scores and engage with your picks directly. Miss a game in your matchup? Visit your bracket and see key highlights post game.
• Detailed game matchups: Kentucky v Duke? Gonzaga v UNC? Get detailed matchup stats, pulling in historical data and even Bing’s predictions on who’s favored to win and why. Want to know what it will take for the underdog to pull off an upset? You’ll find it here.
• Export: Four out of 10 March Madness fans will fill out more than one bracket. With Bing we’ll make it easy for you to export directly to the Capital One NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge and compete against Bing.
• Print, save, share: Bing makes it easy to share your success with friends. Easily share on Facebook and Twitter with Bing – and let the games begin!
• March Madness hub: With 68 teams playing throughout the tournament, that’s a lot of games to keep track of. Bing has you covered. Keep your pulse on the games with a complete tournament schedule, links to watch the live games, matchup predictions, tournament stats, and the latest news from across the web – all within the bracket experience

So get online and give it a try!

• ANNOUNCEMENT: Build a Smarter Bracket with Bing
  http://blogs.bing.com/search/?p=74613
• SITE: Bing Bracket Builder
  http://www.bing.com/bracketbuilder

Tomorrow on March 14, 2015 (3.14.15), we are making 12-Month Xbox Music Passes available for purchase for $31.41 (usually $99).

From the Fire Hose:

Every March 14, I get an irresistible craving for pie. But really, it’s Pi Day – an homage to the mathematical constant of the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, and it’s also Albert Einstein’s birthday. And this year, the sequence is even cooler: 3.14.15. Mind. Blown.

To celebrate this auspicious day, you can pick up new digital gift cards with the Pi Day theme your recipients can redeem for apps, games and music. Download the Digital Gift Cards app for free from the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store.

Also on the 14^th – and for the day only – you can buy a 12-month Xbox Music Pass for $31.41 (regularly $99) from the Microsoft Store. This subscription gives you access to millions of songs to play on your Xbox, the Web, or your Windows Phone, PC and tablet. This offer is good for new subscriptions and renewals of existing subscriptions.

Finally, exercise your noggin with the new Einstein Brain Trainer HD app. It comes with 30 activities to stimulate your mind. It’s on sale for half-off at the Windows Store for $2.99 and $1.49 at the Windows Phone Store.

Check these out as you eat your pie in honor of Pi Day, and read more about these promotions on Blogging Windows and the Lumia Conversations blog.

Unlimited music for a year for just $31.41.  Yes, this is a total steal.  Get this while you can! 

• MICROSOFT STORE: 12-Month Xbox Music Pass ($31.41)
  (Discount starts and ends on 3/14/15)
  http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/
  en_US/pdp/12-Month-Xbox-Music-Pass/productID.258412400

Robert Downey Jr, Albert Manero, Microsoft OneNote & #CollectiveProject put their heads together to make a 7yo boy very happy.

Check out the smile on that kid.

Visit the Microsoft OneNote Facebook page for more works from the #CollectiveProject:
http://facebook.com/OneNote

We just announced the availability of a new option for Azure Media Services called, “Premium Encoding”. 

It now enables complex workflows & tuning for transcoding media into different formats using some automation that can dynamically adapt to the content.

Among other things, it also provides users with the ability to output their content in 4x the number of formats using a large number of audio & video codecs.  It also provides the ability to ingest 2x the number of audio/video formats.

Video encoding can be a complex and complicated space. I often get requests from customers asking for ways to transcode formats that are used primarily in broadcast studios, or in the movie industry. Accompanying these formats are also complicated ‘recipes’ to process the videos that requires custom logic to make decisions about what encoding steps are required.

This week, I am excited to introduce a new technology in Microsoft Azure Media Services that allows our more experienced customers to solve such workflow problems. This premium encoder offers superior quality and flexibility suited for broadcast industry/professional media transcodes. This includes automated decision-making logic that can adapt to a variety of input and output file formats such as MXF, support for additional input and output codecs such as DNxHD, support for higher output resolutions – up to 4K in AVC, support for closed captions,  and much more.

In this blog, I will provide you an overview of the new capabilities of the premium encoder. Please click here to find out more about pricing and visit our documentation center to learn more details about how to use this encoder.

…

• ANNOUNCEMENT: Introducing Premium Encoding in Azure Media Services
  http://azure.microsoft.com/blog/2015/03/05/introducing-premium-encoding-in-azure-media-services/
• DOCUMENTATION: Encoding On-Demand Content with Azure Media Services
  http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/media-services-encode-asset/#compare_encoders