Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Charlie Rose’s 13 minute interview with Bill on 60 Minutes.

Bill Gates 2.0
May 12, 2013 4:00 PM
For Bill Gates, technology is still the solution. He shows Charlie Rose some inventions he’s working on to help heal the world.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50146679n

From about a week ago… something to show your firm’s partners & attorneys:

LAW TECHNOLOGY NEWS: "Microsoft’s Surface Pro Tablet Is a Winner"

Integration with the Office suite and easy security tools gives Microsoft the edge over Apple in the tablet wars

“…Being able to run familiar desktop programs on a tablet-sized device gives users the option of replacing two devices, the tablet and the laptop, with one. This is a convenience worth considering, and law firms that value mobility should investigate whether the Surface Pro meets their needs.”

http://www.law.com/jsp/lawtechnologynews/PubArticleLTN.jsp?id=1202597722666&thepage=1&slreturn=20130409131135

Excellent read on Surface Pro from an actual CIO.

Rough summary of Surface Pro:

• Stylish. Sleek, angular, and attractive.
• Speed & Power. Faster than most anything on the market for CPU & networking… capable of running mega-applications like Adobe Lightroom.
• Enterprise Manageable. Joins domains, respects IT policies.
• Enterprise Connected. Accesses network drives, printers, & apps. Works with Lync. Seamlessly connects to Windows Live ID, Skydrive.
• Enterprise Secure. Adheres to IT security policies, encrypted storage, leverages existing Enterprise security software.
• Workplace Friendly. Immediately connects to desktop peripherals: Displays, mice, keyboards, speakers, hard drives, & wired gigabit networking over USB 3.0.
• Compatible. Provides 100% of the functionality & application support of Windows 7 – including HTML5 & Flash support in Internet Explorer 10 & VPN clients.
• Touch-Enabled. ‘Metro’ apps like Internet Explorer 10 work exactly as advertised… it’s an efficient & quick-to-use interface for touch screens.
• Full Keyboard. Touch cover keyboard is highly portable & very usable as a traditional desktop keyboard.
• Multitasking. Productively changing work contexts between tasks is as easy as a desktop PC.
• Productive. 1080p/multiple external display support provides extremely large screen real estate for multitasking along with full mouse/keyboard.

(And even with all this praise, he doesn’t address the Durability of Surface Pro’s VaporMg casing, the availability of Pen Computing through it’s Wacom digitizer & stylus, or the capability to add Extensible Storage via micro SD flash – all of which I believe are also important.)

Read it here:

• CIO Road Test: Microsoft Surface Pro Beats Apple iPad
  "Surface Pro changed my mind about the validity of Windows 8. I had been trying to use the OS on the wrong device…"
  “As for me, it’s not like I’m driving a "me too" device, but a new modality in mobile computing. In my opinion this is not a passing fad, but a platform to strongly consider moving to on your next refresh.”
  http://www.crn.com/news/mobility/240154469/cio-road-test-microsoft-surface-pro-beats-apple-ipad.htm

This just blows me away.  I have 20.2GB of free mailbox storage remaining… and forget “web-based email”: I still have have all the client/server speed, richness, & offline capabilities of Outlook 2013 & Exchange Server 2013.  (Yeah sure, I have OWA HTML mail which is excellent… but when I really wanna do some real work, I use a mail client & I bet you do too)

Only a few capacity-related technologies have sent me reeling like this.

• I remember when they started shipping the 256kb memory chips back in the mid-80’s and it just boggled my mind after dealing with 16kb-64kb for years.
• Then I bought a 14.4kbps modem and I did a happy dance every day for weeks after years of BBSing with 110bps-2400bps. 
• When they installed DSL at my home after years of dual channel ISDN, I just shook my head & proceeded to spend the next 24 hours downloading the Internet.
• I received a 64GB SD Flash card & that made my jaw drop.  I still own 256MB SD cards for gosh sake.

So 25GB of corporate Exchange email?  Will full server-side rules, offline sync, all my plugins, Exchange Activesync… this is THAT level of “OMG”.

So how big’s your corporate mailbox?

And… Windows Blue is coming!  During the Wired 2013 Business Conference, Julie Larson-Green disclosed Windows Blue Public Preview will be available at Build 2013 (June 26-28).

Content about the conference from Microsoft:

• Watch Julie’s Wired conference video here:
  http://fora.tv/conference/wired_business_conference_2013_think_bigger
• Check out the Windows blog with Tami Reller Q&A:  
  http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/

Here are a few articles that resulted from the conference:

• Microsoft confirms Windows 8.1 ‘Blue’ will be available to developers at the end of June – Tom Warren, 05-07-2013, The Verge
• Microsoft reveals Windows Blue will be released to developers in June, distributed via Windows Store – Alex Wilhelm, 05-07-2013, The Next Web
• Microsoft confirms public preview of Windows Blue in late June – Mary Jo Foley, 05-07-2013, ZDNet

A few of the tweets on the topic:

• The Verge‏ Microsoft confirms Windows 8.1 ‘Blue’ will be available to developers at the end of June http://vrge.co/YDl5Th
• Joseph Cristina‏: Gadget: Microsoft’s Julie Larson-Green Says Windows RT’s Slow Start Is A Consumer Education Problem http://tcrn.ch/15BeRGn #tech
• Callan Green‏: Julie Larson-Green is demonstarting her skills at classily answering tough questions… #wiredbizcon
• Tim Anderson‏: There’s aren’t "major changes" in Windows 8 Blue says Julie Larson-Green, some reporting "wildly inaccurate" 
• Julianne Pepitone/CNNMoney – “We believe in people’s ability to learn and change. We knew there would be a learning curve with Windows 8.” – Larson-Green #wiredbiz

As found on eBay.  The car charger was a new one.  Bought a few of those for myself & friends.

• DC High Power Fast Car charger Adapter For Microsoft Surface 10.6 Windows 8 RT ($11.96 + $.99 shipping)
  http://www.ebay.com/itm/271171157687
• Wall Travel Adapter Charger For Microsoft Surface 10.6 RT Windows 8 Tablet PC ($12.98 + Free Shipping)
  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wall-Travel-Adapter-Charger-For-Microsoft-Surface-10-6-RT-Windows-8-Tablet-PC-/181127406446
• 12V 3.6A Power Supply Charger Adapter for Microsoft Surface PRO RT 10.6 Tablet ($17.96 + FREE Shipping)
  http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-3-6A-Power-Supply-Charger-Adapter-for-Microsoft-Surface-PRO-RT-10-6-Tablet-/400458725019

The Microsoft Volume Licensing Reference Guide provides comprehensive guidance to help you select the best options for the size, type, and business needs of your organization.

This 79-page document details each of the Microsoft Volume Licensing programs in addition to covering the basics of product licensing and Microsoft Software Assurance. Each chapter includes case studies, tips, and next steps to assist you with the decision-making process. An excellent resource for those who want an in-depth look at Microsoft Volume Licensing and the ability to easily compare programs.

• WHITEPAPER: Microsoft Volume Licensing Reference Guide (1.01MB)
  http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=11091

The driver and firmware pack for Surface Pro, including all updates currently available for the device over Windows Update as of April 9th, is now live on the Microsoft Download Center.

The usage scenario for this would be to create your own custom deployment installation/image of Windows 8 for Surface Pro, enabling easier management – including Professional & Enterprise editions of Windows 8.

• RELEASE: Windows 8 Driver/Firmware Pack for  Surface Pro (54.9MB)
  http://download.microsoft.com/download/
  2/0/7/2073C22F-2F31-4F4A-8059-E54C91C564A9/April2013SurfacePro.zip

I’ll actually be switching to the 920’s thinner sister phone, the Nokia Lumia 928 on Verizon Wireless.  Why?  The camera, the new speaker, the OLED screen, the thinner/lighter body, (a few features I can’t talk about yet)… and I’m paying full price.  Yes, it’s that awesome.

From the video description:

Don’t fight. See why now’s the time to switch to the Windows Phone Nokia Lumia 920: Engadget Reader’s Choice Smartphone of the Year.

Make the switch: http://newwp.it/YhvMe4

Get ready for what may be the best photos and videos you’ve taken with a smartphone. The Nokia Lumia 920 brings Optical Image Stabilization, 8 MP PureView technology, and incredible photo and video software—all to Windows Phone 8.

#timetoswitch

We released the new Product Portfolio 3.0 with the following additions:

• What’s New
• Both views:
• MDOP, Windows To Go under Windows 8
• Social listening & Analytics
• SignalR under ASP.NET
• Async/Await added under .NET
• HDInsight under Windows Azure SQL Database
• Multi-factor Authentication (PhoneFactor) under Federation Gateway (Azure)
• Cloud Monitoring (MetricsHub) below Intune
• Storsimple Appliance next to Private Cloud Appliance
• All-up view:
• Kinect for Windows under Microsoft Hardware
• What’s Changed
• All-up view:
• SL to SL 2011
• GP to GP 2013
• NAV to NAV 2013
• Both views:
• AX 2012 changed to AX 2012 R2 with enhancements
• Microsoft Surface to Microsoft Surface & Perceptive Pixel under Microsoft Hardware
• Microsoft Security Compliance Manager 2.5 to Microsoft Security Compliance manager 3.0
• Web API moved from ASP.NET into Communication & WF Foundation area
• Exchange Hosted Services broken into Exchange Online Archiving and Exchange Hosted Protection
• Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 to Windows HPC Pack 2012
• BizTalk Server 2010 to BizTalk Server 2013

If you’re a Enterprise customer, I have both a Visio .VSD version of these as well as a nice PowerPoint presentation that breaks down each of the technology layers.  Download the documents here:

• DOWNLOAD: Microsoft Product Portfolio – All-up view (.PDF)
  https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=DA410C7F7E038D!10060&authkey=!ABhSoGvEGEB9j44
• DOWNLOAD: Microsoft Product Portfolio – Enterprise view (.PDF)
  https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=DA410C7F7E038D!10061&authkey=!AGIIoZnse2VeUE4