Coming down the road from Microsoft

February, 2012: The following dates are totally unofficial but we think reasonable predictions for upcoming releases for new/updated Microsoft products:

You can read a more extensive summary here.

Healthcare IT Update January 2012: iPads Have Much Potential, But Significant Challenges Remain

We also publish a monthly newsletter for the healthcare market and thought this article on iPads might be of general interest. We have many clients looking to use iPads in their corporate environments, and the warnings here are pretty much the same as they are for healthcare – make sure that the applications you are using have been adapted for iPads, otherwise you may end up unhappy with the results.

Read the article about iPads in Healthcare.

Tyson’s Corner Microsoft Store Now Open!

Microsoft opened their 14th Microsoft retail store in Tyson’s Corner Center on November 17. The festivities included Cal Ripken, Joe Jonas and lots of giveaways.

BEI will be hosting a Friends and Family Night on December 15. Get a personal tour of the store, relax and have a snack in the private theater space! We’ll have discount coupons for everyone and over 25 exciting raffle items.

Thursday, December 15
5 pm – 9 pm
Microsoft Store, Tyson’s Corner
REGISTER NOW!

10 Things to Love about Windows 8

TechRepublic came up with this list and we thought it was worth sharing – click here for all the details. The unofficial release date for Windows 8 is toward the end of 2012 – we’ll update this as we receive more specific information.

1: It’s designed for tablets and touch

2: Apps “share” data

3: The apps can be integrated into the OS

4: It offers ARM support

5: It beefs up security

6: App markets will benefit developers and users

7: System restore is easier

8: Cloud sync is everywhere

9: It offers simplified administration and configuration

10: System stability is improved

Floods in Thailand Result in Disk Drive Shortages

Major flooding during the monsoon season in Thailand have resulted in over 600 deaths, the destruction of entire towns, the loss of homes, farmland and industrial facilities. Certainly not the worst result of the flooding but one that directly impacts our business and our clients is the destruction of many factories (Western Digital, Toshiba, Nidec) that manufacture hard drives as well as component manufacturers (experts estimate that Nidec manufactures up to 80% of the small motors used in hard drives.) Dell has advised us to check with them when placing orders (particularly servers) as changing the hard drive specified in a server configuration can often impact the lead time for that server. We are working with our clients to minimize the impact of this shortage.

Run Android Apps on your Windows Desktop

Run your Android Apps on your Windows Desktop with BlueStacks. This is an early release version but will be fun for the Android fans out there. You can see a demo of it here.

Microsoft Store Opening in Tyson’s Corner Center November 17

Microsoft has announced that they will be opening their 14th Microsoft retail store in Tyson’s Corner Center on November 17. The store features a theater that is available for meetings and seminars – BEI is hopeful of hosting a seminar soon after the store opens. The grand opening ceremony, at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17, will include the distribution of up to $1 million in software grants to local groups. You can vote on the store’s Facebook page to decide where the grants should go. Each vote will count toward a $20 donation. Potential recipients include the Foundation of Fairfax County Public Schools and the Children’s Science Center.

Windows 8

The next major release of the Windows operating system, Windows 8, is now available as a Developer Preview. We know that there is at least one copy running at BEI! It will be the first Microsoft operating system designed to work with touch screens from the start. The look and feel will be familiar to anyone with a Windows Phone – it will have the ability to swap between a more traditional Windows interface and the new “Metro” style as shown below.

iPhone – Quickly silence or reject an incoming phone call

Who hasn’t been in a situation where you’re embarrassed by a ringing cell phone in the middle of an important meeting? Here are some options that will help you deal with the interruption gracefully:

• Press the sleep/wake button on the top of your iPhone once. This will silence the ring but you can still answer it. So you can push the button, quietly leave the room and take your important call.
• Or, if the call can wait press the sleep/wake button on the top of your iPhone twice. This will send the call to voice mail.

iPads in the business environment

We have set up a number of iPads to connect to our client’s corporate networks, using either Microsoft Terminal Services or Citrix to connect to a wide variety of applications (Office, accounting, databases, etc.). There are free apps that can be installed for both of these services. The clients who are using the iPads this way are doing light work at home or while traveling and are generally pleased. The major caveat to consider is that the interface is relatively small and everything is done using touch options, which can be a little awkward for some corporate applications. If you are interested in this option let us know and we’d be glad to talk through your requirements.