The Beginning: Understanding The Mobile Technologies Part-1

I started this blog to create a database of knowledge for people who seek answers. I have been associated with Samsung's Mobile R&D Center known as the Software Engineering Lab, India,  for past 2 years and previously with Microsoft as a Microsoft Student Parter 2009-2012. I  have learned quite a lot about Mobile Technology - not by training - but by individual effort and by utilizing the opportunities that were made available to me.

I have planned to write a series of blog-posts about Mobile Technologies. However, these blog-posts are simple and elegant answers for common questions. You won't find any of Samsung's or Microsoft's trade-secrets (if you are looking for one :P ). Moreover, these blog-posts are going to be about Mobile Technology in general not just about Samsung or Microsoft products.

So here are few of the blog-posts, i.e., the articles I am going to cover:

What is hacking w.r.t. Mobile Devices?
What is Firmware?
What is Flashing?
What is Rooting?
What is Jail Breaking?
and so on....


Hope you learn and enjoy the articles. Any feedback whether positive or negative are welcome. I would really love to learn from your experiences and my mistakes.

However, you need to understand that everything on this blog represents my interpretation and understandings and you are free to have your own opinion. Also, my interpretation and/or understanding might be wrong or at the very least a bit off-course in a few cases. Though, I try my best to make sure about the accuracy of my posts, I am human - just like you (I sincerely assume you are one :P), and hence prone to mistakes. I know for sure, I am not God (only He is free from mistakes) :)

This article was first published at My Main Blog - Aasthik - http://www.aasthik.com/2012/08/The-Beginning-Understanding-The-Mobile-Technologies-Part-1.html

Samsung Launches ATIV Smart PC Pro - Samsung's First Windows 8 device in India

 Samsung has recently launched its magnificent gadget - the ATIV Smart PC Pro in India.

This tablet-cum-PC with Model number XE700T1C-AO1IN runs on Windows8 (the latest offering by Microsoft) and is now available in Samsung India E-store for 75K.

The amazing specs of this device include:

1. 4GB DDR3 RAM
2. Intel i5 Processor
3. 128 GB of Internal Hard-disk Space

To know more about about the specs and features click on the following pic:

Better than Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab2 - Its called Samsung Slate 7.

Samsung Slate 7 series is here to rock the Tablet World. If you thought Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab2 were the best deals - think again - Samsung Slate 7 is here to surprise you!

Following are the details of the Samsung Slate 7, that I have:

Model	Samsung Slate 7 Series
CPU	Dual-core 1.6-GHz Intel Core i5-2467M low-voltage processor
Operating System	Windows7 upgradable to Windows8
RAM	4GB DDR3 RAM
Internal Memory	128 GB
Display	11.6-inch SuperBright LED backlit display
Brightness	400 nits
Resolution	1366X768
SIM Support	Yes
3G	Internal
GPU	Intel HD graphic 3000
Front Camera	2MP
Rear Camera	3MP
Connectivity	Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi 802.11n
Sensors	Accelerometer, Gyroscopic sensors, GPS
Boot time	Just 30 seconds

For those of you who are not aware of Windows 8, Microsoft launched Windows8 with one main thing in mind - A single Operating System for PCs, Tablets and Phone! Yes, thats it! All the apps will work in SmartPhones, Tablets and Desktops.

And it doesn't end there...

The biggest problem plaguing the Windows tablet concept has always been the lack of a physical keyboard and mouse - two elements that are too deeply integrated into Windows to discard without inconveniencing users. Samsung has sidestepped these problems with a digital pen, dock, and wireless keyboard. Combined with the impressive hardware inside, the Series 7 Slate stands to be used both as a consumption device and a genuine productivity tool.

The dock, in addition to the necessary docking connection, offers full-sized versions of the ports found on the tablet, with HDMI, USB 2.0 and Ethernet ports available. The dock is also remarkably sturdy, with metal construction, and table- gripping rubber feet that provide a surprisingly stable base for the slate. When using the touch screen in this set-up, I found myself wishing that touch-screened desktop computers were so stable. The accompanying wireless keyboard is just as slim and light as the Series 7 itself, with chiclet-style keys and a cool brushed aluminum surface.

The Series 7 Slate is also light, weighing 1.96 pounds - lighter than many smaller 10-inch tablets we've seen, like the Acer Iconia W500-BZ467, which weighed in at 2.1 pounds. It's thin too, measuring less than a half inch thick. The back appears to be brushed aluminum, and the rich texture of the cool metal surface leaves you feeling that the slate, though thin and light, is still substantial.

Samsung Windows 8 tablets which were distributed in Developer build conference were 5000 in numbers. Distributed Samsung tablets are equivalent to series 7 slate PC, which has gone through multiple updates so as to fulfill the requirements of the customers. Currently, research is being carried out on Samsung Windows 8 tablets so to transform them to latest functionality which is rich in thin dimensioning and other parameters.

Samsung finally launched Omnia W its first Windows Phone 7.5 Mango SmartPhone in India

After a long wait, just after the arrival of Nokia Lumia 800 and Nokia Lumia 710, Samsung has launched Omnia W its Windows Phone Mango SmartPhone for India. Samsung Omnia W became visible (to the best of my knowledge) in the product list of Samsung's Official Indian Version of the website ( www.samsung.com/in/ ) at around 18:00  IST on 18th December.

Samsung finally lists Omnia W - the Windows Phone based Smartphone  in its website

The Samsung Omnia W (also known as the Samsung Focus Flash and GT-8350) is a SmartPhone running Windows Phone operating system 7.5 also known as Mango. The device features Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 SoC clocked at 1.4 GHz, 3,7-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 480x800 and 8GB capacity of internal storage.

Omnia W is the first Windows Phone Mango to be launched by Samsung in India. Though Samsung had launched Samsung Focus, Samsung Focus S, and Samsung Focus Flash in the UK/USA Market, it wasn't until 18th Decemeber that Omnia W finally appeared in Samsung's official website for India. Hence, Omnia W is Samsung's first Windows Mango Phone by Samsung for the Indian Market.

The Samsung Omnia W - Samsung's first Windows Phone 7.5 Mango SmartPhone for India

However, the product itself was not available in stores not even with the authorized dealers. Dealers and retailers are more excited about the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Note - the Android Tablet cum Phone cum NotePad.

The Awesome New Samsung Galaxy Note

Considering the fact that Nokia Lumia 800 and Nokia Lumia 710 - the much awaited Windows Phone Mango phones from the one time King of the Mobiles, were launched just 4 days its a good move by Samsung to launch Samsung Galaxy Note and Samsung Omnia W at the same time. Not only this increases the competition but also gives users a wide range of products to choose from.

Nokia Lumia 701 and Nokia Lumia 800

Click on the above pic to have a better view of Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710

However, if you happened to have visited the Atta Market in Sector-18, Noida especially the Great India Palace or the Mobile retail shops opposite the Great India Palace you would have found stalls for each of the following phones:

1. Samsung Galaxy Note
2. Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710
3. HTC Sensation XL

We can easily assume that similar trend will be observed all over India.

So basically Nokia will be facing a tough competition. Lumia 710 (with approx market price 19000/- ) will be pitted against Samsung's Omnia W (with approx market price 19000/- ) while Nokia Lumia 800 (with approx market price 30000/- )will be competing against Samsung Galaxy S2 (with approx market price 29000/- ) and Samsung Galaxy Note (with approx market price 32000/- ). Also Nokia Lumia will additionally be competing with HTC Titan and HTC Radar.

To conclude its a great move by Samsung.

Quarter2 2011 pretty Bad for Nokia!

One word defines Nokia's quarter: UGLY!. 

Here's the scorecard:

• Net sales of EUR 9,275M vs EUR 10,003M in Q2 2010;
  
• Operating loss of EUR 487 million vs operating profit EUR 295M;
  
• Reported EPS (diluted) of EUR -0.10 vs EUR 0.06.

Worse still, Smartphone sales are down 32% YoY and 33% QoQ.

For the first time in living memory, according to Asymco's Horace Dediu, Nokia has lost the #1 smartphone maker title--to Apple.

Stock's up though, so there's something the market liked!

It's worth noting that this isn't attributable to Nokia's shift to Microsoft Windows. Nokia hasn't come out with a Windows phone yet. 

But the big argument for Nokia being a survivor was its huge distribution network, particularly outside the US, that would allow it to hold marketshare and push Windows phones. It doesn't seem to be happening. Instead, it seems it's slowly deteriorating, and it's less and less clear that it can be saved.

All in all, painful to watch!

Microsoft displays Windows Phone 'Mango' Phones by Samsung, Acer, Fujitsu, and ZTE.

Microsoft’s annual Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) kicked off on 11th July with a keynote that had CEO Steve Ballmer acknowledging poor sales of the company’s Windows Phone 7 handsets. That may soon change with the upcoming Mango update. The company today gave a sneak peek at WPC of several exciting new handsets on the way. Catch the video after the break.

Corporate VP of the OEM Division at Microsoft, Steve Guggenheimer revealed several new Mango handsets including one from Samsung. that resembles the Galaxy S II Android model.  The phone looks like the Windows Phone sibling of the Galaxy S II. Specifications are still unknown, but some are speculating that it could mirror that of the Android Galaxy. That particular phone features a dual-core processor, 1GB of ram, 4.3 super-AMOLED display, an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, and a slender build. It could be the SGH-i937 that is currently being tested. Guggenheimer said that he was particularly excited about the Samsung device and noted that it was extremely thin and light.



However, no details and exact specifications were revealed during the presentation. Other devices mentioned on stage included Acer’s first Windows Phone, a pink waterproof handset from Fujitsu, and a ZTE handset. This was the first time these yet-to-be released Windows Phone 7 devices were shown actually running the Mango update.

Microsoft hasn’t offered up required specifications for Mango, but it’s widely expected to introduce support for a front-facing camera. Windows Phone 7.5 will release sometime this fall, so expect the second generation of Windows Phone devices to be in tow.

After Google’s + and Infy’s Bubble its Microsoft’s Social Search Network ‘Tulalip’ at www.socl.com

Yes! You read it right. After Google+ and Infy Bubble its Tulalip – A Social Search-Network integrated with Bing by Microsoft Research.

You don’t believe me? Check out www.socl.com

Now, I know what most of you are thinking – ”Oh no! Not another Social Network!!”. Or may be even this – “Its Microsoft remember! Ctrl+C Ctrl+V!”. But did not people doubt when we had the Great Orkut and Facebook was just launched??Well, it was supposed to be a secret project but Microsoft unintentionally/intentionally brought it to limelight.

Microsoft Research’s Experimental Social Search Network Tulalip

 

Fusible first discovered the page sitting at www.socl.com, a domain that MS recently purchased. Known as Tulalip (also the name of a group of Native American tribes near Redmond). The platform also features sign-in buttons for Facebook and Twitter, the latter of which leads to an authorization page explaining that Tulalip is an "experimental app," and that it will be able to "update your profile" and "post tweets for you" (see the screenshot, after the break). It's too early, of course, to say whether or not the service will launch as a direct competitor to Social Search, or if it'll even get off the ground, though Microsoft insists that it didn't mean to tip its hand so early.

From the looks of it, this will likely be a venture into “social search” with Bing running the show. “With Tulalip you can Find what you need and Share what you know easier than ever,” reads the teaser tagline. Notice the capitalization of Find and Share? Yep, I’m pretty sure this will be where search meets share, which is kind of good news since you can’t do a Google search within Google+. Oddly enough, there are Facebook and Twitter log in fields on the teaser page, which leads us to believe that this will be a rather light foray into social networking rather than a heavy-duty Microsoft experience.

 

First Look at Microsoft’s Social Search Network Tulalip

The teaser page has since been pulled, while Microsoft swears it was an accident. It's too early, of course, to say whether or not the service will launch as a direct competitor to Social Search, or if it'll even get off the ground, though Microsoft insists that it didn't mean to tip its hand so early. The Socl.com welcome page now reads: "Socl.com is an internal design project from one of Microsoft's research teams which was mistakenly published to the web. We didn't mean to, honest."

Microsoft demands $15 per Android phone from Samsung!

“Android has a patent fee. It’s not like Android’s free. You do have to license patents. HTC’s signed a license with us and you’re going to see license fees clearly for Android as well as for Windows.” – Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft.
 
Yes its true! Microsoft has asked Samsung to pay $15 per Android phone shipped. Confused? I know you are. You are probably wondering how can Microsoft demand money for a Google Product right? You have many questions like these and this blog-post will try to answer some of them.

What makes Microsoft eligible to charge for Android phones?

Microsoft can charge for Android because of the Intellectual Property Rights it has on the technology used in Google’s Mobile Operating System.

The software giant has a wide range of patents used in the mobile platform. And there are countless lines of proprietary code in Android, and any number of ways that code -- or, yes, possibly code from the Android Open Source Project itself -- could infringe on another company's patents.

What is Microsoft’s stand on the matter?

For the past year or so, Microsoft has been saying that it holds patents on technology used in the Android mobile operating system, and has been either suing or signing licensing agreements with phone and computer manufacturers that use Android. It signed a deal with HTC in April 2010, and has sued Motorola over its Droid line and Barnes & Noble over its Nook e-readers.

In October 2010, Microsoft essentially said companies using Android need to pay up or get sued.

Has Microsoft signed patent-licensing deals with other Android makers?

Microsoft has announced a flurry of patent-licensing deals with smaller Android makers, including General Dynamics Itronix, Velocity Micro, Onkyo and – on Tuesday – Wistron. Microsoft said the Wistron deal also includes coverage for devices running Google’s Chrome browser platform.

Is Microsoft going to stop pursuing these licensing agreements?

With so many customers on its Android books, it’s unlikely Microsoft is going to stop pursuing these licensing agreements. The next target is already in its sights, and this is no small fish. Microsoft is reportedly demanding Samsung pays $15 per Android smartphone it ships.

Why target Samsung?

Samsung is the top mobile-phone manufacturer in the United States, with an average market share of 24.8 percent from March to May, comScore said Tuesday

Analysts forecast Samsung, the world’s No.2 handset maker, to have sold about 19 million smartphones in the April-June quarter, with the dominant position running on Android. It is widely expected to emerge as the No.1 smartphone maker, replacing Nokia’s more than 10-year reign.

Samsung’s Galaxy S II, successor to its flagship Galaxy S smartphone, which runs on the Android platform, has sold more than 3 million units since its debut in late April.

Why is Microsoft going for the licensing-agreements?

Google Android’s average U.S. market share among operating systems was 38.1 percent over the same period, the research firm said, followed by Apple’s iOS at 26.6 percent, Research in Motion’s BlackBerry at 24.7 percent, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile and Windows Phone (combined) at 5.8 percent, and HP’s Palm at 2.4 percent.

The move comes as Android phones gain in popularity. Microsoft charges handset makers such as HTC and Samsung to use its Windows mobile software and has tied up with Nokia to challenge Google and Apple Inc in the smartphone market.

When Android started to get picked up by a number of major manufacturers to use in their phones and tablets, we all rightly thought Microsoft would be on its back foot. If it wasn’t for patents the company probably would be, but as it stands, Microsoft is increasingly making more money from the sale of Android devices.

What’s Samsung’s take on the matter?

Samsung hasn’t officially responded  or even agreed to comment on the demand, but it is expected that rather than fight it the company will try and do a deal to lower the price per phone.

What can Samsung do about it?

Samsung can’t really contest this because so many other companies operating in the same markets have signed up for a license. But Samsung does have the advantage of being a desirable hardware partner for Microsoft.

With that in mind we could see some new Windows Phone 7 and Windows 8 devices make it on to the Samsung product list in the near future. In exchange, expect that $15 to come down to $10, or even $5 to match what HTC are thought to pay.

What makes me Happy?


If Samsung really signs with Microsoft for more Windows Phone 7 or 8 devices, it’s quite possible that Samsung’s Software Engineering Lab, Noida will get some project. As of now only HQ covers Windows Phone projects. Since as a Microsoft Student Partner I have delivered sessions on Windows Mobile 6.5 and Windows Phone 7 and also submitted apps, it’ll be like a dream come true to finally work hard-core on Windows Phone!

Windows vs Linux - The Auotmated System Restore feature.

About a week ago, I installed VMware on my Windows7. I did this to run Windows7 and Linux simultaneously as required in the NetTech Course-curriculum. However, when I installed VMware a Dangerous virus program disguising itself as an Anti-Virus program got installed. I had the VMware Setup in a pen-drive which was circulated among 3-4 colleagues before I used to setup on my system. Hence I am not sure where the virus came from!

It changed my Desktop Image; blocked all my programs and flashed a message - 'Your system has been attacked by viruses and trojans, please upgrade the anti-virus software'. I was surprised because I never installed an anti-virus since I first installed Windows7. The anti-virus program had blocked all other programs. I couldn't run any program and the anti-virus software took me to a webpage asking for my VISA-card credentials to get rid of the viruses found by the self proclaimed anti-virus program.

Since I was not able to run any program - I couldn't use task manager nor msconfig. So I restarted the system in Safe Mode. As expected the Virus (or the anti-virus software) didn't attack me this time. I used msconfig to check out all non-Microsoft services but when I restarted the system again, I found that the problem persisted! It was then that the System Restore feature in the Advanced Boot Options of Windows came to my rescue. I simply went back to a previous stage.

I clicked the following  pics of the whole process (which was very painless and user-friendly):

I was glad to see the message after the process was completed which read - "System restore completed successfully. The system has been restored to 08-02-2011. Your documents have not been affected." I was glad to see this message, since I had moved a lot of files after installing VMware.

As for the anti-virus program and its cousin viruses, trojan and spyware - they were all gone! Now, I was able to run all the programs; and all this happened without any authentic ANTI-VIRUS program. I was reminded of the times when I used to format my system every now and then for such petty issues.

I installed licensed Windows7(from my MSDN Visual Studio Premium Subscription) on my new Laptop in June 2009. Since then I have never installed an anti-virus program nor have I formatted my system. I use multi-boot with the following Operating Systems:

• Windows7 Ultimate Edition
• Windows7 Ultimate N Edition
• Windows Web Server 2008
• Windows Server 2008

For sometime I also had Linux Distros - Ubuntu, Granular, and Fedora. making it a total of 7 Operating Systems.

You know what's ironical? People still say -

• Windows in not secure!
• There's no recovery tool and system rollback for Windows!

Launch of Microsoft Software and Technology Club India Website.

Microsoft Software and Technology Club (MSTC) India's website was launched in second week of  January, 2011. Since then many changes have been made based on the feedback we have received. We have also included Practice tests to aid anyone and everyone who wants to hone their computer science skills and/or prepare for GRE/GATE/Campus Placements.



MSTC India has been established to create technological awareness in the society and specially among students. We believe that training on technologies is a necessity for overall development of society. As the Founder & Chairman, my job is to make sure that training on Microsoft Technologies are available to the general public free of cost! 
 

MSTC India has affiliations with: 

1. International .NET Association (INETA) 
2. Global IT Community Association (GITCA) 
3. Microsoft User Group Support Services (UGSS)
4. Student Tech Clubs

We will soon be adding many more functionality. Please let us know if you need something else. As for the Events - we are soon gonna rock you very soon with our unconventional and non-traditional approach as we always do!

You can follow the updates on:
MSTC India Website
MSTC Facebook Page
MSTC Facebook Group
MSTC on Twitter.

My Interview with MicrosoftFeed.

Being a Microsoft Student Partner has contributed a lot in making me what I am today. It has refined many aspects of my life and my personality. It gave me many things, and even took away my most Loved Possession :(.  It has taught me - Time Management, HR Management, Resource Management but the best thing it has taught me is Life Management :)

I have received some appreciation and criticism. Appreciation has kept me motivated while criticism led to introspection. Recently I was contacted by Mr Ali Raza Sheikh, a Microsoft Valuable Professional from Pakistan. He's the Founder of MicrosoftFeed in the Middle East. His team conducts interviews of MSPs and MVPs all around the world. To my knowledge, till date, approximately 40 MSPs have been interviewed by MicrosoftFeed and only 4 Indian MSPs (out of 600+).

To be honest I was happy when I came to know that he had selected me as well. I went on to read interviews by other MSPs and realized that there was something missing; they all were talking about networking and passion about technology. I believed being an MSP was much more than that, and that should reflect in my Interview.


I was happier when Ali sent me a facebook message - "Your interview has been one of the best we had! Thanks for that!"

Windows vs Linux - Almost everything you do in linux you can do equally efficiently in Windows.

With all due respect to  Linux, Linux Distros, Google, Open Source Communities, Open Source Lovers and Developers, Linux User Groups and NetTech team, I would like to say that Windows indeed is a wonderful Operating System and when it comes to GUI and approach to user comfort its much better than Linux, as it makes almost everything a cake walk for an average user.

I have heard people talking about Linux and compare it with Windows. I regularly hear these statements:

1. Its Command Prompt that makes Linux special. 
2. If you can work with linux you can work with any OS.
3. Linux is smart since its case sensitive when it comes to commands and directory/file names.
4. One can do 'this' with/in Linux but not with/in Windows.
5. Windows is for dumb users
6. Windows is Dumb!
7. etc etc

Well, let me ask you a few questions:

1. In this era of advanced User Interface Design do you really want to work all time with command prompt? I agree its fancy sometimes, but all times?
2. This is the time of surface technology, LCDs and touch-screens you still want to sit and type commands instead of using the advanced GUI features?
3. Do you really know Windows well - when you put up claims that 'This can't be done in/with Windows'?
4. Do you not understand that Windows and Linux are simply two different ideologies?
5. If everything is same on Linux and Windows would you not complain that Windows has copied from Linux?
6. Does an average user care about how exactly the command works? Just like these days we use IDEs (Integrated Development Environment) instead of the command line compilers and debuggers, what's wrong in using a full featured GUI provided by Windows?
7. Would you say that people should begin everything from scratch - lets say for example websites instead of using templates and/or tools like Wordpress?

I have observed that people who make these statements are (most often):

• People who do not have much idea about windows. 
• People who do not like to pay for software and/or Operating System.
• People who just want to promote Linux(for their own benefit) and the best way to do that it so criticize windows.
• People who feel more comfortable with command prompt and traditional computing facilities and are either afraid or reluctant to explore the new world.

So my dear friends let me make it very clear that Almost everything you do in linux you can do equally efficiently in Windows!

I've decided to post a series of blog-posts on the same. Stay tuned and you'll see for yourself how things can be done, how windows have made everything look so simple and how beautiful windows really is!

Microsoft's Interoperability Mantra!

"Our goal is to promote greater interoperability, opportunity and choice for customers and developers throughout the industry by making our products and by sharing even more information about our technologies" - Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft.

 

 

I have written this post in a Question and Answer format so that one can quickly browse through the relevant details as per the requirement.  Click on the question to know the Answer!

1. Why Interoperability?
2. How is Microsoft supporting Interoperability?
3. What is Windows Azure™ Platform?
4. What are the various Windows Azure™ Platform Products?
5. How does Windows Azure™ Platform support Interoperability?
6. Does Windows Azure™ make Interoperability easier for developers?
7. What are the various tools and SDKs offered by Windows Azure™ to support Interoperability?

Why Interoperability?

"Interoperability... that's what customers do, that's what customers want, that's what customers need" - Ray Ozzie, Chief Software Architect, Microsoft.
 
According to Microsoft the three driving reasons for Interoperability are:

1. OPEN TO CHOICE: Government, developers, and citizens can choose the technologies that work best for them with interoperability.
2. OPEN TO INNOVATION: Interoperability drives innovation within a thriving IT industry, creating technologies that improve citizen services and government efficiency.
3. OPEN TO OPPORTUNITY: When the IT community collaborates and develops new technologies that work together, new opportunities are created.

How is Microsoft supporting Interoperability?

 "Microsoft's role as a key player in interoperability will help remove the main technical barriers to global-government administrative services, reducing cost and time to market" - Ignacio Alamillo, Research Director, Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain
 
Microsoft has established an Interoperability Bridges & Labs Center, which is dedicated to technical collaborative work, to improve interoperability between Microsoft and non-Microsoft technologies. The vast majority of the projects are Open Source. The Center is run by the Microsoft Interoperability Strategy Group working with the community at large.


What is Windows Azure™ Platform?

The Windows Azure platform is a set of cloud computing services that can be used together or independently that enable:

• - Developers use existing skills and familiar tools to develop cloud applications
• - ISVs and System Integrators rapidly reach market and pay as you go
• - IT Managers gain access to a new set of resources without adding complexity
• - Businesses of all sizes to quickly respond as business needs change

What are the various Windows Azure™ Platform Products?

The three major Windows Azure™ platform products include Windows Azure™, Microsoft® SQL Azure™ and Windows Azure™ AppFabric. They are described below:

1. Windows Azure™ is a cloud services operating system that serves as the development, service hosting and service management environment for the Windows Azure platform. Windows Azure provides developers with on-demand compute and storage to host, scale, and manage web applications on the internet through Microsoft® datacenters. Windows Azure is a flexible platform that supports multiple languages and integrates with your existing on-premises environment. To build applications and services on Windows Azure, developers can use their existing Microsoft Visual Studio® expertise. In addition, Windows Azure supports popular standards, protocols and languages including SOAP, REST, XML, Java, PHP and Ruby. Windows Azure is now commercially available in 40 countries.
2. Microsoft® SQL Azure™ Database is the secure relational database based on familiar SQL Server technologies that you’ve come to rely on. The difference is that it’s a cloud database running in Microsoft datacenters around the globe. High-availability and fault tolerance are built in – giving you the ability to start small or serve a global customer base immediately.
3. Windows Azure™ AppFabric helps developers connect applications and services in the cloud or on-premises. This includes applications running on Windows Azure, Windows Server and a number of other platforms including Java, Ruby, PHP and others. It provides a Service Bus for connectivity across network and organizational boundaries, and Access Control for federated authorization as a service.

How does Windows Azure™ Platform support Interoperability?

Microsoft claims that the Windows Azure platform has been built from the ground up with interoperability in mind. It is an open platform, which allows them to use multiples languages (.NET, PHP, Ruby, Python or Java) and development tools (Visual Studio or Eclipse) to build applications which run on Windows Azure and/or consume any of the Windows Azure platform offerings from any other cloud or on premise platform. Windows Azure platform supports multiple Internet protocols including HTTP, XML, SOAP and REST —key pillars of data portability.

 

Does Windows Azure™ make Interoperability easier for developers?

 

From the developer’s standpoint, interoperability creates opportunities to combine new Azure cloud-based applications with other platforms. Developers can easily combine applications living on other clouds or on-premise using services offered by the Windows Azure platform. They can also build and enhance applications using their existing skills with the Microsoft Visual Studio development environment and the .NET Framework, or with other development environments like Eclipse. Developers have the choice of several languages for building their applications, including:

• .NET (C# and Visual Basic), C++
• PHP, Ruby, Python
• Java,

In addition, interoperability with other platforms is made easier through community-based libraries:

• Plug-in for Eclipse,
• SDKs for Java, PHP, and Ruby.

What are the various tools and SDKs offered by Windows Azure™ to support Interoperability?

In 2009, Microsoft had collaborated with Soyatec, a France-based IT solutions provider, to develop three solutions:

• Windows Azure Tools for Eclipse for PHP developers: www.windowsazure4e.org
• Windows Azure Software Developer Kit (SDK) for Java: www.windowsazure4j.org
• Eclipse Tools for Silverlight: www.eclipse4SL.org

Microsoft provided funding and architectural guidance for all the projects. As a result many tools and SDKs are now available to developers which support Interoperability. A few of them are:

The Windows Azure Command-line Tools for PHP enable developers to easily package and deploy PHP applications to Windows Azure using a simple command-line tool. The tools allow creating new applications or converting existing PHP applications to Windows Azure and by creating the deployment package (.cspkg) and Configuration file (.cscfg).

The Windows Azure Tools for Eclipse plug-in offers PHP developers a series of wizards and utilities allowing to write, debug, configure, and deploy PHP applications to Windows Azure. The plug-in bundles the existing Windows Azure SDK for PHP into the Eclipse PHP project. The plug-in includes a Window Azure storage explorer that allows developers to browse data contained into the Windows Azure tables, blobs, or queues.

The Windows Azure SDK for PHP enables PHP developers to take advantage of the Microsoft Cloud Services Platform -Windows Azure. This includes support for Manageability instrumentation, logging, PHP classes for Azure Blobs, tables and queries, as well as helper classes for HTTP transport, AuhN/AuthZ, REST, and error management.



The Windows Azure SDK for Java gives developers a speed dial to leverage Windows Azure Storage services. This SDK is used in the Windows Azure Tools for Eclipse project to develop the Windows Azure Explorer feature.



The Java AppFabric SDK facilitates cross platform development between Java projects and the Windows Azure AppFabric using the service bus and access control. This SDK enables Java developers to easily leverage Windows Azure and demonstrates the Interoperable nature of the Windows Azure platform. The SDK includes a set of libraries, tools, prescriptive guidances, and sample applications that will enhance productivity for Java developers willing to use the service bus and access control to extend their applications.



The Ruby AppFabric SDK facilitates cross platform development between Ruby projects and the Windows Azure AppFabric using the service bus and access control. This SDK enables Ruby developers to easily leverage Windows Azure and demonstrates the Interoperable nature of the Windows Azure platform. The SDK includes a set of libraries, tools, prescriptive guidances, and sample applications that will enhance productivity for Ruby developers willing to use the service bus and access control to extend their applications.



The PHP AppFabric SDK for Developers is an open source software development kit (SDK) that helps PHP programs communicate with Windows Azure platform AppFabric using RESTful APIs.As part of the Windows Azure platform, the AppFabric includes the Service Bus and Access Control services. They are both web-based services that provide infrastructure in the cloud to connect applications. The Service Bus acts as an intermediary between applications and services. For example, developers can use it to bridge on-premise and off-premise applications or create composite applications. The Access Control service enables external users to connect to cloud resources using their external identities.