Collected Reactions to //build/

I may work for Microsoft, but I don’t know everything that’s going on across the company. It’s big and I don’t have that kind of time.

Anyway Build, the Microsoft conference, is going on right now and as you’d expect, there are a ton of new announcements. I’ve watched a few of the talks virtualy and am particularly excited about the new browser (whose name has finally been revealed): Microsoft Edge. I’m also very interested to see where things go with HoloLens.

One graphic that cropped up that blew my mind was this one talking about where Windows 10 is going:

You’ve often heard me discuss experience as a continuum. Microsoft is living it.

If you didn’t watch the streaming talks and want to hear about what was announced from some independent sources, I’d recommend reading these:

• Microsoft Shows HoloLens’ Augmented Reality Is No Gimmick — Wired A good overview of the possibilities of HoloLens with a recap of what was shown. I caught this demo on the lifestream. It was pretty impressive. I can’t wait to try a HoloLens myself.
• Microsoft opens up applications for developers to test iOS and Android app conversion tools — The Next Web The Microsoft App Store is a little scant on first-rate programs right now, so in a play to make it stupid-simple for iOS and Android developers to run on Windows 10, the folks at Microsoft have built a conversion tool that ports the app for you. It’s worth noting that you can also port a website into a Windows app. Smart move on Microsoft’s part if you ask me.
• Hands-on: The new Microsoft Edge browser is a picture of minimalism — The Next Web Obviously the web is where I live and work. I’ve been playing with early builds of the new Microsoft browser for a few months now and have been pretty happy with its speed and capabilities, but it is nice to read an outside perspective on it.
• Microsoft Just Nonchalantly Showed Us the Single-Device UI of the Future I don’t know about “nonchalantly”, but the whole Continuum feature is pretty amazing. The potential for being able to use the computer in your pocket with other peripherals is pretty intriguing. Imagine using your phone, a set of holographic or virtual screen glasses, and a bluetooth keyboard & mouse to get work done on a plane. No need to worry about someone leaning back and breaking your laptop!
• HoloLens Hands-On: How We Built An App For Microsoft’s Augmented Reality Headset
  One reporter’s experience developing for and playing with HoloLens. Sounds like it was pretty cool. I wonder if it can be tweaked to work for people with poor vision like me or if it fits nicely over glasses.
• Microsoft’s Windows 10 Vision Isn’t As Simple as It Seems
  A deeper analysis of Microsoft’s play for more developer (and consumer) mindshare.

I will continue adding to this list as new & interesting pieces come out.