Events

29th July 2015 marks the official launch of Windows 10, the much-anticipated new release of Windows with features such as the long-awaited return of the Start menu, Cortana (intelligent personal assistant), Edge browser, Virtual Desktops, and Action Center. To celebrate the world-wide product launch, Singapore held a glitzy party at 72-13 (former Theatre Works) for guests and media partners. Being a long time fan and user of Windows, I knew that I had to attend the launch and capture the event to share with the community. Besides being pampered with an endless supply of food and drinks, guests were also treated to an array of product presentations and demonstrations that allowed them to experience Windows 10 up close and personal. The party also featured distinguished guests including Fandi Ahmad’s sons, Irfan Fandi and Ikhsan Fandi, Tammy Tang (international gamer, “Furryfish”), and JianHao Tan (YouTube celebrity). Renowned rapper, ShiGGa Shay, and DJ Nicole Chen were also present to liven up the party with their electrifying music. To round off an amazing night, three Windows machines (HP Spector x360, Surface 3, and Surface Pro 3) were raffled as lucky draw prizes to the audience. I would like to extend a special thanks to Microsoft Singapore for the invite, and the hard work and dedication of the Microsoft Team that helped to make the launch a huge success. What do you think of the new Windows 10 and its product launch? Do you have other great events and conferences that you’d like us to cover? Do share with us your experiences and recommendations in the comments below.

Last weekend was a blast at Maker Faire Singapore, a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. Maker Faire began in California in 2012, and has since planted its seeds across numerous countries including US, UK, Taiwan, Japan, and in its fourth year running - Singapore. The two-day fair had more than 250 booths - more than double the number last year - spread over three floors in a former school building in Tampines. The fair not only helped to engage, connect and grow this community so that we can foster and celebrate a stronger do-it-yourself culture, but also allowed participants to participate in hands-on activities and pick up new skills at the event. Our team was down to check out the latest and coolest projects, and it was such an eye-opener! We were truly inspired by the passion and enthusiasm of these artists, hobbyists, scientists and tech enthusiasts at the fair. And we share some of the highlights below :) [caption id=“skills” align=“alignnone” width=“3072”] Participants picked up skills at the Maker Faire, such as furniture making and soldering[/caption] [caption id=“enzyme-making” align=“alignnone” width=“3072”] Or making enzymes from fruit waste that can be used to clean your house![/caption] [caption id=“welding-demo” align=“alignnone” width=“3072”] A live welding demo by OneMakerGroup that used charcoal to heat the aluminium above 600 degree Celsius to melt and mould it[/caption] [caption id=“iot-booth” align=“alignnone” width=“3072”] My friends and I also had a booth to showcase our “IoT in Smart Homes” application - a box that can be locked/unlocked remotely with a mobile app![/caption] [caption id=“intel” align=“alignnone” width=“3072”] Intel had a huge showcase of their coolest projects built upon the Intel Edison board. Those 6-legged dancing robots were amazingly fun to play with[/caption] [caption id=“3d-scan” align=“alignnone” width=“3072”] A 3D scanner put together by Autodesk using Raspberry Pi boards. It was interesting to inspect the “bare-bone” of this technology[/caption] [caption id=“latte-plus” align=“alignnone” width=“3072”] Fancy a robot-made latte art? Robots can do creative work too![/caption] [caption id=“hammock” align=“alignnone” width=“3072”] A fusion of art and technology - an electric hammock and light display[/caption] [caption id=“handicraft” align=“alignnone” width=“3072”] There were also more traditional handicrafts on display. Pick up a pair of hand-made earrings for that special someone![/caption] [caption id=“strawbee” align=“alignnone” width=“3072”] Strawbee kept kids really busy with… straws! Simple tools that we never knew could build such dramatic structures[/caption] [caption id=“bicycle” align=“alignnone” width=“3072”] We spotted unconventional bikes by Bikes 4 Fun, whose mantra is to inspire children to reinvent and be creative[/caption] [caption id=“forum” align=“alignnone” width=“3072”] Besides booth showcase, inspiring speakers also went on stage to deliver forum presentations on various topics around the Maker movement[/caption] I have always been interested in technology and its potential to help people of all background create value in their lives. But I have not had much opportunity to witness this live. At the Maker Faire, I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the collective passion of all makers in creating something out of nothing. It was heartening and empowering. And it was an even bigger bonus for me to have made several new friends who share similar interests in making. I definitely look forward to further this Maker movement in other communities!

Microsoft’s Build Developer Conference is an annual event that introduces the latest cutting-edge products and services offered by Microsoft. This year, Build 2015 takes a twist to go on the road to promote Windows 10 app development to software creators all over the globe. And the Build Tour, which includes one-day stops at 26 cities worldwide, arrived in Singapore on May 28! [caption id=“msp_guides” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Our MSP guides getting ready for the day! [/caption] Jointly organized by the Developer Experience and Evangelism (DX) teams from Redmond and Singapore, Build Singapore attracted more than 400 technology enthusiasts, including myself, all ready to spend our day with the best Microsoft Technical Evangelists and lead engineers at Resorts World Convention Centre! The team prepared for the crowd from as early as 7am on this Thursday morning. We were joined by our Microsoft Student Partners (MSPs), and everyone was excited to bring this long-awaited event to our audience! As a starter to thank our attendees for their presence and support, we distributed exclusive Microsoft swags at registration! #goodies [caption id=“registration” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] All excited to meet the crowd and distribute our Microsoft swags! [/caption] Build Singapore kicked off at 9am, with the Managing Director of Microsoft Singapore, Jessica Tan, delivering the opening address to warmly welcome the crowd and get everyone in anticipation for the day’s program. [caption id=“jessica-opening” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Jessica welcomes the crowd to Build Singapore [/caption] [caption id=“audience” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] More than 400 participants attended Build Singapore [/caption] The first keynote was delivered by Giorgio Sardo, Senior Director of Client and Devices Evangelism at Microsoft. Giorgio introduced the key highlights of Build 2015, and how all these started off with Microsoft’s goal to bring Windows 10 to 1 billion devices - that’s a huge ambition, but I am confident we will get there (more details to Build 2015 available here). [caption id=“giorgio-keynote-1” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Giorgio demonstrates a flight simulation app with Windows 10 and Microsoft Band [/caption] [caption id=“giorgio-keynote-2” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Giorgio and Nobu show how IoT with Azure helps farmers track and manage their cows [/caption] Saranya Sriram, Technical Evangelist of Windows Azure APAC, also shared about Microsoft’s improved Azure app services. I got to learn more about the key characteristics that make Azure stand out as a preferred cloud computing platform, such as the durability, fault tolerance, scalability and flexibility it offers. Azure is surely the up and coming cloud OS that is constantly unveiling its potential by leaps and bounds. [caption id=“saranya-presentation” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Saranya gets the crowd excited with the improved Azure offerings [/caption] Next was Nikola Metulev, Program Manager at Microsoft, who showcased more demos on Windows 10 and the Universal Windows Platform (UWP). One of which was a Peek-a-Boo application that uses facial recognition technology to identify user presence. Imagine the potential this could have in other applications such as biometric authentication (and yes, that means we don’t have to memorize more passwords). [caption id=“nikola -presentation” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Nikola demonstrates IoT with Windows 10 [/caption] And then came lunch! It was a good break for everyone to freshen up, and also mingle with other participants in a comfortable setting. Wondering how comfortable was it? Check out the photo below! [caption id=“lunch” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Lunch was a hearty feast (drools) [/caption] We then had Lightning Talks, which was a refreshing switch to concise, relevant and interesting talks that each lasted for no more than 10 minutes. Our Microsoft partners from TV Thailand demonstrated their apps on Windows 10, Edge and Azure, and aptly highlighting the business value Microsoft brings to organizations. [caption id=“lightning-talks-1” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Our speakers gearing up for Lightning Talks [/caption] [caption id=“lightning-talks-2” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Gamurai demonstrates their hair styling simulation web app with Dave as our model. Looking good, Dave! [/caption] Dave Crawford, Microsoft’s Senior User Experience Program Manager, also engaged the audience with app design tips, and hearing this from a seasoned UX guy, it was definitely a rare experience! A little pity that it only lasted for 10 minutes though… Other impressive technologies such as Cortana, Windows Store and Bluetooth Beacons also wowed the crowd. [caption id=“dave-presentation” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Dave, the UX guy, sharing his valuable insights on design [/caption] The event proceeds with a Panel Question-and-Answer, where our distinguished speakers, Giorgio, Dave, Nikola and Saranya, were seated on stage to address any questions from the ground. Some clarified technical ones, while others questioned the viability of the strategies undertaken by Microsoft. I personally gathered much insight from the discussions, for example, someone was skeptical about the user reach of Windows mobile apps, but with the UWP, developers are in fact expanding their potential user base as they can easily deploy their apps across multiple platforms, including PCs, Xbox and Raspberry Pi 2. [caption id=“panel-qna” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Our panel having some face-to-face time with the audience during Q&A [/caption] I think the best were those who asked when would Windows 10, HoloLens and the like be introduced in Singapore. They totally displayed the kind of eagerness and anticipation that many of us have for these really cool technologies. I can’t wait! And the eventful day concluded with our very own Technical Evangelist from Microsoft Singapore, Terence Lim, who shared with the audience about how they can get involved with our local programmes - ME@MS, weshipcode.com, DreamSpark, Imagine Cup, BizSpark and Microsoft Visual Academy. [caption id=“terence-closing” align=“alignnone” width=“100%”] Terence concludes the event with a bang, what an eventful Thursday! [/caption]

Have you ever experiencing website something like this? Linux in Azure you can easily resolve this. We will be sharing on Virtual Private Network and Proxy Server in Azure Virtual Machine using Linux OS. You can also bring your own laptop for a hands-on-workshop to create a VPN and Proxy server in Linux. See you there. :) The Azure Community meetup is conducted every week. Come join us to learn from one another some of the interesting things you can do on Azure!

Thousands across Asia have tried their first hour of code. Have you? Take your first step at the Microsoft Code for Change event! Microsoft invites students to join us at the launch of Code for Change on July 1, 2015, 14:00 to 17:00 (registration starts at 13:30). Venue details*: Main venue: NTUC Auditorium 4 satellite sites: • ITE College Central • Nanyang Polytechnic • Ngee Ann Polytechnic • Temasek Polytechnic Please contact sgmktg@microsoft.com should you require additional details. We look forward to see you at the event!

Microsoft Build is an annual conference event held by Microsoft aimed towards software and web developers using Windows, Windows Phone, Microsoft Azure and other Microsoft technologies. For the very first time, Build is coming to Singapore, and we’re like to invite you to join us! The Microsoft Build Developer conference was held in San Francisco on 29 April - 1 May 2015, where many interesting and cool things were announced. TL;DR, here’s a quick summary on how Microsoft is welcoming you to Windows 10: ...

Here is our coverage of the LTA Transport & Youth Hackathon Finals! // <![CDATA[ (function() { var lb24 = document.createElement(‘script’); lb24.type = ’text/javascript’; lb24.id = ‘24lbScript’; lb24.async = true; lb24.charset=“utf-8”; lb24.src = ‘//v.24liveblog.com/embed/24.js?id=1290113’; (document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0] || document.getElementsByTagName(‘body’)[0]).appendChild(lb24);})(); // ]]>

This weekend, people all over Singapore have gathered at the Employment and Employability Institute in Jurong to hack our Singapore transport systems… No it’s not that kind of hacking you might be thinking about! These people are quickly creating new apps and software that are going to change how we use public transport daily, “hacking” together new ideas within the short span of two days. Singapore Land Transport Authority’s Transport and You(th) Hackathon kicked off on the evening Friday, 16 April with participants meeting up in the e2i event halls - the venue for the next 3 days of hacking and presentations. ...

Azure Community Singapore is organizing a two-day, two-hour-each hands-on workshop about Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines! At the Azure Ignite Workshop, you’ll learn everything you need to know to set up flexible and scalable servers in the cloud for real-world use for a variety of applications on different OSes. Did they mention it was free? Do join in on 21st and 22nd April (Wed/Thu), 7PM to 9PM for the Azure Ignite Workshop at Microsoft Singapore, especially if you’re a beginner or intermediate developer/IT Pro on cloud technologies! If you think an Active Directory is a phonebook for keeping fit, then this meetup is for you! http://www.meetup.com/AzureSG/events/221785584/

Last weekend, my friends and I took part in BattleHack, a hackathon that is held in 14 different cities around the globe, hosted by PayPal and Braintree. During the event, participants were tasked with developing a range of applications, aimed to solve a challenge of their choice. On top of winning a real battle axe that glows (how cool is that!), the winning team of 4 will be flown to the finals at PayPal’s headquarters in Silicon Valley to battle it out with teams from around the world for the $100,000 grand prize. The event kicked-off with a huge bang at 11am, where developers were introduced to all the cool event partners that they may leverage on during the competition. Also, lots of cool swags were given out! Partners for BattleHack were eagerly sharing their individual hardware gadgets and services. Some of them include Hoiio - a software company that provides cloud communication and apps to businesses, Rainmaker Labs - who gave developers the opportunity to use their beacons to trigger actions on mobile phones, 12 Geeks - which brought a cool eyewear that allows developers to create apps on their mobile phones and view them in a 3D-like space, and JustGiving - a platform which helps in fundraising. Well, since a picture speaks a thousand words, I’ll let them do the talking… Keep a look out for all the awesome food provided over the event. They feed us so well, makes us wonder if we’re actually here for a buffet-athon rather than a hack-athon, haha! They even brought in a bartender serving alcohol! As the clock ticks past midnight into the wee hours, I got to see the perseverance of many developers. Of course, there were also those who KO-ed and lost to the Z-monster. If you look hard enough at the photos, you’d spot some teams who would cherish a game of DotA more than their sleep! And finally… the moment we were all waiting for. The sharing session to hear about all the different cool ideas that surfaced from the 24 hours! Ideas ranged from apps that does Twitter Analytics, a mobile phone selling/buying platform, web services that handles memory of your loved ones, mobile services that handles queue problems, food ordering systems, and even crazy ideas that aims to help our rag-and-bone man in their work … and many more! It was truly an amazing experience, and I’ve made lots of friends from different countries and exchanged ideas. Can’t wait till BattleHack 2016, and hope to see everyone again next year :)