A big thank you to all the incredible students who took part in the local semi-finals of Imagine Cup 2013! From solving issues of dementia, sign language and many more important problems by the world, we were deeply impressed by the creativity and passion displayed by all of you. We are in the midst of shortlisting the finalists for the local finals and will reveal them shortly - stay tuned! ...
Microsoft has today announced the successful deployment of SQL Server 2012 with the National University of Singapore (NUS), a leading global university in Asia. The University has chosen SQL Server 2012 for its combination of power features, cloud readiness and ease-of-use in creating business insights from large amount of data. “Organizations such as NUS are making the leap forward in embracing big data,” said John Fernandes, Chief Marketing & Operations Officer, Microsoft Singapore. “Microsoft’s rich set of information tools can help organizations report, analyze and predict insights from all types of data, giving them a competitive edge in a new world where consumer expectations are ever growing, while pressures to constantly reduce operational expenditures is real.” Completed in December 2012, this big data deployment has already enabled NUS to capture real-time analytics to improve the user experience of its online learning management system, Integrated Virtual Learning Environment (IVLE). Developed and maintained by NUS’ Centre for Instructional Technology (CIT), IVLE hosts 90 percent of all academic modules offered in NUS and is accessed by most of its 37,000 student cohort on a daily basis. The portal provides students with one-click access to learning tools such as discussion forums, chat rooms, and file hosting. To ensure top-notch user experience of its online learning portal, CIT has invested heavily in man-hours since 2010 to dig deeper into terabytes of data to understand the user habits of a diverse set of students using IVLE. Questions such as how students access IVLE, peak traffic periods, popularity of features and functions are all important insights in understanding consumption behaviors. The labor intensive task in generating insights involved analyzing web traffic data, log-in information, and student profiles to gleam useable insights. Jeffery Tay, Associate Director of CIT, NUS, said: “To stay relevant and fresh to our diverse set of students, we needed to constantly evolve and improve the user experience of our online learning portal. In analyzing large sets of data about user behaviors, we were faced with the challenge of consolidating different sets of structured and unstructured data; and uncertainties in the accuracy of insights gathered.” Mastering Big Data Microsoft SQL Server 2012 is a cloud-ready information platform that enables organizations to unlock breakthrough insights across different operations, as well as quickly build solutions to extend data across on-premises and public cloud infrastructure. NUS has chosen Microsoft’s SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition, particularly for its Power View feature where it can provide an interactive browser-based data virtualization and presentation experience for all levels of users. Tay added: “Microsoft SQL Server’s produces significantly more accurate datasets and provides better insights. More importantly, we were able to speed up the data analysis process by as much as 50 percent. The insights gleaned from such trends and patterns went a long way in helping IVLE designers stay on the forefront of development, creating a learning experience that is personalized and tailored to each individual student." For example, CIT noticed an increasing number of students accessing IVLE through mobile devices. As a result, it spearheaded a program to create mobile apps and encouraged NUS students to create their own unique apps (icreate.nus.edu.sg) that tap into IVLE’s versatile platform. As CIT continues to keep an eye on data analytics and provide constant feature updates to IVLE, for the university at large, making sense of student learning habits and patterns is only the beginning. NUS intends to add a wider range of data to its fast-growing pool. For example, with sufficient data, the crowd at the university’s busy canteens can be mapped and analyzed for insights into crowd-control strategies.
Hey fellow dev-teams! Planning to build apps on the Azure Cloud? Expanding your dev-team and need more copies of Visual Studio & MSDN subscription? Here’s an awesome deal for you! You can buy 2 Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2012 with MSDN, the right choice for building multi-tier applications for the web, cloud, devices and receive a FREE 1 day Windows Azure “Developing and Deploying your Application to The Cloud” Hands-On-Lab Training from Microsoft CPLS. Wondering what will be lining up for the training? Training schedule (subject to change) ...
Konnichiwa! It has been a while since my last post in Spiffy due to my hectic schedule for my Tokyo MBA program. Fortunately, I was able to take a short break from my studies when I was kindly invited to attend the Tokyo product launch for Microsoft Office 365. Here’s a brief account of my adventure at the product launch. It was a sunny Friday afternoon and I was so excited about the product launch that I arrived an hour early at the event venue, ????????. The event was held at the 3rd floor of the building. The tone of the event was noticeably more solemn than the ones that I have attended in Singapore. Everyone was quietly waiting outside the room for the event. When the doors opened, everyone lined up neatly and quietly, and slowly registered their names before taking a seat. At 5pm sharp, the event started and the presenter took to the stage to introduce the topics that will be covered for the presentation. The speaker highlighted the main new features of Office 365, and how it will benefit small and medium enterprises. Some of the features in Office 365 that was covered in the event included Excel ...
Looking for imaging apps on Windows Phone 8 to beautify photos or just wanna have a little fun? Windows Phone has photography apps for various purposes, so check them out, if you haven’t. Here’s a little preview to imaging apps on Windows Phone 8. FHOTOROOM - Is a pro camera, photo sharing network and professional mobile photo editor. Our Pro Camera is focused on achieving the absolutely best results that your camera can produce. Utilizing technology like our custom EV (Auto Exposure), Grid and Level all come together to extend the ability of your camera. Our photo sharing network allows uses to show off their photos with our very fast growing community. ...
App of the week is a weekly showcase of an awesome app developed on Windows 8 or Windows Phone. Got an app you love that you want us to talk about? Leave us a comment and tell us which app and why you love it! A little blue bird has landed on your Windows 8 device! Earlier today, it was announced on the Twitter blog and Windows Experience blog that Twitter is here on Windows 8. ...
Microsoft has just published a Dev Center app for Windows Phone which helps developers monitor their apps in the Windows Phone Dev Center. A plethora of information is available, including downloads, reviews, details, and crashes. The information is provided in an extremely easy to read and simple format, with important information brought out front and foremost with highlights to mark them. Graphs are available just like in the web version of the Dev Center which help developers get lots of information at a glance. The app is still considered to be in preview stage but looks pretty complete. Check it out here. ...
Well, I always like Geek TV Shows like Top Gear. Together with Commerical Release of Office, here is a fantastic Microsoft produced weekly Geek TV show called The New Office Garage Series for IT Pro. Who said we cloud not have fun while learning technology!! Every Wednesday (Singapore Time Thursday) from 27th Feb, Jeremy and Yoni will talk about what is new, what is different from the Garage where the new office is designed :) Putting Technology, TV and Garage together, I am sure geeks out there will enjoy the show like I do. Here is a promo video for you if you are still skeptical. Prefer reading? No problem, they post everything in writing together with the video at the Garage Series Official Blog. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDYcyAh5owc[/youtube] ...
The Zombies Strike Again!!! Take part in We Live to Code 2013, that has returned stronger and better with our partner, Samsung! What’s best is that anyone can sign up, whether you are a student, developer or a startup! So, develop a great app and be part of the app revolution! All developers can register individually or as a team, preferably in teams of three or less. If you’re a lone ranger, fret not. On the first day of the hackathon, you can mingle with other participants and identify peeps you want together for the next month. Interested to be part of this awesome experience, yet you feel that lack the skills. Join us for pre-hackathon training on the evenings of 20th and 27th March. These trainings sessions are helmed by in-house Microsoft technical experts and target to equip participants with the relevant training to develop their apps. But, there’s a slight twist. We live to code returns with double pitching session, the first pitch will be held on the last day of the Hackathon (7th April 2013) and the second pitch will be on 5th May 2013. The former will constitute 30% of the team’s score and the latter will constitute 70%. In the one month period, you can then test and refine your apps from good to great. To be part of the this awesome experience, applicants can sign up via http://welivetocode.eventbrite.com/. Successful applicants will then be contacted via email for their personal particulars and their app ideas.
Companies and brands now want to be your Facebook friend Today, social media seems to be more of an afterthought to most businesses rather than a tool as important as traditional communication channels. All too often, corporate Facebook pages and Twitter feeds are left stagnant or used merely as a one-way announcement medium. Or worse still, things like this happen. Despite its relative infancy when compared to older, more established communication avenues, social media should not be underestimated. Or worse still, only thought of as a last-ditch, cheap marketing tool to be exploited. ...