Alan Buckingham

Welcome to the cloud. Microsoft hopes it is not a dark and ominous one. The company is in competition with Amazon, Dropbox and others to get your business in today's growing storage market and is trying to get the upper hand by tightly integrating its SkyDrive service into the latest builds of Windows and Office.

Now the company announces further integration with new Pro apps for both Windows 8 and iOS. "We are pleased to announce that the SkyDrive Pro apps for Windows 8 and iOS are now available in the Windows Store and Apple Store respectively for SharePoint Online users in Office 365. After signing in to your Office 365 account, you can access, view, and upload your documents from anywhere", says senior product manager Mark Kashman.

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This is BUILD week -- the annual Microsoft tech show, and it kicked off with Windows 8.1 beta rolling out to the public, in non-leaked form. Yesterday was not all, though, as today the company debuts the Embedded version of its updated operating system -- the iteration intended to run in contained environments like ATM's, cash registers and other business-related tools.

"Microsoft extended its Windows 8.1 technologies to intelligent system solutions with the Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Release Preview. Developers, OEMs and enterprises can begin testing industry devices and solutions today" the company announces.

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Want more numbers thrown at you? The Microsoft beta release of its next-generation operating system, Windows 8.1, debuted yesterday and stole the news cycle. The aftermath continues today, as Netflix joins the party, announcing its latest offering to keep pace with market rivals Amazon Prime and Redbox Instant.

The company has plans to roll out video as extensions to modern browsers. "These extensions are the future of premium video on the web, since they allow playback of premium video directly in the browser without the need to install plugins", says the company.

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Developers, developers, developers! No Microsoft did not forget you today during the kickoff of Build. Windows 8.1 may have been the headline, but those behind the real development were not left out from the proceedings. Microsoft today rolls out the 2013 edition of Visual Studio in Preview mode.

The IDE software is used by developers on a daily basis to create console and graphical user interface applications. The software debuted back in 1997 and has progressed ever since.

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Today, the Build 2013 developer conference kicks off and the highlight is the release of the first Windows 8.1 preview build. Excitement ensued, as my colleague Mihaita Bamburic, immediately installed it. However, I have some reservations regarding this move.

I generally do the same thing and, in fact, did so with every build of Windows 8, but I'm on the fence as Microsoft offered no upgrade path between Release Preview and RTM versions. Lesson learned.

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Unlike Fox News, I make no pretense of being "fair and balanced" when it comes to Amazon Prime -- I am a subscriber and lover of the service. I also have children, which is why the latest announcement grabs my attention. The online retailer expands its relationship with the Public Broadcast System.

"Amazon.com today announced an expanded multi-year licensing agreement with PBS Distribution that will allow Amazon Prime members to instantly stream, at no additional cost, past seasons of PBS programs" the company announces.

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Security is a big business on both sides of the line. Anti-virus companies scare customers with doom and gloom if you do not buy the wares, meanwhile, on the black-hat side of the fence, the sale of exploits is a lucrative trade. Now the source code for one of the biggest exploits, known as Carberp, has leaked and cut off reported sales that top $40,000.

Security researcher Peter Kruse from CSIS says that the firm has been "investigating this further and now confirms that we have the complete source code for Carberp and that the code compiles and works just as descripted in the associated text files included in the package".

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The invasion, or perceived invasion, of the smart watch is one of this year's polarizing tech topics. While some feel it is a worthless item that is nothing but a passing fad, I am of the mind that the tiny wrist devices have a future, though a niche one. Sony is all-in for this market and today announces its SmartWatch 2 with new features.

The watch runs Android and acts as a second screen for your phone and promises customers a range of functions that will banish the need to remove your phone from your pocket.

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Microsoft is looking for a handout it seems. They would like customers to build and share their own games for both Xbox One and Windows 8. With that, the company invites users to sign-up and test Project Spark, an invitation extended today and which you will need to sign up for and await an actual chance to use the service.

For now Microsoft offers a video demonstration of what to expect. The video shows off the "ease" with which games can be created and altered and promises you will be able to share them when the process is complete and you are satisfied with your finished product.

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By now, those of you who care, likely know my Ouya plight. I pre-ordered the Android box last November. I have done the same with Xbox One, but unlike Microsoft, Ouya charged me in full on the day I made the move. I added a second controller so that I could take on my son head-to-head.

As one of the people who pre-ordered on opening day, I stood at the front of the line -- well, behind Kickstarter backers, but still a promising position. Ouya declared I would still be among the first to receive a box.

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If nothing else, Microsoft's forthcoming gaming console has received more than its fair share of attention, and plenty of it on the wrong side of what the company would hope for. There was controversy before the official announcement even came, there was double-talk at the announcement, and of course some major backtracking later.

Although we know a lot about the console now, the one thing Microsoft has so far failed to announce is an official release date. Despite a vague promise of "later this year", most of us likely expected the holiday shopping season. It turns out, if Amazon is correct, the device will only just make it in time for that.

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...Or perhaps I should call it the road less traveled? In my previous life I used Windows Mobile for my job and, I must admit, I came away with nothing good to say. But, since Microsoft re-launched the platform as Windows Phone, I have been intrigued. After all, I am a tech junkie -- shiny and new always catches my attention.

A couple of days ago I elected to take the plunge -- the Nokia Lumia 928 arrived via FedEx and the SIM card from my Samsung Galaxy Nexus was immediately popped out and inserted into a brand new Windows Phone.

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If I were a realist I would assume you use BitTorrent to download Game of Thrones episodes and other illegal media, but I am a trusting soul, and so I expect you use the protocol as a way of getting your hands on legitimate content -- and there's honestly plenty of it available. Heck, every Friday the company makes legal media available to users, such as these free concerts.

Now the developer announces that 25 million users are getting their torrents through the mobile app versions of BitTorrent and µTorrent.

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Android continues to slowly insinuate itself into the camera market, from whence it began -- it is a slow process, but the phones started that way as well, so look out. The latest announcement is a new Galaxy NX camera that pushes this to the next level from the past version of this experiment.

The Galaxy NX sports a 3G/4G LTE connection along with WiFi, as well as an array of interchangeable lenses. The 20.3MP APS-C Sensor produces images which Samsung claims are bright and detailed, even in low light conditions, while the DRIMe IV Image Signal Processer delivers the speed and accuracy which today's photographers are looking for. In addition, Samsung touts an Advanced Hybrid Auto Focus (AF) System which ensures accurate phase and contrast detection for your shots and a 1/6000 sec shutter speed and 8.6fps shooting that lets you capture the action as it’s happening.

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My favorite mobile camera app adds a new feature, but it has nothing to do with your actual image quality. This time around the company plans to head in a completely different direction, with a unique new addition to its popular Camera360 app.

The company claims that "Camera360 has been the focus of much success lately, including being named as the No.2 Best Startup at the 2013 Fortune Global Forum and achieving a user base of over 120 million people from across the globe". Now the app maker heads into the audio world.

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