Microsoft has published a pre-release Outlook Web App (OWA) for Android on Google Play to gather feedback and fix bugs before a full release.
As a pre-release edition, the OWA for Android app currently comes with a few support restrictions, including that it requires Android 4.4 or higher and that Mailbox is running on the latest version of Office 365 for business — which means it won't work for mail apps running Office 365 Personal and Office 365 Home. Also, the pre-release version is designed for "small" or "normal" Android devices, so no joy for tablet users.
Microsoft announced its native Android OWA app in March this year, following the app’s release for Apple's iPhone and iPad last July. The Android app, at least when Microsoft has completed its pre-release user survey, completes its "OWA for Devices" portfolio.
Microsoft says that the app will have the same features as OWA for iPhone, with a navigation screen that gives easy access to Outlook, Calendar and People. It's also optimised Calendar and People for Android phones.
Users can also configure the app to sync with the device's contacts, allowing contact updates to flow through to the Office 365 mailbox.
Microsoft said it will announce support for on-premise Exchange servers "in the future".
Of course, while Android owners were able to use OWA in the browser, that meant features such as notifications and access to hardware elements including the device's camera or GPS weren't available.
Some of the features Microsoft has listed as coming in the OWA for Android app include:
Use OWA for Android to sync Mailbox contacts to your phone.
Contacts' information can be updated from the phone's address book, which will then be synced back to the user's mailbox.
No device administrator setup — a PIN can be set up within the app.
In the event a phone is lost or stolen, corporate data can be remotely wiped.
Microsoft said it launched native OWA for Devices to address the "entropy" it was seeing in the way Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) was implemented in third-party devices. This in turn impacted admins who needed to know with certainty how EAS functioned when it synchronised email messages, calendar items, contacts, and other data between servers and mobile devices.
"We were seeing a lot of entropy in the device ecosystem. We would publish a spec for ActiveSync gets implemented and as more and more third parties would pick that up... we saw many more variations," Microsoft software manager Greg Baribault said on Microsoft's Office blog.
"In some cases we saw devices that misrepresent what they were doing. We saw devices that claimed they were device encrypted and in reality they weren’t encrypting.
"So now we own the app, so it's a Microsoft channel from end to end… Now can apply commonly used policies in to that app — can set remote wipe, PIN policies and encryption policies that apply to ActiveSync devices that are connecting and OWA for Devices apps that are connecting."
Microsoft's Xbox One game lineup impresses, but it's short on new ways to play.
Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s head of Xbox, made it clear at the start of the company’s E3 press conference: This one was going to be all about games.
of games to come, many of which will be exclusive on the Xbox One. We got a glimpse of Halo: The Master Chief Collection–a repackaging of every major Halo release to date–and saw a new trailer for Halo 5: Guardians, which is coming next year. We heard more about Forza Horizon 2and watched samplings of Sunset Overdrive and Fable: Legends.
Microsoft also brought out its fair share of third-party publishers, with promises to release additional content first on the Xbox One. This included some looks at cooperative play in Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Unityand The Division, a mission full of room-rumbling sci-fi action in Activision’s Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and a quick teaser for EA’s Dragon Age: Inquisition.
We even got a few surprises: There’s a new Tomb Raider game (Rise of Tomb Raider) coming late next year, and Microsoft is bringing back a cult classic in Phantom Dust. Another forgotten Xbox franchise, Crackdown, appears to be getting the reboot treatment as well. Microsoft even showed off an eccentric side with games likeInside and Ori and the Blind Forest.
If you’re into games, and felt uneasy about how focused on entertainment Microsoft seemed to be in the past, you could easily be fired up by Microsoft’s E3 2014 showing. Clearly, Microsoft has realized that gamers must carry the Xbox One–at least for its first few years–and there was an air of crowd service in this year’s presentation.
But if appeasing core gamers is the goal, it was hard to tell if Microsoft has any strategy for the Xbox beyond locking up as much exclusive material as it can.
Unlike rival Sony, Microsoft hasn’t done anything with cloud-based gaming or in-home streaming, so Xbox games are still chained to the big box in your living room. There was no talk of virtual reality, even as Sony and Oculus prepare to establish a new frontier for gaming.
Cross-platform play also remains just a blip on Microsoft’s radar, with only a small number of games that work across the Xbox One, phones and tablets, and no new announcements at the press conference. Microsoft’s SmartGlass app, which is supposed to extend touchscreen features to console games, also remains a bundle of wasted potential, and Microsoft said nothing about making it better.
And then we have Windows. For over a year now, Microsoft has beenpaying lip service to PC gaming, and how it’s working on new initiatives to replace its disastrous (and now defunct) Games for Windows service. So far, Microsoft’s promises have produced nothing. PC gaming was once again neglected at E3, even though a unified Xbox-PC ecosystem is more practical now than it’s ever been before.
What makes all of this especially disappointing is that Microsoft is supposed to be a more unified company now. But despite CEO Satya Nadella’s “mobile first, cloud first” mantra, gaming doesn’t seem to be part of that vision. Even as Microsoft’s rivals dream up new ways to play, Xbox in 2014 remains just a box in your living room with a bunch of games that don’t exist on other boxes.
To meet the demands of today’s changing workforce, business leaders need to understand that a one-size-fits-all workforce just doesn't cut it anymore.
Whether you want to blame the launch of Facebook in 2004, the 2007 introduction of the iPhone or the boom of cloud technologies in just the past few years, it’s hard to ignore the fact that offices – and the people who fill them – are operating differently than they ever have before.
Just look around and you’ll see different demographics of employees driven to reach their goals in a variety of different ways. In some cases, their workstyles may be far from familiar to your methods or experiences as a leader. But this is the talent that’s helping you and your company succeed, so it’s critical that you understand how employees in today’s new world of work operate – not just by themselves, but how they collaborate with other types of workers.
We’ve identified five different types of workers intermingled across offices today. Some personas you recognize. Others sound familiar. Some, you may have only been warned of. And while people are complex and may not fit neatly into one of these buckets, these personas should help guide you as you work to better understand today’s changing workforce.
ALWAYS-ON MILLENNIAL
Millennials. Generation Y. By now you’ve heard the names and are beginning to understand how this oft-described “entitled” group is impacting the workplace. Simply put, they’ve tapped into different workplace and social abilitiesthat no other generation before them has. These workers are seen as being the most technological and social media savvy, but also perceived as being difficult to work with, or even lonely. Of course, this stereotype is usually far from the truth. This is a dynamic and important group that company leaders need to observe and engage with, as millennials are moving up the ranks quickly. In fact, 87% have already elevated to decision-making roles in just the past five years – by far the highest of any generation during this time. Millennials believe their ideas can fundamentally change the way things are done and they aren’t afraid to push innovation forward. Good leaders should recognize that this group is a treasure trove of creativity, waiting to be tapped to help connect you with your customers.
ON-THE-GO MOBILE PRO
Nearly 30 percent of employees are what Forrester Research calls “anytime, anywhere workers” – those who work from multiple locations with multiple apps and devices. These are employees rarely seen at the office, but when they are spotted, it’s with a mobile device glued to their hand. Digital labor is no longer a trend but a reality, meaning companies need to adapt, adopt and invest in the right tools and technologies to support their needs of an ever-growing mobile staff. These tools should include the infrastructure and workflow processes that allow these digital workers to access, share, and transform the data that they, and their coworkers, rely on to stay connected and get the job done.
INTRAPRENEUR
Employees who behave like an entrepreneur within the confines of their existing role are often referred to as intrapreneurs – those who provide surprising or unexpected value to their companies in a way that capitalizes on new business opportunities. Often responsible for product innovation, Intrapreneurs are an emerging segment of the workforce that aren’t afraid of stepping up to the plate and taking charge. While some companies might see this as a practice that doesn’t fit their culture or organizational structure, others believe in the value it brings toengaging employees and ultimately, retaining them. Intrapreneurs are risk takers who aren’t afraid to take chances and shake things up within an organization. Despite their bullish outlook, management still needs to take a top-level approach at fostering an environment in which these workers can thrive, or risk losing them to more agile companies.
THE DATA ANALYTIC
Often seen as introverts, it’s finally time for the analytic personality to shine – not that they necessarily want to. The office analytic sees figures, stats and data as an essential element to any project or task – a perfect fit for today’s data-centric and interested corporate world. That doesn’t mean these workers are quiet pushovers, however. Instead, they are forceful users and believers in the value of data-backed evidence. These workers are the office advocates who ensure your company references its data footprint to make proper and smarter decisions regarding future spending, technology or strategy.
SEASONED INCUMBENT
Seasoned incumbents – those employees who have been in the workforce long enough to remember the days before computers – understand that work is work and not necessarily a place to engage one’s personal life and interests. These might be the veteran office accountants who sit down each day, punch numbers and track spending in a familiar, but perhaps inefficient ways because they are intimidated, confused or just have no interest in their company’s newly implemented technologies. Investing in technology – and more importantly, technology education – will help employees better understand and embrace new, innovative processes that can positively impact the outcome of their work.
WHO ELSE?
Are there other types of workers roaming about your office – perhaps some challenging, interesting or simply fun personalities that have a major impact on your day? Let us know in the comment section below!
How else is the workplace evolving? Check out these other posts from WorkIntelligent.ly:
Trish Regan, USA TODAY (Photo: Handout) Trade wars, like cold wars, do not start with a shock-and-awe attack or a declaration of combat. Trade wars build slowly. A series of small battles escalate until they evolve into entrenched aggression.
The United States may be on the brink of a trade war with a familiar rival — China — for unfamiliar reasons. Previous economic disputes with the world's second-largest economy have been about narrower issues: accusations of currency manipulation or anxieties about what the Chinese might do with their $1.2 trillion in U.S. debt.
Today's conflict is more insidious. Recriminations of cyberspying — by both corporations and intelligence agencies — threaten to hobble the American technology industry by choking it off from the giant Chinese market. The end result could be a protectionist trade environment unlike anything we've seen in decades.
The conflict has gone into high gear since the Department of Justice indicted five members of the Chinese army on charges of cyberespionage against companies such as Westinghouse and U.S. Steel. China responded by accusing Cisco of aiding American cyberspying, banning the use of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system and lobbing accusations that Apple, Google and Facebook cooperated in a secret U.S program to monitor China.
This is a complicated, two-front war. Both players accuse the other of cyberespionage to gain a business advantage, and cyberspying to gain an advantage in national security. In his first televised interview since taking the job, the director of the National Security Agency, Admiral Mike Rogers, told me on Bloomberg TV that the NSA played a role in the indictment of the five Chinese hackers. He downplayed concerns of worried Silicon Valley CEOs such as Cisco's John Chambers, claiming the negative impact on U.S. tech exports will be minimal, and that "competition and the quality of what we do will win out. It's not by chance that the U.S. enjoys significant advantage in this market sector. It's because of what we're able to produce."
For anyone who believes that quality alone will ensure the success of American tech products in the Chinese market, look at China's Xiaomi. This 4-year-old Apple-emulator sold 18.7 million smartphones in China last year, just shy of the 23.1 million iPhones that Apple sold in that nation. If a young, homegrown upstart such as Xiaomi can nearly match Apple's sales in China, U.S. tech firms have something to worry about. It's clear American gadget makers will see their Chinese market share erode in a brutal trade war, no matter how shiny and innovative U.S. phones may be.
The tech community knows this. The CEOs of Microsoft, Google, Facebook and others are now calling on lawmakers to curb the NSA's practices.
So begins a tit-for-tat spat that will only result in less business for all, and the NSA is on the defensive. Rogers' explanation is that every nation engages in surveillance activity: "I don't care if it's China, I don't care if it's Russia. Every nation tries to do (this) for the well-being of its citizens."
It may not be that simple. If other countries ban U.S. products for security reasons, then who are we going to produce those products for? We live in a global economy. The U.S. needs China as a loyal customer to grow.
This is why American tech companies are smart to worry that the NSA's spying will result in protectionist trade barriers. The U.S. economy is struggling to gain momentum, just as China's teeters on a slowdown. This is not the moment for a trade war — especially one that's really about trust.
What does ESPN do when four TV channels aren't enough for the biggest World Cup the US has ever seen? Go digital.
Alexi Lalas, analyst and 1994 US Men's National Team member, and Jed Drake, ESPN's executive producer of event productionGetty Images
To sum up ESPN's expectations for the World Cup, Bimal Kapadia -- an executive at the sports television giant's online soccer arm ESPN FC -- had trouble getting the proper sentiment across without hyperbole.
"Projections are gigantic," said Kapadia, ESPN FC's senior director of global business and brand development. "ESPN is expecting this to be the biggest event in the history of the world."
He wasn't being hysterical, just wry. In the US, the 2014 World Cup is expected to be the most-watched soccer competition ever, thanks to host city Rio de Janeiro's handy time zone, changing demographics, the sport's growing popularity in this country and -- importantly -- the willingness of companies like ESPN to let digital run free. Like NBC's all-inclusive online approach to the Sochi Olympics in February, ESPN beefed up the digital side to its World Cup coverage while integrating it more deeply with its televised coverage than ever before, underscoring how media giants are embracing the idea that giving away the goods online only helps.
So long as you're already paying for ESPN, that is.
The new ESPN FC
ESPN relaunched ESPN FC -- the world's fourth most-visited online football property, according to ComScore -- a week ago with a new website, app, advertising strategy, and aggressive content plan -- all within two week's of worldwide football's mammoth event.
The app will feel familiar to anyone who uses ESPN's SportCenter app, with the ESPN FC version sharing the same base code. The new site site is responsive across desktop, smartphone and tablet devices and is laid out like a feed of story cells where ESPN can plug in any kind of media -- article, video, polls, etc. Though ESPN's biggest market is the US, ESPN FC relaunched with a global audience in mind: The new site and app have a slew of "editions" that let you choose the language and the country that you're most interested in and will be curated for locally relevant content.
On the app, geographic identification means if your phone knows where you are, the app will automatically pull up the appropriate edition, which you can adjust on your own. You can also set favorite teams in the app, which will create an inbox that will store all stories you missed since last app sign in and also trigger alerts for the most noteworthy events -- if a star player on your team gets a red card, your phone can let you know. For the 2010 World Cup, all ESPN had were English and Spanish language versions.
ESPN is also putting live video for all games online. Not only will all 64 matches be live on ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC -- which is also owned by ESPN parent Disney -- but they'll all also be available live online, with the ESPN FC website hosting an embedded video player from WatchESPN and the ESPN FC app taking users straight to live video in the WatchESPN or WatchABC apps. All matches will be available online in Portuguese via ESPN Deportes as well, including some that won't get broadcast airplay.
ESPN
Changing tides
The online availability partly reflects how much viewing habits have changed since the 2010 South Africa tournament. In 2010, 113 million people watch ESPN and ABC World Cup coverage, according to Seth Ader, ESPN's senior director of sports marketing. Since then, smartphone penetration has risen from 67 million to 160 million, he said; tablets have rocketed from 13 million to 119 million in four years.
With ESPN's broad online-video availability, the fact soccer is generally played in daylight, and the Rio de Janeiro time zone lining up well with North America -- the best time zone for US viewing in 20 years -- "we fully expect workplace productivity to plummet," Ader said.
ESPN's online-video availability is also a tip of the hat to NBC's success with a similar strategy for the Sochi Olympics. People watched 10.8 million hours of video on NBC Olympics' digital platforms during Sochi, more than triple the number of hours of video streamed for the Vancouver games in 2010. The live stream of the Olympic men's ice hockey semifinal between the US and Canada generated more than 2.1 million unique users - believed to be the largest "TV Everywhere" verified streaming audience in U.S. history, according to NBC and Adobe Analytics.
Even with so much live video available online ahead of the delayed primetime broadcast, NBC primetime viewership was 6% higher on average in 2014 than the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, the last time a winter Olympics couldn't be broadcast live during primetime.
The authentication wall
Finally, part of the reason ESPN and NBC are both so willing to put up so much video online is the entrenchment of authentication -- the term for vetting viewers by requiring login credentials from a pay-TV provider. It means only people who already pay a company like a cable or satellite provider to get ESPN on their televisions can access the live video content online.
ESPN
That puts a ton of tantalizing video just beyond the grasp of "cord cutters," the small contingent of people forsaking a pay-TV service to cobble together online-only alternatives.
Authentication was still a nascent concept in 2010 during the last World Cup and Winter Olympics, but today most major pay-TV providers are on board. ESPN has deals with Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Dish -- three of the top four pay-TV providers by subscribers. (No. 2 DirecTV remains glaringly absent.)
The proliferation of authication deals has made online video availability feel safe for content rights holders like ESPN and the distributors they rely upon like Comcast -- the people who will watch have already paid up.
And those paying subscribers are watching a lot online. Authenticated live viewing represented the vast majority of online NBC video watched during the Winter Olympics -- about 80% of the video was through a "TV Everywhere" authenticated live stream on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra app.
Though authentication creates a wall separating those who can watch online from those who can't, for ESPN it has fostered an environment that has allowed lines to blur between studio production and digital media.
"The idea behind this is that our World Cup production is not just a TV play any more, it's a multimedia presentation," said Kapadia "They're realizing that they have so much content, where else can you put it? FC is becoming an extension of TV."
