• Updates for Windows 8.1 (coming April 8 via Windows Update) and Windows Phone 8.1, which includes Cortana – a mobile digital assistant that’s already receiving impressive reviews. Cortana can be extended with third-party apps and supports speech-enabled third-party apps as well.
  
                      
  
  
• ’Universal’ Windows apps – software built on a common base code that can run on PCs, tablets, phones and, eventually, Xbox One. This means that developers can quickly tweak a single app and the change will flow across all the various Microsoft hardware platforms. It’s a two-fold advantage for devs, because now you can reduce duplicative coding efforts while reaching a much larger installed customer base.              
  
  
  
  
• The .NET Compiler Platform ‘Roslyn’ went live on stage at BUILD with open-source C# and Visual Basic compilers with rich code analysis APIs that exposes the Microsoft C# and Visual Basic .NET compilers as services available at runtime. It includes versions of the C# and VB.NET compilers written in the languages themselves. In other words, the compilers are available via the traditional command-line programs, as well as APIs available natively from within .NET code.
  
  
•  A preview of the new Microsoft Azure Portal was shown. The portal brings together all the cross-platform tools, technologies, and services you need to speed up the delivery process and keep applications humming. In addition, Azure Automation public preview was announced and Azure Backup pricing was reduced.                

What can you build with this news? The announcements don’t stop there so watch BUILD sessions now - on Channel 9.

Source: Microsoft Bizspark Newsletter V6.11 April 2014