Partner Perspectives. Partner Perspectives. Partner Perspectives. White Papers. Current Issue. Digital Transformation Myths Truths. Transformation is on every IT organizations to do list, but effectively transforming IT means a major shift in technology as well as business models and culture. Install Openssl For Windows 7 there. Windows 7 Genuine Maker Crackberry' title='Windows 7 Genuine Maker Crackberry' />In this IT Trend Report, we examine some of the misconceptions of digital transformation and look at steps you can take to succeed technically and culturally. State of IT Report. In todays technology driven world, innovation has become a basic expectation. IT leaders are tasked with making technical magic, improving customer experience, and boosting the bottom line yet often without any increase to the IT budget. How are organizations striking the balance between new initiatives and cost controlReader comments How Microsoft is turning Android into the mobile OS for Windows users. Download our report to learn about the biggest challenges and how savvy IT executives are overcoming them. Video. Sponsored Video. Slideshows. Twitter Feed. How Microsoft is turning Android into the mobile OS for Windows users. With Windows 1. 0 Mobile dying, many former Windows phone users are turning to i. OS and Android. But has Microsoft successfully turned Android into a phone for WindowsThe fact that Microsoft didnt play nice with its major competitors has been in the rear view mirror for years. With Microsoft apps filling the Google Play Store and Apples app store today, its easier than ever for users of Microsoft services to jump ship to other mobile OSes. Even Bill Gates is on Android. While most of Microsofts services are available on both i. OS and Android, the open nature of the latter means that Microsoft can create strong links between Android phones and Windows 1. PCs in both looks and functionality. Windows Mobile users switch to Android. Apps and services. Between customizing the look of an Android device with Microsoft Launcher, continuing to browse a page from your Android phone to your PC on Edge, and a variety of other Microsoft apps and services, Microsoft has a strong presence on Android in the apps department. And with Edge coming to the platform in preview recently, theres reason to expect Microsofts support of Android to continue. InformationWeek. com News, analysis and research for business technology professionals, plus peertopeer knowledge sharing. Engage with our community. You dont know headphone jack Google Pixel 2 XL vs. LG V30 The perfect pair for right now. By Daniel Bader Monday, Oct 9, 2017 at 1200 pm EDT. Youre currently subscribed to some eWEEK features and just need to create a username and password. One of the amazing things about the internet economy is how different the list of top internet properties today looks from the list ten years ago. It wasnt as if. For users, this means that they dont have to switch away from products they already are accustomed to using on PC, such as Office, if their work shifts away from Windows hardware. Even if an entire company switched from Windows to Android, they could still use most of Microsofts services. And Microsofts support on Android, including specific versions of Android, isnt half hearted. When Samsung unveiled the De. X Dock, which provides a Continuum esque experience, the Office suite was used to show it off. Microsoft has made a concerted effort to have a first class experience for Microsoft services on Android. On top of Microsofts support for Android, Googles mobile OS also lets users select default apps for a number of functions. A person used to the Windows 1. Cortana as their default assistant, Edge as their default browser, and Bing as their default search engine on their Android phone. Though there are many Microsoft apps available in the Google Play Store, there are some missing services. Two notable exceptions are the Photos app, and Movies and TV. You can view photos and other content in the One. Drive app, but that isnt the same as using apps built for viewing content. Using Android in the Microsoft ecosystem. Continuing the experience. Plenty of apps work across platforms. And using Microsoft apps arguably makes a device into more of a Microsoft phone than a phone thats specifically for Windows. But Microsoft has pushed the phrase continue on PC for a reason. They want users to be able to do a task on one device and then jump over to finish it on another. This isnt available in its final form on Windows 1. Timeline is set to be released as part of RS4, but there are already some ways that users can continue their experiences across devices. The feature is quite literally at the center of Microsoft Edge on Android. You can continue your browsing with the tap of an icon. And Microsoft has also included continue on PC in Microsoft Launcher. Its clear that as these features are fully fleshed out and Windows 1. In addition to Timeline, Microsoft is planning to release a Cloud Clipboard that will allow you to copy and paste across devices, including Android phones. That inclusion of Android phones is a trend thats very apparent in many of Microsofts efforts. If a feature can be used on Android, or i. OS for that matter, Microsoft seems keen to make it work across as many devices as possible. These features bridge the gap between a phone running Microsoft services and a phone for Windows by forging a connection between Windows 1. Android and continuing the user experience across devices. Samsung Galaxy S8 Microsoft Edition Everything you need to know. A phone for Windows isnt a Windows Phone. All of Microsofts work to bring its services to Android, while also continuing the user experience between Windows 1. Android phones, is very useful for users but that doesnt make an Android phone into a Windows phone. And its not just about Live tiles or user interface, though those are a factor. Windows is about more than Office, apps, transparency, and continuing things on Windows 1. Windows 1. 0 is about a complete unified experience across devices. Its about unifying One. Core across devices and bringing a single OS to a variety of form factors through CShell. Its about UWP apps being able to easily scale between devices with very little extra coding for developers. To a large extent, that vision is being fulfilled with PCs, Windows Mixed Reality, and Xbox One, but without phones, there is a gaping hole. So while many Windows users can, and do, use Android phones to extend their Windows 1. Microsoft experiences to their hands, it isnt the same as having a completely unified experience. What do users really want How much do end users care about the Universal Windows Platform UWP, One. Core, CShell, and other deeply unified aspects of an OSIts likely that many readers of this site appreciate the efforts that Microsoft is making to unify Windows on different form factors but its also likely that many users dont care. If a user can create a Word document on their personal phone, continue it on their PC at work, embed photos from One. Drive that they had stored on their home PC, share the document through Skype or Microsoft Teams on a work phone, and then check off an item on their to do list using Cortana or Microsoft Launcher, will they care how many OSes were involved or what code was used This scenario is an example of the mobility experience that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella often speaks about. And its how a device can be a phone for Windows without actually being a Windows Phone.