Category: Technology

Microsoft has always been innovative, you can’t take that away from them. Sometimes I haven’t cared for what they’ve been innovating or the direction hasn’t seemed clear to me but they never stop.

Just lately they’ve been getting a lot of things right. It started around the time they introduced Azure and M365. Since they’ve been doing things in the cloud, they’ve really been pulling it together. Part of that has to do with the infrastructure. When everything is in the cloud, no one cares how you access it. Whether you use Windows, a Mac, an iPad, all you need is a browser. And the cool thing is, browsers are standard enough these days that it all looks and acts very much the same regardless of what platform you’re on.

I’ve recently been learning about Sway, which is like a next gen version of PowerPoint. It’s really pretty astonishing and very well worth the look if you do any presenting.

What I love about M365 is how tight the integration is from one app to the other and how well they all work together. If you log into M365 from the web, it’s easy to lose track of which app you’re using the integration is so seamless. And of course, it’s accessible from wherever you are if you’ve got an internet connection, which appeals greatly to the mobilist in me.

Consistency and standardization are becoming hallmarks of M365. They’ve long been a leader in the enterprise with Windows and Microsoft Office. As Apple gains a foothold I think some people were expecting that might change, but the way they’ve embraced the cloud technology just seem to cement their position, even if Windows market share isn’t what it has been in years past. The more I use the Microsoft products and the more I learn about them the better they get, even on non Microsoft platforms like Mac and Linux.

It’s worth committing to.

Recently I’ve gotten a pro license for Copilot and while I haven’t had as much time as I’d like at work to dig into it because I have four hungry cats to feed, I did go through the three and a half hour LinkedIn Learning course on getting started today.

And while I’m just beginning to scratch the surface of what Copilot is capable of the versioning I find confusing. There are things you can or can’t do based on whether you’re using a personal account or a business account, and whether the apps you’re using are PC or web based.

But something strange happened to me as I was watching the course on LinkedIn. If you me well, you know that I like to use Microsoft products with Microsoft operating systems, and Apple products with Apple operating systems (browsers, word processors, spreadsheets and so on). So as Copilot is a Microsoft product, I was using Edge (because there are features that aren’t supported in non Microsoft browers) and I found myself wanting a Windows PC instead of my trusty old Mac.

But so I don’t feel like my title is click bait, at first blush, it’s a really cool digital assistant, but to be fair I haven’t gotten into Copilot with Teams, Outlook, Loop and those apps. The other thing is I don’t have a lot to compare it to yet as i havn’t gotten into Apple Intelligence much either.

But I’m interested enough to want learn more… 😊

You may have seen the post I’d written on October 8th about the Dell P1424H portable monitor which to me is a a technological marvel.

This past week at work I got an 11” iPad Pro which also supports external displays, and together, they’re a match that seems impossible to beat!

In the featured image of this post, you see the iPad on the left and the P1424 on the right. The two of them are only connected via a single USB C cable, and there’s no external power.

The display draws power from the device, and admittedly that’s something to be aware of if you’re going to be blogging for hours in the coffee shop, but get this… If you look at the pic of the P1424H in the post linked above, you’ll see it has an additional USB-C port on the right side. Maybe you can guess where I’m going with this, but when you connect that to a 30 watt Apple power supply, it passes power through the display and charges the iPad.

When combined with a Logitech MX Keys Mini, and an MX Anywhere 2S mouse you’ve got a portable powerhouse that’s more useable than anything I’ve seen to date. It’s a mobilist’s dream come true!

As I was working out the configuration and discovering how best to situate things this past week, I was able to go work without my MacBook at all on Thursday and Friday!

If you’re someone like a college professor who’s working all over campus, a sales rep who works on the road, or a person who needs to demo things on a screen for a customer, this can definitely level up your game!

Long time readers know that I’m something of a mobilist. I enjoy portability in my technology.

Since I’ve gotten serious about my hobby with WordPress, I’ve been liking two monitor setups, which has conflicted with my desire to be mobile.

Enter, the P1424H.

This is one of the coolest pieces of technology I’ve used in years. It connects with a USB C cable only. No HDMI or Display Port cables required. Not requiring external power you will need to be mindful of the battery life on your laptop, but that hasn’t been a show stopper. And with a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080, it doesn’t cramp your style either!

If you’re a fan of portability, this is worth checking out. Its price of less than $300, means it won’t break the bank either.

You can find out more about the P1424H and see additional details on Dell’s web site.

This one will raise eyebrows at the coffee ship.