AI: the good, bad, ugly and everything in between

ChatGPT gained mainstream popularity in 2023 and changed how Big Tech companies approached artificial intelligence (AI). This marked a major turning point in the AI Wars, a race between leading tech companies to develop the most advanced AI technology.

While AI has been studied and developed for decades, Large Language Models (LLMs) have managed to capture the consumer market’s imagination. Conversational and generative AI finally feels human-like, especially now that models are being trained using massive datasets.

Mainstream media has struggled to explain what LLMs are and what they can actually do, often focusing on the most alarming aspects of these AI models’ capabilities. Will AI eliminate our jobs? Will AI cause the end of the world? Will AI abuse your personal data?

Continue reading →

Microsoft and ARM, a rocky romance

Microsoft announces new Surface devices! Their light form factor blends the experience from a traditional laptop with a tablet. A new Windows version, especially built for low-power ARM processors, promises security and performance improvements. It gives users access to their favorite Windows apps with an all-day battery life. Microsoft believes these 2-in-1 gadgets can finally become their Apple-killer competitors.

You’d think that was referring to the new Surface devices announced at Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC event earlier this month. Or perhaps you thought that was referring to the Surface Pro X, launched in 2019. But in fact, it was actually talking about the Surface RT, launched in 2012.

That’s right, the Copilot+ PC launch is Microsoft’s third attempt to usher a new generation of Windows devices using the ARM architecture. What happened in the previous two?

Continue reading →

Debunking diversity and inclusion myths in Big Tech

I recently stumbled upon a rather controversial post written by a former manager who worked at Microsoft’s AI Platform division from 2021 to 2022. The post defended the thesis that merit is undermined by diversity and inclusion efforts at Big Tech companies. The writer used factual information and sadly twisted it until it matched his false narrative. So today I’m going to dissect his article and explain how this person totally missed the point of all the training he received. Buckle up, because this is going to be a bumpy ride.

Continue reading →

Why the Microsoft Surface Duo is a big deal

In early October 2019, Microsoft borrowed a page from Apple’s keynote playbook and gave us a “one more thing” that nobody expected: a dual-screen Android-powered smartphone. Microsoft announced its return to the smartphone market with the Surface Duo (although they officially said “it’s not a smartphone, it’s a Surface”).

The reveal was surprising given that this is the first Android device ever produced by the software giant. It is not supposed to go on sale until late 2020, but the few minutes of footage that were shown mean a big deal for Microsoft. Here’s why.

A user receiving a phone call on the Surface Duo

Continue reading →

Microsoft’s digital shelf is a (messy) competitor of Amazon Go

Almost a year ago, Amazon unveiled in Seattle the first store offering no checkout lines, no cashiers, and almost no human interaction: Amazon Go. I reviewed the store the very first day it opened and I wrote about my experience and the many tests I did on that first visit. I called it “the future of retail” on my review.

Since that chilling Seattle night in January, Amazon opened a few more Go stores across the U.S. and even started experimenting with a smaller fully-unattended version. Other industry players have also been making progress, and when Microsoft and Kroger announced that they were testing a futuristic grocery store, I knew I had to try it.

*Kroger’s new digital shelf, powered by Microsoft’s technology.*

Continue reading →

I’m leaving Microsoft after 9 years. This is what I learned.

I joined Microsoft right after college, and during these 9 years I’ve learnt a great deal about technology, the tech industry and about myself. I worked on several iterations of Windows and Bing, using a myriad of frameworks and languages. Nonetheless, the people who I worked with are the highlight of this almost-a-decade, and today I want to share the biggest takeaways I got from them.

Continue reading →

Using a Surface RT, 5 years later

Right before my last trip to Spain, rumors of a laptop ban in flights from Europe to the U.S. started appearing. I didn’t want to take my Surface Book and risk being forced to throw it inside my luggage on my way back (we all know how airlines treat luggage).

So what options did I have? Either leave my laptop at home, or travel with a device that I could live without, in case it broke after being handled like a sack of potatoes.

That’s when I thought of my old Surface RT, abandoned in a shelf for years. I wasn’t sure it would be “enough of a tablet” for my trip but coincidentally, that same week happened to be the 5th year anniversary of its presentation, so it was perfect timing for a test.

Would I be able to use my email? Write a little bit? Upload pictures to Facebook? Read Twitter? Buy tour tickets and make trip reservations? Would any of the old apps work?

The answer to all of those questions was, surprisingly, yes.

Continue reading “Using a Surface RT, 5 years later” →

What’s the mission statement of your favorite tech company?

Last Saturday I found out about AlphaGo, Google DeepMind’s computer capable of beating the European champion at the game Go; it uses “deep neural networks that have been trained by supervised learning, from human expert games, and by reinforcement learning from games of self-play“, and it’s still unknown if humans can beat it.

Watching the project’s website I noticed the copyright at the bottom and thought: is DeepMind actually aligned with Google’s business goals? A quick look to their mission statement refreshed my memory:

Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Continue reading “What’s the mission statement of your favorite tech company?” →

My experience with the Surface Book and Windows Hello

When Panos Panay announced the Surface Book on October 6, I was immediately intrigued by it: could Microsoft really make a great laptop on its first attempt? The Surface line needed 3 iterations to reach maturity, so would it be different this time?

I preordered the Surface Book knowing that there would be quirks here and there (it’s a first-generation device after all), but I was excited to see if it was a true convertible. Would it feel like a real laptop while typing on the physical keyboard? Would it feel like a real tablet while holding it with one hand and tapping around with the other?

Continue reading “My experience with the Surface Book and Windows Hello” →

The #1 thing I’d change from Windows 10

Have you already upgraded to Windows 10? If so, you probably experienced how easy it was: click, download, install, done. Or perhaps you are one of the few people who, like me, run into one of the 16 hexadecimal error codes that you can reportedly get in the process.

I love Windows 10 and I truly believe it’s one of the best editions of Windows ever released. I upgraded my little 8″ Dell Venue 8 Pro and I’m loving it, so I honestly recommend you to get it as soon as you can. However, the upgrade experience wasn’t simple in my case, and that’s why the #1 thing I’d change from Windows is Windows Update.

Continue reading “The #1 thing I’d change from Windows 10” →