Beginning this month, Microsoft will start helping Windows Live Messenger (WLM) users move to Skype, en route to eventually retiring WLM. Lync customers who are using federation with WLM will be mostly uninterrupted by this change but should be aware of some of the specifics. The movement of WLM users is enabled by the Skype 6.0 for Mac and Windows (released October 25, 2012) which allows signing in with a Microsoft Account (i.e., the same credentials as WLM). After simply...

In Lync 2013, as with the rest of the content, you can find program, monitor and desktop sharing options under the monitor icon. Here you can initiate a new session or quickly switch to recently presented content, listed conveniently in the same menu under Presentable Content . You can also Show the Stage if you want to have a look at a live preview of what viewers are seeing. If you used Lync 2010 you should be pretty familiar with most of the functionality but I’ll...

Thanks to everyone who has downloaded our new Windows Store Lync app! Lots of people are loving it, but we’ve seen feedback that some people are having trouble getting signed in. If you are having problems signing-in, please take a look at the information in this article: Lync sign-in issues . We have also seen feedback on other things, and we want you to know that we hear you! We are actively working on fixing a few problems, such as adding a Back button and making it...

I’m happy to blog about one of my favorite features in Lync 2013 – TABBED CONVERSATIONS. Tab conversations have definitely improved my Lync and Windows experiences, and I want to share with you how tabs can improve yours…… 1. Customize the tab view. Tab conversations offer two different views: tile view which is the default, and one line view. These 2 tab views are optimized for different usage patterns so depending on how you use the product, one...

by Rainer Podjoutomo , Senior Product Manager, Microsoft Lync In the area of customer service, Red Wing Shoes is no stranger to innovation. In 1940, the company launched the first mobile shoe store. Trucks that contained miniature show rooms drove up to worksites and sold shoes to workers on the spot. Not only did the shoe trucks improve sales, but the company found that they were a valuable way to get customer feedback. It still has about 200 mobile shoe stores in operation...

How many times have you been in a conference call and thought, “Gee-hmm, I wonder how my manager is reacting to this?” Or, “Does my colleague really mean what he says?” Well, now there’s a solution for that! The Lync 2013 client gives you a “big picture” view of your conference, so you can feel like you’re in the middle of the action—all from the comfort of your desk. Give me what I need to look good in this conference...

We wanted to let all of our blog readers know that the engineering team has signed off on the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) build of Lync 2013, as-of today, October 11th, 2012! General availability is planned for the first quarter of 2013. Starting October 19, any customer purchasing Office 2010 in retail will receive the new Office for free upon availability. Customers will see a preview version of the new Office on Windows RT devices, beginning with the Windows 8 launch on...

The settings and options available on Lync Mobile allow you to stay in control of how your application works and how you communicate. How to access your settings Your Lync options and settings are accessible from the “My Info” view, this is the first tab or pivot in the application. On top of accessing your settings, you can also edit your note and status from this view. You can access your Call Forwarding settings by tapping on the Call Forwarding area. You can reach all of the...

by Giovanni Mezgec, GM, Lync Marketing Mark your calendars! I’m happy to announce that we will hold the first Lync Conference next year in San Diego, CA. The conference will take place at the Hotel del Coronado from February 19-21, 2013. The conference will feature dynamic keynotes, informative sessions for both business and technical audiences, a partner expo hall featuring some of our great Lync partners and plenty of opportunities to network with attendees. We’ll...

by Brian Crum Product Marketing Manager, Microsoft Lync We’re always interested in seeing how Lync is used and viewed by others – it’s how we continue to focus on delivering the best UC experience possible. There’s a number of ways we do that – talking to customers and partners, considering direct feedback from Lync Preview users, and reading analyst research. Recently, we were very pleased to be placed in the “leaders” quadrant...