Microsoft Consumer Services
2016 Year in Review: Microsoft
- Paul Thurrott
- Dec 21, 2016
-
41
comments
In 2016, Microsoft took decisive steps away from its traditional roots and embraced a more…
Thurrott Daily: December 19
- Paul Thurrott
- Dec 19, 2016
-
23
comments
Today: Fixing a "stuck" Windows Update on Windows 7, coming OneDrive UI is an exact…
The Tell-Tale Skype
- Paul Thurrott
- Dec 18, 2016
-
38
comments
This one is personal. And while all technology can be frustrating at times, I've never…
Microsoft: The Future of Skype is Conversational Bots
- Paul Thurrott
- Dec 14, 2016
-
14
comments
The future of Skype is bots, Microsoft asserted, noting that this "tidal shift" would usher…
Microsoft is Bringing Skype Translator to Calls to Mobiles and Landlines
- Paul Thurrott
- Dec 12, 2016
-
0
comment
Microsoft recently announced that it is taking the final steps towards broader availability of its…
, Cache works on both Windows 10 PCs and iPhone, and "allows you to drag text snippets, images, web pages, files, URLs, notes and nearly anything else you might need into the app and then instantly have it available on your iPhone." Contrary to our original understanding, the Windows version of Cache is *not* a UWP app, though it does look like one: [As Rafael found out in October, it's just a .NET/WPF app](https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10/83698/hands-cache-latest-microsoft-garage) and you just download it from the web like any other Windows desktop application. Rafael's initial hands-on was based on leaked code, but this week, I was allowed an official peek at the still-in-beta app, which is still available in both Windows and iPhone flavors. (Presumably, it will come to at least Android should it move forward into public usage.) That said, it doesn't appear that much has changed since October. But let's get what it *is* out of the way first. Cache has been liked to everything from Reading List---an add-on app for Internet Explorer in the Windows 8 days---to [Pocket](https://getpocket.com/), a useful service I use every single day. Back in August, [WalkingCat noted that Cache seemed "kinda similar" to OneClip](https://twitter.com/h0x0d/status/767892390963060736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw), another Microsoft Garage project, albeit one that never materialized. Today we know that [Cache is indeed OneClip, but with a new name](https://twitter.com/h0x0d/status/788905643180642305). But how does it relate to OneNote, an admittedly heavier tool that can also be used for similar purposes? Microsoft describes Cache as, yes, a visual bookmarking tool," one that helps you "centralize all related content around your projects and ideas." Nebulous, I know. The parallels with OneNote are hard to escape. Cache lets you "have all your content organized around the projects or tasks [that] are important to you. It brings everything (files, emails, webpages, images, and more) to one place, regardless of the app it was created in." Projecting the understood intent of this tool, then, it seems that the rough idea here is the same as with OneNote, where you are using a single tool to collect information that you will later transform into a document or communication of some kind. But OneNote and Cache differ in the implementation details: Where OneNote is organized like a paper notebook, Cache uses project-centric organization. And as a more modern tool that was built specifically for the needs of today, it looks and works a bit differently than does OneNote. Put another way, Cache seems designed for the UNIX-like single-task-based app model that is common in mobile, whereas OneNote is still an old-school monolithic desktop application at heart. OneNote is literally about notes, though you may of course bundle or link to other content types. But Cache is about collecting multiple content types in projects. Some of which may be notes. Asking why Microsoft would duplicate functionality like this misses the point. "Microsoft" isn't collectively doing a thing here. This is a Microsoft Garage project, which means two things: It is driven by a single human being. And it is specifically designed to address a modern need. So if it happens to duplicate functionality from a legacy Office application, as it does, so be it. This is Microsoft experimenting with mobile. Throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. As Rafael did before me, I spent a bit of time pulling different kinds of content into a sample collection I created in the Windows application. (Cache uses collections instead of notebooks or sections.) And as you might expect, the content opens elsewhere when you select it: Word documents open in Word, text documents open in Notepad, and so on. That said, basic image types like JPEG open right in the app for some reason. And text snippets---like text dragged from a web page---also open right in Cache. One nice bit: You can dock the app to the side of your desktop so it's always there when you're doing research and want to drag things over to it. That works pretty well. I was given access to the iPhone app as well, but I've not yet heard back from Apple to get the TestFlight-based access I actually need to use the app while in beta. (I use TestFlight for other pre-release apps, too, like Bear, a writing tool, and Google Chrome.) But I feel like I've waited long enough on this post, so I'll address the mobile experience when I can. I'm not 100 percent sure "where" Cache data is stored, and I do wonder if it relies on the source of the information you're caching to stay where it is. For example, if I drag a document into Cache and then delete that document, does the cached document no longer work? And if it does work, where is it stored? Until this thing is better baked, I won't bother to figure this out, and of course I'd like to see the mobile app in action and compare the workflow speed and efficiency to that of OneNote.](https://thurrott-assets.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/web/2016/12/cached.jpg)
A Quick Peek at Microsoft Cache Beta
- Paul Thurrott
- Dec 07, 2016
-
3
comments
Cache is a secretive Microsoft Garage project that first leaked a few months ago. But…
A Personal History of Microsoft OneNote
- Paul Thurrott
- Nov 29, 2016
-
31
comments
Codenamed "Scribbler," Microsoft OneNote was announced at COMDEX 2002 and would ship as part of…
A Few Tips for Integrating OneNote Into Your Life
- Paul Thurrott
- Nov 28, 2016
-
40
comments
OneNote is the best note-taking solution in the world, and it's available for free for…
Skype for Business Offers Deeper Integration with iOS 10
- Paul Thurrott
- Nov 28, 2016
-
2
comments
Thanks to new integration capabilities in iOS 10, Skype for Business calls can work the…
Now Anyone Can Use Skype. Even People Without an Account
- Paul Thurrott
- Nov 15, 2016
-
9
comments
Microsoft announced today that anyone can now make a Skype call via the web without…
Thurrott Daily: November 9
- Paul Thurrott
- Nov 09, 2016
-
6
comments
Today: the first-ever online Learn OneNote Conference, what's happening with Microsoft's Skype messaging everywhere feature,…
Microsoft’s Project Cheshire Heads To Private Beta
- Brad Sams
- Nov 08, 2016
-
14
comments
Microsoft's Project Cheshire has entered into a private beta and since we last saw the…
Now Skype Has an “Insiders” Program Too
- Paul Thurrott
- Nov 08, 2016
-
5
comments
Today, Microsoft announced the Skype Insiders Program, allowing fans to gain early access to new…
Skype for Business for Mac is Now Available
- Paul Thurrott
- Oct 27, 2016
-
4
comments
Microsoft announced today that Skype for Business for Mac is now generally available. The firm…
Thurrott Daily: October 26
- Paul Thurrott
- Oct 26, 2016
-
13
comments
Tech tidbits from around the web: A Skype on Windows phone petition, Google announces something…
Microsoft is Expanding the Availability of Focused Inbox for Outlook
- Paul Thurrott
- Oct 20, 2016
-
15
comments
Microsoft says it is expanding the availability of its Focused Inbox functionality across the many…