Weekend Reading: Dec. 13th Edition – Microsoft introduces the Cloud OS Network
In this edition of Weekend Reading, we’ve got stories on Microsoft’s new Cloud OS Network, Xbox One sales and a gift guide for goodies under 100 bucks to help you get through the holidays.
On Thursday, Microsoft introduced the Cloud OS Network , a worldwide group of more than 25 leading cloud service providers who have embraced our Cloud OS vision and will deliver hosted services built on the Microsoft Cloud Platform, which includes Windows Server with Hyper-V, System Center and the Windows Azure Pack. To get the rest of the story, read this post on The Official Microsoft Blog from Takeshi Numoto, corporate vice president of Cloud and Enterprise Marketing, and watch the video below.
Xbox One sales totaled more than 2 million in first 18 days. Since its Nov. 22 launch, sales have averaged more than 111,111 units a day, a record-setting pace for Xbox. “We continue to be humbled and overwhelmed by the positive response from our fans,” said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of strategy and marketing, Xbox. “Demand is exceeding supply in our 13 launch markets and Xbox One is sold out at most retailers. The Xbox team is continuing to work hard to meet consumer demand, delivering consoles to retailers as fast as possible this holiday season.” To help people find Xbox One, Major Nelson recently shared some tips for consumers this holiday season.
If you’re feeling the holiday pinch, in terms of time and cash, we’ve got some great gift ideas for under $100. There’s plenty of cool technology options that won’t break the bank, including Microsoft’s Wireless Mouse 3500 Studio Series Artist Edition, Nokia Lumia 925 Windows Phone device and a 12-month Xbox Live Gold Membership. Check out those ideas and more in the slideshow below, and see other ways people are using technology at Made Possible by Microsoft.
Affordable gifts for tech lovers
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Nokia Lumia 925 Windows Phone
December 12, 2013
Turn heads wherever you go with this phone’s unique metal design and polycarbonate back. With SkyDrive built in, your photos are automatically backed up to protect your holiday memories. $49 with two-year contract at AT&T; $0 up front with two-year contract at T-Mobile (pricing may vary).
See also: Buy Lumia 925 in black for AT&T, Buy Lumia 925 in white for T-Mobile
Sensu Capacitive Brush
December 12, 2013
Unleash your creativity this holiday season and all year round with the perfect stylus for drawing or painting on your touchscreen device. Try it with the Fresh Paint app – a free download, available on Windows, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8 devices.
Image: Web
See also: Buy at Microsoftstore.com
Microsoft Office 365 Home Premium
December 12, 2013
Give your family the tools they need to master school, work and play. A one-year subscription includes the applications you know and love, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook. Use it on up to five devices and take advantage of an additional 20GB of storage on SkyDrive. $99.99/year.
Image: Web
See also: Buy now
Wireless Mouse 3500 Studio Series Artist Edition
December 12, 2013
Make a statement and add some flair to your work by sporting this wireless mouse with graphics by artist Deanne Cheuk. This mouse is part of Microsoft’s Studio Series Artist Edition collection. Its ambidextrous design and rubber side grips provide comfort and durability in any setting.
Image: Web
See also: Buy now
Xbox Live
December 12, 2013
Get the most out of your new Xbox One with a 12-month Xbox Live Gold Membership. Experience unrivaled multiplayer gaming, premier entertainment, music, sports, fitness, Skype and more – all for less than $5 per month. All the great games for Xbox One are also under $60. (Applicable taxes extra. Games and media content sold separately. Additional subscriptions and/or requirements apply for some features including Xbox Music and Skype.) 12-month Xbox Live Gold Membership $59.99
Image: Web
See also: Buy now
Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse and Wedge Mobile Keyboard
December 12, 2013
Perfect for the business traveler or student in your life. These two make the perfect pair, letting you comfortably navigate Windows 8 while on the go. Wedge Touch Mouse is $69.95, Wedge Mobile Keyboard is $79.95. Available at MicrosoftStore.com and local Microsoft Store locations.
See also: Buy the Wedge Touch Mouse, Buy the Wedge Mobile keyboard
Windows Store gift cards
December 12, 2013
The perfect stocking stuffer for every tech lover on your list! Use this app gift card to download your favorite apps and games. Watch your favorite teams and stay up to date on your favorite shows from your Windows PC or tablet.
Image: Web
See also: Buy now
Skype gift cards
December 12, 2013
Connect with loved during the holidays and in the year to come. Make low-cost calls to cell phones and landlines, send and receive text messages, and access Skype Wi-Fi from over 2 million worldwide hotspots. Starting at $10.
Image: Web
See also: Buy now
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New security features were being rolled out this week to give Microsoft account users more visibility and control of their accounts. Last spring, we released two-step verification. Since then, many users said they would like to get more insight into activities on their accounts. “So we added a new view that allows you to see your sign-ins and other account activities,” wrote Eric Doerr, Group Program Manager, Microsoft Account. As you can see in the example below, different types of activity are now visible to you, including “successful and unsuccessful sign-ins, the addition and deletion of security information and more.” If you do see something suspicious, “there’s an easy ‘This wasn’t me’ button that will help you take steps to protect your account.”
Microsoft joined AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Twitter and Yahoo in calling for reforms in government surveillance. “People won’t use technology they don’t trust. Governments have put this trust at risk, and governments need to help restore it,” wrote Brad Smith, Microsoft’s general counsel and executive vice president, Legal & Corporate Affairs. While many recent revelations have focused on the U.S. government, he said, “in reality this is a global issue. It requires coordinated steps to ensure the flow of information across borders and avoid conflicts between governments. By definition, the world needs a global discussion.” Microsoft and other industry leaders suggest principles for government reform at a new site, ReformGovernmentSurveillance.com.
It was the week that could change young lives forever, and it involved an “Hour of Code.” Many from Microsoft worldwide participated in the annual “Hour of Code” event, giving an hour – and in many cases, more – of their own time to teach students to code. “Right now, less than 2.4 percent of college students graduate with a degree in computer science, yet computer programming jobs are growing at twice the national average and are among the top paying fields,” wrote Satya Nadella, executive vice president, Cloud and Enterprise, at Microsoft. “Hour of Code” is sponsored by Code.org, the nonprofit organization that Microsoft is a founding member of, which is dedicated to “growing computer science education by making it available in more schools.” If you missed it, check out these Microsoft sites for some quick coding lessons: Kodu Game Lab and TouchDevelop.
From the “breathtaking” category of the week’s events, a preview version of the new Photosynth was released. On the Bing Search Blog, the Photosynth team wrote that the preview version represents “the next phase of our ground-breaking experience that analyzes digital photographs to generate three-dimensional views of real world spaces.” Combined with the recent release of Bing Maps Preview for Windows 8, the team hopes this will be a “step forward toward our goal of creating a digital replica of the planet with an immersive 3D way to traverse and explore the world.” The New York Times headline put it another way: “Updated Microsoft Photosynth Makes HDTV Look Low-Resolution.”
Ceiling of Palau de la Musica Catalania by David on Photosynth
This week on the Microsoft Facebook page, we made holiday shopping a little easier with six awesome ultrabooks, four great touchscreen laptops and seven amazing tablets.
That’s it for this edition of Weekend Reading. Hope you get some time to relax and rest up this weekend, in between all the holiday shopping. We’ll see you next week!
Posted by Suzanne Choney
Microsoft News Center Staff