Weekend Reading: May 2 Edition — Nokia joins the family, Xbox goes original, YouthSpark challenge winners announced
Hopefully your week has been as filled to the brim with excitement as ours. If not, Weekend Reading is here with the opportunity to live vicariously. Check out what we’ve had cooking (or in some cases cooling) below…
An update to Internet Explorer to remedy a reported vulnerability went live Thursday. If you have automatic updates turned on, you’ll get this fix without having to do anything. If not, click the “Check for Updates” button on the Windows Update portion of your Control Panel.
Microsoft announced April 25 the completion of the Nokia Devices and Services business acquisition, a move that will enable the company to grow its share of smartphones in developed and emerging markets. Microsoft will leverage Nokia’s experience in delivering Windows Phone devices that are well designed, secure and easy for consumers and businesses to use.
Speaking of new beginnings, Xbox announced a slate of original content, including dramas, comedies, documentaries, animation, unscripted shows and live events with interactive capabilities, planned to launch beginning in June. Shows include a “Halo” live-action TV series and “Every Street United,” a global search for soccer’s undiscovered stars.
Also, on the global front, this year’s YouthSpark Challenge for Change winners, announced Thursday, hail from around the world. They’re an impressive bunch with big ideas about growing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, increasing understanding through storytelling and expanding digital literacy.
Canada-based CDI College plans to expand the digital literacy of its students and faculty by providing Surface 2 tablets to them. The career training institute will use the tablet as a primary tool to facilitate an educational experience across all of its campuses.
Ever find yourself thinking, “There’s got to be a better way,” while trudging to your gate at the airport? Here’s your chance to design your own, and the city that surrounds it with “Airport City” for Windows and Windows Phone. Or, if being in the cockpit is more your style, learn how to take flight with “Prepware Private Pilot” apps from the Windows Store or Windows Phone Store. Also on the app front this week, a roundup of the best for Cinco de Mayo! Yep, it’s that time of year again. Here’s how to get your party started.
Finally, Coca-Cola Amatil, global creative agency TKM9 and Microsoft have teamed up to make the cooler even cooler. They’ve created an interactive cold beverage dispenser that uses touch, gestures and augmented reality to provide customers with a memorable (and sharable) experience — in addition to that cold beverage. These futuristic machines have already been shown to boost sales and brand loyalty.
This week on the Microsoft Facebook page, we introduced you to John Clang. He brings family members together from across the world to create “impossible portraits” over Skype. Tell us your story using #ICreatedThis.
Here’s wishing you some time to chill this weekend. But don’t relax too much, we’ll be coming back with more excitement, vicariously and otherwise, next week.
Posted by Aimee Riordan
Microsoft News Center Staff