Recent News

July 1, 2013

With an Xbox Music Pass, you can now access your Music Pass collection and playlists on your PC through the top Web browsers, including Internet Explorer 8+, Firefox 18+, Chrome 24+ and Safari 5.1+. The Web version will also support Flash Player 11.0+.

July 1, 2013

Today, Microsoft announced the next steps in Surface availability for commercial customers – channel expansion plans, a new commercial app partnership program and an update on the existing offer to help transform education.

July 1, 2013

Microsoft welcomed two new stores to our chain this weekend. Chief Executive Officer and Detroit native, Steve Ballmer, welcomed an excited group of customers and partners to the 42nd Microsoft retail store opening at The Somerset Collection in Troy, Mich. Friday. Following the celebration in Troy, Microsoft Corporate Vice President Ron Markezich cut the ribbon to open the 43rd Microsoft retail store at The Fashion Mall at Keystone in Indianapolis, Ind. on Saturday morning.

July 1, 2013

Bing searches now include a new license filter specifically targeted to images – a timesaver for bloggers, teachers and other publishers who need to fetch licensed pictures for commercial work. In the past, finding license information involved sifting through individual photos. Bing has simplified this process so you can filter by usage rights and choose only from results that have a Creative Commons license.

June 28, 2013

Folks were buzzing around the new Amana demo that was on the floor at Build 2013 this week. The demo showcased an engaging in-store experience developed for the Amana brand using Kinect for Windows and Windows Embedded 8 Industry.

June 28, 2013

The new HonestBaby app for Windows Phone is a big deal for parents with little ones. This handy app lets you track everyday moments like feedings, diaper changes, sleep patterns, doctor visits and growth, as well as special milestones you don’t want to forget.

June 28, 2013

It’s been a big week for Windows Phone apps, and the news keeps coming: the Windows Phone Blog reports that six more popular apps are freshly updated today in the Windows Phone Store, including a new version of NY Times with Live Tile capabilities and more free content, as well as Bloomberg, which now offers on-demand streaming of Bloomberg TV and Radio. NBC News is also updated to add closed captioning and voice commands.

June 28, 2013

In Visual Studio 2013, we are continuing to remain true to the Microsoft design principles that helped shape Visual Studio 2012 while making refinements and improvements based on feedback. “We have made broad but incremental changes, some of them subtle. Our overall aim is to have VS 2013 feel familiar to VS 2012 users, but better,” writes Eric Zocher, director of design in the Developer Division.

June 28, 2013

Aston Martin sports cars (of James Bond fame) are world-renowned for their luxury, heritage and craftsmanship. They’re a quintessential icon of European design for us Americans. So how does the carmaker that’s the synonymous with high performance and perfection operate from the inside? This week at TechEd Europe 2013, Aston Martin shared a glimpse of how they use Microsoft cloud technologies and services like Windows Intune to create an IT infrastructure that’s on par with their brand.

June 28, 2013

When you ask people “What’s Skype?” the answer you’ll often get is, “It’s a free video calling app for your PC or Mac.” The Skype team likes that answer up to a point, but wants people to realize Skype is a great mobile experience as well. Here are a few things you may not know.