Author: Microsoft Stories

Microsoft is all set to launch the Android versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. With an aim to make its applications accessible in the Internet cloud, the apps built on a Microsoft strategy has been integrated with Google’s online Play Store. Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president, Microsoft Office team announced the big news.

iBall, the Indian gadget maker has launched its first PC-on-a-stick device called the Splendo. The Splendo priced at Rs. 8,999 is powered by an Intel Atom quad-core processor and runs Windows 8.1. It comes with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage. The device only requires to be plugged into the HDMI input of a TV to use the full possibilities of a Windows PC.

After a disappointing few months, Games with Gold will be bouncing back this July with a great offering- on Xbox One, Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be treated to So Many Me, and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag; Xbox 360 owners, meanwhile, Plants vs Zombies and Gears of War 3, the latter of which can also be played on the Xbox 360, thanks to that system’s newly announced backwards compatibility.

When SpaceX’s resupply craft blasts off to the International Space Station on Sunday, a key part of Microsoft’s future strategy will be riding along. Two pairs of HoloLens augmented reality glasses are hitching a lift to the station. NASA has opted to use the devices, which overlay holograms on top of real objects, for astronaut training and tasks in space.

Microsoft announced a private beta for a pair of new services Wednesday aimed at making its Office 365 service work better in schools. The new Classroom Hub is a website that brings together content from different Office applications into a single, central location that teachers and students can use to stay on top of what’s going on in their classes. The service can pull in notes, assignments, calendars and class materials to provide a digital home for all of the information that students need to know. Teachers will also be able to track progress on assignments and provide students with feedback and grades through the site.

Microsoft has a new mission statement that goes straight to the point. The software maker’s new official goal is “to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more,” CEO Satya Nadella wrote in an email to employees. The message was first obtained by GeekWire and Microsoft confirmed its authenticity to CNET News.

The Indian software market registered a stable year-on-year growth of 10 percent in the second half of 2014 owing to the steady double-digit growth of top vendors, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC). It stated that some of the reasons for the stable growth include a steady double digit growth for the top vendors such as SAP, Microsoft, Oracle and the likes.

Microsoft has announced the official launch of Office for Android phones. According to the Techcrunch.com, the services released includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint designed for the Android smartphone, follows earlier efforts of Microsoft at bringing Office to Android tablets, in addition to support for Office on iOS devices, Windows and OS X.

Microsoft followed through on a promise to release versions of its widely used Word, Excel and PowerPoint programs for smartphones running on Google-backed Android software. The apps, which hit shelves of Google’s online Play Store, build on a Microsoft strategy to make its applications accessible from a broad array of devices as services in the Internet cloud. The US software titan has applications tailored for use on Android-powered tablets as well as on Apple iPhones or iPads.

With Forza – Microsoft’s premier racing franchise celebrating its 10th year, the Redmond-based company stepped celebrations up a notch by announcing a limited edition Forza 6 console. It’s decked up in blue much like the game’s cover car, the Ford GT. Sporting a 1TB hard drive, it also has racing stripes and sound effects that resemble what a sports car engine might make when starting up and shutting down for powering on and off the console respectively. Ejecting a disc has its own auto engine themed sound effect as well.