In the News

Last September, Satya Nadella announced that Microsoft would be investing $75 million into its YouthSpark program for helping children and students develop computer science skills. Now it’s expanding that program with a series of grants around the world. The company revealed that it will provide grants to “100 nonprofit partners in 55 countries.”

Microsoft and MassChallenge announced that Bridge to MassChallenge is coming to Australia. Bridge to MassChallenge helps public and private entities around the world create and strengthen innovation-driven economic development. It supports startups around the world and connect them to the MassChallenge global network. Pip Marlow, Managing Director, Microsoft Australia, said, “MassChallenge is one of the best accelerators in the world, having helped 835 startups raise $1.1 billion in funding and create 6,500 direct jobs. Their impact is truly impressive, and I am very glad we can bring their experience here to Australia.”

Dynamic Communities Inc., the supporting organization behind the official user group for Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Dynamics NAV products, is holding its inaugural European Congress events in Stuttgart, Germany. The Congress events will be held May 9-10, 2016 and hundreds of international Dynamics professionals are expected to attend. Supported by Microsoft, several European Congress sessions are instructed by key Microsoft personnel such as Floris van Heijst, General Manager SMS&P, Dilip Popat, EMEA CSM Director, and Marko Perisic, General Manager, SMB.

As computing devices shrink, Microsoft seems to think that a track point, or “thumb mouse,” might be a good idea. Especially if it hides a practical surprise: a fingerprint sensor that could be used to enable Windows Hello. As noted by Windows Central, Microsoft recently filed a patent for a low-profile pointing device with an optional optical sensor beneath it which could be used for identification purposes and for navigation. There’s no guarantee that the patent will be approved, or that the track point will ever ship within a Microsoft device. Still, it’s interesting how Microsoft is imagining its hardware might evolve.

Microsoft announced that its Azure Container Service, a key product based on technology from Mesosphere and fellow hyped startup Docker, is now available to everyone. One of the newest things going on in developer-world is the rise of the so-called “software container.” With it, a programmer can take their code, package it up in a neat little virtual box, and it’ll run the same way everywhere. With containers, one can write code on MacBook and have it run in one of Microsoft’s massive Azure server farms, without needing to account for the differences between the two. Mark Russinovich, CTO, Microsoft Azure, says, “Some people call it the ‘modern .ZIP file.”

Microsoft is scheduled to release Minecraft Education Edition beta in May. The game will also be available as a free download for teachers. Expected to be available in over 100 schools spread across 30 countries worldwide, Minecraft Education Edition will be available to teachers. They can make use of it to teach their students STEM subjects, language, history and art in classrooms. The Edition will be available only to those schools that have an active existing agreement with Microsoft.

India has 50 million small businesses and many of them carry out their core business transactions using a smart phone. Microsoft Garage recently introduced three business productivity Android apps to address their need to run their business more effectively. The apps are Sprightly, Connections and Kaizala. These innovative apps are designed to increase productivity of individuals and businesses while keeping them connected on the move. Released through the Microsoft Garage, these apps target businesses in a very unique way.

Microsoft had announced last month, during its Build 2016 Conference, about its Cortana-enhanced bots for Skype. These chat bots are now coming to the Web and Mac too. On the Mac, users can add them the same as any other contact, except they will now see an option to “Add Bot” in addition to real live humans. On the Web, there’s a new “Discover bots” section. Overall, Skype bots are now available on the Windows, OS X, Android, and iOS.

Microsoft’s stock has climbed in the past year as the company modernized its business faster than many investors expected. Another test of that pace arrives Thursday, when the company reports quarterly earnings for the three months ended in March, the third quarter of Microsoft’s fiscal 2016. Microsoft has found a degree of success in repurposing its range of software for delivery via the Web, from the Office suite to tools for application developers.

Microsoft has been reportedly testing a variety of new prototype Xbox devices. Some of the prototypes have been tested with upgraded components of the kind that are used to improve the performance of a gaming PC. This indicates new Xbox hardware arriving in the market sometime in the future.