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It started off as an experiment, but next year Microsoft will install reconfigurable chips called FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays) in its data centers to speed up and return more accurate Bing search results. “Increasing capabilities and reducing the cost of Microsoft cloud services relies on increasingly efficient hardware,” said Andrew Putnam, a researcher at Microsoft. Intended to help deliver text and image search results much faster, using FPGAs will also reduce the number of servers for processing search requests in Microsoft’s data centers.

Desktop virtualization is emerging as a key priority for today’s CIOs, as they look for TCO reduction in their enterprise desktops strategy to become increasingly agile. In an exclusive interaction with CXOtoday, Atul Ahuja, Director-Microsoft Relationship, Citrix, talks about how desktop virtualization and specifically, Desktops-as-a Service (DaaS) can help Indian enterprises overcome their current challenges, help solve problems and gain a competitive edge.

A spokesperson from Microsoft has said that the company plans to offer free email migration services to Office 365 customers starting from September 1. Microsoft will extend this free service to customers on deals of 150 seats or more, under its Office 365 Fast Track program that it launched last year to boost sales and usage of the Office 365 suite of cloud apps. For now, Microsoft is limiting its offer to email migration services.

Two feature phones under the Nokia brand—the 130 and 130 Dual SIM—have been launched by Microsoft. The new phones run on Nokia OS Series 30+ software and come with a 1.8-inch color display, T9 keypad and flashlight. In addition, the Nokia 130 and 130 Dual SIM are equipped with Bluetooth 3.0, a microUSB port and microSD card support up to 32GB. Users can also play videos for up to 16 hours on these devices thanks to a 1.020mAh battery.

If you cannot get enough of what your favorite celebrities are up to, Microsoft has a new app for you. The “Snipp3t” lets you subscribe to celebrities and get personalized headlines, social media feeds and news about what the celebrity is up to. Tap on their profiles to view details and explore a timeline of news stories about them. You can also tap on to a news story to get all relevant story content in one place.

Microsoft announced the Lumia 530 last month and has revealed that the smartphone will be available from August onwards. Almost on cue, the affordable Lumia smartphone is now available for pre-orders on Snapdeal ahead of the launch in the third week of August. There is no word on the pricing of the Lumia 530, but the company did mention that its price tag won’t exceed €100 or Rs 8,000 approximately.

The way we interact with smartphones and tablets today is flawed, according to researchers at Microsoft. They believe that we shouldn’t be limited to tapping and sliding our fingers across a glass screen. Instead, the company is developing touchscreen technology for mobile devices that will be able to provide different sensations based on what you’re tapping. So, if you’re typing on a touchscreen keyboard, you would feel a sensation similar to pressing a key.

The Think Next program, launched by Microsoft Ventures in India and iSPIRT Foundation, gained momentum with the announcement of its first set of initiatives. These are aimed at resolving the key issues responsible for the lack of meaningful exits in India’s software product industry, which is a major cause for concern among India’s product startups. Together with iSPIRT, Microsoft Ventures will conduct workshops to prepare Indian entrepreneurs for M&A, focusing on due diligence, valuation and presenting to potential acquirers.

In an announcement by Microsoft India, the company said that the Indian CodeBlue team has won second place in the Apps for Office Challenge at the Imagine Cup 2014 Worldwide Finals held in Seattle on July 31. The Imagine Cup is Microsoft’s premier competition for student technologists, developers and aspiring entrepreneurs from across the globe and a cornerstone of the Microsoft YouthSpark initiative. CodeBlue was awarded a cash prize worth USD 3,000 for their innovative app.

In a first-of-its-kind deal for Microsoft, the company announced that the entire range of its Interactive Entertainment Business (IEB) portfolio will be available in India exclusively on Amazon.in starting September 1, 2014. This will include Xbox One, Xbox 360, Kinect, Xbox Live, Xbox Accessories and all Microsoft-published Xbox game titles. With this announcement, Amazon.in has also launched pre-orders for Xbox One that includes an exciting bundle of products.