Recent News

Microsoft has announced that Xbox One will launch in India on September 23, 2014. The Xbox One will be available for Rs 39,990 without Kinect and Rs 45,990 including Kinect. The Xbox One will come with one wireless controller and a 14-day trial of Xbox Live Gold for new members. Microsoft will however be 9 months behind Sony which has already launched its PS4 in the country. Anshu Mor, Director – Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft India, said, “The Xbox One gaming launch line up in India will be colossal, bringing the best line up of exclusive blockbusters, including AAA titles like “Forza Horizon 2” and “Halo: The Master Chief Collection,” which comes with the highly anticipated “Halo 5: Guardians” multiplayer beta”.

Microsoft’s next big device named ‘McLaren’ is likely to offer 3D touch, reports Windows Phone Central. ‘McLaren’ will basically give the flat UI of Widows Phone some added depth. Users will be able to hover over live tiles in a less tacky manner compared to Samsung’s Air View and will be able to see a lot more in the form of previews compared to what live tiles already offer today. When it comes to typing, one can expect to move the cursor by hovering your finger over the screen. The device will pack in a heap of sensors similar to those found in the Xbox and will even be able to generate heat maps with the same, thanks to lessons learnt from Microsoft’s Kinect project. It is also expected that the 3D touch, if successful will offer great support in controlling apps.

Nokia MixRadio, the popular global music streaming service today announced its collaboration with talented musician and popular artiste, Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. The company has already partnered with the likes of Lady Gaga and Priyanka Chopra. Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will also be exclusively curating playlists for Nokia MixRadio giving music lovers across 31 countries exclusive access and insight to the singer’s renditions and musical tastes. This service will be available across popular ranges such as the Nokia Lumia and the Nokia X family. Viral Oza, Director Marketing, Nokia India Sales, a subsidiary of Microsoft Mobile Oy says, “As Nokia MixRadio expands into the emerging market of digital global music streaming in developing markets, it is slated to see an upswing of growth resulting in one in every fifteen users coming from India”.

The article decodes the swanky new office of Microsoft India in Gurgaon. The perks for working a company like MS are many. You get to play on Xbox, can get a foot massage while at work. If you feel like putting your aiming skills to test, you may also try darts and of course there’s the Banyan Tree. Bhaskar Pramanik, Chairman, Microsoft India, said, “Our new office is futuristic and flexible, enabling our employees to realize their full potential. The new space effortlessly blends work, creativity and collaboration. I am proud that our Indian heritage stands in our design too”.

If a report published by Microsoft is true, then by 2025, India will be home to 700 million broadband subscriptions. That number is 30 times more than what we have today, 20 million. During the same period, the entire European Union will add only 105 million new broadband subscriptions, from about 143 million in 2012 to 248 million in 2025. Paul Nicholas, Senior Director, Global Security Strategy and Diplomacy, Microsoft, said, “But the risks are not just from the commonly recognized sources such as criminals, malware or even targeted cyber-attacks. They can emerge from policies as well”. Highlights of the report were presented to a group of visiting journalists in Redmond last week.

Cyber Learning, the award winning provider of IT learning and certification solutions for academic and workforce segments and the company that brought the Microsoft Office Specialist Certification to India, announced the COMPUDON Season IV India Champions in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint, culminating India’s most popular and the only validated technology skills competition on Microsoft Office since its inception in 2011. COMPUDON – the gateway to the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship – is a platform for students in India to showcase their mastery in using key Microsoft Office applications. Eligible students from all states of India competed for the title of “India Champions”. Pankaj Dikshit, Academic Area Sales Lead for India, Microsoft said, “Microsoft Certifications help students around the world gain skills that will help them get jobs and a better life. COMPUDON has helped students in India embrace the Office Certifications so they can compete on a global stage”.

Nick Parker, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft recently unveiled Toshiba’s new Windows 8.1 based budget tablet at the sidelines of the ongoing Computex 2014 event. Japanese manufacturer Toshiba has developed the tablet in collaboration with Microsoft and Intel. There is however no word about the pricing and availability of the device as of now. The Toshiba Encore 7 tablet features a 17.78-cm (7-inch) display with a 1024×600 pixels resolution. It is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3735 processor coupled with 1GB of RAM. It comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable via micro SD card. The tablet runs Windows 8.1 OS and sports a front-facing camera.