With 2015 in the rearview, and as we gear up for all the excitement and adventures of 2016, we would like to take a moment to look back at some of the best News Centre Europe moments last year. From Bing guessing the winner(s) of Eurovision, a Swiss farm going digital, navigating smart cities, or boosting young European startups; here are some of our best stories of 2015.
Who will win the Eurovision Song Contest? Bing’s initial prediction was for an Italian victory, but after a change in social sentiment from May 18th, Bing got it right predicting a staggering Swedish victory. What’s more, not only did Bing predict the winner, but also correctly selected 4 out of the top 5 places. Through the use of Bing, Cortana, and MSN, the predictions were updated throughout the contest to showcase how fans felt.
As cities continue to grow so does their need to keep up with transportation needs – in a smart and efficient way. Check out how cities like Barcelona, Paris, London, and Helsinki are reinventing mobility using technologies such as IoT and Azure to help keep their public transport as efficient and easy to use as possible.
Digital skills are continuing to move into the business world and the work place. While younger employees have grown up using technology; senior generations are reaching out to their younger counterparts for help in learning how to strive in this fast-paced technology world.
For 10 years now the Microsoft Development Centre Serbia has been advancing digital skills and innovation in the area. The MDCS has played a significant role in helping create products like Azure, the Windows Phone, and Office 365. The centre also helps kids build their computer science skills boosting the local talent resource.
Creating a thriving startup in today’s market can be a difficult task, to create one in 12 short weeks seems even more unrealistic. At Microsoft Ventures they do just that; take the best of the best startups and accelerate them in 12 weeks to reach their full potential. Follow as four different startups are pushed to their limits at Microsoft Ventures in Paris.
Jucker Farm might have started off as a traditional fruit farm in Switzerland but today it is a thriving digital medium-sized business. Through the use of Microsoft’s cloud technology, the farm has boomed to hosting over 500 events a year at four different locations and up to 8000 visitors a day. The farm isn’t done growing yet either, Jucker has thoughts on scaling up to a multinational farm-roadshow as well as recently joining the online store Farmy.
Ever feel like you’re constantly working, even when you get home in the evening? Here is a nice little breakdown of several different ways to really bring you some harmony.
