October, 2011

Halloween is just around the corner and costume planning is in full force. What are you dressing as this year? Perhaps a “ Jersey Shore ” cast member or the latest celebrity? According to a recent Bing -commissioned survey of Americans, nearly 40 percent of respondents indicated that they are abandoning store-bought costumes for a do-it-yourself (DIY) costume. Forty three percent of respondents stated that they believed that purchasing a Halloween costume to wear for one night is too expensive (nearly a fourfold increase over last year’s 12 percent). Designing your own costume...

Earlier this month, Microsoft treated members and staff of the local Boys and Girls Club to a New England Revolution soccer game, sponsored by Xbox 360. The group cheered on the home team as they played the Seattle Sounders and also had the chance to practice on the field prior to the game. The outing was such a success, that we’ve decided to make it an annual event. Our local General Manager Craig Hodges serves on the Boys and Girls Club board of Boston, and Microsoft is a proud partner of the organization. We look forward to attending next year’s Revolution game!

Remember when you were a kid, and you wished that you could actually play with the characters on television? It is now possible with Xbox 360. Last week, Microsoft revealed how its “playful learning” experiences are revolutionizing interactive television, allowing children and their families to engage, interact and learn in an entirely new way – all through the magic of Kinect for Xbox 360. Working in partnership with experts from Sesame Workshop and National Geographic , play and television experiences have blended to evolve children’s traditional watching habits and...

Last week, Microsoft received the Innovation Catalyst Award at the 2011 Mass Technology Leadership Awards gala held at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. We are honored to be named as a key player who contributes to Cambridge’s status as a global leader in innovation. Sara Spalding, Senior Director of NERD was on hand to accept the award on behalf of our Massachusetts-based Microsoft employees. Read more about the Mass Technology Leadership Awards and Microsoft’s work in the Cambridge area on our NERD blog .

You are on your computer and browsing the internet, clicking on various links, when suddenly an alert pops up that you are under attack from the latest virus. It’s a familiar situation, one that many computer users experience on a daily basis. This week, Microsoft released the 11 th Security Intelligence Report to provide in-depth insight on software vulnerabilities and exploits, malicious code threats, and potentially unwanted software in Microsoft and third-party software. The report analyzes trends found in more than 100 countries and 600 million systems around the world and offers ways...

Remember the old saying, “the world doesn’t revolve around you.” Well, in the case of the Windows Phone 7.5 update release – it does. The latest features and experiences are designed to build on the phone’s intuitive, people-first foundation, using integrated social networking and conversational threads, for connecting with the people in our lives. For example, the new Groups feature lets users create groups from their contacts and turn them into a personalized Live Tile on the Start screen. From there, people can use the feature to quickly contact everyone, or...