Welcome to the Microsoft Los Angeles blog. Here you will find posts, videos and news about Microsoft’s involvement in Southern California. More than 3,000 Microsoft employees live and work in California, with more than 300 employees based in Southern California.
Many exciting Microsoft initiatives are underway right now in the area, from our local citizenship efforts to next year’s Worldwide Partner Conference.
Check back often to learn what Microsoft is doing in the City of Angels.
In late October, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Microsoft joined school leaders of the Mendez Learning Center to announce a new focus on turning around underperforming urban schools within the LAUSD.
Microsoft, through a relationship with Partnership Schools for Los Angeles, provided Mendez with a $1 million grant of the most innovative software, curriculum and education tools to elevate the school’s technology skills, preparing students for the competitive U.S. job market.
Notable attendees included Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Microsoft VP of Global Education Anthony Salcito and Microsoft CTO of U.S. Education Cameron Evans, who were joined by distinguished teachers and students.
The grant to Mendez, Microsoft’s largest technology donation ever to a single school, demonstrates our dedication to an education initiative that focuses on enabling teachers to improve learning through the effective use of information technology and helping students gain access to dynamic information, allowing for lifelong learning.
This month, Windows Phone 7 entered the United States marketplace, providing a new experience for smartphone users everywhere. Consumers are buzzing about the phone, which brings together the things that a user cares about most – easier and faster connections that create a different kind of smartphone experience that lets people get in, get out and get on with their lives.
The Los Angeles music and entertainment elite helped celebrate the launch. Pop singer Katy Perry and the band Maroon 5 held free concerts in New York and San Francisco, while actress Minka Kelly joined with skating pro and television personality Rob Dyrdek to embark on the Really? Rally Road Trip to shine a light on mobile behavior. Take a look at the commercial below from Microsoft and see how many Really? moments are happening in your own life.
Microsoft recently announced the First Round of U.S. finalists for Microsoft Imagine Cup 2011, a global competition of more than 325,000 students representing 100 countries and regions, who work in teams solve global issues through research, personal passion and technology. Two of the finalist teams include students from Southern California universities.
In the Mobile Game Design category, Team Inspiration, from University of California, Riverside, developed Trash Boy – a mobile game where players prevent trash from entering the ocean to protect fish. Competing in the Software Design category, Team LifeLens, which includes a student from UCLA Anderson School of Management and a student from University of California, San Diego, developed software that uses a mobile phone camera to deliver an accurate diagnosis of malaria in the field. Both of these teams will compete in the U.S. national finals on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Wash., in April.
We’d like to congratulate all of the finalists across the nation and look forward to reporting on the results of the U.S. finals in the spring.
Microsoft made big news in 2010 with innovative releases in a wide range of areas, including gaming, phones, educational initiatives and the cloud. As the year comes to a close, we take a look back at some of the stories that have made a cultural and technological impact during the past 12 months.
Windows Azure
The year kicked off with the news about Windows Azure, as Microsoft announced the general availability of Windows Azure and SQL Azure in 21 countries. Now our partners and customers can use Windows Azure as the foundation for running cloud-based applications and storing data in the cloud.
Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010
In May, Microsoft announced the worldwide availability of Microsoft Office 2010 and Microsoft SharePoint 2010 for business customers worldwide. More than 90 million businesses are now deploying the 2010 suite of products.
Imagine Cup 2010
This summer, Microsoft announced the winners of the Imagine Cup 2010 student competition in Warsaw, Poland. The finalists were greeted to a political treat: First Lady Michelle Obama spoke to the 400 students via video.
Windows Phone 7
Announced on October 11, Windows Phone 7 is now delivering a new user experience by integrating the things users really want to do, creating a balance between getting work done and having fun. Local talk-show favorite Ellen DeGeneres recently got into the Microsoft holiday spirit with a contest featuring Windows Phone 7.
Office 365
Microsoft announced Office 365 in October, providing a new service that brings familiar applications, including Office desktop software and Office Web Apps, together with SharePoint, Exchange and Lync in the cloud, for the first time.
Microsoft and Mendez
In late October, Microsoft made its largest technology donation ever to a single Los Angeles school. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Microsoft joined school leaders of the Mendez Learning Center to announce a new focus on turning around underperforming urban schools within the LAUSD.
Kinect for Xbox 360
November brought the much-anticipated launch of Kinect for Xbox 360, with Microsoft rolling out its new gesture- and voice-controlled sensor.
Microsoft Lync Launch
Microsoft Lync launched in the middle of November, putting people at the center of communications, connecting in new ways across the PC, phone and browser.
We look forward to 2011, as we bring new technology and community initiatives to the Los Angeles area and the world.