This week, an estimated 5,000 attendees will gather in Anaheim, Calif., for the Microsoft SharePoint Conference 2011, the most comprehensive event on SharePoint and related technology. More than 240 sessions are scheduled to focus on how customers can use the product as a platform for critical business applications, collaboration, content management, search, and enterprise social networking.

For businesses today, the need to find a way to share information across multiple offices and time zones is a top priority. In order to provide great customer service, employees need access to the right people and information, at all times. For many businesses, Microsoft SharePoint 2010 offers the technology to enable collaboration, easier and faster.

SharePoint changes the way people work, from social networking to connecting with colleagues. For example, United Airlines recently implemented the SharePoint platform during its merger with Continental Airlines. With thousands of employees working from 397 offices around the world, United relied on the platform to give employees access to important flight information on-demand, regardless of time zone. SharePoint became one of the most important tools during and after the merger because it allowed the airlines to communicate with each other and customers.

SharePoint continues to evolve as a business application, helping worldwide employees do their jobs better and faster. The application is also available as a cloud service through Microsoft Office 365, further enabling companies of all sizes to benefit from new ways of sharing information. To learn more, click here.

Today, Windows 8 is available globally, with more than 1,000 Windows 8 certified PCs and tablets now on the market.  Windows 8 represents a reimagining of Windows. It provides a personalized experience with a beautiful new user interface that puts you at the center. You get a great experience for entertainment AND creating content all on the same device, either with touch or with a mouse and keyboard. No compromise.

Windows 8 comes to life through a range of exciting new apps available through the grand opening of the Windows Store and new hardware from our OEM partners.

When we reimagined Windows, we also reimagined the PC experience from the ground up - and we are excited to have more than 1,000 Windows 8 certified devices that will be in market beginning today. There is a Windows device for everyone. Our OEM partners are introducing a variety of new form factors. And at our press event yesterday, we showed off examples of many of those form factors: beautiful tablets running Windows RT with instant on and extra-long battery life like the Asus Vivo Tab RT and our own Microsoft Surface; compact, touch-enabled x86 tablets like the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2; convertible PCs that switch effortlessly between PC and tablet like the Dell XPS 12; thin and light Ultrabooks like the ASUS UX31 Touch, the Sony VAIO Duo 11 or Acer Aspire S7-191; and large, powerful all-in-one PCs with high-definition screens like the Dell XPS One 27”, the HP Envy 23 TouchSmart or Samsung Series 7. You’ll catch many of these devices and PCs in our new ads.

Another exciting launch today is the Surface, Microsoft’s premier tablet. Whether you need a tablet to work or play, the Surface fits the bill.  It’s incredibly thin, but still features a full-size USB port, microSD card slot, and HD video out port. Its sleek Touch Cover clicks into Surface and offers a slim, spill-resistant keyboard for typing, while the integrated kickstand props up the device for hands-free entertainment. Not a fan of standard black or silver devices? Never fear, the Surface’s Touch Cover is available in a variety of vibrant colors to match your style. For the full list of details and specifications, visit www.Surface.com.

Interested in checking out the Surface and Windows 8 for yourself? Visit your local Microsoft store in LA to demo Windows 8 or take a look at the Microsoft Store website to view the latest and greatest devices that run Windows 8, including the Surface. Also, don’t forget if you purchase (or have purchased) an eligible Windows 7 PC anytime between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013 you can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for only $14.99, redeemable beginning today. For more details on the Windows Upgrade Offer, see this blog post.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months, you’ve probably heard of the Hunger Games, one of the most anticipated movies of 2012. Based on the best-selling novel, the sci-fi flick takes place in the future and hits theaters on Friday, March 23. The movie’s stars, including Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson and others made appearances this month, at Microsoft stores throughout the country, including the Westfield Century City Mall in L.A. They met with press and fans, signed autographs at the store, as well as  participated in a Q&A event where fans had the chance to ask questions of their favorite cast members. Check out some photos from the event below and visit Microsoft Store’s Facebook page for more photos.

Fans also participated in fun giveaways, including a chance to win the limited-edition Hunger Games HP Folio PC. The HP Folio is an incredibly thin and light ultrabook that delivers not only loads of style but also hard-working substance and more than 9 hours of battery
life.  This limited-edition ultrabook has The Hunger Games movie logo, along with the District 12 logo (the community where main character Katniss Everdeen comes from) laser engraved on the ultrabook's case.   

Check out the laptop for yourself in person at your local Microsoft store.

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 promote active and dynamic on-screen engagements. For example, Microsoft’s motion-sensing camera will let children interact through voice and gesture with Sesame Street characters who will respond based on the child’s actions. If Cookie Monster says “stand up and clap your hands with me,” he’ll recognize whether the child is playing along and interact accordingly. Or if Grover asks a child to throw a coconut, he’ll look to where the child “threw” it based on how hard they heave.

Now kids will be able to have adventures with their Sesame Street friends and be a part of the journey in a way that’s never been possible before. This two-way conversation is essential to science and psychology findings that reveal that play is a fundamental form of learning and important to a child’s development.

“We know that the most effective learning environments for children are those that are engaging and exciting, and that foster collaboration and a positive attitude toward learning,” said Alex Games, Ph.D. curriculum and learning sciences expert and educational design director for Microsoft.

To learn more about Xbox 360, please click here. To learn more about how Kinect is making learning playful and redefining interactive television, click here and here. Interested in Kinect for Xbox 360 for your children? Come visit us at a Microsoft Store nearest you: locations in Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo or the Westfield Century City store.