It was a big week at Microsoft, what with the unveiling of the next version of the Windows Phone mobile platform, dubbed “Mango.” That wasn’t the only news from the company this week though. Read on to see what else happened at Microsoft this week.
Windows Phone Marketplace on the Web. Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that it will launch a Web-based Windows Phone Marketplace with “Mango.” The Web version of Marketplace will launch with the new OS later this year and give customers another vehicle for discovering your great apps and games. And as a Windows Phone developer, you get all of the added visibility with no extra work. Just as on the phone, customers will be able to browse the full catalog, view screenshots, read application details and reviews and choose from all of the supported languages for that app. Want more details? Read this Wednesday post on the Windows Phone Developer Blog. Speaking of apps, check out this preview of a British Airways app that gives a three-dimensional view of an airplane cabin, courtesy of the Next at Microsoft Blog.
Behind the scenes with Mango. On Wednesday, Microsoft’s Channel 9 published a series of fascinating behind-the-scenes interviews with some of the engineers who created the new “Mango” features we just announced. While the videos are billed as being for developers, don’t let that scare you off. Even if you have only a casual interest in the phone, you’ll probably find them enlightening and worth 10 minutes of your time. For the full line up of videos, check out this Wednesday post on the Windows Phone Blog.
Internet Explorer 9 now available in 93 languages. Internet Explorer 9 is now available in more local languages than any other browser on Windows. Today, we released support for IE9 in 53 additional languages, making IE9 available in a total of 93 languages. Visit the Worldwide downloads page to download IE9 in a language of your choice. A browser in the language of the user’s choice is an important part of delivering the best experience of the Web on Windows. With IE9, our goal was to deliver more languages faster. For more detail, read this Wednesday post on the IEBlog.
MSN launches “Ask a Money Expert.” Have a burning personal finance or investing question, but no experts on hand to ask it to? On Thursday, MSN Money launched a new video series called “Ask a Money Expert” that is giving our readers a forum for asking advice of our top writers and columnists. First up, Jim Jubak, a money manager, MSN Money columnist and stock-picking guru. He answers readers’ questions on the outlook for the market as well as specific stocks. Go to this post on the MSN Blog to find out more.
Xbox E3 2011 Tweet up. Yep. It’s that time of year again when video-game enthusiasts and fan boys start to go a little crazy waiting for all the amazing technology they’ll see at the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo. This year, Xbox Live’s Major Nelson is holding a Tweet up on June 5th. Join Major Nelson, Eric Neustadter (Xbox Operations) Stephen Toulouse (Xbox Enforcement) Eric Doty (Xbox Community & Forum Manager) and area Xbox LIVE members. The major and his Xbox cohorts will have food and beverages and some prizes to giveaway. Check out this Thursday post on Major Nelson’s blog for additional details on the who, what, when, where and why.
Microsoft announces Imagine Cup finalists. In July, more than 400 of the brightest young minds from around the world will travel to New York to showcase their innovative ideas for using technology to solve the world’s toughest problems. As the winners of regional, national and online Imagine Cup competitions, these high school and university students represent the pinnacle of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurialism from 73 countries and regions around the globe. To see the list of finalists, read this press release on the Microsoft News Center.
Thanks for checking in with Weekend Reading! See you here next Friday with all the latest news from Microsoft.
Posted by Jeff Meisner
Editor, The Official Microsoft Blog