Weekend Reading: Jan. 27th Edition–Bill Gates Says Youth Will Change the World & Other News from the World Economic Forum, plus the Kelihos Botnet, Hotmail, Windows Phone & Office 365

In this edition of Weekend Reading, we’ve got a blog post from Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates on opportunity for youth and other news from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland as well as stories on Data Privacy Day, the Kelihos botnet, Windows Phone and Office 365. Don’t miss any of them!

Bill Gates says young people will change the world. At the World Economic Forum today, Bill Gates participated in a roundtable focused on opportunity for youth, a subject about which he is deeply passionate. To get the rest of this story, read today’s post from Bill on The Official Microsoft Blog. Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith also participated in the roundtable, and you can read his thoughts on youth and the Opportunity Divide in this post on Microsoft on the Issues.

Microsoft names new defendant in Kelihos case. In an amended complaint filed earlier this week with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Microsoft alleged that Andrey N. Sabelnikov, a citizen of Russia, is responsible for the operations of the Kelihos botnet. For more detail, read this Monday post on The Official Microsoft Blog.

Microsoft partners with D.C. on digital education and economic development initiative. The world is changing fast, driven by changes like globalization and the rapid adoption of new technologies. These changes present huge opportunities, but they demand new skills and capabilities, especially in the area of science and technology. To help District residents navigate these opportunities and challenges, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray on Wednesday announced a partnership with Microsoft designed to improve the region’s economic competitiveness by making technology, education and training more accessible to residents and local businesses. Read this Wednesday post on Microsoft on the Issues for more detail.

Microsoft & Data Privacy Day: Put your best digital foot forward. In observance of Data Privacy Day 2012, Microsoft is releasing new data about consumer behaviors online and is offering guidance and tips to help people better manage their online profiles and maintain a positive reputation. In an increasingly connected world, everything people do online, from responding to emails and texts to clicking the “like” and “retweet” buttons on favorite Web pages, uploading photos and making purchases online, contributes to their online reputation. Read this press release and this Tuesday post from Microsoft Chief Privacy Officer Brendon Lynch on The Official Microsoft Blog for more detail.

UL embraces Microsoft cloud productivity services. To help create a culture of stronger collaboration and communication worldwide, Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) has begun deploying Microsoft Office 365, powered by Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online and Microsoft Lync Online, to its 50 offices worldwide, Microsoft announced Wednesday. UL, a global independent safety science company, provides solutions for safer products, processes and work environments for more than 66,000 customers. Read this press release on the Microsoft News Center for the rest of the story.

echoecho: Solving the ‘where are you?’ problem. “Where are you?” is one of the most ubiquitous phrases in text messages and phone calls. A number of location-based apps have tried to help mobile users address the question, but only Microsoft BizSpark startup echoecho has created an easy, intuitive solution that works anywhere in the world, using any leading smartphone. The mobile app helps users find their friends simply and easily, while helping protect their privacy as well as their device battery life — and without having to join yet another social network. Want the rest of the story? Read this feature story on the Microsoft News Center.

Switch from Gmail to Hotmail in 3 easy steps. Hotmail’s come a long way and we definitely think it’s worth giving Hotmail another look. We’ve started to see some folks make the move from Gmail to Hotmail, and so we want to share with you how to do this. Read this Thursday post on the Inside Windows Live Blog for some of the top reasons why people are making the move from Gmail to Hotmail. Also in Hotmail news this week, check out this Tuesday post announcing that Hotmail is now available for the Kindle Fire.

February Must Have Xbox LIVE games for Windows Phone. Earlier this week, we announced the February line up of “Must Have Xbox LIVE” games for Windows Phone, including “BulletAsylum,” “Chickens Can’t Fly,” and “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction,” among others. Check ‘em out!

That’s a wrap for this edition of Weekend Reading! Thanks for stopping by The Official Microsoft Blog!

Posted by Jeff Meisner
Editor, The Official Microsoft Blog

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