Weekend Reading: June 7th Edition – New Windows devices step into the spotlight at COMPUTEX 2013

This edition of Weekend Reading gives you insights from COMPUTEX 2013 and TechEd 2013, the big scoop about a cybercrime operation that stole half a billion dollars and a first for the “Halo” franchise.

New Windows devices step into the spotlight at COMPUTEX 2013. COMPUTEX 2013 in Taipei is the second-largest computer exhibition in the world, drawing a large audience of hardware manufacturers and developers to showcase their latest technologies. For your drooling pleasure, here’s a story with a slideshow at the end that showcases the waves of Windows 8 devices presented at COMPUTEX. And if you still can’t get enough of hardware gazing, check out these Dells and other devices on the Windows Experience Blog. And on those tablets with Windows RT, customers will now find Outlook 2013 RT. To read more about COMPUTEX 2013, check out this Wednesday post from Nick Parker, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Original Equipment Manufacturer Division, over on The Official Microsoft Blog as well as this press release.

Microsoft’s Satya Nadella spotlights the Enterprise Cloud Era at TechEd 2013. Nadella, president of the Server & Tools Business at Microsoft, unveiled key developments this week at TechEd in New Orleans, such as: a new wave of Windows Azure services, a significant update to our server line-up (Windows Server, System Center, SQL Server) and new tools (Visual Studio), all built for the cloud. Read all about how far we’ve come as a leader in the enterprise cloud in Nadella’s post, and watch the video below to see him talk about this.

Microsoft worked with financial services industry leaders, law enforcement and others to disrupt massive financial cybercrime ring. In our most aggressive botnet operation to date, the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit worked with leaders of the financial services industry, other technology industry partners and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to disrupt a massive cyber threat responsible for stealing people’s online banking information and personal identities. With a court ordered civil seizure warrant from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Microsoft executed a simultaneous operation to disrupt more than 1,400 Citadel botnets which are responsible for more than half a billion dollars in losses to people and businesses worldwide. Read this blog post from Richard Domingues Boscovich, assistant general counsel, Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit and this press release for all the details.

‘Halo: Spartan Assault’ coming to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 in July. The next installment in the Halo franchise will be available exclusively for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. Launching in July, Xbox Wire notes it’s the first Halo game created for touch-based devices. Explore more about “Halo: Spartan Assault” over on the Windows Experience Blog, Windows Phone Blog and Surface Blog. Watch the video below for an intro to it. 

“Walking Dead” fans antsy for the next season can find a fulfilling diversion through “State of Decay” – a single-player zombie role-playing game now available through download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. That’s a screenshot from “State of Decay” below. If chicken kicking is more your gaming preference, then you can relive the magic with “Fable Anniversary” for Xbox 360, a modern remastering of the best-selling Xbox classic featuring stunning graphics, almost instant loading times, an all-new interface, Achievements, Xbox SmartGlass support and more. For these and other gamers, the new Xbox One controller is instantly familiar to anyone who has used the tried-and-true Xbox 360 controller, and introduces more than 40 technology innovations that make it more immersive, precise and comfortable.

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And in Windows Phone 8 app news: kids blast off, pizza lovers rejoice, Twitter tweeters get upgrades and the official Adobe Reader app arrives. For the kids (and maybe some playful adults too), Jetpack Joyride provides some fast-paced fun, and if and when you and the kids need to refuel after all that, you can order Domino’s Pizza through their new ordering app. For those that need their Twitter fix, some upgrades are now in, such as saving tweeted photos to your phone and more ways to edit photos. Finally, Windows Phone 8 users can now open and read a variety of PDF documents using the official Adobe Reader app. Below are screenshots of the Domino’s app.

Here’s a limited time offer: for one month only, get a free Touch or Type Cover with Surface RT. Get down with the snapping action seen on those catchy Surface commercials and save some dough while you’re at it. (We can’t guarantee you’re going to dance like a Stomp cast member, but you will be a cooler kid.) If you buy a Surface RT before June 30, you can get a free Touch Cover, Touch Cover Limited Edition or Type Cover (normally, these will run you at least $120!) Check out the details on the Surface Blog.

As you can tell, it was a busy week here! Thanks for taking the time to read The Official Microsoft Blog. Enjoy your weekend!

Posted by Athima Chansanchai
Microsoft News Center Staff

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