As we head into autumn, we’ve got stories on a revamped MSN, the expanded availability of the Surface Pro 3 docking station and highlights of the YouthSpark program as it enters its third year.
The new Web experience of the rebuilt MSN merges premium content from the world’s leading media outlets with personal productivity tools. “With a quick hover, you can easily check your email, browse your OneDrive, or even access your OneNote notebooks. We’ve also integrated popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, Office 365 and Skype,” writes Brian MacDonald, Microsoft corporate vice president, on The Official Microsoft Blog. The preview is now available.
The Surface Pro 3 docking station is now available in 28 markets. The Surface Pro 3 becomes a powerful three-in-one device – tablet, laptop and desktop – when it’s clicked into the docking station. The docking station has a Mini DisplayPort for HD video of up to 4,096-by-2,304 resolution, a Gigabit Ethernet port for up to 1 Gbps for wired network speeds, and five USB ports, including three high-speed USB 3.0 ports.
As YouthSpark enters its third year, Lori Forte Harnick, general manager for Citizenship & Public Affairs, shares how its programs are expanding. Two years after YouthSpark launched, it has created education, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for 227 million young people in more than 100 countries. Upcoming is an updated Microsoft Digital Literacy curriculum, delivering Microsoft IT Academy broadly for the first time through YouthSpark nonprofit partners worldwide. The TEALS (Technology Education and Literacy in Schools) program is also placing more software engineers as volunteer computer science teachers in 131 high schools across 18 states, plus the District of Columbia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_19_xxZYf4
Got a big file to share? You can now upload files of up to 10GB on OneDrive. Using the OneDrive desktop apps for Windows and Mac, any of the OneDrive mobile apps and the OneDrive website, you can now upload files of up to 10GB total on OneDrive. “We recognized that people not only have more files than they did before, but they have bigger files as well,” writes Jason Moore, OneDrive group program manager. You can also drag folders directly into OneDrive.com “from browsers where folder dragging/dropping is supported (specifically Google Chrome).”
The Xbox world saw the introduction of Bungie’s “Destiny,” the digital pre-order and pre-download of “FIFA 15” and the final “Forza Horizon 2” car reveal. “Destiny” is now available for Xbox One and Xbox 360. “FIFA 15” – due out Sept. 23 for Xbox One – is now available for digital pre-order and pre-download. To celebrate the launch of the game, two “FIFA 15” game bundles are available for pre-order globally through the Xbox Store on the console or online. And for all you car lovers, the “Forza Horizon 2” full 210-car list is finally available. Vroom, vroom!
Apps and games flourished in the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store, including those that challenge your mind, indulge your fantasy life and keep everyone in the loop on projects. The App of the Week unleashes your inner enigmatologist with the NYT Crossword for Windows and Windows Phone. The weekly Red Stripe Deals save you at least 50 percent on “Plants vs. Zombies” and much more. “Order & Chaos Duels” is now in the Windows Store. But if you need more fantasy battles, try “Dark Lands” from the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store, or “SoulCraft 2” from the Windows Store and the Windows Phone Store. Back in the real world, Wunderlist is the ultimate destination if you’re in search of one stop to capture ideas, to-dos and places to see.
This week on the Microsoft Facebook page, we got in the game with the help of a Kinect for Windows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_T8_yMR0zg
Thanks for checking out this edition of Weekend Reading. Enjoy that blissful transition between summer and fall! See you next week!
Posted by Athima Chansanchai
Microsoft News Center Staff