Microsoft acquires ‘Minecraft’ maker Mojang and Microsoft Dynamics 2015 is due out in fourth quarter – Weekend Reading: Sept. 19th Edition

This week, Microsoft announced it is buying Mojang, developer of block-building game sensation “Minecraft,” and that Microsoft Dynamics 2015 is coming soon.

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“Minecraft’s” Mojang team will join Microsoft Studios, which is behind the blockbuster franchises “Halo,” “Forza,” “Fable” and more. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, talked about “Minecraft’s” widespread appeal to gamers of all ages and abilities, on all kinds of devices. “This is a game that has bound its audience on touch devices, on phones, on iPads, on console,” he said in a video. “Whether you’re playing on an Xbox, whether you’re playing on a PlayStation, an Android (or) an iOS device – our goal is to continue to evolve and innovate with ‘Minecraft’ across all those platforms.”

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 will be out in the fourth quarter, with the new release designed to address ongoing needs for businesses to collaborate among different divisions and groups to better take advantage of opportunities and to meet the evolving needs of their customers. There will also be updates to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and Microsoft Dynamics Marketing services as well.

The Carlsberg Group, based in Denmark and the fourth-largest brewer of beer worldwide, chose cloud-based Office 365 for its more than 20,000 employees to use to connect with each other, and also to streamline the company’s global supply chain. “No matter what device or distance, the cloud is breaking down traditional barriers so we’re better able to focus on brewing the best beer in the world,” said Etienne Dock, vice president of IT architecture and sourcing at Carlsberg.

A Feldschlosschen driver in front of a truck on his way to deliver beer to local restaurants in Zurich.

Microsoft’s newly announced Universal Mobile Keyboard makes it the only keyboard you’ll need when you’re on the go. It works with the iPad, iPhone, Android devices and Windows tablets. The keyboard has an OS switch that lets you change from one operating system to another while maintaining a fully functional keyboard. And with the physical “chiclet” style keyset on this keyboard, you’ll feel like you’re typing on your laptop without lugging around the extra weight or bulk. The keyboard will be generally available in October for the estimated retail price of $79.95 at the Microsoft Store and at various other retailers.

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Two new members will join Microsoft’s board of directors on Oct. 1, Teri List-Stoll, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Kraft Foods Group Inc., and Charles W. Scharf, chief executive officer of Visa Inc. Two other members,  Dave Marquardt and Dina Dublon, have decided not to seek reelection and will retire from the board at the end of their current term, following the annual shareholders meeting in December.

Microsoft Azure HDInsight became available in China as a public preview, making it the first global cloud provider to have a publicly available cloud Hadoop offering in China. Hadoop is an open-source platform for storing and processing massive amounts of data. And with the launch, “Microsoft is bringing Azure HDInsight’s ability to process big data volumes from unstructured and semi-structured sources to China,” according to the SQL Server Team.

There were lots of apps, many of them perfect for fall entertainment and indoor activity, from “Spider-Man Unlimited” for Windows Phone to “Age of Empires: Castle Siege” for Windows and Windows Phone. Fans of 3D creations can now use the updated 3D Builder app to print their creations from the cloud, thanks to a printing partnership with 3D Systems. A new TV Central collection in the Windows Phone Store brings you Netflix, Hulu Plus, Watch ABC, A&E, SyFy, USA Now, Comedy Central, Simple. TV and MTV Shows all under one roof so you can decide how to best go about being a couch potato on the weekends. If it’s time to pay attention to your car, you’ll want to check out these free and useful Windows Phone apps, including My Car, Park It and Car Dash.

"Spider-Man Unlimited" for Windows Phone.
“Spider-Man Unlimited” for Windows Phone.

This week on the Microsoft Facebook page, we introduced the Universal Mobile Keyboard that works on iOS, Android and Windows tablets.

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Microsoft Universal Mobile Keyboard.

Thanks for joining us for this week’s edition of Weekend Reading. Have a great weekend, and maybe we’ll see you around the blocks – in “Minecraft.”

Posted by Suzanne Choney
Microsoft News Center Staff

 

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