Welcome back to another edition of Weekend Reading! We bring you stories about IFA 2015, fast-rising Microsoft exec Christina Chen and the latest wave of apps releasing through the Microsoft Garage.
IFA 2015, a leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances taking place in Germany, is showcasing new Windows 10 devices and featured Nick Parker, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s OEM Division, as its keynote speaker on Friday. “Windows 10 Lights Up New Devices” showcased many of the new devices, including tablets, 2-in-1s, premium notebooks, gaming devices and all-in-ones that will light up the Windows 10. Catch up on Parker’s post and more of this week’s news from the event at Blogging Windows.
Christina Chen, a fast-rising star at Microsoft, was recently named by Business Insider as one of the “most powerful women engineers in the world.” She is the general manager for Microsoft’s Emerging Devices Experiences team, building apps for new devices. She recently shipped four high-profile apps for wearables that some might call emblematic of a new, cross-platform era at Microsoft. And on top of that, she is responsible for fostering innovation within her larger organization through incubation, open sharing and code reuse. Check out her profile by the Stories team.
Snip, Keyboard for Excel and Snap to Pin are the three projects in the latest wave of releases from the Microsoft Garage. All are highly focused on improving core productivity tasks – such as screenshots with voice notes, number entry and saving articles for later reading – and making it easier for people to do things on the go. The Garage is dedicated to developing the hacking culture across Microsoft, and is the platform for Microsoft teams and individuals around the world to get cutting-edge apps and projects out to the public.
The Beagle Freedom Project became Microsoft’s 10th global nonprofit organization partner for the Upgrade Your World initiative. Its mission is to save the lives of laboratory animals and change the lives of people through rescue operations. Microsoft also announced that people can vote via social media for their favorite local nonprofit in 10 different countries for a chance to receive a donation. Announced with the July 29 launch of Windows 10, Upgrade Your World is a yearlong initiative that celebrates people and organizations doing great things, including a series of partnerships with 10 global and 100 local nonprofit organizations.
New and updated apps and games continue to pour into the Windows Store. There’s something for everyone amongst the Red Stripe Deals, the Indie Game Spotlight collection and the App of the Week, iHeartRadio for Windows 10. On Xbox One, “Mad Max” takes you into the lone warrior’s post-apocalyptic world at full speed, and over Labor Day weekend, Xbox Live Gold members can play “Evolve” for free this weekend. Also new in the Xbox world: the Xbox One Elite Bundle, unveiled Monday.
To kick off the week, we shared some Monday motivation from illustrator Hugh MacLeod. Follow along as we share more of his journey inside the heart and soul of Microsoft.
Hope you’re enjoying the end of summer! See you next week for another installment of Weekend Reading.
Posted by Athima Chansanchai
Microsoft News Center Staff