Microsoft today announced the availability of version 1.0 of the Kinect for Windows SDK and runtime. Distribution partners in twelve launch countries are starting to ship Kinect for Windows hardware, enabling companies to start to deploy their solutions. The suggested retail price is $249, and later this year, Microsoft will offer special academic pricing of $149 for Qualified Educational Users. Version 1.0 includes many improvements over the prior beta version: Support for up to four Kinect sensors plugged into the [...]

TechStars, recently recognized as the No. 1 startup accelerator in the world, and Microsoft are working together to help startups fast-track their businesses. TechStars today announced an enhanced relationship with Microsoft through the new BizSpark Plus program for accelerators and incubators. The enhanced program allows TechStars accelerators in Boulder, Colo.; Boston; New York; Seattle; and Texas to offer each of their startups up to $60,000 (U.S.) of Windows Azure compute and storage over a 24-month period, at no cost. BizSpark [...]

Looking for some great events where you can learn and network in the New Year? Look no further, as we’re hosting a variety of events to help you stay connected in 2012. For a complete listing of events, please click here or follow along via RSS. 1.) Kinect User Group (1/23, 6:30pm) Join us for the soft launch of the Kinect user group! We’re looking forward to hearing your ideas and feedback to help influence our future meetups, including the [...]

We’re thrilled to announce three leading researchers who will be joining danah boyd and the social media research team at Microsoft Research New England in Cambridge, Mass. Microsoft Research has some of the strongest computer science research in the world. As the world changes and our business expands, there’s a much broader range of research questions that we need to address beyond the technology itself, including how we use that technology, why we want to use that technology and how different [...]

Today, an expert construction crew from Medway, completed the installation of a Microsoft sign atop One Cambridge Center in Kendall Square. One Cambridge Center, a short walk from One Memorial Drive, is home to our Microsoft Advertising teams, partners Dogpatch Labs and TechStars and will be the future home for our Waltham-based sales, marketing and services employees as well as the Microsoft Technology Center (MTC). The new sign is designed to help guide visiting guests, customers and partners to One [...]

At Microsoft, we have the privilege of working with many leading non-profit organizations to support the local community. This holiday season, we are partnering with local non-profit organization, Cradles to Crayons, to help serve the 305,000 children living in poverty in Massachusetts. The mission of Cradles to Crayons is to provide homeless and low-income children with the key essentials they need to feel safe, warm, ready to learn, and valued. The New England winter season is just beginning and it [...]

On November 3rd, we were thrilled to partner with MITX and The Commonwealth Institute (TCI) to host The Successful You, a full-day forum that provided mid to senior level women from the greater Boston area with a clear and practical understanding of how to achieve continued success in their careers. As our second annual forum, our goal this year was to help attendees foster mentoring relationships and gain tangible skills to apply to their careers. We also expanded the program [...]

We have a fantastic lineup of events scheduled at NERD between now and the end of 2011. Ranging from meetups to roundtables to hackathons there are 38 unique event opportunities to learn and network during these next six weeks. Below is a sampling – we hope that you will join us! Lean Startup Circle Boston November Meetup (11/17/2011 at 6:30PM) On the final Thursday of each month, the Lean Startup Circle Boston meets to discuss a variety of topics related [...]

Guest post by Barbara Heffner – Room to Read Boston Chapter Leader: “We are too poor to afford education. But until we have education we will always be poor.” ~ Nepalese Headmaster In 1998, John Wood was serving as Microsoft’s director of marketing for the Asia-Pacific Division. Before moving on to a new posting in China, John took a vacation that changed his life. Trekking through a remote Himalayan village, he struck up conversation with a school headmaster, who invited [...]

We are thrilled to share the news that on Thursday October 27th, 2011, Microsoft was recognized as the No. 1 Global Workplace by the prestigious Great Places to Work Institute at a ceremony held in New York City. Rankings in the survey were determined based on anonymous feedback from employees and managers from thousands of companies across six continents. “This list recognizes global companies that have demonstrated a truly serious commitment to creating workplaces that foster trust, pride and camaraderie [...]