Microsoft Announces New Mice and Keyboards Designed for Windows 8

Press release:

Microsoft Announces New Mice and Keyboards Designed for Windows 8

July 30, 2012

Latest mice and keyboards are the natural choice for mobility and productivity in Windows.

inShare8

REDMOND, Wash. — July 30, 2012 — For the past 30 years, Microsoft Corp. has introduced hardware that helps people interact better and more easily with Windows. Today, Microsoft Hardware continues the tradition with the introduction of new products that work beautifully with Windows 8.

Wedge Touch Mouse

Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse packs full functionality into an ultracompact frame that’s great for a mobile lifestyle. Small enough to fit in your pocket, the Wedge Touch Mouse is designed to complement your Windows experience in all its forms, providing four-way touch scrolling and navigation at your fingertips.

• Its artful and minimalist design also comes free of cables or USB transceivers — you simply turn it on and connect it to your Bluetooth-enabled laptop or tablet for a clutter-free experience.

• It features BlueTrack Technology so you can use it on virtually any surface, whether you’re in a conference room, a coffee shop or at home on your couch.*

• It includes Backpack Mode to power down and sleep along with the computer it’s paired to, extending battery life.

• Pricing: estimated retail price of US$69.95.

Wedge Mobile Keyboard

The new ultraslim Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard brings full-size keyboard comfort, efficiency and speed to a tablet. Designed specifically for tablet users, Wedge Mobile Keyboard includes some of the most commonly used features, such as Windows Hot Keys and built-in media keys.

• The lightweight design makes it easy to carry, and its full-sized keyset provides a comfortable experience that makes typing a breeze.

• Its durable cover not only helps protect your keyboard from scratches but also quickly converts into a tablet stand. When you’re done using it, simply snap the cover back on the keyboard to power it down before you stash it in your bag.

• Bluetooth technology lets you wirelessly connect to your tablet without a cable or transceiver.

• Pricing: estimated retail price of US$79.95.

Sculpt Touch Mouse

Designed to provide comfort matched with portability, the Microsoft Sculpt Touch Mouse is a great solution for smooth and easy navigation with a Windows 8-based PC.

• With a four-way touch scroll strip, you can breeze up and down, left and right, and through applications and documents with a simple finger swipe, making it great for navigating the Windows 8 Start screen.

• Sculpt Touch Mouse uses Bluetooth technology, so you can wirelessly connect to your tablet without a cable or transceiver.

• Pricing: estimated retail price of US$49.95.

Sculpt Mobile Keyboard

The Microsoft Sculpt Mobile Keyboard provides an ideal balance of mobility, comfort and productivity. A full-size keyboard with Microsoft’s Comfort Curve design and Bluetooth connectivity, the Sculpt Mobile Keyboard is built to be the ideal travel companion.

• At just more than one pound, the keyboard is perfect for on-the-go computing with high-quality construction built for travel.

• Its Comfort Curve design helps position the hands and wrists in a natural and comfortable resting position.

• Battery-saving technology powers the keyboard down into sleep mode after a period of inactivity. The keyboard wakes up and reconnects with the simple tap of a key.

• Pricing: estimated retail price of US$49.95.

Touch Mouse — Updated Gesture Settings for Windows 8

As promised, the Microsoft Touch Mouse will obtain updated functionality specifically designed for Windows 8 with new gesture settings to easily navigate the new UI.

• One-finger swipes allow customers to move naturally and intuitively side to side or up and down, shifting content on screen.

• Two-finger movements manage apps, switch through open apps and show app commands.

• Three fingers allow customers to zoom in and out.

• Thumb gestures navigate backward and forward within apps.

• Pricing: estimated retail price of US$79.95.

Beginning with the introduction of the Microsoft Mouse, the Microsoft Hardware Group has designed its hardware to specifically light up features in Windows. Optimized for Windows 8, Microsoft’s new lineup of mice and keyboards are loaded with features including Bluetooth connectivity, BlueTrack Technology for tracking on virtually any surface,* and specific functionality that gives customers a fast and fluid way to navigate in their world with Windows 8. The hardware is designed by Microsoft and optimized for Windows, desktop, laptop and tablet so users can have the best computing experience for any lifestyle.

“Our new mice and keyboards really light up Windows, providing fast and fluid navigation, increased productivity, and enhanced mobility packaged in sleek, stylish designs,” said Brett Kelleran, general manager, Microsoft Hardware. “Microsoft Hardware is designed by Microsoft, optimized for Windows.”

From desktop and notebook to ultrabook and tablet PCs, Microsoft’s newest accessories are the perfect companion for Windows.

Product Availability

All products will be available soon at the online Microsoft Store and through other retailers.

More information about these and other Microsoft Hardware products can be found athttp://www.microsoft.com/hardware.

About Microsoft Hardware

For 30 years, the Hardware Group has employed innovative engineering, cutting-edge industrial design and extensive usability testing to create products of exceptional quality and durability that enhance the software experience and strengthen the connection between customers and their PCs. Microsoft Hardware leads the industry in ergonomic engineering, industrial design and hardware/software compatibility, offering customers an easier, more convenient and more enjoyable computing experience. More information about Microsoft Hardware is available athttp://www.microsoft.com/hardware and http://www.microsofthardwareblog.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* BlueTrack Technology does not work on clear glass or mirrored surfaces.

Seton Hall University Students Powered by Windows 8

Press release:

Seton Hall University Students Powered by Windows 8

July 26, 2012

Seton Hall provides Windows 8 and Windows Phone devices and Microsoft Office 365 for education to incoming freshmen and returning juniors in 2012 and beyond.

inShare97

REDMOND, Wash. — July 26, 2012 — Beginning with the class of 2016, Seton Hall University will provide incoming freshmen with Windows 8 to help create a new and dynamic learning environment and better prepare students to enter the workforce after graduation. The university also made the decision to standardize on Windows to help reduce its IT support and mitigate ongoing maintenance costs while also providing comprehensive security, reliability and management across thousands of devices.

“We have a responsibility to give all our students access to the technology they need to be successful learners today, as well as future leaders in the workplace,” said Dr. Gabriel Esteban, president, Seton Hall University. “By putting the most advanced mobile computing system in the hands of all of our students, regardless of prior experience or socio-economic background, we are leveling the playing field and creating opportunities for tomorrow’s servant leaders.”

Seton Hall University has been at the forefront of using technology to expand the impact of education and accelerate students’ growth for the past 14 years through the school’s Mobile Computing Program, which provides a standard laptop to all its undergraduates as part of their tuition and fees. However, incoming freshman and returning juniors this year will receive Samsung Series 7 tablets or Samsung Series 5 ultrabooks running Windows 8. More than 1,200 students have already received this technology, and when school resumes this fall, nearly 2,500 students will be using Windows 8 devices as part of their academic experience.

“From students’ perspectives, Windows 8 delivers an environment that allows them to be as productive as possible,” said Stephen Landry, chief information officer, Seton Hall. “They want integration of their tablet experience with their desktop experience, and products like Microsoft Office 365 for education help make that possible. Other devices out there have the form factor and battery life, but miss the mark on offering efficient content creation and consumption.”

Along with tablet and laptop devices, Seton Hall has also equipped incoming freshmen with the Windows Phone-based Nokia Lumia 900 and Office 365 for education. Windows Phone aids students with seamless integration with the students’ Windows 8 desktop environment, providing them with access to familiar programs and documents on both devices. These tools make the process of keeping up on academic work and connecting with other students and professors effortless.

Seton Hall will also upgrade the entire campus to Office 365 for education, Microsoft’s communications and collaboration cloud suite, which provides email, shared calendars, Microsoft Office Web Apps (such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint), video and online meeting capabilities, and document sharing to academic institutions. This will ensure that not just students, but also faculty and staff have a familiar user experience across all their devices, allowing for greater productivity and teamwork, no matter what compatible device they are working on at any given time.

“Windows 8 provides us with the ability to manage thousands of devices on our campus network that other operating systems just didn’t provide,” Landry said. “We couldn’t manage these devices without the help and the tools that Microsoft has provided.”

“Microsoft really has the right vision for creating a dynamic learning environment for students,” Landry said. “With Windows 8, students can create and collaborate seamlessly with each other, regardless of the device they have with them.”

Find more information, news and perspectives from Seton Hall University athttp://www.shu.edu/go/mobile.

More information about how organizations are turning to Microsoft technology is available on the Microsoft Customer Spotlight newsroom.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Microsoft Announces Availability of Windows 8 Release Preview

News release:

Microsoft Announces Availability of Windows 8 Release Preview

May 31, 2012

Windows Upgrade Offer introduced, which gives consumers a path to Windows 8 upon general availability.

inShare105

REDMOND, Wash. — May 31, 2012 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of the Windows 8 Release Preview, the next milestone of the highly anticipated Windows 8 operating system. Available for download today in 14 languages at http://preview.windows.com, the Windows 8 Release Preview delivers a fast and fluid experience, along with a new user interface that responds equally well to touch as it does to keyboard and mouse. Since the February release of Windows 8 Consumer Preview, which was downloaded more than 1 million times in the first 24 hours, Windows 8 has become the most tested Microsoft operating system of all time, and with today’s release, it enters its final phase of development before it releases to manufacturing.

“We’re thrilled to be at this milestone with the Windows 8 Release Preview,” said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft.

New Apps Provide an Even Richer Experience

Windows 8 Release Preview delivers new apps from Microsoft and partners. Highlights include Bing Travel, News and Sports apps, as well as Gaming and Music Xbox apps that integrate with your Zune pass. The Windows 8 Release Preview also features notable improvements to the Mail, Photos and People apps that initially debuted with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. In addition, Microsoft has worked closely with its partners to deliver apps from around the world through the Windows Store.

Beyond the new apps from Microsoft and partners, customers testing the Windows 8 Release Preview will also experience tens of thousands of refinements across the product, such as increased personalization options for the Start screen, improved multimonitor support, refinements to the way people find and download apps through the Windows Store, and new Family Safety features. The new Internet Explorer 10 redefines browsing, particularly for touch-enabled devices. The Web is as fast and fluid as any app, and with new capabilities in the Windows 8 Release Preview such as “flip ahead,” it is just as intuitive. A touch-friendly and power-optimized Adobe Flash Player is now integrated into Internet Explorer 10, and it is also the first browser to feature Do Not Track “on” by default, giving customers more choice and control over their privacy.

The Path to Windows 8

Beginning June 2, 2012, Microsoft will roll out the Windows Upgrade Offer in 131 markets, including the U.S. and Canada. Consumers who buy eligible Windows 7-based PCs through Jan. 31, 2013, can purchase an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for an estimated retail price of $14.99 (U.S.) during the time of the promotion. More information about the Windows Upgrade Offer will be available June 1. In addition to the Windows Upgrade Offer designed for consumers buying new Windows 7-based PCs, Microsoft will also announce other offers in the coming months that will help consumers with existing Windows 7-based PCs upgrade to Windows 8 when it is generally available.

In the next month, Microsoft will further detail the value Windows 8 brings to businesses at TechEd North America. More information about Windows 8 and how to download the Windows 8 Release Preview is available at http://preview.windows.com.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Some information relates to a prerelease product, which may be substantially modified before it is commercially released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.