Category Archives: Technology

Got Product Questions? Microsoft Has Answers – More Than 500,000 per Day

*Every day more than half a million people visit Microsoft Answers to get their burning Microsoft product questions answered. The company’s recently refreshed question-and-answer forum brings together consumers, experts and technical enthusiasts into a single online community.*

REDMOND, Wash. – April 4, 2011 – Ever since he retired in 2005, Ronnie Vernon’s time has been his own. The former heavy equipment instructor gets to spend his days doing exactly what he likes to do. So each morning he fires up his computer, heads to the Microsoft Answers site, and settles in for a long day answering questions about Windows.

Vernon can’t quite explain why he spends up to 12 hours a day offering strangers tech support. “Over the years I’ve tried to figure out why people do what they do with volunteering, but I never came up with a good explanation,” said Vernon, a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) community leader recognized by Microsoft for actively sharing his real world technical expertise with consumers. “Basically, you have some knowledge, you see some people who have problems, and you just like to help.” (more…)

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Microsoft Ready to Turn Advertising Upside Down

*Microsoft is “just scratching the surface” of what’s coming in digital advertising, said CEO Steve Ballmer. He spoke at Imagine 2011, the company’s advertising and marketing thought leadership conference.*

REDMOND, Wash. – March 31, 2011 – While Microsoft Advertising was busy on Wednesday helping T-Mobile stream a live Ellie Goulding concert across three screens, a first for both companies, CEO Steve Ballmer was thinking of the next big opportunity in advertising.

Microsoft has “a deep drive, commitment, and a lot of great work going on in all of our great brands to let our clients and consumers take advantage of the next generation of technology,” said Ballmer, speaking Wednesday at Microsoft’s Imagine 2011 marketing leadership summit. (more…)

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3 of 4 Online Users in New Zealand Watch Online Video

*Males Spend 64 Percent More Time Viewing Online Video than Females*  

*comScore Releases Latest Online Video Rankings for New Zealand* 

Auckland, New Zealand, March 30, 2011 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released its latest study of online video viewing habits in New Zealand based on data from the comScore Video Metrix service, which was launched in New Zealand earlier this year. The report found that 2.1 million online users in New Zealand watched online video in February 2011, representing 77 percent of the total online population. Google Sites led the market as the top online video property, driven largely by viewership at YouTube.com. 

“Video viewing is an important and growing online activity for New Zealanders, with online viewers watching more than one video every day on average,” said Amy Weinberger, comScore vice president for Australia and New Zealand. “Online video offers an especially engaging experience for consumers that translates into the potential for high quality advertising impressions from desirable audiences that can be delivered at scale.”  (more…)

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UNI/CARE Moves Electronic Health Record for Connected Health and Human Services Onto Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011

*Microsoft alliance will extend combined offering to its network of partners.* 

SARASOTA, Fla., and REDMOND, Wash. — March 29, 2011 — Microsoft Corp. and UNI/CARE Systems today announced they will work together to enhance coordinated care and information sharing in health and human services by pairing UNI/CARE’s Pro-Filer™ 2011 electronic health record (EHR) with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011.

Pro-Filer 2011 is an ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies fully certified EHR for public and behavioral health, utilized across approximately 500 agencies in 42 states. With Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, the combined technology platform will break down silos across agencies, departments and programs, such as behavioral health, public health, child and family services, primary care, and corrections and rehabilitation, to facilitate collaboration, coordinate services, help improve quality and outcomes, and enhance efficiencies. (more…)

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India Turns to the Web for the Latest Updates During 2011 Cricket World Cup

*India vs. South Africa Match Drives More than 1.4 Million Visitors to ESPNCricInfo.com in India*  

Mumbai, India, March 28, 2011 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released results from a study of Internet traffic to cricket websites during the 2011 Cricket World Cup. The report found that the tournament caused a surge in visitation to cricket sites in India as fans went online for the latest results and match updates. Sites reached their highest volume of traffic for the month during the week ending March 13, with 16.4 percent of India’s online population visiting ESPNCricInfo.com and 13.4 percent of web users visiting Yahoo! Cricket.  (more…)

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New Kindle Exclusive: 91 Books from Bestselling British Author Dame Catherine Cookson Now Available in the Kindle Store

*The majority of full-length novels from one of the most prolific and successful British authors of all time are available for Kindle and Kindle app customers*

SEATTLE, Mar 28, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Amazon.com today announced that 91 titles from Dame Catherine Cookson are now available as e-books for the first time, exclusively in the Kindle Store (www.amazon.com/kindlestore). The collection of titles, including some which are out of print, represents the majority of the full-length novels from one of the UK’s most-read novelists. These books, which are published by The Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust in conjunction with Peach Publishing, are available from $1.50-$5.99 and can be downloaded exclusively by Kindle and Kindle app customers. All 91 titles are available exclusively to U.S. and international customers on Amazon.com, and to U.K. customers on Amazon.co.uk. (more…)

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Study Reveals Microsoft Partner Ecosystem Revenues of $580 Billion in 2010

*Leading analyst firm points to opportunities for Microsoft partners both in cloud computing and with current Microsoft products.*

REDMOND, Wash. — March 24, 2011 — Today, global research firm IDC issued a new white paper which estimates that members of the worldwide Microsoft ecosystem generated local revenues for themselves of $580 billion in 2010, up from $537 billion in 2009 and $475 billion in 2007. This demonstrates strong revenue growth when total worldwide IT spending increased less than half a percent, and validates the substantial opportunities and benefits available through the Microsoft Partner Network, the program that equips Microsoft partners with training, resources and support they need to successfully compete in today’s marketplace while allowing customers to easily identify the right partner for their technology needs.

Through the Microsoft Partner Network https://partner.microsoft.com, partners can extend their market reach for greater opportunities and profitability while delivering innovative solutions to help customers achieve their business goals. The IDC study estimates that for every dollar of revenue made by Microsoft Corp. in 2009, local members of the Microsoft ecosystem generated revenues for themselves of $8.70. In an additional study on Microsoft Core Infrastructure Optimization, IDC found that partners that invested in more difficult or a greater number of Microsoft competencies enjoyed 68 percent larger deals and 28 percent more revenue per employee, compared with partners that invested less. (more…)

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