As a still-emerging and ever-evolving technology, the field of search has “every hard problem in computing,” Suchter says. It’s massive in scale, has complicated user interface design, low latency, and machine learning, and a lot of factors go into tackling these things. “It’s basically got every challenge except high complexity computer graphics, but with Bing’s rich visuals and animations, we’re getting there too,” Suchter says. “I lucked out getting into social search, this area that is pretty much the big thing going on.” Microsoft News Center (MNC) recently sat down for a conversation with Suchter and two of his team members, Tim Harrington and Paul Yiu, to talk Bing, social search and life in general. When people call Suchter a geek, he unabashedly and happily accepts the compliment. Apart from search, he delights in spending time with his wife, son and daughter, a kindergartner who is learning Mandarin. He also loves building things – bridges, bird houses, human houses – anything that “creates something from nothing.” Harrington, a senior software development engineer, helps develop social search features by day and by night switches gears to a more analog lifestyle – hiking, hanging out with friends, skiing. His wife is a ballet dancer in San Diego, so every third weekend he flies to visit her. Yiu, a program manager, is the crackup of the group – perhaps in part because he learned English primarily by watching American sitcoms. He loves spending time with his wife and child, entertaining friends at home, and has an analogy for just about any situation. MNC: How would you explain Bing’s social search features?

REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 16, 2012 — Microsoft Corp. today released new details about its highly anticipated Microsoft Surface, a tablet PC designed to be the ultimate stage for Windows. In addition to pricing and market availability, the company announced a special limited-quantity pre-order for Surface with Windows RT available 9 a.m. PDT. Those who want to learn more or pre-order can visit http://www.Surface.com.

Surface delivers the power of amazing software and the feel of premium hardware in one exciting experience. Originally unveiled in June, Surface with Windows RT will initially be available in three SKUs: a 32GB version priced at US$499, a 32GB version bundled with a black Touch Cover priced at US$599, and a 64GB version bundled with a black Touch Cover priced at US$699.

A variety of accessories will also be available, including Touch Covers in five vibrant colors — black, white, magenta, cyan and red — priced at US$119.99 so customers can express their personal style (1). Customers will also have the option to purchase a Type Cover in black for US$129.99, which adds moving keys for a more traditional typing feel.

Surface will be available for purchase beginning Oct. 26, 2012, at all Microsoft Store locations in the United States and Canada, including in all 34 new holiday stores. In addition, Surface will be available for sale online in eight markets across the world: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and the United States. See Surface.com for more details.

Additional Product Information — Surface With Windows RT

• Software - Surface with Windows RT comes with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview (2) (which includes Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote)

• Exterior - 10.81 x 6.77 x 0.37 inches, 1.5 pounds, VaporMg casing, dark titanium color, volume and power buttons

• Storage - 32 GB (3); 64 GB

• CPU - NVIDIA T30, 2 GB of RAM

• Wireless - Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0 technology

• Cameras - Two 720p HD cameras, front- and rear-facing

• Audio - Two microphones, stereo speakers

• Ports - Full-size USB 2.0, microSDXC card slot, headset jack, HD video out port, cover port

• Sensors - Ambient light sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass

• Power Supply - 24W power supply

• Warranty - One-year limited hardware warranty

• Apps (included) - Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview (2) (Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote), Windows Mail and Windows Messaging, SkyDrive, Windows Internet Explorer 10, Bing, Xbox Music, Xbox Video, and Xbox Games

Those interested in learning more or pre-ordering can visit http://www.Surface.com or follow Surface on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Surface and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/surface.

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

1) Available Touch Cover colors may vary by market.

2) Final Office version will be installed via Windows Update when available (free download, ISP fees apply). Some features and programs unsupported. See http://office.com/officeRT.

3) 1 GB = 1 billion bytes; formatted storage capacity may be less.

For more information, press only:

Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, 1 (503) 443-7070, rrt@waggeneredstrom.com

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

REDMOND, Wash., and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Oct. 16, 2012 — Microsoft Corp. and StorSimple Inc. today announced that Microsoft has reached a definitive agreement to acquire StorSimple, a leader in Cloud-integrated Storage (CiS) solutions. The addition of CiS will advance Microsoft’s Cloud OS vision and help customers more efficiently embrace hybrid cloud computing.

“Customers faced with explosive growth in data are looking to the cloud to help them store, manage and archive that data. But, to be effective, cloud storage needs to integrate with IT’s current investments,” said Michael Park, corporate vice president, Server and Tools Division for Microsoft. “StorSimple’s approach helps customers seamlessly integrate on-premises storage with cloud storage through intelligent automation and management.”

StorSimple solutions combine the data management functions of primary storage, backup, archive and disaster recovery with cloud integration, enabling customers to optimize storage costs, data protection and service agility. With its unique cloud snapshot capability, StorSimple automatically protects and rapidly restores production data using public clouds. Large enterprises across many vertical markets, including retail, oil and gas, manufacturing, consumer goods, healthcare, and financial services, have made their first public cloud deployments using StorSimple.

“Most StorSimple customers are mainstream IT organizations that have chosen Windows Azure as their primary cloud. We are excited to continue to work with Microsoft and bring the combined benefits of StorSimple and Windows Azure to customers around the world,” said Ursheet Parikh, co-founder and CEO, StorSimple.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Additional Resources

Microsoft Azure blog

StorSimple blog

Video gallery

About StorSimple

StorSimple (www.StorSimple.com) is the leader in cloud-integrated storage for Windows. StorSimple securely and transparently integrates cloud storage for on-premises applications and offers a single appliance that delivers high-performance tiered local and cloud storage, live archiving, cloud-based data protection and disaster recovery. StorSimple has uniquely achieved the most stringent “Certified for Windows Server 2008” and was named the Microsoft BizSpark Partner of the Year 2011. StorSimple appliances were named 2011 Products of the Year in the Storage Systems category by Storage Magazine/SearchStorage.com.

For more information, visit www.StorSimple.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.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 15, 2012 — Tradedoubler, one of the market leaders in performance-based marketing and technology, has implemented Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, using Microsoft Corp. partner Kentor for implementation, to drive more cross-market sales and to save administrative costs.

After evaluating multiple solutions, Tradedoubler chose Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online because it provides easy access, is consistently up and running, and includes safety features. In addition, the solution integrated well with the company’s existing systems. It is one of the first and biggest Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online installations in Sweden, covering 500 users in 19 countries.

“After growing rapidly and expanding across Europe, we realized that there were differences in client data management, and we needed to become more sales-focused at an international level to continue the next phase of growth for Tradedoubler,” said Marcel Chaudron, director of Operational Excellence at Tradedoubler. “Now we have real-time insight as to what is happening in the market. Whether in Germany or Spain, thanks to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, we all have the same processes and access to information.”

Tradedoubler arranges and optimizes advertisements between advertisers and media agencies. Its extensive network of more than 2,000 advertisers and 140,000 publishers has a unique reach in Europe.

“Fundamentally, if our customers make money, we make money; therefore, it is critical that our data management is second to none,” Chaudron said.

Tradedoubler wanted a global, safe and large supplier. The company needed a platform that worked well with its other in-house systems, and a security-enhanced cloud solution was also important. Tradedoubler already worked with Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office and Microsoft SharePoint, so it wanted the same look and feel as well as seamless integration.

“Previously, Tradedoubler managers spent time and energy bringing disparate information from sales teams together into one coherent sales forecast,” said Anders Burestig, manager of Business Solutions at Kentor, the company that implemented the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online system for Tradedoubler. “Now they can do it all in one system, providing real-time insight. This one common CRM cloud-based system for Tradedoubler, one of the first and biggest cloud-based systems in Europe, proves that it works for fast-growing companies.”

“We are more sales-focused as a result,” Chaudron said. “Now we have real-time insight and can follow sales processes in all our markets.” More information about Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is available on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online website, more information about how organizations are turning to Microsoft technology is available in the Microsoft Customer Spotlight newsroom.

About Tradedoubler

Tradedoubler is a performance-based digital marketing and technology company. Tradedoubler helps its 2,000 advertiser clients reach their business goals via its network of over 140,000 publishers, improving their digital marketing results, both online and on mobile.

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.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.