Makers have a passion for building things from things they just find interesting to solutions that make our lives easier. In support of that ideal we’d like to call all inventors, artists, hardware hackers, DIYers, Developers, and other builders of things that may one day end up changing the world, to show the world what you can create.
Microsoft supports the Maker community in many ways always with an eye towards helping you make the most out of today’s technologies. Whether you are in pursuit of the next big thing, or making for fun, we have a variety of tools and technologies to help; everything from building and managing IoT devices to doing predictive analyses with your data using machine learning. We are investing in maker communities and have solutions based on Windows and Azure that will help you analyze and act on previously untapped data. You’ll find support for a broad set of operating systems and protocols, and you’ll be able to get started quickly with preconfigured solutions.
Right now, we are in the midst of the world’s largest Arduino maker challenge. We’ve partnered with Hackster.io, Adafruit, Atmel and Arduino. To date there have been over 4000 participants submitting over 2000 ideas, and submissions will be accepted through March 25, 2016. Up to 1000 lucky makers who submit the best project ideas will win the newly released Arduino MKR1000 (US only) and Genuino MKR1000 (Outside US) boards. The MKR1000 is a small SoC (System on Chip) that combines the functionality of the Arduino Zero and Arduino Wi-Fi Shield, and if you win you’ll be one of the first people on Earth to get hold of this board. From these finalists, three big winners will be awarded trips to Maker Faires in either Shenzhen, New York, Bay Area or Rome plus a $500 gift certificate to Adafruit.
If you are an IoT developer, don’t miss this opportunity to show off your stuff. Many technology giants started in a garage and built something bigger. Share what you’ve created with a community of Makers and let’s see what we can build together.
Guggs