Back-to-School season is an opportunity for learners of all ages to expand their knowledge and get discounted access to valuable tools they can put to work every day. Until August 13 at 11:59 p.m. PST, you can get a lifetime license for Microsoft Office for Windows and a free business course from a renowned instructor. 

The tools you use to work and learn may not always be budget-friendly, even if they’re essential to your ongoing productivity. For those who rely on Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or any other apps in the Office Suite, subscription fees can feel like the constant cost of basic computer operations. 

This Back-to-School season, focus on your learning without focusing on a recurring cost. Get a Microsoft Office Pro 2021 Windows Lifetime License for $39.97, and enjoy a free business course with your purchase. You’ll have to act quickly since this price drop only lasts until August 13 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

Get Microsoft Office for life with no recurring costs 

Dedicate yourself to learning without a monthly subscription fee like what you’d be paying to get Microsoft 365. This lifetime license for MS Office Pro 2021, which boasts a 4.2-star rating from PCMag, allows you to install Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams (free version), OneNote, Publisher, Access, and Skype for Business on one Windows computer or PC for life. 

Make sure your computer meets the minimum requirements to download. You must have at least 4GB disk space and be running Windows 10 or 11. If you need to upgrade your operating system, low-cost Windows 11 Pro keys are available. 

This bundle also comes with a course taught by Chris Haroun, a well-known venture capitalist and instructor of business and finance-related courses. While this course will not replace the information you would get from a formal MBA, it does make some of the same content more accessible by showing you how to launch a new business, craft presentations, and pitch ideas. 

Learn more about investing, presenting, and more

Make the most out of a season of learning, and invest in lifelong access to tools that could expand your horizons.

Until August 13 at 11:59 p.m. PST, get a Microsoft Office Pro 2021 for Windows Lifetime License and a Free Entire MBA in 1 Course for just $39.97. No coupon needed. 

Prices subject to change.

Microsoft Takes on Cancer

Earlier this year, Microsoft launched Healthcare NExT, a new initiative that aims to bring together artificial intelligence, health research, and the expertise of its industry partners in order to provide people with the means to live healthier lives and cure deadly disease. In a blog post detailing the initiative, Microsoft noted how few other industries have the problems as complex as that of health care, though the company believes it can make headway by incorporating new innovative technology.

"It’s a big challenge," said Peter Lee, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft Research NExT. "But we believe technology – specifically the cloud, AI and collaboration and business optimization tools – will be central to health care transformation."

As reported by Digital Journal, Microsoft is expanding Healthcare NExT to cancer research in an effort to further work done to find a cure or effective treatment for the disease. However, it's approaching cancer research as a tech company instead of a medical one — it sees living cells as something similar to computers, with diseases like cancer akin to glitches in the system. Extrapolated to this abstract point, this means Microsoft also views cancer cells as something that can be reprogrammed instead of destroyed; deleted instead of killed off.

Using Machine Learning to Strengthen Treatment

Microsoft's cancer research is conducted at one of its biological computation labs in Cambridge, UK. Last year, a group of researches revealed their ongoing work to develop a computer system that would live inside human cells and restart the system if cancer cells were detected, thereby cleaning out the afflicted cells. Other projects included using machine learning to Strengthen tumor scanning, to better organize patient data, and to discover better treatments.

“If you look at the combination of things that Microsoft does really well, then it makes perfect sense for Microsoft to be in this industry,” said Andrew Phillips, head of the biological computation research group at Microsoft’s Cambridge lab, in a Microsoft Story Labs post. “We can use methods that we’ve developed for programming computers to program biology, and then unlock even more applications and even better treatments."

Pharmaphorum has compared Microsoft's efforts to IBM's use of Watson to combat cancer. Watson, which also uses machine learning and AI, was shown to recommend the same treatments as doctors, and is being used in former VP Joe Biden's moonshot initiative to fight cancer. As we know, machine learning can be invaluable when it comes to sorting through tons of data. Cancer research is no different, as we've already seen it used to identify breast lesions that may develop into cancer.

Ambitious Goals for the Cure

Discovering a cure for cancer is an ambitious goal to take on, and it remains to be seen how cancer research will be improved with Microsoft's involvement. That said, Microsoft has expressed a desire to "empower every person and organization to achieve more." If it can maintain that drive and focus, who knows what the company will develop.

"We are incredibly energized about the opportunities to make a difference in health care," said Microsoft. "We’ve been listening carefully to our customers and partners within the health care sector, and we’ve heard their message: Let’s work together, innovate together and create solutions that can empower people to lead healthier lives."

© 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Microsoft has signed a 15-year deal to license Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft in its latest bid to win antitrust approval for its $68.7 billion acquisition.

“In January 2022, Microsoft announced the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard to advance our goal to bring more creative and innovative games to players everywhere and on any device, said Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, in announcing the deal. “Today, we are taking another important step regarding this transaction. To address the concerns about the impact of the proposed acquisition on cloud game streaming raised by the UK Competition and Markets Authority, we are restructuring the transaction to acquire a narrower set of rights.”

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick also praised the agreement and said the integration plan is proceeding.

The United Kingdom is the last country where antitrust clearance is needed for the deal to go through. One of its concerns was whether Microsoft would have a monopoly on cloud streaming technology.

“This includes executing an agreement effective at the closing of our merger that transfers the cloud streaming rights for all current and new Activision Blizzard PC and console games released over the next 15 years to Ubisoft Entertainment. The rights will be in perpetuity,” Smith said.

“As a result of the agreement with Ubisoft, Microsoft believes its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard presents a substantially different transaction under UK law than the transaction Microsoft submitted for the CMA’s consideration in 2022. As such, Microsoft today has notified the restructured transaction to the CMA and anticipates that the CMA review processes can be completed before the 90-day extension in its acquisition agreement with Activision Blizzard expires on October 18,” Smith added.

Under the restructured transaction, Microsoft will not be in a position either to release Activision Blizzard games exclusively on its own cloud streaming service—Xbox Cloud Gaming – or to exclusively control the licensing terms of Activision Blizzard games for rival services, Smith said.

The agreement provides Ubisoft with a unique opportunity to commercialize the distribution of games via cloud streaming. The agreement will enable Ubisoft to innovate and encourage different business models in the licensing and pricing of these games on cloud streaming services worldwide. Ubisoft will compensate Microsoft for the cloud streaming rights to Activision Blizzard’s games through a one-off payment and through a market-based wholesale pricing mechanism, including an option that supports pricing based on usage. It will also provide Ubisoft the opportunity to offer Activision Blizzard’s games to cloud gaming services running non-Windows operating systems.

Smith also said, “Of importance, Microsoft’s obligations to provide cloud streaming rights in the European Economic Area remain in place, in full compliance with Microsoft’s commitments to the European Commission. The agreement with Ubisoft has been structured so that Microsoft will still acquire the rights needed to honor fully its legal obligations under its commitments to the European Commission, as well as its existing contractual obligations to other cloud game streaming providers, including Nvidia, Boosteroid, Ubitus, and Nware. Microsoft is engaging closely with the European Commission to support the EC’s assessment of the agreement and confirmation that the commitments remain undisturbed.”

Rivals like Sony and Nintendo have also signed deals, and in a trial that Microsoft won, Sony voiced its objections to Microsoft gaining a monopoly over Call of Duty. The transaction has been approved in more than 40 countries, and Microsoft said it will be good for players and the industry.

Ubisoft said these rights will further strengthen Ubisoft’s content offering through its subscription service Ubisoft+, as well as allowing Ubisoft to license streaming access of the Activision Blizzard catalog of games, including future releases, to cloud gaming companies, service providers, and console makers. This will help expand access for players across all streaming services, the French company said.

“We’re dedicated to delivering amazing experiences to our players wherever they choose to play,” said Chris Early, senior vice president of strategic partnerships and business development at Ubisoft. “Over the past 15 years we’ve built and honed our online services and distribution ecosystem into one of the most complete in the industry. Today’s deal will provide players even more opportunities to access and enjoy some of the biggest brands in gaming.”