REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal
Caribbean Cruises International is providing its 40,000 crew
members with Windows 8.1 tablets. Crew members of Royal Caribbean's
newest ship, Quantum of the Seas, will be the first to receive the
8-inch Windows-based tablets built by HEXA for the cruise line. The
tablets will feature services such as Bing, Skype, Office 365 and
OneDrive. Rollout will begin in October and is expected to be
completed by the end of December with every shipboard employee in
the Royal Caribbean fleet receiving a tablet.
Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO
of Royal Caribbean Cruises, made the announcement Monday in
Papenburg, Germany, at a
technology reveal of the Quantum of the Seas, a new ship reimagined
with technology to take the vacation experience to a whole new
level. Fain said, "The Royal Caribbean men and women who provide
such great vacations are the real heroes of our fleet, and these
gifts demonstrate our appreciation in a tangible way. This
technology isn't only about giving our guests a better vacation —
it's about giving our crew and their families a closer connection
than we've ever been able to."
The Windows tablets will enable crew members to keep in closer
contact with family members and friends while away from home. With
a personal tablet, crew members will be able to keep family members
up to date by talking face-to-face via Skype, sharing photos on
OneDrive and getting things done with Office 365. With Windows 8.1,
the device provides a modern, touch-friendly experience that will
easily accommodate the active and mobile lifestyle of crew
members.
"Royal Caribbean is using technology to transform experiences
for guests and crew members, and we're thrilled to partner with
them on their journey. Microsoft cloud and mobile technologies are
going to help Royal Caribbean crew members who represent so many
countries around the world stay in touch with their family and
friends," said Jane Boulware, vice
president of U.S. Windows Devices. "With a tablet in hand, a father
can attend a parent-teacher conference, a mother can review her
son's book report and friends can check each other's Facebook
posts."
The Quantum of the Seas will include Microsoft technology
onboard as well. Guests aboard the Quantum will be able to take
advantage of Xbox One consoles on board to play games with friends
around the world or enjoy entertainment at sea — all available for
the first time through Xbox Live and via the ship's unprecedented
connectivity. The new ship also will leverage a mobile
point-of-sale system that is powered by sleek Dell Venue 8 Pro
tablets featuring the VeriFone payment sleeve, which includes card
swipe, bar code reader and RFID reader.
Read more about the Royal Caribbean news on the Windows for
Business Blog. 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, devices and solutions that help
people and businesses realize their full potential.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.