Microsoft Corporation is investigating a mass suicide threat at Foxconn, the Chinese manufacturing company that is known for putting together Xbox 360 consoles. The employees are reportedly demanding a higher pay. The mass suicide threat could be a complete fabrication or it could be a very real, making this is a very dangerous and sensitive issue. Several employees at Foxconn committed suicide recently due to what is believed to be unsanitary conditions at the factories. Apple also had investigated the suicide issues in recent years at Foxconn, who also manufactures iPhones, iPods, and iPads.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has announced that about 1.7 million Xbox 360 consoles were sold last month alone. During the week after Thanksgiving, Microsoft sold 1 million consoles alone. Currently the Xbox has the largest market share of any console at 49%. It has been the top-selling console for a year straight too. The Microsoft Kinect helped drive the sales of the console as it is one of the best-selling consumer devices of all time. [BusinessInsider]

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is launching a new interface for Xbox game consoles that will allow users to navigate through music, movies, TV shows, games, etc. by waving your hand or using your voice. The upgrade will be going live tomorrow.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has announced a solid deal for students. If a student buys a Windows 7 PC for $699 or more over the summer, they will also get a free 4GB Xbox 360 S. This offer will be running from May 22nd through September 3rd. The deal can be redeemed through online retailers like Dell.com and HP.com along with Best Buy and Microsoft Store locations.

“Emotion Capture” – Directing Milo from John Dower on Vimeo.

John Dower worked on an Xbox 360 Kinect project called “Milo & Kate.” Milo & Kate was developed by Lionhead Studios and creative director Peter Molyneux. Dower worked on creating a 3D character and directed motion capture and animation. Milo is a voice-and-motion game from Lionhead Studios that was never released. Milo uses the same technology as James Cameron’s Avatar movie. [Microsoft-News]

Microsoft Corporation recently announced their second quarter earnings. They posted a $6.63 billion profit on revenues of $19.95 billion. This is very comparable to their earnings from last year. The company sold about 300 million licenses of Windows 7 and they saw a strong increase in their entertainment division.

According to a slide that was released a little bit before the Microsoft earnings announcement, there was some impressive growth in the Entertainment and Devices division. This division generated about $3.7 billion this quarter, compared to $2.4 billion last year. About 8 million Kinect controllers were sold in the first two months of launch. Xbox Live memberships increased 30% and Xbox 360 console sales increased 21%. “We are enthusiastic about the consumer response to our holiday lineup of products, including the launch of Kinect. The 8 million units of Kinect sensors sold in just 60 days far exceeded our expectations. The pace of business spending, combined with strong consumer demand, led to another quarter of operating margin expansion and solid earnings per share growth,” stated Microsoft CFO Peter Klein.

Here’s an interesting story: Joshua Seal had recently kidnapped his employee Allen Begley, who is also his son-in-law. Seal thought that Begley stole $245 worth of rings from a job site, which would negatively effect his business.