Microsoft is touting an addition to its Windows Live offering that will download and install software allowing consumers to connect to multiple online services.
During his presentation at Microsoft's Financial Analysts Day last week, Kevin Johnson, president of Microsoft's Platform and Services Division, mentioned the Windows Live installer. He said that the software maker would begin beta testing it this summer.
He described it as a single download that will let consumers connect to multiple Live-branded hosted services, such as e-mail and messaging. People will be able to access these services from different devices, including PCs and phones, he said.
"This unified installation experience is one example of the more integrated experience we'll deliver with the next generation of Windows Live services," Johnson said.
Microsoft last month started beta testing two products that are part of what will be Windows Live suite: Windows Live Photo Gallery, which lets people organise and share photos on a PC and online, and online storage service Windows Live Folders.
In response to a question, Johnson argued that integration of Microsoft's Live services is a key selling point for the company.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Microsoft to launch Windows Live installer beta
Microsoft Readies Beta Program For Web Analytics Software
Microsoft plans to launch a beta test program for its forthcoming "Gatineau" Web analytics tool as soon as this summer, a company official said on his Internet blog.
Ian Thomas, of Microsoft's Digital Advertising Solutions Group, said in the posting that the program will be open to a limited number of beta testers "so you may have to wait to be admitted."
Microsoft is designing Gatineau to compete with products from Google, Omniture, and other vendors in the market for software that allows businesses to create detailed traffic reports for their Web sites. The company hasn't released a final ship date for Gatineau.
In his blog, Thomas let slip a number of other details about the product.
"Beta 1 will include the ability to segment data by both age and gender buckets, so you can get more of an idea of what kind of visitors you have," Thomas wrote in a posting that appeared over the weekend.
Thomas said Gatineau gathers Web visitor data anonymously and doesn't collect any personally identifiable information such as names or e-mail addresses.
Thomas wrote that he wanted to divulge more information about the product, but joked that "my implant started beeping.
"Will be back once I've checked with legal," he wrote.
Gatineau is just one of several efforts that Microsoft has undertaken of late to increase its footprint in the market for Web advertising tools and services.
In May, the company said it had acquired Screen Tonic SA, a European manufacturer of software designed to connect online advertisers with users of mobile phones and other digital devices. Last week, Microsoft announced a partnership with Ask.com under which customers of Microsoft's paid search program will see their listings appear on sites operated by Ask.com and its partners.
Simicomm Releases Beta of 15 Minute VoIP System
MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Born to remove the complexity of VoIP solutions, Simicomm™ today announced EasySpeak PBX, a software-based phone management system. This complete plug-and-play VoIP PBX provides a low-cost alternative to small to medium businesses. The EasySpeak software can be completely installed, including fully automated phone configuration, in only 15 minutes!
The solution is designed for enterprises without the technical abilities to implement or maintain phone systems. It provides resellers with a low cost, reliable solution for companies looking to migrate slowly into a VoIP infrastructure. Based on the Asterisk® open source PBX, EasySpeak works with both VoIP and analog phones. A novice-tested, web-based toolbox enables simple configuration and management.
“We recognize there are many solutions targeting small businesses,” noted Dennis Barnum, CEO of Simicomm. “Our goal was to create something that removes the complexity for a non-technical audience and make it affordable.”
EasySpeak PBX (300 MB file) is downloaded from www.simicomm.com, and burned to a CD. The CD is loaded onto a (dedicated) server, which will run through the installation steps automatically. Just plug the phones and Internet into the Ethernet ports (1 and 0 respectively) and you’re ready to go. To use analog phones, a line card (i.e. Digium® analog telephony devices) is required. Telephones will automatically register and be assigned extensions in the order they are connected. Changing of extensions and management of other features can be made by logging into the web-based toolbox.
EasySpeak PBX contains the features of the high-end solutions, including: Auto Attendant, Web Access to Voicemail, Music-on-Hold, Blind Transfer, T-38 Fax support, Call Forward/Forward on Busy, Call Parking, Call Queuing, Call Routing (DID & ANI), Call Transfer, Call Waiting, Caller ID, Caller ID Blocking, Caller ID on Call Waiting, Roaming Extensions, Assisted Transfer, Three-way Calling and high-end Voicemail functionality.
A free 14-day trial of EasySpeak is available through www.simicomm.com for a limited time.
Microsoft releases Remote Desktop for Mac 2.0 beta
Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit has kept true to its promise from a couple of weeks ago by announcing an update to its Remote Desktop Connection client today... in beta form. RDC 2.0 for Mac (beta 1) has been a looooong time coming, and finally brings RDC up to Universal Binary status. But that's just the beginning of the listed features. According to Microsoft's download site, here are some features you can expect to see in the new beta:
Universal Binary
Runs natively on both Intel-based and PowerPC-based Macs.
Remote Desktop Protocol 6.0
Provides better compatibility with Windows Vista, improved security features, and many other improvements.
Multiple Sessions
Lets you connect to multiple Windows-based computers at the same time.
Improved User Experience
Provides a true Mac experience and improved usability.
Improved Customization Options
Lets you change application preferences, including keyboard shortcuts, while you are running a session. Changes take effect the next time that you connect.
Dynamic Screen Resizing
Lets you resize your session window or switch to full-screen mode during a session.
Improved Printing Support
Supports all configured printers on your Mac. No longer limited to PostScript printers.
For those not familiar, RDC allows you to remote desktop into your Windows computer from a Mac. And despite Microsoft's sometimes shoddy reputation among Mac users, RDC works pretty darn well for the task at hand. It's not virtualization of course, and so people who want to run Windows apps natively will still want to run something like Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion. However, RDC is certainly very helpful for performing small tasks on a Windows machine that's across the room, down the hall, or on the other side of campus (as the case may be).
Also announced today was an update to Microsoft's Office Open XML File Format Converter. The software was originally released in May of this year as a way to convert Open XML documents created with the Windows version of Office 2007 to a Mac-friendly format. Version 0.2 (Beta) "improves conversion of Word documents that contain XML content, inline graphics, hyperlinked graphics, WMF/EMF graphics, SmartArt graphics, tracked changes in the document header and footer, Unicode characters, and Japanese Rubi fields," writes Microsoft. "In addition, this version succeeds when converting Word documents that contain bibliography fields, citation fields, and complex tables."
The RDC beta is currently only available in English, although you can expect that other languages will be supported once the final version is released. It also expires on March 31, 2008—but luckily for us, RDC is free (or has been in the past, anyway), so when the final version gets released, you hopefully won't be put in a bind. The Open XML converter expires at the end of 2007.
ReplayTV beta testing HD software
Earlier this year ReplayTV PC Edition went from being the most expensive commercial PVR software on the market to being among the cheapest.
ReplayTV may still have some name recognition (the company was one of the pioneers of PVR technology along with TiVo). But ReplayTV PC Edition lacks some of the features of Windows Media Center, BeyondTV and SageTV -- notably HDTV support.
ReplayTV is working to catch up to its siblings in the PC-based PVR market. The company is seeking beta testers for a new HDTV capable client.
It looks like the beta will run through September. Testers will be asked to participate in online forums, answer weekly surveys, and of course submit bug reports. In other words, you'll be expected to work for your free software trial. Or you could just wait until ReplayTV releases a final edition. The current version of ReplayTV PC Edition includes a 30-day free trial, and I'm guessing the same will be true of the HD version.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Microsoft's VoIP Plans Take A Step Forward
Although it won't launch until the fall, Microsoft's Friday release to manufacturing of two key components of its VoIP strategy is probably causing some tinkling of champagne glasses in Redmond.
Office Communications Server 2007 and the Office Communicator client are now code complete, Jeff Raikes, president of Microsoft's Business Division, said Thursday at the vendor's annual analyst meeting.
"We're one step close to delivering the products that will establish Microsoft as a major force in communications," said Raikes, adding that Microsoft expects to be able to help organizations cut their enterprise telephony costs in half.
Office Communications Server 2007, in public beta since March, promises to bring VoIP telephony, instant messaging, conferencing and presence under a single PC-focused umbrella.
The interest in OCS 2007 for most customers will be with the integration with Exchange unified messaging, says Jay Lendl, vice president of Microsoft services at Granite Pointe Partners, a Plymouth, Minn.-based solution provider.
"It's important to have a single view of the internal teams and people that you work with, and have presence be a part of collaboration, whether it's through text, speech, video conferencing," said Lendl.
During a Q&A session, Raikes was asked about the challenge posed by Cisco in the VoIP market, and said that Microsoft's software based solution offers superior cost savings and broader functionality.
"Customers are truly seeing the magic of software in this instance. They see they will get more capabilities at less cost than the traditional approaches of any of the existing players," Raikes said.
Amir Sohrabi, executive vice president of MSPX, an Arlington, Va.-based VoIP specialist that partners with Microsoft, Cisco, and Avaya, believes Microsoft is best positioned to make inroads into the VoIP market.
"OCS 2007 uses SIP (session initiation protocol), which allows it to work with different vendors for VoIP interoperability. Cisco, in contrast, has a closed, proprietary system, which drives up the cost of the solution," said Sohrabi.
Microsoft needs to make sure players have the right skill sets to deploy VoIP, and they've provided a good way to measure this with its recently unveiled voice specialization, Sohrabi said.
"Any partner that's going to be involved with rolling out OCS 2007 and Exchange 2007 is going to need VoIP skills, because now you're reaching out into the enterprise and touching mission critical systems," said Sohrabi.
Microsoft on Friday also took the wraps off Beta 2 of Visual Studio 2008 and Beta 2 of .NET Framework 3.5, and also rolled out the final release candidate of Silverlight.
Microsoft Releases Batch Of Development Products
The code includes betas for .Net Framework 3.5, Visual Studio 2008, and the Ajax Control Toolkit; a release candidate for Silverlight 1.0; and a pre-alpha of the IronRuby dynamic programming language.
By J. Nicholas Hoover
It's been a good week for Microsoft developers. The software company announced over the course of the last few days that it had released betas for .Net Framework 3.5, Visual Studio 2008, and the Ajax Control Toolkit; a release candidate for Silverlight 1.0; and a pre-alpha of the IronRuby dynamic programming language.
Probably the biggest milestone of the bunch is the second beta for Visual Studio 2008, Microsoft's flagship development software, the final version of which is slated to be released by the end of the year. The new beta includes all the features that will be found in the final version, including an add-in that allows developers to create rich Internet applications with Silverlight, Firefox support for XBAP (XML Browser Applications, which are Web apps designed in Windows Presentation Foundation), and the ability to target multiple versions of the .Net Framework.
Released along with the new Visual Studio beta was version 3.5 of the .Net Framework, which doesn't break applications designed in 3.0, unlike previous versions. "As a company, Microsoft continues to invest in our .Net Framework," said Thom Robbins, Microsoft's director of the .Net platform, in an interview. "It's our core technology."
Included in both Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2 and .Net Framework 3.5 Beta 2 is a Go Live license, which means developers using those products can put them onto production machines and start using them for live applications. That indicates Microsoft has thoroughly tested both and is ramping up customer support.
The release candidate of Silverlight 1.0, Microsoft's rich Internet application platform, means the company is readying the final version, which should be out sometime soon as a platform mainly designed for media scenarios. The follow-up release, Silverlight 1.1, will add support for .Net code, a dynamic language runtime that will let developers code for Silverlight in popular languages such as Ruby and Python, and a layout tool.
Finally, Microsoft also this week announced it had released early code for IronRuby, the company's Ruby-on-.Net scripting language, and a new beta for the Ajax Control Toolkit, which helps developers create Ajax Web apps.
What If Joost Were a Web App?
An independent developer has built a Flash version of Joost that runs in any browser. Sure, he doesn’t have access to any of the Joost content, but what he’s built is basically a proof-of-concept using Joost graphics and improving on the UI, using publicly available video from sites like YouTube and Veoh.
Longtime Flash developer Paul Yanez told us Friday he started playing around with building a Joost app for about a month now, but just started emailing people about it last night (click on the thumbnail at left to see a screenshot). A Joost beta tester, he was frustrated with having to download a new version of the application every time it was updated. “It seemed to me like it should have been built in Flash in the first place,” he said.
Yanez’s web app looks just like Joost — when in full-screen mode, it’s hard to tell a difference. It also includes a number of improvements: first of all, accessibility on different platforms — but also better resizing of windows, webcam chat, and right-click functionality. It lacks P2P-aided high-quality video and all the content Joost has spent months licensing.
Of course, Yanez lacks permission from Joost to use its graphics, its licensed content, or its name. But what Joost should really do is hire him to develop a web version. Yanez, an independent developer based in San Diego, says he’s just playing — next week he’ll release Wii, Apple TV, and other skins for watching web video. Joost is “making a real business; a Chime.tv [see our review from earlier this week] or what I’m doing is just utilizing web 2.0 and RSS feeds. They’re signing deals and they’re making it more like TV. Keeping a closed platform could benefit them.”
We’ve noticed a trend of outside developers filling in gaps that Joost has left in its product. For instance, New York-based programmer Hal Schechner noticed that Joost did a poor job of telling users when it added new content. So he started OnTheToob, where he publishes links and RSS feeds of fresh content, using software he wrote to routinely scour Joost. He told us earlier this week that since starting the site he’s been contacted by people at Joost, who are helping him improve what he’s doing.
BBC to launch online TV service
London, July 28: The BBC is to launch an online TV service, which will offer viewers a chance to download their favourite programmes from the last seven days.
Describing the proposed launch of the iPlayer as being as big a milestone as the arrival of colour TV, Director-General Mark Thompson, said a fixed number of people will be able to sign up, and predicted that the number of viewers would increase throughout the year.
The iPlayer allows viewers to download a selection of programmes from the last seven days and watch them for up to 30 days afterwards.
In the UK, Channel 4 offers a similar service, called 4OD, for programmes across its portfolio of channels.
Viewers interested in the iPlayer can register for the service on Friday and will then be invited to join. The number of users will increase over the summer, before a full launch in the autumn.
The iPlayer began life in 2003 as the iMP (Integrated Media Player), and some believe it should have been launched in that format.
A BBC spokeswoman said the iPlayer, like any other new BBC service, went through a Public Value Test (PVT). The nine-month test was overseen by the corporation's regulators.
Arash Amel, an analyst with the research firm Screen Digest, was quoted as saying that "technical glitches" were inevitable when the iPlayer is launched, partly because rival applications experienced them and partly through his own experience of the BBC's offering.
The iPlayer has already courted controversy from open source advocates, angry that, at launch, it will only be compatible on PCs with the Windows XP operating system.
Other services such as ITV's broadband media player and Channel 4's on-demand offering also rely on Microsoft software but, critics argue, the BBC's remit is to serve licence-payers, which includes Mac users and those who favour cheaper alternatives to Microsoft, such as Linux.
The BBC Trust has told the corporation it must widen the access to iPlayer as soon as possible and has ordered a review every six months.
The trust met with Mark Taylor, the head of the Open Source Consortium and one of the more vocal critics of the Microsoft-only launch, earlier this week.
"They reiterated their commitment to platform neutrality, specifically mentioning Linux, and welcomed our offer of help to establish a cross-platform approach," Taylor said.
The OSC is due to meet BBC management to discuss the issue further.
The BBC has said it is working with Virgin Media to launch on cable later this year.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Microsoft Set To Show Off Hosting Tools, Apps
Microsoft said it will provide users with a look at several new technologies that it plans to include or support in its forthcoming Windows Server 2008 server operating system.
Microsoft this week is set to demonstrate a number of key new hosting technologies that will enable service providers to offer up some of the company's tools and applications over the Web. At the HostingCon 2007 conference in Chicago, Microsoft said it will highlight new hosting-related development tools and applications for the first time.
Among other things, Microsoft said it will provide users with a look at several new technologies -- such as integrated health management for Web services, Windows optimized PHP, and delegated administration controls -- that it plans to include or support in its forthcoming Windows Server 2008 server operating system.
On Monday, Microsoft disclosed that cPanel, a developer of Web hosting control panel software, will later this year produce a version of its product for Windows Server 2008. The company has traditionally developed hosting automation tools only for Linux and FreeBSD environments.
Microsoft is ramping up efforts to offer some of its products as hosted services -- either directly or through partners -- in an effort to keep pace with Web specialists like Google and Yahoo. Microsoft CRM, Exchange Server, and 40 applications from the Windows SharePoint Services suite are among the products the company has already made available as hosted services.
Microsoft also recently released a beta version of Internet Information Services 7.0 -- a Web server built into Windows Server 2008 that features a number of new online publishing and security technologies.
Under a so-called Go Live license, users can now deploy ISS 7.0 into production environments accessible to customers. The caveat: Microsoft says it's not responsible for any problems the beta software might cause.
Microsoft plans to release the full version of Windows Server 2008 in February.
adobe unveils livecycle enterprise suite in mid east
adobe unveils livecycle enterprise suite in mid east
Solution optimises e-governance and streamlines business information processes
Global software major, Adobe Systems Incorporated has introduced Adobe® LiveCycle® Enterprise Suite (ES) in the Middle East to help businesses and governments engage with their customers, citizens, partners, and suppliers more effectively.
An integrated server solution, LiveCycle ES blends electronic forms and information management to help create and deliver rich and engaging applications that reduce paperwork, accelerate decision-making and ensure regulatory compliance.
“LiveCycle ES leverages the reach of Adobe Flash® Player and Adobe Reader® and enables a new class of customer engagement applications that easily connect people inside and outside organisations to internal information and processes,” said Jacob Alex, Adobe’s Middle East Channel Manager. “The solution will also help improve the efficiency of regional e-government operations and enable faster transition to knowledge-based economies.”
While organisations such as financial institutions can offer customers a wide array of services on-demand while streamlining processes and minimising costs, governments will be able to advance the quality and breadth of services they provide.
“Our business processes and those at our customer sites typically involve multiple people needing to review and sign-off on materials inside and outside our company,” says Didier Fleury, CIO, Cegedim, the European leader in data services and software for the healthcare industry.
“With Adobe LiveCycle ES, we are looking forward to easily integrate key back-office systems and workflows with front-end processes. The more secure, automated workflows bring new efficiencies to our business and support our compliance efforts by giving us more control over processes. We are impressed by the LiveCycle ES beta software and look forward to deploying the released software.”
LiveCycle ES automates the data processing once captured and integrates it with rules engines, data stores, and web services. It also includes scalable solution components to build, manage and optimise business critical customer-facing processes by using wizard-like form guides and Flash-based graphics to allow users with the process of providing, or receiving information online.
LiveCycle ES provides customers with enhanced data output capabilities such as interactive dashboards and dynamic, high-volume print solutions and also offers rights management, document certification, and digital signatures capabilities to help organisations protect sensitive information.
Available in two editions, LiveCycle ES Business Transformation Edition and LiveCycle ES Data Capture Edition, Adobe provides customers the option of purchasing a base system to add solution components, or purchase several of the solution components in one package with a single price. The LiveCycle Business Transformation Edition includes the following solution components: Data Capture Edition, Process Management, Digital Signatures, Rights management, and Output. On the other hand, the LiveCycle Data Capture Edition (base) includes Forms, Data Services, Barcoded Forms, and Reader Extensions solution components. Both editions are expected to be available from July 2007 onwards. For more information, please visit: www.adobe.com/products/livecycle.
Beta Test MySpace's Kid-Tracking Software
MySpace is in a public beta test of software it calls "ParentCare" designed to let parents keep an eye on their kids' profiles. According to the FAQ, ParentCare squats on the family PC to "automatically track any access to myspace.com from all the user accounts on your computer. The parent may run a check on their teen's activities by double clicking the ParentCareBeta system tray icon to view the events."
Note, however, that MySpace is still very concerned with privacy. Er, its own, that is. Check out this NDA you agree to by downloading the code:
By downloading the ParentCare Beta software, you agree to not disclose any information about its content, its look and feel, and your experience with the software or your opinions about the software to any party other than a representative of Fox Interactive Media. Examples of prohibited disclosures are as follows:
Communicating with reporters or media regarding the software
Posting comments on an internet bulletin board regarding the software
Sending emails regarding the software
Thank you for your compliance with this nondisclosure agreement ...
Plans for the tracking tool -- formerly codenamed "Zephyr" -- have been known since January, but it's unclear just how much monitoring ParentCare does. Also unanswered: does MySpace have another monitoring program (ParentCareCare?) that tells them if you violate your NDA by sending an e-mail describing your experiences monitoring your kid?
Monday, July 23, 2007
How to get emotions and zaps on myspace im?
It's easy -- just to go File -> Preferences - Emoticons & Zaps, select either "Emoticons" or "Zaps" at the top, then click the "Add" button.
For an emoticon, just pick any image that you like when prompted, as long as it's under 100k.
For a zap, you will also be prompted to selec