Kurt Shintaku's Blog

… or more appropriately the motion capture actors that performed the roles of Master Chief, Cortana, & Thomas Lasky in Halo 4 – specifically Bruce Thomas, Mackenzie Mason, and Darren O’Hare:

All three were extremely pleasant people.  And we all knew they were doing a ‘corporate gig’ but they were patient with photogs, fans, and most importantly, children in attendance that were rabid fans of the Halo series.

This was possibly the most highly attended Midnight Launch the store ever had above and beyond Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 & Madden 13, both of which had over 100+ people in attendance.  Halo 4’s launch?  Roughly 150+ people, I figure.  Yeah – that’s a LOT of people waiting in line, eating pizza, drinking soda, taking photographs… and pwning noobs.

One of the neatest things is the free pizza, free drinks, and the free raffle in which they gave away an Xbox 360 (Halo 4 Edition).  The tournament also mandates that you bring your ‘A’ game because there are some REALLY experienced players competing.   And there were some hardcore fans in attendance, as you can see below.

One of the neat things that they did was they made it possible for every attendee to have their copies of Halo 4 signed by the mo-cap actors as well as the producer of Halo 4, who was on hand for the Los Angeles festivities:

Folks with pre-orders of Halo 4 were, like I’d posted before, treated with a $25 GIFT CARD for anything in the Microsoft Store:

BTW:  I would have gotten this recap posted earlier… but I’ve been busy.  Playing Halo 4.

This is a chart that lists out:

• All the Exchange Features available on Windows Phone 8.0
• All the Exchange Policies available on Windows Phone 8.0

…and identifies whether or not that feature or policy is actually enabled in the version of Exchange Server that you have deployed. 

The following Exchange Server versions are documented in this chart:

• 2003 SP2 (2.5)
• 2007 (12.0)
• 2007 SP1 (12.1)
• 2010 (14.0)
• 2010 SP1 (14.1)
• Office 365 (14.1)

DOWNLOAD: Windows Phone 8.0 Exchange ActiveSync Comparison Chart
https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=DA410C7F7E038D!8840

I, along with a few others, run the Los Angeles Windows Phone Users Group.

We’ve got the Regional Business Dev Manager, Utena Yokoshima, from HTC coming to the next meeting on November 14 @ 7:00PM-9:00PM.  She’s bringing HTC’s devices and going to be doing a demo & such… along with bringing some chotchkies. 

So for those of you looking to replace that ol’ HD7 or Trophy, this will be your best opportunity to get a look-see at what your future may hold.

I’ve got a few giveaways of my own that I’m going to bring to step it up for this meeting since Utena’s being nice enough to join us on her own time.  I’ll be raffling off probably about $500 worth of accessories.  And to celebrate, I’ll be putting up funds so we can get Panda Express again.  Or something better than pizza.  Yay.

NOTE: User Group dues are $7 for all attendees. 

Microsoft Store Los Angeles
(Westfield Century City)
10250 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Phone: (310) 228-3550

See you there on November 14th @ 7:00PM.

• LINK:  Los Angeles Windows Phone Users Group
  http://www.windowsphoneusersgroup.com

This downloadable guide to the basic touch gestures available within Windows 8 from Official Windows Magazine can be a nice handout to give to end users not familiar with the conventions used for touch on Windows-based devices.

Gestures covered include:

• Select or perform action
• App-specific commands
• Get more options
• Drag & move items
• Find recently used apps
• Close application
• Zoom in & out
• Settings commands & search
• Turn & pivot
• Switch between apps

DOWNLOAD: Windows 8 Gestures Guide
https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=DA410C7F7E038D!8761

Ready to do it again?

Monday, November 12 at 10:00PM, the Microsoft Store in Century City/Los Angeles is doing another Midnight Madness launch for Activision’s popular & highly anticipated title, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2” for Xbox 360.

Microsoft Store Los Angeles
(Westfield Century City)
10250 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Phone: (310) 228-3550

Don’t forget to pre-order your copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 from the store (Requires a deposit of $10, which goes to the cost of the game when it’s available later that night) which will get you:

• $10 Microsoft Store Gift Card
• 1600 Microsoft Points

As usual, there will be a tournament as well as food, drinks and giveaways care of the raffle.  Pre-ordered games will be available at 12:01AM that night.

————————
UPDATE 11/8/12 3:10PM:
Ooh!  Looks like they updated the Microsoft Store Century City Meetup page to reflect the CODBO2 Launch!  Check it out and RSVP for the event there!

• Call of Duty Black Ops 2 Midnight Launch – Microsoft Store Century City
  http://www.meetup.com/Microsoft-Century-City/events/90572922/

For anyone that’s looking for a quick primer on Surface basics from this blog:

• Windows 8/RT or Surface has a lot of keyboard shortcuts that can be very convenient to remember.  Here’s a one-pager with all the shortcuts listed on it.
  https://kurtsh.com/2012/10/28/download-windows-8-keyboard-shortcut-quick-reference-sheet/
• If you’re interested in using the Citrix Receiver Preview for Windows 8/RT/Surface, you should read the following post as there are backend requirements to using it.  https://kurtsh.com/2012/11/01/info-using-the-citrix-receiver-preview-for-windows-rt8/
• I get this question a lot: "Can I VPN to our Cisco x000 VPN with a Surface?"  In the event you do too, here’s a little bit of information.
  https://kurtsh.com/2012/10/30/info-cisco-compatible-vpn-solutions-for-windows-rt-surface/
• If you want to bridge the microSD flash card to the Surface internal storage using the MKLINK command, here’s some instructions on how to do it:
  https://kurtsh.com/2012/10/29/howto-extend-internal-surface-rt-storage-to-the-microsd-card/
• Here’s how you take screenshots of your Surface screen for your own use/archival:
  https://kurtsh.com/2012/10/29/howto-take-screenshots-with-your-microsoft-surface/
• If you want a quick reference card of all the "gestures" that you can do on Windows 8 (and Surface) here’s a document that you can download to read about them.
  https://kurtsh.com/2012/10/28/download-windows-8-quick-reference-card/
• And finally… if you want to read about nifty new stuff on the Surface, there’s a blog called Shiny Surface that you’ll want to check out:
  http://www.shinysurface.com

In case you haven’t heard the comments from tech pundits & media journalists, Mary Jo Foley & Paul Thurrott about the HTC 8x, you’re in for a treat.  (FYI: Windows Weekly is the largest, most broadly distributed podcast for Microsoft technology in the world.)

• Windows Weekly 285: My Tongue Hurts
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SKW_G4hKd8&feature=player_detailpage#t=2736s
  (HTC 8X discussion – time mark:  45min 40sec – 47min 50sec)

Key quotes include:

• Mary Jo Foley (ZDNET, All About Microsoft), on the HTC 8X
• “I think this [HTC 8X] is my next phone.”
• “It’s really nice… really light.  It just has been a really good experience using it so far.”
• Paul Thurrott (Windows IT Pro Magazine, WinSuperSite), on the HTC 8X
• “Yeah, this [HTC 8X] is also my next phone.”
• “This phone is so beautiful… when you look at Windows Phone 8 in the past, the software’s always been excellent… the one area that’s always been lacking has been the hardware… The beautiful thing about this phone – the thing that really sets it apart – is that this is the most beautiful smartphone there is on the planet.  Including the iPhone 5.  It is BEAUTIFUL.  And you can put this right next to an iPhone 5 or an S3 or whatever… and this is the nicest looking phone… it’s an amazing achievement.”
• “You used to put up with a bland phone that no one was ever going to question… with this phone though, people wanna know what this is. This is beautiful and people hold this and say “Oh My God, this is so awesome”.  It’s just so NEAT.”

Attention Surface or Windows 8 / RT tablet owners: 
You have Bluetooth 4.0!  You have a mouse pointer on your device!  Why not use them both… and avoid the USB dongle?

Get a small portable Bluetooth mouse for use with your Surface or Windows-based Tablet!  I keep one with me all the time.  My all-time personal favorite is the Microsoft Wireless Notebook Presenter 8000 which we sadly do not sell any more, however the following mice are really nice alternatives, especially if you have a Windows Tablet!

All our mice – including Bluetooth enabled ones – are located here:

• LINK: Microsoft Hardware
  http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/mice

The Bluetooth mice that you will want to look at are the following:

• Microsoft Wedge Touch Mouse
  http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/wedge-touch-mouse/3LR-00004#details
• Microsoft Sculpt Touch Mouse
  http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/sculpt-touch-mouse#details
• Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000
  http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/bluetooth-notebook-mouse-5000/69R-00025#details

Having the scroll wheel on your mouse is revolutionary when you start using it with Windows 8 / RT.  And when you’re seated, you can feel your productivity go into turbo when you’re using the mouse & keyboard instead of poking around.

I’ve used the Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 for a quite a while.  It’s been around for a long while and is reliable as all heck.  The Bluetooth receiver on the mouse maintains a solid BT connection (unlike a lot of other mice) and so you will probably appreciate that.   The other two mice are brand-spanking new (less than a month old) and are designed for the next-generation of tablets & Windows-laptops so you can’t really go wrong.

Check this out:  It’s an Election Tracker template for Excel 2013!

This template contains an Excel app for Office that connects to real-time data. It allows you to track the 2012 US elections. It includes the presidential and Senate races, as well as popular polling. It uses predictions from PredictWise.com.

• DOWNLOAD: Election Tracker for Excel 2013
  http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/election-tracker-TC103673262.aspx

The latest release from the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) team provides organizations with tools to accelerate their migration to the cloud.

Download the beta materials on Connect:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=219165

Thanks for your ongoing interest and participation in the MAP beta review program. We hope you’ll take the time to preview and provide feedback on MAP 8.0 Beta.

Accelerate your Windows Server 2012 migration with Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 8.0 Beta. This latest version of MAP adds new scenarios to help plan your environment with agility and focus while lowering the cost of delivering IT. Included in MAP 8.0 Beta are hardware and infrastructure readiness assessments to assist you in planning the deployment of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, preparing your migration to Windows Azure Virtual Machines, readying your environment for Office 2013 and Office 365, and tracking your usage of Lync.

Determine your Windows Server 2012 readiness
MAP 8.0 Beta assesses the readiness of your IT infrastructure for a Windows Server 2012 deployment. This feature includes detailed and actionable recommendations indicating which machines meet Windows Server 2012 system requirements and which may need hardware updates. A comprehensive inventory of servers, operating systems, workloads, devices, and server roles is included to help in your planning efforts.

Determine your Windows 8 readiness
MAP 8.0 Beta assesses the readiness of your IT environment for a Windows 8 deployment. This feature evaluates your existing hardware against the recommended system requirements for Windows 8. It provides recommendations detailing which machines meet the requirements and which may need hardware upgrades. 

Key benefits include:

• Assessment report and summary proposal to help you understand the scope and benefits of a Windows 8 deployment
• Inventory of desktop computers, deployed operating systems, and
  applications

Assess your environment for Office 2013 and Office365
MAP 8.0 Beta assesses readiness for Office 2013 and Office 365 and provides an in-depth assessment of client desktops for upgrading or migration. This feature also offers support for Office 365 features such as web apps, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, or full Office 365 client support.

Migrate to Windows Azure Virtual Machines
MAP 8.0 Beta performs a comprehensive assessment of Windows Server and Linux machines to determine feasibility of a migration to Windows Azure Virtual Machines. MAP then provides suggested changes to prepare targeted machines for migration. This feature helps you reduce the operating costs of hosting on-premise servers, as well as estimating the required size and monthly network and storage usage required to migrate on-premise Windows and Linux servers to Windows Azure Virtual Machines using actual data from the targeted environment.

For a comprehensive list of features and benefits, visit the Connect site: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=219168

Tell us what you think!
We value your input. Download the beta on Connect and tell us what you think! Send your comments to the MAP team: MAPfdbk at microsoft dot com

Availability
This program is now open. The beta review period will run through December 14, 2012.

Tell your friends
To join the beta review program for Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 8.0 Beta, visit Microsoft Connect at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=217916.

Learn more
Visit the MAP home page: www.microsoft.com/map

Get the latest news straight from the MAP team: http://blogs.technet.com/mapblog

MAP works with the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and Security Compliance Manager to help you plan, securely deploy, and manage new Microsoft technologies—easier, faster, and at less cost. Learn more at www.microsoft.com/solutionaccelerators.

Follow Solution Accelerators on Twitter to get the latest tips and updates: @MSSolutionAccel