Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Oops.  That was fast.  Surface unit pre-orders are gone.  Hope you got one while you could?  If not, oh well.

• MICROSOFT NEWS: First shipment of 32 GB Surface RT tablets sell out, now on 3 weeks back order
  http://microsoft-news.com/first-shipment-of-32-gb-surface-rt-tablets-sell-out-now-on-3-weeks-back-order/

If you want the 64GB model, there might still be a few.  Then again, maybe not.

Microsoft Announces New Surface Details
Surface for Windows RT…  Available for pre-order today starting at $499.

REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 16, 2012 — Microsoft Corp. today released new details about its highly anticipated Microsoft Surface, a tablet PC designed to be the ultimate stage for Windows. In addition to pricing and market availability, the company announced a special limited-quantity pre-order for Surface with Windows RT available 9 a.m. PDT. Those who want to learn more or pre-order can visit http://www.Surface.com.

Surface delivers the power of amazing software and the feel of premium hardware in one exciting experience. Originally unveiled in June, Surface with Windows RT will initially be available in three SKUs: a 32GB version priced at US$499, a 32GB version bundled with a black Touch Cover priced at US$599, and a 64GB version bundled with a black Touch Cover priced at US$699.

A variety of accessories will also be available, including Touch Covers in five vibrant colors — black, white, magenta, cyan and red — priced at US$119.99 so customers can express their personal style (1). Customers will also have the option to purchase a Type Cover in black for US$129.99, which adds moving keys for a more traditional typing feel.

…

Read more at:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/Press/2012/Oct12/10-16announcementPR.aspx

Wow. Are you interested in archiving your last tier storage to the cloud and saving a TON of budget on archival costs?  Y’all just got yourself a REALLY inexpensive solution.

REDMOND, Wash., and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Oct. 16, 2012 — Microsoft Corp. and StorSimple Inc. today announced that Microsoft has reached a definitive agreement to acquire StorSimple, a leader in Cloud-integrated Storage (CiS) solutions. The addition of CiS will advance Microsoft’s Cloud OS vision and help customers more efficiently embrace hybrid cloud computing.

“Customers faced with explosive growth in data are looking to the cloud to help them store, manage and archive that data. But, to be effective, cloud storage needs to integrate with IT’s current investments,” said Michael Park, corporate vice president, Server and Tools Division for Microsoft. “StorSimple’s approach helps customers seamlessly integrate on-premises storage with cloud storage through intelligent automation and management.”

…

• NEWS: Microsoft Reaches Agreement to Acquire StorSimple
  http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/Press/2012/Oct12/10-16CloudPR.aspx

Get a more in-depth view of the making of Microsoft Surface.

Pre-order now. http://surface.com

Pre-order now.  http://surface.com

Just announced:

Those who say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas have got it right again. I am excited to announce that Microsoft will once again be hosting our annual management conference, Microsoft Management Summit 2013, in Las Vegas April 8-12, 2013 at the beautiful Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

We are planning a great week of technical training, content and networking that you can only get at MMS. If you want to be the first to know when registration opens, please like us on Facebook or send e-mail to mmsnotfy@microsoft.com.

Following on the heels of the releases of Windows Server 2012 and System Center 2012, I am really excited for the chance for everyone to learn more about our latest capabilities and share what’s ahead at our annual gathering. And remember, we had a very early sell-out last year so be on the look-out for registration information and be sure to secure your spot.

• EVENT: Microsoft Management Summit 2013
  https://www.facebook.com/microsoftmanagementsummit

Big news for folks using VDI:

"RDP 8.0 Update for Windows 7 SP1:
Enabling a great WAN user experience for Windows 7 SP1 virtual desktops"

Today, on the Windows For Your Business Blog, Karri Alexion-Tiernan announced additional information on the Remote Desktop Protocol 8.0 Update for Windows 7 SP1. This is exciting news and I’d like to talk about some of the functionality you will see when it is available for download in late Q4 CY2012.

As many of you already know, a salient feature of Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 is the ability to deliver a rich user experience for remote desktop users on corporate LAN and WAN networks. Thanks to RemoteFX and Remote Desktop Protocol 8.0 (RDP 8.0) in Windows 8, customers can deploy Windows 8 virtual desktops using Windows Server 2012 Remote Desktop Virtualization Host and support users on low bandwidth, high latency networks such as work from home users and branch office users.

Can customers deploy Windows 7 as the VDI guest operating system on Windows Server 2012 and deliver a great experience to users on WAN networks? Absolutely yes! Read on to learn how.

The RDP 8.0 update will enable RDP 8.0 (including all the RemoteFX enhancements in Windows 8 that make RDP 8.0 the protocol of choice for VDI) on Windows 7 Service Pack 1. Specifically, the update will provide the following capabilities.

…

• Read more at:
  Remote Desktop Protocol 8.0 Update for Windows 7 SP1: Enabling a great WAN user experience for Windows 7 SP1 virtual desktops
  http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rds/archive/2012/10/09/remote-desktop-protocol-8-0-update-for-windows-7-sp1-enabling-a-great-wan-user-experience-for-windows-7-sp1-virtual-desktops.aspx

In case you missed it, here’s the first Surface TV advertisement:

Not surprisingly, with the release of this ad also came… the social networking:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/surface
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/surface
• Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/microsoftsurface/keith-rivers-films-srfc-in-c (Download the original Surface preview ad’s music)

I hope to see you at the Century City Microsoft Store on October 26th when we launch Surface for Windows RT.  I will be there all day and if you’re a customer of mine, I’d love to set up a special time on site to get our Enterprise “white glove” folks to give you the VIP treatment at the store… so let me know!

If you purchase an app from the Windows Phone Marketplace and you have an issue like you’re double billed for the same item, the process for getting the issue resolved is through this web site:

• https://gethelp.live.com/en-us/Pages/zune.aspx

Yes, that’s the Zune Support web site.  It’s all the same thing, all the same billing as I understand it. 

Have you ever wanted the direct URL for an app within the Windows Store? 

There’s unfortunately not a real clear cut way to do it.  Here’s the way I’ve found how to get to it via the “SHARE” charm in the Windows 8 Charms menu. 

Say for instance you love the game “Hearts” for Windows 8 and you want to get the direct URL to the app in the Windows Store to post it in your blog or something.  The way to do this is:

1. Run the app (“Hearts”)
2. Open the Charms Bar (WinKey-C)
3. Select the SHARE charm
4. Select “Mail” – an email will be created with the direct URL for the app in it
5. Send the email to yourself

And you’ll have the URL in the mail in seconds.  In this case, the URL for “Hearts” is: http://apps.microsoft.com/webpdp/en-US/app/hearts-deluxe/6e7be2d2-e586-460e-add1-fc3858ee0c8e