Kurt Shintaku's Blog

As mentioned at:
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/
msstore/html/pbPage.BlackFriday

Only the “Black Friday weekend only PC”, the Samsung RC512, selling for $499.00 will be combinable with the Threshold Promotion.  All other offers may not be combined with other offers.

• Samsung RC512 for $499
  (This is $300 off for those of you checking)
• 3 month Xbox Live Gold Subscription for $12.99
  (Valid through 11/28/11 or while supplies last. Limit 3 per customer)
  
• Games with $20 off:
• Dance Central
• Dance Central 2
• Kinect Sports
• Kinect Sports Season 2
• Gears of War 3 (Regular, Limited, and XLCE)
• Forza 4
  (Valid for select Microsoft game titles. No cash value. May not be combined with other offers or applied to prior purchases. Not valid for pre-orders and limited to stock on hand. Discount applies before taxes, shipping, or other fees. Limite 3 games per person. Expires 11/28/11.)
• Free Windows Phone with 2 yr Service Agreement
  (Limited to eligible products through 11/28/11 and while supplies last. Requires 2-yr voice & data service contract and new activation. Not valid on previous orders and cannot be redeemed for cash. Limit 3 per customer, US Residents only)
• Kinect Sensor for $99 (Limit 3 per customer)
  (Valid through 11/28/11 or while supplies last. Limit 3 per customer)
• Instant savings on 4GB and 250GB Xbox consoles and Xbox 4GB and 250GB console with Kinect
• Xbox 360 4GB Console – $149.99 ($50 off)
• Xbox 360 250GB console – $199.99 ($100 off)
• Xbox 360 4GB console with Kinect ($199.99 ($100 off)
• Xbox 360 250GB console with Kinect 250GB – $299.99 ($100 off)
  (Limited time offer valid on select products and while supplies last. May not be combined with other offers or applied to prior purchases. No cash value. Discount applies before taxes, shipping or other fees. Limit 3 per person. Expires 11/28/11)
• 25% off all PC and Mobile Accessories
  (Valid for select PC and Mobile Accessories. May not be combined with other offers or applied to prior purchases. Limited to stock on hand. Discount applies before taxes, shipping or other fees. Expires 11/28/11. Select items will discount by 15%.)
• Buy a PC, get a $100 gift card.
  (Limited time offer valid on eligible products 12:00AM thru 6:00AM on 11/25/11 or while supplies last. Exclused netbooks, Kindles and pre-orders. Cannot be transferred, redeemed for cash or combined with any other offer or promotion. Gift card may only be used for a future purchase at Microsoft Store retail locations. Limit 2 per person. Standard gift card terms and conditions apply. See a store associate for details.)
• Save $200 on the Ultimate Gaming Package:
  Purchase a 250GB Xbox Console, Xbox LIVE 3 month card, Xbox LIVE 1600 point card, Onza Tournament Controller, SanDisk 8GB Xbox USB, Kontrol Freek Joystick Extenders, and a game for an instant $200 savings.
  (Limited time offer 11/25/11 through 11/28/11 or while supplies last. Only valid with purchase of all eligible products. Online and in-store terms may differ. Offer not valid on previous orders, cannot be redeemed for cash or combined with any other offer or promotion. Discount applies before taxes, shipping, and other charges. Limit 3 per person.)

Go to http://www.2011blackfridayads.com/bestbuy/#pagelinks and click on Page 4. (or page 17 in the print ad) 

You’ll see two deals:

• Xbox 360 250GB Console Bundle ($199)
  (Comes with the 250GB hard drive, 3 months of Xbox Live , and 2 games)

• Kinect Sensor for Xbox 360 with 3 games ($99)

What is VideoSurf?
VideoSurf is video search engine that has created a better way for people to search, discover, and watch online videos. Using computer vision VideoSurf has taught computers to “see” inside videos to let users find and watch videos that they really want to see. Whether you’re looking to watch funny videos or scary videos, movie clips or TV full episodes, the hottest new music videos or breaking news clips, VideoSurf’s video search engine is the place to go to find the videos you’ll love. Spend less time searching and more time being entertained!

Microsoft’s Press Release:

REDMOND, Wash., and SAN MATEO, Calif. — Nov. 22, 2011 — Microsoft Corp. has announced the acquisition of California-based video discovery technology company VideoSurf Inc.

Founded in 2006, VideoSurf offers a back-end computer vision technology that “sees” frames inside videos to make discovering content fast, easy and accurate. Over time, Microsoft will integrate this technology across its entertainment platform to augment the Xbox 360 ecosystem and evolve search and discovery of entertainment content on Xbox LIVE.

“VideoSurf’s content analytics technology will enhance the search and discovery of entertainment content across our platform,” said Alex Garden, director of Xbox LIVE for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “This holiday we will launch voice search across our entertainment partners on Xbox LIVE. Over time, as we integrate VideoSurf’s technology into our system, we are excited about the potential to have content tagged in real time to increase the speed and relevance of the search results.”

“Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Division is at the leading edge of connected entertainment,” said Lior Delgo, CEO and co-founder of VideoSurf. “We are incredibly excited to be working together on our mutual passion for creating amazing consumer experiences and reinventing how consumers search, discover and enjoy content on their televisions.”

In the coming months, Microsoft will bring nearly 40 world-leading TV and entertainment providers to Xbox LIVE, including Bravo, Comcast, HBO GO, Verizon FiOS and Syfy in the U.S.; BBC in the U.K.; Telefónica in Spain; Rogers On Demand in Canada; Televisa in Mexico; ZDF in Germany; and Mediaset in Italy. This acquisition will also make it easier for world-class video partners to take full advantage of advanced features such as voice search enabled by Kinect for Xbox 360. With Kinect, users will be able to easily search and discover content across multiple entertainment providers within Xbox LIVE and then interact with and enjoy content in extraordinary ways using voice search powered by Bing on the Xbox 360.

• Microsoft Acquires Video Content Discovery Company VideoSurf
  http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2011/nov11/11-22XboxNovemberPR.mspx

The announcement details have come out for the greatest database conference… ever!

PASS Summit is the world’s largest and most intensive technical training conference for Microsoft SQL Server and BI professionals. But more than that, it’s your conference – planned and presented by the SQL Server community for the SQL Server community. Join us and get the top-notch training, technical tips and tricks, and networking and connections you need to take your SQL Server skills to the next level.

Washington State Convention & Trade Center
November 6-9, 2012
Seattle, WA

COST:

• Full Summit for $1,095 (Early-Bird Rate Until Jan. 31, 2012)
• Group rate for 5 or more attendees – only $995 each until Mar. 31, 2012

AGENDA:

• 170+ technical sessions
• 2 full days of deep-dive pre-cons
• DBA, Dev, BI, SQL Azure & Professional Development tracks
• Hands-on Labs
• SQL Server Clinic with Microsoft CSS & SQLCAT
• Expert Pods
• Can’t miss keynotes

EVENT DETAILS:
http://www.sqlpass.org/summit/2012/default.aspx

REGISTRATION:
https://www.regonline.com/register/checkin.aspx?MethodId=0&eventsessionId=c09266791bfa4138b026b094a3a7eb89&eventID=1018613

Looks like we’ve announced TechEd North America 2012.  It’s going to be in Orlando next year from June 11-14.

Join Us for TechEd North America 2012

Celebrate 20 years of Microsoft TechEd North America! TechEd is Microsoft’s premier technology conference for IT professionals and developers, offering the most comprehensive technical education across Microsoft’s current and soon-to-be-released suite of products, solutions, tools, and services. Our four day event in Orlando, Florida offers hands-on learning, deep product exploration and countless opportunities to connect with a community of industry and Microsoft experts.

There are many reasons why you can’t miss TechEd 2012. If you are developing, deploying, managing, securing and mobilizing Microsoft solutions, TechEd is your best opportunity to focus on the key technology and business issues that will help you solve today’s real-world IT challenges and prepare you for tomorrow’s innovations.

COST:
Super Early Bird Savings: US $1,895
(Save $300 off the regular $2195 price if you register by December 31, 2011)

LOCATION:
Orlando, Fl

DATES:
June 11-14, 2012

DETAILS:
Event details are available at:
http://northamerica.msteched.com/

REGISTRATION:
http://northamerica.msteched.com/registration

Looks like we’ve made all the SharePoint Conference 2011 content and videos available online for $199, in case you didn’t make it.

Good news! Even though you missed Microsoft SharePoint Conference 2011 in person, you can still attend the conference virtually and on-demand through MySPC.

By purchasing exclusive access to MySPC, you get unlimited access to:

• Over 200 recorded session videos
• Over 200 Microsoft PowerPoint slide decks
• Hands-On Lab Manuals from over 50 labs.

This content will be available until April 30, 2012.

Purchase & connect to the SPC2011 content here:
https://dynamicevents.emeetingsonline.com/emeetings/websitev2.asp?mmnno=384&pagename=SITE140650&dd_am_amcmsc48=
d951861431b7a211fce8a13da37732ec&member_lookup=URL

It’s been announced!

SharePoint Conference 2012 is making its debut in Las Vegas!  Given past history, it’s probably either in the Venetian or Mandalay Bay.  They didn’t say which but that’s my bet.

DATE:
Nov 12-15, 2012

REGISTRATION:
Sign up for the notification newsletter for when more details are available at:
http://www.mssharepointconference.com/Pages/default.aspx

Check this out:

Best Buy has an early Black Friday deal on right now for Silver Best Buy members:  Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect and $100 Gift Card Package – $299.

So basically, the deal is the same in some sense as the Walmart deal but instead of a discount, you get a $100 gift card.  Which is probably okay with you too.

• DEAL: Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect and $100 Gift Card Package – $299
  http://bit.ly/tEp0sk

Recently malicious QR codes made headlines after being uncovered on a Russian website. The codes were placed on the site telling people they led to an instant messenger app that users should download to their phone. If users downloaded the malware they thought was the messenger app, it then began sending messages to a premium subscriber that netted the cybercriminals between $5 and $10 each.

Following this news, the Tag team was asked if Tag was better suited than current QR services in the market for handling this kind of issue. The short answer is yes. Because all Tags are re-routed through the cloud, there is a means of blacklisting codes that are reported as malicious. Since anyone can create QR codes that link directly to a site instead of being routed through the cloud, the ability to blacklist a link and protect against future scams simply isn’t there.

The concern that has been driving discussions regarding malicious codes is a legitimate one and one that Tag takes very seriously. Our platform maintains a backend process with filters and safeguards that help detect and prevent malicious links from infecting Tags. We want our customers to also be aware of the protections Tag has in place to help protect their security.

To learn more about QR malware and what precautions you can take read the full blog post here.

In case you’re interested in eLearning for your end users, here’s a list of all the eLearning courses available for Windows 7 & Office 2010 for customers that have Software Assurance benefits on their volume licensing contract as of 10/21/11: (Note:  This list changes and grows so check http://www.microsoft.com/learning/sa-vl-catalog/savldefault.aspx for any changes)

• Course Collection 10348 : Skills Training in Microsoft® Project 2010
• Course 10378 : Setting Up Projects in Microsoft® Project 2010
• Course 10379 : Building a Project Schedule in Microsoft® Project 2010
• Course 10380 : Tracking and Managing Projects in Microsoft® Project 2010
• Course 10381 : Customizing and Sharing Projects in Microsoft® Project 2010
• Course Collection 10349 : Skills Training in Microsoft® Access® 2010
• Course Collection 10350 : Skills Training in Microsoft® Outlook® 2010
• Course 10293 : Beginner Skills in Microsoft® Outlook® 2010
• Course 10385 : Advanced Skills in Microsoft® Outlook® 2010
• Course Collection 10351 : Skills Training in Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2010
• Course 10295 : Beginner Skills in Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2010
• Course 10386 : Advanced Skills in Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2010
• Course Collection 10352 : Skills Training in Microsoft® SharePoint® Designer 2010
• Course Collection 10357 : Skills Training in Microsoft® Word 2010
• Course 10294 : Beginner Skills in Microsoft® Word 2010
• Course 10391 : Intermediate Skills in Microsoft® Word 2010
• Course 10392 : Advanced Skills in Microsoft® Word 2010
• Course Collection 10358 : Skills Training in Microsoft® Excel® 2010
• Course 10296 : Beginner Skills in Microsoft® Excel® 2010
• Course 10393 : Intermediate Skills in Microsoft® Excel® 2010
• Course 10394 : Advanced Skills in Microsoft® Excel® 2010
• Course Collection 10359 : What’s New in Microsoft® Office 2010 Applications
• Course 10395 : What’s New in Microsoft® Access® 2010
• Course 10396 : What’s New in Microsoft® InfoPath® 2010
• Course 10397 : What’s New in Microsoft® OneNote® 2010
• Course 10398 : What’s New in Microsoft® Project 2010
• Course 10399 : What’s New in Microsoft® Publisher 2010
• Course 10400 : What’s New in Microsoft® SharePoint® Designer 2010
• Course 10402 : What’s New in Microsoft® Visio® 2010
• Course 10166 : Windows 7 Essentials I
• Course 10167 : Windows 7 Essentials II
• Course 10353 : Beginner Skills Training in Microsoft® OneNote® 2010
• Course 10354 : Beginner Skills Training in Microsoft® Publisher 2010
• Course 10355 : Taking Content Offline using Microsoft® SharePoint® Workspace 2010
• Course 10356 : Beginner Skills Training in Microsoft® Visio® 2010
• Course 10360 : Working with Microsoft® Lync 2010 for Collaboration
• Course 10403 : Beginner Skills Training in Microsoft® InfoPath® 2010