Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Here’s a quick summary of the technology I saw as I wandered the show floor.

Central Hall 1 & 2:

• Microsoft
  • WINDOWS 7 – Demonstrated on every booth PC
    • “TOUCH”: 16 Primary demonstration stations are on 32” touch screen kiosks
    • Live demonstration is PACKED with people watching
  • MICROSOFT AUTO – Installed car systems
    • “SYNC”:  Voice response
    • “CAR DIAGNOSTICS”:  Information about systems, mileage, etc.
  • MEDIAROOM – Set Top Box operating system
    • “AT&T UVERSE”: set top boxes use Microsoft Mediaroom
    • FEATURES:
      • Peer to peer sharing between set top boxes
      • Pulls content from cloud services, like photo file shares, music stores online
  • WINDOWS LIVE – Great
    • “FRAME IT”:  A newly released Microsoft picture frame that pulls it’s photos from the Windows Live Services (Skydrive?)
    • “FACEBOOK INTEGRATION”:  Provides contact sync between Facebook & Hotmail/Windows Live Messenger; HUGE possibilities – (March 2009)
      • Provide file sharing to Facebook contacts easily
      • Map Facebook contacts faces to photos; use Windows Live Photo Gallery to keep names of people aligned with photo metadata; copies to Facebook
    • “LINKED IN INTEGRATION”:  Enables contact sync between LinkedIn.  (Made available Dec 2008)
  • HOME SERVER – New features announced
    • Easy hot pluggable expansion of hard drives; automatic volume expansion for storage
    • Macintosh backup
    • TV Manager provide hierarchical storage for Media Centers
• Motorola
  • MOTOSURF – New Windows Mobile-based phone
    • GPS, WiFi, Touchscreen
    • Pearl scroll device/trackball
    • iPhone like UI
    • Brushed steel frame
  • FEMTOCELL – Internet connected cell site
    • Microtower for cellular connectivity for “within the home”.  Good for areas without good connectivity
    • Transmits over the Internet; provides VOIP phone from the unit
    • Looks like a picture frame with touch screen capability; hangs on wall
    • Provides 5 bars at home
    • Will be available with different apps as well (??)
• Intel
  • CORE i7 – New Intel processor for PCs
    • Architecture provides 4 cores/8 hyperthreaded.  Dynamically turns on cores as necessary to save power
  • Remote PC Assist Technology
    • Enables remote control of PC over the Internet without any software running on PC; remotes into consumer PCs over the Internet – provide visibility into BIOS POST and everything
    • Enables system diagnostics remotely when OS won’t load on the machine
    • Very similar to Remote Insight Lights Out (RILO) capability on HP Enterprise Servers
  • CLASSMATE PC
    • Children’s PC now with Tablet PC technology
    • Had full “convertible touch screen” that works with small fingers.
    • Uses XP.  Pricing announced at event. 
  • Core2 Extreme Mobile
    • Provide the most extreme performance now on laptops
    • Dynamic CPU multiplier and clock speed adjustible on the fly  (Overclocking without reboot)
    • Impressive CPU power for a laptop
• Panasonic
  • 70x Zoom High Definition Camcorder
  • No OLED:  Avoiding until technology is proven.  No commerically available OLEDs yet – the researchers ran into problems
  • Will guarantee life of Plasma 25 years; does NOT have problems with life expectancy
• Casio
  • Privia Pianos… Watches… Scientific calulators…
  • EXILIM CAMERA LINE – New 30fps photo taking technology
    • Will take photos at 30fps at 5Mpxl
    • Will take phtoos at normal speeds at 9Mpxl
    • Takes SD Flash – has a big buffer installed on camera
    • 8x Optical Zoom
    • Really amazing speed – truly a technological breakthough
• Pioneer
  • As with every year, I still don’t know what these people are trying to sell.  Spent 10 minutes in booth.
• Sharp
  • 108” plasma – 8” more than last year
  • Blu-ray is there but nobody seems to care
  • Sidekick – Sharp makes the devices for us.  Very nice designs and UI
• Powermat
  • Not letting anyone see anything;  complete encased in walls
  • The founder came out to talk to me; would NOT answer the questions I had:
    • “Who are your partners?”
    • “How is this technologically different from ePlugged"/Fulton”
• Toshiba
  • TRANSFERJET technology –
    • 580Mbps wireless I/O for video or data.
    • Touch devices together to “pair” them
    • For PCs, phones, consoles, etc.
• Samsung
  • OMNIA
    • Touchscreen smartphone using WM6.1.  Very sexy.  Lots of attention.  Verizon only.
  • Realtime 3D Conversion for Xbox 360, requires 3D ready TV
    • Demonstrating Forza Motorsport in 3D using Samsung 3D ready display and special glasses
  • Lots of crap for recycleables/green computing

TRAINING: Visual Studio Team System for Database Professionals Workshop, Irvine & Los Angeles

Visual Studio Team System 2008 Database Edition provides advanced tools for database change management and testing and offers functionality to enable database developers and administrators to be more productive and increase application quality in the database tier.

Visual Studio Team System 2008 Database Edition delivers a market shifting database development product that provides a foundation for managed database evolution through the use of an offline, Visual Studio project-centered source code control system together with a suite of tools designed to help understand the impact of proposed changes. Schemas, DML and metadata can be versioned, code can be automatically reviewed using static analysis, unit tests can be created and executed to ensure quality, and comparisons can be made with test and production systems prior to deployment. Integration with Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Foundation Server helps increase the productivity of the database professionals by enabling them to become an integral part of the application team.

Please join Microsoft and Adventos for this one-day course to learn how the Developer and Database editions of Team System work together in the application lifecycle.

Course Outline

I. Core Features of TFS
II. Team Projects
III. Source Control and Team Foundation Build
IV. Managing Databases in a Team Environment

Who Should Attend?
Database Administrators, Database Developers

Location/Dates:

• Los Angeles:
  Tuesday, March 03, 2009 9:00 AM – Tuesday, March 03, 2009 4:30 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada)
  Welcome Time: 8:30 AM
  Microsoft Los Angeles Office
  333 South Grand Ave
  Suite 3300 Los Angeles California 90071
• Irvine:
  Wednesday, March 04, 2009 9:00 AM – Wednesday, March 04, 2009 4:30 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada)
  Welcome Time: 8:30 AM
  Microsoft – Irvine
  3 Park Plaza
  Suite 1600 Irvine California 92614

Registration:
If you’re a customer of mine, please contact me for registration links and passwords.  This is an invite only event for Southern California managed accounts.

I’m out of office… heading to Vegas for CES 2009.

Will post photos here of fascinatingly geeky stuff that I see.  So far admittedly, outside of our (Microsoft’s) impending announcements I’m not seeing or anticipating anything really that stunning but I’ve been wrong before.  In the forums, I’m hearing the same buzz around OLED based displays, Wireless Power, blah blah blah.  Same stuff as last year but we’ll see.

TWITTERING
Have the intention of Twittering at http://twitter.com/kurtsh about the stuff I see.  (We’ll see how long that lasts.)  I figure I’m good for at least day 1 or 2 (8th and 9th of January)

PARTY LIST
And if you find me posting between the hours of 9PM-3AM this week… feel free to shake your head in disapproval the next time you see me, then point to this:  http://www.cespartylist.com/

CESMOBILE
There’s a mobile CES directory available for mobile phones – Windows Mobile included!
http://cesmobile.boopsie.com

MICROSOFT KEYNOTE
(formerly known as the Bill Gates Keynote – 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 7, 2009, The Venetian, Palazzo Ballroom)

I actually don’t know exactly what we’re going to be showing, although I’ve been told a few things from some well placed sources.  One thing’s for sure:  No Bill this year.  It’s Steve from here on out.

• http://www.cesweb.org/sessions/keynotes.asp

I am impressed with the keynote line ups they’ve got this year.

• Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
• Sony Chairman/CEO Sir Howard Stringer
• Ford Motors President/CEO Alan Mulally
• Intel Chairman Craig Barrett
• Cisco Chairman/CEO John Chambers

I read something on Slashdot today that continues to perpetuate the myth that there if you’ve activated Windows more than twice using the same consumer product activation key, you’re hosed because Microsoft Licensing Services won’t provide another activation for you.

Folks – This is just plain wrong. 

If you’re an individual user and you find that can’t activate your copy of Windows XP/Vista because you’ve used up your previous activations on your existing consumer product activation key and:

• You reformatted/reinstalled Windows on your PC
• You made a hardware change to your machine
• You upgraded to a new PC

…you can virtually always get another activation through Licensing Services in the US simply by calling the Microsoft Windows Vista Consumer Product Activation Phone Number at 1-866-740-1256.  (Assuming of course that you aren’t abusing the privilege.) 

The entire reason this thing exists is to prevent either piracy by individuals that aren’t aware they’re violating their licensing agreement, or blatant rampant piracy – primarily:

1. Folks that create new PCs and sell them and never pay for the Windows license on them such as illicit System Builders or mass software piracy operations
2. Individuals that try to use the same license across many home machines, despite the fact that it is clear that Windows licenses are assigned per machine, and may not be moved from machine to machine.

It’s not there to make your life harder or to “penalize you”.  Just call the phone number, people.

(BTW:  A “consumer product activation key” is an 35-digit activation code that you get on a bright orange label usually inside a commercial copy of Windows XP or Windows Vista that you picked up from a store.)

————————

Other links:

• INFO: Activating Windows Vista over the phone
  http://kurtsh.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!DA410C7F7E038D!1654.entry
• INFO: Windows Vista Activation… what can you expect?
  http://kurtsh.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!DA410C7F7E038D!1395.entry
• SUPPORT:  How to Activate Windows XP
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307890
• SUPPORT:  List of Activation Error Codes
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951287

Microsoft Commerce Server 2009 December 2008 Community Technology Preview (CTP), formerly known as Commerce Server 2007 code name “Mojave”, is the first feature complete pre-release of the next version of Commerce Server.

We invite you to install this pre-release version of Commerce Server 2009 into a non-production environment to learn more about the Multi-Channel Commerce Foundation, the SharePoint Commerce Services, and the out-of-the-box Default Web site. This release is for evaluation purposes only and is not intended to be used in a production environment. This CTP will not function after June 2009.

What’s New in Commerce Server 2009 December CTP Release?
Commerce Server 2009 delivers the ability to increase your business reach by making it possible to sell via multiple channels using an out-of-the-box shopping site, SharePoint Commerce Services, and the Multi-Channel Commerce Foundation.

The new out-of-the-box shopping site leverages SharePoint Commerce Services, which provides a gallery of ASP.NET 3.5 Web Parts, a comprehensive e-commerce shopping feature-set, and technology integration between Commerce Server and SharePoint technologies. The Multi-Channel Commerce Foundation provides a new unified, extensible run-time programming model for Commerce Server, including new run-time e-commerce capabilities. 

The December CTP adds the following capabilities over previous Commerce Server 2007 code name “Mojave” releases:

• Update package from Commerce Server 2007, allowing for seamless in-place upgrade of existing deployments. 
• Complete out-of-the-box e-commerce shopping site in SharePoint with new search functionality, new shopping features, and what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) content management and design experiences. This helps to facilitate rapid assembly and maintenance of e-commerce Web sites by business users and creative professionals.

December CTP ISO
To download the December CTP ISO, go to the Download Center. 

Commerce Server 2009 Installation Guide and Readme
To download the Commerce Server 2009 Installation Guide and the Microsoft Commerce Server 2009 December 2008 CTP Readme, click this link. 

Note: Before you install the pre-release of Commerce Server 2009, you must install the prerequisite software which includes the installation of Commerce Server 2007. Also, you must register with the Microsoft Connect site before you can download the latest readme, additional documentation, or samples. Register on the Microsoft Connect site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=129508 ) with your Windows Live ID account.

Feedback
Please use the Connect feedback system to provide feedback about the December CTP. 

—————–
source

Microsoft Press is releasing the eBook version for “Understanding IPv6” for free to everyone that registers for the download.  Here’s a quick description:

Writing Secure Code for Vista
by Joseph Davies
ISBN: 9780735624467
Published January 09, 2008

Your essential guide to IPv6—fully updated for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista.

Now updated for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista, this guide delivers in-depth technical information on Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). IPv6 greatly improves on IPv4, the current protocol, by vastly increasing the number of available addresses and by adding enhancements for security, multimedia traffic management, routing, and network configuration. Written by a popular author and networking expert, this reference details the protocol, from its features and benefits to its packet structure and protocol processes. It also describes how to migrate to IPv6-based internetworking, with tips about coexistence with IPv4-based systems, DHCP, DNS, and routing infrastructure. It discusses how IPv6 is supported by the Windows Server 2008 family of operating systems and Windows Vista. Includes companion CD with fully searchable eBook and other references.

REGISTER & DOWNLOAD:
http://csna01.libredigital.com/?urws8un4p7
(Click File-SaveAs to save document to desktop)

Microsoft Press is releasing the eBook version for “Writing Secure Code for Vista” for free to everyone that registers for the download.  Here’s a quick description:

Writing Secure Code for Vista
by Michael Howard and David LeBlanc
ISBN: 9780735623934
Published April 11, 2007

The definitive guide to developing more-secure software applications for Windows Vista

Get the definitive guide to writing more-secure code for Windows Vista—from the authors of the award-winning Writing Secure Code, Michael Howard and David LeBlanc. This reference is ideal for developers who understand the fundamentals of Windows programming and APIs. It complements Writing Secure Code, examining the delta between Windows XP and Windows Vista security. You get first-hand insights into design decisions, lessons learned from Windows Vista development, and practical advice for solving real-world security issues.

Discover how to:

Learn how Windows Internet Explorer 7 defenses and new security features affect your development efforts

 

PLUS—Get Microsoft Visual C#, Visual C++, and C code samples on the Web

REGISTER & DOWNLOAD:
http://csna01.libredigital.com/?urrs4gt63d
(Click File-SaveAs to save document to desktop)

If you’ve been paying attention there have been 5 distinct major revisions of the Xbox 360 console hardware. (with a 6th on the way in 2009)

Below are the codenames and the stats for each from oldest to newest:  (The photo to the left is taken from Anandtech. 

• Xenon (2005-2006)
  Original design – November 2005 (Launch)
  90nm CPU, 90nm GPU, 90nm eDRAM
  Identified by:
  • 203W power supply
  • 16,5A next to the 12V line on console’s serial label
  • Photos at http://www.360drives.com/howto#xenon
• Zephyr (2006-2007)
  Original Xbox 360 Elite design – May 2007 (Released for Premium design – July 2007)
  90nm CPU, 90nm GPU, & 90nm eDRAM
  With HDMI port
  Improved GPU cooler
  Identified by:
  • 203W power supply
  • 16,5A next to the 12V line on console’s serial label
  • HDMI listed as feature on box (Available as Xbox 360 Elite)
  • Photos at http://www.360drives.com/howto#zephyr
• Opus (2007)
  Released for Xbox 360 – July 2007
  65nm CPU, 90nm GPU, & 80nm eDRAM
  Improved CPU cooler (Inherited from Falcon)
  Improved GPU cooler (Inherited from Zephyr)
  Identified by:
  • 175W power supply
  • 14,2A next to the 12V line on console’s serial label
  • Does NOT have HDMI port (Available only for Xbox 360 Premium, Core repairs; generally considered rare)
  • Photos at http://www.360drives.com/howto#opus
• Falcon (2007-2008)
  Released for Xbox 360 Premium & Elite consoles – September 2007
  65nm CPU, 80nm GPU, & 80nm eDRAM
  With HDMI port
  Improved CPU cooler (Different heat sink & cooling duct)
  Identified by:
  • 175W power supply
    (This is indicative of at LEAST owning a Falcon console.  It may be a Jasper.  The only way for the average person to know is to examine the power connector on the console.  See photo above.)
  • 14,2A next to the 12V line on console’s serial label
    (This is indicative of at LEAST owning a Falcon console.  It may be a Jasper.  The only way for the average person to know is to examine the power connector on the console.  See photo above.)
  • Console manufacture date is on or after August 24, 2007
  • Manufacturing lot # is likely to be 0734 or greater
  • Photos at http://www.360drives.com/howto#falcon
• Jasper (2008-current)
  65nm CPU, 65nm GPU, & 80nm eDRAM
  With HDMI port
  256MB On-board Flash (16MB was standard)
  Identified by:
  • 150W power supply
    (This is an absolute guarantee that the console is a Jasper)
  • 12,1A next to the 12V line on console’s serial label
    (Some Jaspers have been found mislabeled with 14,2A however.  If your console has 14,2A, the only way for the average person to know what motherboard is used is to examine the power connector on the console.  See photo above.)
  • Console manufacture date is on or after October 14, 2008
    (This is not definitive being that there have been Falcons found with a similar manufacture date.  If your console has a manufacture date on 10/14/08, the only way for the average person to know what motherboard is used is to examine the power connector on the console.  See photo above.)
  • Manufacturing lot # is likely to be 0843 or greater
    (This is not definitive as there have been Falcons shipped with the same manufacturing lot.)
  • Photos at http://www.360drives.com/howto#jasper
• Valhalla (2009? Unreleased/Rumored/etc.)
  Single die CPU & GPU in-one with an unknown trace size – either 65nm or 45nm – with an unknown eDRAM trace size, likely includes an HDMI port and who knows what else.

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE:
There’s naturally rational reasons why people have become so infatuated by the science of the Xbox’s parts, chips, drives, motherboard, etc.

1. RELIABILITY
   The newer the console, the more likely it is to run reliably without issue.  Frankly, this shouldn’t be an issue if you remember rule #1 about owning an Xbox 360.
   
   

   Rule #1:  KEEP YOUR XBOX 360 IN A EXTREMELY WELL-VENTILATED AREA If you want your console to live a long and healthy life, keep it completely cool.  Seriously.  No exceptions.  This means no confined spaces, no heated rooms, no DVRs or other consoles underneath or on top of the , no walls or blockages near the back of the unit.  Even older consoles – including the original launch Xbox 360 – can run for a very long time.  Personally:  I have, not one but TWO original 16,5A 203W power supply-based “Xenon” class Xbox 360 consoles that have run without the Red Ring of Death since the release day of the Xbox 360.  It sits on top of my projection screen 65” TV and it has never, ever, ever locked up.  I once got the “red ring of death” but it was because of a loose connection between my video cable and the console when I moved my TV.

   
   

2. HEAT DISSIPATION
   The newer the console, the less heat it will dissipate due to the smaller chips used.  The smaller the chip, the smaller the silicon traces used, the less electricity used to power the chip, the lower the amount of heat generated by the resistance in the metal.
   
3. POWER UTILIZATION
   The newer the console, the less power will be used by each major component of the console.  This is reflected in the smaller power supplies provided by each subsequent generation of the console from 203W to 175W to 150W.
   
4. CONSOLE NOISE
   The hotter the unit, the more likely the fan will blow.  The fan can blow loud enough to create a fair amount of noise during game play – particularly during complex, high graphics intensity titles.

   Additionally, the older the unit, the more likely you’ll be using an older Hitachi DVD drive.  The newer Samsung DVD drives are quieter that are available in some units and the BenQ VAD6038 DVD Drive purports to be the quietest drive of them all.

   A note on the different DVD Drives in Xbox 360s: Yes, it turns out that we varied the manufacturers that built the DVD drives in the Xbox 360.  The early drives were manufactured by Hitachi which were known for being ‘loud’.  Whenever the drive would speed up to read data a loud audible HUMMMM would emit from the Xbox 360. At some point later the Toshiba-Samsung drive emerged and was found to be relatively quieter in comparison.  Some people actually went so far as to buy Samsung-TS drives to upgrade their The end result was that there have been at least 3 manufacturer’s drives shipping in Xbox 360’s: Hitachi-LG – Available at launch Toshiba-Samsung – Integrated sometime after launch BenQ VAD6038 – Available as of 11/6/2006 http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=584312 Lite-On – Available in 2007, identical to BenQ except with different colored wiring. Appears to be the dominant drive in production today More information: http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/Xbox_360_DVD_Drive_Comparison.htm http://www.360drives.com/howto

Basically because each revision has either added new technology over it’s predecessor or it’s gotten cooler and run on less power, it’s preferable to get a newer revision of the console over older revisions considering you’ll be paying the same price regardless of what the technology is inside the Xbox 360 box.

MORE INFORMATION:
There’s a lot of information available on the net about this.  Here are some of the better resources that I’ve gleaned over the past year or os.

1. Anandtech’s Overview of Jasper
   http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3472
2. Jasper Motherboard in the Wild: 256MB Internal ‘MU’, 150W PSU
   http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EkkZlFAyyZZXEKjatA.php
3. XBOX.COM:  How to see if you have a 65nm (Falcon) console
   http://forums.xbox.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=15804553
4. XBOX.COM:  How to find a full 65nm Jasper console
   http://forums.xbox.com/24344540/ShowPost.aspx
5. BenQ VAD6038 – New DVD Drive in Xbox360
   http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=584312
6. IVC Wiki
   http://beta.ivancover.com/wiki/index.php/Xbox_360_Revisions#Zephyr

<stolen from the Microsoft NAP blog>

NAP Clients for Linux and Macintosh are available from Avenda and UNETsystem, Inc.

Avenda
The Avenda Linux NAP Agent includes 802.1X enforcement, the Avenda System Health Agent (SHA), and the Avenda Linux NAP Agent System Health Validator (SHV), which you install on your NAP health policy server. For more information, see the Linux Agent tab of the Avenda NAP Agents Web page.

For the datasheet on the Avenda Linux NAP Agent, click here.

UNETsystem
UNETsystem, Inc. provides both a Linux and Macintosh NAP client.

• The UNETsystem Linux NAP Client includes 802.1X and DHCP enforcement, the UNET SHA, and the UNET SHV to install on your NAP health policy server. To download it, click here.
• The UNETsystem Macintosh NAP Client also includes 802.1X and DHCP enforcement, the UNET SHA, and the UNET SHV to install on your NAP health policy server. To download it, click here.

For more information, see the datasheet available here.

Download, install, play, and enjoy!

Do you own a Sharepoint Server 2007 installation?

Do you own IBM Websphere Portal, BEA AquaLogic Portal, or SAP NetWeaver Portal?

If you’re interested in taking SharePoint data and rendering it natively through your ‘other portal’s’ WSRP consumer portlets, this is the Toolkit for you.

The Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP) Toolkit for SharePoint provides sample code for producing WSRP conformant data from SharePoint lists and libraries.

The WSRP Toolkit for SharePoint consists of the following assets:

1. Visual Studio sample projects that demonstrate two different approaches to producing WSRP conformant output from SharePoint lists and libraries
2. A whitepaper that provides details on the different architectural approaches of the two WSRP producer samples
3. Screen casts showing the two WSRP producer samples in action

DOWNLOAD:
http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/WSRPToolkit

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2008/12/15/announcing-the-wsrp-toolkit-for-sharepoint.aspx