Posted by: kurtsh | February 25, 2006

NEWS: The Hype around Origami

I figured I’d better throw in my two cents here about all the rumors around Origami.  (The rumors are beginning to sound a lot like the "Ginger" hype from Dean Kamen.  One person I talked to thought it was a competitor to Playstation Portable.)
 
Here’s a few URLs to read:
 

http://www.origamiproject.com

 
 
 
Posted by: kurtsh | February 20, 2006

WEBCAST: Windows Vista Deployment

Here’s a few questions you should ask yourself about Windows Vista Deployment:

  • Did you know that Windows Vista has it’s own imaging technology that makes virtually all other imaging technologies obsolete?
  • Did you know that you can "mount" a Windows Vista image and edit it using Deployment tools to insert drivers, update the OS with Service Packs, and disable services?
  • Did you know that UNATTEND.TXT, SETUP.INI and all that old Windows deployment mumbo jumbo goes away with Windows Vista?
  • Did you know that when you install Windows Vista it actually images the local hard drive and recofigures itself after doing so, instead of doing a scripted installation as past versions of Windows have done?
 
If you didn’t, you need to read up on Windows Vista Deployment.  If you can make it on Monday February 20, 2006 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM there is an informative webcast on how to deploy our upcoming release of Windows.
 
Learn about the new tools with Vista that are going to make our customer’s lives easier.
 
Posted by: kurtsh | February 20, 2006

BETA: Windows Live Expo… Microsoft’s Classified ads

Think "craigslist".  Think "newspaper ads".  Think about your local city.  Now think, "totally free".  That’s what Windows Live Expo is.
 
Formerly codenamed "Fremont", Windows Live Expo is a new classifieds service that enables people to buy. sell, and trade online with people local to their geography.
 
New features will soon launch including:
  • MSN Spaces integration
  • MSN Messenger gleam triggered when you update your MSN Space
  • MSN alerts integration to receive alerts via your mobile phone, email, or IM.
 
Fun anecdotes we’ve heard from users:
  • A user sold his Coldplay tickets in 1 day with over 100 interested parties.
  • An employee said he saved at least 5 asynchronous email exchanges by using the built in MSN Messenger to communicate with his buyer.
  • A user solved a computer software question by asking other community members.
 
Since many of you have never seen Microsoft’s campus before, I thought I’d write about something that would give you an idea of how big the place is.  Once if was just as cluster of 6 "X" shaped buildings, it’s now a sprawling campus with a "lake", several football/frisbee football fields, a dozen or so basketball courts, a more than a dozen cafeterias… and these cafeterias are HUGE – some of them operate 24/7.  Think about the size of your local Shopping Mall’s food court.  Yeah.  That big.
 
In any case, there’s a company that’s proposing (again) a light rail transit system of sorts leveraging people-mover like cars that move about like a Disneyland ride.  The proposal is here:  http://gettherefast.org/bettercampus.html
 
This is a video that demonstrates what the rail system would look like and it’s benefits web page:
VIDEO: http://www.cities21.org/MS.wmv
WEB:  http://www.cities21.org/Redmond.htm
 
Note that I said, "again" above.  This proposal has been put forth over and over again over the last 10 years I’ve been employed and the pluses and minuses never seemed to gel.  Now this proposal’s been put forth and it’s the first that I’ve been privy to with such "marketing detail" around it.
 
Kinda spiffy to dream I suppose.  It’s not like people REALLY have traffic jams around the campus – but there are times when getting a shuttle can be a challenge and I could imagine how a system like this would be very convenient… albeit costly.
 
What would probably enable this to take off would be a system in which people could park elsewhere, the take the light rail system to their office because PARKING is always a problem at Microsoft.  Also something where good coffee and the the local Pro Club (the gym everyone belongs to) are interconnected for midday coffee or a workout.
 
 
 
 
Posted by: kurtsh | February 10, 2006

BETA: Microsoft Client Protection

 
Client Protection represents the following capabilities:
– Guard against current and emerging malware threats
– Proven protection technology
– Keep defenses up to date
– Improved visibility
– Designed to work with what you have
 
 
Posted by: kurtsh | February 10, 2006

BETA: ISA Server 2006 Beta 1

Sign up here to try out the ISA Server 2006 Beta.  Both Standard and Enterprise Editions are available. 
 
ISA Server 2006 represents the following new technologies:
  • Secure Application Publishing
  • Branch Office Gateway
  • Web Access Protection
More details on what ISA Server 2006 is, is available here:
If you use Virtual Earth Mobile, you will need to update your app to version 1.50 before February 12.  That’s the day that the Virtual Earth servers will switch over completely to their new interface, and old clients will stop working.  The new version is attached to this blog entry.
 
In addition to supporting the new interface, new features include:
  • driving directions from the MSN Mobile website
  • WiFi locator
  • asynchronous loading of maps
  • stretching map tiles that are already downloaded until new tiles are downloaded
  • finer zoom levels
  • help page
  • support for builtin GPS on the HP iPaq

http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/attachment/526876.ashx

Microsoft Sets Pricing For New Security Service
By RIVA RICHMOND
February 7, 2006 3:21 p.m.
 
Microsoft Corp. plans to launch its consumer-security service, Windows OneCare, in early June for an annual subscription charge of $49.95, well below competing products from security-software makers.
The Redmond, Wash., software giant said OneCare will be available in English initially and sold both in a boxed product in retail stores and over the Internet. It will cover up to three PCs in a single household and include free phone, email and chat help.
 
The service, which includes virus protection, a firewall, file-backup and other tools, has been undergoing open "beta" testing by consumers, who have had free use of the product in exchange for providing Microsoft with feedback, since early December. To date, OneCare hasn’t included Microsoft’s antispyware product, but Microsoft said that it will be included at the end of February.
 
The company said it will offer beta testers a discounted rate of $19.95 for a year if they sign up in April. Nearly 200,000 people are now beta users, but Microsoft expects that number to jump to one million by the time the test period ends on April 30 — in time to clinch the discount.
 
"It will be the best value in the market," said Ryan Hamlin, general manager of Microsoft’s technology care-and-safety group. "It’s doing the right thing for the customer … and from a business standpoint, we’re doing the right thing for Microsoft."
 
As investors in security-software makers have feared, Microsoft will be undercutting current prices. Symantec Corp. and McAfee Inc. charge $69.99 for a single license for their security suites and more for additional machines, though some promotional prices are available. They also typically charge $20 or $30 each time a customer calls a phone-support line for help.
 
In a sign that Microsoft’s approach is already affecting the market, Symantec unveiled a new consumer service on Tuesday called Genesis that will be available in the fall. It combines the security protections offered in its suite with features for identifying scam Web sites. It didn’t announce the service’s price, except to say pricing would be similar to its other consumer products. McAfee has long offered an online security service.
 
Security-software makers have long said they are prepared to compete with Microsoft for consumers, citing their established expertise and track records of quality products as well as customer distrust of Microsoft on security matters. Microsoft has been under fire for years for programming bugs in its software that have allowed malicious programs like viruses, hacker attacks and spyware to proliferate on Windows PCs.
 
For its part, Microsoft hopes to woo users with a service that takes care of all security and PC "health" worries and that is designed to be very easy to use and, thus, will appeal to the estimated 70% of Windows users who don’t use security software at all or have it but don’t keep it up to date.
 
"The product was designed for the 70% of users who are unprotected today" from Internet threats, Mr. Hamlin said. "We’ll compete for customers in the other 30%, but we really want to go after the untapped."
Microsoft said it will lay the ground for launches of OneCare internationally in other languages by starting open beta tests in the next few months.
 
I’m in coach class right now on All Nippon Airways Flight NH05 and check this out:
 
…I have actual wireless Internet access from my seat.  I’m getting bandwidth of about 160kbps down and 50kbps up.  And YES, this blog entry is being made directly from my airplane seat at 12,000 feet in the air.
…I have a REAL power socket in my seat… not some "airport" plug.
…I just had an actual video conversation with a coworker of mine at Microsoft through the video camera on my laptop.  How’s that for I/O?
…I’m eating REALLY GOOD teriyaki chicken.  Yes – that’s right.  I’m eating teriyaki chicken for lunch with good rice.  Not that garbage United serves.
…the flight from Los Angeles left ON TIME and ON SCHEDULE.
…all the movies and video features are on-demand directly to my seat.  I don’t have to wait until "3:00PM" to see the repeat of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith".  (Although we really have to work on getting these folks to hook up some XBox’s here:  The games are all old Nintendo junk and this plane would be sooooo cool to play Halo 2 multiplayer in)
…unlike Alitalia, this plane is very clean, and very comfortable.  The air temperature is perfect… even my wife isn’t complaining about the temperature.
 
…and the flight attendants are attentive, professional, and… uh… very nice.  <grin>
 
(Attached is a photo taken by my Tablet PC video camera of my wife and I in our seats after we’d just done a video teleconference with Chandler Bootchk, the Real Time Collaboration specialist in Microsoft Los Angeles.  Imagine his surprise when we told him that we were at an altitude of 12,000 feet.)
Posted by: kurtsh | February 7, 2006

NEWS: One last blurb on Windows Media & CBS Radio

In addition to Los Angeles’ "The World Famous" KROQ 106.7FM and Seattle’s Country KMPS 94.1FM, the following stations also went live:

This is adds to the 40-50 radio stations already broadcasting through RadioMat & LimeLight, among them:

 

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