Microsoft is ratcheting up the battle against rivals Sony and Nintendo in the hotly contested Asian market, cutting the price of its Xbox 360 between 5 percent and nearly 20 percent in four areas throughout the region.

The price of the 20GB model was cut 17 percent in Taiwan, 10.7 percent in Hong Kong, and 5 percent in South Korea. The steepest reduction was made in Singapore, where that version of the gaming console dropped 19.5 percent and the company cut the price of two other models: The 120GB Elite was reduced 12.5 percent and the Arcade, which has no hard drive, was cut by 13 percent.

At the same time, Sony went in the opposite direction in Singapore and raised prices for its 40GB PlayStation 3 to $394. Nintendo, for its part, said late last week that it had no plans to cut prices on either the Wii console or its DS handheld in any regions.

"This price drop is part of Microsoft's ongoing strategy to bring Xbox's high-definition gaming and entertainment experience to an even wider user base," Microsoft said in a statement. The move follows price reductions up to 28 percent in some European markets last month.

Source: CNET Crave

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Mike Klucher talks about building XNA Framework games for the Zune and shows the soon-to-be-released CTP that enables developers to build Zune projects, adds a new menu on your Zune for games, and also enables device debugging directly from Visual Studio.
For more information, go to creators.xna.com.

Low res version
MP4 version

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Search Commands helps you find commands, options, wizards, and galleries in Microsoft Office 2007 Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Just type what you’re looking for in your own words and click the command you need. Search Commands also includes Guided Help, which acts as a tour guide for specific tasks.

Click here to download.

Requirements:
32 bit Windows XP or Windows Vista. Office 2007.

Limitations:
English only. Works with Word, Excel and PowerPoint only.

Last updated:
04/23/2008

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Snapshots are a new feature of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V. Snapshots are a point in time version of a virtual machine…..what does that mean you ask? It means that you can be running a virtual machine, take a snapshot and at any point you can select a previous snapshot and revert back to that point in time.  You end up with the virtual machine in the EXACT configuration that it was when you took the snapshot…and I mean exact….memory, virtual hardware, processes, state, etc. So you can have a running virtual machine, take a snapshot, change the virtual hardware configuration, format the disk and install a different OS, it does not matter, when you apply the previous snapshot it looks exactly like it did when you took the snapshot.

Snapshots do not affect the running state of the virtual machine, meaning that taking a snapshot does not change the virtual machine hardware, applications, or the currently running processes. It also means that deleting a snapshot does not change the virtual machine either….it just means that you cannot go OOPS and go back to that point in time to get you out of something you just did.

The snapshot files consist of the following:

• A copy of the VM configuration .xml file
• Any save state files
• A differencing disk(.avhd) that is the new working disk for all writes that is the child of the working disk prior to the snapshot.

If you create snapshots one right after each other and never apply a previous snapshot, the you will have a tree with one branch. if you apply a previous snapshot, then you will get another branch to the snapshot tree starting at the applied snapshot.

Creating Snapshots – How does it work?

When you create a new VM in a directory, let’s say D:\TestVM, two sub directories are created – D:\TestVM\Snapshots and D:\TestVM\Virtual Machines. The \Snapshots directory contains nothing, but the \Virtual Machines directory contains the original XML configuration file saved with a unique GUID as the filename with an .xml extension and a directory to house the save state files (.VSV and .bin) memory files. The directory also uses the same GUID as the directory name. I will refer to this as the VMGUID.

Note: All the filenames and directories are actual GUIDs, I am using friendly names to make it easier to write and understand the concept.

The VMGUID.XML file points to the D:\TESTVM\TESTVM.VHD as the current VHD for all writes. Before you do any snapshots, all changes get written to the D:\TESTVM\TESTVM.VHD file and any save state is saved in the D:\TestVM\Virtual Machines\VMGUID directory.

When you create the first snapshot you have two scenarios: [1] You create it with the virtual machine powered down or [2] you create it while the virtual machine is running.

CASE [1] – VM is powered off

1. It creates two directories in the D:\TestVM\Snapshots\ folder

• One with a folder name of VMGUID – this is where all the avhd files will be stored for all snapshots (This only happens for the first snapshot)
• One with a new GUID for a folder name – this is where the memory save state for this snapshot is stored, I will refer to this as SNAPGUID
• In this case no files are written to D:\TestVM\Snapshots\SNAPGUID here because the VM is powered down and there is no memory state

1. It also creates a copy of the VM’s XML configuration file with filename SNAP1GUID.XML
2. It creates a working .avhd files with another GUID and stores it in the D:\TESTVM\Virtual Machines\VMGUID directory. I will refer to this as WORKING.AVHD
3. The VM’s original VMGUID.XML file is updated to point to the new WORKING.AVHD as current VHD

CASE [2] – VM is powered on

1. Everything that happens for CASE [1] happens for case [2] except in this case the memory is saved to disk and stored in the D:\TestVM\Snapshots\SNAPGUID folder as a BIN with the actual memory saved and a VSV with supporting process information.

Both Case [1] and [2] proceed the same from here….

From this point on, all writes are written to the WORKING.AVHD file. If you make a bunch of changes and then decide to use Revert (to go back to the point in time of the first snapshot), this is what happens

1. The WORKING.avhd file is deleted and a new one is created with a different GUID
2. The VM’s original VMGUID.XML file is updated to point to the new WORKING.AVHD as current VHD
3. If there was a save state file to load it would be loaded and the VM would be resumed from save state.
4. If there was no save state file to load, the machine would remain powered down since you took the snapshot when it as powered down.

So you make a bunch of more changes and then take another snapshot, this is what happens

1. A copy of the current VMGUID.XML files is made, placed in the SNAPSHOTS folder and given a filename with a new GUID, let’s call it SNAP2GUID.XML
2. A folder is created in the SNAPSHOTS folder using the SNAP2GUID to house the save state files for this snapshot, The VM is save stated to this folder
3. The current D:\TESSTVM\Snapshots\VMGUID\WORKING.AVHD file is now the point in time state of the VHD (the GUID does not change)
   • Its parent is the original TESTVM.VHD file
4. A new WORKING.AVHD file is created with a new GUID
   • Its parent is the old WORKING.AVHD file
5. The VMGUID.XML file is updated to the new WORKING.AVHD

So for each new snapshot in succession

1. A copy of the current VMGUID.XML is made and placed in the VMs SNAPSHOTS folder, the filename is a unique GUID
2. A new directory is created in the SNAPSHOTS folder to hold the save state files, the folder name is the same as the GUID in (a) above
3. A new avhd file is created with a new unique GUID. This becomes the new working avhd file and the existing one becomes the RO parent.
4. All new writes are made to the new working avhd file

Hope that provides you with a better understanding on what snapshots are and how they are created under the hood…..I will save deleting snapshots for a future post :-)

Source: Robert Larson's Blog

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Microsoft Corp.'s unsolicited bid to acquire Yahoo Inc. is still up in the air, but maybe it's inevitable in the eyes of Bill Gates.

During an appearance Friday afternoon at the University of Washington, the Microsoft chairman at one point referred to his company as if it were second in Internet search. In reality, Microsoft is in third place in search market share -- although it would move into second place, still well behind Google, if it's able to bring Yahoo into its fold.

"Often if you're No. 2 -- and in this case, a distant No. 2 -- you can try harder, so to speak, and try out new things that are quite different," Gates said when discussing Microsoft's technological ambitions in Internet search.

Whether it was a slip or a sign of Microsoft's determination to finish the deal, the comment was the closest Gates came to even alluding to the acquisition drama. But he touched on many other topics during the event – which felt like a combination homecoming and farewell address, as the last stop on his final university tour before he leaves his full-time Microsoft role.

With his father and two sisters watching from the front row, Gates recounted for the overflow crowd the well-known story of roaming the University of Washington campus as a boy with Paul Allen, who would become the Microsoft co-founder, looking for research computers that they could use in off-hours.

They were "stealing computer time, and now I'm giving it back," Gates said, to laughter.

Gates discussed a wide range of topics during a speech and a question-and-answer period. Subjects spanned his interests in technology, health and education. The speech included many of the same themes he discussed at other universities, including his belief in the long-term importance of natural user interfaces, such as voice and touch input.

One example is Microsoft's Surface tabletop computer, which Gates pointed to as a sign of new ways of interacting with computers and other devices.

"We actually think it's time to amend our slogan of 'a computer on every desk,' " he said. "Because with this kind of technology, we'd want to put a computer in every desk. We want the desktop or tabletop, we want the white board, to be something that's completely intelligent."

One attendee asked Gates how he was thinking about the environmental impact of the technology proliferation that he envisions. Among other things, he talked about the reduction in the size and materials needed for computers and other devices.

"The key thing we need is energy sources that don't cause environmental side effects, and that are dramatically cheaper," he said, adding later, "You really need to take this slope where the price of energy has come down ... and consumption has gone up, and find a way to do that that has no negative side effect."

At one point, Gates was asked how Microsoft was applying "lessons learned" from Windows Vista, the latest version of its operating system, which has earned a reputation for compatibility problems and other glitches, particularly during its first year. Gates downplayed the significance of the issues.

"Every software project is a glass half-full in terms of things that went super-well and things that didn't go super-well," Gates said. "The great thing about software is, if any of your software is popular, you hear back from users. They tell you what they like, what they don't like. ... You hear about it, and it's great, because that creates that feedback loop."

At another point, an attendee challenged Gates over a past comment by Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer that Google has succeeded only in the Internet search market.

"What's another place that you think they'll be making money in soon?" Gates asked.

The attendee cited the free Google Earth and Gmail.

"No, anybody can give things away," Gates responded, to more laughter. "But they're a great company. They're doing lots of good work ... but fundamentally that search-advertising nexus is more than 100 percent of their current profit stream -- and a very nice profit stream, indeed."

One student asked Gates what made him believe so much in the idea for Microsoft that he was willing to drop out of Harvard University to pursue it.

Before Gates answered, Mark Emmert, the UW president, interjected by saying to the student, "But you're not going to take this as a recommendation to drop out of college."

"Well, if you have an idea like Microsoft," Gates responded, "I highly recommend it."

Source: Todd Bishop's Blog

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Despite no announcement being made on UltimatePC.com, Microsoft have released a new sound
scheme and a content pack for Windows DreamScene as part of its Windows Vista Ultimate Extras
offerings for customers who purchased the Ultimate edition of Vista.
After installing the sound pack customers get Ultimate Extras Pearl and Glass sound schemes and additional Windows DreamScene Content.

exclusive to Windows Vista Ultimate only!

Source: Neowin

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Today Microsoft is unveiling a technology preview to a really neat new software+services platform called Live Mesh. Live Mesh is a brand new platform that helps your devices act together through the internet enabling users such as you and me to manage, access, and share their files and applications from nearly anywhere. By bringing user's files, applications, and devices together along with the combination of social networking (such as with news feeds) - Live Mesh creates a unique platform experience.

First and foremost Live Mesh is a new platform.  The first phase of the technology preview process provides a foundational experience that exposes core concepts and functionality of the platform.  In the near future developers can expect to be able to take advantage of Live Mesh to extend their software to the Web, and their services to the desktop and devices.

Today's technology preview is a pre-Beta release designed to get early feedback to make the platform even better.

I've been lucky to be given the chance to play with Live Mesh for the last couple weeks. I've had a great experience with Live Mesh so far and thought I'd share my experiences with you.

So the first thing I did was logged in to http://www.mesh.com/. Live Mesh of course supports Windows Live ID. After logging in with my Windows Live ID - I am taken to the screen where I can add/remove devices to my "mesh".

To set up folders to sync with my devices in my "mesh" I need to go to my Live Desktop. This is essentially your device in the cloud where I can manage all my Live Mesh Folders when I'm not in front of one of my usual PC or mobile. You create folders in your Live Desktop and choose which devices you want to sync them with (after you add them to your Live Mesh of course). You'll notice I have three PCs added to my Live Mesh.

On my Live Desktop I have three folders I've created. The first Live Mesh Folder I created was the one you see here called "Mesh". I use this folder to toss files that get synced to the Live Mesh cloud - and then synced to all my Live Mesh devices. You'll notice that the Live Mesh folks have tried to present a familiar approach to file management. You can even drag the folder window to any place on your Live Desktop.

After creating a folder on my Live Desktop, I can choose to sync it with specific devices in my Live Mesh. I chose to sync with all devices. Because the Live Mesh client was installed on my PCs, the "Mesh" Live Mesh Folder automatically appeared on the desktop of all of those PCs I chose to sync with.

When I open the "Mesh" Live Mesh Folder on any of my Windows Vista PCs the standard Windows Explorer window opens but with a Live Mesh addition on the right-hand side. The Mesh Bar on the Windows Explorer window lets me access my Live Mesh information for that folder.

Each Live Mesh Folder has a News Feed where it displays a history of information like when files were added, when they were removed, as well as who added them and notes. This experience exists both on my Windows desktops as well as my Live Desktop.  

A Live Mesh client sits on my Windows PCs in the taskbar. I can use it to quickly access my Live Mesh "stuff" (Live Mesh Folders, devices and news).

I have three tabs that you can switch between my news feed for all my Live Mesh Folders, my Devices, and my news.

From the Devices tab, I can use Live Mesh Remote Desktop to easily access any of my PCs. Building on the awesome Windows Remote Desktop technologies - I can login to any of my PCs running Live Mesh. You'll see that Live Mesh Remote Desktop also has a Mesh Bar.

I can also login to my PCs remotely using Live Mesh via the website as well.

I continue to use Live Mesh for syncing data and the overall all-out access to my information and devices. The above is just a quick overview of my experiences. To quickly recap - Live Mesh provides me with a way to manage and interact with all my data, devices and people.

You can read more about today's Live Mesh Technology Preview announcement from Amit Mital who is the General Manager for Live Mesh on the Windows Live Dev Blog. Keep your eyes on the Live Mesh Blog as well. Noah Edelstein, Group Program Manager for Mesh Platform Experiences, has a in-depth post discussing Live Mesh and possibly answering your questions about Live Mesh - like why you should care about this platform experience.

Channel 10's Nic Fillingham has a great hands-on video of Live Mesh worth checking out! Watch it here in Silverlight bliss:

Hands on with Live Mesh

I believe this is Nic's first video since joining the Channel 10 Team. I look forward to seeing more from Nic in the future.

Oh and Jon Udell over on Channel 9 got a chance to sit down with Ray Ozzie to discuss his role as Chief Software Architect and discusses Microsoft's overall software+services strategy.  

You can sign up to get an invite to test Live Mesh for yourself here by logging in with your Windows Live ID.

Source: windowsvistablog.com

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Check out Windows Server 2008 Unleashed's IT 24-7 Robot  Wallpapers in 4 Action Poses in 8 different screen resolutions.

Download from here, For each screen resolution there are 4 different poses wallpaper :

1920 x 1200 = IT 24-7 Robot Pose A, B, C, D

1600 x 1200 = IT 24-7 Robot Pose A, B, C, D

1600 x 1050 = IT 24-7 Robot Pose A, B, C, D

1440 x 900 = IT 24-7 Robot Pose A, B, C, D

1280 x 1024 = IT 24-7 Robot Pose A, B, C, D

1280 x 960 = IT 24-7 Robot Pose A, B, C, D

1280 x 800 = IT 24-7 Robot Pose A, B, C, D

1024 x 768 = IT 24-7 Robot Pose A, B, C, D

Also check out the IT 24-7 Screensavers :

• I.T. 24/7 Robot Screensaver #1 (size : 9 MB)
• I.T. 24/7 Robot Screensaver #2 (size : 12 MB)

And the Buddy Icons:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/serverunleashed/default.html

Source: meraTechPort

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Windows 7 is alive and kicking, and despite the fact that Microsoft has gagged the details about the next iteration of Windows almost to perfection, details managed to slip through the Redmond giant's fingers. The initial Windows 7 Milestone 1 build was dropped at the end of 2007, and in early

January 2008, only to close partners of the company. But the development of Windows 7 has moved along since version 6.1 Build 6519.1.x86.fre.winmain.071220-1525. From build 6519.1, Microsoft went up all the way to Version 6.1 Build 6574.1, reportedly made available in March 2008.
But even with the development milestone label of 6.1.6574.1, Windows 7 is still at the Milestone 1 stage as ThinkNext revealed. With this release, the Redmond company has tweaked the installation process of the operating system only superficially, but now the License Agreement references Windows 7 instead of Windows Vista. The next version of Windows still features the same kernel as Vista, the move to MinWin has yet to take place, and even the same editions, namely the Windows 7 Business, HomeBasic, HomePremium, Ultimate, HomeBasic N, Business N and Starter SKUs.
The new Windows 7 installer no longer requires the introduction of a product key until the finalization of the installation process, and after the initial setup, and even at that time, the phase can be skipped entirely, permitting users to run the operating system as a trial. Windows 7 also creates a hidden 500.0 MB partition which is not accessible via Windows Explorer, and is dedicated to management purposes.
Windows 7 M1 Build 6.1.6574.1 features a touched-up graphical user interface. Windows Explorer comes with two new buttons, one for Views and the other for switching the preview panel on or off. The March 2008 edition of Windows 7 M1 brings to the table the Health Center, complete with mouse over reactions. Windows 7 M1 Build 6.1.6574.1 also permits end users to temporarily disable the User Account Control in scenarios where the UAC requires multiple confirmations.

Sources: Softpedia & ThinkNext

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!

Today we are happy to announce that Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) has released to manufacturing (RTM). Windows XP SP3 bits are now working their way through our manufacturing channels to be available to OEM and Enterprise customers.

We are also in the final stages of preparing for release to the web (i.e. you!) on April 29th, via Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center. Online documentation for Windows XP SP3, such as Microsoft Knowledge Base articles and the Microsoft TechNet Windows XP TechCenter, will be updated then. For customers who use Windows XP at home, Windows XP SP3 Automatic Update distribution for users at home will begin in early summer. 

Thanks to everyone here who installed the public betas – you not only gave us detailed feedback but also helped each other out with timely troubleshooting. Through the beta program we found several important issues and were able to confirm some essential fixes. We couldn’t have done this without you.

We will still be monitoring this forum during the next few weeks in case you have more feedback about the release of Windows XP SP3.

Full Story: TechNet Forums

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

As we have moved from Beta to RC the number of questions I have been getting around Hyper-V performance have grown quite a bit. It’s time to put some tips out on how to avoid some common pitfalls.

Pitfall 1: The first and most common has been running without Integration Components (http://blogs.msdn.com/tvoellm/archive/2008/01/02/hyper-v-integration-components-and-enlightenments.aspx )  This is understandable because they are new with Hyper-V and figuring out if they are running is not simple unless you know a few tricks.

The IC’s are important because they can improve overall workload performance from 10’s of percent to more commonly 100’s of percent. This is why they are so important.

Resolution: Make sure IC’s are installed. I have two tips on how to do this.

The first is to connect your VHD’s / Drives to the Virtual Machine using the virtual SCSI controller. What’s nice about this is if your drive shows up is Disk Manager (run diskmgmt.msc) you know you are using IC’s. The virtual SCSI controller requires VMBus to transfer data from the guest to the root for processing. I also like to put my drives on the virtual SCSI controller because in some cases performance is better. Yes this is really true this time. I have the data J Filter driver IDE is very efficient and you won’t have any issue using it as a data drive for most applications.  My personal preference is virtual SCSI.

The second tip is to check the device manager to see if VMBus is present and running. VMBus in and of its self does not mean all your devices are running though IC’s. Rather it is a prereq. For example if you attach a “Legacy Network Adapter” to your VM in the Hyper-V manager or via WMI you are running your network over the emulated path which is slower.  IC's wont fix this.

Here is a picture of VMBus in the guest device manager. You also notice some of the more user visible Hyper-V IC’s like Hyper-V Heartbeat, …

Pitfall 2: This second most common pitfall has been having the Hyper-V manager open during performance runs.

There is nothing inherently wrong with having these windows open however they are not free. For example the thumbnail view. This thumbnail continuously updates when the Hyper-V manager is open. The update is periodic (today its seconds in future releases it might be different – no guarantees) and requires a read of 4MB+ from the virtual graphics card. This creates a background load on system the system.

The other thing the Hyper-V manager does is poll for each running machines CPU utilization and uptime (today its every couple of seconds in future releases it might be different – no guarantees). This too can create background load of the system.

Both the thumbnail and machine queries are sent to the VMMS (vmms.exe) from the the Hyper-V manager/WMI which in turn requests data from each running Virtual Machines MotherBoard (vmwp.exe). You can see there is a minimum of three processes involved is getting the machine data and thus the background load.

Here is a picture of the Hyper-V Manager. Nothing the thumbnail in the lower left corner and the CPU and uptime next to the machine names…

Recommendation: Either close the Hyper-V manager during performance runs or at minimize it. When you minimize the manager it will go “idle” and stop querying for information. This includes both Hyper-V managers running on the Hyper-V Server system as well as remote managers.  My preference is to close it.

Pitfall 3: The third most common pitfall I have seen is having lots of VMConnect Windows Open. The VMConnect windows are essentially the console to the system. These views require painting of the screen and are active even if you have Terminal Services (TSed) / Remote Desktoped connected to the guest VM. You can image lots of graphics done without hardware support (like an ATI or nVidia card) is expensive on the CPU.

The following is the VMConnect Window…

Recommendation: Close VMConnect windows when doing performance runs. You can run remote processes using psrun.exe from http://www.sysinternals.com (a Microsoft Company) or if you really need interactive control use straight TS / Remote Desktop. I’ve seen this shave a couple of % off CPU utilization.

Conclusion: It you get 1, 2, 3 right you are 99% down the path of best performance. I’ll cover some more advanced tips and topics like scheduler CAPs / Weights / Reserves in a future post.

Source: All Topics Performance

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Don't look now, but Microsoft is finally working to tune up its Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) site. The effort promises to resolve long-running frustrations developers have encountered working with the online library and resource.

Redmond Developer News has learned that Microsoft has assembled a task force to determine how it can improve MSDN, a site that aggregates much of Microsoft's technical content for developers. The task force, which spent much of this week in New York interviewing developers, made a stop last night at the monthly meeting of the NYC .NET Developer's Group held in Microsoft's New York offices. The task force revealed its effort to a group of more than 100 people attending the meeting.

"There's great content there. It's very thorough, but from a practical standpoint, it doesn't really meet people's needs," said Brian Hsi, a product manager involved in the effort, who made his pitch at the meeting. "It's kind of static. It's really a library at the end of the day."

Hsi underscored that Microsoft was only at the information-gathering stage and offered no timetable for when changes will be implemented and how extensive the MSDN revamp may be. But he did say that his team intends to interview developers throughout the United States to determine what they like and dislike about the site.

One thing Hsi did indicate is that MSDN will evolve from the more "static" resource that it now is to a more community-focused effort.

"Historically, we've been pretty much a content-driven site," Hsi said. "We're really talking about moving toward broader involvement from community members. It's not so much that there's people that offer content, it's [that] everyone's in it together."

Search and Complain
Indeed, Hsi was rather blunt in his critique of MSDN. "It's often tough to find out if something is accurate or relevant," he told the group. "People just want answers."

The biggest criticism of MSDN is the difficulty of finding content spread across the various Microsoft services, including CodePlex, CodeGallery, Channel 9 and the various forums, libraries and blogs. It's a situation that motivated several developers at the meeting to express frustration with the challenge of finding information on MSDN.

"It is kind of ironic that the internal search never finds anything so I have to go to Google to find things," said James Curran, a senior programmer for barnesandnoble.com, in an interview following the meeting. "I am really looking forward to an improvement because there's a lot of good information that's tough to find."

But even those using Google and other search engines can't find terms that use, say, the "#" sign or a URL.

Another attendee lamented that when Microsoft launched MSDN in 1994, the site promised that if a developer didn't receive an answer to a question posted on a newsgroup or forum within three days, Microsoft would guarantee an answer. "We can't get that anymore," the attendee said.

Hsi acknowledged that search has been a key bugaboo with MSDN, saying the company has conducted some pilots using its own Live Search interface to MSDN by having editors tie together content from CodePlex and other sites within MSDN.

"There's definitely improvements along the way," Hsi said. "I know it's not perfect, I am not here to tell you that it is, but we're making some progress."

The moves come about a year after Microsoft introduced improvements to navigation on MSDN's TechNet. Among the key improvements was the implementation of tabbed, contextual navigation. By clicking on a tab, a user is directed to a site focused on a specific technology or product, a process that was designed to minimize the amount of clicking and result in fewer redundant links.

MSDN also has more consistent navigation, such as "download" tabs in the same location, according to MSDN.

Via: ENTNEWS

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Microsoft today launched a private beta program for a new service, code-named “Albany.”

PressPass spoke with “Albany” Group Product Manager Bryson Gordon to learn more about what consumers can expect from the service and what it will enable them to do.

PressPass: What is “Albany”?

Gordon: “Albany” is the codename for a new all-in-one subscription service of essential software and services consumers told us were most important to them. We’ve pulled together the productivity tools people need to organize their lives, security to help keep their personal information safe and online services that make it easy for them to keep in touch with friends and family, and folded them all into a single service that also ensures the user’s PC is running the latest security and productivity software.

With just a few clicks, “Albany” subscribers will be able install the whole package, which includes Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, giving them the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for their personal and school projects; Windows Live OneCare to help keep viruses at bay and their computer fast and healthy; and Windows Live Mail, Messenger and Photo Gallery so they can connect and share with others. Albany also installs the Microsoft Office Live Workspace connector on the Microsoft Office toolbar, so users can save documents to their own dedicated online workspace and invite friends and classmates to collaborate and share.

Additionally, with “Albany” consumers get the latest versions of Microsoft Office Home and Student and Windows Live OneCare as they’re released. Combined with ongoing security updates, consumers can have the peace of mind that they have protection from the most recent security threats and that their PC is running at its peak.

The beta program we’re announcing today spans a broad cross-section of users and is an integral part of bringing a new service to market.

PressPass: Why is Microsoft making this offering and why now?

Gordon: We asked consumers what they needed and wanted most on their PC, and the overwhelming response was that they primarily want productivity and security software. Consumers also expressed frustration at having to spend time and effort installing different types of software, keeping current on new versions and getting their computers set up. We’re just making it really convenient and painless for consumers to get up and running in a few mouse-clicks with the best-in-class Microsoft Office suite that they love and software and services they’ve told us are indispensable to getting the most out of their PC, while staying up-to-date with the latest versions of their software without having to purchase subsequent versions.

We expect “Albany” to resonate broadly with consumers – whether they’re buying a new primary PC, a second one for their household or trying to get more from an existing PC. Because each “Albany” subscription is good for three PCs, “Albany” is ideal for individuals with one or several computers, as well as families.

“Albany” is also another prime example of how we are delivering on our software plus services strategy of offering customers a combination of the rich performance and capabilities that you only get from software running on a client PC with the convenience and connectivity of the Web. “Albany” seamlessly connects the Web and desktop to improve customers’ productivity and computing experience, and harnesses the unbeatable convenience of the Internet as a delivery mechanism to ensure people’s software is up to date.

PressPass: Why is Microsoft using a subscription-based pricing model here?

Gordon: We’re breaking new ground by delivering Microsoft Office in combination with security and communication tools, plus ensuring our customers are on the cutting edge with the very latest versions. We found from our research that when you bring these categories together and keep them automatically updated, a subscription model makes a lot of sense.

At the same time, we are definitely not straying from our traditional software sales model. There will always be a significant number of users for whom purchasing a perpetual license to the latest version of Office is still the best choice. “Albany” just gives customers more choice and addresses the needs of those customers who value having the latest and greatest version of Microsoft Office.

PressPass: How does “Albany” relate to the next version of Office?

Gordon: “Albany” is not the next version of Microsoft Office; it’s just another way to get the current version plus other software and services that consumers consider indispensable for getting the most out of their PC. With the subscription model, when the next release of Microsoft Office comes out, “Albany” customers with an active subscription will automatically get an upgrade to this version – at no extra cost, as part of their subscription.

PressPass: When will “Albany” be available, how much will it cost and where will consumers be able to get hold of it?

Gordon: We’ll be providing more information later in the year on “Albany’s” availability, pricing and how people can get their hands on it.

Source: Microsoft

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Microsoft IT just published a new technical case study called “Enhancing Availability with a Server Core Installation of Windows Server 2008”. It talks about how they deployed this new install option, which removes applications and components typically associated with client installs, like Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer, Media Player and Windows Mail.

They listed several benefits of the new Core install option, including:

• Reduced management and maintenance 
• Reduced attack surface 
• Streamlined installation 
• Maximized hardware utilization

Server Core does not apply to every Windows Server role, but they mention deploying the following scenarios:

• Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) 
• Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) 
• Domain Name System (DNS) Server service 
• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Server service 
• File services 
• Hyper-V
• Internet Information Services (IIS) 
• Print services 
• Windows Media Services

Here’s a quote from that paper: “The Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 enables Microsoft IT to have more control over its server and network infrastructure. A Server Core installation also helps increase security by providing a reduced attack surface and helps reduce overall costs because of reduced deployment and maintenance requirements.”

Read the full white paper at  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc500983.aspx

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Our sources close to Microsoft have confirmed that the company wants to reach out for the retail market presence. Microsoft wants to open and create many retail shops dedicated exclusive to Microsoft and its products.
This is something that Apple did with its many Apple retail stores around the world. Microsoft will put its retail people in the shops with hope that these skilled people will be able to show the true Microsoft experience.
We can only guess that the shop will be filled with lot of software, but it’s likely to include some peripheral stuff such as keyboards and mice as well as some MP3 Zune players. You can count on some computers, but the last paragraph is something we suspect not something that has been confirmed.
If they put all that we just listed, it will definitely look like a Microsoft copy of Apple retail stores. Maybe even some windows phones?
It worked well for Apple, so Microsoft has the chance.

Source: Fudzilla

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Live Mesh is expected to be a service that synchronizes data between a number of different devices. Microsoft has talked about a long-term vision in which you need to only store things once, in the cloud, and have them appear on various devices. For example, music could be licensed once and appear on multiple gadgets without having to go through the more cumbersome process of transferring it from the original source. Likewise, contacts and other data could more easily be sent down to PCs and other devices.

The invitation was short on details, reminding me more of Apple's typical strategy than Microsoft's. A big headline screams "Mesh it up with Microsoft," and it says the evening event will be invitation-only.

Additional details have come out since Ozzie's Mix presentation, however, with ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley saying a beta test version is due this month and noting that the product's general manager, Amit Mital, is due to speak at the Web 2.0 conference on April 23.

Read the full story here.

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Yes you read it right! a BSOD (BlueScreen of Death) screen saver from Microsoft!

One of the most feared colors in the NT world is blue. The infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) will pop up on an NT system whenever something has gone terribly wrong. Bluescreen is a screen saver that not only authentically mimics a BSOD, but will simulate startup screens seen during a system boot.

• On NT 4.0 installations it simulates chkdsk of disk drives with errors!
• On Win2K and Windows 9x it presents the Win2K startup splash screen, complete with rotating progress band and progress control updates!
• On Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 it present the XP/Server 2003 startup splash screen with progress bar!

Bluescreen cycles between different Blue Screens and simulated boots every 15 seconds or so. Virtually all the information shown on Bluescreen's BSOD and system start screen is obtained from your system configuration - its accuracy will fool even advanced NT developers. For example, the NT build number, processor revision, loaded drivers and addresses, disk drive characteristics, and memory size are all taken from the system Bluescreen is running on.

Use Bluescreen to amaze your friends and scare your enemies!

Bluescreen runs on Windows 9x (requires DirectX), Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

Installation and Use

Note: before you can run Bluescreen on Windows 9x, you must copy \winnt\system32\ntoskrnl.exe from a Windows 2000 system to your \Windows directory. Simply copy Sysinternals BLUESCRN.SCR to your \system32 directory if on Windows NT/2K/XP/Vista/2003/2008 or \Windows\System directory if on Windows 9x. Right click on the desktop to bring up the Display settings dialog and then select the "Screen Saver" tab. Use the pull down list to find "Sysinternals Bluescreen" and apply it as your new screen saver. Select the "Settings" button to enable fake disk activity, which adds an extra touch of realism!

More Information

You can find out how real Blue Screens are generated, and what the information on the Blue Screen means in my December 1997 Windows NT Magazine NT Internals column, "Inside the Blue Screen."

Note: Some virus scanners flag the Bluescreen screen saver as a virus. If this is the case with your virus scanner, you may not be able to use this screen saver.

Download it Directly from Microsoft
Download BlueScreen (65 KB)

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

When Windows 7 launches sometime after the start of 2010, the desktop OS will be Microsoft's most "modular" yet. Having never really been comfortable with the idea of a single, monolithic desktop OS offering, Microsoft has offered multiple desktop OSes in the marketplace ever since the days of Windows NT 3.1, with completely different code bases until they were unified in Windows 2000. Unification isn't necessarily a good thing, however; Windows Vista is a sprawling, complex OS.

A singular yet highly modular OS could give Microsoft the best of all possible worlds: OSes that can be highly customized for deployment but developed monolithically. One modular OS to rule them all, let's say. 

Mary Jo Foley is wagering that one of the big changes coming with Windows 7 is that it might be "available in pieces." That is to say, Windows 7 could be a modular OS. I'll go further. Windows 7 will be a modular OS, and we can already see the clues in Windows Vista, because it, too, is a fledgling modular OS. What we're talking about and why it matters (= software subscriptions), follows...

A modular Windows 7 is a lock

The first reason Foley gives is that Windows Server 2008 has "server roles" which can automagically determine which packages are installed and how the system in configured (more here). Foley suggests that this approach on the server side would translate well to the client, but the process of modularization has already begun on the client side.

Windows Vista was designed so that all three consumer editions—Basic, Premium, and Ultimate—can be installed off of one DVD and can be upgraded in place from one version to another. The changes can be "deep," since (for instance) Home to Premium can enable Aero Glass, and Premium to Ultimate can add BitLocker drive encryption, etc. My point is that Microsoft is already selling a "modular" OS, and the modules currently map to Windows Vista SKUs. Microsoft is also developing other modules around its Live efforts.

Unsurprisingly, Microsoft already has a patent on a "modular operating system" concept. A "core function" module, which includes the kernel, features a "license validation module" that authorizes the use of all additional modules, and uses DRM-like technology to prevent the use of unauthorized modules. Windows Vista uses part of its anti-piracy arsenal to validate and monitor changes to the OS for this reason.

So, Windows 7 will be modular, but to an unknown degree. I personally expect the modularization to focus on value-adds, as did Anytime Upgrade on Vista. It allows Microsoft to draw lines between what is and isn't "in" the OS for DoJ compliance issues. Whether it be Live Services, Windows Media Player, or even Internet Explorer, Microsoft could roll those into modules and then say, "Hey, look, that's not part of Windows, we're charging extra for that!" Foley says that she's heard from sources that Microsoft is working on a Photo + Mail + Video module that would exist apart from the OS, for instance. I've heard less specific groupings myself.

A brave, modular world (might not be so great)

Is a modular world a better one? For those of us having to manage software rollouts to scores of desktops, this would be yet another tool in the toolbox. Microsoft could create "desktop roles" like "information kiosk" that includes a stripped-down feature set, for instance.

Microsoft can also add/remove functionality module by module. New modules could be sold post-launch, keeping revenue streams strong. In fact, modules could be maintained independent of OS versions. Microsoft could create a "Live Services" module that is maintained by a dedicated team, designed to work across multiple OSes, yet provide a completely consistent experience.

A modular approach could also allow the company to make functionality available on a time-limited basis, potentially allowing users to "rent" a feature if it's needed on a one-off basis. Note that Microsoft is already testing "pay as you go" consumer subscriptions in developing countries.

The software+services side of modularization is what is surely driving this change at Microsoft. As I argued last summer, this is all a critical piece of Microsoft's software subscription dreams. In "2010, a 'Windows 7' software subscription odyssey," I noted that Microsoft has been reinventing its approach to Windows in order to facilitate the continued sales of multiple levels of the Windows "experience." Microsoft has confirmed that there will be multiple SKUs for Windows 7 and that there will be different subscription services built around the OS.

Whether or not this is a good thing is difficult to predict. Generally, we're very much in favor of package-based setup routines, much like you find with popular Linux distributions. Why run a web server when you don't need it? Why start device drivers that aren't going to be used? Why install a library on a system that doesn't need it?

But just imagine a Windows 7 install that allowed you to install only what you wanted. Don't like Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Windows Mail, Windows Firewall, etc.,? Don't install them or their supporting code. You've got to like that, if you're a Windows user.

Does this mean that Microsoft will ask you to subscribe to the next version of Windows, as opposed to buying it? That's unlikely, unless you're in business. The next consumer release will likely be a standalone OS stocked with an array of built-in and subscription-only modules.

Source: ars technica

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

Our reporter Alli Flowers was at CTIA 2008 this week, and here is a video review of the newly announced Windows Mobile 6.1:
In this video you can see among others: home screen improvements, copy and paste now also in devices without touch-scren, usability improvements in e-mail inbox, threaded text messaging, full web browsing with support for Flash (including support for regular, non-mobile, YouTube site).

Now also transcript of Robbie Bach's keynote at CTIA 2008 is available here and Windows Mobile 6.1 was an important part of it:
So, that leads us to the next innovation we want to announce, which today is Windows Mobile 6.1. Now, Windows Mobile 6.1 is a very important release for us on the operating system level. It does a number of things. Primarily it's designed to make the phone simpler and easier to use when you're using for voice, data, communications, and entertainment, because that's actually a lot of breadth to span, and we need to continually work to make sure users can get access to the scenarios they want to complete.
So, that means a new home screen, the ability to customize that home screen, to improve navigation on that home screen so that people can get where they want quickly and easily.
It includes a new Web experience on Windows Mobile 6.1 that gives you the full desktop experience you might expect, so that you can browse Web sites whether they've been optimized for mobile phones or not, and you can reach out and interact with those Web sites in a very rich and deep way. And it certainly provides a platform for entertainment experiences that will be much richer than anything we've had before.

Source: msmobiles.com

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)

I can now confirm the existence of the Xbox Wiimote clone project and I can tell you the project code name : "Newton"

The "Newton" controller's code name is after the physicist Sir Isaac Newton. The internal Microsoft engineering code name is for this controller is "Newton" as in Newtonian Physics relating to gravity, inertia and acceleration. This is not to be confused with the defunct Apple Newton PDA, this is just and internal name, when this controller comes to market it will have a retail name.

The hardware is still being worked on and it might be a couple months before we see leaked shots of prototypes when they start to mass manufacture it but I am sure that there is an early software developer kit and prototype out there.

Nintendo is not the first company to make something like the Wiimote. The concept for the Wiimote has been called a 3d Mouse or a "Flying Mouse". There is a company called Gyration that makes wireless controllers and is an early innovator in these kind of controllers. Gyration owns a lot of applicable patents for motion-sensing controllers and in 2001 Nintendo hired the company to help them design a motion sensing one handed controller that eventually became the Wiimote.

Nintendo is an investor in Gyration but they don't own it. In 2001 Nintendo licensed patents from Gyration and used it to develop the Wii. They are US application patents 5898421 and 5440326 which are about a device tracking human motion and translating it into linear movement of computer graphic images. So Nintendo does not wholly own all the patents involved in the Wiimote.

Take a look at the awesome infomercial for Gyration's wireless mouse.

Microsoft is rumored to have licensed patents from Gyration and are using them to develop their motion sensing Wiimote controller. Legally Microsoft is not ripping off Nintendo but rather licensing the technology from the same place that Nintendo got it. For an example the Guitar Hero and Rockband controllers both use the same patent that is owned by Konami that they developed for Guitar Freaks.

Back in January there was a notice for a job at Microsoft for a hardware test engineer that drops some big tips about the "Newton" project.

From what I've learned from internal sources at Microsoft I can collaborate that the Newton project is moving forward and I can believe the time table that it has been in development for a while now and they could get it on the market by winter of 2008. The Newton is also going to use an LED sensor bar that can be powered by the USB ports on the 360, it is going to have an LED sensor on the front accelerometer and gyroscope sensor that can detect tilt and motion, rumble motors, wireless two way data communication with the 360, a built in Microphone for Xbox Live and voice-activated games.

If you cross the Gyration patents with Gyration existing product line, the Wiimote and the Job posting for a hardware test engineer, the reports about Rare (a Microsoft owned game studio) working on a XBLA game, The MTV report and my internal sources I can make some well informed estimation about the "Newton" controller

I have a good feeling that it might retail for 50 or 40 around the same price as a Wiimote and it might come with a 5 by 5 download code for the Conkers : Fast and the Furriest Xbox Live arcade game as a "Pack In" that can be downloaded after buying the stick much like how a code for Uno came with the Xbox Live Vision camera.

I have a feeling that there already is a clue about the final design of the "Newton" controller on the market right now and millions of Xbox gamers literally have it in their hands. I have a good feeling that the Xbox Play & Charge battery pack is going to fit on the bottom of the "Newton" controller. That would mean that it is going to be curved, about and inch wide and powered by two AA batteries or an equivalently recharge kit. The Xbox Wireless Racing wheel also can use the Play & Charge kit and was developed by the same division. They also have chargers and multiple product SKUs that use this battery pack.

I have a feeling that the "Newton" is likely to come in multiple colors such as white (chill), Black and Pink like the Play & Charge battery packs. There is a white Xbox on the market, and a Black one and a pink colored "Newton" controller would appeal to younger female gamers. That is a gaming market that Nintendo has with the Wii and DS and Microsoft would love to have play Xbox 360.

The Newton controller is going to have to small LED transmitters in a bar that you place next to your TV to triangulate the position of the remote by the LED sensor on the controller. The Big Button controllers that come with Sceen It! use an LED receiver that plugs into the USB ports. They also better get around to making a Xbox brand USB hub. Some of the original designs of the Xbox 360 had four USB ports in front and with all the Xbox accessories that use the USB ports would benefit from more available ports.

By making this controller Microsoft will be able to take away an exclusive feature that makes people want to buy a Nintendo Wii for around the cost of a standard wireless controller. If they bring an external Blu-Ray movie player they would take away one of the biggest reasons why current or potential Xbox owners would want to get a Playstation 3.

This controller would allow game developers to port Wii games to the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Arcade platforms. I would love to see games like Zak and Wiki on Xbox 360. Heck I would pay real money for graphical adventure games on Xbox Live Arcade.

Microsoft wants to make the Xbox 360 appeal to Kids, girls, causal gamers and they want their current customer base to go out and buy yet another controller. If they bring out a controller like the Newton and lower the price of the Xbox 360 again it would be a tough blow to Nintendo. They want to beat Nintendo and Sony and they are willing to do anything to do that.

If we don't see this "Newton" Xbox controller by the end of the year I'll give my Wii to charity.

Source: Seattlepi.com

Taimur Asad (The Microsoft "Wow" Blog!)