We have been waiting for Microsoft to open the beta for Fiji, the suspected codename for the next version of Media Center for well over a year now. I first posted about it in March of last year, with invites first opening just a month after that, and now it appears we may finally have taken a step forward.
Users (who shall remain nameless, because I edited them out) at The Green Button are reporting that they have received e-mails from Microsoft Connect. If true, this would be the first step to finally getting something in our hands to play with (under NDA of course).
This release will bring DIRECTV support among other unannounced features. I had expected it to include HD DVD support, but I wouldn’t count on that any more. Other features have been kept under tight wraps, though I’ve got a few in mind that I’m rather sure will be there.
Update: Engadget HD points to a user who leaked their invite for the DIRECTV beta (bad move, considering Engadget published their first name!).
Source: msmvps.com
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To search for files on my PCs, I use Windows Search - Windows Vista’s desktop search feature. I use Windows Search specifically to find photos that I’ve tagged in Windows Live Photo Gallery or important emails and Word documents. I also rely on saving specific searches that I can go back to later on. Searching and being able to find important files quickly on my PC is very important to me. And Windows Search allows me to "find my stuff" whenever I need to. Today we get to see a little "preview" of the next step for Windows Search. The Windows Search Team is making available Windows Search 4.0 Preview - a preview of the next version of desktop search for Windows.
Windows Search 4.0 introduces several improvements I’d like to call out making search even better in Windows Vista:
- With Windows Search 4.0, the Windows Search Team has fixed most of the reported bugs causing a majority of distractions users have seen since Windows Vista RTM - many of those bugs were reported by you.
- Great improvements have been made with regards to performance.Even now as Preview, Windows Search 4.0 has query response time about 33%faster than search queries in Windows Vista RTM.
- The Windows Search Team has extended Remote Index Discovery for PC-to-PC search to work onevery supported version of Windows. This makes finding information on other PCs running Windows Search 4.0 quick and less resource-consuming. Now Windows Search can find information shared on a remote PC by accessing an index on that PC - and you will open files only when relevant to your search. This will also work if the user’s profile is redirected.
- The Windows Search Team has implemented Rollback Recovery where your search index will roll back to the last known good state (this is good in handling disc write errors). If an error occurs, your index isn’t rebuilt from scratch; only the newly changed files are added to the index, making recovery from system errors not as disruptive to the machine or the user
Being able to find files isn’t just important to consumers - it is also important to IT Professionals managing enterprise environments. The Windows Search Team has made some improvements in Windows Search 4.0 that IT Professionals should take note of:
- We have improved performance when indexing Exchange in online mode, sending fewer packets and making less RPC calls. In this process we apply significantly less load on the Exchange server too.
- Support for Group Policy settings is extended and improved; per-user policy is supported now.
- We now support EFS - Windows Search 4.0 will index encrypted files, and user can search for them in the sane UI and through the same user experience as seen with regular, unencrypted files.
IT Professionals can expect a smooth deployment for Windows Search 4.0 and easier support.
With Windows Search 4.0, the Windows Search Team has taken the next step in improving the PC search experience in Windows. To download and check out the Windows Search 4.0 Preview yourself, click here. I encourage folks to try out the Windows Search 4.0 Preview and let us know what you think!
source- Windows Vista Blog
You’re living the digital lifestyle. The only problem is that you’ve got thousands of digital photos, mp3s, TV shows, spread across a bunch of devices that don’t seem to connect. Wouldn’t it be nice if all of your digital media was shared across all of your devices…seamlessly.
Our makeover team will use Windows® Media Center and Extenders for Windows® Media Center to turn one lucky person’s home into a connected entertainment center. Just make a video telling us about your digital lifestyle and why you need to “Get Connected.” We’ll pick the best video and award the winner a complete digital home makeover.
The Microsoft® Digital Home Makeover will include a new Media Center PC, Extenders for Windows Media Center, and the other accessories you need to enjoy your digital lifestyle.
Send us your two-minute video and we’ll get your gadgets speaking the same language so your digital lifestyle connects.
Prizes
One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive a "Digital Home Makeover". Grand Prize consists of a custom home entertainment system evaluation from an expert plus up to $10,000 USD in custom solutions based on the expert’s evaluation. Total Approximate Retail Value=$10,000 USD. This prize may or may not include the various items depicted in any promotional materials for this Contest. This prize does not include remodeling or redecorating the winner’s home to accommodate any new equipment awarded. Any applicable taxes on the prize or expenses not listed herein are the sole responsibility of the winner. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if entire prize or a portion of the advertised prize is unavailable for any reason. Prize is not redeemable for cash. No barter, transfer, or assignment of any prize permitted, except by Sponsor at its sole discretion. Expert will be designated and provided by Sponsor at their sole discretion. Some restrictions may apply and all terms and conditions of the prize offered will be furnished at the time of prize award.
For more info visit: http://www.windowsmediacenter.com/contest
Among the most requested software for the iPhone is a suite of applications to allow users to work with Microsoft Office files. One company that’s considering developing this is at once the most surprising and the most obvious: Microsoft itself.
A team of Microsoft developers is currently testing the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) with an eye toward making a version of Office, according to Fortune. The company is a long way away from making any commitments, though.
The iPhone currently allows users to view Word documents that come in as email attachments, but a version of Microsoft Office would allow these documents to be edited, too.
Source- Brighthand
Yahoo!, MySpace, and Google today announced they have agreed to form the OpenSocial Foundation to ensure the neutrality and longevity of OpenSocial as an open, community-governed specification for building social applications across the web. Yahoo!’s support of OpenSocial and role as a founding member of the new foundation are landmarks for the rapidly growing specification which will now offer developers the potential to connect with more than 500 million people worldwide.
The OpenSocial Foundation will be an independent non-profit entity with a formal intellectual property and governance framework; related assets will be assigned to the new organization by July 1, 2008. The foundation will provide transparency and operational guidelines around technology, documentation, intellectual property, and other issues related to the evolution of the OpenSocial platform, while also ensuring all stakeholders share influence over its future direction.
“Yahoo! believes in supporting community-driven industry specifications and expects that OpenSocial will fuel innovation and make the web more relevant and more enjoyable to millions of users,” said Wade Chambers, Vice President – Platforms, Yahoo!. “Our support builds on similar efforts with the OpenID community and will expand the opportunity for developers and publishers to benefit from an open and increasingly social web.”
Source- Google press Release
If you entered long queries in a Google search box, you would notice that it’s difficult to edit them because Google optimized the size of the box for short queries. Things have changed and now you can much bigger queries and Google will adjust the search box’s size after you perform a search.
Google limits queries to 32 words, but most people don’t need that many words. The average number of words in a Google query was 4 at the end of 2007.
Source: Google Operating System Blog
Today Microsoft is announcing some significant developments to the Windows Live platform that demonstrate Microsoft’s commitment to data portability and giving users a choice of how to use and control their information.
Today I’m pleased to announce that Microsoft has partnered with some of the world’s top social networks on contact data portability. Starting today, we will be working with Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, Tagged and LinkedIn to exchange functionally-similar Contacts APIs, allowing us to create a safe, secure two-way street for users to move their relationships between our respective services. Along with these collaborations, Microsoft is introducing a new website at www.invite2messenger.net that people can visit to invite their friends from our partner social networks to join their Windows Live Messenger contact list.
We encourage you to visit www.invite2messenger.net to see these ideas in action, and to invite your Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, LinkedIn and Tagged friends to join you on the world’s largest instant messaging network, Windows Live Messenger.
Source- Windows Live Dev blog
Google Inc on Monday unveiled plans for a new generation of wireless devices to operate on soon-to-be-vacant television airwaves, and sought to alleviate fears that this might interfere with TV broadcasts or wireless microphones.
In comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission, the Internet leader outlined plans for low-power devices that use local wireless airwaves to access the "white space" between television channels. A Google executive called the plan "Wi-Fi 2.0 or Wi-Fi on steroids."
"The airwaves can provide huge economic and social gains if used more efficiently …," Google said in the comments.
Rick Whitt, Google’s Washington telecom and media counsel, said this class of Wi-Fi devices could eventually offer data transmission speeds of billions of bits per second — far faster than the millions of bits per second available on most current broadband networks. Consumers could watch movies on wireless devices and do other things that are currently difficult on slower networks.
The white-space airwaves could become available in February 2009, when TV broadcasters switch from analog to digital signals. Whitt said he expects devices using white-space spectrum could be available by the end of 2009.
Shares of Google surged $27.36, or 6.3 percent, to $460.91 amid a sharp rise in U.S. stock markets. The Nasdaq composite index was up 3.3 percent.
Google sees the white-space spectrum as a natural place to operate a new class of phones and wireless devices based on Android, Google’s software that a variety of major equipment makers plan to use to build Internet-ready phones.
The Silicon Valley company also said that, in general, it stands to benefit whenever consumers have easier access to the Internet. Google’s primary business is selling online ads as people perform Web searches.
Source- Reuters
Ankur Mittal | March 31, 2008
