Archive for March, 2009
Microsoft Gains Support for Next Generation of Windows® Phones
Furthering its vision to connect the PC, Web and phone, Microsoft Corp. today announced strong industry support for Windows Mobile 6.5 and Windows Marketplace for Mobile as well as new applications for Windows® phones.
Joining a long list of mobile developers, EA Mobile and MySpace announced plans to deliver Windows® phone applications through Windows Marketplace for Mobile. In his keynote address at International CTIA WIRELESS 2009, Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, will introduce an alliance with two prominent design houses through which fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi will demonstrate ways people can customize their Windows® phone to fit their personal style.
“We know it’s the experiences that mobile phones can offer to people that really matter,” Bach said. “The continued support from the world’s top mobile operators, manufacturers and developers means you can choose the Windows® phone, applications and experiences that are right for you. We’re excited about what we can offer on Windows® phones combined with our new mobile services.”
Source- Microsoft Press Release
Microsoft France giving away 1000 free Windows 7 Beta DVD’s
To celebrate the new Windows 7 TechCenter,the french TechNet team is giving away 1000 DVD’s of the beta version of Windows 7.To get the DVD all you have to do is to sign up for the technet newsletter on this page and if you one of the first 1000 users who have subscribed for the newsletter,you would be getting Windows 7 Beta complete with a DVD from Microsoft.
Even if you are already registered for the TechNet newsletter, you can again join using the form and you’ll have a chance to win! Though the offer is valid only to the residents of France.
Thanks to David Cohen for posting the news on his blog
Windows Sysinternals Updates: Autoruns v9.4, BgInfo v4.15, ZoomIt v3.03
Autoruns v9.4: This Autoruns update shows manual start Windows services, fixes a bug that affected the display of autostart locations that could include multiple startup registrations, and fixes a bug in the Jump To functionality on 64-bit Windows.
BgInfo v4.15: Bginfo now supports access to 64-bit registry keys in custom fields, fixes a bug with oversized wallpaper on multiple monitor configurations, and sets its default output directory to %TEMP%.
ZoomIt v3.03: Fixes a GDI handle leak that could cause Zoomit’s drawing functionality to eventually stop working.
Source- Windows Sysinternals Blog
Windows 7 .NET Interop Sample Libraries
We’ve got .NET sample libraries and example for managed code developers to target Windows 7 new APIs!
The Windows 7 Beta SDK is a great source of documentation and examples for using these new sets of APIs. However, most of the examples are written in native code similar to Windows 7 APIs which are all native C, C++, and COM APIs, which makes the life of managed code developers a bit hard. For that reason, Microsoft created the Windows Vista Bridge project that makes it easier for managed code developers to use Windows OS-specific APIs such as those described above. The current version of the Window Vista Bridge, version 1.4 contains many useful “Windows Vista” features such as Restart and Recovery, Search, Power Awareness and other Shell integrations. However the current version doesn’t include any Windows 7 features. It will support key Windows 7 APIs in the near future, but until then, we have developed an intermediate set of solutions for supporting managed code developers who wish to target Windows 7 Beta today and not wait for the time the Windows API Code Pack for the .NET Library (the new name of Windows Vista Bridge) will be available.
With that caveat in place, we can go ahead and introduce some new managed code wrappers that will allow managed code developers to use the Windows 7 Taskbar, manipulate Libraries, add Multi-Touch support for WinForms or WPF 3.5 SP1, and enable Sensors and Location in their applications.
Taskbar
The Taskbar Sample .NET Interop Library allows developers to:
- Create and manipulate JumpLists including tasks and items
- Display Dynamic Overlay Icons, Thumbnail Toolbars
- Use the Taskbar progress bar
- Control Custom Thumbnail Preview, and custom Preview also known as – AeroPeek
The Windows 7 Taskbar Sample .NET Interop Library is available for download and include 4 demos showcasing all the Taskbar features.
Libraries
Libraries are new in Windows 7 and provide a logical representation of the user’s data on his local computer and on remote computers. With Libraries, the user can define which physical folders are mapped to which library and achieve better search quality and easier “maintenance” of his content. In Windows 7, it is important for developers to
enable their applications to become Library-aware by supporting Libraries. This will integrate the user’s application and Windows experiences and maintain the integrity of your applications in various scenarios
The Windows 7 Library Sample .NET Interop Library allows developers to:
- Manipulate and control the libraries in Windows 7 including create a new library or delete an existing one
- Add or remove physical locations to a Library
- Set an icon for each library
- Enumerate the contents of a given library’s physical location (the actual folders) to track down and map all the items in that library
Read more at the new Windows 7 Blog for Developers
Microsoft Extends Windows Embedded Software-Plus-Services Platform With Windows Embedded Server
Tuesday, during an industry address at the Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) Silicon Valley 2009, Microsoft Corp. will demonstrate the expansion of the Windows Embedded software-plus-services platform through the addition of Windows Embedded Server to the comprehensive Microsoft portfolio of embedded platforms and technologies.
With Windows Embedded Server, the Windows Embedded software-plus-services platform provides an end-to-end technology infrastructure for simplified security, interoperability and intelligent device management in the enterprise. This comprehensive platform will enable new revenue channels for Windows Embedded partners and OEMs, and address the need for real-time operations, high availability and system interconnectivity between individual processes and enterprise controls.
“The evolution of the Windows Embedded software-plus-services platform with the addition of Windows Embedded Server reflects the realization of Microsoft’s continued commitment to drive innovation and leadership in the embedded market by fostering the next generation of smart, connected, service-oriented devices and device services,” said Kevin Dallas, general manager of the Windows Embedded business unit at Microsoft. “The combination of software plus services from Windows Embedded will establish new revenue channels for embedded OEMs and partners by utilizing Windows Embedded Server and the complete Microsoft portfolio of embedded platforms and technologies in scenarios such as device maintenance and support services.”
Windows Embedded Server enables OEMs to design, build and deploy dedicated, durable server appliances that have smaller footprints, robust networking and support for large storage, aiding in the rapid setup and remote management capabilities of embedded devices. Based on the Microsoft Windows Server core operating system, Windows Embedded Server utilizes security, reliability and availability features to enable embedded device solutions to help improve customer satisfaction and service, increase hardware utilization and reduce the need for software updates.
Through the Windows Embedded software-plus-services platform, OEMs and Windows Embedded partners will also have the ability to establish new revenue channels through preventive maintenance, remote servicing and other advanced service offerings by seamlessly integrating Windows Embedded-based devices into existing Microsoft enterprise infrastructures. Today OEMs can work with enterprise organizations to use System Center Configuration Manager for remote maintenance and System Center Operations Manager for monitoring, helping deliver preventive maintenance that will help reduce the need for emergency calls and help avoid expenses associated with sending technicians for every support incident.
For additional information on Windows Embedded Server and the Windows Embedded portfolio of embedded platforms and technologies, developers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/windowsembedded.
Source- Microsoft Press Release
Microsoft Announces MSDN Embedded Subscription and Windows Embedded Developer Update
Tuesday, during an industry address at the Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) Silicon Valley 2009, Microsoft Corp. will announce the Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition with MSDN Embedded subscription and Windows Embedded Developer Update service. The new offerings expand the Windows Embedded software-plus-services platform with developer services that provide a cost-effective way to license Microsoft platforms and tools, receive technical support, and obtain early access to the latest Microsoft updates available. MSDN Embedded and Windows Embedded Developer Update provide the global MSDN community with consolidated subscription access to Microsoft’s extensive portfolio of embedded platforms and technologies that aid in building next-generation devices with advanced applications and rich user experiences.
“The first step in executing on the comprehensive Windows Embedded services vision is continuing our investment in developers, helping them to create smart, connected, service-oriented devices,” said Kevin Dallas, general manager of the Windows Embedded business unit at Microsoft. “The main objective of the Windows Embedded developer services initiative is to strengthen our commitment to ensuring that developers have seamless access to the ever-expanding set of products, documentation, support technology and third-party updates, which is why we are increasing our investment in the Windows Embedded MSDN community.”
Source- Microsoft Press Release
Windows 7 Build 7070 screenshots
Just after the leak of Windows 7 build 7068 on the net,one of the member at facepunch has posted the screenshots of Windows 7 Build 7070.The Build string is 6.1.7070.0.winmain.090324-1853 which shows that the build was compiled on 24th March.The member at the forum states that his dad works in SQL server division in Microsoft and he has got the screenshots from their.He also added that this version of Windows 7 has some major updates maybe not to the user interface but more to the Kernel.
Just check the screenshots-
Source- win7.in
Introducing an upgrade to the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite
We are pleased to announce the following expanded capabilities that will be introduced in early April, 2009:
- International availability in 19 new countries*
- Instant messaging and presence awareness with Office Communications Online
- Ability to customize your preferred language settings**
- Streamlined, low-cost email and collaboration services with Exchange Online and SharePoint Online Deskless Worker options
- Ability to configure mailboxes with up to 25 gigabytes of storage
- Support for Windows Vista Home Basic and Windows Vista Home Premium
This upgrade will include changes to some components. These changes include:
- Sign In application - Improved stability and added support for Office Communications Online. Your users will need to install the new Sign In application.
- SharePoint Online privacy links - Improved privacy link enforcement for international customers. If you modified your SharePoint master page or uploaded a custom master page, you will need to reset your site definition to the default master page while the upgrade is taking place. You will be able to customize your site collections again after the upgrade.
- Microsoft Online Services Directory Synchronization tool - Optimized communication with the service and added compression to reduce synchronization bandwidth requirements. If your company is synchronizing your on-premises Active Directory with Microsoft Online Services, you will need to upgrade this tool by the end of October, 2009.
- Microsoft Online Services Migration Tools - Improved stability and performance including support for multiple process threads when migrating from POP or IMAP mailboxes. Upgrading to the new version of the Migration Tools is optional.
Click here to get answers to your technical questions about using Exchange Online and SharePoint Online.
Source- Technet Blog
