The New Exchange Reaches RTM!

Moments ago, the Exchange engineering team signed off on the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) build. This milestone means the coding and testing phase of the project is complete and we are now focused on releasing the new Exchange via multiple distribution channels to our business customers. General availability is planned for the first quarter of 2013.

Link – http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/10/11/the-new-exchange-reaches-rtm.aspx

Microsoft to deliver its new small-business server by end of 2012

Microsoft already started rolling out the final versions of most of its Windows Server 2012 SKUs this month. The last of them — Windows Server 2012 Essentials, which is its small/mid-size business server — will be out before year-end, officials said this week.

Windows Server 2012 Essentials is Microsoft’s intended replacement for Windows Small Business Server and Windows Home Server (for those SMBs who were using WHS for business purposes). The Essentials product is a hybrid on-premises/cloud server. It will have a 25-user limit and sell for $425, Microsoft officials have said.

Read More – http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-to-deliver-its-new-small-business-server-by-end-of-2012-7000003066/

Windows 8 evaluatioN

his evaluation provides a 90-day trial of Windows 8 Enterprise edition. Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions are available as ISO images in the following languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, English (UK), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish. In order to use this evaluation, you must register and the product must be activated online with Microsoft-hosted activation and validation services. Microsoft does not provide technical support for this software.

Download – http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/jj554510.aspx

Windows 8 RTM NOW on TechNet/MSDN

Microsoft has officially made the final release of Windows 8 available to subscribers of its MSDN and TechNet services. You’ll find a handful of small surprises, one very large change from Windows 7, and a momentous name change.

Download – http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/subscriptions/downloads/default.aspx

Windows 8 available from tomorrow, for some at least

Tomorrow will be an exciting day for some people, who will finally have access to Windows 8 via MSDN & TechNet subscriptions. We’ve added in the release timeline as a reminder, because the release isn’t limited to MSDN and TechNet subscribers, there are other ways to get it before the retail launch on October 26th.

  • August 15th: Developers will be able to download the final version of Windows 8 via your MSDN subscriptions.
  • August 15th: IT professionals testing Windows 8 in organizations will be able to access the final version of Windows 8 through your TechNet subscriptions.
  • August 16th: Customers with existing Microsoft Software Assurance for Windows will be able to download Windows 8 Enterprise edition through the Volume License Service Center (VLSC), allowing you to test, pilot and begin adopting Windows 8 Enterprise within your organization.
  • August 16th: Microsoft Partner Network members will have access to Windows 8.
  • August 20th: Microsoft Action Pack Providers (MAPS) receive access to Windows 8.
  • September 1st: Volume License customers without Software Assurance will be able to purchase Windows 8 through Microsoft Volume License Resellers.

Are you one of the lucky ones with access tomorrow, or can you get it (legally) by other means before October 26th? Let us know in the comments.

Outlook.com hits 10 million users, Skydrive gets updated

Since we launched the Outlook.com preview two weeks ago, we have been truly humbled by the reception. We’ve received hundreds of great comments, participated in thousands of threads on @reddit, @gizmodo, @neowin and are excited to share that, as of today, more than 10 million people have signed up and started using Outlook.com.

Today, we’re updating SkyDrive with a new, more modern web design, refined SkyDrive apps for PCs and Macs, a new SkyDrive app for Android devices, and improved developer offerings. While there’s always more to do to improve our products, these updates bring SkyDrive out of preview and ready for a billion users – in time for the upcoming releases of Windows 8, the new Outlook.com, and the new Office.

Read More – http://windowsteamblog.com/skydrive/b/skydrive/archive/2012/08/14/a-new-modern-skydrive-com-updated-apps-and-outlook-com-at-10-million-users.aspx

Windows Server 2012 released to manufacturing!

!  Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for.  I’m proud to announce that Windows Server 2012 has been released to manufacturing.  That means the final code is complete and we are delivering it to our hardware and software vendor partners this week.  We will also make the software available to our volume licensing customers in the next couple of weeks.

Read More – http://blogs.technet.com/b/windowsserver/archive/2012/08/01/windows-server-2012-released-to-manufacturing.aspx

Windows 8 has hit RTM

Microsoft has officially confirmed that Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing and as expected, the final build number is 9200. The company has also outlined when the OS will be available on its numerous developer channels which you can see in the list below.

  • August 15th: Developers will be able to download the final version of Windows 8 via your MSDN subscriptions.
  • August 15th: IT professionals testing Windows 8 in organizations will be able to access the final version of Windows 8 through your TechNet subscriptions.
  • August 16th: Customers with existing Microsoft Software Assurance for Windows will be able to download Windows 8 Enterprise edition through the Volume License Service Center (VLSC), allowing you to test, pilot and begin adopting Windows 8 Enterprise within your organization.
  • August 16th: Microsoft Partner Network members will have access to Windows 8.
  • August 20th: Microsoft Action Pack Providers (MAPS) receive access to Windows 8.
  • September 1st: Volume License customers without Software Assurance will be able to purchase Windows 8 through Microsoft Volume License Resellers.

Skydrive gets the Metro treatment

Microsoft not only rolled out Outlook.com today but they have also updated SkyDrive to bring it to visual parity of the company’s other properties. The UI change is a dramatic, but familiar, overhaul of the service and none of the core functionality has changed. 

You can see the changes in the images above (and below) but in terms of new features, this appears to mostly be a re-skinning of the cloud service. With the new UI comes a few tweaks to the menu layouts but when compared to the overhaul that Outlook.com received, this is a minor update for the SkyDrive service.

Read More – http://www.neowin.net/news/skydrive-gets-the-metro-treatment-new-ui-rolling-out

Outlook.com, a new email service

Microsoft has been working hard over the past few months to build a new email service and they are ready to show off their hard work. The company is announcing a new email platform, Outlook.com, and Microsoft hopes that with a mature sounding domain and a few time-saving features, you will give it a try. The new email service takes a fresh look at the email experience and is changing everything from privacy and workflow, to advertisement placement and attachments to help you get things done faster with less distraction. 

You can head on over to Outlook.com now and sign up for the preview or if you currently have a Hotmail.com or Live.com email address, you can upgrade your account to the new Outlook.com by going to the “Options” menu and clicking the “Upgrade to Outlook.com”; you will only receive the new UI, not the new domain if you select the upgrade option.

Link – https://outlook.com/

Download Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Preview

Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 enables you to maintain control, increase user productivity, and keep your organization safe. You can move to the cloud on your terms with flexible migration options. Your users can do more on any device, helping them manage increasing volumes of email and work together more effectively as teams. You can also protect your business communications and sensitive information, while meeting internal and regulatory compliance requirements. With Exchange Server 2013, you can work smarter, anywhere.

Link – http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/hh973395.aspx?wt.mc_id=TEC_116_1_33

Windows 8 will be available on…October 26th

Steven Sinofsky announced at Microsoft’s annual sales meeting that customers will be able to get Windows 8 – whether in upgrade fashion or on a new PC – starting on October 26th. Earlier this month at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, Tami Reller told attendees Windows 8 would be available in October. But now everyone has a specific date to mark on their calendars.

Read More – http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2012/07/09/upcoming-windows-milestones-shared-with-partners-at-wpc.aspx

Office 2013, Preview download now live

After much excitement, Microsoft has announced Office 2013 and that the new platform will bring the Metro design language to the popular productivity suite. Microsoft made the announcement today in San Francisco and is also announcing that the Office 2013 preview is available for download. 

As you would imagine, the update brings sweeping enhancements across the board for the new platform as it has been nearly three years since Microsoft last pushed out a major release in 2010. Following in the path of the previous releases, Office 2013 is right on time with the two previous platforms launching in 2007 and 2010. 

Download – http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/officepreview

Protecting user files with File History

File History is a backup application that continuously protects your personal files stored in Libraries, Desktop, Favorites, and Contacts folders. It periodically (by default every hour) scans the file system for changes and copies changed files to another location. Every time any of your personal files has changed, its copy will be stored on a dedicated, external storage device selected by you. Over time, File History builds a complete history of changes made to any personal file.

Read More – http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/07/10/protecting-user-files-with-file-history.aspx