Today I am pleased to say the online evaluation experience for WHS 2011 is now ready. This provides customers the ability to walk through both client and server interaction freely, or follow a suggested demonstration path with the evaluation manual which will also launch with the online experience. Available 24 hours per day, it provides a super simple way to experience WHS without the need for hardware,
Skype Snapped Up by Microsoft In £5bn Deal
Microsoft has bought internet firm Skype for £5bn.
The deal, one of the biggest in Microsoft’s history, gives it a foothold in the internet market, where it has lagged behind rivals Google and Apple.
Link – http://uk.news.yahoo.com/skype-set-snapped-5bn-deal-103611099.html
Skype Snapped Up by Microsoft In £5bn Deal
Microsoft has bought internet firm Skype for £5bn.
The deal, one of the biggest in Microsoft’s history, gives it a foothold in the internet market, where it has lagged behind rivals Google and Apple.
Link – http://uk.news.yahoo.com/skype-set-snapped-5bn-deal-103611099.html
Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2.1.1
Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2.1.1 lets you connect from your Macintosh computer to a Windows-based computer and then work with applications and files on the Windows-based computer.
Download – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=68346e0d-44d3-4065-99bb-b664b27ee1f0
All Updated Windows Phones Are Not Alike
Yesterday, Eric announced that there would be a new update for Windows Phone. You can read his post to see what all is included, but I wanted to focus on a specific issue: phones “updated†using any unofficial mechanisms.
Despite the fact that many people have claimed that an unofficial update mechanism worked fine for them, we cautioned that phones which were updated via this method were not going to be able to update past build 7390. Unfortunately for those customers out there who acted on information from sources outside of Microsoft, the rubber meets the road today.
Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 SP2 Beta
On May 2, Microsoft made available to testers a beta build of the second service pack (SP2) for its coming Windows Server High Performance Computing (HPC) 2008 R2 platform.
What makes this interesting is HPC 2008 R2 SP2 is the slated delivery vehicle for Dryad, Microsoft’s closest competitor to Google MapReduce and Apache Hadoop. In the early phase of its existence, Dryad was a Microsoft Research project dedicated to developing ways to write parallel and distributed programs that can scale from small clusters to large datacenters.
Microsoft to deliver Windows Thin PC by June 30th
On May 2, Microsoft made the Release Candidate (RC) test build of its Windows Thin PC available for download by testers.
Windows Thin PC (Win TPC) is the successor to Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (WinFLP). It is a version of Windows 7 that allows customers to repurpose existing PCs as thin clients. Win TPC doesn’t require the VDA (Virtual Desktop Access) license to access VDI desktops. The product is built on top of Windows Embedded Standard 7 Service Pack 1, and supports RemoteFX and enterprise management via System Center Configuration Manager.
Microsoft Safety Scanner
The Microsoft Safety Scanner is a free downloadable security tool that provides on-demand scanning and helps remove viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. It works with your existing antivirus software.
This tool is rereleased every few days, and contains the latest virus definitions. It is designed as a single scan, to locate and remove any viruses or spyware.
Link – http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-gb/default.aspx
Producer for PowerPoint
Microsoft Producer for Microsoft Office PowerPoint to capture and synchronize audio, video, slides, and images, then preview and publish a rich media presentation virtually anywhere for viewing in a Web browser.
Download – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b3c76d5-fc75-4f99-94bc-784919468e73
Windows 8′s user account roaming feature
The feature, which appears to be only available for “Linked” Windows accounts (presumably to Windows Live), allows for users to “roam” to different computers and devices with their various settings and configurations, automatically applied.
The range of settings for roaming include the desktop wallpaper, Aero glass colour, accessibility options, language options, applications settings (probably only for AppX packaged apps), Windows settings and Wi-Fi profiles and Windows-managed passwords.
As someone who uses both a desktop and laptop, this is clearly going to be one of the killer features of Windows 8.
Windows 8′s user account roaming feature
The feature, which appears to be only available for “Linked†Windows accounts (presumably to Windows Live), allows for users to “roam†to different computers and devices with their various settings and configurations, automatically applied.
The range of settings for roaming include the desktop wallpaper, Aero glass colour, accessibility options, language options, applications settings (probably only for AppX packaged apps), Windows settings and Wi-Fi profiles and Windows-managed passwords.
As someone who uses both a desktop and laptop, this is clearly going to be one of the killer features of Windows 8.
Migrate iPhone applications to Windows Phone
Microsoft released a developer tool on April 29 that is aimed at helping iPhone developers port their applications more easily to Windows Phones.
Microsoft officials described the new API (application programming interface) mapping tool as similar to a translation dictionary. From a new post on the Windows Phone Developer Blog:
Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 CTP
SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1(SP1) Customer Technology Preview (CTP) is now available for download. SQL Server 2008 R2 service packs are cumulative updates and upgrade all service levels of SQL Server 2008 R2 to SP1 CTP. This service pack contains the cumulative updates up to SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 cumulative update packages 6.
Link – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=bd200f8e-ba8a-45e3-af59-e28a9e2d17df
Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 CTP
SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1(SP1) Customer Technology Preview (CTP) is now available for download. SQL Server 2008 R2 service packs are cumulative updates and upgrade all service levels of SQL Server 2008 R2 to SP1 CTP. This service pack contains the cumulative updates up to SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 cumulative update packages 6.
Link – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=bd200f8e-ba8a-45e3-af59-e28a9e2d17df
Windows 8 – Login Screen Wallpaper
Another day, another locked feature showing it’s eyes amongst the mist of fakes. So, a member of MDL posted a picture of Windows 8 (a much later build than the current 7955 leak), showing there was a checkbox in the wallpaper menu to enable you to share the wallpaper on the lockscreen with the one you use as your desktop background.
