Microsoft Shows New Features and Future Direction as Momentum Builds for Windows Phone 7

BARCELONA, Spain – Feb. 14, 2011 – Microsoft today kicked off Mobile World Congress by giving people a glimpse of what the rest of the year will bring for Windows Phone 7. Among the updates are several new features, a booming app marketplace, and the integration of even more Microsoft products with the phone.

  • Copy and paste functionality via first major update, coming in the next month
  • Twitter integration directly into the People Hub in 2011
  • Support for Office documents in the cloud in 2011
  • Dramatically enhanced Web browser experience based on IE9 in 2011
  • A new wave of multitasking applications in 2011
  • Targeting significant volume of Nokia Windows Phones in 2012

Link – http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/Features/2011/feb11/02-14MWC.mspx?rss_fdn=Top%20Stories

Internet Explorer 9 Hits RC Milestone

We are pleased to announce that today we are releasing the Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate (RC).

For a more detailed description of our approach in building and shipping the IE9 RC, you should read our engineering team’s post on the IE Blog.  The IE9 RC is feature complete and is available for download now at www.beautyoftheweb.com.

SP1 for Windows 7, Server 2008 R2

I’m hearing from a couple of my contacts that Microsoft plans to announce on February 9 that Service Pack (SP) 1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 has finally crossed the finish line.

(There have been a few earlier reports that SP1 was done and out, but today marks the official RTM announcement, my sources say. I’ve asked Microsoft officials for comment, but no word back so far.)

Link – http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/at-last-its-time-for-sp1-for-windows-7-server-2008-r2/8636

SBS 2011 Essentials Release Candidate Now Available

Today we are pleased to announce the availability of the Release Candidate for Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials. Ideal as a first server for small businesses with up to 25 users, Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials provides a cost-effective and easy-to-use solution to help protect data, organize and access business information from virtually anywhere, support the applications needed to run a business, and quickly connect to online services for e-mail, collaboration and CRM.

Link – http://blogs.technet.com/b/sbs/archive/2011/02/03/announcement-sbs-2011-essentials-release-candidate-now-available.aspx

Hotmail delivers aliases to help you manage and secure your email account

Starting today, you can create and manage multiple email aliases from a single Hotmail account. Together with features that we introduced in November that let you use Hotmail with any existing email address, the new aliasing feature makes it easy to use a different email address and still get all the benefits of Hotmail without having to change your primary email address and online identity.

Link – http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/archive/2011/02/03/hotmail-delivers-aliases-to-help-you-manage-and-secure-your-email-account.aspx

Windows Home Server – RC

Windows Home Server is part of a long-term vision by Microsoft to create a new platform for the home. Windows Home Server helps families and home-based businesses with multiple computers to organize, share, and automatically back up photos, videos, music, and other important documents. With over 130,000 registered Microsoft Connect users, there is a strong and vibrant community of enthusiasts helping to improve Windows Home Server software.

Link – https://connect.microsoft.com/windowshomeserver?wa=wsignin1.0

Expression Design January 2011 Preview

Microsoft Expression Design January 2011 Preview includes two new features that further expand and refine your workflow: EPS file import, and multiple selection in the Layers panel.

Link –http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=f36353c5-f3a1-4547-8b99-d55a456d857b

So what’s to become of Windows Home Server?

After the furore at the end of last year of the removal of Drive Extender from Windows Home Server "Vail" and Small Business Server 2011 Essentials things have gone quiet in Redmond. The last few years have seen Microsoft advertising Home Servers all over CES, with its "Mommy, Why Is There A Server In The House" and "Home Server Feng Shui" campaigns, but this year there was nothing.

Link – http://www.zdnet.co.uk/blogs/500-words-into-the-future-10014052/so-whats-to-become-of-windows-home-server-10021557/

Microsoft unveils try-before-buy Mac Office

Four months after it debuted Office for Mac 2011, Microsoft on Tuesday launched the first free trial of the application suite.

The trial version of Office for Mac Home and Business 2011 includes fully-functional versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, the suite’s word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager and e-mail client.

Link – http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/try/?CTT=3

Windows 7 and SSDs: just how fast are they?

Does a solid-state drive make a difference in the performance of Windows 7?

In a word: Yes.

Conventional hard disks are typically the biggest bottleneck in any computing environment. If you can speed up disk activity, especially reads, the effects on system startup and application launch times can be breathtaking.

Link – http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/windows-7-and-ssds-just-how-fast-are-they/2902

Windows Live Essentials Wave 3 compulsory update coming soon

If you are using Windows Live Essentials on Windows XP, or are still using a pre-2011 version of Windows Live Essentials (including Messenger), starting this week, you’ll see a required update that is rolling out in all 48 languages. This minor update to Windows Live Messenger and the other Windows Live Essentials programs includes a set of important security updates, performance improvements, targeted bug fixes, and some other, minor changes.

Link – http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/archive/2011/01/17/minor-update-for-windows-live-messenger-pre-2011.aspx

Microsoft readies Windows 7 service pack, say reports

The first service pack for Windows 7 has been sent to original equipment manufacturers, according to reports.

The move was reported in a post on TechNet by Microsoft’s Russian Windows Visualisation team. Microsoft launched the first release candidate (RC) for Windows 7 SP1, and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, in October 2010, saying that it would be the only RC prior to the software being finalised and made available to manufacturers. The company also promised that SP1 would arrive in the hands of users in the "first half" of 2011.

Link – http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/desktop-os/2011/01/17/microsoft-readies-windows-7-service-pack-say-reports-40091441/

Microsoft Releases WebMatrix, Delivering on Its Web Platform Vision

REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 13, 2011 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of WebMatrix, a free Web development tool designed to help website developers of all skill levels easily create, customize and publish websites to the Internet. Microsoft has also made available a set of video tutorials, how-to tips and other resources for helping new Web developers get started.

Link – http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2011/jan11/01-13WebMatrixPR.mspx

Microsoft Mathematics 4.0

Microsoft Mathematics provides a graphing calculator that plots in 2D and 3D, step-by-step equation solving, and useful tools to help students with math and science studies.

Link – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=9caca722-5235-401c-8d3f-9e242b794c3a&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MicrosoftDownloadCenter+%28Microsoft+Download+Center%29#tm

Microsoft releases Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5

Windows Embedded Handheld is the platform that powers enterprise handheld devices. Businesses such as retailers, delivery companies and others that rely on handheld computers depend on Windows Embedded Handheld to run critical business applications in an environment which integrates well with the rest of their systems, making them easy and efficient to use and to maintain. These devices provide mobile workers with access to real-time information such as inventory, product information and pricing; and they help improve customer responsiveness and sales effectiveness, and secure business-critical data.

Link – http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2011/01/10/microsoft-releases-windows-embedded-handheld-6-5.aspx

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