Public previews of Microsoft's Windows Essential Server Solutions for small-to-medium businesses are now available, according to an announcement issued by Microsoft, which also disclosed pricing and licensing details.
Windows Essential Server Solutions center around two server technologies: Windows Small Business Server 2008 (formerly code-named "Cougar") and Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (formerly code-named "Centro"). Both products are scheduled for general availability "later this year," according to the announcement.
After two years in development, the final veil is being lifted from Microsoft's suite of online services, some of which are now being made available for Windows Mobile smartphone users.
A majority of Microsoft's free online consumer services for Windows users have now been extended into the Windows Mobile space, now that testing on the concept -which has been under way since June 2006- has apparently ended.
Joining a big company as a high-ranking executive from the outside isn't easy under any circumstance, but consider the situation facing Stephen Elop as he settles in at Microsoft
He is leading a $16.4 billion division still feeling its way through the transition to an Internet-centric world, with competition from the likes of Salesforce.com and Google. He is charged with finding new areas of growth while stoking Microsoft's profits from its traditional Office programs. And he's succeeding someone who has been there for, oh, about 27 years.
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said Friday that his company plans to launch its WorldWide Telescope project, Redmond's answer to Google Sky, by the end of May.
"This is taking data that's very complex, gathered over many years from many telescopes, and making it accessible," said Gates, during a speech in Jakarta, Indonesia, according to PC World.
WorldWide Telescop is "a rich visualization environment that functions as a virtual telescope," says the project's Web site.
The online service combines terabytes of celestial images and other data that users can pan across using a viewer that employs Microsoft's Visual Experience Engine. WorldWide Telescope also includes interactive links to audio and video presentations that offer more information about the part of space that the user is viewing.
Despite a complete revamp of its Zune portable media player last October and a new software update that brings TV downloads, sales of Microsoft's iPod rival have yet to increase.
In the two years since the device's launch, two million Zunes have reached customers. Although it took Apple's iPod more than two years to reach that same milestone, the industry has changed quite a bit. Apple dominates the market with a 71% share, and has sold 140 million iPods since the iconic player debuted in 2001.
Microsoft will now allow for a group of Live Messenger chat participants to watch a video at the same time.Social video sharing is nothing new, but through a messenger client it is. While users won't be able to stream their own videos yet -- likely due to bandwidth issues as well as copyright concerns -- it certainly is a start.
Currently the United States is not part of the launch, but Canada, Mexico and 18 other countries are, mainly in Europe. The videos available are culled from the company's MSN Video service.In the United Kingdom, users also have access to videos from partners EMI and Channel 4, according to marketing material for the launch.
Microsoft released Monday beta versions of separate service packs for the Visual Studio 2008 software development platform
and the accompanying .Net Framework 3.5, a Microsoft official said in a blog.
General-release SP 1 for Visual Studio 2008 and .Net Framework 3.5 are due this summer. SP1 for Visual Studio
is the first release for Visual Studio that offers full support for the SQL Server 2008 database, said S. "Soma" Somasegar,
senior vice president of the Microsoft Developer Division, in a blog entry.
On Monday, Microsoft and Research in Motion announced that the two companies will collaborate to bring popular Windows Live services to RIM's popular Blackberry smart phone devices. The first two services to make the transition to the Blackberry platform are Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger.
"RIM continues to look for ways to provide customers with a wide range of communications options and the best possible mobile experience," says RIM vice president of marketing Mark Guibert.
Jeff Raikes, former president of the Microsoft Business Division, will retire in September just in time to take over the reins of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Raikes, who has been with the software company for 26 years, was personally hired away from Apple Computer by now-CEO Steve Ballmer in 1981. Over the years, he has been credited with spawning the Microsoft Office business productivity applications, which quickly grew into one of the company's two main cash cows.
His retirement, which was announced in January, coincides with the pending switch of current foundation head Patty Stonesifer to a new ? as yet undefined ? role at the organization.
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates expressed his goal many years ago to put "a PC on every desktop, a PC in every home" -- all running Microsoft software, of course. He didn't mention a PC on every driveway.
Microsoft wants to turn your car into a Windows machine (please, no "crash" jokes). And Microsoft isn't alone. In-dash "infotainment," emergency and diagnostic systems - called "telematics" - is a fast-growing sector and, more importantly, one that will make cars more fun and safer to drive.