As you may have heard there are going to be a “few” versions of Microsoft Vista when it is finally released. Redmond this week start to lift some of the details for retailers. Some interesting ones to note are that all versions of Vista will be on the same DVD. This will enable upgrading by customers (and I imagine reduce costs). All customers will do is buy the version they want then and then if needed buy an additional upgrade license as they will already have the DVD.

Due to the confusion already showing of what version is what, all versions of Vista will be color coded.

Light Green-Home Basic
Dark Green-Home Premium
Blue-Vista Business
Platinum-Ultimate Version
Europe will get 2 extra versions Home N and Business N offering no media player per the 2004 legal ruling against Microsoft.

The much awaited aero glass makes its debut in the Home Premium Version, Business offers faxing and other features but NOT Media Center. Microsoft is targeting the premium version to have 50% saturation.

Source: Bink.nu

 On Wednesday, Google pushed its digital photo application Picasa out of beta, with many new updates. The Picasa Build 32.91 updates include:

• Sharing photos online though Picasa web albums
• Choose how folders are displayed in Picasa, though a nested folder view, or date view.
• Importing photos into an existing folder.
• Choose between four presentation views for screensavers.
• Tell Picasa where you shot each photo, and geotagging ads some nice integration with Google Earth. KMZ files can be exported and shared with others.
• Thumbnails appear larger and clearer.
• RAW formats and more camera models are supported.
• Caption editing has been updated.
• Starred photos get organized into a special album.
• Buttons can be configured to the user’s specifications.

Google has also added a Tools > Experimental menu where users can test out features that Google is working to develop. Sorry, but Picasa is currently only available for PC and Linux downloads at the moment.

News Source: Download Squad 

I use Picasa on an almost daily basis and love it. It makes managing a growing treasure trove of pictures of my children so wonderfully easily. Get Picasa HERE

The time comes in the life of software when it must say goodbye, it boards a plane, and with sad music in its ears and tears in your eyes, you fly away to another time, another day. That is what Windows Live has done, after living in Beta for a while, it has boarded the plane and flown to another place and a new life. A place called Live. So its official, Windows Live has said goodbye to Beta. Microsoft’s Live services are now live (small ‘L”), believe it or not. Live search will also replace MSN search as the Microsoft search of choice. Anyone want to bet that MSN in its entirety won’t be around much longer, or will be rebranded? That would be my guess.

News Source: ArsTechnica

Built in Wireless Technology lets consumers share experiences device to device 

REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 14, 2006 — Marking the next big milestone for its Connected Entertainment vision, Microsoft Corp. today unveiled details of the first products to be released under its Zune™ brand. Designed around the principles of sharing, discovery and community, Zune will create new ways for consumers to connect and share entertainment experiences. The Zune experience centers around connection — connection to your library, connection to friends, connection to community and connection to other devices.

“The digital music entertainment revolution is just beginning,” said J Allard, vice president, design and development, at Microsoft, who is leading the charge for building the family of Zune products. “With Zune, we are not simply delivering a portable device, we are introducing a new platform that helps bring artists closer to their audiences and helps people find new music and develop new social connections.”

The Zune Experience

Available this holiday season in the United States, Zune includes a 30GB digital media player, the Zune Marketplace music service and a foundation for an online community that will enable music fans to discover new music. The Zune device features wireless technology, a built-in FM tuner and a bright, 3-inch screen that allows users to not only show off music, pictures and video, but also to customize the experience with personal pictures or themes to truly make the device their own. Zune comes in three colors: black, brown and white.

Every Zune device creates an opportunity for connection. Wireless Zune-to-Zune sharing lets consumers spontaneously share full-length sample tracks of select songs, homemade recordings, playlists or pictures with friends between Zune devices. Listen to the full track of any song you receive up to three times over three days. If you like a song you hear and want to buy it, you can flag it right on your device and easily purchase it from the Zune Marketplace.

Zune makes it easy to find music you love — whether it’s songs in your existing library or new music from the Zune Marketplace. Easily import your existing music, pictures and videos in many popular formats and browse millions of songs on Zune Marketplace, where you can choose to purchase tracks individually or to buy a Zune Pass subscription to download as many songs as you want for a flat fee.

To get started with great music and videos out of the box, every Zune device is preloaded with content from record labels such as DTS, EMI Music’s Astralwerks Records and Virgin Records, Ninja Tune, Playlouderecordings, Quango Music Group, Sub Pop Records, and V2/Artemis Records.

Zune Accessories

To enhance the Zune experience, three accessory packs help Zune users enjoy their music where they want to, at home or on the road. The packs and the individual accessories, all designed exclusively for Zune, will be available at launch:

Providing consumers with additional options to customize and personalize their Zune experience, Microsoft is also working with leading accessory manufacturers Altec Lansing, Belkin Corp., Digital Lifestyle Outfitters (DLO), Dual Electronics, Griffin Technology, Harman Kardon and JBL, Integrated Mobile Electronics, Jamo International, Klipsch Audio Technologies, Logitech, Monster Cable Products Inc., Speck, Targus Group International Inc. and VAF Research

The Future is Bright

In addition to the features available at launch, built-in wireless technology and powerful software provide a strong foundation to continue to build new shared experiences around music and video. As Zune evolves, the device can be easily updated. The Zune software on your PC will let you know when these updates are available for download.

About Zune

Zune is Microsoft’s music and entertainment platform that provides an end-to-end solution for Connected Entertainment. The Zune experience includes a 30GB digital media player, the Zune Marketplace music service, and a foundation for an online community that will enable music fans to discover new music. Inspired by the vast and varied community of music fans, Zune focuses on helping emerging artists shape the digital canvas. Zune is part of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices division and supports the company’s software-based services vision to help drive innovation in the digital entertainment space. More information can be found online at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/zune.

Jay P. Kapur of the Media Center TV Team confirmed at AVS Forum that Vista will not need an NTSC Tuner!  This means you can use ATSC Tuners and/or CableCARD’s without needing a separate NTSC Tuner installed.  Vista Beta 2 still needs the NTSC Tuner, but the final will not.  Previously, Media Center has keyed the ATSC EPG Data off of the selected NTSC Lineup.

News Source: AVS Forum/ Vista Discussion

I’ve got a few pointers for anyone who can’t find where the simple link to the Online Spotlight went in Vista Media Center.

You can go to….

TV + Movies | More TV

or

Music | More Music

or

Pictures+Video | More Pictures (What no More Video?)

or

Online Media | What’s New

or

Online Media | Browse Categories

or

Tasks | More Tasks

So, if you find yourself without quick access to the Online Spotlight in Media Center 2005 you will want Vista for sure.  I think you have like a 75% chance of being on a tile that brings you to the Online Spotlight at all times.

Thoughts?  Clearly this is overdone and needs reconsideration.  I’m sure that the Online Spotlight will be redesigned for Vista, but it better be a huge redesign to warrant all of those access methods.

News Source: Chris Lanier’s Blog

REDMOND, Wash. Sept. 13, 2006 Microsoft Hardware today announced that its award-winning line of mice, keyboards and LifeCams will be fully compatible with Windows Vista™ once the operating system is launched to retail customers.¹ Continuing the Hardware Group’s history of enhancing software experiences, the company also is launching three new desktops that will connect users to the Windows Vista experience with the touch of a button.

The Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000, Wireless Entertainment Desktop 7000 and Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 will take advantage of Windows Vista, allowing users to easily accomplish everyday tasks, instantly find what they are looking for and enjoy the latest in entertainment. New features that bring key Microsoft^® Windows^® XP and Windows Vista functionality to users’ fingertips include the following:

Pricing and Availability

The new Microsoft products introduced today will be available for the following estimated retail prices:

Read the complete Press Release HERE

Microsoft plans to make the final public test build of Office 2007 available on September 14 to the more than 3.5 million testers who were part of the company’s Beta 2 test program.

Microsoft will allow Office Beta 2 testers to download for free the Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh (TR) from the Microsoft Office Preview site, starting at 9:00 a.m. PST on Thursday.

The new build includes better product integration, improved collaboration tools and “some general fit and finish changes,” according to a Microsoft spokeswoman.

Microsoft is not making a CD or DVD version of the Office 2007 Beta 2 TR available, the spokeswoman confirmed.

Office 2007 Beta 2 TR is the test build of the next major version of Office that is optimized to work with Windows Vista Release Candidate (RC) 1, which Microsoft began rolling out to testers at the beginning of September.

Microsoft may still provide select testers with one or more private test builds of Office 2007 before the product is completed. Microsoft still anticipates being able to release Office 2007 to manufacturing before the end of calendar 2006, and make the product available to business users with volume license agreements before year-end, officials reconfirmed on September 13. The worldwide launch of Office 2007 is expected to coincide with the Windows Vista launch at the end of January 2007.

Some testers have said they are expecting Microsoft to release Office 2007 to manufacturing in October.

That timetable doesn’t leave Microsoft with much wiggle room, said Peter O’Kelly, an analyst with the Burton Group.

“With Office 2007 (client and server, e.g., Windows SharePoint Services v3), as with Windows Vista, Microsoft is rapidly running out of testing time,” O’Kelly said. “If they’re going to hit their release date targets.

” I’m impressed with Office 2007, including recent enhancements such as the Quick Customize Menu,” O’Kelly added. but Microsoft needs to wrap up testing and tweaking soon, if it’s going to hit its target deadlines.”

The Office 2007 Quick Customize Menu – detailed by Jensen Harris, a manager on Microsoft’s Office user experience team on his blog this week – is a new feature that is part of Office 2007 Beta 2. The menu allows users to add a core set of features to Office 2007’s Quick Access Toolbar.

If you’re running Windows Vista RC 1, you’ll be happy to know that B2TR (Office 2007 Beta 2 Technical Refresh) works great on RC1 (unlike the much earlier Office Beta 2, which has some problems on Vista RC1.),” Harris also noted on his blog.

“B2TR represents an iterative step forward for the UI design—a refinement and polishing of each component,” Harris blogged. “The UI is now totally feature complete, and you will see only cosmetic differences between B2TR and the final version in most areas.

According to Harris, Microsoft made nearly 1,000 individual improvements to the Ribbon user interface that is built into Office 2007 – “everything from redesigning the Home tab of PowerPoint to subtle changes to scaling or labels to work better on small monitors.” Improved support for the “minimize Ribbon” capability is also part of the new test build, Harris confirmed.

Office 2007 will run on Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista. The server components of the product, known as SharePoint Server 2007, will run on Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server Longhorn.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/beta/overview.mspx

(While this has nothing to do with Windows Vista, it does have an impact on every American and I believe everyone should read it, regardless of your politics, this blog does not have a political agenda, but is in the business of disemanating information)

This paper was prepared by Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton University.

This paper presents a fully independent security study of a Diebold AccuVote-TS voting machine, including its hardware and software. We obtained the machine from a private party. Analysis of the machine, in light of real election procedures, shows that it is vulnerable to extremely serious attacks. For example, an attacker who gets physical access to a machine or its removable memory card for as little as one minute could install malicious code; malicious code on a machine could steal votes undetectably, modifying all records, logs, and counters to be consistent with the fraudulent vote count it creates. An attacker could also create malicious code that spreads automatically and silently from machine to machine during normal election activities — a voting-machine virus. We have constructed working demonstrations of these attacks in our lab. Mitigating these threats will require changes to the voting machine’s hardware and software and the adoption of more rigorous election procedures.

 http://itpolicy.princeton.edu/voting/

Download the paper itself in PDF format

I found this on mikeysblog.com

I love Youtube and Yougle is a Media Center UI for Youtube and Google Videos

Read more about Yougle at the developers page. Download it for free from HERE

http://www.push-a-button.com.au/products/mce/Yougle.php