Microsoft Talk

Today Microsoft Corp. and the Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) Consortium announced a joint standards-based development project that will make it possible for computer users who are blind or print-disabled to make better use of assistive technology in their daily lives. A reference model for other Open XML solution providers, this open technical collaboration project on SourceForge.net will yield a free, downloadable plug-in for Microsoft Office Word that can translate Open XML-based documents into DAISY XML, the foundation of the globally accepted DAISY Standard for reading and publishing navigable multimedia content. (PressPass)

Microsoft and open-source site SourceForge plan to offer a free plug-in early next year that will convert Office 2007 files to the Daisy format, which translates text to speech.

The free tool will add a "Save as Daisy" option within Word 2007 and 2003. Daisy, or Digital Accessible Information System, XML files can be "read" aloud by speech synthesizers, paired with audio narration, and used to create electronic Braille. Users can navigate open-standard Daisy documents quickly by jumping between page elements such as headers and indexes.

The Daisy Consortium of 70 nonprofits has aimed since 1996 to make all published information available to people with visual impairments and learning disabilities.

Digital narration serves computer users with visual impairments, people with learning challenges like dyslexia, as well as those with Parkinson’s disease and other conditions that make it hard to type or hold a book.

With the release of the Office 2007 suite in January, Microsoft shunned the popular, XML-based OpenDocument Format for its own, new Office Open XML format. The OOXML documents, which include Word files with the DOCX extension, are easier to retrieve, if corrupted, than older DOC files.

Versions of Word prior to 2007 can open OOXML documents after a one-time download of a free converter from Microsoft. However, critics gripe that Microsoft’s format change was unnecessary and clumsy. Microsoft maintains that the new format enables greater flexibility, such as accessibility features.

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Related Reading: Microsoft acquires aQuantive | Bill Gates gets his degree…

Just in time for holiday, Microsoft Corp. today released a new Xbox 360^® console that delivers games and content to everyone in the family for an incredible value of $279.99 (U.S. estimated retail price)*. Available in stores beginning today, Xbox 360 Arcade console is the first Xbox 360 console to include five family-friendly games, a wireless controller, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connection to enable high-definition output if desired and 256 MB of memory useful for storing games and entertainment content. At $279.99, the Xbox 360 Arcade console will include five best-selling games: “PAC-MAN Championship Edition” (NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.), “Uno” (Carbonated Games), “Luxor 2” (MumboJumbo), “Boom Boom Rocket” (Electronic Arts Inc.) and “Feeding Frenzy” (Sprout Games).

“As families gather together this holiday, it’s the perfect time to launch a new low-priced, high-value Xbox 360 that plays games, TV shows and music for everyone to enjoy,” said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of global marketing, Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “In addition to offering an incredible all-in-one package for families to get right into the fun, the Xbox 360 Arcade system features the industry-leading Family Settings, which allow parents to control what their kids are watching and playing — and we know how important that control is to families around the world.”

Karen Dodge, senior vice president and chief merchandising officer at Toys “R” Us, added, “We are excited to offer this new gaming experience to our customers — children and families — who can now enjoy the fun of Xbox 360 together. Many of this holiday season’s hottest items provide Internet connectivity, and with the online entertainment options available through Xbox LIVE^®, Xbox 360 Arcade offers families a great mix of online content and traditional gaming in one console.”

The news of Xbox 360 Arcade comes as part of a broader initiative by Microsoft to bring the Xbox 360 experience to families everywhere. Microsoft also announced today that it is significantly expanding its catalog of high- and standard-definition family fun content that is available on demand direct to the consumer’s living room. This includes the addition of everyone’s favorite characters such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck from Warner Bros., which will be delivering the first ever “Looney Tunes” cartoons for download on Xbox 360, starting today. In addition, Nickelodeon is adding three new shows to its already large library of more than 300 episodes of TV shows on Xbox LIVE, Microsoft’s premier online gaming and entertainment service, with the inclusion of “Blue’s Clues,” “The Backyardigans” and “iCarly.” “SpongeBob SquarePants Underpants Slam™” (THQ Inc.) and “SHREK-N-ROLL™” (Activision) games will also be available exclusively on Xbox LIVE Arcade, the place to download games for Xbox 360 over Xbox LIVE, adding more fun for everyone in the family.

Microsoft’s commitment to family entertainment is complemented by the largest next-generation library of “E”- and “T”-rated games, more than 200 in all, available at retailers nationwide this holiday, including “BEE MOVIE™ GAME” (Activision), “Guitar Hero III^®: Legends of Rock” (Activision), “Naruto: Rise of a Ninja” (UbiSoft Entertainment), “Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action” and “Viva Piñata^®: Party Animals.”

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Recommended: Microsoft Office Live Meeting Service Portal | HowTo: Make a smooth transition from Office 2003 to Office 2007

Microsoft Corp. introduced software on Monday to manage advanced mobile phones much like personal computers, taking aim at a business dominated by Research in Motion’s BlackBerry.

Mobile devices are acquiring the computing firepower to become crucial productivity tools for business people and management nightmares for technology administrators.

"The IT (information technology) folks, the same as it was in the PC environment, don’t want to roll out 10,000 devices. They want roll out one device 10,000 times," said Michael Gartenberg, analyst at Jupiter Research. "Microsoft is hoping to replicate the success and the model of the PC."

The world’s largest software maker will unveil software dedicated to managing devices using its Windows Mobile platform during CEO Steve Ballmer’s keynote speech on Tuesday at the CTIA wireless conference in San Francisco.

The Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 will allow technology administrators to send applications to phones, control security and generally simplify management of devices which are becoming more and more complex.

This positions Windows Mobile devices, which have been sold mainly through retail shops, to appeal to organizations who buy phones in bulk to distribute to their workforce. It’s a market dominated by Research in Motion’s BlackBerry.

Rob Enderle, industry analyst at the Enderle Group, said the market for smart phones, advanced phones with many PC-like attributes, is still evolving and many companies like Microsoft and Apple Inc. are targeting RIM’s lead.

"The market for smart phones is still largely under penetrated," said Enderle, who provides advice and industry insight to Microsoft. "RIM has a number of reasons to be concerned, (and it’s) not just Microsoft."

Microsoft, which has declined to comment on persistent rumors that it is interested in acquiring RIM to tap into the company’s corporate customers, said reaching out to large organizations is a critical part of its goal to sell over 20 million Windows Mobile licenses in fiscal year 2008, which ends next June.

"This is a key part of accelerating our business," said Scott Horn, general manager of marketing at Microsoft’s Windows Mobile business. "You’re going to see (Mobile Device Manager) really ramp up in fiscal 2009 starting July 1."

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Other Related Reading: XP Hack: Readyboost with any USB Device | Microsoft Office Live Workspace

Microsoft has begun patching files on Windows XP and Vista without users’ knowledge, even when the users have turned off auto-updates.
Many companies require testing of patches before they are widely installed, and businesses in this situation are objecting to the stealth patching.

Files changed with no notice to users

In recent days, Windows Update (WU) started altering files on users’ systems without displaying any dialog box to request permission. The only files that have been reportedly altered to date are nine small executables on XP and nine on Vista that are used by WU itself. Microsoft is patching these files silently, even if auto-updates have been disabled on a particular PC.
It’s surprising that these files can be changed without the user’s knowledge. The Automatic Updates dialog box in the Control Panel can be set to prevent updates from being installed automatically. However, with Microsoft’s latest stealth move, updates to the WU executables seem to be installed regardless of the settings — without notifying users.

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The Windows Home Server web site was updated today to a new look and feel, and over the next few weeks/months additional content, links and other great stuff will be added to the site.  The new look and feel and site map is close to being finalized.  The home page, now has pages for:

• Home Users
• Enthusiasts
• Partners
• Developers
• Press

…to help different people quickly find what they are looking for.  I would love to have people comment to this blog post - how can we make it better?  What additional information / stuff would you like to see ?  The home server team is listening.

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Creatively named Webmaster Portal, it will be a single, friendly place to find all tools and information relating to Live Search SEO. Initially we?ll support these scenarios:

• Troubleshooting tools to ensure MSNBot is effectively crawling and indexing your site
• Sitemap creation, submission and ping tools
• Statistics about your website
• Consolidation of content submission resources
• New content and community resources

While we expect the tools to be available publicly in late Fall, we still have some polishing to do.  In the meantime we?ve created a private beta program to let adventuresome folks get their hands on the tools sooner ? and help polish things by providing feedback. If you?re interested in participating in the beta program over the next few months, please send a mail to lswmp@microsoft.com to apply!

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Microsoft Download Notifications is a weekly mailing that points you to the latest free downloads and download-related services from Microsoft. The following offerings are now available in your preferred categories. Register now if you are not already receiving this free mailing. To find more downloads, visit the Microsoft Download Center. For support with downloads, visit the Help and Support site.

Download Windows Media Player 11

Get the media player for all your digital entertainment needs.

Microsoft Update

Visit Microsoft Update for the latest updates to Windows, Office, and other Microsoft applications. Also, learn how to have automatic security updates delivered to your computer.

Windows Desktop Search: Add-in for Lotus Notes

Now easily find Lotus Notes items and search their content.

All recently published Windows downloads

Back to School Clip Art and Templates

Students and teachers: Use free clip art and templates from Microsoft to help make reports and presentations look more lively and professional. Find free templates at the end of each section of clip art on our destination page.

Office Update

Scan your computer for updates that help improve the stability and security of the Office programs on your computer.

HD Photo Plug-in for Adobe Photoshop Software (Beta Release for Windows)

This beta release for Windows is a file format plug-in to enable Adobe Photoshop software to open and save HD Photo files.

Groove 2007 Tool Template: Welcome Tool

Help orient new team members to the Microsoft Office Groove 2007 workspace with the easy-to-use Welcome Tool.

Microsoft Messenger for Mac 6.0.3

Messenger for Mac 6.0.3 makes it easy to take advantage of the full power of instant messaging, and it is a Universal application built to run on both PowerPC-based and Intel-based Macs.

2007 Office Sample: Building Server-Side Document Generation Solutions Using the Open XML Object Model

This download provides sample files in Microsoft Visual Basic.NET and Visual C# that show how to use the Open XML object model to assemble documents from a server-side application.

User Agent String Utility Version 2

This utility opens an Internet Explorer 7.0 window that is configured to report its identity to Web sites as being Internet Explorer 6.0 or later.

All recently published Office and home downloads

Download Windows Server Update Services

Use WSUS to manage the distribution of updates that are released through Microsoft Update to computers in your network.

SharePoint Server 2007 SDK

This SDK contains conceptual overviews, “How Do I.?” programming tasks, developer tools, code samples, references, and an Enterprise Content Management starter kit to guide you in developing solutions based on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.

Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SDK

This SDK contains conceptual overviews, programming tasks, samples, and references to guide you in developing solutions based on Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.

SQL Server Migration Assistant for Oracle V3.1

SQL Server Migration Assistant is a complete suite of tools that dramatically cuts the effort, cost, and risk of migrating from Oracle to SQL Server.

Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Release Notes

This download contains a stand-alone version of the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Release Notes.

All recently published server application downloads

Download Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2.0.1

Use MBSA to scan your Windows systems and identify common security misconfigurations.

Biztalk Server 2006 Management Pack for MOM 2007

This management pack monitors events placed in the Application event log by BizTalk Server 2006 and Enterprise Single Sign-On. It also highlights events that may indicate possible service outages or configuration problems.

All recently published system management tool downloads

Classroom training

Classroom training by Microsoft Certified Partners for Learning Solutions
Classroom training is designed to help you transition your skills and build expertise on Windows Server 2008 with world-class learning content. Check back for additional Windows Server 2008 courses to be released over the following months.

First-look courses and hands-on labs

These 90-minute clinics and accompanying hands-on labs target specific Windows Server 2008 scenarios to help you prepare for Windows Server 2008 certification.

?Course 6400: First Look: Getting Started with Centralized Application Access in Windows Server 2008

?Course 6401: First Look: Getting Started with Centralized Application Access in Windows Server 2008 Hands-On Lab

?Course 6402: First Look: Getting Started with Branch Office Management in Windows Server 2008

?Course 6403: First Look: Getting Started with Branch Office Management in Windows Server 2008 Hands-On Lab

?Course 6404: First Look: Getting Started with High Availability in Windows Server 2008

?Course 6405: First Look: Getting Started with High Availability in Windows Server 2008 Hands-On Lab

?Course 6406: First Look: Getting Started with Security and Policy Control in Windows Server 2008

?Course 6407: First Look: Getting Started with Security and Policy Control in Windows Server 2008 Hands-On Lab

?Course 6408: First Look: Getting Started with Server Management in Windows Server 2008

?Course 6409: First Look: Getting Started with Server Management in Windows Server 2008 Hands-On Lab

?Course 6410: First Look: Getting Started with Server Virtualization in Windows Server 2008

?Course 6411: First Look: Getting Started with Server Virtualization in Windows Server 2008 Hands-On Lab

?Course 6412: First Look: Getting Started with Web and Applications Platform Technologies in Windows Server 2008

?Course 6413: First Look: Getting Started with Web and Applications Platform Technologies in Windows Server 2008 Hands-On Lab

Skills transitioning courses

These three-day classroom sessions are designed to help Microsoft Certified Systems Administrators (MCSAs) and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers (MCSEs) transition their skills from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008.

?Course 6415: Updating your Network Infrastructure Technology Skills to Windows Server 2008 (available July 2007)

?Course 6416: Updating your Active Directory Technology Skills to Windows Server 2008 (available July 2007)

?Course 6417: Updating your Application Platform Technology Skills to Windows Server 2008 (available July 2007)

Let Microsoft Learning resources give you the head start you need to transition your skills and credentials to the latest Windows Server technologies–or get started with a new certification.

Find what?s new

?Download the FREE Windows Server 2008 e-book offer
Or take advantage of discount offers on Microsoft Press titles.

?Sign up for FREE e-learning clinics
Take any or all of the four e-learning clinics included in Collection 5934: Introducing Windows Server 2008?FREE!

?Find classroom training
Choose from a broad spectrum of first-look clinics and hands-on labs.

Transition your skills

?Upgrade your skills with a special e-learning offer
Purchase e-learning Collection 6041: Upgrading Your Windows Server 2003 MCSE Technical Skills to Windows Server 2008 at 15 percent off now and get three additional upgrade collections FREE.

?Get classroom training to update your qualifications to Windows Server 2008
Update your skills from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 with special three-day sessions (Courses 6415, 6416, and 6417).

?Get certified
Transition from MCSA or MCSE to the MCTS or MCITP Windows Server 2008 certification

Find additional resources

?View the Live Meeting recording on Windows Server 2008 certification paths
This Live Meeting was recorded in June 2007.

?Explore Windows Server 2008 features and functionality
Download the most current beta version of Windows Server 2008, and participate in events and webcasts.

Books from Microsoft Press

?Free Windows Server 2008 e-book and Microsoft Press newsletter

This e-book includes excerpts from two recent publications from Microsoft Press:

?Introducing Windows Server 2008 by Mitch Tulloch with the Microsoft Windows Server Team (ISBN: 9780735624214)
Usage scenarios, Windows Server virtualization, Managing Windows Server 2008, Managing server roles, Windows Server core, Additional resources

?Microsoft Windows PowerShell Step by Step by Ed Wilson (ISBN: 9780735623958)
Overview of Windows PowerShell, Using Windows PowerShell cmdlets, Leveraging PowerShell providers.

Additional chapters from Introducing Windows Server 2008 will be added to the site periodically, so be sure to come back and read more from expert Mitch Tulloch and the Microsoft Windows Server Team.

?Register to receive the free e-book offer

Register to get the free e-book, and sign up for the Microsoft Press Book Connection, a monthly newsletter that provides news about upcoming and recent releases, special offers, and additional information from those who know our books best.

?Discount offer: Get 30 percent off selected Microsoft Press print titles

Titles include Introducing Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Windows PowerShell Step by Step, and others. This is a limited time offer.

Code named Windows Live Folder, Windows Live SkyDrive has been announced officially.

If you didn’t know, you had to be in U.S to be able to get Windows Live Folders (which you could easily be in by changing the regional settings )

However, the good news is that it has been made available for India and U.K. Wow that’s cool.

New Features:

• An upgraded look and feel ? new graphics to go along with your new features!
• “Also on SkyDrive” ? easily get back to the SkyDrives you?ve recently visited
• Thumbnail images ? now you can see thumbnails of your image files
• Drag and drop your files ? sick of our five-at-a-time upload limit? Drag and drop your files right onto your SkyDrive
• Embed your stuff anywhere ? with just a few clicks, post your files and folders anywhere you can post html

Sign up now! | Source

Microsoft Corp. has completed its acquisition of aQuantive Inc. The acquisition will help Microsoft deliver on its previously outlined goal to provide the advertising industry with a world-class advertising platform across devices and media that will create the best experiences for users, advertisers and publishers.

Microsoft also created the Advertiser and Publisher Solutions (APS) Group. This new business group will be responsible for building Microsoft?s monetization engine to serve the advertiser and publisher community. The APS team will assume responsibility for building and marketing all ad platforms, including Atlas, DRIVEpm, MSNDR and Microsoft^� AdCenter, along with emerging media types such as in-game and mobile ads, and the agency arm Avenue A | Razorfish. The APS group will be run by Brian McAndrews, CEO of aQuantive, who will report directly to Kevin Johnson, president of Microsoft?s Platforms & Services Division (PSD).

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Check out the new look Microsoft Support website.

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Microsoft Corp. and Tutor.com today announced a strategic alliance that will provide on-demand tutoring to students who purchase Microsoft® Student with Encarta® Premium 2008, the recently launched homework productivity suite of software designed to help students complete assignments and excel in difficult subjects such as math, science and foreign languages.

Customers who purchase Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008 at popular retailers or online will receive 75 minutes of free live online, one-to-one tutoring from Tutor.com — approximately equivalent to four on-demand tutoring sessions with a professional tutor.

“We believe Tutor.com provides an excellent complementary educational resource to Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008,” said Dave Brooks, product manager for the Microsoft Education Products Group at Microsoft. “Sometimes students require help that only a live, on-demand expert is capable of providing, and this alliance will give students an increased opportunity for academic success overall.”

Traditional in-person tutoring services as well as online tutoring companies often require families to schedule appointments in advance with the same tutor at the same time each week. Students who use Tutor.com services are empowered to get help on demand from a network of more than 1,300 professional tutors located across the U.S. and Canada as well as bilingual tutors from Latin America.

Access to a live professional tutor “right now” is a powerful tool when combined with the rich multimedia content of Encarta Premium and the homework tools, templates and tutorials found in Microsoft Student 2008.

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Microsoft® Money Plus, the latest release of the popular Money product line. Money Plus debuts innovative new tools that enable consumers to effortlessly manage all their finances. With customizable “Insights,” Microsoft Money Plus delivers important financial information right to the desktop, without the need to open the Money program. Consumers can personalize Insights to alert them when they are close to preset spending limits or when bills are coming due and can also quickly and easily check accounts to see balances and cash flow.

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