BlogMS - Official Microsoft Team Blogs : Software Releases

Windows Phone ANNOUNCED - Windows Mobile 6.5, My Phone and Windows Marketplace for Mobile

Daniel Good — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:04:00 GMT

On October, 6th 2009 - Microsoft announced the new launch of 30 new Windows Mobile 6.5 phones. You can read the official press release or read the announcement on the official team blog.

Two fantastic additional services have also launched:

My Phone, a free service that syncs data from a phone -- like pictures, music and text messages -- to a Web portal for safe keeping. If a phone is stolen, left behind, sandwiched between couch cushions or otherwise lost, My Phone can locate it, ring it (even if on vibrate), lock it or wipe it clean of personal information. And when you buy a new Windows phone, My Phone will restore contacts, photos, videos and messages right back to the new device.

Windows Marketplace for Mobile, Discover apps that unlock the power of your Windows® phone, Shop securely and with confidence and download instantly to your phone.

For further information visit the Product Website where you can also access additional downloads free extras.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 - Released to Manufacturing (RTM)

Daniel Good — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:53:00 GMT

Microsoft Exchange 2010 was released to manufacturing (RTM) on Thursday October 8^th.

This Release to Manufacturing (RTM) milestone means we are on our way to general availability and the launch at Tech·Ed Europe 2009 (http://www.microsoft.com/europe/teched/) in early November. If you will not be attending Ech-Ed Europe in Berlin, you can access resources from the Web (www.thenewefficiency.com) to be part of the launch.

To find out what's new in releae check out: (http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/2010/en/us/whats-new.aspx)

Additional Resources:

· http://www.microsoft.com/exchange - Product Website

· http://msexchangeteam.com/ - Official Team Blog

Microsoft Security Essentials - RELEASED - free for home PC's

Daniel Good — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:18:00 GMT

On September, 28th 2009 Microsoft released Microsoft Security Essentials free for genuine copies of Microsoft Windows. Read more about the release the Microsoft Malware Protection Center team blog or read the official press release.

Qouting the team blog "Microsoft Security Essentials is a new, no-cost, anti-malware solution for genuine Windows PC consumers that provides real-time protection against viruses, spyware and other malicious threats. It is a lightweight, effective and modern anti-malware which runs on 32 bit and 64 bit Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2 and higher, and on modern consumer form-factors such as netbooks."

Visit the Microsoft Security Essentials Website to download your copy now..

For more free software and services check out the BlogMS resource guide to Microsoft Free Software and Online Software.

New Free Software: Windows Live Movie Maker (Released to Web)

Daniel Good — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:34:00 GMT

Microsoft has released a new version of Windows Live Movie Maker as part of a refresh to the Windows Live Essentials download. Windows Live Movie Maker is the first application designed for Windows 7 and is built to make beautiful movies from your photos and videos very quickly. Download the new Windows Live Movie Maker to get an immediate (and free!) upgrade to your Windows Live experience.

Read the official announcement on the Microsoft Live team blog for insight into the features and a video to introduce you to this new version, or visit the Windows Live Website. For more great free resources and online services check out the BlogMS Resource Guide.

Introducing Windows Live Movie Maker

Windows Live Movie Maker is one more example of why Windows Live Essentials are must-have applications for people using Windows. With the goal of making it easy to communicate and share with the people you care about, we’re continually updating these applications to ensure they take advantage of the best Windows has to offer. With today’s release, you will be able to see a variety of ways Windows Live Movie Maker takes advantage of Windows 7 including expanded support for HD video so you can create great looking movies using the most popular devices on the market – including your mobile phone or Flip Video camcorder.

It's OFFICIAL - Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 have released to manufacturing (RTM)

Daniel Good — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:03:00 GMT

Microsoft announced today (Wednesday 22nd July) that testing for Windows 7 (build 7600) and Windows Server 2008 R2 has been completed. Both products have officially been released to manufacturing (RTM). You can read the official press release here.

Windows 7 will be generally available to customers around the world on October 22nd. Microsoft Partners, OEMS, Business Customers, IT Professionals and Developers can find out when they will receive the release in this team blog article.

Windows Server 2008 R2 will be generally available on or before that date, read more about the release in the team blog article.

Additional Resources:

Windows Team Blog, http://windowsteamblog.com
Windows Server Blog, http://blogs.technet.com/windowsserver
Partner Web sites, http://readyset7.com and http://talkingaboutwindows.com/Default.aspx
Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 for businesses, http://www.microsoft.com/windows/default.aspx and http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/R2.aspx

Microsoft Security Essentials (BETA) - free for home PC's

Daniel Good — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:58:00 GMT

In November 2008 Microsoft announced plans for Microsoft Security Essentials code named Morro. In June a beta version of Microsoft Security Essentials was officially announced on the Microsoft Malware Protection Center team blog for up to 75,000 individuals.

The beta release is currently only available only to customers in the United States, Israel (English only), People's Republic of China (Simplified Chinese only) and Brazil (Brazilian Portuguese only).

Visit the Microsoft Security Essentials Website for further information and check back regularly for updates.

For more free software and services check out the BlogMS resource guide to Microsoft Free Software and Online Software.

Microsoft Office 2010 Hits Major Milestone and Enters Technical Preview

Daniel Good — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:01:00 GMT

The Microsoft Press Article released today reads: "Today, at its Worldwide Partner Conference 2009, Microsoft Corp. announced that Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, Microsoft Visio 2010 and Microsoft Project 2010 have reached the technical preview engineering milestone. Starting today, tens of thousands of people will be invited to test Office and Visio as part of the Technical Preview program."

On of the key announcements from this includes the new Office Web applications — the lightweight Web browser versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote — that provide access to documents from virtually anywhere and preserve the look and feel of a document regardless of device.

Microsoft also announced that Office Web applications will be available in three ways:

Windows Live, where more than 400 million consumers will have access to Office Web applications at no cost (YES - you did read that right!)
On-premises for all Office volume licensing customers including more than 90 million Office annuity customers
Microsoft Online Services where customers will be able to purchase a subscription as part of a hosted offering

Stephen Elop announces the technical preview milestone for Microsoft Office 2010 and discusses the Office 2010 partner opportunity at WPC09.

For further information visit the Microsoft Office 2010 website, read the latest article on the Microsoft Office Team Blog for additional insight, or visit the http://www.office2010themovie.com/ website, which hosts a set of 'behind the scenes' videos describing the people and the ideas behind Office2010.

Microsoft Unveils Windows Azure Platform Business Model

Daniel Good — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:21:00 GMT

Today, during the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2009 an important announcement was made about the Microsoft Windows Azure Platform.

The article on the Windows Azure blog provides details of the commercial pricing model and availability of the Windows Azure platform. The Microsoft Press Pass article describes the future opportunities for Microsoft partners.

Listen to Doug Hauger, General Manager for Windows Azure at Microsoft Corp., share details of the business and channel model and pricing for Windows Azure, SQL Azure, and .NET Services at WPC09.

Visit the Microsoft Windows Azure Website for general information, if you are a developer visit the Azure Services Platform Developer Center (on MSDN), or visit the Windows Azure Team Blogs for detailed insight.

Windows Azure - this team blog has been added to the Microsoft Team Blogs Directory
.NET Services
SQL Azure Database
Live Services
Cloud Computing Tools

The following list summarises the recent articles since the beginning of the year on this important development from Microsoft:

Software and Web Development Cloud Computing

Azure Cloud Computing Tools  Website | RSS Feed
Windows Azure FastCGI Project Template  - 12-Jul-2009
Now Available: May 2009 CTP of the Windows Azure Tools and SDK  - 28-May-2009
Adding an https endpoint to a Windows Azure Web Role  - 12-May-2009
Using the Web Platform Installer to install Pre-reqs for the Windows Azure Tools/SDK  - 21-Apr-2009
Windows Azure Service Packages Revealed  - 16-Apr-2009
Azure Mix '09 Videos  - 22-Mar-2009
Just released - Windows Azure Tools and SDK March 2009 CTP  - 18-Mar-2009
Hotfix for VS Crash with ASP.Net MVC in a Windows Azure Cloud Service Project  - 28-Feb-2009
Upcoming Azure Services Platform Webcasts  - 24-Feb-2009
Deploy a Service Package from the Cloud  - 13-Feb-2009
Windows Azure "How Do I" Videos  - 12-Feb-2009
Using an existing Web App as a Windows Azure Web Role  - 06-Feb-2009
Packaging up files for the cloud  - 28-Jan-2009
Silverlight Debugging in a Windows Azure Web Role  - 17-Jan-2009
January 2009 CTP of the Windows Azure Tools and SDK Released  - 15-Jan-2009

Azure dotNET Services  Website | RSS Feed
Microsoft .NET Services July 2009 CTP Release  - 07-Jul-2009
.NET Services July 2009 CTP Breaking Changes Announcement and Scheduled Maintenance  - 30-Jun-2009
.NET Services June 18th 2009 QFE Pre-Announcement and Scheduled Maintenance  - 12-Jun-2009
Upcoming Important Changes to Microsoft .NET Workflow Service  - 12-Jun-2009
.Net Services: Microsoft’s Key to Cloud Security and Java Interoperability  - 30-Apr-2009
.NET Services March 2009 CTP Is Released  - 01-Apr-2009

Azure SQL Data Services  Website | RSS Feed
Start with SQL Express?  - 13-Jul-2009
SQL Azure - Same great platform, just a better aligned name  - 10-Jul-2009
TSQL Support in SQL Data Services  - 07-Jul-2009
Exchange Hosted Archive - A True Testament of Scalability  - 08-Jun-2009
One more TechEd Video - The New Face of Microsoft SQL Data Services  - 08-Jun-2009
Scaling Out with SQL Data Services  - 27-May-2009
The Role of a DBA with SQL Data Services  - 23-May-2009
Provisioning an SDS Database  - 21-May-2009
Accessing SDS from C# and Java  - 30-Mar-2009
Accessing SDS From PHP  - 27-Mar-2009
Mix ’09 Update #2  - 20-Mar-2009
Accessing the New Relational SDS with REST  - 20-Mar-2009
Update from MIX ‘09  - 19-Mar-2009
First round of Questions and Answers  - 12-Mar-2009
SDS @ Mix09  - 11-Mar-2009
The no spin details on the new SDS features  - 10-Mar-2009
Interview posted of Nigel Ellis and Niraj Nagrani from PDC 08  - 25-Feb-2009
SQL Data Services – What’s with the silence?  - 24-Feb-2009

Live Framework  Website | RSS Feed
Notifications and Subscriptions  - 16-Apr-2009
New Live Framework Samples  - 20-Mar-2009
Live Framework Updated!  - 11-Mar-2009
Start Programming with the Live Framework in 5 Minutes  - 02-Mar-2009
Live Framework Tools January CTP  - 02-Feb-2009
Delegated Authentication, Part II: Managing Tokens  - 12-Jan-2009

Live Services Developer News  Website | RSS Feed
Photobucket builds a rich and social visual search with Windows Live Messenger  - 23-Jun-2009
Windows Live Messenger Hackathon in San Francisco: May 27th!  - 19-May-2009
The Social Web and Windows Live  - 21-Apr-2009
Windows Live Users Can Now Easily Sign Up for Sites Using RPX  - 03-Apr-2009
MIX 09 Roundup: 8 Sessions on Live Services Available Now  - 23-Mar-2009
Reach your people everywhere, in real time!  - 18-Mar-2009
Live Framework Update Released  - 12-Mar-2009
Two Web Controls Being Retired, New Stuff on the Way  - 16-Feb-2009
Making the Internet a Safer Place  - 11-Feb-2009
Live Framework Tools January CTP Released  - 02-Feb-2009
Windows Live Messenger IM Control Module for Drupal CMS  - 27-Jan-2009
Live Mesh Awarded Best Technology Innovation Crunchie   - 10-Jan-2009

Windows Azure  Website | RSS Feed
Changes to Alerts, Analytics, and Windows Live ID Integration  - 29-May-2009
New Windows Azure Storage Features – May 2009  - 28-May-2009
May CTP of Windows Azure SDK Released, Including Visual Studio 2010 Support  - 28-May-2009
CTP of the PHP SDK for Windows Azure Released  - 16-May-2009
Windows Azure Geo-location Live  - 30-Apr-2009
New Azure Training Kit Available  - 10-Apr-2009
Application Accessibility Restored  - 03-Apr-2009
Windows Azure Delivers New CTP Capabilities  - 18-Mar-2009
Using 3rd Party Programming Languages via FastCGI  - 18-Mar-2009
Hosting Roles Under .NET Full Trust  - 18-Mar-2009
Geo Location Enables Developers To Choose Data Centers and Group Applications & Storage  - 18-Mar-2009
The Windows Azure Malfunction This Weekend  - 18-Mar-2009
SQL Data Services announces plans to accelerate core relational database features   - 11-Mar-2009
Moving to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) starting this Sunday  - 07-Mar-2009

Internet Search Engine: What happened to Live.com and what is Bing.com?

Daniel Good — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:26:00 GMT

Wednesday 3rd June marks a whole new Internet Search experience, following Microsoft´s announcement of the a new and improved Internet Search Engine available worldwide- http://www.bing.com

Here is an extract from the press release: "Microsoft Corp. today unveiled Bing, a new Decision Engine and consumer brand, providing customers with a first step in moving beyond search to help make faster, more informed decisions. Bing is specifically designed to build on the benefits of today’s search engines but begins to move beyond this experience with a new approach to user experience and intuitive tools to help customers make better decisions, focusing initially on four key vertical areas: making a purchase decision, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business."

You can read the full press release here, or watch the press release video below. You can get started right away by searching for what you need to know on https://www.bing.com or visit http://www.discoverbing.com/ were you can learn more about the new service including:

Product Tour
Behind Bing
Decision Engine
Bing Mobile

The following official blogs will also give you more insight and detail, these will be added to the BlogMS Team Blogs Directory and weekly updates in the next few days.:

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 - Product RTM Timelines Announced

Daniel Good — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:11:00 GMT

Fantastic news yesterday, Microsoft announced at the final timeframe for the release of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. You can read the full Microsoft press release here.

It was rumoured these would be before year-end, and the Official Windows 7 Blog Posting confirmed yesterday, the RTM code will be available to partners from mid-July and Windows 7 is expected to be in the shops beginning October 22nd.

Details of Windows Server 2008 R2 release dates were broadly expected to be aligned to the Windows 7 dates. You can find further information on the Official Windows Server Division Blog.

Windows Server 2008 R2 - Release Candidate - Learn more and download it today...

Daniel Good — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:15:00 GMT

May, 10th 2009 Microsoft announced availability for Windows Server 2008 R2.

Windows Server 2008 R2 builds on the award-winning foundation of Windows Server 2008, expanding existing technology and adding new features to enable organizations to increase the reliability and flexibility of their server infrastructures. New virtualization tools, Web resources, management enhancements, and exciting Windows 7 integration help save time, reduce costs, and provide a platform for a dynamic and efficiently managed data center. Powerful tools such as Internet Information Services (IIS) version 7.5, updated Server Manager and Hyper-V platforms and Windows PowerShell version 2.0 combine to give customers greater control, increased efficiency and the ability to react to front-line business needs faster than ever before.

Visit the Microsoft Windows Server Division Team Blog for further information direct from the product group.

Visit http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/ for further detailed information. You can also download a free copy of Windows Server 2008 R2 so you can begin testing.

FREE!! Facebook for Windows Mobile, Windows Live for Windows Mobile, Windows Live Services for your computer...

Daniel Good — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:29:00 GMT

Are you missing out on free software? The BlogMS Resource Guide for Free Software and Online Services has recently been updated with some additions/changes summarised below.

If you can't find what you are looking for here, checkout the resource guide where you can find a comprehensive list of software and services for Developers, IT professionals and Consumers. There is something for EVERYONE!

Windows Live Software and Services
To learn more about Winodws Live here, or get started straight away refer to the Windows Live Directory of Services or sign-up for the latest Windows Live Essentials.

Live Mesh (Beta): Live Mesh puts you at the center of your digital world, seamlessly connecting you to the people, devices, programs, and information you care about—available wherever you happen to be.

Live Search: Search the internet and look for websites, images, video, news and maps.

Live Search Maps / Virtual Earth: Search the map: Find businesses, collections, or places using the search box above. Get directions: Get turn-by-turn directions to your destination. Explore: Add your own information about a place. Share it. See what others have added.

Live Search Mobile: We realize that your mobile phone isn’t the same as your PC. That’s why Live Search is designed to provide you the information that matters most when you’re mobile, and to make it quick and easy to access, no matter what kind of phone you use. Just type m.live.com into your phone’s browser to get started. (compatible mobile phone and data plan required)

Windows Live Hotmail: Keep in touch with family and friends through e-mail, instant messages, a unified contact list, and your online calendar. The new Hotmail brings you more. More space (5 GB), more security, still free.

Windows Live Admin Center (formerly Windows Live Custom Domains): Whether you maintain a website or just own a domain name You can use Windows Live Admin Center to create personalized e-mail addresses/accounts for your domain name. You can also create a custom web address that links to your Live Space.

Windows Live Events: Create an event today and invite your friends. Share photos and leave messages for your guests after the party's over. The fun never ends!

Windows Live Family Safety: With Family Safety, you decide how your kids experience the Internet. You can limit searches, block or allow websites, decide who your kids can communicate with when they’re using Windows Live Messenger, Hotmail, or Spaces and monitor what websites they're visiting.

Windows Live Messenger: Windows Live Messenger Instantly connect to the people who matter the most—via text, voice, or video. Even if they’re offline, you can leave a message or send a note. Share your personal files, photos, and videos of any size. Just drag and drop into a Shared Folder. There is a version for the PC and for the Mac.

Windows Live Messenger T-Bot (Beta): Language translation Bot for Windows Live Messenger. Simply add mtbot@hotmail.com to your contacts and invite Tbot to your conversations.

Windows Live Movie Maker (Beta): Import and edit your movies so they look great, and then publish to the web with a few clicks.

Windows Live Photo Gallery: Easily share your photos, quickly find and organize your photos and videos, Enhance your photos and download photo albums.

Windows Live Spaces: Share your photos, personalize your online world, Stay in contact with your friends. Explore and discover new people, or share with your friends,

Windows Live SkyDrive: Password-protected online file storage. Always available where you need it.

Windows Live Sync (formerly Folder Share): Keep your latest files with you, no matter which computer you're using. Keep files in sync across your computers and share folders with friends.

Windows Live Toolbar: Start a search from any Web page Get better protection against phishing scams and viruses. Personalize your Web experience with custom buttons. Use Windows Desktop Search to instantly find information on your PC

Windows Live Translator (Beta): Online translation service to translate text or websites. The site also provides access to TBot, the Translation Bot for Windows Live Messenger.

Windows Live Writer: Easily publish pictures, videos and other rich content to your blog.

Windows Mobile Software and Services
Does your mobile keep your life in sync?

Windows Mobile Total Access: Find the simple things you can do for maximum impact. Total Access helps you make your phone uniquely your own. Ringtones, Themes, Wallpapers, Games and Software

Facebook for Windows Mobile 6 Phone: New from Windows Mobile: a Facebook application for your phone! Download the new Facebook application for Windows Mobile and Send messages to any of the people in your Friends list, Take pictures and videos on your phone, then upload them right to Facebook, Send messages or call people in your Friends list, Manage your profile and post anytime, anywhere.

Windows Live for Windows Mobile: Get access to your favorite Windows Live programs and features, right from your mobile phone. With Windows Live for Windows Mobile, it's almost like having your PC in your pocket. You can even download and sync your contacts from your Windows Live account to your mobile phone. Access Hotmail, Windows Messenger, Windows Live Spaces and search with Live Search

[Updated] Windows 7 Release Candidate Update - DOWNLOAD FOR FREE!

Daniel Good — Tue, 12 May 2009 01:43:00 GMT

Everyone can download the Windows 7 Release Candidate from this site - enjoy!
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/download.aspx

This is an exciting milestone especially since the BETA release has been very stable and the performance was great! The improvements in the RC can only build on the great success of the beta.

Remember expiration dates: Please plan ahead for the Beta and RC expiration dates. To avoid interruption, you’ll need to rebuild your test machine using a valid version of Windows before the software expires. Windows will notify you that the expiration process is beginning and two weeks later your PC will begin shutting down every two hours. The Beta expires on August 1, 2009, and bi-hourly shutdowns will begin July 1, 2009. The RC will expire June 1, 2010, and the bi-hourly shutdowns will begin on March 1, 2010. In both cases, you’ll need to rebuild your test PC to replace the OS and reinstall all your programs and data.

Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008 Express Edition - FREE!!

Daniel Good — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:22:00 GMT

Microsoft Robotics products and services enable academic, hobbyist and commercial developers to easily create robotics applications across a wide variety of hardware.

Microsoft® Robotics Developer Studio 2008 Express Edition is a freely available .NET-based programming environment for building robotics applications. The Express Edition is fully functional version but has a feature set that better targets the non-professional developer and hobbyist.

Visit the MSDN Microsoft Robotics Developer Center where you can find details of the licensing agreement. You can download the application here: Download Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008 Express Edition,

Check out the Microsoft Robotics Blog.

For more free software and online resources check out the BlogMS Resource Guide.

Microsoft Office Sharepoint Designer 2007 is NOW FREE!!

Daniel Good — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:39:00 GMT

SHAREPOINT DESIGNER 2007 IS NOW FREE!

Watch the video in the "Related Resources" below to learn more about details and future direction. Office SharePoint Designer 2007 provides the powerful tools you need to deliver compelling and attractive SharePoint sites and quickly build workflow-enabled applications and reporting tools on the SharePoint platform, all in an IT-managed environment.

Read the full announcement and access other resources on the Sharepoint Tream Blog. or go straight to the Download.

Customers with SharePoint Designer 2007 Software Assurance (SA) current as of April 1, 2009 will receive upgrade rights to Expression Web for the lifetime of their SA agreement.

For more free software and online resources check out the BlogMS Resource Guide.