The distribution media for Exchange 12 will be exclusively DVD, Microsoft announced in a blog posting Tuesday. "Exchange will likely be one of the first products to make the switch to only DVD, but we aren't doing this without good reason and without carefully weighing the pros and cons," KC Lemson, a program manager with the Exchange Server team, wrote on the Exchange blog.
The main reason to switch to DVD is the massive text-to-speech engines required for unified messaging, which is a key new feature of Exchange 12. "These engines will allow you to call up your server on your phone and have it read your e-mail and appointments over the phone to you," Lemson wrote.
In a massive revamp, Microsoft is expected to announce on Tuesday its overhauled line of keyboards and mice, and a new line of gaming peripherals.
After sporting the same design for 10 years, Microsoft will show off a newly revamped split keyboard that includes improved ergonomic features and other new functionality, said Brett Kelleran, group product line manager at Microsoft.
The Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 eases typing with improved angles that reduce motion, allowing users to type in a natural position, Kelleran said.
The Windows Vista code tree was recently forked between the version Microsoft will give out at the PDC (Professional Developers Conference) 2005 conference and the version that will become Beta 2. The current PDC build--build 5219--could very likely make it into the greedy little hands of attendees, and it's got a couple of interesting surprises: It includes the infamous and once-missing Sidebar and has the Tablet PC and Media Center functionality enabled. And fear not, people. You've been waiting to hear which product editions Microsoft will ship in the Vista time frame, right? That announcement is coming next week. Stay tuned.
Expanding its efforts to help law enforcement with cybercrime investigations, Microsoft plans in the coming months to launch a new online resource. The Web site will include training, tips and tools for investigations and information on cybercrime, Richard LaMagna, director of worldwide law enforcement programs at Microsoft, said in an interview with CNET News.com on Wednesday at the annual High Technology Crime Investigation Association event here.
A federal judge in Baltimore has accepted Microsoft's request for an appeal against the remaining charges in its antitrust suit with Novell. U.S. District Court Judge J. Frederick Motz ruled that there was sufficient evidence for Microsoft to pursue its appeal of the last two claims standing in the suit, which charges the software giant with engaging in unfair competition with Novell's WordPerfect and Quattro Pro applications. In June, Motz dismissed four related antitrust claims after determining those charges weren't filed within the proper time frame.
The next version of Microsoft's Windows operating system will include new patching technology that reduces the number of required restarts and stores user data before reboots.
Code-named "Freeze Dry," the technology uses a new restart manager in Windows Vista, a Microsoft representative said in a statement Friday. In most cases, consumers won't have to restart Windows Vista when installing or updating an application, according to Microsoft.
Microsoft and Intel are taking opposing sides in a long-running patent dispute involving the BlackBerry handheld, a case that threatens U.S. sales of the wireless e-mail device.
Friend-of-the-court briefs filed last week by both companies and reviewed by CNET News.com reveal that Microsoft wants the courts to re-evaluate a 2002 district court decision that found BlackBerry maker Research In Motion infringed patents owned by Virginia-based patent holder NTP.
Microsoft is talking up support for hardware-based security in Windows Vista, though only a sliver of the company's original plan will make it into the operating system.
Now Microsoft is busy telling hardware and software makers about Secure Startup in Windows Vista, which it says is the "first delivery" on its hardware-based security plan.
Secure Startup uses a chip called the Trusted Platform Module, or TPM, which offers protected storage of encryption keys, passwords and digital certificates. Vista uses this capability to verify that a PC has not been tampered with when it starts up and to protect data through encryption. The TPM is typically affixed to the motherboard of a PC. Because it is stored in hardware, the information is more secure from external software attacks and physical theft.
Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition will include digital TV reception technology from Fujitsu Siemens Computers under a deal announced at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin.
The deal calls for Microsoft to integrate Fujitsu Siemens' Activy technology for Digital Video Broadcast reception of digital TV transmissions in its Media Center products, and for the two companies to collaborate in further developing advanced TV systems.
Fujitsu Siemens, best known for its computers, has been expanding into consumer electronics in recent years. The company, a joint venture between Japan's Fujitsu and Germany's Siemens, initially developed the DVB-based technology for its own media center system.
Microsoft is expanding its Windows OneCare beta program, opening the door for more testers to trial the company's comprehensive PC protection and maintenance package. Initially OneCare will include antivirus and firewall protection, an automated PC tune-up, and backup and restore functionality."We have made excellent progress fixing bugs and adding new features. We are now at a point where we would like to begin expanding our group of beta testers, and invite you extend Windows OneCare beta invitations to your friends and family," Microsoft wrote in an e-mail. Those interested can apply for the beta program by visiting Windows Beta with the guest ID: OneCare.