Microsoft yesterday said it would begin shipping early copies of Office 2010 to invite-only users in July, and has begun taking names for possible invitations to the preview.
Bill Veghte, the senior vice president who runs the Windows business group, announced the upcoming Technical Preview at TechEd, the Microsoft conference that opened Monday in Los Angeles. Also yesterday, the company unveiled a new blog dedicated to the suite and a page where users can register for the preview.
According to the Reed Shaffner, the manager of the preview program, the beta of Office 2010 -- which is currently slated for a first-half 2010 release -- will ship in both 32- and 64-bit editions; run on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7; and work on any PC that can run its predecessor, Office 2007.
The next release of Microsoft's SQL Server database, code-named "Kilimanjaro," will offer master data management and support real-time data feeds for business intelligence, reporting and analytics, the company revealed today.
Microsoft will release by year's end a community technology preview of Kilimanjaro, which it officially re-christened SQL Server 2008 R2, according to company officials at this week's Tech-Ed conference in Los Angeles.
The addition of MDM (which is often described as providing "a single version of the truth") and complex event processing for providing real-time data feeds are in keeping with Microsoft's stated goal to make BI more pervasive.
Microsoft on Monday launched the second beta of its claims-based identity management server platform, code-named "Geneva."
Microsoft disclosed the availability of the new test release at its Tech-Ed conference being held Los Angeles this week. Geneva Server, previously referred to as the "Zermatt" project, runs a security token service that issues and transforms claims to help manage user identities for authentication. Microsoft announced the first beta of Geneva Server in late October at its Professional Developers Conference.
It's official -- Microsoft will ship Windows 7 in time for the holiday sales season.
That was the main announcement made by Microsoft officials at the opening keynote of the company's main developer event -- TechEd 2009 in Los Angeles.
"We're doing so well with the RC "Release Candidate" that we've started logo testing," Bill Veghte, senior vice president of Windows, told attendees at the conference. Microsoft began public testing of the RC, which is the final testing phase for Windows 7, last week.
For those who want to hear Wednesday's Stanford University appearance by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, the full video is now online.
As I wrote Wednesday, the highlights included his blunt assessment of the genesis of the economic meltdown ("The world borrowed too much money"), his subtle dig at Windows Vista, as well as his take on what's needed for Microsoft to compete in the search business.
But of course, Ballmer says things in a far more entertaining fashion than I can, so by all means, check out the video. The best part is the question-and-answer session with students, which starts at about 26:30.
While trailing Google badly in search has lots of disadvantages, it also opens some doors, says Steve Ballmer. And, he said, it's time Microsoft starts walking through more of those doors.
"We are going to have to be more disruptive," Microsoft's CEO said in response to a question at the end of a speech at Stanford. He pointed to Live Search Cashback as one example and hinted of changes to come in terms of the search user interface and new types of partnerships with content creators.
Internet Explorer 8 just shipped in late March, but Microsoft is already asking users for input on its replacement.
The company has said it is trying to release updates to its venerable browser much more quickly than in the past. Meanwhile, some long-time Microsoft watchers contributed their own feedback as to what users should ask for in IE9.
Microsoft has not referred to this "next" version as IE9, at least not yet, but it's the designation that Web denizens immediately slapped on the future release.
Computer users who buy a new Windows 7 PC will have an easier time transferring files from their old machines thanks to improved file transfer tools included in Microsoft's next operating system.
An enhanced version of Windows Easy Transfer, native to Windows 7, lets users port files, user accounts, and application settings from a Windows XP or Windows Vista system to a Windows 7-based PC in just a few steps, according to Microsoft officials.
Microsoft said it plans to acquire gaming company BigPark for an undisclosed amount. Once the acquisition is complete, BigPark's developers will become part of Microsoft's Game Studios, where they will work on an exclusive Xbox 360 game that they have already been developing.
Microsoft said it expects to unveil a product the companies have been working on at the E3 Expo in June. The deal comes after the software giant has laid off thousands of workers, many reportedly from the division that includes its Xbox gaming platform.
Microsoft has not detailed which groups have been affected by the layoffs. The companies have worked closely over the past year, perhaps in part because one of BigPark's founders and its current chairman, Don Mattrick, is now a senior vice president in the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. BigPark CEO and cofounder Hanno Lemke previously worked at Electronic Arts and Distinctive Software, working on games including NHL Hockey.
Microsoft has integrated Photosynth, its technology that stitches pictures together, with Virtual Earth, encouraging businesses to combine the two technologies. The company envisions real-estate agents, tourism groups, retail shops and the public sector using the combined technologies. A real-estate agent, for example, could plot an available house on the Virtual Earth map and then let people take a virtual tour of the house by navigating through a synth.
The Photosynth technology stitches together hundreds or even thousands of photos into an image that a user can zoom into and navigate around. Microsoft has also added new permissioning tools that will let a business decide to keep a synth private.