News from Microsoft Ireland: Online

Microsoft Announces Five Gigabytes of Free Online Storage for Computer Users in Ireland with Windows Live SkyDrive

Fri, 23 May 2008 08:46:14 GMT

Dublin: May 23rd 2008 – Microsoft is today announcing the availability of a new service, Windows Live SkyDrive, which provides computer users in Ireland with five gigabytes of free online storage. Windows Live SkyDrive is offered by Microsoft under the Windows Live umbrella of online services. It provides customers with access to their files and information anywhere and anytime they have access to the web, as well as options for conveniently sharing material they create with other people.

You can sign up for Windows Live SkyDrive at: http://skydrive.live.com

Windows Live SkyDrive provides three folder options for customers to store files and information: Personal, Shared, and Public.

Personal Folder - The information in the Personal folder is secured with the customer’s user name and password.
Shared Folder - The Shared folders are secured with the user names and passwords of those the customer chooses to share with.
Public Folders - Public folders are open to everyone on the web.

Windows Live SkyDrive is an important building block in Microsoft’s software plus services vision, and gives consumers flexibility and choice in sharing and storing their information.

WorldWide Telescope Brings Space Exploration to Earth

Tue, 13 May 2008 06:57:17 GMT

A service free of charge from Microsoft lets students and lifelong learners tour the night sky using high-resolution images from the world’s best land- and space-based telescopes.

REDMOND, Washington: May 12th, 2008 — The final frontier got a bit closer today as Microsoft officially launched the public beta of its WorldWide Telescope, which is now available at http://www.worldwidetelescope.org. WorldWide Telescope is a rich Web application that brings together imagery from the best ground- and space-based observatories across the world to allow people to easily explore the night sky through their computers. WorldWide Telescope has been eagerly anticipated by the astronomical and educational communities as a compelling astronomical resource for students and lifelong learners, and as a way to make science fun for children.

“The WorldWide Telescope is a powerful tool for science and education that makes it possible for everyone to explore the universe,” said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. “By combining terabytes of incredible imagery and data with easy-to-use software for viewing and moving through all that information, the WorldWide Telescope opens the door to new ways to see and experience the wonders of space. Our hope is that it will inspire young people to explore astronomy and science, and help researchers in their quest to better understand the universe.”

The application itself is a blend of software and Web 2.0 services created with the Microsoft high-performance Visual Experience Engine, which allows seamless panning and zooming around the heavens with rich image environments. WorldWide Telescope stitches together terabytes of high-resolution images of celestial bodies and displays them in a way that relates to their actual position in the sky. People can freely browse through the solar system, galaxy and beyond, or take advantage of a growing number of guided tours of the sky hosted by astronomers and educators at major universities and planetariums.

“WorldWide Telescope brings to life a dream that many of us in Microsoft Research have pursued for years, and we are proud to release this as a free service to anyone who wants to explore the universe,” said Curtis Wong, manager of Microsoft’s Next Media Research Group. “Where is Saturn in the sky, in relation to the moon? Does the Milky Way really have a supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy? With the universe at your fingertips, you can discover the answers for yourself.”

The service goes well beyond the simple browsing of images. Users can choose which telescope they want to look through, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory Center, the Spitzer Space Telescope or others. They can view the locations of planets in the night sky — in the past, present or future. They can view the universe through different wavelengths of light to reveal hidden structures in other parts of the galaxy. Taken as a whole, the application provides a top-to-bottom view of the science of astronomy.

“Users can see the X-ray view of the sky, zoom into bright radiation clouds, and then cross-fade into the visible light view and discover the cloud remnants of a supernova explosion from a thousand years ago,” said Roy Gould, a researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. “I believe this new creation from Microsoft will have a profound impact on the way we view the universe.”

Microsoft Research has formed close ties with members of the academic, education and scientific communities to make WorldWide Telescope a reality. NASA along with other organizations coordinated with Microsoft Research to provide the imagery, provide feedback on the application from a scientific point of view, and help turn WorldWide Telescope into a rich learning application.

Microsoft’s mission to make the universe accessible to everyone was begun years ago by renowned Microsoft Senior Researcher Jim Gray. WorldWide Telescope is built on top of Gray’s pioneering development of large-scale, high-performance online databases including SkyServer and his contributions to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a project to map a large part of the Northern sky outside of the galaxy. Microsoft Research is releasing WorldWide Telescope as a service free of charge to the astronomy and education communities as a tribute to Gray with the hope that it will inspire and empower kids of all ages to explore and understand the universe in an unprecedented way.

About Microsoft Research

Founded in 1991, Microsoft Research is dedicated to conducting both basic and applied research in computer science and software engineering. Its goals are to enhance the user experience on computing devices, reduce the cost of writing and maintaining software, and invent novel computing technologies. Researchers focus on more than 55 areas of computing and collaborate with leading academic, government and industry researchers to advance the state of the art in such areas as graphics, speech recognition, user-interface research, natural language processing, programming tools and methodologies, operating systems and networking, and the mathematical sciences. Microsoft Research currently employs more than 800 people in six labs located in Redmond, Wash.; Cambridge, Mass.; Silicon Valley, Calif.; Cambridge, England; Beijing, China; and Bangalore, India. Microsoft Research collaborates openly with colleges and universities worldwide to enhance the teaching and learning experience, inspire technological innovation, and broadly advance the field of computer science. More information can be found at http://www.research.microsoft.com.

Microsoft Launches Bird’s Eye Views of Ireland!

Thu, 08 May 2008 13:58:29 GMT

Dublin: May 8th 2008 – Microsoft today announced that the online service, Windows Live Maps (http://maps.live.com) now includes “Bird’s Eye” views of a number of Irish towns and cities. The Bird’s Eye view consists of full aerial photography (at a 45 degree angle) of a location, making it easy to identify and explore. The new feature also enables Bird’s Eye views from four directions and is available along with traditional road map views and satellite views of Ireland. Windows Live Maps also lets you get directions, plan journeys, print maps, and save collections of different locations you have chosen.

Windows Live Maps bird’s eye views are now online for the following Irish towns and cities:

Carlow
Cork
Dublin
Galway
Limerick
Navan
Wexford

Other locations will be added over time.

Picture: Microsoft Ireland's Atrium Building on Windows Live Maps

Windows Live Maps Features

Bird’s-eye imagery. In addition to standard aerial and satellite imagery, Live Search Maps allows users to change to a bird’s-eye (45-degree) view of the area, giving unique views of real-world locations and providing real insight into what it’s like there.

Standard Mapping. Windows Live Maps also provides standard roads maps of Ireland which you can easily use to find locations and find more details on driving directions.

Aerial imagery. In addition to Bird’s eye view and standard maps, Windows Live Maps provides satellite imagery of the entire island.

Driving directions. You can use Windows Live Maps to find the best driving directions for your trip. You can choose directions using criteria such as the shortest trip or the fastest estimate trip.

Custom Collections. You can also save locations and directions in Live Maps and create custom maps and lists of places for yourself or to share with others. Collections are sets of custom pushpins on the map that are ideal for everything from planning vacation stops on a drive down the coast to sharing a list of favourite pubs in Galway. With the new drawing features, they can now add colorful lines and drawings in a variety of colors, shapes and styles to personalize their Collection. In addition, users can easily determine the area of a shape drawn on the map in square feet, acres, square kilometers, and other measurements. Creators of a Collection control its visibility to others on the Internet. They can choose to keep a Collection private, such as their itinerary for an upcoming business trip, or mark it public and share it with others at http://collections.live.com.

Printing. Users can now print maps without printing driving directions as well. Further improvements in printing functionality include pushpins, routes and search results made visible on the printed map.

Availability

Live Search Maps is available at http://maps.live.com.

Windows Live Maps now offer Bird's Eye Views in Ireland...

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:55:01 GMT

Limerick: March 27th 2008 - New "Bird's Eye" views of a number of Irish towns and cities have been added to Windows Live Maps - Microsoft's online mapping service.

Irish towns and cities added in this revision include:

Carlow
Cork
Galway
Limerick
Navan
Wexford

One notable absentee from this revision is Dublin, but this will be added in a future release.

Pictured: Shannon-side via Windows Live Maps

You can find this and more Windows Live services at: http://www.live.com

Note: If you've used Windows Live Maps before you might have to clear your cache for the new Bird's Eye views.

Windows Live.ie - Now available

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:12:33 GMT

If you're interested in signing up for Windows Live services such as Instant Messaging, Hotmail, Spaces, OneCare or the new Windows Live applications such as Windows Live Photo Gallery, you can now sign up for a Live.ie address.

Just go here to sign up.

Microsoft Unlocks the Power of the Web for Connected Customer Experiences

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:18:56 GMT

Unveiled at MIX08, new releases of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Silverlight and Microsoft Expression Studio provide Web developers and designers with game-changing benefits and business opportunities.

Las Vegas, Nevada: March 5th 2008 — At MIX08, Microsoft’s Web designer and developer conference, Microsoft demonstrated the power of its platform to enable delivery of richer, more interactive customer experiences on the Web. Backed by major customers including AOL, Aston Martin, Cirque du Soleil, Hard Rock and NBCOlympics.com on MSN, Microsoft unveiled the next generation of its Web technologies with beta releases of Internet Explorer 8, Silverlight 2 and Expression Studio 2. Additional MIX08 news included a preview of Microsoft SQL Server Data Services, the announcement of a strategic relationship with Move Networks Inc., and DoubleClick Inc.’s preview of its Silverlight 2 software development kit (SDK) for in-stream advertising.

In Wednesday’s MIX08 keynote address, Ray Ozzie, chief software architect, shared his vision for the role of the Web and the services opportunity across Microsoft businesses. Dean Hachamovitch, general manager of the Internet Explorer team, demonstrated new features in Internet Explorer 8 for Web developers and end users, and Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president of the .NET Developer Division, highlighted advances in Silverlight, Expression Studio and Visual Studio that make it easier to deliver rich, connected experiences on the desktop, Web and beyond.

“The Web is at the center of everything Microsoft is doing,” Ozzie said. “The investments we’re making will enable developers and designers to deliver a range of seamless, connected experiences across the continuum of Web applications, rich clients, mobile and other devices.”

With a focus on bridging developer-to-designer workflow while providing a common development model across a range of form factors and devices, Microsoft introduced advancements to the following tools and technologies:

First public beta of Internet Explorer 8. Internet Explorer 8 is the next version of Microsoft’s popular browser, and in beta 1 it delivers significantly improved standards support and developer platform investments with enhanced user experiences. Internet Explorer 8 beta 1 delivers increased interoperability, offers developers better predictability when designing sites, and will feature full support for cascading style sheet (CSS) 2.1 at release to manufacturing. Internet Explorer 8 beta 1 includes integrated developer tools to quickly debug HTML, CSS and scripts in a visual environment. Two new features, Activities and WebSlices, will enable developers to reach beyond the page and introduce news ways for users to stay connected to the content and services of their choice. To download Internet Explorer 8 beta 1, developers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/ie/ie8.

Silverlight 2 beta available for download; support for mobile devices. Microsoft Silverlight answers customer desire for rich, cross-platform media and “zero-click” applications that match the rich interactive application experience while bringing the robustness and power of Microsoft .NET to the browser. Silverlight 2 beta includes innovative new features like Deep Zoom, more than 40 new controls and a rich .NET base class library of functionality. In addition to the beta release, Microsoft announced plans to deliver Silverlight for Windows Mobile and to work with Nokia on support for S60 on Symbian OS, the world’s leading smartphone software, as well as for Series 40 devices and Nokia Internet tablets. To download Silverlight 2 beta and learn about Silverlight for devices, developers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight.

Expression Studio 2 beta. Today Microsoft released a beta of Expression Studio 2, designed to work seamlessly with Visual Studio, enabling designers and developers to collaborate on the creation of better user experiences. Key new features of Expression Studio 2 include PHP support in Expression Web and support for Silverlight in Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Media Encoder and Expression Design. To enable designers to start immediately exploring the power of Silverlight 2, Microsoft also announced the availability of Expression Blend 2.5 March 2008 Preview. Microsoft also introduced the Expression Professional Subscription, which includes the full suite along with a number of other programs to help users get started at an exceptional value. To download Expression Studio developers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/expression.

Silverlight Shines

MIX08 features a diverse set of customers and partners demonstrating rich Web applications that enable new business opportunities. With an average of 1.5 million daily downloads of the Silverlight plug-in, thousands of existing Silverlight applications and more than 85 members in the Silverlight Partner Initiative, Silverlight is attracting industry-leading content providers, content delivery networks, design agencies, ISVs and solution providers.

As demonstrated on stage, AOL, Aston Martin, Cirque du Soleil, Hard Rock and NBCOlympics.com on MSN have selected Silverlight for their Web applications due to its high performance capabilities, integration with the .NET Framework and customizable advertising opportunities.

Microsoft is also working with a broad set of customers and partners in the ad-serving, analytics, creative agency and content delivery network sectors. Today, DoubleClick demonstrated its Silverlight 2 SDK for in-stream advertising. Content publishers that deliver video content will be able to use this SDK within a Silverlight environment to target, serve, forecast and report on video-based advertising.

Microsoft Announces Strategic Relationship With Move Networks

Microsoft announced plans for a strategic alliance with Move Networks, a leading provider of live and on-demand long-form video content such as television episodes, news and sports programming. Silverlight would enable Move Networks to deliver an interactive, rich media navigation and integrated advertising on top of its hallmark high-quality online television experience that reaches all the way to HD. Move Networks’ current customers include some of the largest media companies in the world such as ABC, FOX Broadcasting Company, ESPN, the CW, Televisa and others. These customers use Move Networks to stream their most popular shows including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” and “Lost.”

Microsoft SQL Server Data Services Preview

Microsoft also announced a new building-block software service, Microsoft SQL Server Data Services. The service is designed for developers building Web-based applications that need a scalable, easily programmable and highly available utility-based data store. MIX08 attendees will be able to register for a preview of SQL Server Data Services.

Technology Leaders Join OpenID Foundation to Promote Open Identity Management on the Web

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:13:01 GMT

OpenID Foundation to Support Internet User Single Sign-On Technology

CORVALLIS, Oregon: February 7th, 2008 – The OpenID Foundation today announced that Google, IBM, Microsoft, VeriSign and Yahoo! have joined as its first corporate board members.

With these companies' deep expertise in Internet and security technology, the OpenID Foundation strengthens the industry-wide effort to empower users with portable Web identities, or OpenIDs. This effort helps ensure the evolution of an open and interoperable Internet that helps people take control of how their personal information is shared on-line and aids on-line businesses to attract and retain more users by simplifying and securing the management of digital identities.

The OpenID Foundation was formed in June 2007 to support and promote the technology developed by the OpenID community. Members includes individuals, students, non-profits, startups and industry giants that have come together to develop and promote open identity management on the Web.

OpenID is free technology that simplifies the on-line user experience by eliminating the need for multiple user names across Internet sites, enabling individuals to take more control and ownership of their digital identities. This user-centric digital identity technology helps users reduce the pain of managing dozens, even hundreds of user-names and passwords, and provides more control over what personal information they share with Web sites when they sign-in using an OpenID.

Today, more than 10,000 Web sites support OpenID log-ins, and an estimated 350 million OpenID enabled URLs currently exist.

"With this support from the new company board members, the OpenID Foundation will be able to continue to promote and protect the technology and its community moving forward," said Bill Washburn, Executive Director, OpenID Foundation. "The community has clearly expanded since the inception of the Foundation and these companies will help bring OpenID into the mainstream markets."

The industry collaboration supporting OpenID extends not only to the technology itself, but also to the establishment of the OpenID Foundation as an open forum to promote, protect and enable the OpenID technologies and community. The OpenID community has matured rapidly from its inception as a loose coalition of volunteers to the establishment of the OpenID Foundation with a strong mission and intellectual property structure that enables all to participate in developing and implementing OpenID technology. This progress has been made with donations of legal resources by Microsoft and various contributions from Google, IBM, VeriSign and Yahoo!.

"Google shares the OpenID Foundation's vision of a Web that's easy to use and built on open standards available to everyone," said Brad Fitzpatrick, a software engineer at Google who created OpenID while at Six Apart in 2005. "OpenID was always intended to be a decentralized sign-on system, so it's fantastic to join a foundation committed to keeping it free and unencumbered by proprietary extensions."

“Privacy concerns have been escalating rapidly because of repeated incidents involving unexpected personal information loss and user identity theft,” said Anthony Nadalin, IBM Distinguished Engineer and chief security architect, IBM Tivoli software. “As a leader in identity, access and federated identity management and open standards-based software, this is an important step in IBM’s collaboration with other industry leaders to continuously enhance open source projects for user-centric identity. This effort is intended to provide users with more control and to help them better manage and protect their digital identities.”

“The OpenID community is a key constituency in solving the digital identity problems Internet users face, and will benefit from being represented by the OpenID Foundation,” said Kim Cameron, Microsoft's Chief Identity Architect. “Since Bill Gates and Craig Mundie announced our collaboration with the OpenID community last February at RSA, Microsoft has played a leading role in establishing the Foundation’s open policy framework that allows everyone to participate in the development and use of OpenID specifications. Now, we look forward to working with the community to refine and drive adoption of the specifications.”

“OpenID enables consumers to take control of their online identity, which in turn will drive trust, privacy and security on the Internet," said Nico Popp, vice president of Innovation at VeriSign, Inc. "Networked identity and authentication services are core elements of VeriSign's current and future service offerings. Because of this, we applaud the creation of the OpenID foundation and we look forward to contributing to its mission."

“Yahoo! believes that a truly open Web is the key to the next-generation of Internet experiences; OpenID furthers this cause by delivering a free, standards-based solution that the entire industry can embrace,” said Ash Patel, executive vice president of platforms and infrastructure at Yahoo!. “Over the last year we have worked closely with the OpenID Foundation to develop the organization’s intellectual property framework, finalize the OpenID 2.0 specification and to adopt OpenID for all 248 million active registered Yahoo! users worldwide. We look forward to collaborating with the OpenID Foundation, its board and community to further simplify the consumer experience of the Web and empower users to take control of their online identity with OpenID.”

OpenID Technology

With the increased use of the Internet to conduct business and the rise of new types of on-line interactions, such as social networking and user-generated content, innovative kinds of digital identifier technologies are necessary to sustain the “open Web.” OpenID enables individuals to convert one of their already existing digital identifiers – such as their personal blog’s URL – into an OpenID account, which then can be used as a log-in at any Web sites supporting OpenID.

Wide adoption of OpenID reduces the frustration of repeatedly having to register username/password accounts and then later recalling log-in information for an ever increasing array of Web sites. For on-line businesses, these efforts can lower password and account management costs, help reduce the overall risks of security breaches by limiting the amount of customer personal information businesses need to store and protect, and increase both new and return user traffic by lowering the barriers to Web site entry and reentry.

To learn more about the OpenID Foundation, please visit http://openid.net/foundation.

To learn more about the OpenID, please visit http://openid.net.

Microsoft Extends Windows Live Services in Ireland

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:08:56 GMT

Dublin: November 7th 2007 - Microsoft today announced a range of new services to its Windows Live Services portfolio in Ireland, which will enhance our experience of interacting online. Stitch your photos together, write a blog, organise a party or get all your email accounts in one place – this is just a glimpse of what the new range of Windows Live (WL) services will offer.

The addition of a new wave of WL Services for Ireland comes in response to the global appetite for freedom of communication and for sharing and enriching each others lives by interacting online. Microsoft hopes these additional services will improve people’s experience of communicating through a PC or mobile phone while also keeping the service free and simple with just the minimum of clicks.

Brian Kealy, Windows Live Regional Marketing Manager, said: “People want to use the internet to express themselves, form new communities, share information and stay in touch. The challenge is that to do this most of us now use a multitude of unconnected services. At Microsoft we’ve tried to make it easier to stay connected. The new Windows Live services not only enable individuals to communicate but also easily integrate with other services, proving to people that keeping in touch is never more than a few clicks away.”

Research by US Harris Interactive for Microsoft has shown that people are embracing the internet more than ever before but increasingly struggle to manage and maintain the plethora of email accounts, photo sites, blogging tools and social networking services to which they belong. Windows Live offers applications that enable people to communicate, whilst integrating and amalgamating with other internet services which users may well already be interacting with.

THE NEW WINDOWS LIVE SERVICES:

Windows Live Photo Gallery:

Bring your photos to life and straight to your family and friends with Windows Live Photo Gallery, a complete solution for finding, fixing, organising and sharing photos and videos.

Photo Gallery lets you store photos but to have fun with them too. Editing tools let the Mario Testino in everyone loose. Users can stitch photos together, change the background, brighten them, darken them, crop them, fix red eye, tag them, group them and much more – it really is up to the individual.

Getting them online has never been easier either with a simple publishing tool to Windows Live Spaces or FlickR. And if you still like to hold a photo in your hands users can easily print either their own albums or their friends posted on Windows Live Spaces through printing site accounts or connect directly with printing partners from their own Photo Gallery.

Windows Live Mail:

Windows Live Mail makes it easier than ever to connect to all your email accounts at once, whether you use Windows Live Hotmail or other email services. The desktop mail client provides easy access to your Hotmail account and the ability to aggregate multiple inboxes including AOL and Gmail accounts, combine one contact list and simple access using a mobile phone.

Windows Live Spaces:

A free to use, personalised social networking and blogging service, Spaces just got better. Users can write a blog, post photos, create lists, add gadgets and RSS feeds, create maps showing where they’ve travelled, link to personal videos and more. Windows Live Spaces lets you share what you want, with who you want, when you want and how you want.

Windows Live Events:

If you are planning an event then Windows Live Events just made it a whole lot easier and more sociable and fun too. A free event planning, invitation and community building application Live Events enables Windows Live customers to conveniently invite people to an event.

Some of its best features include discussion boards for guests to leave comments, the ability for the people invited to load photos or videos (before, during or after the event) to the event scrapbook page, to include maps with directions for guests to name but a few. And selecting who you want to invite is simple – just click on a group or individuals from your Windows Live contacts, or any other internet email addresses you may have. And it tracks replies too – so it’s easy to manage who is and isn’t attending your party.

Share photos via email:

Not everyone wants to upload photos onto the internet. So if you don’t have a Spaces page or you know your Dad just won’t look at it Microsoft’s made it even easier to email your photos, creatively. You can choose to send them high, medium or low res and have fun with what they look like – make a photo oval, brush the edges, spotlight one, frame another, rotate one around, make them black and white – or not – it’s your choice.

Windows Live Writer:

Windows Live Writer lets you compose and format blog entries offline, and then post them when you’re ready to your Windows Live Space or other blogging services.

Starting today, you’ll be able to install the entire suite of Windows Live software at one time, from one place, instead of going through separate installations for each service. Of course, if you don’t want the entire suite, you can still get each application individually.

A ‘what you see is what you get’ (WYSIWYG) editor also makes it simple to add photos, maps, tags and more.

Windows Live Mobile:

Access Anywhere with Windows Live for Windows Mobile. Rich client-based or browse based access to Windows Live from your mobile device including Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Spaces, and more.

For further information;

www.windowslive.com

MSN Launches Green Channel

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:27:02 GMT

MSN Green, the online network’s newest channel, targets eco-conscious Web audiences with informative “green” articles and pictures, videos and other content.

REDMOND, Wash: October 30th, 2007 - MSN today added a new channel to its online information and entertainment network called MSN Green — a one-stop online resource for the latest environmental news, exploring the issues and taking action. MSN has teamed up with some of the leading media and environmental sources, MSNBC, Hearst Magazines (The Daily Green), Conservation International, Environmental Defense, Grist.org, TreeHugger.com and StopGlobalWarming.org, to offer the new channel, located at http://green.msn.com.

MSN Green will provide consumers with environmental information, including articles developed by popular online publications and Web sites, along with multimedia, interactive features and other content compiled from MSN Lifestyle, MSN Money, MSN Autos, MSN Travel, and the network’s other information and entertainment channels.

Categories will include the following:

• Articles. MSNBC, Conservation International, Environmental Defense, Grist.org, TreeHugger.com and Hearst Magazines (The Daily Green), publisher of Good Housekeeping, as well as other popular consumer publications, will be among those providing articles on global warming, energy, health, biodiversity, social responsibility and other environmental topics. These articles will be available on MSN Green.

• Tools. Interactive tools featured on the channel help inspire people to take a stand on the environment. For example, MSN Green visitors can determine the amount of carbon dioxide their lifestyle produces (the carbon calculator), measure how green they are (the Green-o-meter), gauge their awareness of eco-issues (the Eco-Footprint quiz), and add their name to an online petition to freeze and reduce carbon dioxide emissions (Stop Global Warming Virtual March).

• Photos. Galleries of photos culled from around the Web will show, rather than tell, the effects of climate change. Other recurring pictorials will spotlight eco-friendly places to live; how to live a greener lifestyle; and celebrities, politicians and others who are leading the green charge.

• Videos. Amateur and professional video clips from MSN Video and partner Web sites will spotlight the environment, climate change and other green topics.

MSN Green addresses a growing demand for green news and information, as measured by traffic and visitor click-throughs on the network’s other channels. The webcast of the July 7, 2007, environmental-awareness concerts on liveearth.msn.com was the most popular online entertainment event in history based on simultaneous viewers, generating more than 15 million streams the day of the concerts and surpassing the number of people who watched the event on TV.

http://green.msn.com

Facebook and Microsoft Expand Strategic Alliance

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:52:07 GMT

Two companies expand advertising deal to cover international markets, Microsoft to take equity stake in Facebook.

PALO ALTO, Calif., and REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 24, 2007 — Facebook and Microsoft Corp. today announced that the two companies would expand their advertising partnership and that Microsoft will take a $240 million equity stake in Facebook’s next round of financing at a $15 billion valuation. Under the expanded strategic alliance, Microsoft will be the exclusive third-party advertising platform partner for Facebook, and will begin to sell advertising for Facebook internationally in addition to the United States.

“We are pleased to take our Microsoft partnership to the next level,” said Owen Van Natta, Chief Revenue Officer, Facebook. “We think this expanded relationship will allow Facebook to continue to innovate and grow as a technology leader and major player in social computing, as well as bring relevant advertising to nearly 50 million active users of Facebook.”

“Making this investment and expanding this partnership will position Microsoft and Facebook to better take advantage of advertising opportunities around the world, and is a great win for not only for our two companies, but also our collective users and advertisers,” said Kevin Johnson, president of the Platforms & Services Division at Microsoft. “We have partnered well over the past year and look forward to doing some exciting things together in the future. The opportunity to further collaborate as advertising partners is a big reason we have decided to take an equity stake, and is a strong statement of our confidence in the long-term economics of this partnership.”

Facebook continues to experience strong growth both in the U.S. and international markets; almost 60 percent of Facebook’s users are outside the U.S. With an average of 200,000 new users registering each day, Facebook continues to be one of the most-trafficked sites on the Internet.

On Aug. 22, 2006, the companies announced a U.S.-only strategic alliance that named Microsoft the exclusive provider of standard banner advertising on Facebook using Microsoft’s digital advertising solutions and the Microsoft^® adCenter platform. In early 2007, the terms were extended to 2011.

About Facebook

Founded in February 2004, Facebook is a social utility that helps people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers. The company develops technologies that facilitate the sharing of information through the social graph, the digital mapping of people’s real-world social connections. Anyone can sign up for Facebook and interact with the people they know in a trusted environment. Facebook is a part of millions of people’s lives and half of the users return daily. Facebook is a privately-held company and is headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Microsoft is registered trademark of the Microsoft group of companies.

Microsoft Charts Its Software Services Strategy and Road Map for Businesses

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:29:05 GMT

Company introduces “Online” services and Microsoft Office Live Workspace, solutions that combine client, server and services offerings to deliver connected computing options for people and businesses.

Dublin: October 1st 2007: Microsoft has laid out the next phase in its strategy for online services, offering a road map for new offerings that synthesise client, server and services software for people and businesses. These offerings will combine elements of client-based programs with software that runs large servers and new services delivered over the Internet.

The offerings announced expand Microsoft’s existing portfolio of software plus service solutions — solutions that weave together the best of software and Internet services to provide a new generation of rich, seamless experiences that are personalised, integrated and available online anywhere. This approach gives individuals and organisations greater freedom of choice in how they interact with the people, information and activities they value most.

Microsoft plans to deliver a wide variety of new solutions during the coming months under two key families of service offerings: “Live” and “Online.”

“Live” services from Microsoft are designed primarily for individuals, business end-users and virtual work groups. Live offerings span entertainment, communication and productivity. These services emphasise ease of use, simplicity of access and flexibility, and are ideally suited for situations where people either don’t have access to professional technical expertise or don’t require high levels of system management.

“Online” services are for organisations with more advanced IT needs where power and flexibility are critical. Online services from Microsoft give businesses the ability to control access to data, manage users, apply business and compliance policy, and meet high availability standards while providing performance, scalability, enhanced security, management features and service-level capabilities to support mission-critical applications and systems. Microsoft is providing business customers with the flexibility to choose between traditional on-premise implementations, services hosted by Microsoft partners and now Online services that reside in Microsoft’s data centres.

“This new era of connected computing is about empowering people and businesses to balance the power of the Internet with the rich interactivity and high performance of client and server software,” said Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division. “With today’s announcements, we are taking a significant step forward by combining our deep client and server software experience with our strong commitment to delivering flexible services offerings for our wide variety of customers and their unique needs.”

Microsoft also unveiled the following:

• Microsoft^® Office Live Workspace, a new Web-based feature of Microsoft Office that lets people access their documents online and share their work with others

• Microsoft Exchange Labs, a new research and development program for testing next-generation messaging and unified communications capabilities in high-scale environments

• Continued customer and partner support for Microsoft Dynamics™ Live CRM

• The renaming of the Microsoft Office Live hosted small-business service, a service dedicated to addressing key small-business pain points, including core IT services and sales and marketing services, to Microsoft Office Live Small Business

• Microsoft BizTalk^® Services, a building block service that enables developers to rapidly and cost-effectively build composite applications, to help enable greater cost efficiencies and thereby open up new business opportunities for enterprises of all sizes

Online Services for Businesses

Online offerings are now available to any enterprise with 5,000 or more seats and include the following new services:

• Microsoft Exchange Online

• Microsoft Office SharePoint^® Online

• Microsoft Office Communications Online

The Online services provide businesses and organisations with more time to focus on business-critical projects while working toward meeting their business, compliance and high availability requirements.

Online services will be delivered through Microsoft. Hosted services will be delivered through Microsoft partners as another choice for customers in how they use Microsoft software.

Partners can also add value through subscription fees for solutions built on top of Online services through on-premise integration services and through referral and resell fees.

Office Live Workspace: New Web Functionality for Microsoft Office

Office Live Workspace is among the first entries in the new wave of online services. Available at no charge, Office Live Workspace lets people do the following:

• Access documents anywhere. Users can organise documents and projects for work, school and home online, and work on them from almost any computer — even one not connected to the company or school network. They can save more than 1,000 Microsoft Office documents to one place online and access them via the Web.

• Share with others. Users can work collaboratively on a project with others in a password-protected, invitation-only online workspace, helping to eliminate version-control challenges when e-mailing drafts to multiple people. Collaborators who don’t have a desktop version of Microsoft Office software can still view and comment on the document in a browser.

• Extend Microsoft Office. Users can easily connect to Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint^®, Excel^® and Outlook^® on their PC via the Web.

Anyone can pre-register for the English language beta of Office Live Workspace today at http://www.officelive.com.

Microsoft Dynamics Live CRM

Today more than 11,000 customers, including 475,000 users, enjoy the benefits of Microsoft Dynamics CRM on-premise and partner-hosted solutions. A new version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM code-named “Titan,” which uses a single multitenant code base to deliver on-premise and on-demand deployments, will allow customers to choose the right deployment model for their needs at any point in time.

As part of an early access program that was launched this month, more than 100 customer and partner organizations are already using the new Microsoft Dynamics Live CRM service. Participants in the early access program get a better, more familiar user experience centered on Microsoft Office and Outlook; a lower total cost of ownership compared with traditional on-demand vendors; and the option to switch between on-demand and on-premise models if their business needs change. Those interested in joining can find out more at http://www.crmlive.com.

Microsoft Exchange Labs: Evaluating Next-Generation Messaging and Unified Communications Capabilities in High-Scale Environments

As part of Microsoft’s software plus services strategy, the company is advancing the way it builds, tests and delivers products to meet the needs of customers. Today Microsoft opened Exchange Labs, a new research and development program for testing next-generation messaging and unified communications capabilities in high-scale environments. Initially, the Exchange Labs program will include select universities and school districts. These participating institutions involve high-scale environments where students, faculty, staff and alumni have unique requirements that blend digital work with digital life.

As a generation that uses technology to communicate differently than those before them, this group of users will provide feedback that drives new capabilities to advance the operational efficiency, operational flexibility, anywhere access and advanced protection technologies of Microsoft Exchange Server.

Microsoft BizTalk Services

Today Microsoft introduced an update to BizTalk Services, an early-access offering of a next-generation business integration capability, optimised for cross-organisational integration and high scale. BizTalk Services enables companies to interconnect their businesses systems together, with greatly increased simplicity, via identity and network federation technologies. New types of connected applications can be created simply, where before they were impractical or impossible. BizTalk Services is currently supporting developers and applications for testing and evaluation. Microsoft plans to announce plans on pricing and commercial licensing by the end of the year.

Microsoft Releases Updated Live Search Engine

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:45:27 GMT

REDMOND, Wash: September 26th, 2007 — Microsoft is releasing an update to Live Search (http://www.live.com) centered on improvements to core search technology and deeper advancements in the vertical search areas of entertainment, shopping, local and health. Collectively, these improvements mark a quality milestone based on the company’s focus on delivering a better search experience for consumers and advertisers.

“With this update to Live Search, our engineering focus is on the areas that matter most to our 185 million consumers who use our service every month. We have made dramatic progress in delivering a better search experience to our customers,” said Satya Nadella, corporate vice president of the Search and Advertising Platform Group at Microsoft. “We know what kinds of things consumers are searching for, and we have invested in those key high-interest verticals, including entertainment, shopping, health and local search. With the core platform in place we intend to win customers and earn their loyalty one query at a time.”

The majority of Live Search customer feedback has focused on improving overall search relevance to deliver richer and deeper results and investing in differentiated experiences in high-interest consumer areas such as entertainment, shopping, health and local search.

Richer and Deeper Results

Microsoft’s efforts toward satisfying its Live Search customers can be grouped into a few key areas:

• Over fourfold increase in index size. Nearly 20 percent of customer challenges came from the long tail of the Web, indicating a need for broader coverage to help ensure that the right results can be returned for the highest percentage of queries. The new Live Search has exceeded the goal of quadrupling its range of coverage, setting a foundation that will enable it continue to keep pace with the growth of the Web.

• Substantial improvements in understanding queryintent. The new Live Search does a much better job in predicting the intent of the query to return the best results possible. New investments improve the search service’s ability to read and understand queries in a way that more accurately determines intent despite common problems such as spelling errors, stop words, punctuation and synonyms.

• Significant enhancements to core algorithms.The new Live Search has incorporated more user click-stream data to inform ranking and relevancy processes, yielding more relevant results across queries.

• Increased focus on query refinement. Intelligence in the back end designed to help customers arrive at improved query suggestions helps Live Search deliver the best results, even making proactive changes to the query in cases where the engine is confident of the customer’s intent.

• New Web data extraction model. Core search innovation enables Microsoft to build rich vertical experiences that update on the fly. This technology extracts information from across the Web on products (including ratings and reviews); businesses (including locations, contact information, photos, hours of operation, ratings and reviews); celebrities (including buzz, images and videos); and more.

• Expansion of Rich Answers. Based on user feedback that sometimes people are just looking for a specific fact or answer, Live Search’s improved Answers platform provides specialized responses to queries about specific areas such as weather, images, celebrities and entertainment, sports, stocks, Yellow Pages, maps or quick facts from Encarta^®. This specialized content has been more deeply integrated into the main search experience to add to custom searches such as images and mapping.

Additional improvements to the service include a new, cleaner user interface that makes the results pages easier to read and use; a more robust Answers platform that provides instant access to information from trusted sources while increasing relevancy; and organization of results pages based on the high-interest search verticals of entertainment, shopping, local and health on one page.

High-Interest Verticals

With up to 40 percent of searches falling into the categories of entertainment, shopping, health and local search, the new Live Search has made deep investments to deliver specialized content presented in a compelling way across these key vertical search areas:

• Entertainment. Helps customers stay informed on the latest entertainment news with celebrity instant answers accompanied by images and a new video search feature that offers smart motion previews, facts and buzz and new xRank celebrity ranking.

• Shopping. Helps customers easily find and discover products along with reviews, guides, prices and other relevant information.

• Health. New health search functionality intuitively organizes and surfaces the most relevant online health content from trusted sources, allowing consumers to refine searches faster and with more accuracy.

• Local. Allows customers to search local business listings for help with making informed decisions based on rich details and reviews.

With improvements across the core search experience and infrastructure as well as new experiences and specialized content in key, high-interest vertical areas, the new Live Search puts in place a platform that enables Microsoft to keep pace with customer demand and continue to deliver new and innovative search experiences across a range of scenarios and devices. An early example of these new experiences is the mobile search client, a Software plus Services implementation for the mobile phone that puts the power of the Live Search service in the palm of the hand. Speech-based search combines powerful speech-recognition software on the mobile phone with the Live Search service over the Internet. There is still plenty of room for innovation, and Live Search is well poised to lead in this arena.

More information on these updates is available from the Live Search fact sheet and the Live Search team blog, located respectively at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/newsroom/factsheet/LiveSearchFS.mspx and http://livesearch.spaces.live.com.

About MSN and Windows Live

MSN^® attracts more than 465 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 42 markets and 21 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering compelling programmed content experiences to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. Windows Live™, a comprehensive set of personal Internet services and software, is designed to bring together in one place all the relationships, information and interests people care about most, with enhanced safety and security features across their PC, devices and the Web. MSN and Windows Live will be offered alongside each other as complementary services. Some Windows Live services entered an early beta phase on Nov. 1, 2005; these and future beta updates can be found at http://ideas.live.com. Windows Live and Live Search are available at http://www.live.com; MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com.

Microsoft Celebrates 25 Years of the Smiley :-)

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:14:26 GMT

Dublin: September 25th 2007 - The emoticon, the fun and simple way of expressing so many human emotions on Windows Live Messenger, celebrates its 25th birthday this month and to honour the occasion Microsoft is offering 30 free new emoticons to Windows Live Messenger users.

The emoticon, which was added to Microsoft’s chat service in 1982, began as a simple smiley face created with punctuation marks and has now become the most popular animated graphic that people use to express themselves or animate a sentence on Windows Live Messenger.

Brian Kealy, Marketing Manager for Windows Live Services Ireland, said; “The emoticons have been a huge success since they were introduced on Windows Live Messenger. They add a bit of fun, colour and simple animation to messaging conversations. In terms of users of Windows Live Messenger, the ubiquitous smiley face is part of the daily life of over 270 million world-wide and you can understand why – they quickly and simply enable users to express a huge range of emotions from laughter to confusion and anger to surprise. Hungry instant messengers can even send a fork and knife emoticon.”

Windows Live Messenger is constantly evolving its range of emoticons to help users express themselves better in instant message conversations and current day Windows Live Messenger offers over 40 emoticons including hidden ones which are waiting to be discovered by the user.

As a birthday celebration Microsoft is offering users a free range of 30 emoticons. If you want to be one of the first to own a new emoticon they are available to download from 1 October at (http://www.livemessenger-emoticons.com/en-ie/). The new range will be available via links on the MSN Portal, emails and banner ads.

Windows Live Messenger enables people to connect and chat with friends and family in real time. It is a world leading, free-of-charge and easy-to-use instant messaging service. The Windows Live Messenger service takes self expression even further, providing people with the ability to communicate via free audio and video conversations*. Users can also make PC-to-PC phone calls using head sets and can exchange pictures and other personal files with absolute ease.

About Windows Live

MSN attracts more than 465 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 42 markets and 21 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering compelling programmed content experiences to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. Windows Live, a new set of personal Internet services and software, is designed to bring together in one place all the relationships, information and interests people care about most, with enhanced safety and security features across their PC, devices and the Web. MSN and Windows Live will be offered alongside each other as complementary services. Some Windows Live services entered an early beta phase on Nov. 1, 2005; these and future beta updates can be found at http://ideas.live.com. Windows Live is available at http://www.live.com. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com.

Microsoft Delivers Silverlight 1.0, Extends Support to Linux

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 12:28:23 GMT

Redmond, WA: Sept. 5th, 2007 — Microsoft has released to the Web (RTW) Silverlight™ 1.0, a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering richer user experiences on the Web. In addition, Microsoft will work with Novell Inc. to deliver Silverlight support for Linux, called Moonlight, and based on the project started on mono-project.com.

Silverlight significantly reduces development and deployment costs and provides enhanced Web audio and video streaming and playback using industry-leading Windows Media^® Technologies. Microsoft unveiled new Silverlight customer experiences on “Entertainment Tonight,” HSN and World Wrestling Entertainment, and also launched the Silverlight Partner Initiative, a program designed to foster collaboration among solution providers, content delivery networks, tools vendors and design agencies.

“Our expectations for compelling, immersive experiences on the Web are increasing daily,” said Ray Ozzie, Microsoft’s chief software architect. “With today’s release of Silverlight 1.0, we’re making it possible for developers and designers to deliver to individuals the kind of high-def experiences they crave by integrating data and services in rich and unique ways. Silverlight will further accelerate the growth in rich interactive applications by giving developers and designers new options for delivering great experiences that span the Web, PC, phone and other devices.”

Microsoft, Novell Respond to Shared Customer Demand for Silverlight and .NET

Microsoft is committed to ensuring that organizations have the best tools and resources to begin building Silverlight-based solutions with the broadest possible reach. The decision to work with Novell to offer Silverlight support for the Linux platform is in direct response to customer feedback, and both companies are optimistic about the impact this extended partnership will have in the industry.

“Silverlight is a popular new way to build and deliver cross-browser, cross-platform experiences on the Web,” said Miguel de Icaza, vice president of Developer Platforms and leader of the Mono project at Novell. “Novell is excited to work with Microsoft to extend Silverlight beyond Windows^® and Macintosh to Linux with Moonlight, so Linux users everywhere can enhance their rich media and interactive experiences on the Web.”

To foster greater involvement and collaboration within the interactive media industry, Microsoft is rolling out the Silverlight Partner Initiative. More than 35 companies have already signed up to support Silverlight and take advantage of a broad range of marketing and technical benefits enabling them to be more successful. The current list of Silverlight Initiative partners by category follows:

• Content delivery networks, infrastructure providers: Advection, Akamai Technologies Inc., CacheLogic, Edgecast Networks Inc., Internap Network Services Corp., iStreamPlanet Co., Level3 and Limelight Networks

• Design agencies: Avenue A|Razorfish, BLITZ, Cynergy Systems Inc., frog design inc., IdentityMine Inc., Lightmaker Group Ltd., Metaliq, Resolute Solutions Corp., REZN8, Schematic and VML Inc.

• ISVs/IHVs: Anystream Inc., DayPort Inc., Electric Rain Inc., Inlet Technologies Inc., Pinnacle Systems Inc., Rhozet, Sonic Solutions, Tarari Inc., Telestream Inc. and Winnov LP

• Solution providers, systems integrators: BUYDRM, Liquid Compass, MPS Broadband AB, Narrowstep Inc., Skinkers, Swarmcast and Twofour Digital

With its portfolio of application platform technology capabilities and products, Microsoft is both a long time leader in development tools and a pioneer in enhancing user experiences on the Web and desktop. The tight integration between Visual Studio^® and Expression Studio allows developers and designers to easily share projects, designs and code to create stunning, high-quality applications faster and in a more cost-effective manner.

In addition to the release of Silverlight 1.0, Microsoft released Expression Encoder 1.0 (formerly Expression Media Encoder), a tool that makes it simple for professionals to encode, enhance and publish rich media content to Silverlight. The intuitive interface allows users to rapidly encode a wide array of file-based media content formats into a Silverlight experience. Expression Encoder also eases production of live events using sought-after features such as multisource switching and publishing of content to services including Silverlight Streaming by Windows Live™.

Product Information and Availability

Those wanting more information or to download Microsoft Silverlight 1.0 and Expression Encoder should visit http://www.silverlight.net. More details can be found in the online press room at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/silverlight/default.mspx.

Nokia and Microsoft to Deliver Windows Live Services to Millions of Mobile Customers

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 08:28:21 GMT

ESPOO, Finland: August 23rd, 2007 — Nokia, the world’s largest mobile device manufacturer, and Microsoft Corp., a global leader in online communications and communities, have joined together to provide customers with a new suite of Windows Live™ services specifically designed for Nokia devices.

Starting today, Nokia customers in 11 countries with compatible S60 devices can download the new suite enabling access to Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Contacts and Windows Live Spaces. Starting next year, customers who purchase compatible Nokia Series 40 handsets will also have access to these popular Windows Live services.

Nokia and Microsoft are empowering the “mobile lifestyle” by providing mobile customers with easy access to their world of online relationships, information and interests. By enabling access to Windows Live services on both the Nokia S60 and Series 40 platforms using standard Web services protocols, our mutual customers will have the power to seamlessly move between contacts, e-mail, messenger, phone calls, text messaging, camera, gallery and browsing, all in an integrated way.

“By taking advantage of the extensive and agile distribution network that Nokia has, we have the opportunity to bring the power of Windows Live services to Nokia devices, thus ensuring our customers can take their most important online information with them on the go,” said Jari Pasanen, vice president, Strategy and Technology, Nokia Multimedia.

Nokia customers who own the Nokia N73, N80 Internet Edition, N95, N76 and the N93i can get the Windows Live services via the Download! application in the following countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, U.K., Sweden, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Initially the service will be available as a free trial, and then customers in select markets wanting to continue using the service may be asked to pay a monthly fee.

“The availability of Windows Live services for Nokia’s devices demonstrates our commitment to delivering great mobile experiences and extending people’s online lives — taking them from the PC to the device,” said Steve Berkowitz, senior vice president of the Online Services Business at Microsoft. “The alliance will enable a much broader group of consumers to experience the benefits Windows Live has to offer, easily connecting them to the information and people that matter most from virtually anywhere.”

Today’s announcement builds on the existing cooperation between Nokia and Microsoft, which integrated Microsoft’s Live Search for Mobile into the Nokia Mobile Search application. Nokia also plans to extend this service onto the Series 40 platform to enhance the search experience across a greater range of devices.

About MSN and Windows Live

MSN^® attracts more than 465 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 42 markets and 21 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering compelling programmed content experiences to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. Windows Live, a comprehensive set of personal Internet services and software, is designed to bring together in one place all the relationships, information and interests people care about most, with enhanced safety and security features across their PC, devices and the Web. MSN and Windows Live will be offered alongside each other as complementary services. Some Windows Live services entered an early beta phase on Nov. 1, 2005; these and future beta updates can be found at http://ideas.live.com. Windows Live is available at http://www.live.com. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com.

About Nokia

Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations. http://www.nokia.com

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Bebo Becomes the First Social Network to Integrate with Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Contacts

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 13:13:37 GMT

San Francisco: 21st August 2007 - Bebo, the global social networking site, and Microsoft today announced an alliance to bring the Windows Live Messenger service, the world’s largest consumer instant messaging (IM) network, to Bebo users. Additionally, Bebo and Windows Live will allow users to seamlessly exchange their contact information to invite and connect through their respective services.

This deal marks the first time Microsoft has partnered with a social network for instant messaging and contacts.

The groundbreaking interface will enable all 36 million Bebo users worldwide who use Windows Live Messenger to display their Messenger presence and IM with their Bebo friends directly on the Bebo service.

Equally, the partnership offers Bebo the opportunity to grow its network through the Windows Live Messenger user base. Windows Live Messenger is free to download, is available in 26 languages and is used in more than 60 countries by more than 280 million active users each month. Additionally, this partnership includes the use of the Windows Live Contacts API. This API allows users the ability to freely import and export their contacts and relationships between the services, ultimately giving users the choice where and how they wish to use their social network.

Bebo users with Windows Live Messenger will add an "IM Me" icon which will appear on their profile page. In displaying their presence, all Bebo users – regardless of whether they have a Windows Live ID or not – will be able to, with one click, begin an IM conversation with each other.

Bebo is confident the new feature will lead to an even greater user engagement with the site, which is already the leading social networking site in the UK with 10.7 million unique users in July.

Welcoming the partnership, Joanna Shields, President, International at Bebo said: “Social networking is emerging as the new form of self-expression, allowing people to communicate their passions and express their identity to one another. Our agreement with Microsoft Windows Live delivers a powerful, new way to instantly update and keep in touch with friends and serves to make the Bebo user experience even more compelling and interactive.”

Brian Hall, General Manager, Windows Live said: “We’re excited to be working with Bebo to provide an innovative communication feature to one of the world’s leading social networking services.Within the suite of Windows Live communications services ”IM Me” allows individuals to richly communicate and keep in touch with the people who are important in their lives.. The global nature of both the Windows Live Messenger service and Bebo makes this relationship a perfect fit.”

*Source: comScore World Metrix

Find more about Bebo at: http://www.bebo.com

Live Earth from MSN....

Fri, 18 May 2007 13:32:09 GMT

MSN has launched http://liveearth.msn.com, the exclusive online destination for Live Earth: The Concert for a Climate in Crisis.

Live Earth will culminate on 7th of July 2007 with a global concert on seven continents with venues that include the US, UK, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, China, Australia, and Turkey.

More than 150 of the world’s hottest artists will perform for Live Earth including Madonna, whose new song, “Hey You” is available for free download exclusively for seven days from our MSN Live Earth site. Madonna wrote the song, inspired by the Live Earth movement, and she will perform it live during Live Earth UK. I encourage you to check out the site and learn more about Live Earth and our sponsorship and support of this important effort.

Microsoft Launch Windows Live Hotmail Worldwide

Mon, 07 May 2007 19:38:56 GMT

Built from the ground up, the new Windows Live Hotmail is now safer, more powerful and available virtually anywhere.

REDMOND, Wash: May 6, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Windows Live Hotmail, the successor to MSN Hotmail, is launching globally in 36 languages. The most significant upgrade for Hotmail since it pioneered the webmail industry in 1996, the new service has been built to be a vast improvement over the previous Hotmail offering, having incorporated input from more than 20 million beta testers. Windows Live Hotmail will deliver a safer, more powerful and productive e-mail experience than previous versions with flexible access via the Web, on a mobile phone or with an e-mail client. Microsoft also announced that later this month Windows Live Hotmail customers will be able to access their Windows Live Hotmail e-mail and contacts for free* using Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 or Office Outlook 2007 via the new Microsoft Office Outlook Connector beta.

Inbox full view with reading pane

click for hi-res version
See additional screenshots of Windows Live Hotmail

As Windows Live Hotmail begins rolling out on May 7 and continues over the coming days, consumers will be able to visit http://www.hotmail.com to sign up for a new Windows Live Hotmail account. Current MSN Hotmail customers can also update their existing account to Windows Live Hotmail by logging into their account and clicking on the green Join Windows Live Hotmail button.

“We’re thrilled to deliver Windows Live Hotmail to the more than 280 million active MSN Hotmail accounts around the world,” said Steve Berkowitz, senior vice president of the Online Services Group at Microsoft. “Windows Live Hotmail represents an extremely compelling end-to-end e-mail experience that makes it easy for customers to get best-of-breed e-mail access across PCs, mobile devices and the Web. Windows Live Hotmail is a cornerstone online service for Microsoft and a critical part of our online advertising business because e-mail is a key point of influence for consumer purchases. We’re pleased to announce the launch of the service to advertisers in addition to consumers on the eve of the Microsoft Strategic Account Summit.”

Millions of pieces of customer feedback played an instrumental role in the development of the look and feel of the new Windows Live Hotmail. Key customer benefits include the following:

Access: Hotmail, Where You Want It

Today’s Windows Live Hotmail customers don’t necessarily sit behind a computer screen all day; they want flexibility for their busy lives. As a result, Microsoft has developed new technologies to meet their needs:

• Outlook Connector. Available later this month in 11 languages worldwide, the new Microsoft Office Outlook Connector beta will enable people to view and manage their Windows Live Hotmail account from Outlook for free, with full contact, e-mail and e-mail folder synchronization.

• Mobile. Using Windows Live Hotmail for mobile (http://mobile.live.com), customers can access their e-mail when they are on the go on a Web-enabled mobile phone or PDA. In the future, Windows Mobile^® customers will receive a richer online and offline Windows Live Hotmail experience with Windows Live for Windows Mobile, which will ship with Windows Mobile v6.

• More to come. In the coming weeks, Microsoft will introduce an additional e-mail client option for Windows Live Hotmail with the release of Windows Live Mail beta, a free consumer e-mail client available via download that will be a successor to Outlook Express and Windows Mail on Windows Vista™.

Productivity: The Power of Desktop Software With Your Personal Web E-Mail

E-mail speed and reliability are critical to consumers. To help maximize productivity in e-mail, Microsoft is offering new features, including the following:

• More like Outlook. With right-click and drag-and-drop capabilities, preview pane customization and auto-complete addressing, all designed for optimal productivity, Windows Live Hotmail looks and feels more like the Outlook software millions use at work every day.

• More Windows Live services. Windows Live Messenger presence is built into Windows Live Hotmail so customers can see from their inbox if their Messenger contacts are online. If a contact is online, customers can begin a conversation with the contact directly.

• The space customers need. Microsoft remains committed to providing Windows Live Hotmail customers with all the storage space they need to remain productive in e-mail. With an inbox storage size starting at 2 GB, Windows Live Hotmail will continue to grow its storage capacity to meet customer needs.

Protection: Safety Made Simple

According to feedback from customers, e-mail safety is one of the most important things to them. Windows Live Hotmail is designed to help protect customers before potentially harmful e-mail messages make it into their inbox, and helps them make better, more informed decisions about the safety level of their e-mail. These are some of the new safety features:

• Safety bar. When an e-mail message arrives in the Windows Live Hotmail inbox after multiple safety checks, the safety bar at the top of each e-mail message will give a visual cue of the status of the e-mail: white indicates the e-mail is from a known sender, yellow indicates the e-mail is from an unknown sender and red indicates the e-mail is potentially fraudulent.

• Improved spam protection. With one click on the “mark as unsafe” link, customers can automatically delete junk e-mail messages, block any future e-mail messages from that junk e-mail sender, and report the junk e-mail sender to Microsoft’s spam filters to help protect others.

Personalization: Control Your View

As a direct result of customer feedback, Microsoft is providing Windows Live Hotmail customers with more control over the look and feel of their e-mail.

• Two views. Customers can choose how they view their Windows Live Hotmail. The classic version looks similar to MSN Hotmail for those who prefer the familiar look, while full version works more like Outlook with more advanced functionality.

• Color choice. Customers can make their Windows Live Hotmail inbox their own with a choice of color themes.

About MSN and Windows Live

Microsoft Lights Way for Next-Generation Web Development and Design at MIX07

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:55:24 GMT

Microsoft Silverlight enhancements unveiled including support for .NET managed code and dynamic languages; provides developers and designers with a comprehensive solution for building and delivering Web, PC and device applications.

LAS VEGAS: April 30, 2007 — This week at MIX07, Web designers, Web developers, industry decision-makers and marketing professionals gathered as Microsoft Corp.’s Ray Ozzie, chief software architect, and Scott Guthrie, general manager of the Developer Division, presented the full breadth of Microsoft’s vision and road map for Microsoft Silverlight and how it fits into the company’s broader Microsoft .NET platform and tools effort.

A core component of Microsoft’s overall strategy for the Web, Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of .NET-based media experiences and rich interactive applications (RIAs). In addition to making the beta of Silverlight available for download, Microsoft announced unprecedented support for dynamic languages including Python and Ruby, powerful services integration and new tooling in the Expression Studio and the next edition of Visual Studio, code-named “Orcas,” for building Silverlight applications.

“Silverlight is an important aspect of our software-plus-services strategy focused on delivering great user experiences that span the Web, the PC and mobile devices,” said Ozzie. “It does so, in part, by bridging technical barriers that previously made it difficult for Web developers and designers to collaborate. As a result, Silverlight will play an important role in helping advance the Web with a platform for creating rich, interactive experiences.”

Web Developers Test-Drive the Latest Microsoft Web Technologies

The combination of Microsoft Silverlight and the latest platform and tooling enhancements make the .NET Framework unequaled for building and delivering Web, Windows, and rich interactive applications. The .NET Framework now also has unparalleled support for developer and designer tools and multiple languages, ensuring the most productive experience for developers and designers alike. Today’s announcements include the following:

Microsoft Silverlight 1.0 beta availability. Optimised for the Web, Microsoft Silverlight enables developers and designers to easily use existing skills and Visual Studio and Expression Studio tools to deliver media experiences and rich interactive applications. Silverlight works with any back-end Web platform or technology, seamlessly integrating with existing infrastructure and applications, including Apache and PHP, as well as JavaScript and XHTML on the client. Beta 1.0 includes a go-live license, which means customers can deploy their Silverlight applications in production. Final availability of Microsoft Silverlight 1.0 is scheduled for summer 2007.
Microsoft Silverlight 1.1 Alpha availability. Based on the .NET Framework, Silverlight 1.1 Alpha offers broader tools and language support. It enables developers to take advantage of support for powerful .NET features including ASP.NET AJAX and Language-Integrated Query (LINQ) language, with full IntelliSense^® editing enabled for client and server code; powerful cross-platform debugging capabilities; and rich language support for JavaScript, Visual Basic^®, C#, Python and Ruby.
Expression Studio now shipping. Expression Studio, Microsoft’s end-to-end tools for creative designers, boosts collaboration with developers in the delivery of next-generation user experiences for Windows, the Web and beyond.
Microsoft Silverlight Streaming. Silverlight Streaming is a new companion service for Silverlight that makes it easier for developers and designers to deliver and scale rich media as part of their Silverlight applications.
Windows Live Platform Terms of Use. Microsoft is enabling the developer community to take advantage of the Windows Live™ services infrastructure and gain access to all the APIs through a simple, consistent set of terms that address multiyear supportability, scale, cost structure and commercial use of the platform. In addition, Microsoft announced new APIs to support programmatic access to Windows Live Spaces, Windows Live Contacts and Windows Live Messenger.

Product Information and Availability

The Microsoft Silverlight 1.0 Beta and 1.1 Alpha are available for download at http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight. Those interested in learning more about Silverlight and joining its growing community can visit http://www.silverlight.net.

Expression Studio is expected to be commercially available in May 2007. Customers interested in pre-ordering Expression Studio can visit http://www.amazon.com for details.

You can find out more information on today's announcement here.

Windows OneCare 1.5 is Launched Alongside Windows Vista

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 06:31:13 GMT

Dublin: 23rd January 2007 - Starting 30th January, 2007 consumers in Ireland will be able to purchase a major release of Windows Live OneCare online. Building on versions of Microsoft’s comprehensive PC care service previously available in the United States, the new Windows Live OneCare release will now offer an even simpler consumer experience. OneCare is the simple all-in-one PC service that automatically performs the tasks necessary to help secure your PC and optimize its performance. The package includes security and protection technology, PC performance tuning and optimization; data back-up and restore automatic updates, free phone support and three-PC licensing. The service will feature unified virus and spyware scanning, more flexible file backup options and support for the Windows Vista™ operating system which will also be available to consumers on 30th of January, 2007.

To thank the consumers worldwide who participated in the Windows Live OneCare beta program for this major release, a special offer will be sent, via e-mail, to beta users for a significant discount off the annual subscription fee when they sign up at http://onecare.live.com.

From January 23rd through February 12th, Windows Live OneCare beta users who take advantage of this offer will receive a year’s service at approximately 60 percent off the regular price. In addition, many retailers plan to offer rebates and other in-store promotions for Windows Live OneCare in the coming weeks.

“This new release marks Microsoft’s continued commitment to evolving and expanding our all-in-one PC care service around the world — both for Windows XP and now Windows Vista customers,” said Brian Kealy, Marketing Manager for Live.com Ireland. “In addition to helping guard against viruses, spyware, phishing scams and other security threats, OneCare also handles a variety of essential PC care practices behind the scenes so our customers can have peace of mind that their PC is being taken care of and will be able to spend their valuable time on other things.”

Windows Live OneCare offers automated protection, maintenance, performance tuning and support for PCs running either Windows XP Service Pack 2 or the Windows Vista operating system. Designed to evolve with the changing needs of consumers, Windows Live OneCare continuously delivers new and updated features to subscribers while they’re online.
Support for Windows Vista Operating System

Windows Live OneCare completes the security picture for Windows Vista adopters by providing real-time, anti-virus protection and managing firewall policies to address new and evolving threats. The service goes beyond security to help simplify important maintenance tasks such as backing up photos, music and other files to a variety of storage devices and defragmenting the hard drive to help increase the performance of consumers’ PCs.

Pricing and Availability
Beginning January 30th Windows Live OneCare will be available online in Ireland, priced at an annual subscription rate of * €41.81* (€49.95 incl. VAT) for up to three PCs. Consumers can download the Windows Live OneCare subscription service at http://onecare.live.com.

Updates can be found at http://ideas.live.com. Windows Live is available at http://www.live.com. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com. MSN worldwide sites are located at http://www.msn.com/worldwide.ashx.

* Actual retail price may vary.

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