Category: Uncategorized

Categories
Uncategorized

Windows Vista RC2 public download closed

Techweb ran an article on how the public, free Vista RC2 download was closed. “As promised, Microsoft opened its newest build of Windows Vista to public downloading, but the short time that Release Candidate 2 (RC2) was available irked left-out users.”


The team noted on their blog that RC2 download was closed, and had apologies for those unable to get to the download. Said Nick:



“As you’ve probably already surmised, downloads of Windows Vista RC2 for the Customer Preview Program (CPP) have now closed and the links are no longer active.  We were bowled over by your response to RC2 — in fact, we hit our download target (200K+) within 72 hours of propping the files! This is an incredible response.


“Special thanks go out to everyone who participated in the CPP by downloading and installing this new build, and please keep the feedback coming — it makes a huge difference.”


Happy to see that the team is o responsive on their blogs. Very transparent to let customers know that we hit the targeted number of downloads, closing the program so that the team can process the customer feedback that comes in.


Tags: , , .

Categories
Uncategorized

Just released: New T-Mobile Dash Smartphone

T-Mobile Dash SmartphoneMSNBC has a quick review quick review from Gary Krakow on T-Mobile’s new Dash phone, a slick smartphone Krakow calls a “slick, new design… best-of-breed for Windows Mobile devices.” It’s so new that the phone is not yet on the T-Mobile site or on their press page. (Update 101306: The T-Mobile Dash press release is now available here.)


Says Krakow:


“The phone performed every task I asked it to do without any problem — a big deal for today’s, feature-laden smartphones. I have yet to find a program that makes the Dash trip up or miss a beat.


“It has handled all my remote e-mail, Web browsing and even some photography and music-listening duty with aplomb. The Dash is one of the best smartphones I’ve tested to date and definitely the most enjoyable Windows Mobile phone I’ve used.


“But don’t take my word for it.  Over the course of the past two weeks every person who has seen me use the phone has asked if they could look, touch, feel and play with it. I have never seen a cell phone receive that kind of reaction before.”


Disclaimer: this is on my short list of new devices. My wife was looking at getting a new phone with a larger screen and a QWERTY keyboard over her current Smartphone, and this should fit the bill. Originally we were looking at upgrading to the Motorola Q, but that model isn’t compatible on on our network. 


More info:



Tags: , , .

Categories
Uncategorized

OneCare v1.5 Beta for Vista now available

Windows Live OneCare Beta 1.5 is available and supports Vista RC1 and greater, and can be downloaded and used free of charge, is available now on http://ideas.live.com.



From the FAQs:


What operating systems are supported?
Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista (build 5500 or greater; recommended build is 5600 aka RC1)

Can I use Windows Live OneCare with Windows XP or Vista x64 versions?
Not at this time.


Tags: , , , , , ,

Categories
Uncategorized

Wired’s “Rebuilding Microsoft” article now available

As noted in a previous post on Ray Ozzie on connecting with customers and partners, the article I mentioned is new up on Wired.com: 



Rebuilding Microsoft: Bill Gates is on his way out. Now it’s up to Ray Ozzie to revive the flagging giant — and get it ready for the post-desktop era. By Fred Vogelstein from Wired

Categories
Uncategorized

Very cool: Optimus Mini Keyboards

Optimus KeyboardI first saw the multi-functional Optimus mini keyboard in the March issue of PCMag: “Seems like every gadget is being miniaturized these days. Enter the Optimus mini: a flexible, functional keyboard with just three keys, each complete with an OLED screen with a 96- by 96-pixel resolution and showing 5 frames per second.”


From ThinkGeek: “The Optimus Mini connects to your PC via USB and features three keys, each with their own backlit OLED screen. Each key can display a static image or full animation. Press the key and a different action occurs depending on what is assigned to it. Think it as some kind of futuristic dynamic hotkey device.”


More info: