EU Concerned About Vista Security
The war of words between Microsoft and the EU continued Tuesday, with the European Commission warning that Windows Vista's built-in security features should not shut third party vendors out of the market.
The warning came after Microsoft made a public statement on the matter, telling reporters that the EU should not attempt to block the security features, as the move would only put customers at risk and delay Vista's launch in Europe. Microsoft has often used the press to put pressure on the EU Commission.
Windows Server 'Longhorn' Updated
As Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 signals the new operating system is nearing its release, Microsoft is still hard at work on the next version of Windows Server, still code-named "Longhorn." The company over the weekend released an August CTP.
Build 5560 is an update to Windows Server "Longhorn" Beta 2, and includes few new features. The development team has instead focused on performance and reliability improvements, including all of the core operating system changes that were also made in Windows Vista. MSDN and TechNet subscribers can download the new release now.
Microsoft Gives 'Atlas' a New Name
Microsoft on Monday officially gave a name to its new AJAX technologies formerly known as "Atlas." Atlas is being split into three distinct products, with the server-side functionality now dubbed: ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX Extensions. The final versions are slated to ship by the end of the year.
Atlas is designed to simplify the creation of ASP 2.0-based Web sites that take advantage of advanced JavaScript and XML functionality. On the client-side, the technology will be called the Microsoft AJAX Library, which integrates with the server-based Extensions. Microsoft has also renamed the "Atlas" Control Toolkit to the ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit.
MS Security Manager Joins Vista Team
Stephen Toulouse, a program manager for Microsoft's Security Response Center who often served as the public face for the company's security woes on the MSRC blog, is taking a new job with the Windows Vista team. His focus, not surprisingly, will be on operating system security.
Toulouse's says his new role will be more proactive, as opposed to the reactive nature of MSRC, which responds to new security threats with patches and advisories. He will begin with a focus on Vista and continue that work with other Microsoft products.
Napster UK Giving Away MP3 Player
In an effort to lure users away from iTunes, which dominates online music sales in the United Kingdom, Napster UK is giving away a free MP3 player to all customers who sign up for three months of service. The player, worth about $55 USD, is made by SanDisk and holds 512MB of songs.
The company says the idea comes from the mobile phone industry, which often provides a free or low-cost handset to new customers who lock themselves into a service contract. The offer is valid for Napster To Go, which costs £14.95 GBP per month, and is not open to those in the U.S.
Virtual Site Second Life Leaks Real Data
Second Life, a Web site that lets subscribers create a virtual character to interact in a fictional online environment, has run into a real world problem after hackers compromised the service's database. Personal data including names, addresses and payment information were leaked.
Linden Lab, the company behind Second Life, says the breach potentially affected all 650,000 users, and it is requiring customers to change their password. "While we realize this is an inconvenience for residents, we believe it's the safest course of action," wrote Linden Lab chief technology officer Cory Ondrejka.
Amazon Opens Video Download Store
After months of rumors and speculation, Amazon on Thursday officially took the wraps off its video download store, dubbed Unbox. The service offers movies, television shows and other videos, which play in Amazon's own software player as well as on portable devices.
Like on Apple's iTunes, TV shows on Unbox cost $1.99 USD. Movies will range in price from $7.99 to $14.99 USD, with some films available to rent for $3.99 USD. Amazon is using Microsoft's Windows Media digital rights management technology for the new service.
RIM Introduces BlackBerry 'Pearl'
Research In Motion on Thursday introduced its latest BlackBerry phone called "Pearl," which takes a more stylish approach to handset design in attempt to appeal to both business users and consumers alike. Not much bigger than Motorola's iconic RAZR, the Pearl is BlackBerry's smallest phone to date.
In order to cut down on size, the handset's keyboard has been shrunk in half by assigning two letters to each button. The Pearl is also much slimmer than its predecessors, taking a key from Motorola's playbook and resulting in a phone that is only 0.57 inches thick and weighs just 3.1 ounces.
Office 2007 PDF, XPS Plug-in Released
Microsoft on Thursday released a plug-in for Office 2007 that will allow users to save their documents in both PDF and XPS formats. The company previously planned to build in such capability, but bowed to pressure from Adobe, which developed PDF, to force customers to download it.
The add-on is compatible with 8 Office 2007 applications, including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, InfoPath, OneNote, Publisher, and Visio. Customers can also use the plug-in to quickly send documents as e-mail attachments in both PDF and XPS. XPS is Microsoft's new fixed-layout document format that's based on XML.
Microsoft Could Delay Vista in Europe
Microsoft is pushing hard to get its next-generation Windows operating system ready for a public launch in January, but now it has a new hurdle: the European Commission has raised concerns about Vista. The Redmond company said a delay may occur if the EU demands changes to the product.
Microsoft has had a tumultuous relationship with the European Union after being found guilty of violating antitrust laws in March 2004. The Commission long accused the company of not complying with the ruling, while Microsoft has responded by publicly chiding regulators for ignoring key information.
EarthLink Criticized for DNS Redirects
Internet service provider EarthLink is drawing fire from customers after launching a test program in which it redirects nonexistent domains to a company-provided error page containing suggestions, a search box and advertisements.
Typically, if a domain name is not functional, the Web browser displays an error saying it cannot find the page. But with billions of domains being visited each day, resulting in potentially hundreds of millions of typos, those errors could be quite lucrative to businesses such as EarthLink.
New Microsoft Web Design Tool in Beta
Microsoft late Tuesday released the first beta of its new Web design tool that will compete with the likes of Adobe Dreamweaver. The program is part of Microsoft's forthcoming Expression lineup, which also includes a graphical design tool and an interface designer.
Expression Web Beta 1 is the second public preview of the tool following a Community Technology Preview issued in May. Features of the application include the ability to build sophisticated CSS-based layouts, standards compliance and built-in support for ASP.NET 2.0 server technology.
Windows Head Departs for Amazon
19-year Microsoft veteran Brian Valentine, who has led Windows development since 1998, is leaving the Redmond company to join Amazon.com. The news comes just one month after Microsoft said Valentine would transition to a new, unspecified role.
Valentine began working at Microsoft in 1987 as an Engineering Manager in the LAN Manager Group. He was largely responsible for cleaning up the Windows 2000 development mess and getting the operating system out the door.
Samsung to Build Own Music Store
Samsung on Friday announced plans to develop its own online music store, which would join a growing number of Windows Media-based services that have struggled to compete with Apple's iTunes. The store would complement a new line of MP3 players from the electronics maker.
With Microsoft readying its own Zune portable device and music service to take on Apple, the company's PlaysForSure partners are becoming increasingly wary of being pushed to the side. In turn, Samsung is closing the loop and will promote its own service alongside its devices, much like Apple does with the iPod.
TDK Develops 200GB Blu-ray Disc
TDK announced Thursday that it had reached a new milestone in data storage on Blu-ray discs, revealing a prototype that can hold 200GB. The disc doubles TDK's previous 100GB prototype and is possible by creating six distinct layers of data, each capable of holding 33.6GB.
The prototype, like all Blu-ray media, is single sided. "The ultra-ambitious technology roadmap for Blu-ray has now been confirmed as realistic, with landmarks such as this proving the long-term value of the format against its rivals," said TD vice president Bruce Youmans. TDK said such high-capacity discs could be commercially available in several months.
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