Office 12 Beta 1 Released to Testers
10,000 Microsoft beta testers received a long-awaited e-mail Wednesday evening: Welcome to Office 12. Beta 1 of the next-generation Office suite has been released and is now available for download -- assuming Beta Place doesn't buckle under the mad rush for bits.
In a statement heralding the beta's arrival, Microsoft vice president Chris Capossela called Office 12 "the most significant release in more than 10 years" that comes only after "many years of research and development." But the devil is in the details.
Windows Thrashes SUSE Linux in Study
Linux bashing is nothing new for Microsoft, which has set up a dedicated Web site to detail why customers should choose Windows Server over the open source operating system. This week at the IT Forum, Microsoft announced the results of a new study that shows Windows as more reliable and easier to manage than Linux.
The report by Security Innovation was funded by Microsoft and examined the long-term usage of both Windows and Linux environments. Windows Server 2003 and 2003 were pitted against Novell SUSE Enterprise versions 8 and 9 in an e-commerce environment for the duration of one year.
AIM Bots Added to User Buddy Lists
AIM users may have been surprised when they logged in Wednesday and found two new buddies automatically added to their list. But AOL wasn't trying to boost its users' self esteem, instead introducing what it calls IM Robots that can answer questions and instantly deliver news or information.
AIM bots are nothing new; they have existed on the service in various forms for years. However, as part of a holiday shopping promotion with GAP, AOL has taken steps to expose users to the feature, adding a special group with the ShoppingBuddy and Moviefone bots. The company is also asking for feedback and says users can move or delete the bots as so desired.
Google Base Beta Service Goes Public
Google late Tuesday officially launched into beta its Google Base listing service that enables users to upload all types of information and make it searchable online. The service acts as a giant Web database for everything from recipes to classifieds, but should eBay and craigslist be worried?
According to product manager Bindu Reddy, Google Base is simply an extension of the company's existing efforts to collect and organize content. Base joins other Google services like Sitemaps, Print for books, and Google Video.
Virgin Puts Out Cheap Music Downloads
Virgin Digital's music download service this week quietly left beta and launched a new subscription offering known as "Red Pass." For just $7.99 per month, users can download and stream as much music from Virgin's library as they want, with the option to permanently buy and burn tracks for 99 cents.
The $7.99 USD monthly fee makes Virgin's Red Pass the least expensive subscription music offering currently available, following Yahoo Music Unlimited's price increase from $4.99 to $9.99 USD. Red Pass is only offered in the United States at the present time.
Microsoft Software to Require 64-bits
64-bit computing may not be taking off on the desktop due to a lack of drivers and applications, but Microsoft is preparing to force an upgrade on the server side. The company announced at the IT Forum in Barcelona Tuesday that it would drop support for 32-bit systems in upcoming product releases.
Exchange Server 12 will be one of the first updates to become exclusively 64-bit, requiring an Intel or AMD processor with 64-bit extensions and an x64 version of Windows Server. The new release is currently slated to launch in early 2007, around the time Windows Server "Longhorn" is completed.
Sony to Offer Exchanges of Rootkit CDs
Facing further pressure from unhappy consumers and now artists who are upset that their music has been tarnished by the invasive copy-protection added to certain CDs, Sony BMG now says it will pull the albums off store shelves entirely. The record label is also offering to exchange the CDs for non-DRM versions.
The news follows an announcement last week in which Sony said it would suspend the manufacture of CDs with the software rootkit, known as XCP. "Sony BMG deeply regrets any inconvenience to our customers and remains committed to providing an enjoyable and safe music experience," the company said in a follow-up statement.
Record Industry Sues 2,100 P2P Users
The international version of the RIAA, the International Federation for the Phonographic Industry, has launched a new crackdown on P2P file sharers pirating music online. The group has filed suit against 2,100 people across Europe, Asia and, for the first time, South America.
The new round of lawsuits mark the first time Web users in Sweden, Switzerland, Argentina, Hong Kong and Singapore have been targeted. The IFPI said Sweden was picked especially due to its reputation as a "haven for piracy." In total, over 3,800 individuals -- mostly young men -- have been sued in 16 countries with most settling for $3,000 or more.
Windows Desktop Search Loses Toolbar
At the IT Forum in Barcelona Tuesday, Microsoft took the wraps off a version of Windows Desktop Search without the MSN Toolbar, which is designed specially for deployment in businesses. The application replaces Windows' paltry built-in search functionality and can be integrated with Office and SharePoint.
Windows Desktop Search indexes a variety of file types, e-mail, and even documents across the network in order to provide a single starting point for searches. Aside from dropping the toolbar, Microsoft has added improved installation and management functionality.
AOL to Utilize P2P for TV Shows, Videos
Warner Bros. is preparing to make available for download thousands of old television shows, all free of charge and sponsored by advertising. The effort, dubbed In2TV, will roll out on AOL.com early next year and utilize a new video format called AOL Hi-Q that combines P2P distribution with Windows Media.
Full-length episodes of popular programs such as Welcome Back Kotter, Beetlejuice, Lois & Clark, La Femme Nikita and Growing Pains will be offered through six content "channels." 15- and 30-second ad spots will be mixed into the video, but limited to 1-2 minutes of advertising for every 30-minute show.
Opera Upgrades Mobile Browser to 8.5
Opera Software on Monday released a new version of its Web browser for Series 60 based mobile phones, such as those offered by Nokia. Opera 8.5 for S60 includes a new zoom function that lets mobile users view images and text in full size. A password manager has also been added in the update.
Other new features include customizable keyboard shortcuts, better image handling and support for more languages. Opera uses a special rendering technology to display full-format Web pages on mobile devices, keeping as much as the original design as possible. Opera 8.5 for S60 devices is available for download now.
Google Debuts Free Web Stats Service
Google on Monday took the wraps off a new service for tracking Web statistics, which will be offered free to site owners and AdWords customers. Google Analytics is designed to help businesses improve their marketing campaigns by seeing how visitors find them and how they interact with a Web site.
The new offering is based on Urchin, which Google purchased in March. Google has integrated the service with AdWords to enable its online advertisers to easily track the results of any campaign, be it graphic banner, text link, newsletter or paid search.
Xbox 360 Game Compatibility Detailed
Microsoft has issued a list of over 200 original Xbox games that will compatible with the Xbox 360 upon launch, with a promise that more games will be supported through software updates in the future. But the list is missing some older, but still popular, games.
Because the Xbox 360 will use a software emulator to load the original Xbox games, the version of the console with a hard drive will be required. Quality on older games will be improved as well, with the Xbox 360 upscaling the graphics to 780p or 1080i high-definition. Future compatibility updates will be delivered free of charge online or through the mail.
Microsoft to Detect, Remove Sony DRM
Following up on earlier indecision, Microsoft said over the weekend that it has decided to detect and remove the rootkit found in Sony's digital rights management, which sparked huge controversy after being discovered on a number of CDs.
Signatures will be added to Windows AntiSpyware shortly, as the December release of Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool. The announcement was made in the company's Anti-Malware Engineering Team blog.
Microsoft Schedules WinHEC 2006
Microsoft's annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference has been scheduled for May 23-25, 2006 in Seattle, Washington. The conference will be crucial for vendors preparing for the launch of Windows Vista late next year, with Windows Server "Longhorn" also expected to make an appearance.
At WinHEC 2005, Microsoft provided the first look at Longhorn in over a year and invited a group of bloggers to take an early peek at the new operating system. Next year's event will feature "the information you need to design and build great PCs, servers, and devices for the Microsoft Windows platforms of today and tomorrow," the company says.
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