Posted on Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & ThemesWell it didn’t take long for a Microsoft Partner to start making Windows 8 Apps. Sonoma Partners just released an app for New Belgium Brewing called Beer Ranger. It looks like the first Windows 8 tablet app for the enterprise.The Ultimate Beer RangerAs you can see from the figure, Beer Ranger show a variety of Beer images that it has content for. The Beer Ranger app is a CRM related product. And it is one of the first enterprise related apps, in contrast to gaming and other entertainment apps that frequently make the top of the chart.Beer Ranger Windows 8 AppsCRM Dynamics ConferenceSonoma and New Belgium will be showing off the Beer Ranger app at Microsoft’s Convergence conference for its Dynamics partners and customers, which is taking place in Houston next week.The purpose of the conference is to discover how to maximize the full capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics solutions. You can also stay up-to-date on the latest Microsoft products and technologies. This can help companies make key business connections with peers, industry experts and know-it-alls and Microsoft representatives. And by being in touch with Microsoft you can explore the strategy and future plans for Microsoft Dynamics software.App DevelopmentSonoma, working with the Microsoft Apps team, was able to build the Beer Ranger prototype App in about six weeks. It was built using HTML and CSS; that would allow sales reps to access data on the retail partners and establishments selling New Belgium beer.Was it always HTML? No, not really. Sonoma considered using XAML because many of their developers were familiar with Silverlight. In the end though, HTML won out because of easier integration with mapping elements, and because Microsoft was interested in more HTML-based proof points for Windows 8.How it WorksStart with the “search” charm in Windows 8, the app allows users to search account information stored in a back-end Dynamics CRM system. When the search is complete, the app allows reps to see accounts in specified areas using the geo-location capabilities. They can also import photos, such as beer lines, end caps, and so on straight from the tablet and they can obtain real-time access to key metrics, like volume and sales figures. Also, a live tile interface allows reps to see their next appointments.Beer Ranger App … Problem free right?No, not exactly because New Belgium’s users are still “getting used to” swiping menus and charms, according to a Sonoma executive. They have also encountered the challenges of targeting an operating system that’s still a moving target; not to mention a dearth of documentation for developing apps for the Windows 8 model. In other words, learning to optimize apps for touch requires more attention to graphics and layout; it is new territory for the company and it will be for other Windows 8 apps developers on a tablet.Related PostsSinofsky to Preview Windows 8 Tablet UI at D9?Samsung Windows 8 Tablet To Be Shown Off This WeekFujutsu Windows 7 Tablet Prototype Revealed On CEATEC 2010Microsoft to Take A Tighter Approach on Windows 8 Tablet HardwareStudent Builds $125 Windows 7 Tablet – For His GirlfriendBeer Ranger – A New Windows 8 Tablet App is a post from Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes – Read the latest Windows 8, Windows 7, Microsoft Office, Themes, Wallpapers, Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone 7, Windows Server, Xbox 360, Zune & IE9. Visit Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes for more articles.

Posted on Everything-Microsoft.comLater on today, Microsoft will be releasing the Windows 8 Consumer Preview (Windows 8 Beta) as the launch date of Windows 8 gets ever closer.  Download links for the Windows 8 Consumer Preview will be available in our Windows 8 Download Center as soon as they become available, so head on over to our sister site Windows 8 News for more.We’ve created a new Windows 8 Consumer Preview board in our forum where you can share your experiences with the latest build.  If you need more help with Windows 8, please use our Windows 8 Help forum and sub-forums.If you haven’t registered with our Windows 8 forums yet, then click here.Related PostsLast Chance To Download Windows 7 BetaWindows 7 Beta Ends Today! How To Upgrade to Windows 7 RCWindows 7 Beta Signup Period ExtendedMicrosoft Lifts Windows 7 Beta Download LimitWindows 7 Beta Release PostponedDownload Windows 8 Beta Today is a post from Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes – Read the latest Windows 8, Windows 7, Microsoft Office, Themes, Wallpapers, Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone 7, Windows Server, Xbox 360, Zune & IE9. Visit Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes for more articles.

Posted on Everything-Microsoft.comIt used to be that Bell Labs, in New Jersey, was one of the  premier scientific research labs in the US. After all, Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone started the Volta Lab, which later became the Bell Laboratory. One of their most prestigious inventions came in 1948, the transistor, which now appears in every electronic device in the world. But now, Microsoft may be the company that is pushing the boundaries of new technology.Microsoft TechForumAt the Techforum exhibition, new technologies were presented that have a certain Star Trek feel to them, meaning that you don’t have to wait for the 23 century to see the future.The holoflector is a device where graphics are superimposed on your reflection to create an extended reality experience.Behind the screen overlays utilizes a transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display with view-dependent and depth-corrected gaze to manipulate virtual objects on screen.Display changes using Seeing Display This format uses flat lenses to see through a semi-transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) to enable novel above-screen gesture and scanning interactions.Lifebrowser builds a timeline around landmarks like appointments, photos and computing activities, which enables people to search and retrieve associated content. It manages machine learning and reasoning to help people navigate through large stores of information to access “memory landmarks” – events and activities that people would find important.The Translator Hub enables language communities and others to create automatic translation systems. [Show as slideshow] 12►You have a meeting with participants in different cities. One person writes on a board, but everyone else takes notes. But IllumiShare enables people to remotely share any physical or digital object on any surface. People can sketch together using real ink and paper, remote meeting attendees can interact with conference room whiteboards, and children can have remote play dates in which they play with real toys. Illumishare also integrates Skype video chatting.3D Telepresence provides a glassless 3D display that enables correct camera pose and view pose for a live view-dependent 3D Window Telepresence experience.So how do you measure time? This may be one of physics biggest problems but it is also one for evolutionary biologists, historians, anthropologists, astronomers, you name it; anyone that needs to show time frames knows the difficulty. ChronoZoom will enable transitioning between scales of one year to billions of years, putting historical episodes in context, comparing vast amounts of time-related data across different fields and disciplines.Marketing operations…so you want to open a new retail shop, where do you put it? You can use a large-scale display to overlay multiple sources of data and information to help him decide the best location to open a new retail shop.Want to see a concert? How about a sports event? You can use Bing to search for and purchase game or concert tickets directly.From these examples, Microsoft shows that their R&D is not just about software and operating systems. In fact, some of these examples, may portend a new company that makes some of these products. With the changing focus to Xbox, Windows Phone 7, Microsoft Mouse, and embedded systems, Microsoft may be planning a new direction, the way Apple went from PC’s to tables and mobile phones. They won’t abandon software, but they may be ready to make a transition to another type of company, not just a company product. They may create a new company that does hardware.With multiple technologies available and still more on the drawing board, Microsoft could be the 21st technical innovator that could lead many other companies into Star Trek territory.You hear that Spock?Yes Captain I heard that.Source: MicrosoftRelated PostsWindows 7 IT Pro GuidesMark Russinovich: Inside Windows 7Windows7 and Embedded ProductsMicrosoft Envisages A Dazzling FutureResearch Shows Microsoft and Windows 7 on the RiseMicrosoft’s Techforum Shows Off New Technologies is a post from Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes – Read the latest Windows 8, Windows 7, Microsoft Office, Themes, Wallpapers, Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone 7, Windows Server, Xbox 360, Zune & IE9. Visit Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes for more articles.

Posted on Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & ThemesMost Windows users know that they need to keep their system up to date with the latest patches to protect it from attacks that exploit known security vulnerabilities. Windows can handle the distribution and patching automatically in the background, which is also the default setting for new installations.Making sure that third party software, like the Firefox or Chrome browser, Adobe Flash or the media player VLC are update to date falls into the responsibility of the user. Some programs make use of internal updaters to download and install patches automatically, while others do not come with those options at all.That’s where a program like Secunia PSI (the PSI stands for Personal Software Inspector) come into play. PSI scans the system for software installations, and compares the installed version of the software with an up to date database.Secunia today has released version 3.0 beta of their software updater. The interface is now as minimalistic as it gets, but that does not need to be a bad thing.Once you have installed the program on the computer, you can run it to scan the system for programs that are not up to date.All recognized programs that need to be updated are displayed in a list in the end. Each program is displayed with its program icon, name, version, and the course of actions. Some can be updated directly from within the program interface. All it takes for that is a few clicks to update to the latest version.Others may require manual updating, which loads the program homepage where the latest version can be downloaded, while others may require to select an interface language first before the update can commence.Windows users who do not want to install a program to check for updates, can run the online version of the Software Inspector instead. It requires Java and a compatible web browser.The Personal Software Inspector is a useful program to check a Windows PC for outdated software. Just keep in mind that programs need to be in Secunia’s program database to be checked for new versions. It will happen that you run programs on your system that are not covered by this. You need to manually check those to keep them up to date as well.Related PostsNew Xbox Preview Now Accepting TestersHardware Virtualization CheckWindows 7 Utilities: CSMenu (if you want the classic-style menu back)Coming Up: Windows 7 RC Test UpdatesATI Adds Laptop Support to Catalyst 10.3 DriversCheck For Program Updates With Secunia PSI is a post from Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes – Read the latest Windows 8, Windows 7, Microsoft Office, Themes, Wallpapers, Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone 7, Windows Server, Xbox 360, Zune & IE9. Visit Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes for more articles.

Posted on Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & ThemesJust before all the expected hype around the arrival of Windows 8 Beta (Consumer Preview) occurs I thought I’d report on an innovation from Australia’s telecom communication giant that will impact on Australian users of the Internet. Big Pond is Australia’s largest provider of ADSL, Cable and Wireless broadband services providing both ADSL and cable technology at various speeds ranging from 256kbps to 30,000kbps.This innovation involves the Telstra‘s T-Box. The Telstra T-BOX is a device allowing you to integrate Internet and free-to-air entertainment on your TV, so you can watch what you want, when you’re ready to watch. It is available when you subscribe to a BigPond® Broadband service.It allows you to access the following features –Movie rentals from BigPond® MoviesOn screen Electronic Program TV Guide, seven days in advanceAll recording features for free-to-air programs via My Recordings including Series RecordBigPond TV channels such as V8, AFL, NRL, Racing, Music, News and SportFOXTEL on T-Box if you are eligibleBigPond® VideosApplications such as YouTube® videos, AFL and NRL Game Analyser, BigPond Games and Picasa.Telstra's T-BoxThe recent addition of My Media to the T-Box allows you to access photos, music and video files directly via the wireless link to your home computer.How can I use My Media?To do this you use your T-Box. You have two options –Connect a compatible USB Stick or portable hard drive containiing your media files via the USB port, front or rearUSB Access on T-BoxorConnect your compatible PC through Windows Media Player to view selected content via your Big Pond NetworkNote: It is important to ensure your Home PC is connected to the same network as your T-Box.Before you get started, please ensure:1.    Your home computer is running Windows 7 with Windows Media Player 12 installed.2.      3.      Media Folders on Windows Media Player4.      5.      1.      2.      3.      4.      Choosing Media Type5.      6.      Music Folders<7.      Scroll through the music clips and click to play.</p>Music ClipsToolbarBack button to revert to the previous screen.OK button in the remote to play the clip.blue button on the remote to revert to Home your entry point to My Media.Related PostsMicrosoft Touch Pack for Windows 7Microsoft Locks Mpeg4 H264 Codecs In Windows 7Photo Manipulation Themes for Windows7Microsoft Now Hiring for Retail StoresFacebook Messenger For Windows 7 Now Officially AvailableBig Pond Thinks Big! is a post from Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes – Read the latest Windows 8, Windows 7, Microsoft Office, Themes, Wallpapers, Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone 7, Windows Server, Xbox 360, Zune & IE9. Visit Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes for more articles.

Posted on Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & ThemesIt seems Microsoft is finally beginning to phase out the Zune branding, but not services, which would confirm a long-held position of the SuperSite’s Paul Thurrott that Microsoft was getting rid of all things Zune.Microsoft has been less-than-clear on what their intentions are with the brand, however, they have said that the services are here to stay, which means that we will simply have a new name to go by. Rumors peg the new name to be something along the lines of “Xbox Music” or “Xbox LIVE Music”, but nothing has been confirmed by Microsoft.These new rumors are based on the screenshots of the Windows Store in the upcoming Windows 8 Consumer Preview. The Zune branding seems to be found nowhere, replaced with more generic terms like “Music” and “Video”. We had also heard rumors about the Zune PC client being scrapped, based on a PocketNow leak of Windows Phone 8 information a few weeks back. Also of note is that the term “Windows Live ID” is rumored to be changed to “Microsoft Account” as reported by Tom Warren of The Verge.Edit: Raphael Rivera is reporting that Microsoft’s Your Account is simply a rebranded service which aggregates a users Microsoft IDs and accounts.As a long time Zune user, it’s a shame to see Microsoft going away from the branding. Zune was often a joke in the tech world, being labeled as a failure, due in large part to a non-existent marketing campaign. Microsoft seems to be going all-out in their overhaul of their products and services and the consolidation of their Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox brands is hopefully a move to create a more unified, recognizable ecosystem.Source: TheVergeRelated PostsZune Players are Dead, Move Along There’s Nothing to See HereZune Pass Coming to the UK?Some Say Microsoft is Dropping the “Zune” BrandMicrosoft Looking to Port Zune HD Apps Over to Windows PhoneHow To Customize Your LogOn ScreenMicrosoft to Nix Zune Branding by Summer 2012? is a post from Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes – Read the latest Windows 8, Windows 7, Microsoft Office, Themes, Wallpapers, Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone 7, Windows Server, Xbox 360, Zune & IE9. Visit Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes for more articles.

Posted on Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & ThemesFor many users, having a separate tablet and a PC experience might be enough. They can do their serious work on their Windows desktop or laptop and then when on-the-go, they can use some sort of tablet device for email, browsing and less-demanding computing tasks. For others, they would prefer to have their cake and eat it to, so to speak. And until Microsoft begins releasing their “no compromise” Windows 8 solution we’ll have to make due with what we have.Solutions to bring the Windows desktop to devices like the iPad have been around for quite some time and have always seemed a bit slow and often clunky. OnLive seeks to remedy that with their latest offer to bring the desktop to your iPad tablet with their OnLive Desktop solutions.OnLive became famous for their ability to bring cloud gaming to the masses. Essentially doing all the work up in the cloud on their servers, OnLive is able to provide users with a small, gateway device to access their gaming content. The company has taken this philosophy and applied their approach and experience to desktop computing.There are currently two options for users: a free option, dubbed OnLive Desktop, features the ability to push the Windows desktop to your iPad along with access to popular Office applications. The free version comes with the ability to sync documents back and forth to your 2GB of free storage. The paid version, OnLive Desktop Plus, comes with a $5 per month subscription fee that brings a 1GB connection speed and adds Flash player support.OnLive plans to expand their services with a pro version of the service for $10 a month which will give users access to 50GB of storage and the ability to install any Windows application. The expanded program is also coming to Android devices, iPhones, PCs and Macs. No word on whether Windows Phone will eventually be compatible, although if Microsoft truly integrates Windows Phone and Windows 8 together it may be unnecessary. Source: OnLiveRelated PostsOnLive Brings Windows 7 To Your iPadOnLive Demos Windows 7 On iPad and Galaxy TabMicrosoft Not Happy With OnLive Streaming Windows 7What does the iPad mean for the Windows 8 interface?Windows 7 on the iPad? (Maybe They’ll Sell a Few Now)OnLive Pushes Windows 7 to Your iPad is a post from Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes – Read the latest Windows 8, Windows 7, Microsoft Office, Themes, Wallpapers, Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone 7, Windows Server, Xbox 360, Zune & IE9. Visit Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes for more articles.

Posted on Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & ThemesEarlier this month, Microsoft talked about how Hotmail was revived as an alternative to Google’s Gmail. Privacy issues abound, and there is ad domination. But Microsoft also now has released some information about how successful people have become in eliminating greymail from their e-mail collection.What is Graymail?Simply, it is junk e-mail that you get on a daily basis. They are messages like newsletters, daily deals, and notifications, which fill up inboxes all over the world. Newsletters alone may make up more than 50% of a person’s email.The Hotmail SolutionGetting rid of the graymail can be annoying and sometimes time consuming. But Hotmail has a way to eliminate them. Hotmail’s has a newsletter category that automatically identifies most newsletters and lets you see them all in one place with a single click. You can click unsubscribe in one click and it lets you get rid of unwanted newsletters instantly.Another feature, Schedule Cleanup  lets you automatically manage bulk mail. With Schedule Cleanup, you can keep only the latest message from a given sender. You can also delete messages as they get old (3 days, 10 days, 30 days, or 60 days). You can also move messages to a folder as they get old.Then there is Sweep. Do you want to control the e-mail that is coming in?  Well Sweep lets you move or delete unwanted graymail quickly. You can even automatically set up rules for managing new mail as it arrives.Finally, Categories lets you organize your mail the way you want. What way is that? Well, Hotmail can automatically categorize things like newsletters, social updates, photos, Office docs and shipping updates. But you can also create your own categories and have each one show up as a QuickView.Recent UsesSince last November 2011, Hotmail users have performed over 100 million actions to control or eliminate graymail. With the size of the graymail deletion the results makes it imperative that users recognize that there are other e-mail products that don’t compete with Hotmail. Try it.Source: Inside Windows LiveSee Also: HotmailRelated PostsGive Hotmail another lookMicrosoft provide new Hotmail rollout updateHotmail Improves Account Security, Blocks Common PasswordsNew and Improved HotMailHotmail will be “Cool” MailMicrosoft Hotmail kills Graymail is a post from Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes – Read the latest Windows 8, Windows 7, Microsoft Office, Themes, Wallpapers, Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone 7, Windows Server, Xbox 360, Zune & IE9. Visit Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes for more articles.

Posted on Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & ThemesChannel 9. This is Microsoft’s video production site where a group of 10 Microsoft employees get together and discuss various aspects of programming and design. The idea is that people may be interested in who and how some products are designed and customers have a chance to ask questions about different products, with answers straight from the horse’s mouth.To give you an idea of what Channel 9 offers here is a list of videos and what they present.TroubleshootingMicrosoft tech troubleshooter Gov Maharaj walks you through troubleshooting solutions to your tech support problems. If you have a problem, you can use the Problem Step Recorder in Windows 7 and send us the zip file to DefragShow@microsoft.com.Windows Phone AppsIn a separate set of videos, Channel 9 will produce a series of videos where they  follow developers as they take the steps to give their Windows Phone applications make-overs. In the first set, Mangesh Deshpande, an app developer, needed some design tips and tweaks to take his app, “Meal Nirvana” to the next level. So he met with a member of Microsoft’s design team Arturo Toledo and has begun the redesign work.Making Revenue on advertising from Free Phone AppsIn another video, Channel 9 talked to Carlo Rivera, a software developer who spends his days working on the Microsoft Office line of products. But in his free time, (at night) he works as a Windows Phone developer. His video is about some unique ways to maximize advertising revenue on free apps.Hot AppsIn another area, Hot Apps, features the 5 hottest apps each week for Windows Phone 7. In one week the segment talked aboutBulletAsylum, Covers, Fragger, Purity, Skee Ball 7.The Channel 9 videos are usually short and they will give you a quick picture of an item. Others can last longer, like a half hour, depending on the topic and the conversation.In either case, you can get a behind the scenes look at what developers are doing.Source: Channel 9Related PostsMark Russinovich: Inside Windows 7First Windows Phone 7 Advert Hits the WebWatch Windows 7 Launch Event Live Here Now!Channel 9 To Offer All PDC08 SessionsWindows 7: Find and Organize Part 1 – The User ExperienceChannel 9 – Microsoft’s a behind the scenes video channel is a post from Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes – Read the latest Windows 8, Windows 7, Microsoft Office, Themes, Wallpapers, Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone 7, Windows Server, Xbox 360, Zune & IE9. Visit Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes for more articles.

Posted on Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & ThemesMicrosoft have been pretty clear with their support policies when it comes to Windows. The general rule that they’ve followed is that consumer editions of Windows get 5 years support, while business versions get an extended 5 years on top of that. This would mean that Windows Vista will be losing support for consumers on April 10, 2012 and Windows 7 on January 13th, 2015.But now Microsoft have changed their mind and extended support for both Windows 7 and Windows Vista consumer editions to 10 years as well. Microsoft did not make a whole lot of noise about this change and it was only brought to light recently when Ed Bott uncovered details of the change on the Microsoft Japan page.However what’s still confusing is that Microsoft haven’t actually updated the details on their US website. If you go to look up a products life cycle information such as Windows 7 is still has the old support expiry dates. Maybe Microsoft just haven’t got around to updating that as of yet.Fear not though as they have confirmed with Zdnet by email that this policy change is correct.Microsoft is updating the Support Lifecycle policy for Windows desktop operating systems, including Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.The update will provide a more consistent and predictable experience for customers using  Microsoft Windows operating systems across OEM, consumer and business editions.Microsoft still requires that customers have the most current Service Pack installed in order to continue to receive updates.Through this update, customers who remain on the most current supported service pack will be eligible to receive both Mainstream and Extended Support, for a total of 10 years. So the new support expiry dates are as follows:Windows XP   4/8/2014Windows Vista   4/11/2017Windows 7   1/14/2020This is good news for everyone really and it’s good to see that Microsoft are willing to continue to support its older operating systems even with Windows 8 coming out.Source:ZdnetRelated PostsMicrosoft Hardware Support For Windows 7Microsoft Ending Support For Vista Sooner Rather Than LaterXP SP2 (x86) and Vista RTM Support Ending SoonSupport Ends In July For XP SP2 and Win2KMicrosoft Extends Windows XP Downgrade RightsMicrosoft Extends Support For Windows 7 is a post from Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes – Read the latest Windows 8, Windows 7, Microsoft Office, Themes, Wallpapers, Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone 7, Windows Server, Xbox 360, Zune & IE9. Visit Everything Microsoft – Latest News, Guides, Reviews & Themes for more articles.