Google Expands Office Software

Google Inc. plans to launch software similar to Microsoft Corp.'s popular PowerPoint program as the two companies vie to dominate the online experience.

Google Chairman and Chief Executive Eric Schmidt described the software Tuesday at a conference for Internet entrepreneurs. He also blasted Microsoft and AT&T Inc., whose executives complained over the weekend that Google may soon have an illegal monopoly in online advertising.

Google announced Friday it would pay $3.1 billion to acquire ad-management technology company DoubleClick Inc. Almost as soon as Google announced the cash acquisition, Microsoft and AT&T executives said the deal could violate antitrust legislation -- and result in a dangerous concentration of Internet users' personal data at Mountain View-based Google.

Read more here.

Vista is Microsoft’s last major Windows release

Market Research Company Gartner has said that the Vista operating system is the last major Windows release from the software giants.

Microsoft has already launched Vista for their business customers and a retail release is due for January 30.

Gartner said that the company is likely to focus on flexible updates rather than work on monolithic deployments of software releases.

The group further said that by 2010, 60 percent of worldwide mobile phone users will be “trackable” via an emerging “follow-me Internet” technology.

Microsoft - only two players capable of dominating the web race

Google is the market leader when it comes to search and online advertising. Yahoo! comes second. Microsoft trails in both these markets but is hopeful of closing the gap and become a leader in the coming years.

The software giant has now said that they believe that Google and Microsoft have pockets deep enough to survive in this competitive market.

Steve Berkowitz, head of Microsoft’s online services group said that Yahoo! is likely to end up becoming a smaller player relying upon third party services.

Berkowitz said: “You have to be able to invest at a level that only right now two companies in the world can invest at and that’s Google and Microsoft.”

Berkowitz added that they need to work hard on getting the web users to spend more time on their websites. We say, make your site work in Firefox and Opera and they just might do that. My experiences using MSN services is terrible on the Opera web browser. The web is platform independent. Do not force the user to use Internet Explorer and ActiveX and Windows Media Player technology.

Samsung, Microsoft launch new smartphone

Samsung Electronics joined Microsoft on Monday in launching the first mobile phone in Asia and Europe to use high-speed HSDPA wireless technology.

The companies said the phone — the Samsung Ultra Messaging i600 — was the world's thinnest 3G smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard. It is also the first smartphone that supports Web applications like podcasts and RSS Feeder, which scans websites for updates, the companies said.

The announcement was made in Hong Kong at ITU Telecom World 2006, a major convention for the telecommunications industry.

The companies said the phone, which can connect with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0, was designed for work and play. It has two digital cameras and can be used for 3G video calls.

"The mobile population is increasingly looking to use one device that easily plugs into their life, both in and out of the office," said Pieter Knook, a senior vice president at Microsoft.

The device, powered by Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, uses the new mobile protocol called HSDPA, or high-speed downlink packet access, that provides faster downloads of video and streaming music. The download speed is designed to be as fast as those provided by ADSL, or Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, used in homes.

Group Policy Setting Reference for Windows Vista RC1

This Excel sheet published by Microsoft lists all Group Policy Settings of Windows Vista RC1 with a short description. This is rendered even more useful since you can search within the file for settings. (There are about 2500 settings within this sheet.)

Group Policy Settings Reference Windows Vista

No Shutdown Switch for Office 2007

Microsoft Corp. has no plans to add a controversial Windows Vista antipiracy feature directly to its Office 2007 suite, but will consider offering it as an add-on system, the company said Tuesday. In an e-mail through its public relations firm, Microsoft said although it has not built its Software Protection Platform (SPP) into Office 2007, it is considering adding it to its Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) Program.

OGA is meant to be a validation system that checks if a user has a legitimate copy of the software.

Windows Vista's SPP feature requires users to activate the software with a valid activation key within 30 days of purchasing the OS. If that does not happen, the OS goes into reduced functionality mode, which lets users browse the Web for an hour before the system logs them out. To browse more, users must log in again, but they will only have another hour before the process repeats itself.

Microsoft Office 2007 does have a product-activation feature that acts similar to SPP, but it is not based on validating the legitimacy of the software and it is not new to the application, Microsoft said. Office has had a product-activation feature since Microsoft Office 2000 SR1. Product activation requires the system to be activated with a product key after being started 25 times. If it is not, the application will go into reduce functionality mode.

Microsoft is going to make validation checks for Office 2007 mandatory for users of Office Update through its OGA program. Starting in January, users of Office Update will have to validate that their Office software is legitimate before they can use the service.

OGA is a sister program to Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), launched in July 2005 as a program that automatically checks a user's version of Windows to ensure it is not counterfeit or pirated. WGA evolved into SPP becoming an inherent part of Vista.

Microsoft's antipiracy checking systems have been unpopular from the start, meeting with some resistance from users. WGA was especially unpopular at first when early bugs in its checks were tagging legitimate software as counterfeit or pirated.

Microsoft also was forced to turn off a notification feature in the WGA that sent information to Microsoft from users' PCs when some complained that the feature was acting like spyware.

The Sony PlayStation 3 Dissected

What do you do if you have one of the first few thousand PlayStation 3s in the US?
A little more than a year ago I was one of the lucky few outside of Microsoft to see the inner workings of an Xbox 360. This weekend I had the chance to once again delve into the inner workings of a truly next-generation console.

Like the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 console comes in two flavors identified mainly by the hard drive capacity: the low end model contains a 20GB hard drive and the high end model contains a 60GB hard drive. Additionally, the 60GB version also contains an 802.11b/g adaptor for wireless internet connectivity, a flash memory reader and chrome finishes. Today we will mostly focus on the 60GB version. There are other contractors working on supplying the PlayStation 3 components, but virtually the entire console is assembled by Asustek - the same guys who make several of the Apple MacBooks.

Read the full The Sony PlayStation 3 Dissected article.

Microsoft’s Vista and Office 2007: bad news for pirates

Can Microsoft’s latest anti-piracy protections really stop the Vista and Office 2007 pirates, or will pirates finally have to walk the plank?

Efforts to stamp out piracy have been with computers since it became possible to make a copy of a program and run it on another computer successfully. Anti-piracy software, code wheels, license keys, hardware dongles and more all failed in some way, either through the use of a master key code, a crack that turned trial software into the full version, removed the check for dongles, or somehow picked the lock of anti-protections.

But now that almost all computers and an increasing array of electronic devices are almost permanently connected to the Internet, or can be wirelessly Net connected in just a few seconds, anti-piracy features that are delivered and updated over the Internet are starting to change this forever.

Copies of Vista and Office 2007 installed from a friend’s CD or DVD will need a valid license key within 30 days or will enter into a ‘reduced functionality mode’, severely limited the ability to use the software. This is actually nothing new, with XP and Office 2003 already having these features for years.

But with the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) and the nearly 18 month old Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) program in full swing, even if pirates are able to ‘crack’ copies of Vista and Office 2007 to work without activation, if you want to get Vista and Office updates, you’ll be subjected to a Genuine Advantage check. If you don’t pass, you don’t get updates.

With Vista, it might get more serious that than. The Software Protection Program (SPP) may kick in and give you nothing but a browser screen and Internet access (if it’s already automatically on), and logging you out after an hour. You can keep logging in every hour, but with only access to one browser window, you’ll need to make your software legitimate, either by buying a license key online there and then with a credit card, or loading a licensed copy of Vista from DVD.

That’s what already happens after 30 days with Vista if you haven’t activated your copy, but if Microsoft could detect that your copy was pirated with some kind of crack, they could easily get this to activate immediately or with very little warning.

If that happens to pirates, they won’t be very happy, and what will ensue is a tit-for-tat war between pirates and Microsoft, with the pirates breaking the protections and then Microsoft identifying the pirate copy and the cycle starting again, virtually ad infinitum like a guerrilla war.

It’s Microsoft against not only the software pirate ‘rebel’ insurgents, but all those other companies offering free, cheaper or just different alternate versions, like Mac OS X against XP and Vista, Corel’s Wordperfect Suite against Office or Google’s Docs and Spreadsheets against office.

And as Microsoft is planning to license the SPP system to other companies, some of whom are building their own version of the same thing, it’s going to get a lot harder for the pirates to use their pirated software in peace. There’s also always the chance that the WGA or OGA systems are malfunctioning or hacked, and your legitimate copies are flagged as pirate copies, with this already happening earlier on during the WGA program.

But if this happened on any scale again, Microsoft would theoretically scramble to fix it as quickly as possible, especially if it was widespread, as news would leak and people would report problems to journalists if they didn’t get any positive action to fix the problem.

With much of the world’s software empires having some form of pirate user base, with Windows and Office being two big examples of software that has always been highly pirated, people used to using Microsoft software free of charge to save a few bucks will either have to put up with older versions, actually pay for a licensed copy, try a free or a cheaper alternative, or play the piracy game with Microsoft and the software coders that try to get around the protections.

The goal of a PC on every desk, while not globally fulfilled with billions yet to use a PC, has been nevertheless so successful that it has still given Microsoft billions of dollars in revenues and profits, while giving users all kinds of new capabilities even if they were intertwined with the occasional Blue Screen of Death.

One school of thought says that Microsoft would sell hundreds of millions more copies if only the software was cheaper – imagine if Windows Ultimate was only US $99. Why wouldn’t you buy it? At US $399, and $759 in Australia, it’s not hard to imagine why pirates might want to avoid paying. But in a free market, a company is free to charge what it chooses, with competition providing the incentive to keep prices low.

But even with free operating systems and alternate office suites, browsers and plenty of other free or inexpensive software out there, Microsoft is still the people’s choice with a 90%+ installed user base.

Yes, part of the user base was made up of pirate copies, but that helped, over the years, to turn Microsoft software into the most widely used standard. Of course, hundreds of millions of legitimate sales did that too, with Microsoft reaping rich rewards and becoming the world’s No.1 software company.

Now that most users are connected to the Internet, Microsoft can enforce the licensed use of their software much more easily than ever before. If you’ve pirated in the past and want to keep on using Microsoft’s latest software, well... this time around, you might just find yourself paying, whether by buying retail copies, or getting Vista and Office pre-installed (at much cheaper rates than boxed retail copies when subtracted from the cost of the hardware) on a brand new desktop or laptop PC.

Adobe threatens Microsoft over Office 2007 PDF feature

Adobe's chief executive officer Bruce Chizen told the German magazine Euro that his company is providing the EU commission information about Microsoft's plans to offer the capability to export documents to PDF files in its upcoming Office 2007 package. However, the executive did not rule out the possibility that Adobe will sue Microsoft over the feature.

Chizen was careful in phrasing explicit threats against Microsoft, but mentioned that Adobe is considering its options. Illegal behavior of Microsoft could be answered with a direct lawsuit or collaboration regulators, which Chizen said Adobe is pursuing at this time. He mentioned that Adobe will leave the decision about further action to the EU Commission "for now." He did not deny the possibility of a future suit against Microsoft in the interview.

Microsoft and Adobe have been arguing over the PDF export for some time. Back in June, Microsoft said that it would pull support for saving documents in PDF and XPS (XML Paper Specification) formats from Office 2007. A plug-in to export files to PDF and XPS, however appeared on Microsoft's website in early September and was updated on November 8. According to Microsoft, the software can export the formats from all Office 2007 applications, including Access 2007, Excel 2007, InfoPath 2007, OneNote 2007, PowerPoint 2007, Publisher 2007, Visio 2007 and Word 2007.

Office 2007 is scheduled to become available for business customers on November 30.

Microsoft introduces newest software at Kingston launch

TECHNOLOGY giant Microsoft Corporation yesterday launched the 2007 versions of its flagship software products Windows, Microsoft Office and Exchange Server at the Jamaica Pegasus in Kingston, two weeks ahead of the United States.

The new products, Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2007 and Exchange Server 2007 were released in trial packs as part of the company's business productivity platform and promise to "deliver better results faster". Similar launches are to take place throughout the Caribbean and Central American region as well as other areas around the world and on November 30, the product will be made available to Microsoft's business customers worldwide.

Retail consumers will not be able to access the software until January 2007.
In a demonstration seminar at the Kingston launch, the new software - much-improved beta versions of Windows XP, Microsoft office suite 2003 and Exchange - were described as "intelligent", "results-oriented" and "sophisticated". All three packages offer new features to help organisations simplify the way people work with each other, to find information quickly and easily, to protect and manage content, and to ultimately reduce IT costs, Microsoft said.

Windows Vista features an easy-to-use interface which makes finding information a breeze. Tool bars have been replaced by 'ribbons' and icons on these 'ribbons' give previews of documents, again rendering tasks super easy. Another unprecedented feature of the new beta software is searching for a programme or document using the desktop search tool as opposed to searching through an entire directory.

With Office 2007, the emphasis is on visual appeal and on increasing efficiency. Information runs within different applications and open programmes are presented in a trendy 3-D format. Minimised programmes running in the task bar can also be previewed with a touch of the mouse, thereby eliminating the need to open each one in a search situation.

Exchange Server 2007 includes such security and cost-saving enhancements as a built-in protection to improve the reliability of e-mail, tools to help reduce the cost of running messaging environments and a data protection component which prevents hackers from getting into systems hosted by the Exchange Server.

Even Microsoft Outlook benefited from a make-over. The new version features the user's mailbox folders, a selected message, calendar and 'to do' list, among others, all in one single view.

Microsoft's representatives are pleased with the new products and in a release issued by the office in the Caribbean and Central America, are quoted as saying: "We are meeting our innovation goals with the introduction of our flagship products - Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2007 and Exchange Server 2007. "..These three products are easy to use as well as easier to distribute, adapt and manage. (They) connect and integrate with the software, technologies, devices and services that organisations and their partners use or might deploy in the future".

Speaking with the Observer after the launch, Microsoft's territory manager for the western Caribbean and Jamaica, Joe McKinson, said there were great benefits to be had from the new software.

"What it will do is to reinforce and enhance our (Microsoft's) position in the IT industry," he said.

"The new products will make the organisations more efficient from a productivity standpoint. There will be ease of communication, there will be less things to do to get a task done and organisations can now position themselves to be more productive, more efficient and better able to position themselves in the world of work where there is a focus embracing technology," McKinson said, in addressing the benefits to businesses.

He said the corporation's decision to host a launch in Jamaica was testimony to the fact that the technology available here is on par with that of first-world countries, including the United States.

Minister of state in the Ministry of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce, Kern Spencer, in addressing the launch, reiterated Jamaica's technological readiness when compared to other countries.

"Today Jamaica is ranked 54th in terms of network readiness in the World Economic Forum's Global Information Technology Report which covered some 115 economies worldwide. In that regard, we are number one in the Caribbean region," Spencer told the group of business and IT bosses.

"Our goal in the ministry is to always be on the cutting edge of technology in keeping with our vision for Jamaica to be the centre of ICT activities in the region. Although the pace is not as fast as we would like, there is no doubt that we have come a far way in a relatively short space of time," said the junior minister.