PlexUK

Since releasing our first Vail beta we have received lots of great suggestions for "Vail" and quite a few interesting bugs. Thanks to all of you who are beta testing! We love having you part of our extended team and appreciate your help.

This new build has plenty of enhancements and improvements over the original build and can be downloaded from the downloads section of our connect site. If you are new to the beta, please go to http://connect.microsoft.com/windowshomeserver to sign up for the download. You can provide feedback about the new build through our Connect site and even log ideas or feature suggestions for future versions of Windows Home Server.

Link – http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/windowshomeserver/archive/2010/08/16/new-vail-beta-build-come-and-get-it.aspx

Microsoft has released its first SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) for MySQL and refreshed its existing SSMA family of products for Oracle, Sybase and Access with the latest v4.2 release.

The SSMA is the latest of Microsoft’s free migration toolkits, already available for Oracle, Sybase and Access, and are designed to help IT teams overcome the manual challenges of migrating databases.

Link – http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ssma/archive/2010/08/12/microsoft-announces-sql-server-migration-assistant-for-mysql.aspx

Microsoft is preparing to deliver a second beta of the next version of its Windows Live Essentials suite next week.

That’s the word from blogger Francisco Martin Garcia, who posted about the coming beta on his blog on August 11. (Garcia’s had a good track record on predicting Microsoft delivery dates for various consumer wares.) Enthusiast site Neowin also is reporting the second beta will hit next week, naming Tuesday, August 18 as the likely delivery date. I am hearing the 18th is Microsoft’s target for the beta, as well.

Link – http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-readies-beta-2-of-windows-live-essentials-2011/7069

Microsoft is gradually enabling Hotmail push email support for a wide range of phones including the iPhone, Windows Phone devices and Android.

Microsoft is introducing the support using Exchange ActiveSync, available on nearly 300 million phones. With push email you can sychronize email between your phone and the web, and also synchronize calendar and contacts. Microsoft originally revealed its plans back in April this year.

Link – http://www.neowin.net/news/hotmail-is-gradually-switching-on-exchange-activesync-for-push-mail

Microsoft rolled out to all of its Hotmail users the newest version of its Web-based e-mail program in early August. Since that time, a number of users have been reporting problems accessing and composing their mail when using the latest release.

“During the Windows Live Hotmail rollout, we discovered some customers are having issues. We are working quickly to resolve these issues and apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing our customers. If a customer is experiencing an issue, they should check the Windows Live Solution Center to report their issue and find potential solutions,” said a company spokesperson I contacted via e-mail.

Link – http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsofts-new-hotmail-not-a-smooth-transition-for-all/7046

Microsoft has put up a PC vs Mac page, with the software giant defending Windows PCs against Apple’s increasingly popular computers.

With Apple’s computer sales buoyant, Microsoft appears to have decided to throw down the gauntlet to its rival, despite the huge success of Windows 7.

A ‘Deciding between a PC and a Mac?’ page is already being widely discussed on social networking sites, with Microsoft not pulling its punches.

Link – http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/pc/microsoft-hits-back-at-apple-with-pc-vs-mac-page-708885

The Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer provides a streamlined method to identify missing security updates and common security misconfigurations. MBSA 2.2 is a minor upgrade correct minor issues and add optional catalog support.

Link – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=02be8aee-a3b6-4d94-b1c9-4b1989e0900c

IE9 started from the premise that the modern web will deliver HTML5 experiences that feel more like native applications than sites. Building on hardware-accelerated SVG, canvas, video, audio, and text, developers will use the power of the whole PC to achieve great performance. On the modern web, developers will use the same markup across different HTML5 browsers.

Link – http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2010/08/04/html5-modernized-fourth-ie9-platform-preview-available-for-developers.aspx

Here at Hotmail, we’ve had quite a busy week! All of our customers are now upgraded. The majority of you got the new Hotmail just this past week, as we completed the rollout to over 350 million people in more than 220 countries around the world. Now, everyone can take advantage of a faster Hotmail experience with great new features like one-click filters, Sweep, Active Views and more.

Link – http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/archive/2010/08/03/the-new-hotmail-is-now-available-to-everyone.aspx

LightSwitch is the simplest way to build business applications for the cloud and the desktop.

Today, businesses move at the speed of light even as people balance the responsibility of more than one role within their organizations. As this shift becomes more pronounced, it’s become clear that a broader set of developers is building business applications and really expects a much simpler way to quickly accomplish their goals… and with this observation, a light went on and LightSwitch was born.

Link – http://blogs.msdn.com/b/somasegar/archive/2010/08/03/introducing-visual-studio-lightswitch.aspx

In less than a year on the market, Windows 7 is now being used more than predecessor Windows Vista, according to market researcher Netmarketshare.

For July, Windows 7 was used on 14.46 percent of devices accessing the Internet, compared with Windows Vista’s 14.34 percent, marking the first time the newer version surpassed its predecessor. Microsoft has said that 175 million copies of Windows 7 have been purchased since the product was released last fall.

Link – http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20012347-56.html?tag=topTechContentWrap;editorPicks

Microsoft is launching Office for Mac 2011 in October in three flavors, company officials said on August 2.

The three SKUs, or versions — Office for Mac Home & Student 2011, Office for Mac Home & Business 2011 and Office for Mac Academic 2011 — will be available at retail starting in late October. (The Academic version, for students and faculty, will be available via authorized academic stores.)

Link – http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-to-launch-office-2011-for-mac-in-october/6966

Microsoft is readying a beta of its Internet Explorer (IE) 9 browser that it will roll out in September, according to Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner.

Turner shared the beta date during his morning keynote at the annual Microsoft Financial Analyst Meeting (FAM) on July 29.

According to several recent leaks, Microsoft had been targeting August as its beta delivery target for IE 9. This beta is expected to be public (as the test previews have been), and to feature more of the user interface elements.

Link – http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-internet-explorer-9-beta-due-in-september/6943

The Windows Phone Developer Tools Beta includes the following

• Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone Beta
• Windows Phone Emulator Beta
• Silverlight for Windows Phone Beta
• Microsoft Expression Blend for Windows Phone Beta
• XNA Game Studio 4.0 Beta

Link – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=c8496c2a-54d9-4b11-9491-a1bfaf32f2e3

We are pleased to present Deep Zoom Composer, a tool to allow the preparation of images for use with the Deep Zoom feature in Silverlight 3. The new Deep Zoom technology in Silverlight allows users to see images on the Web like they never have before.

Link – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=457b17b7-52bf-4bda-87a3-fa8a4673f8bf