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Microsoft Web

Microsoft Office 2011 For Mac To Be Closer To Windows Version

In an effort to improve cross-platform compatibility, Microsoft has revealed that its upcoming 2011 version of Microsoft Office for Mac productivity suite will offer greater feature parity with the Windows version.

The new version shall offer improved support for Exchange and Visual Basic Applications. You may recall that support for VBA was dropped in the 2008 version of Mac Office.

The new tool also brings co-authoring tools to the platform. In a press release, Microsoft has said,

“The new co-authoring tools in Office 2011 give you and your teammates the ability to work on a file from Word, PowerPoint or Excel [via the Office Web App version only] from different locations, brainstorm ideas, and stay on the same page regardless of time, geography or platform. Co-authoring improves the processes of working together, removing the pain and frustration of multiple versions, lost edits, or even trying to set a time for the group to meet. With this new feature you can keep track of your team with the Presence Everywhere feature that gives real-time status updates on who is working on the document directly in the application.”

[via Apple Insider]

Categories
Microsoft Mobile

Microsoft Kin Two : Technical Specifications And Price

Starting next week (May 13), users may starting owning Microsoft’s latest piece of hardware – the Kin Two. Here is a complete list of specifications and pricing details. Don’t be surprised if it appears costlier than what you had thought

Complete Tech Specs And Features
Display : 3.4 inch TFT, HVGA (480×320), Capacitive Touchscreen
Dimensions: 4.25” x 2.5” x .75”;
Weight: 4.7 oz.
Battery: 1390 mAh. 232 hours standby.
Internal Memory : Tegra APX2600, 256MB RAM
Storage : 8GB
Connectivity : 3G 1xEVDO Rev. A (800/1900 MHz), Bluetooth (HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Camera : 8.0MP HDR CMOS Anti-shake, Autofocus, LED Flash, HD (720p) Video

Other Features:
QWERTY Keyboard (Horizontal slide)
Zune-powered Music, TV, Movies, Podcast, FM Radio Experience
Over-the-air streaming and download of tracks with Zune Pass (File Formats Supported: mp3, WMA, AAC, WMV, MPEG4, H.264)
Headset: 3.5mm Audio Jack
Exchange Mail and POP3/IMAP Pull
Accelerometer, GPS

Cost : $99.99 after mail-in rebate with 2 year Verizon contract
Monthly pricing : $39.99 for voice and $29.99 for data

[via Ubergizmo]

Categories
Microsoft Mobile

Microsoft Kin One : Technical Specifications And Price

The complete details regarding Microsoft Kin One have finally been announced. As mentioned yesterday, the new handset from Redmond will come with Verizon starting the 13th of this month.

Complete Tech Specs

Display : 2.6” TFT, QVGA (320×240), Capacitive Touchscreen
Dimensions: 3.25” x 2.5” x .75”;
Weight: 3.9 oz.
Battery: 1240 mAh. 210 hours standby
Memory : Tegra APX2600, 256MB RAM
Physical Keyboard: QWERTY Keyboard (Vertical slide)
Connectivity : 3G 1xEVDO Rev. A, Bluetooth (HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Camera : 5.0MP CMOS Anti-shake, Autofocus, LED Flash, Video

Other features:
Zune-powered Music, TV, Movies, Podcast, FM Radio Experience
Over-the-air streaming and download of tracks with Zune Pass (File Formats Supported: mp3, WMA, AAC, WMV, MPEG4, H.264)
3.5mm Audio Jack
Exchange Mail and POP3/IMAP Pull
4GB Storage
Accelerometer, GPS

Price : $49.99 with mail-in rebate and 2 year Verizon contract
Monthly Pricing : $39.99 for voice and $29.99 for data

Categories
Microsoft Mobile

Microsoft Kin One And Kin Two Launch Dates Revealed

Microsoft’s ‘Project Pink‘ finally comes to fruition this month. An internal memo circulated by Verizon has revealed that the pre-orders for the much anticipated Microsoft phone could start as early as May 6th.

Also, the launch dates could be on May 13th. However, do note that these dates are for the American market only, and will be available across Europe and other parts of the world only later in the year.

As for now, Kin One and Kin Two shall be available across Verizon stores, third party retailers and online starting May 13 in USA.

[via SlashPhone]

Categories
Microsoft Mobile

Microsoft Kinect : New Trademark Filing Raises Doubts About Additional Kin Tools

Earlier this week, Microsoft filed for trademark on the term ‘Kinect‘. The filing (PDF) has been done under the category “computer software, computer hardware, and computer peripherals“.

The filing is interesting coming close on the heels of the unveiling of Microsoft Kin – the much anticipated mobile phones from Microsoft. One of the primary selling points of Kin One and Kin Two is the emphasis on “social networking made easy“.

Microsoft Kinect Trademark

From that perspective, Kinect (which sounds more like connect) makes for an interesting terminology to trademark. Is Microsoft launching a Kin specific Zune marketplace? Do we get to see additional software tools making social “connecting” easier? I do not know. But it will be interesting to see what comes out of this.

What are your thoughts?

Categories
Gadgets Microsoft

Windows 7 Is Microsoft's Fastest Selling Operating System

Microsoft launched its newest OS, Windows 7 on October 22, 2009. In just over 6 months, the company claims to have sold over 100 million licenses making it the fastest selling Microsoft Operating System ever.

Making the announcement, Microsoft CFO Peter Klein said that with this, Windows 7 was now available in one out of every 10 PCs in the world and that the latest version of the company’s desktop operating system “continues to be a growth engine“.

Windows Touch – the touchscreen version of Microsoft Windows 7 was launched just last week and is expected to propel the growth even further.

[via Silicon]

Categories
Gadgets Microsoft

Microsoft Xbox Live TV Launch Soon?

Microsoft may be in talks with former President of News Corp., Peter Chernin to launch a television channel exclusively for customers of their popular gaming console, Xbox. The discussions held between the two parties on April 12 worked out strategies to bring new original shows and reruns to the predominantly young male customers of Xbox.

According to reports on Bloomberg, the offering could be done in association with an increase of $1 or $2 in the monthly fee that gamers pay to Xbox Live. This could be a new way to monetize television content from viewers watching films and TV shows over the web.

Peter Chernin’s publicist however responded vaguely to the rumors saying, “Peter is talking to lots of people about lots of ideas in the digital space

[via Bloomberg]

Categories
Apple Gadgets Microsoft

Security Issues : Microsoft Vs. Apple

Apple has always claimed that their computers are more secure than Microsoft’s. Naysayers have always cringed over such statements calling it a marketing strategy.

However, in a recent interview, the hacking wunderkid of yesteryears, Marc Maiffret, now a security guru has rubbished Apple’s claims saying Apple’s systems have always been more prone to security issues than Microsoft’s. He says,

“Oh yeah. It’s even a little scarier with them because they try to market themselves as more secure than the PC, that you don’t have to worry about viruses, etc. Anytime there’s been a hacking contest, within a few hours someone’s found a new Apple vulnerability. If they were taking it seriously, they wouldn’t claim to be more secure than Microsoft because they are very much not. And the Apple community is pretty ignorant to the risks that are out there as it relates to Apple. The reason we don’t see more attacks out there compared to Microsoft is because their market share isn’t near what Microsoft’s is.”

However Marc has conceded that the Cupertino based company has taken a relook at the security as it has a potential to affect business. A case in point is the recent hiring of Window Snyder who had previously worked on security at Microsoft.

While this is a positive sign, Marc’s arguments are still note-worthy that Microsoft products are more secure than Apple’s at the moment.

[via CNET]

Categories
Gadgets Microsoft

Zune HD 64GB Price And Features Announced

The built in storage space on the Zune HD has now officially doubled. Microsoft announced the launch of the new 64GB Zune HD that will bring 20 hours of high definition video or 16,000 four minute songs to your pocket and streams at an impressive 128 bit rate.

Features wise, Zune HD 64GB is pretty much the same as other Zune HD devices. It includes a 3.3 inch OLED touch screen, NVIDIA Tegra chip and can connect via 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. The device weighs 74 grams or 0.16 pounds.

And the price? Zune HD 64GB retails at a price of $349.99 from the online Zune store. The 16GB and 32GB models of the device are available at $199.99 and $269.99 respectively.

[via Zunes Store]

Categories
Gadgets Microsoft

Microsoft TV Recommendation Engine

Microsoft TV is a small segment of the Redmond based company that develops software products for the television industry. This includes UltimateTV, a DirecTV receiver and IPTV edition.

In a recent patent filed at the USPTO, Microsoft has sought to bolster its product offerings with an interesting recommendation engine. Inspired by the recommendation algorithm incorporated on websites like YouTube, Microsoft TV’s recommendation engine will recommend TV shows, movies based on user interests as well as the program’s functional value.

Microsoft notes,

“Viewers have an ever-increasing selection of media content to choose from, such as television programming, movies, videos, and music that is available for selection and viewing. Given the large volume of the various types of media content to choose from, viewers may want recommendations for movies and television programs provided to them that not only may be of interest, but recommendations that are useful.”

The algorithm is pretty similar to how it works online. The system records the TV shows the user watches and clubs it along with other users watching the same TV show. By clustering groups of people based on their viewing interests, the system will be able to recommend new TV shows or movies that you may have not watched.

TV Movies Recommendation Engine