Try for a Windows Phone, but It’s Still Clunky

By BOB TEDESCHI

If you’ve never heard of a Windows Mobile phone, or never particularly cared what kind of software runs on your phone, prepare yourself. In the coming months, Microsoft will release a steady drumbeat of ads intended to make you want a device powered by its software.

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Should you care? Probably. Should you make a Windows phone your priority? Not necessarily.

If you already have a phone that runs Windows Mobile and want to upgrade, the new 6.5 version will improve your life slightly. Otherwise, other mobile phones are probably a better bet.

Windows phones have been around for years, mostly competing with BlackBerrys for the allegiance of business users. But while BlackBerry crossed over into the consumer realm with more user-friendly phones, Windows Mobile remained in its corporate cube, because of devices that could be so frustrating to use that few people would choose one without a corporate mandate.

For much of the last year, Microsoft has been saying that its new mobile software upgrade would significantly simplify the user experience. And the upgrade does simplify things, but not much.

Instead of poking around with a stylus, Windows now features icons that are big enough to hit with your fingertip. That helps you navigate the phone’s software menu and interact with various programs, but when it comes to the one application smartphone owners use the most — Web browsing — it falls far short.

Sure, Windows 6.5 supports Adobe Flash technology, so you can watch videos on more Web sites than you would on an iPhone, which cannot use Flash. But unlike the iPhone or the Palm Pre, a Windows phone still lacks a multitouch screen, so you can’t pinch and pull the display to a chosen size. Instead, you press buttons and sliders in a scheme that sorely lacks precision.

A Microsoft executive, Greg Sullivan, said that in company tests, users were able to complete tasks more easily on its new software than on any other mobile browser. Using a new Toshiba TGO1 phone that Microsoft sent me, I tried to log into my Gmail account for five minutes and failed.

Likewise, instead of simply connecting you to a free Wi-Fi hot spot, Windows forces you into a three-step decision tree that would make a technician’s heart sing, but would strike fear into the heart of just about anyone else who just wants to log on. (Quick: what’s your phone’s “EAP Type?”)

I also tested a new HTC Pure ($150 after a $50 rebate and a two-year contract), an AT&T Windows Mobile 6.5 device. It was slicker than the Toshiba, because HTC has, like some other hardware manufacturers, customized Windows Mobile with its own interface.

HTC’s “TouchFlo” software gives you an optional home screen for quick checks on weather, messages and the like. It’s helpful, sure, but the core flaws of the Windows software remain.

Perhaps the biggest difference between an old Windows device and one running version 6.5 is the app store, which is available only to those with new phones. (Each major carrier has at least one.)

The Windows Mobile Marketplace has only around 350 apps to start, which is a bit of a shock, since there are more than 20,000 Windows Mobile apps available online. More should come to the Marketplace fairly quickly, but it has much ground to make up on BlackBerry (3,000 apps), Google’s Android software (around 10,000 apps) and, of course, Apple (85,000 apps).

Unlike competing app stores, the Marketplace doesn’t yet have a Web site, so you can browse apps only on your phone. Still, the lineup of apps includes some well-known offerings for a fee, like Pac-Man ($7) and Scrabble ($8), as well as the usual complement of free social networking apps, like Facebook and MySpace.

One other benefit to owning a Windows phone is the My Phone service. For no charge, My Phone automatically stores your phone’s content on a password-protected Web site. From there, you can more easily post photos to your social network accounts or manage contact lists, for instance.

You can also retrieve all that critical data if your phone somehow is wiped clear in a major system crash, like the one this month that deleted all the data from T-Mobile’s Sidekick devices. That data had been stored on the servers of Danger, a business owned by — drumroll please — Microsoft.

Mr. Sullivan said the My Phone service was operated on Microsoft’s internal servers, rather than those of an affiliated Microsoft company, and was therefore as reliable as the company’s Hotmail system.

For many, the My Phone service will be most valuable when they lose their phone. For $5, Microsoft will give you a week and a handful of tools to find or lock your device. Even if the phone was set to vibrate, for instance, My Phone will force it to ring.

Here, Microsoft throws its longtime users a bone. The My Phone service is available even to those with the previous two versions of Windows Mobile.

Speaking of which: if I were an existing Windows Mobile user, I would consider buying a new 6.5 device, but only with a one-year contract.

The device would cost more, but I would at least put myself in a better position to upgrade to Windows Mobile 7.0, which may appear next year, and will, I hope, include enough improvements to make the Windows logo a more meaningful feature on a phone.

Quick Calls

Jabra, a mobile audio specialist, has unveiled a new headset, the Stone. It has no forward-pointing microphone boom, so it’s much stealthier than competing headsets, and the microphone still picks up your voice fairly well. The carrying case doubles as a portable charger ($130, at att.com, starting Nov. 8). ... Let’s Talk, an online mobile phone retailer, recently began offering Future Proof, a free service that guarantees to buy back your phone for a predetermined price, in case you want to upgrade to the next great thing. ... TED Talks, the lectures from the well-known TED Conference, are now available on Google Android phones (the Mother TED app), free. On iPhones, look for the TED app.

Deals Hint at Revenue for Twitter

By MIGUEL HELFT and CLAIRE CAIN MILLER

SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter gets 55 million monthly visitors, it has raised $155 million in venture capital, and it has generated intense interest from Hollywood to Iran. But it hasn’t earned much revenue and certainly no profit.

KIM WHITE/REUTERS

Twitter's chief, Evan Williams, said it would fit his company's open strategy to let both Google and Microsoft search posts.

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Back-to-back deals on Wednesday to make the company’s steady stream of posts available to Microsoft and Google’s search engines may point to a potential new source of cash. How large, however, is not known. The terms of the deals were not disclosed and Evan Williams, Twitter’s chief executive, said in an interview that revenue was “not the focus of the deals.”

Microsoft said it did not plan to put ads on its Twitter search service for now, and Google said ads might appear at a later date.

The deals represent the latest evidence of the intense interest in what is known as the real-time Web — the constant stream of posts and updates on Twitter, Facebook and similar services. Unlike traditional Web pages and blogs, that real-time information has not been easily integrated by search engines.

Microsoft has already included Twitter data in a service of its search engine, Bing. It demonstrated the service at Web 2.0, a technology conference in San Francisco. Google said that it would offer a similar feature soon.

The deals are not exclusive and fit into Twitter’s approach to doing business, Mr. Williams said. He raised the possibility of reaching similar agreements with other companies.

“A core of our philosophy has always been that Twitter is a distributed network and there’s multiple in points and out points that serve different users and different uses,” Mr. Williams said.

Unlike most Web companies, which seek to drive users to their Web sites, Twitter has said it does not care whether users see it through third-party applications on phones or computers or through sites like Bing.

“It’s ‘let a thousand flowers bloom,’ ” Mr. Williams said. “Other folks will attack the problem differently and present it in a different context that makes sense for different use cases.”

On Wednesday, Microsoft also said that it had reached a separate agreement to soon include status updates from Facebook in Bing, but it gave few details of what that service would look like.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, said that only status updates that were public would be shared with Microsoft.

Several search startups, including Twitter itself, have search services tailored to uncover Twitter posts and other “real-time” data. But none has yet figured out how to mine the most relevant results in the way companies like Google have for Web search, Mr. Williams said.

Twitter has experimented with one way to do it, showing users which topics people are most actively talking about on the site.

Bing will experiment with different approaches to show users the most relevant results by filtering out duplicates and trying to rank posts in order of importance based on who their authors are and other factors.

“We are bringing you the best of real time right into the Web results,” said Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president for Microsoft’s online audience business group, who demonstrated the service at the conference.

For now, Bing users interested in searching Twitter will use a separate service, at bing.com/twitter. Eventually, the company plans to further integrate Twitter search into Bing.

Google plans to offer a dedicated service to search Twitter and to blend Twitter posts into its main search results.

Marissa Mayer, Google’s vice president for search and user experience, said that access to Twitter’s trove of real-time data would “improve our relevance, our comprehensiveness and our quality.”

Brad Stone contributed reporting.

Microsoft co-founder sues everyone but Microsoft and Amazon

Old boy ties hard to break

By Lawrence Latif

Mon Aug 30 2010, 14:28

MICROSOFT CO-FOUNDER Paul Allen has decided to wage a legal battle against just about everyone by claiming patent infringement against a number of the Internet's biggest names.

The saga revolves around a company that Allen founded in 1992, Interval Research. Now little more than a patent holding outfit, Interval has alleged that AOL, Apple, Ebay, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Office Depot, Officemax, Staples, Yahoo and Youtube are all using up to four of its patented inventions without licences.

Allen invested tens of millions into the outfit some years ago and it employed some notable researchers to come up with ideas that one day might be profitable. Interval filed many seemingly wide ranging patents which it now says are "key processes in e-commerce".

Allen has left Microsoft out of the complaint that claims patent infringements which, according to Allen's spokesman, relate to "key pieces of the Internet". Most of the defendants named are e-commerce firms, but perhaps the largest e-commerce company, Amazon, is not among them. However, like Microsoft, Amazon is headquartered in Paul Allen's home town of Seattle, Washington.

It's not surprising that many of the companies named in the lawsuit have already said that they will defend themselves against Interval's lawsuit. Equally unsurprising is the fact that many are claiming that Interval, a firm that for all intents and purposes ceased to exist a decade ago, is simply being a patent troll.

According to PatentlyO, the patents are well drafted though that may not be enough for Allen to succeed. The patents have been described as extremely broad and quite vague. Legal arguments are also likely to focus on whether the inventions were blindingly obvious when the patents were filed. Apparently there are also some questions about how, exactly, the defendants are infringing the patents. Then there's the question, why did Interval wait until now to file suit? For many years now it has had ample time to sue these companies while the economy was in far better shape than it is today.

Over its active lifetime, Interval managed to amass about 300 patents. The firm was even referenced in Sergey Brin and Larry Page's research thesis in which the pair presented the ideas that turned into Google. At this point it is not known whether this will hurt Google's chances to wriggle out of Allen's lawsuit.

In reality, Interval might be angling for some sort of settlement from one of the firms it has accused of patent infringement. Should any single firm cave in, Interval's allegations will gain credence and help it gain traction against the others. Its actions could galvanise some of the Internet's biggest rivals to circle the wagons in order to safeguard their own revenues.

One also must wonder if Microsoft's exclusion is a sign of how little the firm has achieved on the Internet or whether Allen is just protecting his investment by managing not to, in effect, sue himself. But then, too, that might bring up antitrust questions.

It's not at all clear what is going on here, but whatever it is, it looks like it's going to drag through the courts for a long time. µ

Microsoft raises price of admission to Xbox Live

SAN FRANCISCO — Microsoft on Monday announced it is raising the price of admission to its Xbox Live online community where people can play videogames or watch movies using Xbox 360 consoles.

The cost for a full-access Xbox Live Gold one-year subscription will jump 10 dollars to 60 dollars in the United States in November, according to Microsoft.

Monthly subscriptions in Britain and Canada will increase to six British pounds and 10 Canadian dollars respectively while the prices of annual subscriptions will not change.

Year-long Xbox Live Gold membership in Mexico will climb 100 pesos to 599 pesos.

Xbox Live subscription prices are not set to change in the more than 20 other countries or territories where the service is offered, according to Microsoft.

"Since launching Xbox Live in 2002 we have continually added more content and entertainment experiences for our members, while keeping the price the same," Microsoft said in a blog post.

Live has been growing from an arena where Xbox 360 users can play with or against each other online to a venue for online social networking, television shows, movies and music.

"Prices didn't need an increase they were fine," an Xbox Live member with the on-screen name xTye said in a Microsoft chat forum about the price hikes. "Don't you guys make enough money?"

Microsoft ready to woo mobile users

Lia Timson

August 31, 2010

Clean slate ... Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer unveiled the Windows phone in October last year with the first handsets due before year's end. Photo: AFP

Windows Phone 7 has been designed from scratch to take on its competitors, writes Lia Timson.

Microsoft has demonstrated the first working models of what it hopes will be its iPhone-killing smartphone. The company showed handsets from Samsung, HTC and LG loaded with the new Windows Phone 7 operating system at its Tech.Ed conference on the Gold Coast last week.

It replaces Windows Mobile, which was used widely by large companies but failed to capture the imagination of consumers and small businesses.

The company has been criticised for taking too long to rise to the challenge thrown down by the Apple iPhone and new Android smartphones, in the process forgoing the lucrative consumer market and losing popularity among business customers, who took to the app craze because it offered quick solutions to business problems.

So the old operating system - its latest incarnation is WM6.5 - was dumped for being too complicated, ill-suited to application developers and too distant from the intuitive interface now expected of mobile phones and the platform was redesigned from scratch.

It is now much more user friendly, borrowing features from the iPhone, Android models and HTC's Sense software to try to go one step ahead.

Instead of icons, the phone has square "tiles" to display basic functions and group multimedia, social networking, games and Office on the home screen.

Three main tiles telegraph how many emails, text messages and phone calls have been missed or received. Flickering photo tiles aggregate the picture, music, contact and Xbox "hubs" - these are virtual doors to further destinations on the phone.

There's also a tile for Microsoft's Marketplace, which is where users will go to download apps.

The capacitive touchscreen can be swiped up and down and from side to side to reveal more tiles and to expand the hubs.

The contact book integrates with email, text and social posts so the user can see what their contacts have been up to. The operating system promises to integrate well with Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint and Windows Office - a plus for those tied up with the software giant's systems at work.

Telstra, one of Microsoft's launch partners, used the event to reveal its first WP7 app, called TelstraOne Hub. Through its own tile on the home screen, it will give users breaking news, sports and weather without the need to search or refresh a web page. It will be available as part of the carrier's unmetered content, meaning customers on the Telstra network will continue to access its services, including the Trading Post and Sensis, for free.

Fairfax, the publisher of this newspaper, also demonstrated a Domain app tailored to the new system. They are the first of many apps expected to pre-populate WP7 handsets when they hit Australian stores later this year.

The general manager of device management and operations for Telstra, David Powell, says the carrier was pleased with the performance of WP7 so far. "It's really compelling," he says. "You'll be literally playing with the phone and things will be happening."

The director of mobility products for Telstra, Richard Fink, says WP7 will compete strongly despite the proliferation of mobile operating systems and the popularity of BlackBerrys and iPhones among business customers. "I think it will compete very well," Fink says. "We want everyone to be strong: Microsoft, Apple, RIM and Android. We think Microsoft is back in the game."

Consistency will rule

At first, all Windows Phone 7 (WP7) handsets will look alike, regardless of manufacturer. Microsoft has taken a leaf out of Apple's book and wants to ensure consistency across models, in an effort to control the user experience.

In the first wave of releases, all phones will have a large capacitive touchscreen and only three hardware buttons on the front: a Windows button, which returns the user to the home screen, a back and a search button. A five-megapixel camera, GPS, accelerometer and memory specifications will also be a minimum standard. The manufacturers will not be allowed to overlay their user interface on the phone as has happened previously with some models.

They will only be able to add their brand to tiles on the home screen or hardware upgrades.

"Having a consistent device out there makes a huge difference to the user experience," says a developer evangelist at Microsoft Australia, Dave Glover.

Lia Timson travelled to Tech.Ed 2010 as a guest of Microsoft.

Microsoft Statement on Proposed Acquisition of DoubleClick by Google

Microsoft has released a statement from Senior Vice President and General Counsel Brad Smith on the proposed acquisition of DoubleClick by Google.

REDMOND, Wash., April 15, 2007 – Microsoft has released the following statement by Brad Smith, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Microsoft Corporation, on the proposed acquisition of DoubleClick by Google:

“This proposed acquisition raises serious competition and privacy concerns in that it gives the Google DoubleClick combination unprecedented control in the delivery of online advertising, and access to a huge amount of consumer information by tracking what customers do online. We think this merger deserves close scrutiny from regulatory authorities to ensure a competitive online advertising market.”

Microsoft Statement on Filing of Response to the European Commission's Statement of Objections on Protocol Pricing

Microsoft confirmed that it has submitted today its response to the European Commission’s Statement of Objections of March 1, 2007 concerning the pricing of licenses for the Workgroup Server Protocol Program.

BRUSSELS, April 23, 2007 — Microsoft confirmed that it has submitted today its response to the European Commission’s Statement of Objections (SO) of March 1, 2007 concerning the pricing of licenses for the Workgroup Server Protocol Program (WSPP).

The WSPP was created to comply with the Commission’s March 2004 decision. The decision ordered Microsoft to make its Windows Server protocol technologies available on “reasonable and non-discriminatory” terms. The current issue focuses on what Microsoft’s prices must be in order to qualify as “reasonable”.

Microsoft also confirmed that it was not requesting an oral hearing relating to the Statement of Objections. Brad Smith, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Microsoft Corporation, said: “We continue to seek to resolve these recent issues. We need greater clarity on what prices the Commission wants us to charge, and we believe that is more likely to come from a constructive conversation than from a formal hearing.”

Interop Las Vegas 2007

Interop Las Vegas
May 20–25, 2007
Mandalay Bay Convention Center
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89119
http://www.interop.com/lasvegas

Imagine Cup 2007

As the world’s premier student technology competition, Imagine Cup is one way Microsoft Corp. is encouraging young people to apply their imagination, their passion and their creativity to technology innovations that can make a difference in the world – today. The Imagine Cup, now in its fifth year, is an example of Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential commitment to create social and economic opportunity through programs and products that transform education, foster local innovation, and enable jobs and opportunities worldwide. More than 100,000 students from over 100 countries entered the 2007 competition.

This year, Microsoft is calling on young programmers, artists and technologists around the world to “Imagine a world where technology enables a better education for all.” The company is challenging students to bring their ideas to life in a multifaceted competition composed of nine categories, each catering to a different technological or artistic affinity. Students’ work reflects valuable, real-world solutions and gives them the opportunity to compete for cash prizes. When coupled with the power of technology, the potential of young people is unlimited, and the ideas they develop for Imagine Cup could significantly improve the lives of millions of people around the world.

The 2007 Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals will be held in Seoul, South Korea, from Aug. 5-11, 2007. The 112 teams of finalists from all over the world are expected to travel to Seoul to compete.The projects created and owned by Imagine Cup teams – from software design to short films – express creativity, innovation and real-world applicability.

On June 26, the winning student teams from 10 regional finals – Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, North America, Poland and the United Kingdom – visited Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Wash., to share their software applications with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie, Corporate Vice President Sanjay Parthasarathy and Corporate Vice President S. Somasegar.

Microsoft to Acquire Parlano

Microsoft strengthens unified communications portfolio with leading enterprise group chat provider.

REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 30, 2007 — Today Microsoft Corp. announced it has agreed to acquire Chicago-based Parlano, maker of MindAlign, a leading application for enterprise group chat. Microsoft expects to add Parlano’s group chat functionality as a new feature of Microsoft^® Office Communications Server and Microsoft Office Communicator, Microsoft’s server and client software for presence, instant messaging, conferencing and VoIP.

“Parlano has been successful in meeting the rigorous communications needs of companies in financial services and other vertical markets,” said Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president of the Unified Communications Group at Microsoft. “Parlano’s expertise and technology, added to Microsoft’s unified communications offering, will deliver customers the most complete presence, instant messaging and group chat solution on the market.”

Founded in 2000, Parlano offers group chat technology that enables people to carry on topic-specific, multiparty instant messaging discussions that persist over time. Parlano’s software is used by companies in a variety of industries, including financial services, call centers and technology, to conduct ongoing business-critical conversations.

“Parlano has helped many organizations enhance operations, improve service delivery and increase sales through more effective ongoing group communication, collaboration and knowledge sharing,” said Nick Fera, chairman and chief executive officer of Parlano. “The resulting competitive advantage will be further enhanced as we bring Parlano technology together with Microsoft Office Communications Server and Office Communicator.”

Because Microsoft’s unified communications technologies are based on standards and open protocols, Parlano has been able to create its technology architecture from the ground up to integrate with Microsoft’s unified communications offerings. Currently, Parlano’s MindAlign application integrates with Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 and Office Communications Server 2007.

After the deal closes, Microsoft will add the group chat functionality to Office Communications Server and Office Communicator, and plans to offer group chat as part of the standard client access license for Office Communications Server 2007 Software Assurance customers. Current Parlano customers, many of whom already use Microsoft unified communications software, will have increased access to the breadth of Microsoft unified communications software.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not announced. The deal is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2007. Following the closing of the acquisition, members of the Parlano team are expected to join the Unified Communications Group at Microsoft’s Redmond, Wash., campus. Parlano is a privately held company and was represented by Revolution Partners and Bell, Boyd & Lloyd LLP.

About Parlano

Parlano is a leading provider of persistent group chat solutions. Parlano’s MindAlign solutions deliver instant, intelligent and persistent group and topic-based messaging to securely connect employees, customers and partners with the right people, information and context to execute business processes more efficiently. Some of the largest companies in the world rely on Parlano to utilize group chat as a strategic business tool. Backed by Longworth Venture Partners and Oak Investment Partners, Parlano supports its customers and partners from its worldwide headquarters in Chicago, Illinois and EMEA headquarters in London.

Microsoft’s Evolving Approach to Servicing the Windows Platform

Q&A: Jon DeVaan, senior vice president of the Windows Core Operating System division at Microsoft, discusses the company's plans for the first service pack of Windows Vista.

REDMOND, Wash, Aug. 29, 2007 – Microsoft today shared details on its plans for the first service pack of Windows Vista, including a timeline for its release. To learn more, PressPass spoke with Jon DeVaan, Senior Vice President of the Windows Core Operating System division at Microsoft.

PressPass: There has been a lot of speculation around the first service pack for Windows Vista. When will it ship, and why are you just now sharing information on Windows Vista SP1?

Jon DeVaan, Microsoft Senior Vice President, Windows Core Operating System Division

DeVaan: We’re targeting the first quarter of 2008, but the exact date really depends on feedback we receive from testers and the work we put into making sure we understand the feedback we receive. We’re making a beta available to more than 10,000 people in the next few weeks – that’s a critical step for us on the road to release, and we’re looking forward to the feedback we’ll get.

As for the speculation, I think it’s the result of us erring on the side of being more careful about when we communicate release information. Based on what customers and partners have told us, we know that providing timely guidance on release plans is important, but that it’s equally important for us to provide more accurate guidance that they can be confident in as they build their own plans. For Windows Vista SP1, that’s meant waiting until we had a higher-level of certainty in our plan, including what was going into it and when we could reasonably expect to meet the quality bar, to share information broadly. Finding the right balance between communicating earlier and more often versus later and more precisely is something we’ll continue to refine by listening to our customers.

PressPass: Isn’t that a long time between Windows Vista RTM (or “gold code”) and the release of first service pack, at least compared with past versions of Windows?

DeVaan: It will be a little longer than it was for Windows 2000 or Windows XP, but when you look at all the other methods we have outside of the service pack itself to service Windows, I think it’s fair to say that we’re actually getting fixes, improvements and updates into the hands of customers faster than ever before. In fact, the use of the term “gold code” is somewhat of an anachronism in an environment where we have product feedback mechanisms available to us that help us continuously identify and diagnose real-world software issues and the update mechanisms in place to regularly deliver fixes for those issues to hundreds of millions of customers. We think like most major software projects, Windows Vista was designed to improve continuously from the time it is purchased.

Let me give you a few examples of the different ways we service Windows today. For enterprise customers, we work closely with them, through our Premier Customer Service organization, on diagnosing and analyzing specific issues that arise during their deployments or use of Windows Vista. Then, as a result, we develop ‘hot fixes’ – single downloads containing one or more files that address a very specific element of feedback – and make them available through our managed support channels. For home users, we offer the Windows Update service, which customers can opt-into to receive the most significant updates, including security updates, as they become available. For OEMs and system builders, we have been working to deliver important updates to them that support issues discovered with new hardware, and already have delivered a number of important updates – such as updated USB support – which benefit new PCs based on new hardware.

All of these updates also are designed to be included in the next available service pack. That means that Windows Vista SP1 will include all the product changes from all channels, in addition to other improvements. The upside here is that the overall Windows experience is consistently improving over time, and customers have a choice as to how to receive those improvements. Some customers will want to use the more efficient, incremental servicing mechanisms like Windows Update or, for enterprises, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), and others will prefer to get all fixes in a single service pack that can be rolled out in a managed deployment. It’s a matter of choice for the customer.

PressPass: How do you know and decide what gets fixed for a service pack?

DeVaan: We are constantly monitoring the quality of users’ experience through Windows Vista’s built-in, automated feedback systems, such as the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) and Windows Error Reporting (WER). These are systems that customers anonymously and privately participate in via an explicit opt-in choice. Through the data we get back, we can identify, diagnose and then repair the most detrimental and prevalent problems users encounter.

Our primary focus after launch became addressing ecosystem compatibility issues that the data showed had adversely impacted some users’ Windows Vista experience. For example, when consumers see a “Device Not Found” message or the systems report back that a device failed to install, we can prioritize getting the needed drivers available on Windows Update or up on the hardware vendor’s Web site. As a result, our driver coverage went from 1.4 million in January to more than 2.2 million today. We also work directly with our partners to improve overall driver quality. We are able to see which drivers are causing system crashes or contributing to hangs and other performance problems, and then work across the ecosystem to bring solutions to market via Windows Update.

PressPass: So what changes should we expect to see in Windows Vista SP1?

DeVaan: I should start by saying that one thing people shouldn’t expect to see is new features, although some existing components and features will be enhanced. For example, we’ve added support in BitLocker Drive Encryption for encrypting multiple volumes on the PC, and have improved printer management by simplifying printing to a local printer from within a Terminal Server session. Service packs typically are not vehicles for new features, and the same will be true with Windows Vista SP1.

Windows Vista SP1 will contain changes focused on addressing feedback from our customers across a number of areas. In addition to all the fixes delivered via other channels like Windows Update, Windows Vista SP1 will address specific reliability and performance issues that have been discussed on many self-help forums, such as copying files and shutdown time. It will support new types of hardware and emerging standards, like EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) and ExFat (a new file format that will be used in flash memory storage and consumer devices). It will also include some management, deployment, and support improvements, such as adding the ability to detect and correct common file sharing problems to Network Diagnostics. Windows Vista SP1 also will include Secure Development Lifecycle process updates, where we identify the root cause of each security bulletin and improve our internal tools to eliminate code patterns that could lead to future vulnerabilities.

As we’ve done in the past, we will document all of the changes through our support.microsoft.com site in a Knowledge Base article, which will be available around the time the beta is released.

PressPass: What about security improvements in Windows Vista SP1?

DeVaan: Windows Vista continues to be the most secure version of Windows ever. For instance, we can know from a recent vulnerability reports comparison that Windows Vista had 50 percent fewer critical vulnerabilities than XP SP2 and far fewer critical vulnerabilities than other competing operating systems in their first respective 180 days after release. We have addressed any known vulnerabilities in the appropriate manner and those changes will be in Windows Vista SP1 as well. At the same time, we are always looking at the proactive work we can do to improve the product before we receive reports of potential vulnerabilities. We have invested significantly in tools, training and techniques to improve the security of our software. We are constantly looking for and learning about new means of improving security, as well as new ways software is being pushed by those wishing to do harm. Using these learnings, we improve our tools, which we then use to analyze and proactively continue to harden Windows Vista.

Windows Vista SP1 will contain a significant number of code changes focused on the ongoing work to continue making Windows Vista the most secure operating system available. We are being proactive -- these code changes do not represent vulnerabilities, rather they are coding practices that we continue to hone and improve in the ongoing race against escalating and evolving security threats.

PressPass: You’ve talked about changes to Windows Vista code itself, but what about compatibility with third party software? Will Windows Vista SP1 improve application compatibility?

DeVaan: When we built Windows Vista, the changes necessary to make it more secure did cause some application compatibility challenges, but we think it was a worthwhile trade-off, particularly as hacking activity gravitates toward organized crime that is intent on stealing credit card data or stealing enterprise trade secrets. Bearing that in mind, it is also worth pointing out that Windows Vista was tested with thousands and thousands of applications, the majority of which are perfectly compatible, and that the number of applications carrying the Windows Vista logo, which assures a good experience, recently passed 2,100 and continues to grow every day. Also, we are continually working with ISVs to provide updates that make more of their software compatible with Windows Vista.

One of our top priorities for Windows Vista SP1 is to avoid causing regressions in application compatibility, as we know that’s very important to our customers using Windows Vista today. Also, Windows Vista SP1 will provide some fixes for application compatibility, but by and large we are sticking with the promise we made of first delivering superior security to end users, and we won’t make any changes in Windows Vista SP1 that compromise that for the sake of better compatibility.

PressPass: It sounds like a lot is changing. Is this a sizeable update for Windows Vista?

DeVaan: It’s true that at first glance it will look like a lot is changing, and it’s true that there are thousands of files being changed to varying degrees in Windows Vista SP1. However, the first measure of “size” most people will encounter will likely be the download of Windows Vista SP1 through Windows Update or Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), which we predict will be about 50 MB. The second measure of size will be the free disk space requirement for installing Windows Vista SP1, which is currently around 7 GB for the beta, although we will be working to bring this down for the final version as we optimize the servicing algorithms used.

IT Professionals not using distribution tools like WSUS will work with the “stand-alone” image of Windows Vista SP1. This image will be considerably larger than the download, at about a gigabyte in the beta, but it’s large with good reasons. This package includes all of the localized language resources for 36 languages, so that companies with worldwide install images have all the files they need in one place. Also, this image utilizes servicing algorithms that update all files of an operating system component, even if only one of the files has changed, which increases the size of the image but allows IT Pros to service their images in any order they chose without worrying about creating inconsistent system states across their organization. Finally, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 share the same code base, and we are choosing to unify the servicing between the two in order to simplify the long-term maintenance process and lower support costs for customers. To do this, we’re changing the files necessary to align the servicing components, which contributes to the larger size of the stand-alone image.

PressPass: Will customers see an improvement immediately after installing Windows Vista SP1? Should they wait for Windows Vista SP1 to move to Windows Vista?

DeVaan: We think Windows Vista is one of the best versions of Windows we’ve ever released, and, just like with past Windows releases, the servicing model is about continuously improving the quality of the code after it is released and keeping up with an evolving PC ecosystem. While it’s likely customers will experience some improvements when updating the RTM version of Windows Vista with Windows Vista SP1, many of the improvements will be available prior to the release of the service pack through the other vehicles I’ve mentioned, and we think that Windows Vista is an operating system that offers great benefits today for everyone from home users to large enterprises.

Microsoft Protocol Program Extends Interoperability for Developers

Company announces agreements that will deliver enhanced interoperability and seamless integration.

REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 27, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has signed several Microsoft Communications Protocol Program (MCPP) licensing agreements with industry leaders such as Aruba Networks Inc., BalaBit IT Security and Secure Computing Corp. under the U.S. protocol program.

The MCPP has been designed to answer software application developers’ need to interoperate with Microsoft^® Windows^® server and client environments as well as meet regulatory requirements.

“The MCPP, while recognizing what is expected of us by U.S. government standards, is a structured approach that will enable our customers to enhance their overall IT ecosystem,” said Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the Server and Tools Business at Microsoft. “Our responsibility is to provide customers and partners like Aruba Networks, BalaBit and Secure Computing with information, tools and support that facilitate interoperability with Windows.”

Aruba Networks, BalaBit and Secure Computing signed the MCPP licensing agreements, which makes available Windows client-to-server protocols used to communicate between Windows client and server operating systems.

“The innovative solutions we built using Windows client-to-server protocols were made possible by our ready access to technology and documentation as an MCPP licensee, as well as our close alliance with Microsoft,” said Michael Tennefoss, head of strategic marketing at Aruba Networks.

BalaBit, an Internet security company specializing in application layer proxying, licensed MCPP for audit and control restricted protocols. With its MCPP license, BalaBit plans to enhance its technology for Remote Desktop Protocols (RDP), which can now make RDP’s services available for Windows-based servers as well. The RDP is used by remote desktop clients to connect to Windows Server^® Terminal Services, and it allows the client to remotely display presentation data and access licensing information, serial devices, and other desktop remote functions from the Windows Server.

“The control of encrypted remote server management protocols is a new, extremely fast-growing market segment, and we want to keep our leading position in it,” said Marton Illes, development manager at BalaBit. “We expect that our MCPP license will help us expand our business and make our products interoperable with Windows Server.”

Microsoft’s Commitment to Licensing Technology

These licensing agreements demonstrate the important role licensing intellectual property (IP) plays in ensuring a healthy and vibrant IT ecosystem. Since Microsoft launched its IP licensing program in December 2003, the company has entered into more than 200 licensing agreements and continues to develop programs that make it possible for customers, partners and competitors to access its Microsoft Protocol Licensing Programs. The IP licensing program was developed to expedite access to Microsoft’s significant research and development investments and its growing, rich patent and IP portfolio. More information about Microsoft’s protocol licensing programs is available at http://www.microsoft.com/protocols.

Microsoft Continues to Expand Hurricane Relief Efforts with Help for Small Businesses

In conjunction with the second anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Microsoft has teamed up with the state of Louisiana and Louisiana Small Business Development Center to provide small businesses affected by the storms payment assistance for Microsoft software.

NEW ORLEANS, La., Aug. 27, 2007 — In the weeks and months after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast, Microsoft was among the many companies that rallied to help victims and provide dedicated support to the rebuilding of New Orleans and other flood-ravaged areas along the Gulf Coast. Among those impacted by the travesty were more than 125,000 small- and mid-sized businesses.

Two years later, as the nation observes the second anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Microsoft’s efforts to help undo the damage continue by providing assistance to local small businesses. Today, at the 2007 Hope & Recovery Summit in New Orleans, Microsoft announced it will provide additional financial relief for small businesses affected by the natural disasters. Working with the state of Louisiana and the Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC), Microsoft will provide a year of licensing at no charge for Microsoft software purchased by affected small businesses. Those who have sought assistance through the LSBDC will be eligible for this benefit, which offers a financial break for entrepreneurs rebuilding and growing their business.

Software License Relief Program Eligibility To be eligible for the Software License Relief Program, small businesses must: • Have been in business prior to August 29, 2005, the date of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, or September 24, 2005, the date of Hurricane Rita; • Be based in one of the 19 federal disaster-designated Louisiana parishes; • Have fewer than 200 employees; • Have applied for small business assistance through at least one federal or state government program, though the application need not have been approved for aid; • Purchase a three-year Microsoft Open Value License for business software; • Submit first year invoice from software reseller to LSBDC (Microsoft pays for the first year upon verification of proof of qualifying purchase). The software licensing program is expected to launch in September, at which point more details of the program will be available.

“Microsoft was proud to play a role in helping the people of the Gulf Coast rebuild following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and we are committed to contributing to the ongoing community recovery efforts,” says Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. “In particular, we believe very strongly that small businesses are a vital engine of economic growth and opportunity, and we will continue to support small business owners in Louisiana as they work to rebuild and revive their communities.”

License Relief Program Benefits Large, Small Businesses

Small businesses affected by the hurricanes are eligible to qualify for the one-year licensing program at no charge, which is slated to begin in September. When they sign up for assistance through the LSBDC, they can purchase licenses for Microsoft software with payments spread over three years, including the popular Windows and Office products, through any authorized Microsoft reseller. Eligible business owners can then bring the first year’s invoice to any LSBDC for the first year’s amount to be paid for by Microsoft through its Open Value Licensing Program, allowing entrepreneurs the budget they need to get their business processes running again.

For the typical small business of 50 employees, with 25 PCs licensing Windows Vista and the 2007 Office system suite of programs, that year of licensing at no charge could save the organization as much as US$12,050.

Recognizing the significance of small businesses within local economic recovery, U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., worked with Microsoft and the LSBDC to put this software licensing program in place.

“This novel approach reflects just one good way big business can step up and use its might to help an entire region get back on its feet, and I commend and thank Microsoft for its leadership,” Landrieu says. “This is made even stronger by their smart partnership with Louisiana’s Small Business Development Centers, who under Mary Lynn Wilkerson’s leadership have been a tremendously helpful guiding hand to thousands of businesses working to recover.”

The Open Value program is designed for businesses who want predictable software costs and simplified license management. It enables an organization’s assets to grow with the business and also comes with Software Assurance, Microsoft’s comprehensive software maintenance program. Through Software Assurance, small businesses can gain access to a range of benefits designed to help them get back on their feet, including home-use licenses of Microsoft Office, deployment planning assistance, training for IT staff as well as end-users, access to phone and Web support, and cold back-up server licenses as they shore up their infrastructure against future disasters.

Although participating small businesses will be accountable for the remaining two years of payments, business owners can continue to take advantage of affordable and flexible plans. Microsoft Financing maps payments to a business’ specific situation and to how businesses use their solutions.

“Technology is critical to the success of a small business,” says Mary Lynn Wilkerson, state director of the LSBDC, a partnership program supported by the Small Business Administration, Louisiana Economic Development, and the host universities for the state’s nine service centers. “It allows Louisiana businesses to develop customers worldwide.”

The LSBDC offers business consulting at no charge and low-cost training for small business owners and potential owners statewide. In October, the LSBDC will offer business training on Microsoft products with topics ranging from e-commerce to small business accounting. Since Hurricane Katrina, LSBDC Greater New Orleans Region has counseled nearly 2,600 small business owners.

Continued Commitment to Gulf Coast Recovery

The Software License Relief Program builds on Microsoft’s previous support for the post-hurricane recovery efforts. Efforts and donations, large and small, began immediately after Katrina’s wrath subsided two years ago.

Microsoft and its employees got involved immediately, and many remained involved long after the storm waters receded. A prime example: KatrinaSafe.org, the online tool built by Microsoft that helped more than 340,000 displaced residents across Louisiana, Alabama, Texas and Mississippi to find and re-connect with their family and friends for flood victims. Microsoft continued making improvements to the tool after the 2005 hurricane season ended. Now, the Red Cross is equipped with a state-of-the-art tool ready for immediate deployment during hurricane seasons.

This Web site, now known as Safe and Well, enables people to search for information about family members or for survivors to post information about their location and physical condition, all in a manner that complies with privacy and child-protection laws. People are also able to register by phone if Internet access isn’t readily available.

In addition to its work on the Web site, Microsoft has helped the Red Cross and other partners improve their computer systems and other technology, both in their national headquarters and in their chapters.

More than $11 million in cash and technology donated by Microsoft during the first year after the hurricanes included donations to the American Red Cross, Governor’s Funds in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama, and America’s Second Harvest. Several months after the initial crisis, Microsoft continued to make investments of $1 million to organizations involved in the rebuilding the region and assisting evacuees.

In February, Ballmer announced an additional $1.7 million in grants to establish or rebuild community technology centers destroyed by Katrina, which are also considered key catalysts for the economic renewal of the region. By improving the technology skills of the local workforce, the company hopes to advance economic opportunities for individuals and the local communities. A $425,000 grant was made to the Greater New Orleans Economic Development Foundation to workforce IT skills training programs like those coordinated through Delgado Community College. Other grant recipients include the Joy Corporation, the Houston Urban League, Technology for All, Xavier University, the United Negro College Fund, and the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. Recipients receive cash, software and specialized curriculum developed by Microsoft.

The commitment and expertise of Microsoft employees, working in collaboration with the Red Cross, carried the day, says Microsoft CIO Ron Markezich: “Individuals and teams across the company devoted themselves to responding to Katrina, sometimes working through the night or involving friends and family to complete a project for the relief efforts.”

“Steps like these are more than just good corporate commitment to their communities, they are good business,” says Landrieu. “Microsoft has recognized that the businesses that survive disaster today are the successful customers of tomorrow. I hope their leadership inspires other companies to take similar proactive steps to help their customers rebuild their businesses when disaster strikes.”

Document Formats Survey Shows Growing Interest in XML-Based Standards

Interoperability and choice are key factors driving strong Open XML adoption in Europe and the U.S.

REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 27, 2007 — IT managers at large organizations are increasingly interested in employing XML-based standards, including Open XML, among their document standards, according to a study of U.S. and European organizations commissioned by Microsoft Corp. The results of the survey, which polled 200 government and private-sector organizations to better understand which factors drive adoption of open document standards, are available in an IDC white paper.

Survey respondents included key influencers as well as those charged with supporting document standards in 200 organizations (100 in the U.S. and 100 in Europe). Fifty organizations with more than 250 employees were selected from the public sector, another 50 from the commercial sector.

Functional approaches to standards adoption were evident in the survey results, with the majority of respondents citing interoperability between productivity tools, long-term archiving, and ease of transition from an existing base of documents to a new standard as the primary criteria used to evaluate organizationwide adoption of a given standard.

Other key takeaways from this research include the following:

•	Large organizations with diverse business needs prefer multiple document standards.
•	Although IT managers appear to strongly prefer a single standard to reduce cost and complexity of implementation, line-of-business managers closer to the daily needs of business support the desire for multiple document standards.
•	The standards Portable Document Format (PDF), Open XML and OpenDocument Format (ODF) are all in use today, with PDF viewed as the dominant standard and Open XML demonstrating “more traction in the market compared to other XML-based standards.”
•	Companies in Europe with an interest in Open XML expect to be piloting or fully deploying the standard a year from today. Those interested in ODF are more likely to be in the “consideration” phase rather than piloting or fully deploying it within that same time frame.

“Pragmatic business needs are clearly on top of mind when it comes to standards adoption, both within the public and private sector,” said Per Andersen, managing director of IDC Nordic. “The survey results reveal that multiple document standards are deployed today, and that companies see the transition of the existing base of documents as one of the most important criteria when selecting a document standard.”

“The survey validates that organizations evaluate and implement XML-based document formats based on a complex set of criteria,” said Jean Paoli, general manager of Interoperability and XML Architecture at Microsoft. “Although we are glad to see strong adoption of Open XML, we realize that individual organizational requirements vary, and interoperability remains critical. Therefore, we continue to promote the development of tools that offer customers a choice in which formats they can use.”

A full copy of the “Adoption of Document Standards” white paper is available for download at http://www.openxmlcommunity.org/momentum.aspx.

Media Alert: Microsoft Office Accounting and Microsoft Office Live Team Up With City of Miami to Help Students and Entrepreneurs

Free software giveaway, free Web site training to take place at the Economic Business Seminar as part of the ACCESS MIAMI initiative.

Who:Microsoft^® Office Accounting (http://www.ideawins.com), financial management software for small businesses, and Microsoft Office Live (http://www.officelive.com), a Web-based service for small businesses, are teaming up with the City of Miami to provide free Office Accounting Express software and Web site training for small businesses, college professionals and budding entrepreneurs during the Economic Business Seminar as part of the ACCESS MIAMI initiative.

According to a study by Bizjournals, Miami is one of the country’s five best markets for small businesses. However, small businesses often lack easy and affordable software to help them manage their finances and build an online presence.

Microsoft Office Accounting and Office Live are teaming with the City of Miami to help empower business success by equipping students and entrepreneurs with tools and training.

When: Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT

Spanish-speaking spokespeople will be available.

Best Photo Opportunity: Program starts at 9:30 a.m. with opening remarks from Mayor Manuel Diaz at 9:45 a.m.

Where: Jungle Island, Treetop Ballroom

1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami, FL 33132

Microsoft spokespeople will be located at booth 11.

Other: In addition to the free software giveaway on Aug. 28, Microsoft Office Accounting will provide the following:

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Free training to accountants on Aug. 29–30. Microsoft will provide free software training for accountants so they can in turn help the small-business community. Accountants can sign up in advance through Miami Dade College from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Economic Business Seminar or register through Microsoft at (425) 704-7300.

•

Free training provided to local colleges and universities. Microsoft will also enable Miami Dade College, University of Miami and Florida International University to teach the Microsoft curriculum on Office Accounting (“Mastering Office Accounting 2007”). The training offered by the universities is primarily directed at accountants and IT professionals, but may be taken by business owners or office managers as well. Those seeking more information should contact Microsoft at (425) 704-7300.

Background:

ACCESS MIAMI is Miami’s successful citywide integrated poverty reduction strategy. Under the leadership of Mayor Manuel Diaz, ACCESS MIAMI has united and coordinated city-based resources with those in the public, private and nonprofit sectors to provide tools, resources, education and long-term opportunities to directly meet the needs of families and remediate long-term poverty. The overarching endeavor, ELEVATE MIAMI, was recognized as a top local program at the 2007 United States Conference of Mayors annual meeting.

Additional Event Sponsors:

City of Miami Department of Economic Development, ACCION USA, Church World Service, Florida Department of Revenue, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Internal Revenue Service, Miami-Dade County Office of Community and Economic Development, Miami-Dade Enterprise Community Center, Miami-Dade Public Library System, Miami-Dade Empowerment Trust, Neighbors and Neighbors Association, Partners for Self-Employment and South Florida Urban Ministries

Additional Information About Microsoft Office Accounting:

Microsoft Office Accounting is financial management software designed for early startups and home-based businesses that currently use pen and calculator or spreadsheets to run their operations. Since its release on Oct. 30, 2006, the free Microsoft Office Accounting Express has been downloaded and installed more than 1.7 million times. OA is a popular new accounting application, and it is included in the Small Business, Professional and Ultimate editions of the 2007 Microsoft Office system.

Additional Information About Microsoft Office Live:

Microsoft Office Live is a complete, affordable set of easy-to-use Internet-based software and services that helps small businesses attract new customers, keep in touch with existing customers and easily manage their business from virtually any location. By combining the power of software plus services, Office Live helps small businesses establish a professional Web presence, stay in touch with their customers, and easily access company information from one complete online location. More information is available at http://www.officelive.com.

Informing Decision-Making for Customers at the Crossroads in Their Server-Purchasing Choices

Announced today, the Windows Server/Compare site provides customers with in-depth resources and comparative information about Windows Server, Linux and UNIX.

REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 23, 2007 — Enterprise customers at the crossroads of their server platform investments must weigh numerous considerations.

To name a few: What server technologies are best suited to particular workloads? Which platform will deliver the desired security, reliability and cost savings while interoperating smoothly with disparate technologies? And what can be learned about Windows Server and competitive offerings such as Linux and UNIX from third-party analysts and from customers who have had direct experience with the alternatives?

Ryan Gavin, Director of Platform Strategy at Microsoft

(Click for larger version)

To help customers answer these and other questions, Microsoft today launched a new Web site, Windows Server/Compare. Designed to help enterprises with their server purchasing decisions, and provide customers with real-world examples of comparative evaluations, the new site is an evolution of the Microsoft “Get the Facts” Web property.

For more information on the new site and the changes in the marketplace that led to its creation, PressPass spoke with Ryan Gavin, director of Platform Strategy at Microsoft.

PressPass: How are enterprise customers thinking about Microsoft and Linux or open-source software (OSS) today?

Gavin: There’s been quite a dramatic evolution in the IT marketplace. As recently as four or five years ago, Linux was considered a relatively new alternative to existing platforms like Windows Server, Netware, UNIX and Mainframe. At the time, there was a lot of discussion about Linux and open-source software, but customers were hard pressed to find firsthand, practical information to help inform their decision-making. Today, a lot of the ambiguity about Linux and OSS in general has been addressed, and customers are reverting to the same type of pragmatic decision-making that they’ve always used. Not surprisingly, the things that mattered to them yesterday still matter today — things like reliability, security, total cost of ownership (TCO), interoperability and manageability.

PressPass: What can customers expect from Microsoft when it comes to making informed technology decisions?

Gavin: The type of information customers tend to ask for really depends on where the organization is in the technology evaluation process and what that specific individual’s role is in the decision-making process. Broadly speaking, IT organizations at the beginning of a purchasing decision really want to have some sort of validation at the platform level. How does a given platform perform against the fundamentals — such as reliability, application availability, skills to support, and security? They also want to hear from their industry peers to better understand what the experience of other customers similar to them has been.

Beyond that, you start to get into a very specific, detailed assessment of how the technology or solution maps to that customer’s particular requirements. The customer is evaluating technical integration, deployment specifications, standards support, application integration and interoperability, as well as looking forward to planning their future technology road map.

So, to answer your question, while we work to provide customers with information that spans that gamut of decision-making criteria, we’ve learned that what customers appreciate most is the customer-to-customer connection. This is arguably the most trusted source of information, and we have a wealth of customer insights and experience that we can share broadly.

PressPass: How has Microsoft evolved its approach to Linux and OSS?

Gavin: I think there are three key points here. First, we’re continuing to work extremely hard every day to provide the best value for customers with Windows Server over the alternatives. Simply put, we believe that Windows Server provides greater business value and lower long-term costs for customers than competing platforms, including Linux. We always want Windows Server to be the operating system of choice.

Second, we understand many of our customers operate in mixed environments. In the enterprise in particular, heterogeneous environments are a de facto standard, so we are committed to working together with our customers, partners and the industry to provide solutions that meet customer needs via interoperability.

Third, it’s important to clarify that we don’t compete with OSS per se, but with some products or technologies that may come out of open source. There will naturally be products that compete with Microsoft products, from commercial or open-source companies. Open source is a software development model; it’s a way of licensing technology, and it’s something that Microsoft participates in. We have open-source projects, an open-source community site Port 25 and even an open-source software lab here on campus that does a lot of work with the community, including looking at how we can improve interoperability. We’ve evolved our approach through open-source partnerships with companies like Novell, SugarCRM, Zend, MySQL, XenSource and SpikeSource, as well as through our own technologies and Web sites like CodePlex, which is a source-code sharing site for Windows-based projects.

PressPass: What information will be available to customers on the new Compare site?

Gavin: When we launched our “Get the Facts” Web site in 2003, we focused on providing customers with access to third-party facts and evidence to help them cut through the hype about Linux and OSS in the marketplace at that time. On the Compare site you’ll see a much richer, more dynamic conversation with a broader cross-section of information to help customers as they make pragmatic investment decisions — whether they’re trying to better understand how various platforms compare against broad business requirements like reliability, security, TCO, or even more specific comparisons like side-by-side demos, deployment best practices, and so on.

One of the things you’ll see in spades, however, is customers talking to customers. This is one of the most powerful elements of the site because, frankly, while customers are interested in what we have to say, they’re really interested in what their peers who have gone through similar experiences have to say. They value the access we provide to other CIOs and the candid interviews about the decisions other customers have made, including the implementations they’ve completed and the results they’ve achieved.

For instance, how did the state of Illinois’ IT department save the state US$10.5 million over five years while also delivering improved security and communications? The Compare site includes many of these customer references in a variety of formats — from formal case study reviews and less formal CIO interviews to webcast discussions and video summaries. All of this content highlights scenarios where customers have gone through fact-based decision-making processes and rolled out implementations — whether it’s looking at Windows vs. Linux, Windows vs. UNIX or even the mainframe.

Swiss Air is another great example. In an incredibly tough business climate, they are looking for technology to improve their ability to serve customers while driving down overall cost of delivery. What did they learn when they performed a deep analysis of platform alternatives? Why did they choose Windows Server? Sharing these experiences is a big part of what the Compare site is about.

PressPass: How does this complement the interoperability efforts between Microsoft and open-source vendors?

Gavin: We’re making sure our platform is accessible to the open-source community — to developers and independent software vendors writing open-source applications. We want a diverse group of developers to be able to take advantage of this amazing Windows Server platform that spans the entire IT industry. We are working hard to help ensure the open-source community can be successful on the Windows platform, while also working on the product interoperability that our enterprise and midmarket customer might expect.

People often think of Microsoft and OSS as polar opposites, but in reality OSS is another method for us to find and present solutions to customers. That’s why we not only actively participate in open-source development, but also participate with the community through sites like Port 25. In fact, we recently launched a new site called microsoft.com/opensource where people who are interested in OSS can understand our position, including how we collaborate, how we integrate and how we can amplify open-source efforts.

PressPass: How will the Compare site forward the company’s evolving competitive strategy?

Gavin: We are going to continue to work to help demonstrate to customers the power and capabilities of the Windows Server platform versus the alternatives that are available to them. At the same time, we’re going to make sure that the Windows Server platform supports the vibrant ecosystem of open-source developers and ISVs who wish to take advantage of it. We’re also going to do an increasingly good job of helping customers see that value through the lens of other customers, through third-party facts, and through insights we’ve had over the last four to five years of working deeply with customers and analysts in this space who are going through these comparative and fact-based decisions. And we’re going to continue to build bridges with open-source developers.

PressPass: Where can customers go to get started on this new site?

Gavin: The new Compare site is located at www.microsoft.com/windowsserver/compare. It includes great information resources for server OS-focused evaluations, as well as links to additional hands-on technical resources.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Selected by Reed Smith

Microsoft and Client Profiles chosen to deliver global CRM initiative.

REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 23, 2007 — After extensive evaluation, Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM and CRM4Legal by Client Profiles Inc. have been chosen by Reed Smith LLP to provide innovative CRM technologies and consultancy services. The technology and services from Microsoft Corp. and Client Profiles are designed to complement and enhance the firm’s ongoing commitment to advancing its reputation as a global leader in client service among law firms. Reed Smith is one of the 15 largest law firms.

Reed Smith has more than 1,500 lawyers in 21 offices throughout the United States, Europe and the Middle East, and has been repeatedly recognized for its excellence in client service. In 2007, Reed Smith was once again named to the BTI Client Service A-Team, ranking fourth among law firms in the United States for developing and maintaining superior client relationships.

Gregory B. Jordan, firmwide managing partner at Reed Smith and chairman of the senior management team and executive committee, leads the firm’s commitment to client services excellence. “We are dedicated to being one of the leading client service firms in the world and recognize that understanding our clients’ legal needs is critical to award-winning client service,” Jordan said. “We are partnering with Microsoft and Client Profiles on a firmwide, global CRM initiative to use technology to help us identify new opportunities for strengthening, broadening and deepening our existing client relationships. The technology will also enable the firm to streamline our methodology for integrating new attorneys that join laterally or through combinations with other firms.”

According to Meirion Jones, executive director of the firm’s Clients & Markets Group and CRM selection committee member, the goal of the comprehensive evaluation and selection process was clear. “The primary purpose of this initiative is to realize our vision of becoming the world’s leading relationship law firm. Microsoft, with its global software and services bandwidth and success with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and Client Profiles, with its solid track record of implementing law firm business applications, have demonstrated the ability to collaborate with us on this important effort,” Jones said.

CRM4Legal for Microsoft Dynamics CRM will deliver distinct business benefits to Reed Smith, aligned with the firm’s vision of client service superiority:

•	Works the way law firms work. Microsoft® Office has become the law office desktop standard for more and more law practices, so having a CRM solution that is tightly integrated with the tools that law firms are already relying on represents a high-tech advantage. This approach allows lawyers and their staff to accumulate valuable business development knowledge by capturing information through day-to-day workflow.
•	Offers the flexibility to fit all types of practices. Client Profiles’ more than 20 years of experience in the development and deployment of law firm technology, as well as its reliance on Microsoft technology architecture, ensures that Reed Smith will have the ability to configure and customize the new Microsoft CRM, introducing technology that fits specific practice areas.
•	Helps ensure faster and easier deployments. Microsoft architecture and the native integration capabilities help ensure faster and easier deployments than are customary with stand-alone CRM systems. Reed Smith will be able to simplify technology installations and utilize common configuration and customization tools to make the software much more applicable to specific practice groups to further reduce resource constraints.

“The path to CRM success is often blocked by poor user adoption, largely due to CRM systems that are unfamiliar and difficult to use,” said Brad Wilson, general manager, Microsoft Dynamics CRM at Microsoft. “Microsoft Dynamics CRM works the way people work, through familiar Microsoft Office and Outlook^® interfaces, which helps ensure active adoption and broad applicability to a wide variety of users and teams within organizations like Reed Smith.”

“Our CRM4Legal initiative has been very exciting, and working closely with Microsoft to develop this application has allowed us to deliver a solution that clearly represents the next generation of relationship management and practice development tools for the legal community,” said Whit McIsaac, president and CEO of Client Profiles. “Having the support of Reed Smith, along with its unique approach to client service, business development and growth strategies, is a huge benefit for Client Profiles and Microsoft. We are looking forward to working with the Reed Smith worldwide team in establishing a new benchmark for law office CRM implementations.”

CRM4Legal for Microsoft Dynamics CRM is designed to provide the firm with a global, firmwide database that combines contact data, relationship information, client-matter specifics, practice group specialties, lawyer experience and competencies, opportunity management, client plans and analysis, as well as key financial information. This will provide Reed Smith with a core system that facilitates the following:

•	Capturing and sharing of client and contact relationship information, and delivering intelligence for identifying new business opportunities
•	Maintaining a sophisticated mailing list for use with distribution and event management tools
•	Tracking and reporting on the effectiveness of marketing initiatives
•	Production of legal service notices, and industry-sector and geography-specific segmented marketing communications campaigns
•	Enrichment of client data by enabling clients to respond electronically to marketing communications and online surveys

About Reed Smith

Reed Smith is one of the 15 largest law firms in the world, with more than 1,500 lawyers in 21 offices throughout the United States, Europe and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its attorneys provide litigation services in multi-jurisdictional matters and other high-stakes disputes, deliver regulatory counsel, and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising and media, shipping, international trade and commodities, real estate, manufacturing and education. For more information, visit www.reedsmith.com.

About Client Profiles

Client Profiles (www.clientprofiles.com) has been providing innovative case and financial management software and networking applications to leading law firms nationwide for over 20 years. The company has implemented more than 1,200 case, financial and client relationship management systems for law practices, corporate legal departments and governmental agencies in more than 42 states. Client Profiles provides a comprehensive, integrated software platform that delivers calendaring, email, contact, document, case and financial information management as well as client relationship management (CRM) for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Through Client Profiles, thousands of legal professionals are now efficiently managing their law firms and easily collaborating with in-house staff, clients and other related parties. For additional information on Client Profiles’ comprehensive software solutions for law firms, please contact us at: www.clientprofiles.com or 866-720-5005.

About Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Dynamics is a line of financial, customer relationship and supply chain management solutions that helps businesses work more effectively. Delivered through a network of channel partners providing specialized services, these integrated, adaptable business management solutions work like and with familiar Microsoft software to streamline processes across an entire business.

Microsoft Reveals New Partner and Products for Games for Windows at Annual Games Convention

Ubisoft latest major publisher to join program; SideWinder PC gaming hardware triumphantly returns.

LEIPZIG, Germany — Aug. 23, 2007 — Proving continued industry support from among some of the best games companies from around the world, Microsoft Corp. today announced new games, hardware and accessories that will exhilarate fans of the world’s most popular gaming platform.

At the German Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, Microsoft announced that top video game publisher Ubisoft Entertainment was the latest to join the Games for Windows branding program. The first title Ubisoft will deliver is “The Settlers^®: Rise of an Empire.” Ubisoft joins other publishing powerhouses such as 2K Games, Activision Inc., Atari Inc., EA Partners, LucasArts, Microsoft Game Studios, Midway Home Entertainment Inc., and SEGA by committing to ship select titles under the Games for Windows brand, a brand that ensures a high level of quality, compatibility and support for key safety features for gaming on Windows^®. With the addition of Ubisoft, Microsoft now enjoys the support of the majority of top games publishers around the world to provide consumers with amazing Windows gaming experiences.

Microsoft also announced that “Train Simulator 2” from Microsoft Game Studios will join the roster of more than 60 titles currently announced to carry the brand. “Train Simulator 2” brings to gamers the most realistic train simulation experience ever from Microsoft, allowing train enthusiasts to explore the world’s rail network or build their own in a detailed and immersive world.

Windows gamers are also enjoying a wave of exciting new products this fall and holiday. Microsoft Hardware, continuing its PC gaming hardware innovations, announced the return of its SideWinder™ line of gaming accessories with the first mouse to bear the SideWinder name, the Microsoft® SideWinder Mouse. Built from the ground up for gamers, it was developed to meet gamers’ individual needs, providing custom tuning tools and a design for performance handling.

“Today we and our partners announced several products that dramatically improve the experience — and fun — for Windows gamers,” said Kevin Unangst, global director of Games for Windows at Microsoft. “The addition of Ubisoft to the Games for Windows program and the continued innovation in PC gaming hardware is a huge win for gamers around the world who are experiencing the revival of the PC as a world-class gaming platform.”

About Games for Windows

Microsoft Windows is the most popular operating system in the world for games, delivering the widest range of titles, the most gaming hardware choices, and advanced gaming technology for players of all types. With Windows as the cornerstone, the Games for Windows platform offers publishers and gamers the most enjoyable and innovative gaming experiences available on a PC. More information can be found online at http://www.gamesforwindows.com.

Microsoft to Provide Retrofit for Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel

Action is precautionary and voluntary following reports of component malfunction.

REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 22, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that it is taking a precautionary measure and voluntarily providing customers with a free retrofit to the Xbox 360™ Wireless Racing Wheel.

The action is being taken after Microsoft was informed of a very small number of incidents of a malfunction in the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel, in which a component in the wheel chassis may overheat and release smoke when the AC/DC power supply is used to energize the wheel. There have been no reported incidences of fire, personal injury or property damage resulting from the component failure in the wheel.

Owners of the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel should stop using the AC/DC power supply until they have obtained their retrofit. They may continue to operate the wheel using battery power.

Owners of the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel should visit http://www.xbox.com/support or call Microsoft at (800) 4MY-XBOX (469-9269) to register for the free retrofit and protect against the potential hazard described above. Instructions, if necessary, will be provided with the retrofit. Microsoft is notifying and will be coordinating its response activities with the relevant regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. This may affect delivery dates.

About Xbox 360

Xbox 360 is a superior video game and entertainment system delivering the best games, unique entertainment features and a unified online gaming network that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 will have a portfolio of more than 300 games and will be available in nearly 40 countries by the end of 2007. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.

Nokia and Microsoft to Deliver Windows Live Services to Millions of Mobile Customers

Industry leaders join forces to bring Web services to Nokia devices.

ESPOO, Finland, and REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 23, 2007 — Nokia, the world’s largest mobile device manufacturer, and Microsoft Corp., a global leader in online communications and communities, have joined together to provide customers with a new suite of Windows Live™ services specifically designed for Nokia devices.

Starting today, Nokia customers in 11 countries with compatible S60 devices can download the new suite enabling access to Windows Live Hotmail^®, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Contacts and Windows Live Spaces. Starting next year, customers who purchase compatible Nokia Series 40 handsets will also have access to these popular Windows Live services.

Nokia and Microsoft are empowering the “mobile lifestyle” by providing mobile customers with easy access to their world of online relationships, information and interests. By enabling access to Windows Live services on both the Nokia S60 and Series 40 platforms using standard Web services protocols, our mutual customers will have the power to seamlessly move between contacts, e-mail, messenger, phone calls, text messaging, camera, gallery and browsing, all in an integrated way.

“By taking advantage of the extensive and agile distribution network that Nokia has, we have the opportunity to bring the power of Windows Live services to Nokia devices, thus ensuring our customers can take their most important online information with them on the go,” said Jari Pasanen, vice president, Strategy and Technology, Nokia Multimedia.

Nokia customers who own the Nokia N73, N80 Internet Edition, N95, N76 and the N93i can get the Windows Live services via the Download! application in the following countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, U.K., Sweden, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Customers can visit http://www.nokia.com/windowslive to learn more, and check if their country is on the availability list. Initially the service will be available as a free trial, and then customers in select markets wanting to continue using the service may be asked to pay a monthly fee.

“The availability of Windows Live services for Nokia’s devices demonstrates our commitment to delivering great mobile experiences and extending people’s online lives — taking them from the PC to the device,” said Steve Berkowitz, senior vice president of the Online Services Business at Microsoft. “The alliance will enable a much broader group of consumers to experience the benefits Windows Live has to offer, easily connecting them to the information and people that matter most from virtually anywhere.”

Today’s announcement builds on the existing cooperation between Nokia and Microsoft, which integrated Microsoft’s Live Search for Mobile into the Nokia Mobile Search application. Nokia also plans to extend this service onto the Series 40 platform to enhance the search experience across a greater range of devices.

About MSN and Windows Live

MSN^® attracts more than 465 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 42 markets and 21 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering compelling programmed content experiences to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. Windows Live, a comprehensive set of personal Internet services and software, is designed to bring together in one place all the relationships, information and interests people care about most, with enhanced safety and security features across their PC, devices and the Web. MSN and Windows Live will be offered alongside each other as complementary services. Some Windows Live services entered an early beta phase on Nov. 1, 2005; these and future beta updates can be found at http://ideas.live.com. Windows Live is available at http://www.live.com. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com.