Sky is the Limit !!
Remember the app that made Scoble cry. It now has its Web avatar!
WorldWide Telescope Web Client is now available. It looks as close to its Windows Desktop original. Running on top of Silverlight 2, it freezed up just once while I played around with it now. Absolutely brilliant stuff for an Alpha product.
Breaking the barriers of its ability to run in Windows machine only, now Worldwide Telescope can be run from almost all systems supporting IE, Firefox and Safari already. The title is indeed true, now only Sky is the Limit! Give it a try right away, as all that you need is Silverlight 2 installed.
Can you make others Live?
And that, by doing a simple Search !!
Yes, you can easily reach millions of children with financial aid indirectly by searching at http://click4thecause.live.com
For every search performed there between January 17 and March 31, 2007, Microsoft will make a contribution to ninemillion.org, a UN agency-led campaign providing education and sports programs for the nine million refugee youth around the world. 
I know, Live is no-where getting near to Google Search as of now, but I’m going to give it a try for the whole of March and then comment on my observations. I’m bookmarking the page so that I can contribute my two cents atleast !!
Give it a try, and spread the word.
Cross posted at my other blog
MSN Direct and SPOT
While I was browsing through the long list of Microsoft’s announcement for this years CES, I landed on a video commercial speaking about MSN Direct and the long touted SPOT (Smart Personal Object’s Technology) watches.
Intersetingly, the announcement of MSN Direct and SPOT has come out on the last year CES itself, but this Video commercial is looking new to me which also speaks about Microsoft .NET Micro Framework !! Continued research revealed news that Micro Framework came to public BETA on mid-2006 itself.
Anyways, this promo is worth a watch.
Check it here
Yahoo Messenger for Windows Vista
While Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect, Bill Gates pushed Windows Vista at the key note address of CES 2007, other partner companies will also promote hardware, software and services targeted for Windows Vista. On the race, it is expected that Yahoo will be showcasing its new Yahoo Messenger specifically powered for Windows Vista.
The new Messenger looks brilliant on the Design and also on features. This is an excellent example of how Vista’s new APIs can be leveraged across the applications that runs on the top of this OS. Yahoo Engineers have nicely utilized the power of WPF, usability of Sidebar Gadgets and hopefully the powerful desktop search feature.
You can check out the official site , and don’t forget to check the video preview
P.S : Channel 10 is making extensive coverage on Microsoft at CES. There’s also a video on the new Yahoo Messenger for Windows Vista.
Microsoft Robotics Studio
If Robotics has impressed you ever, and have you been wondering why there isn’t any tool available to make easy productivity on these lines – now, the answer is here. Microsoft has now announced its Robotics Studio 1.0 !!
To the extent I understood, Robotics Studio will be a new software development kit for the robotics community to program on a wide variety of hardware.
The letter from Tandy Trower, General Manager, Microsoft Robotics Group, reads : Microsoft Robotics Studio delivers in three areas of software:
- A scalable, extensible runtime architecture that can span a wide variety of hardware and devices. The programming interface can be used to create applications to drive robots using 8-bit or 16-bit processors (from a connected PC) as well as 32-bit systems with multi-core processors; and devices from simple touch sensors to laser distance finding devices.
- A set of useful tools that make programming and debugging robot applications scenarios easier. These include a high resolution visual simulation environment that integrates software physics supplied by the Ageia Technologies PhysX engine.
While Microsoft Robotics Studio can be used with programming languages such as those included in Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft Visual Studio Express, also included is a new visual programming language that enables the creation of applications using a simple drag-and-drop interface. - A set of useful technology libraries services to help developers get started with writing robot applications, and tutorials which illustrate the basics of how to get started in a variety of programming languages.
Seems pretty cool. Should have to wait and watch on how it evolves 🙂
Zune Debuts, Vista Ready, Office 2007 Complete
The Redmond based Software Giant is all set to roll out some of its biggest product line-up !!
After keeping silent for a long long time, Microsoft is now ready to take on Apple with a toughest challenge. To me iPod is unbeatable and has already set a trend. We’ve gotto watch how much impression is Zune going to make !! But, they are out just on time to make business over the Christmas and ThanksGiving holiday season.With almost similar pricing, feature sets and killer-looks the competetion looks very close. However I’m not convinced with the Zune’s Portal.
Well, now the biggest news is out 🙂 The much awaited OS from Microsoft which has been on development close to 5 years is all set to release. The Home Page has all the news you want to know. While the Internet is flooded with reviews after the RTM , I have been reading pretty cool reviews so far. Don’t miss out Paul Thurrott’s coverage on WinSuperSite !! We cannot ask for anything more comprehensive than that, and there is more to come 🙂
With enhanced security, superior performance, integrated Desktop Search, improved Speech Recognition, IE7 and WM11 bundled and a brand new UI and not to forget what you see – a cool new packaging, it all seem to rock the world completely.
And for the MS Office freaks, the official news is out. The launch date announcement will be out pretty soon and I hope it will join Vista on the Jan/Feb range.
On both Windows and Office front, they are going for an upgrade after a huge time and ofcourse with revolutionary changes. Its going to be an exciting time ahead !!
It’s 2-2 !!
The current Indian News channels seem to have got the audience pulse correctly. While I couldn’t resist sleeping (without watching the match) last night after a tired day, the England-Swedan match was chasing me even in my dreams. As the first job of the morning I switched on the TV to know the scores, and almost every news channel tickerd them in bold “It’s 2-2” 🙂 While we speak on this topic, let me remind you we are speaking totally outside the topic !!!
Well, the news is Microsoft is almost 2 down !! Robert Scoble, a most respected Microsoft Technical Evangelist and a highly popular MS blogger is quitting Microsoft to join a new start up company named PodTech.NET. Known to the blogging world as Scobleizer, his Blog is an Encyclopaedia for any technology enthusiast. Sample this – his own post on his decision. Must Read 🙂
Yes I know, you might have rightly got the second now. They will be two down by 2008. If you want the original story from Horse’s mouth – here it is. I got the Scoble news only a day before Bill Gates, to be struck by a twin blow on back to back days 😦
However they will begin to gear it up by stepping up Ray Ozzie and Craig Mundie up on their corporate ladder. So two up !!
Related Links – Channel9 Video Interview with BillG and SteveB & BillG’s EMail to All Employees
How to name it ? 
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