News on Download3000.com » Microsoft and Windows

Windows Live Messenger Available via Nokia Messaging

Sierra Monica B. — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:50:58 +0000

Nokia announced that the popular instant messaging service from Microsoft, Windows Live Messenger, is now available via the push email service from Nokia, the Nokia Messaging. Users can access Windows Live Messenger on their smartphones right on the handset’s home screen, through the Nokia’s Messaging application for chat.

Based on this new feature, smartphone users have the possibility to manage several conversations with friends, family members and colleagues, simultaneously. They also can change their statuses or send personal messages, as well as manage buddy lists in Windows Live. All is done via the home screen.
Other features include tabbed chat windows for quick switching between conversations, direct calling, message alerts that pop up, and support for multi-tasking.
Like in any other instant messaging application you can login as Invisible, group contacts, or use emoticons and sounds.

Nokia announced in its latest press release that the first handset with support for Chat and the Windows Live Messenger is Nokia E72. Still, if you own a Nokia E63, Nokia E71 or a Nokia E75 you can download the applications called Nokia Messaging for IM from the Ovi Store. The application is free to download and use and works with Yahoo! Messenger, Ovi Chat and Gtalk.

Microsoft Announces the Beta Release of Microsoft Office 2010

Sierra Monica B. — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:33:22 +0000

If earlier this year, the Microsoft team introduced Microsoft Office 2010, yesterday, Kurt DelBene, senior vice president of the Office Business Productivity Group at Microsoft, announced the public beta release of the popular productivity suite for personal computers, cell phones and web browsers, through which people work with text, images and videos.

Not only Microsoft Office 2010 reached the beta stage, but also the SharePoint Server 2010, Visio 2010, Project 2010, Office Web Apps and Office Mobile 2010. You can download and test the beta versions from the official web site of Microsoft in English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.

Office Mobile 2010 beta comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and the SharePoint Workspace Mobile 2010, and is available for smartphones running on Windows Mobile 6.5. You can get it from Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

The Office 2010 suite comes with several new features including the Outlook Social Connector with communication history, social network feeds and collaboration at the business level, the improved picture formatting tools, the possibility to work with people in different locations on the same file simultaneously, the Sparklines feature in Excel, support for videos in PowerPoint presentations, the Quick Steps feature for a simpler management of emails, Broadcast Slide Show feature for sharing presentations online, and the Microsoft Office Backstage view that enables a central place for file management.

The HTC HD2 Windows Phone Releases in Europe and Taiwan

Sierra Monica B. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:03:40 +0000

HTC HD2 is finally available for purchase, according to the latest press release from the HTC Corporation, but you can find it only in Europe and Taiwan at the moment. HTC promises to bring the high-end cell phone in the United States at the beginning of the next year.
This is a Windows phone, as it runs on Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, delivering many applications for both mobile entertainment and productivity.

HTC says this is the first cell phone running on Windows and featuring the HTC Sense with proximity sensor for automatic turn-off, G-Sensor, and light sensor for automatic screen brightness adjustment.
The handset also features 3G broadband connectivity support, Wi-Fi, a 4.3-inch large capacitive touchscreen display, 1Ghz Snapdragon mobile processor from Qualcomm, instant updates on active communications such as incoming calls, text messages, social status update, or new emails, as well as HTC Peep – the Windows-based Twitter version.

As HTC HD2 is a Windows phone, it pre-loads the Microsoft Office suite, Windows Media Player, Microsoft Exchange, the My Phone service for automatic backup and synchronization of files, and support for applications downloaded from the Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

The handset also has a built-in high-resolution camera of 5 MP with autofocus and dual-LED flash, microSD memory card slot, Opera Mobile browser, Bluetooth 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate, FM Radio, internal GPS antenna, and up to 380 minutes of talk time.

There is no word on price.

Microsoft Previews the new MSN Home Page

Sierra Monica B. — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:30:54 +0000

Microsoft is preparing the launch of a new home page for its MSN service and today announced that anyone can preview the new design at preview.msn.com before it will become active at the beginning of next year to users in the United States.
The company wants this to be the best web page, providing access to Bing search, latest news, hottest updates in entertainment, local information via MSN Local Edition and access to Twitter and Facebook, all from a single page.

According to the latest statistics, there are about 100 million US-based users who visit MSN every month, while counting ten million new users in the last year only.
It seems that Internet users and MSN fans want a comprehensive web site with easy access to information and to useful services that would allow them make the best decisions in the shortest time.
The redesigned MSN home page has 50% fewer links to simplify navigation and provides easy access to news, sports, entertainment, lifestyle and money.

Key features include Bing search, top news from Hulu, MSNBC, FOX Sports and Hearst, local news based on the ZIP code, an aggregator of 50 web places such as Flickr, Yelp and Pandora, as well as in-line status updates for Twitter.

“Customers told us they want the latest information from their favorite sources, their friends and the breadth of the Web – and the new MSN home page delivers via a fresh new look and new features,” said Erik Jorgensen, corporate vice president, Microsoft. “Today is an important transformation for MSN, and it’s just the beginning.”

Samsung Partners With Microsoft to Combine Green DDR3 Memory and Windows 7

Sierra Monica B. — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:08:48 +0000

After discussing at a meeting in Seoul yesterday, Yoon-Woo Lee, the Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics, and Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, announced their partnership to enable efficient use of energy in computer systems, as part of a Green IT technology initiative.
Samsung and Microsoft want to advise personal computer users to buy more eco-friendly PCs, expecting at the same time higher energy savings from the combination of the 40 nm DDR3 DRAM memory and the Windows 7 operating system.

Starting next year, all corporate personal computers from Samsung will migrate to Microsoft’s new operating system.
Less Energy, More Speed is Samsung’s campaign name initiated in September to provide its 40-nm 2GB DDR3 DRAM memory, while Microsoft highlighted that Windows 7 comes with the innovative power management function to reduce energy usage.

Samsung’s 40-nm DDR3 modules are promoted as one of the world’s most eco-friendly memory solution destined to personal computers and servers. The technology saves 60% more power when compared to the 60-nm DDR2 versions.
The Green DDR3 modules are available in 1 GB to 4 GB densities.

“There is no doubt that the combination of Windows 7 and 40nm DDR3 in new PCs will make users very happy,” said Dong-Soo Jun, executive senior vice president of memory marketing at Samsung Electronics.He added, “If you opt for 4GB of memory in a Windows 7-based system, over typical 2GB-based systems used today, you’ll see an increase in performance, while using less power, thanks to the efficiency of Samsung’s 40nm DD3 DRAM.”

Nero 9 Reloaded and BackItUp & Burn Certified for Windows 7

Sierra Monica B. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:38:07 +0000

Nero announced that its newest products support the latest operating system from Microsoft. Both Nero 9 Reloaded and Nero BackItUp & Burn come with the Compatible with Windows 7 logo, meaning they were certified by Microsoft for passing compatibility tests.
The software developer says that both applications are fast and easy to use, as well as ready to be downloaded from its official website. Nero partnered with Acer, Gateway, Packard Bell and eMachines to provide Windows 7 systems with Nero 9 Essentials as a bundle.
Users who already have the Nero 9 and Nero BackItUp & Burn software are invited to upgrade to the latest versions compatible with Windows 7.

Nero 9 Reloaded allows computer users to rip, burn, backup and copy files from and to CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs, while providing tools for creating nice-looking DVD movies with 3D menus. In addition, the software converts music, images and DVDs to the right format required by iPods and other mobile gadgets, as well as uploading function to popular social networking sites.
Nero BackItUp & Burn is optimized to provide a reliable backup solution for the hard drive, CDs, DVDs and online storage, while being capable to restore deleted, lost or damaged files among others.

The latest Nero is available for EUR 59.99 for download, while the box version sells for EUR 69.99. You can get an upgrade for EUR 47.99. The BackItUp & Burn tool is free.

The Upcoming Kindle for PC Takes Advantage of Windows 7 Features

Sierra Monica B. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:50:53 +0000

Amazon announced the upcoming release of its Kindle application for personal computers. After providing the free mobile application for iPhones, Amazon will enable the new eBook reading experience on Windows computers by linking them to Kindle accounts, providing the possibility to send eBooks to computers, Kindle handsets, or iPhones, from the online environment.

CNET remembers us what Microsoft said at the official launch event for Windows 7 regarding Kindle for PC taking full advantage of the capabilities enabled by the new operating system, including Windows Touch.
Among the features of the upcoming application for personal computers are the possibility to buy and download hundreds of thousands of eBooks from the Kindle Store, the free direct access to a personal library with all Kindle books purchased previously, the possibility to choose from ten different font sizes to adjust the displayed text, check notes and highlights, zoom text with a fingers pinch, as well as turn the pages with a simple finger swipe. The finger touch support is available through compatible computers.

“Customers have told us that they want access to a wider variety of content and an increasingly diverse set of form factors,” declared Mike Nash, corporate vice president at Windows Platform Strategy at Microsoft. “With the announcement of Kindle for PC, Amazon is making its massive selection of Kindle books available on the world’s most widely used platform.”

Microsoft Windows 7 Officially Released Today

Sierra Monica B. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:43:10 +0000

Earlier today, Microsoft held a webcast via its official website and Windows fans had the change to see practical examples of the new features enabled by the latest operating system from Microsoft, as well as find out about the next-generation Windows devices with innovative features.
Microsoft presented Windows 7 as the most easy to use operating system ever created, which even little children and elderly people could learn to use quickly. From the webcast we also learned about the new “definition” of the personal computer. Microsoft associated the PC initials with “Piece of Cake”, encouraging everyone to “be a PC”.
Windows 7 comes to make the user experience much easier, providing a more user-friendly interface and lots of new fun features.
Based on the users’ feedback, Microsoft created the new operating system in such a way to match every user’s needs, and capable to run on any PC type.

You can purchase Window 7 and choose from three system types, depending on your needs. There is the Windows 7 Home Premium edition packing basic features for simple tasks, available for $199.99 for new customers, or $119.99 as an upgrade for Vista users.
It features improved desktop navigation, faster applications, faster and easier web experience via Internet Explorer 8, easier home network setup and use with HomeGroup, and Internet TV access from anywhere for free.

Windows 7 Professional starts at $199.99 for Vista users, while the full price is of $299.99. Its new users will get the chance to discover many new enhancements including the ones featured by the Windows 7 Home Premium, plus the possibility to run Windows XP productivity applications in the Windows XP mode, as well the connectivity to company networks via Domain Join, and the data recovery with automatic backup for the home or business network.

The complete solution is Windows 7 Ultimate, which adds the BitLocker utility for protecting the data data stored on the computer, and the support for 35 languages. It sells for $219.99 and $319.99, depending if you need an upgrade, or this is the first time when you’re using Microsoft’s operating system.

Microsoft also offers the Windows 7 Family Pack to upgrade three personal computers for only $149.99.

NW3C to Deliver Microsoft’s COFEE in the US

Sierra Monica B. — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:55:33 +0000

The National White Collar Crime Center will be the first distributor of Microsoft’s Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor in the United States. The announcement was made at the Digital Crimes Consortium.
COFEE is an advanced tool in charge with capturing live computer evidence to help law enforcement agencies in the fight against digital crime.

The program developed by Microsoft is based on digital forensic technologies and provides investigators a new way to collect evidence at the crime scene, without requiring advanced knowledge in computing. It will be available for the agencies for free, following the agreement with INTERPOL. Agencies can get it either from the National White Collar Crime Center’s site, or from INTERPOL.
Officers can learn how to use COFEE in about ten minutes, according to Microsoft.

“Criminals are working in a new digital age, and it is essential that law enforcement agencies have the latest tools and technology to help them fight the cyberthreats facing the global community,” said Tim Cranton, associate general counsel of Worldwide Internet Safety Enforcement Programs at Microsoft. “Microsoft is proud to be working with NW3C and INTERPOL to make COFEE more broadly available to law enforcement agencies and to host the Digital Crimes Consortium bringing industry, government, academic and law enforcement cybercrime experts from around the world together to build a long-term coordinated effort in the fight against digital crime. By working together, we can be most effective in making the Internet safer for everyone.”

HTC Imagio, Samsung Intrepid, HTC Pure and HTC Tilt 2 are the new Windows Phones

Sierra Monica B. — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:10:44 +0000

Microsoft announced the worldwide release of its highly-expected Windows phones.
HTC Imagio boasts a 3.6-inch touchscreen display, built-in 5 MP camera with autofocus, anti-shake and video recorder, as well as integrated GPS functionality, while Samsung Intrepid comes with a full QWERTY keyboard for intensive texting on the go, helping to increase productivity, and a touchscreen display for easy access to applications.
HTC Pure has a 3.2-inch display with touchscreen input and zooming, and there’s also the HTC Tilt 2 with a full touchscreen display of 3.6 inches in diagonal, and a side-sliding QWERTY keyboard that allows you to quickly compose emails and send text messages.
Each of the three new cell phones feature powerful web browsing, access to downloadable applications and run on the Windows Mobile operating system.

During the press events in New York, Microsoft also announced two new services compatible with the new handsets, which are Windows Marketplace for Mobile and My Phone. The latter is available for free to allow users backup, easily manage and restore media files and applications, while the Windows Marketplace for Mobile was designed as an online library providing various mobile tools, including business applications and games, that are available for download on the cell phones.

Microsoft said it plans to deliver more than 30 new cell phone models in 20 countries by the end of this year.