Microsoft Ships 2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 1 Providing Customers with Enhanced Stability, Performance and Security

Microsoft today announced shipment of Service Pack 1 for the 2007 Microsoft Office system, which includes both client and server products under the Office umbrella. Today’s release draws on extensive feedback from customers to deliver the stability, performance and security enhancements that they identified as most important.

PressPass spoke with Microsoft Office product manager Reed Shaffner to learn more about what customers can expect from Service Pack 1 and how it will turn Office 2007 into an even more potent productivity tool.

What are you announcing today and what does it mean for customers?

We’re announcing the availability of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for the 2007 Microsoft Office system, which delivers significant stability, performance and security improvements. These enhancements span the software applications and servers that home and office workers use each day and will make the 2007 Office system an even more robust and effective productivity tool. In essence, SP1 targets the issues that customers told us mattered to them most.

What are the main improvements that customers will notice with SP1 for the 2007 Office system?

SP1 provides stability and performance improvements across the 2007 Office system, keying in on customers’ leading productivity concerns, and beefs up security precautions to stay ahead of the latest threats from malicious software and other risks.

Crashes are one of the most frustrating experiences customers have, and the team worked hard with SP1 to make our products more stable. We’ve also included most of the previously-released hotfixes that also help reduce the incidence of crashes in Office applications.

SP1 also provides key fixes and enhancements to make the 2007 Office system more reliable and easier to use. For example, SP1 addresses problems customers have experienced in Outlook 2007 when opening large mail files. It also delivers more accurate presence information in Microsoft Office Communicator to help improve collaboration and communication for customers.

We also did a lot of work to improve the reliability of the 2007 Office system’s server components with SP1. We know that search is really important to our enterprise customers using Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, so we spent a lot of time improving indexing to help make documents and information easier to find. SP1 includes support for AJAX deployments, which should help developers create custom Web Parts for their customers. Finally, SP1 bolsters the robust security standards built into Office 2007 by incorporating the very latest advances in security technology to deliver even greater protection against malware, privacy intrusions and other threats.

SharePoint Server 2007 and other server products are also now compatible with Microsoft Windows Server 2008, giving customers the peace of mind they need to proceed with upgrade plans.

Making Technology Work for China’s Farmers

To help develop relevant ICT solutions for Pujiang’s farmers, Microsoft is working on an information portal prototype with the Heshan Fruit Product Association. More than 10,000 of the farmers

in the county are members of the association, which provides a vital link to markets and knowledge outside their communities. Like other similar organizations in rural China, the Heshan Fruit Products Association offers its members nationwide sales channels and training courses in the latest agricultural methods and techniques.

In Pujiang, the association’s president, Chen Weijun has been personally delivering these training courses since the association was established in 2001. This involved a laborious schedule of travelling lectures. “Previously, I would visit 109 villages to meet with farmers face-to-face and deliver lectures on practical agricultural techniques,” says Chen. “It would take one quarter just to do one course, which was really exhausting. Now, with the Guantang ISC and Microsoft’s help in developing a training system, I won’t need to travel; most of the fruit farmers will be able to participate in the training long-distance.”

Currently being tested on a pilot group of fifty users, the prototype video training system will offer Chen’s courses to farmers throughout the county via the Internet.

The results of this and other Microsoft ISC projects are shared with the government to help them plan and execute digital inclusion policies for the country of 1.3 billion people. Li Banghua, vice director of the Chengdu office of the MII points out the importance of this geographical area in the government’s plan to bridge the digital divide in China: “Chengdu is a focus point for the national digital inclusion plan.” Li is also confident that the ISC project in Guantang will provide important data for future rural projects – “In Xinjin, where Microsoft opened an ISC in April, sixty percent of the local farmers now have greater access to important agricultural information and new sales channels.”

While Chang stresses that the project is still in an early and experimental stage, governments in Henan and Guizhou provinces are already planning to setting up similar ISCs with Microsoft. And, with rural administrators in other parts of China watching events in Guantang with growing interest, the drive to share the digital revolution with everyone might just, from here, go to the world.

ICT Training: A Two-Way Learning Process

The center also plays an important role in teaching local farmers how to use computers to their advantage. Feedback received from other rural projects sponsored by Microsoft in China indicates a tremendous desire to learn about ICT. In a survey conducted by four of the 11 Microsoft InfoWagons in China, it was found that 40 percent of trainees had never used a PC before. Those that perceived computers as having a real value for their lives jumped from 63 percent to over 80 percent after the training. The initial response to the ISC in Guantang mirrors this feedback. The local InfoStaff member Yin Bo notes that despite their lack of familiarity with computers, the local community is keen to learn: “The (ISC) e-library is the busiest room here. It is opened and free for the local farmers to go online and there are people coming and going all day,” he says.

A key reason for this enthusiasm is the style of training offered. Breaking away from traditional methods of computer training, Microsoft, in consultation with rural communities in China, has developed a three-step program with content that is relevant to the farmers, and lessons that allow them to experience instant results as they learn:

•	In phase one farmers learn the basics of using a PC and how to open links to Web pages with agricultural information;
•	In phase two they learn how to search for information within government and agricultural Web sites, save documents and input Chinese characters; and
•	In phase three they practice using e-mail and instant messaging as well as basic financial and supply-chain management tools.

The trainees can put what they are learning into practice as they are learning it by searching for gainful information, such as crop pricing and other market data, on the PCs at the ISC.

“The only approach to take to ICT training in underdeveloped rural areas is a humble one,” says Rau Chang, General Manager of Public Sector Group for Greater China Region. “Our rural projects in China are an experimental process in which everybody is learning, not least of all Microsoft. If we want to encourage farmers in Sichuan to use ICT we must first learn from them how they can actually benefit from it.”

Microsoft Plants the Seeds of Change in Chinese Village

“From here, go to the world”: the words written in bold, red Chinese characters on the wall of a classroom in Datang Nine-Year Compulsory Education School, in Pujiang County, remind students about the greater goal of their education. They also succinctly describe a unique phenomenon that is happening in Pujiang – a phenomenon that has implications for people who have never even heard of this small, rural community in Sichuan Province, China.

Located in Chengdu, deep in China’s western interior, Pujiang is a pilot site for Microsoft’s ambitious plan to help share the digital revolution with the billions of people worldwide who do not have access to information and communications technology (ICT).

While most of urban China has successfully entered the information age, there are hundreds of millions of rural citizens who are still divorced from ICT – a situation that is exacerbating the country’s poverty-wealth gap and an urgent priority for the government. It is widely agreed that digital inclusion is a necessary element in any economic development plan, but how to effectively introduce technology into disparate and dispersed rural communities is a complex issue. The Chinese government’s Ministry for Information Industry (MII) sees access to ICT in a relevant and measured way as central to solving this challenge – a vision that aligns with Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential initiative.

Through Unlimited Potential, Microsoft is working to transform education, foster innovation and create jobs and opportunities by removing the barriers that prevent underdeveloped communities entering the digital age. Microsoft’s approach is to work closely with local communities, assessing the best ways to address their specific ICT needs through pilot projects that can then be adapted and applied on a wider basis.

“Understanding the needs unique to the person’s circumstances and locality are paramount before we can really apply technology in a meaningful way,” says Karishma Kiri. “Rural pilots like the programs underway in China are invaluable for honing how we approach digital inclusion to meet the diverse needs of rural areas both in China and around the world.”

On April 19, 2007, speaking at the Government Leaders Forum in Beijing, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates announced an expansion of Microsoft Unlimited Potential, renewing the company’s long-term commitment to use technology, training and partnerships to sustain a continuous cycle of social and economic growth for everyone. As part of that expansion, Microsoft is collaborating with the MII and local government organizations on rural projects that will incubate ideas for how to realize the goals of Unlimited Potential, not only in China but around the world. For MII, which is responsible for formulating China's information industry policies and strategic development, such innovative approaches to improve the welfare of the population in remote areas such as Chengdu were in line with their ICT goals.

Microsoft is supporting the MII to run pilot projects in Sichuan, Henan, Guizhou, Guangdong and Shandong provinces that test how to deliver the benefits of ICT to rural communities. In cooperation with the government, Microsoft has started running several rural projects such as InfoWagons -- mobile ICT training labs – and Information Service Centers (ISC). The latter are village-level centers that provide e-government and information services, ICT access and training and agricultural training. In the ISC pilot in Chengdu, an ISC consists of 10 PCs with Internet connections and one full-time employee, called InfoStaff, to manage them. As the guardian of the ISC, the InfoStaff is a government employee that is a university graduate selected by the Ministry of Organization as part of the “One college student per village” program for his interest in the promotion of digital literacy to villagers.

On October 29, 2007, the first Microsoft ISC in Pujiang, and the second in Chengdu, opened to the public. This latest ISC is housed in the Residents Association of Guantang, a village of 2000 people, most of whom are orange farmers.

The Chinese government aims to bridge the digital divide between the country’s rich and poor by setting up projects, such as ISCs, in rural areas nationwide – village by village. First, however, they need to collect data on how these projects can be as effective as possible. In Pujiang, Microsoft is starting to provide this information.

Microsoft Simplifies Data-Centric Development in Heterogeneous IT Environments

Microsoft Corp. today announced the release of Beta 3 of the ADO.NET Entity Framework. Designed to make it even easier for developers to build data-centric applications and services regardless of the underlying data source, the ADO.NET Entity Framework is already gaining significant support from multiple database vendors and third-party providers, including Core Lab, DataDirect Technologies, Firebird Foundation Inc., IBM Corp., MySQL AB, Npgsql , OpenLink Software Inc., Phoenix Software International, Sybase Inc. and VistaDB Software Inc. Further enhancing the toolset for Web developers, Microsoft also announced the upcoming availability of a preview of ASP.NET 3.5 Extensions, which draws on many of the capabilities of the Entity Framework and provides an exciting sneak peek at additional functionality planned for ASP.NET next year.

“The ADO.NET Entity Framework is a giant leap forward to help developers increase productivity,” said D. Britton Johnston, product unit manager for Data Programmability at Microsoft. “As part of our efforts, we’ve reached out to all the leading database vendors and third-party solution providers to encourage them to enable the ADO.NET Entity Framework to connect to their solutions. The response has been overwhelmingly favorable. Together we are meeting developers’ needs for a comprehensive data platform that supports all data through a provider-enabled approach that results in writing less code to build rich applications and services.”

The ADO.NET Entity Framework extends the capabilities of Microsoft’s popular Language-Integrated Query (LINQ) technology by enabling developers to use LINQ against many back-end databases. Developers can work at a conceptual level and focus on business logic rather than data access, which makes it significantly easier for them to work with data-centric applications and services. The ADO.NET Entity Framework and SQL Server are key to Microsoft’s strategy to bridge the gap between developers and data. This is a core component of the company’s Application Platform, a set of technologies and capabilities that make it easier for developers and IT professionals to develop, deliver and manage dynamic applications and services.

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Reverse-Mortgage Firm Sets Direction for Growth by Choosing Microsoft Dynamics CRM

A new firm established specifically to help seniors learn about and access Federal Housing Administration (FHA) reverse mortgages has chosen Microsoft Dynamics CRM to manage its nationwide customer base and support the company’s growth, Microsoft Corp. announced today.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM, with modules for sales, marketing and customer service, offers customer relationship management capabilities that enable companies to maintain a comprehensive view of their customer and prospect base from initial contact through the sale and subsequent communications. Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage Inc., headquartered in Bellevue, Wash., will rely on Microsoft Dynamics CRM to provide an integrated view of customer and prospect data, sales reports and marketing information to reach qualified borrowers and help ensure high-quality leads.

When it launched its business, which is designed to help people over age 62 consider FHA reverse mortgages as a way to eliminate house payments and improve their quality of life, Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage considered both Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Salesforce technologies. The company ultimately chose the Microsoft solution because of its high degree of integration with applications that its loan officers used every day, such as Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel, and because it could host its own copy of the software for customization, rather than be tied to Web-hosted software that it cannot shape to its needs.

“The key aspects of our decision were the ability of Microsoft Dynamics CRM to be implemented quickly and efficiently, as well as its strong integration with Microsoft Outlook,” said Tim Borquez, section manager for Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage. “We liked the fact that our technical and business power users could customize the software, instilling confidence in its ability to grow as our business grows,”

Seattle-based Madrona Solutions Group, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, implemented the Microsoft Dynamics CRM system, incorporating sales and marketing components, by instituting a rapid-deployment methodology to get Stay In-Home Reverse Mortgage up and running quickly. Madrona also built a business-intelligence dashboard that furnished the company with consolidated forecast reporting to enable a consistent, up-to-date view of business performance. The system was integrated with c360 Word Mail Merge for further customization, along with a specially built de-duplication program from Madrona.

Microsoft Announces Winners of Ingenuity Point Competition

The passion and innovation of Microsoft Corp. partners took center stage today as the company announced the first round of winners in the Ingenuity Point contest. Independent software vendors (ISVs) from around the world are taking part in the competition, which focuses on recognizing software solutions that are making a meaningful difference in the areas of education, healthcare and environmental sustainability.

The winning ISVs are TR Control Solutions Ltd. of Surrey, United Kingdom, Tobii Technology AB of Stockholm, Sweden, and OSIsoft Inc. of San Leandro, Calif.

Rob Bernard, Microsoft’s chief environmental strategist and former general manager of the company’s Worldwide ISV group, says the skills partners have gained in specific technology disciplines, coupled with their desire to impact lives, have proved to be an amazing force for change in the lives of individuals, communities and the world.

“Microsoft is inspired by the passion and innovation we’ve seen from ISVs around the world. ISVs want to be successful and be good global citizens at the same time,” Bernard said. “We’re excited to hold a competition that focuses on how companies are using Microsoft technologies to make an impact in the world. Ingenuity Point is part of our efforts to put the spotlight on some of the incredible work that we’ve seen from ISVs, and help those companies use their expertise to make a bigger impact.”

Enlarging the Partner’s Impact

TR Control Solutions, Tobii Technology and OSIsoft will be joined by a second round of three grand prize winners that will be announced after the second contest period ends on Feb. 28, 2008. Microsoft will provide each of these companies with a variety of marketing tools and resources to help them increase the awareness of their respective solutions and the work they are doing in their particular areas of expertise:

•	Education. TR Control Solutions applies its skills in process control technology to develop ecoDriver Schools, a solution that helps students, teachers and school administrators monitor their consumption of power, water, paper and other resources, and to work together to minimize the environmental impact of their respective schools. In addition, schools that use ecoDriver can collaborate, compete and share best practices using a Microsoft Office SharePoint Server-based collaboration tool. To develop this solution, TR Control also uses the features and capabilities in the Microsoft .NET Framework, Visual Basic .NET, Microsoft ASP .NET, Visual Studio .NET, Microsoft Office Visio, Microsoft SQL Server, ActiveX, Microsoft Office Project, and the core applications in the Microsoft Office system.
•	Healthcare. Tobii Technology specializes in eye-tracking hardware and software for both scientific and commercial applications. Using this same expertise, Tobii has developed an eye-tracking solution that helps people with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and spinal injuries communicate, navigate the Internet and write e-mail, using only the movement of their eyes. MyTobii is built using Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, Windows XP, the .NET Framework, DirectX, ActiveX, Microsoft Component Object Model (COM) technologies, Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer browser extensions, Windows Installer, Microsoft Internet Information Services, Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server and the Microsoft Foundation Class library. Tobii will soon to be moving to Visual Studio 2008, Windows Vista and the Windows Presentation Foundation.
•	Environmental sustainability. OSIsoft’s PI System helps companies in manufacturing, energy, utilities and other process industries monitor, manage and track performance indicators in real time. Several water utilities have used the PI System to more closely manage their water supplies and reduce the cost and energy associated with treating water and wastewater. The PI system uses Windows XP, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server and the .NET Framework.

Microsoft Releases Next Generation CRM Solution for On-Premise and On-Demand Deployments

The new version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, formerly code-named “Titan,” has been completed and released to manufacturing, Microsoft Corp. announced today. The new version is offered under two product names: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 for on-premise and partner-hosted deployments and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Live for Microsoft-hosted deployment. Designed with a single unified-code base for both on-premise and on-demand deployments, Microsoft Dynamics CRM enables customers to choose the right deployment model for their specific business and IT needs, with the flexibility to change deployment models over time if their needs or preferences change.

“Microsoft Dynamics CRM is making the power of choice a reality for businesses around the world,” said Brad Wilson, general manager of Microsoft Dynamics CRM at Microsoft. “This new release further enables us to deliver on Microsoft’s software plus services strategy and provide our CRM solutions with a great user experience and exceptional business value.”

Some of the significant new benefits and capabilities of this new release include these:

•	An advanced multitenant architecture that supports multiple customers per server
•	Extended global capabilities including user choice of more than 25 languages and pervasive support for multiple currencies
•	New business intelligence capabilities including cross-entity views and an end-user ad hoc reporting wizard
•	Advanced business process automation based on Microsoft Windows Workflow Foundation
•	New collaboration capabilities with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 including real-time presence indicators within the CRM application

The new release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM has been in extensive use over the past year by more than 600 partners around the world and more than 100 early access customers representing a broad range of on-premise, partner-hosted and Microsoft-hosted deployments.

“Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 meets our needs for an enterprise-ready CRM solution,” said Dirk Karl, general manager and chief procurement officer at ING Group, a financial institution that offers banking, insurance and asset management services to clients in 50 countries. “It will allow us to easily automate innovative workflows, quickly share knowledge across our global enterprise, and develop a more productive worldwide purchasing and vendor relationship management environmen

Microsoft Launches Online Student Avatar Playgrounds at TheUltimateSteal.com

Starting today, as part of Microsoft Corp.’s promotion the Ultimate Steal, university students from around the world will be able to create and customize their own digital alter egos, or avatars, in the Ultimate College All-Nighter and the Ultimate College Idol “playgrounds” at TheUltimateSteal.com/Sweepstakes.

“These competitions not only are designed to be fun; they offer students a way to engage technology at a very personal level,” said Alan Yates, general manager of Worldwide Public Sector Education at Microsoft. “We are committed to helping students access the products they need to be successful while in school and on into their post-graduate career, while giving them an opportunity to experience cutting-edge technology in a fun and exciting way.”

With the help of Voki technology, Oddcast Inc.’s next-generation speaking avatar platform for online communities, social networks and media properties, students are able to create their characters on TheUltimateSteal.com/Sweepstakes, use their voice to create a speaking avatar story and then share their stories or songs in the online “playgrounds” on the site, publish them to other social networking sites such as Facebook, or e-mail them to their friends.

“We have seen that college students have a tremendous affinity for avatar-based content and applications, and Voki avatar technology enables Microsoft to engage them in a way that is meaningful and relevant,” said Adi Sideman, CEO of Oddcast.

Through Jan. 31, 2008, students can participate in two online avatar playgrounds:

•	The Ultimate College Idol competition gets students to take center stage, exhibiting their best — and possibly worst — talent. More important, students have a chance to flaunt their school spirit and use that as their inspiration.
•	In the Ultimate College All-Nighter competition, students can use their avatar to tell the world about their favorite all-nighter — whether they skipped sleep to cram, stayed out partying until dawn, or rode an adrenaline rush through a nonstop gaming session.

Microsoft Unwraps Virtualization Surprise

Microsoft Corp. this morning delivered a holiday surprise for customers and partners, unveiling a public beta for its hypervisor-based server virtualization technology called Hyper-V, a feature with some versions of Windows Server 2008. Customers and partners today can download Windows Server 2008 RC1 Enterprise with the beta version of Hyper-V to evaluate the new technology, test applications and plan future consolidation, business continuity and high-availability projects. The beta was previously expected to be ready in the first quarter of 2008 with the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Server 2008.

“Delivering the high-quality Hyper-V beta earlier than expected allows our customers and partners to begin evaluating this feature of Windows Server 2008 and provide us with valuable feedback as we march toward final release,” said Bill Laing, general manager of the Windows Server Division at Microsoft. “Along with Hyper-V, Windows Server 2008 offers cost-effective and flexible licensing for virtualization so that customers and partners can extend the savings realized through server consolidation and deliver on the vision of Dynamic IT.”

Currently, the beta for Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V is available for the x64 Enterprise Edition in English. This beta release provides customers and partners with expanded features and capabilities not previously available in the September 2007 Community Technology Preview of Hyper-V, such as Quick Migration, high availability, Server Core role and Server Manager integration. The final version of Hyper-V remains on target for release within 180 days of the RTM of Windows Server 2008. As a feature of Windows Server 2008, Hyper-V is designed to provide a broad range of customers with familiar and cost-effective virtualization infrastructure software that can help reduce operating costs, increase hardware utilization, optimize infrastructure and improve server availability.

To provide integrated management of physical and virtual environments, Microsoft is also developing the next version of System Center Virtual Machine Manager. Customers will be able to use this integrated management tool to rapidly provision and configure new virtual machines, and centrally manage their virtual infrastructure, running on Hyper-V, Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2, VMware ESX Server and Virtual Infrastructure 3 (V13).

Microsoft Releases Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator to Help Speed Content Production and Lower Development Costs

Microsoft Corp. today announced the release of the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator, enabling film studios and disc authoring companies to model the behavior of HD DVD disc content, including encoded video and HDi interactivity, in a virtual environment before committing to burning a single HD DVD disc. This comprehensive tool is among the first commercially available, software-based solutions of its kind, eliminating the need for expensive hardware or time-consuming and costly trial-and-error processes for testing HD DVD titles, helping to ensure that titles ship error-free.

The enhanced content and rich interactive capabilities of HD DVD increase the need for an efficient way to troubleshoot coding to maintain the highest-quality consumer experiences. The emulator uses a combination of available hardware (the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player) and specialized emulation software to ultimately enable playback of near-final assets from a network storage share, portable hard drive or optical disc. This allows focused testing of the layout, the menus, and the behavior of the interactivity functionality of a title. Detailed log reports from the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator deliver valuable tracing information to help quickly and easily pinpoint problems with advanced interactivity code that otherwise could take hours of manual debugging.

“We are committed to supporting and advancing the HD DVD ecosystem, and the new Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator reflects these efforts by providing developers with the software-based tools they need to efficiently deliver the highest-quality content,” said Jordi Ribas, general manager of HD DVD at Microsoft. “Microsoft developed the Emulator to help save studios and postproduction houses time, resources and costs involved with the creation of HD DVD content, and let them focus on what really matters — pushing the envelope with the format.”

Sessions using the Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator are designed to complement existing workflows so that tests can be run at various stages. The tool offers several choices for how to run a session: directly from a network storage share, from a USB drive connected directly to the Xbox 360 console, or from an optical disc in the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player. While the tool enables the testing of content playback on the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player specifically, it effectively eliminates layers in the testing process for other HD DVD players as well.

Validated by the Industry’s Leading HD DVD Production Houses

As part of the development process, Microsoft implemented a beta program from July through November of this year, involving more than 40 participants, including Deluxe Digital Studios, Enteractive GmbH, Imagion AG, Memory-Tech Corporation and NetBlender Inc. Participants found that the tool significantly decreased the number of hours and reduced the costs associated with the production process, freeing up time to refine and improve content.

Microsoft Imagine Cup 2008 Encourages Students to Think Green

Imagine a world where technology solves a country’s water shortage, provides a cleaner source of fuel or reduces the demand for energy. Imagine coming up with a concept that could help solve some of the world’s biggest environmental issues and winning big for coming up with the idea. Students interested in saving the environment while earning cash and traveling to great places can get involved by entering the Imagine Cup 2008. Microsoft Corp. has opened registration for the competition, inviting students from the United States and around the world to use their talent, imagination and know-how to address those and other sustainability issues.

Now in its sixth year, the Imagine Cup challenges students around the globe to imagine a world made better by technology and created by their talent and innovation. More than 100,000 students from 100 countries competed in last year’s Imagine Cup. This year, Microsoft hopes to top that, calling on students to go green, dream big and rise to the challenge to “imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment.” After advancing through online, local and regional competitions, finalists will be chosen to compete on the global stage at the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals in Paris next summer. There, students will have a shot at winning more than $180,000 (U.S.) across nine categories.

But the Imagine Cup doesn’t just give students the chance to win money; it also can help kick-start their career. A number of Imagine Cup competitors have gone on to turn their software designs into real-world business realities, including Imagine Cup winner Tu Nguyen of Omaha, Nebraska, who is now the vice president of technology at DocCenter Inc., a Software as a Service (SaaS) content and document management solution provider.

“After the Imagine Cup, things started to click for me because people see the potential in the student,” Nguyen said. “It’s not about the grades anymore. It’s about what the student can imagine and deliver.”

Putting Creative Ideas to the Test

The nine categories of competition for Imagine Cup 2008 range from software design and video game development to challenges involving algorithms and programming. But the Imagine Cup is not just for high-tech enthusiasts. It also features digital arts categories such as filmmaking and photography for the artsy types. Students who enter get the opportunity to compete for generous cash prizes and career-boosting opportunities such as having their very own booth at the PAX Penny Arcade Expo, the nation’s largest gaming expo; showing their winning film at the Seattle International Film Festival; or getting a two-page spread in American Photo Magazine, to name just a few.

New XNA Game Studio 2.0 From Microsoft Enables Creation of Online Multiplayer Games Using LIVE

Microsoft Corp. today marked the next step in its initiative to democratize game development and unleash the creativity of the community with the release of the XNA Game Studio 2.0, the next generation of the popular game development platform for Xbox 360 and Windows. The new version builds upon XNA Game Studio Express, released one year ago, and includes the ability to create online, cross-platform multiplayer games for Xbox 360 and Windows using Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows — LIVE, respectively. XNA Game Studio 2.0 adds more than 15 new features and is available for download from

“When building XNA Game Studio 2.0, we wanted to offer everyone the opportunity to utilize the rich gaming environment of LIVE used by AAA developers for titles such as ‘Halo 3’ and ‘Gears of War,’” said Chris Satchell, general manager of the XNA organization at Microsoft. “We accomplished our goal with this new toolset, and, best of all, it remains highly accessible to students, hobbyists and pros alike.”

Many of LIVE’s best features are supported by XNA Game Studio 2.0 with minimal to no coding necessary to activate them — features such as matchmaking, which uses LIVE to find the best games for gamers to play based on their location and Internet connection. In addition, XNA Game Studio 2.0 fully supports game development with all versions of the Microsoft Visual Studio product line.

XNA Creators Club Academic Trial Memberships Now Free to Qualified Students and Faculty

Since its release last December, XNA Game Studio has been an incredible success, with 750,000 downloads, adoption by more than 300 universities worldwide and at least nine textbooks on the tools in development. In subjects from computer science to fine arts, introductory courses to graduate and research projects, XNA Game Studio is helping faculty members and students explore the boundaries of applied gaming technology in education. Along with XNA Game Studio 2.0, Microsoft will also provide a free academic trial membership in the XNA Creators Club beginning in January, allowing faculty members and students to use XNA Game Studio 2.0 and Xbox 360 for instructional purposes.

Time to Dream-Build-Play Again

From more than 4,500 entrants from around the world, four community games were awarded Xbox LIVE Arcade publishing contracts in this year’s Dream-Build-Play game development competition. Microsoft will once again challenge aspiring game developers to create their dream games for a chance to win more coveted publishing contracts. This week Microsoft kicks off registration for Dream-Build-Play 2008 with the Silicon Minds Warm-Up Challenge. Registration begins on Dec. 14 and winners will be announced at the Game Developers Conference, where details of the main challenge will be announced. Run in partnership with Microsoft Research’s Machine Learning Group in Cambridge, England; Rare Ltd.; and Lionhead Studios, prizes for the Warm-Up Challenge will include the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interview for an internship with one of those organizations.

“Artificial intelligence is so important to the games we make at Lionhead Studios, and we are very excited to see what the community can come up with in this Warm-Up Challenge to Dream-Build-Play 2008,” said Peter Molyneux, managing director at Lionhead Studios. “We are always on the lookout for the best talent and believe that XNA Game Studio 2.0 will be a great platform for contestants to showcase their skills on.” More information about Dream-Build-Play 2008 is available at

Microsoft Acquires One of Europe’s Top Online Map Services

Microsoft Corp. has acquired Multimap, one of the United Kingdom’s top 100 technology companies and one of the leading online mapping services in the world. The acquisition gives Microsoft a powerful new location and mapping technology to complement existing offerings such as Virtual Earth, Live Search, Windows Live services, MSN and the aQuantive advertising platform, with future integration potential for a range of other Microsoft products and platforms. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“The addition of Multimap enhances Microsoft’s position as a leading provider of mapping and location platform services,” said Sharon Baylay, general manager of the Online Services Group at Microsoft. “This acquisition will play a significant role in the future growth of our search business and presents a huge opportunity to expand our platform business beyond the U.K. and globally. We are thrilled to welcome Multimap onboard.”

One of the best-known online mapping companies worldwide, Multimap provides a publicly available personal mapping service at as well as a range of integrated business services.

“Partnering with Microsoft gives us a world of new opportunities to build our mapping services into new technologies and applications,” said Jeff Kelisky, CEO of Multimap. “As one of the world’s foremost technology brands, Microsoft is in a position to bring even more value to the Multimap service and give people everywhere new, exciting and fun ways to get from point A to point B.”

Multimap will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft, as part of the Virtual Earth and Search teams in the Online Services Group. The acquisition is the latest in a series of moves as Microsoft seeks to expand its online services to deliver software, services, and premium content and applications to consumers and businesses.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Samsung Licenses Microsoft Technology for Wireless Digital Photo Frame

New consumer product, available in time for the holidays, is one of the few networked offerings on the market and is result of ongoing licensing and technology collaboration between the two companies.

Samsung Electronics America Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, today announced the release of its new 8” Digital Photo Frame SPF-83V, based on technology developed by Microsoft Research, in time for the holiday season. With this innovative addition to their photo frame lineup, customers can enjoy photos wirelessly in their home and display photos from sharing sites such as Windows Live Spaces or from personal collections on their PC.

The frame works with the Windows Live Photo Gallery, which makes sharing photos with friends and family easy. Users can organize and upload individual photos or albums from their PC to Windows Live Spaces and the photos are ready for display on the frame.

Along with the technology licensed from Microsoft Research, the Samsung frame communicates with Windows Media Player and open standards such as RSS. The product is a result of a long-standing collaboration between Microsoft Corp. and Samsung Electronics, including a patent cross-licensing agreement signed by the two companies in April 2007.

“Offering our customers next-generation products that bring them closer to family and friends is important to us,” said Christopher Franey, vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing at Samsung Electronics America, Information Technology Division. “Our latest digital photo frames, based on cutting-edge technology from the Microsoft Research labs, are easy to use and are one of the few offerings in the marketplace that offer a ‘network’ approach to digital photo sharing. This is a great example of our ongoing collaboration with Microsoft, and we are confident that the resulting product will be received extremely well.”

“Working with industry leaders such as Samsung to allow them to deploy Microsoft’s innovative technologies and bring great products and services to customers more rapidly is what our intellectual property licensing efforts are all about,” said Louis Carbonneau, general manager of Intellectual Property Licensing at Microsoft. “This is just one example of how our dedication to open innovation can lead to greater collaboration between two technology industry leaders and to great products — right in time for the holidays.”