Results for Microsoft

Microsoft has released two new Virtual PC images featuring Windows XP SP 2. One includes Internet Explorer 7, the other Internet Explorer 6.

Screenshot of Microsoft Virtual PC 2007

The images should come in handy for anyone running Windows Vista who wants to see how their web page look in Internet Explorer under Windows XP. Of course, you could also run the disc image inside of Virtual PC if you want to try installing new software without risking any damage to your host operating system.

Both disc images will expire on August 17th, 2007. The images are pre-activated so no hassle running them (Windows only). Download the disc images here.

Calgoo has officially launched their beta calendar sharing program (Windows, Mac and Linux).

Calgoo Calendar screenshot

Calgoo aggregates, displays and manages events from multiple calendar sources: Google, Outlook and iCal. It uses the Google Calendar Data API to synchronize with and store events on Google Calendar.

Calgoo lets you:

• Find the calendars, schedules and appointments you need
• Use them and arrange them your way
• Share calendars and appointments with those that need to know

Check it out on Calgoo.com.

As announced when Virtual PC 2004 was set free, Microsoft is now also offering free downloads of Microsoft Virtual PC 2007.

Screenshot of Microsoft Virtual PC 2007

Use Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 to run multiple operating systems at the same time on the same physical computer. Switch between virtual machines with the click of a button. Use virtual machines to run legacy applications, provide support, train users, and enhance quality assurance.

Check Microsoft for more information and a link to download Virtual PC 2007.

Microsoft’s latest operating system Windows Vista has launced, so are we ready to switch from our trusty XP?

Introducing Windows Vista: Easier, Safer, More and Better! Isn’t it?

Whenever a new operating system comes out it’s always a bit tricky to figure out if you should upgrade or not. Drivers (especially for older gear) are not always available, or might be unstable at first. Or worse, some of your favorite audio software is not compatible at all (yet?).

It’s good to see some companies have already made sure their software is going to run just fine on Vista.

Check Creative Digital Music’s article on Vista Compatibility (by Peter Kirn) for an overview of who is ready, and who is not.

I’m not considering an upgrade yet, but it’s good to see my preferred host (FL Studio) is mentioned amongst those ready for Vista.

We’ve seen plenty of rumours about Mircosoft’s media player in the past months. Others have tried, but none have been able to put a serious dent in Apple‘s dominance in this market. Might Zune be the one true iPod killer?

Let’s see. From the press release:

Zune includes a 30GB digital media player, the Zune Marketplace music service and a foundation for an online community that will enable music fans to discover new music. The Zune device features wireless technology, a built-in FM tuner and a bright, 3-inch screen that allows users to not only show off music, pictures and video, but also to customize the experience with personal pictures or themes to truly make the device their own. Zune comes in three colors: black, brown and white.

Okay, so we got a 30GB media player with wireless communication. Oh, and it comes in one attractive color. What else?

Wireless Zune-to-Zune sharing lets consumers spontaneously share full-length sample tracks of select songs, homemade recordings, playlists or pictures with friends between Zune devices. Listen to the full track of any song you receive up to three times over three days. If you like a song you hear and want to buy it, you can flag it right on your device and easily purchase it from the Zune Marketplace.

That’s actually a nice feature indeed. I can share my music with others so they can see if they like it enough to buy it (easily from the Zune Marketplace, smart!).

It even comes with an interesting selection of preloaded music, from labels like Astralwerks Records, Ninja Tune and Sub Pop Records.
Furthermore you can get a bunch of accessories for Zune in your car, in your home or while you travel.

All in all it looks like Zune is a nice player that could do well. But then there’s the dreaded DRM.

It’s no surprise that the press release does not mention DRM. Zune’s fact sheet shows you can import audio files in unprotected WMA, MP3 and AAC formats. But Microsoft’s new DRM system also wraps these files in the protection scheme which makes sharing your own music a bit awkward as it only allows you to play it 3 times over 3 days, a serious limitation. Then again, many consumers might just want a media player to play music they purchase in an online store.

I guess time will tell…

Juice Analytics has a nice post on in-cell graphing in Microsoft Excel.

The basic idea is to use the data of a cell in a formula that repeats a character to represent a nice bar. Excel’s REPT function does exactly that:

=REPT(text,number_of_times)

Some readers explored this idea and came up with some nice variations.