Windows handheld works in warehouses or freezers

LXE announced a rugged handheld computer that runs Windows Mobile 6.5 or CE 6.0, targeting supply chain applications. The Tecton includes an 806MHz Marvell PXA320 processor, a 3.5-inch screen with 320 x 240 resolution, 256MB of RAM and 256MB of flash storage, and an optional version that works down to -22 deg. F, according to the company.

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LXE's Tecton (right) follows in the footsteps of many other Windows handheld computers, including devices such as the company's own MX9, MX8, MX5, and MX3. The new device is said to be an update of LXE's MX7 that uses the same form factor, but offers a faster processor and other upgrades.

According to LXE, the Tecton was specifically designed for warehouse use, and is available with a multi-range Lorax laser that can scan barcodes at distances ranging from four inches to four feet (a 2D imager and other scanners are also available). The device's normal operating range is 14 to 122 deg. F., but there's an optional version that works down to -22 deg. F, thanks to a backup power source plus defrosters for its touchscreen and scan window, the company adds.

LXE says the Tecton survives multiple drops onto concrete from a height of five feet when its handle is fitted, or six feet with no handle (but with a rubber boot accessory). The device meets the IP65 standard for sealing against dust and liquids, and a 2200mAh battery provides "full shift" life, according to the company.

The Tectron is offered with either Windows CE 6.0 or Windows Mobile 6.5. As far as we could see, a cellular modem isn't being offered as an option, but LXE does say the device includes "ToughTalk" technology for voice-driven applications, and VoIP applications are likely also possible.

According to LXE, the Tecton has an 806MHz Mavell PXA320 processor, 256MB of RAM, and 256MB of flash storage. The latter may be augmented using the device's SD slot, the company adds.

The Tecton offers a 3.5-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels and a 280-nit brightness rating, says LXE. Available with 55- or 32-key backlit keyboards, it features 802.11a/b/g wireless networking (with Cisco CCXv4 extensions) and Bluetooth 2.0, the company says.

Features and specifications listed by LXE for the Tecton include:

* Processor -- Marvell PXA320 clocked at 806MHz
* Memory -- 256MB of RAM and 256MB of flash storage
* Display -- 3.5-inch touchscreen with 320 x 240 pixel resolution
* Keyboard -- 55- or 32-key backlit keyboards
* Expansion -- SD slot
* Networking:
o WLAN -- 802.11a/b/g
o PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
* Scanning:
o multi-range Lorax laser, basic laser, short-range laser, 2D imager, or VGA-resolution image capture (options)
* Other I/O:
o 1 x RS232
o 1 x USB client
o audio -- jack for headset
* Battery -- 2200mAh with "full shift operationg)
* Operating range -- 14 to 122 deg. F (optional heated version works down to -22 deg. F)
* Dimensions -- 8.8 x 3.4 x 2 inches
* Weight -- 1.3 pounds

Further information

Pricing for the Tecton was not mentioned, but the device will be available during March, according to Trimble. The company adds that the Tecton makes its public debut on Feb. 8 at the LogiMat supply chain trade show (, in Hall 5, Booth 641 ) in Stuttgart, Germany.

Google Gives Authors Greater Recognition in Search Results

In an attempt to improve the quality of Google’s Search results, the company is rolling out a new feature that will prominently display the authors of certain articles within search results.

“Authorship is a great way to identify and highlight high-quality content,” Google Product Manager Sagar Kamdar said in a company blog post. “Plus, the web is centered around people. People discovering content on the web often want to learn more about its author, see other content by that author, and even interact with the author.”

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The new highlighting places a picture of an author to the right of an article he or she has written, along with a link to his or her Google Profile. In the example included above, my photo and name appear to the right of a recent review I wrote about the Jawbone Era.

The program will launch with a small subset of authors, but will roll out to more authors over time. It’s powered by Google’s new authorship markup, which adds new code to distinguish when a link is pointing to the author of an article.

Our bet is that Google hopes that author profiles in search results will encourage higher quality content, which isn’t always found in content farms.

Google To Shutter PowerMeter & Google Health Projects

Google is retiring two influential projects: Google Health and PowerMeter. Neither project attracted enough users to make it worthwhile supporting them, the company said.

Google Health, a free service that stores your personal health information, will end January 1, 2012. All its data available for download for a year following the shutdown. PowerMeter, another free tool that helps monitor your home energy usage, will end September 16, 2011.

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The company says it will attempt to make it simple for people to gather their data stored on these services and transition to other, similar services.

Currently, users can grab their Google Health data as a PDF, HTML file, ZIP file or in one of several formats. Also, Google will soon allow users to “directly transfer your health data to other services that support the Direct Project protocol, an emerging open standard for efficient health data exchange.” PowerMeter data will be available only as a CSV file for current PowerMeter users.

“While they didn’t scale as we had hoped, we believe they did highlight the importance of access to information in areas where it’s traditionally been difficult,” wrote Aaron Brown, Google senior project manager, in an official blog post.

“By helping people make more informed decisions through greater access to more information, we believe Google Health and PowerMeter have been trailblazers in their respective categories,” Brown added. “Ultimately though, we want to satisfy the most pressing needs for the greatest number of people. In the case of these two products, our inability to scale has led us to focus our priorities elsewhere.”

Microsoft Beefs Up Lync Before Office 365 Official Launch

In addition to the anticipated launch of Office 365 on Tuesday, Microsoft recently announced Lync Power Pack, which has six applications to enhance the Lync user experience.

Lync is part of the Office 365 suite and provides unified communications for organizations, integrating Instant Messaging (IM), VoIP, presence, and conferencing. Lync also features extensive Outlook integration including single-click meeting scheduling.

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Lync Power Pack is part of the Lync Adoption and Training Kit, which provides resources such as primers, templates, user education and training. Applications include:

* IM an Expert: A tool that helps people in an organization ask questions and find experts within their company. The tool categorizes user questions into topic areas, finds experts best able to answer, and then forwards the questions to those experts.
* Conversations Analyzer: Reviews a user's Lync IM conversation history. It then scores for use of trust-building language. The analyzer applies trust rules to determine the occurrence of words and phrases that have a positive or negative effect on trust.
* Conversation Translator: Provides real-time translation for Lync IM for up to 35 different languages.
* Information Dowloader: Provides current information about a contact's location such as date, time, whether a user is calling the contact during regular working hours, the weather in that location, and news feeds pertaining to the location.
* Tabbed Conversations: Give users a tabbed conversation window for viewing multiple IM conversations in a single window.
* Group Chat Stress Tool: Helps users verify Lync Server 2010 and Lync Server 2010 Group Chat hardware deployment. It's comprised of two applications: Group Chat Stress Tool and Group Chat Loaders. Using the stress engine in the Stress Tool, users can create the configuration files for the loaders and distribute the binaries to remote machines that will run the loaders. Group Chat Loader is used to apply specific load parameters on the Group Chat Server.

The Lync Power Pack is available to Office 365 customers as a download.

Writing Tech In Outer Space

One of the great myths in writing technology is that when humans went into outer space, one of the biggest challenges was to find a way to write in conditions of zero gravity. The myth continues that NASA threw all its considerable weight into research in this regard and spent millions of dollars to develop a special space pen, while the Russians found a simple solution -- they just used pencils.

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Well, this is totally incorrect. Both US and Russian astronauts (or cosmonauts, as the Russians called them) used pencils to write in outer space, although NASA was criticised severely for purchasing special mechanical pencils that cost almost USD 125 per unit in 1965.

The competing superpowers apart, a lot of money was spent on research for a pen that could write in outer space. But not by NASA or the Russians. The Fisher Pen Co. spent over a million dollars and came up with the famous Fisher Space Pen. It could be used effectively in space - it came with a pressurised ink cartridge, and could work in a zero gravity environment, underwater, in other liquids, and in temperature extremes ranging from -50 F to +400 F. NASA tested it extensively and then started using it for its flights after 1967. Even the Russians were so impressed by the Fisher Space Pen that they ordered a consignment for their cosmonauts.

Google and MOVL Interpret Social TV as Games

Google and technology start-up MOVL are drawing on games to develop a new kind of social TV experience with two new apps called WeDraw.tv and PokerFun.tv. Users play the apps using their iOS or Android smartphones or tablets, but use a television screen as the communal game board. It sounds a lot like multiplayer gaming, only with smartphones instead of keyboards and mice and television screens instead of computer monitors.

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The concept and trial-and-error deployment of socially-enhanced television experiences has resurfaced dozens, if not hundreds of times in the past decade, but no company has yet nailed the concept or delivered it at the right time for it to catch on massively. Google and MOVL seem ready to try again, this time leaning on games for back-up support.

What's odd is that the "TV" part of this social TV set up isn't really "TV" at all. Only the screen is being utilized (not television programming content) as part of the network.

Viewers—or really "players"—will be able to connect with other players in front of other television screens who are in different geographic locations. WeDraw is a drawing guessing game in which the TV becomes the game board and players use their phones as controllers to draw pictures and guess secret words. PokerFun turns the TV set into a poker table. Players see what cards they've been dealt on their phone or tablet, where they also place their bets and play out the hand.

Both apps are available to check out in the GoogleTV Spotlight (video below).

The news was announced via a guest post on the Google TV blog by Alan Queen, founder and CTO of MOVL, yesterday.

MOVL's business is to create applications for connected television sets and mobile devices. Two additional apps it has listed on its Web site include WeTeli, a "social video jukebox," and SmartFitTV, an "on-demand personal trainer."

Windows Embedded Standard 7 Versus 2009 � Componentization, Tools, and Building Images

Foreword -- Contributed by Robert Smith and the Windows Embedded team, this whitepaper describes some of the differences between Windows Embedded Standard 2009 and Windows Embedded Standard 7 with respect to componentization, tools, and image-building processes. It follows a previous whitepaper (also available on our site, here), that compared the two operating systems at a higher level.

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In Windows Embedded Standard 2009, EEFs are implemented the same way as other components. In Windows Embedded Standard 7, similarly, EEFs are implemented the same way as other feature sets. Windows Embedded Standard 7 is designed to keep parity with Windows Embedded Standard 2009 for EEFs, with a few exceptions as listed in the following table.

Support for Customized Components
In Windows Embedded Standard 2009, OEM developers can implement their own customized components by creating the appropriate SLD files with the appropriate binaries, and then importing them into the component database. This process gives customized components the capability of extending features and integrating them into the development platform to provide a seamless user experience using the embedded toolkit (for example, Target Designer).

In Windows Embedded Standard 7, OEM developers cannot create customized components or feature sets; therefore, their experience with the embedded toolkit and development platform will not be the same. However, OEM developers can create customized features (including third-party drivers) that can be placed under the $OEM$ folder in the distribution share. This will allow OEM developers to include customized features in the embedded run-time images, or redistribute them as a configuration set. However, by using this approach the customized features cannot express any dependencies to Windows Embedded Standard 7 feature sets. There is no tool-based mechanism to change settings.
Modified Windows 7 Behavior for Embedded Needs/Scenarios

In addition to the differences in componentization between Windows Embedded Standard 2009 and Windows Embedded Standard 7 as mentioned above, certain behaviors for Windows 7 features have also been modified to better suit embedded needs. Most of these behaviors are modified using the SMI settings, which are listed in the following table.

Comparing the Image-Building Process
The process of creating a Windows Embedded Standard OS can be broken down into the following steps:

1. Device Analysis Determining what devices are on the target computer and adding drivers to support those devices.
2. Configuration Adding the desired packages for the OS and configuring any associated settings.
3. Building Forming the OS for the device
4. Customization Adding any third-party files or programs to the OS
5. Capture Bundling the OS into one cohesive unit for redeployment on other devices.
6. Deployment Taking the preconfigured OS and installing it on one or more devices.

Shown below are two diagrams that give an overview of the Windows Embedded Standard 2009 and Windows Embedded Standard 7 image building process. (Click on either image to enlarge.)

In this paper, each step in the list above is examined for the differences in the development process between Windows Embedded Standard 2009 and Windows Embedded Standard 7.
Device Analysis

In Windows Embedded Standard 2009, device analysis is done by using the Target Analyzer (Tap.exe) program. OEM developers are advised to boot Windows Preinstallation Environment (PE) on their device and run Tap.exe. Tap.exe will, by default, generate a Devices.pmq file, which lists all hardware on the target device.

Once the Devices.pmq file is obtained, it can be imported using Target Designer. Devices will be automatically mapped to drivers, and the components containing these drivers will be added to the configuration.

In Windows Embedded Standard 7, device analysis is done in a similar manner, but is somewhat streamlined. Similarly, Target Analyzer is used to create a Devices.pmq file. The process for running Tap.exe, however, is made easier.

If you are developing images using the Image Builder Wizard (IBW), Tap.exe is run automatically in the background, and devices are automatically mapped to driver packages. As IBW is executed on the target device, the target hardware can be analyzed directly before build time, instead of as a separate step before creating the configuration.

If you are developing images using ICE, the device-analysis procedure is nearly the same as with Windows Embedded Standard 2009. Tap.exe can be run from Windows PE, or it can be run from the IBW disk. The OEM developer can then import the Devices.pmq file into ICE, where each device will be mapped to a driver package and added to the configuration.
Configuration

In Windows Embedded Standard 2009, image configuration is done in the Target Designer tool. Target Designer is an application that runs on an OEM developers computer and provides an IDE for creating the Windows Embedded Standard 2009 OS. OEM developers can create a new configuration and add drivers, software, and Embedded Enabling Feature components to create their own customized OS. Developers can also add macro and template components which can contain groupings of component binaries and settings. Developers can also choose to edit settings associated with the OS or its components.

Once the basic components have been added, OEM developers must resolve dependencies. This will automatically check the components that were added to the configuration, and add in any additional components that are required for the OS to function. After dependencies have been resolved, the configuration can be saved as a .slx file and used to build OS images.

In Windows Embedded Standard 7, two interconnected development experiences are available. IBW is a wizard-based development tool that allows users to quickly and easily prototype device configurations. ICE is similar to Target Designer, allowing the OEM developer to fully control every aspect of their OS.

IBW is a setup wizard that is run on the target device. It can automatically detect devices on the system and install the appropriate drivers. OEM developers can start from a template configuration, or manually choose the feature packages they want in their OS. Dependencies are resolved, and once the configuration is done, IBW installs the OS directly onto the device.

ICE is similar to Target Designer in that it is an IDE experience that runs on the OEM developers computer. Developers can add drivers, software, and EEF packages to their configuration. They can also add templates to configurations to serve as starting points, or they can add a collection of functionality. The OEM developer can also modify settings for the OS and resolve dependencies.

Once an OEM developer decides a given configuration is done, it can be saved to an answer file. This file lists all of the packages to be installed, and settings to be set. The answer file is passed on to IBW so that the OS can be built.

In Windows Embedded Standard 2009, building the OS is done on the OEM developers computer. After the configuration is finalized in Target Designer, the OEM developer can build the image. Target Designer creates the OS folder structure at a build location specified by the developer, and populates the folder structure with the binaries and registry hives for the target OS. The OEM developer can then copy these files to the disk on the target device. When the target device is booted, Windows Embedded Standard 2009 goes through the First Boot Agent (FBA), which finalizes the installation of the OS. After FBA is complete, the OS is ready to use.

In Windows Embedded Standard 7, building the OS happens entirely on the target device. In both the IBW and ICE configuration methods, the configuration is finalized in the IBW tool, and the OS is built. IBW installs the base OS on the device first, then installs the selected packages and applies any configured settings. After the basic installation is finished, the device will reboot into the installed OS. Then, much like in FBA, the finalization of the OS will take place, and the OS will be ready to use.
Customization

In Windows Embedded Standard 2009, OEM developers have several ways to add third-party applications to their configurations. The first method is by using the Component Designer tool. This allows developers to create custom components that contain the custom files and registry keys for their applications or drivers, as well as listing the dependencies on other components. These components are imported into the Component Database and are visible in Target Designer. In this way, OEM developers can create permanent components which act like any other part of the OS and can be shared between multiple configurations. Custom components are also versioned to allow for revision control. If developers want to add third-party files or registry keys to a single configuration without using a custom component, Target Designer also allows for additional files and resources to be manually added to the configuration using the Extra Files, Extra Registry Data, or Extra Resources nodes. These files will be installed to the device when using this configuration, but will not be available in other configurations, and cannot be version controlled.

In Windows Embedded Standard 7, there is no Component Designer tool. Windows Embedded Standard 7 uses the concept of $OEM$ folders to place third-party files onto the target image. If third-party files must be installed through an installation program, synchronous commands can be used to execute installers during the installation process. $OEM$ folders do not allow for dependencies or built-in version control. However, users can create templates to group feature packages together, and then separate folders for different versions of files.
Capture

After the desired image has been configured and built onto a device, the OEM developer might want to capture the image so that the identical configuration can later be deployed to multiple devices.

In Windows Embedded Standard 2009, OEM developers must use the System Cloning tool, which contains Fbreseal.exe, before capturing their image. During the installation process, each installation is made unique. Fbreseal.exe strips out any unique identifiers so that the installation can be transferred to multiple computers. After running Fbreseal.exe, OEM developers can use third-party tools to capture their images for later deployment. Windows Embedded Standard 2009 also provides limited support for Sysprep, which can only be used to prepare an image for use with System Center Configuration Managers Operating System Deployment method.

In Windows Embedded Standard 7, OEM developers use Sysprep instead of Fbreseal.exe. Sysprep performs similar functions as Fbreseal.exe, generalizing the image so that it can be captured and later redeployed. Sysprep has the option to force the deployed OS into the Out of Box Experience (OOBE), or Audit mode, which allows either the end user to configure the OS settings, or allows the OEM developer to ensure everything is preset before the device is released to the end-user customer. An unattended file can also be passed to Sysprep so that additional commands can be executed, or settings configured.

After running Sysprep, the image can be captured by using ImageX for later redeployment. ImageX captures the entire contents of a target disk to a Windows Imaging (WIM) file. WIM files are file-based, which allows for substantial compression. Duplicate files are only stored in the WIM file once, so multiple copies of the same file will not significantly increase the size of the WIM file. Additionally, multiple similar images can be stored within a single WIM file; only the differences between the images increase the overall memory footprint of the WIM file.
Deployment

After the image has been generalized and captured, it can be deployed to production computers. Depending on the environment, OEM developers might need to redeploy the image to one, several, or even thousands of devices. Different deployment methods can be used for each scenario.

In Windows Embedded Standard 2009, no dedicated tools were available to aid in the redeployment process. For low-volume redeployments, OEM developers would simply copy the OS files to the disk on the target device. High-volume redeployments would require the use of third-party tools.

In Windows Embedded Standard 7, several deployment options are available from Microsoft. The first, ImageX, not only captures files into the WIM file format, but also deploys WIM files to a target disk. OEM developers can use ImageX to manually deploy WIM files, or write scripts that use ImageX for automated deployment.

The second method for low-volume deployment is through IBW. Using IBW, users can browse to a WIM file and complete the installation. In addition to standard WIM deployment, IBW can also add Language Packages to an image being installed, and can even be used to apply an unattended file to an image.

Finally, OEM developers can set up Windows Deployment Services (WDS) or System Center Configuration Manager servers to deploy Windows Embedded Standard 7 images. WDS and Configuration Manager allow for large-scale deployment to multiple devices, and are both fully supported in Windows Embedded Standard 7.
Summary of Tools Used in Each Stage of the Development Process

Windows signage modules follow Intel Open Pluggable Specfication

NEC unveiled two computing modules that follow Intel's Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) for digital signs running Windows Embedded Standard 7. Designed to slot into the back of the company's displays, they're the Intel Core i5-powered N8000-8330 and the AMD-powered SB-02SC-2, according to the company.

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Last year, Intel announced its Open Pluggable Specification (OPS), a standardized design for digital signage computers. At the time, not much information was revealed publicly, but the chipmaker said the OPS would involve the use of its Core processors along with Microsoft's Windows Embedded Standard operating system.

We've now unearthed a little more information about what OPS involves -- reviewed later in this story -- and NEC, an early supporter of the spec, has revealed two new devices using it. Both, the company says, are 7.87 x 5.41 x 1.18-inch modules designed to slot into the back of "select NEC X, P and V Series displays, including the new V462, P402 and P462."

According to NEC, the N8000-8330 module incorporates an Intel Core i5 processor (module not specified), a 320GB hard disk drive, and the Windows Embedded Standard 7 operating system. Further specs were not provided, but the images at left and lower below make clear that the device has an Ethernet port, two USB 2.0 ports, audio I/O, and a DisplayPort output for a secondary display.

Intel had touted fanless operation for OPS devices, but the N8000-8330 appears to incorporate a cooling fan. The device features Intel's vPro technology, with keyboard-video-ouse redirection capabilities that allow IT administrators to run diagnostic tests, install upgrades, and view and control the digital display content remotely, according to NEC.

We'd assumed that OPS would be limited to Intel-based devices, but this is not the case. NEC's digital signage website has also listed -- but has not yet pictured -- another model known as the SB-02SC-2, which it says will use a dual-core, 1.6GHz AMD Fusion processor. (Probably the E-350.) According to the company, this device will also come with Windows Embedded Compact 7, and features a 32GB solid state disk.

Pierre Richer, president and COO of NEC Display Solutions, stated, "As the first industry-wide standard for digital signage, the OPS will simplify the use and maintenance of digital signage, and create a smaller product footprint, allowing for thinner displays. The operation of OPS-based products will allow easier installations, resulting in more deployments by current and new customers."

Jose Avalos, director of retail and digital signage for Intel's Embedded Communications group, stated, "Installing digital signage equipment based on Intel architecture results in scalable digital signage networks that are easy to maintain and upgrade to fit customer requirements for lower total cost of ownership. The release of the first OPS-based accessory from NEC Display Solutions is the next step in bringing standardization to the digital signage market segment."

More about the Open Pluggable Specification

As we've mentioned, Intel didn't reveal much about the Open Pluggable Specification when it was first announced last October. A December blog entry clarified matters as follows, however.

According to the posting, OPS defines a standardized module and related interconnections "to insure compatibility and ease of integration between digital signage components from multiple vendors." As shown below, the standard specifies an off-the-shelf 80-pin JAE Electronics TX24/TX25 blind mate plug and receptacle connector system to interface the pluggable module and the display.

A diagam of Intel's Open Pluggable Specification
(Click to enlarge)

The pluggable module itself consists of a printed circuit computing board housed in a protective wrapper chassis, Intel adds. The circuit board should be equal to or smaller than the EPIC (Embedded Platform for Industrial Computing) standard size of 115 x 165mm, and the overall dimension of the module including the mounting frame is 200 x 119 x 30mm, the company says.

It's said the OPS standard also defines the interface signals for all 80 pins of the JAE connector. For example, power input is specified as 12~19V DC at less than 4A and is spread over multiple pins to stay within the connector's maximum current rating. Other pins carry the digital signals for interface to the display, including HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort, audio, serial, plus provision for both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, according to Intel.

According to Intel, the OPS standard also includes thermal specifications and details cooling requirements for modules based on the Core i7 processor and QM57 chipset. The company adds, "Although it is not required by the specification, installing digital signage equipment based on Intel architecture helps you implement scalable digital signage applications that can network easily with other equipment."

Windows coming to more devices, Steve Ballmer reaffirms

"There are more than 1 billion Windows PCs in the hands of customers around the world today, and in January we announced [link] that the next version of Windows will support system-on-chip architectures from Intel, AMD and ARM," Ballmer told the Convergence audience in Atlanta. "So, whatever device that you use now or in the future, Windows will be there."

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ARM-based systems from companies such as Qualcomm, Nvidia and Texas Instruments currently power a wide range of popular mobile devices, including tablets. In theory, SoC support would allow some version of Windows to appear on those devices, although Microsoft remains tight-lipped about details of any next-version operating system.

Throughout April, bloggers Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott, in a series of postings on Riveras Within Windows blog, have dissected what they call an early build of "Windows 8," which includes some features -- including a lock screen with an icon for power management -- seemingly designed for portable devices.

A prospective Windows 8 welcome screen
Source: Within Windows(Click to enlarge)

A ribbon-equipped explorer for Windows 8?
Source: Within Windows(Click to enlarge)

Ballmers comments echo earlier ones he made at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in October 2010, in which he hinted that the companys software running on smartphones fell under the same "Windows" umbrella as the desktop-and-laptop version. At the time, he also characterized "the next release of Windows" as Microsofts riskiest bet.

Despite its longtime hegemony of the operating system market, Windows faces a number of challenges in coming years: from an increasing emphasis on the cloud, which takes various functions traditionally restricted to a local drive and places them online, and from mobile-based operating systems such as iOS and Google Android, which have risen in prominence as people use their smartphones and tablets more and more for daily computing.

A version of Windows that embraces both the traditional, desktop-bound paradigm and the newer, mobile-centric one would help counter both those threats. In the meantime, Microsoft has been very loudly proclaiming its "all in" cloud strategy, particularly with regard to business applications.

"Make no mistake, when it comes to the cloud, Microsofts all in," Ballmer told the audience gathered at the Convergence conference. "Every one of our products will be engineered to deliver the full benefits of the cloud."

As part of that effort, Microsoft is planning to release the next versions of its enterprise-resource planning applications on the cloud-based Windows Azure platform. At the conference, the company also provided a glimpse of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, an ERP application whose beta is due this month. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 includes Unified Natural Models, a library of business processes for real-world situations, and enhanced business intelligence capabilities for discovering fresh insights in data.

Earlier this year, Microsoft released Dynamics CRM Online, a cloud competitor to similar offerings from the likes of Salesforce.com and Oracle. It is also planning a wide release of Office 365, the cloud-subscription version of its productivity-software suite.

IDC: Windows Phone 7 will be fastest-growing smartphone OS

Android will surge to a dominant 39.5 percent share of the fast-growing global smartphone market this year, then further climb slowly to a 45.4 percent share by 2015, says IDC. However, the research firm adds, Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 will actually see the fastest growth, supplanting Symbian to reach a second-place 20.9 percent share by 2015.

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According to IDC, vendors will ship more than 450 million smartphones in 2011, compared to the 303.4 million units shipped in 2010. This projected 49.2 percent growth rate is four times faster than that of the overall mobile phone market, says IDC. The growth, however, is slightly less than the 2010 rebound, driven by pent-up demand from the recessionary 2009 market, says the research group.

IDC also has good news for the Google-backed Android operating system. The iPad may be tough to dislodge from its dominant perch atop the tablet market, but the smartphone market will continue to fall to Android, says a new IDC study projecting worldwide smartphone sales through 2015.
OperatingSystem 2011market share 2015 market share 2011-2015 CAGR

Worldwide smartphone OS share and growth rate (CAGR), 2011-2015
"Android is poised to take over as the leading smartphone operating system in 2011 after racing into the number two position in 2010," stated Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Devices Technology and Trends team. This year, Android vendors will "broaden and deepen their portfolios to reach more customers, particularly first-time smartphone users," he continued.

Judging from the projections, which are part of the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker project, Android will see its biggest jump this year, to 39.5 percent of smartphones sold worldwide, then slowly inch up to 45.4 percent in 2015. This nonetheless represents a 23.8 percent increase over the four-year period, which beats the projected Apple iOS rate of 18.8 percent and RIM BlackBerry's 17.1 percent.

What's more, Android's two main rivals are expected to lose share overall, with iOS slipping to 15.3 percent, and BlackBerry dropping more substantially to 13.7 percent by 2015.

Windows Phone 7 to grow the fastest

The fastest growing smartphone OS will be Windows Phone 7, which will grow from 5.5 percent in 2011 to a second-place 20.9 percent in 2015, projects IDC, whose numbers also include the fading Windows Mobile. In short, IDC sees Microsoft's new mobile OS as successfully supplanting Symbian's smartphone share over the next four years as Nokia shifts over to Windows Phone 7.

"The new alliance brings together Nokia's hardware capabilities and Windows Phone's differentiated platform," stated Llamas, who said the first Nokia Windows phones would ship in 2012. "By 2015, IDC expects Windows Phone to be the number two operating system worldwide behind Android," he added.

Interestingly, IDC sees the "others" category as growing even faster than Android, rising at a 28 percent clip from 3.5 percent in 2011 to 4.6 percent in 2015. IDC doesn't elaborate who the players are here, but Linux will likely underscore most, if not all, of these rival operating systems.

HP's Linux-based WebOS may well be the frontrunner of the bunch. Samsung also offers its Bada OS, which adds Samsung's homegrown middleware and UI on top of a Linux kernel. So far, however, Bada sales have been eclipsed by the huge numbers for Samsung's successful Android-based Galaxy S phones.

It is still unclear whether Intel can find a new phone partner for the Linux-driven MeeGo phones now that Nokia has left it high and dry. Other entries include the recently updated, carrier-driven LiMo (Linux Mobile) spec, which will appear in several new phones this year, according to the LiMo Foundation.

Finally, rumor has it that Motorola is working on its own web-oriented mobile operating system, which if true, will almost certainly run on Linux.

Further information

More information on the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker may be found at IDC's announcement page.

Microsoft, Google and Twitter debate whether HTML5 is "Holy Grail"

And should developers build websites or applications?

Is HTML5 the Holy Grail for building next-generation Web applications?

And should developers ditch the browser for client applications that run on specific devices, like the iPhone and Android?

Those are the questions an all-star lineup of Web and application designers from Microsoft, Google, Twitter and other companies debated Thursday during a panel discussion at the annual USENIX technical conference in Portland, Ore.

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HTML5 in action: First look at Internet Explorer 9

Moderator Michael Maximilien, a software researcher, architect and engineer at IBM Research, asked panel members whether HTML5 is the answer for building browser-based applications that act like native applications and can be "written once and run everywhere."

"We have always tried to come up with this universal GUI thing and I don't think it has ever worked," said Erik Meijer, a programming language designer who runs the cloud programmability team at Microsoft. "HTML5 in a sense is another attempt."

But while HTML5 - which is prominent in the Google Chrome and Internet Explorer browsers - is allowing new kinds of interactive Web applications, even ones with offline storage, Meijer said. "It's not really native. You still see rough edges. There is no silver bullet."

Google's Patrick Chanezon, developer relations manager for cloud and tools, argued that whether to use the HTML5 language comes down to how widely you want your application to be deployed. "If you're doing iOS only, sure, just do everything native," he said. But if you want something that works across Android and desktop browsers, HTML5 is the way to go, he said.

"So, build a sucky version in HTML5 but it works everywhere?" Maximilien asked with a smile.

Chanezon countered that HTML5 allowed Google to build some pretty good Gmail clients.

Google's browser: First look at Chrome 10

But Raffi Krikorian, infrastructure engineer at Twitter, also called out the limitations of HTML5, saying it's "really nice to look at," but can't do things such as send notifications to users.

"A mobile app to me is more than just a UI," Krikorian said.

The other member of the panel was Charles Ying, an engineer at Flipboard, which builds a personalized magazine for the iPad that gathers in a user's Facebook and Twitter streams and customized views of media sites.

Ying said HTML5 applications running at 60 frames a second, which Google has demonstrated in Chrome on desktops with WebGL-generated 3D graphics, are fast enough. But that speed is harder to achieve on mobile devices.

"HTML5 is successful because it's the new moniker for the modern Web browser, the modern Web platform. But it's still got a ways to go," Ying said. "We try to build great experiences with it but we find that frame rates just aren't cutting it when we try to do new animation."

Most panelists seemed to agree that HTML5 is a big step forward for desktop Web browsers, but is still lacking on the mobile side.

That leads to the question of whether mobile developers should build Web applications or applications downloaded from an app store.

Microsoft spins two new embedded operating systems

Microsoft has started its week by announcing two new embedded operating systems. Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 is being released to device manufacturers, while a CTP (community technology preview) of Windows Embedded POSReady 7 is now downloadable by retailers and other interested testers.

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We commented on Friday that, while Microsoft's embedded operating systems didn't get much attention at last week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Redmond would be spotlighting them at this week's National Retail Federation (NRF) show in New York.

As it turns out, we didn't know the half of it: Two new Windows Embedded operating systems have been announced in conjunction with the event.The first offering -- Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 -- was expected and in fact is appearing just slightly later than originally promised. The second, Windows Embedded POSReady 7, is a logical successor to Microsoft's POSReady 2009 but had not been leaked before today as far as we're aware.

Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5

Microsoft's Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 was first announced last June at a Microsoft/Motorola event held at the New York Stock Exchange. Appearing via video (below), Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said, "In the next six months we will release a new embedded OS called Windows Embedded Handheld ... based on Windows Mobile 6.5 technologies ... [and] in the second half of 2011, we will release a version of Windows Embedded Handheld based on Windows 7 technology."


Steve Ballmer introduces the Windows Embedded Handheld OS
(click to play)

Windows Embedded Senior Product Manager David Wurster then clarified the remarks in an interview with our sister publication eWEEK, saying, "The first release under the [Windows Embedded Handheld] brand is scheduled to come this calendar year and build on the Windows Mobile 6.5 platform with trusted management and security features, as well as enhanced protection for existing enterprise investments in line-of-business applications on devices."

A future version known as Windows Embedded Handheld 7 will be available during the second half of 2011, Wurster was quoted as saying. That version will be based on Windows Embedded Compact 7 and will feature a "different set of developer tools and experiences," he is said to have added.

In a blog posting earlier today, Wurster wrote, "I'm pleased to announced the availability of Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5." The operating system is aimed at enterprise handheld devices and is built on Windows Mobile 6.5, he added.

Wurster stated, "Mobile device makers using Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 will find a familiar, consistent development platform that helps speed time-to-market. These device makers can take advantage of Windows Mobile 6.5s large community of hardware and software vendors, which supply a wide variety of off-the-shelf and custom solutions."

While Windows Embedded Handheld 7 is still on track for release, Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 will be provided with "mainstream support" through December 2014, and extended support through December 2019, Wurster added.

Meanwhile, 6.5's availability should lessen the minor confusion that has reigned in the enterprise handheld space, whereby vendors of otherwise-identical devices -- Motorola's MC3100, to name one example -- had to offer a choice of Windows CE or Windows Mobile, depending on whether voice telephony was included.

At the June 2009 announcement of Windows Embedded Handheld, Motorola talked about the new operating system as it unveiled its ES400 Enterprise Digital Assistant (right). That device, however, initially offered Windows Mobile 6.5.3, skinned with an interface known as the MEUI (Motorola Enterprise User Interface).

Related to Windows Phone 7 only by its fundamental Windows CE operating system core, Windows Embedded Standard 6.5 is backward-compatible with applications written for Windows Mobile and, in many cases, Windows CE. It is also attractive to enterprise customers because it works with their existing management frameworks.

Hence, while Google's Android OS is increasingly gaining the limelight when it comes to consumer smartphones, it hasn't made much headway in the world of enterprise handhelds, where Microsoft's partners include Intermec, Honeywell, Motorola, and many others. And, as we've reported recently, Motorola is now two companies: the Android-focused Motorola Mobility, and the Windows handheld manufacturer Motorola Solutions.

According to VDC Research findings cited by Microsoft, WindowsCE and Windows Mobile accounted for 87 percent of the approximately 2.3 million ruggedized handheld devices shipped in 2009.

Windows Embedded POSReady 7

Microsoft's other new embedded operating system hadn't been previously named by the company (at least as far as we're aware), but is an entirely logical development. Windows Embedded POSReady 7 (below) is an OS and software stack for retailers that will eventually replace the currently offered Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 -- announced at the 2009 NRF Show -- and the previous Windows Embedded for Point of Service (WEPOS).

Microsoft's Windows Embedded POSReady 7
(Click to enlarge)

According to a quick start guide provided with the downloadable public CTP of Windows Embedded POSReady 7, the new OS is "based on Windows 7 and benefits from many of the new features available in Windows 7 that are sure to enhance point of service deployments." These include better power management and manageability enhancements, the document adds.

Microsoft further highlights "embedded specific enhancements tohelp lock down public facing devices." These are said to include:

* write filters forcreating stateless or semi-stateless environments
* suppression of unwanted dialog message boxes
* a keyboard filter for suppressing unwanted keystrokes such as CTRL+ALT+DEL,ALT+F4, Windows+L, and custom-defined keystrokecombinations

We haven't seen a timetable for the rollout of Windows Embedded POSReady 7, but a Microsoft announcement in this regard is likely to appear during the course of the NRF show.

Meanwhile, well-connected Microsoft watcher Mary-Jo Foley quotes officials as saying a final version will appear before the end of this calendar year. Today's downloadable preview release will expire on Oct. 31, according to Microsoft.

How to Delete an Account from Any Website

Deleting accounts you've created on Facebook, Google, and elsewhere on the Web isn't always easy. Here are detailed instructions for leaving 30 of the most popular online services.

The words "I wish I could quit you" take on a whole new meaning when you want out of a relationship with an online service. Sure, you once thought you would be together forever, but eventually terms of service change, end-user license agreements mature, and, well, you're just not in the same place anymore.

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Sadly, not all websites and social networks are created equal when it comes to breaking up. With some, it takes only a couple of clicks to say good-bye, and for a few sites, if you stop paying for service, the site cut ties fairly quickly. Others make you jump through more hoops than a tiger at the circus. Even after you follow all of the required steps, some of these sites never quite separate from you, but keep vestiges of your relationship around forever.

No matter what you call it—deleting, canceling, removing, whatever—when you want to be rid of an online account, you'll find most sites don't feel obliged to make it too easy for you. After all, you don't want to rush into a break up. But if you're ready, we've cut to the chase as much as possible to give you the links, tips, and, in the most extreme cases, the phone numbers you need to sever ties.

This list includes the big-name sites we think most people use. If you're looking for a site that's not on our list, check out AccountKiller.com.

Did we miss a service you want out of? Let us know. And if you've managed to quit a service not in this story, be kind and share your tips.

HTC EVO View 4G (Sprint)

Here's the deal: We've already reviewed the HTC EVO View 4G, under a different name. This tablet is just a re-packaged, re-branded HTC Flyer, with a few key changes, the addition of Sprint 4G coverage chief among them. If you buy the EVO View, you'll be getting the same Android-plus-Sense-UI experience, the same fast 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor, the same excellent pen input features, and, unfortunately, the same limitations of the non-tablet-specific Android 2.3 ("Gingerbread") that hurt the Flyer. For the in-depth nuts and bolts of you need to know about the EVO View, read our HTC Flyer review. Again, there are some differences, however, so read on if you're interested in the EVO View.

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The short version of the Flyer review: It's a very capable tablet that's aimed at a specific type of user. It doesn't run a dual-core, but instead uses a 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor that helps it zip along as fast as any Tegra-powered tablet. The 7-inch touch screen works well, but it's smaller than many of the Honeycomb tablets we've seen so far with 10-inch screens. The biggest upside of the Flyer, and thus the View, is the pen input system, making it a great choice for those who want to draw on their tablets. Powered by a company called N-Trig, the tablet is remarkably detailed and accurate with pen input, and will let you do things like annotate a screenshot, or free-draw, with just the tap of a button.

The main downside of the Flyer/View is that it runs Gingerbread, which means the operating system you're getting is one meant for phones, and not for tablets. HTC's Sense UI covers up some of the glaring issues, but you're still not getting Google's best tablet effort, and without Honeycomb, which is version 3.0, you can't get things like the updated Gmail app or video chat in Google Talk. There are some good apps on the device, like HTC Watch for video and OnLive for gaming, but the browser's performance can be slow and the cameras are nothing special.

Pricing for the Flyer is simple: $499 for a single 32GB, Wi-Fi-only iteration. And there's only one option for the EVO View: $399.99 plus between $29.99 and $89.99 for monthly service. A 4G plan will either cost you $59.99 per month (unlimited 4G, plus 5GB of 3G bandwidth) or $89.99 per month for unlimited 4G and 10GB of 3G. At least for now, unlike with the Flyer, you don't need to pay the extra $80 for the Smart pen accessory, which you don't need to operate the tablet, but is nice to have. It's part of the introductory promotion with the EVO View, which will be available at Sprint stores later this month.
Specifications

CPU Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8655
Operating System Google Android 2.3 or earlier
Screen Size 7 inches
Storage Capacity (as Tested) 32 GB
Dimensions 7.7 x 4.8 x 0.5 inches
Networking Options Wi-Fi, 4G
Service Provider Sprint

Design Changes
The HTC EVO View 4G is sleeker and more business-like than the Flyer, sticking to the tablet norm of black and dark gray, rather than the more noticeable but more toy-like light gray and white you get with the Flyer. The bezel around the screen is black, and the device's shell is dark gray with lighter gray accents, and the occasional red flourish. It's a very Droid-like color scheme, and the View actually looks like a bigger HTC Droid Incredible 2 ($199.99, 3.5 stars), with the bump-out camera lens and bumpy back. Otherwise, it's the same device in weight and dimensions, and the same 7-inch 1,024-by-600 touch-screen LCD that is so responsive and sensitive to pen input.

New Apps
You get plenty of carrier bloatware with the EVO View. It ranges from shortcuts to websites that you'll probably never use and games you'll likely never play, to apps that let you access your Sprint account or other carrier services. Others, like TeleNav GPS Navigator, might be useful to some, but for many, they'll just take up space in the app drawer. You can't delete them, but you'll learn to ignore them.

There are two important new cellular-coverage-related apps here. First is Sprint Hotspot, which lets you share your 3G or 4G connection as a Wi-Fi network (for a $30 per month fee). It works well as a way to get the whole family online through a single, unlimited 4G connection. The other is Messages, which is a full text-messaging client—pieced together with Google Voice or Skype apps, the EVO View could be a nice full-service phone all by itself. There's an internal mic, but it's not strong, so if you want to use the View as a phone you'll want to pair it with a Bluetooth headset like the Aliph Jawbone Era ($129, 4.5 stars).

3G and 4G Coverage
The biggest difference between the Flyer and the View is all the G's: the Flyer has none, and the View has 4. Sprint's 4G coverage isn't everywhere yet, but it's growing, and where it's available it's fast. In my tests, in midtown Manhattan, I got 5Mbps down, and 954Kbps up, both about as can be expected from Sprint's WiMAX network. 3G is more reliably available, but not quite as fast.

4G can be toggled on and off with just a tap in the Quick Settings menu, accessible via the pull-down Notifications windowshade; that's key to battery life, because 4G can a serial battery killer. Toggling between 3G and 4G creates about five seconds of disconnect, but that's not a huge problem unless you're on a video call, and it's nice to be able to choose between fast speeds or long life. Our own battery tests are underway, and will be posted here shortly.

Conclusions

The EVO View 4G is a solid tablet, that's bolstered by its excellent pen input, but somewhat hampered by its lack of Google's tablet-specific OS. HTC's Sense UI helps, but it's not a replacement for true tablet Android, which is Honeycomb. Overall, the View/Flyer is neither the best tablet nor even the best Android tablet your money can buy, but if handwriting, drawing and doodling are things that appeal to you, and the 7-inch screen size is right, it might be just the tablet for you. Similarly, if 4G coverage is something you must have, then you must have the EVO View 4G over the Flyer. If you want the best tablet you can buy, the Apple iPad 2 (4.5 stars, $499) still can't be beat. But if it's Android you're after, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer ($399, 3.5 stars) has enough unique features, like a laptop-like docking system, to send it to the head of the Honeycomb class—for now.

Business Intelligence With Microsoft SQL Server

SQL Server Business Intelligence is a thriving discipline in the marvelous era of computing we live in. It's the process of analyzing and exploring the information, trends and patterns hidden in data. BI escalates the business roadmap and facilitates business users to deliver better strategic solutions. This process helps enterprise decision makers by providing data models, statistical analysis, forecasting for comprehensive data analysis.

Microsoft provides the most comprehensive integrated business intelligence, data mining, analysis and reporting solution with its state of the art Microsoft SQL Server Analysis services and Microsoft SQL Server reporting services. With the modern architecture design based on XML web services, SQL Server Reporting Services provides highly flexible, scalable, customizable and high performance reporting solution in a cost effective way. This article is a developer's introduction to SQL server reporting services, its functionality and how it can be used to provide state of the art reporting solutions.

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SQL Server Reporting Services, due to its robust but user friendly architecture, is an obvious choice for Enterprise or in-house reporting, for product management, sales, and human resource and finance departments. Its flexibility makes it an ideal for usage in applications as well (Deliver User-Friendly Reports from Your Application with SQL Server Reporting Services - MSDN Magazine August 2004). Reporting Services offer various delivery methods, from ftp to email and it provides various rendering formats therefore it makes adds easiness to business to business reporting. Similarly because of its flexibility and industry standard security model, it makes extra net and secure internet reporting easily achievable.

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialists in Microsoft SQL Server Business Intelligence are trained to possess an in-depth knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence Development.

These professionals have an understanding in database schema, debugging, monitoring, and troubleshooting Business Intelligence solutions, create ssis package, and working with the Microsoft .NET Framework. These specialists can create database queries, use SSAS data mining algorithms, T-SQL Tutorial, and write and deploy SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) reports. Also, they write and deploy SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) packages. Professions include business intelligence developers, database administrators, and database developers.

Microsoft business intelligence solutions put critical business information in the hands of customers at a fraction of the cost and time of alternative products in the market, by integrating leading industry-standard systems and applications with comprehensive services, so customers can focus on growing their business.

Microsoft's Office 365 not ready to leave beta, analyst says

Support forums illustrate numerous customer complaints about the beta of Microsoft's Office 365 cloud service

Microsoft Office 365 cloud service is likely on the verge of exiting beta and entering general availability. CEO Steve Ballmer revealed that the service will launch this month and will be giving a speech about the service's future on June 28.

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But is Office 365 really ready to ditch the "beta" tag? One analyst who has been testing Office 365 for a few months says no -- and a quick look at Microsoft help forums shows that numerous beta testers are experiencing problems.

MICROSOFT'S CLOUD: Office 365 beta now public

"I'm a big fan of Office 365. I think it's going to do well," says analyst Paul Burns of Neovise, who spent 20 years as a software engineer and senior product manager at HP, a strong Microsoft partner, before becoming an industry analyst. "But if they are moving out of beta at the end of June, then yes, I'm surprised."

Burns signed up for the Office 365 beta for himself and five part-time employees, and plans to continue using the service at the small-business rate of $6 per person per month once it becomes generally available. Burns is using Exchange for email as well as SharePoint, Lync, Office Web Apps and the regular version of Microsoft Office MCTS Online Training - MCITP Online Training .

One missing capability, in Burns' opinion, is the ability to import contacts from, say, an Outlook client into a shared global address list that can be accessed by all employees through an Exchange server.

Currently, Microsoft requires Office 365 customers to either manually enter each email address one by one, or use Windows PowerShell.

Burns isn't the only one complaining about this, as a help forum thread shows.

A Microsoft support specialist told users on May 12, "If you'd like to import a list of contacts into your Global Address List, you'll need an Enterprise subscription. In Enterprise, you can use Remote PowerShell."

A week later, the Microsoft moderator followed up and said, "Small Business subscribers can now use Remote PowerShell."

But PowerShell requires users to work in a command-line interface, and "not everyone has the expertise to do that," Burns said. It's also time-consuming.

Because of the global address list snafu, and another issue that made it difficult to create properly functioning email aliases, Burns says, "I went to download PowerShell, but very quickly I realized this is going to be time-consuming -- and if I write the script, how do I test it? How do I know it's right? Now I'm afraid to run the script on my data. What if I biff it and delete all my stuff instead?"

One Office 365 beta user complained in the global address list help forum, "This is another example of how such a basic requirement from any business cannot be executed unless you have the Enterprise package. Why the heck should you need to have the Enterprise package simply to be able to import contacts into the GAL?"

In response to a query from Network World, Microsoft said it provides tools to small businesses to migrate users and mailboxes from other services.

"Office 365 for small businesses is designed specifically for smaller businesses and professionals who are looking for cloud-based productivity tools without the IT hassles," Microsoft said in an email statement.

How Microsoft And Skype Embarrassed Google

If Microsoft put together a welcoming committee for Google’s new CEO Larry Page as Page assumed his new job recently, it couldn’t have done a better job.

First the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant took the wraps off its Office 365 beta, which turns out to be far and away better than any single aspect of Google’s Google Apps offering.

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Now, Microsoft announces it's buying Skype for $8.5 billion, and Page and Google have never looked weaker and more vulnerable from a solution perspective. The information technology world is changing faster and more meaningfully than it ever has, and Google now is far behind Microsoft in key areas and could rapidlty lose its advantage in another.

To wit:

Microsoft now has potential to embed Skype audio and video calling into Office 365, Outlook and Web mail products. While Google has for some time integrated audio and video into Gmail, it hasn’t picked up momentum in this space -- largely because Skype has maintained fierce user loyalty. Microsoft now has that 170 million Skype installed base in its column, and that’s one big bat it can use to beat up Google;

Once this deal closes, Microsoft will immediately have a presence on tens of millions of smart phones that now have Skype Mobile -- the powerful video-and-audio calling that works even at 3G speeds. That presence will even include Android phones -- which had previously been Google’s playground.

Skype Mobile now becomes a gateway on Android phones into Microsoft’s Office, SharePoint, Exchange and even SQL Server. That means Microsoft’s current installed base across all products need not abandon its IT investment regardless of which smart device platform it selects to reach the edge of network.

Microsoft, as part-owner of Facebook, is now positioned strongly to drill Skype deep into the world’s largest social networking platform. Facebook with voice and video baked in would be a more powerful Facebook, and it will bear watching to see if a Microsoft-Skype duo becomes a trio with Facebook; MCTS Online Training - MCITP Online Training

And, for Microsoft Chairman and CEO Steve Ballmer, here’s the beauty part: Microsoft can now integrate its Bing search technology into Skype on both the desktop and smart platforms.

Google, Facebook promise new IPv6 services after successful trial
Google leaves IPv6 on for YouTube; Facebook adds IPv6 to developers' site; Yahoo sees 'minimal risk' to IPv6
One day after completing a successful 24-hour trial of IPv6, Facebook, Google and Yahoo said at a joint press conference that they would begin permanently supporting this upgrade to the Internet's main communications protocol on some of their key websites.

Joined by two content delivery networks -- Akamai and Limelight, which also pledged their commitment to IPv6 deployment -- these popular websites proclaimed the World IPv6 Day trial to be a resounding success. All three companies said they had handled a significant increase in IPv6 traffic on June 8 without suffering serious technical glitches.

IPv6 features an expanded addressing scheme, so it can handle vastly more devices connected directly to the Internet than its predecessor called IPv4. However, IPv6 is not backward compatible with IPv4, which means website operators have to upgrade their network equipment and software to support IPv6 traffic.

Google said it has decided to leave its main YouTube website enabled for IPv6 for the time being. Since 2008, Google has supported IPv6 on separate websites -- such as www.ipv6.google.com -- rather than on its main websites.

"We saw 65% growth in our IPv6 traffic on World IPv6 Day," said Lorenzo Colitti, IPv6 Software Engineer at Google, who pointed out that Google added IPv6 support to several new services including Orkut for the trial. "This event has really been successful in galvanizing the community."

"At Facebook, we saw over 1 million of our users reach us over IPv6," said Don Lee, senior network engineer at Facebook. "There were no technical glitches in this 24-hour period. We were encouraged by the many positive comments on our blog. ... It is really interesting to see how passionate people were about IPv6 around the world."

Because of the positive results from World IPv6 Day, Facebook has decided to support IPv6 on its Website for developers, which is www.developers.facebook.com.

"We will continue to adapt our entire code base to support IPv6," Lee added. "IPv6 will allow the Internet to continue its amazing development."

BY THE NUMBERS: IPv6 traffic surges at launch of World IPv6 Day

World IPv6 Day was held yesterday and was sponsored by the Internet Society. The event attracted 400-plus corporate, government and university participants that deployed IPv6 on more than 1,000 websites for the day.

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Leslie Daigle, chief Internet technology officer for the Internet Society, said World IPv6 Day was designed to motivate service providers, website operators, hardware makers and software suppliers to test-drive IPv6 and to identify any remaining technical issues that need to be resolved with this emerging technology.

"It was perceived to be quite a successful day," Daigle said. "It was an amazing display of cross-industry participation. ... It's an important step in the Internet's progress. We are running out of IPv4 addresses, and IPv6 is definitely the way to move forward to make sure the Internet is a platform for innovation."

Active Directory Federation Services 2.0 - Glossary

This topic contains definitions of key terms that are used in customizing Active Directory® Federation Services (AD FS) 2.0.

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claim


A statement about a subject; for example, a name, identity, key, group, permission, or capability, made by one subject about itself or another subject. Claims are given one or more values and then packaged in security tokens that are issued by a security token service (STS).

claim type


The type of statement in the claim being made. Example claim types include FirstName, Role, and PPID. The claim type provides context for the claim value.

claim value


The value of the statement in the claim being made. For example, if the claim type is FirstName, a value might be Matt.

claims provider


A claims provider is a type of identity provider that provides single sign-on functionality between an organization and other identity providers and relying parties.

identity provider


An organization issuing claims in security tokens. For example, a credit-card provider organization might issue a claim in a security token that enables payment if the relying party application requires that information to complete an authorized transaction.

identity provider – security token service (IP-STS)


A software component or service that is used by an identity provider that issues claims and packages them in security tokens.

information card


A visual representation of an identity with associated metadata that may be selected by a user in response to an authentication request.

managed information card


An information card provided by an external identity provider. By using managed cards, identity information is stored with an identity provider.

relying party


An application that relies on security tokens and claims issued by an identity provider.

security token


An on-the-wire representation of claims that has been cryptographically signed by the issuer of the claims, providing strong proof to any relying party as to the integrity of the claims and the identity of the issuer.

security token service (STS)


A Web service that issues claims and packages them in encrypted security tokens (see WS-Security, WS-Trust).

web single sign-on (SSO)


A process enabling partnering organizations to exchange user authentication and authorization data. By using Web SSO, users in partner organizations can transition between secure Web domains without having to present credentials at each domain boundary.

Windows® CardSpace™ 2.0


Windows® CardSpace™ 2.0 is Microsoft's implementation of an Information Card selector for Microsoft Windows. See Information Card.

WS-Federation


The WS-Federation standard defines mechanisms that are used to enable identity, attribute, authentication, and authorization federation across different trust realms. For more information about WS-Federation, see Understanding WS-Federation at the MSDN Web site.

WS-Federation passive requester profile


WS-Federation Passive Requester Profile describes how the cross trust realm identity, authentication, and authorization federation mechanisms defined in WS-Federation can be utilized used by passive requesters such as Web browsers to provide Identity Services. Passive requesters of this profile are limited to the HTTP protocol. For more information about WS-Federation Passive Requester Profile, see the specification at the MSDN Web site.

WS-Security


The WS-Security standard consists of a set of protocols designed to help secure Web service communication using SOAP. For more information about WS-Security, see the OASIS site for the WS-Security standard.

WS-Trust


A standard that takes advantage of WS-Security to provide Web services with methods to build and verify trust relationships. For more information about WS-Trust, see the OASIS site for the WS-SX standard, which includes WS-Trust.

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Microsoft at E3 2011: Halo 4 out 2012

E3 2011: New Fable and Kinect experiences wow the LA crowds

Microsoft has kicked off E3 2011 in style in Los Angeles today, with a slew of new announcements and demonstrations of exclusive games and services for Xbox 360 and Kinect. And, as was expected and hoped, a final reveal that Halo 4 is on the way soon.

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Following a momentous opening marked by a demo of Activision's forthcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and a demonstration of the forthcoming new TV and voice search features on the way to Xbox 360 later in 2011, Microsoft gave the hardcore crowd exactly what they were hoping for.

Loads of decent new games

The Xbox 360 maker is the first of the three major console manufacturers to lay its cards on the table at this year's massive gaming industry trade event, opening E3 2011 in some style, and with an almost confident swagger.

A solid range of developers took to the stage to demo loads of new and exclusive games set to arrive on Xbox 360 and Kinect later this year and next, including (in no particular order) the aforementioned Halo 4 and COD: Modern Warfare 3 along with Gears of War 3, Forza 4, Fable: The Journey, Minecraft (yes!) and a ton of other new triple-A content.

Firstly, following a quick UFC for Xbox Live announcement to please the wrestling fans, and a first look at Crystal Dynamic's new Tomb Raider title (due late 2012) Microsoft Studios Phil Spencer took to the stage to assure the audience that every single game they were showing from this point onwards in the presser was an Xbox 360 exclusive.

Starting with one of the biggest and most highly-anticipated 360 games of the year, Epic Games' CliffyB took to the E3 stage to give the latest demo of the next version of much-loved muscle-men sci-fi shooter Gears of War 3.

The Epic rep gave rap legend Ice-T a run through some of the new aspects of the co-op gameplay in the game. Nothing really new seemed to be on show in terms of the gameplay demonstrated, but why fix it when it's clearly not broke (and hugely popular)?

Following the latest Gears demo, cutting edge developers Crytek were next up to show off a title called Ryse, which will let you use Kinect motion-control for melee combat.

After that short demo, the new HD remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, with improved graphics and new Xbox Live maps was shown off, to the requisite whoops from the series' many fans in the crowd.

Halo: Combat Anniversary is set to be released on November 15th. A must-buy game for anybody that never got to play the original (and, most likely, a must-buy game for a large proportion of those gamers that did play the original as well).

Kinect'ing with the hardcore

Following that slew of sci-fi shooters, the latest demo of every Xbox-360-owning petrolhead's favorite Forza 4 is shown off, with the announcement that the demo was all in-game footage causing jaws to drop amongst many in the audience.

Plus, as rumoured, Kinect voice control and head-tracking features are also confirmed for the new Forza, in addition to full 16-player online multiplayer and an impressive list of 80 car manufacturers all signed up to the game, which releases on October 11 later this year.

Next up, as expected, Lionhead boss (and Microsoft Gaming Studios' creative director) Peter Molyneux took to the stage to introduce his next major Xbox 360 game, Fable: The Journey.

Kinect control is clearly going to play a major part in Molyneux's new game, as he demonstrated the games' young protagonist controlling a gypsy caravan and casting spells merely by hand movements and gestures recognised by Kinect. The impressive new Fable demo draws cheers and applause from the appreciative crowd.

Finally, just to confirm that Kinect is being developed firmly with hardcore gamers and games developers in mind, Microsoft announce that PC gaming favourite Minecraft will be heading to the Xbox 360 with Kinect support later in 2011. A very savvy - and very cool - move indeed.

Six tough questions for your next IAAS vendor

1. What happens if your cloud computing resources are unavailable?

While questions about disaster recovery and high availability in the cloud will be similar to those asked about your own data center, you need to be a lot more specific when looking to implement or utilize a cloud environment.

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IAAS is smart choice for ConnectEDU

SLAs vary widely between providers so you've got to make sure you're clear on the details surrounding guaranteed uptime, and then decide if that works for your business.

2. How (and more importantly where) do you backup data?

In a cloud environment, IT executives need to be confident that their data not only will be replicated but also stored across multiple sites in separate locations to ensure they will still have access to that data in the event of a data center failure or other incident.

3. How do you handle large data migration and what are the costs?

While provisioning a cloud environment takes minutes, populating that cloud with the necessary data is an entirely different story.

For example, if you need to migrate or populate a database to the cloud that is too large to send over the network, you need to consider factors such as additional costs, available data load options, and the process for working with your provider on the migration.

4. What are my network access options - and, more importantly, the restrictions?

One of the biggest benefits of the cloud is being able to access critical data over the Internet from any location. Beyond obvious questions such as whether you can access the cloud from mobile devices is whether the provider can support VPNs or dedicated connections. This is particularly true for organizations like financial services firms that have more stringent rules around access.

Tips for picking an IaaS provider

5. My organization must comply with regulations. What are my options for using IaaS?

For some organizations, particularly ones that have to comply with stringent regulations, public cloud IaaS offerings might not make sense.

Ultimately, everything is shared even though it's separate both logically and from a security perspective. For this reason, many CIOs may look to community clouds, which enable companies with similar requirements - for example, two pharmaceutical companies that both must meet strict FDA regulations - to share a cloud and achieve true economies of scale.

6. What's the cost to decommission an IaaS project?

While most cloud providers are upfront about the cost of specific IaaS offerings (for example the cost per megabyte for storage), it is much more difficult to provide a cost for decommissioning - a critical but often forgotten step in the cloud life cycle.

Apple Leaks New Automatic Updates for iOS Apps

Happy Apple rumor weekend! The week before WWDC is usually rife with speculation for the details behind the colorful logos and product teases that Apple's slapped on its huge print displays in San Francisco's Moscone Center. But that's not the only place where you can find sneak peeks for Apple's to-be-announced features: How about iTunes itself?

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Just last night, Apple let a little detail slip within iTunes that suggests automatic application updates are going to be unveiled for iOS users come Monday's iOS 5 announcement at WWDC.

The source of the information comes from the little description found within iTunes' app update page. Typically, the text indicates (and has indicated for years) the process by which one can update one's apps: Click "Get Update" on an app to just download the new version of one particular program, or use the "Download All Free Updates" button to do just that. Once you connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer and sync the device, the app updates you downloaded to your system transfer over to your smartphone or tablet.

A new line appended to the bottom of this app update description–text which has since been removed from iTunes by Apple–said the following: "Or if your device has Automatic Download enabled for apps, your updates will download to your device without having to sync."

Automatic Download, eh? If released, the feature would be a significant upgrade for iPad and iPhone users that would finally put these devices on par with Google's Android OS in the "keeping your apps updated" category.

Right now, the over-the-air process for updating one's apps on an iPad or iPhone is entirely manual: You have to remember that you haven't checked the status of your apps in a while, you have to pull up the App Store, you have either select the updates you want to download or download all available updates at once, and you have to wait while your app downloads chug to your device over your 3G connection (or Wi-Fi , if an update is larger than 20 megabytes).

It's unclear whether Apple would allow its users to take a piecemeal approach to automatic app updates a la Android, where one selects exactly which app updates should download and install as soon as they're released. That's in contrast to a blanket automatic update service that could apply to all apps, which could be frustrating prospect for users who want to control over how and when their devices use a ton of 3G or Wi-Fi (due to concerns over data caps or battery life, to name a few).

There's also no indication from Apple as to whether automatic downloading would apply to app updates only, or whether updates to iOS itself could automatically push to users once released.

Will the carriers kill the mobile revolution?

Opposition to AT&T's T-Mobile land grab is growing
Meanwhile, opposition to the AT&T merger with T-Mobile is growing. The FCC has posted a list of 50 questions for the giant carrier, asking it to defend claims that the $39 billion acquisition, which would give the combined company about 130 million customers, is in the public interest and necessary to extend and improve wireless voice and data services.

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The FCC wants AT&T to produce "all plans, analyses, and reports discussing the relative network spectrum capacity constraints of the company and other mobile wireless service providers, including any relevant pricing, traffic, and spectrum-efficiency assumptions."

Sprint, which would be the biggest loser if the deal goes through, has been beating the drums to kill it. Although it's easy to be cynical about Sprint's motives, it makes a concise argument that it is worth quoting:

It [the FCC] can reject AT&T's bid to take over T-Mobile and extend the last two decades of robust competition in the wireless industry -- competition that has promoted economic growth and advanced U.S. global leadership in mobile communications. Or the commission can approve the takeover and let the wireless industry regress inexorably toward a 1980s-style duopoly. A duopoly of the two vertically integrated Bell companies would result in less choice for consumers and higher prices. A twin-Bell duopoly would stunt investment and innovation. No divestitures or conditions can remedy these fundamental anti-consumer and anti-competitive harms. AT&T's takeover of T- Mobile must be blocked.

For the record, here's AT&T's lengthy justification of the merger.

I don't think the government should go back to the kind of stifling regulation that existed before the breakup of AT&T in the 1980s. But in an odd way, the carriers themselves want to turn back the clock. They'd like to have something akin to the monopoly enjoyed by Ma Bell (in this case, it would be a duopoly) in the decades following World War II -- but without the regulation that at least protected businesses and consumers that depend on its service.

Such a shift to an essentially unregulated market couldn't come at a worse time. The use of mobile devices is growing exponentially, a trend that will accelerate as new platforms appear and older ones get better. Just think about how much data users of devices like the new Google Chromebooks, which is almost entirely browser-centric, will consume. What's more, new applications will move to the fore; it would be a disaster if the carriers become so powerful they could discriminate against apps or content that seem contrary to their business imperatives.

Letting AT&T and Verizon carriers get their way would be a huge blow to the mobile revolution.

Hotmail and Yahoo users also victims of targeted attacks

Web mail users at Yahoo and Hotmail have been hit with the same kind of targeted attacks that were disclosed earlier this week by Google, according to security software vendor Trend Micro.

Trend Micro described two similar attacks against Yahoo Mail and Windows Live Hotmail in a blog post, published Thursday. "It's an ongoing issue for more than just Gmail," said Nart Villeneuve, a senior threat researcher with Trend Micro. Villeneuve believes that Facebook accounts have also been used to spread similar attacks.

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BY THE NUMBERS: Microsoft: One in 14 downloads is malicious

Google made headlines Wednesday after revealing that several hundred Gmail users -- including government officials, activists and journalists -- had been the victims of targeted spearphishing attacks.

Google mentioned phishing on Wednesday, but the criminals have been using other attacks too. In March, Google said that hackers were taking advantage of a flaw in Microsoft's Windows software to launch politically motivated hacks against activists.

Corporate networks have been under attack for years, but hackers now see personal Web mail accounts as a way to get information that can help them sneak into computers that would otherwise be locked down. "People always think of these attacks as isolated cases, but they're more like a series of successful and failed attacks over a longer period of time," Villeneuve said. "It's not a one-off attack."

For example, in the Gmail phishing attacks, the hackers used a little-known Microsoft protocol to figure out what type of antivirus software their victims were using. By knowing what antivirus program they were up against, they could then build attack code and then test it against their target security software to be sure that it would go undetected.

And by trolling through their victims' email messages, the attackers could write believable-sounding messages that their targets would be more likely to click on or open up. That's how the victims lose control of their computers: by opening, for example, a specially written pdf document or by taking their browsers to a malicious website. "This is the latest version of State's joint statement," read one fake email, used by the Gmail phishers. "My understanding is that State put in placeholder econ language and am happy to have us fill in but in their rush to get a cleared version from the WH, they sent the attached to Mike."

"People, whether they're human rights activists or they're government officials, tend to have personal Web mail," Villeneuve said. "It's a good way for the attackers to get information on those individuals but also to get information that they could use for an attack of the corporate network of those individuals."

Google said that the phishing attacks it had detected were launched from computers located in Jinan, China. That led some to suspect that the phishing was state-sponsored, but China's U.S. Embassy said Thursday that China is the victim of cybercrime, not the perpetrator. "As a responsible player in cyberspace, China strongly opposes unlawful online activities and supports international cooperation in striking down on such misdeeds," said Wang Baodong, an embassy spokesman, in an email. "Any claims of so-called Chinese state support for hacking are completely fictitious, and blaming misdeeds on China is irresponsible and unacceptable."