Tour Space With Microsoft
It’s okay, Bill Gates hasn’t bought NASA, at least not just yet, but Microsoft is giving away a free virtual tour of space with a new web-based application called Worldwide Telescope. Be warned, you’ll need a reasonably quick PC, preferably with a dual-core CPU, and ideally running Vista, though it will still plod along under XP. The images are stunning and based on actual ground and spaced based telescopes, you can zoom in on astronomical features, explore the solar system and warp across the Milky Way. Okay, so it’s a bit like Google Sky, but there’s a bit more depth to it, better controls and it looks like it could become a very useful educational tool.
Internet Explorer 8
Following the availability of Internet Explorer 7 in October 2006 for Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003, and together with Vista in November 2006 and January 2007, Microsoft debuted work on the next version of its proprietary browser. But at the same time, the Redmond company remained almost completely mute regarding the future of Internet Explorer. In early 2007, due to the scarce details from Microsoft, speculations pointed to both a 7.5 version and a 8.0. version, this is in fact being one of the issues that have been clarified at this point. The Redmond company will evolve Internet Explorer directly to version 8, and there will be no major interim updates. Early builds of IE8 are being dogfooded, but outside of Redmond, the browser version is as well as inexistent. Dean Hachamovitch, IE General Manager, confirmed that Internet Explorer 8 would succeed IE7 and that the browser was in the works, after Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates mentioned it first. Read more
Zune 2.0 in Images
On October 2, Microsoft introduced the next generation of Zune digital media players. Zune 2.0 is not a response to Apple’s new lineup of iPods released just a month ago, but simply the natural evolution of the device. The Redmond company revealed for some time that it was cooking an overhaul to Zune, and the two new models unveiled are nothing more than a consequence of the planned growth. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Corporate Vice President J Allard focused not only on Zune 2.0 but also on the new release of firmware for the players and the new version of the online store accompanying the devices.
“Twenty years ago we bet the company on an integrated productivity suite of word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, and we changed the way people work,” Gates said. “Today we’re making big bets on games, music, video and connecting these entertainment experiences to help change the way people play.” Microsoft is betting strong on two new features for Zune 2.0. First off, all devices will synchronize with PCs via Wi-Fi connections, streamlining the process. And on top of that, Zune 2.0 models come with the new Zune Pad, a touch-sensitive button. Read more
