Microsoft Launching Google Docs Competitor, Office 365 This Month

Google took the lead ages ago by providing a free Office suite replacement on the web. Microsoft followed suit and it has been working on a web-based office suite called Office 365. It’s been in beta for a long time and it’s finally time to be launched. According to Neowin, the suite is all set to launch sometime this month.

Free services for consumers also available

According to a Tweet post by Jon Roskill from Microsoft, the date set for the launch this year on the 28th of June. He also states there are some 100,000 customers on beta. The beta first launched in late 2010 to limited users after which it was made available as a public beta in April, this year. Those who register for the beta will also get an additional month of free access to the service. The Office 365 suite will include Exchange, SharePoint, Lync (which isn’t available to Mac users) and Office Web Apps 2010. To compete with Google’s mostly free Docs service. Microsoft also has a free version available for non-business or enterprise users. Docs.com is one of them. For business users, the schemes for Office 365 start from $10 a month to $27 a month.

Computex 2011: Windows 8 Build 7985 Demoed

At Computex 2011, several attendees managed to get a glimpse of the latest build of Windows 8. The build - 7985.fbl_core1_kernel was reportedly readied on May 3 to make a partner preview of the same possible at the event in Taipei. The complete build string, 7985.fbl_core1_kernel_cptx.110503-1501 clearly reveals the same. The Milestone 3, however, comes sans a couple of shell changes that Microsoft introduced, among which was the superbar user account image integration.

Heavy buil(d)t!

The Windows 8 interface does pick up some cues from Windows Phone 7, but that ends there. Windows 8 allows users to launch apps using the tile-based start screen, and will be a replacement to the good old Windows 7 start up screen. Among the applications included are live tile notifications and the ability to naturally switch between applications. Users now also have the provision to snap and resize an application to place it on the side of the new touch screen user interface. 

At the All Things Digital D9 conference, Microsoft did raise the curtains over the new Windows 8 user interface. It was at the conference that Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft's President of the Windows Division mentioned the company’s plans to reveal some more details at the BUILD conference in September.

Computex 2011: Microsoft Previews Windows 8 OS

A major player on the third day at Computex was Microsoft. They dropped some major news by previewing the next generation of the Windows operating system code-named Windows 8. Mike Angiulo, Corporate Vice President of Windows Planning, Hardware and PC Ecosystem at Microsoft demonstrated how the new operating system is optimized for newer touch-centric hardware, including tablets in a technical preview. Windows 8 new Start menu (Image credit: All Things D) This demonstration highlighted the ability of the new OS to work across both x86 and ARM-based architectures, with a variety of early prototypes shown running the new operating system. Speaking about the new OS, Angiulo said that their aim with Windows 8 is to make the user experience a natural extension of the device, from the time you turn on your PC through how you interact with the applications you know and love. He goes on to say that this represents a fundamental shift in Windows design that they haven’t attempted since the days of Windows 95, presenting huge opportunities for their hardware partners to innovate with new PC designs. In January, it was announced that Microsoft and silicon chip makers AMD, Intel Corporation, NVIDIA Corp., Qualcomm Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc. would work together on the next Windows OS. The announcement also says that the new user experience extends to how applications will run on “Windows 8,” with controls naturally fitting into the device experience. It said that developers would also be able to use common Web technologies, such as HTML5 and JavaScript, to create applications for the PC, further easing integration and adoption. In order to aid developers in building applications for the new operating system, Microsoft formally opened registration for its new developer conference, BUILD, which will take place Sept. 13–16, 2011, in Anaheim, California. A brief view on the features of Windows 8 – Apps can be launched faster from a tile-based Start screen; thus replacing the Start menu with a customizable full screen view of apps Apps can be switched between in a fluid manner Snap and resize an app to the side of a screen; thus enabling multitasking capabilities Developers can use common Web technologies such as HTML5 and JavaScript to create apps for PCs

Computex 2011: ViewSonic Introduces Oak Trail-powered ViewPad 10Pro

ViewSonic has introduced one of the first tablets on the market to be powered by Intel’s Oak Trail CPU, the ViewPad 10Pro. Not to be confused with the ViewPad 10, the ViewPad 10Pro brings in some updated hardware while boasting a similar Windows 7/Android dual-OS system. The ViewPad 10Pro Check out the specs of the device: 10-inch display Intel Oak Trail Z670 1.5GHz processor Dual-Cameras 3G-enabled 3500mAh battery 32GB Internal Storage Here’s what ViewSonic had to say about the device: “The world's first dual-OS tablet that uses Windows 7 Professional and Android, and the first to use the latest Intel Oak Trail processor: This tablet, powerful in both hardware and software, is ideal for users who wish to have a combination of entertainment and professional needs. It allows for an instantaneous switch between the two OSes without turning off the tablet – Android for simple tasks such as Web browsing and Windows 7 for business applications.” Here’s hoping more details show up for this device, and soon.

Computex 2011: Acer Gives a Sneak Peek into its W4 Smartphone

At the ongoing tech fair, Computex 2011, Acer showed off a mere glimpse of its Microsoft Mango-based smartphone, the W4. Acer unlike its usual behavior just managed to share a distanced look of its latest product since the company still awaited Microsoft to release more bits of the Mango OS.

Just a glimpse.. (Image source: mobilitydigest.com)

Acer promised to begin the volume production of the W4 in the fourth quarter of this year. Till then, W4’s performance will go through several more modulations. For now, the little information Acer did manage to let out was that the W4 will run a Qualcomm MSN8255 chip at 1GHz. The smartphone comes with five megapixel, auto focus camera and does look enticing with a 3.6-inch display. In addition to this, the W4 is Wi-Fi enabled, with 8GB worth of internal flash memory. 

Although, this bit may just seem a teaser for most, a late 2011 launch would mean a couple of more of these teasers dotted around the rest of the year

Microsoft To Unveil Tegra Based Tablet Next Week

Microsoft has been having quite a week. First the confusion regarding the release date of Windows 8, then the call for company CEO Steve Ballmer to step down. Now we have news that Microsoft maybe readying a new tablet.

We shall be victorious.... Image Source: Techrepublic

According to Bloomberg, sources reveal that Microsoft is prepping a new, tablet centric Operating system. They further added that the company is also planning to show off a touch-screen tablet which will be powered by NVIDIA’s ARM based Tegra chip.  The new tablet is slated to be shown off at the All Things D conference, as well as the Computex show which will start on the 31st of May 2011.

Microsoft is in a race as it wants more devices such as tablets and smartphones to adopt the Windows OS. In a speech, Steve Ballmer said, “We are in a race,” he said. “We are not doing that badly, frankly. We are doing pretty well in that race. But the race is on to continue to push Windows to a variety of new form factors”.

Microsoft is hankering for a piece of the tablet pie, where Apple (heh) is currently king. Devices with Windows OS haven’t exactly lit the market on fire and that is what Microsoft wants to do with the new operating system.

Windows Phone Mango and Bing Vision hands-on

We're done listening, it's time to start doing. Microsoft had a number of Windows Phone Mango devices scattered about after this morning's intimate event concluded. So we grabbed one, went somewhere quiet, and got a little more intimate with the operating system itself, checking out the new hubs, groups, and Bing Vision search that should make cross-shopping a whole lot easier. Join us, won't you, to see what Mango is -- and what it isn't.

Windows Phone Mango hands-on!

First of all, Mango is not necessarily Windows Phone 7.1. Microsoft simply had to get the SDK ready to go and, well, they "had to call it something." So, 7.1 is that something, a number applied to the SDK that we have a feeling will stick to the OS as well, but Microsoft is still far from carving that version into stone.

We also got a little more information about the Dell situation, that simply the company wasn't quite ready to commit to being on the Mango bandwagon. So, don't try to read too much into the company's omission from the slide deck here: there's no reason to think the company won't be there with bells on once the leaves start turning, joining the confirmed partners: Samsung, LG, HTC, Acer, Fujitsu, ZTE, and of course Nokia. Oh, and if you're hoping for tethering in this release? No such luck -- it'll have to wait for a future release.

But, onto more important things. As you can see in the videos here the revisions and augmentations in Mango are tightly integrated into the OS, such that if you don't know where to look you'll probably miss them. The new Groups feature in the People Hub gives you a quick view into what's happening with your friends, pulling in photos and updates and really augmenting the social aspects of the device.

In fact, you could say that Kin lives on, its social DNA now imbibed by Windows Phone and, honestly, looking pretty great in its new digs.

We also tried out the new Bing Vision feature, which allows you to search for things using the camera. Unlike Google Googles or the like you can't take a picture of any old thing -- only visual codes (bar, QR, etc.) will be recognized along with book, movie, and album covers -- but things are much more responsive because of it. You don't need to take a pic and wait: the results just pop up. The OS can even identify and translate text in real-time, something you can see toward the end of the video above. Naturally, though, all of this relies on an active data connection.

Ultimately Mango is not a groundbreaking update, but it is definitely shaping up to be a great addition to the world of Windows Phone, adding the seamless integration other smartphone platforms lack, tying loose ends together to create a nicely woven final package. The only problem? It won't be ripe until fall, and while there will surely be a suite of new devices that ship with this software it remains to be seen just how long it'll take this juice of this fruit to trickle out to all the existing WP7 devices. It also remains to be seen just how much further we can take these mango references, but rest assured we aren't finished yet.

Microsoft CEO promises Windows 8 in 2012, 500 new features for Windows Phone 7

Windows 8 for desktop computers and tablets will ship in 2012, and an upcoming Windows Phone 7 update will include 500 new features, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said Monday at a developers conference in Japan.

Ballmer made the announcement in a speech, shortly after expressing his condolences to Japan about the earthquake and tsunami that struck the nation in March.

"It's been 18 months since my last trip in Japan, which in my whole 30 years of working for Microsoft is the longest period of time between visits in Japan," Ballmer said in his speech. "Microsoft is very committed to Japan. We're celebrating 25 years this year, 25 years of Microsoft business in Japan. And to all of the developers in the room, I say: Thank you very much for the support and for the partnership."

Ballmer said that Japan is home to Microsoft's second-largest subsidiary and that Microsoft is looking to Japan to help the company be competitive in areas where it "is committed to investing and innovating and leading."

One of the areas Microsoft wants to lead is "natural user interface" -- using speech, gestures and touch to control computers. Microsoft has had success with its Kinect motion-sensing camera for its Xbox 360 video game console, but it has yet to release a major consumer tablet offering, which would rely on a touch-screen-oriented version of Windows.

Ballmer expressed frustration about having released Windows Phone 7 to the market last fall.

"Another big sort of effort for us in terms of transforming the future of communication is the Windows Phone," he said. "We came to market with Windows Phone about a year later than I wish we had, shame on us.

"But we're moving forward very actively. We launched Windows Phones last November. We've done a set of upgrades. We have a release that will come to market later this year in Japan. Not only is it a new release that is now much more global, but we've added over 500 new features to Windows Phone."

Not long after that, Ballmer turned his attention to what Microsoft is doing on Windows 8.

"Windows 7 PCs will sell over 350 million units this year," Ballmer said. "We've done a lot in Windows 7 to improve customer satisfaction. We have a brand-new user interface. We've added touch and ink and speech. And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, there's a whole lot more coming. As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors."

Windows 8 to come in Multiple Avatars

At a company investor meeting on May 18, Renee James, senior vice president and general manager of Intel'™s Software and Services Group, spoke of how Windows 8 designed for Intel's x86 processor based systems will be able to run programs intended for earlier versions of Windows, while ARM-based devices wont support such functionality.Given the close relationship between Microsoft and Intel and their respective forays into the mobile market, Intel's statements assume a greater significance. Both companies have something to gain from their ongoing collaboration.

Intel is targeting ARM chips, as the latter currently dominate the very lucrative mobile market that includes smartphones, tablets and netbooks. By pointing out that ARM based devices will be unable to run legacy applications, Intel must be hoping that businesses and consumers will be more inclined to opt for Intel as it has a long history of supporting Windows on a variety of platforms.

Microsoft on the other hand, by introducing multiple versions of Windows 8 for both Intel and ARM based systems, is looking to expand its presence in the tablet market, which is currently dominated by Apple's iPad and Google Android devices.

Interestingly, Microsoft disagreed with the Intel executive'™s comments and said the following in a statement sent to The Register, "Intel'™s statements during yesterday'™s Intel Investor Meeting about Microsoft's plans for the next version of Windows were factually inaccurate and unfortunately misleading. From the first demonstrations of Windows on SoC, we have been clear about our goals and have emphasized that we are at the technology demonstration stage. As such, we have no further details or information at this time."

Microsoft Announces Office 365 Public Beta, Marketplace

Last October, Microsoft launched a private beta of Office 365, an evolution of its Web-based version of key business products like Office, SharePoint, and Lync Server. The offering is designed to take on competitors like Google Docs, Salesforce, and Zoho.

While the beta badge is still scheduled to come off the service sometime in 2011, Microsoft has now expanded the Office 365 beta to the public, added 38 countries and 17 languages, and introduced a new Marketplace for third parties to offer more apps and services to Office 365 customers.

The Office 365 public beta has two tiers. The first, Plan 1(P1), includes hosted versions of Office Web Apps, SharePoint Server, and Lync Server, which provide messaging, e-mail, and calendaring for businesses that need no more than 25 seats. For a price of $6 per user per month, P1 provides access to these apps and Microsoft's community support site, but not desktop Office clients or live support.

The second option, Plan E3, is designed for enterprise customers. It still has a 25-seat limit during the beta, but in addition to the P1 features and a price of $24 per seat, it includes subscription versions of Office 2010 for Windows (Microsoft is considering offering Office 2011 for Mac as well), Active Directory Sync, and 24/7 phone support.

Along with opening the doors on this public beta, Microsoft also announced the Office 365 Marketplace. It's a way for Office 365 customers to add other apps and services to their accounts from trusted Microsoft partners. For the launch, Microsoft has over 100 apps and 400 professional services available like migration assistance, domain name management, SharePoint-based CRM solutions, and more.

Microsoft has yet to set a firm deadline for releasing Office 365 other than "2011." When Office 365 goes official, pricing tiers will expand to accommodate a wider range of users, including a monthly $2 plan for those who just need business e-mail.

Windows & Interoperability: Windows 8 Possible Features: Ribbon, Metro, Apps, Cloud Integration

Microsoft may still be plugging away at selling Windows 7 to consumers and the enterprise, but rumors have already started about the next version of the popular operating system—dubbed "Windows 8" by many in the media. Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott, two bloggers with a track record of delving into Microsoft's proprietary code base, recently sparked a fresh round of chatter with a dissection of a supposed Windows 8 early build, adding their voices to a discussion that extends back to 2010. Other Websites and bloggers have suggested Windows 8 will feature everything from increased cloud-services integration to enhanced biometric security, sometimes backing their assertions with slide decks supposedly leaked from inside Microsoft. While the exact form of Windows 8 software remains uncertain, Microsoft has made it clear for months that the next version of the operating system will support SoC (system-on-a-chip) architecture, in particular ARM-based systems from partners such as Qualcomm, Nvidia and Texas Instruments. That would give Microsoft increased leverage for porting Windows onto tablets. Could Microsoft be prepping one version of Windows 8 for mobile form factors, and one for desktops and laptops? Or will the company try to walk a tightrope by offering the same version of Windows across multiple devices, albeit with a user interface equally suited for touch screens and traditional keyboard-and-mouse input? Although Microsoft has stayed tight-lipped about a possible release date for the next version of Windows, the online chatter suggests it could make an appearance sometime in late 2012. As such, any OS elements picked apart by the blogosphere could undergo radical changes in the interim. However, the following slides could offer a window (pun intended) into Microsoft's early thinking about its upcoming operating system.

                                                                Metro

Indications are that Microsoft's "Metro" design scheme, which found its way into Windows Phone 7 and the Zune HD, will play a part in the design for Windows 8. Metro embraces a "less is more" aesthetic, with a distinctive typeface.

                                                 Tablets

Microsoft has announced that the next version of Windows will support SoC (system-on-a-chip) architecture, in particular the ARM-based systems that dominate the mobile landscape. In theory, that will allow a version of Windows 8 to appear on smaller form factors such as tablets.

                                               Microsoft Store

In the summer of 2010, a Website called Microsoft Journal posted what it described as a slide deck leaked from within Microsoft that outlined possible Windows 8 features. Among them: a "Microsoft Store" for downloading apps. 

Fuller Cloud Integration

Given Microsoft's "all in" focus on the cloud, the next version of Windows will likely include fuller integration with cloud features, including the ability to individually carry settings or preferences between devices. 

Ultra-Fast Boot Times

Microsoft Journal's leaked slide deck also included references to the next version of Windows possibly including ultra-fast boot times.

Ribbon

Bloggers Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott recently posted on Rivera's Within Windows blog that early builds of Windows 8 integrate an Office-style ribbon interface into Windows Explorer, complete with tools for viewing libraries, manipulating images and managing drive assets.

New Lock Screen

Rivera and Thurrott also uncovered an early design for a lock screen reminiscent of the one for Windows Phone 7, with elements such as time and date and icons for power management (for mobile devices).

Integrated PDF Reader

According to the Within Windows blog, Microsoft could be including a built-in PDF reader with Windows 8.

Internet Explorer 'Immersive'

Rivera and Thurrott also uncovered an "immersive" version of Internet Explorer that uses the desktop Internet Explorer 9 renderer, but works more like a mobile browser—something that could possibly find its way into Windows 8 for mobile devices.

Biometrics

Manufacturers such as Hewlett-Packard have been integrating more biometric hardware and software into their consumer and business offerings (including fingerprint-reading and facial recognition). Microsoft could try to leverage this trend with more robust biometric log-ins for Windows 8.

Touch

If Windows 8 is going more portable, trust that the interface (or some version of the interface) will offer more touch-centric design and features. 

'History Vault'

Rumors suggest Microsoft could include a backup utility for Windows 8 similar to the one already present in Apple's Mac OS X Time Machine.

Windows 8 Has an 'Immersive' UI Browsing Mode

As we saw with the Windows 8 welcome screen, Microsoft is taking cues from its mobile OS Windows Phone 7 in the design of its next big desktop OS.

WinSuperSite now has some images showing a new Internet Explorer-powered UI mode that is being referred to as "Immersive." A big clue to what the Immersive UI will be like is Internet Explorer, which takes on a look that's much like the IE Mobile browser in Windows Phone.

The Internet Explorer Immersive mode in current builds is locked to a view that is at 640x480, indicating its not-yet-finished state. It's likely that this UI and browsing mode is meant for touch-based form factors, such as a tablet.

The browser software works, and has features such as browser history implemented and executed in ways very similar to Windows Phone 7.

Pre-release Windows 8 code hits PC makers

Microsoft's webOS luvvin' partner HP is among the PC manufacturers getting copies of early Windows 8 code, according to reports.
HP and other Windows PC OEMs are reported to be getting builds of Microsoft's next desktop operating system known as milestone 3 – seriously pre-beta stuff.

They're sucking down the code through Microsoft's Connect external testing system.

Doing some back-of-envelope numbers based on earlier reports, Microsoft was due to start coding milestone 3 at the end of February, it seems this tranche of Windows 8 code is a month old.
What are PC makers getting, exactly?
According to leaked screen shots on different sites, something called History Vault, which is described to be analogous to Mac OS X's Time Machine for back up.
There's also a system-reset feature that'll let you reset your machine and retain your data once that inevitable day comes, often very soon, that your Windows PC starts slowing to a crawl.
We've yet to see what Windows 8 will look like. Rumor has it there will be two interfaces: a tile-based UI and an application programming model code-named Jupiter that'll download new Windows apps from Microsoft's Marketplace.
The Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, incidentally, was reported on Wednesday to have hit the 12,000 mark, with 3,000 apps having been added during March.
Meanwhile, there are growing whispers that Windows 8 will set the next version of Internet Explorer – version 10 – as its default browser.
If, as is being calculated, Windows 8 will hit beta in September with a view to shipping in 2012, that would mean the quickest IE development turnaround in Microsoft's history, and would make IE9 the shortest-lived version of Microsoft's shrinking browser.
Speculation is already mounting that a pre-beta, show-and-tell version of Windows 8 will be on display for the company's partners at Microsoft's World Wide Partner conference in July.
Other features expected in Windows 8, according to slides leaked last year, include support for a tablet form factor, instant-on, and facial recognition.
When Windows 8 does arrive, one person who won't be pulling the Windows PC marketing levers will be Microsoft's über comms chief, Mich Matthews.
Microsoft's global head of marketing is stepping down after 22 years with the company, during which time Microsoft launched Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 on the desktop.
Each launch now follows a familiar monolithic format: global venues, white papers from paid analyses like IDC to "prove" its net value to local economies, and a desperate hunt for a table of features that justify not only your upgrading to the latest version of Windows but also buying the most expensive SKU.
Matthews said that she has not got another job, but wants to do something new.
The change comes after Microsoft said it was putting out a tender $1bn of its ad spend in the US. The incumbent on this portion of the business was the Interpublic Group of Universal McCann. ®