Microsoft Previews ‘Windows 8’

Touch-centric interface and application experience designed as a natural reflection of the device.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — June 2, 2011 — At 2011 Computex today, Microsoft Corp. showed hardware partners the next version of Windows, internally code-named “Windows 8,” to help the partners build devices that take advantage of the new user experience. As part of this technical preview, Mike Angiulo, corporate vice president of Windows Planning, Hardware and PC Ecosystem at Microsoft, demonstrated how “Windows 8” is optimized for newer touch-centric hardware, including tablets, while still delivering the flexibility, connectivity and power that people have come to expect from Windows today.

The technical demonstration also highlighted the new operating system’s ability to work across both x86 and ARM-based architectures, with a variety of early prototypes shown running the new operating system. Microsoft and silicon chip makers AMD, Intel Corporation, NVIDIA Corp., Qualcomm Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc. initially announced plans in January to work together on the next version of Windows.

In Taipei, Taiwan, Mike Angiulo, corporate vice president of Windows Planning, Hardware and PC Ecosystem, showed hardware partners “Windows 8” to help the partners build devices that take advantage of the new user experience. Click for print-quality version.

“Our 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,” Angiulo said. “This represents a fundamental shift in Windows design that we haven’t attempted since the days of Windows 95, presenting huge opportunities for our hardware partners to innovate with new PC designs.”

The new user experience also extends to how applications will run on “Windows 8,” with controls naturally fitting into the device experience. Developers also will be able to use common Web technologies, such as HTML5 and JavaScript, to create applications for the PC, further easing integration and adoption.

To aid developers in building applications for the new operating system, Microsoft formally opened registration for its new developer conference, BUILD. The conference will take place Sept. 13–16, 2011, in Anaheim, Calif. More information and online registration for BUILD is available at http://www.buildwindows.com.

Contributed by Bob Johnson's Computer Stuff

Microsoft Highlights New ERP Public Sector Capabilities

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 provides insight and flexibility to help public sector organizations implement a modern workplace.

SAN ANTONIO — May 23, 2011 — Today at the Government Finance Officers Association Annual Conference, a premier event for government financial management education and training, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq “MSFT”) highlighted new public sector capabilities in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution.

“Public sector organizations have long experienced inflexible, legacy ERP systems, hindering their ability to support open government, compliance requirements and fiscal accountability,” said Charlie Johnson, global industry product director, public sector, Microsoft Dynamics. “Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 will support these requirements at the rapid pace government organizations need to better serve their citizens.”

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 delivers comprehensive ERP functionality combined with the specific capabilities government organizations need to operate and respond efficiently, quickly and reliably to constituent needs and legislative mandates. For example, funding for multiyear grants and projects is managed more easily with configurable budgetary controls that proactively track revenues, expenditures and personnel resources against defined budget objectives. The solution helps provide organizationwide accountability and increased citizen satisfaction, and helps address accounting requirements issued by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board and International Public Sector Accounting Standards.

“Unlike our previous JD Edwards solution, which required separate systems for our customers to manage things like procurement, budgetary control and comprehensive reporting, with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 we have the ability to reconcile all systems and departments in a single solution, allowing us to focus more on our real jobs,” said Mike Bailey, director of Finance and Information Services for the City of Redmond. “Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is the comprehensive and easy-to-use ERP solution we have been waiting for.”

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is delivered by experienced partners that specialize in providing public sector customers with additional value and support during implementation. Partners including BroadPoint Technologies, Crowe Horwath LLC, RSM McGladrey Inc., Tribridge and Tyler Technologies Inc. are currently onsite at the conference, in booth 501, showcasing their offerings for government organizations using Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is expected to be generally available in August 2011. More information about the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 by the City of Redmond is available at http://bit.ly/jErlk6. Additional details about the new solution and its capabilities for the public sector are available at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/products/ax-2012-launch.aspx

Contributed by Bob Johnson's Computer Stuff.

Microsoft Announces Finalists for Global Student Technology Competition

More than 400 students invited to showcase their technology to solve the world’s toughest problems at Microsoft Imagine Cup 2011 Worldwide Finals in New York.

NEW YORK — May 23, 2011 — In July, more than 400 of the brightest young minds from around the world will travel to New York to showcase their innovative ideas for using technology to solve the world’s toughest problems. As the winners of regional, national and online Imagine Cup competitions, these high school and university students represent the pinnacle of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurialism from 73 countries and regions around the globe.

This year, more than 350,000 students from 183 countries registered for Microsoft Corp.’s Imagine Cup, the world’s premier student technology competition. The 124 student teams secured their places at the July 8–13 Worldwide Finals event, where they will demonstrate technological advancements in problem-solving and compete for international recognition and $215,000 (U.S.) in cash prizes in categories including Software Design, Embedded Development, Game Design, Digital Media, Windows Phone 7, IT Challenge, Interoperability Challenge, Windows 7 Touch Challenge and the Orchard Challenge. The students’ projects tackle serious humanitarian issues, often inspired by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, such as the environment, health, accessibility and education.

“Some of history’s greatest inventions were created by students. With the Microsoft Imagine Cup, students apply their innovative thinking to real-world causes in order to generate the future’s greatest inventions as well,” said S. Somasegar, senior vice president, Developer Division at Microsoft. “To see young innovators and entrepreneurs harness their creativity and talent to benefit a greater good is absolutely inspiring.”

Last year, Team GINA from the Czech Republic was among the finalist teams that competed at the Imagine Cup 2010 Worldwide Finals in Warsaw, Poland. The team developed GINA (Geographical INformation Assistant), an innovative software system for mobile equipment that provides navigation in difficult terrain, helps coordinate rescue teams, and enables the efficient exchange of geographical information. Together with the humanitarian organization Hand for Help Europe o.s. and its partners, the GINA system has been deployed in Haiti to track the progress of the cholera epidemic, and recently has been helping rescue workers in Japan monitor areas affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country.

“Technology has tremendous potential to solve humanitarian problems, and the Imagine Cup gave me a platform to share my ideas for making the world a better place,” said Team GINA member Zbynek Poulicek. “The Imagine Cup was also a launching pad to start my own business and have an impact in places like Haiti and Japan.”

2011 marks the first time that the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals event, now in its ninth year, will take place in the United States. Although the primary focus of the gathering is the competition, the finalist teams will also have opportunities to attend special training sessions, meet peers from around the world, and participate in volunteer and cultural activities while in New York. The final event of the competition, the Imagine Cup World Festival and Awards Ceremony, will take place on Wednesday, July 13.

Microsoft also announced the winners of the Orchard Challenge and Windows 7 Touch Challenge, two of Imagine Cup’s online competitions. The first place teams in these challenges will represent their countries at the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals.

Additional information about the worldwide finalist teams and projects can be found on the Imagine Cup blog. A sortable spreadsheet of the finalist teams and projects, as well as more information about the Microsoft Imagine Cup, is available at the Imagine Cup Virtual Pressroom.

Contributed by Bob Johnson's Computer Stuff