Microsoft really dropped the ball, again… FolderShare, which has been in beta for many many months now STILL isn’t Vista compatible. Microsoft’s own product isn’t Vista Compatible!!!

Honestly, I wrote them 2 months ago and again 2 weeks ago about Vista support and still no response. Yesterday, I checked the site and it was down. I got excited! Alas, this was the message when it comes back up:

What’s New?

November 18, 2007 – Windows Live FolderShare maintenance has been completed. All services are back online.
For the latest on FolderShare, visit our newsgroup.

Bastards! Still not Vista compatible. Idiots!

See the story of them promising to do more at: Foldershare admits problems – promises improvements soon (via LiveSide)

Everyone was wondering where 2.0 was? They announced it and nothing happened. Well, now we know what’s changed and now we know when it’s coming…

We’ve just released significant enhancements to the Windows Live OneCare service, designed to help you to more easily care for all of the PCs covered by your subscription.

Here are just a few of the new features that you’ll see:

· The new OneCare Circle provides a single view that you can use to monitor the security and maintenance of your networked PCs. The OneCare circle also enables one-click actions to resolve issues among computers within a home PC network

· Printer sharing support helps you easily share the printers that are connected to your networked PCs —now the whole family can use the same printer.

· Speedier PC start times via removal of rarely used applications from the Start menu. Look for this on the enhanced Monthly Report.

· Configuration monitoring that makes fixes and recommendations designed to help you get the most out of your computing experience.

These enhancements and more will be automatically delivered to all subscribers over the next several weeks. Windows Live OneCare will tell you when the update is starting and ask you to restart when it’s complete. Then you’ll be ready to start enjoying all of the new features that are now included in OneCare.

Windows Live OneCare Adds New Features

Thank you to everyone who tried out the beta releases of Writer over the last year and gave us feedback. Over 1.5 million of you downloaded our last beta release, and your input helped make Writer the product it is today. 

Our goal from the start has been to help make blogging more powerful, intuitive, and fun for everyone. Today, we’re proud to announce that Windows Live Writer 2008 is now available!

Windows Live Writer 2008 (version 12.0.1366.1026)

Most of our work over the last few months has been focused on raising the quality of Writer and putting the final fit and finish on the product. However, there are still a few new features in this release to check out: 

Easier Spaces creation and configuration
Whether or not you already have a blog on Windows Live Spaces, now all you need is a Windows Live ID username and password to configure Writer to your Spaces blog.

Spell checking in four languages
This includes three flavors of English dictionaries:

1. English (US, UK, Canadian)
2. French
3. German
4. Spanish

Generic AtomPub Support
Configuration and publishing to services that implement Atom Publishing Protocol 1.0.

We have heard from many of you about the pain and frustration in the last beta release when support for installing on x64 systems was not supported.  We’re happy to share that this has also been fixed and now installation on Windows Vista x64 is fully supported.

As always, we’re eager to hear feedback and learn about what you like and what you don’t like.

Later this week you’ll have an opportunity to tell us in person. Members of the Writer team will be attending BlogWorld Expo in Las Vegas.  We’ll have a product booth with this release of Writer for all to try. Come by and chat with us!

The Windows Live Writer Team

Windows Live Writer: Out of Beta

Immediately after clicking this template, if you’ve never set it up before, Word 2007 will ask you to register your blog’s information, similar to that of Microsoft Live Writer…

However, check this warning out:

“When Word sends information to the blog service provider, it may be possible for other people to see that information. This includes your username and password. Do you want to continue?”

Now, I’ve seen similar warnings in Internet Explorer when you enter a private site with public portions, but on a Word Blog Post? That scares me to think how little security they actually put into this product. Now it only makes sense why Microsoft has pushed Microsoft Live Writer (which they probably took the initial coding from the Word 2007 aspect) over really ever publicizing this option. Fortunately, Microsoft Live Writer is vastly superior with the options and ability for add-ons. So, probably just use Microsoft Live Writer.

OTA: What exciting wireless products can we expect from Microsoft in the next six months?

Here’s what Scott Rockfeld had to say:

SR: Microsoft and its partners will be announcing and launching a number of innovative Windows Mobile products in the upcoming months. For example, our partners have already announced several new devices including the Palm Treo 500v in the UK, the Motorola Q9m through Verizon, and the Sprint PPC-6800, and there’s more on the way. Stay tuned.

Almost a year ago, we released Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP. Since then, IE7 is well on its way to becoming the most used browser in the world, and we’ve seen lots of evidence that IE7 makes it safer and easier to accomplish everyday tasks online. For example, the built-in Phishing Filter has protected consumers from known phishing web sites an average of 900,000 times per week.  IE7 is the first – and still the only – browser with native support for Extended Validation SSL Certificates that help prevent online fraud. (Of course, tabbed browsing, QuickTabs, shrink-to-fit printing, an easily customizable search box, CSS improvements, and some add-ons are all good things too.)

Because Microsoft takes its commitment to help protect the entire Windows ecosystem seriously, we’re updating the IE7 installation experience to make it available as broadly as possible to all Windows users. With today’s “Installation and Availability Update,” Internet Explorer 7 installation will no longer require Windows Genuine Advantage validation and will be available to all Windows XP users.  If you are not already running IE7, you can get it now from the Internet Explorer home page on Microsoft.com, get a customized version from a third-party site, or, if you haven’t already received it via Automatic Updates, this version will be delivered to you as we described previously. If you are already running IE7, you will not be offered IE7 again by Automatic Updates.

Additionally, we’ve made minor changes to IE7 for Windows XP based on customer feedback:

• The menu bar is now visible by default.
• The Internet Explorer 7 online tour has updated how-to’s. Also, the “first-run” experience includes a new overview.
• We’ve included a new MSI installer that simplifies deployment for IT administrators in enterprises. Learn more about it here.

Thanks, Steve Reynolds
Program Manager

Internet Explorer 7 Update (via IE Blog)

• Microsoft’s New Bet on Search (Business Week Online)
• Microsoft’s Search Update: Looks Nice, Won’t Help (Silicon Valley Insider)
• Blockbuster: Microsoft says they have pocketed $170 million … (BBC via Gizmodo)
• Microsoft launches Windows Media Center Internet TV beta (Engadget)
• Linksys bows two Vista-friendly Media Center Extenders (Crave)

After trying Xobni, it’s clear that Microsoft Outlook has more potential to explode with social and just plain old interactive usability functions. Microsoft seems to wait for other companies to connect into them. I tried the Plaxo and LinkedIn toolbars for Outlook, but they suck. There are so many “Web 2.0″ companies out there utilizing the functions of our standard web applications today through APIs.

Since I am tied to Microsoft Outlook as I am in an Exchange environment and I use a Palm Treo 700w (for now), perhaps give me some Web 2.0 functionality Microsoft? I only assume the easiest way to get the best and functional applications out there are to release APIs. So do it already!

Here are some of the potential uses and results:

• Actually sync Facebook (or any other Social Network) and Outlook’s Contacts, Calendar and Emails
• Auto-Sync Calendar and Contacts with any Web 2.0 application
• Allow developers to easily create skins and add-ons for Outlook
• Wirelessly Sync All kinds of Information through the Exchange Environment

I’m not going to go through all possibilities, because off the top of my head I can think of at least 20 more. So, let’s get to it!

It’s not like you are going to lose customers. We are STUCK with you Microsoft. Plus, it might improve your monopolistic image.

However, when you run a search, you get the Feed locations. Unlike Google’s Blog Search which actually searches feed for content. You won’t get any content here. Just the feed’s address:

Obviously there are already some errors to be detected because all that came up for me was my Comment’s Feed. Perhaps Feedburner’s Feed Smith plugin disables Live Search from finding my generic feed?

Microsoft’s Description:

The Blog This for Firefox adds a button to Firefox which starts a new Windows Live Writer blog post prepopulated with content and title from the current web page. Blog the whole page, or just selected snippets. Interacts with other registered plugins to parse and structure web content where appropriate. Blog quickly when you find something of interest on the web.

Related Posts:

• Windows Live Writer Portable lets you blog on the go
• Windows Live Writer Beta 3 Now Available – Microsoft Live Installer Package Snuck in
• Live Writer Beta 2 Flickr Trick
• Insert Flickr Image Live Writer Plugin = Awesome
• Sweet Success on Posting to 2 blogs Easily

Holy Shit! Microsoft Does Finally Do Something Right.

I’m a “Student” in the same sense that we are all students, learning everyday through RSS feeds, Social Interactions, Wikipedia, etc. So give me a copy for $60 please! 

Microsoft will begin offering Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 for students for the amazing price of just sixty dollars. This special offer for students only represents a $620 discount off the retail price of $680, a 91% savings.

You get:

• Word
• Excel
• PowerPoint
• Oulook (with Business Contact Manager)
• Accounting Express
• Publisher
• Access
• Infopath
• Groove
• OneNote
• And some boring business features.

Office Ultimate 2007: Just $60! (for students) (Thanks InsideMicrosoft!)

With the recent release of Windows Live Writer 3 Beta, Kingery has released an updated version of his portable launcher.

Kingery has detailed sets of instructions for installing a portable version of Windows Live Writer on his blog, including steps for U3

Windows Live Writer Portable lets you blog on the go (via DownloadSquad)

So, apparently Microsoft’s Live Translator is now up and active in Beta form (although there are some problems with it still). However, now it seems that Microsoft is just on the catch-up-to-Google game and doing a bad job. Interesting though, the Translation of the Web Site features:

• Side by Side Windows Translations – Which Sucks! *screenshot below
• Top and Bottom – Which is even worse that Side by Side
• Original with Hover Translation – Which is cool, but mostly pointless
• Translation with Hover Original – Cool and maybe good for learning languages

Note at the bottom of the above screenshot, there’s a link to “Purchase Translation Software”. Google offers it free Bitches! Plus it’s really expensive on there. 

*

***Microsoft Sneaks in the Windows Live installation into the installation….

Some highlights of this release:

1. Insert videos using our new ‘Insert Video’ dialog
2. Upload images to Picasaweb when publishing to your Blogger blog
3. Publish XHTML-style markup
4. Use Writer in 28 additional languages
5. Print your posts
6. Justify-align post text
7. Better image handling (fewer blurry images)
8. Resolved installation issues from last release
9. Many other bug fixes and enhancements

Read more: Windows Live Writer Beta 3 Now Available (Live Writer Blog)