System.Blog.Martens.Ben : News

MSDN Data DevCenter

benmartens — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:25:06 GMT

Members of my group have been hard at work getting a new MSDN Data DevCenter up and running at http://msdn.com/data. This is a merger of a few other DevCenters to provide a unified look at developing with Microsoft’s data platform. Keep your eyes open for mentions of the “M” Language and SQL Server Modeling (formerly “Oslo”) to see what I’m working on.

Oslo in BillG's Keynote

benmartens — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 03:19:48 GMT

The project I work on, Oslo, was mentioned in BillG's keynote at TechEd. You can see the video clip here:

http://msstudios.vo.llnwd.net/o21/presspass/zune/Looking_Ahead_Zune.wmv

And you can read a few articles about it here:

http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=502DF734-17A4-0F78-3147272EA3E37019

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Application-Development/Microsofts-Oslo-Loses-a-Leader-Plows-On/

$60 Office for Students!

benmartens — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 02:39:43 GMT

When I was in school, finding money for pizza was tough, much less for a full copy of Microsoft Office. If your school doesn't have an MSDNAA subscription set up, this new Microsoft program might be just the ticket. Anyone with a valid student email address can get Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 for $59.95! Retail price is over $650 so this is quite a deal. Pass this link along to any students you know.

http://www.theultimatesteal.com

[via PCMag]

Surface

benmartens — Wed, 30 May 2007 20:34:01 GMT

The big mystery announcement last night was Microsoft Surface. Where do I sign up to get one? I can instantly think of a bunch of board games that would be a great fit for this as well as your basic photo/map display. What if you could use it as a Media Center Extender? Or as a giant remote for your TV? Or as a platform for real time strategy games? I hope it debuts somewhere in my price range or at least shows up in bars around Seattle.

Office Communicator 2007 Beta

benmartens — Sat, 26 May 2007 00:02:44 GMT

This news is about two months old, but I just found the beta for Office Communicator 2007 (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/beta/ocs/default.mspx.) I like the interface changes, specifically the ability to add multiple people to a conversation at one time. It also only displays the name of the person speaking when the name changes. So if I send three messages in a row, my name is only written on the screen one time. It's an open beta so give it a shot if you're interested.

Deepfish - Mobile Web Browsing

benmartens — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 20:22:06 GMT

One of my favorite Windows Mobile apps is now available to the public. Go check out Deepfish if you spend time browsing the Internet on your phone.

When you browse to a site via Deepfish, a server at Microsoft renders the page in IE and then sends an image of that page to your phone. The benefit is that the page looks exactly like it would look on your computer screen. You can zoom in to different parts of the page and that area of the screen gets a higher resolution image. You can do basic text entry and navigate links, but don't expect to do any flash-based interaction. Check out a demo on the website.

CES 2007 Highlights

benmartens — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 21:02:00 GMT

I feel like I need a nap after all the CES coverage. It's going to take a week or two to sift through some of the stuff that I missed, but here are my three favorite announcements from the show so far:

IPTV on the XBox360
10.4 million XBox's sold by 12/31/2006. Target achieved!
Microsoft Home Server

Local.Live.Com Update

benmartens — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 03:01:29 GMT

When Microsoft launched their own online mapping tool, I tried it once and never looked back. As of today, the online mapping service now supports 3D views! This type of 3D functionality previously required you to use that other company's downloaded software. Now it's all available online. Fantastic!

Read what the Virtual Earth team has to say about it. Channel 9 has a video up about the Virtual Earth API.

Rory in Redmond

benmartens — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 23:12:25 GMT

I'd like to take a minute to be one of many people to welcome Rory to Redmond. Channel9 seems to be a perfect fit for him and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do with it.

Zune

benmartens — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 22:17:20 GMT

I was out last week when the Zune was officially announced so I assume most of you have read about it by now. If not, head over to the Zune Virtual Pressroom for the facts.

Some of my initial reactions:

My fourth gen iPod Photo has been a bit flaky lately with lockups and trouble connecting to iTunes. This might be my replacement.
I like the bigger video screen, although I just got a Q and I can watch videos on that. I'm not sure having two video devices will be a big selling point.
I want to get one in my hands. One of the key features of the iPod was it's build quality, ease of navigation, and scroll wheel. If the Zune can meet/exceed those expectations then I'm happy.
Brown? Did I miss something? I guess I'm too old to understand. I'll take black please. And while we're talking about color, why does the white Zune have a black click wheel?
The FM radio is a nice touch, but I don't see myself using it often.
We need a compelling PC side to this story. iTunes isn't perfect but it "just works." I want a program that lets me pull down podcasts and easily manage 30GB of music files.
Wifi has potential, but I don't think they are using it well yet. I'll never use the existing wireless feature set. Give me internet access so I can stream from my home computer and then you'll be onto something.

I think that last bullet point is the future of this market. Except for planes, subways, and areas of bad reception, most of my future music listening will be streamed from my home computer. Why do I need to have multiple copies of every song on different devices? With my Q I can just connect to my home PC and stream my full collection without having to worry about local storage.

Live Local Updates

benmartens — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 21:26:13 GMT

I'm a big Live Local fan. Google Maps was the first one to the table with AJAX maps, but they have remained stagnant since introduction. Meanwhile Live has been continuously stepping up their game with new features.

One of my favorite features is the Birds Eye view were you get actual photos from four angles and two zoom levels. It's quite useful when you are driving to a new area. By the time you actually arrive the target building is recognizable and it saves those last minute wrong turns or helps to find the best parking area. The Birds Eye selection has been updated with tons of new cities. Check to see if your hometown is covered:
http://local.live.com/?v=2&cid=546E7E30AC2C5011!25...

The new Birds Eye pictures are just one of the new additions in the latest version of Live Local. Head over to the team blog for a complete list.