Microsoft Research has released a tool that analyze all the pictures in a folder, picks the "most interesting" ones and makes a blended collage. You can download a trial version at http://research.microsoft.com/AutoCollage/ that runs for 30 days, then you have to buy a license from the online store. I have tried this tool for an hour and I think AutoCollage does a great job of creating a collage which can be used to share highlights from an event; wedding, vacation, weekend in Stockholm,

Today it was announced that Microsoft and danish company Phase One will work together to improve the experience of Windows users. Phase One is known both for their superb digital backs for medium format camera (up to 39 MP sensors) as well as their very popular RAW converter program Capture One (C1). To me this is great news, a high profile RAW converter company will team up with MS to enhance the experience! Read more at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/oct07/10-26PhaseOnePR.mspx .

Microsoft has announced HD Photo , formerly known as Windows Media Photo. Bill Crow has much more information about this and you can also read a news article . HD Photo seems to be aimed at competing with JPEG as a format for the future. The best feature (when compared to JPEG) seems to be higher compression ratio while maintaining more information (less destructive), and it also includes a lossless option. There may have been other formats that have been better than JPEG, but the influence of Microsoft

Here's Microsoft's CES website. There's a ton of interesting stuff on here. The one that will probably impact me the most is Group Shot . Not that the rest isn't incredibly cool, it's just that I have the groupshot problem a lot . :) These two images becomes combined (source can be seen bottom left) to look like bottom right. How cool is that for group pictures (particularly those involving small children).