The iPhone has a number of apps available for watching Internet TV – and include all sorts of categories for every type of viewer. News, sports, reality shows, comedies, and even broadcasts in different languages.  Before installing and/or purchasing any app, it’s important to look at user reviews to see if the content is compatible with the individual tastes of the user, and if the quality is what one wants in an application.

Free Apps

For news lovers and those who want an international perspective, the iPhone app France 24 is the one to download. It is completely free, and broadcasts in French, English, and Arabic. Sports, environmental news, and happenings around the world are broadcast 24 hours a day. Live events simulcast in all three languages for the user’s convenience.

European Football (particularly Norway’s teams) lovers can enjoy TV 2 Sporten. The content is broadcast in Norwegian, and has live news and game highlights.

The app simply named TV.com is completely free and broadcasts shows from CBS, The CW, Showtime, CNET TV, and others from the CBS family. Rather than being live streaming Internet TV, this is more like “On Demand” television.

Free & Premium Paid Apps

There are several paid apps that have a basic, free version. It’s a good idea to get a preview of what an app will be like prior to purchase, even if the reviews are great. Some of the favorites among users are listed below.

TVUPlayer is an app, available for free and premium for $4.99, that offers 300 channels of sports, comedy, music, news, and movies – all live streaming Internet TV from all over the world. A similar app, netTV, is available for free and for $2.99, but only offers 200 channels, although more of the channels on this app are US-based.

Paid Apps

PGA Championship ($1.99) and MLB.com At Bat 2011 ($.99) is great for golf lovers and baseball lovers, respectively. Both show live tournaments and games, and highlights from the best moments. Live alerts are available with PGA Championship, and home and away radio broadcasts are available with MLB.com At Bat 2011. The great news is that the MLB app has come way down in price, and has been reviewed by many as being a wonderful app.

Television, available for $2.99 (yes, it’s just called “Television”), is another “on demand” type of Internet TV that offers a ton of programming, including Comedy Central, Fox, NBC, HBO, ESPN, and many more.

Internet TV is a great choice for iPhone users on the go. One final thought: some users do complain that there are hitches in the streaming at times – which really is to be expected with just about any app. Again, it’s important to check the ratings of other users to see if the app is appealing and works well prior to purchase.

 Author’s View on Technology Simplified:  ”At the onset the name MSI Geeks  is very intriguing , the blog  provides deep insight on path breaking and innovative technologies. It helps us in exploring more and more about MS and Google technology. The thing that stood out for me was tool tab, a stack of smart and interactive technology. Thanks for all the quality articles that you have published so far. “

Author Box: This guest post is by Calvin Scott. Calvin loves to blog on wide variety of topics for diverse blogs. Visit his site for kpn adsl and draadloos internet.

Application management can be a huge hurdle in starting the desktop transformation journey. Join App-DNA to learn how to develop a clear direction, a map, and perhaps a shortcut to reach your desktop virtualization destination more quickly – and with fewer detours. App-DNA walks through a desktop virtualization project, from scoping the time, cost and risk to the organization all the way to automatically virtualizing applications.

In this webinar, you will Learn where to start assessing the application portfolio, how to start assessing which applications may be a best fit for virtual deployment, mapping project time, cost and risk, options for remediating troublesome applications and automatically creating virtual packages for Citrix XenApp and Microsoft App-V, plus MSI.

Thursday, November 10, 2011 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM CST

Register for the Webinar here - https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/644018106

At the recent Mobile Developer Summit which took place on November 2, 2011 at Bangalore Microsoft announced the details of the developer programme for Windows Mobile in India with ‘I unlock Joy’, a unique Application Development and Submission Program, where technology professionals and students get an opportunity to develop applications and showcase creativity.

‘I unlock Joy’ programme for developers has started from November 1, 2011 and will continue till June 30, 2012 whereas the program for students will begin on December 18, 2011 and conclude on March 30 next year. 

Developer competitive categories:

• ·         “SUBMIT & WIN” CATEGORY: A registered participant submits THREE qualified Windows Phone Application in the Marketplace and gets a chance to win a Windows Phone. In this category, the Applications must be distinct and of non-trivial utility value for the Application User. A “Spam” or close replicas of existing Windows Phone Applications are disqualified.

• ·         “PORT 2 APPS & WIN” CATEGORY: A registered participant submitting TWO qualified Windows Phone Applications in the Marketplace which are ported from existing Android or iPhone Applications get to win a Windows Phone.

• ·         “WOMEN SPECIAL” CATEGORY: A first of its kind in the developer space. The first 100 registered Woman Developers who submit ONE (1) qualified Windows Phone Application each in the Marketplace qualify to win a Windows Phone each. The applications can be based on Entertainment, Fashion, Leisure, Sports, Recreation or Travel themes.

Student competitive categories: 

• ·         “STUDENT” CATEGORY: Calling on the community to be a part of the initiative, the “I unlock Joy” programme is customized to unfold their innovative and creative best and become among the select first few proud owners of the Windows Phone.

The contestants need to build one or more applications using Dev Tools and submit on AppHub. If their apps get certified and published on the Windows Phone Marketplace during the contest period which ends November 18, they can claim goodies like a brand new Windows Phone, certificate of acknowledgment from Microsoft and Windows Phone T-Shirts as well as USB flash drives.

You would also be interested to read -

• Windows Phone 7 – Application Submission and Certification Process
• Documentation and Softwares – Developing for Windows Phone 7 Series

Since 2008, the Virtual TechDays has been the epicenter of Microsoft’s interaction with the Indian IT community. Thousands of leading-edge Developers, Infrastructure Professionals, Architects and Designers attend this quarterly online event to hear about the next generation of Microsoft technologies. Virtual TechDays is not only about the deep-dive technical sessions – it’s an opportunity for you to talk with and have your questions answered by the people who build and work on the technologies, and who can help you plan the features and architecture to support your business goals.

This 12th edition of Virtual TechDays – being held on 28-30 September, 2011 – offers you an opportunity to get trained in some of the key technology domains that you work on as part of your day-to-day work … ones that will shape the future of the industry.

As a part of this event, I will be doing a session on 28th of September, at 15.00 IST – “Solve Application Compatibility using Microsoft Application Virtualization (APP-V)”; APP-V helps solves application compatibility by virtualizing the application streamed real time to the client machines. In this talk, I will demonstrate the Microsoft Application Virtualization (APP-V) to virtualize the applications in an environment and also look at how to plan  the virtualized deployment for some of the heavy applications like Office 2010 on the client desktop. Check out the detailed Agenda here - http://www.virtualtechdays.com/agendaday1.aspx

What influences business decisions when planning a Windows 7 migration? A good place to start is with how long the migration project will take. It’s also important to know the business impact of each application going to the enterprise.

App-DNA provides an easier way to make migration decisions. Seeing the “DNA” of an application helps make better decisions about deployment, migration and management. App-DNA application testing, remediation, compatibility saves time, cost and risk in managing application compatibility for Windows 7 migrations, plus Internet Explorer, Microsoft App-V, Citrix XenDesktop and VDI projects.

With the countdown to the end of life for Microsoft Windows XP extended support well under the 1000 day threshold, Windows 7 migration plans are now more important than ever. App-DNA has provided a checklist packed with tips and resources to help make migrations faster, easier and less disruptive.

Download the App-DNA Windows 7 Application Migration Checklist (pdf document)

The Outlook Social Connector (OSC) is a set of new features that help you keep track of friends and colleagues while enabling you to grow your professional network. The OSC brings social views of your networks right to your inbox in a region known as the People Pane. As you read your email, you can view information in the People Pane such as the picture, name, and title of the sender along with a rich aggregated collection of status updates and activities related to the sender.

Because the OSC utilizes an open provider model, you can build providers that work with the OSC to display social network data. In addition to public social network sites, you can also use the OSC provider extensibility to build providers for line-of-business applications or internal corporate web sites and to integrate their services into Outlook.

In this Hands-On Lab, you will gain experience by learning about the basics of OSC provider development.

Click here for the OSC Provider Development Hands on Lab.

Courtesy: Microsoft

The Windows Azure platform is a group of cloud technologies providing a specific set of services to application developers. There is Windows Azure, which provides an environment for running applications and storing data in the cloud, SQL Azure for providing relational data services in the cloud based on SQL Server, and the Windows Azure AppFabric that provides services for connecting applications running in the cloud or on premises. The hands-on lab for this module provides you with a foundation for developing Office solutions that integrate with Windows Azure.

Objective:

Provide you with a foundation for developing Office solutions that integrate with Windows Azure. In particular, you will

• Learn how to setup your Azure development environment
• Understand how to access the Azure Table Service for data storage
• Learn how to call methods exposed by WFC Services on Azure

Click here for the Integrating Azure in Office Solutions Hands on Lab.

Here are some key highlights of the all new iOS 5.0.

Notification Center

• Non intrusive Pop-up notifications. New notifications show in a new notification bar which apears everytime getting a notification - SMS, missed phone calls and regualar notifications from every app.
• All notifications concentrated to Notification center – just swipe downwards to open it. Notification center shows as a list of all notifications.
• Notification list on lock screen: Notfication center list shown.

iMessage – Messaging between all iOS devices run iOS 5 (iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch 4G, iPod touch 3G, iPad & iPad 2) through Wi-Fi or 3G.

Newsstand – A new icon on Springboard, which opens to an iBooks-inspired folder which shows all papers and magazines downloaded from app store.

Reminders – Location-aware notifications, triggered when the device approaches a set position. (E.g. remind to get milk when device leaves workplace or approaches a grocery store)

Twitter integration – Tweeting from Native Applications: Photos, Youtube, Maps, iOS Contacts

Camera

• Volume-up key as shutter release button to take photos.
• Shortcut to Camera App from Lockscreen created
• Grid composition aide, pinch to zoom.

Photos – Built-in photo editing: crop, red-eye, auto-enhance, rotate.

Safari

• Safari reader and Reading list
• Tabbed Browsing (iPad only)
• Ability to open pages in background
• Private Browsing(change via settings)
• Ability to create keyboard shortcuts (autotext) to replace custom phrases.
• Preference to open pages in Safari in a new page or in background

PC-free

• iTunes/USB no longer required to activate new devices- ability to start right over with no need to tether it to iTunes added. you can restore all your data on your device through a simple iCloud sign in.
• Sync over Wi-Fi- ability added to sync wirelessly to iTunes.
• OTA softwares updates: You now can update your software version without iTunes straight from device through Wi-Fi or 3G.
• The unlock slider inscription changed from “slide to unlock” to “unlock” + camera shortcut.

iPad & iPad 2 only

• Multitasking Gestures- Pinch with 4 fingers to close app,swipe up to open multitasking bar,swipe left or right to move between open apps to enable.
• Split keyboard-Swipe up to split keyboard in half. then keyboard shows on middle of screen.

iPad 2 only

• AirPlay Mirroring- Ability to connect with Airplay to an Apple TV – then everything shown on iPad is also seen on TV.

Exchange Server specifically, and Unified Communications in general, have become increasingly critical components of organizations’ infrastructure. They’re also carrying increasingly-sensitive information to a growing variety of devices. No longer can we rely on the protection of our intranet to keep these communications safe and private: Our communications now reach well beyond the local network. SSL offers a way to secure the vast majority of our communications, but in modern, multi-server organizations, they can come with a high amount of cost and overhead.

In The Shortcut Guide to Securing Your Exchange Server and Unified Communications Infrastructure Using SSL, author Don Jones will show you how to use Subject Alternative Name (SAN) certificates to provide the security you need, with less cost and overhead. You’ll also learn about other best practices for securing Exchange and Unified Communications platforms, including Microsoft Lync Server, mobile device management, and more.

This complete book includes the following chapters:

• Chapter 1: A SAN Certificate Crash Course
• Chapter 2: Messaging, Unified Communications, Security, and SAN Certificates
• Chapter 3: Best Practices for Securing Your Exchange Server
• Chapter 4: Best Practices for Securing Your Unified Communications Infrastructure

Download the complete 60-page book today!

Note: You will need to create a profile in Realtime Nexus (The Digital Library for IT Pros) when you click the above link.

Courtesy: Realtime Nexus

You would also be interested in downloading these e-books:

• Understanding Microsoft Virtualization R2 Solutions from Microsoft Press
• The Shortcut Guide to Centralized SharePoint Administration
• The Definitive Guide to Application Performance Management
• The Shortcut Guide to Data Center Energy Efficiency
• Download Guide to Monitoring Data Center, Virtual Environments & Cloud

SP1 releases for both Office client suites and SharePoint server products will be made available. All language versions of SP1 will release simultaneously. Initially, Service Pack 1 will be offered as a manual download from the Download Center and from Microsoft Update, and no sooner than 90 days after release, will be made available as an Automatic Update.

SP1 will include many interesting changes. Across the client suites and server products, SP1 offers a sprinkling of improvements to make a strong 2010 release wave even stronger. During TechEd and beyond, teams on http://blogs.office.com will update their blogs with more specific details of 2010 Service Pack 1 contents.

There are far too many changes in SP1 to list here, but the list below is a sample of SP1 highlights to get things started. This is a list of things that you can do now that you couldn’t before, or things that are just better than they were with the original release:

• Outlook fixes an issue where “Snooze Time” would not reset between appointments.
• The default behavior for PowerPoint “Use Presenter View” option changed to display the slide show on the secondary monitor.
• Integrated community content in the Access Application Part Gallery.
• Better alignment between Project Server and SharePoint Server browser support.
• Improved backup / restore functionality for SharePoint Server
• The Word Web Application extends printing support to “Edit Mode.”
• Project Professional now synchronizes scheduled tasks with SharePoint task lists.
• Internet Explorer 9 “Native” support for Office Web Applications and SharePoint
• Office Web Applications Support for Chrome
• Inserting Charts into Excel Workbooks using Excel Web Application
• Support for searching PPSX files in Search Server
• Visio Fixes scaling issues and arrowhead rendering errors with SVG export
• Proofing Tools improve spelling suggestions in Canadian English, French, Swedish and European Portuguese.
• Outlook Web Application Attachment Preview (with Exchange Online only)
• Office client suites using “Add Remove Programs” Control Panel, building on our work from Office 2007 SP2

Each product in Office and each Server capability area will have changes in SP1. Specific changes will be detailed on TechNet and in KB Articles. On release day, the MS team will publish all associated KB articles. SP1 will also roll-up our Public Update and Cumulative Update releases to date.

Source: Office Engineering Blog

Interested in office 2010? Read these Tips, which would help you use this tool better:

• How to Insert and Trim Videos in a PowerPoint Presentation using Office 201o
• Remove the Background of an Image using Office 2010
• Adding Artistic Effects to an Image in Office 2010

App-DNA, the global leader in application intelligence, announced today from the Microsoft TechEd Conference the availability of a new “test drive” version of the AppTitude application intelligence software and the continued success of the new AppTitude 5.0 release.

The new cloud-based preview of the award-winning AppTitude software enables enterprise IT teams to have a hands-on view of application testing and application remediation processes, as well as review the powerful business and technical reports that reduce the time, cost and risk of Windows 7 migrations, Microsoft App-V projects and end-user computing initiatives. Best of all, AppTitude integrates with System Center Configuration Manager and Active Directory to combine user, device, region and group information with application information.

Visit App-DNA at TechEd booth 848 and experience the no-cost AppTitude test drive on the App-DNA site. Read the full news on the App-DNA website.

Armadillo is an adaptive bug prevention system that allows .NET developers to prevent bugs as they code. Armadillo prevents bugs from creeping into your code, without any extra work required from you. Armadillo gives you confidence in your code, and shows you where the next bug can be hiding.

As a special offer, you are invited to be one of the first to try out Armadillo and win a FREE license.

Win a free license of Armadillo and start preventing software bugs as you code. To win:

1. Download Armadillo at http://www.armadilloverdrive.com
2. Start preventing software bugs
3. Post a review of Armadillo online (blog, YouTube, article, etc.)
4. Send a link to your review to avi@typemock.com.

Calling all Windows 7 lovers out there! If you think you know Windows 7 like the back of your hand and have truly mastered the most popular OS, it’s time to put your Windows 7 knowledge to the test with the ‘7 Star Challenge’ on Microsoft India’s official Facebook community page – Windows & Me. The ‘7 Star Challenge’ is a fun-filled and interactive challenge meant for you – a Windows 7 enthusiast. This challenge is hosted on Microsoft India’s official page ‘Windows and Me’, which already has close to 2 lac fans today and is increasing by the hour.

For the ‘7 Star Challenge’ all you have to do is answer 7 tough questions around Windows 7 features in a stipulated time. With each correct answer you will earn a star and once you earn all the 7 stars you win the challenge! The challenge also gives you an option of ‘Just play’, a feature which lets you practice for the ‘big challenge’, and ’enter the contest’ – the actual 7 Star Challenge itself. It is an engaging & interesting way to know about the cool & most loved features of Windows 7 like HomeGroup that lets you access files from your home PC from just about anywhere; Jumplist, which gives easy access to your favorite pictures, songs, websites, and documents & Aero Snap, a quick (and fun!) way to re-size and compare windows on your desktop.

Once you win the challenge and have proved your mettle, you are then eligible to join the prestigious Windows 7 Premier club on the Windows & Me community on Facebook. This premium recognition will be bestowed on the top scorers of the 7 Star Challenges. You can also publish your high scores on your Facebook page and flaunt it to your friends. Guess what, you can even challenge your friends to beat your score of the 7 Star Challenge game.

So, what are you waiting for? Click on this link http://apps.facebook.com/winsevenstar/ to know if you are a Windows 7 Master and quickly grab your place in the club.!

AppTitude 5.0 brings a new era in managing applications in your enterprise IT environment. Now App-DNA helps enterprises test and remediate applications for compatibility, plus illustrates the business value of each application. Uniquely integrating with System Center Configuration Manager and Active Directory, AppTitude 5.0 takes application compatibility automation to the next level with application intelligence.

AppTitude enables enterprise IT to:

• test and remediate applications for compatibility
• integrate user and device information to see who the applications affects – and how
• model delivery options to determine the best forward path
• automate application preparation, including creating MSI and Microsoft App-V ready packages

AppTitude reduces the time, cost and risk of user-centric application delivery and day-to-day application management.

If an application seems difficult to migrate to Windows 7, Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft App-V, Citrix XenApp or XenDesktop, how much impact will that have on the organization? Will it affect 2 people or 2,000 people? Are the 2 people the CFO and the Controller, who need an essential application for reporting earnings? Are there serious migration issues in an application used by a 2,000 person call center? What will that cost the business?

Interested in seeing more?

• Check out the other new features in AppTitude 5.0
• See a practical example of new AppTitude reporting in the App-DNA technical blog
• Contact info@app-dna.com for a more in-depth discussion and your personal demonstration of AppTitude 5.0.

Kinect for Xbox 360, recently recognized by Guinness World Records as the fastest-selling consumer device in 60 days, allows users to enjoy games and entertainment with their whole body and voice — no controller required. Since Kinect launched in November 2010, enthusiasts have been exploring the potential of Kinect in a number of unexpected, nongaming scenarios.

Today at MIX, Microsoft detailed some of the features in the Kinect for Windows Beta SDK from Microsoft Research coming in the spring, including the following:

• Robust Skeletal Tracking for high-performance capabilities that track the skeleton image of one or two persons moving within the Kinect field of view
• Advanced Audio Capabilities, including four-element microphone array with sophisticated acoustic noise and echo cancellation for great audio; beam formation to identify the current sound source and integration with the Windows speech recognition API also included
• XYZ depth camera for standard color camera stream access and depth data that indicates the distance of the object from the Kinect camera

The Kinect for Windows SDK is a programming toolkit that will enable researchers and enthusiasts easy access to the capabilities offered by the Microsoft Kinect device connected to computers running Microsoft Windows 7.

Developers can sign up to be notified of the release at http://research.microsoft.com/kinectsdk

This SDK is intended for non-commercial use to enable experimentation in the world of natural user interface experiences, with new state-of-the-art features planned for future releases that will continue to provide new ways to experiment.

Microsoft Tech-Ed India 2011 is the premier technology event of the year for IT professionals and developers. It’s the forum to learn, connect, explore, and evolve. I would recommend you to attend this event, because you will learn about today’s cutting-edge trends, thereby enhancing your work profile and getting ahead of the rest. But the most important benefit of all just might be the networking opportunity that this forum will provide you… you can build personal connections with Microsoft experts and peers that will last far beyond this event!

It feels good to share the information that, I will be speaking at this year’s event! I will be talking on “Testing and Fixing Apps on Windows 7 using ACT 5.6”.

My session is in the “Infra Professionals” track on Day 2, (4.15 to 5.15 PM). This talk will outline these below points –

• Core OS changes which the Windows 7 Operating System has undergone and how it would affect the Line of Business applications.
• Top focus areas when you move to Win 7 (both 32 bit and 64 bit Platforms).
• Brief explanation on the various methods to mitigate the compatibility issues.
  • Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6 – Basics, Setup Instructions, Analyzing the ACT reports, Standard User Analyzer and Shims.
  • Overview of Microsoft Virtualization Solutions like Remote Application Hosting, Virtualize Applications and Desktop Virtualization.
• Look at some of the simple steps to fix these broken applications using Compat modes, Shims and Windows XP Mode.

Hope this session is well accepted and I get a good feedback!

Hey Folks, Today I have a real cool Gadget to show you. One of my friend, Rama has developed this system called “Winfotain”. This system is a right combination of Windows + Information + Entertainment system.

Rama Prasanna says, ” A cool innovation is not all about doing different things, but doing things differently. This one gadget can be your office machine, entertainment device, in-vehicle infotainment device, and much more…  ”

Winfotain is a new revolution that would bring change to the way we experience computing across home, office and even on wheels. Check out this below video to really understand, what I mean..!

To check Rama’s robotics work Buddy Home – Check this

Internet Explorer 9 FAQ for IT Professionals

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff973977.aspx

Group Policy Settings Reference Windows Internet Explorer 9

This spreadsheet lists the policy settings for computer and user configurations included in the administrative template files (admx/adml) delivered with Windows Internet Explorer 9. The policy settings included in this spreadsheet cover Internet Explorer 5, Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 9. These files are used to expose policy settings when you edit Group Policy objects (GPOs) using Group Policy Object Editor (also known as GPEdit).

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=21e84c24-b967-4d6d-850a-5eb554d18447

Group Policy Settings (TechNet)

Microsoft® Windows® Internet Explorer® 8 provided nearly 1,500 Group Policy settings that IT pros can use to manage and control the web browser configuration. For example, Internet Explorer 8 provided Group Policy settings that govern access to settings on the Internet Options dialog box, define security zones, and add or remove websites in a security zone. Internet Explorer 9 adds new Group Policy settings to support new features. Table 3 describes some of these new Group Policy settings. Note that from Internet Explorer 9 Beta to Internet Explorer 9, a few additional policies have been added, based on new features in Internet Explorer 9 and user feedback.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff986259.aspx

Toolkit to Disable Automatic Delivery of Internet Explorer 9

To help our customers become more secure and up-to-date, Microsoft will distribute Windows Internet Explorer 9 as an important update through Automatic Updates for Windows Vista SP2 for x64 and x86, Windows Server 2008 SP2 for x64 and x86, Windows 7 x86 RTM and higher and Windows Server 2008 R2 RTM and higher for x64. This Blocker Toolkit is intended for organizations that would like to block automatic delivery of Internet Explorer 9 to machines in environments where Automatic Updates is enabled. The Blocker Toolkit will not expire.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=a6169467-b793-4d17-837d-01776bf2bea4

Flexera Software, the leading provider of strategic Application Usage Management solutions for application producers and their customers, today announced the launch of AdminStudio Suite 10.  The new release, optimally priced for enterprises of all sizes, is the industry’s first comprehensive Application Readiness solution enabling organizations to strategically manage application packaging and remediation across their entire software estate, mitigating Windows 7 and application virtualization migration risks.

“The evolution – from application packaging as a means to better manage costs in a static technology world, to application management as a means to better manage quality and compatibility in a dynamic technology world – is a game changer” said Chris Jackson, a principal consultant at Microsoft (better known as ‘The App Compat Guy’). “It allows organizations to see beyond their current state and regain their technology agility.”

AdminStudio 10

With as many as 35% of an enterprise’s applications requiring updates in any given year, coupled with the explosive growth in Windows 7 migrations and virtualization initiatives, compatibility assessment, remediation and packaging processes are now of strategic importance to IT organizations.  AdminStudio delivers application packaging efficiencies as much as nine times greater compared to manual efforts.

• AdminStudio 10 now lets users centrally manage and report on the virtual and traditional application portfolio for an overall view of the application estate’s readiness for each format.
• A new, unified “application-centric” application catalog manages all deployment types for an application, enabling all packages, including virtual packages, to be handled with the same process and tools as those used for MSIs, eliminating the cost and complexity of having multiple solutions and repositories.
• Moreover, AdminStudio 10 is now powered by the latest version of the world’s leading MSI authoring and editing tool, InstallShield^® 2011, giving users complete flexibility in editing packages using the same installation preparation tool relied on by more than 71,000 ISVs worldwide.

“Most organizations do not have adequate visibility into their application portfolio to reliably understand the time, cost and resources required to successfully migrate their applications,” said Maureen Polte, senior director of product management at Flexera Software. “AdminStudio 10 delivers continual readiness via a repeatable, reliable process to prepare and package MSI and virtual applications for Windows 7 migrations or day-to-day upgrades, drastically reducing the cost, labor and risk associated with application migrations.”

AdminStudio Application Compatibility Pack

Now available as part of AdminStudio Suite is the new AdminStudio Application Compatibility Pack.

• AdminStudio Application Compatibility Pack automatically assesses all applications to accurately calculate the effort and cost of the migration project.
• It also pinpoints and fixes application compatibility issues for desktop, server and web-based applications.  As a result, packagers can test applications in minutes instead of weeks and obtain an overall view of the compatibility of all applications, including which ones require fixing for deployment on Windows 7 or Internet Explorer 8.
• Moreover, for applications that do require remediation, AdminStudio Application Compatibility Pack generates a standard MSI transform, automatically fixing in a matter of minutes 98% of installation package-related Windows 7 compatibility issues.  This drastically reduces overall costs by removing the need for skilled packaging and support resources and manual efforts.

Significantly, like all products in AdminStudio Suite, AdminStudio Application Compatibility Pack utilizes a perpetual, per administrator license, making it optimally priced and packaged for all enterprises, including small and midsized businesses.

“The biggest challenge with Windows 7 migrations is the applications.  Organizations have had trouble cost-justifying commercial application compatibility products priced on a per-application basis, and most large organizations have hundreds or thousands of applications (the rule of thumb is one application for every 10 users)”, said Terry Cosgrove, Principal Research Analyst at Gartner.

“Seamlessly integrated application compatibility testing and remediation should be part of the DNA of any robust Application Readiness process,” says Polte. “Unlike point solutions priced on the number of applications, which are often prohibitively expensive and discourage use as part of a continual Application Readiness strategy, AdminStudio Application Compatibility Pack is unique in its integration into a comprehensive, affordable suite and in its predictable cost, encouraging unlimited use and adoption of industry best practices.”

AdminStudio Virtualization Pack

Today’s launch also includes enhancements to AdminStudio Virtualization Pack, which prepares reliable virtual applications for deployment with a complete set of suitability testing, automated conversion, validation, editing and management reporting capabilities.

• Enhanced validation and conflict testing of Microsoft^® App-V packages supports packagers in managing both MSI and App-V with the same tool and processes to ensure a consistent, unified approach.
• Packagers can also directly edit App-V packages, saving significant time and effort by eliminating the need to re-convert from an MSI when a change to an App-V package is required.
• AdminStudio Virtualization Pack’s enhancements also include robust suitability testing – removing the trial and error approach to determining if applications can be virtualized.  This along with customizable reports and dashboards provides essential decision support for choosing the appropriate delivery/deployment technology via continuous reporting on the application estate’s readiness for each format.

“AdminStudio is a life saver for us.  It gets the job done,” said Brandon Farmer, systems engineer at United States Marine Corps Intelligence Activity.  “We’re constantly juggling multiple packaging projects on very limited resources, such as our recent migration from Windows XP to Windows 7 – and we don’t have time to waste doing things manually, or trying to cobble together a patchwork of freeware and tactical tools that don’t hit the mark. We just virtualized Microsoft Word 2003 using AdminStudio, and it took me a half hour – compared to the days it would have otherwise taken.”

“Flexera Software continues to deliver solutions that help automate our customers’ adoption of Windows 7 and App-V,” said Karri Alexion-Tiernan, director of product management at Microsoft Corp.  “AdminStudio 10 provides benefits beyond one-time conversion, allowing customers the flexibility to create and manage both App-V and MSI packages.”

Nokia and Microsoft today announced plans to form a broad strategic partnership that would use their complementary strengths and expertise to create a new global mobile ecosystem.

Nokia and Microsoft intend to jointly create market-leading mobile products and services designed to offer consumers, operators and developers unrivalled choice and opportunity. As each company would focus on its core competencies, the partnership would create the opportunity for rapid time to market execution. Additionally, Nokia and Microsoft plan to work together to integrate key assets and create completely new service offerings, while extending established products and services to new markets.

“Today, developers, operators and consumers want compelling mobile products, which include not only the device, but the software, services, applications and customer support that make a great experience,” Stephen Elop, Nokia President and CEO, said at a joint news conference in London. “Nokia and Microsoft will combine our strengths to deliver an ecosystem with unrivalled global reach and scale. It’s now a three-horse race.”

• Nokia would adopt Windows Phone as its principal smartphone strategy, innovating on top of the platform in areas such as imaging, where Nokia is a market leader.
• Nokia would help drive the future of Windows Phone. Nokia would contribute its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and geographies.
• Nokia and Microsoft would closely collaborate on joint marketing initiatives and a shared development roadmap to align on the future evolution of mobile products.
• Bing would power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices and services, giving customers access to Bing’s next generation search capabilities. Microsoft adCenter would provide search advertising services on Nokia’s line of devices and services.
• Nokia Maps would be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services. For example, Maps would be integrated with Microsoft’s Bing search engine and adCenter advertising platform to form a unique local search and advertising experience
• Nokia’s extensive operator billing agreements would make it easier for consumers to purchase Nokia Windows Phone services in countries where credit-card use is low.
• Microsoft development tools would be used to create applications to run on Nokia Windows Phones, allowing developers to easily leverage the ecosystem’s global reach.
• Nokia’s content and application store would be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace for a more compelling consumer experience.

“I am excited about this partnership with Nokia,” said Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. “Ecosystems thrive when fueled by speed, innovation and scale.The partnership announced today provides incredible scale, vast expertise in hardware and software innovation and a proven ability to execute.”

Taking advantage of application virtualization, but need to speed your App-V project? Today App-DNA announces the AppTitude Virtual App Machine, accelerating App-V application preparation up to 50% faster than manual processes.

AppTitude tests, remediates and auto-sequences applications. Using the AppTitude automation engine to leverage the Microsoft App-V Sequencer (that comes with App-V), enterprises can avoid purchasing additional proprietary packaging tools for virtualization projects. The AppTitude Virtual App Machine (VAM) produces fully-supported App-V ready packages. All of the application preparation in one solution saves time, learning curve, cost and risk.

AppTitude speeds App-V deployments, often aligned with Windows 7 initiatives. With a unique approach and unrivaled accuracy, AppTitude can

• Assess an application’s suitability for virtualization
• Identify the fixes needed to quickly create App-V ready application packages
• Automate sequencing of App-V packages

AppTitude helps enterprises:

• Improve resource management
• Determine the overall time, cost and risk of virtualization projects
• Save money- no need to buy a separate sequencing product

Visit the VAM web portal to learn more about the AppTitude Virtual App Machine.

Just before the Holidays, Microsoft hosted another new and exclusive Jump Start virtual training event, this time covering the Windows Azure Platform. “Building Cloud Applications using the Windows Azure Platform” was tailored for application architects and developers interested in leveraging the cloud. We are now pleased to announce that the professional videos recorded during the online class are available on Channel 9.

What’s the high-level overview?

• The entire course is 12 hours long.
• Every section is about an hour length, so it’s easy for you to find just what they need.
• Every section is led by two of the most respected authorities on Microsoft development technologies, David S. Platt (popular Microsoft Press author from Rolling Thunder Computing ) and Manu Cohen-Yashar (Professor and Senior Consultant, SELA Technical College, Tel Aviv, IS) plus their dialog and banter is quite engaging!

Where do I go for this great training?

The link to session one below will provide you with everything you need, but if you want to pick out a specific topic a link to each topic is below:

• Session 01: Windows Azure Overview
• Session 02: Introduction to Compute
• Session 03: Windows Azure Lifecycle, Part 1
• Session 04: Windows Azure Lifecycle, Part 2
• Session 05: Windows Azure Storage, Part 1
• Session 06: Windows Azure Storage, Part 2
• Session 07: Introduction to SQL Azure
• Session 08: Windows Azure Diagnostics
• Session 09: Windows Azure Security, Part 1
• Session 10: Windows Azure Security, Part 2
• Session 11: Scalability, Caching & Elasticity, Part 1
• Session 12: Scalability, Caching & Elasticity, Part 2, and Q&A
• Links to course materials and code samples

For about anything Windows Azure, including links to trial accounts, available offers, and all Windows Azure training & certification options, go to the Microsoft Learning Windows Azure Training Portal.

Who is the target audience for this training?

• Application Architects and Developers
• Customers and partners already building a Windows Azure pilot project or planning to migrate an application to the Windows Azure Platform
• Companies searching for real-world answers as they consider whether or not the Windows Azure Platform fits their needs.

Also read – Windows Azure Roadmap and Announcements – Microsoft PDC 2010

Windows administrators are continually tasked with securing servers and applications, including installing SSL certificates for authentication and encryption. This raises a number of questions for system administrators: which kind of SSL certificate should be used? How are SSL certificates installed? What is the Certificate Store? How does SSL work in Internet Information Server (IIS), Exchange Server, SQL Server and SharePoint?

How to Install SSL Certificates on Microsoft Servers by security expert Dan Sullivan provides detailed step by step instructions on how to select, install and maintain SSL certificates in Microsoft environments. Whether you are just starting out and need to know how to acquire a certificate, or you are looking for tips on troubleshooting and maintaining existing certificate configurations, this guide has pragmatic and detailed information to help you.

This complete book includes the following chapters:

• Chapter 1: Getting Started with SSL Certificates in Windows Server
• Chapter 2: Understanding the Microsoft Certificate Store
• Chapter 3: Using SSL Certificates in Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS)
• Chapter 4: Installing SSL Certificates in Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SharePoint, and Microsoft SQL Server

Download the complete 71-page book today!

Note: You will need to create a profile in Realtime Nexus (The Digital Library for IT Pros) when you click the above link.

Courtesy: Realtime Nexus

You would also be interested in downloading these e-books:

• Understanding Microsoft Virtualization R2 Solutions from Microsoft Press
• The Shortcut Guide to Centralized SharePoint Administration
• The Definitive Guide to Application Performance Management
• The Shortcut Guide to Data Center Energy Efficiency
• Download Guide to Monitoring Data Center, Virtual Environments & Cloud

Few days back, App-DNA released Internet Explorer web application testing and remediation features within the award-winning AppTitude application compatibility software platform. The new AppTitude module facilitates automated testing to enable enterprises to quickly determine the issues around moving web applications to Internet Explorer 8, often a significant challenge tied to an overall Windows 7 deployment. Click here to learn more about the new AppTitude web application compatibility module.

App-DNA survey research showed that more than 50% of respondents believe web application compatibility (IE8 compatibility) is a blocker for rolling out desktop applications. A surprising 30% were unsure. This shows that the first step in eliminating this perceived barrier is to get a view of IE8 compatibility upfront. AppTitude offers this capability in minutes through easy to read reports.

In a new benchmark test from Broadband Testing, analysis of web applications with AppTitude for IE8 suitability took a few seconds or several minutes to complete. This saves enterprises months of “guesswork” in determining the success of web applications. Click here to view the entire results of the Broadband Testing report.

Courtesy: App-DNA

With effect from 1 March 2011, you are required to comply with the requirements set out in the notification of the Reserve Bank of India governing the processing and settlement of export-related receipts facilitated by online payment gateways (“RBI Guidelines”).

In order to comply with the RBI Guidelines, the PayPal user agreement in India will be amended for the following services as follows:

1. Any balance in and all future payments into your PayPal account may not be used to buy goods or services and must be transferred to your bank account in India within 7 days from the receipt of confirmation from the buyer in respect of the goods or services; and
   
2. Export-related payments for goods and services into your PayPal account may not exceed US$500 per transaction.

These guidelines imply that,

• You will not be able receive funds more than US$500
• You cannot keep money as a PayPal balance
• Your customers will need to link a credit card to their account in before sending you money with PayPal
• If you are listing products greater than US$500 per transaction then you may need to seek alternative methods of payment, PayPal will not allow to receive payments for any export-related goods or services for an amount exceeding US$500 per transaction.

Courtesy: PayPal India Notification