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Download Windows Live Essentials 2011 Beta Refresh

Mohammad Farzan Hussain — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:17:49 +0000

Windows Team Blog has just announced that the new and updated version of Windows Live Essentials 2011 Beta Refresh is now officially released and available for download for free.

The Windows Live Essentials 2011 Beta Refresh brings lots of improvements, enhancements, features, and bug fixes. One of the feature that all the Windows Live Essentials users have been waiting for is the ability to optionally chat with Facebook friends directly from Windows Live Messenger. Read more to find out more about the new features and improvements in this latest beta refresh release.

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Improvements in Windows Live Essentials 2011 Beta Refresh

Windows Live Essentials 2011 beta brings various major performance and quality improvements, which includes decreasing the time taken to start each program or render each web page. Some of the major improvements in beta version of Windows Live Essentials 2011 are as follows:

A quicker Messenger
The time it takes to sign in, and to refresh contacts and social feeds, as well as animation speed, are all faster than in previous versions of Messenger.
More efficient video chat
Messenger video chat uses 30% fewer CPU resources by offloading work to the GPU.
Better facial recognition
Photo Gallery facial recognition is improved significantly and works more quickly.
Larger movie uploads
Movie Maker will upload higher resolution movies to SkyDrive (480x640 vs. the previous 320x480).
Higher bit-rate movies
Movie Maker now supports higher quality (bit-rate) content.
Better spell-checking
Writer has significantly improved the quality of its spell-checking.
Better integration with Office
Writer is much better at retaining all formatting when you copy and paste from Word and other Microsoft Office programs.
Better handling of Gmail
Mail now automatically handles Gmail’s spam and trash folders properly.
Faster web filtering
Family Safety web filtering is 35% faster than in the previous version.

New Features in Windows Live Essentials 2011 Beta Refresh

The Windows Live team is adding lots of new features and tools in the Windows Live Essential 2011 Beta in every update. In this update they have added following new features in it:

Integrated Facebook Chat in Messenger
This is the feature that many of you have been asking, now it's finally here. The new Facebook chat integration in messenger gives you one more place to chat with all your Facebook and Live Messenger friends.
Quick Previews and Improved Tree View in Photo Gallery
One of the benefits of the new ribbon user interface in Windows Live Essentials is the ability it gives you to preview a change before you apply it simply by hovering over the option. Now today, the preview capabilities to the "Find" tab in the ribbon. So before you apply a filter (date, rating, people tags), you can hover over one of those filters and see the results instantly.
Snapshot in Movie Maker
With the new Snapshot feature in Movie Maker, you can select a single frame from a video as it appears in the preview window and add it to your movie. This allows you to quickly grab an image that you want to keep or perhaps use for your movie's intro or closing.
Flicker Video Publishing
Many of you use Flickr for photo sharing and have enjoyed publishing to Flickr right from Photo Gallery, so in this version there is an extended support to Movie Maker, so that you can now publish videos directly from Movie Maker or Photo Galley to Flickr too.

Download Windows Live Essentials 2011 Beta Refresh

The Windows Live Essentials 2011 Beta Refresh is now available for download for free in eight different languages. The estimated file size is around 150MB (Mega Bytes) having a build number 15.4.3001.0809.

You can download Windows Live Essentials 2011 Beta Refresh from the direct download link given below:

English - Full Offline Installer
French - Full Offline Installer
German - Full Offline Installer
Dutch - Full Offline Installer
Portuguese (Brazilian) - Full Offline Installer
Spanish - Full Offline Installer
Japanese - Full Offline Installer
Chinese (Simplified) - Full Offline Installer

The above links are for offline installer which takes less time for installation and will be helpful if you decided to install it on multiple computers, but if you still want a web/online installer then you can download it from here.

Download Windows Live Essentials 2011 Beta Refresh is a post from Sizzling Bit

Microsoft Made $16.04 Billion Revenue in Q4 2010

Mohammad Farzan Hussain — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:18:08 +0000

Microsoft has announced the release of their earnings and financial results for its fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010 ended on June 30. They has reported a 22 percent increase in revenue from the same period of the last year.

The company has posted a record revenue of $16.04 billion and net quarterly profit of $4.52 billion. They has also reported in a statement that Microsoft has sold over 175 million licenses of Windows 7 in just one year since its launch.

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Summary of Revenue and Income for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2010

Revenue
$62.48 billion, increased by 7 percent
Operating Income
$24.10 billion, increased by 18 percent
Net Income
$18.76 billion, increased by 29 percent
Diluted Earnings Per Share
$2.10, increased by 30 percent

According to the Kevin Turner, chief operating officer, Microsoft.

"We saw strong sales execution across all of our businesses, particularly in the enterprise with Windows 7 and Office 2010; Our transition to cloud services is well underway with offerings like Windows Azure and our Business Productivity Online Services, and we look forward to continuing our product momentum this fall with the upcoming launches of Windows Phone 7 and Xbox Kinect."

Microsoft Made $16.04 Billion Revenue in Q4 2010 is a post from Sizzling Bit

Microsoft Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Beta released

Mohammad Farzan Hussain — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:22:25 +0000

Microsoft has just announced the release of public beta version of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) at the annual Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) 2010. These beta releases are for those users who are running the final RTM version of the respective operating systems.

These Service Packs of Microsoft Windows brings lots of fixes and security updates that you would usually receive through Windows Update, and are available in both 32-bit and 64-bit version. The Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 only brings stability, bug and security fixes, and didn't include any new features.

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Apple iPad could run Windows 7

According to the TechNet Evaluation Center:

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta helps keep your PCs and servers on the latest support level, provides ongoing improvements to the Windows Operating System (OS), by including previous updates delivered over Windows Update as well as continuing incremental updates to the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 platforms based on customer and partner feedback, and is easy for organizations to deploy a single set of updates.

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta will help you:

Keep your PCs supported and up-to-date

Get ongoing updates to the Windows 7 platform

Easily deploy cumulative updates at a single time

Meet your users' demands for greater business mobility

Provide a comprehensive set of virtualization innovations

Provide an easier Service Pack deployment model for better IT efficiency

In order to download and install the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta you must currently have a Release to Manufacturing (RTM) version of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 already installed.

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Final - Availability

The Microsoft Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) beta is available for download for IT Professionals who are interested in testing it. For everyone else, the final version of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 will be available in the first half of 2011 through the usual channels.

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Beta - Download

The Microsoft Windows 7 Service Pack 1 beta and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 beta is now available for download from the link posted below:

Download Windows 7 SP 1 Beta

Download Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta

Microsoft Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Beta released is a post from Sizzling Bit

Official Windows Live Messenger for iPhone, iPod Touch

Mohammad Farzan Hussain — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 16:12:47 +0000

Microsoft Corporation has just released the official Windows Live Messenger app for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, that is Windows Live Messenger version 1.0.1. Windows Live Messenger is the world's largest IM (Instant Messenger).

This app is the best way to keep in touch and stay connected with the people that matter most and keep up with the things they are doing across the web. It includes almost all the standard features available in Windows Live like, chat, social, photos, and others.

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According to the description posted in iTunes by Microsoft Corporation:

"Use your iPhone to instant message your friends list, view and comment on your friends’ photos and status updates from Windows Live, Facebook, and MySpace, and at a glance, see what your Messenger friends are sharing from Flickr, YouTube, and many other social and photo sharing sites."

Windows Live Messenger 1.0.1 - Features

Chat
Instant message with your Windows Live Messenger and Y! Messenger contacts on the go so you’re always connected to the people that matter most. You can even receive IM notifications when your app is closed so you never miss a message.
Social
Windows Live Messenger gives you one place to view the updates your Messenger friends are sharing from social networks like Facebook, Flickr, MySpace and more, helping you cut through the clutter on the go.
Photos
Upload photos right from your phone to share your favorite moments with the people that matter most. Create albums, add captions, and let your friends and family comment on your photos.
Hotmail
Access your Hotmail account without leaving the app to read, reply to, and compose emails. Get email notifications within the application so you know when you have new messages.

Windows Live Messenger 1.0.1 - Download

You can download this app for free from the Apple iTunes App Store by searching for "Windows Live Messenger" or by going to the link given below. To download and use this app, you must need to have iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad running iOS 3.0 or above.

Download Windows Live Messenger 1.0.1 from iTunes App Store

Official Windows Live Messenger for iPhone, iPod Touch is a post from Sizzling Bit

Microsoft reinventing Windows Live Hotmail with new features

Mohammad Farzan Hussain — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:16:05 +0000

Microsoft has just announced that they are reinventing the Windows Live Hotmail (aka Hotmail) by adding exciting new features and improving the ones that already exist in it. They has also previewed the new interface of Windows Live Hotmail representing the next generation in personal email.

The new interface of Hotmail will be much more easier to use and filled with lots of new features. It's the most popular email service globally and this reinventing is going to be done after a very long period of time.

Windows Live Hotmail - Key Features

Get Rid of Spam and Clutters

Microsoft SmartScreen - The anti-spam technology also used in Microsoft Forefront, Exchange, and Windows Internet Explorer 8
Spammer infrastructure detection - Makes life more expensive for spammers by combating spammer infrastructure by detecting and destroying spammer nests
Hotmail highlights - Immediately see if you have new email from friends, social network updates, shipments, appointments and birthday reminders
One-click filtration - Just single click to filter your entire inbox to show only those messages that are from specified contact or from social networks
Inbox search auto-complete - When you type a single letter in the search box, Hotmail's advanced-made-easy search suggests a variety of helpful searches
Sweep - Easily get rid of junk mails from your inbox

Save Time and Get More Done

Instant Messaging - Chat with your IM friends right from your inbox
Larger attachments support - Send files and photos as large as 10GB per message
Active views - View YouTube videos and Flicker images directly from email
Single contact list - Brings all your online contacts into one place
Hotmail mobile apps - Apps for including Nokia, BlackBerry, iPhone

View and edit office documents in the cloud

Anywhere access - Open and view the attached document directly on your browser
Highest fidelity viewing - View Office documents with the same fidelity as Microsoft Office
Easily edit Office documents - Edit documents on both Office Web Apps and PC
Work with others - The Office documents can also be edited and viewed by your friends using other mailing service
SkyDrive integration - It's an online storage and sharing service gives you over 25GB of free storage for files, photos, documents, and more

Security Investments in the new Hotmail

Account security information - New Hotmail encourages you to increase the security of your account by adding security information and can be privately associated
Single-Use Codes - It protects your account when you sign-in from public PC's using an alternative one-time code instead of your password

Windows Live Hotmail - Video Overview

Microsoft reinventing Windows Live Hotmail with new features is a post from Sizzling Bit

Microsoft KIN One and KIN Two available at Verizon Wireless

Mohammad Farzan Hussain — Sat, 08 May 2010 12:14:51 +0000

The Verizon Wireless and Microsoft Corporation has announced the price and availability of both, the KIN One and KIN Two phones. Both phones are available to purchase through Verizon Wireless online store starting from today. These phones are specifically designed for those who like to navigate their social lives.

KIN is the mixture of phone, online services, and the PC. Both phones features a touch screen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard which makes it easy to stay connected with friends and family, share your story with them, capture and share all your memories and lot more.

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Features, Specifications, and Photos of Microsoft KIN phones

Microsoft KIN Introduction Event Video

Microsoft KIN Phones - Availability and Pricing

Starting from today, both KIN phones are now available through Verizon Wireless Online Store. These phones will also be available in Verizon Wireless Communication Stores starting from May 13. As for pricing, the KIN One is available for $49.99, and KIN Two is available for $99.99, both after a $100 mail-in rebate with a two-year customer agreement.

For those who don't know, the KIN phone was unveiled by Microsoft, Sharp, Verizon Wireless, and Vodafone in the event held at San Francisco. This phone is designed for broadcasting and sharing everyday moments with your friends and family on the go.

The KIN One is small and compact in design that makes it more portable and easy to operate with one hand and it features a full touchscreen display, a slide-out keyboard, 5 megapixel of camera with image stabilization, a bright LumiLED flash and the ability to record SD (standard-definition) video.

Whereas, KIN Two features a large wide screen display, a slide-out keyboard, support for more memory, high resolution 8 megapixel of camera with image stabilization, a bright LumiLED flash, and the ability to record HD (high-definition) video.

Microsoft KIN One and KIN Two available at Verizon Wireless is a post from Sizzling Bit

SanDisk started to ship Xbox 360 USB Flash Drives

Mohammad Farzan Hussain — Sat, 08 May 2010 10:20:24 +0000

SanDisk Corporation has just announced that the licensed USB Flash Drive for Xbox 360 is now started to ship. This USB flash drive allows you to take all game progress, profiles, game saves, contents, and other Xbox 360 related stuff with you for fast and convenient access on another Xbox 360 console.

These licensed Xbox 360 USB flash drives comes pre-configured and ready to use out of the box. You can also connect and use any fast USB flash drive but you must need to manually format and configure it by going to the memory section before using it.

The system update was released by Microsoft to enable a support for USB flash drive in Xbox 360 consoles. This system update was released on April 6, and also allows you to connect up to two USB flash drives.

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Microsoft Xbox 360 Gaming Controllers and Headset by Razer

The maximum flash storage size it will support is 32GB, which means each flash drive of 16GB. These flash drives delivers the best experience on the Microsoft Xbox 360 console.

SanDisk USB Flash Drive for Xbox 360 - Key Features

Carry your game and take your profile anywhere you play
Includes 1 month Xbox Live Gold membership subscription
Download and store map packs, games, profiles and video
Microsoft Xbox 360 system performance approved
Preconfigured for "plug and play" with Xbox 360 system
Drive includes Xbox 360 update software
Licenced for Xbox 360

SanDisk USB Flash Drive for Xbox 360 - Pricing

The flash drive by SanDisk is now available to buy from the SanDisk Store. The USB flash drive is available in two capacities that is 8GB for $34.99 and 16GB for $69.99. By purchasing either flash drive you'll get a one-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold.

SanDisk started to ship Xbox 360 USB Flash Drives is a post from Sizzling Bit

Microsoft Windows Phone KIN – Features, Specifications, Pictures, Availability

Mohammad Farzan Hussain — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 22:26:56 +0000

Microsoft Corporation has just announced new Windows Phone which is designed for people who actively uses social networking sites and gives them an ultimate social experience on the go. This phone is manufactured in partnership with Verizon Wireless, Vodafone, and Sharp Corporation.

KIN's unique hardware design is developed in partnership with Sharp to create a new kind of social phone. It has fun and simple user interface that will help you to easily stay connected with your friends and family when ever you want.

You can watch the video streaming of Microsoft Project Pink event unveiling KIN phones by going here.

Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, said about this device:

“We built KIN for people who live to be connected, share, express and relate to their friends and family. This social generation wants and needs more from their phone. KIN is the one place to get the stuff you care about to the people you care about most.”

Microsoft has unveiled two different models of this Windows Phone, called KIN ONE and KIN TWO.

The KIN ONE is small and compact in design that makes it more portable and easy to operate with one hand and it features a full touchscreen display, a slide-out keyboard, 5 megapixel of camera with image stabilization, a bright LumiLED flash and the ability to record SD (standard-definition) video.

Whereas, KIN TWO features a large wide screen display, a slide-out keyboard, support for more memory, high resolution 8 megapixel of camera with image stabilization, a bright LumiLED flash, and the ability to record HD (high-definition) video.

Microsoft KIN - Features

Below are some of the feature of KIN ONE:

Built for Text
Compact keyboard for one-handed texting
Made to touch
Use your fingers to pan, scan, and zoom
Clear and bright screen
Bright, clear screen is easy to navigate with your thumb
Amazing pictures and videos
5 megapixel camera with flash, great in low light. Also shoots SD video
Filled with sound
Mono speaker tuned well for speakerphone
Tons of memory
4GB, room for about 1,000 songs
Zune tuned
Media player powered by Zune

Below are some of the feature of KIN TWO:

Built for Text
Ample keyboard two-handed texting
Made to touch
Use your fingers to pan, scan, and zoom
Clear and bright screen
Bright, clear screen for watching videos and surfing
Amazing pictures and videos
8 megapixel camera with flash, great in low light. Also shoots HD video
Filled with sound
Stereo speakers for rocking without headphones
Tons of memory
8GB, room for about 2,000 songs
Zune tuned
Media player powered by Zune

Microsoft KIN - Availability

KIN Windows Phone will be exclusively available in US from Verizon Wireless in the beginning of May, and from Vodafone this autumn in Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. But the price of this phone is still not known.

Microsoft Windows Phone KIN – Features, Specifications, Pictures, Availability is a post from Sizzling Bit

Microsoft Introduced KIN, the Next Generation Windows Phones – Event Video

Mohammad Farzan Hussain — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 22:09:06 +0000

Microsoft, Sharp, Verizon Wireless, and Vodafone has just unveiled KIN, the next generation of Windows Phones in the event held at San Francisco. This phone is designed for broadcasting and sharing everyday moments with your friends and family on the go.

Below I've embedded a video of event in which Microsoft and it's partners has introduced this Windows Phone:

Microsoft Introduced KIN, the Next Generation Windows Phones – Event Video is a post from Sizzling Bit

Xbox 360 firmware update brings USB flash drive support, SanDisk flash drive unveiled

Mohammad Farzan Hussain — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 09:10:46 +0000

Major Nelson has just officially announced that Xbox 360 system update has been released and available publicly via Xbox LIVE, and as I've informed you before, this system update brings support for USB flash drive.

Soon, when you sign-in to Xbox LIVE, you'll receive a prompt to update your console to the latest mandatory firmware update. If you're already signed into Xbox LIVE, then you may be automatically signed out and asked to accept the latest firmware update.

Once your console update is completed, then you'll be able to plug couple of USB flash drive so that all your game progress, profiles, game saves, contents, and other Xbox 360 related stuff can finally be taken on the move.

The maximum USB flash storage size it will support is 32GB, which means each flash drive of 16GB. After connecting any USB storage flash drive to your Xbox 360 you have to manually format and configure it by going to the memory section.

As announced before that Microsoft will be partnering with SanDisk to release an Xbox 360 branded USB flash drive. Now it is also unveiled and available for pre-order through Amazon.

The prices are, 8GB for $34.99 and 16GB for $69.99. This Xbox 360 USB flash drive will come pre-configured and ready to use out of the box.

Xbox 360 firmware update brings USB flash drive support, SanDisk flash drive unveiled is a post from Sizzling Bit