Fall 2008

Fall 2008 OVT Newsletters

September 21, 2008

Feature Product: Windows Live™ Wave 3 betas Listed version RETIRED

Windows Live™ has unleashed its next round of web-based betas. The downloadable suite includes;

Family Safety beta: Features utilities such as content filtering, activity reports, and contact approval which monitors who your children are talking to on Windows Live blogs, e-mail, or instant messages.

Photo Gallery beta: Publish and share your photos online with the simple to use interface. Tag the people in your photos and view the newest photos uploaded by your friends. Photo Gallery beta also includes a built-in photo editor, so you can make adjustments directly from the Web.

Messenger beta: This version of Messenger is highly customizable and offers features such as personalized “scenes” and backgrounds, as well as a “Favorites” list for all your favorite contacts. Another handy aspect of the new Messenger is the update ticker which displays recent changes that your contacts have made.

Mail beta: Sync all of your e-mail accounts to view your messages in one location. Windows Live™ Mail beta also allows you to view your old messages while offline. Other features include a syncable web calendar, event reminders, and shared calendars.

Toolbar beta: With Internet Explorer™, gives you instant access to your e-mail, calendar, and photos. Toolbar beta also displays maps from any address found on a webpage.

Writer beta: Generate appealing blogs with a “what you see is what you get” editor-style. Add photos, videos, and additional plug-ins in a breeze.

As always, these Windows Live™ betas are absolutely free to download and use. All that this suite reqires is a valid Windows Live™ ID.

To download the Windows Live Wave 3 beta suite, or to learn more visit http://download.live.com

Published by Kristine Sullivan, OVT

September 17, 2008

Feature Product: Windows Live™ SkyDrive, Microsoft^® Office Live Workspace

Windows Live™ SkyDrive

Another service from Windows Live™, SkyDrive is a free, web-based storage utility that allows users to upload their files and access them from any computer with an Internet connection. With up to 5 GB of storage, Skydrive can be used as an effective back up for your important files. You can share data with friends or coworkers by creating a shared folder, or make a public folder that anyone on the Internet may view, but not alter. You can also make personal folders that are accessible only by you, with your Windows Live ID. SkyDrive works on both Windows and Macintosh computers, as long as Firefox 1.5 or higher or Internet Explorer 6 or higher is installed.

To learn more about Windows Live™ SkyDrive, or to utilize SkyDrive’s online storage, visit http://www.skydrive.live.com

Microsoft^® Office Live Workspace Listed version RETIRED *Now Office Web Apps via SkyDrive!

A free online file storage service that, like many of the other current Microsoft Live services, requires no program to download to access, save, and share documents and files. With Office Live Workspace, you can manage and preview documents and files on nearly any computer, regardless if it has Microsoft Office installed. Office Live Workspaces supports a large variety of file types including PDF. A useful feature available for Office Live Workspace is the Office Live Update, which enhances Microsoft Office to work directly with your Workspaces. Not only does this update enable you to access your Workspaces from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but you can also save directly to your Workspaces. Office Live Workspaces is perfect for work, school, and other miscellaneous home uses. All that you need to create your own Workspace is a Windows Live ID and Internet access.

To make an Office Live Workspace, or to learn more visit http://workspace.office.live.com

Published by Kristine Sullivan, OVT

September 12, 2008

Feature Product: Microsoft^® Live Labs™ Photosynth™

Photosynth™ is a software application that utilizes technology developed by Microsoft® Live Labs™ and the University of Washington to create visual models of images by linking them together through reference points in the images themselves. The software analyzes each image and identifies the relative position of each object. Then, Photosynth™ generates a synth that allows users to view the combined images from any angle, zoom in or out, and move seamlessly between similar images with a 3D feel. By installing the software, you can create synths and view them on computers with Windows Vista^® or Windows XP^® operating systems. You can also share and view other user’s synths directly from the Photosynth™ website.

To learn more about Photosynth™, or to download the most recent version, visit http://www.photosynth.net

Published by Kristine Sullivan, OVT

September 11, 2008

Feature Products: Windows Live™ FolderShare beta, Microsoft^® Popfly™

Windows Live™ FolderShare beta Listed version RETIRED * Now Live Sync! Available in Windows Live™ Wave 4 betas

Windows Live™ FolderShare is a file syncing service that is still in its beta stage. By installing FolderShare on your computers, you can remotely access or download your files from any other computer. Using FolderShare requires only an Internet connection, the application does not need to be installed on the computer you would like to access the files with. FolderShare is free, secure, and as the name suggests, sharable. FolderShare allows you to create “Libraries” of files that can be shared with other people by invitation. This service is extremely compatible and works in both Windows and Mac environments.

To download or learn more about the Windows Live™ FolderShare beta, visit http://www.foldershare.com

Microsoft^® Popfly™ DISCONTINUED

Microsoft^® Popfly™ is a website that allows registered users to create and share rich Internet applications such as Web pages, games, gadgets, mashups, and other applications. You can build simple games with premade templates, or generate them from scratch – without any coding knowledge. With mashups, you can create groupings of information from several different locations (such as RSS feeds, pictures, and other information) and centralize them in an easy to access location. Popfly™ is also a type of social networking site, and all of the applications you create can be shared either through your Popfly™ space or embedded into any of your sites. You are not limited to only using the Popfly™ templates, you may also write and develop your own code to be used in you creations. Popfly requires users to register using a Windows Live™ ID, as well as the installation of Silverlight™ 1.0.

To become a Microsoft^® Popfly™ user, or to learn more about Popfly™, visit http://www.popfly.com

Published by Kristine Sullivan, OVT

September 7, 2008

Feature Products: Microsoft® Surface™, Windows® Internet Explorer 8™

Microsoft^® Surface™

Microsoft^® Surface™ is an innovative touch-sensitive hardware/software product that allows users to touch and interact with data without a keyboard and mouse. Surface™ is capable of a variety of different application possibilities; from touchable jigsaw puzzles, to interactive restaurant menus, to photo albums that let users view, resize, and manipulate digital photos with their hands. The unit itself is a 30-inch multi-touch device encased in a hard acrylic top. With Microsoft® Surface™, multiple users can work simultaneously or independently within a singular unit. While this technology is not yet available to regular consumers, it can be found at several of Microsoft’s^® client and partner locations such as select hotels and restaurants.

To see Microsoft^® Surface™ in action, or to find it at a location near you, visit http://www.surface.com

Windows^® Internet Explorer 8™

The newest version of Windows^® Internet Explorer™, Beta 2, is now available for download. Packed with features for the every-day consumer, IE8 Beta 2 is faster, safer, and more convenient to use than any previous IE browser.

Some IE8 Beta 2 Features:

Accelerators give you instant access to many popular web services - from any webpage. You also have full control of which services are enabled, meaning you can search word definitions from one site, get map information from another, or search product information from another.

InPrivate Browsing prevents browsing history, temporary Internet files, cookies, form data, and usernames and passwords from being stored in your browser, making your browsing more confidential.

Search Suggestions display real-time, relevant search suggestions from your selected search provider and browsing history. You can quickly see search options without typing the entire search phrase.

Visual search lets you immediately see search result images and information right in the search bar.

Web Slices display updates to frequently changing websites. You can view the status of online auctions, stock quotes, e-mail, and other information. Web Slices can be added to your Favorites Bar, they become highlighted as soon as an update has become available, and you may preview the page directly from your Favorites Bar.

To learn more about Windows^® Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2™, or to download it for yourself, visit http://www.microsoft.com/ie8

Published by Kristine Sullivan, OVT

August 5, 2008

Feature Product: Microsoft^® Live Mesh™ Listed version RETIRED * Now Live Sync! Available in Windows Live™ Wave 4 betas
Live Mesh™ is a web-based, cross-platform (Windows, Mac, mobile) file synchronization utility which allows users to access, change, and view files from a group of selected devices. Live Mesh™ streamlines files to be accessed on multiple devices by syncing changes in real time and also by tracking every change. Because it is web-integrated, Live Mesh™ is available virtually everywhere. Password protected, this application is secure and files can only be shared with others by invitation. The best part of this service; it’s completely free.

For more information about Live Mesh™, visit http://www.mesh.com

Published by Kristine Sullivan, OVT

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