Free Microsoft Education Pack for Tablet PC available

Microsoft Download:

If you are a student with a Tablet PC, the Education Pack is a must. Download the Education Pack and get five free programs to help you excel at school and have some fun while you're at it. If you're an educator with a Tablet PC, you'll want to download the Education Pack too.

MSN Virtual Earth beta now live

Virtual Earth (photo above) More on Channel9

MSN RSS / Search / Messenger Screensaver

This is hot, check out the MSN Screensaver Beta, cool screen saver, does RSS, weather even search. The UI is simple, clean and kind of sexy. I grabbed a screenshot, I can even keep up with Scoble on it.

I never thought about integrating messenger buddy status and search into a screensaver.

Jeff Sandquist's blog

Introducing Microsoft Windows Vista (codename: Longhorn)

Bringing clarity to your world.
Today we live in a world of more information, more ways to communicate, more things to do. There is more you can do and even more you can discover.
Every day, millions of people around the globe rely on their Windows PC to manage their increasingly digital lives. While familiar tools for managing digital information are powerful, today's world requires more.
In today's digital world, you want the PC to adapt to you, so you can
cut through the clutter and focus on what's important to you.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/

TechNet podcast

The WMA RSS feed is only giving me .asx files which I need to stream (not good for podcasting?) so download the mp3 feed here. I'm looking forward to this cast, I know the Canadian team were doing this a while back, lets hope this can expand to other groups if successful. TechNet Events.

New Windows Tested Products List

Added into the Windows Marketplace is the new Tested Product List (TPL) to help validate the testing status of Windows products.

New Starter Kit for the .NET Framework 2.0

The new starter kit allows your .NET 2.0 application to easily enable a splash screen, payment via PayPal, Product Activation, Product Registration, Event/Error Reporting, and Product Feedback. Jeff Sandquist has some more information.

Microsoft opens comparison shopping site

http://beta.shopping.msn.com/

 

More over on the Comparison Engines site.

PDC 2005 Breakout Sessions

I'd love to be going to this years PDC2005! Just have a look at some of these breakout sessions. It gives you a great idea of what's to come from Redmond in the coming years.

My wishlist for Microsoft this year

Voice Command

• Add to the Windows Mobile Smartphone
• Add to the Windows Mobile Portable Media Center
• Allow partners to make an iPod killer by licensing Voice Command

Windows XP Media Center 2005

• Add the EPG (Electronic Program Guide) for Australia (how can you sell the product without this?)
• Sell the Xbox Extender Kit outside the US! (very disappointed with this)
• Where is the Remote Record outside the US (I understand this ties in with my first point)

Internet Explorer

• Turn off "Reuse windows for launching shortcuts" default option (it's 2005!)

Scoble do a Channel9 video with Bill Gates

• It was a great interview with SteveB and I know you've been hoping for Mr Gates for some time.

Scoble talks to Steve

Great interview up on Channel9 with the CEO of Microsoft Steve Ballmer talking with Microsoft's best blogger Robert Scoble.

Great free security guide

Found this over on Ed Bott's weblog. 311 page PDF. (Passport Sign-on required)

Virtual Earth coming soon...

Chandu Thota has an update on his weblog.