Archive for April, 2010

Where do you find the largest iTunes user base? On Windows. A large number of those users own an iPod touch or iPhone, and a similarly large number still use Live Messenger for chatting… so it really wasn’t a surprise when news get around late last year that Microsoft was working on a Live Messenger app for the iPhone.

Now it looks like the app could be arriving soon. NeoWin’s Tom Warren has posted a handful of images showing Live Messenger in action, and it looks pretty slick. Just about everything you can do on the desktop version you’ll be able to do on your iPhone: chat, send files, check your social stream, browse photos, and more.

Yes, you can already chat with your Live Messenger from your iPhone using an app like Meebo, but Microsoft has some serious brand recognition. That and the familiar interface will no doubt be enough incentive to attract a lot of users to the app.

Warren seems optimistic that this will hit the app store some time in June, when Windows Live Wave 4′s first public beta downloads are expected to arrive.

Microsoft Live Messenger app for iPhone [EXPOSED] | My Mac News

Kodu provides an end-to-end creative environment for designing, building, and playing your own new games. The core of the Kodu project is the programming user interface. The language is simple and entirely icon-based. Programs are composed of pages, which are broken down into rules, which are further divided into conditions and actions. Conditions are evaluated simultaneously.

The Kodu language is designed specifically for game development and provides specialized primitives derived from gaming scenarios. Programs are expressed in physical terms, using concepts like vision, hearing, and time to control character behavior. While not as general-purpose as classical programming languages, Kodu can express advanced game design concepts in a simple, direct, and intuitive manner.

Kodu | Projects | Fuse Labs

Microsoft has revealed today its public beta of the next version of WHS, code named "Vail." The primary upgrades / changes include the extension of media streaming outside of the home or office, improvements in multi-PC backup and restore, simplified setup and user experience as well as "significantly" expanded development and customization tools for partner. Beyond that, the company’s playing things pretty close to the chest, but you can feel free to grab a 64-bit copy of the beta starting today and dig in yourself. ‘Course, Microsoft recommends that you install the software on a secondary (read: not important to your livelihood) machine, and on the development front, it’s introducing a new SDK for those who wish to "create add-in applications using Vail’s new extensible programming model."  

Windows Home Server ‘Vail’ beta now available for download, brings improved UI and streaming options — Engadget

One of the more common question we’ve seen flying around lately is "Where can I download the Touch Pack for Windows 7?" That’s been a difficult one because it was created for OEMs and wasn’t meant to be a MS Download. That changed tonight, you can now download the Touch Pack from the Microsoft Download Center. The Touch Pack features three games and three apps including the Microsoft Surface Globe, MS Collage, MS Surface Lagoon, MS Blackboard, MS Rebound, and MS Garden Pond.

Download details: Touch Pack for Windows 7

Xobni is an add-in for Microsoft Office that adds an extra column that provides search and social networking context to your inbox. Connecting with LinkedIn and Facebook, Xobni (that’s "inbox" spelled backwards in case you missed it) brings in photos to put with emails and some general contact information like title and employer. Xobni also claims to have a email search experience that dynamically displays results while you type.
Most important about this latest refresh of Xobni is that it now works with Office 2010, and it will with with either the 32-bit or the 64-bit install. There is a free version and a plus version that include things like an advanced search and advanced filters.  Download Xobni here.

Xobni now Office 2010 32/64-bit Compliant | Larry Larsen | Channel 10

I am super phsyced about the Docs.com.  The site designees state:

 “I’m so excited to announce today the launch of a new beta Facebook app from FUSE Labs called “Docs”, also available at our docs.com website.  Built on Microsoft Office 2010, the Docs app enables Facebook® users for the first time to create …”

INTRODUCING DOCS… for FACEBOOK « Docs.com Blog

You’ve probably heard of a few podcasts that interest you, but having to watch their feeds, or subscribe through software like iTunes, sounds like a hassle. Zune.net, the web side of Microsoft’s media gadget, lets you watch and listen casually, for free.

Zune.net Plays Audio and Video Podcasts Without Software – Podcast – Lifehacker

Since the first Bing theme pack for Windows 7 was so popular, the Bing Team decided to do it again with the release of Bing’s Best 2, a new collection of desktop backgrounds for your Windows 7 computer.

Windows 7 theme packs let you click once to install a set of desktop backgrounds that rotate from one image to the next on an interval you specify. In this new collection, there are 21 images pulled from those featured on the Bing.com homepage. Via onTen

Bing’s Best 2 – Bing’s Best 2

Windows and Mac: Miro Video Converter quickly and easily converts video on-the-fly for popular devices, with presets for your PSP, Android phone, or Apple device.

The program has presets for a variety of formats and devices, such as the Motorola Droid, Google Nexus One, PSP, iPhone and a variety of iPods. It also supports MP4 and Ogg Theora conversion. To use it, just drag and drop a video you want to convert into the app, select your preset, and let the program work its magic, converting your file so you can easily add it to your portable device. The file is saved in the same folder as the video source. It has an easy and intuitive interface, and accomplishes in taking the hassle out of converting video. Miro Video Converter is a free utility for Windows and Mac from the same developers who created the open-source internet video player, Miro

Miro Video Converter Easily Converts Video for Your Android, PSP, or Apple Device – video converter – Lifehacker