[The articles below were posted between Aug. 29, 2005 and Sep. 19, 2005 and appear in the October 2005 hardcopy edition of Update. One or more are available below for free to non-subscribers.]
Development Tools & Programs
- Free! Visual Studio 2005 Brings Data Access Improvements
- Visual Studio 2005's integration features and better tools for building database applications could help developers take advantage of SQL Server 2005
- PDC Samples Wide Range of Upcoming Products
- The 2005 Professional Developers Conference gave attendees plenty of new Windows Vista, Office 12, Longhorn Server, and Visual Studio 2005 technologies to play with
- Team System Out to 2006
- Visual Studio Team System has been delayed until the first quarter of 2006, but the rest of Visual Studio remains on track for a Nov. 2005 launch
Consumer Products & Services
- Free! Voice over IP Startup Acquired
- The acquisition of Teleo will enable Microsoft to add PC-to-phone voice call capabilities to MSN Messenger and perhaps launch a VoIP service for businesses
- Update, Rebate for MSN TV 2
- The successor to Web TV gets an incremental update, and a US$100 rebate cuts its price in half through Jan. 2006
- Xbox Live Pricing and Features
- Gamers will be able to purchase shorter-duration subscriptions to Xbox Live and will no longer need a credit card, paving the way for impulse purchases by younger gamers
- New Precision Mice, Keyboards
- New mice for gamers and notebooks and the latest revision to Microsoft's ergonomic keyboard line are among the new releases from Microsoft Hardware
- MSN Toolbar Adds Anti-Phishing
- A free Internet Explorer 6 add-in from MSN will give the browser anti-phishing capabilities
Windows & Mobile
- Windows Server 2003 R2 Identity Management
- Windows Server 2003 R2 includes Microsoft's first deliverables for linking Active Directories in two organizations, but the supported scenarios are limited to Web applications, and some applications may require changes
- R2 to Include Unix Services
- Windows Server 2003 R2 will begin to take over for Services for Unix, which enables Windows servers to use Unix-compatible file sharing and directory protocols and run Unix applications
- Centro to Integrate Midsize Platform
- The bundle of software targeting midsize businesses first announced in July 2005 will evolve into a fully integrated product code-named Centro
- Download Restores Windows XP N
- Windows XP N complies fully with the European Commission's requirements; however, customers can download the Windows Media Player and other components it excludes
Server Platforms
- Taking Another Stab at Telephony
- The latest Microsoft solution for computer-telephony integration has limitations that will make it mainly attractive to organizations that already use Live Communications Server for instant messaging
- SQL Server 2005 Partitions Large Databases
- A new mechanism for partitioning large tables in SQL Server 2005 will improve the performance and manageability of large databases, such as data warehouses
- Host Integration Update in 2006
- Planned for 2006, Host Integration Server 'Dawson' will enhance developer tools and deliver BizTalk Server plug-ins for IBM mainframe application integration
- BizTalk Server Accelerators and Adapters
- Adapters and accelerators have been updated to run on BizTalk Server 2004; new adapters will follow the release of BizTalk 2006, which is scheduled for early 2006
Business Applications & Services
- Office 12: New User Interface, Content Management
- The next version of the Office suite will deliver a fundamentally redesigned user interface and new features for enterprise content management
- Retail and Great Plains Integration
- A free add-in improves integration between Microsoft's Retail Management System and Great Plains, creating a more integrated accounting and store management solution for midsize retailers
Sales & Support
- Software Assurance Benefits Enhanced, Simplified
- Fall 2005 changes to Software Assurance add a variety of new consulting services and supplementary software and will make it easier for customers to access product support benefits
- Summit Previews Midmarket Push
- More manageable products aimed at hard-pressed IT managers, software targeted at specific business processes and roles, and a 'Dynamics' label for business applications emerged from a midmarket-focused conference
Corporate News
- Lee Injunction and Other Legal News
- A judge rules that Kai-Fu Lee is allowed to recruit non-Microsoft employees for Google's Chinese R&D operation but may not do other types of work for at least one year
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