[The articles below were posted between Oct. 30, 2006 and Nov. 20, 2006 and appear in the December 2006 hardcopy edition of Update.]

Server Platforms

More Than Unified Messaging Coming to Exchange 2007 Users

Even customers with little interest in unified messaging will find many other new benefits for end users in Exchange 2007 and Outlook 2007

SQL Server 2005 SP2 Previewed

A preview version of SQL Server 2005 SP2 supports new Office 2007 and SharePoint Server 2007 features and includes the usual bug fixes

Windows & Mobile

Embedded Kit Ships New Windows CE

Windows Embedded CE 6.0, a toolkit for manufacturers of custom devices running Microsoft's Windows CE OS, delivers a new Windows CE kernel with better support for complex applications and multifunction devices

Windows Media Player 11 Released

The latest update to the Windows Media Player offers a cleaner user interface and other improvements, but it will probably be eclipsed by the Zune family of products

Forefront Client Security Emerges

The first public beta of Forefront Client Security provides a look at Microsoft's software for detection and removal of malicious software for businesses

Windows XP Embedded Roadmap

Windows XP Embedded has been updated to reduce its footprint and allow quicker OS builds, and Microsoft has revealed some future product plans

Vista EULA Revised

Rules that restricted the transfer of retail Vista licenses to new machines have been modified, following an outcry from hardware enthusiasts

Nov. 2006 Security Updates

Nov. 2006's 'Patch Tuesday' included critical and important patches for Windows, Internet Explorer, and Adobe's Macromedia Flash Player

Development Tools & Programs

Privacy Guidelines for Developers Posted

New guidelines aim to help developers build applications, Web sites, and services that respect users' privacy

Business Applications & Services

SharePoint 2007 Expands Business Intelligence

New business intelligence features could drive adoption of SharePoint Server 2007, but the product will need to be set up carefully for these features to be very useful

Access 2007 Targets First-Timers, SharePoint Users

Access will make a new appeal to first-time users while reinventing itself yet again for developers, this time for SharePoint development

Free Accounting Software for Small Businesses

Office Accounting Express 2007, a free edition of Microsoft's basic accounting package, could offer small businesses an attractive alternative to Intuit products, none of which are available in free editions

Consumer Products & Services

TV, Movies Come to Xbox

Gamers will be able to download TV programs and movies, including some in high-definition formats, from the Xbox Live Marketplace

Live Local Goes 3D

Live Local, Microsoft's online mapping site, adds 3D models of cities similar to Google Earth and will offer advertising, such as virtual billboards

MSN Stops Selling Music

Two years after launch, MSN Music will stop selling downloadable music and will guide users to the Zune Marketplace and RealNetworks' Rhapsody instead

Sales & Support

Product Activation Comes to Business

To stop pirates from using misappropriated volume license keys to circumvent Windows activation, all customers—including volume license customers—will have to activate Windows Vista and Longhorn Server

Managed Services Readied for Customers

The Microsoft Managed Services unit has been moved from the company's internal IT group to a product group and given a mandate to build and sell a broad range of hosted services

Partner Hosting Opportunities Expanded

Changes to licensing rules make it easier for partners to provide hosted applications and services

Corporate News

Broad Agreement Signed with Novell

Customers could find that running Windows and SUSE Linux in virtualization scenarios is easier, thanks to a recent business agreement between Microsoft and Novell

Windows, Vertical Teams Reorganize

The Windows group continues to reorganize as Windows Vista prepares for launch in Jan. 2007

Solid Growth in Q1'07

Sales of SQL Server and Xbox 360 were among the contributors to 11% revenue and profit growth in Q1'07