James Moody: Geek in Paradise

This is a friendly reminder that if you are still running Windows Vista Beta, RC1 or RC2, you will want to ensure that you back up anything you want to save today. Time bombs are set to explode most likely at 11:59pm tonight, so no dilly-dallying. Back it up! You also have the option of purchasing a copy of the Vista you so desire and performing a clean install. If you are lucky enough to be running RC1, you have the option of purchasing a Vista Ultimate and performing an in-place upgrade to maintain your settings. A nifty table of your options depending on the version you have installed can be found at the Vista Team Blog.

If you happen to forget, you will have small windows of time to back data up, which I covered in my previous Vista Expiration post.

Now, get to it!

The Windows Live Writer Team released the latest version of the very popular Live Writer Blogging program. Numerous enhancements have been added to the program, which was starting to get a little long in the tooth after a long period in Beta 1. Enhancements include inline spell checking (YAY!), better Blog support overall, integration and compatibility with various platforms (Sharepoint, Live Gallery, etc.) and API support as well for the different blogging platforms (Live Spaces, WordPress and TypePad were listed). Of course, visual tweaks, usability and better language support round out the bill.

This is my first post with the new Writer, and things are definitely looking alot better. Buttons, etc. are better placed within the UI and more options are available for actions you can perform. This is definitely an upgrade you want to undertake if you use Live Writer Beta 1 already, and a program you should take a serious look at if you don’t.

Quick Update: To get some of the new features included in this version, you will need to redetect your blog’s settings. Click on the “Weblog” Menu at the top, then “Edit Weblog Settings”, then “Update Account Configuration”. Enter the appropriate login information and it will then verify what options are compatible with your platform and make changes accordingly. Enjoy!

What does everyone else think of the changes?

Tags: Microsoft Window Live Writer Blogging Software

Microsoft Surface

Wow, just wow!

It looks like it’s going to be a battle over the future of “touch” based computing between Microsoft and Apple. Apple seems to be going towards the smaller handheld type market, while Microsoft is going for the table-sized crowd. This is just way too cool.

Microsoft already has Harrah’s Entertainment, Starwood Hotels and Resorts and T-Mobile lined up to implement the Surface technology in their lobbies and showroom floors. Surface can interact with Credit cards, mobile phones, etc. to provide an easier way for customers to pay for items, download music or directions to a happening nightclub scene.

The Surface features 4 key attributes in it’s design:

1. Direct Interaction using your hands as the device instead of a mouse and keyboard.
2. Multi-touch, so there is not just one point of interaction. Set your phone down, drag and drop pics into it, playlists, etc. while your friends flip through photos on the same surface.
3. Multi-user, coinciding with #2, allows multiple people to interact with the surface at the same time.
4. Object recognition, allowing devices to be placed on the surface and become part of the interactive experience. Mobile phones, credit cards, etc. (My guess would be Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and RFID)

I’m guessing the 30″ Surface won’t be cheap, but this should pave the way for smaller interactive Surfaces putting the price range into the reach of techiephiles.

I’m really looking forward to see where this technology ends up being implemented once it scales down.

Microsoft Press Release

TechCrunch Coverage : Has some links to early demos of the Surface.

Tags: Microsoft Surface Interactive

Microsoft broke out some big guns and added 3D cityscapes today to it’s Live Maps site. It’s about as close as you can get to actually being there. They also added several other cities on top of New York City as well:

• Austin, TX
• Cape Coral, FL
• Cincinnati, OH (Go Reds!)
• Indianapolis, IN (The Indy Speedway is even covered!)
• Northampton, England
• Ottawa
• Savannah, GA
• Tampa, FL

The interface does take some getting used to, but I picked it up fairly quickly. You can rotate and zoom in any direction you like, so if you have high mouse sensitivity, you can get disoriented pretty quickly and have to back out to get your bearings again. The buildings don’t have collision detection, so it’s fairly safe to assume the Live Maps team aren’t game developers. It was pretty neat cruising the Hudson and checking out Lady Liberty without having to listen to Yankees fans.

I blew a good hour or so checking out all the cities that were added, places I’ll more than likely never make it to physically. It’s definitely worth the look-see to check out places you may never make it to in person.

Microsoft’s Press Release