Microsoft News Tracker

Tacked on at the bottom of today’s Vista product press release were the outlooks for the shipment of Windows Media Player 11 and Internet Explorer 7:

.. two Windows Vista features, Microsoft Internet Explorer^® 7 and Windows Media^® Player 11, will be made available in the coming weeks. Windows XP users are encouraged to try the features to get familiar with and excited about these programs now, which will be included in Windows Vista. Internet Explorer 7 will be made available to Windows XP customers via free download in the next two weeks. Microsoft encourages all Windows XP users to download the new version to explore the browsing experience in Windows Vista and take advantage of the new security features that will help protect them against malicious software and phishing attacks. Windows Media Player 11 will be available via free download beginning Oct. 24 and will enable users to take advantage of an elegant and intuitive user interface, a new level of online store integration, especially with MTV’s URGE service, and improved navigation for larger music libraries.

Paul Krevs at Neowin points to a Microsoft blog post that claims that IE7 will be available Oct. 18 and pushed via Automatic Update on Nov. 1. We’ve mentioned the Internet Explorer 7 release previously here with some advice on blocking it if you’re hesitant about accepting it as an Automatic Update.

As for WMP 11 it does have a slick new interface, but we haven’t heard much good about it lately ([1], [2]) and one wonders about its place in the scheme of things since Microsoft’s Zune has seems to have a completely separate media organizer and DRM.

Nick White at Microsoft’s Windows Vista Team Blog has the Virtual PC 2007 news:

Virtual PC 2007 Beta is now available as a free download from connect.microsoft.com.  Virtual PC 2007 is optimized to work well for Windows Vista as both the host and guest OS.  This version works with both 32-bit Vista and 64-bit Vista as the host operating system as well as Windows XP and has improved performance including support for hardware virtualization technologies from AMD and Intel.  So now you have an easy way to try out Windows Vista, even if you are reluctant to replace the OS on one your existing PCs; or if you have already taken the plunge you can spin up a legacy operating system in a virtual machine on your Windows Vista machine.

More by following the link, at the Virtual PC home page, and at the blog of Microsoft’s Virtual PC Guy.

The Vista parade may be forming up, but there are a few clouds in the area:

After releasing Vista Release Candidate 2 on Friday, Microsoft pulled the public download on Monday, but that was because it had already hit the download limit they had planned. More ominous is that RC2 testers are still spotting obvious problems (e.g. [1], [2], [3], [4]) including Microsoft’s Corporate VP of Microsoft Client Marketing, Mike Sievert, who hit a Vista bug during his demo keynote at the Digital Life 2006 show. Of course this isn’t entirely unexpected, but some are regressions from RC1. I’m guessing there will be a nice juicy service pack in short order after launch.

And while we’re talking bugs, Vista RC1 got a security fix on Patch Tuesday this week. Will Vista really mean that Patch Tuesday’s will be a thing of the past? Count me as dubious.

Whatever the overall security state, Vista’s PatchGuard is still secure from 3rd party software developers as Microsoft stands firm:

Microsoft is still talking with partners who are complaining about how the Redmond, Wash. developer has set up Windows Vista’s security, but it won’t budge from its decision to lock down access to the kernel, a company security manager said Thursday.

Meanwhile a security researcher predicts PatchGuard will be hacked soon after Vista’s release. All of which reminds us that the European Commission’s chief rainmaker Neelie Kroes has yet to be heard from.

Last but not least, Ed Bott and Robert McLaws have been reading the fine print in the Vista End User License Agreement (EULA) and find that Microsoft slipped in some new restrictions compared to Windows XP.

Press release:

Microsoft Corp. today announced it has acquired privately owned Colloquis Inc., a provider of conversational online business solutions that feature natural language-processing technology. Microsoft will offer services based on Colloquis technology to businesses with online operations, as well as incorporating the technology into its own products.

No financial terms were disclosed.

Initially, Microsoft will offer a managed service called Windows Live™ Service Agents based on the existing Colloquis Automated Service Agent offering, which has been implemented by companies such as Cingular Wireless, Comcast Corp., Cox Communications Inc., Panasonic Corp. of North America, Time Warner Cable Inc. and Vonage Holdings Corp. Windows Live Service Agents provides businesses with a hosted Web-based customer service application that interacts with end users in conversational language, combining the ease of traditional online support with the valuable insight of natural language logic. Windows Live Service Agents will augment Microsoft’s existing contact center solution, Microsoft Customer Care Framework (CCF).

…

Xbox will be the first group within Microsoft to use Windows Live Service Agents. Colloquis technology will be a strong contributor in enabling Xbox customers to rapidly find helpful information related to their support needs. The conversational tone and ease of use of the product will offer customers another approach with which to address commonly asked questions, providing quick resolution to customer issues. The product’s technical flexibility makes it an excellent fit with other self-service options that Xbox plans to release in the fall.

In addition, Microsoft plans to take advantage of Colloquis Internet bot technology in an application called Windows Live Agents, a conversational application that users can interact with via Windows Live Messenger. These “agents” are used to entertain, encourage engagement with products or services, provide a new advertising opportunity for brand advertisers, and drive search and information retrieval.

Messenger bots aren’t new, but until now they seemed to be the province of 3rd parties.

Today, Microsoft trotted out a press release for the two Vista logo programs (that we have mentioned previously):

Today at DigitalLife 2006, Microsoft Corp. announced the holiday availability of PCs, software, hardware and games that will work with Windows Vista™. More than 250 hardware and software products from over 50 industry partners have received either the Certified for Windows Vista logo or the Works with Windows Vista logo created to help consumers more easily identify software and devices that are compatible with the new operating system. The Works with Windows Vista logo helps ensure compatibility, and the Certified for Windows Vista logo indicates that a particular software or device will help deliver a superior end-user experience when used with a PC running a Windows Vista operating system.

During his opening keynote address, Mike Sievert, corporate vice president of Windows Client Marketing at Microsoft, emphasized the breadth of products on the market come the holidays that will work with Windows Vista. “We are thrilled that so many of our industry partners are working with us to bring Certified for Windows Vista software and devices to market this holiday season,” said Sievert. “This certification helps ensure our customers will have a great experience with these products now, and an even better one when they are using them with Windows Vista. These products will make a great gift for the holidays that gets better with Windows Vista.”

Some examples of the logoed merchandise by following the link. Of course they would be even be better holiday gifts if Windows Vista were available too, but no need to hammer that nail again.  Also lined up is the “Ready 2 Rock Road Show with Intel to proselytize the system builders, as if they needed it.  Scott M. Fulton III at BetaNews:

How, exactly, Intel plans to make its business case on a public stage with a rock-and-roll theme, may just be worth the price of admission to find out. There is a price, by the way - $19.95 for tickets purchased in advance, or up to $59.95 for a limited “backstage pass,” which will presumably enable attendees to get a first-hand look at the new systems and their presenters.

Interestingly, one of the half-hour talks during the 12-hour session, for each of the 23 cities, is entitled, “Tune Up Your Hardware Sales Today While Planning for the Future.” The description of this session says everything you may want to know about the strategy Microsoft and Intel have chosen in the face of Vista’s delays.

“Show customers that they can have the best of both worlds,” says the Ready 2 Rock Web site, “The dual-core computing power of today, and the advanced features of Windows Vista tomorrow. Instead of waiting for the next Microsoft operating system, keep selling Windows Vista-ready systems now, and upgrade customers when it comes available.”

It’s not clear what else the system builders could do, but I note the appearance of the word “upgrade” without the word “coupon.” The latest Vista upgrade coupon rumor had the Windows Vista Technology Upgrade Program starting Oct. 26, but there’s a nary a mention in the press releases.