Microsoft Expression Web & Expression Studio

 Microsoft has released version 1.0 of their new web design program called Expression Web.  Microsoft will no longer be creating FrontPage and Expression Web is the replacement product for FrontPage.  Expression Web is a more full feature replacement for FrontPage that is on the scale of Dreamweaver and others.  I reported on this program earlier in the year when it was in early testing and then when Expression Web entered beta.  I have been working with Expression Web since May and I like it much better than any other web design program.  Click the link for more information on Expression Web.  This is the first of a series of programs coming out from Microsoft under the Expression Studio series.  There will be three other products in this suite as well.  Expression Blend is the professional design tool to create engaging web-connected experiences for Windows.  Expression Design is a professional illustration and graphic design tool that lets you build compelling elements for both Web and desktop application user interfaces.  Expression Media is a professional asset management tool to visually catalog and organize all your digital assets for effortless retrieval and presentation.

C|Net Editor Missing

Technorati tags: James Kim, Missing person, missing family, CNet, Technology, news editor

C|Net editor James Kim and his family are missing.  They were last seen at a Denny’s restaurant in a Roseburg, Ore. on Nov. 25th. 

The 35-year-old Kim, his 30-year-old wife Kati and daughters Penelope (4 years) and Sabine (7 months) left their home in San Francisco last week on a Thanksgiving road trip to the Pacific Northwest. They were last seen on Saturday, November 25, in Portland, Ore., according to the SFPD’s missing persons’ report.

Seen James Kim?
Contact the SFPD at 415-558-5508 during normal business hours and at 415-553-1071 after-hours. The Pacific Northwest call center for the case can be reached at 1-800-452-7888.

At CNET, James Kim is a senior editor covering digital audio who also co-hosts a weekly video podcast for the Crave gadgets blog.   Kim was driving a 2005 silver Saab station wagon with California personalized plates of “DOESF.”

Update:  Authorities have found Kati Kim and her two daughters alive and they have been flown to a nearby hospital.  Authorities are still searching for James Kim.  Click here for info on the C|Net Report.

Microsoft Office System 2007 Trial

You can now go to Microsoft’s web site and download a 60-day trial version of any of the new Microsoft 2007 Office System.  For the 60-days they are fully functional and the final versions.  At the end of the trial period you will have two options, the first is to purchase the pull product license and the second is to uninstall it.  If you do download and install the trial version, you do need to activate it.  Click on the Microsoft Office 2007 FAQ link for more details.  Click on the 2007 Microsoft Office System link for more details on the software.  Why wait until January 30, 2007 to use the new Office Suite?  You can start now with the trial and convert it to the full product at the end.

With the 2007 Microsoft Office system, you can save valuable time, organize your workload, manage your information, stay connected, and collaborate better with colleagues, family, and friends.

Windows Vista Officially Launched For Businesses

Today, Microsoft launched Windows Vista, 2007 Office System, and Exchange Server 2007 for businesses.  Vista  and 2007 Office System will not be available to the general pubic until January 30, 2007.  For more information on this launch check out the Vista/Office Vista Launch site.  Click the link for more information on Windows Vista.  Click the link for more information on the 2007 Office System.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said was the “biggest launch we’ve ever done.”

Emergence Of Web Operating Systems

It seems as the Internet grows and more people access the Internet using broadband access, along with a movement to access your files anywhere and everywhere, there is a new crop of programs being created called Web OSes.  What are these Web OSes?  They are basically a total desktop solution accessible via a web browser.  They have the look and feel as a complete computer system.  There are three examples, which I have been checking out recently.  You can sign up for all three for free and check them out.  The first is called EyeOS.  

eyeOS is an Open Source Web Desktop Environment. The basic System comes with some office and PIM applications, and the complete eyeOS software database can be found at eyeApps.org.

  The second one is called, ORCA desktop. 

ORCA is an online system designed to resemble any standard PC desktop while making it accessible from anywhere in the world. It is designed to reduce costs, improve productivity, and enable users to work mobility-centric.

The third Web OS, that I have been looking at is Goowy.  I reported on Goowy in an earlier posting of this blog. 

Goowy is a service that offers you simple, intuitive tools for communicating and sharing on the web.

There are more Web OSes out there, but I wanted to list three options to check out.  These may offer you a nice solution when you are traveling on the road or for use at home or at work.

Pinger Voicemail Service

I ran across this great new service for your cell phone call Pinger. Pinger allows you to send brief voice messages via your cell phone to friends email and more. The service is Free! Here is what the web site for pinger has to say:

Pinger is instant voice messaging for your mobile phone. With Pinger you send voice messages directly to someone instantly—no ringing, no greetings, no lengthy prompts. Pinger is fast and efficient like email, but with your voice. It’s mobile like text messaging, but with more personality.

They have a great demo video on their web site that demonstrates the Pinger service. It syncs with your Outlook calendar and you can add your own accounts. I like it because you dial a number and then create a message and you just say the name of who you want to send it to. It will allow you to send the message to multiple people. You can even reply instantly to a message or foward it even.

Google Launches Web Book Reader

On Wednesday, Nov. 22nd, Google launched a web book reader which will allows viewers to read books digitized by their Book Search project.  This interactive tool works inside a web browser (ie. Internet Explorer, Firefox).  It allows you to zoom in on a page, view the reader in fullscreen mode, and the ability to view one page at a time or in a 2-page mode like a regular book.  You can still view the books in PDF but if you use their web book reader you can avoid the bulking Adobe Reader program.  Other features of the web book reader are search and table of contents. 

For now the number of books available is limited.  Google is in the process of digitizing a number of libraries such as the New York Public Library, Harvard, Oxford, Sanford Universities etc.  Click the link to see an example of the Web Reader.

Portable Apps

Have you ever needed to access the web or work on a document but have to borrow another computer or work on a project on multiple computers?  Now, you can do so with ease using Portable Apps.  You can download either individual programs or a program suite and load them onto a USB Flash drive, iPod, or portable hard drive and access these programs on any Windows computer.  You can even take all of your bookmarks and email settings with you all without leaving your personal data behind.  These applications are convenient, open, and free.  Portable Apps saved me with a project once.  I created a presentation in Photo Story 3 and needed to show it on another computer that had an outdated Windows Media Player, so I saved the file along with the Portable VLC Player and was able to show the presentation on this other machine.

There are two versions of the Portable Apps Suite available and you can add additional programs to these suites when necessary.  The suites come with a Portable Apps Menu to make it easy to access the programs.  Check out the Portable Apps web site for more details.

Rethinking AOL

  As an I.T. person, I have always discouraged the use of AOL as the software takes over the system and fouls things up.  Working with users in the workplace who have AOL on their computers has been problematic at times, however, with the new AOL Web 2.0, I’m beginning to rethink my position on AOL.  I still don’t recommend installing their software and using their ISP services, but I do recommend looking at the new Free services that AOL has to offer for those who already have access to the Internet.  Some of these features are as follows:  Free 2 gigabyte email address, 5 gigabytes of online storage via X-Drive, access to 20 XM-Radio stations, and their free anti-virus software and of course, there is the AOL Instant Messenger which recently added social networking features.

You can access the email via a web browser or use IMAP features in an email program such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird and so you don’t need to install their software to access the email.  I recommend the AOL anti-virus software called Active Virus Shield as it is based on the Kapersky Anti-virus software.  Check out AOL.com for more information.

Is Your Computer Vista Ready???

January 30, 2007 is the consumer launch date of Windows Vista. Is your computer Vista ready? To make sure that you get the most out of Windows Vista, you should make sure that your computer is Vista Premium Ready. If you plan on buying a computer for Vista either now or after the release make sure that the computer is Vista Premium Ready and not just Vista compatible. Qualifying for Vista Compatible is to run just Windows Vista Home Basic which doesn’t include the new Aero Glass features which is one of the key new technologies. See Microsoft’s Windows Vista Get Ready web site for more info.

A Windows Vista Premium Ready PC includes at least:

1. 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
2. 1 GB of system memory.
3. Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)
4. Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel.
5. 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.
6. DVD-ROM Drive
7. Audio output capability.
8. Internet access capability.