Rewriting 60% of Vista? Microsoft Says No Way
Microsoft is denying a report that it has begun rewriting its Windows Vista operating system. Microsoft flatly denied the report. The company is working on security, testing and polish - "not writing new code," according to a spokesperson, who added: Windows Vista is on track for the November launch of the enterprise version and the January 2007 release of the consumer version. "There aren't any Xbox developers moving over to the Windows Vista team."
Robert Scoble, a Microsoft technical evangelist and blogger, denounced the rumor as "totally 100 percent false." There is no way Microsoft could rewrite 60 percent of the thousands of lines of code in time for the January CES, Scoble said.
The report hit at the end of a week of delay news from Microsoft. It announced it will delay the general launch of Office 2007 to coincide with Vista's new January 2007 date. The business version of Office 2007 is still expected in October.
Vista Capable Logo Revealed
The Vista Capable PC program allows Microsoft partners that have a PC product that passed the Designed for Windows XP logo program to ship a new logo on those products that states “Designed for Microsoft Windows XP - Vista Capable.”
This program is designed for users to be able to quickly identify Windows XP PCs that can be upgraded to Windows Vista by the new Designed for Windows XP logo. The new logo will help ensure users have the correct expectations regarding their PCs’ ability to run Windows Vista.
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News source: Avirans Place
Windows Vista Title Lineup; Live Anywhere
Microsoft Game Studios sent out a press release announcing the lineup for Windows Vista: - Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (Funcom) is an online action-RPG with a mix of a deep, story-driven single-player experience and massive and brutal multiplayer end game, bringing to life the ultimate representation of the "Age of Conan."
- Alan Wake (Microsoft Game Studios) is a psychological action thriller from Remedy Entertainment Ltd. Cited as one of the best titles of E3 2005, Alan Wake introduces a deeply engaging and suspenseful story line in a free-roaming open world that invites players to unravel the riveting plot and experience intense combat that combines the use of light with more conventional weapons.
- Company of Heroes (THQ) is a World War II RTS from Relic Entertainment, the creators of game-of-the-year winners "Homeworld" and "Dawn of War," that brings the cinematic intensity and dynamic battlefields of World War II to life through a truly visceral gaming experience.
- Crysis (EA) is an original FPS based on new intellectual property developed by Crytek, the makers of the award-winning "Far Cry." In Crysis, players battle an invading alien force in a number of environments against a backdrop of rising international tension and rivalries.
- Flight Simulator X (Microsoft Game Studios) is the 10th edition of the popular simulator that immerses players in a beautifully rich and realistic world, offering gamers a completely new and innovative experience with dozens of new aircraft, scenario-based missions and spectacular graphics.
- Halo 2 for Windows Vista (Microsoft Game Studios), the game that redefined first-person combat and multiplayer action for millions of gamers worldwide, is set to explode onto Windows Vista.
- Hellgate: London (NAMCO BANDAI Games America) is an action-RPG that combines the depth of third-person role-playing games with the action of first-person shooters. Developed by Flagship Studios Inc., which includes the creators of the revolutionary "Diablo" series, the game offers infinite playability through dynamically generated levels, items, enemies and events.
- Shadowrun (Microsoft Game Studios) is the first cross-platform game for Xbox 360 and Windows Vista. It is a multiplayer, FPS that propels team-based combat into a new dimension with a revolutionary blend of modern weaponry and ancient magic. "Shadowrun" will be available when Windows Vista is launched.
In other news, Microsoft has announced a new online service that will allow cell phones and PCs to interface with Xbox 360 games. Dubbed Live Anywhere, the service will be integrated with the upcoming Windows Vista operating system, which is due out in January 2007.
Hardware requirements for Windows Vista
Microsoft today launched a new website aimed at informing consumers about Windows Vista's hardware requirements, among other things. As we reported earlier, there are two levels of recommendations for Windows Vista, those dubbed "Vista-Capable" and those dubbed "Premium-Ready." Microsoft has now revealed the specs in each category, and here they are:
Minimum Requirements (Vista-Capable PCs): 800 MHz Intel-compatible processor, 512MB of RAM, DirectX 9.0-Capable Graphics Processor, 20GB HD
Recommended Requirements (Premium-Ready PCs): 1 GHz Intel-compatible processor, 1GB RAM, DirectX 9.0-Capable Graphics Processor, with 128MB graphics memory*, 40GB HD with at least 15GB 'free space'
* 64MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor less than 1,310,720 pixels [no more than 1440x900]; 128MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions from 1,310,720 to 2,304,000 pixels [no more than 1920x1200]; 256MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions higher than 2,304,000 pixels [more than 1920x1200]
Vista gets DVD movie burning
Microsoft’s previous efforts in creative software have been, well, lukewarm. XP had Movie Maker and Photostory (the latter a free download from Microsoft’s web site), which both allow you to take personal media and do a reasonable amount of editing and authoring.
But when it came to outputting your project, Microsoft only really gave you one choice. Windows Media Video. People inevitably ask, “so can my friends play this on their DVD player?”, and as a guy who supports Windows, I have to explain that these apps don’t actually have the capacity to author DVDs. The response is always a disappointed “Oh…”.
Full story: apcstart.com
Windows Vista won't natively support Wireless USB, says Intel
New Wireless USB devices are coming, but will there be an operating system to welcome them? At the Certified Wireless USB Developers Conference, major hardware and software companies promised to start providing Certified Wireless USB devices by the end of the year. While this may sound hopeful, DigiTimes today cites Jeff Ravencraft, Intel's technology strategist, as saying Microsoft Vista will not natively support wireless USB devices.
A lack of native support would not be a death blow to Wireless USB, however, because device makers will probably release their own drivers. Microsoft, one of the big backers of Wireless USB, could also support the protocol in a future patch or Service Pack. This would parallel what happened with the Bluetooth support for Windows XP. Bluetooth wasn't natively support by Windows XP until Microsoft released Service Pack 1.
News source: TG Daily
Vista Retailing: All versions On 1 DVD: Color Coded
As you may have heard there are going to be a “few” versions of Microsoft Vista when it is finally released. Redmond this week start to lift some of the details for retailers. Some interesting ones to note are that all versions of Vista will be on the same DVD. This will enable upgrading by customers (and I imagine reduce costs). All customers will do is buy the version they want then and then if needed buy an additional upgrade license as they will already have the DVD. Due to the confusion already showing of what version is what, all versions of Vista will be color coded.
Light Green-Home Basic
Dark Green-Home Premium
Blue-Vista Business
Platinum-Ultimate Version
Europe will get 2 extra versions Home N and Business N offering no media player per the 2004 legal ruling against Microsoft. The much awaited aero glass makes its debut in the Home Premium Version, Business offers faxing and other features but NOT Media Center. Microsoft is targeting the premium version to have 50% saturation.
News source: ActiveWin