Do You Want To Be Part Of Microsoft's Revolution?

In This Issue:
1. Editor's Note: Do You Want To Be Part Of Microsoft's Revolution?
2. Today's Top Story
    - Microsoft, Intel Debut Pay-As-You-Go PC For Emerging Markets
    Related Story:
    - Intel To Power Low-Cost PCs In India
3. Breaking News
    - Exploit Of Windows 2000 Zero-Day To Hit In June
    - Analysis: Microsoft Previews Heavy-Duty Web Development Tools
    - NY Teen Pair Charged In MySpace Extortion Plot
    - Yahoo, eBay Announce Multiyear Partnership
    - Study Finds Users Happier With Their Cell Phones
    - Vista Guidebook Back Online
    - Sony Plays 'Name That Tune' On Cell Phones
    - Cell Phones Become Car Navigation Systems
    - Nokia Derides Qualcomm Patent Suit
    - Windows Vista Collaboration: A Big Step Forward, But Still An Island
4. Grab Bag
    - Better Sound In Small Packages (New York Times - Reg. Required)
    - The Rise Of Crowdsourcing (Wired)
    - Apple's New Store Is Pure Glass (BusinessWeek)
5. In Depth: Reviews And Personal Tech
    - Windows Vista Beta 2: Great Search, Improved Security, Hardware Snags
    - Palm Treo 700p: A PDA For Work And Play
    - Review: Casio EX-Z850 Camera
    - Online Baseball Tournament Launches
    - Review: Linksys Wireless-N Equipment Isn't Quite There Yet
    - Review: mobiBLU B153 Music Player
6. Voice Of Authority
    - XM Satellite Woes Offer Opening For HD Radio
7. White Papers
    - Error-Free Web Services: Developing A Secure Service-Oriented Architecture
8. Get More Out Of InformationWeek
9. Manage Your Newsletter Subscription

Quote of the day:
"Truth often suffers more by the heat of its defenders than the arguments of its opposers." -- William Penn

1. Editor's Note: Do You Want To Be Part Of Microsoft's Revolution?

There's been a lot of hoopla about the simultaneous announcements of Microsoft Vista Beta 2, 2007 Microsoft Office Beta 2, and Longhorn Vista Server Beta 2. In fact, there's been so much coverage from all the various online and print media that I've been tempted to find myself a beta blocker. (Sorry—a little health care humor there.)

Actually, I shouldn't be the one to complain. I'm part of the problem, having written a review of Office and having helped edit Preston Gralla's take on the new features in Vista. But after some thought, I've decided the reason this new beta is such a big deal isn't just because it has a snazzy (or scuzzy, depending on your point of view) new interface and a bunch of new features. It's because 99% of people who work on computers use either office suites or one or more components of office suites, and so any new development in word processors, spreadsheets, personal information managers, and so on could affect them.

For example, if your boss decides it's better to switch, how much time will employees spend adjusting to the new software? How many of your current templates will have to be rewritten? How much training will have to be done? How many of your company's clients will suddenly find themselves with late orders because the changeover didn't go well? How many times will you send a document in Microsoft's new Open XML format only to discover your recipient can't read it? (Don't laugh—I managed to do just that when I sent this newsletter to its editors.) In other words, how much change will you have to cope with?

This is a problem that a lot of IT people are going to have to deal with in the coming months as companies decide where to go with their equipment and their budgets. Most companies, I suspect, are going to play it safe—or, at least, careful—and wait until switching to a new operating system or even to a new office suite.

Some may decide to jump ship entirely. There are now a lot more choices out in the marketplace for companies that don't want to play in Microsoft's backyard, not the least of which is Linux and its associated applications. End users also have more choices as basic applications become available as either freeware (as in OpenOffice) or online (as in Google Calendar). In fact, last week we offered one PC user's take on moving away from Microsoft. Check out David Haskin's story, "Kicking The Microsoft Habit."

But there are those companies that will immediately grab at Microsoft's shiny new toy. I can't totally blame them. I can understand the temptation to become part of technology's front lines and to be the first to experience the advantages that the new operating system and applications can bring. But I've got a bit of advice for the IT staffers who work for those companies and who will have to implement all these innovative, bleeding-edge changes: Have a lot of band-aids handy.

What do you think? Is your company planning to move to Vista and/or 2007 Office ASAP, or is it going to wait awhile? Or are you turning to another operating system entirely? Let us know your situation at my blog post.

Barbara Krasnoff
[email protected]
www.informationweek.com

2. Today's Top Story

Microsoft, Intel Debut Pay-As-You-Go PC For Emerging Markets
The program is designed to compete with the One Laptop Per Child program, which plans to sell $100 laptops in emerging countries.

3. Breaking News

Exploit Of Windows 2000 Zero-Day To Hit In June
The exploit, which gives an attacker full access to a PC, leverages a flaw in the operating system's kernel that can be triggered through the Server Message Block protocol.

Analysis: Microsoft Previews Heavy-Duty Web Development Tools
Microsoft's Expression line is squarely aimed at Adobe. Microsoft's previous entry in the Web development tools market, FrontPage, was generally derided by professionals as a lightweight, standards-unfriendly program for novices.

NY Teen Pair Charged In MySpace Extortion Plot
The two hacked into MySpace.com and allegedly threatened to release new exploit code unless MySpace came up with $150,000.

Yahoo, eBay Announce Multiyear Partnership
Yahoo becomes eBay's exclusive third-party provider of all graphical advertisements for eBay.com and will sponsor some of eBay's search result pages in the U.S.

Study Finds Users Happier With Their Cell Phones
JD Power polled more than 18,000 users about the design, operation, features, durability, and battery life of their phones, and satisfaction was up by around 4% overall.

Vista Guidebook Back Online
A 300-page product guide can be downloaded in either Word format or the original XML Paper Specification format, which Microsoft touts as a replacement for Adobe's popular PDF.

Sony Plays 'Name That Tune' On Cell Phones
Walkman phone owners can identify the music they're hearing via Gracenote's Global Media Database.

Cell Phones Become Car Navigation Systems
After a customer downloads the Rand McNally software, there's a $10-per-month fee for the service, the company says.

Nokia Derides Qualcomm Patent Suit
Nokia hasn't seen any official legal documents regarding the suit, the company says, and adds that it holds 223 patents related to the technology in question, namely cellular data over GSM networks.

Windows Vista Collaboration: A Big Step Forward, But Still An Island
There's no way for third-party collaboration or messaging tools, such as instant messenger programs or Skype, to hook into Windows Collaboration.

All Our Latest News

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In the current episode:

Doug Henschen With 'Managing Content'
Microsoft gets set to launch Enterprise Content Management.

Elena Malykhina With 'Hi-Tech Grads'
Check out the latest cool gadgets for grads this year.

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4. Grab Bag

Better Sound In Small Packages (New York Times - Reg. Required)
When you bop down the street with your iPod, are you trading music fidelity for portability? This NY Times piece describes how music companies are trying to make the best of the technology and offer the best audio experience they can.

The Rise Of Crowdsourcing (Wired)
According to Wired writer Jeff Howe, outsourcing is no longer the problem—crowdsourcing is. When you can scan the Web for amateur photos at $1 a snap, why would you pay a professional top dollar? And how will that pro now pay the rent?

Apple's New Store is Pure Glass (BusinessWeek)
When is a new store a news story? When it's Apple's latest Fifth Avenue retail outlet, which is hidden under a huge glass cube.

------- Now Hiring ----------------------
S.E.C. seeking Assistant Director of Enterprise Systems in D.C.

S.E.C. seeking Branch Chief of Network Engineering in D.C.

Ajilon seeking hands-on Project Manager in San Francisco

HSBC seeking Distributed Systems Analyst in Salinas, CA

American Broadcasting Company seeking Satellite Distribution Svc. Mgr. in NYC

For more great jobs, career-related news, features and services, please visit CMP Media's TechCareers.
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5. In Depth: Reviews And Personal Tech

Windows Vista Beta 2: Great Search, Improved Security, Hardware Snags
Preston Gralla takes a close look at the new features in Beta 2. The news is mostly good.

Palm Treo 700p: A PDA For Work And Play
Palm's new Treo has the business pro in mind with new PDF file support and its ability to turn into a modem—but it takes video and plays music, too.

Review: Casio EX-Z850 Camera
The new 8.1-megapixel $399 Casio Exilim camera isn't perfect, but it takes great shots and has plenty of cool features.

Online Baseball Tournament Launches
Netamin aims to create a virtual sports league and community through its contest, which will let sports fans and gamers play a virtual version of baseball in real time on any PC with a broadband connection.

Review: Linksys Wireless-N Equipment Isn't Quite There Yet
Results were poor at best in our testing of new Linksys 802.11n gear, which showed no real benefit over current 802.11g technology.

Review: mobiBLU B153 Music Player
This all-purpose music player isn't for everyone. But if you crave monster battery life, or are frustrated by iTunes, or want extras like good voice recording and FM radio in your player, you'll love the B153. If you want simplicity and elegance, look elsewhere.

6. Voice Of Authority

XM Satellite Woes Offer Opening For HD Radio
Alexander Wolfe thinks XM satellite radio could become the next cable TV—unless HD radio gets there first.

7. White Papers

Error-Free Web Services: Developing A Secure Service-Oriented Architecture
As more Web services integrate into core processing systems, reliability and performance becomes critical. Parasoft tells about an automated tool for testing Web services that can ensure complete Web service functionality, interoperability, and security.

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