2JA Blog » Uncategorized http://www.2ja.org Just another Blog By Arash Kardan Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:08:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 en Mojave: The Experiment Continues… http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/27/mojave-the-experiment-continues%e2%80%a6/ http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/27/mojave-the-experiment-continues%e2%80%a6/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:08:00 +0000 Chris Flores d5e57398-b9ef-4490-9955-07cbb4e4a80d:500894 I'm posting this on behalf of my colleague David Webster:

I'm David Webster --the guy "deep in the ranks" who dreamed up the Mojave Experiment. Today we updated the website with a few new videos, including sharing with you the fiercely debated demos that the participants were shown.  We encourage everyone to take a look at the videos, ask questions or air concerns (or even compliments). First I wanted to provide some context and clarify a few things.

It's been a couple weeks since we launched the Mojave Experiment, and the reaction in the blogosphere has been fascinating to watch. You should see my inbox - some of you really liked how the experiment helped you say "I told you so" to haters who'd just jumped on the bandwagon without trying for themselves. Others thought it was interesting but were skeptical about the validity of the project's methodology, and others still questioned our sanity (not the first time) for doing the experiment in the first place. There were lots of questions - some wondered if we rigged the results, cherry picked videos or even brought in actors to pose as consumers.  Fair enough. You should be skeptical. After all, the basic message of the Mojave Experiment is decide for yourself.  In that spirit, don't take my word for it either.  Go ahead and check out the new site for answers to the most frequent questions we got over the last few weeks.

We've also heard from supporters loud and clear that we needed to do more marketing around Windows Vista to regular users, and that is exactly what we are doing with the Mojave Experiment. As we have discussed, we're working to get the Mojave message out to consumers through website updates, retail activities and ads on cable stations. However, I do want to stress that while the Mojave Experiment is part of Microsoft's broader effort to talk about the value of Windows Vista, it is separate from the Crispin, Porter & Bogusky campaign you may have heard about in recent weeks. Stay tuned for more details on that one...for now I'm just here to discuss Mojave.

Well, here's why we went ahead with Mojave in the first place.

It should surprise no one that we believe Windows Vista today is a great product; it may surprise some that most current Windows Vista customers agree. In fact, we researched satisfaction levels among existing Windows Vista customers - the survey found that nearly 9 of 10 (i.e. 89%) of customers are either satisfied or very satisfied with their Windows Vista experience. And, satisfaction is increasing over time - customer sat level is 92% satisfied/very satisfied among those who bought Windows Vista during the last 6 months. More than 180 million Windows Vista licenses have been sold (as of June 30, 2008), and, as analysts have reported, corporate adoption rates are consistent with Windows XP rates in similar timeframes. So looking strictly at customer satisfaction and sales data, things are going very well for Windows Vista.

At the same time, we recognize that noise in the market created by a vocal minority can discourage regular people from trying the product for themselves. We're confident these people would find a lot to like about Windows Vista if they spent even 5-10 minutes taking a closer look. We wanted to confirm that hypothesis and see what happens when people get a second chance to make a first impression.

This led to the idea that led to the test that turned into the Mojave Experiment. And the hypothesis was confirmed when across the board, participants concluded that they needed to take another look before simply accepting what they'd heard. In fact, we had plans for a fun section of the site that highlighted any test subjects who didn't change their minds about Windows Vista. But we didn't get any.

The Windows Vista operating system delivered big changes in security, performance and graphics capabilities. These were long-term changes designed to bring customers forward and they are paying off, but it's true they also created near-term pain for customers immediately following launch - notably, some applications and devices didn't work (or work well) on Windows Vista. The product has come a long way since then. We and our partners have worked extremely hard to fix incompatibilities and optimize drivers for increased performance and stability. We shipped SP1 and countless other Windows Updates that have significantly improved Windows Vista over the last 18 months.

Again, we know from lots of user and non-user data that the closer they look the more they will like it. We just needed to give them a reason to take another look.

For a breakdown of the mechanics and results or just to see what's new, visit: http://www.mojaveexperiment.com/

]]> I'm posting this on behalf of my colleague David Webster:

I'm David Webster --the guy "deep in the ranks" who dreamed up the Mojave Experiment. Today we updated the website with a few new videos, including sharing with you the fiercely debated demos that the participants were shown.  We encourage everyone to take a look at the videos, ask questions or air concerns (or even compliments). First I wanted to provide some context and clarify a few things.

It's been a couple weeks since we launched the Mojave Experiment, and the reaction in the blogosphere has been fascinating to watch. You should see my inbox - some of you really liked how the experiment helped you say "I told you so" to haters who'd just jumped on the bandwagon without trying for themselves. Others thought it was interesting but were skeptical about the validity of the project's methodology, and others still questioned our sanity (not the first time) for doing the experiment in the first place. There were lots of questions - some wondered if we rigged the results, cherry picked videos or even brought in actors to pose as consumers.  Fair enough. You should be skeptical. After all, the basic message of the Mojave Experiment is decide for yourself.  In that spirit, don't take my word for it either.  Go ahead and check out the new site for answers to the most frequent questions we got over the last few weeks.

We've also heard from supporters loud and clear that we needed to do more marketing around Windows Vista to regular users, and that is exactly what we are doing with the Mojave Experiment. As we have discussed, we're working to get the Mojave message out to consumers through website updates, retail activities and ads on cable stations. However, I do want to stress that while the Mojave Experiment is part of Microsoft's broader effort to talk about the value of Windows Vista, it is separate from the Crispin, Porter & Bogusky campaign you may have heard about in recent weeks. Stay tuned for more details on that one...for now I'm just here to discuss Mojave.

Well, here's why we went ahead with Mojave in the first place.

It should surprise no one that we believe Windows Vista today is a great product; it may surprise some that most current Windows Vista customers agree. In fact, we researched satisfaction levels among existing Windows Vista customers - the survey found that nearly 9 of 10 (i.e. 89%) of customers are either satisfied or very satisfied with their Windows Vista experience. And, satisfaction is increasing over time - customer sat level is 92% satisfied/very satisfied among those who bought Windows Vista during the last 6 months. More than 180 million Windows Vista licenses have been sold (as of June 30, 2008), and, as analysts have reported, corporate adoption rates are consistent with Windows XP rates in similar timeframes. So looking strictly at customer satisfaction and sales data, things are going very well for Windows Vista.

At the same time, we recognize that noise in the market created by a vocal minority can discourage regular people from trying the product for themselves. We're confident these people would find a lot to like about Windows Vista if they spent even 5-10 minutes taking a closer look. We wanted to confirm that hypothesis and see what happens when people get a second chance to make a first impression.

This led to the idea that led to the test that turned into the Mojave Experiment. And the hypothesis was confirmed when across the board, participants concluded that they needed to take another look before simply accepting what they'd heard. In fact, we had plans for a fun section of the site that highlighted any test subjects who didn't change their minds about Windows Vista. But we didn't get any.

The Windows Vista operating system delivered big changes in security, performance and graphics capabilities. These were long-term changes designed to bring customers forward and they are paying off, but it's true they also created near-term pain for customers immediately following launch - notably, some applications and devices didn't work (or work well) on Windows Vista. The product has come a long way since then. We and our partners have worked extremely hard to fix incompatibilities and optimize drivers for increased performance and stability. We shipped SP1 and countless other Windows Updates that have significantly improved Windows Vista over the last 18 months.

Again, we know from lots of user and non-user data that the closer they look the more they will like it. We just needed to give them a reason to take another look.

For a breakdown of the mechanics and results or just to see what's new, visit: http://www.mojaveexperiment.com/

]]> http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/27/mojave-the-experiment-continues%e2%80%a6/feed/ Windows Vista Adoption Keeps Growing http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/26/windows-vista-adoption-keeps-growing/ http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/26/windows-vista-adoption-keeps-growing/#comments Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:13:00 +0000 Chris Flores d5e57398-b9ef-4490-9955-07cbb4e4a80d:500866 Computerworld. In light of the various claims, I thought I would offer up some perspective on Windows Vista deployment numbers ... and what experienced industry watchers, like Forrester and CDW, are saying about Windows Vista.

First, you've heard us say before that we've sold more than 180 million Windows Vista licenses (40 million of those in the last quarter alone) and that major enterprises like Continental Airlines, the United States Air Force, Virgin Megastores, Charter, Avanade, Eastman Chemical and PPG are deploying seats by the thousands (and in some cases by the tens of thousands).  That's still true. You can read about these and other Windows Vista deployments at Microsoft.com/casestudies.

Consistent with findings from other reputable sources, Forrester Research just published a new report on enterprise OS adoption. According to the abstract: "Forrester's month-on-month study of more than 50,000 of our clients' OS preferences confirmed that users are on track with enterprises' initial Windows Vista deployment plans. IT operations folks are at a critical inflection point and should deploy Windows Vista to: 1) stay current with Microsoft's and independent software vendors' (ISVs') support life cycles; 2) help minimize today's security, management, and productivity challenges; and 3) better position your business to eventually embrace "Windows 7," because Windows Vista investments will ultimately pay off with better compatibility for this next release." Even the Wall Street Journal is picking up on this and in his blog post over the weekend, Ben Worthen includes some nuggets from the report like: "between October 2007 and June 2008 the percentage of visitors running Vista climbed from 5% to 8.8%." Ben also says that "it's pretty safe to assume that the operating system's image problems with the general public will soon be a thing of the past."

What about the guys on the ground who are selling, installing and implementing Windows Vista? Not surprisingly, they're seeing growing demand too. For example, CDW, one of the nation's largest technology resellers and system integrators, found in their third Windows Vista Tracking Poll that Windows Vista is "gaining traction" in the business market, with 48 percent of respondents saying their organization is using or evaluating Windows Vista. That compares with 29 percent in CDW's February 2007 poll. You can check the Seattle Times commentary on this.

The chorus of industry commentators, analysts, partners and real enterprise users confirm what we already knew - businesses are buying, using and liking Windows Vista. If you haven't already, try it and decide for yourself.  

]]> Computerworld. In light of the various claims, I thought I would offer up some perspective on Windows Vista deployment numbers ... and what experienced industry watchers, like Forrester and CDW, are saying about Windows Vista.

First, you've heard us say before that we've sold more than 180 million Windows Vista licenses (40 million of those in the last quarter alone) and that major enterprises like Continental Airlines, the United States Air Force, Virgin Megastores, Charter, Avanade, Eastman Chemical and PPG are deploying seats by the thousands (and in some cases by the tens of thousands).  That's still true. You can read about these and other Windows Vista deployments at Microsoft.com/casestudies.

Consistent with findings from other reputable sources, Forrester Research just published a new report on enterprise OS adoption. According to the abstract: "Forrester's month-on-month study of more than 50,000 of our clients' OS preferences confirmed that users are on track with enterprises' initial Windows Vista deployment plans. IT operations folks are at a critical inflection point and should deploy Windows Vista to: 1) stay current with Microsoft's and independent software vendors' (ISVs') support life cycles; 2) help minimize today's security, management, and productivity challenges; and 3) better position your business to eventually embrace "Windows 7," because Windows Vista investments will ultimately pay off with better compatibility for this next release." Even the Wall Street Journal is picking up on this and in his blog post over the weekend, Ben Worthen includes some nuggets from the report like: "between October 2007 and June 2008 the percentage of visitors running Vista climbed from 5% to 8.8%." Ben also says that "it's pretty safe to assume that the operating system's image problems with the general public will soon be a thing of the past."

What about the guys on the ground who are selling, installing and implementing Windows Vista? Not surprisingly, they're seeing growing demand too. For example, CDW, one of the nation's largest technology resellers and system integrators, found in their third Windows Vista Tracking Poll that Windows Vista is "gaining traction" in the business market, with 48 percent of respondents saying their organization is using or evaluating Windows Vista. That compares with 29 percent in CDW's February 2007 poll. You can check the Seattle Times commentary on this.

The chorus of industry commentators, analysts, partners and real enterprise users confirm what we already knew - businesses are buying, using and liking Windows Vista. If you haven't already, try it and decide for yourself.  

]]> http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/26/windows-vista-adoption-keeps-growing/feed/ Windows Vista: A better investment for your investments http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/22/windows-vista-a-better-investment-for-your-investments/ http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/22/windows-vista-a-better-investment-for-your-investments/#comments Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:32:00 +0000 Chris Flores d5e57398-b9ef-4490-9955-07cbb4e4a80d:500811 Interesting article in USA Today from Matt Krantz, the publication's financial markets reporter and an expert on online investing. Matt offers up an unbiased answer to a reader's question: What's a better computer for online investing, a PC or a Mac?

Not surprisingly, Krantz advises that Windows Vista PCs  win "hands-down" over Macs for things like better software compatibility, better community support, IE and greater user productivity. And his fundamental point on cost should hit home for anyone (not just online investors) in the market for a new computer:

...For less than $500, you can buy a Compaq Presario CQ50Z laptop. It comes with a 1.9 GHz dual-core processor, 1 gigabyte of memory, an Nvidia GeForce graphics card, 120 gigabyte harddrive and wireless networking. A capable machine by today's standards and more than adequate for an online investor, for less than $500.

Now, let's see what's available from Apple. You'll need to spend at least $1,099 for a MacBook, which comes with the same memory and hard drive. The MacBook has a slightly faster microprocessor, 2.1 GHz, but you won't notice the difference if you're just Web surfing.

In this case, you save $600 that could be invested in stocks instead of sent to Cupertino...

For most people, a 156% price mark-up is too steep for admission to the club (and most people don't buy computers to join clubs anyway). Picking a Windows Vista PC over a Mac is no-brainer for business customers in particular - it's a smarter use of resources, offers hardware choice (something sorely lacking with Macs), and flexibility to use whichever applications make the most sense.

]]> Interesting article in USA Today from Matt Krantz, the publication's financial markets reporter and an expert on online investing. Matt offers up an unbiased answer to a reader's question: What's a better computer for online investing, a PC or a Mac?

Not surprisingly, Krantz advises that Windows Vista PCs  win "hands-down" over Macs for things like better software compatibility, better community support, IE and greater user productivity. And his fundamental point on cost should hit home for anyone (not just online investors) in the market for a new computer:

...For less than $500, you can buy a Compaq Presario CQ50Z laptop. It comes with a 1.9 GHz dual-core processor, 1 gigabyte of memory, an Nvidia GeForce graphics card, 120 gigabyte harddrive and wireless networking. A capable machine by today's standards and more than adequate for an online investor, for less than $500.

Now, let's see what's available from Apple. You'll need to spend at least $1,099 for a MacBook, which comes with the same memory and hard drive. The MacBook has a slightly faster microprocessor, 2.1 GHz, but you won't notice the difference if you're just Web surfing.

In this case, you save $600 that could be invested in stocks instead of sent to Cupertino...

For most people, a 156% price mark-up is too steep for admission to the club (and most people don't buy computers to join clubs anyway). Picking a Windows Vista PC over a Mac is no-brainer for business customers in particular - it's a smarter use of resources, offers hardware choice (something sorely lacking with Macs), and flexibility to use whichever applications make the most sense.

]]> http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/22/windows-vista-a-better-investment-for-your-investments/feed/ Get ready for SES 2008 http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/15/get-ready-for-ses-2008/ http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/15/get-ready-for-ses-2008/#comments Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:13:00 +0000 livesearch 91d46819-8472-40ad-a661-2c78acb4018c:8868903 A quick note about my upcoming keynote at the Search Engine Strategies conference, Tuesday, August 19th at 9:00 am in San Jose. Kevin Ryan and the entire SES organization put on one of the best search conferences around. This year I have the privilege to present to more than 4,000 of you down in the Valley. Our large presence around the show will let us hear from all of you about our products and services and help us better understand the perspective that you bring to the show.

During my keynote on day two, I'll share with you our perspectives on how the search landscape has changed and how it will continue to evolve, based on key trends and our ability as an industry to react to them. I'll take you back in time a bit to talk about our early days of search marketing and look forward to the industry’s recent moves into semantic search. It’s an exciting time for us all as we begin to usher in a new phase of search that looks at how we can deliver a more intuitive user experience and a better ROI for advertisers. With these changes, I'll talk about how Microsoft is addressing and embracing this evolution. Specifically, I'll highlight some of the new product features, including Live Search cashback, which we unveiled at Advance08. I’ll also focus on how we think about building more open and sophisticated tools for advertisers and publishers, and show a few demos like our recently released Webmaster tools.

All of this, coupled with a Q&A session with Kevin Ryan, should make for a great opportunity to talk about how search is evolving and where Microsoft is headed.

I look forward to meeting many of you at another great SES San Jose conference. And please stop by our booth #309.

Satya Nadella, Senior Vice President, Search, Portal, and Advertising

Where you can find us

Monday, August 18

Tuesday, August 19

We're also hosting a sponsored session, Diagnose SEO Issues Using Live Search Webmaster Tools, on Tuesday from 2:45pm-3:45pm. Speakers are:

    • Nathan Buggia, Program Manager Lead, Webmaster Tools, Microsoft
    • Andy Woods, Development Lead, Webmaster Tools, Microsoft
    • Ani Babaian, Senior Product Manager, Webmaster Tools, Microsoft

Wednesday, August 20

Thursday, August 21

Find out more about Microsoft's presence at SES in the Webmaster blog and the adCenter blog.

]]> A quick note about my upcoming keynote at the Search Engine Strategies conference, Tuesday, August 19th at 9:00 am in San Jose. Kevin Ryan and the entire SES organization put on one of the best search conferences around. This year I have the privilege to present to more than 4,000 of you down in the Valley. Our large presence around the show will let us hear from all of you about our products and services and help us better understand the perspective that you bring to the show.

During my keynote on day two, I'll share with you our perspectives on how the search landscape has changed and how it will continue to evolve, based on key trends and our ability as an industry to react to them. I'll take you back in time a bit to talk about our early days of search marketing and look forward to the industry’s recent moves into semantic search. It’s an exciting time for us all as we begin to usher in a new phase of search that looks at how we can deliver a more intuitive user experience and a better ROI for advertisers. With these changes, I'll talk about how Microsoft is addressing and embracing this evolution. Specifically, I'll highlight some of the new product features, including Live Search cashback, which we unveiled at Advance08. I’ll also focus on how we think about building more open and sophisticated tools for advertisers and publishers, and show a few demos like our recently released Webmaster tools.

All of this, coupled with a Q&A session with Kevin Ryan, should make for a great opportunity to talk about how search is evolving and where Microsoft is headed.

I look forward to meeting many of you at another great SES San Jose conference. And please stop by our booth #309.

Satya Nadella, Senior Vice President, Search, Portal, and Advertising

Where you can find us

Monday, August 18

Tuesday, August 19

We're also hosting a sponsored session, Diagnose SEO Issues Using Live Search Webmaster Tools, on Tuesday from 2:45pm-3:45pm. Speakers are:

    • Nathan Buggia, Program Manager Lead, Webmaster Tools, Microsoft
    • Andy Woods, Development Lead, Webmaster Tools, Microsoft
    • Ani Babaian, Senior Product Manager, Webmaster Tools, Microsoft

Wednesday, August 20

Thursday, August 21

Find out more about Microsoft's presence at SES in the Webmaster blog and the adCenter blog.

]]> http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/15/get-ready-for-ses-2008/feed/ Video Demo: Identifying Security Vulnerabilities for Your Desktop Infrastructure http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/14/video-demo-identifying-security-vulnerabilities-for-your-desktop-infrastructure/ http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/14/video-demo-identifying-security-vulnerabilities-for-your-desktop-infrastructure/#comments Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:20:00 +0000 Baldwin Ng d5e57398-b9ef-4490-9955-07cbb4e4a80d:500678 Whether you are planning to deploy Windows Vista or already did, it is important that you keep security high on your list and make sure that all of your desktops are secured.  So, how do you know if your desktops have Windows Firewall settings turned off?  What if some desktops do not have Anti-Virus or Anti-Spyware software installed?

To quickly get an answer, please check out the new Security Center assessment feature that we have added to the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 3.1 released in June.  It auto-generates a security assessment report on your existing desktops as part of the "Windows Vista hardware assessment" migration report.

 

What's Next?

Start identifying these security vulnerabilities today with a free download of the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit.  You may also view the new MAP Toolkit demo video and learn how to get the Security Center assessment report as well as the hardware compatibility assessment report for Windows Vista migration.

Cheers,

Baldwin Ng

Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft Solution Accelerators Team

 

 

 

]]> Whether you are planning to deploy Windows Vista or already did, it is important that you keep security high on your list and make sure that all of your desktops are secured.  So, how do you know if your desktops have Windows Firewall settings turned off?  What if some desktops do not have Anti-Virus or Anti-Spyware software installed?

To quickly get an answer, please check out the new Security Center assessment feature that we have added to the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 3.1 released in June.  It auto-generates a security assessment report on your existing desktops as part of the "Windows Vista hardware assessment" migration report.

 

What's Next?

Start identifying these security vulnerabilities today with a free download of the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit.  You may also view the new MAP Toolkit demo video and learn how to get the Security Center assessment report as well as the hardware compatibility assessment report for Windows Vista migration.

Cheers,

Baldwin Ng

Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft Solution Accelerators Team

 

 

 

]]> http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/14/video-demo-identifying-security-vulnerabilities-for-your-desktop-infrastructure/feed/ We’re bringing the Olympics to you http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/07/were-bringing-the-olympics-to-you/ http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/07/were-bringing-the-olympics-to-you/#comments Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:14:00 +0000 livesearch 91d46819-8472-40ad-a661-2c78acb4018c:8840143 Microsoft is into the Olympics in a big way through our partnership with NBC on NBCOlympics.com, the official online home of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing! And Live Search is ready to help you find everything you want during the games.

 

Feeling competitive? We’ve made it easy for you to find out if your country is ahead or behind – just search for “Olympic medals” and you'll get up-to-the-minute tallies by country:

 

Check it often to watch those medals add up!

 

If you just want to see a specific country or sport, you can do that, too. Try “Medals for Portugal” or  “Medals for Swimming” and you'll get the latest counts as they happen:

It isn’t always about who is winning, although those heart-wrenching stories of hardship leading up to victory make some Olympians more popular than others. If you don’t want to be left out of the conversation over lunch, check out Olympic xRank. Not only will you know who is hotter than the torch but why.

 

On the other hand, if you hear an athlete’s name or want to find out why you keep seeing their face on your co-workers' monitors, try our Athlete Answer. Enter “Michael Phelps” and we give you everything you need in a neat little package:

 

Speaking of news, we’ve pulled it all together for you with our new Olympic News scope. We look for stories – articles and videos – across all the sources we can find and constantly provide the freshest, most relevant stories for you. If you just want to get right to the videos of the events and athletes try video search.

 

And we're not done! In our last blog post, we introduced you to our new homepage. It's gotten great reception and we wanted to do something special during the Olympics, so we'll be updating the image twice a day with great shots from the Games. Watch for it when the Olympics begin on 8/8/08.

 

We hope your team brings home the gold from Beijing!

 

Jacquelyn Krones - Senior Product Planner for Live Search

]]> Microsoft is into the Olympics in a big way through our partnership with NBC on NBCOlympics.com, the official online home of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing! And Live Search is ready to help you find everything you want during the games.

 

Feeling competitive? We’ve made it easy for you to find out if your country is ahead or behind – just search for “Olympic medals” and you'll get up-to-the-minute tallies by country:

 

Check it often to watch those medals add up!

 

If you just want to see a specific country or sport, you can do that, too. Try “Medals for Portugal” or  “Medals for Swimming” and you'll get the latest counts as they happen:

It isn’t always about who is winning, although those heart-wrenching stories of hardship leading up to victory make some Olympians more popular than others. If you don’t want to be left out of the conversation over lunch, check out Olympic xRank. Not only will you know who is hotter than the torch but why.

 

On the other hand, if you hear an athlete’s name or want to find out why you keep seeing their face on your co-workers' monitors, try our Athlete Answer. Enter “Michael Phelps” and we give you everything you need in a neat little package:

 

Speaking of news, we’ve pulled it all together for you with our new Olympic News scope. We look for stories – articles and videos – across all the sources we can find and constantly provide the freshest, most relevant stories for you. If you just want to get right to the videos of the events and athletes try video search.

 

And we're not done! In our last blog post, we introduced you to our new homepage. It's gotten great reception and we wanted to do something special during the Olympics, so we'll be updating the image twice a day with great shots from the Games. Watch for it when the Olympics begin on 8/8/08.

 

We hope your team brings home the gold from Beijing!

 

Jacquelyn Krones - Senior Product Planner for Live Search

]]> http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/07/were-bringing-the-olympics-to-you/feed/ Improve your site’s standing with new Webmaster tools http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/06/improve-your-sites-standing-with-new-webmaster-tools/ http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/06/improve-your-sites-standing-with-new-webmaster-tools/#comments Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:35:00 +0000 livesearch 91d46819-8472-40ad-a661-2c78acb4018c:8838235 Today we are bringing our Webmaster Tools out of beta and releasing several new features that help webmasters see how Live Search crawls and indexes your sites. As a website owner, you can use these tools to improve your results on Live Search when a someone is looking for your site. The new Webmaster tools give you more data about referring links, identify issues Live Search encountered when crawling your site, and help you improve the overall indexing of your site. For the full story about this release, see the Webmaster Center Blog.

You can check out the new tools at http://webmaster.live.com/. And for questions, be sure to visit the Live Search Webmaster forums.

Nathan Buggia, Live Search Webmaster Center

]]> Today we are bringing our Webmaster Tools out of beta and releasing several new features that help webmasters see how Live Search crawls and indexes your sites. As a website owner, you can use these tools to improve your results on Live Search when a someone is looking for your site. The new Webmaster tools give you more data about referring links, identify issues Live Search encountered when crawling your site, and help you improve the overall indexing of your site. For the full story about this release, see the Webmaster Center Blog.

You can check out the new tools at http://webmaster.live.com/. And for questions, be sure to visit the Live Search Webmaster forums.

Nathan Buggia, Live Search Webmaster Center

]]> http://www.2ja.org/2008/08/06/improve-your-sites-standing-with-new-webmaster-tools/feed/ Windows Vista 64-bit Today http://www.2ja.org/2008/07/31/windows-vista-64-bit-today/ http://www.2ja.org/2008/07/31/windows-vista-64-bit-today/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:44:00 +0000 Chris Flores d5e57398-b9ef-4490-9955-07cbb4e4a80d:500274 the move from 32-bit to 64-bit PCs.

We've been tracking the change by looking at the percentage of 64-bit PCs connecting to Windows Update, and have seen a dramatic increase in recent months. The installed base of 64-bit Windows Vista PCs, as a percentage of all Windows Vista systems, has more than tripled in the U.S. in the last three months, while worldwide adoption has more than doubled during the same period.  Another view shows that 20% of new Windows Vista PCs in the U.S. connecting to Windows Update in June were 64-bit PCs, up from just 3% in March. Put more simply, usage of 64-bit Windows Vista is growing much more rapidly than 32-bit. Based on current trends, this growth will accelerate as the retail channel shifts to supplying a rapidly increasing assortment of 64-bit desktops and laptops.

64-bit PCs running 64-bit editions of Windows Vista typically have 4GB of memory or more. Compared to 32-bit systems, which top out at around 3GB of memory, 64-bit PCs can offer added responsiveness when running a lot of applications at the same time and have the potential for greater performance and new experiences as next-generations applications are written to take advantage of this new platform.

What started out as a gradual (some would say "glacial") movement toward 64-bit PCs, driven primarily by technology enthusiasts, seems to have turned into a swift transition, likely fueled by the falling cost of memory and consumers' desire to get the most out of their PCs.

This change begs a few questions:

Is the 64 bit market ready to go mainstream?

Will consumers realize the benefits from larger chips and 4GB or more of memory?

The answer to both of these questions is yes - but a qualified yes.

Preconfigured 64-bit PCs obtained from retailers or PC manufacturers should work quite well.  This is in stark contrast to the experience of many technology enthusiasts who built their 64-bit PC from scratch and may have had to scour the Web looking for drivers.  So, unless you really love to tinker with your PC, we suggest you buy a pre-built 64-bit PC at retail or directly from a PC manufacturer.

Beyond the box, you also need to consider the hardware peripherals and software programs you plan on using with your new PC. Any hardware or software product displaying the ‘Works with Windows Vista' or ‘Certified for Windows Vista' logo must be compatible with both the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows Vista in order to warrant the use of the logo. If you don't see the logo, visit the Windows Vista Compatibility Center and check the 64-bit compatibility status. Hardware and software vendors continue to test and improve their products. Please note that the Windows Vista Compatibility Center is currently in beta. In some cases it is possible that a device may be marked as not compatible when in fact it is. I recommend that you also check with the device manufacturer to see if the compatibility status of your desired device has changed.

On the performance front, 64-bit PCs can provide a more responsive experience when running many applications simultaneously. Websites such as Bit.Tech.Net and Tom's Hardware have published performance benchmarks detailing some of the improvements realized from running the 64-bit PCs. In addition, PC Accelerators built into Windows Vista, such as Windows SuperFetch, improve performance by keeping commonly used programs in memory, even when the program is closed. More memory capacity on 64-bit PCs allows SuperFetch to do its job more efficiently.  

But if you only use your PC for a few tasks, and rarely do them at the same time, then you're unlikely to realize a measurable performance benefit today.  Of course, buying extra capacity for your future, unplanned needs is always worth considering.

In the future, we expect both compatibility and performance of 64-bit PCs to continue to improve. Most hardware devices have 64-bit drivers today and most software products work unmodified because of the 32-bit emulation technology in 64-bit Windows Vista (called WOW64). But there are some gaps, especially in the long tail of the market, but we expect rapid improvement now that 64-bit PCs are getting so popular.

Over time we'll see more 64-bit-optimized programs hit the market, which promise dramatic performance and experience improvements. A few key ones, like Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop and Sony Vegas Pro video editing software, are due to be released this fall. If you're a software or hardware developer, visit our 64-bit readiness page to learn more about 64-bit compatibility and optimization.

]]> the move from 32-bit to 64-bit PCs.

We've been tracking the change by looking at the percentage of 64-bit PCs connecting to Windows Update, and have seen a dramatic increase in recent months. The installed base of 64-bit Windows Vista PCs, as a percentage of all Windows Vista systems, has more than tripled in the U.S. in the last three months, while worldwide adoption has more than doubled during the same period.  Another view shows that 20% of new Windows Vista PCs in the U.S. connecting to Windows Update in June were 64-bit PCs, up from just 3% in March. Put more simply, usage of 64-bit Windows Vista is growing much more rapidly than 32-bit. Based on current trends, this growth will accelerate as the retail channel shifts to supplying a rapidly increasing assortment of 64-bit desktops and laptops.

64-bit PCs running 64-bit editions of Windows Vista typically have 4GB of memory or more. Compared to 32-bit systems, which top out at around 3GB of memory, 64-bit PCs can offer added responsiveness when running a lot of applications at the same time and have the potential for greater performance and new experiences as next-generations applications are written to take advantage of this new platform.

What started out as a gradual (some would say "glacial") movement toward 64-bit PCs, driven primarily by technology enthusiasts, seems to have turned into a swift transition, likely fueled by the falling cost of memory and consumers' desire to get the most out of their PCs.

This change begs a few questions:

Is the 64 bit market ready to go mainstream?

Will consumers realize the benefits from larger chips and 4GB or more of memory?

The answer to both of these questions is yes - but a qualified yes.

Preconfigured 64-bit PCs obtained from retailers or PC manufacturers should work quite well.  This is in stark contrast to the experience of many technology enthusiasts who built their 64-bit PC from scratch and may have had to scour the Web looking for drivers.  So, unless you really love to tinker with your PC, we suggest you buy a pre-built 64-bit PC at retail or directly from a PC manufacturer.

Beyond the box, you also need to consider the hardware peripherals and software programs you plan on using with your new PC. Any hardware or software product displaying the ‘Works with Windows Vista' or ‘Certified for Windows Vista' logo must be compatible with both the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows Vista in order to warrant the use of the logo. If you don't see the logo, visit the Windows Vista Compatibility Center and check the 64-bit compatibility status. Hardware and software vendors continue to test and improve their products. Please note that the Windows Vista Compatibility Center is currently in beta. In some cases it is possible that a device may be marked as not compatible when in fact it is. I recommend that you also check with the device manufacturer to see if the compatibility status of your desired device has changed.

On the performance front, 64-bit PCs can provide a more responsive experience when running many applications simultaneously. Websites such as Bit.Tech.Net and Tom's Hardware have published performance benchmarks detailing some of the improvements realized from running the 64-bit PCs. In addition, PC Accelerators built into Windows Vista, such as Windows SuperFetch, improve performance by keeping commonly used programs in memory, even when the program is closed. More memory capacity on 64-bit PCs allows SuperFetch to do its job more efficiently.  

But if you only use your PC for a few tasks, and rarely do them at the same time, then you're unlikely to realize a measurable performance benefit today.  Of course, buying extra capacity for your future, unplanned needs is always worth considering.

In the future, we expect both compatibility and performance of 64-bit PCs to continue to improve. Most hardware devices have 64-bit drivers today and most software products work unmodified because of the 32-bit emulation technology in 64-bit Windows Vista (called WOW64). But there are some gaps, especially in the long tail of the market, but we expect rapid improvement now that 64-bit PCs are getting so popular.

Over time we'll see more 64-bit-optimized programs hit the market, which promise dramatic performance and experience improvements. A few key ones, like Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop and Sony Vegas Pro video editing software, are due to be released this fall. If you're a software or hardware developer, visit our 64-bit readiness page to learn more about 64-bit compatibility and optimization.

]]> http://www.2ja.org/2008/07/31/windows-vista-64-bit-today/feed/ New home page helps you explore more on the Web http://www.2ja.org/2008/07/30/new-home-page-helps-you-explore-more-on-the-web/ http://www.2ja.org/2008/07/30/new-home-page-helps-you-explore-more-on-the-web/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:00:00 +0000 livesearch 91d46819-8472-40ad-a661-2c78acb4018c:8789420 Live Search home page that received positive feedback from customers in trials last month. The new design features background images that will change frequently, augmented with what we call "hotspots." These interactive areas highlight parts of the image and help you explore search results related to the highlighted area. Users who have tested this new home page have found it both engaging and a great place to start a search.

New images and hotspots

In our release last spring we laid the foundation for this page. In this home page release we've added background home page images that we'll change regularly and hotspots that click through to great search results. Hotspots gleam to the user when the page first loads then fade into the image. Users can discover them again by moving their mouse over them, revealing details about the image and a link to a related search result. To ensure that users can start a search immediately, our base page loads first with the images and hotspots loading quickly afterward. Users on a broadband connection may not notice the two steps. Today we're releasing the new home page in the U.S. only, with more markets to follow in the future.

Image of two versions of Live Search home page

A great place to start a search

Our goal for the home page is to find the best way to enhance users' sense of discovery, surprise, and delight while balancing engineering realities for a great user experience.

Extensive user research and exploration of many concepts with our customers pointed us in the direction for this design. We want the page to be a great place to start a search and also to intrigue and inform as well. We think hotspots will help users discover parts of Live Search they might not know while not distracting from the core purpose of the page — searching.

We think the new design is a great start, but there's more to come, with lots of interesting directions that we'll be exploring in our next releases of the home page.

Chris Rayner, Senior Product Manager, and Zach Gutt, Senior Program Manager
Live Search User Experience team

]]> Live Search home page that received positive feedback from customers in trials last month. The new design features background images that will change frequently, augmented with what we call "hotspots." These interactive areas highlight parts of the image and help you explore search results related to the highlighted area. Users who have tested this new home page have found it both engaging and a great place to start a search.

New images and hotspots

In our release last spring we laid the foundation for this page. In this home page release we've added background home page images that we'll change regularly and hotspots that click through to great search results. Hotspots gleam to the user when the page first loads then fade into the image. Users can discover them again by moving their mouse over them, revealing details about the image and a link to a related search result. To ensure that users can start a search immediately, our base page loads first with the images and hotspots loading quickly afterward. Users on a broadband connection may not notice the two steps. Today we're releasing the new home page in the U.S. only, with more markets to follow in the future.

Image of two versions of Live Search home page

A great place to start a search

Our goal for the home page is to find the best way to enhance users' sense of discovery, surprise, and delight while balancing engineering realities for a great user experience.

Extensive user research and exploration of many concepts with our customers pointed us in the direction for this design. We want the page to be a great place to start a search and also to intrigue and inform as well. We think hotspots will help users discover parts of Live Search they might not know while not distracting from the core purpose of the page — searching.

We think the new design is a great start, but there's more to come, with lots of interesting directions that we'll be exploring in our next releases of the home page.

Chris Rayner, Senior Product Manager, and Zach Gutt, Senior Program Manager
Live Search User Experience team

]]> http://www.2ja.org/2008/07/30/new-home-page-helps-you-explore-more-on-the-web/feed/ Windows ‘Mojave’ Video Posts http://www.2ja.org/2008/07/29/windows-%e2%80%98mojave%e2%80%99-video-posts/ http://www.2ja.org/2008/07/29/windows-%e2%80%98mojave%e2%80%99-video-posts/#comments Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:09:00 +0000 Chris Flores d5e57398-b9ef-4490-9955-07cbb4e4a80d:500159 results with the public.

For those new to the Mojave Experiment, it's a focus group effort we initiated a few weeks ago. We interviewed and polled 120 participants in San Francisco, in hopes of better understanding everyday users' perceptions of Windows Vista and seeing whether there really is a gap between perception and reality. We wanted to see how people reacted to Windows Vista when they were not aware they were seeing Windows Vista. We recorded our discussions, and today you can see them for yourself.

Some other facts about the research: 

  • The focus group took place over three days in San Francisco and was conducted earlier this month.
  • All participants were either Mac, Linux, or users of versions of Windows that came before Windows Vista. Respondents were chosen from the focus group organizer's database, called at random, but then selected based on having a low perception of Vista (<5 rating on a scale of 1-10).
  • The participants were given a demo by a trained retail salesperson - geared towards the experiences they seemed most interested in following a series of interviews. While the retail salesperson drove the demo, it was geared by the interests and direction of the participant.
  • We did not use some geeked out or custom built PC. We used an HP Pavilion DV2500. It had 2GB of RAM and was running an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T7500 @ 2.20GHz. The OS was a 32 bit version of Windows Vista Ultimate.
  • Of the 120 respondents polled, on a scale of 1:10 where 10 was the highest rating, the average pre-rating for Windows Vista was 4.4. After they saw the demo, respondents rated Mojave an average of 8.5.

Finally, some people have asked if Mojave is the big marketing project we're working on - it's not. The Mojave Experiment is just that: an experiment we conducted on the fly that yielded interesting results. We're publishing the video today because we think you'll also find it interesting.

]]> results with the public.

For those new to the Mojave Experiment, it's a focus group effort we initiated a few weeks ago. We interviewed and polled 120 participants in San Francisco, in hopes of better understanding everyday users' perceptions of Windows Vista and seeing whether there really is a gap between perception and reality. We wanted to see how people reacted to Windows Vista when they were not aware they were seeing Windows Vista. We recorded our discussions, and today you can see them for yourself.

Some other facts about the research: 

  • The focus group took place over three days in San Francisco and was conducted earlier this month.
  • All participants were either Mac, Linux, or users of versions of Windows that came before Windows Vista. Respondents were chosen from the focus group organizer's database, called at random, but then selected based on having a low perception of Vista (<5 rating on a scale of 1-10).
  • The participants were given a demo by a trained retail salesperson - geared towards the experiences they seemed most interested in following a series of interviews. While the retail salesperson drove the demo, it was geared by the interests and direction of the participant.
  • We did not use some geeked out or custom built PC. We used an HP Pavilion DV2500. It had 2GB of RAM and was running an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T7500 @ 2.20GHz. The OS was a 32 bit version of Windows Vista Ultimate.
  • Of the 120 respondents polled, on a scale of 1:10 where 10 was the highest rating, the average pre-rating for Windows Vista was 4.4. After they saw the demo, respondents rated Mojave an average of 8.5.

Finally, some people have asked if Mojave is the big marketing project we're working on - it's not. The Mojave Experiment is just that: an experiment we conducted on the fly that yielded interesting results. We're publishing the video today because we think you'll also find it interesting.

]]> http://www.2ja.org/2008/07/29/windows-%e2%80%98mojave%e2%80%99-video-posts/feed/