Andrew Cherry and Ian Dixon have launched a new beta app store for Microsoft’s “TV on your PC” platform,Windows Media Center, called “Made for Media Center.” The store is a collection of plugin for WMC, where authors can submit their wares, and users users to browse and download those applications in one location, once you have downloaded an application Made for Media Center plugin will keep track of latest updates. You can filter by category or use full text search. Best of all you can search and install apps from Windows Media Center via Made for Media Center addin.

Visit: Made for Media Center

In Word 2010, Microsoft added two new features that extend control of Bidirectional (right-to-left language, like Arabic or Hebrew) text:

1. Bidirectional Text Embedding – an advanced feature specified in Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm that solves problem of inserting sentence into a paragraph with different directionality. For e.g., inserting English quote in middle of a right-to-left paragraph. Note: For clarity, in the examples below lower case represents English text characters and UPPER CASE represents right-to-left characters.
   
2. Bidirectional Text Override allows users to force layout of a group of characters to a specific direction regardless of their classification. For e.g., you want to write a part number and you want to ensure that all characters flow left-to-right. This number could consist of numerals and right-to-left characters. Without using overrides, right-to-left letters’ll flow right-to-left, while numbers’ll flow left-to-right and both’ll influence layout of surrounding text.
   
   

   Inserting Unicode Special Characters:

   Using Ribbon:

   1. Position cursor at desired insertion point
   2. Click Insert tab
   3. In Symbol ribbon, click on Symbol icon
   4. From drop down, choose “More Symbols…” to get Symbol dialog box
   5. Switch to “Special Characters” tab
   6. Scroll down to end of list
   7. Select special character you want to insert and click Insert
   8. When you’ve inserted character(s) you need, click Close button to close dialog

   Using Keyboard:

   1. Position cursor at desired insertion point
   2. Type Unicode hexadecimal code for your character (see table in pic).
   3. Press ALT+X
   4. Character code numbers’ll disappear and will be replaced with equivalent hidden special character.

Source:→ Office Global Experience

Gov. Beverly Perdue and Microsoft announced in Charlotte the state's portion of Microsoft's Elevate America program, that Microsoft is giving away nearly 24,000 vouchers to North Carolina residents through the state community college system, Department of Commerce and Employment Security Commission, who want to improve their computer skills so they can improve their lot in the work force. The 23,700 vouchers will be distributed over next 90 days. They’ll provide free online training for Windows and Office software or advanced technical training. A recipient also may take Microsoft Business Certification exam free of charge.

Chrome OS, Google’s newly open sourced operating system has been posted for download on several file-sharing sites, and peer-to-peer BitTorrent tracking sites, including Mininova.org and Pirate Bay. Gdgt web site also posted download of Chrome OS disk image. Users must create an account with site to access download. To run Chrome OS, users must launch a virtual machine client, such as VMware's Workstation, or for Mac, Fusion 3, then install Chrome in new VM, or free VirtualBox, a Sun-hosted open-source VM. To set it up with VMWare Fusion on a MacBook Pro, see the video below, and to get it running on Windows PC with VirtualBox follows steps below:

1. Download Chome OS using above links and install VirtualBox
2. Luanch VirtualBox, and name your Chromium OS build
3. choose Linux as OS
4. allocate ample memory to your VM
5. use existing hard disk
6. open Chrome OS image
7. select hard disk image
8. If all is well, your screen turns dark and you’ll see Chromium splash screen. You’ll then need to log in using a valid Google Account ID, either your existing ID or a newly created one.

Source:→ Engadget

Google Calendar is testing a new feature called “Sneak Preview”, to make scheduling events a easier by allowing you to see if the event you’re creating’ll conflict with schedules of people whom you’re inviting. Once you activate Sneak Preview, whenever you create a new event you’ll see a new viewing mode that displays a calendar alongside your event details. This calendar’ll show schedules of each people you’ve invited to the event, and proposed time for your event’ll appear as a semi-transparent blue box so you can quickly see where you might have conflicts. You can click each guest’s name to show/hide them on calendar if some’re more important than others.

Twitter released a new “Geotagging API,” that provides developers with the ability to geotag their tweets. Geotagging is disabled by default for all users, and you’ll need to opt-in, in order to use it. To activate geotagging functionality, go to your Settings page and click "Enable Geotagging". Twitter applications like Birdfeed, Seesmic Web, Foursquare, Gowalla, Twidroid, Twittelator Pro are already supporting it, that include geotagging your tweets and displaying location from where a tweet was posted. The added information provides valuable context when reading your friends tweets and allows you to better focus in on local conversations.