Geek Valley

Google Pays $3,133.7 To Researcher For Squishing Bug In Chrome

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:19:00 PST

It seems that Google is very keen to squish bugs in its Chrome browser; so much so in fact that, according to Infoworld, it has paid one researcher $3,133.7 for finding a single bug. Researcher Sergey Glazunov discovered a flaw related to "stale pointer in speech handling." This apparently affects the code in the application which handles allocation of RAM. Google's Chrome programming manager, Jason Kersey, had this to say:

"We’re delighted to offer our first “elite” $3,133 Chromium Security Reward to Sergey Glazunov. Critical bugs are harder to come by in Chrome, but Sergey has done it. Sergey also collects a $1337 reward and several other rewards at the same time, so congratulations Sergey!"

This is the first time that a critical bug has been discovered since Google launched the scheme in December of last year. According to Infoworld, all in all, Google paid Glazunov $7,470, and a total of $14,000 to various researchers including Glazunov.

The browser currently has a 10% share of the market in terms of users, so security is a key priority for Google, as attacks and malware become ever more sophisticated. Google plans to continue the program for the foreseeable future as it provides a key incentive for independent researchers such as Glazunov.

The latest version of Google Chrome can be downloaded from here or via the automatic updates function.

Blackberry begins blocking porn websites in Indonesia

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:19:00 PST

Blackberry has been forced to start blocking pornographic websites in Indonesia or possibly see its lucrative trading license retracted. The Canadian company was given until this Friday to comply. Indonesian users who try to access sites such as www.penthouse.com will now be welcomed by a message stating: "The site you are trying to open is not accessible through this network."

"Praise to God, RIM has complied with Indonesia's laws and regulations," Indonesia Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring said on Twitter, "Pornography has begun to be blocked. Please go ahead with doing business as long as laws are complied with." Sembiring, a conservative Muslim, is no stranger to a war on pornography. Recently, he has been actively campaigning for its total removal from the internet.

RIM has confirmed they are blocking certain types of websites and issued a statement saying "RIM is now in the process of implementing an Internet content filtering solution that addresses our carrier partners." According to research tech firm Gartner, the Indonesian market is one of RIM's largest with over two million units sold out of the estimated 12 million total.

The company does not filter content in any other market in the world and the recent news from Indonesia has started a surge of panic in the blogging cosmos over concerns about what other companies might do in the future.

Trapster hacked; 10 million users might be at risk

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:18:00 PST

The popular online speed trap tracker, Trapster, has issued an email to its 10 million registered members, citing that their passwords may have been hacked. The mobile application is available on a number of smartphones, including the iPhone, a number of BlackBerry and Android headsets and other smartphones.

The website has over 10 million mobile users, who all might be at risk of having their password stolen. The company issued an email stating that users should change their passwords. Although the company still doesn't know exactly how much data was compromised, they can only assume the hacker acquired all of the online mobile data, which includes usernames, emails and passwords.

How do I know if my password was hacked?
We believe it's best to be cautious. So, if you've registered your account with Trapster, then it's best to assume that your e-mail address and password were included among the compromised data.

With over 10 million email accounts and passwords stolen, it won't take long for a hacker, or team of hackers, to decrypt the encrypted passwords. It's recommended that users change their password on Trapster and any other account on the Internet they share the same password with.

This database leak comes just a month after Gawker had their database, source code and other private information stolen. A list of usernames and unencrypted passwords were later posted on the Internet.

Neowin.net - Google Co-Founder Larry Page to take over as CEO

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:18:00 PST

Google announced today that as part of a shakeup in senior management, Eric Schmidt is stepping down from his role as Chief Executive Officer. Schmidt, who has been in the role for the last 10 years, will be replaced by another of Google's co-founders, Larry Page. He will also lead product development and technology strategy. The current CEO however isn't leaving the company and will stay on in an advisory capacity as the Executive Chairman. On the change Mr. Schmidt had the following to say:

We’ve been talking about how best to simplify our management structure and speed up decision making for a long time. By clarifying our individual roles we’ll create clearer responsibility and accountability at the top of the company. In my clear opinion, Larry is ready to lead and I’m excited about working with both him and Sergey for a long time to come.

Google's other co-founder Sergey Brin has decided as part of this shakeup that he will devote his time and energy toward strategic projects, and more specifically new products.

Mr. Page commented on his promotion to CEO saying:

Eric has clearly done an outstanding job leading Google for the last decade. The results speak for themselves. There is no other CEO in the world that could have kept such headstrong founders so deeply involved and still run the business so brilliantly. Eric is a tremendous leader and I have learned innumerable lessons from him. His advice and efforts will be invaluable to me as I start in this new role. Google still has such incredible opportunity–we are only at the beginning and I can’t wait to get started.

The changeover however will not be immediate, and will instead take place April 4th.

Download Avira and Norton Updates and update them offline

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:09:00 PST

Avira: http://www.avira.com/en/support-vdf-update-info

Norton: http://www.symantec.com/business/security_response/definitions.jsp

Microsoft Touch Mouse

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:07:00 PST

Microsoft Corp. unveiled the Touch Mouse, a new multitouch device designed for Windows 7 that lets people click, flick, scroll and swipe, making it easy and fun to interact with their PCs. Born from the Mouse 2.0 project conducted by Microsoft Research and the Applied Sciences Group, the Touch Mouse combines the virtues of a mouse with the rich natural language of gesture that lets people interact with Windows 7 in a more intuitive way.

“The new Touch Mouse is a great way for customers to interact naturally with their Windows 7-based PC,” said Mark Relph, senior director of the Windows Developer and Ecosystem Team at Microsoft. “We worked closely with the Microsoft Hardware team to help develop the multitouch gestures that make Windows 7 easier, simpler and more fun to use. After just a few minutes with this mouse you’ll see why.”

• One finger lets people manage individual documents or pages by flicking to quickly scroll, pan and tilt, and one thumb lets people move back or forward through a Web browser.
• Two fingers manage windows, letting people maximize, minimize, snap and restore them.
• Three fingers let people navigate their whole desktop, showing instant viewer or clearing their desktop.

Microsoft Web Deploy v2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:06:00 PST

The Web Deployment Tool simplifies migration, management and deployment of IIS Web servers, Web applications and Web sites.

The Web Deployment Tool simplifies the migration, management and deployment of IIS Web servers, Web applications and Web sites. Administrators can use command-line scripting with the Web Deployment Tool to synchronize IIS 6.0 and IIS 7.0 servers or to migrate an IIS 6.0 server to IIS 7.0. The Web Deployment Tool also enables administrators and delegated users to use IIS Manager to deploy ASP.NET and PHP applications to an IIS 7.0 server.

Migrate Web applications between IIS 6.0 and IIS 7.0 with ease
Simplify the planning of your IIS 6.0 to IIS 7.0 migrations by determining incompatibilities and previewing the proposed changes before starting the process. Learning about any potential issues in advance gives you the chance to take corrective measures and simplifies migration.

Synchronize your server farm efficiently
The Web Deployment Tool allows you to efficiently synchronize sites, applications or servers across your IIS 7.0 server farm by detecting differences between the source and destination content and transferring only those changes which need synchronization. The tool simplifies the synchronization process by automatically determining the configuration, content, databases and certificates to be synchronized for a specific site. In addition to the default behavior, you still have the option to specify additional providers for the synchronization, including COM, GAC and registry settings.

Package, archive and deploy Web applications more easily
The Web Deployment Tool enables you to package configuration and content of your installed Web applications, including SQL databases, and use the packages for storage or redeployment. These packages can be deployed using IIS Manager without requiring administrative privileges. The tool also integrates with Visual Studio 2010 to help developers streamline the deployment of Web applications to the Web server.

For more information, see the following articles:

Download details Web Deploy v2.0

Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.5 Express

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:05:00 PST

IIS 7.5 Express is a simple and self-contained version of IIS 7.5 that is optimized for developers.

IIS 7.5 Express enhances your ability to develop and test web applications on Windows by combining the power of IIS 7.5 with the convenience of a lightweight web server like the ASP.NET Development Server (also known as Cassini). IIS 7.5 Express is included withMicrosoft WebMatrix, an integrated suite of tools designed to make developing web applications on Windows simple and seamless. IIS 7.5 Express can also be used with Visual Studio 2010 as a powerful alternative to Cassini. The benefits of using IIS 7.5 Express include:

The same web server that runs on your production server is now available on your development computer.
Most tasks can be done without the need for administrative privileges.
IIS 7.5 Express runs on Windows XP and all later versions of Windows.
Many users can work independently on the same computer.

This package installs only IIS 7.5 Express. For an integrated development experience, also install Microsoft WebMatrix or Visual Studio 2010.

Download details Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.5 Express

Microsoft support scam continues to plague Australians

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:04:00 PST

Australians continue to be contacted by scammers over the phone promoting themselves as official Microsoft support representatives and offering to fix their computer troubles.

The scam, which preys on the notion that most households have a computer running Windows, first began almost two years ago, and sees someone ring an Australian's home phone number claiming to be from Microsoft support and mentioning that a virus or problem has been discovered with their computer. The scammers then ask the person for remote access to their computer, assuring them the process is "completely safe" and that they'll do their best to fix the problem.

A short time later, after exploiting the computer and pretending to fix the problem which didn't exist in the first place, the scammers then ask the person to pay for the service with many Australians falling victim and handing the scammers their credit card details for payment.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, "thousands" of Australians have been targeted by the scam which in recent months appears to have resurfaced after widespread publicity raised awareness of the scam late last year. In December, Microsoft Australia told the paper the company was receiving between 2 and 50 complaints per day about the scam, but remains powerless to act against it.

"There's a number of different organisations doing this and they're changing their names almost constantly - we hear new names every week," Stuart Strathdee, Microsoft Australia's chief security advisor told the Sydney Morning Herald in December.

Australian authorities remain powerless to act against the scammers, who are based overseas and difficult to track down. Instead, they're urging Australians to hang up on the scammers and not allow them access to their personal computer.

Steve Jobs is again taking a Medical Leave

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:04:00 PST

In a memo released today, and spotted by TechCrunch, Steve Jobs has announced to his employees that he will be taking a leave of absence due to medical reasons. In his absence, Tim Cook will take the reigns at Apple once more, having previously lead the company in 2009 during Steve's battle with liver problems.

During his absence, Steve Jobs will continue his position as CEO, and plans to remain involved in major strategic decisions for the company.

It is unclear at this time what health problems he faces, but in the past he has battled pancreatic cancer, and liver failure, and returned to continue driving Apple's growth in the industry.

The memo sent to all Apple employees reads:

Team,
At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.
I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple’s day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.
I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.
Steve

Angry Birds Now Available for Microsoft Windows

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:03:00 PST

Previously Angry Birds was only available on the iOS, Android, Palm, Symbian^3 & N900 platforms. Now even Microsoft Windows users can have fun wasting time playing this #1 game!

ANGRY BIRDS DESCRIPTION: The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Dish out revenge on the green pigs who stole the Birds’ eggs. Use the unique destructive powers of the Angry Birds to lay waste to the pigs’ fortifications. Angry Birds features hours and hours of challenging physics-based demolition gameplay, with lots of replay value. Each level requires a mixture of logic, skill, and brute force to crush the enemy. Features 195 levels and lots and lots of Angry Birds! Protect wildlife and save Angry Birds! “Lemme tell ya, these ain’t no ordinary finches we’re talkin’ about. These here are the Angry Birds, the ones that’s gonna kick you in the ‘nads. And they’re the ones on your side. They must be from Galapadapados, or sumptin’.” – Col. Angus, Bird Expert.

Download Angry Birds for Windows

Exchange 2010 Tested Solutions

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:38:00 PST

Exchange 2010 Tested Solutions: 9000 Mailboxes in 2 Sites with Hyper-V on Dell M610 Servers & Storage with F5 Load Balancing

In the Exchange 2010 Tested Solutions white papers, Microsoft provides examples of well-designed, cost-effective Exchange 2010 solutions deployed on hardware offered by some of our server, storage, and network partners.

Exchange 2010 Tested Solutions: 16000 Mailboxes in a Single Site Deployed on IBM and Brocade Hardware

Exchange 2010 Tested Solutions: 500 Mailboxes in a Single Site Running Hyper-V on Dell Servers

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Guides

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:38:00 PST

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Client and Device Deployment Guide

This download guides you through the process of deploying client software and devices for Lync 2010.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Monitoring Deployment Guide

This document guides you through the process of deploying Lync Server 2010 Monitoring Server.

Migrating from Communications Server 2007 to Lync Server 2010

This document provides guidance from migration from Office Communications Server 2007 to Microsoft Lync Server 2010.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Edge Server Deployment Guide

This document guides you through the process of deploying Lync Server 2010 edge servers and Directors.

Enabling QoS with Microsoft Lync Server 2010

If your Windows Server network supports Quality of Service (QoS) management, you can take advantage of this functionality to optimize media traffic in your Microsoft Lync Server 2010 deployment. This guide shows you how.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Active Directory Guide

This document guides you through the process of preparing Active Directory for Microsoft Lync Server 2010 and includes the Active Directory schema reference.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Enterprise Edition Deployment Guide

This document guides you through the process of deploying Lync Server 2010 Enterprise Edition and configuring dial-in conferencing for Lync Server 2010.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Response Group Deployment Guide

This download guides you through the process of configuring the Response Group feature for Enterprise Voice.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Announcement Deployment Guide

This download guides you through the process of configuring the Announcement call management feature for Enterprise Voice.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Group Chat Deployment Guide

This document guides you through the process of migrating and deploying Lync Server 2010 Group Chat Server and the related components that are required to let organizations set up searchable, topic-based chat rooms that persist over time, allowing geographically distributed teams to better collaborate with one another while preserving organizational knowledge.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Reference: Call Data Recording and Quality of Experience Database Schema

This document describes the call detail recording (CDR) and the Quality of Experience (QoE) databases schemas in Microsoft Lync Server 2010.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Supportability Guide

This guide provides a central, high-level reference for supported server topologies and configurations and supported client configurations. It is also intended to answer frequently asked questions. This document identifies supported topologies, configurations, and scenarios described in detail in the Lync Server deployment and planning documentation.

Migrating from Communications Server 2007 R2 to Lync Server 2010

This document provides guidance from migration from Office Communications Server 2007 R2 to Microsoft Lync Server 2010.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Group Chat Administration Guide

This document guides you through the process of administering Lync Server 2010 Group Chat Server and the related components that are required to let organizations set up searchable, topic-based chat rooms that persist over time, allowing geographically distributed teams to better collaborate with one another while preserving organizational knowledge.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Getting Started Guide

Descriptions of new features in Microsoft Lync Server 2010. Both server features and client features are included.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Device Management and Troubleshooting Guide

The purpose of the Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Device Management and Troubleshooting Guide is to provide guidance on how to manage and update devices. It is also intended to answer frequently asked questions. This document identifies supported topologies, configurations, and scenarios described in detail in the Lync Server device deployment and planning documentation.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Standard Edition Deployment Guide

This document guides you through the process of deploying Lync Server 2010 Standard Edition and configuring dial-in conferencing.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Call Park Deployment Guide

This download guides you through the process of configuring the Call Park call management feature for Enterprise Voice.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Enterprise Voice Guide

This download contains two documents: Deploying Enterprise Voice at Central sites and Deploying Branch Sites

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Archiving Deployment Guide

The purpose of the Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Archiving Deployment Guide is to guide you through the process of deploying Lync Server 2010 Archiving Server and the related components that are required to support archiving of instant messaging and web conferencing (meeting) content.

SQL Server 2005 SP4 RTM

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:37:00 PST

SQL Server 2005 SP4 RTM

Download Service Pack 4 for Microsoft SQL Server 2005

SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP4

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is a free, easy-to-use, lightweight version of SQL Server 2005. It is fast and easy to learn, allowing you to quickly develop and deploy dynamic data-driven applications.

SQL Server 2005 SP4 Data Mining Add-ins

Download SQL Server 2005 Data Mining Add-ins for Office 2007. This package includes two add-ins for Microsoft Office Excel 2007 (Table Analysis Tools and Data Mining Client) and one add-in for Microsoft Office Visio 2007 (Data Mining Templates).

Feature Pack for SQL Server 2005 SP4

Download the Feature Pack for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP4, a collection of standalone install packages that provide additional value for SQL Server 2005.

SQL Server Reporting Services Add-in for SharePoint Technologies

he Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services Add-in for Microsoft SharePoint Technologies is a Web download that provides features for running a report server within a larger deployment of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.

WYukon SP4 x86

Windows Internal database is a relational data store for Windows roles and features only, such as Windows SharePoint Services and Windows Server Update Services.

SQL Server Management Studio Express SP4

Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express (SSMSE) is a free, easy-to-use graphical management tool for managing SQL Server 2005 Express Edition and SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services.

wYukon SP4

Windows Internal database is a relational data store for Windows roles and features only, such as Windows SharePoint Services and Windows Server Update Services.

Facebook update hits Windows Phone 7

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:39:00 PST

On Wednesday, Microsoft made available an update to the Windows Phone 7 Facebook application, which is available for free on the marketplace. Before today, Windows Phone 7 users have had a frustrating time using Facebook on their phones. The application was slow, non-responsive and lacked many features.

The update comes with some noteable new features, including Facebook Places (with your GPS, too), in-app photo tagging, as well as allowing the application to continue running under screen lock (A feature we couldn't live without), as well as a massive performance increase.

The update also features a slightly different interface, with larger fonts, and the application is responsive to the touch while still loading. Even so, we aren't quite sure why the keyboard still doesn't match the application though -- when the dark theme is selected, the keyboard shows up black even though the entire application is white and blue.

With the Windows Phone 7 marketplace surpassing 4000 applications and Microsoft announcing that they had shipped 1.5 Million devices, it's been a big week for Windows Phone 7. To get the application, go to the applications page on Zune; or visit the marketplace on your phone to grab the update.

Woman sues Google over underwear images posted on Street View

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:38:00 PST

A Japanese woman is suing Google over a revealing Street View image, according to a report out of The Telegraph UK. The unidentified woman is asking for 600,000 Yen (US$7163) due to psychological distress caused by the publication of a Street View image that showed her skivvies presumably hanging on a clothesline to dry. According to the court documents, the woman's obsessive-compulsive disorder was exacerbated by the sight of the her underwear on the Internet and her anxiety became overwhelming. Fearing she was being watched and the potential target of a sex crime, she moved from her residence and was fired from her job.

While her case might be extreme, this is a problem that continues to plague Google's Street View service, especially in Japan. In 2009, Google had to re-shoot parts of the island nation due to the camera height of the Google Street view vehicles. The cameras extended above most of the fences in Japan and captured images of people in their backyards with their laundry hanging on clotheslines. Enough people complained about the sight of their hanging underwear that Google lowered the camera by 16 inches and re-filmed 15 cities including major cities like Osaka and Tokyo. Unfortunately for this lady and others out there like her, the cameras still caught the occasional embarrassing moment.

Apple Releases iPhoto 9.1.1

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:55:00 PST

A few minutes ago Apple released an update to iPhoto ’11, which adds new email features and improves the overall stability of the app. The new version is available now on Software Update or on Apple’s website.

Full changelog below.

- Adds a preference allowing photos to be emailed using an external email application
- Adds “Classic” and “Journal” themes to email.
- Photos attached to an email can now be sized to Small, Medium or Large
- Improves reliability when upgrading a library from an earlier version of iPhoto
- iPhoto now correctly preserves the sort order of Events after upgrading a library
- Event titles displayed in headers can now be edited in Photos view
- Addresses a problem that could cause duplicate photos to be added to a MobileMe album
- Scrolling overlay now correctly displays ratings when photos are sorted by rating
- Photos are now sorted correctly when a rating is changed and photos are sorted by rating
- Fixes a problem that could cause text formatting controls to become inaccessible when editing a calendar

Ovi Store Continues Rapid Growth | Up To 3.5 Million Daily Downloads

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:42:00 PST

Nokia’s Ovi Store is continuing its substantial growth month-by-month and continuing to break personal records. Today Nokia announced that the Ovi Store is currently serving up 3.5 million downloads per day. That’s a staggering 40 downloads per second, and up from 3M in November, and 2.3M in October. Hit the jump to find out more.

So how has the Ovi Store progressed over the past few months? Well, download rates have drastically increased, demonstrating a growth in awareness of Nokia’s app store. Nokia was undoubtedly late in the app store market, however this growth shows better late than never.

SQL Server 2005 SP4 RTM

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:22:00 PST

SQL Server 2005 SP4 RTM

Download Service Pack 4 for Microsoft SQL Server 2005

SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP4

SQL Server 2005 SP4 Data Mining Add-ins

Feature Pack for SQL Server 2005 SP4

Download the Feature Pack for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP4, a collection of standalone install packages that provide additional value for SQL Server 2005.

SQL Server Reporting Services Add-in for SharePoint Technologies

WYukon SP4 x86

Windows Internal database is a relational data store for Windows roles and features only, such as Windows SharePoint Services and Windows Server Update Services.

SQL Server Management Studio Express SP4

wYukon SP4

Windows Internal database is a relational data store for Windows roles and features only, such as Windows SharePoint Services and Windows Server Update Services.

Exchange 2010 Tested Solutions

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:22:00 PST

Exchange 2010 Tested Solutions: 9000 Mailboxes in 2 Sites with Hyper-V on Dell M610 Servers & Storage with F5 Load Balancing

Exchange 2010 Tested Solutions: 16000 Mailboxes in a Single Site Deployed on IBM and Brocade Hardware

Exchange 2010 Tested Solutions: 500 Mailboxes in a Single Site Running Hyper-V on Dell Servers

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Guides

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:22:00 PST

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Client and Device Deployment Guide

This download guides you through the process of deploying client software and devices for Lync 2010.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Monitoring Deployment Guide

This document guides you through the process of deploying Lync Server 2010 Monitoring Server.

Migrating from Communications Server 2007 to Lync Server 2010

This document provides guidance from migration from Office Communications Server 2007 to Microsoft Lync Server 2010.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Edge Server Deployment Guide

This document guides you through the process of deploying Lync Server 2010 edge servers and Directors.

Enabling QoS with Microsoft Lync Server 2010

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Active Directory Guide

This document guides you through the process of preparing Active Directory for Microsoft Lync Server 2010 and includes the Active Directory schema reference.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Enterprise Edition Deployment Guide

This document guides you through the process of deploying Lync Server 2010 Enterprise Edition and configuring dial-in conferencing for Lync Server 2010.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Response Group Deployment Guide

This download guides you through the process of configuring the Response Group feature for Enterprise Voice.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Announcement Deployment Guide

This download guides you through the process of configuring the Announcement call management feature for Enterprise Voice.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Group Chat Deployment Guide

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Reference: Call Data Recording and Quality of Experience Database Schema

This document describes the call detail recording (CDR) and the Quality of Experience (QoE) databases schemas in Microsoft Lync Server 2010.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Supportability Guide

Migrating from Communications Server 2007 R2 to Lync Server 2010

This document provides guidance from migration from Office Communications Server 2007 R2 to Microsoft Lync Server 2010.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Group Chat Administration Guide

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Getting Started Guide

Descriptions of new features in Microsoft Lync Server 2010. Both server features and client features are included.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Device Management and Troubleshooting Guide

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Standard Edition Deployment Guide

This document guides you through the process of deploying Lync Server 2010 Standard Edition and configuring dial-in conferencing.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Call Park Deployment Guide

This download guides you through the process of configuring the Call Park call management feature for Enterprise Voice.

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Enterprise Voice Guide

This download contains two documents: Deploying Enterprise Voice at Central sites and Deploying Branch Sites

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Archiving Deployment Guide

Google extends free Gmail calling through 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:20:00 PST

In spirit of the holiday season, Google is feeling mighty generous to all of its Gmail users. Google announced this morning that it will extend free calling to all of the United States and Canada, through 2011.

Gmail calling works like a regular phone, but through your email account. You simply select a contact or dial a number, and start talking to the recipient. The free service was originally intended to be cut off at the end of this year, but Google has offered to extend Gmail calling until December 31, 11:59pm 2011.

Gmail calling doesn't just do voice, but it also allows you to video chat with supported webcams and cell phones. Gmail calling also does international phone calls too, for as little as $0.02 a minute.

If you haven't tried Gmail calling yet, give it a try by logging into your Gmail account and selecting "Call phone" on the left hand side. You can also get the desktop client for Windows, Mac and Linux for free here.

Nokia may start manufacturing WP7 devices

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:19:00 PST

Recent rumors have flooded the Internet today that Nokia and Microsoft are in deep discussion about a possible partnership. The talks between the two companies aren't for Windows Phone 7 apps to run on Nokia software, or anything like that, but for Nokia to start manufacturing handsets running Windows Phone 7.

While no offical sales numbers have been released, companies seem to be very interested in bringing Windows Phone 7 handsets to the market. Nokia would join the likes of Dell, HTC, LG, Samsung, and many others if this rumor holds true. This would be a very strange partnership between the two companies considering Nokia's support of Symbian, but could pay off and help keep Nokia in business if true.

Nokia is very well known for their mobile phone hardware, creating innovating handsets for the market, but their software, Symbian, seems to be declining to keep users interested with competition like Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

The Russian news source, via unwiredreview.com, suggests that Microsoft and Nokia have been in talks for the past month about the possibility of Nokia manufacturing Windows Phone 7 handsets. If Nokia does build WP7 powered devices, it may be what Microsoft is looking for to help push sales of the platforms to the next level.

Microsoft throws in the towel on Office Genuine Advantage

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:19:00 PST

Microsoft has seemed to throw in the towel on Microsoft Office, that is when it comes to validating your Office program to verify its legitimacy. Late last week, according to zdnet.com and confirmed through a KB 917999, Microsoft has shut down the program to check whether your version of Office is genuine or not.

The silent shutdown of the program by Microsoft was unannounced, but confirmed through the KB article. Microsoft Office will now allow anyone who downloaded templates or pass through add-ins that require the genuine advantage to be completely bypassed, allowing both legitimate and illegitimate versions of Office to download and use extras.

The sudden and silent retirement of Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) means that Microsoft is giving up to prevent piracy of its community-made and in-house developed templates and other downloads.

This still doesn't mean users can install any copy of Microsoft Office, as it still requires you to enter your 25-character key and verify it through Microsoft's activation server. Office Genuine Advantage does not affect Windows Genuine Advantage, which is still an on-going program and required to install some Microsoft programs like Security Essentials.

Visio shapes for SharePoint Server, Project Server, Search Server, and Office posters

noreply@blogger.com (Sudeep James) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:08:00 PST

Visio shapes to use to create models of server deployment environments.

Download this zip file of Microsoft Visio stencils to create your own diagrams for models of server deployments. For examples of how the IT pro content publishing team for Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, Microsoft Project Server 2010, Microsoft Search Server 2010, and Microsoft SharePoint Foundation used these shapes, see these pages:

Download details Visio shapes for SharePoint Server, Project Server, Search Server, and Offi