Geoffrey Emery

GEO Location Support added In Windows Azure Update

gemery — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:48:00 -0500

Windows Azure has continued adding features since the last major update at MIX.

Additional features and SDK updates will continue to roll out in the coming weeks and months.

Cool New Feature #1: Geo-Location support

Starting in May, a new option was added to the portal to support geo-locating your code and data. In order to use this most effectively, the idea of an ‘Affinity Group’ was created. This allows you to associate various services under an umbrella label for the location.

Geo-Location is an important aspect of “Web 2.0” applications.

Read more about this feature here and see a complete provisioning walk-through.

Cool New Feature #2: Storage API updates

Last Thursday (5/28), new features were released to the cloud for Windows Azure storage. The long awaited batch transaction capability for tables as well as a new blob copying capability were released.

Additionally, the GetBlockList API was updated to return both committed and uncommitted blocks in blob storage.

Also new versioning mechanism has been added.

New features will be versioned by a new header (“x-ms-version”).

This mechanism is in place to prevent breaking changes from impacting existing clients in the future. It is recommended that you start including this header in all authenticated API calls.

Rounding out these updates were some changes to how property names are stored in table storage as well as the size for Partition and Row keys. Unicode chars and up to 1K key sizes are now supported, respectively. Finally, the timeout values for various storage operations were updated as well.

Please note: There currently is no SDK support for these new storage features.

At this point, you need to use the samples provided on Steve Marx’s blog. A later SDK update will add these features officially.

Windows Azure SDK Update

The May CTP SDK update has been released to the download center. While this release does NOT support the new storage features, it does add a few new capabilities that will be of interest to the Visual Studio 2010 beta testers.

· Support for Visual Studio 2010 Beta 1 (templates, local dev fabric, etc.)

· Updated support for Visual Studio 2008 – you can now configure settings through the UI instead of munging XML files.

· Improved reliability of the local dev fabric for debugging

· Enhanced robustness and stability (aka bug fixes).

Download the Windows Azure Tools for Visual Studio (includes both SDK and tools).

New Windows Azure Applications and Demos

Windows Azure Management Tool (MMC)

The Windows Azure Management Tool was created to manage your storage accounts in Windows Azure. Developed as a managed MMC, the tool allows you to create and manage both blobs and queues. Easily create and manage containers, blobs, and permissions. Add and remove queues, inspect or add messages or empty queues as well.

Bid Now Sample

Bid Now is an online auction site designed to demonstrate how you can build highly scalable consumer applications. This sample is built using Windows Azure and uses Windows Azure Storage. Auctions are processed using Windows Azure Queues and Worker Roles. Authentication is provided via Live Id.

PHP SDK for Windows Azure

As part of Microsoft’s commitment to Interoperability, this open source project is an effort bridge PHP developers to Windows Azure. PHPAzure is an open source project to provide software development kit for Windows Azure and Windows Azure Storage – Blobs, Tables & Queues

Relevant Blog Postings

http://blog.smarx.com/posts/sample-code-for-new-windows-azure-blob-features

http://blogs.msdn.com/jnak/archive/2009/05/28/may-ctp-of-the-windows-azure-tools-and-sdk-now-supports-visual-studio-2010-beta-1.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/jnak/archive/2009/04/30/windows-azure-geo-location-is-live.aspx

http://dunnry.com/blog/CreateAndDeployYourWindowsAzureServiceIn5Steps.aspx

Microsoft Virtual Earth Changes to Microsoft Bing Maps…Bing Bing.

gemery — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:09:52 -0500

Microsoft announced that Microsoft® Virtual Earth™ is getting a new name.
Microsoft today announced the launch of an exciting new search product called Bing™. The new site will begin rolling out on June 1st and will be available to the world on June 3rd at www.Bing.com. Location information, mapping, and imagery are important investment areas for online search. Therefore, we have taken this opportunity to align the brand names of our mapping products offered to consumers and businesses with Bing.
On June 1, our mapping platform brand will change from Microsoft Virtual Earth to Bing maps for enterprise. Bing maps for enterprise is the mapping platform that underpins the Bing maps service (Bing.com/maps) and serves you and the thousands of organizations that use Microsoft mapping technology on their Web sites and in their applications. For more than 10 years, we have been providing mapping services to enterprises and organizations, and we continue to be committed to supporting you in achieving your goals.
What this means to you:
• • If you’re using the Virtual Earth AJAX, Virtual Earth Web Services, MapPoint™ Web Service, or Multimap APIs, the logo on your maps will change to Bing automatically on June 1. This is a logo change and does not affect performance or functionality.
• You will see updates to our Web sites and case studies over the coming weeks, where Bing maps for enterprise will replace references to Virtual Earth.
• If you have implemented the Virtual Earth logo in your application rather than using the APIs for logo implementation, please see the FAQs for more information about next steps.
We have prepared some additional FAQs at the end of this message to answer any questions you might have. If you don’t find the answer you need, please don’t hesitate to contact your Bing maps solution specialist or maplic@microsoft.com.

I liked virtual earth and I think they should have left the name alone. For SEO Alone.. What a mess. I have to change so much stuff this is going to suck.

CP did a great video on why they did this.

Click video to view. Double click to view full screen

FAQ

Q. How will this affect my organization’s solution?

A. If you are using our mapping APIs, you will see the Bing watermark on content starting on June 1. This is a logo change only. This update will not introduce changes in performance or functionality of your application. The contract for your mapping service does not change in terms or duration. There is no action that you need to take.

Q. Do the API calls change?

A. No, the API calls will not change. They will still refer to Virtual Earth and MapPoint to help make sure that your implementation does not break and you do not need to make changes.

Q. Will the API Terms of Use change?

A. The API Terms of Use will be updated to replace the Microsoft Virtual Earth name with Bing Maps for Enterprise, but there is no other change to the terms.

Q. What if I have implemented the logo myself?

A. If you are not implementing the logo through the Virtual Earth, MapPoint Web Service, or Multimap APIs, please update your application to use the new Bing logo by September 1, 2009, at the latest. Logos may be obtained from your Microsoft contact for use with the mapping content in your application.

Q. My organization is featured in a Virtual Earth case study or press release. Will you be updating it with the new brand?

A. All new case studies and press releases after May 28, 2009, should feature the new brand. We will be updating some case studies to reflect the new brand and will contact you if necessary. We will not be updating press releases that predate the change.

Q. What if I refer to the Microsoft Virtual Earth brand on my Web site?

A. If you refer to Microsoft Virtual Earth on your Web site, we would like you to change your implementation to use the new name as soon as possible. If you would like to use the Bing logo or brand treatments on your Web site, please contact your Microsoft contact for approval and permission.

Windows Web Application Gallery Releases nopCommerce.

gemery — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:12:00 -0500

The good times just keep on rolling over on the Web Platform team here at Microsoft. They have just released a new application out onto the Windows Web Application Gallery, nopCommerce.

nopCommerce is the leading ASP.NET online shop e-commerce solution. nopCommerce can be installed and set-up by anyone with the most basic web site building and computer skills. nopCommerce is a secure, scalable and extendable e-commerce platform. It has user friendly administration tool to manage your storefront and customers, wish lists, discounts, coupons, flexible tax support, multi-lingual support, and hundreds of other features. Support for most popular gateways: Authorize.net, PayPal, Google Checkout, 2Checkout, and more. nopCommerce also runs in Medium Trust.

Check it out.

SQL Server 2008 Developer Training Kit Released

gemery — Mon, 25 May 2009 10:51:22 -0500

SQL Server 2008 offers an impressive array of capabilities for developers that build upon key innovations introduced in SQL Server 2005. The SQL Server 2008 Developer Training Kit will help you understand how to build web applications which deeply exploit the rich data types, programming models and new development paradigms in SQL Server 2008. The training kit is brought to you by Microsoft Developer and Platform Evangelism.

Overview and Benefits

The training kit offers the following benefits:

Learn how to build web applications that exploit the unique features and capabilities of SQL Server 2008.
Provides a comprehensive set of presentations, demos and hands-on labs
Designed for web developers who are already familiar with SQL Server application development.
Easy to download and install and works on free editions of SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008.

Software Requirements

The following software is not included with the training kit and must be downloaded and installed separately. I’ve included the links for you here.

SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services (or higher-level SKU)
Microsoft Visual Web Developer 2008 Express (or higher-level SKU) - via the Windows Platform Installer
AdventureWorks 2008 Sample Databases

Contents

The training kit includes the following content:

Presentations (6)
- Filestream
- Spatial
- T-SQL
- Date and Time Types
- SQLCLR
- Reporting Services
Demos (13)
- AdventureWorks Racing All-Up SQL Server 2008 Demo
- SQL Server 2008 All-Up Spatial Demo
- Spatial Types Demo
- Intro to Filestream Demo
- SQL CLR Nullable Types Demo
- Programming with Filestream Demo
- Reporting Services Web Application Integration Demo
- Date and Time Support in SQL Server 2008 Demo
- T-SQL Table-Valued Parameters Demo
- T-SQL Row Constructors Demo
- T-SQL Grouping Sets Demo
- T-SQL Merge Demo
- Trasact-SQL
Hands-on Labs (3)
- Using Spatial Data in TSQL
- Using Spatial Data in Managed Code
- Using SQL CLR in SQL Server 2008

Get the kit here, http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9665942

US Government Launches Data.gov

gemery — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:52:17 -0500

The much-anticipated US government catalog of government agency web sites who offer structured data, Data.gov, has gone live. It’s a first cut at what should grow into a very useful index of a vast array of government data that’s available online. Here’s how they describe their site and their mission:

The purpose of Data.gov is to increase public access to high value, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. Although the initial launch of Data.gov provides a limited portion of the rich variety of Federal datasets presently available, we invite you to actively participate in shaping the future of Data.gov by suggesting additional datasets and site enhancements to provide seamless access and use of your Federal data. Visit today with us, but come back often. With your help, Data.gov will continue to grow and change in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

The current Data.gov catalog includes 47 data sets that can be accessed in XML, Text/CSV, KML/KMZ, Feeds, XLS, or ESRI Shapefile formats. See the FAQ for additional information.

Data.gov was released to the public as part of the Obama administration’s Transparency and Open Government Initiative. Although the preliminary release offers a limited subset of the government’s data, it’s a good first step and certainly an improvement over any earlier government-initiated efforts (or lack thereof) to make federal data accessible and downloadable.

Data.gov’s catalog is divided into two sections: a “raw” data catalog and “tools”. Here’s their description and a screenshot:

A) “Raw” Data Catalog: Data.gov features a catalog with instant view/download of platform-independent, machine readable datasets in a variety of formats
B) Tool Catalog: Data.gov features a tool catalog to provide the public with simple, application-driven access to Federal data with hyperlinks. This catalog features widgets and data-mining and extraction tools, applications, and other services.

As identified in the Data Policy page, the site is expected to evolve based on stakeholder participation:

In support of the Transparency and Open Government Initiative, recommendations from individuals, groups and organizations regarding the presentation of data, data types, and metadata will contribute to the evolution of Data.gov.

Time will tell how much input from third parties will shape Data.gov, but it’s nice to see that it has been included as an initial consideration. Perhaps community involvement and ground-up efforts such as crowd-sourcing will play a role in shaping this new resource.

We’re excited to see how Data.gov will evolve and curious to see how developers and the public utilize the data.

On a related note, the Sunlight Foundation has teamed up with Google, O’Reilly Media, and TechWeb on a new contest for this summer. The Apps for America 2 contest offers a variety of prizes for developers using Data.gov in applications and mashups.

How 301 Redirects Work

gemery — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:01:12 -0500

I just posted how to do 301 redirects in asp.net 4.0 I thought it might be helpful if i describe how they work.

URL rewrites and 301 redirects... you talk about them, you recommend them, but do you truly understand how they work? Sure, you know that rewriting a URL means that the URL displayed in the browser changes to be more SEO (and user) friendly. And you know that a 301 redirect is a permanent redirect. But let's dig a little deeper, and explain how they work together.
As a developer, my very first SEO project was the task of rewriting a massive number of URLs and ensuring that the old URL redirected to the new. It was a daunting task at first because I didn't have a clear understanding of how it all worked together. I was sure I'd have to rewrite pages and pages of code, and spend weeks if not months on the project. But once I figured it all out, the light bulb went on, and it literally took just a couple days to get it right. Yep! Days.

URL Rewrites

Rewriting a URL means changing the way the URL is displayed in the browser. When a user lands on a page with a rewritten URL, the code behind that page doesn't change. In fact, the server still reads the original URL.
URL Rewrite Process:

User lands on new SEO'd URL
Using mod_rewrite, ISAPI_Rewrite, etc. new URL points to old URL on the server
Server calls the code from the old URL
Page is displayed in browser, displaying the new URL

From the server's perspective, nothing has changed. The code is still the same. For example, if a developer had built a site using URL variables, there's no need to change any code. Now, there are always cases that could contradict this. But at the basic level, there shouldn't be a need to change code on the page.

301 Redirect

Once the URL is rewritten, you want to make sure that the old URL 301 redirects to the new. This tells the search engines that any link juice the old URL had should now be given to the new URL. It also makes for a good user experience, rather than showing a 404 error page. The server is told URL A should now be URL B.

301 Redirect Process:

User lands on original URL
Using code, mode_rewrite, etc. the 301 redirects URL to the new one, literally changing the URL that is displayed in the browser from the old to the new
URL Rewrite process begins again

Using the rewrite and redirect together brings the solution full circle. I've trained many developers on SEO standards and specifically how to implement and understand the workings of the rewrites and redirects. It takes a bit to wrap your head around it, but it's all really quite simple.
For more detailed information on rewrites and redirects, check out the following sites:

FireAtlas – Firebug for ASP.NET Ajax

gemery — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:49:29 -0500

I think probably every web developer on the planet knows about Firebug,

Laurent Chesnais has created a very cool Firefox extension for ASP.NET AJAX Developers.

It has features for ….

PageRequestManager events tracing

WebService calls tracing and inspection

Partial Update inspection within Firebug Net Panel

More to come!

And… It’s FREE !

[ Click HERE to Get It ! ]

301 Permanent Redirects in Asp.net 4.0 Get SEO On

gemery — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:13:58 -0500

One of the most important things for web 2.0 sites are to be searchable, because every one wants top get more and more users for the search result.
For search engine Optimisation, every small aspect of the page is Important. One of the important things to do for this is to make sure all permanent redirection in your site is made with the 301 Host headers. I had earlier posted about this here.

With the new features in Dot net framework 3.5 we could have easily made this much simpler by adding an extension methods to the response class and make it look simple.
public void PermanentRedirect(this HttpResponse response, string destination)

{

response.Status = "301 Moved permanently";

response.AddHeader("Location", destination);

response.End();

}

In the above code we have added a simple Extension method to the HttpResponse class. What this method does is always makes the redirect to a new page Permanent by adding appropriate response header.

Hence after this extension method we can easily makes call like Response.PermanentRedirect(“http://www.geoffreyemery.com”);
After looking at the importance of this functionality Microsoft has decided to add this functionality in the Asp.net framework itself. Now with Asp.net 4.0 new RedirectPermanent helper method that makes it easy to issue HTTP 301 moved permanently responses

Google Reader For Windows Mobile

gemery — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:17:00 -0500

Google Reader users might salute the release of version 0.5 of Speed Reader, a Google Reader client for Windows Mobile Professional 5 and above, .NET Compact Framework v3.5 enabled.
Quote from the release notes:
V0.5 - May 17, 2009
-Implemented Mirabyte Touch UI for finger friendly lists and scrolling
-Fixed bug where Google API token would expire preventing the application from marking articles as read after some time
-Fixed crashes where no network/internet access exist
-Fixed bug where an article marked as read on the home tab wasn’t marked read in the Tag tab
-Fixed issue with screen layout/sizing problems on devices with lower screen resolutions
-Fixed backwards scroll when scrolling through lists

Popout

Google releases map data api

gemery — Thu, 21 May 2009 02:36:00 -0500

seems that the Where 2.0 Conference is full of pleasant surprises. Today, Yahoo announced its Placemaker platform, and Google also announced the release of their Maps Data API (our Maps Data API Profile) as the newest Google Data API.

The new API allows client applications to view, store and update map data in the form of Google Data API feeds. According to the post on the Google Geo Developers Blog:

The Google Maps Data API is built on the following principles:

Storage should scale simply with usage. You shouldn’t have to worry about maintaining a data store to build a cool Google Maps mashup. Focus on building the client, and we’ll provide hosting and bandwidth for free.

Geodata should be accessible across platforms and devices. With many client libraries and clients, accessing stored geodata should be possible from anywhere, whether it’s on the web, a mobile phone, a 3D application, or even a command line.

Realtime geodata requires realtime indexing. For a lot of geographic content, freshness is important. Geodata from the Google Maps Data API can be instantly indexed and made searchable in Google Maps.

Rendering geodata is better and faster with the right tools. Through JavaScript, Flash, 3D, static images and more, we’ll continue to provide better ways to render your content to meet platform and latency demands.

The API is intended to store various types of geospatial data for geo-enabled applications that work with specific activities like planning and sharing trips, collaboratively mapping hiking trails, or saving a list of favorite restaurants. One nice bonus is that geo data associated with a Google account is automatically available on Google My Maps.

Some existing applications are already making use of the API, including MyTracks and Platial.

ISO Recorder Made Simple For all Versions Of Windows

gemery — Wed, 20 May 2009 09:43:38 -0500

I want a simple, select files, create ISO tool and ISO Recorder is a tool that does just that!

ISO Recorder is a tool (power toy) for Windows XP, 2003 and now Windows Vista, that allows (depending on the Windows version) to burn CD and DVD images (DVD support is only available on Windows Vista), copy disks, make images of the existing data CDs and DVDs and create ISO images from a content of a disk folder.

ISO Recorder has been conceived during Windows XP beta program, when Microsoft for the first time started distributing new OS builds as ISO images. Even though the new OS had CD-burning support (by Roxio), it did not have an ability to record an image. ISO Recorder has filled this need and has been one of the popular Windows downloads ever since.

Alex Feinman has updated ISO Recorder for Windows Vista and Windows 7.

The latest version provides the following updates:

Windows 7 support. Also compatible with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.
DVD recording. A DVD image, including a bootable one can be recorded. D
DVD image creation is supported

Using ISO Recorder is really simple. Right-click on a DVD for example and select Create Image from CD/DVD.

Within minutes, you have an ISO created. ISO Recorder can also record bootable ISO’s for Microsoft Windows so it’s a great tool to have and its free! Still wonder why Microsoft hasn’t added this into Windows 7.

The latest version of ISO Recorder can be downloaded here: http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/w7.htm.

Managed .net API for Sensor and GPS in windows 7 So Cool!

gemery — Wed, 20 May 2009 04:49:00 -0500

Download the Windows API Code Pack

Did you know how much fun stuff is coming out for windows 7. Adam over at 9 just posted a great video of a new sensor and location managed code api’s that simple rock.Windows 7 includes unique features that can really light up your application and create new possibilities. Yochay Kiraity has been working with the team to create Managed Code APIs making it even easier for .NET developers to take advantage of these features. In this video, Yochay demonstrates code using Accelerometers and Light Sensors.

Google Street View Now Using Tricycles

gemery — Tue, 19 May 2009 09:11:57 -0500

Google Maps and its Street View project have pulled out one of the most basic of all forms of transport to bring the most detailed mapping and filming of storefronts, houses, people and streets … the tricycle.

In order to get to those public places which cars cannot, like busy tourist areas and small alleyway style roads in Europe and Japan, Google has enlisted a fleet of tricycles, the Google Street View Trikes.

Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts

gemery — Tue, 19 May 2009 05:15:00 -0500

I’ve been running Windows 7 RC for a little over a week now and can’t imagine going back to Vista at this point. I decided to start with a fresh install of Windows 7, so I’ve been in the process of reinstalling all of my applications and cleaning up my disk drives.

In the process, I went searching to see if there are any interesting Windows 7 power toys or tricks available. While I didn’t find any power toys, I did discover that all of the Windows Vista tricks are still available on Windows 7.

Tim Sneath has an excellent blog post that covers 30 Windows 7 “secrets” and another series that talks about some Vista “secrets”. Not everything in those posts qualifies as a Trick (some are simply tips), but many of them do.

Here is a quick summary of what I’ve found so far for Windows 7:

Window Management

Win+Left Arrow and Win+Right Arrow: Dock a window to the left or right half of the screen.
Win+Shift+Left Arrow and Win+Shift+Right Arrow: Move a window from one monitor to another, keeping them in the same relative location to the monitor’s top-left origin.
Win+Up Arrow and Win+Down Arrow: Maximizes and restores/minimizes a window.
Win+Shift+Up Arrow and Win+Shift+Down Arrow: Maximizes and restores the vertical size of a window.
Win+Home: Minimize all the non-active background windows, keeping the window you’re using in its current position. (Press Win+Home again to restore the windows to their original locations.)
Win+(plus key) and Win+(minus key): Zoom in or out using Windows Magnifer.
Win+E: Opens Windows Explorer.
Win+U: Opens the Ease of Access Center.
Win+D: Show/hide the desktop.
Win+F: Opens the Search Results window.
Win+L: Locks the computer.
Win+B: Sets focus to the “Show hidden icons” button on the task bar.
Win+M: Minimizes all windows.
Win+Ctrl+F: Opens the Active Directory Find Computers dialog.

Taskbar

Win+Space: Use “Aero Peek” to see any gadgets or icons you’ve got on your desktop.
Win+R: Opens the Run dialog.
Win+T: Move the focus to the first taskbar. (Pressing again will cycle through them.)
Win+Shift+T: Move the focus to the last taskbar. (Pressing again will cycle through them.)
Ctrl+(mouse click on a single application icon in the task bar): Toggle through each of the open windows in order. The best example of this is Internet Explorer. If you have five tabs open in a single IE instance, holding the Ctrl key while repeatedly clicking on the single IE icon in the task bar will toggle through each of the five tabs in order.
Ctrl+Shift+(mouse click on an application icon in the task bar): Launch that application with full administrative rights. You can also use Ctrl+Shift+Enter for commands from the search bar for the same action.
Shift+(mouse click on an application icon in the task bar): Launch a new instance of the application rather than switching to the existing application. (You can also middle-click with the third mouse button or scroll wheel.)
Win+1 .. Win+5: Launch a new instance of the any of the first five icons on the task bar. (By the way, the icons can be reordered to suit your needs by simply dragging them around and can be pinned shortcuts or running applications.)
Shift+(right mouse click on an application icon in the task bar): Show the Window menu. (You get different menus depending on whether the application is running or has multiple instances open.

Windows Explorer

Ctrl+(mouse scroll wheel): Change the view/zoom in Windows Explorer. (This is the same as clicking the Views button or selecting one of the view options from the button’s dropdown list.)
Shift+(right mouse click on any folder or file): Displays an expanded context menu:

(The additional Open options only appear for folders but the “Copy as path” option appears for both folders and files.)
Alt+P: Show/hide the preview pane.

Miscellaneous

Win+P: Display the project options, which you can then use the arrow keys (or keep hitting Win+P) to switch to the different options.
Win+X: Open the Windows Mobility Center.
Win+G: Bring gadgets to the top of the Z-order. (Sets the focus to a gadget.)

originally posted at Scott Dorman

Microsoft’s 3D Camera for the XBOX

gemery — Tue, 19 May 2009 01:01:00 -0500

Microsoft is developing a new video camera for the Xbox 360 console that will allow players to control games with the movement of their bodies, people familiar with the matter said, an effort to attract the casual players who have fueled Nintendo Co.'s recent success.

The Microsoft device is a twist on Nintendo's blockbuster Wii game console, which allows users to swing a tennis racket or other equipment in games by holding a plastic wand in their hands.

Unlike the Wii, the Microsoft camera won't require users to hold any hardware to control on-screen action, the people familiar with the matter said. The camera would sit near the television and capture when players move their hands, legs or head.

A spokesman for the Redmond, Wash., company declined to comment.

The camera represents another effort by the games industry to reach out to consumers with more intuitive playing methods than traditional game controllers, with their array of joysticks and buttons.

Microsoft's camera uses 3-D technology, which gives players more accurate control over games than earlier game cameras did, the people said.

The potential move suggests Microsoft is stepping up efforts to gain ground on Nintendo, the leader in the market for the current generation of game consoles. A spokeswoman for Nintendo declined to comment.

Although Nintendo recently signaled that demand for its Wii may start to slow, it sold 601,000 Wii consoles in the U.S. in March, more machines than Microsoft and Sony Corp. combined, according to NPD Group, which tracks retail sales.

The Microsoft camera could be unveiled as early as the E3 videogame industry conference next month, though it likely won't be released until next year, the people said.

Microsoft, which saw revenue in its games division fall 1.6% to $1.57 billion in the latest quarter, is likely to sell the camera first as an accessory and could ultimately bundle it with the Xbox 360, a person familiar with the company's plans said. Pricing couldn't be determined.

The camera is based on technology that Microsoft developed. Microsoft also recently acquired an Israeli start-up called 3DV Systems Ltd., which has developed a 3-D camera and holds related patents, according to a person familiar with the matter.

In an email, Zvika Klier, chief executive of 3DV Systems, said "unfortunately I can't comment on the rumors surrounding this deal. ...We will provide more information when we can."