Windows NT

Last month, we talked about how IE9 had surpassed IE8 as the number one browser on Windows 7 worldwide.  This month that trend continues with IE9 growing worldwide on Windows 7.  New HTML5 experiences like Cut the Rope continue to show consumers what they can expect from a modern browser like IE9 - while developers have an HTML5 platform with IE9 that supports these rich, fluid experiences.

It takes 18-24 months to plan for and deploy a new operating system. If you haven’t started planning to migrate your Windows XP PCs to a modern OS, or if your migration plan have stalled here are some great tools to help you.

First of all, start by downloading  the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT). It removes the need for disc imaging, migrates your data in place during deployment, and (best of all) it’s free.

Some other tools to help make your move from Windows XP to Windows 7 easier include:

Today Microsoft and IDG hosted a webcast discussion where participants touched on a range of topics: from the flexible workstyles of today’s workforce to useful information on Windows 7 deployment. I found the conversation insightful so wanted to share a few key takeaways.

The sales for Kinect for the Xbox 360 have been amazing with 18 million sold this last year. The end result has been countless hours of incredible fun with family and friends dancing and playing sports in the confines of their living rooms. Kinect has also opened the door for developers and businesses to create new and innovative experiences through natural user interface (NUI) on the PC. The explosion of imaginative ideas that can be done with Kinect is something we call the Kinect Effect.

With the holidays and the year coming to an end, December is a time when many people, especially small business owners, are starting to feel that there are just not enough hours in the day to get everything done in their professional and personal lives. Things like hosting holiday parties, hitting end-of-year business goals, and spending time with customers or family and friends, are all things that seem impossible to get to within the limited days left in the year.

Today at a Windows Store preview event in San Francisco, we announced the policies and business terms for the Windows Store. These details for the Windows Store are very important as it outlines the incredible economic opportunity for developers that Windows 8 represents as the Windows Store will be an integrated feature in Windows 8. For more details on what we’re announcing today, I suggest reading this blog post from Ted Dworkin.

Today in the first blog post on the brand new Kinect for Windows Blog - Craig Eisler, who is the General Manager for Kinect for Windows, has announced the launch of the brand new Kinect for Windows website. Along with the awesome new website, they are also releasing Beta 2 of the Kinect for Windows SDK.

I have to admit that I’m interested in shopping and have spent a lot of my life in malls, department stores, boutiques and my computer looking for the best deals, the hottest shoes (hello, hello 5” stilettos) and gifts for my huge family (all 8 of us…). So, I was super excited when the opportunity came up to work with Microsoft Store on a Tech Tuesday Live Twitter Chat. If you haven’t been to one of the stores, let me tell you they are awesome. There is tons of cool gear, giant screens that surround the entire store and really smart, friendly reps.

Korean Air’s mission is to provide excellence in flight through operational superiority and customer service. The company also prides itself on innovation. In fact, last year Korean Air was recognized with an Excellence in Innovation Award.

We wanted to see what other members of the Windows team like most about Windows 8 so we asked some of our Windows engineers. Check out what they say in this video below.