Cool 3D Moves From Microsoft Research

This is pretty cool, but it will probably take 3-5 years before you see anything like it at Best Buy.

Apple Is Getting Greedy and Evil

Remember the famous ad where the runner threw a sledgehammer at Big Brother on the giant screen. Well, Apple has long since outgrown that rebellious mindset if it ever was there, and the whole spiel was not just sour grapes of being so small compared to Big Blue. Well, for all its design skills, Apple is a closed shop and has no intention of joining the open movement anytime soon. Being the perennial media darling, Apple gets away with a lot of things that IBM and Microsoft would never get away with.

Until now:

Ed Bott, a veteran computer journalist, virtually screams at the guys in Cupertino in his latest PC Magazine blog post about the end-user license agreement (EULA) Apple attached to its new iBooks Author program:

"I have never seen a EULA as mind-bogglingly greedy and evil as Apple’s EULA for its new ebook authoring program."

He continues:

"For people like me, who write and sell books, access to multiple markets is essential. But that’s prohibited:
Apple, in this EULA, is claiming a right not just to its software, but to its software’s output. It’s akin to Microsoft trying to restrict what people can do with Word documents, or Adobe declaring that if you use Photoshop to export a JPEG, you can’t freely sell it to Getty. As far as I know, in the consumer software industry, this practice is unprecedented.

Exactly: Imagine if Microsoft said you had to pay them 30% of your speaking fees if you used a PowerPoint deck in a speech."

Is that Apple getting rotten?

Lost in a Cloud of Words

Welcome to the wordcloud. I just got a press release from Microsoft about their big partner conference in Washington, D.C. People from all over the world have gathered there to "seize new opportunities in the cloud" and help consumers "tap into the cloud through all the screens in their lives."

Lost in translation? No, Microsoft is not Volkswagen having fun with words like fahrvergnügen or Ikea being cute with Swedish names. Microsoft is from Redmond, WA.

"WASHINGTON — July 13, 2010 — Today at the annual Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, Jon Roskill, Microsoft Corp.’s new channel chief, addressed the Microsoft partner community for the first time, unveiling business strategies and resources to help partners of all types seize new opportunities in the cloud. The company also detailed new products and services to help consumers tap into the cloud through all the screens in their lives — from the largest screen in the living room to the smallest screen in one’s pocket."

I know what they mean, but isn't there a fundamental communication disconnect here?

The digital era has given us many new words, and a whole new way to view the world. We have learned to understand expressions like the world wide web, and reinterpret others, like computer (which used to be a person who calculates) and surfing (no board needed these days). I have no problem with that, but then we have the Globalyst stuff. No, it's not something from Harry Potter. It was a new PC-series launched by AT&T in 1994 after the company had bought NCR and renamed it Global Information Services. I remember the press conference when the Globalyst PC was introduced, featuring a communications program called Vistium. I asked one of the marketing guys about the weird name. He shook his head and said that all the good names were already taken.

Fast forward to July 2010:

“The industry is at an inflection point....and we are committed to helping our partners adapt and find the right cloud opportunities....,” said Jon Roskill.

Well, the cloud makes sense as a concept and is okay on a powerpoint slide, but beyond that I'd like my clouds in the sky. Leave it to the true believers to seek opportunities in the cloud.

Hans Sandberg

Microsoft Pushes A Smooth Envelope With Office 2010

I've been using Office for at least ten years, but I'm not a loyalist. I could as well use OpenOffice, which is an excellent suite, and a free one at that. Today I went to Microsoft's press event for Office 2010, which was held at the same NBC-studio at Rockefeller Center where Saturday Night Live is filmed, but the event was despite this rather dull and predictable with an delayed opening, where we were treated to PowerPoint slides telling us among other things that people in 60 countries were watching today's event, which must have made the delay exponentially more embarrassing.

Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft's Business Division (left photo), was a fresh face - he joined Microsoft in January 2008 - but he did okay. Not exactly a Steve Jobs-show, but this was after all a press conference about office productivity. Once the rather predictable customer interviews and even more predictable videos were played, things got interesting.

Chris Capossela, senior vice president of Microsoft's Information Worker Product Management Group, did a very convincing demo of Office 2010, and brought out its many innovations and its integration across platforms, showing how you or a team can work with a document on your PC, laptop and smartphone at the same time, and for example broadcast a PowerPoint slide show from your desktop PC to other people's browsers or cellphones.

I came back from the event with a similar first impression as I had when I returned from the Windows 7 launch in October. Microsoft seems to finally have figured it out. Here is elegance, ease-of-use, really intelligent applications and smart integration, and not much of the annoying interference with our work we learned to hate with Vista.

Hans Sandberg

Note: Microsoft did not allow any photography at the event, so I had had to rely on the company for these two photos.
Disclosure: Microsoft handed out a free copy of Office Professional 2010 to participants in the press conference.

Windows 7 Is Here, And Guess What, It Seems To Live Up To Its Promise

Microsoft officially launched Windows 7 at a party held at Skylight Studios just around the corner from Manhattans' meatpacking district. Windows 7, the multiplatform, multitouch and relatively slim operating system offers hope for us stuck with XP, and an escape route for those of us who where unfortunate enough to upgrade to or buy a system with Windows Vista pre-installed.

Steve Ballmer was his usual self, jolly, engaging and straight-talking. The demo worked without glitches and the focus was totally on user experience. Not a word about gigabytes and gigahertz. It looks like the PC finally has caught up with and maybe even surpassed the Mac, displaying the look and feel of an iPhone. Steve Ballmer said that Windows 7 finally has reached the goal Bill Gates put forward many years ago, to put Windows everywhere. It aims to be the new digital home entertainment center, running everything from audiosystems and wireless picture frames to TV's, Internet TV's and allowing you to connect to your home network while traveling.

I'm not a big fan of Microsoft, but neither am I one of those who allways have to find faults in everything they do. Vista was a disaster that set them back tremendously, opening the field for Apple and Google, but with Windows 7 they have a strong foundation to build on.

We have two Vista systems in the family, one 32-bit XP and one 64-bit XP in our family, plus a bunch of other systems mostly gathering dust. Microsoft Sweden sent me a copy of the 64-bits Windows 7 last week, and even though the install on our 64-bit XP system was anything but painless as it refused to recognize the 32-bit networking card, webcam and mouse driver. The installation program suggested that we find help online, but that was hard without access to the network and router, so my 18-year old son Erik had to download "homemade" drivers on another system and copy them over via an USB stick. However, he eventually got his system up and running, and now loves it. It's fast, looks damn good, and runs everything but the sticky notes, the webcam and the mouse, which works so and so.... "Now I understand why Logitech's webcam was on sale... and they are not going to provide me with 64-bit drivers as they rather sell new webcams," he tells me.

Well, well, that's nothing compared to my futile attempts to install OS/2 many years ago. I swapped out every possible part and driver. I still never installed! And that may have been my good luck as IBM eventually would throw in the towel on their "Windows killer"...

As I write this, Alex, my 15-year old son, comes by my office and reports that his upgrade from 64-bits Vista to 64-btis Windows 7 went smooth. No problem at all. "It seems pretty good so far," is his first comment.

Hans Sandberg

Home, sweet digital home

(Published in Metro Philadelphia, November 2000).


The kids room in Microsoft's Home of the Future.                                                          Photo: Hans Sandberg


Bill Gates already has a hand in most everyone’s home these days – from the operating system that controls our home computers, to the software programs they are running. But Microsoft wants to play a much bigger role in our everyday lives, something that is obvious when visiting the Home of the Future on its corporate campus in Redmond, Washington.

A miniscule camera sits atop the gray computer screen that greets people at the door of this futuristic dream home. This, as with all of the home’s other high-tech gadgets, is connected to a central computer - the home server.

The welcoming screen reads: 

16100
159 N.E. Ave
Welcome to the Microsoft Home
Ring Doorbell Leave Message

Microsofts John Gallagher shows the door to the Home of the Future.
                                                                 Photo: Hans Sandberg

The virtual bell “rings” when the visitor touches the screen, and a digital doorman contacts the home server, which in turn lets the homeowner know that someone is at the door. If the visitor is welcome, the door can be opened by voice command, or from any one of a number of control panels throughout the home. In case no one is home, visitors simply face the camera and leave their regrets as a video message.

When it comes to getting into your own home, a retinal scanner is a handy alternative to keys. The scanner compares the homeowner’s retina to the one in the home security database, and when verified, will open the door automatically.

Once inside, a small screen in the foyer (mounted at eye-level), offers information on the status of the home. About the size of a deck of cards, this control panel displays and plays any messages -- whether e-mail or voicemail -- and regulates the lighting, home security, heating and entertainment systems. But the user doesn’t need to fuss with controls, since the home of the future has learned a thing or two about the people living there, and automatically adjusts all systems to fit their personal profile. For example, the house can “greet” the owner by turning on the downstairs lights, playing soft music, and raising the blinds when they walk in the door after a hard day’s work.

Many of these features have been borrowed from the “ultimate” digital home, i.e. Bill and Melinda Gate’s $75 million dollar lakefront residence in Medina, Washington - not far from Microsoft’s campus. Gates doesn’t talk much about his house -- and requires his guests to sign a non-disclosure agreement -- but in his 1995 book called “The Way Ahead”, Gates shared his dream of a home where guests wear digital identification pins, so that the computer system knows where they are in the house and plays music chosen just for them - or perhaps “displays” their favorite artwork on hanging LCD screens. The latter feature is missing in the demo home, which is easy to understand as each flat wall screen costs between $10,000 and $15,000.

The family room is bound to be the next digital battleground, but not even in Microsoft’s version, does it have a PC. The centerpiece is instead a huge projection television, with a 42-inch screen. It is of course, networked, and doubles as a home entertainment control center. Running a prototype of Microsoft’s upcoming software for digital “set-top” boxes, the TV is connected to the Internet, and can detect and control other entertainment units, like CD or DVD players. While leaning back on the couch, it’s now possible to select a video, surf the Web, read e-mail, or change CDs.

The company is also testing a voice control system, which can be used as an alternative to wall mounted controls and screens. With this system, one need only tell the home server what they want. In addition, video cameras -- which are also used for home security -- can help to recognize different people in the house and interpret their gestures. Once they “know” who’s in the room, they can also personalize the environment for them.

John Gallagher, one of Microsoft’s concept home “tour guides”, shows how a tiny box and microphone can be used to literally run the home using voice commands such as “Open the curtains,” or “Turn off the TV.” The technology is not quite ready for primetime however, as it is hard for the system to figure out whether the person is giving a command or just making conversation. To avoid any unpleasant misunderstandings, each command needs to be prefaced with a name. In the case of the demo home, the system is named “MC,” so to turn off the lights, the instruction would be: ”MC, turn off the lights!”

Next to the family room is Microsoft’s kitchen of the future, where a traditional PC sits on the countertop with its keyboard in a separate drawer under the counter. It is hard to picture what this kitchen workstation would look like after preparing a Thanksgiving meal. There are plenty of appliance-like PC prototypes that are small, easy-to-use and out of the way – much better suited for a kitchen.

On the kitchen counter is a small barcode reader, which records the family’s favorite food and beverage products. Once scanned, the data is sent to the home computer, so that groceries can be easily ordered online and delivered straight to the home- in this case from HomeGrocer.com (now acquired by Webvan.com).

In the kid’s room are computers complete with joysticks, a huge yellow trackball for digital toddlers, and steering wheels for the older kids – as well as an Intel microscope that works with a PC. Sega, Nintendo or PlayStation are nowhere to be found, since Microsoft is holding the slot open for its own new super-game consol there -- the X-box -- which will arrive, in late 2001.

The master bedroom lacks in digital gadgets and Gallagher explains that it will be converted to a teenager’s room, making it “more fun” to demo. At present, a telephone with a monochrome touch screen gives people a chance to check their e-mail just before dozing off, and on the end table sits a digital frame, that grabs family photos from the Internet, and displays them. One clever feature of this smart home is that when the lights go off, so do the picture frames.

Today, cable and DSL-modems are becoming more commonplace and many homes are becoming networked. And since this future vision belongs to Microsoft, we had better watch and listen carefully. Why? Because one thing that Microsoft is extraordinarily good at is getting their foot in the front door and making themselves right at home.

Hans Sandberg


Totally wired


Steven Guggenheimer, director of consumer strategy.
                                                       Photo: Hans Sandberg
Why is Microsoft focusing on the “Home of the Future” today?
Steven Guggenheimer, director of consumer strategy at Microsoft, says that they do it simply because they can.

Today’s home has more and more devices that can communicate. One example is Sony’s PlayStation II, which is a not just a gaming machine, but a powerful computer that can connect to the Internet and home computer networks. Telephones and TV’s will soon have software allowing them to talk to other machines in the house, and the day will come when most electronic devices -- from toasters and refrigerators, to climate control and security systems -- can all be linked with one single home network.

The home is also an important target for the next generation of Windows. Microsoft wants to build a sophisticated network of applications and services with its new “.net” strategy. The first step is Microsoft Passport, a program that keeps personal information such as credit card numbers, and individual Internet preferences safe and ready-to-use while surfing or shopping online. This virtual ID-card can be used together with PC’s, handheld computers, and internet-ready WAP-cell phones.

“The technology makes us schizophrenic. We have different address books and calendars in different devices. When information is splintered we end up having to do more work,” says Guggenheimer, who sees ”Passport” as a solution to this problem.

Microsoft’s Home of the Future is in many ways similar to the home prototype Time-Warner built back in 1994 to demonstrate its “Full Service Network” (FSN). The FSN home turned out to be expensive to build and operate, and it took much longer than expected to bring down the price of the $5,000 set-top box that was the center of the house. This time, thanks to the growth of the Internet, much of the infrastructure is already in place.

Hans Sandberg


TV of the future

Microsoft has invested billions of dollars trying to get a foothold in the TV business - first by buying WebTV, and later through a number of alliances geared towards putting Microsoft’s TV-software on as many digital set-top boxes as possible. Their strategy is, in some respects, similar to that of Sony Corporation, which is also working towards using the television as a control center for various home electronic appliances.

Microsoft’s latest product in this field is called “UltimateTV”. TVs that are equipped with UltimateTV services can receive digital satellite TV, and record one program while another is being watched. Direct broadcasts can also be “paused” for up to a half hour, and then begin again as if nothing happened. (In actuality the viewer is watching a show that was recorded on the TV’s computer hard disk.)

It is, however, far from clear that the company will “take control” of America’s living rooms. American Online recently announced their alternative to WebTV -- AOLTV -- and AT&T is testing interactive TV software from a company called Liberate on its set-top boxes (since Microsoft failed to deliver on time). Liberate was founded by Microsoft’s archenemy, the database giant Oracle.

Hans Sandberg

Xbox - The Mystery Box

(Published in Currents magazine 2000).

The Xbox as it looked in the summer of 2000, before its release in 2001.

Video gaming is serious business, not only for the $7 billion in revenues it brought in last year, but because gaming machines are becoming incredibly powerful and versatile. Sony’s new Playstation2 and Microsoft’s upcoming X-box will, in addition to playing games, be able to do most of the things a PC can do, as well playing DVD-movies and MP3-music. This is why Howard Stringer, president of Sony America, has called the PlayStation2 a “Trojan Horse in the home.”

Microsoft’s X-box will have a 600+ MHz Pentium III processor, a fairly big hard drive, and run computer graphics five times faster than the already super fast PlayStation2.
With so much power, and a fast connection to the Internet this machine is not just for playing Banjo Kazooie and Mario Party. “Clearly, it will be the world’s best web browser, and spreadsheet machine,” says Richard Doherty, a Senior Editor at the Long Island-based consulting firm Envisioneering. He ads that it may also be used to run business software rented over the net from Application Services Providers.

In the late 90’s you could hear totally wired pundits ruminate about the imminent death of the TV, but it never happened. Instead, the TV and the PC learned from each other. The PC was the quickest to learn, but it is not (and will probably never be) an ideal platform for gaming or entertainment software.

Today, the PC is the most popular way to surf the Web, but this is bound to change, as our game consoles are hooked-up to home networks, which are linked to cable or DSL modems. And the “brainless” TV will acquire some smarts from the next generation of digital set-top boxes, which are just around the corner. Then there are the hybrids, like Microsoft’s Web TV, which lets you surf and read email on your TV set.

Evidently there is some convergence, but the PC and the TV are fundamentally different: The first is a tool, while the latter is a media for consumption. In front of the PC you work, and when not, you still have to concentrate, and hold on to that mouse. In front of the TV you can sip on your soda, munch on potato chips, and most importantly, do it together with other people. When grabbing the videogame console, you have to put down the soda and grab the game controller, but at least you can lean back while letting the adrenaline loose.

Microsoft’s X-box can be seen as an acknowledgment that the PC is not a good gaming platform. It is too complicated, slow and unreliable. Who needs a Fatal Error in the middle of E.R.? The strength of the game consoles comes from the fact that they were built for playing games. But to keep up with the gowth of the Internet and the huge potential of Web-based gaming, they are forced to go online. And once they are hooked-up, the door is open for a broader interactivity, including electronic shopping, entertainment on demand, and content delivery (games, software and MP3-music) via the Internet.

As for Bill Gates, gaming is an old quest. He’s had his eye on this market for a long time, but few thought his “microserfs” could create cool consumer content, and machines to run them on. The X-box tells us that this is not only a serious, but dangerous player. When it arrives in the stores late next year, it will be much more powerful than PlayStation2. And as it will be built around a stripped-down version of the new Windows 2000 operating system, it will be easy to move Windows games over to the X-box. This is crucial, because it is hot new games that sell the hardware, not the other way around.

Hans Sandberg