Facebook Chat Now Available in Windows Live Messenger

The Windows Live team has released a new version of the Messenger 2011 beta with integrated Facebook chat.
Link your Windows Live ID with your Facebook account and you'll be able to chat with friends logged into Facebook.

For a quick demo, check out the video, and to download the updated beta version, go here: http://explore.live.com/windows-live-messenger-beta.

Connect to your favorite social network (Facebook, Live messenger, mySpace) using Outlook

Outlook is the premier communications tool to stay connected with colleagues, friends, and family. Your email messages, even from multiple accounts, are in one place. Connections and communication also happen on websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and Windows Live. Through these sites, you find new contacts and reconnect with old ones. You can share who you are, what you think, what you are doing, and what you like or don’t like. So, it makes sense that you can now add your friends and colleagues to these sites and get their activities from within Outlook.

Read the Full Story at the source, click here

Source: The official blog of the Microsoft Outlook product team

To get started with it, go the following page and download the social network provider for Outlook.

URL: http://office.microsoft.com/en-in/outlook/outlook-social-connector-partner-listing-FX101812910.aspx

Released: Windows Live Essential Beta

There is a new beta release of Windows live essential packed with all the usual stuff but things to watch out for is beta version of these: Windows live messenger, Windows live sync, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker and Mail. It is available in English, French, Dutch, Japanese, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, or Spanish

Flip side? It will run only on Windows vista or above (Win 7) and yes now you can run Windows live messenger on server operating system (Windows 2008 and Windows 2008 R2) with the Platform Update.

I'm pretty much interested in Messenger. It has a completely new redesigned interface and It going to be packed with cool features like:

• Support for Social sites
• Different status for different people
• Tabbed Conversation
• Mobile
• High Definition (HD webcam)
• Create your badge
• However, It takes you to your profile page to change your display name.

Check out more about new Windows Live Messenger here: http://explore.live.com/windows-live-messenger-beta

I gave it a shot and here is the first login screen that you get:

During the first login, it automatically tries to setup new features like webcam, social networking etc.. for you. I tried integrating it to Facebook, however FB gave error. I guess probably because its in beta, not sure.

Here are the option it gave me to link my messenger to my FB account

. See my Facebook friends and their activities in Messenger 
. Share my Facebook status and activities with my Messenger friends 
. Share my Windows Live status and activities with my Facebook friends 
. Let me publish photos to Facebook and tag my Facebook friends in them

Enough said, try it yourself. Here is the link to download: http://explore.live.com/windows-live-essentials-beta

Enjoy!

New XBOX 360 with 250GB drive and 3D

Microsoft has announced the release of new version of XBOX 360, this one with 250GB hard drive space at a price of $299.

According to EA, It can do 3D as well, however, there is no official word from Microsoft at the company's E3 press conference

Here is the list of features on XBOX site: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360250GBconsole/

Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 Beta coming in July

Microsoft has confirmed that the public beta version of Service Pack 1 for Windows server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 will be released in end of July. The SP1 is going to have 2 new features: RemoteFX and Dynamic Memory

Click here for the complete story

Microsoft Small Basic v0.8

Microsoft has announced the release of new version (v.0.8) of Small Basic. Click here to go to the Download page

Microsoft Small Basic is a project that is aimed at making computer programming accessible to beginners. The project comprises a simple programming language that gathers inspiration from the original BASIC programming language; a modern and attractive programming environment; and rich, extensible libraries. Together they make programming fun for kids and adults alike.

Small Basic starts with a really simple programming language that gathers inspiration from the original BASIC language.  It has no more than 15 keywords and is strictly imperative.

Download Page: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=B006D58D-C2C7-44AD-936B-E7E2D7DE793E&displaylang=en

Small Basic Blog site: http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/0/6/90616372-C4BF-4628-BC82-BD709635220D/Introducing%20Small%20Basic.pdf

Windows 7 Language Packs Now Available

 The following language packs have been made available for download from Windows Update:

More...