In time for the holidays eBay has just released a new Internet Explorer 8 Daily Deals Web Slice that I have been collaborating with them. Every day eBay showcases popular products selling at deep discounts. Customers will receive continuing updates and detailed information about these Daily Deals for eBay (as shown in the below snippet from my desktop), all within the Favorites Bar in Internet Explorer 8. With almost 200 million live listings combine Internet Explorer 8 security, privacy and features such Web Slice it will make online shopping more fun and easier this holiday season.

It’s a great example of what a web slice should be (if you need more info on web slices read here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/features/easier.aspx?tab=0).

This simple and innovative eBay model will pave for other online marketplace as a way to engage with its customers and increase revenue.

For more information on the Daily Deal Web Slice, please see the following related articles:

Press Release:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/nov09/11-25IE8HolidayPR.mspx?rss_fdn=Press%20Releases

Download:

http://ie8.ebay.com

http://www.ieaddons.com/en/details/shopping/Get_the_latest_eBaycom_Daily_Deals/

Silverlight 4 Beta Information

Earlier this week at PDC09 in Los Angeles we unveiled a Beta version Silverlight 4. This latest version delivers hundreds of features and controls that, when combined with the continued innovation in Microsoft’s world-class tools for designers and developers — Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft Expression Blend – present the leading edge in rapid, powerful application development. With printing support, rich reporting and charting, and integration with back-end systems and server products including Microsoft SharePoint, Silverlight is ready for business.

What’s New in Silverlight 4 Beta?

Silverlight 4 delivers a full suite of powerful capabilities to business application developers, bringing the best-of-breed .NET platform to browser-based experiences. Silverlight provides an ideal platform for developing and deploying modern business applications for both customer facing and staff-facing applications.

To learn more about beta release here are some good resource:

http://silverlight.net/getstarted/silverlight-4-beta/

http://channel9.msdn.com/learn/courses/Silverlight4/Overview/Overview/

http://channel9.msdn.com/learn/courses/Silverlight4/Overview/WhatsNew/

Additionally the Day#2 keynote announcement of Silverligh4 beta release from PDC09 is available on demand at:

http://microsoftpdc.com/Sessions/KEY02

Can’t make it to Los Angeles for The Underground @ PDC? You can still be a part of the action!

The Underground will live stream these special presentations so no matter where you are, you can to hear from Microsoft and tech community leaders announcing Microsoft’s Technology roadmap and newly released developer strategies.  Tune in and don’t miss our special keynote from Scott Guthrie!

Wednesday, November 18 at 7:00 PM

LIVE at www.undergroundatpdc.com

Twitter: @undergroundpdc

The forecast for 2010 is looking very cloudy, with every technology company delivering some type of cloud offering, and analysts estimating that almost everyone will try some form of cloud computing. But from a practical stand point, how should organizations leverage cloud computing effectively? Is it to simply host existing and legacy assets somewhere else, or to create next-generation applications that enable differentiated capabilities? In addition, what role does SOA play in the age of cloud computing? And does this impact the way we manage and interact with data?

Facilitated by Microsoft, the premise of this half-day event is to provide an open forum where architects can meet to discuss technologies and insights with peers. This forum will provide first-hand experiences and best practices intended to help the community to collectively discover and generate knowledge. Please join us for this opportunity to learn, share and network with your peers and other thought leaders.

Event Summary

§ Provide a clear and profound understanding of Microsoft’s cloud strategy and roadmap, and latest updates on the Windows Azure Platform

§ Discuss the state of SOA, and its relevance in the age of cloud computing

§ Review case studies and models of cloud usage, and examine approaches to build next-generation capabilities leveraging the cloud

§ Explore trade-offs, best practices, and guidance on today’s myriad of data storage options

§ Explain the differences and patterns of using various data interaction frameworks

Who Should Attend

Technology and business stakeholders, including CTOs, CIOs, VPs, Directors, Program and Product Managers, Architects, Lead Engineers, and IT Managers

Agenda

12:45PM: Introduction and Announcements

01:00PM: Windows Azure Platform – Overview of the Microsoft Cloud

01:30PM: SOA and Cloud Computing

02:00PM: Architecting Solutions Leveraging the Cloud

02:30PM: Making Sense of the Expanding Range of Data Storage Solutions

03:15PM: Best Practices with Data Interaction Frameworks

04:00PM: Groupthink

When & Where

Date: December 01, 2009

Location: Irvine, CA

Event ID: 1032350826

Event URL: http://wweventstest.one.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032350826&Culture=en-US

Date: December 2, 2009:

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Event ID: 1032350827

Event URL: http://wweventstest.one.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032350827&Culture=en-US

Date: December 3, 2009

Location: Phoenix, AZ

Event ID: 1032350828

Event URL: http://wweventstest.one.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032350828&Culture=en-US

Date: December 8, 2009

Location: Mountain View, CA

Event ID: 1032350833

Event URL: http://wweventstest.one.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032350833&Culture=en-US

Date: December 9, 2009

Location: San Francisco, CA

Event ID: 1032350830

Event URL: http://wweventstest.one.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032350830&Culture=en-US

Date: December 10, 2009

Location: Seattle, WA

Event ID: 1032350831

Event URL: http://wweventstest.one.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032350831&Culture=en-US

Date: December 15, 2009

Location: Denver, CO

Event ID: 1032350832

Event URL: http://wweventstest.one.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032350832&Culture=en-US

Hosts

David Chou

Architect, Microsoft

http://blogs.msdn.com/dachou

David Chou is a technical architect at Microsoft, focused on collaborating with enterprises and organizations in areas such as cloud computing, SOA, Web, distributed systems, security, etc., and supporting decision makers on defining evolutionary strategies in architecture. Drawing on experiences from his previous jobs at Sun Microsystems and Accenture, David enjoys helping customers create value from using objective and pragmatic approaches to define IT strategies, roadmaps, and solution architectures.

Joe Shirey

Architect, Microsoft

http://www.joeshirey.com

Joe Shirey is a Senior Architect Evangelist for Microsoft based in the Denver area. In this role, Joe works closely with customers and the community to help them understand where Microsoft technologies fit into the architecture of their solutions. Prior to joining Microsoft, Joe was a Vice President at Interlink group where he was responsible for service and delivery for Interlink’s Denver market. In the past, Joe was a Microsoft Regional Director, a member of the Microsoft Architect Advisory Board, and sat on the .NET Partner Advisory Council. Joe has more than eighteen years of hands-on technical and functional experience in project management, systems analysis, design, development, and implementation. Joe attained his Microsoft Certified Architect award in 2005.

Have you tried running PHP on Windows ? then don’t wait try it now.

If you have a great idea for a very cool PHP application, want to contribute to an existing open source project and you would like get a all-expense paid trip to php|tek 2010 and wiln some really fabulous prices like a 52″ Digital HD home entertainment system,2 XBox 360 Ultimate and subscriptions to php|architect. Then is how you can get started.

If you are participating in the event and do win some cool price let me know.

Good Luck !

Earlier this week our team (Developer & Platform Evangeliism team) hosted at our Silicon Valley (Mountain View campus) the last stop of David Chappell’s world-wide tour to talk about the impact of cloud computing, and latest developments on the Windows Azure Platform.

David Chappell’s talked about Windows Azure platform and what it means for enterprises. The topics he covered include:

• An overview of the Windows Azure platform: Technology and business model
• The cloud platform context: Google, Amazon, Salesforce.com, and more
• Using the Windows Azure platform: Application scenarios

We also had the CEO of CSRware.com and she showcased their “On-Demand Performance Management solution” for Sustainability and Green IT initiatives. Their current cloud initiative utilized Windows Azure, SQL Azure and hybrid (Software+Services) app dev pattern, for capturing tens of thousands of data points from their customer data center and aggregating them into a single data point to an on-premise SaaS offering.

Also my colleague David Chou also presented some additional views on how to architect applications using the Windows Azure Platform and some customer case studies.

If you missed attending the session no worries you can get all of the presentation that is posted at Strategy & Architecture Council site:

http://blogs.msdn.com/sac/archive/2009/10/31/windows-azure-world-tour-with-david-chappell.aspx

Thanks to everyone who attended the event, and if you have any further question please feel free to send me a note.

Earlier this week Microsoft launched Windows phones. The new phones will be the first to feature Windows Mobile 6.5, the latest version of our mobile phone software, and will deliver new customer experiences through an improved, easy-to-use user interface, better browsing capabilities and access to valuable services, including Windows Marketplace for Mobile  and Microsoft My Phone.

It is expected our partners will deliver more than 30 new Windows phones in over 20 countries by end of this year alone to meet every style , a single  phone for work and play, richer collaboration and get stuff done easily and with confidence. 

One Phone for Work and Play

The virtual walls between work and play are crumbling. In a recent Omnibus survey in the U.S., survey respondents told us mobile phones help them bridge the gap between their personal and professional lives. Sixty eight percent of mobile phone users say they use their mobile phone for personal purposes while at work or school. Sixty-three percent of adults make social plans at work or school, Fifty-two percent take pictures and send them to friends, and forty-three percent would starve without their mobile phones (they use them to order meals).

 Get Stuff Done with Confidence

People want the ability to get stuff done with the confidence that comes from a Windows phone.  The Omnibus research revealed that more than eighty percent of adults who own a mobile phone would be willing to offer an award if they lost it. With this in mind, part of the Windows phone we have also  My Phone, a free service that syncs data from a phone — like pictures, music and text messages — to a Web portal for safe keeping. If a phone is stolen, left behind, sandwiched between couch cushions or otherwise lost, My Phone can locate it, ring it (even if on vibrate), lock it or wipe it clean of personal information and when you buy a new Windows phone, My Phone will restore contacts, photos, videos and messages right back to the new device.

Rich Communications

People also expect rich communications from their Windows phone, from doing real work on their mobile phones using PowerPoint, Word and Excel, to staying connected in their social lives through support for Windows Live messaging, the new MySpace application for Windows phone and photo sharing across other major social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

Consistent Browsing (similar to Desktop)

People want  a browsing experience that displays Web pages on the phone similar to the desktop and provides support for Adobe Flash Lite so people can view Flash-based video content right on their phones.

Phone that meets my Style 

Finally, people want a phone that meets their specific needs. They want to choose a phone that is unique to them, with the apps that matter to them, that is capable of connecting them with the people and information that matter to them – that reflects their unique lives, styles and lifestyles. Windows phones give people the choice of a broad selection of form factors from sleek, touch screen devices to full QWERTY keyboards. They have access to a wide range of quality applications for work and play through the Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

To find out which phones are available for your country/region and carrier, check out the initial list here!

Additionally my colleague, Anand Iyer has a great post regarding the announcement at his blog artificial ignorance about Windows Marketplace for Mobile and Microsoft My Phone and other new features in Windows Mobile 6.5

Microsoft recently announced the availability of a new program for Web Professionals called Microsoft WebsiteSpark. With WebsiteSpark and the Microsoft Web Platform, Microsoft is demonstrating an ongoing and unwavering commitment to fostering the success of Web professionals and SMBs around the world.

The WebsiteSpark Program provides Web professionals with Microsoft software and solutions, together with related tools, training and support, to help their businesses succeed. The WebsiteSpark Program also helps drive new business opportunities by connecting Web professionals and hosters with an ecosystem of customers, partners and other professionals with complementary technologies.

Web development and design companies with up to 10 employees and owners can participate in the WebsiteSpark Program for three years with no up-front cost. There is only a $100 program offering fee, payable at exit, with no other costs or obligations. Once approved, these companies can have access to:

• Microsoft Web design and development tools, including three licenses of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition, two licenses of Microsoft Expression Web 3, and one license of Microsoft Expression Studio 3.
• Four processor licenses for production usage of Microsoft Windows Web Server 2008 or R2 (when available) and four processor licenses for production usage of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Web Edition.
• A third-party premium Website control panel (DotNetPanel).

Find out more or join at WebsiteSpark!

Yesterday, Microsoft announced the first community technology preview of SQL Azure Database, a cloud-based relational database service built on Microsoft SQL Server technologies. With SQL Azure Database, you can easily provision and deploy relational database solutions to the cloud, and take advantage of globally distributed data centers that provides enterprise-class availability, scalability, and security with the benefits of built-in data protection, self-healing and disaster recovery.

To register for the free trial, visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/dataservices/default.aspx.

To learn more about SQL Azure, visit http://www.microsoft.com/azure/sql.mspx.

Additionally, see the updated SQL Azure content in the August release of the Windows Azure Platform Training Kit.

SQL Azure documentation on MSDN is also a great learning resource.

More information at the SQL Azure Team Blog here.

Adverse times are also best times for innovation! Choosing the right battles to fight, and reinventing ourselves with less resources are par for the course today.  However, not all innovation needs to be revolutionary or transformative. In fact, in the current economic crisis, opportunities for innovation can be found in aspects of our core competencies, and implemented as incremental and iterative changes.

For this series of Architect Council LIVE WEBCASTS on August 24 and 25, 2009, we will discuss two of the many ways architects can innovate by recognizing the impact to architects, and learning how to effectively leverage cloud computing beyond just another place to host existing assets.

DAY 1 – August 24, 2009 at Noon PST

Role of the Architect in Turbulent Times  –  Event ID:  1032423112

Miha Kralj – Architect, Microsoft

With faltering economies and the resulting shift of priorities – architects must be ready for change in their role. Innovative new technologies such as Cloud Based Computing, Software as a Service and Virtualization open up new and exciting opportunities for architects to show value in their organizations.   In this session we will discuss how the role of the architect has changed, introduce new architectural patterns, and show how to “do more with less”.

Link to Register:  ARCHITECT COUNCIL | Innovation is the Name of the Game Day 1 Live Meeting

DAY 2 – August 25, 2009 at Noon PST

A Closer Look at an Internet Service Bus  –  Event ID:  1032423113

Clemens Vasters – Program Manager .NET Online Services, Microsoft

Look under the hood of the Microsoft .NET Services service bus – the protocols we use- and how to use the services from non-Microsoft platforms and languages.  Learn which part of the messages and requests the Building Block service inspects, which parts are not inspected, and how you can verify this.  Also, learn how to work through NAT and Firewall limitations.   Lastly, hear about architecture on the Data Center side that enables “Internet scale”.

Link to Register:  ARCHITECT COUNCIL | Innovation is the Name of the Game Day 2 Live Meeting

SPEAKER BIOS

Miha Kralj

As a senior architect on the Microsoft Platform Architecture Team, Miha Kralj is responsible for leading architectural communities, helping the architectural profession to mature and grow, and coordinating activities within professional architectural organizations and bodies. Miha is a Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). He was also a founding member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) chapters in Slovenia and Yugoslavia.

Clemens Vasters

Clemens Vasters is a Principal Technical Lead in the .NET Services team, working in an architect role on the ‘Service Bus’ feature area and acting – more behind the scenes – as the architect for the Billing feature area and as the architect/lead developer for the internal Provisioning infrastructure of .NET Services. Before joining Microsoft some 3 years ago, Clemens spoke at many conferences, taught technology, and helped companies with software architecture in over 35 countries