Over the Christmas break when the novelty has worn off for your new hand knitted jumper from Auntie Gladys, why not check out some of the projects from Microsoft Research Interactive Visual Media Group.
The mission of the Interactive Visual Media Group is to develop state-of-the-art algorithms for digital photography and video with the goal of providing innovative experiences and tools for such media. Our target audience includes both consumers and visual media professionals. We develop experimental technology to analyze, retrieve, and manipulate media in order to create compelling new content or organize existing content. This expands the way in which people can interact with their personal media by providing novel photo and video creation and integration tools, as well as engaging viewing/playback experiences. http://research.microsoft.com/vision/InteractiveVisualMediaGroup/#projects

As it’s almost Christmas I thought I just post this link to series of ad campaigns from the car industry - BMW started it, Audi answered...Bentley chairman had final say, http://americatopten.blogspot.com/2006/12/advertisement-war-bmw-started-it-audi.html

There are many updates to Internet Explorer 7.0 such as, tabbed browsing, quick Tabs, tab groups, printing advances, page zoom, RSS feed support and protected mode (which is only available in IE7.0 on Windows Vista) to name a few. But I want to highlight search and adding additional search engines.

Instant Search (top right hand corner of IE 7.0) makes it quick and easy to search the Internet directly from the browser frame using your favourite search provider. You can choose a search provider from the drop-down list as well as easily add more providers to the list from the Windows Search Guide. But the feature I like, is that you can add most pages that have a search engine(please note the word most, I have found a couple that don’t work) to your list of search providers. How?  Just go to this URL and follow the instructions. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/searchguide/en-uk/default.mspx

I have not tried Web Guide yet, but  from all the reports from I have seen so far, indicate that this is a great product. Essentially it runs as a web service on your media centre, allowing you to connect and check out the guide and scheduled recordings remotely.
Even better, there is a Vista version for more information go to http://asciiexpress.com/webguide

Available next year HP IQ770 Crossfire 19-inch touch screen Vista PC

Although I am not a big home movie maker, I am a fan of Windows Movie Maker.  I have demoed the product since we first introduced it with Windows XP. It’s a simple utility that come with XP and there is an updated version in Windows Vista, that allows you to produce some  fairly professional movies. Of course if you are into big scale productions you will need one of the many advanced applications available today such as Adobe Premiere.  However when we launched XP back in 2001 we did achieve a world record for the fastest ever music video production (film to broadcast) using Movie Maker. This record appeared in the 2003 edition of the Guinness World records book on page 41.  

So a bit more about Windows Movie Maker in Windows Vista....

In Windows Vista we provide a new, easy-to-use interface and even more tools to help you easily create a home movie, complete with titles, credits and transitions.

Importing and capturing video is easier and more reliable than ever before. After connecting a digital video or still camera, AutoPlay detects the device and displays the import wizard for digital video or digital still cameras. With digital video cameras, users can choose to automatically import from tape and burn directly to DVD.

You can also make a home video from photos as well as the videos you have on your PC either  by directly importing into Movie Maker, which can be  accessed directly from All Programs or if you are in Windows Photo Gallery, you can choose to Make a Movie of your selected photos and videos. Windows Movie Maker is closely integrated with Windows Photo Gallery, so imported videos are added to the Videos folder and can be managed from here. Videos can be previewed, rated, and tagged with labels and comments in Windows Photo Gallery.

Just to show that search interfaces don't have to be the boring white box check out http://msdewey.com/ for a much more fun interface..

Today I meet with nVidia who are the first company to ship the new generation of  DirectX 10 graphics cards, don’t worry nothing technical coming up, but all I can say is “Wow” this is one of the most exciting developments in Windows Vista as when you put the two together you get unbelievable on screen graphics .

So a bit more about the Windows Vista graphics platform. The platform makes the gaming experience better in two ways: First, an improved graphics driver model delivers more overall stability and reliability when playing games. Second, many of the hottest Windows games will take full advantage of the next-generation graphics technology available exclusively in Windows Vista called DirectX 10. You will need a DirectX 10 compatible graphics card (as mentioned available today from nVidia),. Along with richer graphics, game designers will be able to more easily add enhancing details and complexity to gaming worlds, such as dynamic lighting, weather conditions, and more. The net benefit to Windows gamers is that DirectX 10 games can be more advanced than even the games on the latest gaming consoles.

PC gaming has always lacked a solid controller for action, sports, and racing games, thus Windows Vista includes native support for the Xbox 360 wired controller, letting you play those game genres as they were meant to be played. Simply plug in the Xbox 360 controller to your Windows Vista-based PC’s universal serial bus (USB) port and you’re ready to go. Even better, Microsoft is also introducing new gaming accessories that work with your PC, such as the Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows, which lets you use the Xbox 360 wireless controller and wireless racing wheel on your Windows Vista-based PC.

Windows Vista includes enhancements that make it easier to access, play, and manage your computer games, you can set age-appropriate boundaries for your children's gaming activities via the parental controls (see previous posting for details). You can easily find and access all your games via the games explorer, which is listed on the Start Menu in Windows Vista. Icons for each game provide easy access to the games and also display detailed information about the game, such as the game publisher and developer; when you last played; which version of the game you own; box cover art; and the release date, genre, and rating for each game

Of course, I shouldn’t forget about the games that are included “in the box” with Windows. Windows Vista includes updated three-dimensional (3D) versions of several classic games, including “Solitaire” and “Minesweeper.” There’s also a new game designed just for kids, “Purble Place,” now included. In addition, Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate include two brand-new games, such as “Mahjong Titans” and “Chess Titans.”

Since I have been talking about and demonstrating Windows Vista to a variety of people, it has amazed me that hardly anyone backs up their data, especially as we all have more memories & music stored digitally these days. When I asked the question why don’t you back up, nearly everyone said it’s to hard, just don’t get round to it. Only last week a friend of mine, who should know better as he works in IT support, lost all his data on his home PC and could not recover any of his photos of his new grandchild, needless to say, he is now in the doghouse. But that scenario should be a thing of the past with Windows Vista as it provides a comprehensive backup experience, much easier to use than the basic backup utility included in Windows XP and with large hard drives being  so cheap, for example a LaCie 250gb USB2 is only £74.00, he & you will all have no excuses.

The new File Backup feature gives you many choices for storing your backed-up information. You can choose to back up to CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, an external hard disk connected to your PC by universal serial bus (USB) or IEEE 1394, another hard disk on your PC, or to another PC or server connected to your network.

If you are running the Premium or Ultimate version you can also have the convenience of automated scheduling so you no longer have to regularly remember to back up your data. You can use a simple wizard to schedule when and where you want your data to be backed up, and Windows Vista will take care of it on its own. Windows Vista conserves backup storage space by incrementally backing up only the changes made since the last backup. When multiple CDs or DVD disks are used, each backup disk is self contained, so that you can restore files even if not all of the disks are available.

While file restore is useful in cases of file loss and data corruption, Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore is most useful for disaster recovery when your PC malfunctions. Available only to Business, and Ultimate Edition users, Complete PC Backup and Restore is capable of restoring your whole PC environment, including the operating system, installed programs, and user settings, as well as data files. You can restore your PC content back to its original PC if its hardware problems were fixed, or to a replacement PC if not. Complete PC Backup and Restore can be initiated from within Windows Vista as well as from the Windows Vista installation CD in the event the PC is so corrupt it cannot startup normally from the hard disk.

Everyone seems to like the ipod and you can see why great design great marketing. However after a while people do get disillusioned due to the overall poor user experience, but I think I have found an ipod Nano killer. So how did I find this device? Well I decided to join the gym a couple of weeks ago, (I have to admit I had to look the word gym up in a dictionary as previously the word was not in my vocabulary) and needed a music device. I did a bit of research and ended up buying a Samsung YP-Z5A 4GB MP3 Player. The device looks great, easy sync of music with Media Player 11, just drag and drop whole albums or individual tracks to the device, no additional software needed, so none of that cumbersome software to deal with as on the ipods. It has loads of great design features - really easy to navigate tracks and artists, support for both MP3 and WMV meaning you are not locked into using the dreaded Itunes, there’s a graphic equalizer, you can download your photos, but best of all is the superb battery life. So if your looking for a digital music device it's worth checking out this one from Samsung. 

It’s been a long time coming, but with the launch of Windows Vista Premium & Ultimate editions, you will now get Windows Media Center as a core component, so everyone can now enjoy the best in home entertainment. There are some great advancements over previous versions, including an improved user interface with easier navigation and breakthrough media visualization. If your new to Windows Media Center, the setup process has been improved so you will be exploring your digital media in no time. In fact, Windows Media Center automatically checks your PC for media files during the setup process so you don’t have to waste a minute searching for your content.  Once started, you will notice that Windows Media Center is optimized for widescreen and HD displays—making it perfect for the living room. With the new on-screen layout of photos, music, and videos, you can see up to three times more content on a widescreen display compared to previous versions of Windows Media Center. The clean, simple look ties together with the Windows Aero desktop experience and features transparency effects and smooth animations, giving you a fun and visually stunning way to browse and experience your home entertainment. Windows Media Center is optimized for use with a remote control but also works well with other input devices such as a mouse and keyboard, touch screen, or even a Tablet PC.