Windows Experience Blog : Windows Rally

WinHEC 2007: Day 2

Brandon LeBlanc — Sun, 20 May 2007 09:03:00 GMT

On my second day at WinHEC I really wanted to make it a point to stop by the Expo Hall and take a closer look at all the really cool hardware. So I spent about two hours walking around the Expo Hall and talking with folks until the Expo Hall closed. Microsoft's Pavilion had numerous kiosks set up with product experts at those kiosks to answer any questions.

At the Microsoft Pavilion, I caught up with one of Nick's colleagues Matt Krueger who was helping show off some Mobile PC's that take advantage of Windows Vista and it's technologies.

After talking with Matt, I spotted the HD Media Bridge kiosk and Network Attached Storage kiosk right next to it. I got a closer look at the D-Link Xtreme N Duo MediaBridge units. Right next to the Media Bridge units was the Maxtor (now under Seagate) network storage device that are use Windows Rally. You can check out Maxtor's selection of network storage devices here.

During the Windows Rally keynote demo by Program Managers Glenn Ward and Jim Barber, they showed off a Windows Sidebar Gadget that worked with the Maxtor network storage devices using Windows Rally technologies. I was able to take some shots of the Gadget running on one of the kiosk demo PC's. I would like to see more hardware devices come with Windows Sidebar Gadgets that work like this Gadget does with the Maxtor network device. To be able check the status of a networked storage device and see how much storage space I have through a Sidebar Gadget is simply amazing.

Next I stopped by to take a look at a couple of SideShow devices including a Ricavision SideShow-enabled Windows Media Center Remote. This is one real slick remote. I was also able to check out a Digital Picture Frame too.

The Windows Vista Logo program had a huge presence this year at WinHEC. They had a very nice Certified for Windows Vista device showcase of some of the neat new devices out in the marketplace today that are certified. Ironically, I was using my Nikon D40 to take these photos which is also a Certified for Windows Vista camera.

Ben Reed was there talking with folks about certified devices. Ben has been blogging Certified for Windows Vista here on the Windows Vista Team blog for a few months now and has been producing some really neat videos on certified devices.

I also stopped by and chatted with the folks from AMD, HP, Intel, and a few others before the Expo Hall had closed. I had a great experience!

WinHEC 2007 ended for me that evening on a high note when we all went to Universal Studios Hollywood (thanks to the Windows Server Team) to celebrate the coming of Windows Server 2008.

Click here to see my entire WinHEC 2007 Photo Gallery.

Talking about Windows Rally

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 16 May 2007 20:03:00 GMT

First off, let me touch base a little bit on what exactly Windows Rally is. Windows Rally is a set of technologies that ship as part of the standards for being a Certified for Windows Vista device. The core set of Windows Rally technologies are:

Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD): is the protocol that enables the device to show in Windows Vista's Network Map including a specific device icon representing that device.
Windows Connect Now (WCN): enables the ability to easily and quickly setup a wireless network.
Devices Profile for Web Services (DPWS): allows devices to be easily discoverable on your network.
Plug and Play Extensions (PnPX): USB-like plug-and-play experience extended to network devices.

You can read a more in-depth overview of the Windows Rally technologies from yesterday's Windows Rally Press Release (I tried to break down the information and simplify it a bit here).

Windows Rally *really* excites me. I currently have Cat-5 strung across my living room floor connecting my Xbox 360 to my home network. I want to get rid of the cable and run Windows Rally devices such as the Xtreme N Duo MediaBridge from D-Link that was demoed during the keynote. I depend on my Xbox 360 and its Windows Media Extender capabilities for Windows Media Center content like TV shows, music, and photos. That content is streamed across the network. I want to be able to do this without running cable all over the place.

During yesterday's Keynote, Program Managers Glenn Ward and Jim Barber demoed Windows Rally Technologies:

Video: WinHEC 2007 - Windows Rally Demo

Did you see how fast they setup the Wireless Network with the Certified for Windows Vista networking devices? That is awesome! Using the Windows Rally technologies listed above, devices such as the Media Bridges that were demoed auto-discover and auto-configure for that particular network. The Media Bridges run at 5GHz (running using 802.11 N) - making them immune to interference that is present in legacy networks (like networks running 802.11 G). With networking the Media Bridges together to stream HD content in the demo, the original network that Jim Barber set up at the beginning of the demo was not replaced. The network operating between the Media Bridges and the network set up previously operate side-by-side as they are operating at different levels with one at 802.11 G and 802.11 N.

I look forward to being able to implement Windows Rally and my own house as it looks like a amazing set of technologies that will enable me to get more out of my personal network and network devices.

WinHEC 2007: Day 1

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 16 May 2007 08:16:00 GMT

Today I saw some really cool stuff at WinHEC 2007. WinHEC truly "advances the platform" this year with the platform being Windows Vista and Windows Server. A lot of the announcements that have been made today are about hardware pushing the experience in Windows Vista and Windows Server to the next level. And that is why this year's WinHEC is really exciting.

During this morning's keynote - there are a few key announcements worth highlighting. Software and Hardware Partners have been announced for Windows Home Server. Outside the HP MediaSmart Server coming out later this year, companies like Gateway and LaCie have announced plans for Windows Home Server powered devices. This is really cool as these devices will give you the best Windows Home Server experiences. The final name for Windows Server "Longhorn" has been announced today as Windows Server 2008 which Nick has covered here. And Windows home computing gets even better with Windows Rally. I am talking about this one in a later post as this announcement really excites me and deserves a separate post ;-)

It is always great to see Bill Gates speak. I was particularly fond of his overview of mobile devices that are coming down the pipe-line. I have found the UMPC to be really interesting especially with the Origami Experience running with Windows Vista. I'm trying to get my hands on one of the new Samsung Q1 Ultra to play with.

Coming to WinHEC isn't just about watching keynotes or attending sessions. It is also about interacting with your peers in the community. You get to discuss with them the announcements from the keynote as well as the hardware innovation coming out of the show. It provides a huge amount of value, in my opinion, to attending shows like this. I was fortunate enough to have some really interesting discussions with several of Microsoft's Featured Community members:

Steve Sinchak - TweakVista.com
Larry Richman - PROnetworks
John Obeto - SmallBizVista.com
Steven Bink - Bink.nu

I also had a chance to meet Rafael Rivera who you might know from Extended64.com.

Later in the evening, the Windows Server Division invited community influencers (such as the Featured Communities) and Press for a Baseball game at Dodger Stadium. It was a fantastic way to finish off the day and discuss today's announcements and sessions. Special thanks to the Windows Server folks for putting the event on for us.

Overall, it is really exciting to see all this new hardware innovation coming in to take advantage technologies in Windows Vista and Windows Server.

Tomorrow I plan to hit the Expo Hall and a few sessions during the afternoon.