Windows Experience Blog : Windows Vista

Lenovo Announces New T-Series ThinkPad Laptop – The T400s

Brandon LeBlanc — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:14:09 GMT

Lenovo announced today a new T-Series ThinkPad Laptop called the T400s. Lenovo’s T-Series laptops cater to business customers looking for a powerful and thin laptop. Lenovo put a lot of effort in designing this laptop to be light, durable, robust, and powerful – key elements to a great business laptop for the mobile worker. I’ve had the chance to play with a T400s here in my office for the last few days and it has been a great experience so far.

The T400s will ship with the following specs:

Choices of Intel 2.53 GHz Core2Duo processors and graphics
Choices of up to 128GB SSD or 250GB hard drive storage
9.5 mm slim DVD burner or Blu-Ray player
Ethernet (Gigabit) & WiFi
Optional WiMAX, WWAN, Bluetooth and Ultra-wideband Connectivity
34mm Express Card slot or 5-in-1 multimedia card reader
Almost 6 hours of battery life
Display Port and VGA connectors (Supports 2 External Monitors!)
Energy Star 5.0 Compliant
2 Built-in USB Ports
1 Built-in eSATA/USB Combo Port (Total of 3 USB Ports)
Fingerprint Reader
TPM 1.2

As you can see, with these specs the T400s is quite powerful. It also can come jam-packed with network connectivity options (including support for Mobile Broadband) helping keep you connected no matter where you go. Because security is super important to the Mobile Worker – the T400s comes with a Fingerprint Reader and TPM 1.2. With TPM 1.2, BitLocker can be used in both Windows Vista and Windows 7 to secure the laptop. You also get your choice of storage. My T400s had a 250GB hard drive.

The design of the T400s is pretty slick. The T400s uses Lenovo’s “Top Cover Roll Cage”, which they first introduced with the X300, in the construction of its frame. This roll cage is made out of reinforced monocoque carbon fiber which is the same stuff they use on airplanes and super-fast cars. This keeps the T400s pretty light. It weighs in at just under 4lbs (with a 6 cell battery) which is about 20% less than its T400 predecessor. A non-SSD hard drive may also add some weight to the laptop as well as they tend to be a little bit heavier. But Lenovo gives you the choice to choose (as mentioned above).

This is a pretty thin laptop, measuring in at 0.83 inches (yes, I measured!). Part of the ability to keep this laptop so thin is that Lenovo uses a very thin 14.1 inch LED screen.

For the T400s, Lenovo tweaked the keyboard a bit. The keys are much closer to each other – likely to prevent gunk from getting underneath. The Delete and ESC keys are also larger.

The touchpad is now flush with the palm rest and is textured to help people feel its location.

I also discovered that the T400s has an “always on” USB port in the back. This means that if the system is in sleep/standby or hibernate mode you can still plugin devices like MP3 players or mobile phones and have them charge off the laptop’s battery.

Another very interesting aspect of this laptop is how Lenovo optimized it for VoIP. Many businesses are utilizing VoIP for their communications. This laptop can essentially serve as your communication hub when you’re out-and-about. Lenovo added a new toggle switch at the top of the keyboard so that you can easily increase and decrease your system volume – putting the user in more control of their audio. I’m told this will become a standard for all Lenovo laptops going forward. The speaker volume has been amped up to be more than 2x greater than audio levels see on the T400. And the speakers themselves have been moved to the sides instead of on the palm rest area seen on the X300 series laptops.

Lenovo put 2 digital microphones in for better recording. The dual microphones are expected to cut down the amount of ambient noise picked up during your VoIP calls and improve clarity with sound. And of course you can have audio without video. The T400s comes with built in 2.0 megapixel webcam that can shoot video up to 30fps. The webcam also has “Lower Light Capture Capability” to capture decent video is very low-lit conditions.

Lenovo puts Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate on their business laptops. The T400s I have came with Windows Vista Business.

However I decided to put Windows 7 (the Windows 7 RC) on it. Instead of upgrading from Windows Vista, I did a clean install. Windows 7 picked up most of the drivers with updates to many of them available for me on Windows Update. I had everything up and running very quickly.

With Windows 7 and the T400s, I am able to secure the laptop with a variety of features from Windows 7. Windows 7 has BitLocker (which we introduced with Windows Vista). Using TPM, I was able to encrypt the hard drive of the laptop to ensure if the laptop ever gets lost so that no one can get the data off the hard drive.

Windows 7 has a new biometric framework and in combination with UPEK’s biometric software – I was able to quickly enroll fingerprints for a further enhanced security. UPEK takes advantage of Windows 7’s biometric enhancements. This process was incredibly easy. As mentioned above, the T400s can come with built in Mobile Broadband. Windows 7 brings enhancements that take advantage of Mobile Broadband making it easy to connect and stay connected.

I had fun playing with this laptop. Special thanks to Lenovo for the opportunity!

The Lenovo ThinkPad T400s will become available at www.lenovo.com starting at $1,599.

Netflix comes to Windows Media Center

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 20 May 2009 03:53:45 GMT

Starting tomorrow, Windows Media Center users who are also Netflix members will gain access to more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes from Netflix directly within Windows Media Center on their PCs.

Using the two together is easy and convenient. In Windows Media Center, a new Netflix tile will appear under “TV + Movies”. To stream movies and TV shows from Netflix, just click on the new Netflix tile and login with your Netflix account.

You will be able to search the entire Netflix library right from Windows Media Center, and manage both your Instant and DVD Queues. Windows Media Center will also take advantage of Netflix’s “recommended” categories.

Here is a short video of Netflix in action in Windows Media Center:

Netflix in Windows Media Center

And here is another really neat video walk-through of Netflix in Windows Media Center:

Getting Netflix in Windows Media Center

You can also use your Windows Media Center remote to navigate the player controls and queues for Netflix in Windows Media Center too!

Netflix in Windows Media Center is powered by Silverlight.

If you also have an Xbox LIVE Gold membership and have been streaming Netflix movies and TV episodes to your Xbox 360, this offering will work for you as well.

Netflix in Windows Media Center currently will work only for Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate users today.

This is very cool stuff. You may remember back in March, we launched the Windows Media Center Sports Channel, which offers a variety of interactive sports content including from CBSSports.com, FOX Sports and MSNBC.com. Now more than ever, Windows Media Center offers a great entertainment experience.

UPDATE 5/20: Netflix in Windows Media Center works for Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate users in the U.S. only and does not support Extenders for Windows Media Center.

Have Your Windows & Windows Live Blog Posts Showcased - Join The Clubhouse

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:08:15 GMT

Are you using your blog to talk about using Windows and Windows Live? Do you want to get your post showcased on Microsoft websites? You should join The Clubhouse. The Clubhouse is a place that brings together people using their blogs to help others how to use the best parts of Windows and Windows Live.

How does The Clubhouse work?

You first need to apply to join The Clubhouse. There is a small review process in order to insure that there is a good fit for people applying and the rest of The Clubhouse.

Once you’re approved, you continue to write fantastic Windows and Windows Live content on your blog and use special tags that help identify what you’re writing about as it relates to either Windows or Windows Live. Your posts are brought into the Clubhouse via your RSS feed (having an RSS is a requirement to take part in The Clubhouse). Once you tag your post for The Clubhouse using the special tags, it gets pulled through your RSS feed into The Clubhouse.

In order to use the special tags needed to identify your contributions for The Clubhouse, you will need to add a new Tag Provider in Windows Live Writer. Right now, The Clubhouse has special tags for Windows Live and Windows Vista, with a set of special tags launching for Windows 7 later this month.

Once your post is published with the special tags – it appears within The Clubhouse where members of The Clubhouse rate one another’s contributions, so the top rated content can be showcased on Microsoft websites, newsletters, and even tweeted from @MSWindows and @windowslive. So it’s up to your peers to choose which content is good enough to get showcased.

So where is your content showcased?

After you get enough good votes inside The Clubhouse – depending on the type of post (Windows Vista or Windows Live) your stuff will show up on 1 of 2 Microsoft websites:

Explore Windows Live:

Discover Windows Vista:

Outside of the really cool opportunity to get your content from your blog showcased on Microsoft websites, The Clubhouse offers several other “perks”.

As you continue to write your own content – you will earn Club Points and Badges. When you earn a certain amount of Club Points, you get Badges. Each Badge you earn will appear next to any of your content showcased on Microsoft websites. You also can earn special-recognition Badges as well. These Badges are a great way for people reading your content to see how much you rock.

Because I am a Microsoft employee, for any of my content you will see this Badge:

If you blog quite a bit about using Windows and Windows Live – I suggest giving The Clubhouse a look and applying! It can be a great way to gain more exposure of your content!

Clubhouse Tags: Clubhouse, Story, Windows Live, Windows Vista

Completing the Windows Experience with Windows Live

Brandon LeBlanc — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:31:46 GMT

Back in October during PDC2008, I highlighted the Windows + Windows Live relationship. Specifically, I called out how Windows + Windows Live will complete the Windows PC experience with Windows Live Essentials. Now that people can experience the relationship first-hand with Windows Live Essentials today – I thought I’d re-approach and discuss the topic in a little more detail.

Today, users are increasingly expecting that their PC (and their OS) allow them to do things on their desktop that have an online component such as e-mail. This is where Windows Live Essentials comes in. For example, when you’re at home on your laptop you can use Windows Live Mail, but when you’re on the go you can access that same mail from any computer with an Internet connection by going to Windows Live Hotmail. Windows Live Essentials combines what you do on the PC with what you do on the Web. That’s the benefit of software + services.

Many of the Windows Live programs within Windows Live Essentials serve as a “bridge” to the Windows Live services:

With Windows Live Messenger, you can not only chat with your friends via IM, but also follow What’s New with them on Windows Live, which means you can stay on top of updates they make like new photos or blog entries.
With Windows Live Writer, you can publish new blog posts to Windows Live Spaces.
With Windows Live Photo Gallery, you can upload your photos to Windows Live Photos and share them with the people you choose.
With Windows Live Mail, you can sync your Windows Live Hotmail e-mail and calendar to your PC.

Windows Live Essentials extends beyond Windows Live as well. Windows Live Writer is capable of publishing blog posts to most major blogging services, not just Windows Live Spaces. As a matter a fact - I use Windows Live Writer to publish all my blog posts here on this blog, which is powered by Telligents’ Community Server. Windows Live Mail supports POP3 and IMAP allowing for multiple e-mail accounts from a variety of e-mail providers including Gmail. And Windows Live Photo Gallery supports custom plug-ins for uploading photos to a variety of photo sharing websites (check out this awesome plug-in for uploading photos to Facebook).

For Windows Live Essentials, we have introduced 3 programs as the successors to programs that were introduced in Windows Vista:

Windows Live Mail is the successor to Windows Mail
Windows Live Photo Gallery is the successor to Windows Photo Gallery
Windows Live Movie Maker is the successor to Windows Movie Maker

We made this change because we learned that many of the end-user experiences need to be updated more frequently. With Windows Live Essentials, we feel we are in a better position to innovate on these programs and enhance your experience as a PC user and at a much quicker rate - as they are outside of the Windows OS.

Windows Live Essentials doesn’t just consist of the above 3 programs, it also includes Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Writer, Windows Live Toolbar, and Windows Live Family Safety adding significant value to PC users through its integrated and powerful features.

Windows Live Essentials today are free, key applications that make it easy to manage multiple e-mail accounts, edit and share photos, chat with IM for PC users and available today for you to download at download.live.com (available for Windows Vista, Windows XP, and the Windows 7 Beta).

In the coming weeks, I plan to dive deeper into many of these integrated and powerful features (many of which I use myself) that I that I hope you will enjoy.

Introducing Sports Channel for Windows Media Center

Brandon LeBlanc — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:09:13 GMT

Yesterday we announced a brand new offering for Windows Media Center users: Sports Channel. Sports Channel will be offered to Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate users as a new tile under “Sports” in Windows Media Center.

Sports Channel offers a variety of sports content from great sources CBSSports.com, Fox Sports, MSNBC.com and more. Content flowing through Sports Channel ranges from breaking sports news to interviews of your favorite players to the ability to track your fantasy sports teams.

Sports Channel is a great example of our continued investment in providing new and easier ways for people to find and access compelling content through Windows Media Center.

Instead of going through my own experience with Sports Channel, I’d like to call out Ian Dixon’s overview of Sports Channel here and Stuart’s screenshots of the Sports Channel experience here from The Digital Lifestyle.com (one of the best Windows Media Center sites on the web today).

For the best experience with Sports Channel in Windows Media Center, a broadband connection is highly recommended. Today, Sports Channel is currently available in the U.S. only.

I also recommend checking out MSNBC News in Windows Media Center (which I blogged about last October) – which is no longer in beta.

Internet Explorer 8 RC1 Now Available

Brandon LeBlanc — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:48:01 GMT

This afternoon, Internet Explorer General Manager Dean Hachamovitch has announced the immediate availability of Internet Explorer 8 RC1. Internet Explorer 8 RC1 is available in 25 languages for Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server. You can download IE8 RC1 here: http://www.microsoft.com/ie8. Here is what Dean says about IE8 today:

IE8 focused on how people really use the web. Consumers want a browser that makes the tasks they do every day faster and easier. The activities people spend their time on define real-world performance: navigating to websites, working with tabs, searching, keeping track of changing information (like traffic or an auction), and using the information from one site with another (as in getting a map). Everyone wants a trustworthy browser that keeps them in control and protects their safety. Developers want great developer tools, great interoperability, and a powerful platform that enables them to innovate. For some people, accessibility is crucial; for some organizations, policy, administration, and deployment are essential.

For more information on upgrading to RC1 – please see this post from Internet Explorer Program Manager Jane Maliouta. Jane provides an excellent and information-filled post on what you need to know to upgrade to RC1.

Internet Explorer 8 RC1 can only be installed on Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server. For more information on Internet Explorer 8 and Windows 7, please read this blog post.

TechNet Magazine Features Windows Vista Tips This Month for IT Pros

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:55:56 GMT

TechNet Magazine is showcasing Windows Vista Tips this month in a new tip-of-the-day feature. You can stay up on all the latest Windows Vista tips here – which will be updated Monday – Friday all this month with new Windows Vista tips. You can also find the latest tips at the top of the TechNet Magazine homepage. These tips are mainly focused toward the IT Pro.

Here is the list of Windows Vista tips so far:

Know the Tools You'll Need to Deploy Windows Vista
Do you know what tools you'll need to use to prepare and deploy Windows Vista to systems throughout your environment? This is an overview of the tools you'll need, and the ones you can forget about.

Use Msconfig to Disable and Enable UAC
To determine whether UAC is causing an application compatibility problem, you can temporarily disable UAC. This explains how to do it quickly.

Delete Files Permanently with SDelete
When you delete a file, Windows removes the index for the file, but the file’s contents are still on the disk until the data has been overwritten by another file. Learn how to delete files permanently so attackers can't recover this data.

New Command-Line Switches for Sc.exe
On Windows Vista, the sc.exe command has been enhanced with new command-line switches. This looks at those new command-line switches.

Create an Ad Hoc Wireless Network
If you want to share information stored on your computer with other nearby computers, you can set up an ad hoc wireless network.

Troubleshoot Slow Start Ups with Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics
Find out how you can use Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics to identify the source of startup performance problems and automatically fix issues.

High Availability Printing with the Print Management Console
When a server goes down, you can use the Windows Vista Print Management console to quickly move print queues and keep print jobs moving smoothly.

Best Practices for File Sharing in a Workgroup Environment
Want to implement file sharing for Windows Vista clients in a workgroup environment? Be sure to keep these best practices in mind.

Best Practices for File Sharing in a Domain Environment
If you plan on implementing file sharing for Windows Vista clients in a domain environment, keep these best practices in mind.

Track and Analyze System Stability and Reliability with RACAgent
Curious about system reliability? Windows Vista is already gathering this data by default. This explains how to view that data.

Troubleshoot Group Policy with GPLogView
Learn how you can use this command-line tool to perform Group Policy–related troubleshooting.

Manage Volume Shadow Copy Service from the Vssadmin Command-Line
Check out the commands you can use to manage Volume Shadow Copy service from a command-line tool.

Remove Unwanted Toolbars and Fix Settings in Internet Explorer
Problematic add-ons. Changed browser settings. A new homepage. Find out how you can troubleshoot and fix persistent, unwanted changes.

If you’ve got your own Windows Vista tips – please share them below!

The Windows Security Blog

Brandon LeBlanc — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:24:59 GMT

You may have noticed a new blog has appeared under the menu of our site today. I’d like to welcome Paul Cooke, who is a Director here at Microsoft, to our site. Paul and his team will be running the Windows Security Blog – which is what you could consider the successor to the Windows Vista Security Blog. I am really excited about the addition of the Windows Security Blog to our site as I know many readers are very interested in Windows Security. Look for a post from Paul soon!

PPG Industries continues IT success with Windows Vista

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:53:30 GMT

After some positive feedback from our customers about last month’s customer interview with City of Miami, we wanted to provide IT Pros with another dose of real-world, Windows Vista customer insight. Additionally, recognizing the interest in Windows 7 over the past few months, we know IT professionals are wondering whether to upgrade to Windows Vista today or wait for Windows 7. I could give you a whole bunch of reasons for investing in Windows Vista today (security, data protection, etc.), but I thought you’d like to hear from an IT professional like you who has made the move to Windows Vista and is glad he did.

I talked with Mike Calabrese, Senior IT Architect - Global Desktop Services of PPG Industries, one of the world’s leading coatings and specialty materials companies, about what keeps him up at night, and how Windows Vista helps address some of his biggest challenges. Here’s an overview of our conversation:

The Windows Blog: Hi, Mike – thanks for chatting with me. What are the biggest challenges in managing your IT environment?

Mike Calabrese: We are like any other business. We keep a close eye on our key resources: time, money and people. As an internal IT department, my biggest challenge is to be able to provide continuous value to PPG’s large and diverse set of end-users. My focus is global desktop services, so PPG employees are my customers and my work directly impacts their day-to-day productivity and ability to collaborate. I have to find the right balance between delivering the flexibility that my customers need, while doing it in a way that is secure and properly supported … and doing it all in a cost-effective way.

The Windows Blog: Finding a cost-effective way to manage all that sounds like it could be a challenge – how are you controlling it?

Mike Calabrese: Right now, we are in the process of upgrading 26,000 desktops and laptops to Windows Vista. As a global company, servicing 25 different languages in more than 60 countries, one key benefit we’ve seen upfront is the ability to create and deploy one global desktop image, rather than creating a separate built-from-scratch, localized image for each supported language or country. This alone is a huge cost and resource saver.

The Windows Blog: Are there any other benefits you’re seeing from Windows Vista?

Mike Calabrese: Management is another area where Windows Vista adds value. The vast number of group policies provides the ability to customize desktop configurations globally with just a few clicks. One example of this is the configuration of wireless profiles that define our access points globally. Any PPG Vista user can connect to our highly secured access points effortlessly.

And I would say that security is the other key reason why we moved to Windows Vista. From an end-user perspective, security is not the most exciting feature, but it is one of those critical issues for IT. We were looking at third-party products to provide additional security, but after a thorough evaluation, we’ve decided to deploy BitLocker on every machine to take advantage of this added layer of security protection available with Windows Vista, without enduring the additional cost or complexity a third-party security product would introduce into our environment.

The Windows Blog: With features that may not be immediately visible to the end-user, did you find it difficult to get your employees on board? How did you sell the value to your colleagues?

Mike Calabrese: Like you, I’ve heard and read all the criticisms of Windows Vista. In my experience, Windows Vista delivers amazing value and addresses the things I care about the most – reducing costs, empowering our users to be productive, and improving manageability and security. Microsoft has been a good partner throughout our deployment process and we expect to continue to see the business benefits with our move to Windows Vista.

The great news for PPG is that its investment in Windows Vista is paying off now and they will have a much easier upgrade path to Windows 7 when they make the decision to deploy. I’ll be sure to keep you updated as I continue to talk with Windows customers – it’s their experiences and opinions that truly tell the stories of our products.

Buy Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED and Help Eliminate AIDS in Africa

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 03:27:11 GMT

Starting on December 15th, people will be able to purchase the standalone version of Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED and fight to help eliminate AIDS in Africa at no extra cost. Microsoft will contribute a portion of the profits to the Global Fund. To date - (PRODUCT) RED™ partners and events together have contributed more than $115 million to support Global Fund-financed programs that positively impact the lives of people affected by HIV AND AIDS in Africa. (RED)™ money provides access to education, nutrition, counseling, medical services, and the two pills a day individuals need to stay alive.

If you’re still doing your Christmas shopping and looking for a gift for someone, why not save lives too? You can pre-order Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED today from Amazon.com and choose FREE Super Saver Shipping to have it delivered before Christmas. In early 2009 – Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED will be hitting store shelves at select retailers.

The latest version of Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED includes brand new exclusive content from (PRODUCT) RED partners to personalize the desktop: Emporio Armani clock gadget and Hallmark wallpapers, (RED)™ and Africa-inspired graphics, new (RED)™ words screen savers and more.

Here is a little preview of that exclusive content…

Africa-inspired wallpapers

Windows (PRODUCT) RED Wallpapers

Dell continues to be a (PRODUCT) RED partner and will be integrating the updated content into their future Dell XPS (PRODUCT) RED PCs for customers who choose Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED.

(PRODUCT) RED continues to gain momentum. Earlier this month Starbucks joined as a (PRODUCT) RED partner. (RED)WIRE™ also launched, a digital music magazine offering exclusive tracks from artists like R.E.M. and Keith Urban with a $5 per month membership fee. Half your membership fee for (RED)WIRE goes to buy medicine to keep people living with HIV in Africa alive.

College students can also take advantage of a new Ultimate Steal offer and grab a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED today for $64.95.

How are we doing? Give us your feedback!

Brandon LeBlanc — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:49:04 GMT

I would like to take this opportunity to gather feedback directly from you the readers of our blog. There are some key questions I would like to ask you:

How are we doing?
What types of blog posts do you like the most?
Which ones do you like the least?

We’re coming up on the Windows 7 Beta – what aspects of Windows 7 are you most interested in? Are you interested in the visual changes we’re introducing such as the new Windows Taskbar? Performance improvements? Are you interested in some of the digital media improvements with Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center? And of course we’re going to continue to talk about Windows Vista as well. What in regards to Windows Vista do you want to hear more about?

We’re in the process of planning some pretty interesting (and exciting) content for you but I’d like to be sure that we’re planning the right content based on what you would like to see from us here on The Windows Blog.

So let us know what you think! I look forward to reading everyone’s feedback.

P.S. Keep it constructive ;-)

Giving the new Games for Windows – LIVE desktop client a spin

Brandon LeBlanc — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:48:00 GMT

It was noticed last week that Games for Windows – LIVE now has a new desktop client. The Games for Windows – LIVE desktop client is designed to deliver free content in the Marketplace such as game demos and videos like trailers to PC gamers. The Games for Windows – LIVE client will also deliver premium downloadable content like additional maps and levels for your games that can be purchased.

Download: Games for Windows – LIVE desktop client

I figured I’d give the new client a spin and share my experience walking through the client.

To login, I used the same Windows Live ID as my Xbox Live Gamertag.

After logging in, I was presented with key gaming announcements for Games for Windows – LIVE as well as what’s new in the Marketplace, News, and Tips & Tricks. On the top left, the client has several “sections” presented sort of like tabs: Home, Marketplace, My Media, and Settings.

Under Marketplace – I was able to choose from a variety of content being offered such as game trailers like the one for the James Bond game Quantum of Solace. This is also the place where you will find premium content for games. I am also able to check my balance of Microsoft Points and recently played LIVE games. You can see I’ve played Shadowrun and Halo 2 – although it’s been a while. I could choose to view content in the Marketplace by Game title which is nice. That means I could choose a specific game and see all the content for that game in the Marketplace.

I wanted to grab some content so I decided to download the “Reveal” trailer for Quantum of Solace. I was thinking about picking this game up.

When I clicked on the Quantum of Solace “Reveal” trailer – I was taken to the download page for the trailer which allowed me to either watch the trailer directly within the client or download it in high resolution as a .wmv file. I downloaded the high resolution video which played nicely in Windows Media Player, Zune, and Windows Media Center.

NOTE: The Games for Windows – LIVE client puts all game videos under your Videos folder within your user profile in Windows Vista. The Zune software will automatically see these videos - where you can then choose to sync with your Zune device.

The video I downloaded shows up under My Media. All premium game content and videos show up here.

You can manage all downloaded content under My Media. So if I were wanting to delete some downloaded content I could do so here.

And in Settings, I was able to customize where the Games for Windows – LIVE client puts downloaded Game Demos and Game Videos. If I wanted – I could also clear all stored profiles as well.

In testing the Games for Windows – LIVE client, I used my 64-bit PC and the client functioned just fine. So you 64-bit users out there will have no problem installing and using this.

Expect to see more news happening around the release of the Games for Windows – LIVE client in the future as well as more content being delivered to the Marketplace for games under Games for Windows – LIVE.

Find a Laptop with Windows Laptop Scout + Special Holiday Offers

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:59:00 GMT

Need help finding the perfect laptop just for you or someone in the family for the holidays? We’ve got the perfect tool for you. We’ve launched Windows Laptop Scout to help you find the right PC. Windows Laptop Scout helps you search for a laptop starting with how you or someone in your family will use the laptop. You can choose from 4 selections to get results on laptops that will meet your needs (you can choose all that apply to your needs).

Once you click “Show laptops” – you’re given results based on your needs. I took Windows Laptop Scout for a spin myself. I chose “Work on the go” and “Music, movies, and more” and as you can see in the below screenshot, I got 18 out of 31 laptops that meet my needs (more laptops will continue to be added).

I was able to refine my search by adjusting the settings on the bottom such as Price, Screen Size, Speed, Storage and Weight. The results update automatically. Windows Laptop Scout is a tool I strongly recommend checking out if you are looking for a new laptop.

I’ve also got some deals I think you’ll be interested in especially as we officially head into the holidays.

Over on Windows.com we have a list of a few special deals folks can take advantage of…

Sony: Buy any eligible VAIO CS or SR series notebook with a VAIO DPF-D80 digital photo frame and save $180. Click here for details.
Dell: Save now when you buy the Dell XPS M1530 together with a Linksys by Cisco Router and Media Center Extender. Click here for details.
Blockbuster: Buy a qualifying laptop from participating retailers and get 6 months of Blockbuster movies. Choose from more than a dozen models from 5 great companies. Click here to pick a qualifying laptop.
Best Buy: Buy a Windows Mobile Smartphone and 2-year activation, and Geek Squad will set up your phone, including e-mail, right in the store. Click here for details.

Hopefully along with Windows Laptop Scout, you will find these offerings useful!

Oh and don’t forget the recent updates to Windows Live too! You can check out all the offerings of Windows Live at WindowsLive.com.

Grab some "I’m a PC" Gear!

Brandon LeBlanc — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:05:00 GMT

Since starting the "I'm a PC" campaign a few months ago, we've been hearing folks were interested in showing off they are a PC with "I'm a PC" gear such as t-shirts and hats. We've partnered up with Zazzle.com to provide just that. By going to the "I'm a PC" store on Zazzle.com, you can now purchase a variety of "I'm a PC" gear including some offbeat stuff like skateboards and ties. Who knows? You may even find some fun stocking stuffers or gifts for the holidays.

I know here on our blog many of our readers are not in the United States and international support is super important. Zazzle.com provides shipping to 84 countries worldwide. So even if you're not in the U.S. you can still order from the "I'm a PC" store on Zazzle.com.

Remember - you can also upload yourself to the "I'm a PC" website as well as download the Windows Live Messenger "I'm a PC" Theme Pack.

City of Miami Moves to Windows Vista

Brandon LeBlanc — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:58:00 GMT

I recently had the chance to talk to James Osteen, Assistant Director of the City of Miami's IT Department about their Windows Vista deployment. I thought that many of you could relate to his position and would appreciate his insight into what it takes to keep a major city like Miami up and running.

The Windows Blog: Hi James, thanks for joining us. Tell us a bit about yourself.

James Osteen: I'm James Osteen, an Assistant Director with the City of Miami's IT Department with Infrastructure responsibility. I work with all aspects of our IT infrastructure, including desktops and mainframe, networking, storage, security, and the web. The best part of my job is that it is ever changing...the pace of change in IT allows us to constantly provide more and better services to our citizens and internal clients- and at a lower cost. Let's put it this way, we certainly never get bored!

The Windows Blog: From an IT perspective, what are the top three challenges you face?

James Osteen: That's easy: First is the security of our infrastructure - this isn't something we've had issues with before, but it's always something we're thinking about. We want to be sure our system is secure...our motto is that being prepared before an issue reduces the chance of it happening.

Next would be cost effectiveness of solutions. IT departments can be the first place funding is scaled back, so when we invest in technology, it has to be top notch and show immediate value.

Finally, I'm concerned about the reliability and robustness of service. This is pretty self explanatory, but our job becomes easier if the products we're using are reliable.

The Windows Blog: How do you think Windows Vista can help advance your IT mission and address the challenges you described before?

James Osteen: The mission of the City's IT Department is "to deliver high-quality, focused, aggressive business solutions to the City of Miami by offering consumer-centric services and cost-efficient communications and information technologies."

So to break it down, the security enhancements in Windows Vista have made the operating system one of the most secure options available today, with response times to new security threats that are some of the best in the industry. For us, the deployment of Windows Vista is translating into direct savings for the City and our citizens: it's enabling us to save approximately $80K in power savings through the deployment of GPOs available in Windows Vista, and by migrating from our current mainframe environment to a Windows Server infrastructure, its helping us eliminate approximately $1M in annual costs. That's just the start...these savings are projected to grow to $190K annually within 4 years! And, we expect to see productivity gains through the use of new tools available in Windows Vista, such as desktop search and the snipping tool.

As far as reliability and robustness of service, I have been using the Windows Vista OS in a production environment for 10 months with zero reliability issues. The OS has proven to be highly stable and reliable and one of the side benefits to us from a support standpoint is the "built-in protection of system files." From a robustness of service perspective, we are migrating to a centralized storage platform for our enterprise data. The depth provided by the Offline Files implementation in Windows Vista, including the bitmap differential transfer, makes this goal achievable - it would have been more of a challenge for our clients previously.

The Windows Blog: How many desktop and mobile PCs are you deploying on Windows Vista? In what timeframe?

James Osteen: We plan on migrating approximately 900 desktops/laptops to Vista by end of August 2009.

The Windows Blog: In our current economy, what role does cost savings play in your IT strategy?

James Osteen: Cost savings are becoming increasingly important to our operations with the current economic downturn. We are constantly asked to perform higher levels of service with fewer dollars, and in today's economy this has become even more important. The $1M in mainframe cost savings plus the $80K in power savings alone make this project a no-brainer (not to mention that reducing our carbon footprint is extremely important to us in Florida).

The Windows Blog: Did knowing Microsoft is working on Windows 7 affect your choice to deploy Windows Vista?

James Osteen: The impact of Windows 7 on our decision to move forward was zero. We replace 20% of our desktop/laptop inventory on an annual basis, so that means that desktops we place in production today could have a production life of 5 years... we can't afford to stand still and be rooted in the past. In making our decision to deploy Windows Vista now, we looked more at the immediate benefits that Windows Vista can currently provide our environment - such as cost savings, security, reliability - those factors made the decision an easy one.

The Windows Blog: Would you recommend that other businesses take a look at Windows Vista and consider upgrading?

James Osteen: Absolutely! Any organization concerned with delivering cost effective, secure and reliable services to their clients would be well served taking a hard look at the benefits that Windows Vista can provide to them.