Microsoft Live labs' at the TED2010 conference in Long Beach shows its new technology called Pivot. Its an experimental technology that allows to visualize the data and sort, organize and categorize it dynamically with dash of interactivity and at the same time informative and fun. Pivot visually manipulate, sort, filter and examine related data that are anything from pictures, videos and maps to financials and business data into large collections. In this way, the data itself can help shape and inform the way it is presented. Pivot’s most compelling feature is its ability to smoothly and quickly arrange collections according to common characteristics and then zoom in for a closer look, by either clicking on a particular item or filtering the collection to get a subset of information. Via - http://www.getpivot.com/ See the video below -

The recent United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen COP15 of all that big gathering of world leaders might not be as successful as it needed. However, the technology is backing up the Climate challenge education across the globe. The major internet brands such as Microsoft and Google are providing some excellent online resource and tools to educate, inform and empower people to address climate change. Microsoft - The Environmental Atlas of Europe - A digital platform for educating citizens about climate change, along with nine case studies illustrating the consequences of climate change in different environments, such as the shrinking ice cover in the Baltic. Bend the Trend - An online global program that helps people make pledges to reduce their carbon emissions. Eye on Earth - Windows Azure-powered portal that lets users track and give feedback about their environmental data such as air and water quality. The data is being provided by different individuals across the globe, through Bing maps, historical environment data and via environment monitoring stations. Project 2 Degrees - A Web-based Emissions Tracker software tool for cities around the world to measure and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by calculating the carbon footprint and also to plan meaningful actions that ...

Microsoft today has unveiled new Zune HD device along with its PC software and online services. Microsoft Zune provides comprehensive music and video experience across mobile devices, PCs and the TV to give consumers anywhere access to the music and videos. A black 16GB Zune version estimated for $219.99 and a platinum 32GB version for $289.99. Zune has now combined few of the technologies that users/ consumers always fascinate about such as multi-touch screen, an NVIDIA Tegra HD processor and HD Radio receiver on a Wi-Fi-enabled device, ability to store and play back 720p HD video files to an HDTV and also with some software advancements such as the new quickplay menu and even a web browser as well. Microsoft is also planning to release free applications such as Twitter for Zune and Facebook for Zune. Zune owners would also have edge of Zune Marketplace, a sync that content to a Zune HD device where they can buy or rent HD content and take it with them to play back on a large-screen HDTV in the home or on the road.    

As a virtue for browser performance competition, Microsoft IE 8 released a feature that come along with IE 8 Add-ons collectively called as Accelerators, Internet Explorer 8 is now offering a feature that claim to save time and clicks and lets you get things done more quickly. These Accelerators actually optimize the browser experience by removing repetitive, time consuming actions and giving easy access to the online services they use most. These accelerators are available just for Internet Explorer 8 version at the Internet Explorer 8 Add-ons Gallery. Also, it has to be noted that this has nothing to do with speedier browser or so but making common tasks much faster that people actually do in four browsers: Safari 4.0, Chrome 2.0 beta, Firefox 3.5 beta 99 and Internet Explorer 8. So, Accelerators are making things fast so one can accomplish tasks on the sites that they use every day.

Microsoft today now revealed its buzzing search engine Bing's next offshoot - Bing Travel, it has flight and hotel search, airfare price predictions, travel news and community, travel deals, and more. Added to this, starting today itself, people searching on Bing search engine for hotels in a given city will get Bing Travel Instant Answers included directly in their search results, featuring the Rate Indicator, let them choose hotels etc. Moreover, from now onwards Microsoft acquired Farecast, previously farecast.live.com and MSN Travel will be entertained through Bing travel only. Farecast has been named one of Time Magazine’s “50 Coolest Websites” in 2006. In recent Press note Microsof mentioned some of Bing Travel’s key features such as - Price predictor, Rate indicator, comparison flight & hotel search and more. Bing Travel uses Farecast technology to analyze more than 175 billion airfare observations and predict whether the price of a flight is going up or down. It offers people a recommendation of “Buy Now” or “Wait,” including a confidence level and expected price increase or decrease over the next seven days. Bing travel will also be twittering at twitter as 'Fareologists' at Bing Travel to twit about airfare and hotel deals, industry trends, and travel news.

Microsoft has launched new interesting new control system for the Xbox 360 console, at E3 in Los Angeles called - Project Natal. The concept is very much in resemblance to Microsoft Future vision that the sofware giant had earlier given demo of. The new gaming & gaming experience is actually controller free gaming system that is fully hands-free control system and use face recognition and motion sensors. In Microsoft owns word it says; A revolutionary new way to play: no controller required. See a ball? Kick it, hit it, trap it or catch it. If you know how to move your hands, shake your hips or speak you and your friends can jump into the fun - the only experience needed is life experience. At demonstration, Microsoft Game Studios Creative Director Darren Bennett demonstrates painting with Xbox Project Natal, video below: During the demonstration of the project at Los Angeles, British developer Peter Molyneux showed how this game controller Natal could not only recognize faces, it could recognize facial expressions to determine what mood a player was in and react accordingly. The project natal is still in its early stage and development is under going along with the content such as more games ...

Microsoft Corporation today launched Microsoft Mediaroom with virtualization, making Mediaroom the first Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platform to offer virtualization support. Mediaroom with virtualization can deliver up to a sixfold reduction in the number of physical servers required to support a full-featured IPTV service, significantly reducing hardware and management costs and speeding time to market for Mediaroom customers by up to three weeks. Mediaroom with virtualization is designed to provide a cost-effective yet full-featured IPTV platform for smaller operators, for operators launching new services as they scale their subscriber base, and for operators who want to extend an existing service into new markets to serve lower-density communities. Microsoft Mediaroom amplifies TV experience and subscribed customers get Mediaroom-powered TV service, favorite shows, channels, movies, and sports – all in digital and High-Definition (HD) picture quality. Combine that with an easy on-screen guide and advanced features like a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), Video On Demand (VOD), lightning-fast channel change, the ability to watch up to six channels at one time, and you'll see why Microsoft Mediaroom is the best TV experience – letting you control not just what you watch, but when and where you watch it. Plus, cool media-sharing capabilities let you share photos, videos, ...

How will the technology look like in the years ahead, say 2019? Microsoft’s Business Division president Stephen Elop’s presentation at the Wharton Business Technology Conference released a video as a part of their presentation. Microsoft is working towards glimpse of future technology that will transform the way we live and work in the years ahead in various fields. Microsoft is even working towards the Concept Test/ Prototype of some of them. <a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-GB&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:a517b260-bb6b-48b9-87ac-8e2743a28ec5&showPlaylist=true&from=shared" mce_href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-GB&amp;playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:a517b260-bb6b-48b9-87ac-8e2743a28ec5&amp;showPlaylist=true&amp;from=shared" target="_new" title="Future Vision Montage">Video: Future Vision Montage</a> Via - Microsoft Office Labs Future Vision Montage

Microsoft has launched a campaign to infuse Microsoft based technologies among technology startups by introducing BizSpark program, through which startups engaged in software based services or product development will get "express access" to Microsoft tools and technologies along with global visibility by profiling themselves in Microsoft Startup Zone community website. Noticeably, startups to be eligible for same should have less than US $ 1million revenue annually, less than 3 years in business and also any 'software as a service' solution delivered over the internet. The program will no doubt will provide startups with Microsoft's current full-featured development tools, platform technologies, and production/hosting licenses for immediate use in developing and bringing to market innovative and interoperable solutions without any upfront cost to enroll in Microsoft BizSpark program. Even though its also true that, today tech, internet based start-ups rely more on open source technologies rather than some proprietary based softwares, technologies namely Microsoft or so. Google open social campaign, open app developer platforms to frameworks in PHP, RoR are major threat to Microsoft based technologies. Microsoft's BizSpark program is one such campaign in order to encourage Microsoft products & technologies that to some extent are more secure to open source technologies in one ...

Microsoft India has launched a community cum networking website WindowsandMe.com in order to improve and raise the level of experience of consumer with their PCs having Windows as OS. The site talk about how to make most of their PC experience with Windows. The website is still under construction and in Beta phase and more features and functionalities will be added as per feedback from users and from set of selected people who are subject matter experts on Windows, Amit Agarwal Pro Blogger of Digital Inspiration(labnol.org) is one of those few. The website seems to be one of the effort to sustain the public support for Windows Vista more than any other Microsoft's Windows Products. Windows Vista has been made the vital part of website to realize the consumers the caliber of same in a way of proving tips, tweaks, tutorial, Knowledge part and experts advice. The website runs on core part of exploring, discovering, sharing each others knowledge on Windows and end up with solution or improvisation of using Windows PCs along with advices, 'how tos' and tips from expert panel. As a signed up user one can get latest news, updates and tips of Windows knowledge base and throw queries ...