Darren Straight's Blog

ICT Enthusiast and photographer.

By - Darren Straight

Microsoft Home Spring 2005

Last year in 2005, Microsoft outfitted the Microsoft Home, a family house in West London, with some of the latest technology, to show you one vision of how technology can work in the home. Every room was set up to demonstrate how easy it can be to enjoy a digital lifestyle using technology available now to all consumers. Guests were

By - Darren Straight

Microsoft IT Showcase: Messaging Hygiene at Microsoft

Ever wonderd how Microsoft IT copes with the large quantities of unwanted e-mail (a.k.a. spam) and malware-infected messages in its inbound Internet e-mail traffic? Well you’re in luck because Microsoft IT Showcase have uploaded a paper which documents how Microsoft IT uses Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 technologies, Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, and third-party solutions to both reduce the quantity of

By - Darren Straight

Microsoft Office Accounting 2007 Beta Gratuity

Well I got an email from Microsoft this week informing me that I am eligible for the following gratuities as recognition for my testing of Microsoft Office Accounting 2007 Beta: License to Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting when the final product is released to the market. £100 cash for completing the pre-requisite number of surveys. A full copy of Microsoft Office 2007 when it is

By - Darren Straight

Microsoft’s Zune Details Revealed!

Marking the next big milestone for its Connected Entertainment vision, Microsoft have today unveiled details of the first products to be released under its Zune brand. Designed around the principles of sharing, discovery and community, Zune will create new ways for consumers to connect and share entertainment experiences. The Zune experience centers around connection connection to your library, connection to friends,

By - Darren Straight

Second Blogger/Web2.0 Mixer Redux!

I went up to London yesterday to meet up with my friend Eric Cheung to attend the Second Blogger/Web2.0 Mixer Redux which I had been invited to by the organiser Roger Kondrat, and wow what can I say other than it was a pleasure to have been invited by Roger as it was a great event, very nicely oraganised, nice bar, nice location and

By - Darren Straight

Windows Live Services Reach Key Milestones this September 2006

Remember how I all told you last week how it would soon be Goodbye MSN Search, Hello Windows Live Search, well Microsoft yesterday announced the release from beta of Windows Live Search and of Live.com in 47 markets worldwide, and final availability of Windows Live Local Search in the U.K. and the U.S. But it dosent stop there, because of course Microsoft also announced

By - Darren Straight

September 2006 Aerial photographs of Kent

If you haven’t done so already, you might want to check out my latest Flickr Photos as I’ve now finally finished uploading some 113 photos from my afternoon/evening out with my family on the 9th of September 2006 on which my dad flew us from headcorn aerodrome over some surrounding areas of Kent, which is the county I live in

By - Darren Straight

Windows Vista RC1 is now available for CPP participants

Just got an email this morning to inform me that the final major pre-release of Windows Vista – Release Candidate 1 (RC1) – is now available for download for CPP participants. So if you were a CPP Participant for Windows Vista Beta 2 Back in June then you should have by now receieved this email informing you that Windows Vista – Release

By - Darren Straight

Download Free Report Abuse Desktop Client by Zack Whittaker

Have you seen Zack Whittaker’s Report Abuse Desktop Client over at MSBlog yet? There’s probably a chance you havent so let me explain to you what it is. This Report Abuse Desktop Client is an application which enables younger users of the Internet to report online abuse or suspicious activity of online predators to their local law enforcement agency by the click

By - Darren Straight

Windows Live Messenger 8.1 Beta released to testers

So Windows Live Messenger 8.1 was released to testers earlier today, how’s everyone finding the running of Windows Live Messenger 8.1 so far? I myself have unfortunately already came across one crash in Windows Live Messenger 8.1, then again if there wasn’t any crashes it wouldn’t be much of a fun beta now would it! 🙂