Darren Straight’s Blog

Argentinian mobile operator Movistar has partnered with Microsoft to offer its MSN messenger and hotmail email services, Movistar has said in a statement.

“The company continues to be at the vanguard of Argentina’s technology revolution offering better and advanced solutions for its clients,” Movistar Argentina’s marketing director Darío Fainguersch said.

The service will be free until the end of 2006, Movistar said, adding that it had already got 30,000 users of the new service.

Movistar Argentina, a unit of Spanish giant Telefónica, has nearly 10.5 million subscribers. The company plans to invest 753mn pesos (US$246mn) in 2007 compared to 500mn pesos this year.

Via: Cellular News

Well Jeremy Schoemaker thinks so with his 10 reasons why:

1. The Search Algorithm
2. Overture Yahoo Search Marketing
3. Yahoo Publisher Network
4. Flickr
5. Del.icio.us
6. The People
7. Video
8. Community Properties
9. Business Directory
10. Yahoo Just Cleaned The House

Read his full post here which includes more details about each reason.

As well as this post at the Internet Marketing Monitor Blog, which gives you 10 reasons as to why Microsoft Will Not Aquire Yahoo in 2007!

And then come back and answer the question will Microsoft aquire Yahoo in 2007, if you say yes try and give me some reason as to why you agree with Jeremy and if you dont think they will then try and list your own 10 reasons as to why Microsoft will not try and aquire Yahoo!

Today the MSN Soapbox Team have launched a new activity feature that will alow you to watch Soapbox videos on Windows Live Messenger in real-time with your friends. Which is much nicer than just sending them a link! This is how it works:

Joseph Roland “Joe” Barbera, one half of the team behind such cartoon classics as Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, and Scooby-Doo, has died, aged 95.

He co-founded Hanna-Barbera Studios with William Hanna in the 1957 after the pair earlier worked on the Tom and Jerry series at MGM studios.

Other classic characters to originate from Hanna-Barbera included The Jetsons, Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound.

Joe was said to have died of natural causes at home with his wife, Sheila, at his side.

I for one love all the classic cartoons they created, so may Joe Barbera Rest in Peace alongside William Hanna who passed away in 2001. Your cartoons will remain with me and others forever!

I was just checking Digg.com and noticed on the frontpage with 390 Diggs was a post titled “PostgreSQL or MySQL?” and thought to myself wow how freaky would it be if it happened to point to the exact same link I and 4 others had been looking at the other week while we were doing some research for our University of Kent Final year Project.

So guess what, it was the same link, very freaky indeed! :-O

Makes me wonder if this person is from the same University and just happened to see this site, then again we were in a closed room so he would have actually have to been able to have access to our files. Hehe ok I better stop the paranoia now! :p

Anyhow check out the PostgreSQL versus MySQL link here.

Enter to win great prizes including new Windows Vista Premium Ready PCs, flat-screen monitors, and Xbox 360 game consoles. Winners will be chosen weekly, with one grand prize winner chosen each month. The earlier you enter, the more chances you have to win (U.S. and Canada).

To qualify, complete Windows Vista 101 and fill out the entry form.

Windows Vista 101 is a mini-course that takes about 10 minutes. It explains the basics about what Windows Vista will mean for your customers and your business. It also provides a sneak peek at Microsoft’s marketing approach for Windows Vista. After you complete the course, you will be able to enter the Windows Vista 101 Sweepstakes, where you can win one of the prizes below.

For a complete list of Windows Vista 101 Sweepstakes terms and conditions, click here.

More information available here.

The Windows Vista Partner Demo Readiness Toolkit (DRT) enables you to check out the product for yourself, and gain the expert skills needed to effectively demo it to your customers. It includes Windows Vista RC1 and Microsoft® Office Professional 2007 Beta 2, and has been pre-populated with settings and media to simulate an end-user PC experience. You will also find demo scripts, hardware recommendations, presentation resources, and release notes to support you in developing your demo skills.

If you already have a copy of the Windows Vista DRT, you’ll need a product key to activate it. Access DRT product key

Request your copy of the Partner Demo Readiness Toolkit.

More information available here.

Just noticed on Ian Moulster’s Blog that from Monday 22nd to Friday 26th January the Microsoft UK developer team will be touring the country to bring the story to many organisations of all types.

In that week the Microsoft UK developer team hope to deliver 12-15 sessions of around 90 minutes each – depending on the amount of travelling between each location and your hospitality.

Until the 5th of January they are attempting to pull the route together so now is your chance to get On the Map by sending them an email with the information requested below, and they will do their best to get your location on their tour.

If you can:

• Provide a venue with space for an audience of 35 or more
• Get an audience of 35 or more (your colleagues; group members; students etc) or allow the team to invite members of the public to attend
• Show the team a great or wacky photo opportunity for the team to light up their map (is the venue a work of art, very unusual etc?)

Then, if their route can accommodate you, they will:

• Present for 90 minutes on Windows Vista and Office 2007 for developers
• Publicise you and your organisation’s contribution to the tour
  and of course, throw in some goodies

So all you have to do to Get on the Map is mailto:msukdpetech@hotmail.co.uk and tell the team:

1. Your contact details
2. Where you are (Town/Postcode)
3. How many people can you accommodate
4. How many people will you get in the audience
5. Let them know if we can we invite the public to come too
6. What days of the week can you let the them use and is that morning, afternoon or evening
7. If there is something special about your venue or location
   We’ll then piece together the route and get you On the Map.

Good luck if you’re trying.

Check out http://ukvistaofficelaunchtour.spaces.live.com/ for more information!

Callers using internet phone system Skype who might be tempted to tell a few porkies should beware - the user on the other end may have a lie detector. As Skype is set to offer the KishKish Lie Detector, which is made by BATM, as an add-on for customers.

The software will analyse audio streams over a Skype call in real time and illustrates the stress levels of the other person.

Paul Amery, director of Skype developer programme said:

“This is a really excellent application, and the kind of thing we want to see more of.”

“Lie Detector is the latest in a variety of product in our premium add-on programme which greatly enhance the Skype communication experience.”

No price has yet been set on the application, or a roll-out date.

Via: BBC News

So on tuesday I visited Microsoft’s Technet Launch for IT Professionals of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office System (aka the EVO Launch). And well now on the 19th of January 2007 I’ll be visiting Reading once again, this time for the Microsft’s MSDN Launch for Devolpers of Windows Vista and Office 2007. And with more friend tagging along!

When registering you get to choose from a selection of Office and Vista Presentations to go to, that of which are listed below. Me and my 4 friends have decided to do an all day Vista Presentation Day though we could have done all vista or mixed both Vista and office we decided that the Vista one would be of more use to us!

Microsoft Office Launch Agenda

0915 - 1015
Keynote
Sanjay Parthasarathy
Corporate Vice President
Developer and Platform Group
Microsoft Corporation

1015 - 1045
Break

1045 - 1200
Extending the Microsoft Office User Interface
Mike Taulty
Developer Evangelist

1200 - 1245
Lunch

1245 - 1345
Microsoft Office and XML - Making the Data Work for You
Mark Johnston
Developer Evangelist

1345 - 1400
Break

1400 - 1500
Beyond Office: Extending Your Reach with Office Server
Mike Ormond
Developer Evangelist

1500 - 1515
Break

1515 - 1615
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - Business Intelligence and Content Management Solutions
Martin Parry
Developer Evangelist
 
1615 - 1630
Break

1630 - 1730
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - New Collaboration Features and Workflow
Daniel Moth
Developer Evangelist

Windows Vista Launch Agenda

0915 - 1015
Keynote
Sanjay Parthasarathy
Corporate Vice President
Developer and Platform Group
Microsoft Corporation

1015 - 1045
Break

1045 - 1200
Clarity - Presentation Advances in the .NET Framework Version 3.0
Mark Johnston
Developer Evangelist

1200 - 1245
Lunch

1245 - 1345
Clarity - Presentation Advances in Windows Vista
Daniel Moth
Developer Evangelist

1345 - 1400
Break

1400 - 1500
Confidence - Security and Reliability with Windows Vista
Martin Parry
Developer Evangelist

1500 - 1515
Break

1515 - 1615
Connectivity - Windows Vista for Syndication and Workflow
Mike Ormond
Developer Evangelist

1615 - 1630
Break

1630 - 1730
Connectivity - Distributed Applications on Windows Vista
Mike Taulty
Developer Evangelist

Also there’s a second part to this New Dawn for Developing Event of Windows Vista and Office 2007. That being a fun coding day on Saturday the 20th of January.

However though I registered the other day after deciding that it would be a cool idea to stay in Reading for two days, my friends didn’t manage to register on time, therefore 3 of them are now on the waiting list!

At least we are all have confirmed entries for the 20th of January though, which as you can probably guess is now fully booked! :-O

This second day is to be as follows:

Session 1 (the 20th of January - Morning)
 
09:00 – 09:30
Registration
 
09:30 – 10:00
Briefing on Windows Vista assignment
 
10:00 – 12:00
Assisted coding exercise on Windows Vista
 
12:00 – 13:30
Fun activity with prizes & food
 
13:30
Close
 
Session 2 (the 20th of January - Afternoon)
 
12:15 – 13:00
Registration & food
 
13:00 – 13:30
Briefing on Office 2007 assignment
 
13:30 – 15:30
Assisted coding exercise on Microsoft Office
 
15:30 – 17:00
Fun activity with prizes 
 
17:00
Close

Anyhow I hope to see some of you there, let me know if you are going on either the 19th or the 20th.

And hey check out the following link for more info:

http://www.microsoft.com/uk/launch2007/dev/