IE 9 now available in more languages than any other browser! Supports 12 more Indian languages now

Internet Explorer 9 is now available in more local languages than any other browser on Windows.  Recently IE9 released support for 53 additional languages , making IE9 available in a total of 93 languages-

 

Here’s the complete list of languages Internet Explorer 9 is available in, starting with the originally released 40 and followed by the 53 new languages in blue:

(pics courtesy IE9 blog)

As you can see IE9 supported Hindi as Indian Language earlier. Now it supports 12 more Indian languages – Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu apart from earlier support for Hindi.

Check the  Worldwide downloads page to download IE9 in a language of your choice.

Users on multi-lingual versions of Windows or users who have already installed IE9 English or one of the previously supported languages can install a language pack to experience IE9 in one of the new languages recently released . Please visit the Microsoft Download Center pages below to download IE9 language packs -

    Internet Explorer 9 Language Packs for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 

    Internet Explorer 9 Language Packs for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008

 

(More details please check source: Internet Explorer 9 Now Available in 93 Languages )

List of countries where PayPal is available as an Xbox LIVE payment option

You can use PayPal as a payment option to purchase Xbox LIVE Gold memberships (both new and renewal), Microsoft Points, and game content. PayPal is available in many, but not all, Xbox LIVE regions.

The following regions support PayPal as a payment option:

· Australia

· Austria

· Belgium

· Canada

· Denmark

· France

· Germany

· Hong Kong

· Ireland

· Italy

· Mexico

· Netherlands

· New Zealand

· Norway

· Poland

· Portugal

· Singapore

· Spain

· Sweden

· Switzerland

· United Kingdom

· United States

Other regions are not supported at this time.

For information on how to add PayPal, see the following article:
908655   Add or edit Xbox LIVE payment options

 

(SOURCE : Microsoft KB 2544412 )

TIP : Reading PDF files in Full Screen View

Those who don’t have dedicated ebook reader device like Kindle or other device or those who don’t have books in mobi , epub formats or other mobile device formats will generally have them as PDFs. So we mainly have our e-books as PDF files and read them not only on our desktops but also on laptops and smaller screen Netbooks.

Here’s  a small tip for reading these PDFs comfortably on our PC. Let us read them in Full Screen. Open the ebook in PDF readers like Adobe Acrobat Reader or Foxit Reader. (I use Foxit because of its small footprint, lightweight and its enough for my requirements).

- For this Press F11 . Though it makes it full screen but the magnification reduces as it brings the whole page within the screen which makes it normally unreadable.

- Next press Ctrl+M , which brings ‘Zoom To’ window . Press down arrow key to change the magnification to 100 or 125%. Once its set , now the page is Full screen with 100% magnification which makes it best to read the books even on Netbooks.

- Use the Down arrow key to scroll the page, left/right arrow to jump to previous/next page.

- Using Mouse scroll wheel to scroll, right click button for Next and Left click for previous can also be more comfortable.

When the pages are in full screen mode , one cant access any other open app or Windows task bar without pressing the ESC key and thus disturbing our full screen e-book reader settings. For this Press Alt+tab to cycle through open apps and select/switch to the required app and again switch back to PDF reading using the ALt+tab  key.

Hope this small tip will make your PDFs reading more enjoyable.

Windows Phone Mango features Walkthrough

Windows Phone Mango was grabbed by WindowsPhoneUK from one of the teams at the London press conference to shoot a walkthrough of some of the great new features that are coming to Windows Phone Mango -

Windows Phone Mango Walkthrough

http://youtu.be/EG4k7CLuuXY

A new web based Windows Phone Marketplace coming later this year to India & other countries with Mango

A Web-based Windows Phone Marketplace will be coming later this year with the public availability of Mango. This was blogged by Todd Brix -
Senior Director, Windows Phone Marketplace.

The Web version of Marketplace will launch with the new OS later this year and give customers another vehicle for discovering your great apps and games. And as a Windows Phone developer, you get all of the added visibility with no extra work.  Just as on the phone, customers will be able to browse the full catalog, view screenshots, read application details and reviews and choose from all of the supported languages for that app. This offers customers another way to more thoroughly and confidently browse your apps from the comfort of their PC’s web browser. With the Web version of Marketplace, we will also have more placement areas in which to provide featured apps with extra visibility and merchandising possibilities.

 

Apart from those details, here’s some more info – This marketplace will be expanded from 16 at present to 35 markets where Marketplace will be operational that includes India, Japan, Korea, Brazil . So more developers, more consumers. (Source: Matt Bencke – GM Developer Ecosystems on Channel9 )

So watch out for Web Windows Phone Marketplace along with Public Mango updates.

UPDATE : Here’s a list of countries where with Mango, Windows Phone Marketplace will expand from 16 to 35 countries where both app submission and app purchase will be supported locally -

Today	Adding with Mango
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, UK, USA	Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, Korea (South), Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan

“In addition, Windows Phone Marketplace now supports app submission in China, Israel and Luxembourg. For those countries that are not yet locally supported by Marketplace, we continue to expand the Global Publisher Program we announced in early March. Today, developers in 69 Middle Eastern and African countries can submit applications via Yalla Apps. App Port supports 13 countries in East Asia. APPA Market is available to developers in 19 central European countries. And both Device7 and MTel service China.”

For more details please check

 Windows Phone Marketplace on the Web for Mango

Developer News: Beta Mango Tools Available Today

Beta Mango tools in ISO format

The new Windows Phone Developer Tools 7.1 Beta , Mango can be used to develop Applications for both 7.0 and 7.1 version of Windows Phone OS releases.

You can download this release in .iso format for offline installation.  (717 MB)

Else if you want web installer and for more details please check here.

The Windows Phone Developer Tools includes the following-

Microsoft Windows Phone Developer Tools 7.1 (Beta)

Windows Phone Emulator (Beta)

Silverlight 4 SDK and DRT

Microsoft XNA Game Studio 4.0 Referesh Windows Phone Extensions

Microsoft Expression Blend SDK Preview for Windows Phone 7.1

WCF Data Services Client for Window Phone 7.1

Bing and Facebook Ads– Sushi and Chromeo

Bing and Facebook: Sushi

Trust Your Friends: Restaurant Decision

Bing and Facebook: Sushi

 

Another Ad is -

Bing and Facebook: Chromeo

Trust Your Friends: Music Decision

Bing and Facebook: Chromeo

Outlook Add-in: Prevent people from doing a reply-all or forwarding the mail

The main function of NoReplyAll Outlook Add-In from Microsoft Research is to prevent people from doing a reply-all to your message, or forwarding it. The add-in uses a facility built into Outlook and Exchange that is more lightweight than information-rights management but is not exposed in the existing UI. The add-in also includes a check for common email errors, such as omitting attachments or subject lines.

Installing it adds a couple of buttons to the Outlook ribbon.

It works with Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010.

Get the add-in from here. For more details check here.

Sync media files between Mac and WP7,Zune HD with Windows Phone 7 Connector beta for Mac

Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac is a simple, easy-to-use program for Macs that you can use to:

• Sync music, movies, TV shows, and podcasts from your existing Apple iTunes library to your Windows Phone or Zune HD*
• Sync pictures and videos from your existing Apple iPhoto library to your Windows Phone or Zune HD
• Retrieve pictures and videos taken on your Windows Phone and automatically import them into your existing iPhoto library
• Browse and preview media items stored on your Windows Phone or Zune HD
• Download and install operating system updates for your Windows Phone

This software is not part of the Zune experience. In order to enjoy the Zune experience on Mac, you will need to install a Windows OS (XP or higher). Zune delivers music and video entertainment across Windows Phone 7, Xbox Live and Windows PC’s.

*Only unprotected (non-DRM) media files can be synced between your Mac and your Windows Phone or Zune HD.

The Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac 1.0 is now available via the Mac App Store

For more details go here.

Skype now offers Group Video Calls

Microsoft Skype now offers Group Video calls *. This is what’s there in this new upgrade I just did.

Now you can make video calls to 3 or more people all connected at the same time. Everyone on the call will be able to see and hear each other.

Group video calls will be perfect for family catch ups and business video conferencing.

 

 

Just a point to note-  that even after Microsoft’s Skype acquisition, the upgrade still provided the Free Google Chrome offer . I just said ‘No Thank You’ and proceeded.

 

Similarly the Google pack also still includes Skype -

Let us see how long both Microsoft and Google promote each other’s product.  

Get the Skype from here

* Edit (14/05/11) – As @paulbeattie points out that this feature was offered since sometime now. May be it was there for paid subscribers only. Now with this upgrade , Skype may be offering it to everybody to try, then if one likes and wants to keep continuing Group Video calls , one has to subscribe to the service. More clarity is need from Skype regarding this.

Microsoft Future Home

Glimpse the technologies we may see in our homes in 5 to 10 years.

Located on Microsoft Corp.'s Redmond, Wash. campus, the Microsoft Home is a place to explore technology scenarios that could transform the way we live in next 5 to 10 years. Built as a full-scale model home in the company’s Executive Briefing Center, the Home is used to explore practical applications of cutting-edge technical trends, and exhibit futuristic prototype technologies to a variety of industry and government leaders, partners and customers.

 

 

Unfortunately The Microsoft Home is not open to the public but Channel 9 was given special permission to film a sneak-peak tour for this episode of Microsoft Campus Tours.

Steve Clayton and Flora Goldthwaite give channel9 an exclusive tour of The Microsoft Home.

The technologies illustrate how computing that works on your behalf rather than at your command could help us live healthier and more sustainable lives, manage and track a wealth of information, stay connected to the people who are important to us, make learning a fun and immersive experience, and explore the richness of the world around us.

In the Home, the physical and digital worlds come together to provide new kinds of experiences. Using sensor technology, the Home can assemble a grocery list, suggest recipes based on available items in the pantry and refrigerator, and offer step-by-step guidance.

In the teenager’s bedroom, every surface is an interactive display. The room’s design can change to match the mood, with immersive experiences, entertainment and social connections seamlessly integrated into the environment.

Ask the Home “What’s up?” and it will respond with updates, including upcoming appointment reminders, recent messages, and traffic and weather notifications. The Home also can offer assistance in the kitchen, projecting a recipe on the countertop surface and reading it aloud.

For more details check http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/mshome/Default.aspx

(source: Microsoft Campus Tours - The Microsoft Home)

FREE E-Book: Windows 7 Power Users Guide

Windows 7 Power Users Guide E-book is now completely FREE! The author of the book MVP Mike Halsey just announced it. He is also the author of Very Popular book Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out from Microsoft Press.

This 180 pages Windows 7 Power User Guide has 16 chapters covers right from installation , configuring Windows 7 and many step-by-step tutorials on various tasks. The book is in full color and provides lots of screenshots.

From the author of Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out from Microsoft Press…  A book for people who use Windows 7 at home or at work and know it can do more for them, but who don’t know how. The Windows 7 Power Users Guide contains helpful how-to’s, full colour pictures and quick tips to guide you through everything from using the Start Menu and Taskbar to backing up your documents and identifying and fixing problems

You can download the book from online book store or directly from author’s website here.

Windows Phone 7 Guide for iPhone Apps Developers

If you are an iPhone applications developer and interested in building your applications for Windows Phone 7, this guide is for you.

The guide will cover what you need to know to add Windows Phone 7 development to your skill set, while leveraging what you have already learned building iPhone applications.

The chapters include -

Chapter 1: Windows Phone 7 Platform introduced to iPhone application developers

Chapter 2: User Interface Guidelines

Chapter 3: Developer and designer tools introduced to iPhone application developers

Chapter 4: C# programming introduced to Objective-C programmers

Chapter 5: Image Format Considerations in migration of iPhone applications to Windows Phone 7

Chapter 6: Application Lifecycle Differences Between Windows Phone 7 and the iPhone

Chapter 7: iPhone to Windows Phone 7 Application Preference Migration

Chapter 8: Introduction to Windows Phone 7 Notifications for iPhone Developers

 

Apart from this if you want something to be included , please contact here for more chapters to be included.

You can download the guide (Chapters 1-8) from here – DOCX (3.83 MB) – PDF  (2.86 MB)

For more details  about the chapters please check here.