Photo 2 of 2: Microsoft's fashion makeover
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Wood paneling and chrome dominate one of two sample designs for a new style of Media Center PC, commissioned by Microsoft's eHome division from One & Co.
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Although it is not yet widely visible to the outside world, some people inside Microsoft are beginning to change how the company has traditionally developed software.
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A cadre of unknown designers shapes everyday human-machine interactions. By Andrew Blum from Wired magazine.
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Once ethereal, Microsoft's plans to try to replicate its desktop position on the Web are starting to become clearer.
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The Seattle P-I has an interesting look at Redmond's program that has 'Softies taking home the latest in home gear in an effort to better understand how the company's digital living room products perform in actual living rooms.
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Sharp designs and colors fight the impression made by older devices.
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Features include a new digital image processor, in-camera editing and improved dust cleaning.
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The new version of Windows is about to make its debut for businesses. Here's what you can expect.
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With SP2 out the door, Microsoft turns sights to Longhorn--which won't look quite as expected.
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Microsoft may be ahead of Adobe with programming languages and developer tools, but it is playing catch up at graphic design applications.
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(InfoWorld) - Eyeing the rich application design space, Microsoft on Monday is detailing milestones in its Expression design tools platform, including the introduction of Expression Media to manage video files, images, and fonts. The company will announce Expression Studio, a suite of four products. The full suite, however, will not ship until the second quarter of 2007. Expression puts Microsoft more squarely into the same ballpark with Adobe and its rich media tools such as Flash and Flex. Microsoft, like Adobe, also is factoring in the application developers in its pursuit of the Web design space, according to analyst Bola Rotibi, of Ovum. "It's allowing the designers to work in their own environments and developers to work in their own environments but to have a shared context," Rotibi said. With the Expression products, designers build the look of an application. Microsoft's Visual Studio development platform, on the other hand, is for developing the code part of an application, according to Microsoft. Expression Studio, which will be priced at $599 for the full suite, features Expression Media, providing digital asset management and team workflow. Based on the iView MediaPro product acquired by Microsoft, it also features Expression Media Encoder for encoding and deploying video and audio. A first CTP of Expression Media is due early next year. The product will be generally available for $299 in the second quarter of next year, for users who wish to purchase it separate from the full suite. Expression Media helps designers handle what may be thousands of design elements, said Forest Key, director of Web/Client UX Platform Marketing in the Microsoft Developer Division. "With Expression Media, they can create a visual catalog," that includes metadata, Key said. Other components of the suite include: * Expression Web, for building Web sites. Formerly known as Expression Web Designer, it is shipping now for an estimated retail price of $299. FrontPage users can upgrade for $99. A free 60-day trial period is being offered, with downloads available. * Expression Blend, formerly known as Interactive Designer or Sparkle, for delivering interactive experiences on Windows. Blend Beta 1 is available now for download. The general release is scheduled for second-quarter 2007; it is priced at $499. * Expression Design, formerly Graphic Designer or Acrylic, for designing visual elements for Web and Windows experiences. A December Community Technology Preview (CTP) is available. The product ships only as part of the full Expression Studio suite next year. Expression Design was based on the Creature House Expression technology acquired by Microsoft in 2003. The latest versions of Blend and Design feature a new interface for designers. The interface enables, for example, designers to see how a layout looks on different monitors. In addition to Expression Studio, Microsoft on Monday is offering the first CTP of Windows Presentation Foundation Everywhere (WPE/E). This technology serves as a cross-platform browser plug-in for rich media, animation and video content based on Windows Media technology. Users can author content for WPE/E with the Expression Media and Design products. WPE/E allows designers and developers to build an experience in the browser that is richer than could be done with just the browser itself, Key said. Featured is the ability to render the XAML (Extensible Application Markup Language) file format for rich media capabilities. Microsoft also is launching an online community for designers, featuring forums, video demos, and team blogs.
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Microsoft exec announces new tool designed to make patching simpler.
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Microsoft can change.  Just give it a few more decades.
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This clothier's numbers look a lot more fashionable than those of its competitors.
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Nanotechnology is coming to a clothing store near you.
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The online shopping and download center for Windows-related stuff gets a public workout.
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Microsoft is coming to your living room. Get used to it.