Microsoft to introduce free version of Office

Microsoft is to include a free, stripped-down version of Office on new PCs from next year, abandoning Microsoft Works after years of service.

Office Starter 2010, which will be supoorted by advertising, will include Word 2010 and Excel 2010, dropping PowerPoint 2010 and OneNote 2010 - the other applications that will be bundled with the lowest-priced package, Home & Student - as well as Outlook 2010, which is part of the next-level-up Home & Business edition.

Office Starter 2010 will not be a trial edition that times out, said a Microsoft manager today. "Office Starter is different than a trial, in the sense that there's no expiration," said Scott Kahler, the test manager for the new suite, in a video posted on a Microsoft blog. "You can continue using it until your needs exceed what Starter can give you."

At that point, Microsoft hopes that users will pay for a more substantial version. "We insure that when you've upgraded, all your documents come across," added Brian Albrecht, Office's group program manager, in the same video clip. "There's no conversion or anything that needs to happen, and everything's there for you." [Detail]

Action! LifeCam Cinema Introduces 720p HD Widescreen Video

Widescreen technology is everywhere these days, built into virtually every new notebook, desktop monitor and flat-panel TV,1 and today Microsoft Hardware sets a new standard for webcams with the launch of LifeCam Cinema, the first consumer webcam on the PC to offer widescreen video with a native 720p sensor.2 The timing couldn’t be better, with more and more people going online to share videos with friends and family; in fact, more than 10 million videos are uploaded each month to Facebook alone.3 LifeCam Cinema webcam’s 720p widescreen sensor will deliver clear, quality videos — without leaving anyone out of the shot. [Detail]

ILMerge is a utility for merging multiple .NET assemblies into a single .NET assembly

ILMerge is a utility that can be used to merge multiple .NET assemblies into a single assembly. ILMerge takes a set of input assemblies and merges them into one target assembly. The first assembly in the list of input assemblies is the primary assembly. When the primary assembly is an executable, then the target assembly is created as an executable with the same entry point as the primary assembly. Also, if the primary assembly has a strong name, and a .snk file is provided, then the target assembly is re-signed with the specified key so that it also has a strong name. [Detail]

Microsoft goes open source again

Once it had dipped its toe into the open-source waters, it didn't take long for Microsoft to take the plunge again. The company has just made its second release under the General Public License with software for the open-source online learning system Moodle. [Detail]

Microsoft Office 2010

Tell your story with video. Instantly brainstorm and share. Inform and inspire using photos and graphics. Connect, share, and collaborate in real time. Access and edit your files from virtually anywhere on your PC or smartphone.
Microsoft® Office 2010 gives you powerful new tools to express your ideas and work together, wherever your life takes you. [Detail]