Most of this post has been shamelessly stolen from Mike Zeff’s blog…….most of which was shamelessly stolen from somewhere else…..so I don’t feel too bad….

TechEd New Zealand 2011 will run from Wednesday 24th August until Friday 26th August, once again at SkyCity Convention Centre, Auckland.

The list of tracks is available now and we have opened the Call for Content so you can submit a session or two that you would like to present (T's & C's here).  I’m looking after the Innovation track this year, so am keen for all your ideas!

The next few paragraphs explain the TechEd NZ conference levels (from Mike Hall’s Blog):

100 level (Intro level content)

• No previous knowledge of this subject required
• May contain roadmap and general overview of product features
• May or may not contain code/demos

200 level (generally anchor and overview sessions)

• Focuses on broad technology overview
• Emphasises capabilities, scenarios and value
• Simple code samples to make a point

300 level (generally scenario sessions)

• Focuses on demonstrating how to implement a solution
• Detailed code samples and architecture to show how it all fits together

400 level (generally deep technical internals sessions)

• Focuses on internals, the how and why
• Emphasises internal architectural considerations and decisions and how they impact real-world usage
• Code samples that illustrate the behaviour of the component

Or if you prefer it in terms of chocolate, have a look at John Howard’s blog post.  Which also sums up the problem of trying to provide a definitive session level guide quite nicely……

The problem is that there's such a vast range of topics, speakers and styles around, there isn't a single answer.  You will generally find that all sessions include a demonstration of some sort as after all, a picture speaks a thousand words. Therefore, it comes down to the session description to really provide the answer.  If in doubt, think of 100-beginner, 200-intermediate, 300-advanced, 400-guru.

So if you’re submitting a session, think hard about what level it REALLY is, and write a good description.

Tips for successful submissions:

• Write a descriptive, fun and enticing title. This should sell your session.
• Target 300-400 level technical content; 100 and 200 level content is in low demand. If you say your talk is level 400 then make sure it is or be prepared for a barrage of feedback in your evaluations!
• Describe content that is new, unique or significantly refreshed from a previous presentation.
• Take a solution oriented approach
• Ensure there is minimal marketing talk in your content
• Showcase your speaking experience
• Focus on currently released technologies, technologies in beta or technologies that will be released within 12 months of Tech·Ed
• Include one or more live demos. Historically, sessions with strong demos receive higher audience scores
• Include personal experience of using a technology (or technologies) to build a solution. This goes down well with an audience of your peers. Everyone likes to learn from other’s mistakes before having to make it themselves.

Refer to the list of tracks to find which one your proposed session will fit with, best. The Call for Content will remain open until 31st May 2011 and then the Track Owners will work through the submissions to select the sessions they want.

Now get your thinking caps on and start submitting. If you have questions, or an idea for an Innovation track session but don’t want to speak, feel free to use the ‘Email Blog Author’ link on the right side of the page.

Microsoft has a variety of tools and resources to help in the upgrade to Windows 7, from XP or Vista. The tools automate a lot of the key tasks to make things quicker and easier, saving you time.

The following are some of the free, downloadable pre-deployment and deployment tools that help you automate common project-related tasks:

• Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit This tool inventories hardware and devices.
• Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) version 5.5 This tool inventories applications, analyses compatibility, and creates compatibility fixes for applications.
• Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) This tool helps you create images and automate the OS and application installations, data migration, and desktop configuration process.

Of course, for larger organisations, Microsoft System Center is also available to buy. This is a family of products that provides end-to-end deployment and management support.

If you’re keen to get your hands dirty right away try the free JumpStart Proof of Concept Kit.  It’s a self-contained, self-service kit (VHD) designed to help you complete a Proof-of -Concept (PoC) at your organization, allowing you to quickly evaluate the new Microsoft desktop technologies, including Windows 7, Office 2010 Pro Plus, Internet Explorer 8, and Application Virtualization with Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack technology App-V.  It includes the free tools mentioned above, trial images, and more.  Check it out here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=26301cd1-cc72-4dd8-819e-12ef48322743

If you’re after some learning resources it’s worth checking out the Windows 7 Deployment Learning Portal. It’s designed to help you identify the strengths and gaps in your knowledge around Windows 7 deployment and provide some targeted learning.  You can access it here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/ff470986

Not to forget about Office 2010 – there is also a wide array of tools available to help you upgrade.  You can find a raft of information here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/ff519674.aspx  But, a couple of the key freely available tools for download include:

• Microsoft Office Migration Planning Manager 2010: A tool to assess binary files and macros and optionally convert files to the Open XML format.
• Office 2010 Compatibility Inspector: Compares existing (legacy) code against the Microsoft Office 2010 object model to identify possible code issues.
• Office 2010 Environment Assessment Tool: A comprehensive environment scanning tool which identifies Office add-ins and applications.
• Microsoft Office 2010 Deployment Kit for App-V: Enables Office 2010 client products to be sequenced and deployed with Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V).

There’s a wealth of information, tools and resources available to help you to deploy – the ones I’ve listed above are just a few – so head to microsoft.com or technet.com and have a look around.   Not to mention your Microsoft NZ account team will be more than happy to discuss your deployment plans with you and identify ways that we can help.

Happy deploying.

You’ve no doubt heard of Microsoft Surface……the revolutionary multi-touch computer that responds to natural hand gestures and real-world objects.  Leave the mouse and keyboard behind.

But, have you heard about the Mobile Surface? 

Mobile Surface is a Microsoft Research project to create a novel interaction system for mobile computing. Their goal is to bring the Microsoft Surface experience to mobile scenarios, and more importantly, to enable 3D interaction with mobile devices. They do research on how to transform any surface (e.g., a coffee table or a piece of paper) to a Mobile Surface with a mobile device and a camera-projector system. Besides this, their work also includes how to get a 3D object model in real-time, augmented reality and multiple-layer 3D information presentation.

Check out a prototype demo here: https://channel9.msdn.com/TechFest/Mobile-Surface/

Next I found the Cloud Mouse, which aside from just sounding cool, will enable users to orchestrate, interact with, and engage with their data as if they were inside the cloud.

According to Microsoft Research: “With cloud computing, users can access their personal data anywhere and anytime. Cloud computing will also enable new forms of data to be provided for users, with applications ranging from Web data mining to social networks. But cloud computing necessitates new interaction metaphors and input-output technology. The cloud mouse is one such technology. Every user will have one. It will be a secure key to every user’s cloud data. And, with six degrees of freedom and with tactile feedback, the cloud mouse will enable users to orchestrate, interact with, and engage with their data as if they were inside the cloud.”

Check out a prototype demo here: https://channel9.msdn.com/TechFest/Inside-the-Cloud-New-Cloud-Computing-Interaction/

Thinking it couldn’t get much cooler I was pretty excited to stumble across the latest developments in Natural User Interfaces: Skinput and Muscle-Computer Interfaces.  Microsoft has innovated continually in developing novel interaction modalities, or natural user interfaces. Surface and Project Natal are two examples. While these modalities rely on sensors and devices situated in the environment, researchers believe there is a need for new modalities that enhance the mobile experience. As such they are taking advantage of sensing technologies that enable them to decode the signals generated by the body.

Skinput is designed using bio-acoustic interfaces, mechanical sensors on the body that enable researchers to turn the entire body into a tap-based input device.  This approach provides an always available, naturally portable, and on-body finger input system

Check out a VERY cool prototype demo here: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/groups/cue/skinput/

In the same vein, Microsoft Research is also working on a project  using electromyography-based armbands that sense muscular activation directly to infer finger gestures on surfaces and in free space, called Muscle-Computer Interaction.

Check out another very cool prototype demo here: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/groups/cue/muci/

Last but not least on the Microsoft Research front is the Translating Phone.  Soon the language barrier will no longer be an issue. This piece of technology allows two users, speaking different languages, to communicate instantly. The speakers audio is turned into text, then that text is translated into another language and spoken aloud to the other party in the conversation. This could truly change the world.

Check out the prototype demo here: https://channel9.msdn.com/posts/LauraFoy/TechFest-2010-Translating-Telephone/

Microsoft Research have a lot of other cool projects they are working on that I recommend you take a look at, a good summary (with videos) of those demo’ed at TechFest 2010 is here: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/events/techfest2010/videos.aspx

Apologies for over-using the word “cool” in this post…..couldn’t be helped.

Buy Office 2007 today and download Office 2010 when available*

Buy and activate a qualifying Office 2007 product (with or without a new PC) from a participating reseller between March 5 and September 30, 2010. Then download Office 2010 by October 31, 2010, or have a disc sent to you for a fee². Either way, you don’t need to wait – you’ll have Office 2007 now and Office 2010 when it arrives.

To find out when Office 2010 will be available, sign up for an e-mail reminder.

For more program information and eligibility requirements, see the Terms & Conditions.

All this info and more can be found at http://office.com/techg

Info on this blog relates to New Zealand residents – please see office.com/techg in your region for info specific to your country.

* Offer for qualifying products purchased between 5 March 2010 and 30 September 2010. Online registration including an activated Office 2007 Product Key, dated sales receipt and Windows Live ID required for redemption. Available for download, or for purchase of disc for a fee. Download fees and charges may apply. Office 2007 to be activated by 30 September 2010, Office 2010 to be redeemed by 31 October 2010.

1. Download fees and charges may apply as set by your internet service provider.

2. Fees apply for purchase of physical media. The hard copy of Office 2010 is provided by an independent reseller. We will update this website linking to pricing information once it has been provided by the independent reseller.

For Partners & OEMs:

ISV (Independent software vendor) and IHV (Independent hardware vendor) Partners will be able to download Windows 7 RTM from Microsoft Connect or MSDN on August 6th. You can also visit www.readyset7.com to learn more about getting ready for Windows 7.

Microsoft Partner Program Gold/Certified Members will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English through the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) Portal on August 16th. By October 1st, the remaining languages will become available to download.

Microsoft Action Pack Subscribers will be about to download Windows 7 RTM in English starting August 23rd. By October 1st, the remaining languages will become available to download.

OEMs will receive Windows 7 RTM software images beginning approximately 2 days after we officially RTM, as a little time is required to release and distribute these images.

For Business Customers:

If you are a Volume License (VL) customer with an existing Software Assurance (SA) license you will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English starting August 7th via the Volume License Service Center (VLSC). The rest of the languages for Windows 7 RTM should be available within a couple of weeks after that.

Volume License customers without a SA license will be able to purchase Windows 7 through Volume Licensing on September 1st as we announced last week at WPC09.

For IT Professionals:

IT Professionals with TechNet Subscriptions will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English on August 6th and remaining languages by October 1st.

IT Professionals at companies with Volume Licensing see above on how you can get Windows 7 RTM.

We have quite a bit of resources for IT Professionals to use to become experts on Windows 7 and to aid in their deployments. Those resources can be found at the Springboard Series.

For Developers:

Developers with MSDN Subscriptions will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English on August 6th and remaining languages by October 1st.

To help developers who are developing applications for Windows 7 or updating existing applications to take advantage of new Windows 7 features, check out the Windows 7 for Developers Blog. Also, be sure to check out the Windows 7 Developers Guide on MSDN.

For Consumers:

Windows 7 will be in retail stores and shipping on new PCs starting October 22nd. If you pre-ordered Windows 7, it should be delivered sometime around the October 22nd timeframe (depends on the retailer).

What is not so obvious is that there is an installable Web Service for Windows Server 2003 and 2008 domain controllers called the Active Directory Management Gateway Service. This means that calls made to Active Directory in an environment where there are no 2008 R2 domain controllers can still be made. To put this into context for IT operational people who want to either manage or automate the management of Active Directory using PowerShell they do not need a Server 2008 R2 domain controller, they simply need a PowerShell v2 client with the AD Management module.

And for those that do not like PowerShell the new Active Directory Administration Center also makes calls to the Web Service, so it can also be targeted at Server 2003 or 2008 as well.

Thanks to Troy Kirkland for the heads up on this goodness!

Don’t miss out on the IT Industry’s best technical training.  As you probably already know Tech Ed is New Zealand’s biggest (and we think best) technical training event for IT pros & developers.  Planning is well underway for Tech Ed 2009 – we have 14 tracks of content and are starting to lock down speakers.  With Windows 7 and many other Microsoft products releasing over the next year, this is your best chance to learn about the new technologies, experience them hands-on, and connect with around 2,000 of your industry peers.  You’ll probably have some fun too!

Register for Tech Ed before 31 July and you will automatically go into the draw to win one of seven Canon IXUS 100 IS digital cameras.  This is a great camera, with 12.1MP, optical image stabilisation, HD video, and a super-slim design. 

If you’ve already registered, don’t worry, you are automatically in the draw to win. 

Full details of the Tech Ed special offer are here.

Tech Ed New Zealand 2009
14-16 September 2009
SkyCity Convention Centre
Auckland City

www.microsoft.co.nz/teched

Today marks the official start of the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program. You can get ready for Windows 7 now with the Windows Upgrade Option through participating retailers and PC manufacturers.

The Windows 7 Upgrade Option is available through participating PC manufacturers on selected PCs and through Microsoft on qualifying purchases of the Windows Vista packaged product. The Windows 7 Upgrade Option applies to Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate editions. Your Windows 7 upgrade will be to the comparable version: so you'll get either Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional (the upgrade to Windows Vista Business), or Windows 7 Ultimate, respectively. The Windows 7 Upgrade Option program runs from 26 June 2009 through 31 January 2010. Individual PC manufacturers may choose to offer the option for a shorter period on their PCs. Offer details, prices, and upgrade delivery methods will vary.

Similarly, in New Zealand, retail packaged Windows Vista software products (sold separately from PCs) bought between 26 June 2009 and 31 January 2010 may also qualify for an upgrade to the equivalent Windows 7 product.

The upgrades will be provided to qualifying customers after the Windows 7 product becomes available in the market (also known as "Windows 7 General Availability") which will be the 22nd October 2009.

For all the info check out: http://www.microsoft.com/nz/windows/buy/offers/upgrade.aspx

For Customer Enquiries in NZ call 0800 800 004.

Enter Bing.

Microsoft’s Bing is a new Decision Engine providing you with a first step in moving beyond search to help make faster, more informed decisions. Bing is specifically designed to build on the benefits of today’s search engines but begins to move beyond this experience with a new approach to user experience and intuitive tools to help you make better decisions, focusing initially on four key vertical areas: making a purchase decision, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business.

The result of this new approach is an important beginning for a new and more powerful kind of search service, which Microsoft is calling a Decision Engine, designed to empower people to gain insight and knowledge from the Web, moving more quickly to important decisions.

Search engines are out…….decision engines are in.  Bing is the new black.

Your time is limited so make the most of it and get more Bing for your buck.  www.bing.com

This year’s event is shaping up to be the best one yet and will feature a great line-up of speakers from New Zealand and around the world.

Tech Ed 09 will be held from Monday 14 September to Wednesday 16 September at SKYCITY Convention Centre in Auckland.

A limited number of discounted early bird tickets will be available for the first 600 who register. Last year’s event sold-out in a matter of weeks so if you’re thinking about heading along, sign-up now to avoid disappointment

Tech Ed 09 will feature 11 tracks on the latest Microsoft innovations, with sessions targeted at the specific interests of developers and IT pros. In particular:

· IT Pros will get new insights into Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, hosting, virtualisation, and reducing IT costs

· Developers will get hands-on time with new tools for security, learn about maximising deployments and the Azure Services Platform, as well as building rich web and client applications, and much more.

Tech Ed 09 is a great opportunity to up-skill on the Microsoft platform and network with others in the IT community, plus anyone who registers for the event gets a free ticket to the Tech Fest party.

You can keep up-to-date with Tech Ed 09 announcements as they happen by following the official Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/techedlive.