Unveiled at MIX08, new releases of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft
Silverlight and Microsoft Expression Studio provide Web developers and
designers with game-changing benefits and business opportunities.
LAS VEGAS, March 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- At MIX08, Microsoft
Corp.'s Web designer and developer conference, Microsoft demonstrated the
power of its platform to enable delivery of richer, more interactive
customer experiences on the Web. Backed by major customers including AOL,
Aston Martin, Cirque du Soleil, Hard Rock and NBCOlympics.com on MSN,
Microsoft unveiled the next generation of its Web technologies with beta
releases of Internet Explorer 8, Silverlight 2 and Expression Studio 2.
Additional MIX08 news included a preview of Microsoft SQL Server Data
Services, the announcement of a strategic relationship with Move Networks
Inc., and DoubleClick Inc.'s preview of its Silverlight 2 software
development kit (SDK) for in-stream advertising.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)
In Wednesday's MIX08 keynote address, Ray Ozzie, chief software
architect, shared his vision for the role of the Web and the services
opportunity across Microsoft businesses. Dean Hachamovitch, general manager
of the Internet Explorer team, demonstrated new features in Internet
Explorer 8 for Web developers and end users, and Scott Guthrie, corporate
vice president of the .NET Developer Division, highlighted advances in
Silverlight, Expression Studio and Visual Studio that make it easier to
deliver rich, connected experiences on the desktop, Web and beyond.
"The Web is at the center of everything Microsoft is doing," Ozzie
said. "The investments we're making will enable developers and designers to
deliver a range of seamless, connected experiences across the continuum of
Web applications, rich clients, mobile and other devices."
With a focus on bridging developer-to-designer workflow while providing
a common development model across a range of form factors and devices,
Microsoft introduced advancements to the following tools and technologies:
-- First public beta of Internet Explorer 8. Internet Explorer 8 is the
next version of Microsoft's popular browser, and in beta 1 it delivers
significantly improved standards support and developer platform
investments with enhanced user experiences. Internet Explorer 8 beta 1
delivers increased interoperability, offers developers better
predictability when designing sites, and will feature full support for
cascading style sheet (CSS) 2.1 at release to manufacturing. Internet
Explorer 8 beta 1 includes integrated developer tools to quickly debug
HTML, CSS and scripts in a visual environment. Two new features,
Activities and WebSlices, will enable developers to reach beyond the
page and introduce news ways for users to stay connected to the
content and services of their choice. To download Internet Explorer 8
beta 1, developers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/ie/ie8.
-- Silverlight 2 beta available for download; support for mobile devices.
Microsoft Silverlight answers customer desire for rich, cross-platform
media and "zero-click" applications that match the rich interactive
application experience while bringing the robustness and power of
Microsoft .NET to the browser. Silverlight 2 beta includes innovative
new features like Deep Zoom, more than 40 new controls and a rich .NET
base class library of functionality. In addition to the beta release,
Microsoft announced plans to deliver Silverlight for Windows Mobile
and to work with Nokia on support for S60 on Symbian OS, the world's
leading smartphone software, as well as for Series 40 devices and
Nokia Internet tablets. To download Silverlight 2 beta and learn about
Silverlight for devices, developers can visit
http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight.
-- Expression Studio 2 beta. Today Microsoft released a beta of
Expression Studio 2, designed to work seamlessly with Visual Studio,
enabling designers and developers to collaborate on the creation of
better user experiences. Key new features of Expression Studio 2
include PHP support in Expression Web and support for Silverlight in
Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Media Encoder and
Expression Design. To enable designers to start immediately exploring
the power of Silverlight 2, Microsoft also announced the availability
of Expression Blend 2.5 March 2008 Preview. Microsoft also introduced
the Expression Professional Subscription, which includes the full
suite along with a number of other programs to help users get started
at an exceptional value. To download Expression Studio developers can
visit http://www.microsoft.com/expression.
Silverlight Shines
MIX08 features a diverse set of customers and partners demonstrating
rich Web applications that enable new business opportunities. With an
average of 1.5 million daily downloads of the Silverlight plug-in,
thousands of existing Silverlight applications and more than 85 members in
the Silverlight Partner Initiative, Silverlight is attracting
industry-leading content providers, content delivery networks, design
agencies, ISVs and solution providers.
As demonstrated on stage, AOL, Aston Martin, Cirque du Soleil, Hard
Rock and NBCOlympics.com on MSN have selected Silverlight for their Web
applications due to its high performance capabilities, integration with the
.NET Framework and customizable advertising opportunities.
"NBCOlympics has always taken the lead in bringing Olympics fans
immersive experiences through in-depth analysis and leading technology,"
said Perkins Miller, senior vice president of Digital Media for NBC Sports
& Olympics. "Working with Microsoft Silverlight, we will again push the
boundary of sports coverage by delivering a new level of rich, high-quality
viewing to the Web for the 2008 Olympic Games."
Microsoft is also working with a broad set of customers and partners in
the ad-serving, analytics, creative agency and content delivery network
sectors. Today, DoubleClick demonstrated its Silverlight 2 SDK for
in-stream advertising. Content publishers that deliver video content will
be able to use this SDK within a Silverlight environment to target, serve,
forecast and report on video-based advertising.
Microsoft Announces Strategic Relationship With Move Networks
Microsoft announced plans for a strategic alliance with Move Networks,
a leading provider of live and on-demand long-form video content such as
television episodes, news and sports programming. Silverlight would enable
Move Networks to deliver an interactive, rich media navigation and
integrated advertising on top of its hallmark high-quality online
television experience that reaches all the way to HD. Move Networks'
current customers include some of the largest media companies in the world
such as ABC, FOX Broadcasting Company, ESPN, the CW, Televisa and others.
These customers use Move Networks to stream their most popular shows
including "Grey's Anatomy," "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and
"Lost."
"Our strategic relationship with Microsoft represents a natural
progression in the rapid evolution of online video delivery," said John
Edwards, CEO of Move Networks. "Microsoft Silverlight is emerging as a
platform of choice for media companies seeking a reliable and highly
configurable environment for the creation of rich video content. The
integration of Move Networks' streaming technology with Silverlight will
allow customers to deliver the highest-quality viewing experience available
online -- driving online revenue and a competitive edge in a crowded
marketplace."
Microsoft SQL Server Data Services Preview
Microsoft also announced a new building-block software service,
Microsoft SQL Server Data Services. The service is designed for developers
building Web-based applications that need a scalable, easily programmable
and highly available utility-based data store. MIX08 attendees will be able
to register for a preview of SQL Server Data Services.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full potential.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
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