Ok, I’m off to China for the next couple of weeks. Enjoying a summer break, travelling around for a while and relaxing for a couple of days at the end of my vacation.

It’s gone be hard for me to leave my portable at home, No RSS feeds, no news, no email, no blog, etc… The only thing that goes with me is my mobile.

I’m back per the 24th of August, back with the usual SharePoint Link Love, with Office Communications Server 2007 news and of course back with the rest of the news I’m interested in.

But there’s more to tell, a couple of weeks after I’m back I’ll start a second blog. Less posting on this blog but more of my personal opinions and thoughts. Also, expect an open source project. I can’t tell you much about for the moment, but it is going to be a fun project, hehehehe. Also, I hope to attend Mix 07 Uk version, in London, 11 & 12 September.

Than the usual news for today:

Some press releases (announcements during Microsoft’s Financial Analyst Meeting (FAM) conference today):

• Microsoft Delivers on Its Unified Communications Vision
• Microsoft Creates Applied Research Group Focused on Search and Ad Technologies
• Microsoft to Acquire AdECN, Inc.
• Sales of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Break $800 Million
• Xbox 360 HD DVD Player Moves to $179, Adds Five Free HD DVDs

What to expect the next days/weeks/months?

• a full Windows Live 2.0 update for launch this fall, be a single suite of user services available as a single download that will work on the PC, phone and browser
• Microsoft is becoming more and more an advertisement company (creating the Internet Services Research Center and acquiring AdECN)
• Office Communications Server 2007 and Office Communicator 2007 will be released this fall. RTM expected on July 27.
• Windows Live Cloud Infrastructure. Steve Ballmer mentioned it during his remarks, it’s delivered in four groups:
  • Service enablers; Windows/Office Live, MSN, Live Search, Popfly, adCenter, ActiveX, Ajax, Silverlight, .Net and Win32 Softgrid.
  • Business Services; Exchange Hosted Services, managed communications and collaboration, Office Live Small Business, CRM Live and Titan development platform
  • Developer Services; Windows Live Cloud Infrastructure services, Silverlight Streaming, BizTalk Services
  • Personal Services; Windows Server, SQL Server, Visual Studio, adCenter, click-to-run client (ActiveX, Ajax, Silverlight, .Net and Win32 Softgrid for streaming apps on Windows XP)
• Visual Studio Orcas (2008) Beta 2 download to be expected 27th of July (including a go live license)
• Maybe next week the first CTP of Rosario
• RC 1.0 of Silverlight available for download later today
• CTP of Silverlight 1.1 available for download later today
• Preview release of Expression Blend Version 2.0 available for download today
• Over the next year number of Windows running PCs will top 1 billion for the first time
• PerformancePoint Server CTP4 due inearly to mid August 2007

@ my colleagues @ ada-ict: I’m back per the 27th of August. Don’t disappoint me with our intranet :-). Keep the fire burning guys! It should be even better without me, hehehehe. No more stalking, no more bulldogging.

Update: Ray Ozzie explains what the Windows Live “Platform” looks like:

• Global Foundation Services: Infrastructure that powers the “Cloud”
• Cloud Infrastructure Services: The computing, networking and storage software layer including application frameworks
• Live Platform Services: Identity and directory; device management and security; adCenter ad platform; communications and “rendezvous and presence.”
• Applications and Solutions: Services running on top of the infrastructure