Don't worry if you missed PDC there is an event in Atlanta just for you. On Dec 16th, there will be an event in town that covers many of the topics from PDC and the cost is just $99.
http://www.msdndevcon.com/Pages/Atlanta.aspx
Here is a intro from the page
"We’re bringing the PDC to you! For just $99 you’ll get the best of the PDC in your own backyard and hear all of the exciting announcements around the Azure Services Platform and Windows 7. Other sessions include the latest developments in .NET, Silverlight, Surface, Parallel Programming, Live Mesh, and more."
Some of the speakers are below, I am sure you have heard of them before.
- David Scruggs
- Jeff Barnes
- Wallace B. McClure
- Bruce Thomas
- Mark Dunn
- Todd Fine
- Todd Miranda
- Alan Stevens
- Shawn Wildermuth
- Jim Wooley
- Mickey Gousset
I make not secret of the fact that I'm a Microsoft fanboy. I use a Microsoft Zune. I have several Xboxes (I kept 1 and gave 2 away). I use a Windows Mobile phone. This morning, my Microsoft Life got updated.
I fired up my Xbox 360 and downloaded the new Xbox Experience - an entirely new dashboard which introduces the "twist" style navigation familiar from the Zune and Windows Media Player. Now I have dozens of screens to look at and a generally improved way of navigating through the content. I spent all of about six minutes playing with it b/c I was excited to set up my most anticipated feature - integration to my NetFlix Instant Queue. Unfortunately I didn't get to demo that functionality as the NetFlix device activation web site was down. I'll hit that when I get home tonight. I also created an avatar, which I'd show you but apparently the Xbox Live site is still being worked on - I can't log in or look at my stats and friends.
I checked Twitter and saw Mike Gannotti talk about why he loves the Zune, including that he just got an update to the 3.1 firmware. This update includes new games like Soduku and some new listening features which I have yet to explore fully but anticipate loving the hell out of!
I'm thrilled with the new updates and can't wait to waste unbelievable hours of what would be marginally productive time listening to music, watching movies, and playing games. All I can say is that if the NetFlix integration is as awesome as I hope it is, I'm going to cancel HBO and ShowTime (and save a bucket of money). Next up - Windows Mobile 6.5. Rumors indicate we may finally see Zune software integration on handsets which will give me yet another way to kill my battery superfast. Yay!
Figure 1 - SkyDrive home page
Windows Live SkyDrive is an online file storage and sharing system which can be used to replace a traditional FTP server.
http://skydrive.live.com
Sign in with a Windows Live ID (you can create one if you don’t already have one). Your Windows Live ID can be used for a multitude of services, including Hotmail, Expedia, Windows Live Messenger, MSN Spaces, and more.
Figure 2 - SkyDrive folders
SkyDrive can be used to store up to 5 Gb online with 3 different levels of security: Personal, Shared, and Public. Personal folders are extremely secured. Only you, with your Windows Live ID, can access Personal folders. Shared folders are password protected and can be accessed only by e-mail accounts you specify. Public folders are exposed to the Internet with no security – anyone can look at the contents of a Public folder if they have the proper link.
Figure 3 - SkyDrive Shared Folder options
When creating a Shared folder, you have the option to name the folder and specify who can access the folder. When picking people who have access, you can select from anyone in your Hotmail or Windows Live Messenger contacts list or you can explicitly specify e-mail addresses. You also have the ability to specify the level of access a user of your folder has – whether or not they can change or add items to the shared folder. An e-mail will automatically be sent to the people you have granted access to.
Figure 4 - SkyDrive e-mail notification
The HTML e-mail received by your invited guests gives them a link to the shared folder.