mix

Microsoft Silverlight coming to mobile devices this year

Microsoft's Silverlight browser plug-in will be bringing videos and other rich media to Nokia smartphones later this year.

The two companies on Tuesday at Microsoft's Mix '08 conference are scheduled to announce that Microsoft will write a version of Silverlight for Nokia's Series 60 (S60) smartphone software that runs on Symbian OS. The software, which will be available later this year, will also run on Series 40 devices and Nokia Internet tablets.

For people with compatible devices, it means they will be able to see content, notably video, written for Silverlight, which Microsoft is pushing as an alternative … Read more

Microsoft: IE 8 to support standards from the start

Aiming to demonstrate that its commitment to interoperability goes beyond fancy statements, Microsoft said Monday that it is shifting its plans for the next version of Internet Explorer to make the program more friendly to Web standards.

The software maker said that a planned standards compatibility mode will now be the default rendering engine when IE 8 makes its debut. Microsoft has already said that the new browser is capable of passing the Acid2 rendering test.

"We think that acting in accordance with principles is important, and IE 8's default is a demonstration of the interoperability principles in … Read more

New services, frameworks and tools on tap for Mix

Coming up this week, Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie will make one of his rare public appearances to give developers the latest word on the future of the Web and Microsoft software at the Mix '08 conference in Las Vegas.

Ozzie is heading up Microsoft's effort to embrace the Web as a platform, which started in October 2005, when Bill Gates fired off a memo to his executive staff and distinguished engineers with the following call to action:

"The next sea change is upon us. We must recognize this change as an opportunity to take our offerings to … Read more

Virtual mixing studio the size of a thumb drive

If you're the type of musician who appreciates the space-saving practicality of collapsible keyboards and folding guitars, then this mixer may be of particular interest.

The "Mbox 2 Micro" is the newest addition to Digidesign's family of production equipment and, as such, lets you tap into virtual instruments to create music while editing, mixing, and sequencing sessions. But there's one very noticeable difference from other the models: True to its name, the Mbox 2 Micro is roughly the size of a USB storage key.

That means that it has no audio inputs, so it won'… Read more

Microsoft to launch beta of Internet Explorer 8

Microsoft will shortly make available the test version of Internet Explorer 8, which is set for final release in the first half of this year.

The Web site ActiveWin on Monday published the contents of a beta invitation, which said Microsoft is nearing a launch date for Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1, which will be available for download and testing.

According to the Internet Explorer blog, the next version of Microsoft's Web browser is set for release in the first half of the year.

Microsoft executives are expected to reveal further details about the browser's features at the … Read more

Free DJ Mix by Justice: "Rejected Fabric Mix"

Courtesy of Xavier de Rosnay, Gaspard Auge (aka Justice) and the whole Ed Banger crew, the DJ mix unofficially dubbed the "Rejected Fabric Mix" has found its way to the WWW as a freebie when the popular London dance label (and club) Fabric rejected it for their next FabricLive compilation DJ series.

Before being leaked to the public, Justice's new mix is easily one of the best of the year and has a scope well beyond the duo's own apocalyptic electro madness. Take a listen (or three... or five) and see for yourself.

Free Download: "The mix Fabric didn't want you to hear!"… Read more

Waiting for Pacemaker

Announced back in May, the Pacemaker sounds like an amazing gadget: a 120GB portable music player that functions like a portable DJ mixing table. Essentially, it plays two tracks at once and lets you crossfade between them, plus play with effects like looping and pitch bending. Check out the Flash demo here.

There's also a software application, the Pacemaker Editor, that functions like a traditional music player and library manager (think iTunes, Windows Media Player, or WinAmp), only with support for creating mixes. It's coming out in December, according to the Web site.

Well, today's the last … Read more

Microsoft, Adobe launch document sharing services

Microsoft and Adobe are announcing, at exactly the same time, competing services for sharing documents from your computer. Adobe's Share converts all shared documents to Flash, so you can embed them in any Web page. It's like Scribd but designed more to share files with workgroups than the world at large. In its current beta form it supports PDF and image files only. Adobe plans to open up the Share API so the service can be used as a virtual storage drive.

Share is a natural counterpart to Adobe's new BuzzWord word processor (news; review), which it … Read more

Cellphone symphony: MixGet

This was the most entertaining idea at DemoFall so far, and probably the most ridiculous: MixGet (site not live yet). It's technology that turns individual cellphones into synchronized music players. So if you have a crowd of people together, one person's phone might play a guitar track, another vocals, another drums.

The presenter tried to justify this product as a potential new kind of ringtone, but I'm not sure I see it. This project is from Redsquare Ventures, which is trying to bring Russian entrepreneurs' ideas to market.

I love this idea. But I don't see … Read more