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Microsoft Unveils "Media2Go"
by Arie Slob
Hello Windows users,
 During his keynote address at the 2003 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this week, Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corp., unveiled the first prototype of a portable media player (PMP), based on the device platform code-named "Media2Go." "Media2Go" devices are handheld personal media players that enable entertainment on the go by providing you with an easy and complete solution to download, store and play back your favorite digital media content including video, music and photos. Microsoft also announced that it is working with Intel Corp., whose early pioneering work on the personal video player (PVP) led to jointly delivering the first "Media2Go" hardware reference design developed on the Intel XScale-based processors. In addition, Microsoft announced that leading consumer electronics companies, including Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., ViewSonic Corp., SANYO Electric Co. Ltd, and iRiver are planning to deliver a variety of PMP devices based on "Media2Go" for the 2003 holiday season.
"Consumers around the world are discovering, downloading, managing and playing back digital photos, music and movies on their Windows-based PCs," said Jim Allchin, group vice president of Platforms at Microsoft. "It's time for the next big step. 'Media2Go' is the catalyst for a new generation of smart portable media players that will make all your favorite content from your PC available to you, wherever you are, whenever you want."
 With a single "Media2Go" device, you can enjoy your digital music, video, and photos any time and anywhere. "Media2Go" combines the playback and management functionality of an MP3 jukebox, the viewing capabilities of a portable DVD player, the ability to view authorized content from a personal video recorder as well as the capability to share digital photos. "Media2Go" devices enable you to watch and listen to their digital media content wherever and whenever you want. For example:
- Watching a favorite movie on a long plane journey
- Playing back favorite prerecorded TV shows while on a bus to work
- Entertaining the kids in the back of the car with their favorite cartoons
- Listening to favorite songs or watching music videos while working out in the gym
- Showing off the latest pictures or home movies of children to grandparents and friends
"Media2Go" provides complete support for a broad range of media formats, including Windows Media® Audio, Windows Media Video and MP3. The high quality and small size of Windows Media Audio and Video files mean that consumers will be able to store lots of high-quality content on their "Media2Go" devices: up to 8,000 songs, up to 175 hours of VHS-quality video and up to 30,000 digital images on 20GB of hard disk storage.
Moreover, "Media2Go" will allow consumers to transfer their media content from their Windows XP-based PCs to a "Media2Go" device easily and quickly using technology called Sync & Go developed for the Microsoft® Plus! Digital Media Edition for Windows XP. Sync & Go will quickly download consumers' favorite digital content from their PCs to a "Media2Go" device using fast connections such as USB and IEEE-1394, giving them the freedom to experience the digital media they edit and organize anywhere, any time.
"Media2Go" is based on the next version of the Windows CE .NET operating system, currently code-named McKendric. "Media2Go" uses the Windows CE .NET operating system and its unique synchronization, user interface, and media experience software technologies to provide the easiest way for people to enjoy the video, music and pictures stored on Windows-based personal computer, anywhere.
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Recommended Web sites
Each month we will feature a few Web sites here, ones which sent us the most visitors to our Web site in the previous month. We would encourage you to visit these popular Web sites yourself!
Here are some sites in the Top 15 for December 2002:
The Top 15 sites are listed on our Web site.
Web Site Updates
These pages were added/updated in the past week. Information on previously updated/added pages is available on the What's New? page for 1 month.
InfiniSource.com
Added: Jpeg 2000, The Future? Part II
Added: Jpeg2000, The Future? Part I
Windows-Help.NET
Added: Microsoft Unveils "Media2Go" Portable Media Player Platform
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Highlights
Jpeg2000, The Future?
Jpeg2000 promises to revolutionize how images are viewed on the web.
Read Full Article - Part I
Read Full Article - Part II
Lirva Worm Might Spoof Microsoft Security Bulletin
W32.Lirva.C@mm is a mass-mailing worm that also spreads by IRC, ICQ, KaZaA, and open network shares. This worm attempts to terminate antivirus and firewall products. It also emails the cached Windows 95/98/Me dial-up networking passwords to the virus writer.
The worm can arrive with various subjects, message body content, and file attachments, including one that spoofs a message from Network Associates regarding a security problem with Microsoft IIS. Attached to the message is a "patch" for the "problem", in reality this is (what else?) the worm. Users need to be aware that Microsoft never distributes its security patches through email to end users.
More information can be found on the Symantec Security Response Web site.
Securing Windows 2000 Server
Securing Windows 2000 Server provides customers with comprehensive information and analysis tools to assess security risks specific to Windows 2000 Servers. The Securing Windows 2000 Server solution is delivered in eleven chapters, plus a Test Guide, a Delivery Guide, and a Support Readiness Guide, each with applicable job aids, script files and test cases.
Securing Windows 2000 Server is a great guide for IT professionals, and can be downloaded from Microsoft [5.18 MB]
Windows 2000 Tip: Improve Hyperlinks Behaviour When Other Browser is Used as Default
When you click a link in a number of the Windows features (such as Help, Accessibility Wizard, Magnifier, Narrator, On-Screen Keyboard, The Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel, Active Desktop), the link may open in Microsoft Internet Explorer instead of in your default browser.
Microsoft have issued a Critical Update which should fix this problem. You can get it from the WindowsUpdate Web site, or directly (Windows 2000 SP3, English, 3.45 MB). The download is available in 24 languages here.
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18 Jan. 2003, Vol 6 No. 2
