June 24th, 2009 | Tags: ,

Microsoft has now set July 13th for RTM “sign-off”

Sign off is the process where all divisions sign that they agree on the final code, which means the actual RTM build will be created a few days earlier, which is targeted on July 10th.

The general availability (GA) is set to October 22nd, this is when you can buy it in stores in a box or on new PC’s (OEM).

We can expect the RTM much earlier on MSDN, Technet and Volume Licensing download sites, probably a few days after July 13th.

Source: here

June 23rd, 2009 | Tags:

If you try to participate in the public beta of Microsoft Security Essentials (a pre-release version of Microsoft’s non-commercial/free Anti-Virus product that replaces OneCare) outside the countries listed above then you will be blocked, unless of course you follow my links below! However be quick because it is capped at 75,000 downloads.

Go here if you live within the permitted regions, otherwise you can use this workaround to directly access the Connect site and sign-up.

June 23rd, 2009 | Tags:

The TechNet Ireland Blog has just announced an interesting event focussed on Office Communications Server 2007 R2 (a keen area of interest for me!), for those in the area on July 9th you should definately register below.

Event details here

June 23rd, 2009 | Tags: ,

The Exchange Team are taking Exchange Unified Messaging to the next level, in a new “Spotlight on Exchange 2010” blog entry we can see up and coming “find-me” functionality. My only question is how does this all integrate (if a all) with Office Communication Server?

Source: here

June 23rd, 2009 | Tags:

Neowin reports:

Wzor is claiming that the final sign off is set for July 13th. According to a translation, this is the final roadmap for Windows 7:

FINAL ROADMAP FOR WINDOWS 7 [CLIENT-SERVER]:
6/1 – 6/19 BUILDING RTM ESCROW – already assembled RTM ESCROW.
6/22 – 7/10 RTM RECALL – assembly and search for candidates to the final RTM release.
7/10 WINDOWS 7 RTM FINAL BUILD TARGET – build day “gold code”.
7/13 WINDOWS 7 RTM SIGN-OFF – the date of signing the final RTM release!

We previously reported that Windows 7 could RTM at the end of this month, but if Wzor is correct. and that’s a big if, it looks like we may now have a final RTM date. Wzor is stating that the latest RTM branch build is 6.1.7263.0.win7_rtm.090619-1900, and the latest build in the winmain branch is 6.1.7233.0.winmain.090614-1655, and that the next winmain assembly will be the final RTM build.

Source: here

As stated by Microsoft the public release of Windows 7 is still slated for October 22nd.

June 19th, 2009 | Tags: ,

The Dev-Team have now released their much anticipated update of Pwnage for iPhone 2G/3G and 1G iPod Touch (2 days later than the public release from Apple), ultrasn0w will be released shortly afterwards and distributed via Cydia.

Announcement from the Dev-Team below:

This is the low down on our tools for use with the 3.0 firmware from Apple, read the whole post in full before attempting anything. Because of some bugs and unexpected changes this will be a multipart release, starting with the release of PwnageTool for Mac OS X. QuickPwn for Mac OS X and Windows will follow sometime soon, please don’t bug us about it, we are working flat out to get everything finished to release them.

  1. GOLDEN RULE: If you are using a 3G iPhone with yellowsn0w and rely on yellowsn0w to obtain cellular service, then you should NOT use PwnageTool right now. UltraSn0w is not included with this release and therefore your baseband will be locked and unable to use an operator other than the official one it was bought for. UltraSn0w will be release via APT (cydia and icy) soon. If you have an original iPhone (1st generation) then 3.0 unlock works with this PwnageTool release.
  2. Yellowsn0w in its current form will NOT work with the baseband version that is present in the 3.0 update, you will need Ultrasn0w, which will be released sometime soon, Ultrasn0w will work with all iPhone 3G models (but not 3GS), even ones that were previously unlockable, Ultrasn0w (when available) will be released via APT (this means you can get it via Cydia or Icy).
  3. Please read all parts of this post before downloading and using these tools.
  4. Read items 1, 2 and 3 again and again.
  5. At the bottom of this post are the bittorrent files for the 3.0 capable version of PwnageTool.
  6. This app is suitable for the recent 3.0 release.
  7. PwnageTool will NOT work for the iPhone 3GS.
  8. PwnageTool WILL work for Original iPhone (1st Generation), Original iPod touch (1st Generation) and the iPhone 3G.

Baseband 101

The ‘baseband’ is the generic nickname given to the internal components of the iPhone that handle the phone calls and Internet access. This ‘baseband’ is a tiny and unique independent computer system that runs inside your iPhone, it is separate to the main system that handles the applications (such as email and google maps) and it talks to the main part of the phone over an internal communications network. Think of it like a cable modem or other peripheral that is attached to your home PC that needs occasional updates. When a software update is released and presented to you within iTunes the baseband is sometimes updated (to fix bugs or add new features). The 3.0 update for the iPhone 3G contains such an update, so running the vanilla updater straight away with iTunes will reprogram and update the baseband.

SIM Free/SP Unlocked/Factory Unlocked iPhone 3G

This applies if you bought your iPhone 3G for $$$$$$$. This model of iPhone 3G doesn’t have an Service Provider lock (aka factory unlocked) and you are able to put any SIM card into the phone and get service. Your phone is already unlocked so you do not need to worry about baseband updates, simply upgrade to 3.0 using iTunes and then use PwnageTool to create an ipsw and then use this to jailbreak your phone.

iPhone 2G (1st Generation)

Use PwnageTool to do the magic and then restore with iTunes using your newly created .ipsw ‘nuff said, you don’t need to worry about anything, the baseband will be unlocked, the phone jailbroken.

iPod Touch 1G (Original iPod Touch)

Use PwnageTool to create a firmware image and restore with that .ipsw using iTunes.

iPod Touch 2G (New iPod Touch)

Sorry, no support at this time within PwnageTool, use Redsn0w for an earlier (pre 3.0) firmware release instead.

Official Bittorrent Releases –

Source: here