Last night, many employees here at Microsoft (including me) received an email from Tami Reller, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Vice President for the Windows Business Group. Her email invited Microsoft employees to host a Launch Party for Windows 7 – and we’re extending this invitation out to you! These Launch Parties will be a way for everyone to get involved in the excitement of the launch of Windows 7 on October 22nd. You helped make Windows 7, now you can help launch it!

These gatherings can are a way for people who are excited about Windows 7 to bring together their friends, families and acquaintances to see the experience the product. They can happen anywhere - at home, in a cafe, at schools, or at other community gathering spots and can be as flexible and creative as you and your circle of people. I’m thinking about hosting a Launch Party myself and thinking about where and who to invite to my party when I host it.

If you live in one of the countries where Launch Parties will be available for you to host, you can apply here to be a Launch Party host. In order to host a Launch Party, your application must go through a review process first. If your application passes the review process, you will be sent an email letting you know you have been accepted. A MyParty page is created for you by House Party where you (as the host) can add who you want to invite to your party and invite them. You will also receive a kit to help you with your party, including Windows 7 Host Help Videos and Host Notes (demos) and other materials to make your Launch Party fun.

Todd Bishop wrote a good blog post talking about Launch Parties which is worth reading if you’re interested in hosting one! 

Note: If you don’t live in a country where Launch Parties are available to host – don’t worry! You can still hold a Windows 7 gathering of your own. We will be providing Windows 7 tips, content, demos, and training online starting September 15th for you to host your own gathering or “meet-up”.

[Source : Windows Experience Blog]

Last night, many employees here at Microsoft (including me) received an email from Tami Reller, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Vice President for the Windows Business Group. Her email invited Microsoft employees to host a Launch Party for Windows 7 – and we’re extending this invitation out to you! These Launch Parties will be a way for everyone to get involved in the excitement of the launch of Windows 7 on October 22nd. You helped make Windows 7, now you can help launch it!

These gatherings can are a way for people who are excited about Windows 7 to bring together their friends, families and acquaintances to see the experience the product. They can happen anywhere - at home, in a cafe, at schools, or at other community gathering spots and can be as flexible and creative as you and your circle of people. I’m thinking about hosting a Launch Party myself and thinking about where and who to invite to my party when I host it.

If you live in one of the countries where Launch Parties will be available for you to host, you can apply here to be a Launch Party host. In order to host a Launch Party, your application must go through a review process first. If your application passes the review process, you will be sent an email letting you know you have been accepted. A MyParty page is created for you by House Party where you (as the host) can add who you want to invite to your party and invite them. You will also receive a kit to help you with your party, including Windows 7 Host Help Videos and Host Notes (demos) and other materials to make your Launch Party fun.

Todd Bishop wrote a good blog post talking about Launch Parties which is worth reading if you’re interested in hosting one! 

Note: If you don’t live in a country where Launch Parties are available to host – don’t worry! You can still hold a Windows 7 gathering of your own. We will be providing Windows 7 tips, content, demos, and training online starting September 15th for you to host your own gathering or “meet-up”.

[Source : Windows Experience Blog]

Today at Nokia World 09, Nokia will be talking more about their upcoming new “mini laptop” the Nokia Booklet 3G which was announced last week.

Nokia has just announced that the Nokia Booklet 3G will ship with Windows 7. The Nokia Booklet 3G comes with built in A-GPS functionality. Because of this, it can take advantage of the Windows Sensor and Location Platform which means your PC and programs can know where they are for “location aware” computing. With built in 3G/HSPA capabilities, it will also utilize Windows 7’s mobile broadband enhancements. The Nokia Booklet 3G + Windows 7 is an exciting combination!

The Nokia Booklet 3G brings Nokia’s extensive experience to the PC for a fresh perspective. With the Nokia Booklet 3G, Nokia wants you to be able to leave your cables and chargers at home – just like with a mobile phone. With up to 12 hours of battery life, the Nokia Booklet 3G is perfect for all-day mobility. Nokia as adopted its overall “design DNA” with the design of its first laptop. The Nokia Booklet 3G features a premium design with a chassis made from a single piece of machined aluminum. The aluminum chassis is strong and robust. It requires no fan (that’s right – no fan) making for one quiet PC. The HD display for the Nokia Booklet 3G is glass covered for a crisp and clear view of the screen. Nokia wanted to keep the design clean and uncluttered so the Nokia Booklet 3G includes a single HDMI port, 3 USB ports and a single headphone jack that doubles also for a microphone.

The performance is equally as impressive as its design. The Nokia Booklet 3G is designed to go from being shutdown to checking email or browsing the web in around a minute.

For a better look at the Nokia Booklet 3G, I suggest checking out this really slick video here. A for the full spec line-up, click here.

I look forward to checking out the Nokia Booklet 3G in the very near future. Stay tuned for more information (it will be available in a number of markets the 4th quarter 2009) and pricing.

[Source : Windows Experience Blog]

The Windows Live Messenger Team is committed to delivering a safe and secure instant messaging experience to its users. In order to do this, they are asking anyone who is still on Windows Live Messenger versions 8.1, 8.5 and 14.0 to upgrade to the newest version of Windows Live Messenger. This can be done today via download.live.com.

Over the course of the next few months, there will be a phased approach to get everyone updated to the latest Windows Live Messenger release.

For more information, see this blog post from the Windows Live Messenger Team.

[Source : Windows Experience Blog]

Today, we are announcing that we are extending the Browser for the Better Campaign with Internet Explorer 8. We will continue to help fight hunger by donating 8 meals for every download of Internet Explorer 8 throughout the month of September. September is Hunger Action Month.

We want to encourage our customers to upgrade to a modern and secure browser – so we are doubling donations for people who switch from Internet Explorer 6 to Internet Explorer 8 through this campaign. If you move from Internet Explorer 6 to Internet Explorer 8, we will donate 16 meals to help fight hunger!

For more information, see this press release from Feeding America.

[Source : Windows Experience Blog]