The Windows Live team has released a new search service code-named Tafiti...which means "Doing Reasearch" in Swahili. This new service combines the power of Live Search and Silverlight. The result is quite impressive with various interactive views and filters. Filtering on books provides you the possibility of browsing through the book (provided it is not copyrighted). You also get a "shelf", which is a area on the page where you can drag and drop search results for future use.  Check it out at:

http://www.tafiti.com

She's there...Eva, my third daughter was born on the 10th of August at 16:35. Everyone say that she looks like her dad :-)

You can view a picture of her in my SkyDrive public folder:

For those of you wondering what SkyDrive is...watch this space :-)

The announcement of my new role at our Middle East and Africa HQ has been covered in the local newspapers. Makes me feel important :-)

Check the article in "Le Mauricien"

It's been some time since my last post. This was mainly due to the fact that I was quite busy finishing the fiscal year and starting a new one :-) I successfully closed the year meeting my objectives and then flew to Maputo where I met all my colleagues from various parts of Africa....It was a great event, lot's of fun and energy, but also good strategic sessions putting  us in good shape for the unfolding year.

On the Gadgets front, after the Iphone mania died out, we are starting to see the first really objective reviews of Apple's new baby...And guess what ? ..They're really good:

Check out Mark Orchant's post on the subject

"90% of 200 owners said they were “extremely” or “very” satisfied with their phone. And 85% said they are “extremely” or “very” likely to recommend the device to others."

Back to this new fiscal year...I have accepted a new role at our Middle East and Africa HQ and should be relocating to Dubai in the coming months....More on that later.

For several years Microsoft has invested in TV, as it saw the potential that this appliance had at being the center for digital entertainment in the living room. Imagine having your IPTV set-top box, your Media Center and your XBox in a single device....this is what Microsoft is introducing with Mediaroom, its next generation IPTV platform. Available from a few operators worldwide, we should see Mediaroom gain popularity very quickly as it will be setting the trend as a new category of device.

If like me you spend most of your day with Microsoft Outlook, I'm sure that you'd love to have a means of bringing in your Live Hotmail emails. Well, your wish has become a reality...A beta version of the Live Hotmail Outlook Connector has just been released. It weighs just 4 Mb, the install is smooth and in a couple of clicks your Live Hotmail messages will start dripping in Outlook. You can grab it here after going through the Genuine Advantage validation.

I talked about this in my post about Safari on Windows.....  

» Is Jobs planning a hostile takeover of the Windows desktop? | Ed Bott’s Microsoft Report | ZDNet.com

When I first read about the Microsoft Surface, a few weeks ago, I thought that this was another Microsoft Research concept that would not be integrated in real products before years.

I changed my mind once I saw it in action...This is innovation in action. The official press release describes it as follows:

"Surface is the first commercially available surface computer from Microsoft Corp. It turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, interactive surface. The product provides effortless interaction with digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects. In essence, it’s a surface that comes to life for exploring, learning, sharing, creating, buying and much more. Soon to be available in restaurants, hotels, retail establishments and public entertainment venues, this experience will transform the way people shop, dine, entertain and live."

This is a very experiential product and I invite you to visit the Microsoft Surface web site.

Or you can check these Videos on YouTube.

At WWDC 07 Steve Jobs announced a beta version of Safari, Apple's web browser,  for Windows. I couldn't help myself....Minutes after the announcement I was downloading the 8 Mb file from Apple's web site (BTW...it had a new look for the occasion). Installation on Vista went pretty smoothly.  When I first started it I must say that I was quite disappointed....No Aero transparency and a grey (dull) Window frame. Pages seemed to load faster than in FireFox and IE though...I need to test his further :-) It crashed a couple of times (Remember, it's a beta).

My friend Marc tells me that it really have the look and feel of a Mac app and that this was quite impressive for something running on Windows....He thinks that this is a hint at something much bigger...Leopard for the PC ! Well let's not start the rumor mill .

It's been a very long time since I last posted something on my blog. As I've just installed the latest bet version of Live Writer, I thought that this would be a great opportunity for me to get back in the blogosphere. I will now strive to regularly share with you my thoughts about the digital world and my passion about how technology will positively impact  our lives...So watch out

For those still wondering where I live..Check the Map below. Port-Louis is the capital city of the island of Mauritius.

Word 2007 provides a great feature to enable bloggers to publish directly fom office

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Premier post avec Live Writer

En voilà un petit outil fort sympathique et pratique. On peut écrire en couleur, changer la police et la taille, et même insérer des photos...

Mon ami Patrick (celui de la photo) me fait remarquer qu'on peut faire la même chose (et même mieux) avec Word 2007. Ce n'est pas le même prix... Live Writer c'est gratuit, vous pouvez concevoir offline, enregistrer un draft de votre travail et publier en un seul bouton. Je suis peut-être un peu naïf, mais je trouve l'outil fort sympa pour améliorer la vie du bloggeur. En bref, un outil à télécharger d'urgence, si comme moi, vous êtes en train de devenir accroc de la blogosphère.

De plus, les concepteurs ont bien fait les choses avec un suivi des versions et des améliorations directement en ligne depuis leur blog. Je vous invite donc à cliquer sur le gros bouton vert ci-dessous et à utiliser Live Writer pour écrire vos articles.

A la prochaine pour de nouvelles aventures.

@++

Word 2007 offers a great feature: Post blog articles!! This article has been created using Word 2007…

I had the opportunity of flying over the beautiful lagoon of Noumea in New-Caledonia. This was my first (Sort of...) flying lkesson and I must admit that it was quite exhilarating...

For those of you who want to Jazz up their Pocket PC experience an stun your friends !!!

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Voice Command for Pocket PC and Pocket PC Phone Edition - Microsoft Windows Mobile

If you are looking to buy a true digital camcorder, you should have a look at JVC's Everio line of products. This camcorders record directly on the built-in 4 GB Micro hard drive.

http://www.jvc.com/presentations/everio/

If like me you are a gadget freak you should definitely have a look at the Gizmondo...This portable device combines games, photos, music, communications in a very nice form factor. Check it out at www.gizmondo.com