Microsoft first announced its plans for Centro back in September 2005, and stated at that time it would be based on the Longhorn (Windows Server 2008) version of Windows Server as well as the latest version of Exchange, which was formerly known by its code-name "Exchange 12". Microsoft stated this week that Windows Server "Centro" will also contain additional security and management tools, and the product will be aimed at businesses with 50 to 250 PCs.

When Microsoft ships test versions of its Operating Systems or any software product they all have code-names, they are code-names like Longhorn, Office 12, Centro, and more recently Windows 7. These code-names are often memorable to those who have used the product in beta and those that develop the software. In any event, Microsoft has decided that Windows Server "Centro" will be officially named Windows Essential Business Server.

What are Microsoft’s future plans for the new Windows Essential Business Server?

• Windows Essential Business Server (Formerly Code-named "Centro") is in private beta.
• Windows Essential Business Server is currently slated for public beta testing in the first half of 2008.
• Windows Essential Business Server is slated for availability in the second half of 2008, as part of the Windows Server 2008 “wave” of products.
• Windows Essential Business Server will be available in two editions: Standard and Premium.

Additionally, the new Windows Essential Business Server will only ship in 64-bit, thus making it the first server desktop to ship only for the x64 architecture. This release will be one of many Windows Operating systems to ship as 64-bit only installation media in the future. If you are planning to add this powerful server to your corporate network, now is the time to start planning your deployment options and get ready for it’s release in the second half of 2008.

Windows Essential Business Server combines Windows Server 2008, Exchange Server 2007, System Center Essentials, Forefront Security for Exchange, the next version of ISA and SQL Server 2008 (in Premium Edition) into an "all-in-one" solution. 

Microsoft hardware partners are already planning to support Windows Essential Business Server, additionally, Software partners are also currently planning on or creating "Add-Ins" for Windows Essential Business Server.

Microsoft Hardware Partners Already Planning To Support Windows Essential Business Server:

• Futjisu
• Siemens
• Hewlett-Packard (HP)
• IBM
• Intel

Microsoft Software Partners Planning or Currently Developing "Add-Ins" for Windows Essential Business Server:

• CA
• Citrix
• FullArmor
• Mcafee
• Quest
• Symantec
• Trend Micro

Microsoft has also said that it plans to have a live product demonstration at next weeks TechEd conference. The company will be demonstrating Windows Essential Business Server running on the upcoming Intel Modular Server, built on Intel Multi-Flex Technology. In addition, Microsoft will also be demonstrating prototypes of software partner “Add-Ins” that customers will be able to deploy and manage through the Windows Essential Business Server unified administration console. Microsoft will provide Windows Essential Business Server “Add-Ins” for its applications as well.

Some of the key benefits of Windows Essential Business Server include:

Integrated Security

• Defense in-depth multi-level security features with integrated security workloads
• Pre-configured and optimized protection from common threats
• Integrated and automated setup limiting vulnerabilities during and arising from installation
• Centralized security feature management with a consolidated view of your security state across your systems – integrating both Microsoft and third-party applications
• More automated patching and update processes make it easier for you to keep systems up
  and running

Less Complexity, More Control

As you know Windows Vista comes with the Windows Sidebar, which is one my favorite new features of Windows Vista. Over time I have collected or rather downloaded several Sidebar Gadgets and out the numerous gadgets I have downloaded I would like to let you know what my top 10 gadgets are and tell you what they do. This will be a continuing series, as I have numerous "Favorites" in my sidebar gadget collection, here is just a taste of my favorite gadgets.

So without further delay let me tell you what my favorite gadgets are.

1.  Media Player (Designed by Jonathan Abbott)

This gadget has to be my favorite out of all of the gadgets that I use on a daily basis. The Media Player gadget is almost a complete replacement for Windows Media Player 11, although you still need to use Windows Media Player 11 if you add more media to your library and than update the gadget accordingly. Nonetheless, this gadget has it all if your looking for a near replacement of Windows Media Player 11.

One really neat feature (which Jonathan neglects to mention, no pun intended) is that if you log off, shutdown or restart Windows and you have an audio track or video playing when you do so, the audio track or video will automatically continue playing from where it left off once you are back in Windows.

However, for the gadget to continue playing the audio track or video you need to have Windows Sidebar startup when you login to Windows or have the gadget running on the sidebar when you restart the sidebar.

Overall I recommend this gadget to everyone who is using Windows Vista. I will give the Media Player gadget a 10/10 and I cannot wait for the next release of this gadget. 

Features include:

• Supports drag/drop from a web browser or the file system
• Plays all media supported by Windows Media Player
• Thumbnails all albums (provided you have album art) and videos (provided the codecs are installed)
• Supports Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger "What I’m Listening To"
• Playlist sorting and reordering
• Set the rating for the current track
• Supports playlist, such as M3U, WPL, PLS
• Videos can be watched within the Gadget or full screen
• Shuffle and Repeat modes
• Shows album/track art of the currently playing track

2. Desktop Wallpaper (Designed by Jonathan Abbott)

Another one from Jonathan Abbott, This gadget is similar to Microsoft’s Slide Show Gadget that comes pre-installed with Windows Sidebar. This gadget offers much more than just transitioning through your pictures, it offers a lot more functionality than the Slide Show Gadget from Microsoft. Ever get tired of having to change your desktop wallpaper the "long way", If so this gadget is for you.

Overall I recommend this gadget to anyone looking for a new way to automatically change wallpapers without user interaction. if you want to have added functionality that you can’t get with Microsoft’s Slide Show Gadget. I give this gadget a 9/10 for its overall usefulness and great features.

Features Include:

• Automatically change desktop wallpaper at set intervals
• Transition through a folder of picture files (like Microsoft’s Slide Show Gadget)
• Preview next wallpaper (from the selected folder of your choice)
• Ability to change pictures when gadget is hidden

3. Remote Desktop Gadget 2.0 (Designed by FrameworxDotCom)

If you are like me and have multiple computers and/or a server at home and use remote desktop a lot or even if you help out a couple of friends with their PCs via Remote Desktop (Windows Vista Business & Windows Vista Ultimate required to use Remote Desktop) this gadget is for you. The Remote Desktop Gadget 2.0 is something that I have been looking for since I started using Remote Desktop. This gadget offers quick and easy access to remote desktop, which means you will be able to help your friends or family faster because this gadget docks right on the sidebar or anywhere on your desktop.

Overall I recommend this gadget to anyone who uses remote desktop frequently and manages several different computers. I give this gadget a 7/10, Nice sleek UI (granted the undocked UI should be smaller), great functionality.

Features Include:

• Design with themes
• Drop down with list of remote computers
• Favorites computers (similar to Internet Explorer Favorites)
• History management
• Quick access to remote desktop
• Ability to choose console (windowed mode) or fullscreen mode via check boxes

Microsoft has just released the updated Windows Live Suite to the public. The update includes significant improvements to Windows Live Mail, Messenger, Photo Gallery, and Writer. These products bring new and exciting ways to communicate and share your digital memories with friends and family over the internet, on the phone, or while your away.

"After months of work, and two beta releases the Windows Live Messenger team is proud to release Windows Live Messenger 8.5! We’ve listened to the feedback from our beta users and made this one of the best versions of Messenger ever! " said Aaron over at the Windows Live Messenger blog. "If you were a beta user not much has changed for you. We worked hard to improve the overall quality of Messenger though, and we owe a big ‘Thanks!!’ to all of the beta testers that sent us feedback."

Not only is Windows Live Messenger updated and more refined, you will find it has more power in-terms of performance and stability unlike previous versions of Windows Live Messenger. You will also find that the user interface has changed since Windows Live Messenger 8.1 was released, and as Aaron said "if you were a beta tester not much has changed for you."

If you have the beta 2 builds of Messenger, Photo Gallery, and Writer installed you may simply "Upgrade" those products to the new Release To Web (RTW) builds. However, if you have the beta 2 build of Windows Live Mail,  We recommend that you do an uninstall of beta 2 before you install the final version (Your email and data will be preserved).

The new Windows Live Suite is available in 59 markets and 35 languages; the full complement. Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian (Bokmal), Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian – Latin, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian

Be sure and check out the blogs of Mail, Photo Gallery, and Writer for all of the new features, then go Get Windows Live!

Microsoft has officially opened the much anticipated and well overdue registration for the new @live.com email addresses. This minor update along with the rest of wave 2 of Microsoft’s Windows Live Suite allows users to now fully take advantage of Windows Live. Microsoft should have opened registration to the @live.com acronym when the company first started Windows Live, but nonetheless this is a welcome change.

The company now gives users a change and the ability to get away from the old "Hotmail" acronym and finally puts their email service in-line with the rest of the Windows Live Suite. The @live.com email acronym is one of many updates the company has planned for today, later tonight the company will be releasing updated final versions of Windows Live Mail, Messenger, Writer, Photo Gallery, and Family Safety.

Among the changes to the Windows Live Suite is one that those using Windows Vista x64 will now be able to install and use the entire Windows Live Suite (as well as the new unified installer) on your x64 based system. Also, Microsoft has revamped Messenger in terms of security and changed the user interface and gave it a new look. Microsoft has also updated Writer, Mail, and Photo Gallery to give it a more polished look and to give it the "Vista Feel" because the prior release(s) didn’t quite fit in with Windows Vista’s sleek user interface.

Stay tuned as we will have more in the next few hours as Microsoft launches the rest of the updates to Windows Live.

UPDATE: We have now updated this link to sign up for a new Windows Live ID (or to get your @live.com email address)

Also, feel free to get your new Windows Live ID and get the @live.com email address you always wanted but couldn’t have until now!

Microsoft confirmed on Tuesday that it plans to spend $500 million on a new building a new European data-processing center in Ireland. The new data center will house tens of thousands of servers to provide information and Web-based applications to Internet users.

Construction is expected to begin later this month, while the center is projected to be completed by 2009.

"This is the first ‘mega data center’ deployment outside the U.S. specifically targeted for the growth and performance of Windows Live services," said John Mangelaars, vice president of Microsoft’s Online Services Group in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Microsoft also stated an additional "substantial" investment is planned to help fund the centers server technology.

The facility will deliver Windows Live services and store data for the company’s online-services businesses such as MSN and Windows Live.

"The fact that Ireland has been selected as the location for this strategic infrastructure is a very strong endorsement of the success of our operations here over the past 22 years," Microsoft Ireland Managing Director Joe Macri said.