January 24, 2005 2:56 PM
Move Over, OneNote. Here Comes SmartNote
The OneNote team at Microsoft has made nary a peep since last summer's release of Service Pack 1 for its OneNote 2003 note-taking application.
Chris
Pratley: A Brief History of OneNote
OneNote
SP1: Microsoft's Download Page
But lately, our tipsters note a few signs of renewed OneNote life.
OneNote currently runs on PCs and Tablet PCs. But we hear the Office team is looking to bring note-taking to the smartphone platform. The result - an application tentatively known as "SmartNote" - could be ready by next year, our sources say.
We don't have many deets yet on SmartNote. But here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
Microsoft seems to be working overtime these days to
unify its mobile message. Tablet PCs, PocketPCs and smartphones
are all considered part of one big Microsoft Windows Mobile
family. So it's not too surprising that what's good for
the Tablet is also good for the smartphone.
Microsoft doesn't have dibs on the "SmartNote"
name -- unless it quietly bought the Irish company "SmartNote"
when we weren't watching. The Irish SmartNote sells a
number of products, including SmartCaller, SmartReminder
and SmartAd. Its flagship product, known as SmartNote,
is an Outlook plug-in designed to allow users to send
text messages the same way they would other Outlook messages
(using features such as the Outlook address book, etc.).
Read
About the 'Other' SmartNote Here
It sounds like, as was the case with OneNote 2003, the Office team will be working on the SmartNote release in parallel with the rest of the next version of Office (Office 12).
Anyone have any more notes on SmartNote?
Enmeshed in Mesh Networking
Back in the October 7, 2004, issue of Microsoft Watch, we mentioned mesh networking as one of Microsoft's next-gen hot buttons.
Mesh is definitely on Microsoft chairman Bill Gates' radar screen. Gates has mentioned mesh several times as a promising way to close the great divide between the broadband haves and have nots.
We reported that in late September, Microsoft Research (MSR) posted for download a piece of its mesh-network code - its mesh connectivity layer (MCL) driver. MSR describes MCL as a driver that implements a virtual network adapter in a way that makes the rest of the network appear as an "additional (virtual) network link."
What we didn't know last fall: how many other things at Microsoft involve the mesh. But, after stumbling fortuitously onto a sub-site on the Microsoft Research home page, now we know.
MSR was involved in at least two major mesh-networking activities last year. In June, MSR sponsored a two-day Mesh Networking Summit. And company researchers presented on MSR's mesh work at the annual Microsoft Research Faculty Summit in August.
Check
Out the MSR Mesh Networking Summit Page
MSR isn't the only part of Microsoft engaged in mesh work. Craig Mundie's Advanced Strategy and Policy team also is involved. Mundie's team is incubating a number of top-priority projects at Microsoft, including the "Big Top" grid-computing initiative we told you about late last year.
Get
Your BigTop Refresher Here
There's a team at Microsoft called "Venice" that is working on the various facets of mesh. While we're not clear if it's in the Windows group or in Mundie's organization, we know the Venice team has been working with MSR to develop a mesh monitoring and diagnostic tool for Windows XP (that's according to information on the mesh-networking summit site). The tool, which relies on P2P technology for its underpinnings, provides networking topology and protocol information, as well as basic network monitoring. No word on when or if Microsoft plans to commercialize this tool.
See
More Info on the Mesh Diagnostic Tool Here
At the same time, MSR has been working on a new mesh-networking protocol "for routing in multi-radio, multi-hop wireless networks," according to the summit site. This protocol, known as Multi-Radio Link-Quality Source Routing, "is designed for wireless networks with stationary nodes, where each node is equipped with multiple independent radios."
It looks as if the Longhorn team also has mesh plans, based on information on the mesh-networking-summit page. Longhorn is due to get a new Windows system service "that provides applications with the physical location of the computer," according to the page. That facility, known as the Longhorn Location platform, will be extensible by hardware and software vendors so they can "inject location data into the service."
Microsoft is bullish about mesh. So are a number of our readers, especially those located abroad or in rural areas. So we'll keep tabs on this one, as more Microsoft mesh projects become products.
Windows Genuine Advantage Program to Grow
Last fall, When Microsoft took the wraps off its Windows anti-piracy program, known as "Windows Genuine Advantage," company officials said they weren't sure when and if Microsoft would take the initiative to the next level.
But our sources say it's now only a question of when the Softies will shift the program from voluntary to mandatory, and expand the set of products covered by the initiative beyond Windows itself.
Microsoft
Surprised By First Round of Genuine Advantage Opt-Ins
Microsoft execs often say that more than 20 percent of all U.S. PCs are running unlicensed Windows software (we think that sounds high, but it's what they say). That number is far higher overseas. So, what's the fastest way for Microsoft to quickly and painlessly gain market share and dollars for Windows XP and future Windows releases? Require users to prove they have genuine licenses!
We hear the Redmondians are batting around ideas for more content and services that Microsoft can offer as an incentive to customers to get them to verify the authenticity of their Windows licenses. (Currently, incentives for verification include a free copy of Photo Story 3 for Windows; five MSN Zone games for half price; a free trial version of its OneNote note-taking product; a free copy of the Microsoft Holiday Fun Pack; a hosted version of SharePoint for half-price; and a subscription to the Microsoft List Builder service for less than $10 a month.)
Microsoft also is looking to find a way to morph Windows Genuine Advantage from a program into a "service" that Microsoft and maybe even its third-party partners could integrate into their products and services. Not too surprisingly, other product teams - especially Office, we hear -- are interested in jumping on the "Genuine Advantage" bandwagon in order to collect unearned revenues, too.
And our tipsters tell us that Microsoft actively is seeking ways to make Product Activation a more active component of its Genuine Advantage strategy, too.
This ought to be an interesting campaign to watch as it evolves. Can Microsoft still come out smelling like a rose, as it cracks down further on folks with pirated software? Stay tuned.
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Microsoft Watch Information
Copyright 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Ziff Davis Media Inc., 28 East 28th Street, New York, NY 10016. The Microsoft Watch newsletter and Code Name Tracker are intended for the individual use of the recipient only, unless licensed. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Microsoft Watch is an independent publication, not affiliated with or authorized by Microsoft Corporation.
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