After 10 long years of living under the microscope of the Department of Justice, Microsoft can finally relax a bit. This is good news for Microsoft, but I don’t see them going back to the aggressing Microsoft we once knew. Honestly, when Microsoft was like that, it sure did breed a lot of innovation and speedy advancements. It was going to be the leader no matter what. Now, it seems that not only are they a lot more relaxed on development, they are also scared to innovate so they don’t step on anyone’s toes.

Even if Microsoft wanted to return to its aggressive roots, it would face huge obstacles. In the late 1990s its OS/Office competitors were dead, dying, or too small to matter (Apple eventually became an exception). Netscape was an ant. Windows was making inroads into corporate settings thanks to NT 4.0 and Windows 2000.

If the reports are true, and with the past release dates coming and going with no phone, the HTC 7 Trophy is FINALLY coming to Verizon May 5th. As I am in the market for a new phone, and this thing hitting the streets, I think I may end up with a Windows Phone 7. I was so close to grabbing a Thunderbolt this past weekend, but passed on it.

Verizon’s Windows Phone will ship with Microsoft’s “NoDo” copy and paste update. “NoDo” is Microsoft’s first platform update, which also includes improved application start-up and resume times. Verizon recently posted support articles referencing Microsoft’s own fixes for known Windows Phone 7 issues. Verizons’s HTC 7 Trophy Windows Phone device was spotted in the wild in late February. Further photos leaked in March following confirmation that the device includes all of Verizon’s branding, even a “My Verizon Mobile” application.

Very the ones to disappoint, South Park creators have targeted Apple once again over the tracking issue that they “don’t” have. Funny stuff.

Paul Thurrott seems to think that Verizon is finally going to release a Windows Phone 7 device very soon. The HTC Trophy has shown up on the Best Buy web site, as well as a forum dedicated to Windows Phone 7 on Verizon’s support forums. I really hope this is true, as I’ve been putting off an upgrade waiting for Verizon to release the devices on their network.

And then silence. I’m not sure if it was the NoDo disaster—which sort of makes sense—or the launch of the Verizon iPhone—which sort of makes sense too—or something else entirely, but the Verizon Windows Phone launch, which was going to happen in February, and then March, and then April, just kept getting pushed back.

For those playing Xbox Live today, Microsoft is warning of a phishing scam making the rounds on Modern Warfare 2. It seems people are targeting these gaming networks this month. Be careful out there, and don’t give anyone your information over Xbox Live, now or anytime.

I’m a big fan of Microsoft’s Flight Simulator series having used it since it was first released on the PC. I haven’t gone to the extremes of this Microsoft employee, but I would sure love to go play at his house sometime! It’s amazing!

How much of the controls actually work compared to just being “eye candy”?
Practically everything I have works as the real plane, even the lights dimmer. The motored throttles have given it the final touch, as follows the autopilot logic that I have also coded. I have some dummy parts still, but just because I didn’t have the time, like the chronometer and the yaw dumper gauge. The other area where software is replacing hardware is the overhead panel and the pedestal area (with radio controls), I don’t have the space to do it but once I have more space I will definitely jump into them.

We are still a ways off from the release of Windows 8, but there are more leaks as we get closer. Alex shares a video showcasing the final stages of Windows setup, called Out of Box Experience or OOBE.

Based on several leaks and screenshots, Andre Da Costa from ActiveWin has written up a preview of what to expect (so far) from Windows 8. Going from setup to the actual OS, he highlights the new changes and his thoughts on the process.

The information written in this article is gathered from around the Internet from sources that have gotten ahold of early builds that are still under development. What you will see is mostly is prototype work that is still under heavy development. A lot of what is seen might not even make it to BETA or the final RTM (Release to Manufacture) build of Windows 8. Lets get right into things!

Build 7955 of Windows 8, which is part of Milestone 3, has been leaked to private FTP sites and will be showing up on Torrent sites later today. This is a newer build than the last leak and has a few new features: Windows Explorer with ribbon UI, a pattern based login screen, native PDF reader, Advanced Task Manager, and much more.

I guess some ‘Softies aren’t really being hush-hush on the new Windows, and their hard work is getting leaked. It’s nice to have some insight to what is coming in the future OS, but if you do check it out be sure to realize that it is far from being finished or even a beta or RC build. New features are being added, as well as others being refined and optimized. It is in no way reflective on how the final product will ship. Some features may be removed, changed and added. So, if something crashes or runs slow, don’t complain.

Build leak: Windows 8 Build 7955 Milestone 2 Build
Build String: NA

Size: 2.47GB (2,657,079,296 bytes)
MDA Hash: 40861A02CB14B0D2D7930910DB6CC6E4

Microsoft is really focusing on ease of use with the new Metro UI, bringing it to Milestone 3 of Windows 8 setup. I really like the simple and easy to read Metro UI more than previous Windows UI’s. Let’s hope that they do it right, and not overdo it, though.