Dropbox has updated their terms of service (TOS) to say that if the Government asks, Dropbox will decrypt your files and turn them over to them. I think I will be moving my files to a private server, just out of principle. No, I have nothing to hide and I have nothing of interest to … well, much of anyone. I just don’t like how far the hand of the Government can go in the name of “National Security”.

As set forth in our privacy policy, and in compliance with United States law, Dropbox cooperates with United States law enforcement when it receives valid legal process, which may require Dropbox to provide the contents of your private Dropbox. In these cases, Dropbox will remove Dropbox’s encryption from the files before providing them to law enforcement.

Microsoft has made the decision to help out the environment a bit more, switching to 100% recycled paper in it’s Puget Sound offices, including the main Redmond campus. This is a great move for a company the size of Microsoft. I’d like to see more companies follow suit and do their part. Too many companies are focusing on the bottom line and disregarding any negatives of their decisions (like the oil companies).

Beginning April 22, Grays Harbor Paper will begin supplying Microsoft with a complete rollout of the product line to follow in the ensuing months. The move will replace Microsoft’s current printing stock, made with 30 percent recycled material, and the company anticipates the substitution will yield an annual savings of approximately 2,500 million BTUs in net energy, the equivalent of 750 million pounds of carbon dioxide, and will preserve roughly 8,000 trees each year.

I’ve found a new service running on an early build of Windows 8 called Spot Verifier. I’ve Googled it, and it seems that it is a new feature within Windows 8. The description of the service says “Provides Disk Corruption Spot Verification Capabilities”. Am I wrong, or is this truly a new feature for Windows 8?

More has been revealed from the leaks from Microsoft. They are working on a new user interface for task manager, called Advanced Task Manager and Modern Windows Task Manager. I like the look, but the tabs seem dated and not fitting for a touch enabled application. With all the leaks from Microsoft on the new OS, either it is intentional, or they have a very porous roof.

The latest builds of Windows 8 include an “Advanced Task Manager” interface that provides Windows 8 users with greater information on running processes, services and overall system resources. The new Task Manager is a combination of Microsoft’s Task Manager interface and Microsoft’s Resource Monitor. Processes are now listed in a coloured interface to demonstrate their strain on the system. Mydigitallife forum users also posted a number of screenshots demonstrating the new process list which includes a touch friendly way to kill applications.

The HDRoom has a good writeup and high resolution screenshots of the upcoming (release date September 20th, 2011) shooter, Gears of War 3.

Overall the Gears of War 3 beta is a blast to play with tight controls, the always-fun cover system, scores of statistical charts, new weapons, new executions, and updated visuals that eclipse both its predecessors. If you haven’t secured a beta code by pre-ordering Gears of War 3 at GameStop yet, be sure to do so before the full beta launches on April 25.

There are times when you think you may have a virus, or you have a friend that just didn’t upgrade his antivirus from Norton 1998 edition. Microsoft has you covered. Microsoft Safety Scanner is a standalone, on demand security tool that scans for virues, spyware and malware. This is NOT real time virus protection. In fact, everytime you download the program, it expires after 10 days. After that, you will need to re-download it to get the up to date definitions.

If you are want to use this in addition to your current anti-virus, that’s great. If you aren’t running any anti-virus, now would be a good time to head over and download Microsoft Security Essentials. 

The new movie Kung Fu Panda 2 has invaded Windows 7 in the form of a new themepack. You can change your theme with backgrounds, colors and sounds to show your love for the new animated comedy.

With the recent leak of Windows 8, users have been digging in and seeing what new features they can find. One feature, called Portable Workspace, seems to give you a portable Windows 8 installation. There really isn’t much more in depth information, other than it requires at a minimum a 16 GB flash drive.

The addition of such a feature in Windows will ease document compatibility and application feature differences for information workers. It appears as though Microsoft is targeting the feature at Enterprise customers who may have several varied uses for portable versions of Windows. IT professionals will welcome the feature as it will empower them to quickly boot a copy of Windows 8 to diagnose any existing problems on the local PC installation. Information workers will be able to power up a copy of Windows 8 on a client’s PC with their own documents and workspace to securely and easily share any presentations or company data.

reA new screenshot has emerged from Office 15 showing the new Metro user interface on Outlook. I really like the new interface, it’s simple, sweet and to the point. For more updates, screenshots and information on new Microsoft software, from Office 15 to Windows 8, be sure to check out our forums.

The screenshots also reveal a more flattened user interface within Outlook. Microsoft’s Outlook UI no longer seems cluttered and provides users with direct access to their mail in a simple and yet familiar way. Microsoft’s Metro design language is an internal code name for a typography-based design languages created and used by the company. Microsoft originally started using Metro in Media Center and showcased a full version in the company’s Zune products. Microsoft’s latest mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7, also features the Metro look and feel throughout. Microsoft has started to use the Metro UI on more of its web properties to produce a clean, fast and simple look.