Aptec Holdings, one of the largest technology distributors in the Middle East, Turkey & Africa, has expanded its distribution agreement with Microsoft to include Gulf region for Microsoft OEM products. Aptec was an authorized distributor for Microsoft OEM previously only for the UAE.

Aptec plans to expand the current Channel and recruit new partners for Microsoft OEM in the Gulf region to further gain market share. With the presence of Aptec with other products and solutions, distributing Microsoft OEM will add a significant opportunity to the reseller community in the region. The new distribution agreement authorizes Aptec to sell Microsoft OEM in Bahrain, Qatar, Oman & Kuwait, with previous held markets. Aptec already has Microsoft Volume License distributor for the Gulf.

Santhosh Kumar, Business Unit Manager – Software Division at Aptec Distribution said “Aptec comes with strong commitment to enable channel through excellent logistics, stock availability, credit and customized marketing plans for the GCC. Microsoft awarding Aptec the OEM distribution in whole of Gulf is an indication towards our commitment, reach and ability to cover whole of GCC. We are pleased to announce our regional office to be opened soon in Qatar and Oman, while we already have office in Kuwait with stocking facility.”

“Aptec’s strategy moving forward is to increase the breadth, work on specific programs and offer micro-credit facility to small partners. We have invested huge in resources/facility in Dubai, Kuwait and now in Qatar and Oman. We plan to replicate the same model we have in UAE with the right partners and an aggressive strategy, we expect a high success rate,” added Kumar.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed, twitter or facebook page to get notified about news and events related to Microsoft in future.

Related posts:

1. Microsoft Gulf expands partnership with ITE Distribution Microsoft Gulf today announced its development with ITE, one of the leading regional IT distribution companies, to include Microsoft Commercial products such as Microsoft Windows, Office, and other commercial product suites available developed by Microsoft. Previously, ITE’s Microsoft product offering...
2. Microsoft Gulf hosting Imagine Cup 2010 regional finals in Dubai Microsoft Gulf is hosting regional finals of Imagine Cup 2010 in Dubai at Atlantis Hotel on Monday, 3rd May 2010. 10 teams from universities across Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and UAE will battle it out to win the chance to represent...
3. XpertLearning Partners with Microsoft to Provide Online Training to Imagine Cup Gulf Finalists In collaboration with Microsoft Gulf, XpertLearning, the leading provider of e-Learning solutions in the Middle East, will provide the Imagine Cup Gulf winners with access to online courses to sharpen their presentation skills ahead of the Imagine Cup World Finals...
4. Gulf Region – Imagine Cup 2010 Finals in Pictures Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed, twitter or facebook page to get notified about news and events related to Microsoft in future....
5. Imagine Cup Gulf 2010: Your Winners! Recently teams from around the Gulf arrived to the Atlantis Hotel, Dubai to compete in the Imagine Cup Gulf 2010 Regional Finals. They had the chance to interact with other teams through team building activities, presentation skills training and were...

Furthering its commitment to the development of knowledge based society in Qatar, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development and Microsoft signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at a press conference in Doha, Qatar. The MoU was signed between Executive Director of Operations, Qatar Foundation Mr. Khalid Al-Sulaiteen and Mr. Mohammad Hammoudi, Country Manager for Microsoft Qatar.

Under the agreement, Qatar Foundation will benefit from a 90% discount on the commercial prices of Microsoft software licenses as well as software assurance benefits such as free online training on the software purchased. In addition, Microsoft will provide professional-level developer and design tools to students under its DreamSpark program to support and advance their skills. Schools and universities at Education City will also be able to benefit from Microsoft’s Live@edu, a cloud based service, which will provide students, staff and faculty with primary email addresses and a collaborative communications platform.

“Through our partnership with Microsoft, we are strengthening the capacity of teachers and students to use technology effectively in the classroom. We believe that technology can expand the power of education and unlock the potential of students, educators and schools by delivering relevant solutions, services and programs that focus on improved personalized learning outcomes,” said Al Sulaiteen

“This Strategic Partnership Agreement comes with boatloads of value for Qatar Foundation and its users. And I believe it establishes the foundation for a new era of education innovation and development,” he added

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Sa’di Awienat, IT Director of Qatar Foundation, said, “Microsoft is a valued partner to Qatar Foundation and we are glad to engage with them in realizing our vision in creating a knowledge-based society. Our users will continue to enjoy increased innovation thanks to the scale and resources this deal provides.”

Mohammad Hammoudi, Country Manager, Microsoft Qatar expressed Microsoft’s support of QF in achieving its vision to create a positive impact on the education sector in the country. ”We value our relationship with Qatar Foundation and will continue to offer expert knowledge and tools that will help the education community be at the forefront. Education is the foundation of economic growth and in collaboration with educators, governments, and local partners. Microsoft is committed to providing access to technology, helping students acquire skills required to pursue their career and fueling local innovation.”

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed, twitter or facebook page to get notified about news and events related to Microsoft in future.

Related posts:

1. ADISC signs “Master Business and Services Agreement” with Microsoft Gulf Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre signs Master Business and Services Agreement (MBSA) and a Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft Gulf. Agreement was signed by HE Rashed Lahej Al Mansoori, Director General, ADSIC and Charbel Fakhoury, Regional General Manager, Microsoft...
2. Kuwait Ministry of Education signs partners in learning agreement with Microsoft Kuwait Furthering its commitment to transform Kuwait into knowledge based society, Microsoft announced that it has signed the Partners in Learning agreement with the Ministry of Education in Kuwait for technical co-operation. The signing of the agreement is driven by the need...
3. Microsoft and Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization sign strategic technical partnership agreement Microsoft and Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) signed a partnership and technical cooperation agreement in the presence of Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman of the United National Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN-GAID), TAG-Org chairman and CEO and Director of Microsoft...
4. Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions, ITworx introduces Microsoft Citizen Service Platform to Government sector of Qatar Ali Bin Ali Technology Solutions together with Microsoft Qatar and ITworx introduces (Citizen 1st), the Citizen Service Platform for the government sector. Citizen 1st is a multilingual, scalable, and robust platform that accelerates the e-transformation of local, regional, and national...
5. Microsoft sponsors 2nd annual Made in the USA -Qatar 2010 Exhibition Microsoft Qatar has signed an agreement with Doha Enterprises, to become a lead sponsor & partner of the 2nd Made in the USA -Qatar 2010 Exhibition. The 2nd Annual Made in the USA – Qatar 2010 exhibition, will take place...

She’s in the band. Rock out with musician desktop backgrounds (wallpaper) in this Windows 7 theme. To download the theme, click the Download button, and then click Open. The theme will be applied to your desktop and added to Personalization in Control Panel.

Click here to see all other themes. Don’t forget to subscribe to our feeds, twitter or facebook page to get notified about new themes in future.

Related posts:

1. Windows 7 Theme : New Year Theme 2010 To download the theme, click the Download button, and then click Open. The theme will be applied to your desktop and added to Personalization in Control Panel. Click here to see all other themes. Don’t forget to subscribe to our...
2. Windows 7 Theme : Turkey To download the theme, click the Download button, and then click Open. The theme will be applied to your desktop and added to Personalization in Control Panel. Click here to see all other themes. Don’t forget to subscribe to our...
3. Windows 7 Theme : Apple To download the theme, click the Download button, and then click Open. The theme will be applied to your desktop and added to Personalization in Control Panel. Click here to see all other themes. Don’t forget to subscribe to our...
4. Windows 7 Theme : Red To download the theme, click the Download button, and then click Open. The theme will be applied to your desktop and added to Personalization in Control Panel. Click here to see all other themes. Don’t forget to subscribe to our...
5. Windows 7 Theme : Burj Khalifa To download the theme, click the Download button, and then click Open. The theme will be applied to your desktop and added to Personalization in Control Panel. Click here to see all other themes. Don’t forget to subscribe to our...

Recently, we guided you about how to add your Facebook Stream, how to hide the updates from a specific friend or group and how to appear offline for a specific friend in Windows Live Messenger.

Today, we are going to guide you about how to setup a sound alert for a specific friend in Windows Live Messenger so that you can hear a different sound alert whenever your friend signs in or interact with you in messenger. Following are the steps:

1. Select Friend

Select the friend from your list

2. Open Menu

Right click on friend’s name.

3. Select “Choose Sounds”

Select “Choose Sounds” and then another window will open up.

4. Select your desired sound

Select the sound you want to hear when this friend comes online or send you an instant message.

After following these steps you will hear the sounds which you have selected from the list of sounds for your friend in Windows Live Messenger.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed, twitter or facebook page to get notified about news and events related to Microsoft in future.

Related posts:

1. How to appear offline for a specific friend in Windows Live Messenger Fed up with your friend? Don’t want to talk? but you don’t want to block him or her? In our last post, we guided you that how you can hide the updates of a specific friend or group in Windows...
2. How to hide the updates of a specific friend or group in Windows Live Messenger What if you don’t want to see what movies your friends like? What places they visited? When and what is updated in their profile? So, today we are going to tell you about how you can hide the updates of...
3. How to add your Facebook Stream in Windows Live Messenger In our previous posts, we guided you that how you can hide the updates from a specific friend or group and how to appear offline for a specific friend in Windows Live Messenger. Today, we are going to guide you about...
4. 40+ Cool Features of Windows Live Messenger Messenger is the best way to stay in touch with friends. Share photos while you chat. Talk in real time with video chat. Even see the social updates your friends have shared. So far we have covered the Windows Live Writer,...
5. 25+ Cool Features of the new Windows Live Messenger Today, Microsoft has launched windowslivepreview.com, a site that showcases the new and upcoming changes to the Microsoft Live Platform. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer previewed the new Windows Live Messenger in his “Five Dimensions of the Cloud” presentation at the Universidade...

Microsoft Kuwait celebrates the holy month of Ramadan and recently hosted an exclusive Ghabka for local media, VIP’s, government officials, educators and students at the Sheraton Hotel in Kuwait. At the event, Microsoft Kuwait took the opportunity to recognise key students and teachers from Kuwait University and American University of Kuwait (AUK). The Ghabka was attended by Wael Al Sagar, Chairman, A.H Al Sagar & Bros and Microsoft representative in Kuwait.

Ehab Mostafa, Country Manager, Microsoft Kuwait presented certificates to 23 computer science students and teachers of Kuwait University for their outstanding contribution towards the Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Arabization content project organized by Microsoft in July 2010. Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, is a technology advanced programming language used by developers to develop console and graphical user interface applications.

The arabization project was the result of successful cooperation between students in different Arab countries which was lead by the Kuwait University. For the first time Arabic content through its MSDN library for Visual Studio 2010 and .Net Framework 4.0. The data can then be edited through a wiki which allows everyone in the community to make translation improvements where needed.

“Ramadan Kareem and we would like to thank everyone for attending this special occasion,” said Ehab Mostafa, Country Manager, Microsoft Kuwait. “Microsoft has a long-term commitment to work in partnership with governments and non-governmental organizations, to enhance local community programs, help improve technology access and put Kuwaiti schools/education as the forefront of 21st century learning practices. The certificates that have been presented to the students today is a small gesture of our appreciation for their efforts and we strongly believe that the transformative power of technology in education can help create social and economic opportunity.”

Additionally, certificates of appreciation were also presented to Abrar Amin, Aisha AlRuwaished, Mariam Al-Najdi, Dr. Amir Zeid, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at AUK who were the regional winners of the 2010 edition of Microsoft Imagine Cup. Microsoft Imagine Cup is the world’s premier student technology competition, which encourages young people to apply their imagination and creativity to technology innovations that can make a difference and address real-world issues. The AUK team developed a project titled ‘Multi-touch tutoring system for the physically challenged’ for the competition.

Dr. Thalaya Al-Fozan, Assistant professor at Kuwait University’s Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics and Computer Science said, “We would like to thank Microsoft for giving students the opportunity to gain practical experience as well as enhance their communication and technology skills. Such initiatives can help inspire the next generation of technology and business leaders in the region.”

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed, twitter or facebook page to get notified about news and events related to Microsoft in future.

Related posts:

1. Kuwait Ministry of Education signs partners in learning agreement with Microsoft Kuwait Furthering its commitment to transform Kuwait into knowledge based society, Microsoft announced that it has signed the Partners in Learning agreement with the Ministry of Education in Kuwait for technical co-operation. The signing of the agreement is driven by the need...
2. Meet Saleh Nabeel Alsaffar – MSP from Kuwait University Tell us who you are? Howdy, I’m Saleh Nabeel Alsaffar from Kuwait and I’m a student at the Computer Engineering Department of Kuwait University. I should be graduated by the time this interview is published. I’ve been an MSP at...
3. Microsoft Kuwait to participate in InfoBiz 2010 Microsoft Kuwait announced its participation at InfoBiz 2010 along with its partners Ebla Computer Consultancy and Diyar United Company who are the platinum sponsors of Microsoft. InfoBiz 2010 is Kuwait’s premier IT and communications trade show that is being held...
4. Microsoft Oman hosts ‘DigiGirlz Day’ In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Microsoft Oman hosted its “Microsoft DigiGirlz Day” for the first time in the Sultanate. The event, which was hosted at the campus of the Middle East College of Information Technology (MECIT), one of...
5. “Informatics Day” at Kuwait University Microsoft Kuwait recently in association with DotNetBoom hosted “Informatics Day” at Kuwait University. There were featured sessions on SharePoint 2010, Windows Azure and Office 2010. This event attracted over 70+ students and 7 Engineering Deparment professors. These sessions were mainly...

Itqan Al-Bawardi Computers successfully wrapped up a complete infrastructure overhaul for Maritime Industrial Services Co. Ltd. Inc. (MIS), a leading contractor in the energy-related construction and services industry. The project entailed a complete migration of MIS’ previous infrastructure platform to a bundle of Microsoft’s technologies, which include Microsoft’s messaging system, IT management tools, data security and protection controls.

“This project illustrated the collaboration between MIS and Itqan and the level of co-operation and professionalism shown by MIS during this project was remarkable and pushed us to give our 200% to make this implementation a success. Despite some obstacles and challenges that inevitably came up during the implementation phase, MIS’ IT team was supportive, and placed its complete trust in Itqan,” commented Itqan’s General Manager, Feras Al-Jabi.

According to Al-Jabi, Itqan had a major task to undertake given the level of complexity and sophistication of this venture. ”It was like rebuilding a house again while still keeping its components intact, in a sense that every aspect of their older infrastructure had to be removed and replaced with another technology, all while migrating the data smoothly and fluidly.”

“MIS has more than 900 employees who need to access this system, covering five offices across the country. Without an efficient centralized structure that manages these users, and in most cases remotely, proper IT administration would be literally impossible,” said Ossama Bader, MIS’ Vice President, IT, Human Resources, and Admin.

Bader added that MIS possesses a huge amount of engineering, drafting and other departmental documents that needed to be shared by employees, and with the growth and development of the company over the years the system needed to be significantly enhanced.

“Itqan has planned an optimum design that ensures the highest levels of security, reliability and stability, explained Bader. “MIS is rapidly growing, and this was a necessary step to support our strategy for growth. We are pleased with what Itqan managed to accomplish, and we hope to see this relationship continue in the future,” said Bader.

“This project comes in line with our strategic focus on the oil and gas sector, and an ever-present goal of ours is to constantly partner with major players like MIS. Itqan’s presence in the oil and gas vertical is unmatched in terms of the number and diversity of the projects completed for organizations in this sector. Our roots and history further prove that too, seeing that we are part of Al-Bawardi Enterprises, an organization that served the oil and gas sector since the 1980,” added Al-Jabi.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed, twitter or facebook page to get notified about news and events related to Microsoft in future.

Related posts:

1. Itqan implements Al-Nabed datacenter for UAE Ministry of Health using Microsoft infrastructure technologies Ministry of Health recently signed off the implementation of a one of a kind datacenter dubbed as Pulsator (Al-Nabed). Al-Nabed is an all-inclusive datacenter installed to upgrade and enhance MoH’s infrastructure in order to enable the deployment of enterprise applications...
2. Network Equipment Technologies delivers Microsoft Office Communications Server solution to Greater Amman Municipality Network Equipment Technologies, Inc. announced today that with its partner, Professional Advanced Infrastructure Solutions (PAIS), it has delivered a Microsoft Office Communications Server solution to the Greater Amman Municipality. The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) is responsible for delivering public services...
3. Raqmiyat showcases cutting edge technologies to top executives at Microsoft TechEd Middle East 2010 Raqmiyat, a leading UAE-based systems integrator, is showcasing cutting edge technologies at the ‘Microsoft TechEd Middle East 2010‘, Microsoft’s premier technical education and networking event that brings together more than 1,500 leading senior decision-makers, CTOs and CIOs from across the...
4. Microsoft Oman Previews New Technologies at Comex 2010 Microsoft Oman recently previewed a suite of its latest technologies including Office 2010, SQL Server 20008, Visio 2010 and Project 2010. The company’s new offerings were showcased to customers and partners at Comex, the largest telecom and technology show in the...
5. Sharjah Museums Department increases productivity with Microsoft Business Management Softwares Sharjah Museums Department manages 17 museums in Sharjah that cover the arts, discovery, heritage, and history—including Sharjah Aquarium, Sharjah Science Museum, and Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation. The museums preserve the culture of the UAE, and, to ensure they continue...

Wipro Arabia Ltd. today announced that it has been accorded Large Account Reseller (LAR) status by Microsoft for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This reinforces Wipro’s strong relationship with Microsoft and underlines its exceptional level of expertise in Microsoft solutions.

Wipro Arabia, a JV unit of Wipro Ltd, is a leading provider of IT and business transformation services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With this elevation, Wipro Arabia, in addition to offering domain-centric Microsoft solutions, will now be able to resell Microsoft licenses and software to customers in the Kingdom. Wipro will also be able to directly administer enterprise agreements with customers, without going through a distributor.

Commenting on the achievement, Durga Prasad, GM and Head, Business Operations, Wipro Arabia Limited said, “We are excited about Wipro Arabia being selected as the LAR partner for Microsoft. Through this partnership, we will now be able to increase our competitiveness in providing customer-centric solutions on Microsoft platform to our customers in the Kingdom.We will also be able to further enable companies in the region by offering the best possible value and supporting services through Enterprise Agreements.”

Wipro and Microsoft are strategic, global Business partners having a multi-dimensional relationship for over a decade now. Wipro Arabia is among the Top 5 Global Systems Integrators in the region providing IT Services and Solutions across verticals.

Fernando de Sousa, Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft, KSA said, “Saudi Arabia is a very important region for us given the Kingdom’s strong commitment to IT. We are keen to bring about transformation in every sector by deploying new and advanced IT tools to help government, society and individuals realize their full potential.

In this endeavor, Wipro has consistently added value to our customers through domain solutions, exemplary services and dedication to Technology-based Business enablement. The Microsoft LAR partner status is a fantastic achievement for Wipro and a testament of our long standing relationship and work in the region.”

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed, twitter or facebook page to get notified about news and events related to Microsoft in future.

Related posts:

1. Samir Noman appointed Microsoft president for Saudi Arabia According to the Press Release by Microsoft Saudi Arabia, Microsoft announced the appointment of Samir Noman as the new President for Microsoft Saudi Arabia. Noman is the successor of Dr. Khaled Al-Dhaher who has been promoted to the post of...
2. Oman – KalSoft L.L.C. awarded as the 2010 Microsoft Country Partner of the Year KalSoft L.L.C. has been awarded as the 2010 Microsoft Country Partner of the Year for Oman. The Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Award recognizes partners at the country level that have demonstrated business excellence in delivering Microsoft solutions to...
3. Kuwait – Plexus awarded as the 2010 Microsoft Country Partner of the Year PLEXUS Information Systems & Computers Company has been awarded as the 2010 Microsoft Country Partner of the Year for Kuwait. The Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Award recognizes partners at the country level that have demonstrated business excellence in delivering...
4. UAE – CEM Business Solutions awarded as the 2010 Microsoft Country Partner of the Year CEM Business Solutions FZ LLC has been awarded as the 2010 Microsoft Country Partner of the Year for United Arab Emirates. The Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Award recognizes partners at the country level that have demonstrated business excellence...
5. Saudi Arabia – Imagine Cup 2010 Finals in Pictures Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed, twitter or facebook page to get notified about news and events related to Microsoft in future....

Microsoft MVPs Rob Miles and Andy Wigley recently led an incredibly well received live training course about a month ago which focused on getting developers trained up on building amazing applications and games for Windows Phone 7. So, Microsoft decided to publish this training for the developers around the world. There are 12 sessions in total, each about 50 minutes in length.

According to Microsoft “Andy and Rob provide a good bit of humor along with their incredible depth of knowledge on the topic of building apps and games for Windows Phone 7. We recognize that providing as much technical content as we can for the full range of developers is what developers deserve. While we plan on having more live training sessions in the coming weeks and months, we are also committed to making that content available as quickly as possible to as many developers as possible. “

Windows Phone 7 Jump Start (Session 1 of 12): Introduction

A quick tour of Windows Phone 7 and how you write programs for it. We take a look at the platform capabilities and the software development options. We also offer you a chance to win a prize that is almost certainly not a private jet.

Windows Phone 7 Jump Start (Session 2 of 12): Building a Silverlight Application, Part 1

Building an application from scratch. How you can take a simple idea for a program and build the user interface, followed by the program behaviors that sit behind it. We take a look at databinding on Windows Phone and how best to structure your application to make best use of it.

Windows Phone 7 Jump Start (Session 3 of 12): Building a Silverlight Application, Part 2

Making more complex applications. You also get an overview of how the built in controls work, and how to tailor the user input to match your requirements. We also take a look at page navigation within a multi-form Silverlight application on the phone and how to use the navigation inputs for best effect.

Windows Phone 7 Jump Start (Session 4 of 12): Building Games for the Windows Phone 7 Platform

Using Silverlight as a platform for game creation. We show how to get a draw/update behavior into your Silverlight games and give you a fully worked game to chew on. We also illustrate how a Silverlight game can leverage the XNA libraries to add sound effects to a game.

Windows Phone 7 Jump Start (Session 5 of 12): Building XNA Games for the Windows Phone 7 Platform, Part 1

Getting Started with  XNA on Windows Phone. We talk about what makes the Windows Phone such a good platform for XNA development and how you create XNA games for it. We take a look at how games can manage the orientation of a phone and give you some tips on getting the best performance. Then we move on to take a look at the accelerometer input and how to make games that use this.

Windows Phone 7 Jump Start (Session 6 of 12): Building XNA Games for the Windows Phone 7 Platform, Part 2

Using the Windows Phone platform features in your XNA games. We continue with our look at Windows Phone features that make the platform so interesting to game developers. We cover the use of the touch screen, sound creation and finally give you some coverage of how to access the Zune media content in the device. Then we round off with a little look at how you can get text input from users by means of the Guide support in XNA.

Windows Phone 7 Jump Start (Session 7 of 12): Advanced Application Development, Part 1

Application Lifecycle. A look at the execution model on the phone, and how to create solutions that give a great user experience in the face of phone calls, termination and even total shutdown of the device itself. We show how to respond to messages to make your application give the appearance of being “always on” and the data persistence facilities that you will need to make this work.

Windows Phone 7 Jump Start (Session 8 of 12): Advanced Application Development, Part 2

Launchers and Choosers plus Using Isolated Storage. In this session we take a look at “Launchers and Choosers”, how your application can use the built in phone behaviors to place calls, take pictures and select contacts, making it part of how the phone works. We also show how your application can store data in its own isolated storage on the phone device.

Windows Phone 7 Jump Start (Session 9 of 12): Advanced Application Development, Part 3

Storing Data and Using the Network. In this session we look at the connectedness of Windows Phone and how you can make this work for you. We demonstrate connected applications and how the notification service is used to allow external systems to give your application a wake-up call.

Windows Phone 7 Jump Start (Session 10 of 12): Marketing Your Windows Phone 7 Application

Using Windows Marketplace. In this session we explain how to join the Marketplace and get your applications out there. We take a look at how your solutions are packaged and deployed and how you go about registering a device for development and then using that with Visual Studio 2010 to test your applications.

Windows Phone 7 Jump Start (Session 11 of 12): Working with Media

Using XNA in 3D and with Media. In this session we take a quick look at how the Windows Phone works as an excellent platform for 3D games in XNA. We also explore how an XNA game can make use of the media stored in the phone, including photographs taken by the user and media loaded onto it from Zune.

Windows Phone 7 Jump Start (Session 12 of 12): Final Silverlight Topics and Wrap-Up

Taking Silverlight to the max. We start with a look at the Application bar, a crucial component in Windows Phone applications. We then move on to the Expression Blend tool, and how to create compelling user experiences with it. Finally we round off the session by showing how easy it is to use the map services in your phone and demonstrate some of the really cool navigation tools that are coming.

Note : Download the course material. Windows Phone 7 jump start training is also available on Zune and iTunes.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed, twitter or facebook page to get notified about news and events related to Microsoft in future.

Related posts:

1. Download Windows Phone 7 Training Kit for Developers Windows Phone 7 Series promises to be an amazing mobile phone operating system given its innovative user interface and functionality, as well as its great development platform upon which you can quickly and easily build games and applications. With a...
2. Want to learn about Windows Phone development? Download the Windows Phone 7 Training Kit for Developers With the Beta relased of Windows Phone Developer Tools, Microsoft also launched the updated version of Windows Phone 7 Training Kit for Developers. This Windows Phone 7 Training Kit will give you a jumpstart into the new Windows Phone world...
3. Download Windows Phone 7 Series Developer Training Kit Recently at MIX10, Microsoft announced alot of things related to Windows Phone 7 Series such as Windows Phone 7 Series Tools Released for Developers and Designers, new Marketplace for Windows Phone 7 Series Applications, Windows Phone UI Design and Interaction...
4. Download Windows Phone 7 Series Emulator At MIX, Microsoft made available the Windows Phone 7 Series Emulator [Download Link]. According to Microsoft “Windows Phone Emulator is a desktop application that emulates a Windows Phone 7 Series device. It provides a virtualized environment in which you can...
5. Windows Phone 7 Series Tools Released for Developers and Designers Microsoft provided the first deep dive into Windows Phone 7 Series application development. By combining Silverlight features for rich application development and the XNA Framework for games, Windows Phone 7 Series empowers millions of developers and designers to build visually...

Tell us who you are?
I work in the IT area as developer since 2000 to 2005 and as DBA/DBDeveloper since 2005. This passion started when I was 11 years old, with my wonderful C64. I worked as web solutions developer (between ASP to the most recent versions of ASP.NET), windows application and services developer with languages C# and VBNet. But since 2005 I started the study of the data layer, using SQL Server in depth.

I actually work full time as DBA/DBDeveloper with latest SQL Server versions. During last years I managed my blog on dotnethell.it. I’m a member of the staff of this community and an active poster. I like to be active, always. I love music (principally metal, hard rock, rock/funky) and I’m a singer of a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band called Blood Sugar. I like sports, especially golf. I play indoor soccer, swimming and surfing with his snowboard also. In the spare time I read (Fantasy books) and I play on MMORPG.

Tell us about your MVP history, when were you first awarded?
Before the MVP award, there are some things to explain. I started to reply on dotnethelli.it forums and Microsoft public newsgroup in 2004. This was my first passion to follow ( and at the moment too ) and I concentrated my efforts on this kind of “support” in order to learn a lot of informations too. I think that reply is the best way to search documentation, study and definitively, learn, together.

Dotnethell.it promoted me as staff member on December 2006 after a “silent” analysis and moderation made by the most experienced members. This was the very first trigger that allows to me to reach the MVP award on January 2008, after an entire year of heavy activity on our forums. This was one of the best events in my life and I will remember it forever

What do you do in order to keep up with latest tools and technologies?
Read, read and read again. Download, download and download again. Try, try and try again. I try to stay tuned with MS services in order to improve my knowledge and to share with others if possible . As teacher I like to share a lot of informations that people think to know, but maybe not in depth. I can see a lot of misunderstanding, misreading and so on during my sessions.

I try to make my knowledge available to all other people questions and I ask for more informations if I’m not ready with a technology or product. I think there is no other better way. In addition, to make some chats with our fellows. We’ve to be always hungry with technologies. If not, the technologies will eat us

What does being an MVP mean to you?
Good question. It’s very important for me to be an MVP. I’ve never thought about this award, and maybe this is the best way to make your passion powerful in your work. On both private and professional side MVP is important because it’s wonderful to receive this kind of agreement and to group with other MVP fellows sharing infoes and know how.

MVP is also a “transformation” in which my professional dreams become true My efforts are important for people that need help. And this is the most important thing imho. MVP is the final award to make this concept concrete. Not only ability in my job, but help always. To participate on ATE corners, to speak in my learning sessions with my “students”, to join with all people that shares your interests, are only some things that MVP award offer to the awardees. These are all intense and appreciated moments.

I think definitively that MVP is a concretization of a passion, is an instinct to help others, is a way to share infoes and to live all the meanings of “group” and “community” terms.

What do you do when you are not building software’s?
I reply principally on forums and newsgroup but I like to post on my blog too. From last year I use my “free from development” time to teach. I like to teach a lot, I found that job very funny. So as a singer, I like to be in the center of a place (discussions, concerts, learning sessions). I play sports, I read, and so on. Usual things

If you could ask Steve Ballmer one question about Microsoft, what would it be?
Why do you repeat DEVELOPERS a lot? I think that DBA and network admin are important too . Try to clap your hands and repeat “DBA, DBA, DBA” . I was kidding, I think that the question would be “Could you set your focus on improvments on usability of MS software? OS principally”.

Had a chance to attend “MVP Global Summit”? When and how was your experience?
Sure, it was a great experience. Seattle is a wonderful city. And to live in Redmond all the day is an experience to do sooner or later. It was great to listen the board in Microsoft campus. But the best thing is to speak with product groups for sure! Very good event to put in schedule

What makes you a great MVP?
I’m not a great MVP, I’m a man that helps other people. And with a lot of passion doing this kind of stuff.

What you think about the MVP’s role in promoting technology in your region?
I think that the MVP is an implicit way to bring technologies and know how to all people. As I told above, I don’t think that there is a real role. MVP is a fellow that helps others. This brings the MS technologies in each environment covered.

What is in your computer bag?
Computer, mouse, some notepad, headphones, WPF unleashed, Inside SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Querying, jQuery in action and an umts key.

Who are your top 5 favorite MVPs?
Take 5 MVP randomly, we’re all cool

If you get a chance to suggest one conference in your region? What would it be and why?
Maybe a conference based on deep walkthrough on SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2. A good knowledge in how to manage that RDBMS could be a better way to improve our experience. I think that there’s a lot of misconceptions in using SQL Server and a long and deep session on that product could be very useful. Maybe a session divided by skill in which each worker can decide to improve his knowledge based on his skill.

What is the best thing that has happened since you have become an MVP?
A lot of things, but if I have to decide only the best, maybe it is when I become a teacher. MVP opens me some gate never seen before.

Which was the last book you read?
jQuery in action by Manning, I added to my knowledge some web stuff. But my priority is always the “Inside SQL Server” series.

If there was one place you could travel to, right now, where would it be and why?
Machu Picchu it’s my goal, but I have to train myself. I like open spaces and this is a place in which a man can hear the silence. This is also one of the best place in the world, and this is the reason why, imho, it has to be visited.

How can one be a part of MVP Club? Any suggestions for them?
For sure! Never think about how to become an MVP! Help and do it with real passion. If you search MVP Award as a simple award, maybe you cannot reach it.

Any Message you want to give to the readers of MicrosoftFeed?
Ehm.. Stay tuned!

Your contact information?

• MVP Profile Link – https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=40332D29-BDE8-4757-99ED-2D57A11C9AE4
• Blog – http://blogs.dotnethell.it/suxstellino/
• Website – http://www.alessandroalpi.net/
• Twitter – http://twitter.com/suxstellino
• Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/suxstellino
• LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/in/suxstellino

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feeds, twitter or facebook page to get notified about the interviews with different MVPs in future.

Related posts:

1. Meet Romeo Pruno – SharePoint Server MVP from Italy Tell us who you are? My name is Romeo Pruno, I’m Italian and my principal interests are on Information Technology field. I usually make real solutions for share and manage knowledge and collaboration strategies between enterprise organizations in the private...
2. Meet Cristian Lefter – SQL Server MVP from Romania Tell us who you are? My name is Cristian Lefter. I bumped into computers back in the days when mainframes ruled the Earth. Then one day I met SQL Server. It was love at first sight and I never looked...
3. Meet Artemakis Artemiou – SQL Server MVP from Cyprus Tell us who you are? I was born in Cyprus in April 16th, 1981. I graduated from the department of Computer Science at the University of Cyprus. Furthermore, I have received my M.Sc. on Advanced Information Technologies from the same...
4. Meet Matteo Raumer – Visual C# MVP from Italy Tell us who you are? Hello everyone! I’m Matteo Raumer, an Italian 2 years old C# MVP…but I’m 32 years old in real life I’m from Vicenza, a nice little town near Venice where I’m a .net developer/consultant in various...
5. Meet Waleed Omar – Exchange Server MVP from Egypt Tell us who you are? My name is Waleed Omar, I’m working as IT Operations Supervisor in Mantracgroup , I’m Exchange Server MVP for 2 years now, MCT for 7 Years and MCSE for 11 Years, also CISSP, and certified...

Office 15 is the next major iteration of Microsoft’s productivity suite and the successor of Office 2010, which was built using the codename Office 14. The first leaked screenshots and details of Office 15 / Microsoft Office 2014 are now available in the wild, at just four months after Office 2010 was released to manufacturing, and just a couple of months since the General Availability deadline.

According to Neowin “The first of the two features is the “Microsoft Limestone Test Application”, which appeared in beta builds of Office 2010 before it was released. Not much is known about this application or what it does exactly, but it has previously surfaced in test builds of Office before being removed.

Softpedia also reports that Microsoft is planning on integrating a KMS activator into office 15, making it easier for companies using volume licenses to activate their Office 2014 installations quickly.”

[via Neowin, Softpedia]

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed, twitter or facebook page to get notified about news and events related to Microsoft in future.

Related posts:

1. Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac Screenshots Leaked BGR has posted some early screenshots that reveals the development of Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac. Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac suite includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook. According to BGR “We’ve just scored some of the first shots of Microsoft...
2. Microsoft Office 2010 – Release Candidate Available for Download Microsoft Office 2010 Release Candidate along with Office Web Applications is now available for download for technical beta participants through Microsoft Connect. See the new features in your favorite programs such as Microsoft Word 2010, Outlook 2010, Excel 2010 and...
3. Windows Phone 7 Details Leaked! As we are coming closer to Mobile World Congress event on 15th February 2010, more and more information about Windows Phone aka Zune Phone is leaked on the web.  We posted about it here, here, here and here. Here are...
4. Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 – Leaked Screenshots We recently got hold of leaked build of Windows Live Essentials Wave 4. I took the screenshots of the installation process and the build number of each application. Looking at the screenshots below, Microsoft has revamped the entire setup for...
5. Microsoft Office 2010 Released to Manufacturing Microsoft recently announced that they have reached the release-to-manufacturing (RTM) milestone for Office 2010, SharePoint 2010, Visio 2010 and Project 2010. This will be Microsoft new wave of productivity suites. According to Takeshi Numoto, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Office...