(10 March 2008 4:00 pm)

MUMBAI: At Mix08, Microsoft’s web designer and developer conference, the software major demonstrated the power of its platform to enable delivery of richer, more interactive customer experiences on the web.

Backed by customers including AOL, Aston Martin, Cirque du Soleil, Hard Rock and NBCOlympics.com on MSN, Microsoft unveiled the next generation of its web technologies with beta releases of Internet Explorer 8, Silverlight 2 and Expression Studio 2.

Additional MIX08 news included a preview of Microsoft SQL Server Data Services, the announcement of a strategic relationship with Move Networks, Inc, and DoubleClick, Inc’s preview of its Silverlight 2 software development kit (SDK) for in-stream advertising.

In the Mix08 keynote address, Ray Ozzie, who is the company's chief software architect, shared his vision for the role of the web and the services opportunity across Microsoft businesses. Dean Hachamovitch, GM of the Internet Explorer team, demonstrated new features in Internet Explorer 8 for web developers and end users, and Scott Guthrie, corporate VP of the .NET Developer Division, highlighted advances in Silverlight, Expression Studio and Visual Studio that make it easier to deliver rich, connected experiences on the desktop, Web and beyond.

Ozzie said, “The Web is at the center of everything Microsoft is doing. The investments we’re making will enable developers and designers to deliver a range of seamless, connected experiences across the continuum of web applications, rich clients, mobile and other devices.”

With a focus on bridging developer-to-designer workflow while providing a common development model across a range of form factors and devices, Microsoft introduced advancements to the following tools and technologies:

Internet Explorer 8 is the next version of Microsoft’s browser, and in beta 1 it delivers improved standards support and developer platform investments with enhanced user experiences. Internet Explorer 8 beta 1 delivers increased interoperability, offers developers better predictability, and will feature full support for cascading style sheet (CSS) 2.1 at release to manufacturing.

Internet Explorer 8 beta 1 includes integrated developer tools to quickly debug HTML, CSS and scripts in a visual environment. Two new features, Activities and WebSlices, will enable developers to reach beyond the page and introduce news ways for users to stay connected to the content and services of their choice. To download Internet Explorer 8 beta 1, developers can visit the IE8 website.

Silverlight 2 beta is available for download and provides support for mobile devices. Microsoft Silverlight claims to answer customer's desire for rich, cross-platform media and “zero-click” applications that match the rich interactive application experience while bringing the robustness and power of Microsoft .NET to the browser. Silverlight 2 beta includes innovative new features like Deep Zoom, more than 40 new controls and a .Net base class library of functionality.

Microsoft has also released a beta of Expression Studio 2, designed to work seamlessly with Visual Studio, enabling designers and developers to collaborate on the creation of better user experiences. New features of Expression Studio 2 include PHP support in Expression Web and support for Silverlight in Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Media Encoder and Expression Design.

To enable designers to start immediately exploring the power of Silverlight 2, Microsoft also announced the availability of Expression Blend 2.5 March 2008 Preview. Microsoft also introduced the Expression Professional Subscription, which includes the full suite along with a number of other programmes to help users get started at an exceptional value.

AOL, Aston Martin, Cirque du Soleil, Hard Rock and NBCOlympics.com on MSN have selected Silverlight for their web applications due to its high-performance capabilities, integration with the .NET Framework and customisable advertising opportunities.

NBC Sports and Olympics SVP digital media Perkins Miller says, “NBCOlympics has always taken the lead in bringing Olympics fans immersive experiences through in-depth analysis and leading technology. Working with Microsoft Silverlight, we will again push the boundary of sports coverage by delivering a new level of rich, high-quality viewing to the Web for the 2008 Olympic Games.”

Microsoft is also working with customers and partners in the ad-serving, analytics, creative agency and content delivery network sectors. Today, DoubleClick demonstrated its Silverlight 2 SDK for in-stream advertising. Content publishers that deliver video content will be able to use this SDK within a Silverlight environment to target, serve, forecast and report on video-based advertising.

Microsoft announced plans for a strategic alliance with Move Networks, a provider of live and on-demand long-form video content such as television episodes, news and sports programming. Silverlight would enable Move Networks to deliver an interactive, rich media navigation and integrated advertising on top of its hallmark high-quality online television experience that reaches all the way to HD.

Move Networks’ current customers include ABC, Fox, ESPN, the CW and Televisa. These customers use Move Networks to stream their shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Lost.

Move Networks CEO John Edwards says, “Our strategic relationship with Microsoft represents a natural progression in the rapid evolution of online video delivery. Microsoft Silverlight is emerging as a platform of choice for media companies seeking a reliable and highly configurable environment for the creation of rich video content.

"The integration of Move Networks’ streaming technology with Silverlight will allow customers to deliver the highest-quality viewing experience available online — driving online revenue and a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace.”