Starting today (3/5/10), consumers who purchase and activate Office 2007 will be able to download Office 2010 at no additional cost when it becomes available in June 2010.

All you need to be eligible for this program – Office 2010 Technology Guarantee – is the following:

• Purchase Office 2007, or a new PC with Office 2007, and activate it between March 5, 2010 and September 30, 2010.
• Have, or create a Windows Live ID
• Redeem your Tech Guarantee before October 31, 2010 by visiting www.office.com/techg.

The Office 2010 Technology Guarantee will be fulfilled online, via download, at no additional cost.

Source

Zukona reveals SP1 Pre-Beta's Expiration is slated for April 1st, 2011 in a new set of SS's for the world to see.

Zukona, Tsya and Ko have indicated a Pre-Beta of Windows 7 SP1 will leak in the next few days and we can expect to see a .torrent file up on the normal torrent trackers. WZT warns firstly that it contains KB971033 Windows Activaiton Technologies, nullifying several OEM SLP keys and also that there is no point in installing the Pre-Beta but it will leak for those who want to put it in a Virtual Machine.

His rationale is because it has a timebomb.

WZT says SP1 will achieve beta status in Mid-April.

Frustrated by chinese retouchings of his leaked images, Zukona has presented us with a heavily-watermarked screenshot of his build.



WZT has posted an SP1 Pre-Beta build list, and despite SoLoR's belief that it's publishing is inane, I present it to all:

7601.16482.100111-1800
7601.16483.100112-1500
7601.16484.100113-1525
7601.16485.100114-1500
7601.16486.100115-1536
7601.16488.100119-1500
7601.16489.100120-1500
7601.16490.100121-1509
7601.16491.100124-1526
7601.16492.100125-1657
7601.16493.100126-1500
7601.16494.100127-1500
7601.16495.100128-1630
7601.16496.100129-1554
7601.16498.100202-1512
7601.16499.100203-1500
7601.16500.100204-1815
7601.16501.100205-1500
7601.16502.100208-1500
... [Read More]

Geosense is a Windows Sensor that provides the Location and Sensors platform in Windows 7 with accurate and reasonably ubiquitous positioning information without requiring or the assistance of GPS hardware, enabling more practical location-based applications and scenarios on Windows 7.

Although not required, it works best on computers with a WiFi adapter. Geosense is designed to use a hybrid mix of geolocation service providers and geolocation methods to pinpoint the most accurate location information possible - including but not limited to WiFi triangulation, cell tower triangulation and IP lookup.

Currently supports:

• Google Location Services (WiFi)
• Google Location Services (IP)

Under consideration:

• Google Location Services (Cell)
• Skyhook Wireless (WiFi)
• Quova (WiFi)
• Navizon (WiFi)

Homepage:
http://geosenseforwindows.com/

Court Order Helps Microsoft Tear Down Waledac Botnet

Microsoft has been granted a court order that will cut off some two hundred and seventy seven .com domains that are associated with the notorious Waledac botnet.

With the help of a U.S. federal judge, Microsoft has struck a blow against one of the Internet's worst sources of spam: the notorious Waledac botnet. Microsoft said late Wednesday that it had been granted a court order that will cut off 277 .com domains associated with the botnet.

Many of the affected domains already appeared to be gone after Microsoft's announcement, but others still appeared to be up.

Verisign could not immediately be reached for comment.

Because Waledac uses peer-to-peer techniques to control hacked boxes as well, Microsoft has more work to do, however.

"It's a busy night tonight and tomorrow is probably going to be a busy day as well," said Jeff Williams, director of Microsoft's Malware Protection Center in an e-mail interview.

Williams didn't provide details on what Microsoft was doing to further attack Waledac, but in its blog posting the company said it is "taking additional technical countermeasures to downgrade much of the remaining peer-to-peer command and control communication within the botnet." Microsoft expects... [Read More]