[caption id=“attachment_9947” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Share, Vote, Win! Help us choose the new Spiffy Mascot”][/caption] Now that the revamp is underway, we’re excited to share with you our new potential mascots! Help us choose your favorite and stand to win yourself a Starbucks card. Here’s what you got to do: Step 1: Like our Facebook Page. Step 2: Choose your favorite mascot from above. Step 3: Share the image on your timeline stating the mascot of your choice! Have fun voting!

The New version of WIM2VHD is now available for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. Download the tool from here What is WIM2VHD? It is a tool that allows you to create sysprepped VHD and VHDX images from any official build of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012. This new release is completed rewritten in PowerShell. Support for creating VHD and VHDX images from .ISO files has been added! One more thing for those who prefer UI, A new (and completely optional) graphical user interface has been added, making the creation of VHD and VHDX images as simple as a few mouse clicks! Here is how it works 1. Run PowerShell as Administrator on your Windows Client or Windows Server. Run the following commands to allow PowerShell Scripts to run on your PC: set-executionpolicy unrestricted 2. Go to the directory where the WIM2VHD script is stored. Run the following PowerShell commands: .\convert-WindowsImage.ps1 -ShowUI 3. The UI tool will be loaded. Choose the .WIM file. For Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, you can find the file at .\Sources\install.wim You can choose different parameters like VHD or VHDx Format, Fixed or Dynamic disk. 4. Just wait for the PowerShell Commands to be fully executed and you will have a VHD or VHDx file ready

Windows 8 is the next iteration of Windows. For those not as familiar, Windows 8 is a radical change as Microsoft is introducing the Metro design for Windows. You can find out more about Metro Design. With Windows 8, Microsoft is integrating a lot of its services to take advantage of its several platforms. Windows Phone, Xbox, Hotmail, Skydrive and other consumer services already uses one authentication via Live ID and it makes sense that the new OS will take advantage of this. If you’ve tried the pre-release versions of Windows 8, you can easily see the influence of this even from the login screen. With this integration, news of rebranding of some services like the Zune are abound and I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens. Anyways, if you’re using a Zune Pass, don’t fret as you can still access music just like before using the built in music app in Windows 8. As I wanted to maximize the integration of the services with my new Windows 8. I logged in using my hotmail account synced with Zune and lo and behold it actually works. The music app works just like the Zune app but some features are missing like the mixed view. Some of the navigation features are still missing and adding songs to the current playlist doesn’t exist. I know this is still an app preview so no surprises that these features are missing and I’m guessing that they are focusing on the main features so far. There’s a bit of getting used to in the Music App. For one, there’s a lot of scrolling and clicking going on. Just to know the individual songs in the album, I have to do twice the clicks compared to the Zune app. Because of the design of Metro apps that has to cater for different form factors like tablets, this limits power users like me to navigate the app like everybody else. Whenever I use an app extensively, I learn as much shortcuts as I can as I want to get to the action as fast as I can. Browsers, email clients, OSes and such allow you to do this, but once an app is designed for multiple purposes it loses this advantage. I know Windows 8 has several shortcuts for you to get to the settings, the app bar, etc, but if you are navigating on the content of the application yourself, the developer has to create shortcuts of their own. Overall, I’m very happy that the Zune will be continued (either as the Music app or something else) but I hope they empower the Music app just like the Zune. A nicely designed app that shows me what I want to see when searching and exploring new music. Come to think of it, the Zune app was one of the first applications to use the Metro language way back. A nice, cleanly made application that made great use of white space all through out. If you are using Windows 8 Release Preview and notice any gems like these, please comment on. Would love to know what you think of the apps and how you’ll be using it. PS. Super happy that Skitch is on Windows 8. Skitch is a photo annotating app on the Mac OS.

We launched Spiffy in October 2011 and its become the unofficial home for Microsoft Singapore’s Developer and Platform Evangelism team. We continuously strive to bring the most relevant and meaningful news to the Singapore tech community about Microsoft’s events and latest technologies. We’re in the process of a major revamp so that we can bring you a more enjoyable reading experience and in meantime we’re also looking for more writers to contribute to Spiffy! So if you are: ...

What can expect from Applications Management with SCCM2012 by MVP Edmund Lim? Sign up for Cloud Summit 2012 today! http://aka.ms/evbr5b

[caption id=“attachment_9873” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“The new start screen on Windows Phone 8”][/caption] Windows Phone 8 was announced just a few hours ago by the Windows Phone team in San Francisco. As a consumer, Windows Phone 8 will enable new hardware capabilities and expanded features that deliver a uniquely personal mobile experience. One of the things that’s enabled with the new hardware (such as NFC) is the Windows 8 Wallet. Windows Phone 8’s new digital Wallet feature does two great things. It can keep debit and credit cards, coupons, boarding passes, and other important info right at your fingertips. And when paired with a secure SIM from your carrier, you can also pay for things with a tap of your phone at compatible checkout counters. The start screen will become more customizable to your preferences. As you can see, we’re making Windows Phone 8 even more personal, with a new palette of theme colors and three sizes of Live Tiles, all of which are under your control. We know Live Tiles are one of the things current owners really love about their Windows Phones, and we wanted to make them even more flexible and unique. This short video shows the new Start screen in action. Watch this video to find out more. For Windows Phone 7.5 users, we will rollout a Windows Phone 7.8 update separately that will bring some of Windows Phone 8’s user interface changes to existing devices. For developers, new hardware in Windows Phone 8 will enable a more unified Windows platform, creating more opportunities for developers and the Windows Phone ecosystem. Windows Phone 8 will share the same kernel, file system, media foundation, device drivers, and parts of the security model from Windows 8. The Windows NT architecture enables Windows Phone 8 to support multi-core processors, device encryption, removable storage with microSD cards, and a whole host of improvements for IT pros and businesses. Here are 8 New Features of Windows Phone 8 for Developers: 1. SQLite - embedded database engine SQLite,will be available for phone developers. SQLite has been previously unavailable on Windows Phone (as it’s written in C). Now you can have access to use these libraries. 2. Speech/ VoIP (Talking with apps) API - Windows Phone 8 will include a conversational speech recognition system based on the TellMe technology used in Windows Phone 7. What’s interesting though, is that developers will be able to add new nouns and verbs to TellMe so that users can use the same conversational style to perform specific actions within applications. 3. Gaming Middleware - Middleware partners such as Havok Technology and Autodesk will support Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8 games developed using the Havok Technology Suite, will feature immersive and real 3-D worlds, highly realistic characters and cinematic visuals. 4. Native Code - Native code support: Windows Phone 8 has full C and C++ support, making it easier to write apps for multiple platforms more quickly. 5. Multitasking background location - With the next version of Windows Phone, real background multitasking will be opened up to all devs, thanks to libraries provided directly by Redmond. This means that Windows Phone 8 now allows location-based apps like exercise trackers or navigation aids to run in the background, so they keep working even when you’re doing other things on your phone. 6. HTML5, C# (For Both Win 8 and Phone 8 Devs) and C++ (For Games Dev) - Now developers can write native code, as well as XNA, C#, and HTML5. You can also now use the full Microsoft .NET suite instead of the previous Compact Framework. 7. Enterprise Hub (Custom App for internal information) 8. Enterprise Private App Store - Companies can create their own Windows Phone 8 Hub for custom employee apps and other critical business info. Follow more news about Windows Phone 8 here or check out the Windows Phone team blog to find out more new features!

After all our participants’ hard work last weekend, our judges too, have worked very hard this whole afternoon to decide on the top 10 apps submitted for the competition. There were a total of 47 apps submitted (many of which were really awesome), and our judges had a to make very difficult choices today to decide the winners. A special mention award was specially created too! Once again, the prizes include: - Dell Inspiron 14R Special Edition Laptop (1st prize) - Nokia Lumia 900 (2nd prize) - Xbox 360 4GB Kinect Bundle (3rd prize) - Limited Edition Microsoft Arc Mouse (4th-10th prize) Prizes are awarded to each member of the winning team (up to two members per team). We will also be notifying potential developers for free consultation sessions with our Premier Field Engineers, and also free and priority access into our Windows Store. Results will be revealed from 21 June 2012 (Thursday) 12pm onwards. Top 10 List ...

Dream Build Launch is a campaign for local developers in Singapore working on Windows 8 platform. We hold regular events, competitions, hackathon, workshops, trainings and more for the community. Our very first Dream Build Launch event kicked off last Saturday morning, with 150 enthusiastic developers working together to build a Windows 8 application within 24 hours. The theme this year is I <3 SG. We had 3 talks to lead developers into the development process. First, a Metro design crash course by our Developer Evangelist, Chun Siong, on how to create an appealing looking application for users quickly. The next two talks were hands-on sessions on how to create Windows 8 apps using HTML5/Javascipt and C# and XAML. Here are some highlights from the Hackathon: [caption id=“attachment_9813” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Our very own Terence, talking about the big prizes we are giving out to winners of the hackathon!”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9815” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“WIndows 8 Developers listening intently to the introduction and rules of the hackathon”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9820” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“The HTML5 and Javascript track for WIndows 8 development by our Audience Marketing Manager - Alex”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9812” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Our participants hacking away into the night!”][/caption] We had a special challenge to encourage our hardworking developers who were cracking code throughout the event. If they could get more than 100 points on Fruit Ninja, they would be able to win a free $10 Starbucks card, kindly sponsored by our very own ninja. [caption id=“attachment_9816” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“As a coffee break surprise, we had a special appearance by our very own ninja! Are you better than him at Fruit Ninja?”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9822” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“The ultimate showdown between ninjas begins”][/caption] Night fell.. but we still saw crowds of people staying behind to work on their apps! [caption id=“attachment_9819” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“It’s 3am at night.. and they’ve still got so much energy! Amazing.”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9818” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Taking a short nap before going at it again.”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9817” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“Deep in team discussions!”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9814” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“One of our friends from Japan, Masa Morishita, sleeps and dreams about Javascript for Windows 8 development!”][/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9821” align=“alignnone” width=“610” caption=“At the testing station with Windows 8 Tablet devices to test applications before submission”][/caption] 50 new applications in various categories (games / food / travel / quizzes / history) were submitted for this Hackathon and we are psyched to reveal the winners soon! It’s great to see so many of our developers talking to each other and having fun hacking. We hope that you managed to make new friends and had tonnes of fun at the event as well! Remember to join our Windows 8 Singapore Developer community on Facebook and keep yourselves apprised of the latest news here at Spiffy!

In a recent global study by Swedish telco equipment maker Ericsson, Singaporeans ranked first in the world when it came to the percentage of Internet users owning smartphones. The city-state also came in second in tablet ownership, with almost one in three people here owning a tablet device. With this high user penetration rate, it seems that Windows Surface, a tablet designed to run Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT operating systems, will be a device of interest to many local users. [youtube]http://youtu.be/dpzu3HM2CIo[/youtube] How shiny is this. Software and UI It’s no surprise industry experts have been speculating on the release of a Windows tablet since the recent release of Windows 8. With its extremely touchscreen-friendly UI, it was clearly designed for use on touch-sensitive devices. Surface comes in two flavours: RT and Pro. The RT version runs only Metro apps - suitable for light users familiar with Apple’s iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab, while the Pro version runs the full OS of the Windows 8 desktop. According to Gizmodo, the RT version will launch alongside Windows 8, and the Ivy Bridge Pro version available 90 days later. It is also important to note that the Pro version behaves more like a full-feature computer than a typical tablet, a trait sure to be elaborated on in future marketing releases. Features Originally released as a large-screen interface for “tables, counters or walls” (the original website for Surface has already been taken down), Windows Surface has gone portable. In a nutshell, Surface is 9.3mm to 13.5mm thin, has a kickstand for easy display and weighs in at 0.68kg to 0.9kg. The casing is made out of VaporMg (a fancy term for magnesium, really) and its screen is optically bonded, a feature Microsoft says was specifically engineered. If you like going into the nitty gritty, the official spec sheet can be found here. Type Cover However, the most exciting accessory has to be the Surface’s magnetic 3mm Type Cover. It doubles as a full, extremely thin keyboard with a touchpad, allowing the Surface to have all the functionality of a full laptop without the dreaded bulk. This is a big point for me in particular, because I feel like I still need my physical keyboard around - I hate typing on a screen. It’s an illness, I know. With a built-in accelerometer, Type Cover prevents unwanted input when folded and can also detect contact points with a high degree of sensitivity so simply resting fingers on the Type Cover won’t result in any input. Cost One crucial point yet to be revealed with the Windows Surface is its price planning. Although Microsoft has stated that prices will be “competitive”, it remains to be seen whether the Surface will be a hit, but I think it’s one of the most recent promising announcements by Microsoft to date. To keep yourself up to date on the latest developments for the Windows Surface tablet, click here.

Listen up to Raymond on what his gonna present at Microsoft Cloud Summit 2012, July 4. Remember to reserve yourself a seat HERE.