Making IT Happen

This afternoon, I was at the Paramount Theatre on Richmond St. in Toronto for the Microsoft TechNet Innovations Tour 2005.

This was truly innovative for the Canadian TechNet team. We got the spiel on new technologies like Windows Vista (confident, clear, and connected) and cool new toys in mobile computing ( Rick Claus sported a really neat hardware beta version iPAQ combination cell phone, digital camera, digital video recorder and Pocket PC with the most recent Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system).

But there was also time for fun. Get this. Popcorn and a soft drink. A free viewing of Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (I have to disagree with my son who liked it, but thought that Nightmare Before Christmas was still the better flick). Previews of the forthcoming Xbox 360 and a whole suite of trailers of games developed for the new platform.

I tell ya, Microsoft puts on a good show!

What are the take homes? For an IT Manager with a perspective on what’s possible, Vista is something we’ll look at in about two year’s time. In mobile computing, RPC over HTTPS is the biggest technology I want to research and investigate. I’d really like to have that running by the time I attend the Windows Connections conference in San Diego. XBox 360? My boys and I will love it, but I don’t see it in my office ;>)