Microsoft Principal Architect Evangelist Brian Loesgen speaks with Bryan Hall, co-founder of San Diego, CA-based startup Embarke. Bryan explains why they found in using the Azure platform compelling. Bryan shows the interfaces in the Embarke API, and shares best practices they learned along the way.

About Embarke

Embarke is the distribution center for all of your user's social conversations.  Your customers can initiate conversations with their contacts, regardless of which networks they're connected through. For example: One of your users could start a 4-way conversation with someone on Facebook, another in Email, and another on Twitter. None of those people would have to go anywhere special to be a part of that conversation.

Walker Fenton and Brian Reischl of Sepial Labs talk with ISV Architect Evangelist Bruce Kyle about why they chose Windows Azure to connect to the various phones. Brian explains how they used WCF using REST on Windows Azure. They do a demo of each phone using Azure to process messages across phone platforms using notifications. They show how you can sharie photos, videos, and locations.

For more information about the technologies used by Sepia Labs, see:

• Azure Table Encryption via Attribute
• REST on WCF
• Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone

About Glassboard

Glassboard is an app for sharing privately with groups (or 'boards' as we call them). With Glassboard you can message a group of people quickly & easily (looks like a text on your phone but it isn't!), share photos and videos, and even show your location when appropriate. Everything within a board is _completely_ private. Only the board chair can invite you to a board, and there is no way for someone not invited to search or discover a board. It's your own private corner of the Internet. 

Sepia Labs is a spinoff from NewsGator, from SharePoint partner of Social Sites.

In this episode, Steve and Wade talk about the newly released Windows Azure Toolkit for Social Games. The toolkit enables unique capabilities for social gaming prerequisites, such as storing user profiles, maintaining leader boards, in-app purchasing, and more. The toolkit also comes complete with reusable server side code and documentation, as well as Tankster, a new proof-of-concept game built with HTML5.

In the news:

• Microsoft Delivers New Cloud Tools and Solutions at the Worldwide Partner Conference
• Extending the Windows Azure Accelerator for Web Roles with PHP and MVC3
• Announcing: SQL Azure July 2011 Service Release
• Build Your Next Game with the Windows Azure Toolkit for Social Games
• Windows Azure Platform Management Portal Updates Now Available

Described as the “first search experience integrating the full Facebook firehose,” the new search engine will retrieve both fan page updates and links plus links from individual Facebook users whose updates are set to “Everyone.”

However, unlike other standalone Facebook search engines, user names and photos from Facebook users will not be displayed, and neither will the text included the status update. In fact, the only thing that will be retrieved is the link itself, in aggregate. It’s a nice way to retrieve the data from Facebook, without violating user privacy. 

The Bing homepage is also being tweaked now too to show the “trending topics” based on both the Twitter and Facebook data. When you click on a topic, you’re shown info about why it’s trending, results from social search and then query refiners.

These changes will roll out starting today, June 9th.

• SocialGrow
• Microsoft BizSpark
• Boston BizSpark Meetup
• Abby's Blog (The Hacker Chick Blog)

The Kin One and Kin Two devices don’t support an array of third-party applications like the more grown-up Windows Phones do. They aren’t designed for you to check your Exchange email or Outlook calendar, or collaborate with your work colleagues because these are kids phones.  

However, although there aren’t dedicated apps for social networking, the phones do allow for interacting with social media thanks to Kin’s integration of photos, videos, SMS messages, Twitter, MySpace and Facebook posts directly into the Kin UI (user interface). 

With Kin Loop, for example, you see an incoming stream of data from your friends which includes all of the above. And with Kin Spot you can push out your own media (again, photos, videos, maps, status updates, etc.) to your friends. Loop’s stream is prioritized by who you tag as your “favorite” friends, so you just see content relevant to you.

Kin Studio, the third major component to Kin devices, is a secure online service where your media is stored. It’s sort of like how Microsoft’s “MyPhone” web service functions except that the Studio feature is automatically syncing your content to the cloud straight out of the box. From the online Kin Studio service, you can browse your content and share it with others. 

Also included in the devices is Zune support. As with the Zune HD, Kin owners can sync their phones with Zune’s desktop software or can stream music via the Zune Pass service. An interesting note which some may have missed is that Kin phones will soon be able to sync with Mac computers, too: a Zune client for Mac arrives in May.

There are more features coming to Kin phones over time, but no word on what exactly those will be just yet. (We hope it’s a few games and IM, though.)

In the meantime, there’s a lot of info about the devices online at the newly launched Kin website here: kin.com.

In addition, the URL provides a way to build in social experiences around the file by enabling comments, tags, and related items to appear on the file’s “homepage.” As friends comment on the file in their web browser, the conversation becomes available in Windows, too. The file links that you want to share can also be distributed via Digg, Twitter, and Windows Live Messenger.

How it Works

Social Desktop runs as a local service that maps the user’s local data into a .NET service bus service, enabling local data to be accessible through firewalls. It also provides a web service view with built-in RSS event streams for any container. New data sources can be mapped into the URL hierarchy, enabling a distributed view to be built.

The preview of this application uses Silverlight web pages while the backend previews and files are stored on the web using Windows Azure. The software application runs on Windows 7 Beta where it takes advantage of the new OS’s file-preview functions.

Do You Want This? I Do!

The benefits to a system like this would be universal access as URLs can work on any device anywhere in the world. It also could radically simplify want still remains a difficulty even today – file sharing. But the social element is what’s most unique about the software. We already know that files can be socialized – we’ve seen this taking place today on sites like Slideshare (social slideshows) and video sharing sites, too. But imagine a platform where any file on your computer could become a social experience with little effort on your part (except, I hope, to mark some as private!).

Social Desktop goes far beyond any of today’s sync/file-sharing platforms that I’ve ever heard of as it truly meshes the machine to the web in a way that’s never been done before.

Unfortunately, the project is still in very early stages and is more of a “proof of concept.” That means it may or may not ever be released publically. Nooooo! Seriously? The web in your desktop?  I want this now!

Just recently, 8hands released the beta version of their desktop application which adds in some new features like the ability to respond to tweets, write on the walls of your Facebook friends, and accept friend requests.

Unfortunately, as noted on Download Squad, the app doesn’t allow you to turn off the update notification sounds, which for a lot of us is kind of a deal breaker. (Let’s hope that someone from the company takes note of this issue and makes the correction.) Another issue is the app’s long install which requires a reboot. Crazy! But - sigh - I guess that’s why they call it a “beta.”

If you’re feeling experimental – or just really want a new way to track your social networks from your desktop, you can give the download a try.  But it sounds like 8hands might be a better mobile app than it is desktop software.

Monday, October 27, Behind-the-scenes look at the sound of The Dark Knight (free), Egyptian Theater, Hollywood, 7:30 – red line to Hollywood and Highland.

Defending Our Lives and I Am a Promise ($5), Linwood Dunn Theater, Hollywood, doors open at 6:30 – red line to Hollywood and Vine, walk 4 blocks south to 1313 Vine St.

Tuesday, October 28, Lioness (free), Egyptian Theater – red line to Hollywood and Highland;

Black on Black (free, although RSVP requested at annenberg.usc.edu/rsvp), Annenberg Auditorium, 5 P.M. -- Take southbound commuter Express Bus 422 from stop in front of convention center at Pico and Figueroa -- bus terminates at Jefferson and Hoover, at USC campus.  Marked as “ASC” in grid square D4 on this map.

Thursday, October 30, world premiere of The Soloist ($25; $125) – red line to Hollywood and Vine; $25 screening held at Arclight Theater; $125 at Cinerama Dome next door, 7 P.M.

Q. & A. with Alexander Payne and screening of Election (free; although email visionandvoices@usc.edu to get instructions on how early to arrive to deal with first-come, first-served policy), room 108 of George Lucas Instructional Building, 7 P.M. – Take southbound commuter Express Bus 422 from stop in front of convention center at Pico and Figueroa -- bus terminates at Jefferson and Hoover, at USC campus.  Screening will take place in room 108 of George Lucas Instructional Building, marked as “LUC” in square 3D on this map.

The best part is that everyone is joining in!  You will find Badges available from the Conference, Product Groups, Sponsors and Attendees.  Find more details on collecting or creating your own Badges from Adam Kinney, the Badge Evangelist.

Disney Concert Hall, including the Redcat
Dave Brubeck Quartet ($36-99)
Milton Nascimento with Jobim Trio ($36-89)
Meredith Monk and Ann Hamilton ($30)
Heewon Kwon and Jeffrey Lavner recital at Colburn School (free)
(Take the red or purple lines to “Civic Center,” and walk uphill on Temple to Grand; to avoid the climb, take DASH Bus Route B)

The Smell (typically $5-10)
(Take the red or purple lines to “Civic Center”; walk south on Hill St. until you reach 2nd St. make a left and walk east for 2 ½ blocks until you pass an alley just west of Main St. the Smell entrance located in the alley, just north of 2nd).

Redwood Bar and Grill (cover charge: $0-$5)
(Take the red or purple lines to “Civic Center”; walk south on Hill St. until you reach 2nd St. make a left until you hit 316 W. 2nd)

7 Grand (music free)
(Blue, red, or purple line to 7th St./Metro Center; walk three blocks east to 515 7th St.)

The Wiltern (Against Me! $25 general admission)
(Purple line to Wilshire and Western)

2nd Street Jazz ($10 at tables, or 2-drink minimum sitting at bar)
(Red line to Civic Center; or DASH bus “Route A,” but only up until 6:30 P.M).

Knitting Factory (tickets $5-40)
Catalina Jazz Club ($10-40, plus 2-drink minimum; please note that even pedestrians enter through the parking garage behind the club, which looks like an office building from outside)
(Red line to Hollywood and Highland).

Hotel Cafe (tickets typically $10-15)
Amoeba Records (free)
(Red line to Sunset and Vine).

Patina (1 lunch course $9-26; 2 course prix fixe business lunch special $25; 1 dinner course $17-49;) – Take the red or purple lines to “Civic Center,” and walk uphill on Temple to Grand; to avoid the climb, take DASH Bus Route B)
  
Cafe Pinot (lunch entrees $17-30, dinner entrees $22-38), Water Grill (lunch entrees $25-46; dinner entrees $33-48), Checkers Downtown (lunch entrees $12-26; dinner entrees $15-32) , Cicada (dinner only, entrees from $23-42) -- red, purple or blue line to 7th St/Metro Center).

Wood Spoon (salads $8, sandwiches $8-10, Brazilian grill $11) – Take DASH Bus Route E to 9th St. and Los Angeles – walk west past Main and Spring St. to 107 W. 9th St.)

When you click into an article on Political Streams, you’ll see a snippet of text from the article’s start and a link to the source if you’re interested in reading the complete story. Beneath this text are charts and graphs that show the attention the people and places mentioned in that particular story have seen over time. On the right, you’ll also see links to related information like other articles on news sites and blogs as well as links to people and places. Those people and places are generated by leveraging the API from the online open database project, Freebase.

The Political Streams site was built on the Social Streams platform, a platform that mines the social web for data. BLEWS, an earlier project by Microsoft Research, was also built on this platform.

During their private beta, they tweaked several things, fixed bugs, and even decided to streamline the plugin a bit by removing the "organize" tab, instead choosing to focus on their core product's offerings - super-fast search and relationship management. Using Xobni, you have access to features like threaded conversations, analytics, user profiles, a "related people" feature, shared attachments, and other automatically extracted info - like phone numbers for your contacts. To get in on the Xobni public beta, just visit the Xobni homepage and sign up.