“I’ve read alot of speculation on the blogs, I’ve read what some of the reporters are writing up and, while it’s awesome stuff and I love to read it, I can tell you that when those folks show up – I think even they’re going to be surprised.  We have alot of big announcements related to services at PDC.  We’ll be announcing a comprehensive services platform.  That’s gonna be some big, paradigm-shifting news – not only for Microsoft, but I think also for the industry.”

Of course, the upcoming release of the next Windows operating system release – dubbed Windows 7 – will no doubt be a highlight at the conference.  Swanson states that there will be over twenty sessions dedicated to Windows 7.

In addition, developers can typically expect to have some free swag thrown their way at PDC and this year will be no different.  In years’ past, one of the most unique offerings to attendees has been a multi-disc set of software, exclusive content, developers tools (for online, OS and mobile development) and more.  Just as an example, the amount of majoritively-exclusive content presented to attendees at PDC2005 was in the 35gb-range.  This year, there’s going to be a whole lot more.  Enough, in fact, that they didn’t even bother with trying to put all that content on DVDs.  Instead, they opted for a sleek, PDC-branded Western Digital 160gb external hard drive.

It appears as though there’s gonna be plenty of announcements coming our way October 26-30th.

Channel 9 Source Video:

How, you ask? By loading open-source, Linux-based firmware on an old, spare router (there are plenty of compatible makes/models) and subsequently converting it into a wireless repeater bridge.

Once you’ve got the firmware loaded and configured all of the necessary settings, you can place your wireless router anywhere you’d like and then plug those old PCs into the network switch component of the router.

The DD-WRT firmware, when properly loaded, can super-charge your existing router giving you the type of features and functionality you’d normally find in a much higher-priced, enterprise-level router.

Interested in learning more about the DD-WRT firmware project? Check out some tutorials currently available on the project’s wiki or find out how you can assist in further developing the project; or, just dive right in and start installing the firmware now. Once you’ve messed around with it, drop us a line and let us and our other readers know what you’ve done.

(By the way, there’s always a risk when it comes to loading unsupported 3rd-party firmware on your devices. Just be careful, follow the directions and you should be fine. Similar free and/or open-source router firmware projects include OpenWRT and Tomato.)

Hey, Microsoft couldn’t let Google steal all the headlines for an entire week, right? (See “Chrome.”) What better way to steal some than to drop the price of one of their most popular hardware releases ever? Effective September 5th, the Xbox 360 Arcade will be available for $199, the 360 console for $299 and the 360 Elite for $399. Here’s some details from the official press release:

Imagine if friends and families had the ability to instantly watch movies from Netflix, live out their musical fantasies through “Rock Band 2″ and “Lips”, star in their own Hollywood classics with “You’re in the Movies,” or have the power to never miss the latest episode of “Heroes” – all from one device, starting at $199. That device is Xbox 360, and Microsoft Corp. today announced it will offer the gaming and entertainment console, which offers the leading Xbox LIVE service, at a new low price in the United States.