Announcing Silverlight 3

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Already the download links are live for the Developer Runtime Beta of Silverlight 3, the SDK, documentation, and the Silverlight 3 Tools Beta 1 for Visual Studio 2008 SP1.  In the new version of this technology, RIA developers will have more tools to work faster with new graphics, animation, and 3-D features and more than 60 new controls. There’s added support for the H.264 video format, deep linking, better SEO support, and new hardware-based graphics acceleration and animation features. Silverlight 3 will also allow developers to create lightweight web apps that can exist outside the browser, which should definitely lead to some interesting scenarios.

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Today, Silverlight is in use on a number of major websites including AOL, eBay, BSkyB, Netflix, CBS Sports Online, the European Commission, CareerBuilder.com, Samsung Electronics Co., and Yahoo! Japan. Microsoft, of course, has deployed the technology on 200+ products and sites like Microsoft.com, MSN, Live Search, Windows Live, Microsoft Office Online, Virtual Earth and the new Silverlight-based WorldWide Telescope application.