If you are an IT Professional, a new education tool introduced by Microsoft is the MS Desktop Player. Today we take a look at what it has to offer, from Webcasts, White Papers, Training Videos, and more.

Microsoft Desktop Player

You can run the player from the website (shown here) or download the application for use on your local machine (link below). It allows you to easily access MS training and information in a central interface.

To get the Desktop version, download the .msi file from the site…

And run through the installer…

When you first start out, enter in if you’re an IT Pro, Developer and your role.

Then you can decide on the resources you’re looking for such as Exchange Server, SharePoint, Windows 7, Security…etc.

Here is an example of checking out a Podcast on Office 2007 setup and configuration from TechNet radio.

Under Settings you can customize your search results and local resources. This helps you narrow down pertinent information for your needs.

If you find something you really like, hover the pointer over the screen and you can add it to your library, share it, send feedback, and check for additional resources.

If you don’t need items in your library they can be easily deleted.

Under the News tab you get previews of Microsoft news items, clicking on it will open the full article in a separate browser.

While you’re watching a presentation you can show or hide the details related to it.

Conclusion

Microsoft Desktop Player is currently in Beta, but has a lot of cool features to offer for your learning needs. You can easily find Podcasts, Webcasts, and more without having to browse all over the place. In our experience we didn’t notice any bugs, and what it offers so far works well. If you’re a geek who’s constantly browsing TechNet and other Microsoft learning sites, this helps keep everything consolidated in one app. 

Download Microsoft Desktop Player