While at Photokina, Microsoft’s Kostas Mallios took a moment to discuss the company’s efforts to help photographers solve problems. According to Mallios, Microsoft has been focusing on providing applications that help pros and advanced amateurs, such as Expression Media 2 (a professional asset management tool that comes bundled with Capture One).

Mallios also pointed to the investments Micorsoft is making to new ideas, such as Photosynth. He also discussed the Metadata Working Group:

The Metadata Working Group is dedicated to the preservation and seamless interoperability of digital media metadata and to interoperability and availability to all applications, devices, and services. When we started looking into some of the leading technology problems that digital photographers faced, we realized we needed to address the interoperability issues that still exist with metadata. For example, you may use metadata tags to rate your photos in Expression Media but if you use different applications, devices or services to process or share photos, that information may not be preserved. We knew we couldn’t solve the problem alone, so about a year ago Microsoft assembled leaders in the industry, including Adobe, Apple, Canon and Nikon to form a group with broad expertise. I’m pleased to say that Sony also recently joined us and that the group, led by Chairman Josh Weisberg of Microsoft, has already delivered its first metadata specifications.