other improvements.The reductions are to coincide with the late March release of Vista Service Pack 1, a collection of security fixes and other improvements. Microsoft said the new prices will apply to the Home Premium and Ultimate versions of Vista, in both their full editions and the editions that upgrade an older or more basic operating system. Both versions serve the tiny percentage of users who install an operating system on their own; most people get the latest version of Windows only when they buy a new PC. Windows Vista's January 2007 launch was plagued by delays. To keep consumers buying PCs in the holiday season of 2006, Microsoft and PC makers promised free Vista upgrades later to shoppers who bought Windows XP computers. At the launch, Microsoft was widely criticized for offering too many versions of the operating system - including Home Basic, which didn't have the snazzy new signature look called "Aero" - and for setting the price too high for the high-end versions. Brad Brooks, a corporate vice president for Windows marketing at Microsoft, said in an interview that the company has since tested lower prices and found "product was moving much, much faster." Brooks said he expects so many customers to buy Vista at the new prices that the price cuts will increase Microsoft's revenue, not subtract from it. A federal judge recently said consumers could pursue a class action suit against Microsoft for labeling PCs as "Vista Capable," even though many were not powerful enough to run all of Vista's features, including the Aero interface. That realization apparently caused computer makers like Dell Inc. to worry that people would stop buying PCs for almost a year - until Vista launched. The e-mails also showed Microsoft lowering the bar for "Vista Capable" to protect Intel Corp.'s sales of some widely used chips that weren't powerful enough for the full Vista experience.Microsoft employee Anantha Kancherla was particularly blunt in his March 2006 response to a question about whether a certain PC configuration would be considered "Vista Capable." According to the e-mails, Jim Allchin, the executive in charge of Windows at the time, wasn't involved in the decision to brand a wide swath of XP computers as "Vista Capable." Upon learning the details, Allchin wrote, "We really botched this."Source
Friday, February 29, 2008
Boxed Vista price reduced by Microsoft...!!!
Microsoft Corp. will cut the price of some versions of Windows Vista, the software maker said late Thursday.The move came a day after court filings revealed internal dissent over which Windows XP computers would be considered capable of running the new operating system - and a feeling on at least one executive's part that the company had "botched" the marketing of computers as "Vista Capable." Only copies of the year-old operating system that are sold in boxes directly to consumers are affected by the price cuts - not the versions pre-loaded on personal computers. The cuts will range from 20 percent to 48 percent.The reductions are to coincide with the late March release of Vista Service Pack 1, a collection of security fixes and 
other improvements.The reductions are to coincide with the late March release of Vista Service Pack 1, a collection of security fixes and other improvements. Microsoft said the new prices will apply to the Home Premium and Ultimate versions of Vista, in both their full editions and the editions that upgrade an older or more basic operating system. Both versions serve the tiny percentage of users who install an operating system on their own; most people get the latest version of Windows only when they buy a new PC. Windows Vista's January 2007 launch was plagued by delays. To keep consumers buying PCs in the holiday season of 2006, Microsoft and PC makers promised free Vista upgrades later to shoppers who bought Windows XP computers. At the launch, Microsoft was widely criticized for offering too many versions of the operating system - including Home Basic, which didn't have the snazzy new signature look called "Aero" - and for setting the price too high for the high-end versions. Brad Brooks, a corporate vice president for Windows marketing at Microsoft, said in an interview that the company has since tested lower prices and found "product was moving much, much faster." Brooks said he expects so many customers to buy Vista at the new prices that the price cuts will increase Microsoft's revenue, not subtract from it. A federal judge recently said consumers could pursue a class action suit against Microsoft for labeling PCs as "Vista Capable," even though many were not powerful enough to run all of Vista's features, including the Aero interface. That realization apparently caused computer makers like Dell Inc. to worry that people would stop buying PCs for almost a year - until Vista launched. The e-mails also showed Microsoft lowering the bar for "Vista Capable" to protect Intel Corp.'s sales of some widely used chips that weren't powerful enough for the full Vista experience.Microsoft employee Anantha Kancherla was particularly blunt in his March 2006 response to a question about whether a certain PC configuration would be considered "Vista Capable." According to the e-mails, Jim Allchin, the executive in charge of Windows at the time, wasn't involved in the decision to brand a wide swath of XP computers as "Vista Capable." Upon learning the details, Allchin wrote, "We really botched this."Source
other improvements.The reductions are to coincide with the late March release of Vista Service Pack 1, a collection of security fixes and other improvements. Microsoft said the new prices will apply to the Home Premium and Ultimate versions of Vista, in both their full editions and the editions that upgrade an older or more basic operating system. Both versions serve the tiny percentage of users who install an operating system on their own; most people get the latest version of Windows only when they buy a new PC. Windows Vista's January 2007 launch was plagued by delays. To keep consumers buying PCs in the holiday season of 2006, Microsoft and PC makers promised free Vista upgrades later to shoppers who bought Windows XP computers. At the launch, Microsoft was widely criticized for offering too many versions of the operating system - including Home Basic, which didn't have the snazzy new signature look called "Aero" - and for setting the price too high for the high-end versions. Brad Brooks, a corporate vice president for Windows marketing at Microsoft, said in an interview that the company has since tested lower prices and found "product was moving much, much faster." Brooks said he expects so many customers to buy Vista at the new prices that the price cuts will increase Microsoft's revenue, not subtract from it. A federal judge recently said consumers could pursue a class action suit against Microsoft for labeling PCs as "Vista Capable," even though many were not powerful enough to run all of Vista's features, including the Aero interface. That realization apparently caused computer makers like Dell Inc. to worry that people would stop buying PCs for almost a year - until Vista launched. The e-mails also showed Microsoft lowering the bar for "Vista Capable" to protect Intel Corp.'s sales of some widely used chips that weren't powerful enough for the full Vista experience.Microsoft employee Anantha Kancherla was particularly blunt in his March 2006 response to a question about whether a certain PC configuration would be considered "Vista Capable." According to the e-mails, Jim Allchin, the executive in charge of Windows at the time, wasn't involved in the decision to brand a wide swath of XP computers as "Vista Capable." Upon learning the details, Allchin wrote, "We really botched this."Source
Aspire 2920 NB unveiled by ACER.....
Acer has launched its 12.1-inches ultra-portable consumer notebook "Aspire 2920" in India."Aspire 2920" is part of the Gemstone series, and sports a Ceramic-finish Pearl Grey interior along with a holographic Satin-finish cover. Importantly, it supports a dual independent display, giving users a choice to use both Linux and Vista Home Premium operating systems. The notebook is powered by Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processor T9300, and supports mobile GM965 Express chipset and Wireless WiFi Link network solution.
It has a 12.1-inches WXGA CrystalBrite TFT LCD display, 160GB HDD, and 2GB RAM system memory, and comes with a Web cam, DVD writer, and battery life of up to three-and-a-half hours. With Acer's ePowerManagement, users can choose optimum settings to extend battery time.
Meanwhile, Acer SignalUp and GridVista technologies make for dependable wireless connectivity, and optimized feature-driven display management. The "Aspire 2920" also features Acer CrystalBrite technology and Dolby Certified Sound System for 7.1-channel surround sound, with connectivity options including Gigabit LAN, WLAN, and Bluetooth.
The notebook is available in major cities across the country with the Linux model priced at Rs 37,115 and the Vista Home Premium model available for Rs 40,615.Source
Thursday, February 28, 2008
A $1.3 billion Fine on Microsoft........!!!!!!
The European Union (EU) has imposed a fine of 899 million ($1.3 billion) on Microsoft for its non-compliance with a 2004 antitrust order. The fine is the largest ever to have been imposed on a single firm, and brings the total levied by the EU on Microsoft to about 1.7 billion ($2.46 billion) in the past four years.
This decision comes as Microsoft has continued to abuse its powerful market position after the EU's March 2004 decision requiring it to change its practices. An investigation into the company's behavior was triggered by a 1998 complaint by Sun Microsystems. It alleged Microsoft was refusing to supply information that servers needed to be able to work with Windows. This information was eventually made available to rivals, but at unreasonable prices -- which rendered the offer of the information pointless. According to Neelie Kroes, European Commissioner for Competition Policy, "Microsoft's behavior did not just harm a few individuals or a handful of big companies... directly and indirectly this had negative effects on millions of offices of companies and governments around the world."
This is the third time in four years that EU has imposed fines or penalties on Microsoft. The first fine was for the abuse itself everything up until March 2004. In July 2006, another penalty was imposed for non-delivery of complete and accurate interoperability information. And now, the penalty is for unreasonable royalty rates up until October 2007.
Kroes said the European Commission's being forced to levy these three fines reflects a clear disregard by Microsoft of its legal obligations, and that the fine is a reasonable response to a series of quite unreasonable actions.
After three years of allegedly illegal behavior, it appears that Microsoft has finally come into compliance with the 2004 decision. But the company is still not completely in the clear: last month, the EU launched a fresh probe into issues relating to MS Office and Internet Explorer.
So is this a lot of money? Actually, we hear that this much money equals two weeks' free cash flow for Microsoft; analysts say this is a drop in the ocean for them. You don't call them M$ without reason.Source
This decision comes as Microsoft has continued to abuse its powerful market position after the EU's March 2004 decision requiring it to change its practices. An investigation into the company's behavior was triggered by a 1998 complaint by Sun Microsystems. It alleged Microsoft was refusing to supply information that servers needed to be able to work with Windows. This information was eventually made available to rivals, but at unreasonable prices -- which rendered the offer of the information pointless. According to Neelie Kroes, European Commissioner for Competition Policy, "Microsoft's behavior did not just harm a few individuals or a handful of big companies... directly and indirectly this had negative effects on millions of offices of companies and governments around the world."This is the third time in four years that EU has imposed fines or penalties on Microsoft. The first fine was for the abuse itself everything up until March 2004. In July 2006, another penalty was imposed for non-delivery of complete and accurate interoperability information. And now, the penalty is for unreasonable royalty rates up until October 2007.
Kroes said the European Commission's being forced to levy these three fines reflects a clear disregard by Microsoft of its legal obligations, and that the fine is a reasonable response to a series of quite unreasonable actions.
After three years of allegedly illegal behavior, it appears that Microsoft has finally come into compliance with the 2004 decision. But the company is still not completely in the clear: last month, the EU launched a fresh probe into issues relating to MS Office and Internet Explorer.
So is this a lot of money? Actually, we hear that this much money equals two weeks' free cash flow for Microsoft; analysts say this is a drop in the ocean for them. You don't call them M$ without reason.Source
Ultra Portable Projector by BenQ
BenQ has launched a new DLP Projector – the BenQ CP220C, the size of a B5 sheet of paper, designed for portability.
The BenQ CP220C projects at native XGA (1024 X 768) resolution and features a brightness of 2000 ANSI lumens with a contrast ratio of 700:1. BenQ's color matching technology ensures that the color quality of the projected image matches with the color displayed on the notebook's screen. Real time Auto-Keystone technology, Carl Zeiss lens etc. are few of the goodies that make up the projector. It also has an off-and-go function which enables the projector to cool off quickly.
Ish Bawa, Marcom Head, BenQ India, said, "There is a growing trend of "mobile" office in industries such as media, HR and finance, which involves senior level executives to travel and make presentations to the audiences out of their offices. Hence, there has been an emerging demand for products that are portable and easy-to-carry. BenQ's CP220C series of portable projectors is an ideal solution to cater to the needs of such professionals."
The new projector will be available at BenQ IT zones and through BenQ dealers at Rs. 58,990.Source
The BenQ CP220C projects at native XGA (1024 X 768) resolution and features a brightness of 2000 ANSI lumens with a contrast ratio of 700:1. BenQ's color matching technology ensures that the color quality of the projected image matches with the color displayed on the notebook's screen. Real time Auto-Keystone technology, Carl Zeiss lens etc. are few of the goodies that make up the projector. It also has an off-and-go function which enables the projector to cool off quickly.Ish Bawa, Marcom Head, BenQ India, said, "There is a growing trend of "mobile" office in industries such as media, HR and finance, which involves senior level executives to travel and make presentations to the audiences out of their offices. Hence, there has been an emerging demand for products that are portable and easy-to-carry. BenQ's CP220C series of portable projectors is an ideal solution to cater to the needs of such professionals."
The new projector will be available at BenQ IT zones and through BenQ dealers at Rs. 58,990.Source
Lite-On and Philips introduce first External Blu-Ray disc Drive
With Blu-ray Disc now the clear victor in the high-definition format war, those cautious about buying hardware can spend with ease. Those with home theater PCs or laptops will be pleased to learn that Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions (PLDS) will be soon releasing its first USB external BD-ROM drive in Q2 2008. “Due to recent market developments we can expect an increasing volume of movies to be released in high definition on Blu-ray Discs,” said Jelmer Veldman, European Marketing Manager at PLDS. “The market adoption of Blu-ray as the optical disc standard for High Definition content results in a growing demand for Blu-ray playback solutions. The portable external Lite-On BD-ROM drive allows users to playback their Blu-ray discs on any PC via a USB 2.0 cable.”
The upcoming model, designated the Lite-On DX-4O1S can read Blu-ray Disc media at 4X, single-layer DVD at 12X, dual-layer DVD at 8X, and CD media at 32X maximum.
Those who prefer internal drives can find the Lite-On Blu-ray Disc drives for around $150.
Alternatively, HTPC addicts may consider the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive, now on clearance for $50 . While HD DVD may have limited future potential, the Xbox 360 add-on, which works with natively with Windows Vista, is an affordable option to view today’s high-definition content.Source
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