New Devices Build a Wireless Entertainment Bridge Throughout the Home

The Media Center Extender with DVD Player (DMA2200) from Linksys, a division of Cisco, is an elegant solution that combines an upscaling DVD player with a dual-band Wireless-N Extender for Windows Media Center. It allows consumers to enhance their entertainment systems by teaming Extender for Media Center functionality with DVD playback capabilities in a single device. For consumers seeking a smaller form factor, Linksys will also offer the Media Center Extender (DMA2100), which delivers all the appealing features of Extender for Windows Media Center in a compact dual-band Wireless-N solution that is ideal for spaces, such as bedrooms, that call for a smaller device footprint. These new Linksys Media Center Extenders give consumers easy access to their HD television content, digital music and digital photos using just one remote control, and feature both digital and optical audio outputs that enable consumers to utilize their existing custom audio systems. They will be available for consumers to purchase in the U.S. this November at estimated street prices of $349.99 and $299.99, respectively. More information is available at http://www.linksys.com/mce.

The D-Link DSM-750 MediaLounge HD Media Center Extender is housed in a sleek, 17-inch, black aluminum chassis, and connects to the home network using Ethernet or dual-band draft Wireless-N networking to make it easy to enjoy the Windows Media Center experience with friends and family on a home entertainment center. The DSM-750 lets customers enjoy HD videos with resolutions of up to 1080i; supports Windows Media Video (WMV), DivX, and XVid formats; and includes a USB 2.0 port for instant access to music, photos and videos stored on removable USB flash drives or hard drives. The suggested retail price for the device is $349.99 (U.S.).

The HP MediaSmart LCD HDTV, currently available in 42-inch and 47-inch sizes, will support Extender for Windows Media Center technology through an optional software download, expected to be available in early 2008. The MediaSmart TVs support 1080p video, 802.11n wireless, and DivX, XVid, WMV and other video formats — delivering all the compelling features of the Media Center Extender platform incorporated directly into a TV. Although existing MediaSmart users can already access photos, music, videos and movies by simply connecting their TV to their wired or wireless home network, Media Extender functionality will provide them with a new set of enhanced features — such as controlling live TV and accessing Windows Media Center Internet TV — all easily accessible using their TV remote control. The HP MediaSmart TV is available in Best Buy stores nationwide, and through a wide range of audio/visual specialty stores throughout the country.

Designed for the high-end home theater enthusiast, the Niveus Media Extender - EDGE offers a high-fidelity experience, uncompromised 1080p video, digital audio and the same amazing 3-D user interface found on the award-winning Niveus Media Center. Additionally, the Niveus Media Extender features the proprietary Niveus Glacier Passive Cooling System for cool and quiet performance and a sleek and stylish audio/visual form factor. The Niveus Media Extender - EDGE is expected to be available in early November. Pricing has not yet been announced.

On the morning of Sept. 28, 2007, U.S. users of Windows Vista Home Premium edition and Windows Vista Ultimate edition will find a new feature inside Media Center: the beta release of Internet TV. This new feature will allow people to enjoy a range of television and video content on their PCs and TV sets without a TV tuner in their PC. This streaming video content will be supported by an advertising platform provided by YuMe and will be available to viewers for free.*

The content available in Internet TV comes from MSN Video, with more than 100 hours available at the start of the beta period, including the following:

• Full episodes of TV shows such as the critically acclaimed “Arrested Development”

• Full-length music concerts by artists such as Chris Cornell, Snoop Dogg, Elton John, Pink, John Mayer and the Pussycat Dolls

• High-quality movie trailers from major movie studios

• The latest news segments from MSNBC

• Sports clips from FOX Sports

Internet TV has been designed for both the TV and PC screen, and features high-quality video optimized for broadband streaming. Viewers can enjoy these high-quality videos on Extenders for Windows Media Center, including Xbox 360® consoles, as well as PCs running Windows Media Center in Windows Vista (available in Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate).

Microsoft’s efforts toward satisfying its Live Search customers can be grouped into a few key areas:

• Over fourfold increase in index size. Nearly 20 percent of customer challenges came from the long tail of the Web, indicating a need for broader coverage to help ensure that the right results can be returned for the highest percentage of queries. The new Live Search has exceeded the goal of quadrupling its range of coverage, setting a foundation that will enable it continue to keep pace with the growth of the Web.

• Substantial improvements in understanding queryintent. The new Live Search does a much better job in predicting the intent of the query to return the best results possible. New investments improve the search service’s ability to read and understand queries in a way that more accurately determines intent despite common problems such as spelling errors, stop words, punctuation and synonyms.

• Significant enhancements to core algorithms.The new Live Search has incorporated more user click-stream data to inform ranking and relevancy processes, yielding more relevant results across queries.

• Increased focus on query refinement. Intelligence in the back end designed to help customers arrive at improved query suggestions helps Live Search deliver the best results, even making proactive changes to the query in cases where the engine is confident of the customer’s intent.

• New Web data extraction model. Core search innovation enables Microsoft to build rich vertical experiences that update on the fly. This technology extracts information from across the Web on products (including ratings and reviews); businesses (including locations, contact information, photos, hours of operation, ratings and reviews); celebrities (including buzz, images and videos); and more.

• Expansion of Rich Answers. Based on user feedback that sometimes people are just looking for a specific fact or answer, Live Search’s improved Answers platform provides specialized responses to queries about specific areas such as weather, images, celebrities and entertainment, sports, stocks, Yellow Pages, maps or quick facts from Encarta®. This specialized content has been more deeply integrated into the main search experience to add to custom searches such as images and mapping.

Additional improvements to the service include a new, cleaner user interface that makes the results pages easier to read and use; a more robust Answers platform that provides instant access to information from trusted sources while increasing relevancy; and organization of results pages based on the high-interest search verticals of entertainment, shopping, local and health on one page.

High-Interest Verticals

With up to 40 percent of searches falling into the categories of entertainment, shopping, health and local search, the new Live Search has made deep investments to deliver specialized content presented in a compelling way across these key vertical search areas:

• Entertainment. Helps customers stay informed on the latest entertainment news with celebrity instant answers accompanied by images and a new video search feature that offers smart motion previews, facts and buzz and new xRank celebrity ranking.

• Shopping. Helps customers easily find and discover products along with reviews, guides, prices and other relevant information.

• Health. New health search functionality intuitively organizes and surfaces the most relevant online health content from trusted sources, allowing consumers to refine searches faster and with more accuracy.

• Local. Allows customers to search local business listings for help with making informed decisions based on rich details and reviews.

With improvements across the core search experience and infrastructure as well as new experiences and specialized content in key, high-interest vertical areas, the new Live Search puts in place a platform that enables Microsoft to keep pace with customer demand and continue to deliver new and innovative search experiences across a range of scenarios and devices. An early example of these new experiences is the mobile search client, a Software plus Services implementation for the mobile phone that puts the power of the Live Search service in the palm of the hand. Speech-based search combines powerful speech-recognition software on the mobile phone with the Live Search service over the Internet. There is still plenty of room for innovation, and Live Search is well poised to lead in this arena.

Microsoft Corp's ... "Halo 3" video game set an opening-day U.S. sales record of $170 million, outdoing any video game or movie debut and giving the company's money-losing entertainment unit a strong boost toward profitability.

The battle of titans between Microsoft Corp. and Google Inc. over the future of the Internet is about to get even hotter.

Microsoft is in talks to buy a minority stake in the popular social-networking Web site Facebook Inc., a sign of a new urgency by the software giant to jump-start its online business at a time when Google is widening its lead in the fast-growing Internet-advertising business. As part of its catch-up program, Microsoft also has quietly granted broad powers to an executive recently hired from outside the company, who is expected to help shake up the software giant's online business.

Microsoft in recent weeks approached Facebook with proposals to invest in the startup that could value the fast-growing site at $10 billion or higher, said people familiar with the matter. If those talks bear fruit, Microsoft could purchase a stake of up to 5% in the closely held startup, at a cost in the range of $300 million to $500 million, the people said.

Microsoft Corp ... began selling "Halo 3" on Tuesday, hoping the acclaimed alien shooter game will widen its lead over Sony Corp ... in the battle for industry dominance.

Some game enthusiasts lined up before dawn at a Best Buy store on New York's Fifth Avenue to grab a good seat for the launch extravaganza while others took advantage of the retailer's offer to let them pay for a copy of the game and pick it up at midnight or the next day.

Microsoft isn’t the only one questioning whether a Google-DoubleClick merger would be good for advertisers and consumers.

During a panel on “The Changing Landscape” at the MiXX 2007 Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) conference in New York on September 24, Yahoo and WPP Plc representatives joined a Microsoft official in voicing their worries about the $3 billion proposed deal.

The Macintosh Business Unit (Mac BU) at Microsoft Corp. today announced at the Apple Expo in Paris its product lineup for the upcoming Microsoft® Office 2008 for Mac release. The flagship product, Office 2008 for Mac, is the core suite that includes Microsoft Office Word 2008, Microsoft Office Excel® 2008, Microsoft Office PowerPoint® 2008 and Microsoft Office Entourage® 2008 for exceptional productivity on the Mac. A new combination for Mac users is Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition, which features the Office 2008 applications together with the Microsoft Expression® Media digital asset management system. Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition is geared toward professional users who need Microsoft Exchange Server support and Automator tools and are looking for one product to meet their productivity and digital asset management needs. Completing the product lineup is Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition, a specially priced version for users with basic productivity needs.

All versions of Office 2008 for Mac support the new Open XML file format and are Universal applications that will perform natively on Power PC- and Intel-based Macs. Each version will be available in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Swedish, and, for the first time, in the Nordic languages (Danish, Finnish and Norwegian). ...

Delivering the Industry Standard

Office 2008 for Mac features a leading suite of applications that Mac customers rely on to get their work completed with Word 2008, Excel 2008, PowerPoint 2008, Entourage 2008 and Microsoft Messenger for Mac. Mac users can simplify their day by using powerful new tools and easily located classic Office for Mac features.

As showcased at Macworld Expo 2007, Office 2008 for Mac is designed to help users get more from their Macs by making key functions accessible through a more intuitive design and by introducing smart features such as Ledger Sheets in Excel 2008, My Day with Entourage 2008, Publishing Layout View in Word 2008 and SmartArt graphics in PowerPoint 2008 that are simple to use and yield powerful results. Entourage 2008 also features improved Windows® Exchange Server support, with enhanced reliability and functionality. ...

A Suite to Meet Every Need

The Mac BU will offer two versions in addition to Office 2008 for Mac that meet distinct user needs:

• Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition features the complete Office 2008 for Mac productivity suite specially packaged with a full version of Microsoft Expression Media for Mac to empower the media-savvy Mac user with smart digital asset management tools. Expression Media is a powerful and customizable image management software application for importing, annotating, organizing, archiving, searching and distributing users’ ever-growing collections of digital files.

• Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition provides the basics of Office 2008 for Mac for home and school users. This version includes three user licenses for use by consumers and students but does not include connectivity to Microsoft Exchange Server or support for automated workflows.

Pricing, Availability and Technology Guarantee

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac will be available in the United States beginning Jan. 15, 2008, with global general availability in the first quarter of 2008. There also are specially priced upgrade versions for legally licensed users of previous versions.

• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, $399.95 (U.S.)* for the full retail version; $239.95 (U.S.)* for the upgrade version

• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition, $149.95 (U.S.)* for the full retail version

• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition, $499.95 (U.S.)* for the full retail version; $299.95 (U.S.)* for the upgrade version*

Today also marks the start of the technology guarantee program that allows customers in select regions who purchase qualifying Office 2004 for Mac product(s) to upgrade to a version of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac for only the cost of shipping, handling and applicable taxes. More information about the program specifics in various regions is available at local Office for Mac Web sites.

Microsoft Corp. and Kenwood Corp. have signed a patent cross-license agreement to further the development of each company’s current and future product lines, which will expand technological innovation and enhance the overall customer and consumer experience.

The agreement, recently signed by representatives of both companies at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash., expands the relationship between Kenwood and Microsoft to promote the exchange of information and the incorporation of patented technologies in car navigation systems and other consumer electronics products.

Starting tonight “Halo® 3,” the final chapter of Microsoft Corp.’s epic video game trilogy, finally goes on sale around the world. By the end of the week, fans in 37 countries will be playing the game Wired magazine recently called “a cultural touchstone, a Star Wars for the thumb stick generation.”

In the United States, more than 10,000 retailers across the country are opening their doors at midnight tonight solely to sell copies of the game and accompanying Xbox 360® consoles and accessories. With nary a pirate, a spider or a wand in sight, day-one sales of the highly anticipated video game are expected to shatter entertainment sales records and top the biggest entertainment launches of all time. ...

The conclusion of “Halo 2” left unanswered questions around the fates of the beloved protagonist Master Chief™ and his artificial intelligence sidekick Cortana® as they struggle to save humankind from destruction at the hands of the alien coalition known as the Covenant. The legions of dedicated fans lining the streets tonight are waiting for the chance to be among the first to own the coveted final chapter in the “Halo” trilogy and unearth the well-kept secrets of the storyline. ...

Developed by Bungie Studios, the “Halo” franchise is exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and optimized for the Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network. The more than 7 million Xbox LIVE users will get a continually evolving gaming experience with “Halo 3” and its online multiplayer and cooperative gameplay for Xbox LIVE Gold users, the much-talked-about Saved Films feature that enables players to capture and save their favorite moments on their hard drives, and Forge, an innovative map editor that enables infinite customization options. ...

Regional Marquee Events and Global Celebration

More than 10,000 retailers are planning events and opening their doors at midnight to celebrate this third installment in the billion-dollar franchise. In New York, Seattle, Miami and Los Angeles, Microsoft and retail partners are hosting marquee launch events that will feature contests and appearances by local celebrities and celebrities and professional athletes who are fanatical about the “Halo” franchise.

The marquee launch events will be held at the following stores:

• New York: Best Buy, 529 5th Ave, New York, N.Y. 10017
• Seattle: Best Buy, 457 120th Ave NE, Bellevue, Wash. 98005
• Los Angeles: GameStop, 1000 Universal Studios Blvd, Universal City, Calif. 91608
• Miami: Circuit City, 8575 Northwest 13th Terrace, Miami, Fla. 33126

A list of retail outlets opening at 12:01 a.m. can be found at http://www.xbox.com/unitetofight.

More than 1.5 million copies of “Halo 3” have been sold before a single store opens its doors at midnight, making this the fasting pre-selling game in history, surpassing the previous record-setting pre-sales of “Halo 2.” Well beyond just a U.S. phenomenon, the launch of “Halo 3” is a worldwide celebration that is releasing in 37 countries and available in 17 languages.

Made exclusively for Xbox 360, “Halo 3” will be made available in three versions: Standard Edition at $59.99 (U.S. ERP*), Limited Edition for $69.99 (U.S. ERP*), and the ultimate collector’s item, the Legendary Edition at $129.99 (U.S. ERP*). The Legendary Edition will be released in limited quantities and arrive in a highly collectible Spartan helmet case, along with two bonus discs full of exclusive content. The Limited Edition will ship in a sleek metal collector’s case and include the first bonus disc found in the Legendary Edition, as well as a special “Halo” fiction and art book. And for those who crave nothing more than the highly anticipated third chapter to one of the greatest gaming trilogies of all time, the Standard Edition will consist of the “Halo 3” game.

In November 2004 the world’s view of video games changed forever with the release of “Halo 2,” which generated a record-setting $125 million (U.S.) in sales within the first 24 hours and changed the way people think about interactive entertainment. Three years later, it remains the most-played game on Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE online gaming and entertainment network, with nearly 1 billion hours of online gaming logged to date.

Microsoft Corp. said Sunday it has added 20 new advertising clients since the acquisition of online ad company aQuantive closed six weeks ago. ...

Microsoft said SmartBrief, Reunion.com and Entrepreneur.com are among the sites that have signed on to use Web advertising management tools it acquired when it bought aQuantive.

Ballmer's salary was up slightly, to $620,000, from $616,667 the year before. Overall, his combined salary and bonus of $1.27 million for fiscal 2007 was up 31 percent from fiscal 2006. Ballmer still owns more than 4 percent of the company, according to the filing, and he doesn't take stock options or stock awards as part of his compensation.

Microsoft Corp. confirmed Friday the company will send an executive to testify at a Senate hearing to be held next week on rival Google Inc.'s proposed acquisition of online advertising company DoubleClick.

Microsoft Corp. announced today that Timothy Chen has resigned as head of Microsoft Greater China Region and that the company has begun a global search for his successor. In the interim, Ya-Qin Zhang, Corporate Vice President and Chairman of Microsoft’s China Research & Development Group, will lead the business as the region’s acting Chief Executive Officer. Zhang, who will retain his current duties overseeing an organization of 1,500 employees, will be supported by the Microsoft GCR leadership team, a group representing decades of industry leadership experience. Zhang will also work closely with Jean-Philippe Courtois, President of Microsoft International, to ensure a smooth transition. Chen will assume a new leadership role outside of the IT industry.