So... Let's talk about Windows Fiji... As the rule above imposed as a part of the Windows Omerta only applies to Microsoft employees, you and me can just about speculate about everything, including let's say... Windows Fiji.

If there still is any doubt left in your mind as to the association between Windows Fiji and the first service pack for Windows Vista, you can put it to rest. Windows Fiji is the codename for the upcoming release of Windows Media Center. And with Microsoft not disclosing any details and even gagging Charlie Owen, the product manager on the Media Center team that broke the news about Fiji, we are all left to speculate.

The big questions about Windows Fiji are what?, when?, how?. And let's try to tackle them all. First off, what will exactly constitute Windows Fiji? In order to answer this question, you have to know that all the prior releases of Windows Media Center with the exception of Diamond, the version bundled with Vista, were in fact Windows Out of Band products. And with Fiji, the Windows Media Center team is back at their old development system.

According to rumors, Windows Fiji will contain a set of fixes, updates and new functionality and features for Windows Media Center Diamond in Vista. Additionally, Windows Fiji is said to include a part of the updates that will ship with Windows Vista Service Pack 1. Windows Fiji has more chances to be an upgrade to the Windows Media Center component included in Vista, then to be the version included into Windows Seven.

And while this may answer the what? and the how?, it is time to turn for the when?. Considering that Windows Fiji will not to be included in Windows Seven that is due in 2009, Fiji will most likely follow the yearly timeframe of other Windows Media Center releases. In this context, Windows Fiji will be delivered either by the end of 2007 or in 2008.