The Redmond company announced that following an agreement with Tutor.com, customers of Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008 will automatically receive on top of the suite access to online on-demand tutoring. Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008 went live towards the end of June. The company's latest edition of the homework productivity software offers students not only Encarta Premium 2008, but also Microsoft Math 2.0, Graphing Calculator, Step-by-Step Equation Solver, Equation Library, Learning Essentials 2.0 for Students and Foreign language help. The suite began being available for sale in July for just under $50.

"We believe Tutor.com provides an excellent complementary educational resource to Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008," said Dave Brooks, product manager for the Microsoft Education Products Group at Microsoft. "Sometimes students require help that only a live, on-demand expert is capable of providing, and this alliance will give students an increased opportunity for academic success overall."

"We are pleased to announce Microsoft Corp. as one of the first among many alliances we're forming with like-minded education companies that are providing students with the help they need to succeed in school," said George Cigale, the founder and CEO of Tutor.com. "Through sales of educational products such as Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008 and other similar programs, Tutor.com expects to give away a million dollars of on-demand tutoring this fall to ensure that students can experience the power of having a professional tutor available the minute they need help."

Purchasing an edition of Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008 online or from a retailer will come with the added bonus of 75 minutes of free live online, one-to-one tutoring courtesy of Tutor.com. Students will be able to access no less than 1,300 tutors across the United States and Canada and get help in addition to the resources included in the Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008.