"Experience life outside the box!" is the slogan under which the Ultimate Extras for Windows Vista Ultimate edition, of course, were launched. But there is little outside the box. Four examples of Extras and not much more, just deserted Vista Ultimate space expecting to be filled with "programs, services, and premium content" designed exclusively for the high-end edition of Microsoft's latest operating system.

But instead of cutting-edge programs, innovative services and unique publications, the Ultimate extras team is giving nothing. Microsoft has abandoned the $399 Ultimate customers. Two weeks shy of five months of Windows Vista availability and the Ultimate Extras are a frail and superficial offer. Hold 'Em Poker Game and BitLocker and EFS Enhancements both launched in early January 2007, long before the operating system, and the Language Packs released concomitantly with Vista and Windows DreamScene delivered in March.

And yes, the Language Packs are indeed real fun! I mean tons of hours of continuous play with the language packs! Fun like you have never seen before, keeping you awake at night, hooked to your copy of Vista, no food, no water... Right, that was uncalled for, Language Packs are not that much fun... But BitLocker... Now that's fun! Nothing spells high-class entertainment like data encryption!

The bottom line is that the Ultimate Extras team has gone underground. Microsoft cannot expect Ultimate users to survive on a preview of Windows DreamScene with an outdated Content Pack and two Windows Vista wallpapers. For $399, Microsoft has to cough up palpable results.

But so far, all is dead on the Ultimate Extras front. Even the blog went quiet after mid March, and I have a feeling that silence from the Ultimate Extras team is not what Ultimate users want to "hear." But then again... Maybe the Windows Omerta affecting all details related to Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Seven has also gagged Ultimate Extras...