Windows Vista is not only one of Microsoft's two top cash cows, but also the company's hero product when it comes down to Connected Lifestyle. With Windows Vista at the core, Microsoft has set up on an initiative designed to emphasize the crucial role of technology in connectivity scenarios. As the Redmond Company has stated in the past, the focus is now on the digital lifestyle, and in this sense, Bill Gates' original vision of Windows on every computer in every house has transformed into a Microsoft product into every room and into every home.

"But while technology is often viewed as an agent of separation - families isolated in different parts of the house listening to music and surfing the Internet, for example, or friends communicating only via e-mail - Microsoft is creating products that do just the opposite: help people build connections. How? By making it possible for people to connect with others in a way that's easy, fun, and fast, whether they live in the same house, across the country or even around the world from one another," Microsoft stated.

An example of the Microsoft view over connectivity as the backbone of a digital lifestyle is the "Bringing it to Life" flash house that the Redmond Company has built precisely to exemplify the upside of technology. And of course that Microsoft's other cash cow could not miss from the connectivity party. The Microsoft 2007 Office System seamlessly integrates with Windows Vista in a household environment also featuring Windows Home Server, Zune, Xbox, Windows Mobile and Xbox 360.

I would venture as far as to say that "Bringing it to Life" is Microsoft's ideal home for consumers. It has a couple of Windows Vista operating systems, a Windows Home Server, mobiles running Windows mobile, two Xbox 360 consoles; in short, well over $3,000. With this price tag, technology would better connect, in fact it could also help with a few chores around the house.

"In this realm of the connected lifestyle, people around the world use multiple products for the purposes of learning a new language, sharing photo albums or video clips of a baby's first steps, a birthday party, an anniversary and much more, collaborating on projects with others regardless of their location, or simply staying on top of the details in managing a household. Products already available that make those experiences possible include PCs running on Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, Windows Live services, the upcoming Windows Home Server, and the 2007 Microsoft Office system family of products that help people get more done at home," Microsoft added.