14 DAY TRIAL // Happy New Year you little giant! The year 2006 was a pretty tough year for the software giant, with enormous problems caused by the antitrust case, the European Commission and by the huge fine imposed by the judge. So, we all hope that this new year will be a real success for the company, with no bugs, well-developed solutions and a brand new operating system. So, let's get directly to the weekly round-up and begin the countdown for Windows Vista.
On Monday, the first day of the new year, multiple users reported that Microsoft sent some expensive laptops along with Windows Vista to bloggers from around the world, many of them seeing this action as a bribery attempt to make these bloggers improve the company's image.
"Microsoft together with AMD gave out some timely Christmas presents (which are officially review PCs) to a bunch of bloggers this year. Brandon LeBlanc got one, Scott Beale got one, Mauricio Freitas got one, Mitch Denny got one, Zen.Heavengames got one, Barb Bowman got a media center, plus many other bloggers who has yet to receive it during the Christmas rush. They seem to have covered everyone from A-list to Z-list, a first in the industry with such a valuable gift, kudos for thinking about the little guys," said Long Zheng, one of the lucky bloggers. Some people said that the giant used this moment as the perfect time for sending bribery to improve its image, adding that Microsoft's attempt is inappropriate and immoral.
"Any blogger with pretensions of being considered an independent voice and a 'professional' in their field or even their attitude, not to mention a sense of ethics, should be returning this 'gift' laptop to Microsoft. On the other hand, any blogger who decides it's not just acceptable but "cool, gee, thanks!" for Microsoft to give them a free PC worth several thousands of dollars, may as well resign themselves to losing most of their credibility, at least when it comes to commentary on Microsoft and perhaps well beyond that (if readers start to ask themselves "I wonder what ~else~ so-and-so gets for free but doesn't tell us about?" said David Flynn, one of the indignant users.
On Tuesday, the giant confirmed the announcement made on December 22 when the company's representatives sustained that Microsoft wants to extend the Xbox 360's warranty from 90 days to 1 year. It seems like this fact was confirmed only if you decide to buy a game console from US and Canada shops, but the software giant wants to expand it into the entire world. This warranty allows users to repair their consoles at no cost if they encounter problems with the use of the Xbox 360.
"Customer satisfaction is a central focus and priority for the Xbox 360 system. In addition to jaw-dropping features such as high-definition graphics, an amazing catalog of over 160 games, and social online and entertainment experiences on Xbox Live, the Xbox 360 system now offers this extended warranty upgrade. It is truly the industry's most compelling home entertainment offering," said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of Global Marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft.
On Wednesday, Microsoft published a press release to offer more details about the press activities at the International Consumer Electronics Show that will start on January 8 in Vegas. "Admission to the keynote address will be granted to accredited members of the media and analysts on a first-come, first-served basis. Reporters and analysts must have their official CES badges and badge holders for admission to the keynote address. Credentials can be picked up in the CES press room at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), Room S229, between the Central and South halls. Attendees may pick up only their own badge. The doors to the keynote presentation will open at 5:30 p.m. Members of the media and analysts are encouraged to arrive at the theater well before the opening to help ensure their admission," the giant sustained.
The company's representatives also mentioned that members carrying bags must present their badge and - if required - to present the content of their bags. If you're a journalist and want to know more information about the upcoming event, you should check this page.
On Thursday, Microsoft released an interview with Microsoft Corporate Vice President Peter Pathe, one of the most important persons for the development of the Microsoft Word solution, a Microsoft employee that prepares to retire from his role at the company. Peter Pathe joined Microsoft in 1991 and received a role to develop the TrueType font system, making Word one of the most popular text processors in the entire internet world.
"Office 2007 features a new user interface design, and Word itself will feature a new menu design that makes it really easy to access the most commonly used commands. Users should be able to save quite a bit of time with the new layout. We've also really worked on the formatting capabilities in Word 2007. We have the new Quick Styles and Document Themes that help users to quickly change the appearance of text, tables and graphics throughout the entire document, and the new SmartArt diagrams and a new charting engine that make it pretty easy to create 3D graphics, transparencies, drop shadows and other effects," Peter Pathe said about the Microsoft Word 2007. If you want to read the entire interview with Peter Pathe published on the Microsoft's official webpage, you should follow this link.
On Friday, the software giant published a security advisory to inform users about the upcoming updates that are released as a part of the monthly patch cycle. As you may know, Microsoft encountered significant problems with some Word flaws that remained unpatched for a long period. The giant said in the advisory that the company aims to release multiple patches for critical vulnerabilities in Windows and Office as well as an updated version for the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.
"One Microsoft Security Bulletin affecting Microsoft Windows. The highest Maximum Severity rating for this is Critical. This update will be detectable using the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and the Enterprise Scan Tool. This update will require a restart. Three Microsoft Security Bulletins affecting Microsoft Office. The highest Maximum Severity rating for these is Critical. These updates will be detectable using the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer. These updates may require a restart," the giant sustained.
