Red Zune 80GB and New Collection of Artwork Debut on Zune Originals

Responding to consumer excitement for the Zune 80GB, Microsoft Corp. is making the popular wireless digital media player available in red with Zune Originals, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Inspired by the themes of love and sharing, an exclusive collection of 20 new laser-engraved designs will be available to consumers for a limited time at ; in addition, Zune Marketplace will feature Valentine’s Day playlists that can be shared with friends or loved ones Zune to Zune or via the Zune Social online music community.

“Zune gives consumers a dynamic canvas that is brought to life by the music, pictures, videos and podcasts they fill it with,” said Scott Erickson, senior director of product management for Zune at Microsoft. “Zune Originals makes it easy to design a customized player, while wireless sharing and the Zune Social online music community give people new ways to connect.”

Zune Originals gives customers more options to personalize their player with 20 new designs celebrating love and sharing that can be laser-engraved on the back of their Zune. The new Valentine’s Day series features artwork from four new artist collectives — Colorblok, Friends With You, PSYOP and Studio Play Pretend — and is available exclusively at http://www.zuneoriginals.net through Feb. 14. Each new graphic can be paired with up to three lines of text, letting consumers add a personal message; if no graphic is chosen, up to five lines of text are available. For a limited time, Zune Originals also offers a gift-wrap option and shipping at no additional charge.* With the addition of the Valentine’s Day series, customers can now choose from more than 65 designs, to create a custom wireless player in the size and color they want.

The Zune Marketplace online store makes it easy to load the Zune player with favorite love songs that can be shared wirelessly Zune to Zune or with friends via Zune Social. To find their perfect Valentine’s Day soundtrack, consumers can browse playlists such as “Hip Hop Valentine,” “80s Love,” “Broken Love,” and “Talk to Me, Barry,” love jams from the legendary Barry White featuring spoken introductions. Zune software also makes it easy for people to create their own playlists in seconds by simply dragging and dropping songs to the playlist icon.

With a bright 3.2-inch screen and premium in-ear noise-isolating headphones, the red Zune 80GB is the latest addition to the new line of Zune wireless players, which also includes the slim, ultra-portable Zune 4GB and Zune 8GB, available in pink, green, black and red. All three models offer wireless sync and sharing, a built-in FM tuner, and the new Zune Pad, a touch-sensitive navigation button that lets people fly through menus or lists with the flick of the thumb, or click to easily change songs or adjust the volume. The Zune 80GB (estimated retail price $249), Zune 8GB (ERP $199) and Zune 4GB (ERP $149) are available at retailers nationwide and at

More information on great Zune Valentine’s Day offers from Zune Originals and retailers nationwide is available at http://www.zune.net/valentines.

About Zune

Zune is Microsoft’s music and entertainment brand that provides an integrated digital entertainment experience. The Zune platform includes a line of wireless digital media players, the Zune Marketplace online store, and Zune Social online music community. Zune is part of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division and supports the company’s software-based services vision to help drive innovation in the digital entertainment space. More information can be found online at http://www.zune.net/en-us/press.

About Microsoft

Microsoft and JVC Enter Into Patent Cross-Licensing Agreement to Foster Mutual Innovation and Collaboration

Microsoft Corp. and Victor Company of Japan Ltd. (JVC) have signed a patent cross-licensing agreement to further the development of each company’s current and future product lines, which will expand technological innovation and enhance the overall customer and consumer experience.

The agreement, recently signed by representatives of both companies, expands the relationship between JVC and Microsoft to promote the exchange of valuable information and the incorporation of patented technologies in their respective products. The agreement covers a broad range of consumer products each company manufactures and sells. Although the contents of the agreement, including the specific financial terms, are confidential, the parties indicated that Microsoft is being compensated by JVC.

“When technological industry leaders collaborate through intellectual property licensing, we foster greater innovation that will benefit the customer, the consumer and the overall IT ecosystem,” said Horacio Gutierrez, vice president of intellectual property and licensing at Microsoft. “We are proud of the quality of our broad, global patent portfolio, and we look forward to continuing to work with JVC and other industry leaders to develop new and exciting technologies through our collaborative licensing program.”

Recently, Microsoft’s patent portfolio was given the top quality rating in the IT industry by two of the leading independent patent quality rating systems.

“This agreement strengthens the long-standing collaborative relationship between the two companies,” said Tetsuro Fuse, associate director and general manager of intellectual property at JVC. “We are pleased that both companies recognize and respect the value of their respective patent portfolio and expect that this will further contribute to the development of high-quality and excellent products and services provided by both companies.”

Microsoft’s Commitment to Licensing Technology

The licensing agreement is another example of the important role intellectual property (IP) plays in ensuring a healthy and vibrant IT ecosystem. Since Microsoft launched its IP licensing program in December 2003, the company has entered into more than 200 licensing agreements and continues to develop programs that make it possible for customers, partners and competitors to access its IP portfolio. The program was developed to open up access to Microsoft’s significant research and development investments and its growing, broad patent and IP portfolio. In the past year, Microsoft has entered into similar agreements with Fuji Xerox Co. Ltd., Kenwood Corp., Kyocera Mita Corp., LG Electronics, NEC Corp., Nortel Networks, Novell Inc., Olympus Corp., Samsung and Seiko Epson Corp.

Start Simplifying Your Work: Office 2008 for Mac Hits Shelves Today

Microsoft Corp.’s Macintosh Business Unit (Mac BU) today announced the official availability of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac at the Macworld Conference & Expo 2008. Office 2008 for Mac is significantly enhanced to provide a simplified user experience that helps beginners and longtime experts alike deliver professional documents that are compatible for co-workers and friends on Macs and PCs. The suite provides the Office tools Mac users rely on, with a Mac-like approach and style. In addition to Office 2008, the Mac BU Web site, Mactopia, features a dramatic transformation to provide an even more resourceful hub for all things Mac BU.

“We developed Office 2008 for Mac as a comprehensive productivity suite that also helps people simplify their work,” said Craig Eisler, general manager of the Mac BU at Microsoft. “To complement the deep set of new and improved features, we redesigned the interface so that it is truly easier to use. Even Office beginners can create great-looking documents very quickly. And, at the core, we focused on delivering reliable compatibility so that users can confidently share documents across platforms.”

“Office 2008 is the latest in a long line of great Office for Mac releases that get better with every version,” said Ron Okamoto, vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations at Apple Computer Inc. “It has many new features that help you work faster and with more ease, and Mac users will also love how seamless it is to share Office 2008 files with PC users.”

Key to Compatibility: Keeping Mac and PC Users Connected

Mac users require the ability to share their documents with confidence; they also need a consistent look to their output on both PCs and Macs. Office 2008 for Mac is the most compatible suite on the market, sharing core technologies with the 2007 Office system such as Open XML File Formats and the graphics engine, OfficeArt, to ensure consistency in graphics rendering when they are shared. Office 2008 for Mac is also compatible with earlier file formats so that users can continue to use the older DOC, XLS and PPT binary formats. The updated suite is Universal and runs natively on Intel- and Power PC-based Macs.

Office 2008 also makes great strides to meet the needs of users in cross-platform organizations. The most complete Exchange client on the Mac, Entourage 2008 in Office 2008 for Mac and Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition delivers improved reliability and time management tools with updates for calendar management and Out of Office Assistant to keep users connected and productive. IT managers also will benefit from new tools for customized deployment.

Increased Discoverability: The Tools You Need When You Need Them

Office 2008 for Mac offers a streamlined and intuitive new user interface that lets users immediately jump in and start working. The updated suite keeps the traditional drop-down menus but adds the new Elements Gallery row of tools in Word, Excel and PowerPoint to unlock the power of Office. With the Elements Gallery, key features and functions are more discoverable and accessible so that users can efficiently tackle their work with the tools they need right at their fingertips. An example of the content in the Elements Gallery is Document Elements in Word 2008, which provides a thumbnail catalog of content and functions that simplify some common yet tedious tasks, such as inserting a table of contents or producing a professional-looking cover page.

Throughout the suite, users will find a revamped Toolbox that is now a true one-stop destination to find some of the most useful tools in Office for Mac: the Object Palette, Animation Settings and the new Citations function, which makes it a cinch to create citations and bibliographies. The Toolbox also features the contextual Formatting Palette, which adjusts its content for each application to truly make it more intuitive to create great-looking documents.

In addition, the new stand-alone My Day application allows users to track professional and personal priorities to stay on top of daily activities regardless of which application they are working in. Although My Day is connected to Entourage, users do not have to open the application to get a quick look at the day’s tasks, upcoming meetings and items on their To-Do List. When users do enter Entourage, they will enjoy a new simplified interface where they can customize the Toolbar, color-code their calendar appointments and easily add travel time to meetings.

Grows With You: The Perfect Product for Every User

For a casual or seasoned user, Office 2008 for Mac provides the right tools to complete any project. Excel 2008 is a prime example, with new features for all users, even those with “grid fear.” Ledger Sheets provide beginners with the prebuilt worksheets they need to easily master budgets, invoices and financial portfolios. Formula Builder walks users through the steps needed to confidently create accurate formulas. Advanced users can take on PivotTables and benefit from Formula AutoComplete, a drop-down menu that provides a variety of computation options. For power users, Excel 2008 introduces increased rows and columns that match the Windows-based 2007 Office system to ensure that users on Macs and PCs will have access to up to 16,000 columns and more than 1 million rows.

PowerPoint 2008 and Word 2008 both feature new design elements that give users as much help as they need. In either application, users can choose to start with a blank canvas or select from hundreds of new templates and themes to give their work a jump-start to polished perfection.

Professional Output: Your Ideas Look as Good as They Are

When ideas look good, they get the attention they deserve, and Office 2008 for Mac delivers new tools and functionality to create great-looking charts, graphics and professional documents with ease. A key component is SmartArt Graphics, another suitewide feature providing a wide range of professionally designed graphics that can be added to any document, spreadsheet or slide show with just the click of a button.

Publishing Layout View in Word 2008 is a new specialized work space where users can simply create and edit layout-rich documents. Newsletters, fliers and brochures are a snap to design with layout tools such as Zoom Loupe and color-coded, linked text boxes to flow columns of copy between pages. Updates to Notebook Layout View will help students stay organized with quick note-taking capabilities that let them search and flag relevant information.

PowerPoint 2008 is also packed with tools that produce professional-looking results. The new Thumbnail View provides a side navigation pane that makes it easier to ensure design consistency while improving the flow of slides. The Object Palette offers quick access to shapes, art, symbols and pictures, including iPhoto images, while Dynamic Guides help users quickly align text and graphics for a crisp, clean slide design. The improved Presenter Tools in PowerPoint 2008 become even more useful, now featuring both elapsed and actual time indicators for greater control over timing and pacing. And to help share slides on-the-go, new integration with iPhoto lets users share professional presentations from a Mac to an iPod by saving as a PNG or JPG file.

Even data can impress with new graphic capabilities in Excel. Excel 2008’s Building Charts utilize the new OfficeArt graphics engine, giving users a helpful tool to create polished, modern charts and modify their look and feel with a single mouse-click.

MediaCart, Microsoft and Wakefern Team Up to Deliver Next-Generation Digital Grocery Shopping and Ad Experience

MediaCart Holdings, Microsoft Corp. and Wakefern Food Corporation announced today, at the National Retail Federation’s 97th Annual Convention & Expo, that Wakefern plans to pilot MediaCart’s next-generation computerized shopping carts for potential rollout to all ShopRite stores. The early pilot, conducted with Wakefern in its ShopRite stores, provided insights from both the consumer and retailer perspective that were adopted in the next-generation product. The nine-month pilot with Wakefern began in the spring of 2007. Microsoft’s Atlas Division will provide video ad serving on the MediaCart grocery cart screen, providing advertisers with the opportunity to reach shoppers at the point of purchase, and providing ShopRite customers with a more personalized shopping experience.

“In working with companies like MediaCart, we’re continuing to push the envelope in the digital advertising realm to enable new and innovative ways for advertisers and agencies to create brand loyalty and engage with their target audiences in a highly relevant, measurable and targeted way,” said Scott Ferris, general manager of the Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group at Microsoft. “Digital advertising opportunities are expanding rapidly into new areas, as many of consumers’ daily activities, such as shopping, become increasingly ‘connected,’ and Microsoft is committed to working with advertisers and agencies to take advantage of these opportunities as they unfold.”

By using Microsoft technologies, the MediaCart solution will enable anonymous ad targeting through data obtained through ShopRite’s customer loyalty card program. A shopper would scan his or her card at the MediaCart, and receive ads and promotional offers based on past purchases and/or saved shopping lists that could be uploaded from a home PC. No personally identifiable information will be shared with Microsoft, MediaCart or any advertiser as part of the ad serving process. The technology will also provide advertisers with reporting and analytics capabilities to assess performance of the ads in the stores.

In addition to the advertising shoppers will receive, they will also be able to save time and money with MediaCart-equipped shopping carts by obtaining electronic coupons, locating products in the store, performing comparative price checks, viewing store specials in aisle as they shop, viewing recipes and nutritional information, shopping using an electronic shopping list that is presented in aisle order, totaling the cost of the items in their baskets before checkout, and expediting the checkout using the cart-level checkout feature. This enhanced shopping experience helps differentiate ShopRite in the marketplace and drives brand and customer loyalty.

“Through the powerful combination of Microsoft and MediaCart, we are providing our customers with a cutting-edge shopping experience, unmatched in the industry,” said Joseph Colalillo, chairman and CEO of Wakefern. “This is an exciting step in our ongoing commitment to meet and exceed the needs of our shoppers and stores.”

“With its strong technology leadership and shopper loyalty programs, ShopRite stores are ideal for the MediaCart system, which can further leverage the valuable shopper data to improve shopper communications,” said David Brice, chairman and CEO of MediaCart. “We look forward to fulfilling agreements that utilize Wakefern’s extensive retail experience and Microsoft’s best-in-class advertising technology to take our shopping cart systems to a new level in their stores.”

In addition to Microsoft’s Atlas technologies, the MediaCart solution is also built on Microsoft Windows CE and Microsoft SQL Server. Trials of the MediaCart solution are expected to begin in ShopRite stores in the second half of 2008.

MSN Direct Expands Navigation Offering With Leading Partners

LAS VEGAS — Jan. 7, 2008 — Today at the 2008 International CES, Microsoft Corp. announced the availability of the newest version of the MSN Direct service, an update of its location-based service for personal navigation devices. MSN Direct will now provide increased functionality that enables customers to integrate their device with Live Search Maps, as well as receive enhanced location-specific information.

Microsoft also announced it is expanding its footprint in the navigation market by working for the first time with a host of manufacturers including Alpine Electronics Inc., dmedia System Co. Ltd., Goodyear, Pioneer Electronics Inc. and StreetDeck. Garmin Ltd., MSN Direct’s original navigation partner, also announced that it will expand its MSN Direct-enabled product line in 2008. In addition, Avis Rent a Car System LLC announced that MSN Direct-enabled devices from Garmin will be available to its national fleet of rental cars this spring.

“In this past year we have seen a tremendous response to the MSN Direct service from many top leaders in the navigation industry — ranging from personal navigation device-makers and in-car system manufacturers to the top brands in the rental car field,” said Eric Lang, general manager of the MSN Direct initiative at Microsoft. “This strong interest is indicative of the always-on, timely information that customers are craving while they are on the go. We know the types of information that consumers want, and we are pleased to provide a way for our partners to continue to innovate their existing product lines and bring added value through MSN Direct.”

MSN Direct Equips Consumers With Location-Specific Information on the Go

With this latest version of MSN Direct, a new Send to GPS functionality enables customers to select and save destinations using Live Search Maps and send to personal navigation devices enabled with the latest version of the service. Customers can receive information on stock prices, local events, news headlines and weather. The service also provides enhanced movie details, gas prices and expanded traffic information for the U.S. and Canada. Specifically, MSN Direct has added traffic information for the Canadian cities of Toronto, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Montreal; expanded coverage in Fort Pierce, Fla.; Olympia, Wash.; and Fort Collins, Colo.; and will soon enhance coverage in Kansas City, Mo.; and Boston and Cape Cod, Mass.*

Microsoft Showcases New Products From Alpine, Garmin and StreetDeck

Alpine Electronics’ new, portable PND-K3msn provides fast, accurate and easy-to-use navigation guidance for the U.S. and Canada and will be available in spring 2008 for an estimated retail price of $650 (U.S).** As a device enabled with the latest version of MSN Direct, it is equipped with instant up-to-date information, including current stock prices, information on local events, news headlines, and enhanced movie details and showtimes, in addition to traffic information, gas prices and weather.

The Garmin^® nüvi^® 780 and Garmin nüvi 880 with MSN Direct will be released in spring 2008, and will be available for $799.99 (U.S.)** and $999.99**. Both devices include the MSN Direct receiver out of the box. Also new to Garmin’s lineup, the Garmin nüvi 5000 is MSN Direct-enabled and the receiver is sold separately. The Garmin nüvi 5000 will be available for $799.99 (U.S.)** in the spring. With the new Send to GPS functionality, customers can select and save destinations using Live Search Maps and then access the information on their MSN Direct-enabled personal navigation devices. These new devices intelligently route drivers based on the latest traffic conditions while conveniently displaying information on the latest news, local events, weather, gas prices, movies and more.

“The enhanced capabilities of the MSN Direct network combined with our navigation devices give power to people on the go,” said Cliff Pemble, president and chief operating officer of Garmin. “Whether users are dodging traffic jams or checking out the stock market, MSN Direct provides valuable, timely information.”

StreetDeck announced plans to integrate a touch-screen interface with MSN Direct in a new Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) as an aftermarket, MSN Direct-enabled navigation unit. Designed to reduce driver distraction and leverage the power and convenience of UMPC, the touch-screen interface allows for simple navigation and access to information through MSN Direct.

Windows Home Server Breaks Ground on New Features, Expands Into More Homes Worldwide

LAS VEGAS — Jan. 7, 2008 — Attendees of this week’s 2008 International CES will be introduced to Windows Home Server Power Pack 1. The new software delivers a range of enhancements for customers who have embraced Windows Home Server since its launch last November, helping them protect, organize and share their digital photos, music, videos and documents.

Microsoft Corp. is committed to continually enhancing the capabilities and benefits of Windows Home Server for partners and consumers. With Power Pack 1, the Windows Home Server Connector software for home computers is compatible with 64-bit editions of Windows Vista. This update release also provides a new way to protect data, in case of a disaster such as a fire or theft, by enabling the backup of a home server to external storage. In addition, Power Pack 1 improves its remote access features by providing a simple way to upload multiple files, presenting photo thumbnail views and enabling more control of remote user access.

With Power Pack 1, power consumption of Windows Home Server is more efficient, complementing the power management capabilities in Windows Home Server-based hardware products such as the Fujitsu Siemens Computers SCALEO Home Server and Tranquil Home Servers. Power Pack 1 also adds support for the Chinese and Japanese languages, and will be available to customers automatically in spring 2008 through Windows Update.

Broadcom and Microsoft Collaborate on Next-Generation IPTV System-on-a-Chip

LAS VEGAS — Jan. 6, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. and Broadcom Corporation today announced a collaboration in Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) products. The collaboration includes Microsoft and Broadcom working together to enable the popular Microsoft Mediaroom™ IPTV client software to operate on next-generation set-top boxes (STBs) utilizing the Broadcom^® BCM7405 system on a chip (SOC).This technology will permit service providers and original equipment manufacturers to support a range of features such as whole-home digital video recording (DVR), high-performance user interfaces, and photo and music sharing.

The new alliance with Broadcom exemplifies the continued commitment by Microsoft and its ecosystem partners to deliver market leadership and innovation to Microsoft Mediaroom customers and to make new connected TV services a reality for service providers worldwide. Working together, Microsoft and Broadcom are leveraging the capabilities of the BCM7405 SOC to further enhance the performance of Microsoft’s Mediaroom platform in support of next-generation service provider requirements.

“We’re providing our Microsoft Mediaroom customers with innovative connected TV services that help differentiate them in the marketplace,” said Christine Heckart, general manager of marketing for Microsoft TV. “Broadcom’s high-performing chipsets provide our customers with greater choice while allowing us to deliver new, richer TV applications.”

In support of these new connected TV services, Broadcom and Microsoft are also working to help ensure the highest level of security functionality on this new platform. This is especially important in deployments where multiple conditional access technologies must be supported, such as in Europe.

“BT is very happy to see Broadcom join the Microsoft Mediaroom ecosystem of suppliers,” said Richard Griffiths, director of Technology Strategy and Development at BT Vision, a customer of Microsoft. “The [BCM]7405 SOC will enable us to offer our customers even more powerful applications and services on their TV through the BT Vision V-box.”

“We are very pleased to be working with Microsoft on this important collaboration,” said Richard Nelson, vice president of marketing for Broadcom’s Broadband Communications Group. “Microsoft is driving the movement toward exciting and connected TV experiences, and we see increased synergy between the breadth of Broadcom product offerings and what Microsoft wants to enable within the whole-home DVR environment and beyond.”

BCM74xx series SOCs from Broadcom can also be embedded into other consumer devices to allow users to choose from a variety of IPTV-ready receivers such as HD DVD players and television sets. This creates more opportunities to experience connected TV through other devices and services.

“This relationship demonstrates how Microsoft Mediaroom ecosystem partners continue to drive innovation across the television industry,” said Michelle Abraham, principal analyst at In-Stat. “The combination of the Microsoft and Broadcom SOC will be especially attractive to service providers who want to stay ahead of the competition in delivering highly innovative connected TV services.”

About Broadcom’s BCM7405 System-on-a-Chip Solution

Broadcom’s highly integrated low-power 65 nanometer solution leverages Broadcom’s proven track record and market leadership in set-top box technologies to deliver unprecedented levels of performance, system security and cost savings. It supports the latest in interactive features and a wide range of video compression standards (such as VC-1 and H.264), and includes support for new video compression standards such as China’s AVS. It offers support for multiple conditional access and digital rights management solutions, including Windows Media Digital Rights Management 10 and Mediaroom security requirements. The BCM7405 can decode and display simultaneous high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) video with picture-in-picture and mosaic support. Multiple planes of HD graphics, powerful content security, and support for peripherals including USB 2.0, SATA II, Ethernet and HDMI 1.3 are provided. A 64-bit 400 MHz multimode DDR2 controller is also provided, as is support for NOR and NAND flash.