Microsoft Offers Free Windows Vista Support To Small Businesses
Amid lagging Windows Vista sales and deployments among businesses, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) is embarking on one of its largest free support ventures in recent memory. It is launching a new program aimed at convincing small businesses that the company’s newest client operating system doesn’t deserve the reputation it got during its shaky launch.
“We’ve got work to do about bridging a perception gap in the market among non-users,” Greg Amrofell, small business product manager for Windows, said in an interview. “We think we can turn people around.”
Microsoft announced the program, called Small Business Assurance, at its annual Worldwide Partner Conference in Houston on Tuesday. As part of the program, the company will offer free “deep technical” support — albeit only temporarily and only by phone — and a deployment planning Web site to companies with less than 50 employees or less than 25 PCs that upgrade to Windows Vista Business or Ultimate between July 1 and Sept. 30.
Along with the free support, which will run through the end of October, Microsoft is launching a Web site that it says is aimed at “dispelling myths” about Microsoft Vista, a possible indication that Vista is still struggling to gain acceptance among small businesses. The site will highlight small business Vista case studies and offer updates on where Microsoft is with Windows Vista today to combat lingering fears that the operating system has incompatibility or stability problems, as it did upon release.
Another new site, the Windows Vista Compatibility Center, will continue to update customers and partners with a list of products and devices compatible with Windows Vista.
According to Amrofell, there are still lingering concerns, especially among small businesses holding off on upgrades, that Vista is unstable or has incompatibility problems. Others tell Microsoft that “this just looks like a prettier version of Windows XP.” Those perceptions are exactly what Microsoft wants to combat, and the company is pushing the support and Web site do just that.
The Web site will make note of the work Microsoft has done on Windows Vista. For example, according to Microsoft, 99% of the applications that major market research firms track are now compatible with Vista, including all major small business apps. Also, Vista is seeing 60% fewer malware attacks than did Windows XP SP2 after its release. “We’re just not sure if small businesses know that yet,” Amrofell said. “Folks may not even realize that we’ve shipped Service Pack 1″ for Vista.
The temporary nature of Microsoft’s program could lead to fleeting gains and headaches or even feelings of a raw deal for small businesses that miss out. Customers will have to go back to their more traditional support through hardware makers, resellers, or local consultants once the program ends in October, and that means again paying up. Microsoft doesn’t even know how much of the “myth dispelling” information will remain online once the program’s time is up.
Anil Ambani group offers to talk with Reliance Industries
Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-ADAG) on Monday said it was open to meeting officials at Reliance Industries (RIL) to clarify any doubts on consolidation talks with South African telecom giant MTN.
It, however, added that RIL, led by Mukesh Ambani, “spurned” the offer to meet July 14, and sent a third letter threatening legal action on the issue.
The group “offers to meet RIL in the week of 14 July to clarify any doubts”, the company said in a point-wise statement issued Monday. “Meeting not part of conciliation” or “dispute resolution mechanism”, it said in a 10-point statement.
The statement also said “RIL has within hours spurned our offer to meet in the week of 14 July,” adding: “RIL has today written (a) third letter threatening legal action.”
“RIL’s mala fides stand clearly established”.
Reliance Industries officials, however, were not available for comment.
R-ADAG-promoted Reliance Communications (R-Com) is engaged in a complicated consolidation talks with MTN that could make the combined entity worth about $70 billion.
RIL has contested the negotiations, saying under a family pact signed between the two brothers on early January 2006, RIL had the first right of refusal to buy controlling stake in RCom should they be sold.
On its part, R-ADAG has challenged this contention, saying the 2006 pact was signed only by RIL officials, and that too, illegally.
Webroot Spy Sweeper - Windows
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Acer Offer - Extensa Laptop with Intel® Celeron® Processor 550
This laptop features an integrated double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW drive so you can enjoy a wide variety of media. The built-in wireless LAN lets you connect to your local network or to area hotspots.
Product Features
- Intel® Celeron® mobile processor 550 with 533MHz frontside bus, 1MB L2 cache and 2.0GHz processor speed
- 1GB DDR2 memory for multitasking power
- SuperMulti DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media; also supports DVD-RAM
- From our expanded online assortment; not available in all Best Buy stores
- 15.4″ WXGA widescreen TFT-LCD display with CrystalBrite technology
- 120GB SATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
- Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 with Intel® Dynamic Video Memory Technology 4.0 and up to 358MB of shared video memory; Intel® High Definition audio; S-video out
- 5-in-1 media reader supports Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO and xD-Picture Card
- IEEE 1394 (FireWire) interface and 4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports for fast digital video, audio and data transfer
- Built-in wireless LAN (802.11b/g); 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet with RJ-45 connector; V.92 modem
- Weighs 6.3 lbs. and measures just 1.7″ thin for portable power, lithium-ion battery and AC adapter
- Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition operating system with Service Pack 1 (SP1) preinstalled; software package included with Acer GridVista, Adobe Acrobat Reader, NTI CD-Maker and more; 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office also included
- Learn more about Windows Vista
- Intel, Pentium, Celeron, Centrino, Core, Viiv, Intel Inside and the Intel Inside logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
HP Offers Discount on Laptop
Compaq launched the 2205AL Notebook with a special offer till the end of the year.
According to Amit Sachdeva of IT Mall, a Compaq dealer at Lamington Road, the offer is a good price offer whereby a user can purchase the laptop for Rs. 53,000. The laptop comes with a one-year international travelers warranty.
Various dealers trying to sell off these laptops are offering exchange schemes on the purchase of the HP 2205AL. One dealer offered Rs. 7,000 off for a Dell Pentium III, 1 GHz, 128 MB RAM, 12 GB HDD with a CD-ROM drive.
The Compaq Presario 2205AL comes with a Linux Mandrake v9.1 operating system and is powered by an Intel Pentium M Processor 725 that supports Enhanced Intel Speed Step Technology (1.6 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 400 MHz FSB); 15-inch color TFT XGA (1024 x 768 resolution); 256 MB (1 x 256MB) DDR SDRAM (266 MHz); 40GB (4200 rpm); DVD/CD-RW Combo; Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 (up to 64 MB Shared Memory).
HP is also selling the Compaq Presario 2207AL Notebook powered by Intel Celeron M Processor 330, which clocks 1.40 GHz and comes with a combo drive for Rs. 41,990.
A fine print in HP’s promotion also said an extra Rs. 1,000 will be charged for freight and installation.
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