Hey, if Bill can give away tens of billions of dollars, the least we can do to celebrate his last day is to give away some Microsoft-powered stuff, right? Next up: the full, non-upgrade Office Ultimate 2007 suite.

• Leave a comment below. Tell us about your favorite Microsoft-powered product. Or your favorite Apple product, too, since Bill totally bailed those guys out back in '97.
  
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• Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
  
• Winner will be chosen randomly. That winner will get the full, non-upgrade Office Ultimate 2007 suite. Approximate value is $350.
  
• Entries can be submitted until Sunday, June 29th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
• Full rules can be found here.

Details are still fuzzy at this point, but according to an e-mail received by numerous tipsters, Microsoft is indeed offering up a free copy of Vista in exchange for their privacy. Yeah, even though it claimed otherwise late last year. According to the note, Redmond is viewing these folks as "registered members" of the Windows Feedback Program, and if they keep their guard down for the remainder of a three month period, they will seemingly receive a copy of its latest OS gratis. So, any others out there finding an unexpected message from the Big M regarding said offer? Let us know in comments below, particularly if you get any free wares or previously analyzed keylogging reports.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

It was but a few months ago that Apple trumpeted the fact that two million copies of Leopard had been sold in its first weekend. As of Macworld 2008, you can add three million more to that figure. According to Jobs, it's the "most successful release of OS X ever," and nearly 20-percent of the install base has made the leap to 10.5. Oh, and just in case you were wondering about Office Mac 2008, it is indeed shipping today, which means that all the "big apps" for OS X are finally Intel native.

Yesterday, we told you about an offer wherein you could completely sacrifice your privacy for a free software bundle from Microsoft which included Windows Vista Ultimate and Office Ultimate '07, amongst others. Well, apparently the big M has decided to pull the offer of free software -- but still wants to track your digital footsteps and pry into your private dealings. Here's Redmond's official line to those inquiring about the discontinued offer: "Thank you for your interest in the feedback program. Due to high volume, we have reached our 'while supplies last' limit and have closed our free product incentive on 12/11/2007 at 2pm." Needless to say, they'd still love to have a look at your browser history, emails, IM logs, crash reports, and blood type.

[Thanks, Jerry]

Let's face it, not everyone can get relocated to the corner office, but if designer Marcus Ward Curran has anything to do with it, even the newbies can look forward to a certain level of privacy in the office. The Eclipse Office Partitioning System enables desk dwellers to cover up their space with panels in varying degrees, and it even touts the ability to change colors throughout the day to liven up the mood. Furthermore, the unit includes an RFID sensor (hey, The Man has to hold you down somehow, right?), a wireless charging mat, pillar-based speakers, an internal projection system and a built-in lighting system to boot. Throw in a teleportation feature to get us home on the double and we'd be sold. Check out the video after the break.

[Via YankoDesign]

While finding hidden speakers tucked neatly away in one's headrest, rocking chair, or gaming seat isn't exactly surprising, Bose is hoping to integrate the technology one step further by getting "surround sound" into practically every seat imaginable. According to a patent application filed by the company, it's hoping to develop an audio system that includes an "electroacoustical transducer mounted in the back of a seat" so that surround sound is radiated and focused around the ears of the listener. Obviously, said technology could be placed into cars, recliners, office chairs, and beach loungers with relative ease, and while musical entertainment is clearly the primary candidate for use in such a system, the filing also mentions possible telephone integration. Unsurprisingly, Bose didn't mention any details surrounding RMS ratings, frequency ranges, or driver sizes.

[Via Wired]

While we've seen just how to have a Sharp miracle in your office, it now seems that Sharp copiers (along with Xerox and a smorgasbord of others) could become a miraculous find for identify thieves. Given that many all-in-one "bizhubs" of today feature some sort of internal storage device to capture copies, scans, and faxes in case you need to resend the file a week or two later, it's not too surprising to think how such a convenience could be exploited by ill-willed individuals to extract personal information about you and your office mates. Pointing at tax time in particular, it has been suggested that many Americans photocopy sensitive documents that contain all the information needed to jack your ID without even realizing how vulnerable they've made themselves. Both Sharp and Xerox, however, have both released security kits that encrypt the internal data stored on its machines, but if you're using some off-the-wall copier and have noticed something peculiar about that fellow across the hall, stay sharp.

We already know just how snazzy your office's bizhub will be in a decade or so, and we think we've even got your desk and kitchen nailed down too, but a recent brainstorming in Popular Science brushed a few less sensational, albeit quite intriguing, office mainstays for 2017. Although we've got a few years yet before we can definitively say whether or not these folks will pull a psychic-AT&T on us, but if Swingline has its way, the traditional red stapler that continually jams and collects more dust than it does anything else will be quite controversial. Sure to enrage pro-privacy employees who've already been unknowingly chipped with an RFID tag upon agreement to come on board, the staples of the future could actually contain micro-RFID tags; these chips could then be traced to find out just how long it really sits in one's "to do" stack, or if "inexplicably missing" really means "intentionally destroyed." As cruel as we know that sounds, at least you can pen all the curses you wish on even the most ink-resistant material in your manager's suite, as the future-generation Staedtler pen is being designed to "write on almost anything by optimizing molecular bonds with a surface" in order to produce the right mixtures needed to adhere to a given medium. Of course, the transparent monitors that will come with your 2015 upgrade kit will effectively kill your ability to surf Engadget while being guarded by the plastic backing of your current LCD, but the face recognizing desk locks should at least keep Gary from snagging your chocolate when you're out on break. Click on through for a few more mockups of tomorrow's office gizmos.

Not too long after MobileESPN breathed new life, now we've got the unfortunate duty of informing the world that Microsoft finally axed the most annoying aspect of Office has decided to leave "Clippy" behind in Office 2007. We suspected something was brewing when the iconic figure started donning a 3D skirt in Japan, but a brief interview with Office's group program manager revealed that the clip is indeed dead. While it had been fading for awhile due to an apparent lack of mass fanfare, and was even turned off by default in Office 2003, it seems that Clippy fans will be forced to stick with now-antiquated versions of the Office suite in order to keep their darling on screen. But don't fret too much, as the countdown until someone crafts a freeware app re-instilling a Clippy rendition into Office begins... now.

[Via ChipChick]

As if we haven't given you enough devious toys to convert your mundane workplace into World War III, here's one to bring back the peace when cooperation becomes essential to everyone's job again. Japan-based Takaratomy, better known as a Tomy here in the States, has crafted a unique solar-powered desk adornment that should keep you occupied (or get you on edge, one) while toiling away in your cubical. The Kotoridayori (Humming Bird) purportedly belts out various tunes while being powered by those incandescent lights, and throws a few extra tweets in the mix whenever it senses "vibrations." Additionally, it sports a built-in battery to keep things humming (ahem) along when you end up working 'round the clock, and should fit in just about any pocket if you're looking to carry it home. Available in blue, orange, or green, this wee pet should remain novel for about, oh, 20 seconds or so before completely enraging even the most patient office mate, but even if someone ejects it from the premises, you're only out $25.

[Via ShinyShiny]

Any of us blessed (or cursed) to spend the majority of our waking hours theoretically locked in a corporate boardroom know very well the form and function of a desktop speakerphone, but Panasonic and Willcom and teaming up to deliver a rendition that relies on cellular technology rather than landlines. Oddly enough, it appears the forthcoming Conference Speakerphone will actually pack a SIM card, speaker, several built-in microphones, a mobile microphone, and even an SD slot for users to easily record conversations. Actually, if someone utilized a third-party battery pack, this entire unit could be taken on the go and used as what would quite possibly be the world's largest cellphone of the decade. The appeal is that Willcom will reportedly be offering a "flat-rate talk plan" that allows companies to equip their employees with these machines and then communicate gratis, similar to many mobile networks with free in-network calling. Although the Conference Speakerphone is slated to ship this Spring, the value here is definitely questionable, as picking up a numerous ¥100,000 ($828) devices can seriously squash that meager IT budget.

[Via DigitalWorldTokyo]

Narrowly edging out Dunder Mifflin as the "world's first" paper company to deliver antimicrobial office paper to North America, Domtar is ready to crank up the winders in order to deliver its specialized paper to healthcare agencies, educational facilities, and dysfunctional offices everywhere. The paper, which can purportedly be written and printed on without any special accommodations, is coated in a silver compound that protects it from "he growth of bacteria, odors, fungus, mold and mildew." Furthermore, laboratory studies reportedly show a 99-percent reduction of MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and K. pneumoniae compared to unshielded sheets, adding to its shelf life and keeping those secretaries free from lingering germs. While we're not exactly certain when reams of this germ-free paper will hit your local Office Depot, we're well on our way to a perfectly sterile office environment -- well, aside from that chewed up pen cap you handle each day.

[Via Wired]

Although these newfangled projectors with document cameras flanking their sides get hammered in the style department, we can't deny the extra utility for the conference room, biology lab, or off-the-cuff presentation, and Toshiba is kicking out yet another rendition with budget-conscience consumers in mind. Sure, the company's TLP-XC2500U was a fine performer, but since its new TDP-SC35U is nearly half the price, we doubt the former is now worth the price of admission. Nevertheless, Tosh's newest rendition sports a 800 x 600 resolution, 2,000 ANSI lumens, DLP technology, 2,000:1 contrast ratio, and of course, a 648 x 468 resolution camera on the flexible swingarm. As for inputs, you'll find a pair of VGA along with a single composite and S-Video, as well as stereo in / out and the ability to handle both NTSC and PAL. While not particularly portable, it weighs in at a manageable 8.6 pounds and touts a 14.5- x 10.2- x 3.9-inch enclosure, so making the trip between board rooms shouldn't be all that burdensome. Regardless, Toshiba is hoping to catch more than a few corporate upgrade dollars by pricing this one right, as this multifaceted PJ will only set you back $899, and is available as we speak.

[Via AboutProjectors]

Just like last year, we decided to take a quick saunter down the road to check out Microsoft's massive booth at CES. If Vegas was plastered with Vista adverts (and it was), then Microsoft's booth was plaster central: standing from the middle of the booth, you couldn't look anywhere without a dozen Vista logos being within eyeshot.

ThinkSecret has unearthed what appears to be a screenshot of the oft-rumoured forthcoming spreadsheet application expected to ship with a future version of iWork -- either the app is still very early in development, or Apple plans to take its minimalist design ethic to new heights (lows?) with this anti-Excel app. Internally referred to as Lasso, the spreadsheet is expected to be named Numbers or Charts, offer Excel import/export, templates for typical personal and business finance, sales, and marketing, and 200+ spreadsheet functions to help those business types stick it to Microsoft -- but from the looks of the above screenshot, don't be throwing away your copies of Office just yet.

[Via TUAW]

Update: That screenshot is looking pretty fake, after all.