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The Bill Day giveaway (part 4) - Windows Vista Ultimate
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: a full, non-upgrade copy of Windows Vista Ultimate. 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. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. 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 a brand new full, non-upgrade copy of Windows Vista Ultimate. Approximate value is $200. Entries can be submitted until Sunday, June 29th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Free Vista Ultimate headed to Windows Feedback exhibitionists
Great news for those of you enrolled in Microsoft's Windows Feedback Program. In exchange for giving Microsoft access to your computing habits for the last 3 months, your free copy of Windows Vista Ultimate, Office Ultimate '07, Money Plus Premium, Encarta Premium or Streets and Trips (depending upon your enrollment selection) should be delivered in the next 4 to 6 weeks. Oh sure, the price for the most popular choice -- Vista Ultimate -- has dropped $80 since you flittered away your privacy. It's not like the MyFaceSpaceBook types have anything left to hide anyway. And free is free no matter the cost, right? [Thanks, Gal C, Anthony, and everyone who sent this in]
Dell's XPS One (PRODUCT) RED is a charitable rip off
The whole consumer motivation for (PRODUCT) RED is that a donation is made to those in need at no (obvious) additional expense to you. It's The Man who makes the donation, you're just pulling the trigger with the purchase of something presumably wanted anyway. But the (PRODUCT) RED XPS One confuses this whole system, at best. The RED XPS One costs an extra $300 over the regular XPS One's base configuration. For that, you do get a bump -- but it's software only. More specifically, your $300 premium upgrades you to Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 (found online for ~$100 or less) and Vista Ultimate (~$300 or less), instead of stock Microsoft Works 8.5 (~$15) and Vista Home Premium (~$200 or less). Based on those retail prices, you're locked into almost $200 in add-ons that Dell and Microsoft will happily mark-up to $300 -- $80 of which is donated to the Global Fund. Never you mind that the full-featured Vista Ultimate (even with RED-themed desktops, screensaver, and widgets) adds very little value to the vast majority of home users when compared to Vista Home Premium. Or that Microsoft says that "Vista Home Premium is the preferred edition for home desktops." So why bother with Ultimate on the XPS One in the first place, except to up the perception of greater value? It's not like this all-in-one desktop will ever step foot inside of an enterprise cubicle. Our advice: save your $300 and just give some cash directly, it might work out better for your taxes anyway.[Thanks, Justin M.]
Microsoft pulls Vista from snooping offer
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]
Snag Vista Ultimate for free, in exchange for your privacy
Microsoft's been keeping its record pretty clean of late, but we suppose it couldn't end the year without a parting shot meant to cheese off the ultra-private, Microsoft-eats-children types. The company's latest diabolical plan involves giving away free copies of Windows Vista Ultimate, Office Ultimate '07, Money Plus Premium, Encarta Premium or Streets and Trips -- scary, we know. All you need to do is fill out a few surveys now and then, and download a little app that lets Microsoft watch your every move for three months. If you can manage to be a good little pod person for that long, you get a free copy of whatever software title you selected in the mail. But really, can you put a price on dignity? Exactly, you can't, so sign us up![Via NotebookReview]
Microsoft apologizes for not-so-Ultimate Extras
As anyone's that's sprung for the top-end Vista Ultimate can tell you, the much-ballyhooed "Ultimate Extras" have been anything but, having all but ceased after a brief Texas Hold 'Em-fueled flurry when they first went live. Now it seems that even Microsoft itself has owned up to their utter lameness, with Vista Ultimate director Barry Goffe taking the somewhat unusual step of issuing an apology on his blog. In addition to saying sorry for "taking so long to provide a status update to customers," Goffe says that Microsoft is on track to release the long-in-development DreamScene add-on by the end of the summer, along with an additional 20 language packs, and a couple of yet-to-be-announced mystery extras. [Via Ars Technica]
Windows Vista Ultimate Extras go live
Anyone a little dumbfounded as to why their copy of Vista Ultimate didn't have any Extras, fire 'er up and get ready to update, because with those extra bucks spent on the extremest of all Windows, you, sir or madam, earned yourself an Ultimate-only version of Texas Hold 'Em, "BitLocker and EFS enhancements", and a few security fixes. Hooray. Peep the pics in the gallery, you Windows lover, you.[Big thanks to E.J. Dyksen]%Gallery-1384%
It begins: black market Vista copies already on Chinese shelves
Screw the limited edition signed collector's Vista plate set with matching flatware and signed Bill Gates lithograph, China's already rocking it black market style with Vista knocks on the shelves in two CD sets. The software, which is already purchasable for the low, low price of about $2.50, is thought to be the Frankenbuild version or some other hack of beta code to get around the activation process. Either way, it's unlikely to be going anywhere but home with Chinese consumers. Which kind of begs the question: even though dumping is generally frowned upon, at what point will Microsoft cut its losses and just sell the software for less cash in markets where the median income is proportionately grossly less than that that of its country of origin?P.S. -Props to the box designer that left the trademark symbols next to Microsoft and Vista; we tip our hats to your sense of irony.
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Limited Numbered Signature Edition (seriously)
You have to be seriously freaking into Vista if you're even thinking about the Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Limited Numbered Signature Edition (seriously, we didn't even think Microsoft was capable of a title like that), but at least the price is on target for the upgrade ($259) and they claim it's signed by the man himself, Billy G. Something tells us it's just an embossed signature print or something along those lines, but either way it's down to you and 19,999 others prepared to get their fanboy on with the latest, greatest version of Windows.[Thanks, ZRX]
Microsoft's CES booth tour
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. Microsoft @ CES 2007 booth tour
Windows Vista Ultimate: $450 US?
We have absolutely no way of confirming the information ourselves, but according to iTWire, we can expect to really pay out the nose for the most ultimate version of Windows ever conceived, Windows Vista Ultimate. Like, say, something to the tune of $450 US. Yeah, we know that's a lot, but we're assuming that's for the single-license full install retail MSRP; and when you consider the fact that the single-license full install retail MSRP of XP Pro is still $300 US, it's not too drastically unrealistic. Don't get us wrong, we're not exactly endorsing snapping up operating systems that cost more than the machines they run on but, you know, it is Ultimate freaking Vista, dude. Oh, and apparently Office 2007 Ultimate will set you back $679 US, too. Don't get dizzy now, just get your company to pick 'em up for you and you'll be well on your way to the Ultimate Microsoft suite which might have otherwise been used to put a nice down payment on a private jet.
