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Microsoft to offer Vista upgrade coupons starting Oct. 26

Express Upgrade to Windows VistaAP reported yesterday that “people who buy certain Windows personal computers this holiday season will be offered free or heavily discounted coupons to upgrade to Microsoft Corp.’s new operating system, Windows Vista, under a program designed to spur sales despite Vista’s delay.”


Companies including HP, Compaq and Dell are quoted with more details on the upgrade offers for purchases starting Thursday, October 26th. (“Price, terms, and conditions may vary. Additional shipping, handling, and other fees may apply. See your PC manufacturer for availability and applicable offer details.”)


From the Microsoft Windows Vista web site: details on Express Upgrades to Windows Vista…



“If you’re in the market for a new computer this holiday season, be sure to ask your retailer about the Express Upgrade to Windows Vista, being offered by participating PC manufacturers. When you buy a qualifying Windows Vista Capable PC between October 26, 2006 and March 15, 2007, you may be eligible for an Express Upgrade to Windows Vista.


“Don’t wait to enjoy the benefits of owning a new PC. Buying a Premium Ready Windows Vista Capable PC means you can buy a great Windows XP computer today, with the confidence that it will easily upgrade to the Windows Vista edition of your choice. Express Upgrade to Windows Vista offers from participating PC manufacturers will ensure you can easily enjoy Windows XP today and Windows Vista when it’s available.”


More details on the program are on the Express Upgrade site.


As noted on AP’s web site, “the coupon program begins Thursday and runs through mid-March. Particulars of the deal will vary depending on the computer maker and retailer.”


PC manufacturers mentioned in the article include Hewlett-Packard (for certain HP Pavilion, Compaq Presario and HP Digital Entertainment Center computers equipped with Windows XP), Gateway (“free upgrades for people who buy Vista-capable computers directly from the company) and Dell (for “Vista-capable Dell computers running Windows XP Home Edition” will be able to upgrade to Windows Vista Home Basic; Dell’s rep said that “buyers of computers running Windows XP Media Center or Windows XP Professional will only have to pay shipping and handling to get a comparable Vista version.”)


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“Ride the Magic Bus” — the Xbox 360 bus, that is

Look for the Family Safety bus in a city near you.From the news: “Parents everywhere are concerned with children’s access to inappropriate media content. Microsoft, along with our friends at Best Buy and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, is leading an education campaign to provide parents with tools to help them make the right entertainment choices for their families. These tools can help parents keep their children away from video games that they consider inappropriate and from unwanted online encounters.


“Microsoft recently launched the ‘Safety is no game. Is your family set?’ Xbox Citizenship campaign. This campaign is designed for parents who want to learn more about the Family Settings Feature available in the Xbox 360 console and about other resources to help protect children, like the ESRB’s video game ratings and content descriptors.”


There’s a 20-city bus tour, traveling the States to help families enjoy appropriate games and online content. The big green bus is decked out with Xbox 360 game consoles and the latest laptop PCs. This tour kicked off today, starting at the Hartford Boys & Girls Club at Asylum Hill in Hartford, CT. On Thursday, October 26, the bus will be at the Chelsea Clubhouse at 30 Willow Street in Boston, and then on to Miami on Wednesday, November 8, at the Hank Kline Unit of Miami BGCA (2805 SW 32nd Ave., Miami).


For more and a list of stops on the bus tour, visit the Family Safety Bus Tour page on Xbox.com.


More info from the site:



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Dr. Who & Exchange: CDO fix for time adjustment

Apparently Dr. Who isn’t the only one capable of controlling time.


As noted in support article 910268 this week, there’s a code defect when you use “Collaborative Data Objects (CDO) to create meetings programmatically in Microsoft Exchange Server 2003: meetings are unexpectedly moved one hour ahead in the last week of October with Microsoft Exchange Server. CDO causes the daylight saving time adjustment to happen at the wrong time. This impacts Outlook, which as The Register in the UK reports “will turn the clocks back a week early, plunging Britain’s Blackberry-weilding suits into a thundering whirlpool of temporal bedlam.” 


For more on the hotfix, here’s a link to the KB article.


Come to think of it, a TARDIS has been reported outside Dave Thompson’s office on occassion.

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Of interest: Slam 1.0 Release

As noted on their new Slam blog site, the team annouced the first release of Slam… as covered on Gizmodo and Tom’s HW Guide…


“Slam is your Windows Mobile social software client and service. Slam allows users to make and manage social groups right from their phone for group-based messaging and photo sharing.


“You can also use Slam through the SMS and/or web interfaces. See screenshots and learn more about Slam on the about Slam webpage, and get started your self by downloading the installer or having a link sent to your phone.”


 


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Article: Seattle PI reports on the Changes in COSD

The Seattle PI reported today that “Microsoft Corp. announced plans Thursday to reshape the internal structure of its Windows engineering division…” known as the Windows Core Operating System Division (aka COSD), which Jon DeVaan leads.



“Microsoft said the changes announced for the Windows Core Operating System Division will take effect after Vista’s release, applying to work on future versions. They’re designed, in part, to streamline the division and make it more flexible. Microsoft said the changes won’t involve layoffs.


“It’s part of a broader revamp of Windows development efforts. Earlier this year, Microsoft brought in Steven Sinofsky, a Microsoft Office executive known for getting teams to meet deadlines, as the senior vice president for the Windows and Windows Live engineering group.


“The latest changes include the creation of a new team inside the Core Operating System Division that will “focus on a single, integrated development plan for Windows,” the company said.


A couple of the changes noted in the article include…



  • the move to combine our Security, Trustworthy Computing (TwC) and Engineering Excellence teams (which operate across the company) into a single group within COSD, led by Scott Charney (he’s led the TwC group),

  • and the venerable Jawad Khaki will manage a new group in COSD that works with hardware makers.

Good moves as these and the rest of Jon’s technical executives are focused on the needs of our customers (end users) and partners (IHVs, OEMs, manufacturers, service providers). Jon DeVaan is one of the best listeners, continually supports our efforts to improve customer and partner satisfaction across the company, and is particularly good at finding ways to bridge the communications gap that sometimes happens (even within the company). I’ll ask if he can make some time for a chat on TechNet.


And Scoble sat down with Jawad this summer and the interview is here on Channel9, and see this community/chat transcript on Technet. Jawad is great with customers and has forged some deep relationships with key manufacturers in the industry.