Gates sees big things for Vista launch
Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates told shareholders Tuesday that Windows Vista could be the company’s biggest product launch since Windows 95 debuted more than a decade ago.
Vista, the latest version of Microsoft’s ubiquitous Windows operating system, is due out to consumers in January after many delays. The system promises better security, updated graphics and improved ways for finding documents, pictures and other data stored on computers.
It will be the first major upgrade for Windows, the operating system that powers most personal computers, since Windows XP was launched more than five years ago. Microsoft has sought to assure investors and users that it doesn’t intend to wait this long before releasing the next version of Windows.
Windows 95, which also suffered from delays, was released amid a roar of publicity in the summer of 1995. It offered a host of new user-friendly options aimed at making computing easier for non-tech savvy people.
“Microsoft said it will partner with MetroFi Inc. to build a free wireless Internet service for Oregon’s largest city.
MetroFi announced late Tuesday it will launch the Wi-Fi service in Pioneer Courthouse Square, a popular gathering place in downtown Portland, by the end of the year and expand it to the rest of the city within two years.
Microsoft will provide locally focused MSN content and advertising through its new online platform, adCenter. The platform, designed to compete with Google Inc., allows advertisers to target users based on their browsing habits and data such as gender, age and location.
MetroFi operates Wi-Fi networks in several Silicon Valley cities and has agreements with 13 cities across the United States to develop municipal networks.
Portland already has some free Wi-Fi spots available through the Personal TelCo project, a volunteer group in Portland. The city has been eager to provide a municipal Wi-Fi service for the whole metro area, a trend taking place across the country.
“Google Inc. has set aside more than $200 million in its just-completed takeover of YouTube Inc. to cover possible losses on the deal, creating a financial cushion that might protect the Internet search leader if it’s hit with legal bills for the frequent copyright violations on YouTube’s video-sharing site.
Without elaborating in a late Monday statement, Google said it is withholding 12.5 percent of the stock owed to YouTube for one year “to secure certain indemnification obligations.”