Microsoft: To take over your living room
ZDNet | at | by Mike
There's yet another new version of Windows on the horizon, this one intended to turn your personal computer into a home entertainment center (or at least a key component of one). Dubbed Windows XP Media Center Edition, the new Windows will initially be available only on special PC hardware, and "initially" won't be until early fall, in time for Christmas but missing back-to-school sales. Formerly code-named "Freestyle," this is the technology Microsoft first showed back at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, where it dueled with the Moxi set-top box for showstopper honors. Moxi won, but promptly ran out of money and ended up being acquired by Digeo. Last week, Microsoft said it had decided not to release Freestyle as a stand-alone version of Windows (so folks like you and I could buy it as an upgrade), introducing it instead on new PC hardware only. The reason: Freestyle requires a TV tuner and a special remote control that makes the system usable from across the room--a key component of the XP Media Center experience.