Microsoft's latest media adventure
Wash. Post | at | by Mike
Microsoft will take a big step into online retailing Tuesday when for the first time it will sell a program both as a download and in shrink-wrapped boxes in stores. The new, $19.95 Plus Digital Media Edition for Windows XP will also mark the first time Microsoft has required "product activation" in a downloadable program. Activation, first introduced to most consumers in Windows XP itself, is an anti-piracy system that ties a purchased copy of a program to a single machine.
The Plus pack is an add-on intended to enhance Windows XP's multimedia capabilities. For example, a "photo story" tool creates dynamic slide shows, zooming in and out and panning left and right on each photo. The program then squeezes the files to a size practical for online posting. A sound-recording tool can transfer music from vinyl records and cassette tapes into Microsoft's Windows Media Audio format. There's also a "Sync & Go" function that synchronizes Web content with Pocket PC handheld organizers, including material from CBS MarketWatch, MSNBC.com and Warner Music Group.