MSFT: Windows Vista Named “Best of CES” at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show

Today, the Windows Vista™ operating system has been selected by the editors at CNET (http://www.cnet.com ) as a winner of the “Best of CES 2007” award in the computers and hardware category at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Windows Vista, scheduled to be broadly available on Jan. 30, 2007, was honored for enhancements and innovations that provide users with an experience that is easier, safer, more entertaining and better connected, at home or on the go.

“It is a great honor to have Windows Vista declared one of the best products at this year’s CES,” said Mike Sievert, corporate vice president for Windows® Client Marketing at Microsoft Corp. “We are in outstanding company here at the show, and this award is an indication of what customers can expect when they are able to experience Windows Vista for themselves later this month.”

The development of Windows Vista is the result of an unprecedented collaboration between Microsoft and its customers and partners. The product was designed with the help of millions of testers worldwide, including 50 families from seven countries taking part in the Wife with Windows Vista program. The feedback gathered from this testing was invaluable to the product development, and Windows Vista is better because of it. In preparation for the Windows Vista launch, thousands of PC manufacturers and system builders across the globe are preparing to deliver new PCs designed to run the new operating system. By Jan. 30, more than 1.5 million devices will have the Works with Windows Vista logo and more than 2,000 products will be Certified for Windows Vista, helping make Internet and networking connections, home entertainment and business tasks faster, easier and more secure. Many of those products are on display at CES, including two Windows Vista-based PCs — the HP TouchSmart PC IQ770 and the ASUS W5Fe SideShow™ Notebook — that were the other two finalists for the Best of CES award in the computers and hardware category.

The Best of CES awards, which are produced and judged by CNET, recognize the best products at 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show in 10 categories, plus a Best of Show.

Winners were chosen from hundreds of submissions and judged on their promise to pioneer a new category, establish an emerging category, or take an existing category to a new level; excite consumers with its style, innovation, usefulness, ease of use and/or capacity to entertain; endow its owner with a certain cachet — the “cool” factor; work readily with other products in a consumer’s life; and make its way into everyday life.

The 10 categories are car tech; cell phones, smart phones and PDAs; computers and hardware; cameras and camcorders; emerging technologies; gaming; home audio; home video; MP3 and portable video; and televisions. A video of the winners showcasing their technologies can be found at http://ces.cnet.com.

The 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show reaches across global markets, connects the industry and enables it to innovate, grow and thrive. It runs Jan. 8–11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas.