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January 29, 2007
Microsoft Launches Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 to Consumers Worldwide : GlobalGiants.com
Flagship products available at over 39,000 retail locations and online around the world.
NEW YORK, Jan. 29 -- On Jan. 30 the most significant product launch in Microsoft Corp.'s history culminates in the release to consumers of the Windows Vista(TM) operating system and Microsoft(R) Office 2007. Starting tomorrow, these two flagship products will be available in more than 70 countries, in 19 languages (with 99 languages anticipated by the end of the year), and at more than 39,000 retail stores and online. The launch marks the achievement of an unprecedented collaboration between Microsoft and its customers and partners, and ushers in an era in which personal computing is easier, safer and more enjoyable than ever before.
"Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 will transform the way people work and play," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. "Personal computers have become a key part of the daily lives of almost a billion people worldwide. Millions of consumers had a hand in helping us design, test and create the most exciting versions of Windows and Office we've ever released. Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 squarely address the needs and aspirations of people around the globe."
Photo: Windows Vista Photo Gallery
The consumer launch of Windows Vista is also expected to unleash a flood of new next-generation hardware, software and entertainment devices and services. Currently, more than 1.5 million devices and peripherals are on the market that work with Windows Vista, including more than 2,500 that are Certified for Windows Vista. In addition, thousands of PC manufacturers and system builders around the globe will deliver the Windows Vista operating system and Microsoft Office 2007 on new PCs.
Microsoft also kicked off its global television, Web, and out-of-home and theater advertising campaigns encouraging people to see the "wow" of Windows Vista. The global campaign will reflect the exciting possibilities that Windows Vista will deliver to customers around the world. [GlobalGiants.com]
A New Era of Personal Computing
Windows Vista and the latest release of Microsoft Office feature dramatic graphic enhancements to the interface that make the desktop more visually exciting and significantly easier to use. With simple and intuitive tools, consumers can easily create and share digital documents, photos, music and videos, participate in digital communities, and play online and offline games.
With Windows Vista, consumers will be able to experience all kinds of entertainment -- from television to video games to music and movies -- how and when they want. Keeping in touch with family, friends and colleagues using e-mail, voice recording or video will be richer and more convenient. Redesigned user interfaces will increase productivity and ease of use, helping consumers and small businesses produce documents -- from a marketing plan to a child's birthday invitation -- that look better and are more professional in less time. Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 will continue to improve access to information with new tools that make it easy to find the right piece of information -- be it an e-mail message, image, note or media clip - no matter where it is stored.
The new versions of Windows and Microsoft Office also deliver advances in family safety by empowering parents to better manage and monitor their children's PC and Internet activities. With a few simple clicks in the new Windows Vista Parental Controls center, parents can manage and monitor PC and Internet access, and decide what kinds of TV, music and games are appropriate for their children. Security is also more robust in the new releases. Features such as Windows Defender help protect consumers against attacks from spyware and malicious Web sites, while other enhancements help safeguard personal information. In Microsoft Office 2007, Document Inspector helps clean personal information, comments and hidden text from documents, so families can share their documents with confidence.
"These are the most amazing versions of Windows and Office ever," said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. "The visual effects are spectacular; the navigation is streamlined and intuitive. They make it much easier to protect your PC, yourself and your children online. And they work together to help you accomplish more throughout the day." [GlobalGiants.com]
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 8:03 PM | View the original post
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Ends With Concrete Proposals to Tackle Global Issues : GlobalGiants.com
PHOTO: DAVOS, SWITZERLAND, 28 JANUARY 2007 - Participants captured during the farewell party at the Schatzalp, at the Annual Meeting 2007 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 28, 2007. (© World Economic Forum, Photo by Anette Boutellier)
PHOTO: Susan Schwab (l), US Trade Representative and Kamal Nath (r), Minister of Commerce and Industry of India captured during the session 'Frozen Trade Talks and the Need for Progress' at the Annual Meeting 2007 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 27, 2007. (© World Economic Forum, Photo by Annette Boutellier)
Davos, Switzerland, 28 January 2007- The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos wrapped up Sunday with climate change firmly at the centre stage of debate. In 17 sessions related to global warming, the Forum gathered the world’s top academics, business leaders, NGO representatives, UN agency chiefs, politicians and many others in order to advance the discussion and explore practical opportunities for progress through partnership. The meeting clearly illustrated the deepening commitment of business to engage other groups in addressing this issue. [GlobalGiants.com]
Following are examples of some of the concrete developments from this year’s Annual Meeting:
• The Forum announced the formation of a new international partnership of seven organizations to establish a generally accepted framework for climate risk-related reporting by corporations. Founding members of the institutional consortium, the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB), include the California Climate Action Registry, Carbon Disclosure Project, Ceres, The Climate Group, International Emissions Trading Association, World Economic Forum Global Greenhouse Gas Register and World Resources Institute. CDSB member organizations have agreed to align their core requests for information from companies in order to ensure that they report climate change-related information in a standardized way that facilitates easier comparative analysis by investors, managers and the public.
• The Forum announced the establishment of a joint Israeli-Palestinian business council. Founding members formulated their mission as encouraging and facilitating constructive cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian business leaders to reinforce economic relationship and help peace building efforts by a credible and legitimate voice. The Council which will bring together some 200 Palestinian and Israeli CEOs and plans to hold its first assembly during the World Economic Forum Meeting on the Middle East at the Dead Sea in Jordan on 19-20 May 2007.
• An alliance of leading companies was announced with the objective to bring power to villages in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest electrification rate with three out of four people lacking access. During the Annual Meeting, the Lesotho Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Alliance Partners for a first project to deliver energy to a rural village in Lesotho
• The heads of the Big Four Accounting firms (Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers) have agreed to work with the World Economic Forum Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) to support the global fight against corruption. Together, PACI and the accounting firms will explore the development of a framework for companies to benefit from independent reviews of their anti-bribery programmes.
• The Presidents of the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Executive Director of the international Finance Corporation reaffirmed their support of the World Economic Forum Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) and recognized the important role the private sector plays in guiding policy and assisting governments in reducing corruption. They have agreed to jointly pilot an country-specific anti-corruption implementation programme, and a sector-specific structural reform that will promote fair competition and transparency. In addition, the banks will explore using PACI's frameworks and tools as a starting point for developing their own programmes.
• The World Economic Forum and the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee (RBWC) issued the final report of a two-year, public-private review of the international monetary system in cooperation with Group of 20 governments. Entitled "The International Monetary System, the IMF and the G20: A Great Transformation in the Making?", the report concludes that a critical mass of governments appears ready to try to adapt international financial institutions to a world characterized by increasingly large cross-border private capital flows, wider geographic distribution of economic activity and deepened regional macroeconomic and international trade policy coordination. It includes a selection of proposed reforms in such areas as strengthening the international adjustment process, improving crisis prevention and resolution instruments, and modernizing and rationalizing the governance of the system’s principal institutions.
• New data released at the Annual Meeting from the World Health Organization showed that the GAVI Alliance, a groundbreaking global initiative to increase access to children’s vaccines, originally launched in Davos in 2000, has brought immunisation rates to record highs in poor countries. The WHO data, project that since 2000, GAVI-funded immunisation programs in developing countries have prevented approximately 2.3 million future deaths, and that immunisations in 2006 alone prevented 600,000 future deaths.
"These projects may range in scope and ambition from the local to the global, but they are all examples of the growing interest of companies to work in partnership with governmental or civil society organizations to advance progress on critical challenges. Multistakeholder alliances such as these illustrate an important aspect of the "shifting power equation" that was the theme of our Annual Meeting this year – a new geometry of collective action and collaborative governance in a world characterized by growing dispersion of economic and political influence," said Rick Samans, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum. [GlobalGiants.com]
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:31 AM | View the original post
Edsel Ford II And NHRA Founder Wally Parks : GlobalGiants.com
Photo: Edsel Ford II and 94-year-old NHRA Founder Wally Parks share a moment in front of Edsel B. Ford's Speedster at the kickoff celebration of the '75th Anniversary of the '32 Ford at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California. [GlobalGiants.com]
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:26 AM | View the original post
Hilary Rhoda Named New Face of Estee Lauder : GlobalGiants.com
Joins Elizabeth Hurley, Carolyn Murphy, Liya Kebede, Gwyneth Paltrow and Anja Rubik.
NEW YORK -- Aerin Lauder, Senior Vice President, Creative Director, Estee Lauder, has announced that the brand has signed Hilary Rhoda as a new face of Estee Lauder. Hilary will be featured in advertising campaigns for skincare and makeup beginning August 2007.
"Hilary is one of fashion's brightest stars," said Ms. Lauder. "Her sophisticated all-American look has captivated the attention of the fashion and beauty world in a very short time. Hilary is perfect for Estee Lauder."
Hilary's image has been captured by many of fashion's leading photographers including: Steven Meisel, Mario Testino, Craig McDean, Mert & Marcus, David Sims, Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin, Peter Lindbergh, Patrick Demarchalier, and Arthur Elgort. She has appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue and French Vogue and in the pages of fashion publications across North America, Europe and Asia including American Vogue, Chinese Vogue, W, Harper's Bazaar, V Magazine, I-D and Numero.
In addition to Hilary, Estee Lauder's current models - Elizabeth Hurley, Carolyn Murphy, Liya Kebede, Gwyneth Paltrow and Anja Rubik -- will continue to represent the brand in various global advertising campaigns.
The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The Company's products are sold in over 130 countries and territories under well-recognized brand names. [GlobalGiants.com]
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:19 AM | View the original post
World Economic Forum Ceremony: Irene Khan : GlobalGiants.com
PHOTO: DAVOS, SWITZERLAND, 28 JANUARY 2007 - Irene Khan, Secretary-General, Amnesty International, United Kingdom captured during the 'Ceremony' at the Annual Meeting 2007 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 28, 2007. (© World Economic Forum, Photo by Severin Nowacki) [GlobalGiants.com]
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 12:49 AM | View the original post
