First View of Vista Comes With $500 Million Marketing Blitz

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The Vista circus came to town last week.


Local business reps flocked to the Los Angeles Convention Center to get a look as Microsoft Corp. rolled out its Windows Vista software. The new computer operating system aims to better manage the explosion of digital media and protect users from the dangers of the Internet.


The world’s biggest software maker marked the launch of its first all-new Windows operating system in five years with a $500 million marketing blitz, including commercials featuring basketball star Lebron James and appearances by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on morning and late-night chat shows. In all, retailers in 70 countries were targeted.


“This is our largest launch ever,” said Microsoft’s Southern California General Manager Donna Armstrong. She called Vista the most important release of its dominant operating system since Windows 95 more than a decade ago, when shoppers waited for hours to be among the first to run the new software.


Windows runs on more than 95 percent of the world’s computers, and the long-delayed new version is the first major release of a new Microsoft operating system since it introduced Windows XP in 2001.


Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft has more than 3,500 business clients in the area, according to Armstrong, and employs about 200 workers at its downtown L.A. office. She maintained that the Vista launch would be “as big a deal as Windows 95.”


In fact, consumer fanfare of that magnitude seems unlikely since Vista is not the dramatic leap in technology of past releases, but the new Windows could ultimately be just as successful.


The most obvious change is the new look. Vista’s “Aero” interface uses 3-D graphics to create translucent windows that appear to float above the background screen. Other changes include a new multimedia platform for digital video, music and pictures.


In the first year of its release, Vista, which required a $6 billion investment from Microsoft, will be installed on more than 100 million PCs worldwide, according to research reports.


But because only about 15 percent of existing computers have memory and graphics cards powerful enough to run premium versions of Vista, most users will have to buy a whole new computer if they want to upgrade.



New Twistbox

Twistbox Entertainment Inc., a Los Angeles-based publisher of mobile games, is beefing up with the acquisition of San Mateo’s InfoSpace Inc.’s mobile games studio.


The purchase is intended to get Twistbox Games, which is headquartered in Dortmund, Germany, further into online multi-player tournaments and loyalty campaigns in the mobile games arena.


This quarter, the company is introducing three titles, “SuperSlyder for Prizes,” “Take Yer Meds for Prizes” and “Card Player Poker for Prizes.” In the second quarter, Twistbox is planning to launch “Trickshot Pool for Prizes,” “Solitaire for Prizes,” “Boulder Dash for Prizes” and “Skee-ball for Prizes.”


“This acquisition is a perfect fit for our value-added mobile games strategy and complementary to our existing titles and on-deck distribution in more than 40 countries,” said Ian Aaron, chief executive for Twistbox Entertainment.


Aaron said that the games will be offered through the company’s RapidPort development and porting platform, which will accelerate delivery to market, provide handset support and bring content partners new ways to get customers.



High-Def Trojans

Chatsworth-based MRV Communications a provider of out-of-band networking, optical transport and fiber optic components has cut a deal with USC’s Film School to research high definition TV networking.


MRV has used its technology to transport up to four hi-def signals over the school’s existing optical infrastructure.


“We’re seeing increased interest in HD student productions,” said Professor Richard Weinberg. “MRV provided us with an entire solution complete with an HD signal transport system.”



Good Sports

Brillian Syntax Inc., the City of Industry manufacturer of Hi-Def televisions and LCD screens, has partnered with AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group), which owns the Staples Center and the highly anticipated $2.5 billion L.A. Live entertainment complex, to highlight the Olevia brand of high definition TVs and screens. Each venue will include large-scale exterior signage, in-house LCD TV integration, and scoreboard and concourse exposure for Olevia.



Staff reporter Dan Cox can be reached at (323) 549-5225, or at [email protected].

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