Windows Vista

Windows Vista is the next iteration of Microsoft's operating system for PCs, due out in January of 2007. Microsoft's goal with the new version of the OS is to give users a safer, easier, more connected experience.

Mika Krammer is the director of Microsoft's Windows Client Mobility team, which is charged with showing people showing people how they can take advantage of Windows Vista to be more effective and to communicate and collaborate in ways they never thought possible. The team spends a great deal of time listening to customers, watching how they use technology, and observing societal trends, with the goal of continuously improving how people use technology.

1. What were/are Microsoft's major goals with Windows Vista?

Our number one priority for Windows Vista has been making computing safer for all our customers. Security impacts everyone from corporate IT managers to people that only use a PC to check their e-mail. We've enhanced this with new elements, including new parental controls, security improvements in Internet Explorer, malware protection, improved firewalls, and more.

While security was our top focus, our goals also included improving usability, enhancing connectivity, and of course, providing a great entertainment experience. There are new ways to search, organize, and even interact with your information; new ways to stay connected and to communicate and collaborate; simpler ways to synchronize your growing array of gadgets; and better ways to manage your home network. We've refined our acclaimed Media Center software, and you'll now get that experience in several versions of Windows Vista. The difference is immense and the experience outstanding. We've spent a great deal of time listening to our customers to create a computing experience that is unprecedented.

2. In terms of mobility, what do you hope to accomplish with Vista?

As I mentioned, the tenets for this version of Windows really are about improving security, making the PC more useable and intuitive, and helping people stay connected. In terms of mobility, the staying connected component is the key. People want to do more from wherever they are. With technology innovating as it is today, this is becoming more of a possibility. Smaller devices such as Smartphones can be used to do so much moremonitor sales for a store, enter orders and manage processes for example. Leveraging cellular networks for anywhere connectivity, coupled with innovations like Windows Tablet technology enabling pen-and-paper like usability, offer flexibility and create significant opportunities for the use of mobile PCs anywhere and everywhere.

To that point, we have made some big improvements to enable experiences that weren't previously possible. For example, Windows SideShow is a new feature which enables support of secondary screens that OEMs and hardware manufacturers can include in their designs for portable computers, keyboards, mobile phones, remote control units, and other devices. With these devices you'll be able to view important information that is on your PC and even control some PC functions, all from your mobile device.

New features like BitLocker Drive Encryption will help protect lost or stolen PCs by ensuring that a thief or hacker who obtains a system is not able to access the data that resides on it. In addition, improvements in networking with Windows Vista's Network Center will help you connect to networks more easily when you're on the go.

Another thing mobile PC users will love is the new Mobility Center, which puts the most frequently used mobile PC settings in a single location. Now, you can change your screen brightness, volume, power plan, wireless networking, external display, and synchronization, all in one place. If you are a Tablet PC user, you can also rotate your display. You won't have to hunt through Control Panel or icons in the notification area of the Windows taskbar to find what you need. All of the important mobile settings are right there in Mobility Center.

3. What changes and/or enhancements have been made that will benefit Windows Mobile users?