[The articles below were posted between Jan. 28, 2008 and Feb. 25, 2008 and appear in the March 2008 hardcopy edition of Update.]

Windows & Mobile

Vista SP1, Windows Server 2008 Complete

The availability of Vista SP1 and the release of Windows Server 2008 may spur organizations to begin evaluations and deployments of the latest versions of Microsoft Windows

Vista Home Virtualization Permitted

An ongoing debate about virtualization with consumer versions of Vista finally gets resolved with a decision to permit it

Acquisition Targets Consumer Smart Phones

The acquisition of Danger, maker of the popular Sidekick mobile phones, signals Microsoft's continued interest in consumer-oriented smart phones and could lead to a Zune-branded phone

Multimedia Terminal Services Company Acquired

The Jan. 2008 acquisition of Calista could improve the user experience for Microsoft's terminal services technology

Business Applications & Services

CRM 4.0 Updates Licensing, Pricing

CRM 4.0 prices are unchanged for organizations supporting more than 75 users, but Microsoft has eliminated the low-cost CRM edition aimed at customers with less than 75 users

CRM Prices Drop for Hosters

A price cut in CRM 4.0 reduces operating costs for hosting partners, but the introduction of CRM Live, Microsoft's cut-rate customer relationship management service, adds another challenge

Lotus Migration Tools Updated

Transporter Suite scales up for Domino and adds generic Internet e-mail migration

Office 2008 for Mac Ships

Office 2008 for Mac adds support for the Office XML file formats and makes the move to Intel processors, but features that were removed and renewed competition may make customers look elsewhere

Amalga Brand for Health Software

Two healthcare acquisitions are brought under a single brand, Amalga, and direct connections can now be made between physicians' electronic medical records and patient data stored in an online HealthVault

Records Management Resource Kit Available

A free resource kit helps SharePoint Server 2007 comply with the U.S. government standard for records-management applications, but implementing a records-management solution will generally require the help of a partner

Visio Roadmap Leads to Web

The next version of Visio will include a user interface similar to that of Office 2007 and will support Web publication of diagrams, according to plans outlined at Microsoft's 2008 Visio Conference

Office Updates Restore Blocked Formats

Software updates released in Jan. 2008 help organizations restore support for file formats that Office 2003 SP3 blocks by default

Systems Management and Security

Security Assessment Tool Updated

An updated version of the Security Assessment Tool helps organizations understand their business risks and how well their current security measures address those risks

Application Platform

ASP.NET Extensions Previewed

ASP.NET 3.5 Extensions, a set of add-ons to ASP.NET, could make it easier to build Web applications that access databases and could help Microsoft deal with the growing popularity of the Rails application framework

Visual Basic 6 Tools Leaving Support

The Visual Basic 6.0 development environment will leave Extended support in Apr. 2008, but the runtime required by applications continues to be fully supported

C++ Library Updated

An update to the Visual C++ libraries offers support for the Office 2007 and Vista user interfaces along with a new set of ISO standard libraries

Accelerator for Startups

A new Startup Accelerator program and changes to the existing Empower program, also aimed at software startups, give Microsoft more traction among promising new ISVs

Consumer and Small Business

Yahoo Acquisition Proposed

Spurred into action by fear that Google would build an insurmountable lead in Internet advertising, Microsoft has offered $44.6 billion to acquire Yahoo

Office Live Small Business Updated

Office Live Small Business is overhauled with new pricing, e-commerce features for business owners, and revamped opportunities for partners

Caligari Acquisition Adds 3D

Acquisition of Caligari could enhance 3D modeling and animation in Virtual Earth, Web tools, and games

Contact Manager Now Stand-Alone

Outlook with Business Contact Manager, which helps small businesses manage business contacts, will now be offered as a stand-alone product

Sales, Marketing, and Services

Licenses Push Unified Communications Marketing

Product licensing plays a key role in Microsoft's sales and marketing strategy for its unified communications product set

Citizen Service Platform for Government

A new platform for government provides a conceptual model and specific tools for integrating local government tools with Microsoft products

Corporate and Legal

Mobile, Online Reorganized

New leaders in mobile communications and online services face the challenge of taking on fast-growing competitors like Apple's iPhone and Google

Q2'08 Earnings Beat Expectations

For the second consecutive quarter, Microsoft beat its previously stated earnings expectations and raised its guidance for the 2008 fiscal year