REDMOND, Wash., April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's students have grown accustomed to being able to connect with friends, family, information and entertainment at the press of a button. They carry an array of portable devices that let them take pictures, play music, and send and receive text messages and e-mail as well as make phone calls.

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So it's only natural that when they purchase a computer, they're going to expect it to help them do more than write term papers, respond to e-mail and connect to the Internet.

Microsoft Corp. has teamed up with computer makers to create the ultimate PC for parents and relatives struggling to find a gift for the graduate in their lives: Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PCs. In addition to standard computer functions, Windows XP Media Center 2005-based PCs can record and pause live TV shows, and can be attached to a standard television, rather than a computer monitor, for better viewing. This sleek entertainment hub plays and records DVDs and CDs and can pump music and movie soundtracks to surround sound speakers. Media Center PCs also can stockpile your student's home movies and family photos and then play them on any television they're connected to. And best of all, these functions can be controlled by either a single remote control or a keyboard.

Kellie Jacobson hopes to get a Media Center PC before she heads to college for the first time this fall. "An all-in-one package is always best," Jacobson said. "I wouldn't need to bring my giant stereo or buy a TV or DVD player. I'd have less to worry about, and all my friends would think it was the coolest thing ever."

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PCs also feature Online Spotlight, a convenient, central location where people can discover and enjoy the latest online services such as Napster, Movielink and XM Satellite Radio as well as software designed for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Online Spotlight serves as a resource for news, entertainment, sports and more.

To match a student's needs and interests with the features of specific Media Center PCs, consider the following:

-- Price. Most Media Center PCs cost between $800 and $2,000. High-end versions such as the Sony Vaio RA834G cost more than $2,000 and offer the largest amount of storage and other features. Versions such as the Dell Dimension 4700 and HP Pavilion a850y offer many of the same features for less than $1,000.

-- Style. If the traditional beige PC box doesn't inspire your student, there's the Niveus Rainier Edition Media Center and Alienware DHS 2 series. Both look like home-theater components and fit on top of a bookcase.

-- Mobility. Students can take all the research they downloaded from the Internet, as well as their music and DVD collections, home for the weekend with a laptop Media Center PC such as the Toshiba Qosmio E15-AV101.

-- Connections. Media Center Extender products from HP and Linksys and the Media Center Extender for Xbox gaming consoles allow users to view recorded television programs, DVDs and other digital entertainment from their Media Center PC on any television in the house via a wired or wireless connection.

For more information about Windows XP Media Center Edition:

Visit http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter .

CONTACT: Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom, +1-503-443-7070, or
rrt@wagged.com, for Microsoft Corp.

Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter

Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/