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Technology Stocks : LHSP: Lernout En Hauspie -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: margaret foley who wrote (566)	1/26/1998 7:51:00 PM
From: Paul K	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2467

New MS site lets Office users upgrade (with Kurzweil VoiceCommands for Word 97) By Lisa M. Bowman, ZDNN January 26, 1998 3:40 PM PST Office 97 and 98 users who can't wait for Office 99 or 2000 have a new way to update their software in between major releases. Hinting of things to come, Microsoft (MFST) plans to unveil a Web site this week where Office 97 for Windows users can gradually update their software. Registered users of Office 97 can download new features and get personalized help free from the Office Update Web site microsoft.com, which is set to launch Wednesday. Users of the newly released Office 98 for the Mac also will be able to download many of the features. They will be pointed automatically to Mac-specific applications. Users logging onto the site Wednesday will be able to download a calendar template, a 3-D rotation option for PowerPoint, and voice-recognition software for free, though they must pay for the Kurzweil VoiceCommands for Word 97 after a 60-day trial period. Through the site, Microsoft can track users' habits, personalize options for them, and shape the product immediately based upon their feedback "In the past, it's been two years before you see that process completed," Dixon said. In addition, "intelligent" software will reorganize the site based upon a users' habits. For example, if a user commonly asks questions and seeks information about the Excel spreadsheet, the site will present that information first during future visits. The company expects to offer similar sites for its other products in the future, allowing users to perform mini-upgrades while awaiting major product releases. "We think this will change the expectations of customers," Andrew Dixon, a product manager for Office 97, said. "They won't be satisfied with just purchasing a box. They'll expect the updates."