Microsoft Pwnd™: All Your Documents Are Belong to Us

- 2006.11.27

REDMOND - November 27, 2006 - Microsoft® Corp. unveiled today its newest entry into the consumer electronics space, providing details of the first product to be released under the Pwnd™ brand. Designed around principles of sharing, discovery, efficiency, profitability, and community, the Pwnd Tablet Publishing Solution™ will revolutionize the way consumers and businesspeople generate documents.

"The telecommuting revolution is just beginning," said J. Allard, vice president, design and development, at Microsoft, who is leading the charge in building the family of Pwnd products. "With Pwnd, we are not simply developing a portable device, we are introducing a new platform that helps bring home offices, corporate workers, and customers together in a new and exciting way."

The Pwnd Experience

Available this tax season in the United States, Pwnd includes a 30 GB hard drive, the Pwnd Marketplace Digital Paper™ print server, a built-in stapler, and a bright, 17" screen that not only allows users to take notes with special Digital Paper™ that automatically digitizes, spell-checks, grammar-checks, and vectorizes the sketches you draw, but also allows you to display what you have written without using the paper you just wrote on. Pwnd comes in one color, brown, but more colors are planned in the near future including chartreuse and vermilion.

Every Pwnd device creates an opportunity for connection. Free from cables and wireless connections, the new Digital Paper technology allows you to hand over either a Digital Printout or the original document to another Pwnd owner, who can copy it using the Pwnd built-in scanner. Up to 30 GB of information can be transferred in this manner. Furthermore, extra digital copies can be made to share with others.

Secure Digital Paper™ uses a new high-resolution version of an old friend, thermal printing. During the copying process, the scanner heats the digital image so that the original drawing or copy is protected from spying eyes; after each use the paper turns completely black, and it cannot be read even with specialized imaging software. (Use of this feature requires users to write on the Digital Paper with a Microsoft Heat Pen. Microsoft Heat Pens do not write on ordinary paper. )

When copyrighted materials are scanned into the Pwnd, you can rest assured your valuable intellectual property will remain secure. Users can only read what is on the screen three times before the digital version of the scan is deleted, and users will be directed, when docked, to a docking program in Windows XP that will allow them to purchase the document they tried to steal. A special integrated webcam records the position of the user's eyes to determine the number of times the document has been read. (Please note the term "webcam" does not mean the device can be used to communicate via video on the web.)

To get started, Pwnd comes with the entire library of free books from the Project Gutenberg library plus other great content from Barnes and Noble™. At this time,the only print books offered are from the bargain table, but as authors experience the excitement that is Pwnd, they will offer premium works - such as horror from Stephen King, the entire Dorf On... series movie tie-in books, transcriptions of the Congressional Record, recipes from your local Lion Wives, and much more.

Purchasing these products will use the same Microsoft Point system used by the Zune™. Points are available through your children's Xbox Internet connection.

To enhance the Pwnd experience, three Accessory Packs™ help Pwnd users do their office work where they want to - at home, in the office, or on the road. The packs and the individual accessories, all designed exclusively for Pwnd, will be available at launch:

• The Pwnd Car Pack™ includes everything needed to hit the road with a Pwnd device, such as the built-in French Fry Holder™ with Grease Trap™ and the Pwnd Car Charger. (Requires two cigarette-lighter power ports if fries are not precooked.)
• The Pwnd Home Office Pack™ enhances your experience through new software that will literally blow your mind: WordSmith™, a new word processor; InfoCalc™, an integrated spreadsheet; VisionPulse™, a presentation manager, and DataCrunch™, a new intuitive database program for managing your business contacts, budget, cell phone minutes, travel expense forms, tax withholdings, and more. Even better, these documents will remain secure and inaccessible to users using more common software such as Microsoft Word™ and Excel™. When you and your intended recipient are both using Pwnd, no one else will be able to read your secure documents, with or without your permission.
• Pwnd Art Pack™ is a set of five products designed to keep you and colleagues working and connected while on the road: Pwnd Heat Pen™, Pwnd Dual Connect Serial Port Modem™, Pwnd WiFi® Adapter Carry Bag™ (WiFi not included), Pwnd Sync Cable™, and the Zune AC PowerDapter™ (requires two power outlets for full power and charging, one of which must be 220V).

Providing consumers with additional options to customize and personalize their Pwnd experience, Microsoft is also working with leading accessory manufacturers General Motors, Enron, Halliburton, and, of course, Microsoft itself.

The Future is Bright

In addition to the features available at launch, built-in wireless technology and powerful software provide a strong foundation to continue to build new shared experiences around documents and . . . documents. As Pwnd evolves, the device can be easily updated. The Pwnd software on your Windows PC will let you know when these updates are available for download and will tell you how many Microsoft Points you were charged for this information.

About Pwnd

Pwnd is Microsoft's new office document management platform that provides an end-to-end solution for Connected Office Workers™. The Pwnd experience includes a 30 GB digital media recorder, the Pwnd Digital Bookstore™ (where you can purchase Digital Paper and Heat Pens), and a foundation for an online community that will enable office workers to discover the efficiency of writing vs. typing.

Inspired by the vast and varied community of office workers, Pwnd focuses on helping emerging entrepreneurs shape the digital canvas. Pwnd is part of Microsoft's Office and Office-like Products™ division and supports the company's software-based services vision to help drive innovation in the office. More information can be found online at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/pwnd.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft® Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx. Corporate officers may contact Steve "Monkeyboy Dancer" Ballmer directly at dance-monkeyboy-dance@microsoft.com.