(Cnet) Microsoft confirmed Friday that it will offer discounted versions of Windows XP for home users who want to install the new operating system on several PCs. People can purchase additional "family licenses" at the time they buy Windows XP, either the upgrade or the full version, Cullinan said. The licenses are expected to cost $10 to $30 less than the full product price. Later on, Microsoft plans to make the licenses available online and to offer additional license options with some networking products.
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From Hardware Central - E.G. for Example: Too Few Vendors, Too Many Products: Shopping for a PC today is a turnoff, but shopping for a digital camera is a delight. Eric (who's doing both) says PC vendors could learn from their camera cousins by reintroducing the forgotten idea of product segmentation -- and by marketing systems not on megahertz, but on suitability for different jobs. Oh, and biorhythm charts on the box.
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(Press Release) Compaq Computer Corporation has unveiled a compelling array of eight easy-to-use iPAQ networking products for the home and small office that take the guesswork out of networking. Primarily designed for use in homes and small offices that have multiple PCs and broadband Internet subscriptions, this new class of iPAQ networking devices support the most popular networking technology available today; including 802.11b wireless, HomePNA 2.0 phoneline (HPNA) and 10/100 Fast Ethernet; on all brands of Windows 98 and higher PCs -- and will also support Microsoft Windows XP upon release. In addition to desktops and notebooks this flexibility enables greater connectivity for products such as the iPAQ Pocket PC through wireless networking and the iPAQ Music Center through phoneline networking.

The proliferation of multi-PC households is growing rapidly, with 23.4 million homes expected to have more than one computer by 2003. Combined with the explosion of high-speed Internet usage (broadband penetration is expected to be 40 percent by 2003), there is increasing interest among consumers to create a home or small office network to share Internet access, files, software, printers, music and pictures. A secondary driver for home networking includes the increasing popularity of digital entertainment applications such as head-to-head gaming and music sharing.
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(Press Release) Logitech has announced that it has taken the next significant step towards further operational efficiency, by appointing its first outsourcing production partner in Europe. Manufacturing of selected Logitech products has already begun at a site in Hungary, under an agreement recently signed with Orion Electronics Ltd.
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