technical solutions and commentary

Microsoft announced the release of "Microsoft Equipt" a yearly subscription for consumers that includes "Windows Live OneCare" and "Office Home and Student". Also Equipt makes it simple for consumers to install and take advantage of the other Windows Live and Office Live Services.

The estimated retail subscription price is under $70 a year for the entire suite and it can be installed on up to 3 PC’s. That price is nice considering some Consumer PC security suites, which are comparable to "OneCare" by itself cost nearly that much per PC.

I had the opportunity run the product and provide feedback during it’s last two private betas - the product them was code named "albany" - before the Release. I was impressed with the easy installation and configuration of the core products and also the optional Windows Live Add-on services. I ran the suite on Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2 and had great user experience on both platforms. As well, I have been running Onecare for the last two years - apart from the Albany beta - and have seen great new features and services added, and the product improves since the 1.0 release.

I would recommend Equipt to anyone that wants a solid PC security product and productivity suite. You don’t have to be connected to the Internet to use the suite, you get full featured office products, and price is right - especially if you have more than one PC.

The Microsoft Press Release is here: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/jul08/07-02EquiptPR.mspx