LiveSide - News blog : Equipt

Microsoft Equipt to be discontinued after April 30, 2009

Sunshine — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:19:09 GMT

Microsoft is going to discontinue their Software and Services subscription package Equipt. Equipt, which includes Office Home and Student 2007, OneCare, Office Live Workspaces and Windows Live Essentials, got launched July last year.

To help address the growing need for essential PC protection, Microsoft recently announced that it will be offering consumers a no-cost, anti-malware-focused security solution and will discontinue Windows Live OneCare. As a result of this new offering and the discontinuation of OneCare, Microsoft Equipt, which includes a subscription to OneCare, will be discontinued after April 30, 2009.

We first reported that it would be discontinued as OneCare would be replaced by Morro, back in November. Now we got a definite date on it.

If you are a Equipt subscriber please fill out the the Equipt Refund Request Form on the Subscriber Center now! You will then be refunded for the months you didn’t get to use, and you will also receive a free copy of Office Home and Student 2007. If you purchased Equipt in the US and have not yet installed Equipt, please request your refund through the 45-day Money Back Guarantee program.

More detailed information on all this can be found at the Microsoft Equipt FAQ page.

OneCare v 2.5 Final released to production: Available now

Kip Kniskern — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:16:28 GMT

OneCare version 2.5, which went into public beta in early April, has just been released into production, and is available now by download at www.onecare.live.com. While the newest build (2.5.2900.3) won’t show much if anything in the way of new features or UI, version 2.5 is expected to be included in Microsoft Equipt, as well as OneCare for Server (for SBS), which is expected to be released later in the year. If previous upgrades are any indication, the new version should be rolling out to existing users in the coming days and weeks, but you can download the final bits now, either as a trial, or to upgrade your current subscription.

Microsoft Launches Consumer Subscription Offering That Combines Microsoft Office And Windows Live OneCare: Microsoft Equipt, Initially Known As Albany

Sunshine — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:00:00 GMT

Remember Albany Beta? Well, it has been renamed to Equipt and is released today!

REDMOND, Wash. — July 2, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. today unveiled Microsoft Equipt, an all-in-one security and productivity software subscription service for consumers. In one easy installation, the service delivers award-winning anti-malware protection technology and features to simplify PC management and help improve performance, the productivity tools people use to organize their lives, and online services that help make it easy to keep in touch with friends and family.

Initially code-named “Albany,” Microsoft Equipt offers consumers Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, giving them the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for their personal and school projects; Windows Live OneCare, the all-in-one security and PC management service; Windows Live tools, such as Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Photo Gallery so they can connect and share with people they care about most; and Office Live Workspace, a new service from Microsoft that makes it easy to save documents to a dedicated online Workspace and share them with friends and classmates. Anytime a new version of Office or Windows Live OneCare is released, Microsoft Equipt customers will get the version upgrades as part of their subscriptions.

Microsoft Equipt will be sold in nearly 700 Circuit City Stores in the US starting mid-July. Retail price is estimated at $69.99 for a one-year renewable subscription and can be installed on up to three home PCs.

From the factsheet:

Included Products and Services:

Windows Live OneCare
All-in-one security and performance includes antivirus, antispyware, firewall, file and photo backup, performance tune-ups, and home network management to help keep your PC running at its peak.

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
· Word 2007. Create great-looking documents with ease.
· Excel 2007. Intuitive spreadsheet tools let you create budgets and more.
· PowerPoint 2007. Design stunning presentations for family, school or volunteer activities.
· OneNote 2007. Organize different kinds of information — text, images, audio and video, Web clippings, and more — in one digital notebook.

Microsoft Office Live Workspace
This new service from Office makes it easy for you to save documents to a dedicated online Workspace and share these with friends and classmates.

Windows Live tools
· Windows Live Mail. Get all your e-mail in one place.
· Windows Live Messenger. Send instant messages to your friends or have a video chat.
· Windows Live Photo Gallery. Organize and share photos.
· And more. Including Windows Live Writer and Windows Live Toolbar.

Automatic updates and upgrades. Office Home and Student version upgrades plus automatic security updates and OneCare upgrades.

More information:
Q&A: PressPass Interview with Bryson Gordon
Factsheet Equipt
http://www.circuitcity.com