Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday it will offer a free, advertising-supported version of Microsoft Works as part of a test program with computers manufacturers.
One of the goals of the test program is to figure out if there is a viable business model for advertising supported software.
The free version, Microsoft Works 9 SE, won't be distributed by Microsoft and will only be deployed by a limited number of OEMs.
Works 9 SE will complement Works 9, which will be available for retail "very soon" for 39.95 U.S. dollars. Both Works 9 and Works SE are essentially identical in features and function, with the only difference the addition of advertising in the SE product, a senior product manager for Microsoft Melissa Stern said.
The Works 9 SE software will likely provide an inexpensive means of enticing customers to use Microsoft's low-cost Works suite, which include a word processor, database, spreadsheet, calendar and task launcher.
That advertising will be provided by Microsoft, through its partners. Ads displayed will be in conventional formats, such as a 180 x 150-pixel format. They also will be located in natural locations, according to Stern. The ads served will be "relevant" to the user's activities. "We're defining who the audience is and what they're doing, such as working in budgets," she said.
The world's largest software maker has been pondering the future of Microsoft Works, its basic spreadsheet and word processing software, in the face of rising competition from Google Inc.'s suite of business software services.
Microsoft has invested heavily in its Web advertising business with the goal of building a powerhouse to rival Google.
Source:Xinhua/agencies
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article