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Brand: Microsoft Color: Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP EAN: 0659556753092 Format: CD-ROM Item Dimensions: Label: Microsoft Software Manufacturer: Microsoft Software MPN: V03-00021 Platform: Windows XP Publisher: Microsoft Software Release Date: October 25, 2001 Studio: Microsoft Software Editorial Review: Product Description: MODEL- MS-CD75309WI VENDOR- MICROSOFT CORPORATION FEATURES- Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP Built exclusively to take advantage of the power of Windows XP Microsoft Plus! delivers exciting new features for digital music gaming photos and more. Tailor your digital audio and video to your own tastes challenge yourself with a variety of fun and exciting games and customize the look and feel of your desktop with amazingly lifelike screen savers and images. Discover the new and vibrant multimedia experience. * Quickly convert MP3 files to space-saving Windows Media Audio (WMA) files. * Personalize the style of the Windows Media Player in Windows XP with attractive custom skins and use Plus! Personal DJ to create play lists of your favorite songs. * Boost the clarity and richness of music with new speaker enhancement technology. * Enjoy digital audio and video like never before! * Challenge yourself with captivating new arcade-style games featuring stunning 3-D graphics. * Explore the fun and excitement of bowling through the streets of ancient Rome. * Discover an intense game for fans of Tetris that will test your skills for quick thinking and strategy. * Navigate a new 3-D version of the classic tabletop labyrinth game filled with vibrant visuals and sounds. * Test your skills with over 40 Amazon.com Review: Beginning with the release of Windows 95, Microsoft has made a habit of augmenting each new operating system with an add-on package of assorted enhancements and goodies. The latest such supplement to come to market is Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP, a collection of graphic and audio utilities, rudimentary games, screen savers, and desktop themes specifically designed for users of Microsoft's latest and most robust OS. But whereas the Windows 95 and Windows 98 Plus! editions blended several genuinely useful applications such as disk management tools and virus checkers with the usual stable of multimedia tweaks, Plus! for Windows XP offers more fluff than substance. Although newbies will undoubtedly find much of the collection quite compelling, veteran users may not be so impressed. The program is divided into four distinct categories--Digital Media, Games, Screen Savers, and Themes--each of which may be accessed through a single, convenient graphical interface. Of these, the Digital Media component is clearly the deepest and most interesting. Its handy utilities include an MP3 audio converter for transforming disk-hogging WAV and MP3 files into space-efficient WMA format, a music playlist organizer known simply as Personal DJ, an exceedingly capable CD label maker, 20-plus Media Player skins, and three animated Media Player visualizations (including one culled from the Xbox game Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee). Music and video fans in particular will immediately gravitate to the Voice Command for Windows Media Player module, which allows users to operate most Media Player functions by issuing verbal commands into their computer microphone. Even when faced with garbled enunciation and loud background music, Voice Command faithfully recognizes commands such as "Volume Up" and "Pause." Sadly, Microsoft's seemingly innovative Speaker Enhancement tool is ultimately little more than a glorified tone control that often hinders rather than improves the sound of your speakers. Of the three games included in the package, the most intriguing is Russian Square, a deceptively addictive puzzle affair that plays like a one-dimensional offspring of Tetris and Rubik's Cube. Far less involving are the arcade bowling knock-off HyperBowl and the three-dimensional Labyrinth, a virtual take on the real-life game that involves a tilting table, metal ball, and lots of ball-gobbling holes. Eight animated screen savers and four desktop themes complete the package, the most notable of which is the stunningly lifelike and absolutely gorgeous underwater screen saver called "Aquarium." Otherwise, the program's themes and screen savers are no better than those that can be downloaded free of charge from various Web sites. With Plus! for Windows XP, Microsoft has assembled a multipronged mixture of useful and not-so-useful multimedia tools and lighthearted amenities into one easily accessible compilation. If you aren't the type to scout around the Internet for individual components and feel the need to spruce up your XP audio-video environment, it may be for you. --Gordon Goble Amazon.com Product Description: With Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP, you can personalize your computer experience like never before. Built exclusively to take advantage of the power of Windows XP, Microsoft Plus! delivers exciting new features for digital music, gaming, photos, and more. Tailor your digital audio and video to your own tastes, challenge yourself with a variety of fun and exciting games, and customize the look and feel of your desktop with amazingly lifelike screen savers and images. Everything you need to amplify your audio and video experience is included. Use the power of your voice to control Windows Media Player without lifting a finger. Easily create colorful, customized CD covers, labels, and inserts, and automatically add your own track listings and artwork using Plus! CD Label Maker. Enjoy stunning 3-D visualization effects, vibrant speaker enhancements, and a powerful personal DJ for automatically creating custom playlists in Windows Media Player. Quickly and easily convert your library of MP3 files to Windows Media Audio (WMA), saving valuable space on your hard drive. Challenge yourself with fun and exciting new games. Take the fun and excitement of bowling in 3-D into the streets of ancient Rome with HyperBowl Plus! Edition. Labyrinth Plus! Edition rolls the classic tabletop labyrinth game into a 3-D world filled with vibrant visuals and sounds. Test your skills for quick thinking and strategy with Russian Square, an intense new puzzle game for fans of Tetris. Customize your computer with 3-D graphics and photos. Personalize your computer with exciting new desktop visuals, including eight photorealistic 3-D screen savers and four enhanced themes, including wallpapers, screen savers, media player skins, and much more. Watch exotic fish come to life on your desktop in this amazingly lifelike recreation of a marine aquarium or display your favorite photos in a variety of custom-animated 3-D photo galleries. Even add your favorite background music. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - My reviewThe description of the product which was Plus! Digital Media Edition [OLD VERSION] is why I bought it. At this point I was in no rush and didn't worry aout the price of the product. I knew what I would get from the description of the product and the sellers rating because I had previous experience with the product but had no key. Also, I couldn't get the product any where or way else. The sale of the product was prompt despite a short delay but early compared to Amazon.com's prediction of when I ... Read More Rating:  - RipoffThis is so poor, it shouldn't be given away. The screen savers are excellent but require heavy use of the CPU. The games are only partial and require further investment for the complete version. Quite a rip off and disappointment from an otherwise satisfied Microsoft customer. Rating: - What did I just pay for?I don't get this, in Plus 98 you get a whole bunch of themes and other stuff - in Plus XP you get nothing - well you get a couple of thems! I cannot believe I paid for this - I uninstalled this and returned it for store credit - this is not worth $19.99 or $12.99 it is worth $1.99 - if you want some more themes for Windows XP look around on the internet for FREE ones and save your money! Rating: - Terrific For Getting Your Old Records On Cds Or In Your iPod!This is not the most current version of this software; but since it's probably still being sold new in places like eBay, I thought I'd still do a review. I bought this years ago to convert my records to CDs, but just ended up using it this year. I got a terrific Audio-Technica turntable for Christmas that plugs in easily to my PC. This is the software I'm using to convert the records. It is VERY easy to use, and has VERY easy instructions. The only one problem I had is that sometimes the hiss reduction ... Read More Rating: - Great fun at a great valueMicrosoft Plus! Digital Media Edition is not something necessary for the enjoyment of life, but, then, neither is a computer, a cell phone, or a TV, unless you are a diehard couch potato. What this collection of utilities does is add some fun to Windows XP, and it's stuff no other operating system enjoys. I personally use Photo Story and Analog Recorder often, because they are both easy to use and a blast to use, too. The games collection could have been better, but, hey, for a little over ten bucks, ... Read More |
