In a global splash, Vista hits screens

The Windows Vista operating system for personal computers hit the Korean market yesterday as part of the product’s global launch. Early adopters of the new software, however, may find that some Korean Web sites will not be accessible because of new security tools built into the latest offering from Microsoft.
Developing Vista took five years and an investment of $6 billion, Microsoft said. At a press conference Monday in New York, Chairman Bill Gates boasted that Vista was the key to what he called a new digital era.
Multimedia and game functions have been beefed up in Vista. “Tools” on the right side of the initial screen offer access to programs that allow remote control of the computer, a radio and television player, stock ticker and news reports.
Video clips and photographs can also be easily managed and edited. the company said. The operating system organizes photos and can tweak the picture quality, changing contrast and brightness or eliminating “red eye,” for example.
Another highly touted feature of Vista (and one praised by critics as well) is an improved search function that allows text searches within documents rather than just in file names. Apparently in a bid to undermine Google’s dominance in the search market, an Internet search box linked to the Internet Explorer browser will allow Web searches direct from the desktop. Google has about half the U.S. market for Internet searches; Microsoft’s equivalent has only about an 8-percent share.
Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and Sambo Computer all began selling desktop and laptop computers using Vista yesterday. Most have 1 gigabyte of memory and media center functions.
“Korean PC companies are focusing on the high-end market with the Vista launch,” said Park Jun-seok, a senior executive at Microsoft Korea.
Not all Web sites, however, will be fully functional, because Vista has new security features incompatible for now with some Korean sites’ security functions or with streaming media applications. The Information Ministry said some bank and shopping sites are affected by the incompatibility.

By Wohn Dong-hee(Staff Writer)/Kim Won-bae(JoongAng Ilbo) [wohn@joongang.co.kr]