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At Home with Microsoft

By Marlène Gaberel

 

Encarta Language Learning - SpanishThe January 2nd presentation by John Stroiney of Microsoft was concise, short and to the point.

John started his presentation by giving the audience a tour of the Encarta Language Learning in Spanish www.encarta.msn.com/products/info/Learn Spanish.asp There is also Encarta Language Learning in French, which I wish, by the way, John had chosen since I know more French than Spanish.

Encarta Language Learning has a study planner that lets, for example, a person intending to visit Spain or any other Spanish-speaking country, to set a target date to assemble enough Spanish knowledge to be able to hold a basic conversation. The study planner would indicate that with a certain number of hours per week much knowledge can be attained. The user can vary the amount of time as needed. The software also has a progress tracker that a student can review on a frequent basis to see where he/she stands.

Many different aspects of language learning such as conversation, grammar and pronunciation are available with the program. A student or anybody who wishes to acquire additional foreign language could use that program. John pointed out that the software was available in both standard and deluxe versions, with a headset included for listening to conversation and voice recognition for pronunciation that can be assessed.

According to John, the standard version retails for about $30.00 and the deluxe for $50.00. The deluxe version contains additional resources, such as two Audio CDs that can be listened to when away from the computer and a 240-page workbook to practice with additional activities. In addition, a full-screen video CD that allows for full screen viewing of the videos in the program. This last feature can be especially useful for teachers and families. In my opinion, at the prices that John stated, the software seems impressive and very comprehensive.

Combat Flight Simulator II, Pacific TheaterThe highlight of the evening was probably the demo of Combat Flight Simulator II, Pacific Theater. . The game is based on historical government sources and in-depth interviews with Japanese and American WWII veterans. A 200-page manual accompanies the program with pertinent historical details about the air battles in the Pacific. The introduction has interesting 1940s cartoons. John demonstrated a landing on an air carrier. He did not want to tell the audience how long he practiced but his attempt soon failed.

Though John is a very eloquent speaker for Microsoft, he may not be the best game player. To what do I compare? My older son plays games and Flight Simulator and he can stay “alive” much longer than John. The requirements for Combat Flight Simulator II, Pacific Theater are rather high. When the game came out in early Fall, my son bought it. Although I was able to install the game, it kept on crashing the computer. The reason, I suspect, is that my video card is not 3D. Even though I tried to by-pass the 3D feature, the game did not play at all on my computer. My son was very disappointed. I know from experience that games can be very demanding. My three-year-old computer just does not cut it with games like Simulator II.

John also mentioned that Microsoft offers two different types of joysticks to play Combat Flight Simulator II, Pacific Theater. One is the basic Sidewinder and the other the Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback 2 which provides the feel including the difficulty of operating a real airplane stick.

MSN ExplorerJohn then briefly mentioned MSN Explorer, Microsoft’s other browser. Its appearance is similar to an AOL interface, and also features e-mail. It is free to download and there is no need to be an MSN subscriber. One specific advantage is that a user can listen to music or watch a video while browsing the Web or using E-mail without having to open separate programs or windows. Windows Media Player is included and provides leading performance and supports a wide range of formats, including Windows Media and MP3.

The MSN Explorer is installed on the MSN Companion, Microsoft’s e-machine to surf the web and send e-mail. John said that the MSN Companion may be the ideal appliance in a kitchen to get, for example, virtual recipes or for someone who is only interested in accessing the Internet but has no need for a full-blown computer.

Finally, John gave us a web address to check at http://www.microsoft.com/business/howto/ for users of Microsoft Office 2000. The goal of the site is to make users of Office 2000 aware of tips and tricks enabling users to save time and to work more efficiently.

John ended the meeting by raffling some of the software he had presented. Some members left with a copy of Combat Flight Simulator II, Office 2000 and the new golf game Links 2001.

Within one hour the audience had a good idea of Microsoft’s latest software and hardware.




Marlène Gaberel is a DACS board member and VP for Public Relations, who kearns as much about computers from her sons, Joshua and Zachary as she does from DACS. You can e-mailher at: marlene_gaberel @yahoo.com.

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