UK schools advised to hold off on Vista

Microsoft needs to make a stronger case for UK schools to upgrade to Windows Vista and Office 2007, as neither product contains essential new features, according to a report from a British educational advisory group.

The report, released by the British Education Communications and Technology Association, contains concerns over Microsoft's new flagship products, both due for general release at the end of this month.

The report also struck at the core of what Microsoft has billed as its biggest improvements with the software, including security. The report said the most stable version of Windows XP came almost three years after the product's initial release and advised that early deployments of Vista would be "high risk".

Trying to regain its lead in the liquid crystal display TV market, Sharp plans to boost output with an eight billion yen ($66.3 million) factory in Mexico and a new production line at a domestic plant, reports AP.

Sharp, once the global leader in LCD TVs, has fallen behind rivals as it struggled to meet surging global demand for flat-panel televisions. It now holds about 12% of the global LCD TV market, putting it behind Sony, Samsung Electronics and Philips Electronics.

Sharp president Katsuhiko Machida told reporters in Tokyo that the new Mexican factory will produce finished televisions in North America for the first time, greatly bolstering the company's ability to feed the key US market.

Microsoft, Oracle and SAP all plan to unveil new offerings this week at the National Retail Federation 2007 conference in New York, reports ComputerWorld.

Microsoft will introduce the Dynamics Point of Sale 2.0 and Dynamics Retail Management System 2.0 applications during the conference, according to Jen Larson, senior product manager for the company's point-of-sale offerings.

Point of Sale 2.0 is tailored for cash registers at single-store operations and has been enhanced to make cashiers more efficient, Larson said. The application also features integration with Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2007 software, she said.