Microsoft Releases Microsoft Student With Encarta Premium 2008 
Enhanced homework tools help students excel in today’s challenging academic environment.
 
REDMOND, Wash. (rushprnews) June 26, 2007 — To help students meet increasingly challenging educational requirements, Microsoft Corp. today announced the release of Microsoft® Student with Encarta® Premium 2008, the latest edition of the homework productivity software designed to help students complete their assignments and excel academically.

According to the May 2005 MSI-ITM Homework Study, more than two-thirds of parents experience frustration when helping their children with homework, citing the main problems as a lack of knowledge, a lack of resources and a lack of time. Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008 features a collection of homework tools and trusted information designed to help students quickly and easily complete assignments in math, science, foreign languages, social studies and language arts. Students can get a jump-start on homework with the all-in-one package, which helps them solve problems and complete assignments efficiently, potentially leading to higher grades.

“Microsoft has enhanced Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008 to help students be even more productive with their homework,” said Dave Brooks, product manager for Microsoft Student. “It takes helpful resources and puts them all in one place on the PC, so students spend less time searching and more time learning. Parents also don’t have to worry about feeling unprepared to help their kids with homework.”

Technology and the Internet have transformed the way students access information, but the wealth of resources and user-generated content on the Web can make it difficult for students to find relevant tools and accurate information. Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008 provides trusted resources that direct students to accurate and engaging content.

Microsoft Student is the second education solution the company is making available for purchase via download as well as through traditional retail outlets. Microsoft Math 3.0, a software package released in May to help students tackle problems in math and science, was the first Microsoft solution consumers were able to purchase via download, for $19.95 (U.S.) through http://www.microsoft.com/math. Microsoft Student comes with a streamlined version of Microsoft Math among its tools.

“Microsoft wants its education solutions to be more accessible to students, teachers and parents, so Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008 and Microsoft Math 3.0 can be purchased online,” Brooks said. “These solutions can be easily downloaded directly to the PC as a resource to help students achieve academic success.”

The collection of reliable productivity tools in Microsoft Student includes the following:

• Encarta Premium 2008. This edition of the education software has been updated to offer even more current and credible reference information and engaging multimedia content for students conducting research.
 
• Microsoft Math 2.0. The large collection of tools, tutorials and instruction material has been streamlined to help students more efficiently solve problems in basic math, pre-algebra, algebra (including logarithms and exponents) and trigonometry.

• Graphing Calculator. This comprehensive and full-featured tool features extensive 2-D and 3-D graphing and equation-solving capabilities to help students visualize and solve math and science problems.
 
• Step-by-Step Equation Solver. This gives students the support they need to complete step-by-step solutions to many math problems.
 
• Equation Library. This resource contains more than 100 common equations and formulas that enable students to identify and easily apply the equation necessary to solve math and science problems.
 
 
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• New! Learning Essentials 2.0 for Students. Templates and tutorials transform Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint® and Excel® into student-oriented applications that offer writing and formatting tips for creating well-written and great-looking papers, presentations and reports that help students focus on core learning opportunities and achieve better grades.
 
• Foreign language help. Microsoft Student contains a full-featured dictionary to help translate and conjugate verbs in French, German, Italian and Spanish. Learning Essentials for Students also provides tools designed to aid the study of foreign languages, including templates and tools for completing assignments in French, German and Spanish.
 

Availability

Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008 is scheduled for availability in early July 2007 for an estimated retail price of $49.95 (U.S.). The product can be purchased at local software retailers or via download at http://www.microsoft.com/student.

Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008 is also available in a variety of Microsoft Academic Volume Licensing programs for educational institutions. Full information about special pricing and licensing for educational institutions, educators and students can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/education/howtobuy.mspx.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.
 

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Anne Howard www.annehowardpublicist.com writer and publicist