Microsoft, Southwest Air team on Windows holiday promotion
Microsoft and Southwest Airlines are teaming to make free holiday photos available to travelers this holiday season.
The program, unveiled on November 23, is one of several promotional events Microsoft is doing this year to highlight new and existing Windows 7 PCs and Windows Live services.
At the New York City announcement this morning, Microsoft brought in a few new Windows 7 PCs as part of a showcase. I had a chance to lift the new Dell Inspiron Duo tablet-netbook convertible, which, at 3.2 pounds, still feels to me pretty heavy for a slate/tablet. The just-announced Acer Iconia dual-screen Windows 7 tablet -- expected to ship in the first quarter of 2011 -- was not among the new models on display. There were Kinect sensors, Xbox 360s and a handful of Windows Phone 7 devices on display, as well (though nothing that hasn't already been announced).
(Speaking of Windows Phone 7, Microsoft officials said today that there will be 3,000 apps and games certified by Microsoft in the Windows Phone Marketplace by the end of this week The Softies said there has been a near 80% increase in the number of registered developers since September, bringing the total number of Windows Phone 7 developers to 15,000.)
Back to the Microsoft-Southwest Windows promotion. "Holiday Photos on the Fly" will allow passengers traveling on Southwest, starting December 2, to get a free holiday photo that is captured, edited, e-mailed and/or printed using Windows 7 and Windows Live Photo Gallery. The promotion will be held at 26 airports across the U.S. and will continue every weekend until Christmas. (No, free wifi, courtesy of Microsoft, sadly is not part of the Southwest deal....)
Microsoft is holding another Windows 7 showcase event on December 6, where the company will be showing off additional new Windows 7 PCs, officials said. Among the new form factors on display at that event is expected to be the Origin PC "Big O," which is a 100-pound, tricked-out gaming rig that is half PC, half Xbox.