Posted 11/13/08 at 09:58:05 PM by Mark Edward Soper

It's an all-too-familiar marketing ploy: download a utility you really want, and get a toolbar for your browser free. This week, Microsoft joined the "download one, get one free" bandwagon, but with a twist: Redmond announced a deal with Sun Microsystems to offer the MSN Toolbar to US users of Internet Explorer whenever they download the Java Runtime Environment. MSN Toolbar offers one-click access to Live Search, direct access to Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger, and stories from the MSN network. If you hate toolbars, or your browser's already running your favorite toolbar, you can opt out of the MSN toolbar.

This Microsoft plus Sun pairing represents a big "win" for Microsoft, as Google's toolbar was previously being offered as the freebie with Java. As El Reg points out, this sort of thing is nothing new for Sun and Java. Java's also been used to deliver offers of OpenOffice and the Yahoo! toobar (the latter to Mozilla Firefox browser users only).

So, how do you feel about these combo deals? Would you rather get a coupon for free french fries, or are you comfortable with getting "two for one" downloads"? Join us after the jump and sound off.

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microsoft, Software, Bundle, download, browser, sun, Java, MSN Toolbar, Windows Live Search, Windows Live Hotmail, toolbar

Posted 07/21/08 at 05:04:35 PM by Paul Lilly

Never mind choosing between a PC or a console, Dell says why not get both? And to show you its okay to treat yourself to a gaming extravaganza, Dell is tossing in a Xbox 360 Elite console with both its $3,000 XPS M1730 laptop and $2,000 XPS 630 desktop.

Exactly what prompted the as-yet unannounced promotion remains a mystery, and after initial reports indicated the bundle only applied to the M1730 notebook, John Blain, gaming liasion for Dell, clarified in a blog that the company is also running the same deal with its 630 desktop. "As one commenter to this article mentioned (Brian), you can never have enough Xbox 360s. I would wholeheartedly agree," wrote Blain.

This isn't the first bit of news involving Microsoft's gaming console, and the company just last week announced a partnership with Netflix that would bring the online video rental's streaming service to Xbox 360 consoles this fall. In addition, Microsoft was busy showing off a redesigned 3D Dashboard at this year's E3, also slated for a fall release.

Dell too has been busy shaking things up with its recently introduced Studio notebook line, and the company will pilot a PC repair program in select Wal-Mart stores in the Dallas area.

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microsoft, notebook, dell, laptop, Bundle, OEM, rigs, xbox 360 elite

Posted 09/19/06 at 01:03:17 AM by Michael Brown

ALERT: Your days of having to stream music through your PC are over! Sonos now delivers the ability to stream straight from Rhapsody!

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music, Sonos Digital Music System, ZP-80, Bundle, Rhapsody