On 30th of January 2007, Microsoft finally released the much awaited version of their seemingly next-gen operating system titled “Windows Vista“. Originally codenamed as “Longhorn”, this edition of the Microsoft OS went through many ups and downs and believe it or not, it was in production house for more than 5 years. That’s quite a long time in the world of computing but the end result is satisfying. Reportedly, this edition of Windows witnessed major code changes in order to boost up its internal security.

Vista is said to be the most secure OS released by Microsoft till date. It builds up on the existing good features from Windows XP and even takes it a step or two further. The most talked about feature of this OS is its “Aero” user interface. Aero makes use of the 3D capabilities of modern graphics cards and uses it brilliantly to render stunning visual interface. On one hand Vista is a true visual delight with features such as Translucent Windows, Flip-3D and Video Wallpapers (DreamScene) while on the other, its a stable and secure OS to the core with Internet Explorer 7 Protected Mode, Windows Defender and Windows Firewall etc.

Windows Vista comes in many flavours all having different pricing. The most basic version of Vista is easily affordable to mass but the feature packed “Ultimate Edition” will only be able to grace the desktops of a lucky few. The pricing of various Vista editions in India and US are as follows -

Windows Vista Home Basic - Rs. 7854.00 ($199.00)
Windows Vista Home Premium - Rs. 9293.00 ($239.00)
Windows Vista Business - Rs. 11546.00 ($299.00)
Windows Vista Ultimate - Rs. 15442.00 ($399.00)

All Indian prices courtesy IndiaTimes and all US prices courtesy WinSuperSite.