FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003 Takes the Work Out of Homework

New Tools and Up-to-Date Information Make Students' Lives Easier

REDMOND, Wash. -- June 27, 2002 -- Building on its ranking as the No. 1 best-selling encyclopedia brand,* Microsoft Corp. today launched Encarta® Reference Library 2003, offering innovative homework tools to take students to the head of their classes. These new features, including Homework Center, Literature Guides, Book of Quotes, Chart Maker and Project Starters, were developed to help students research assignments, plan steps to complete various homework projects, and gain insights into the most commonly read works of literature.

Encarta Reference Library 2003 also offers a complete suite of current information, including Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 2003, Encarta Interactive World Atlas, Encarta Dictionary and Thesaurus, and Encarta Africana. Encarta content can be updated on a weekly basis via the Internet, keeping its comprehensive base of resources extremely fresh.

Encarta changes as the world changes by regularly incorporating new content about events that transcend time -- such as those of the past year, including the crisis in the Middle East, the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship and advances in science such as cloning and space exploration.

"Now, more than ever, it's clear that history-making moments are born from today's current events," said Sally Katovsich, Encarta marketing manager at Microsoft. "As the leading reference resource, Encarta can dependably provide consumers with some of the most up-to-date, accurate and complete information available."

Encarta Reference Library also offers a Single Search interface in which keyword searches gather information found throughout all Encarta resources and the findings are displayed in one place. This makes it possible for students working on homework to easily access a breadth of information once only available in libraries. Encarta's engaging multimedia content, innovative educational tools and integration with the Web make learning more fun through the following educational features:

• NEW! Literature Guides give insight into some of the most commonly read works of literature -- from "The Grapes of Wrath" to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" -- by providing information about the authors, their works and genres.
• NEW! Translation Dictionaries provide quick and easy translations from English to and from the most commonly studied languages in schools today -- Spanish, French, German and Italian.
• NEW! Quotations contain familiar and contemporary quotes from literature, television, the news media and more.
• NEW! Chart Maker enables students to easily create their own charts and graphs for reports and other assignments.
• NEW! Project Starters help students to develop, plan and think about school projects, from writing a poem to completing a science fair project.
• Encarta Researcher helps students collect and organize text and pictures as resources from Encarta and the Web, so they can construct exceptional reports and projects in less time. Encarta automatically creates relevant footnotes and bibliographies, then includes them in the finished reports.
• With Update Encarta, new information is integrated on a weekly basis directly into Encarta articles, resulting in continuously updated and sometimes entirely new content.
• Web Center provides instant access to Web-based materials selected and reviewed by Encarta editors for relevancy.
• Statistics Center provides students with charts to compare international statistics on population, religion, temperature, language and more.
• Virtual Tours enable students to view re-creations of ancient sites that no longer exist as they once did, such as the Roman Forum. With Encarta, not only can one see what Rome looks like today, but 3-D Virtual Tours allow students to take walking tours of the Roman Forum as it appeared at the height of the Roman empire.
• Live Streaming Media allows students to access live MSNBC news, weather information and radio broadcasts from around the world.
• With the Copy to Hard Drive feature, Encarta content is integrated, which means less disk swapping as information can be completely downloaded to a PC's hard drive. Encarta Reference Library also is available in DVD, which means absolutely no disk swapping.

Encarta Reference Library 2003 contains the following:

• Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 2003. This comprehensive multimedia encyclopedia makes gathering information trouble-free, through a superior mix of content, technology, educational tools and Web integration.
• Encarta Interactive World Atlas. An interactive globe, a variety of map styles and 1.8 million place listings with compelling multimedia content give fresh insight into the people, places and resources that shape our planet.
• Encarta Dictionary and Thesaurus. This authoritative writing companion was created for the age of global communication.
• Encarta Africana. This award-winning resource explores the history and achievements of African people and their descendants from the beginning of time to the present day. It also features the Library of Black America and a Music Timeline.

Pricing and Teacher Materials

The Encarta Reference Library 2003 five-disc CD-ROM and single-disk DVD have an estimated retail price** of $74.95 (U.S.) before a $10 (U.S.) mail-in rebate. Encarta Reference Library 2003 runs on the Microsoft® Windows® 98, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me) and Windows XP operating systems.

Volume discounts for all products might apply for schools, colleges and libraries. More information on academic pricing and licensing is available at the Microsoft Education Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/education/.

More information on Encarta 2003 reference products is available at http://www.microsoft.com/Family/PTA/. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.

* NPDTechworld, March 1993--March 2002. Based on total U.S. retail sales.

** Actual retailer prices may vary.

Microsoft, Encarta and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Taking a Closer Look at Encarta Reference Library 2003
June 2002

Product Overview

As the most complete reference resource from Encarta, Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003 continues Microsoft Corp.'s tradition as a technology and education integration leader. Encarta Reference Library 2003 is a student reference resource on CD-ROM or DVD-ROM that combines current and complete information with innovative, powerful homework tools that allow students to spend less time searching and more time learning. Encarta integrates leading vast multimedia reference content with the best of the Internet, delivering a rich variety of trusted information all in one place. Its collection of up-to-date content, combined with its innovative homework tools, makes Encarta a powerful source for learning and exploration at home and in school.

As the No.1 best-selling encyclopedia brand,* Encarta has the tools to take students to the head of the class.

• New! Homework Center helps students understand and plan the steps needed to complete homework assignments.
• New! Homework Center Project Starters help students in developing, planning and thinking about school projects, from writing a poem to completing a science fair project.
• New! Literature Guides give insight into some of the most commonly read works of literature -- from "The Grapes of Wrath" to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" -- by providing information about authors and their works.
• New! Translation Dictionaries provide quick and easy translations from English to and from the most commonly studied languages in schools today -- Spanish, French, German and Italian.
• New! Quotations contains familiar and contemporary quotes from literature, television, the news media and other sources.
• New! Chart Maker enables students to easily create their own charts and graphs for reports and other assignments.
• Encarta Researcher helps students collect and organize text and pictures as resources from Encarta and the Web to construct exceptional reports and projects in less time. Encarta automatically creates relevant footnotes and bibliographies, and then includes them in the finished reports.
• Statistics Center provides students with charts to compare international statistics on population, religion, temperature, language and more from the United Nations and U.S. Census data.

Students can experience the encyclopedia that changes with the times. Fast and easy updates delivered via the Internet keep content fresh and engaging.

• With Update Encarta, currency is king. New information is seamlessly integrated into Encarta articles, resulting in entirely new or updated content. Events that occurred during the past year, including the crisis in the Middle East and the 2002 Winter Olympics; biographies on sports stars such as Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant; and advances in science such as cloning and space exploration, lead to immediate content updates.
• Live streaming media allows users to access live MSNBC news, weather information and radio broadcasts from around the world.

Students will spend less time searching and more time learning. With Encarta, the complete reference resource, there's a world of information right at their fingertips.

• Single Search finds what students need, quickly and easily. One keyword will gather all the Encarta information on a topic and display it in one place. This allows information to be easily copied into other report-generating programs, such as Office Student License, without the need to swap CDs.
• Web Center provides instant access to Web-based material selected and reviewed by Encarta editors for its relevancy.
• Interactive multimedia Virtual Tours recreate historic cities, landmarks and cultural points of interest. Video animations, music, audio clips and photos bring them all to life.
• With the Copy to Hard Drive feature, Encarta content is integrated, which means less disk swapping. Content can also be completely downloaded to a PC's hard drive. In addition, Encarta Reference Library is available in DVD, which means absolutely no disk swapping.
• Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe, a comprehensive multimedia encyclopedia, makes gathering information trouble-free, through a mix of technology, educational tools and Web integration.
• Encarta Interactive World Atlas combines an interactive globe, a variety of map styles and 1.8 million place listings with compelling multimedia content, giving fresh insight into the people, places and resources that shape our planet.
• Encarta Dictionary and Thesaurus, an authoritative writing companion created for the age of global communication, not only contains everyday English language, it also provides quick and easy translations from English to foreign languages.
• Encarta Africana explores the history and achievements of Africans and their descendants from the beginning of time to the present. This award-winning resource also features the Library of Black America and a Music Timeline.
• Encarta Online Deluxe,** a premium online version of Encarta Encyclopedia and available by acquiring Encarta Reference Library 2003 or Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 2003, ensures Encarta content is updated regularly.

Availability
Encarta Reference Library 2003 will be available in June 2002.

Pricing***
The estimated retail price of Encarta Reference Library 2003 is $74.95 (U.S.). Volume discounts may apply for schools, colleges and libraries. More information on academic pricing and licensing can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/education/ .

* NPDTechworld, March 1993--March 2002. Based on total U.S. retail sales.

** Requires an Internet connection. User must be online to use FactFinder, Real-Time Media, live news from MSNBC, Encarta Online Deluxe and Update Encarta (available June 2002--October 2003). Encarta Online Deluxe and content updates are available only through Club Encarta membership. Club Encarta members receive a one-year subscription to Encarta Online Deluxe. Club Encarta is restricted to persons 13 years of age and older. A Microsoft Passport account is required to access Encarta Online Deluxe. Online product registration is required for specific features. Access to and use of the Internet may require payment of a separate fee to an Internet service provider. Local and long-distance telephone toll charges may vary. Offer is valid in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada only.

*** These are estimated retail prices in U.S. dollars. Only the reseller can quote exact prices. Prices are effective as of June 2002 and do not include tax or shipping and handling.

Microsoft, Encarta and the Encarta logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

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All trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties oftheir respective holders.

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