Redmond, Wash. — April 23, 2008— Microsoft Corp. today announced the official launch of the Vida Digital Latina campaign to promote computer literacy among Hispanics. Microsoft joined forces with ASPIRA, a national nonprofit organization devoted to the education and leadership development of Latino youth, and Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association (LISTA), an organization founded to close the digital divide among Latino communities. Together they will offer free computer literacy education to Hispanics in Los Angeles, Miami, New York City and San Francisco. A series of free Spanish-language classes will be offered in each market and will highlight the safety features of Windows Vista and the overall program benefits.
As part of the educational seminars, technology expert and Latino cyberguy Jose Ulloa will join local Windows Vista Ambassadors to share their expertise and personal stories on integrating technology and Windows Vista into their daily lives.
“Latinos are more likely to adapt to new technology such as computers, mobile phones, cameras, MP3 players and game consoles than the general market consumer,” Ulloa said, on behalf of Microsoft’s Vida Digital Latina program.
The Vida Digital Latina platform was created to further engage and increase technology education among U.S. Latinos. Windows Vista classes and presentations are free and open to the public and will be held on the following dates:
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New York: April 25, Compass Community Center, Bronx, 10:30 a.m.
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Miami: May 14, Jobing.com offices, 8:30 a.m.
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San Francisco: May 20, Hilton San Francisco, 8:30 a.m.
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Los Angeles: June 11, Jobing.com offices, 8:30 a.m.
“Microsoft is excited to partner with organizations such as ASPIRA and LISTA to further promote computer literacy and educational outreach among the Hispanic community. Together, we hope to empower Hispanics to use technology in ways that allow them to advance in the workplace, promote communication with loved ones back home and retain valuable family memories,” said Jose Pinero, director of multicultural marketing at Microsoft. “By entering these markets and providing interactive events that allow the Hispanic community to engage and learn one-on-one, we hope to increase awareness of technology tools that widely go unused or unnoticed.”
Windows Vista provides innovative tools to help create a safer computing experience for the family and allow parents to better manage and monitor their children’s PC and Internet activities. Parents can manage and monitor PC and Internet access with a few simple clicks in the new Windows Vista Parental Controls center and decide what kinds of TV, music and games are appropriate for their children. New features in Windows Vista include the following:
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Parental Controls with monitoring and activity reports. Windows Vista allows parents not only to set the rules, but also to supervise how the rules are followed by the different users of a Windows Vista-equipped PC. The new monitoring system provides parents with reports that show computer activity and time online per user, and also has the ability to limit Internet access to certain times for specific users.
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Multilingual User Interface. Windows Vista Ultimate edition with Multilingual User Interface allows users to keep one or several languages installed on the same computer. Now, depending on the user, the Windows menus can appear in English or Spanish.
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Windows Media Center music. With the Windows Media Center in Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate, consumers are the disc jockeys of their own music and can control the mood. Users will be able to find their music by looking at the compact disc covers on screen. They can select music by genre, artist, year, song or album, and can then transfer it to their MP3 player or sound system, or burn a CD with their favorite mix.
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Windows Aero graphical interface. The new Windows Aero user interface offers special features, such as the “glass” effect that makes a clear and transparent difference by allowing users to locate information at a glance. In addition, with live thumbnails, users can take a look at the content of a given window from the taskbar, without fully opening that particular window.
About ASPIRA
ASPIRA of New York is a Hispanic youth services agency founded in 1961 whose goal is to foster the social advancement of the Hispanic community by helping Latino young people aspire to improve their lives through educational excellence and to better their communities through enlightened leadership. ASPIRA serves more than 8,000 young people and their families across the city through a variety of initiatives, including school-based leadership development clubs, dropout prevention programs, college and career advisement, SAT prep and parent engagement, among other efforts.
About Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association (LISTA)
LISTA promotes the utilization of the technology sectors for the empowerment of the Latino community. We are an organization that is committed to bringing various elements of Technology under one central hub to facilitate our partners, members and the community with the leverage and education they need to succeed in a highly advanced technologically driven society. LISTA Mission is to educate, motivate and encourage the use of technology in the Latino community and empowering them to bridge the digital divide.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
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