The latest version of Windows will read users’ e-mails to familiarise itself with their vocabulary, allowing users to talk to their computers more easily.

Microsoft hailed the revamped speech recognition feature as only the beginning as it launched Vista yesterday.

Speaking to The Times at the company’s US headquarters in Redmond, Jim Allchin, the executive dubbed the “Vista Godfather”, said that machines that could actually understand speech would define the industry’s next breakthrough.

“You can dictate a letter to Vista, but it is not like the Vista really understands what you’re saying. That will be the next revolutionary step,” he said.

Speech-controlled devices already feature heavily in Microsoft’s “home of the future”, a high-tech abode controlled by “Grace”, a talking, listening interface. While Grace is a stepping stone to a future only so far seen in science fiction movies, Vista’s advances are more more prosaic. But they are still significant and are expected to reshape the way 100 million people use their computers.

The most noticable is Vista’s revamped “aero” user interface. While the layout will be familiar to Windows users, the Vista desktop now presents menus in a 3D format, making it easier to navigate. The feature has already won positive reviews.

Vista offers much faster graphics capability to win over gamers and an improved search tool. Echoing Apple’s “spotlight” feature, the system allows users to search the web and the computer for files at the touch of a button — rather than going to an internet browser. The feature is designed to lure users away from Google, Microsoft’s rival and the leader in the lucrative search market.

Vista is Microsoft’s response to what it calls the “explosion in digital content”. According to the company’s estimates, more than 270 billion digital images were taken last year. Among the tricks up Vista’s sleeve is the ability to take the “good” portions from several bad photos, where, say, different people in a group have their eyes closed, to create one picture-perfect scene.

A built-in parental controls feature allows owners to monitor and restrict use. There are 11 types of filter included, ranging from time of day users can access the PC to limiting which websites children can use. More far-reaching is the ability to block all downloads or block specific programs.

The Windows Defender feature, which is designed to counter viruses and other security threats, has yet to be put to public test, but it has already raised the hackles of specialist security firms, which claim that Microsoft is using its market dominance to try to put them out of business.

Overall, the new features are impressive. But there will some gripes about the price in Britain, where Vista costs about twice as much as the United States. Prices here will range from about £100 for a basic version, designed for home use, to £249 for the top-end “Ultimate” package, aimed at business users. In the US, prices range from £52 to £127.

Apple is set to release Leopard, a new version of its operating system, and many of Microsoft critics say that Bill Gates, Microsoft’s chairman, has merely taken Apple’s best ideas. Experts say that buying Vista depends on circumstances. Those who need a new machine, will have little choice from today but to buy a machine preinstalled with Vista. Those who are satisfied with their computers should hold on before buying.

Vista has 50 million lines of code, and despite a testing programme involving 5 million volunteers, bugs will inevitably be found and ironed out in the coming months. It is also possible that specialist applications will not be compatible with Vista.

Logging on

1 hr How long it takes to install Vista on a PC
1 day How long it took the BBC’s website technology reporters to install Vista
2 hrs How long Bill Gates says it takes for users of older Windows systems to get used to Vista
2,400 Number of bugs fixed in Vista in October and November last year
8 Number of times faster Vista is claimed to be than its predecessor
34 Number of languages Vista supports
90% of PCs run on Windows
20% The amount of European IT employment Vista will be responsible for this year
$10bn The estimated cost of developing Vista over five years
$10bn Microsoft’s operating profit from Windows last year
$53bn The estimated fortune of Bill Gates

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