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Our Bureau

New Delhi , Sept. 13

MICROSOFT on Monday announced a range of hardware input devices including mouse and keyboards in India, and said it was looking at doubling the current growth rate of 100 per cent in the hardware space.

The company has also initiated a research with IMRB to understand the consumer behaviour and estimate the size of the market for input devices. The initial findings of the survey are expected in three months.

"We are witnessing a 100 per cent growth in the hardware space in India and expect to double our growth in the market," Ms Yolanda Chan, Regional Sales Director, Asia and Greater China, Microsoft Home and Entertainment Division, said at a news conference here. The division would focus on hardware and gaming segments in India.

The new range of mouse and keyboards are priced between Rs 195 and Rs 5,000 and would be available through a network of 4,000 resellers across 80 cities.

The products are wireless optical desktop comfort edition, optical desktop with fingerprint reader, fingerprint reader and standard wireless optical desktop in the desktop category, and digital media Pro keyboard and Internet keyboard in the keyboard category.

In the mouse category, the company launched wireless intelliMouse explorer with fingerprint reader, and wireless intelliMouse Explorer special edition, wireless optical mouse - special edition, wireless notebook optical mouse and standard wireless optical mouse.

A highlight of the features incorporated in the products are biometric technology, fingerprint reader and keyboard zoom slider.

"We are offering a mix of features and innovative technology and expect that the new product range will enable users to work efficiently and comfortably in office or on the go. The futuristic biometric technology-enabled products will help eliminate password fatigue," she said.

Elaborating on the fingerprint technology, Mr Mohit Anand, Manager, Home and Entertainment Division, Microsoft India said that the consumers could now throw away their passwords and log into their PCs and favourite Web sites with the touch of a finger.

"Microsoft has introduced a range of biometrics-enabled hardware products with fingerprint recognition technology designed to deliver added convenience by replacing frequently used passwords with users' fingerprint," he added.

Xbox launch under study

MICROSOFT today said it is "evaluating" the launch of its digital entertainment gaming platform, Xbox, in India, but did not commit a timeframe for its availability.

"We are evaluating launching it in India and China and some other countries. But I cannot commit a date... We are doing plenty of research and partner evangelising and seeing which games are appropriate for the market," Ms Yolanda Chan, Regional Sales Director, Asia and Greater China, Microsoft Home and Entertainment Division said.

In Asia Pacific, Xbox is already available in Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and Taiwan amongst others.

She said Microsoft was looking at infrastructure requirements in India including broadband, retailing and production capacity for the market.

Earlier during her presentation, Ms Chan said 15.5 million Xbox consoles have been shipped worldwide. "The target is to touch over 20 million by the end of financial year 2005."

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