Microsoft, the IT giant is planning a June launch of Windows XP for beginners in India according to Ranjivit Singh, Microsoft India Director (Business and Marketing Operations) during the launch of three Real Time Communications products at Bangalore on 15 March.

The starter edition of the OS had an earlier launch date during the first quarter of 2005 as announced in 2004 by Microsoft, however a there had been a slight delay. The price for this version was not disclosed by Microsoft, however the software would be bundled with computers from OEMs such as HCL, HP, Acer and Wipro.

The three products launched at Bangalore were Live Meeting 2005, Live Communications Server 2005 and the Web Conferencing service and Enterprise IM (Instant Messaging) the Microsoft Office Communicator. These products are set to revolutionize communications and bring down communication costs.

Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2005 is a solution for virtually any meeting scenario, whether it’s a sales event with thousands of global participants; a small, collaborative meeting between workers on different floors; or a one to one customer consultation.

Organizations only require basic Internet access to use Live Meeting 2005, and the service will be available to them through various licensing models from Microsoft. “In fiscal year 2005, Microsoft Corporation expects Live Meeting to replace one in five business trips and save over US$ 75 million,” said Microsoft Regional Director – Real Time Collaboration Ben Graetz Live Communication Server 2005 is Microsoft's presence awareness and Enterprise IM offering, and is available in Standard and Enterprise editions.

It integrates with the Microsoft Office System and Windows Server System - it fits seamlessly into a customer's existing work processes and infrastructure to deliver immediate benefits. Live Communication Server provides both instant messaging and presence awareness, allowing users to discover if others are available to collaborate, communicate and share information Microsoft Office Communicator is the integrated communications client from Microsoft.

It is also the preferred client for Office Live Communications Server 2005. Communicator supports enhanced instant messaging and presence awareness, integrated telephony, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) and real time elements of conferencing and unified communications.

Communicator simplifies and reduces the number of applications and devices needed for real time communication. Microsoft Office Communicator is currently in its last beta and is expected to be released in the next few months