I came across this page on Microsoft’s site.  This is apparently an attempt by Microsoft to change the publics perception of Windows Vista by touting what Vista can do.  I’ll be fair and mention that they don’t claim that only Vista can accomplish these 10 things.  XP can too and here’s how.

1. Instant search

You don’t need to remember folder names to be organized anymore. Save time by instantly tracking down any document, photo, e-mail message, song, video, file, or program on your PC using Instant Search.
Just open the Start menu and begin typing in the Instant Search box—Windows Vista searches file names, application names, the full text of all files, and metadata, and then displays the results right away.

I love the Instant search in Vista.  It brings a massive boost in productivity.  You no longer need to run windows explorer to open up a file, push the windows key and type in the first few letters and its right there.  It will ever pull up and run applications.  XP user can get that search feature by downloading Google desktop.  Google Desktop will also include a web search page in the results (I mean they are Google aren’t they) but Google Desktop is not as good at running applications as Vista’s Instant Search.

2. Flip 3D

Have you lost track of what files and programs you’ve opened? Flip through all your open files and windows with a simple click of your mouse using Windows Flip 3D^A—you’re just one click away from everything you’re working on.

My opinion, Flip 3D is the most useless feature added to Vista.  Flip 3D was something that looks cool and it was probably created to impress journalist at trade shows.  But it is not something that most people use all the time.  ALT+TAB does essentially the same thing, its easier and quicker, and I still use it all the time.

3. Windows Photo Gallery

Is your collection of digital photos getting out of hand? You don’t have to search through folders to track down the ones you want. Now you can tag your photos with a date, keyword, rating, or any label you choose so you can find them quickly and easily in Windows Photo Gallery.

You can also use Photo Gallery to fix and edit photos, and then share them with family and friends through slideshows, e-mail, or prints—so everything you need for photos is in one place.

Windows Live Photo Gallery can brings all the functionality of Vista’s photo gallery to XP.  It’s arguably just as good if not better than the photo gallery that ships with Vista.  Allows you to do basic editing and even export photos to flickr.

4. Windows Movie Maker

Making a great home movie just got easier. Use Windows Movie Maker to blend videos and photos into a rich movie, complete with your own soundtrack, titles, and credits.

When your masterpiece is ready to share with family and friends, you can easily create a professional-looking DVD in Windows DVD Maker.^U

Windows Movie Maker comes bundled with Windows XP, and it is just a lousy on XP as it is on Vista.

5. Windows Media Player 11

The larger your collection of digital music grows, the harder it can be to organize and keep track of it. But now you can easily scroll, flip, browse through, and play your entire music library in Windows Media Player 11. You can even create new playlists of your favorite tracks with a single click.

You can keep your music moving with you by easily synchronizing your portable music device. Or you can share the contents of your entire library with other computers on your home network or with digital media devices such as Xbox 360.

Windows Media Player 11 is another program that ships with Vista that can also be downloaded for XP.  You can download it here.

6. Internet Explorer 7

Do you like to jump from website to website? Satisfy your appetite for multitasking without having to open several browser windows. You can open multiple webpages in one window and easily click between them with the tabbed browsing feature in Windows Internet Explorer 7—plus, you can see thumbnail images of all your open webpages at a glance with Quick Tabs.

Not only is IE 7 available for Windows XP, Microsoft practically shoves it down the users throats via Windows update.  But it is a significant security improvement over IE6.  If your running XP and don’t have IE 7 download it here.

7. Windows Media Center

Watch TV on your own schedule—not the TV networks’ schedule. If your PC has a TV tuner, you can record, watch, and pause live television on your desktop or mobile PC using Windows Media Center.^M

With multiple TV tuners, you can even record one channel while watching another. When and where you watch your shows is now up to you.

The first Media Center was bundled with Windows XP Media Center edition.  The Media Center for XP is essentially the same as the one for Vista.  Furthermore Media Center really requires extra hardware such as a TV tuner to be really useful.  That means it will never be used on a majority of Vista machines.

8. Media Center Extenders

Tired of huddling around the PC for entertainment? Connect your PC to one or more televisions in your home using a Windows Media Center^M Extender like Xbox 360, and enjoy all your digital entertainment on the big screen—from photo slideshows, home videos, and digital music to live and recorded TV shows and movies.

See #7 Above.

9. Sidebar and Widgets

No need to open a web browser to check traffic and weather, open a calculator to add up a few numbers and open an application to see your calendar. Now you can put mini-applications called gadgets right on your desktop, where you can see and use them whenever the mood strikes. Just use the Windows Sidebar pane to store and organize your favorite gadgets.

Microsoft doesn’t have a monopoly on Widgets(I mean gadgets).  Yahoo Widgets has a good variety of Widgets for Windows XP, and Google Desktop has a Vista like sidebar.

10. Parental Controls

Worried about your kids’ computer use or about what they may encounter online? Now you can give your kids a safer experience and set PC usage boundaries for them by using the centralized Parental Controls in Windows Vista. You can even restrict games and websites based on your family’s values.

Plus, you can better protect your PC and your personal information, as well as your family, with built-in security tools like Windows Defender and anti-spam and phishing filters.

Again another case where Vista ports its new features down to prior versions of Windows.  Windows Live Family Safety is a Windows Live program that brings Parental Controls to XP.  Windows defender is also available for XP

What they left out

I’m quite surprised that Microsoft showcased stuff like Movie Maker (which is a pretty crummy program, although free), but it leaves out one of the biggest improvements Vista has over XP, Improved Security.  As much as UAC (User Account Control) is reviled among Vista’s critics, UAC has made running Vista significantly safer.  Vista Business and Ultimate come with Bitlocker Drive encryption which will protect your data if your computer is lost or stolen.  Vista also allows the enabling of DEP (Data Execution Prevention) which protects against buffer overruns that could install malware on your computer (DEP is also available from XP SP2 and later).