After a lot of speculation and some confusion, Microsoft has now let us in on the Product Editions for Windows Vista.

Mike Sievert, Corporate Vice President of Windows Product Management and Marketing at Microsoft, said: “We live in a digital world that is filled with more information, more things to do and more ways to communicate with others than ever. The PC needs to give people the clarity and confidence to handle this ‘world of more’ so they can focus on what’s most important to them. With our Windows Vista product line, we’ve streamlined and tailored our product lineup to provide what our customers want for today’s computing needs.”

Here’s part of the official press release:

Business customers can choose from two versions that are designed to meet their needs, based on the size and scale of their organizations:

• Windows Vista Business. Windows Vista Business is the operating system designed for organizations of all sizes. For small businesses, Windows Vista Business will help keep PCs running smoothly and more securely so they are less reliant on dedicated IT support. For larger organizations, Windows Vista Business will provide dramatic new infrastructure improvements that will enable IT staff to spend less time focused on day-to-day maintenance of PCs and more time on adding strategic value to the organization. These are some of the specific features of Windows Vista Business:

• A new user interface, named Windows Aero, is designed to deliver the most productive, highest-performing desktop experience possible. Windows Aero will provide a professional-looking, transparent glass design, with subtle effects such as dynamic reflections and smooth animations, along with Windows Flip and Flip 3D desktop navigation features.

• In addition to these navigation improvements, Windows Vista Business makes it easier than ever to manage huge volumes of business documents. By integrating search throughout the operating system and providing new ways to organize files, Windows Vista Business helps business users quickly find exactly what they are looking for.

• Windows Tablet PC technology provides built-in handwriting recognition and enables interaction with the PC with a digital pen or fingertip instead of a keyboard.

• Windows Vista Enterprise. To better address the needs of large global organizations and those with highly complex IT infrastructures, Windows Vista Enterprise is designed to significantly lower IT costs and risk. In addition to all the features available in Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise is designed to provide higher levels of data protection using hardware-based encryption technology. It will also include tools to improve application compatibility and will enable organizations to standardize on a single worldwide deployment image with the inclusion of all Windows user-interface languages. Windows Vista Enterprise will be available only to customers who have PCs covered by Microsoft Software Assurance or a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement. These are some of the specific Windows Vista Enterprise features:

• Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption helps prevent sensitive data and intellectual property from falling into the wrong hands if a computer is lost or stolen.

• Virtual PC Express is one of several built-in tools that improve application compatibility with previous versions of Microsoft operating systems. Virtual PC Express enables a legacy application to run unchanged on a legacy Windows operating system in a virtual environment on top of Windows Vista Enterprise.

• Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications enables users to run UNIX applications unchanged on a Windows Vista Enterprise-based PC.

The new user interface Windows Aero is also available in this edition of Windows Vista.

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Microsoft is still not certain over the product editions for Windows Vista. Some confusing signals have come down from Redmond in the past few days.

However, Paul Thurrott has pieced together the information available, so here are the six Windows Vista Product Editions, as surmised by Paul:

Windows Starter 2007 (Previously Windows Vista Starter Edition). This version does not use the Vista branding because it will not include the Aero graphics display found in the Vista line of products, and will only ship in a 32-bit version.

Windows Vista Home Basic (and Home Basic N). A simple version of Windows Vista that is aimed at single PC homes. Windows Vista Home Basic is the baseline version of Windows Vista, and the version that all other product editions will build from. Home Basic N is aimed at the EU and will lack Windows Media Player.

Windows Vista Home Premium. Whole home entertainment and personal productivity throughout the home and on the go. As a true superset of Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium Edition will include everything from Home Basic, as well as Media Center and Media Center Extender functionality (including Cable Card support).

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In a talk to high school students in the Seattle area, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates gave an intriguing answer to a burning question.

“Is Microsoft going to develop a hand-held, you know, MP3 player, to combat iPod?” asked Schyler Mishra, 19, a senior at Seattle’s John Marshall High School.

Seattle PI reports: “Gates, appearing at the company’s annual Minority Student Day, had already complimented Apple, Google and other rivals during his speech, while also touting Xbox 360 and other Microsoft products. He smiled at the question and proceeded to give the students a lesson in the art of the indirect answer.”

“Yeah, Apple has done a fantastic job with the iPod. How many of you have iPods?” he asked, and a number of students raised their hands.

“We are talking with partners about how we, working with those partners, can make even better music players. We’ve got some in the market today. I’d say in total they have about 20 percent market share, which is lower than we like, and so we’re seeing where we can come together to make a device that’s less expensive and connects in better ways, does photos and videos in better ways.”

He added: “I don’t think what’s out in the market today is the final answer. But again, it just shows the magic of software. Apple did a very good job on iTunes, did the user-interface design right. That means we’ll have to match all that good work and do something even better. Between us and our partners, you can expect to see some pretty hot products coming out over the next couple of years.”

We’ll take that as not a “no” then.

On Tuesday Microsoft announced a partnership with British Telecom (BT) and Virgin Mobile to develop a mobile TV service in the United Kingdom.

BT has long been involved in constructing a network to broadcast digital TV over mobile phone networks. BT said in January that it plans to offer the network, called BT Movio, to mobile carriers that want to offer TV service to their customers.

CNET reports: “The first mobile operator to use the BT network to deliver TV service is Virgin Mobile. The two companies conducted a four-month trial last year with roughly 1,000 users in London. Virgin Mobile plans to launch the service sometime this summer. Consumers can expect to get at least five TV stations as part of the initial launch, along with a number of radio channels.”

It occurs to us that this is going to need a quantum leap in the battery life of mobile phones. Presumably plugging them in at the office will be the preferred option.