Brandi Carlile To Play Sony's Vista Launch Event In New YorkBrandi Carlile To Play Sony's Vista Launch Event In New York

It's not the Rolling Stones, but tech enthusiasts wanting to be among the first to own a Windows Vista-equipped PC will get some musical accompaniment if they shop Tuesday at Sony's store in mid-town Manhattan.

Sony says folky popstress Brandi Carlile will perform at its Vista launch event on the evening of January 30th at the Sony Style store on Madison Avenue. The event will mark the retail debut of Sony's Vista-equipped VAIO PCs. The computers will also be available with a trial version of Microsoft Office 2007.

Sony says the new PCs will feature built-in support for VoIP calling, RSS tagging, peer-to-peer networking and other Web 2.0 computing technologies.

In holding a special Vista launch event, Sony joins a number of other retailers and PC makers that are going out of their way to usher in Microsoft's new operating system. CompUSA plans to start selling Vista PCs at the stroke of midnight on January 30th. Circuit City is hosting an online forum for would-be buyers, and Best Buy says it plans early and late openings at selected locations.

Still, the coronation events for Windows Vista are decidedly understated compared to the launch of its predecessors. For instance, Microsoft spent millions to enlist the Stones and their hit single "Start Me Up" to promote the debut of Windows 95. Okay, at least Brandi Carlile was named one of 10 artists to watch in 2005 by Rolling Stone magazine.