Windows Rally Technologies
In my review here of the Buffalo Nfiniti Wireless-N router & Access Point, I briefly touched upon Windows Rally™, a series of technological advancements built into Windows Vista which are geared towards simplifying network connectivity and giving users, and managers, what is now known universally (and affectionately) as the Windows Vista Experience.
From the review:
The Windows Rally™ program, formerly Windows Connect Now, is a new way for providing quick, more secure, and effortless connectivity for network connected devices.
This program gives hardware OEMs, developers, and service providers access to Microsoft technology, and technical guidance, and streamlines licensing of those same technologies, enabling the use of a common platform to deliver leading-edge connectivity products and services to their targeted customers, in the process lowering their cost of developing devices and software, and reducing the complexity presented to consumers. The use of Windows Rally™ technologies also allows software and hardware developers the benefit of creating products with a greater amount of differentiation and customization.