There have been rumors galore about exactly when Microsoft plans to ship Windows Vista. We've heard everything from August to October. Microsoft spokespeople have favored a "latter half of 2006" due-date answer, when asked. But from the "Official Microsoft Connections" event blog we now have an official month: It's November, folks. Just in case the post disappears, here's what it says: "This is the year… the year that Microsoft releases the newest version of Windows. Yes, Vista will be released in November of this year." The release-to-manufacturing date will be earlier, obviously. We'd say early fall, if we were wagering.