Useful New Features In Windows 7
I remember the Windows Vista launch day in New York City so well. Â I was covering the event for CNET and remember thinking how exciting it was to finally have a successor to Windows XP. Â When the glitz of glamour of the event, with its loud rock music celebration and tasty hors d'Å“uvres, died down, it was clear this was not the version of the operating system that would redeem past users and win new ones.
Three years later, Microsoft is putting Vista in the rear-view mirror and setting its sights on an operating system that's actually worth an upgrade. Â In some brief testing, I found the OS to be simple to (clean) install, super fast on start up and shut down, less demanding of my attention (pop-up bubbles, I'm talking about you) and overall more solid feeling. Â There are many enhancements, but in this episode of The 5 we're taking a look at a few useful features I think you'll enjoy.
Windows XP usage decline and Microsoft is excited
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Computer World is reporting on a decline in Windows XP usage which has gone hand-in-hand with an upsurge in Vista and Windows 7. This is good news to the Redmond based company due to the very slow uptake of their Vista operating system especially in enterprise environments.
Windows 7 UK pre-orders outsell Vista pre-orders in 8 hours
Amazon UK has told the BBC that Windows 7 was pre-ordered more in the first 8 hours than the entire 17 week pre-order of Windows Vista. The large pre-order numbers are believed to be largely caused by the limited time discount of £50 for the Home edition and £100 for the premium edition while supplies lasted. The prices have since gone up as all of the discounted copies sold out.
Microsoft releases Vista SP2
Microsoft has unveiled its Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista, which should fix unspecified problems with the oft-maligned OS.
Amazon’s Kindle as a textbook, plus Windows 7’s expectations
Our good buddies from CNET's The 404 stop by to wax philosophically about Amazon's new biggie Kindle. Specifically, the crew sees it as a bad fit for regular commuters (along with themselves) but Justin posits that students could see a real appeal, though there are still some operational issues to work out. We also talk Windows 7's RC release, with the trio seeing the new free release as something to almost ignore. Jeff hopes for a return to the "glory days" of Windows 2000 and XP, while Wilson cant find a way to get excited about explaining the difference between Windows 7 and Vista.
[sidenote, you'll notice some technical issues. We were trying something new, so we had some slight problems. Thanks for being understanding!]
Microsoft playing Vista’s future close to vest
Microsoft refuses to announce its plans for Vista following the pending release of Windows 7. PC World reports that the software maker will continue to offer Windows XP on netbooks for an entire year after the launch of the new OS but refuses to commit to Vista in the same manner.
Windows 7 for free, plus is the Palm Eos a phony?
Everyone likes free software, and most of the time piracy is the only answer. Microsoft, awknowledging the "tester" mentality of many early-adopter types, says it's going to provide the release candidate of Windows 7 for free, starting this Tuesday, May 5th, all the way till June 1st of 2010. What's the impact of this move? We ask Chris Spera from Gear Diary and Iyaz Akhtar from Gadgetell about exactly how they see the move playing out. Chris thinks it's great for Microsoft, and great for consumers, especially given the current economic climate. Iyaz concurs, expecting the response in social media alone to play a big role in marketing Windows 7. Microsoft had better be sure they've got a winner on their hands, because large bugs in the operating system could be catastrophic if given on such a large base, but I'm sure Microsoft thinks this won't be Vista 2.0.
Also, we've had about a day to start to digest the Palm Eos, and taking a look at the leaked specs has our two panelists pausing for concern. Chris actually drew a representation of the device, and thought it seemed a little small, especially for his taste. Iyaz thinks the whole Eos mess might just be a viral focus group gone right for Palm, and that if the device didn't exist before, it, or a variant of it, will definitely exist now.
Whats your take on the Eos? Does the BlackBerry-esque form factor have you licking your chops? Or do you prefer the sliding keyboard of the Pre? Also, don't forget Windows 7, will you be the first in the download line on Tuesday? Have to nabbed a copy off of BitTorrent already? Do you think Microsoft might actually have a shot at getting it right?
Apple is forced to hike iTunes rates, plus Windows 7 might have an XP downgrade option
After years of blazing the online music download trail with $.99 downloads, Apple has been forced by its record industry partners to push rates up to $1.29. We talk with Jason Hiner of TechRepublic and Richard Baguley of Reviewed.com about whether the 30% increase will lead to a drop in their iTunes usage, not to mention the community at large. (Spoiler: Richard won't keep going with iTunes, Jason might, and Randall didn't like it to begin with.)
Also, we're hearing whispers that Microsoft might offer a downgrade option to Windows 7 even after XP is launched. Does that mean, in all actuality, that the company isn't prepared to go all in on Windows 7? We talk about what the potential downgrade means for regular users, and why it might run the risk of confusing Microsoft's sales message.