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All Entries Tagged With: "Vista"
Report Says PC Makers Will Offer Free Vista to Win 7 Upgrades Starting July 1
Mary Jo Foley is linking to information on the Tech ARP site that purports to lay out an upgrade policy for users who purchase Windows machines after July 1. According to the report a customer purchasing a Windows machine after July 1, 2009 through a date to be determined later) will be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it is released.
Vista Home Premium customers can upgrade to Win 7 Home Premium, Vista Business to Win 7 Professional, and of course all of those Vista Ultimate customers can jump to Win 7 Ultimate.
Mary Jo’s post includes an update with a statement from Microsoft, but it is typical PR speak that neither confirms or denies anything, so we’ll see where this goes.
Asus R50a Available to Order, Breaks the Bank
Remember the Asus R50a UMPC that we told you about in January? Well, it appears Asus wasted no time at all in bringing it to market and, in an apparent attempt to actually not sell any, has priced it $1,839.
For that price you get: 1.33GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a 32GB SSD for storage, 3G HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, and Vista.
GBM How To: Keyboard Shortcut to Quickly Change Screen Rotation
Looking for a keyboard short-cut to quickly change screen rotation? Ctrl-Alt and any of the four arrow keys will set you free:
- Ctrl+Alt+Arrow Up will rotate your screen up
- Ctrl+Alt+Arrow Down will rotate your screen down
- Ctrl+Alt+Arrow Right will rotate your screen right
- Ctrl+Alt+Arrow Left will rotate your screen left
I’ve verified this to work in Windows Vista and Windows XP, whether a tablet pc or regular notebook. With a regular notebook there maybe some video card constraints. Update: HP’s tx series doesn’t seem to support this keyboard shortcut.
Laptop Mag Reviews Dell Mini 12 Netbook
Laptop Mag got their hands on a Dell Mini 12 Netbook and has posted up a quick first impression. That quick first impression though seems to suggest that this might not be the fastest performer out of the box. Keep in mind the Dell Mini 12 is running Vista Basic on an Intel Atom Z530 (Silverthorne) and not the Atom N270 that heretofore we’ve been accustomed to seeing. The reviewer, Joanna Stern, is asking the same questions I am. How does this perform with XP? Is Vista the choke point here, or is it something to do with the new processor. Joanna promises more to come, so this will be interesting to watch.
Windows 7 Promises Better Battery Life
First, context. Keep in mind that everything we’re hearing about Windows 7 is way, way, early. Things can, and will change, and some of those changes have more to do with Microsoft’s partners and the OEMs than with just the OS. That said, word out of WinHEC is that battery life will be improved with Windows 7. Essentially what we’re hearing is that in the tests run there is somewhere in the neighborhood of an 11% to 15% savings over Vista.
Microsoft is touting a number of other advances over Vista including better boot up times, quicker times coming in and out of sleep and more, but again, keep things in context.
Engadget has a series of videos of the speeches from WinHEC. Check them out here.
Weekend Discussion: Your Thoughts On Windows 7
This week has brought us non-stop news about Windows 7, with video demos, first impression articles, screenshots, tablet pc inking video demos, multi-touch demos, and much more. The focus is clearly changing from Vista to looking foward to Windows 7. In my opinion, this has been a very good week for Microsoft. So far, I’m very impressed with Windows 7. For a pre-beta, it feels pretty solid - no crashes, no bluesceens, good application support, etc. It feels so good, I’m contemplating using it as my everyday operating system, at least until the next build is released.
Based on everything you’ve read and seen about Windows 7 so far, what do you think?
Ed Bott: A Faster Way to Safe Mode in Windows
I always say it is a good day when you learn something new and this is a handy tip. Sooner or later we all have to reboot our Windows machines into Safe Mode to try and correct a problem. When that occurs, I alway find myself having to remember what Function Key to press and when in the boot up process. As Ed Bott states, timing is everything here. But Ed also points our another quicker way to get to Safe Mode if you’re up and running and need to reboot to sort things out.
In Windows Vista or Server 2008, click Start and type msconfig in the Search box, then click the shortcut that appears at the top of the Start menu. Click the Boot tab and select the check box next to Safe Boot
He also shows how to do this in XP or Server 2003. Check out Ed’s post for the details.
Info Starting to Flow on Windows Vista SP2
Mike Nash on the Windows Vista Team Blog is talking about the release process of Windows Vista SP2 and some info on what we can look forward to. Vista SP2 is in Beta now and will be rolled out slowly. Timing of general release is based on feedback from those doing the testing.
In addition to previously released updates since the launch of Windows Vista SP1, Windows Vista SP2 contains changes focused on supporting new types of hardware and adding support for several emerging standards:
- Windows Vista SP2 adds Windows Search 4.0 for faster and improved relevancy in searches.
- Windows Vista SP2 contains the Bluetooth 2.1 Feature Pack supporting the most recent specification for Bluetooth Technology.
- Ability to record data on to Blu-Ray media natively in Windows Vista.
- Adds Windows Connect Now (WCN) to simplify Wi-Fi Configuration.
- Windows Vista SP2 enables the exFAT file system to support UTC timestamps, which allows correct file synchronization across time zones.
GBM Contest: Are You A PC?
Are you a PC and want the world to know it? Well, today is your lucky day.
We want to hear your story about why you are a PC, what kind of PC you are, what makes you unique, etc. Are you rugged? Are you artsy? Are you touchy? Are you mobile and flexible? Are you personal? Get creative, but get real! We’ll pick our eight favorite stories and give each of the winners an authentic Microsoft “I’m A PC” T-Shirt. In addition, each winner will get their story published on the front page of GottaBeMobile.com!
All you have to do is post your story as a comment to this article by midnight MST, October 31. Contest is open to U.S. and international residents. One entry per person. We’ll pick the eight winners by November 7.
VistaStartMenu and Your Visual Memory
If you’re someone who uses the native Vista Start menu and find that it can drive you a bit nuts, you might want to take a look at this. VistaStartMenu is an add-on that arranges things in a little different way. It relies on your visual memory allowing applications that are installed to basically remain in place, instead of shifting around as you install or remove applications. You can resize the menu window to your liking and also use keyboard shortcuts for the various power options. There is also quick and easy access to the command line. There’s a free and a pro version available and this doesn’t monkey with your settings so it is not difficult to give it a try. The site contains a variety of demos if you’re interested in checking it out.
Via RedFerretJournal
Windows XP Gets Another Reprieve?
It looks like Microsoft might be giving Windows XP yet another reprieve, this time until July 31, 2009. The life of XP has been extended at least twice before, and for the Netbook and Nettop devices. According to a leaked email (no official word from Redmond yet) the new lease on life for Windows XP will prolong things from January 31, 2009 to July 31, 2009.
Via Gizmodo
UltraMon 3.0.3 Beta For Vista Released
If you use multiple monitors, then I have one word of advice for you: UltraMon – it is THE application for superb multi-monitor support. I use it everyday in my setup at the office.
The Vista version of UltraMon has been in beta for about a year, and just yesterday, 3.0.3 beta was released.
3.0.3 addressed a lot of bugs, as well as adding a new mirroring and zooming feature. Give UltraMon a try using their free 30-day trial. 32-bit and 64-bit versions available. It costs $39.95 – well worth it in my opinion.
Thanks for the tip, Scott!
New Vista Ultimate Extras Released, Disappointment Continues
Just got word from Microsoft that some new “Extras” were released today for Vista Ultimate users:
Microsoft ® Tinker (TM): Microsoft Tinker is a casual game that provides players with short puzzle game play sessions set in a warm, calming environment.
Ultimate Extras Sounds from Microsoft Tinker: Based on the positive feedback we received from the release of additional Windows Sound Schemes in April, we’ve integrated the unique audio sounds from Microsoft Tinker into a new sound scheme.
Windows ® DreamScene (TM) Content Pack #4 Windows DreamScene Content Pack #4 which adds three additional nature-setting Windows DreamScenes.
I don’t know about you, but these “Extras” are not the kinds of things I was hoping for when Vista Ultimate was released in January 2007. I kind of imagined real utilities and more frequent releases that would add value and a uniqueness to my Vista experience - something that made me say “man, I’m so glad I spent that extra money” . Screensavers, sounds, and the occasional game just don’t cut it.
Here are just a few ideas for Microsoft to chew on:
- a syncing interface to my Media Center
- notepad / wordpad on steroids
- new pen-centric navigation scheme
- new MovieMaker themes
- a 90 day Zune pass subscription
- some ink utilities or something tailored to my “tablet pc” experience
- bumped up storage for Windows Live Mesh with enhanced revisioning
- An integrated “Ultramon” for better handling of multiple displays. Honestly, though, this should have been addressed pro-bono in all versions of Vista.
- Snipping Tool Plus, enhanced screen clipping, to the style of SnagIt
- Windows Journal on steroids
- An integrated FTP solution that is better than “open FTP site in Windows Explorer”
- A real Regedit tool
- Skinnable TIP
What about you? What kind of “real Extras” would you like to see Microsoft release?
Google Chrome Keyboard Shortcuts and Vista Pen Flicks
I’ve been using Google’s Chrome as my go-to browser these days - it loads a website faster than any browser I’ve used in the past. Unfortunately, it isn’t very touch or pen friendly. However, there are some ways to bring a little pen and touch love to Chrome.
Using Pen Flick gestures in Vista, assign frequently used Chrome Keyboard shortcuts to a gesture. Or , do like Sumocat and create RitePen macros.