Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on April 18, 2007 by CyberNet.

Microsoft just released updated Virtual PC images for Windows XP that users can legally download. Virtual PC images are a single file that contain a “clone” of an operating system. The Virtual PC software is a free download provided by Microsoft and is used to run multiple operating systems inside of Windows. This is normally useful for developers who need to try a program that they’re developing on multiple operating systems to ensure proper compatibility, but it can also benefit other people.

So why would this be useful for you? The Virtual PC images that Microsoft just released come in two different flavors: one has Internet Explorer 6 (443MB) and the other has Internet Explorer 7 (491MB). This lets you test your websites out to see how they look on other browsers without actually needing to have multiple versions of IE installed on your computer.

There is actually another benefit to this that most people don’t realize. Using these images is also great for keeping your PC free from unnecessary clutter! If you’re thinking that you want to test out an application to see how much you like it, now all you have to do is install the program on the Virtual PC. That way if you don’t like it, you can easily remove it from your computer without wondering what registry settings or folders it left behind.

The only downside to using these is that the images expire August 17th, 2007, but that is still 4–months of free access to a Windows XP testing station. Also, these images are pre-activated, but Microsoft has deactivated the product keys so that they don’t pass the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) check. This is pretty logical because some users might try to retrieve the product key from the Virtual PC image and use it to install their own version of XP. If Microsoft allowed these keys to pass the WGA checks, then that product key would quickly become a goldmine for piracy.

Virtual PC Homepage (32–bit download or the 64–bit download)
Download the Internet Explorer 6 Virtual PC Image (443MB)
Download the Internet Explorer 7 Virtual PC Image (491MB)

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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This article was written on July 18, 2006 by CyberNet.

I am sure that many people want to get their hands on 5472 but this release is only limited to Microsoft Connect testers. However, I have already found 3 screenshot galleries that may tide you over until Release Candidate 1 gets released sometime in August (hopefully):

• Paul Thurrott’s Gallery
• Bink.nu’s Gallery
• The Hive’s Gallery

The Hive’s gallery above also has a short review on the build. They said it took about 25 minutes for them to perform a fresh installation which sounds much faster than previous Vista builds. Things are definitely looking better as Microsoft progresses with Vista but I still constantly hear about driver related issues.

Don’t forget, if you want the new default wallpaper that is in Vista 5472 then you can get it hear. It is designed for a widescreen monitor and has a resolution of 1600 x 1200. Enjoy!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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If you haven’t picked up a copy of Distro yet, you’re missing out on all sort of great content, including a little gem hidden away on the back page of each issue. We asked some of our favorite indie cartoonists to create strips based on tech news, and thus Engadget: The Comic was born. It’s a weekly feature by a cast of revolving artists, including Box Brown, Dustin Harbin, Ed Piskor and more, that will appear first in the pages of Distro and eventually make its way onto our site. To give you some idea of what you’re in store for, we’ve included a gallery below. We hope you enjoy reading these as much as we have.

Introducing Engadget: The Comic! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple will be expanding its iPhone 4S availability to another U.S. carrier in the next few weeks. No, it’s not T-Mobile, but rather C Spire Wireless, a small, regional carrier that’s popular in Mississippi and pockets of the Southeast. It’s hard to resist that Southern charm.

C Spire, which runs a CDMA-based network like Verizon and Sprint, will begin selling the iPhone 4S “in the coming weeks.” C Spire hasn’t released many details about the announcement, but Jim Richmond, director of corporate communications, said that interested consumers can sign up on the C Spire website to find out more information as it becomes available.

The C Spire announcement comes as a surprise to most Apple enthusiasts, as C Spire isn’t as well known as other national carriers, such as T-Mobile, or even Cricket Wireless. But maybe all the surprise stems from a likelihood that most Apple watchers are concentrated in large, metropolitan markets.

“C Spire offers Apple access to a region typically neglected by the larger carriers and provides the potential for additional growth away from the urban centers Apple already dominates,” John Feland, CEO of analytics firm Argus Insights, says.

Another reason so few people have heard of C Spire Wireless: The company used to be known as Cellular South. The privately held regional carrier primarily has store locations in Mississippi, along with a few locations in neighboring regions of Alabama, Tennessee and Florida.

The iPhone 4S originally launched on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint on Friday, Oct. 14. The handset promises to be a big money maker for carrier partners, and has already sold more than 4 million units in its first weekend alone. In the past, the iPhone was exclusive to AT&T, and then Verizon began supporting the iPhone 4 in January of this year.

Given lowered price points for the iPhone 3GS and 4, it’s clear that Apple is trying to branch out and make its smartphone accessible to more customers. The majority of cellphone owners aren’t yet smartphone owners, whether due to tight personal budgets, network coverage issues, or because they feel they don’t need smartphone features. But partnering with a carrier in an under-served area where smartphones don’t yet rule the roost could provide Apple with a large number of potential new adopters.

Indeed, the location of C Spire’s customer base offers a number of benefits for Apple that may not be immediately obvious. First, Southerners are typically regarded late technology adopters, says Feland (and as a Texas native who spent several years in Tennessee and Mississippi, I can attest to this as well). This means C Spire has strong potential in converting “feature phone” users to iPhone users. What’s more, thanks to an improved broadband infrastructure and the exploding popularity of social media platforms like Facebook, technology-averse Southern customers might now be more easily swayed to purchase an iPhone, confident that (a) they’ll actually have reliable network service, and (b) they’ll have something really fun to do with their new devices.

But what of T-Mobile? Well, it’s a large national carrier, but already has a presence in the same places as AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. Because of this, “there are marginal additional unit sales available” for Apple to leverage, says Feland. And, of course, adding a heavyweight like T-Mobile to the mix could anger Apple’s existing iPhone partners. Working with C Spire, the nation’s 8th largest carrier, meanwhile, shouldn’t give anyone much of a scare.

“C Spire’s strong regional presence offers Apple more bang for their buck as they continue to push off an iPhone in every hand and an iPad in every home,” says Feland. “The Southern market is ripe for Apple’s picking.”

Whether C Spire will sell the iPhone 3GS or 4 isn’t yet known. Nor are the carrier’s pricing plans. However, C Spire could potentially offer unlimited data, as the company has an “80/40 plan” that offers unlimited minutes, data and messaging for $80 per month for the first line on a plan, and a mere $40 for additional lines. Currently, Sprint is the only carrier that offers an unlimited data plan for iPhone 4S owners.

Updated 3:38 P.M. with information from C Spire.

Welcome to Growing Up Geek, an ongoing feature where we take a look back at our youth and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. Today, we have a special guest: Iyaz Akhtar, current associate producer and host of Tech News Today on TWiT.tv.

My childhood home had a lot of electronics around because my Dad was a bit of a gadget guy. Every now and then, we’d go to a small electronics shop where my dad would negotiate prices and extras since he apparently knew the owners. If we bought a portable game system, we’d always get extra batteries for free.

Continue reading Growing Up Geek: Iyaz Akhtar

Growing Up Geek: Iyaz Akhtar originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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