It took just four days for Windows 8 to hit four million machines (ours included), and in just over a month, Microsoft has managed to sell some 40 million licenses of its tiled OS. To date, Windows 8 is outpacing Windows 7 in terms of upgrades, but given that the company had moved 600 million copies of the latter back in June, the new kid on the software block still has quite a ways to go. The news comes just hours after Microsoft also announced that it had sold a whopping 750,000 Xbox 360 consoles during the Black Friday weekend, which makes the omission of one other number that much more glaring — after all, if it’s so easy to dig up Xbox and Windows 8 numbers, why are we left with awkward adjectives to describe Surface sales?
One thing that has been common on notebook and desktop computers purchased at retail for years is a little sticker on the bottom or on the back of the machine that has the Windows product key. The problem with this sort product key for Microsoft was that having a key in a visible location made it easy for pirates to get a legitimate activation key for Windows. Consumers also had to worry that a torn sticker would fade over time and leave them unable to activate their operating system.
With Windows 8, Microsoft has changed from stickers that have the product key that the user has to type in when installing the operating system to new BIOS embedded product keys. The idea is that by eliminating the sticker, you eliminate one of the easier ways for nefarious users to get a legitimate product key. Eliminating the product key sticker also removes any worry that the sticker might get damaged while at the same time eliminating the long and irritating process of typing in various letters and numbers when installing the operating system.
If the user has to reinstall the operating system on a machine that came with Windows 8, the installation process automatically grabs the software product key from the motherboard BIOS with no input from the user. This means that those familiar Windows product key stickers will no longer appear on the Windows 8 computers. However, a key issue has arrived and it’s unclear exactly how Microsoft will deal with this.
If you purchase a notebook computer running the standard version of Windows 8 and you want to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro, you’ll likely run into an issue. Since Windows is going to look in the motherboard BIOS for a product key, it’s going to reactivate your existing version of Windows rather than the new version according to Ghacks. I’m also curious to know how this feature will operate if you’re building your own computer using components and a retail copy of Windows 8 since your motherboard BIOS won’t have a product key.
The larger of the two big-hitters in the Acer Aspire S7 series Ultrabooks sits here on our desk like a high-powered glass-covered knife, ready to bring the best we’ve seen in touchscreen-toting Windows 8-optimized notebook action to the market. This machine has been delivered to our doorstep in its most powerful configuration, all $1,649 USD of it – complete with a 3rd Generation (Ivy Bridge) Intel Core i7-3517U Processor clocked in at 1.9GHz. The 13.3-inch display here is a beastly Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution widescreen CineCrystal LED-backlit bit of technology with 10 finger touch and a 16:6 aspect ratio. Now we’ve got to see if this is enough to match up with that price – or if after all is said and done, the price will be the last of your thoughts in this next-generation experience!
Hardware
This machine works with a set of two USB 3.0 ports, one micro-HDMI-out port, a combo headphone/mic jack, and a DC-in jack for your power cord. On the right you’ve got a dual memory card reader for SD and MMC, and also included in the box you’ve got a couple of adapter cords, one made for VGA output, the other allowing you to use an Ethernet cord (USB to RJ-45). The camera up front is a 1.3 megapixel HD webcam able to pick up 1280 x 1024 for video chat, the battery inside is a 4-cell lithium polymer at 4680mAh, and you’ve got 4096MB DDR3 dual-channel memory (4GB onboard memory) as well as Intel HD Graphics 4000 to keep that massively dense display high-powered.
This machine works with Optimized Dolby Home Theater v4 audio enhancements with two built-in stereo speakers and high-definition audio support. There’s also a built-in digital microphone for use with your video chat adventures, and under the hood you’ve got a lovely 256GB SSD drive as well. The touchpad is what Acer calls their “ZoomPerfect” unit with single and multi-finger scroll action – that’s up to 5 fingers to scroll, pinch, rotate, flip, and the like.
Weighing in at 2.86 lbs / 1.3kg and measuring in at 17.2″ W x 3.58″ D x 10.67″ H (437mm W x 91mm D x 271mm H), you’ll find this mix of metal and glass to be a joy to use – and to look at. When you open it and feel the unique edges around the touchscreen as well as the Gorilla Glass top, you’ll find yourself dually impressed. This machine is an Acer triumph without a doubt in its hardware build – the aesthetics alone make this easily one of the most beautifully full-looking notebooks on the market – and not just in the Windows 8 category.
The machine folds down to a thinness that’s straight up surprising, making it opening it for the first time an experience that may very well have you skipping the pleasantries and kicking your pocketbook out immediately. But you’ll want to take heed: there are some drawbacks to such a thin beast with a display that’s both touch-capable and incredible sharp, not to mention bright as you could possible want it to be. Battery life – as I’m sure you’re wondering about – will betray you if you’re expecting to go more than 4 hours at full-blast high-action video streaming and interactive touchscreen gaming.
But if you’re a realist and never go anywhere with your notebook computer without a power cord anyway, you’re going to have a bit more difficult a time finding reasons not to want this machine. Of course the price is always going to be a factor here in our present when it’s above $1,600 USD. That’s a massive price for a computer, especially if you only plan on using it to impress your friends and surf the web. That’s not what this computer is made for.
Instead you’re going to want to focus on what you get for the price. Acer has created a masterpiece for the Windows 8 generation. This is the computer Steve Ballmer should be carrying around to show off what Windows 8 can do – it’s that slick.
Peruse the rest of the reviews of this machine as they appear popping up across the web over the next few weeks and see where the low points are – you’ll find many folks saying the price is prohibitive while the rest suggest that the battery life in any notebook should be 6 hours or more. First you should know that we’ve gotten 5+ hours out of the device on multiple heavy-use occasions – great by your average user’s standards. Next you’ll be glad to hear that standby time for this notebook is undeniably great – Acer assures that with “Acer Hybrid Standby Technology” you’ll be able to get 80 days of standby power: that’s intense, and we’ve not seen any evidence yet to suggest they’re telling us anything less than the truth there with months of up-time. These “low points” are completely forgivable for what Acer is presenting here in the Autumn of 2012.
Software
The 10-finger touchscreen you’re working with here includes some software enhancements – most of them aesthetic – that make your Windows 8 experience the best we’ve seen thus far. You get tiny momentarily-visible transparent dots wherever you tap the screen, and as you move your fingers around, you get ghostly trails from your fingertips, allowing you to instantly understand how your tips are touching and moving. Having used several touchscreen PCs before the dawn of Windows 8, we can safely say that this is a major leap forward in real-world usability, without a doubt.
Have a peek also at our full Windows 8 review to see exactly what we’re dealing with here, with a few additions that include mostly new apps and security measures from Acer. You’ve got Acer Theft Shield, Acer Cloud, Acer Backup Manager, ePower Management, and eRecovery Management, and a whole lot more. For the most part, Acer’s additions to the basic Windows 8 build include connections to their own ecosystem – most of which are entirely positive and worth the effort you’ll be using to attach yourself.
System – Acer Aspire S7-391
Manufacturer
Acer
Product Type
Notebook
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit)
Motherboard
Acer Storm
Processor
Intel Core i7-3517U
Processor ID
GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 58 Stepping 9
Processor Frequency
2.39 GHz
Processors
1
Threads
4
Cores
2
L1 Instruction Cache
32.0 KB
L1 Data Cache
32.0 KB
L2 Cache
256 KB
L3 Cache
4.00 MB
Memory
3.82 GB DDR3 SDRAM 666MHz
FSB
99.8 MHz
BIOS
Insyde Corp. V2.05
You’ll be using your touchpad here in combination with the touch screen, but you’ll be able to use one or the other exclusively if you’re up for it. There’s an on-screen touch keyboard you can use if for some reason you want to move your hands up 4 inches above your perfectly capable physical keyboard, and the touchscreen isn’t necessarily required, so to speak, for anything if you don’t want to. You also get a Bluetooth mouse with the package if you’re feeling like some standard plastic mouse action – it’s standard, and certainly usable, but not a whole lot more than that. The physical keyboard also uses the computer’s light sensing abilities to keep your eyes happy, with backlighting activating as the atmosphere dims.
If you have trouble with “setting up” your computer, you can refer to the included “Setup Poster” included in the box, or you can use your Wireless Setup Card too – Acer has made the process simpler than ever before here – strange since the process includes no more than a few button taps and maybe even a connection with password to your wireless network. Important point here is that it’s simple enough for your parents to do themselves – really!
Have a peek at our standard benchmarking results here with Geekbench and feel the power – it’s a top of the line experience whether you’re cruising through your newest massively power-hungry game or viewing your favorite HD feature film.
Benchmark Score – Acer Aspire S7-391
Section
Description
Score
Total Score
Windows x86 (64-bit) – Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit)
Integer
Processor integer performance
6089
8100
Floating Point
Processor floating point performance
11149
Memory
Memory performance
7016
Stream
Memory bandwidth performance
6638
Sound
The speakers on this machine are good enough for a personal computing experience and accurate even up to their loudest positions. Acer isn’t messing around with the external speaker sound quality here, with two Acer 3DSonic stereo speakers backed up with sound enhancements by Dolby. The fans on this machine, working with Acer TwinAir cooling technology, can get a bit louder than we’d like to hear on a regular basis. It’s not an issue unless you’re working with high-powered gaming or hours and hours of streaming video, and the trade-off is a rather pleasant lap experience – we’ve not felt anything hot going on yet.
Unique Touchscreen Experience
This machine has a hinge that allows it to fold back to 180 degrees – that means you’ll be able to go flat against a table, keyboard and touchscreen included. If you’ve used a machine that folds back further than this, you’ll find yourself feeling a bit limited by the flat-stop. If you’ve only ever used a notebook that folds back to 45 degrees, on the other hand, you’ll be surprised by how often you’ll want to push that screen back further, and further, and further. The viewing angles on the display are also near-perfect, making any angle look as great as the next (unless you count the high-gloss reflection-intense glass, of course).
This will also be a new experience for those of you used to using a tablet computer exclusively, as it really does combine the notebook and tablet experiences into one. If you’ve ever found yourself tapping your notebook screen after extensive tablet use, you’ll fall right in line with the S7′s experience. Windows 8 and the developers optimizing their applications for touchscreen action here in the first Windows 8 wave of app upgrades make this touch-and-tap combination one we’re really, truly enjoying. Working with the Aspire S7 will make you want to convert to this new universe – it’ll make you want to change and be assimilated.
Wrap-Up
This machine is Acer’s best effort yet. It’s an Ultrabook that makes the Windows 8 experience an enjoyable one – and on a personal note, it’s the first in many moons that’s made certain Apple-exclusive family members of mine think about trying a switch (having seen it at Thanksgiving, of course). You’ll certainly have to weigh the benefits of having this top-class machine in your position against the amount of cash you’re going to have to dish out since it’s certainly not the most budget-minded beast on the market, but after that, it’s all smooth sailing.
As with all of our reviews of products large and small, this is not the end of the review – let us know if there’s anything else you’d like to know about the machine and we’ll do our best to let you know what we know! We’ll continue to test this machine into the future and will let you know if anything ground-shattering changes our experience in any grand way – meanwhile feel free ask any and all questions you may have and make requests to your heart’s content!
Along with Windows 8, Windows RT, and Windows Phone 8, Microsoft has released a handful of new keyboards, trying to cover the wide range of people who need a physical keyboard regardless of it they’re working on desktop or on a tablet. Of all of these keyboards, the new Sculpt Comfort Keyboard is probably the most interesting. The Sculpt is another ergonomic keyboard in a sea of products that claim to cut down on wrist strain and actually make typing easier. The question is whether that’s actually the case, or if it’s all PR fluff meant to get us to hand over cash for a keyboard we might not even need. Read on to hear the verdict.
Design and Features
Unlike some other ergonomic keyboards, there isn’t a split down the middle of the Sculpt. The Sculpt looks more like a regular keyboard than some of the other ergonomic ones, save for a bump in the middle that raises some of the keys and gives it a nice curve. It looks really nice – I’ve never been a fan of the way most ergonomic keyboards look, but I have to say that this one is pretty easy on the eyes. It’s all black and white if we’re not counting the blue Windows 8 hot keys, and it’s relative slimness gives it a more compact feeling that some of the other beasts we’ve seen in the ergonomic field.
The keyboard may not be split, but in an interesting twist, the space bar is. Microsoft has turned the space bar into two different buttons – both of them do the same thing until you hold down one of the shift keys, then the left space button turns into a spare backspace key. Microsoft says it did this because the majority of users only ever hit the right side of the space bar with their thumb. By splitting space bar into two key and adding backspace functionality to the left one, users no longer have to reach for the actual backspace key while they’re typing up a storm. It’s an incredibly strange idea at first, but it works. Holding shift and hitting the space bar is much more comfortable than reaching for the backspace key, but it’s definitely going to take some getting used to. After all, we’ve only been reaching for that backspace button for years and years, so it makes it sense that it’s going to take some time to break that habit.
UPDATE: While shift-space does indeed activate a backspace, simply pressing the left half of the spacebar also initiates a backspace – simple and clean!
Other than the split space bar, there isn’t anything all that remarkable about the rest of the keys. Microsoft claims that the slight curve to the layout helps improve typing speeds, and I feel that it’s helped mine slightly. It was kind of hard to tell at first since I had to adjust to the curvy layout, but after that adjustment process was finished, I found that my speeds were a little bit better than when I was using my regular mechanical keyboard. Resistance on the keys is nice, and they make a pretty satisfying sound when you press them. You won’t get the “clack” you’re used to hearing if you regularly use a mechanical keyboard, but the keys still make a good sound when you hit them.
The only issue I have with the keys is the fact that the letters aren’t laser etched onto them. That, obviously, is a feature of more expensive keyboards, but it still would’ve been nice to have, since without it your keys will begin fading after a while. It isn’t the biggest of problems (far from it actually), but having your keys fade on you is always an annoying experience.
On the Sculpt, the function keys double as Windows 8 hotkeys, allowing you to navigate the new Windows 8 UI with ease. There are buttons for volume and audio playback, then you have the search, share, devices, and settings keys, which all take you to the different Windows 8 submenus that are featured in the right menu bar. There are also buttons that allow you to snap what you’re currently looking at to the left or right side of the screen, letting you look at two apps at once. Microsoft has placed a sliding switch to the right of the function buttons, which you can use to change the functionality on that row of keys. It’s definitely a nice touch, especially for someone who might still be getting used to the Windows 8 UI – instead of trying to find these menus and do these actions with your mouse, you can simply hit the shortcut key on the Sculpt. That should save those who are new to Windows 8 a lot of time.
What I really like about the Sculpt is that it comes with a detachable wrist pad, but this one isn’t of the snap-on variety. Good thing too, because those snap-on wrist pads always feel so cheap and fragile. Instead, the wrist pad attaches to the Sculpt with a metal hook and a couple of metal plates. It slides into the bottom of the keyboard and locks into place, so you don’t have to worry about it flopping around while you type.
The wrist pad is soft enough to be comfortable, yet firm enough to where your wrists aren’t sinking into it. I think it gets the job done rather well, as it does a lot to take the pressure off your wrists while you’re typing. Of course, the Sculpt is still pretty easy to use if you remove the wrist pad (which cuts down on the keyboard’s overall size significantly), but if your job requires a lot of typing, you’ll probably want to keep the wrist pad attached as often as you can.
The stands have actually made their way to underneath the wrist pad, which is another strange feature that makes the Sculpt stand out from keyboards. It looks odd, having the stands on the front of the keyboard, but it actually feels surprisingly comfortable while you’re typing since it keeps your wrists a lot straighter than they would otherwise be. The only problem is that the Sculpt has a tendency to slide around when it’s up on its stands and placed on a hard, smooth surface. Most of the time I was using the Sculpt, I was typically using it without the stands, just because I found that keyboard kept sliding out from under my hands whenever I had them up.
The Sculpt is a wireless keyboard that’s powered by two AAA batteries and connects to your computer through a USB stick. Installation was a breeze, as it only requires that you connect the USB stick and give the system a few moments to install the drivers for the keyboard. Once you’ve done that, you’re good to go. As with most wireless keyboards, battery life is great. The batteries actually haven’t died on me yet, and I don’t think they will for another few weeks at least. In other words, if you pick up the Sculpt, you probably won’t have to worry about purchasing batteries all that often. The wireless capabilities work well too – I never had an instance where the signal cut out, and that’s really as good as it gets when you’re talking about wireless keyboards.
Wrap-Up
Even though I’ve never been a big fan of ergonomic keyboards, I have to say that the Sculpt Comfort Keyboard impressed. It isn’t the most feature-rich keyboard around, but Microsoft has done some interesting things with it. Splitting the space bar in two and turning one side into a spare backspace key was definitely a strange idea, but it seems to have worked. As I said above, it takes some getting used to, but once you remember to hold down the shift key and hit the left space bar, it serves as a good replacement for reaching across the keyboard to hit the actual backspace key.
Again, the wireless functionality works well, and I think that will be a major selling point for some people. While I was testing the keyboard, the wireless worked flawlessly, so the Sculpt Comfort Keyboard earn high marks in that regard.
The price Microsoft has given this keyboard – $59.95 – seems reasonable too, though to be honest I’m used to spending $100+ on mechanical keyboards with all the bells and whistles for gaming, so I may not be the best judge of value in this case. Still, $59.95 isn’t all that expensive and this is a solid keyboard – the fact that it’s compatible with Windows 8, RT, 7, and Vista just adds value. If you’ve been looking for a new ergonomic keyboard, you might want to take a look at the Sculpt since it has features that make it stick out from the rest of the keyboards out there, and it’s even made specifically to play nice with Windows 8.
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
A new security flaw has been discovered within Windows 8 that has to do with the operating systems activation process. The security flaw is significant in that it allows pirates to legitimately activate Windows 8 at no cost. Pirates are able to legitimately activate Windows 8 using the Windows Media Center upgrade promotion.
The flaw is reportedly within Microsoft’s Key Management System and can be exploited when the Windows Media Center upgrade is applied on top of Windows 8. What that means is that for a free legitimate version of Windows 8, all the pirates need is the Windows Media Center upgrade, which is available for free for a limited time directly from Microsoft.
The Windows Media Center upgrade doesn’t check the validity of activation when it is applied so any activated copy of Windows, legitimately or not, can be turned into a valid version of Windows 8. That’s a significant security flaw for a company who loathes pirating like Microsoft.
The Key Management System activation allows unlicensed copies of Windows 8 to be usable for 180 days. That 180-day window is meant to allow Volume Licensing customers to automate and manage the activation process. I’m sure now that this flaw is known, Microsoft will quickly move to patch it eliminating this pirate capability.
If you’ve been wanting to upgrade to Windows 8 but baulk at paying then, firstly, you’re a bad person but, secondly, now your opportunity’s here. Microsoft just screwed up and handed out a free activation key for the OS. More »
Back in early August, the final copy of Windows 8 was leaked online which we assume was much to the dismay of Microsoft. Pirates got ahold of the copy and distributed it, but thanks to Microsoft’s activation technology, the pirates had yet to figure out a way to fully activate the operating system. Instead pirates had to rely on third party KMS servers that would activate a copy for 6 months before it was required to be reactivated again. Not a huge deal but not exactly elegant, nor was it ideal either. Now thanks to what appears to be a slip up by Microsoft, these pirates have managed to find a way to fully activate Windows 8 without having to reactivate it again every 6 months.
It seems that Microsoft is giving away a free Media Center upgrade to Windows 8 users, an offer that is expected to run until January 31st 2013, and it looks like the pirates have discovered that the key used to upgrade Media Center will at the same time fully activate a pirated copy of Windows 8! According to the folks at The Verge who tried it out on a test machine, this procedure works and they have since reached out to Microsoft for a comment on the matter. We can only assume that Microsoft will be hurrying to patch this up ASAP, but in the meantime it looks like the pirates will be getting away scot-free.
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
While we’re not sure if it was deliberate or just an accident, some information about Lenovo‘s newest touchscreen ultrabook, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch, has popped up on the company’s website. The webpage teases visitors with a product shot of the new ultrabook, but not much else except a release date of sometime in December. However, the page has since been taken down, so we’re guessing it was an accidental leak on Lenovo’s part.
Optimized for Windows 8, the touch-friendly ThinkPad ultrabook doesn’t have a lot of details to go along with it, but we do know it’ll be available at some point in December and it will run Windows 8. Then again, if the touch-enabled ThinkPad is anything like the non-touch version, we should see some of the same specs on the inside.
Lenovo claimed the non-touch ThinkPad X1 Carbon as the world’s lightest business-class 14-inch laptop, so we’re guessing the touch-enabled version will tout a similar claim. It weighs just under 3 pounds and measures 0.74 inches thick. It packs up to an Intel Core i7 processor, Intel HD Graphics 4000, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, 128GB or 256GB SSD, and Dolby Home Theater v4 sound, with pricing starting at just over $1,100.
However, the X1 Carbon Touch will feature a 14-inch “HD+” (most likely 1600×900) display with 10-finger multi-touch support and also full support for Windows 8 touchpad gestures. Other than that, Lenovo just mentions that it’s “thin and light” and has a “carbon-fiber construction,” just like the original ThinkPad X1 Carbon ultrabook.
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Back in early August, the final copy of Windows 8 was leaked online which we assume was much to the dismay of Microsoft. Pirates got ahold of the copy and distributed it, but thanks to Microsoft’s activation technology, the pirates had yet to figure out a way to fully activate the operating system. Instead pirates had to rely on third party KMS servers that would activate a copy for 6 months before it was required to be reactivated again. Not a huge deal but not exactly elegant, nor was it ideal either. Now thanks to what appears to be a slip up by Microsoft, these pirates have managed to find a way to fully activate Windows 8 without having to reactivate it again every 6 months.
