Hasta La Gadget!

Ouch. We’re guessing this is one that the suits at Best Buy would like to have back. A leaked company memo detailing how the retailer will handle Windows 7 upgrades has accidentally given the world a tasty tidbit to opine upon. The note starts off as such:

“Microsoft is launching Windows 7 in mid-October 2009. This new operating system isn’t just a “Vista that works” program – it’s a new operating system with improved productivity, functionality and creativity that uses less computer resources.“

Never mind the fact that we never knew an OS could posses “improved productivity” — how about admitting that Vista, in effect, doesn’t “work.” Moving on, the note also makes clear that any PC sold with Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate between June 26th and the Windows 7 launch day (October 22nd) will be eligible for a free upgrade to Win7. Better still, the individual OSes also qualify for the update, and starting on June 26th, Best Buy will begin “pre-selling” the Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade ($49.99) and the Windows 7 Professional Upgrade ($99.99). Have a look at the full letter below, and if you’ve come here for advice, here’s the best we’ve got: don’t buy a PC at Best Buy until June 26th.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Best Buy memo explains that Vista doesn’t work, details Windows 7 upgrade plans originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The video above demonstrates a prototype of an Asus Eee PC netbook running Google’s open-platform mobile operating system Android. Spotted by TweakTown at the Computex conference in Taipei, the netbook is shown playing 720P high-definition video. The device is based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform, which is powered by a 1GHz processor.

Running a smartphone OS on a computer sounds peculiar, but here’s the kicker: Because the platform is designed to consume very little power, no cooling is required. That presents an opportunity to create even thinner notebooks than the ones we see today, such as the MacBook Air. And it would also substantially extend battery life.

Jim McGregor, chief technology strategist for research firm In-Stat, told Wired.com in May that he expects Google Android to receive support from netbook manufacturers. He explained that it’d be appealing for netbook companies, because they’d be able to distribute an open-source OS backed by a big brand.

Netbooks have plenty of room to grow in terms of software. Currently, the most popular OS among netbook customers is Windows XP. However, XP is several years out of date and not optimized for mobile performance. Therefore, if Google fails to win over consumers in the smartphone space with Android, perhaps it will focus on tweaking the OS for netbooks.

Sounds intriguing — a Google-powered, ultra-thin netbook that can stay awake longer than I can? I’d buy one, wouldn’t you?

See Also:

• Possible Android Netbook is Just Plain Weird
• Will Your Next Netbook Be Running Android?
• Asus Toys With Google Android For Netbook

We’ll admit, we were pretty skeptical that Moblin would ever amount to much after seeing the 1.0 build, but it looks like the elves at Intel have been plenty busy: the 2.0 beta is now available, and it’s looking pretty sharp. Unlike the first build’s more traditional Linux interface, 2.0 drops you into an attractive unified application shell reminiscent of HP’s MIE that also allows you to run regular Linux apps. Apps are grouped into “zones,” which function like virtual desktops, and switching between zones is handled by a taskbar-like interface. Of course, even Intel isn’t immune to sticking widgets all over eveything, and the main screen (called the m_zone) has plenty of ’em, from calendars to Twitter to browser history thumbnails. All in all, it’s really slick stuff — check a quick video after the break.

[Via Hylke’s Home; thanks Joey-Elijah]

Read – Ars Technica hands-on
Read – Moblin.org

Continue reading Moblin 2.0 beta impressively demoed on video

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Moblin 2.0 beta impressively demoed on video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 May 2009 13:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not as good as gold, but according to Microsoft’s Partner Program website, Windows 7‘s release candidate is due out to the masses on May 5, a bit earlier than the BBC report had previously noted. MSDN and TechNet subscribers can apparently download the new build now, although Ars Technica is reporting it may not be up just yet. There’s always the chance that this date was posted in error or will be pushed back, so in the meantime, perhaps marking your calendar with pencil or erasable pen isn’t such a bad idea.

[Via Ars Technica; thanks, John]

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablet PCs

Windows 7 RC coming May 5 for public consumption, out now for MSDN / TechNet subscribers? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been waiting on pins and needles for confirmation, but it looks like an all-too-vague Reuters report actually is referring to the Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60. After a senior company official noted that a “Linux-based operating system” would be used in one of its two smartphones, we pinged Garmin directly to cut through the mystery and get down to the meat. What we were told was this: “The Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60 has a proprietary Linux-based OS, and we’re still working towards delivering the nüvifone G60 in the first half of 2009 in limited markets, which haven’t been named yet.” Of course, the tandem is quickly running out in months in that window, so we’re pretty jazzed to be all up on top of an imminent release. Now, if only we knew where those patience pills made off to…

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Filed under: Cellphones

Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60 to rock LiMo, launch in 1H 2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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