We’ve covered Windows 7 from rumor to golden master. Now—as we wait for its Oct. 22 arrival—it’s enchilada time: Here’s everything of value that we learned about Win 7, packed in a complete, easy-to-read guide.

Table of Contents

Intro

What It All Means: Windows 7 Review
So much anticipation has led up to the arrival of Windows 7, aka The Redeemer. But does it live up to the hype? Here we pass judgment, and then, because we like you, we give you a super-quick tour of its best features and tips.

Chapter 1

The Real Cost of Upgrading to Windows 7
Now that prices are announced and it’s time to think about upgrading, here are all the different considerations you’ll have to make. It’s as smart a Windows upgrade as there ever was, but do your homework!

Chapter 2

How To Use Windows 7, or Why The New UI Is So Great
Windows 7 is Microsoft’s biggest user-interface overhaul since Windows 95. It’s no surprise, then, that even Windows veterans could use a crash course on how to use it.

Chapter 3

Device Stage Hardware Fun, Plus More Productivity Tips
Device Stage, the instant recognition of cameras, printers and other peripherals, is candy for the gadget-addicted, but knowing what works and what doesn’t definitely matters.

Chapter 4

Windows Media Player and Media File Compatibility
Music and movies—not only are they more important than they were when Vista came out, but they also come from more sources in more formats. Windows 7 attempts to master them all.

Chapter 5

Couch Tricks: New Features for Windows Media Center
Our favorite “10-foot” media software shows up in Windows 7 with loads of new features—if you haven’t yet seen why Media Center makes even TiVo look dated, you better pay attention.

Chapter 6

Important Changes to Networking and Security
When it comes to life online, there’s no way to underestimate advances in networking and security. Windows 7 is full of them, and it pays to know what they are and how to use them.

Chapter 7

Natural Interfaces: Pen, Touch and Multitouch
Windows 7 comes of age at a time when the keyboard and mouse are giving way to newer more instinctive controls—luckily, it’s got many of those controls built right in. Bonus: Here’s a first look at the fun Surface-like Windows 7 Touch Pack which may soon be available on all touch PCs.

Chapter 8

Got Troubles? Here’s How To Shoot ‘Em Down
Even a good operating system can be bad once in a while. During the Beta test, we had our share of issues. Here’s a discussion of many of the problems that can be solved, and a few that can’t.

Is there something missing, a discussion you were hoping to have but aren’t seeing here? We want to be thorough, so let’s have it. Go ahead and hit us up, either in direct emails or to our tips line, with the subject “Windows 7 Guide.”

If Infinity Ward’s own Prestige Edition of Modern Warfare 2 isn’t enough to satisfy your lust for custom hardware, Mad Catz is ready to pick up the slack with no less than ten MW2-branded peripherals. The crown jewel to the set will be the Combat Controller, which will have a couple of extra buttons, but more importantly, is likely the controller Robert Bowling was tweeting about last month. Come this November, you’ll also be able to talk smack via a Throat Communicator on the 360 or a more mundane Bluetooth Headset on the PS3, add Skinz to your controllers and Microsoft console, and even your neglected PC can be enriched with an Elite Keyboard and Sniper Mouse combo.

Update: IGN has been first to preview the full plethora of goods, and we’ve got the video for you after the break (Thanks, quasar).

[Via Joystiq]

Continue reading Video: Mad Catz doles out Modern Warfare 2 controllers for young (and old) whippersnipers

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Video: Mad Catz doles out Modern Warfare 2 controllers for young (and old) whippersnipers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starline — a Hong Kong-based PC manufacturer — has unleashed the netbook you see above, the NB1000. This 10-incher’s got all the standard, yawn-inducing specs — an Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, three USB ports, plus ethernet and VGA ports. The thing that makes this little guy stand out? Well, it’s got a massive touchpad running all along the palm rest beneath the keyboard, and that’s enough for us to want one — or at least to touch one, repeatedly. Sadly, this baby is a Hong Kong-only affair, and runs HK$2,498 (about $322), but there’s a video of it after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading Starline NB1000 netbook’s giant, invisible touchpad is the only thing it’s got going for it

Filed under: Laptops

Starline NB1000 netbook’s giant, invisible touchpad is the only thing it’s got going for it originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The good news is that upgrading to Windows 7 is going to be cheaper than previous Windows releases—but before you buy, you better check your situation and plan the right move, money-wise.

You may have a few questions: Am I eligible for a cheap upgrade? How about a free upgrade? What’s this about family packs? Should I be shopping for a new computer? Not to worry, Prof. Dealzmodo will help clear things up. First, let’s start with the basics.

Is Your PC Ready?
If you have your heart set on upgrading to Windows 7, you need to meet minimum system requirements. For most of us, that ain’t no thang:

• 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

If you can’t hit these minimum numbers, I feel for you. It also means you will have to factor new hardware into the total upgrade cost.

To be honest, it’s probably in your best interest to exceed these requirements moving forward. The good news is that there are many PCs out there that would more than satisfy your hardware needs for $500 or less.

The 64-bit Question
Every Windows 7 box, upgrade or full, comes with both a 32-bit and a 64-bit version of the OS, so you have a choice. You should probably brush up on the details of this transition, but in the meantime, just know that it mostly comes down to RAM: If you have 3GB or less, you can run 32-bit, but if you have 4GB or more, you’ll need 64-bit to get the most out of your system.

We recommend the latter, for future coverage, and fortunately, RAM upgrades are damn cheap these days. In fact, you can get 4GB of DDR2 memory for less than $70 pretty easily. And if you are already running a Intel Core 2 Duo processor or better, you don’t need to upgrade the chipset to enjoy the benefits of 64-bit computing. Either way, getting caught up on the CPU won’t run you much more than $100 if you shop around. As I pointed out in this must-read column, it pays to upgrade hardware yourself. Only suckers pay manufacturer’s prices.

Windows 7 Pricing
Standard:
• Windows 7 Home Premium: $120 for upgrade; $200 for full version
• Windows 7 Professional: $200 for upgrade; $300 for full version
• Windows 7 Ultimate: $220 for upgrade; $320 for full version
• Family Pack: $149

Anytime Upgrades:
• Windows 7 Starter Edition (you do not want this) to Home Premium: $80
• Home Premium to Professional: $90
• Professional to Ultimate: $140

Free Upgrades:
If you purchase a qualifying PC with Vista installed between now and January 31st you are eligible for a free Windows 7 upgrade. However, this only applies to participating manufacturers and products. Check out Microsoft’s upgrade page for a list of these manufacturers. This also applies to anyone who purchases Vista retail packaged products.

Which Version of Windows 7 Should I Get?
If you are running something other than a Windows OS or an OS that pre-dates Windows XP that means you will have to buy the full retail copy—you’re not eligible for the upgrade that pretty much everyone else is eligible for. If you fall into this slim category, there is a good chance you’ll have to upgrade hardware as well. In that case, strongly consider putting your money into a new PC with Windows 7 already installed—there’s no reason to pay $200 to $300 for the OS alone, when decent computers cost $500.

You can pretty much skip Microsoft’s handy-but-convoluted upgrade chart when determining which path is right for you, though you may want to consult Ed Bott’s easier-to-follow version, originally published on ZDNet:

There are really only three decisions most people will make: Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate, as the other versions are not offered to retail buyers. Most people will get Home Premium—if you are shopping for Professional or Ultimate, even you probably don’t need the upgrade chart, because you know what you’re looking for.

Whatever you do, try to avoid the Anytime Upgrade, the convenient but costly way to jump from, say, Home Premium to Ultimate. If, for example, there is even a slight chance that you might upgrade from Professional to Ultimate, it makes sense to just go for Ultimate right off the bat. An outright upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate costs $220, but upgrading to Professional then deciding later on to go to Ultimate will cost you $340 total.

What About Netbooks?
In the vast majority of cases, upgrading to Windows 7 from a netbook doesn’t make sound financial sense. If you look at the prices, upgrades can cost more than half what you paid for the netbook in the first place. My recommendation here is to wait on purchasing a netbook until an optimized build of Windows 7 is pre-installed.

Furthermore, if you aren’t prepared to deal with the Starter Edition, don’t buy a netbook running it—go right for Home Premium if possible. The Anytime Upgrade to Home Premium will run you $80—which is probably still a chunk of change when compared to the price of the netbook itself. Seriously, I think that Starter Edition’s sole purpose is to screw netbook users. And if you keep your wallet in a back pocket—yes…they’re screwing you from behind. As far as I’m concerned, the only way it might make some financial sense to purchase an OS upgrade for a netbook is if you run Windows on multiple computers and you decide to purchase a Family Pack license—and you are comfortable dealing with different kinds of OS installations. That will at least allow you to run Home Premium on three machines for about $50 a pop.

Source image from Flickr

Don’t get us wrong — we’re all in favor of purposeless, ostentatious, and classless displays of wealth — but we prefer it to be a little less… tacky? German manufacturer High End PCs have the high end part down pat — they’ll dip your desktop in all manners of gold (up to 24 karat!), cubic zirconia and of course, diamonds. Now, we don’t have any specs on these puppies — though we suspect performance is beside the point. Our only real qualm with the product is that it looks like a Kleenex box from Don Johnson’s bathroom in 1986. But, if you have a stack of money hanging around and you just can’t be bothered to think of really awesome things to do with it, Gaiser’s PCs start from about $8,000 and run up to around $33,000.

[Via Oh! Gizmo]

Filed under: Desktops

Gold, diamond-leafed Gaiser PCs might just bring Marie Antoinette back from the grave originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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