Hasta La Gadget!

Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he’ll explore where our industry is and where it’s going — on both micro and macro levels — with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

When it comes to futuristic concepts, few ideas have captured the imagination like pen-based computing. The idea of doing away with a cumbersome keyboard for navigating and entering information has been a Holy Grail ever since Captain Kirk signed his first digital clipboard in space, but here in our century the concept has met with little success. Most recently, Microsoft’s Tablet PC operating system has failed to take the world by storm, and lots of platforms, from the Momenta PC and Pen Windows, to the Newton and the PalmPilot, have come and gone while failing to shift the masses from their keyboards. Even smart phones, led by the iPhone, have shifted from being poster children for pen-based platforms to adopting finger touch and virtual keyboards for text entry.

Continue reading Entelligence: Why the pen isn’t mightier than the keyboard

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Entelligence: Why the pen isn’t mightier than the keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I scored one of the only copies of Windows 7 Touch Pack out in the wild, and it really blew my mind, bringing the full power of Microsoft Surface to touch-enabled Win 7 PCs. Have a look:

In my first go-around with Win 7 touch, I didn’t feel so much ooh-aah as I felt relief, relief that Microsoft had actually baked intelligent touch controls directly into the new operating system. Once again, my touch experience is with the optically driven HP TouchSmart PC, this time running Windows 7 Release Candidate build 7100. Nothing you see is third-party, except for the beta TouchSmart multitouch drivers by NextWindows.

Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7 is a roundup of six demo apps directly from the Surface team that make it clear that the days of the big-ass table are numbered. Surface will finally go anywhere there’s a multitouch PC running Windows 7. Here’s me, showing off the Surface Lagoon, Surface Collage and Surface Globe apps:

In certain cases, as you can see in the video, “multitouch” just means two simultaneous inputs. This is a programming decision, not a fault of the screen. However, the TouchSmart’s optical screen isn’t the sort of thing you’d want to use to play a lot of games on. The other three apps in the Pack are games: Blackboard, Garden Pond and Rebound, shown in gallery below. I am not going to say that they were totally lame, they would just benefit from a capacitive touchscreen like those found in some high-end laptops and in top-tier smartphones.

Microsoft says: “The Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7 will be available to PC makers who will have the option to pre-install some, none, or all of the applications available in the Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7 on PCs designed for Windows Touch (PCs that meet the logo requirements for Windows Touch).” In other words, buy a touch-enabled Windows 7 machine and you might see this stuff pre-loaded.

HP loaned me the TouchSmart knowing full well that it wasn’t originally developed to run Windows 7 touch apps, and as such, it can’t be judged for its gameplay or minor hiccups. In the main Surface apps, it does a great job, and as for the OS, it runs Windows 7 smoothly with a spring in its step. But am I waiting eagerly to see Windows 7 running on a touchscreen with more dexterity? You bet your ass. Meantime, this beats a clunky $20,000 Surface table any day of the week. Keep the Surface apps coming, Microsoft—the age of touch is upon us. [Windows Team Blog]

Get out your Bill Gates commemorative calendars folks, ’cause it looks like we now have a few more dates to mark off on the road to Windows 7 availability. While Microsoft still isn’t saying anything official itself just yet, a number of different sources are reporting that the company has set July 10th as the date for the final gold build of Windows 7, while the big release to manufacturing date is apparently on track for July 13th. Of course, things could still change if there’s a major bug or other problem encountered, but barring any disasters, that’ll likely be the same build that finds its way onto your PC this fall.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Windows 7 release to manufacturing reportedly on track for July 13th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’re not still running Windows 7 Beta are you? Tsk tsk, better get your RC build before your system starts spontaneously shutting down every 2 hours. As Microsoft has warned repeatedly, Windows 7 Beta builds will begin bi-hourly shutdowns starting on July 1st in a bid to move you over to the latest release candidate. RC user will suffer the same treatment starting March 1st, 2010 on the way to a June 1st expiration — well after the October 22nd launch date of Windows 7 to retail. This concludes this Engadget public service announcement, your regularly scheduled snarkiness will return in a moment.

[Thanks, Kyle]

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablet PCs

Windows 7 Beta automatic shutdowns begin today, RC users safe until March 1st originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Often companies will claim a “sellout” in order to hype incredible demand for its product. However, these claims are pointless without any firm numbers — after all, there’s a big difference between moving 100 and 100,000 units. Now we’re getting word from Japan that the heavily discounted Windows 7 upgrades that went up for pre-order on Friday are sold-out. While no numbers are given, the 17 retailers involved in the pre-order sales, who presumably have no vested interest in trying to inflate perceptions on behalf of Microsoft, report sales as “considerable” and taking only 1.5 days (of the 10 days planned) to burn though the alloted inventory. A quick check on Amazon US and Canada shows the same pre-order prices we saw Friday. Still, it might be wise to take notice of the “while supplies last” disclaimer if you haven’t already.

Update: Engadget Japanese tells us that the 30,000 copies were sold according to Microsoft.

Windows 7 pre-orders sell-out in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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