Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on May 29, 2006 by CyberNet.

Paul Thurrott has a very important article that discusses software that is and isn’t compatible with Vista Beta 2. For me the most important software that isn’t Vista compatible is Nero 7, but that hasn’t kept me from using Vista.

When I installed iTunes, as Paul mentioned, the iTunes icon in the Start Menu did not appear. That was pretty easy to fix because I just had to go to the shortcut’s properties and click “Change Icon”, after doing that I just browsed for the iTunes.exe file and selected it. Doing this restored the iTunes icon that did not appear after installation.

I think the only software that I use that he didn’t mention is Dreamweaver. I have been using Dreamweaver 8 for the last few days and I haven’t noticed any issues with it.

I am currently using Windows Vista Beta 2 as my primary desktop and I have to say that I am quite impressed. I have come across very few solutions that I haven’t been able to solve on my own, like the Nero 7 installation issue. I believe that Microsoft should have made this release available to the public because it has the stability and compatibility that people would expect from a Beta release.

Paul Thurrot’s Vista Compatabilities Article

Copyright © 2009 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:

Windows SuperSite Reviews Vista 5365Continued Windows Vista 5270 Reviews By WinSuperSiteMore Windows Vista 5270 Screenshots By WinSuperSiteMicrosoft Says Vista Will Ship As PlannedNew Vista RC1 Release Date: September 7

We’ve already seen plenty of Windows 7 laptops and desktops up for order, but it looks like we’re now finally starting to see how things will shake out on netbooks as well. After much confusion in the early days of Windows 7, it appears that Windows 7 Starter edition will indeed be the standard issue offering on the majority of netbooks, and it looks like it’ll also demand a slight premium over otherwise comparable XP-based systems. In most cases, Windows 7 Starter seems to add $30 to the cost of a netbook (as with the Dell Mini 10v pictured above), or $50 in Canada if the first few listings on Future Shop are any indication — which, as Digital Home Thoughts points out, would appear to be quite a bit more than the license fee manufacturers are paying. Of course, there are also a few netbooks that break the mold with Windows 7 Home Premium, and it unsurprisingly appears to be the standard offering on low-cost thin and lights that eschew the netbook moniker altogether. Hit up the link below for a rundown of some of the options already available to order, which is sure to grow considerably in the next few days.

[Via Digital Home Thoughts]

Filed under: Laptops

Windows 7 Starter leads the way on netbooks, demands premium originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

This article was written on January 08, 2007 by CyberNet.

CES is off and running with Bill Gates as a keynote speaker kicking things off. It’s a big CES for Microsoft, with the Windows Vista launch in less than a month. His keynote was entitled ‘Connected Experiences’ in which Gates talked about what a connected lifestyle might look like, and a vision for this in the not so far future. By connected lifestyle, he means devices capable of receiving digital content all throughout the home, on the go, etc. Throughout his address, he covered just how Microsoft is working towards this connected experience, and what new products are being created specifically for this.

One such product that would influence this connected experience is the Windows Home Server.  There were rumors it was going to be announced, and sure enough, it was. So, thanks to Engadget, he’s the scoop on the Home Server:

• Units are headless and embedded only — you cannot buy WHS and put it on an old PC.
• There is no common web interface.  Interaction is entirely client software based, or done over SMB.
• It cannot directly stream media to Media Center Extenders, but it can stream media directly to Windows Media Connect-enabled devices
• It does not use RAID, but instead uses a RAID-like driving pooling system with built-in redundancy.  Expanding capacity is as simple as adding additional drives internally or externally via USB.
• The client software, which is installable only on Windows PCs manages backups, and supports full disk images and versions.  If your computer crashes, you can pop in a restore CD and it’ll pull the disk image over the network.
• Your WHS device gets registered with your Windows Live account and is made easily-findable by authorized parties while on the go. You can even connect to it via Live and pipe a Remote Desktop connection to a PC on your home network through this Home-finding Live feature.

At this point, I don’t think the general population will see any need for a server in their home, and I think it will take many years before something like this is seen as “essential.” When it does take off, it will be a great way to organize and keep track of digital photos, videos, music, and documents. Gates also mentioned the fact that the last time Windows and Office were in a synchronized release was way back in 1995. This time around, we can expect Vista and Office 2007 released on January 30th. Another interesting fact, 65% of homes have digital cameras, and 40% of homes have multiple computers, meaning more people have the essential devices to stay connected.

Another highlight from the presentation was when Justin Hutchinson of Microsoft gave a Vista demo.  About 18 minutes into the keynote, he demonstrated using the Xbox 360 controller on a Windows Vista machine to fly around Las Vegas using the Windows Live 3D application- cool! Another cool feature is their Dreamscene, which are full ”Motion Desktops.” This means that you can use any video and set it as your desktop background (pictured below).

Another element of connected experiences is connected entertainment.  Robbie Back, head of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Xbox division took the stage to give an update, and to highlight how the Xbox is becoming an entertainment hub instead of just a gaming machine. So, here’s some statistics: Since the Xbox 360 launched in November of 2005, 10.4 million consoles have been sold in 37 countries with 160 high-definition games available.  Also part of Xbox 360 is their Xbox Live online marketplace.  They now sell downloadable movies and features and more than 1,000 hours of TV and movie content.

Just like CES last year, there was a pretty big focus on all of the “to be coming” types of things that would truly create a “connected life.” Bill always mentions the importance of “delivering on the promise,” and I imagine it will be years before actually see the “to be coming” devices made available. Gates says, “We have amazing hardware, love walking the floor, who has the biggest LCD, the biggest hard disk. But we need to deliver on promise of digital decade. Delivering means more than just great hardware.”

If you’d like to view the Keynote, Microsoft has it available, but you’ll need to be using Windows Media Player. You can also view this Keynote via YouTube. It has been broken down into several clips.

News Sources: Read/WriteWeb and Engadget

Copyright © 2009 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:

Bill Gates CES Keynote From EngadgetBill Gates, the Harvard Dropout will Finally Get his DegreeBill Gates’ Transition From Microsoft – One Year Later…Bill Gates CES Keynote 2008Microsoft Without Bill Gates? Bill Moves Focus to Foundation

Of all Microsoft’s advertising moves, this certainly falls in more clever side of the spectrum. Redmond et al. have announced they’ll be “sponsoring” a November 8th variety special on Fox, “Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show.” The episode’ll be a mix of live-action musical performance and animated shorts with the usual celebrity cameos you’ve come to expect. This show will be commercial free, so long as you don’t count all the Windows 7 that’ll somehow be integrated — and that’s the most interesting mystery of all, how Microsoft will get its brand recognition without too many jabs from showrunner Seth McFarlane and company. If you don’t recall the last time McFarlane teamed up with a big company to enliven its image, check out video from “Burger King presents Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy,” a venture also done in tandem with one of the ad agencies responsible for this new deal, Crispin, Porter & Bogusky. It’s just after the break.

Update: As commenter Zebb reminded us, Bill Gates pulled off a cameo in Frasier “answering caller questions” about Windows XP. We couldn’t help but add it to the post just below, jump to the 2:20 mark for the relevant scene.

Continue reading Windows 7-branded ‘Family Guy’ special to air November 8th

Filed under: Software

Windows 7-branded ‘Family Guy’ special to air November 8th originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

We’ve seen plenty of tech over the years meant to mitigate our destruction of the environment — from greener autos to Grateful Dead-themed cellphones — most of which don’t really ask us to tone down our consumer impulses all that much. But how about these new “Cool Cars” regulations recently adopted by the California Air Resources Board? By the year 2016, all autos sold in the state must have windows that prevent 60 percent of the sun’s energy from entering the vehicle. To achieve this, windows are given a coat of glazing that contains microscopic specs of reflective metal oxide — which will seriously hamper reception for your GPS, cellphone, and (this is of special interest to Engadget readers) white collar criminal-style work release ankle bracelet. As you can imagine, companies like Garmin are fuming — although we suppose that if they play this right they can make a killing in the external car antenna business. It just goes to show you — when it comes to environmental catastrophe, everyone’s a victim.

[Via AutoBlog]

Filed under: Transportation

California Cool Cars regs put the kibosh on radio, cellphone, and GPS reception originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments