Hasta La Gadget!

Are you ready to have your mind blown by some truly incredible gadget news? No, we’re not talking about our peek at the Zune HD with none other than Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. In fact, we have spicy hot new Windows licensing details. According to Tech ARP, Microsoft will soon allow end users to downgrade from Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate editions to either Windows Vista Business or Window XP Professional. If that weren’t enough, OEMs may now choose to install XP Professional, XP Pro Tablet, or XP Pro X64, instead of Windows Vista Business / Ultimate — as long as they fulfill a bunch of legalistic requirements regarding activation markers, certificates of authenticity, Windows Vista Logo criteria, and other stuff you probably don’t care about. It looks like the repudiation of Windows Vista is continuing apace… and we’re guessing that it doesn’t stop until it results in a series of war crimes tribunals in The Hague. (We can dream, can’t we?)

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Updated Windows 7 and Vista downgrade rights leaked originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 May 2009 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

One step forward, one step back: just as we were getting ready to celebrate Microsoft’s decision to remove the three-app limit from Windows 7 Starter Edition, we’re hearing that Redmond is still planning to impose strict limits on what types of machines get to run the stripped-down build. Just like today’s max XP specs, things are pretty weak all around: Window 7 Starter machines will max out at 10.2-inch screens, 1GB of RAM, 250GB hard drives or 64GB SSDs, and single-core processors under 2GHz. Of course, Microsoft’s told us all along that it thinks lots of OEMs will ignore the max specs and just ship Windows 7 Home Premium since it runs way better on netbooks than Vista, but we’ll see how this plays out at Computex — we’re expecting a wave of 10.2-inch netbooks with 2GHz procs and 1GB of RAM in the near future.

[Via ZDNet]

Filed under: Laptops

Microsoft publishes maximum Windows 7 netbooks specs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 May 2009 19:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

It’s been a long, long time since Microsoft Research first released its findings on Virtual WiFi, or VWiFi, technology that would allow a single wireless network adapter to act like two, two, two NICs in one. Now that innovation is finally ready for the big show: inclusion in Windows 7 — or at least some flavors of it. The tech lets one piece of WiFi hardware be represented in Windows as two separate adapters, meaning you can connect to two hotspots simultaneously if you like, or turn your virtual device into an access point that others can connect to. Apparently this functionality is indeed included in the latest release candidate, but as there are no drivers currently supporting this feature it’s not enabled. Expect the driver situation to change very soon, and expect hotel fee-based wireless internet access companies to start crying foul not long after.

Filed under: Wireless

Microsoft’s Virtual WiFi will make Windows 7 wireless adapters do a double-take originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 08:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Looks like Microsoft decided to pull the trigger just a hair early on this one. Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 is now available to the public at large. If you haven’t gotten your hands on it, now’s your chance to try it out well into 2010. What are you still reading this for? Hit up the read link to download.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Windows 7 RC 1 now available for public consumption originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 May 2009 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Bogged down and confused with the latest spate of wild mobile speculations? Relationship troubles clouding your judgment? Lonely? Well Josh, Nilay and Paul — your jovial (yet often enraged) Engadget Podcast crew — are back for another installment to help you sort all that out. In a week heavy on rumors (Palm Eos, Microsoft “Pink” and the not-so-nano “iPhone lite”) and laden with opinion (Windows 7 RC1, TiVo’s sad state of affairs), join the boys as they delve deep into the abyss that is gadgetry. Sure, there might never be a Zunephone, but remember: the beauty is in the journey… or something.

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Song: All That She Wants

00:01:13 – Palm Eos: super-thin, 3G, and headed to AT&T?
00:27:20 – Microsoft’s “Pink” smartphone could rival iPhone on Verizon
00:29:00 – Microsoft reiterates what we knew: no first-party handset, no Zunephone
00:36:40 – Apple prototyping “iPhone lite” and MacBook Mini / media pad for Verizon?
00:46:30 – Samsung I7500 with OLED touchscreen powered by Android, dreams
00:57:42 – Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 impressions, insights, and expectations
01:10:05 – Ten years of TiVo: how far we haven’t come

Subscribe to the podcast

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).
[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.
[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.
[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace

Download the podcast

LISTEN (MP3)
LISTEN (AAC)
LISTEN (OGG)

Contact the podcast

1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.
Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget

Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget Podcast 144 – 05.01.2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 May 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments