First off, we'll warn you that these reports are currently unconfirmed by the suits in Redmond, but word has it that Microsoft is working with at least one OEM to have the Windows XP "downgrade" deadline pushed out from January 2009 to at least July 31, 2009. That's according to an e-mail sent from Microsoft to an unspecified partner company, which purportedly details a plan to work with other buddies in pushing that deadline out another half year. Given the results thus far, we suppose we're not too surprised to hear that firms are still clamoring for the XP option, but one wonders when this madness will ever end. Will folks really be opting for XP on new machines after Windows 7 is out?

[Via Download Squad]

In a case repeating itself across ASUS discussion forums, some ASUS laptop owners are finding confidential and personal software along with an illegal keygen software hack bundled with their new rigs. According to readers of PC Pro and APC Magazine, a directory on the ASUS-branded Vista recovery DVD contains illegal software serial numbers, confidential Microsoft documents intended for PC manufacturers, and a variety of ASUS documents and source code. A reader in ASUS' forums claims to have found other bizarre files including someone's resume (pictured above). For its part, an ASUS spokesman has responded saying, "We will be investigating this at quite a high level." Well, then that's that.

Read -- PC Pro
Read -- APC Mag
Read -- ASUS forum screengrab

HP unsurprisingly isn't ready to touch this one in any sort of official way just yet, but BusinessWeek is reporting that at least some folks at the company are "exploring the possibility of building a mass-market operating system," which would be positioned as an alternative to Vista. That OS, as you might have guessed, would be based on Linux, although BusinessWeek's sources say it "would be simpler and easier for mainstream users." By all indications, however, this so-called "skunk works team" within HP doesn't seem to have moved much beyond the brainstorming stage, and HP is sticking strictly to its official line that it is more interested in "innovating on top of Vista," with HP chief technology officer Phil McKinney even going so far as to say that the idea that it's funding a huge R&D team to go off and create an operating system "makes no sense."

[Via Electronista]

What's this? A little standardization in the TV realm? Announced today at IBC2008, Microsoft has launched its Protected Broadcast Driver Architecture (PBDA), a new worldwide platform that was made possible by the recent release of Windows Media Center TV Pack. In short, this system enables the "PC-TV hardware ecosystem to integrate virtually any free or premium TV service into Windows Media Center," which keeps content guardians ultra-stoked while giving consumers more choice when it comes to TV tuning. Essentially, PBDA gives OEMs and tuner-makers the ability to develop and ship wares for WMC "regardless of geographic location or television standard." The initiative is being backed by some serious players, too -- Hauppauge, AVerMedia, NEC, and NXP just to name a few -- and a couple have already shipped PBDA-based solutions overseas. Hit the read link for more... if you dare.

Lookin' a USB docking station for your VAIO (or other machine)? Look no further than the VAIO-branded VGP-UPR1, which is compatible with a whole alphabet worth of Sony's laptops. The unit boasts a VGA / DVI port, four USB sockets, an Ethernet jack and headphone / microphone connectors; furthermore, it supports resolutions up to 1,600 x 1,200, and of course, DisplayLink's USB graphics technology. Not too terribly painful at $199.99, and it's out now for folks in the US, EU and Japan.

[Via CNET]

By now you've probably watched the Bill Gates / Jerry Seinfeld Microsoft ad a dozen or so times (if not, get to it). If you're like us, you've got a healthy conversation happening about what the new campaign means, and whether or not you actually like the thing. According to a leaked internal email from Redmond's senior vice president Bill Veghte, this first installment in what will be a series of commercials is meant to function as an "Icebreaker to reintroduce Microsoft to viewers in a consumer context." It seems that the company is following the path they've stamped out with their previous media burst, the Mojave Experiment, which appears to be less concerned with changing the product (Windows), and more concerned with changing consumers' perception of the product. In Veghte's words, "Telling our story means making significant investments to improve the way consumers experience Windows." So here's our question to you: is Microsoft on the right track here? Let us know in the poll below! (You can also read the full text of the email after the break)

Ready to inhale some serious Intel technobabble? Here goes. As it stands, MIDs and UMPCs that utilize Windows operating systems are pretty much restricted to using Vista due to their incongruence with the "low-cost" requirement for still using XP. On top of that, Intel's chipset used in these critters (you know, with those Silverthorne Atom CPUs) only supports 1GB of RAM. We don't need to explain how underwhelming performance can be when mixing Vista with just 1GB of RAM. Now, however, a new PDF from Intel details updated System Controller Hub (SCH) specifications that include support for up to 2GB of RAM. What isn't clear is whether current systems can be updated via a BIOS update, but we'll be keeping an ear to the ground in hopes of hearing "yes."

[Thanks, Itto]

We're still having a tough time labeling Intel's uniquely designed UrbanMax concept, but according to a company representative on hand at IDF, it was designed primarily to be used as a touch device. The gigantic touch panel machine (slate PC?) includes an 11-inch (1,366 x 768) display, a slide out QWERTY keyboard, a minuscule optical mousing device and Windows Vista behind the scenes. Feel free to check out the video waiting after the jump, and by the way, we dare you to tell us this isn't totally an HTC Advantage X7510 on steroids.

Hold your horses, vaquero. Let's not blow this all out of proportion here. While it's no secret that a certain amount of Vista purchasers are utilizing that "downgrade to XP" option to its fullest extent, a small (and let us emphasize "small") collection of data suggests that some 35% of "mainly enterprise-class users" have opted for XP over Vista on their newly-purchased rig. By scouring data from the 3,000 or so members feeding information to the InfoWorld Windows Sentinel tool, the site found that just over 1 in 3 users had defected to Microsoft's previous OS. Granted, the tool cannot take into account Linux users or even the "Hackintosh crowd," though as Randall Kennedy puts it, 35% is "still a huge percentage, and way out of proportion for even the dramatically unpopular Windows Vista."

Jenn from Pocketables has gotten her hands on the diminutive Willcom D4 and given it an ultra-thorough review -- and we've got the details. While she praises the general speed of the device, screen resolution and brightness, and comfort of holding the D4, her reactions to the touchpad and keyboard are less than enthusiastic. Adding insult to apparent injury, it seems that the battery life leaves quite a bit to be desired (unless you're employing the extended battery pack), the video playback is choppy with most codecs, and the non-standard headphone jack is deeply, deeply annoying. The conclusion? Willcom's miniature needs "Help to achieve its potential," which is probably not what most potential buyers of the $1500 device want to hear. Of course, you should explore the whole review -- and its handsome photos -- so hit the read link for more.

It's been a real roller coaster ride of emotions with SSD. The once lauded (at least in our hearts) savior of all things computing has, in real life, provided us with lackluster and even controversial performance gains, while battery improvements haven't been revolutionary and the prices still aren't exactly wallet-friendly. Most of that is unlikely to change in the next couple of years, but there's still plenty to be fixed in the short term. Samsung is working with Microsoft to define optimum packet sizes and best practices for reading and writing files to SSD as a potential update for Windows Vista, which is particularly optimized to work best with traditional hard drives. Sun is also working to improve SSD support with its next-gen ZFS file system, which in addition to powering its Solaris OS should be making an appearance in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, at least in the server version. There's clearly still plenty of untapped potential in SSD, let's just hope the powers that be figure this stuff out sooner rather than later.

[Via Mac Rumors]

You may have heard that Microsoft is "like, totally serious, guys" about patching up Vista's good name, and, well, so far they're off to a rocky start. After pushing up a few lackluster web ads, they've decided to trick users en masse to prove a point. They've termed the Punk'ing the "Mojave Experiment," which placed 120 regular computer users of all different OS persuasions in front of a Vista box, except they were told they were getting to look at the next Microsoft OS, codenamed "Mojave." Results of the test will be unveiled tomorrow in what are sure to be glowing customer reports. Scientific validity of this test aside, we're not exactly sure testimonials from a blind taste test are going to turn the tide of Vista ill-will, but now we're starting to sound like Demi Moore our parents.

[Via Techdirt]

The next-generation Q1 Ultra may be due next year, but Sammy's trying to squeeze every bit of life it can out of the current iteration with two new flavors. Announced today, the Q1U-CMXP boasts an integrated HSDPA 3G cellular modem, while the Q1UP-V is a Q1 Ultra Premium featuring Vista Business. As for the former, it includes just about every connectivity option you could wish for: 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, Ethernet and a WWAN modem that connects to the AT&T Broadband Connect network; outside of the one new feature, however, the specifications are the same as the standard Q1 Ultra XP model that was launched in May of 2007. Both newcomers (if you can call 'em that) are available as we speak for $1,499 and $1,449 in order of mention.