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ASUS delivers Eee PC T91MT to Amazon.com, completes world tour
It was only two weeks ago when the ASUS T91MT -- the first-ever Windows 7 convertible netbook -- dropped by Amazon's German site, and now the Eastern wind from Taiwan has finally reached US soil. Amazon.com buyers are offered pretty much the same configuration as their European counterpart: Intel Atom Z520, 8.9-inch multitouch swivel screen, 1GB RAM and Windows 7 Home Premium. While there's only one color option available for now, those who're cool with white will be spoiled with a 32GB SSD -- twice as much as the German version yet $200 cheaper. Any students out there going to pick one of these up for some improved note-taking before Christmas exams? [Thanks, Bernard]
Albatron's 42 inches of optical touch monitor get examined on video
While Dell and HP were busy holding a competition to see who could do a worse job of announcing their new optical multitouch displays, Albatron was crafting away a 42-inch monstrosity to completely steal their thunder. The optical part refers to a pair of CMOS sensors embedded in the bezel which are responsible for touch detection, a cheaper alternative to your typical capacitive and resistive tech, which requires an extra USB connection between the monitor and computer. Although some issues were found with Windows 7's multitouch implementation, the promise of recognizing more than two fingers with the proper software support and the general responsiveness of the unit whet our appetite for more. Alas, nobody dares speak of a price, but a 1080p 22-inch model is already available for $450, in case you wanted to add to your touchy-feely shortlist. The video after the break contains the hands-on and a little mystery -- why is there Bulgarian handwriting on the whiteboard in the background?
Windows 7 receives 7,000 domino salute (video)
If 7,000 dominoes fall in a forest of cheering Microsoft employees, do they make enough noise for us to care? We don't usually tell Microsoft how to run its promotions, but a domino installation that takes a full three minutes to topple is pretty much an open invitation for "slow boot-up" jokes, and a climactic finale that revolves around a hot air balloon version of your logo crashing against a glass ceiling might also create the wrong impression. Ah well, these guys are engineers and not choreographers, after all -- you can see the fruit of their labor after the break. [Thanks, Colin]
HP Pavilion dv3 with multitouch screen spotted in the wild, we go hands-on
Our curious British fingers managed to stumble upon a European HP Pavilion dv3 blessed with Windows 7 and multitouch on both the screen and the trackpad. The keyboard was great to type on with negligible flex, but the trackpad suffers from the same glossy issues on other recent HPs -- although it responded to our multitouch gestures better than the capacitive screen did. Our major annoyance came from the attempts to rotate pictures on the screen: we learned the hard way that the laptop (or Windows 7 itself) seemed to prefer more exaggerated rotation gestures than the MacBooks -- perhaps one would get used to it over time. The hinge is fairly solid, but we still preferred holding the screen while touching it. On a brighter note we totally dig the inclusion of an HDMI port and an eSATA port, plus you'll get up to seven hours of sweet battery juice from this 2.24kg (4.94 pounds) machine. Read on for our hands-on video and photo gallery. %Gallery-76595%
eviGroup's Pad is a 10-inch 3G tablet with personality
Time to freshen up the old netbook market with a dash of Windows 7, a pinch of touchscreen functionality, and a generous helping of... Seline10? eviGroup, the crew responsible for the attractive 5-inch Wallet MID, has announced the 10.2-inch Pad, whose pièce de résistance is the Seline10 artificial intelligence software that's been in development for a decade, if you can believe it. Its purpose is to act as your secretary / assistant, and while the novelty's good, we all know how well Clippy worked out. Fret not though, it's just an optional extra and shouldn't detract from the appeal of a device that offers 3G and a/b/g WiFi connectivity, one VGA and three USB ports, multicard reader, webcam, microphone, and the old faithful 1.6GHz of Atom power. A price of under €500 is being touted, with further details set to emerge over the coming days.
Windows 7 Whopper claims its first victim (video)
Few brave souls will even attempt to consume the Windows 7 Whopper, and fewer still will achieve that first dyspepsic bite -- as you can plainly see in this video. Indeed, we were sure that this was some sort of promotional stunt for Microsoft in Japan, but reports are filtering in that these have been available in Texas for years now. Of course, in the Lone Star State it's not called the Windows 7 Whopper, it's called "lunch." [Via Pocket-lint]
Apple welcomes Windows 7 the only way it knows how, with a new commercial (video, updated)
Can't argue with a wig like that, right? Video after the break.Update: Two more added. Are these still fun?
How to automatically skip commercials in Windows 7 Media Center
Skipping commercials on a HTPC DVR has been around for a long long time, but it isn't always the easiest thing to setup. And even if you do get it working, there are so many options, it can take some time before you get it working the way you want it. So in the spirt of Windows 7 day, and the fact that the next major version of ShowAnalyzer is being released, we figured we'd write up a how to with a few tips and tricks of our own. We start by downloading and installing the main components; DVRMSToolBox, the DTB Media Center Add-in and ShowAnalyzer, and finish off with some troubleshooting for when things go wrong. So if you use Media Center, click through and never pick up the remote to skip a commercial again.
Burger King selling a Windows 7 Whopper in Japan
Confirming our belief that Japan is at once among the coolest and craziest places on this planet we all call home is Burger King's exclusive Windows 7 Whopper. Seven stacked beef patties extend your usual Whopper to over five inches in height and the whole thing costs an appropriate ¥777 (or $8.55). It'll be available for one week only -- or seven days, get it? Join us past the break to see the full towering size of this meaty monstrosity. [Via Electronista] Update: Andy Yang, our Engadget Chinese editor, has read the smallprint and noted that in fact only the first 30 customers each day will get the Win 7 Whopper at ¥777, with the rest shelling out a cool ¥1,450 ($17.10) for the privilege. Way to break with the number 7 theme, guys.
HP unleashes Compaq L2105tm touchscreen, multitouch monitor
HP's just rather quietly announced a new display hot on the heels of tomorrow's Windows 7 launch. This 21.5-inch, 1080p bad boy boasts an optical multitouch panel with one finger scrolling and two finger mousing capabilities. Stylus fans will also be overjoyed to hear that the Compaq L2105tm has a stylus of its own that tucks into the side of the monitor when not in use. HP is calling this one the first "Windows 7 certified" monitor, meaning you should be able to pull it right out of the box, plug it in and get moving. The Compaq L2105tm will be available tomorrow for $299. Full press release is after the break. [Via Display Blog]
Windows 7 breaks Amazon UK pre-order volume record, ousts Harry Potter
Take it from us, your London-based sleuths, when anything sells faster than Harry Potter books or DVDs in the UK, it's scorching hot. Case in point is Microsoft's Vista successor, which has sold so well that it has beaten the Amazon UK pre-order record previously held by J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In fact, Windows 7 was able to tally up more sales in the first 8 hours of pre-order availability than Vista was able to collect altogether. Now that's what we call an upgrade.
Lenovo IdeaPad S12 gets ION powerup on October 22 in Japan
At this point, we're not really sure which date has been discussed more in the history of humanity -- the Mayan doomsday prediction or Microsoft's October 22, 2009 launch of Windows 7. Lenovo's S12 was originally supposed to be the first ION-sporting netbook on the scene, but the Chinese company opted to hold back the NVIDIA infusion till Windows 7 showed up, and has been shipping a version of the 12-inch IdeaPad with only standard netbook specs so far. Well, come this Thursday it's out with the old and in with the HD video-decoding new in Japan, where the ION-powered S12 will be unleashed with 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, a 1280 x 800 glossy display, multicard reader and a HDMI port for company. Priced somewhere near ¥68,800 (about $757), the new machines (available only in white) are likely to dip below $600 when they make their inevitable journey Stateside.[Via Netbooked]
Windows 7 versus Snow Leopard on a MacBook Pro: big cat's faster, 7 is better for games
CNET have taken the 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Snow Leopard for a spin around a 2008 MacBook Pro, and produced a decent first peek at comparative performance. Of course, there are significant provisos to get through first -- it's only one machine, running on Apple's drivers, testing mostly Apple applications, and the two systems default to different versions of QuickTime -- but we can still glean some indication of where the two heavyweights are relative to one another. Snow Leopard appeared consistently quicker in time-based tests, with faster bootups, shutdowns and MP3 encoding, but Windows 7 showed its muscle in producing better frame rates in games and a significant advantage in Cinebench rendering. Battery life was found to be distinctly better under Snow Leopard, but we'd put that down to the underlying hardware being optimized for OS X. Hit the read link for the full testing procedures and more of those old school bar charts -- it should get you well prepped for the forthcoming flood of similar head-to-heads once WIndows 7 officially ships next week. [Via Apple Insider]
Belkin's refreshed Easy Transfer Cable makes Windows 7 migration a little too easy
Okay, so maybe nothing can really be too easy, but Belkin's really stretching things by asserting that you need a dedicated cable to use Windows Easy Transfer, an application bundled with Windows 7 and detailed by yours truly right here. At any rate, you may recall that this very outfit milked the whole upgrade situation in a similar fashion when Vista hit the scene, and now a slightly redesigned version is out to transfer files easily between your existing Vista / XP-based machines and what will become your new Windows 7 system. Of course, this thing's really only important if you're buying a new Win7 machine rather than upgrading the rig you already own, and if you're willing to pay $39.99 to have your hand held through the migration process, you can be our guest on October 23rd.
Gateway introduces One ZX series of multitouch all-in-one desktops
It's been done before by the likes of MSI and HP, but given the finger-friendly nature of Windows 7, we aren't shocked at all to hear that Gateway's getting in on the action. The splotchy PC maker is unveiling the One ZX lineup tonight, which will initially be comprised of the ZX6800 series and ZX4800 series. Both crews will ship with Win7, and Gateway's hoping that you'll fall in love with its custom suite of multitouch-supporting media management tools. If you're curious about specs, the ZX6810-01 will include a 23-inch multitouch LCD (1,920 x 1,080), 2.33GHz Core 2 Quad Q8200S CPU, 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4670 GPU, 8GB of DDR3 memory, an 8x slot-loading DVD burner, a 1TB HDD (or 64GB SSD), WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, six USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA socket, bundled wireless keyboard and mouse, integrated HD webcam, a hybrid TV tuner and built-in speakers. The lower-end ZX4800-02 steps down to a 20-inch LCD (1,600 x 900), a 2.1GHz T4300 CPU, GMA X4500HD integrated graphics, 4GB of DDR2 RAM and a 750GB SATA HDD. Both lineups should be in US stores later this fall, with prices starting at $1,399.99 and $749.99, respectively.%Gallery-74874%
XP Mode is ready, will be a free download on October 22
Microsoft Download Center, October 22 -- add that to your already-busy Windows 7 release party itinerary. That'll be the quickest and most painless way to enrich your hot new OS with the now finalized code for XP Mode, a virtualized Windows XP environment for those who just can't let go of their legacy software. The solitary hitch is that you'll need to have purchased a copy of Windows 7 Professional or higher to get in on the fun, but you already knew that, right? Oh, and you might also want to check that your hardware manufacturer hasn't disabled virtualization as part of some overzealous security / party-pooping measure. [Via Ars Technica; Thanks, Eugen]
Windows 7 party pack fittingly arrives on party-filled Cayman Islands
Well, would you look at that? With the launch of Microsoft's next operating system merely 21 days away (give or take a few hours based on time zone), the Redmond giant seems to be proactively sending out Win7 Launch Party packs already. The first "unboxing" we've seen comes to us from a most unusual spot, one that Microsoft wasn't actually equipped to ship to when the program first started. After a stern email or two sent over several bodies of water and through countless Stimulus-inspired road construction hang-ups, the bundle you see laid out above landed in the beautiful Cayman Islands. Within was a Steve Ballmer Signature Edition of Win7 (so, we're up to seven versions now?), a pack of Win7 playing cards, a poster, some napkins (to wipe the drool from your friends' faces after they experience Aero Shake for the first time) and even a puzzle. So, should we book a flight to Grand Cayman, Little Cayman or Cayman Brac? This is one shindig we definitely won't miss.[Thanks, Jared]
Windows 7 logo program already 6,000-strong with products
The Windows Ecosystem Team has gone official with the new 'Compatible with Windows 7' sticker, which we sincerely hope won't be as laughably misapplied as its Vista-related predecessor. Set to appear on hardware, software and peripherals, the label is intended to reassure customers that they'll have the "optimal Windows 7 experience" thanks to "robust testing requirements" and a longer testing cycle. That's good to hear, as is the fact that already over 6,000 products have been given a passing grade, meaning that -- surprise, surprise -- when you get your Windows 7 machine, it will most likely be compatible with everything you own or intend to buy. An intriguing tidbit is that one logo will cover all flavors, including 64-bit, meaning that you'll have to wait for Intel's Pineview chips to come around the turn of the year if you want to get a certified Atom-based Windows 7 netbook. Update: Okay, so it looks like we were a little off the mark here. To be clear, this program is primarily intended for peripherals and accessories you purchase after you get a computer, which is why testing against 64-bit Windows 7 is a requirement. We're sure we'll see plenty of Atom netbooks running Windows 7 with a slightly different sticker on 'em just as soon as October 22 rolls around -- you just won't be able to buy an Atom-based mobo with this particular sticker on the box, because it won't run 64-bit Windows 7. You know what else you can't buy? A dragon.
Video: Hanvon / Hanwang's aluminum-clad tablet does Windows 7 multitouch
You know that tablet we keep waiting for? Well, here's something that looks very much like it, but for the Windows 7 operating system and purported Atom processor inside. This 8.9-inch, two USB port-sporting device can pull off multi-touch pinching and zooming -- albeit with a lag akin to wading through water -- and is outfitted in a rather becoming all-aluminum case. It could make for a pretty desirable movie-playing machine on the go, provided it has the battery prowess for such tasks. Chinese folks will know for sure pretty soon, with the release coming before year's end -- presumably just as soon as the company figures out which westernized version of its name to use. Check out the video after the break.
Windows 7 coming to netbooks in all its myriad forms
It would seem that the humble netbook owner's Windows 7 options just keep improving as the grand new OS comes closer to release. After plans to limit netbooks to running three apps at a time were thankfully scrapped, Microsoft has now confirmed with us that it is going to allow OEMs to splash any version of Windows 7 they desire onto their Atom-powered miniature laptops. That's right, you can totally rock Windows 7 Ultimate and Aero visualizations on a machine that can handle neither. Joking aside, it's pleasing to see the Redmond brain trust steer clear of arbitrary limitations on customer choice.[Via GadgetMix]
