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Microsoft dropping three app limit from Windows 7 Starter Edition
In some really encouraging news, Paul Thurrott at SuperSite for Windows is reporting that Microsoft isn't gonna put the arbitrary limit on its netbook-bound Windows 7 Starter Edition where users could only run three applications at a time. Now the only thing holding you back from simultaneous Skype, AIM, browsing, DVD playback, and Plants vs. Zombies will be the space on your screen and the specs in your portable. So how will they tempt users to upgrade to Home or Premium now? We'll just have to wait and see on that one.[Thanks, Stephen]
Windows 7 RC 1 now available for public consumption
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!]
Windows 7 RC coming May 5 for public consumption, out now for MSDN / TechNet subscribers?
It's not as good as gold, but according to Microsoft's Partner Program website, Windows 7's release candidate is due out to the masses on May 5, a bit earlier than the BBC report had previously noted. MSDN and TechNet subscribers can apparently download the new build now, although Ars Technica is reporting it may not be up just yet. There's always the chance that this date was posted in error or will be pushed back, so in the meantime, perhaps marking your calendar with pencil or erasable pen isn't such a bad idea.[Via Ars Technica; thanks, John]
Windows 7 edges out Vista in thorough gaming benchmarks
Looking to find out what's the better gaming experience out there right now -- Windows 7 beta or Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 -- the folks at PC Perspective put both operating systems through the ringer with help from seven graphics cards running the gamut of price ranges. Overall, three ATI Radeon HD and four NVIDIA GeForce cards were pitted with six games and applications in one of the lengthiest benchmarking features we've ever read. AMD / ATI gets credit for being the first to release combined drivers that work on both OSs, and with one lone exception, performance on the Windows 7 machine was equal to or better than Vista. That said, the recomendations for each system is the same: ATI gets an advantage here for cards in the $120 to $130 range, but the competition is much closer as you start looking at more expensive models. Hit up the read link for technical details that you can shake an anti-aliased stick at.
Microsoft hoping gimped Windows 7 Starter on netbooks will drive upgrades, revenue
When all six versions of Windows 7 were announced, we couldn't help but recoil in horror -- most still don't have all the flavors of Vista straight and now we all have to learn a new recipe for confusion. Microsoft, however, is quite confident that this array of offerings will fix one of its biggest woes: netbooks. If the wee things are running Windows at all it's usually XP, an issue that the company thinks Windows 7 Starter will address, acting as the low-cost intro Vista never was. With Starter's ability to run only three applications simultaneously, MS believes users will get quickly frustrated and then pony up extra cash to move to Home Basic or Home Premium. Will it work? HP at least has pledged to offer Win 7 on its netbooks, and we found the beta ran quite well on our VAIO P, so the shift from XP seems inevitable. Whether Starter Edition will push more people to Home Basic than to Linux, however, remains to be seen.[Thanks, Dilan]
Windows 7 shipping this Fall... according to Compal, anyway
While Steve Ballmer himself declared that Windows Mobile 7 would be coming out next year, we've got a somewhat less reliable source suggesting that the desktop version of Win7 will be landing this fall. Ray Chen, president of Taipei-based Compal Electronics, was quoted as saying that "according to current planning," Windows 7 should be on its machines by "late September or early October." For those unaware, Compal is responsible for crafting HP and Acer laptops, and honestly, we're not exactly sure how this bigwig secured these dates. Of course, it stands to reason that everyone else in the industry is either 1) clueless or 2) just better at keeping secrets. For what it's worth, we're taking this with a huge spoon of salt, and just between us, you should probably do the same.[Via Electronista]
Microsoft gets big support for Mobile Broadband enhancements in Windows 7
Just in case Microsoft hadn't locked down enough support for Windows Mobile at MWC last week, the company also managed to shake hands with a slew of PC makers in order to extend support for Mobile Broadband enhancements within Windows 7. It's still quite unclear what all this means, but we're guessing that the likes of Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Fujitsu will happily support WWAN modules from Huawei, Option, Qualcomm, Sierra Wireless and ZTE. The writeup also gives us reason to believe that WWAN connections will be more tightly integrated than before, possibly even showing up alongside potential WiFi hotspots when looking for a wireless connection. At any rate, we're all about getting a signal regardless of location, so we'll take this as a definite positive despite the glaring dearth of details.[Thanks, Jacob]
