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Palm readying Vista-compatible Desktop
In case you hadn't heard, Microsoft's got this newfangled Vista operating system getting baked to golden brown perfection as we speak. As we all get ready to unceremoniously toss our computers in the trash next month to buy new ones less likely to upset the overlords that control Vista's performance, there's a little hiccup we all have to keep a close eye on: Palm's current Desktop synchronization software doesn't get along with Vista. Not to worry; Palm says they're in the process of testing an updated version that should be available to the public at large about the same time Vista is. Of course, that leaves business customers who've already taken the Vista plunge in the lurch for now, but hey -- it just might do us all some good to put our Treos away for the next few weeks and relax anyway.
Vista Activation Server hackers: 1, Microsoft: 0
With Microsoft putting all of its Vista eggs in one DVD, signified by a figurative basket, they've painted a nice big red target on that Vista Activation Server of theirs: break through that and those bazillion dollar OS licenses are there for the taking. Well, to use the proper terminology, nothing much has been hacked yet: Microsoft's staunch Vista security is still holding fast, but some clever workarounds have emerged, which have some, erm, sub-ethical users running around with free copies of Windows Vista Business and Enterprise. The scam is to set up the actual Volume Activation 2.0 app -- which hasn't even been released on the up and up yet -- inside of VMware, tricking your Biz or Enterprise version of Vista to think it's approved for another 180 days of use, thanks to the wonders of local server-based Volume Licensing. There are still some problems with this workaround, since a Windows Genuine Advantage check could still spot such illicit license keys, and of course there's the fact that you have to sync up with your hax0red Volume Activation server every few months, but with the "resourcefulness" already on display by the hacker community in its fight against Vista licensing fees -- AKA stealing. Thanks, mom -- it doesn't look like Microsoft is going to have an easy fight here.[Via Digg]
Microsoft releases Windows Vista Business
They're billing it as the "most significant product launch in Microsoft's history," so why not let them have their fun? Microsoft busted out Windows Vista Business today, along with Office Professional 2007, and a slew of other business, server and enterprise-related products. The day's festivities took place at NASDAQ, where Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Christopher Liddell rang the opening bell this morning, followed by a day of hyping up the offerings to prospective volume-licensees. Microsoft expects over 200 million people will be using at least one of the products offered today by the end of 2007, and no matter what your stance on Microsoft and Windows, it's hard to argue with the impact of these softwares. So yeah, we could dwell on the considerable delays Microsoft experienced leading up to this release, or conjecture how long it'll take for 0-day vulnerabilities to emerge in this shiny new OS, but instead we'd just like to wish Steve Ballmer and co. the best of luck with Vista, Office and all the trimmings. There, now that we've gotten that out of our system, let the bug-finding begin!
Why you shut down OS X as you do
There has been a spate of interest in Windows Vista's convoluted shutdown process started by this Joel on Software post. Fuel was added to the fire when Moishe Lettvin blogged about the design process that was involved with the 'shutdown feature.' The short version: lots of people, lots of meetings, and very little actual code was involved.We can compare Microsoft's process with Apple's thanks to this post by Arno Gourdol, formerly lead of the Mac OS X Finder team. Not too surprising Apple's process was much more straightforward and involved less people. However, lest you think that all is roses and candy corn in Cupertino, one Apple exec insisted that the 'Log Out' function should have a keyboard shortcut. Not a horrible idea, right? How about if I told you the key combo that exec wanted to use was Cmd + Q? I can imagine many people trying to quit an app and logging out instead. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed and Shift + Cmd + Q was the chosen one.
Gears of War coming to PC ... maybe
In the latest holiday issue of PC Gamer magazine, there is a Microsoft advertisement showing a retail display for the "Games for Windows" PC games. And what game is pictured on the lower shelf squeezed between the PC versions of Shadowrun and Age of Empires III? Gears of War, you silly goose! This ad could just as well be "concept art" and just showing off Microsoft's big hitting video games, but why would they put a supposed Xbox 360 exclusive game like Gears of War in that ad if it wasn't going to be part of their Games for Windows marketing campaign? I'm betting all my chips on Gears of War coming to the PC in 2007, probably around August and only playable on Vista. Playing Gears on your PC, does that sound appealing to you?
Vista already getting passed around the internet
It hasn't even been out of the nest a full week yet, but already those nefarious software pirates who drive prices up for everyone else have taken the little birdie known as Windows Vista and begun passing it around the interwebs like a hot potato. A quick search of the more popular BitTorrent sites reveals that numerous copies of the RTM version of Vista are available for download, but being the law-abiding netizens that we are, we can't verify that these are actual working packages or simply 4GB archives of nasty spyware. We really shouldn't have expected anything different from the "free software movement" -- after all, the same thing happened with OS X Leopard after August's WWDC -- but we're sure Microsoft is pleased that this group of "early adopters" has given its latest and greatest product a de facto thumbs up. Just a friendly reminder to everyone who's taken it upon him / herself to load up a copy of the yet-to-be-released OS: enjoy it while you can, because once Redmond starts sending out updates and checking the validity of your install, that boatload of crippled features is going to make your PC a real pain in the ass to operate.[Thanks, Monsieur Cedric]
Microsoft sticks a fork in Vista, it's done
Back in 2001, Vista was a faint -- but sparkling -- glimmer in the software giant's glassy eyes. Now, after multiple delays and feature reductions, Microsoft's latest release of Windows is ready for the world. Sure, it doesn't look quite like they thought it would, back when it was still called "Longhorn," but Vista is here and we're sure they still love it. Of course, Microsoft wants to treat the Vista launch as a console launch ... they've even gone so far as to hand off the Games for Windows marketing to the increasingly capable Xbox guys. Pretty exciting, right? PlayStation 3, Wii ... and Vista!Yeah, we're having a hard time getting excited too; however, if you want to play Halo 2 on your (capable?) PC, you don't have a choice (something about DirectX 10). Here's the skinny: The big businesses get it November 30th (because we all know how quickly major corporations upgrade to brand new Microsoft operating systems, right?) while consumers will have to wait until January 30th to either pick it up retail (which version?) or have it pre-installed on their latest beige box. Who's camping out?[Via Engadget]
Nvidia releases graphics card with physics ability
Nvidia launched a new line of GPU and motherboard products today, the GeForce 8800 and nForce 680 respectively. The hardware looks good, but these sorts of press events are big on hype; we'll have to wait until the card and motherboard make it out to the wild for detailed assessments. The wait, at least, will be short; all products will be shipping to retail today.Nvidia's 8800 card comes in two versions, costing between $449 and $649, but we weren't expecting a bargain. For that price, you get a DirectX 10 card that can compute physics tasks in addition to its polished graphic touches. Nvidia also says that the card dynamically allocates its processing power, so idle silicon that would normally be shading a fully-shaded scene, for example, can be used for other 3D tasks. The card also includes a 2D video accelerator to draw HD and other video.At the San Jose launch event, Nvidia demonstrated the card, creating live smoke and water effects by plotting the 3D movement of the particles, in addition to rendering the graphics. Before the game demos, Nvidia showed a realtime tech demo of an 8800-created version of model Adrianne Curry. This demonstration looked a little creepy, watching the avatar model skimpy clothing with a slightly robotic gait. But when standing still, the character looked realistic; her hair and face were especially believable. Overall, the character didn't quite look like a real person -- the animation probably threw us off. Years ago, "photo-realistic" got undeservedly tossed around so much, the term went out of style, but parts of this demonstration were as close as we've seen. We're interested in how the GeForce 8800 (and nForce 680) perform in the real world; the event certainly made a lot of promises. As an aside, we also give Nvidia PR kudos for dovetailing the announcement against its multi-day LAN party. The gamer audience, high on Bawls, cheered and pumped its fists with each announcement.More pictures after the break.
Microsoft sez "all done" on Vista
It's been a long hard road for Vista, beginning in 2001 -- before Windows XP was even released -- as the bright-eyed bushy-tailed "Longhorn," and finally getting out the door more than 5 years later looking a little bit worse for wear, but still lumbering on. Today Microsoft announced that Vista has been released to begin manufacturing copies of the OS, putting it right on track for its November 30th release to big businesses customers, and the January 30th release to consumers. Of course, the job of an OS developer is never finished, and we're sure Microsoft is already gearing up to patch day one vulnerabilities, but we suppose the developers can have a few hours in between to crack open a cold one, plop down for a bit of Gears of War, and celebrate this monumental achievement -- at around 50 million lines of code, they sure seem to have earned it.
Vista license transfers not as restrictive as initially reported
Those of you planning on upgrading to Windows Vista in January -- and yes, despite the supposed delay in shipments to hardware manufacturers, the commercial version of the OS is still on track for the stated rollout -- will be happy to learn that the seemingly unfair limitation on license transfers will not be nearly as severe as we first reported. According to a spokesperson in Microsoft's Licensing Department, simply swapping out a component such as a CPU or graphics card will not require you to re-activate Vista; only replacing a hard drive plus another piece of your rig at the same time will necessitate a re-activation. And instead of the single license transfer stipulation that we'd heard before, Redmond has now gone on record saying that you can re-install Vista up to 10 times without penalty -- and possibly more, though that will apparently be decided on a case-by-case basis. Of course, you still won't be able to pay for one copy Vista and run it on multiple machines simultaneously; but hey, that's to be expected, and trying it will get you every bit of functionality-crippling frustration that you deserve.
Download Vista RC2 now
Gamers on the bleeding-edge (read: will sell blood for DirectX 10 video card) can download Windows Vista RC2. Microsoft says that this will be the final public update before Vista ships to retail; freeloaders, this is your last chance.Vista claims to be a significant update for gamers, but we're staying skeptical until its final release. Microsoft wouldn't hype DirectX 10 and other game technologies just to sell copies, would it? No, rhetorical us, that's cynical.Use a product key from the RC1 installation, or get a new one from that site if you're new to the Vista expedition. Vista hasn't destroyed any of our computers, but be sure to back up important data or run Vista on a non-critical PC.See Also: Download Vista RC1 for free, stress your PC and wallet[Via Engadget]
Microsoft announces Vista prices (for real this time)
Microsoft has just announced the official, real-deal prices for Windows Vista. So, without the benefit of a timpani drumroll, here's the deets, straight from the horse's mouth (this time): Windows Vista Business ($300 full, $200 upgrade); Windows Vista Home Premium ($240 full, $160 upgrade); Windows Vista Home Basic ($200 full, $100 upgrade); Windows Vista Ultimate ($400 full, $260 upgrade). Although Vista is to be released to the "volume license customers" in November 2006 and the general public in January 2007, what if you wanted a preview sooner than that? Our peeps up in Redmond have also said that the company will be make the Release Candidate 1 available through the soon to be re-opened Vista Customer Preview Program. The only question we have left is which VAR is going to release the first Mac with Vista pre-installed?[Thanks, srw985]
Windows Vista now available for pre-order on Amazon
Folks, whip out your credit cards, because if you haven't already downloaded the Vista beta or a leaked copy from the internets, it looks like we may actually have a product for you to buy. Amazon shows that Windows Albatross um, Vista will be released on January 30, 2007, and they've been taking preorders for the last two weeks. Depending on which package or upgrade you decide to get, Vista will cost you at least a cool $159 and up to $399 for the full "Ultimate DVD-ROM." Keep in mind that these preorder prices may be subject to change and may not reflect the actual final retail price, and may require the full written consent of Major League Baseball.[Via I4U]
Microsoft reconfirms Vista's January ship date
"Aw, shucks guys, we were just foolin' around." After years of successive Vista delays, and keeping the computer world on edge for the past few months about even further delays, Microsoft is once again settling into their January launch window for Vista's consumer launch, with OEMs supposed to receive the OS in November. Vista Release Candidate 1 (RC1) should be out early September, though the word on the street is that Microsoft isn't planning on finalizing Vista until October sometime, making RC1 a bit of a misnomer. What RC1 should be is light years ahead of Vista Beta 2, and it sure better be if Microsoft isn't kidding this time about a January launch.[Via CrunchGear]
A peek at Microsoft in Leipzig
Major Nelson has dumped a bunch of photos of the Xbox booth resort at the Leipzig Games Convention into his Flickr account. The installment features an Xbox Live users' hangout (pictured), pimp Flight Simulator X setup, giant hamster wheel, and of course, VIP tent.Microsoft's GC 2006 press briefing is scheduled for tomorrow at 1 pm (CEST). Both Sony and Nintendo will be addressing the media Wednesday morning. Stay tuned.
HDTVs connected to Media Center PCs to triple by 2007
We love market studies, they give us an idea of the reasons why companies are misled and fail to offer the right products and services at prices we want make the decisions they do. Pacific Media Associates believes their research indicates that in the three year period from 2005 to 2007 the number of HDTV-connected Media Center PCs will have tripled. Not entirely surprising considering all the features added over that period, the manufacturers who have started shipping Media Center PCs en masse and that whenever Windows Vista does launch, Media Center will be a part of the Home Premium and Vista Ultimate versions. While streaming and Xbox 360 integration is great, we're not totally sold on the Media Center PC dream just yet; we'll wait until the QAM, HDCP and CableCard questions have been settled before making any long term decisions.[Via PVR Wire]
Microsoft rolls out Windows Vista soft drink
Windows Vista, the operating system, is still not due out until whenever Microsoft is ready maybe January 2007, but the refrigerators in Redmond are already stocked for the party. Presumably in an attempt to get those lackadaisical coders back on track, Gates and Co. has ordered a supply of Windows Vista beverages to compliment the plethora of other free refreshments available at the office. Decked out with the updated Windows logo and a URL to the company's internal Vista site (we've already tried to access it to no avail), the special-edition can of Talking Rain "sparkling water" is apparently just the thing to get those gears churning at Microsoft HQ. Although we don't expect these to be made available anywhere that undercover gold master copies of Vista aren't shuffling around, this just might be an obscure sign that we'll see the OS on store shelves this decade, and hey, we'll drink to that.[Thanks, David]
Samsung's new 22-inch widescreen LCD
So we're not sure if this is the same Vista-focused product that the company was supposedly working on with Microsoft, but Samsung has just revealed a new 22-inch widescreen LCD known as the CX223B/W that should go nicely with the upcoming OS. Available in black or silver, this monitor features a pretty decent 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, 5-millisecond response time, and most importantly for HD fans, an HDCP-enabled DVI port (though HDMI seems to be missing). The lack of info on other important specs such as contrast or brightness makes us think that the display is not scheduled for an impending release, a notion that's only further supported by the lack of any pricing details. If you can't wait for the CX223BW to start shipping in the US, there's always that LCM-22w2 from Westinghouse to keep you occupied for the time being, and both Dell and LG are expected to drop new 22-inch models in the near future as well.
NY Times on Vista's widescreen gaming woes
Vista promises to give PC gamers an experience that's more Xbox than XP but, as the New York Times' Seth Schiesel discovered, they've got a ways to go before delivering on that goal. His umbrage: widescreen gaming. Hardcore PC gamers -- a profligate breed whose annual technology budget amounts to more than the last 3 generations of consoles combined -- and their requisite widescreen gaming displays are an important audience for Microsoft's latest OS upgrade. So what's the trouble? Schiesel explains:"Beta Vista simply does not run games properly on many of the big monitors that Microsoft and media companies are encouraging consumers to buy. I have no doubt that Microsoft will come up with a solution before Vista is released. But it is such a glaring problem, and one that goes so directly to the heart of the gaming experience, that if any halfway serious gamers asked me right now if they should install the beta Vista on their main PC's, I would say no."Well, if we're only gonna be talking about beta software having bugs, then count us out. That's why it's not out yet! Granted, Vista probably should have been out now a couple times over, but this is another reason why it isn't. Schiesel focuses his criticism with, "But this video-display issue raises a question about how well the company really understands the hardcore players who will always be the tastemakers and most faithful customers in PC gaming."Good question. I use my 24" Dell monitor to play my 360 in glorious, widescreen HD. PC games ... eh, notsomuch. Any gamer with a widescreen monitor has spent more than their fair share of time traversing widescreengamingforum.com fiddling with arcane settings in the attempt to duplicate the seamless experience we've grown to expect from consoles. Microsoft is going to need more than a fancy new operating system to make all games widescreen compliant, they're also going to need the full support of an increasingly diverse development community.[Via VGM Watch]
A look at Windows Vista's casual games [update 1]
GameSpot recently ran a feature showing off the new casual games that will be coming with Windows Vista. The graphical update are, naturally, noticeable and appreciated. Now we can get fired from work for playing Solitaire ... in style! None of the titles were too surprising, as we had seen most of them at E3, but here is what GameSpot highlights: Solitaire FreeCell (now with an undo option!) Spider Solitaire Hearts Minesweeper Purble Place (new title) Premium titles (not available in Home Basic version of Windows Vista): Mahjong Titans Chess Titans InkBall (only in Vista versions that have tablet support) Why the Titans titles are exclusive to non-Home Basic consumers is a bit perplexing -- no one is going to buy a more deluxe version because, on top of whatever else makes it better, it has Chess and Mahjong (yay!). Also conspicuously absent from the list are favorites such as Reversi, Spades, and Space Cadet Pinball. We will let you know the fate of these titles as soon as we find out.[update 1: glaring typo -- better "late" than never]
