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Android-booting Acer Aspire One D255 extensively demoed, yet far from loved on video
Acer's just told us that it has "no imminent plans" to bring the dual-booting Android and Windows XP Aspire One D255 stateside, and after seeing an in-depth video (no, really it's 14 minutes long!) of the 10-inch netbook in action we can't say we're all that upset about the news. Yep, the NetbookNews team snatched up a light blue version of the new netbook in Taipei, and though they were impressed with the thin design and included case, they had less positive things to say on the software end. Not only is the Windows XP desktop ridden with crapware, but the Android implementation is still half baked. Similar to the first generation Acer Aspire One D250, the Android 2.1 interface is really only good for searching the web and checking e-mail since it doesn't have access to the Market. Of course, we urge you to sit back and watch the lengthy hands-on video after the break to make your own call on this $299 lappie, but ultimately, we're assuming you'll have the same question as us: Acer, how's that Chrome OS netbook coming along?
Acer Aspire One D255 netbook dual boots Android and XP for about $375
Attending the Taipei Computer Applications Show today? Lucky you. Then be sure to pick up your specially priced Acer Aspire One D255 netbook with dual booting Android and XP operating systems before leaving the venue. Otherwise, the NT$9,500 (about $300) 10.1-inch netbook configured with an Atom N450 processor, 1GB of DDR2 memory, 160GB hard disk, and 3-cell battery (with optional 6-cell) will cost you NT$11,900 (about $375) when it hits traditional retail channels sometime in the days ahead.
Microsoft says 74 percent of work PCs still use Windows XP, extends downgrade rights (update 2)
The latest Microsoft operating system may be selling seven copies a second, but it's no match for the behemoth Windows XP, still the most popular OS in the world despite recent nefarious attempts (we kid) to invoke spontaneous shutdowns, slow hard drives and trigger blue screens. In fact, a Microsoft exec admitted today that practically three-quarters of business computers still run the nine-year-old OS on hardware averaging 4.4 years old, and Computerworld's now reporting Microsoft will extend XP's lifespan through 2020 as a result. "Going forward, businesses can continue to purchase new PCs and utilize end user downgrade rights to Windows XP or Windows Vista until they are ready to use Windows 7," an official Windows blog post reads. We've heard the reluctance to upgrade is due to a reliance on older software and the cost of additional IT, but it probably doesn't hurt that Microsoft doggedly keeps distributing the OS despite the other choices on offer. Perhaps the futuristic Windows 8 will finally win the workplace over, but it seems Redmond's hedging its bets on this one. Look on the bright side: this way, when intelligent robots battle for control of the moon, at least the wrathful victors will still be vulnerable to the blue screen of doom. Update: So it seems as if that 2020 date is incorrect, according to Microsoft's PR team. We're presently waiting for an official update of some sort, and will let you know if / when we get it. Don't worry about the robots -- we've got top men working on Plan B. Update 2: The official Windows Team Blog has stepped forward to reduce the confusion, but they've only toned it down a tad. Microsoft won't commit to an exact date for Windows XP downgrade availability, saying instead that you can trade in your OEM copy of Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate until the company stops selling it... which is presently slated to be two years after Windows 8 ships... whenever that is. Find the complete non-committal statement at the more coverage link.
Microsoft: no more Windows XP on new netbooks after October 22, really
It's easy to lose track of the number of times that Windows XP has been proclaimed dead, but it looks like this particular cut-off date is indeed the real thing -- Microsoft is now reminding OEMs that they'll no longer be able to install Windows XP Home on new netbooks after October 22nd of this year. The venerable operating system could all but disappear from new netbooks well before then, however, considering that Microsoft itself notes that a full 81% of netbooks sold as of April of this year shipped with some form of Windows 7 pre-installed. There are still some Windows XP-based netbooks floating around out there though, so snap one up while you can if you don't feel like reverting back to the OS yourself.
ITG xpPhone functioning at Computex, we go head-on (video)
We've been hearing about / poking fun of ITG's xpPhone since June of last year, but amazingly enough, we'd yet to actually see one in the flesh until today. Slyly stuck in the back corner of Microsoft's Computex booth were a trio of xpPhones, at least one of which was shockingly functional. As the story goes, the company has decided to axe Windows XP in favor of a much more lightweight version of WinXP Embedded, and responsiveness seemed suitable enough given the circumstances. And by "circumstances," we mean "the outrageous size." You see, we've no qualms making and receiving calls on an ultra-sleek Dell Streak, but this bad boy was pushing a solid inch in thickness. Sure, there's a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, optical sensor and integrated Bluetooth, but that hardly makes it viable in a world where smartphones are thinner than wallets and full-fledged laptops are rolling in at under 10mm. During our time with the device, we found the display to be surprisingly crisp, and while our finger presses were easily recognized, the omission of an accelerometer, the tremendous size, inexcusable weight and the tremendous size kept us from falling head over heels. We will say, though -- it'd make a darn good weapon should someone pull a fast one in the alley, and we'd probably buy one for kicks at under $150. Comedy ensues after the break.
Wi-Fi Sync now compatible with Windows and iPad
Wi-Fi Sync is quite the gem (at least we think so) but it had some limitations -- namely, it only worked on OS X for desktop, and only with iPhone / iPod touch. Developer Greg Hughes pinged us earlier today to let us know he's thrown the gates off such restrictions. The jailbroken app now works for both iPads and Windows -- XP, Vista, and 7. The desktop client is free to download but it still cost just a hair under $10 for the appropriate mobile device. Worth the price of breaking free from wires? Your call.
My weekend Windows experience, or why I love Apple so much
All I wanted to do was install a Wi-Fi remote-controlled webcam. Nothing spectacular. I had looked at a number of webcams on Amazon.com before settling on a rather inexpensive Chinese-made device. According to the vendor, the camera was "Apple Mac and Windows compatible," so I ordered it. It arrived quickly, and a glance at the manual revealed that I would need to use Windows to set up the camera prior to using it with an "Apple Mac." Since I always keep a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate running under VMWare Fusion for such emergencies, I felt this would be a quick process. Yeah, right. Fortunately for you, I've documented the installation procedure for posterity. Now you can enjoy my own personal vision of Hell. It's called using Windows.
Keepin' it real fake: the Shanshui P72 is the oversized, XP-running iPhone you've always secretly wanted
A true iPhone KIRF running Windows XP may still be the stuff of dreams -- crazy, fevered dreams -- but it looks like we now have the next best thing: the iPhone-ish Shanshui P72. Boasting a 7-inch WVGA screen, this MID-sized device packs a 1.2GHz VIA C7-M processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of storage, WiFi and 3G connectivity, built-in GPS, and no less than three USB ports, which will let you attach a keyboard and mouse for an authentic Windows XP experience. Sadly, there's no indication of pricing or availability, but you can check it out in action in the video after the break, and get an extensive look at the device at the source link below.
McAfee patches customers' hearts with subscription extension, reimbursement for PC repairs
McAfee's little issue with a security update that sent Windows XP computers far and wide to a screeching halt was fairly unprecedented as far as anti-virus software goes, and it looks like the company is now taking some considerable steps to make up for the mess it created. Not only is it handing out a free two-year subscription extension to all affected customers, but it will soon be starting a program to reimburse "reasonable expenses" that customers have incurred in repairing their PCs. Complete details on that program aren't available just yet, but it will apparently be starting "within a few days," and will involve submitting a reimbursement request to McAfee. Given the number of users involved, however, we've got to guess that McAfee won't be buying folks new PCs, and chances are it'll take quite a while to get your check in the mail, though we'll just have to wait to see exactly what McAfee has planned.
Botched McAfee update shutting down corporate XP machines worldwide
We can't officially confirm this yet but, We're hearing from all over that a bad McAfee for Windows XP update is causing computers worldwide to shut down. Apparently DAT update 5958 deletes the svchost.exe file, which then triggers a false-positive in McAfee itself and sets off a chain of uncontrolled restarts and loss of networking functionality. Yeah, wild -- Twitter is basically going nuts, and McAfee's support site appears to be down. There are some fixes floating around out there, but it may be too late -- the final tally of borked PCs today may reach into the millions. We've already heard anecdotally that an Intel facility has been affected, as well as Dish Network call centers, and we're sure there are going to be more reports as the day wears on. Update: McAfee just sent us a statement -- they've pulled the update from their corporate download servers, and consumers shouldn't be affected. McAfee is aware that a number of customers have incurred a false positive error due to incorrect malware alerts on Wednesday, April 21. The problem occurs with the 5958 virus definition file (DAT) that was released on April 21 at 2.00 PM GMT+1 (6am Pacific Time). Our initial investigation indicates that the error can result in moderate to significant performance issues on systems running Windows XP Service Pack 3. The faulty update has been removed from McAfee download servers for corporate users, preventing any further impact on those customers. We are not aware of significant impact on consumer customers and believe we have effectively limited such occurrence. McAfee teams are working with the highest priority to support impacted customers and plan to provide an update virus definition file shortly. McAfee apologizes for any inconvenience to our customers Ouch -- that might be the understatement of the year. We've definitely hearing this affects SP2 as well, we'll keep looking for more. Update 2: The anecdotal numbers keep rolling in, and they're not small -- 30,000 machines are knocked out here, 60,000 there. Given that the only fixes right now involve techs spending time with each affected machine individually, things could get seriously messy. We'll keep you updated if you keep us updated, okay? Update 3: Here's an official McAfee fix, although like we said, it requires tech to hit each machine in person. We'll see what the story is for bigger institutions with tens of thousands of seats. Update 4: We're told the official fix only helps those who haven't been hit with the bug yet, so there's obviously still issues to be sorted out. [Thanks, Tyler.] [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Developing...
Hiton HT-960 tablet rocks HP Slate's specs, $100 cheaper price
Right now HP's Slate is looking like it'll possess a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, and an 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 touchscreen, all for somewhere between $549 and $599. What we have here is another tablet offering almost identical netbook-like specs (though with only 16GB of SSD storage compared to HP's 32+) at a price of just $418. That's quite a savings if you can get over the rather chunkier styling -- and the unfortunate Windows XP install. You can even get 3G wireless for an extra $80 if you're so inclined, and according to the site it's available to ship right this very moment. But, after the recent issues with another no-name tablet, we'd think twice before dropping our credit card on this particular order form. [Thanks, Dan]
Omnimo: desktop Windows given fashion makeover with Phone 7 Series flair
Can't wait for Windows Phone 7 Series, but can't hack the emulator, either? Don't lose hope, Windows junkies -- you can still bring some semblance of WP7S order into your life with this Metro UI-inspired desktop HUD. Based on the open-source desktop customization platform Rainmeter, the "Omnimo UI" will overlay your desktop with a minimalist, tiled interface not unlike the one you've been drooling over for weeks, with live hooks into many useful services (including Gmail, iTunes, Steam, Twitter and SpeedFan) as well as the usual widgets and a host of program shortcuts. The best news of all? It's available now for all versions of Windows since XP, completely free of charge; simply follow the source links or flit over to Lifehacker, where good folks will teach you how it's done.
Win XP needs some TLC to use next-gen hard drives
Solid state drives may be the fast-moving wave of the future in PC storage, but the technology for bigger and better magnetic media keeps on trucking. Only recently, that truck hit something of a pothole: the 4096-byte sector size that will allow advanced format drives to have more usable space (and surpass the current 2TB capacity limit) doesn't play nice with the world's most popular OS -- Windows XP. While manufacturers like Western Digital have already introduced software that successfully combats the problem, the new drives perform poorly in Win XP without it, and rival manufacturer Seagate told the BBC that even with software tricks, XP users should expect the occasional 5ms delay, or 10% speed reduction, during write times. Is this the end of Windows XP? Hardly. Should you make sure to install the software that comes with your next hard drive? Absolutely.
Microsoft tells IE faithful on Windows XP to avoid F1 key
Still hanging around on Windows XP? Perfectly acceptable. Still using Internet Explorer to browse the world wide web? Just a wee bit less forgivable, but we understand that some of you simply can't get around it. If we just rung your bell, you might want to rip the F1 key right off of your keyboard (at least temporarily), as a recently discovered vulnerability in VBScript -- which can only bother Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 -- could allow malicious code to weasel its way right into your life with a single keystroke. As the story goes, some ill-willed web sites are encouraging users to smash the F1 key in order to access a Microsoft Help file, and when said key is depressed, "arbitrary code could be executed in the security context of the currently logged-on user." Microsoft has promised to fully investigate and resolve the issue in due time, but 'til then, we'd highly suggest avoiding your F1 key like the plague switching to Firefox.
XP downgrade lawsuit thrown out, MS lawyers celebrate rare victory
It's hard to imagine a more busy team of lawyers than those on-staff at Microsoft, and while the news isn't always good for them, today they can hold their heads high as a lawsuit filed last year alleging that MS was profiting from so-called "downgrade fees" has finally been dismissed. US District Court Judge Marsha Pechman found that the plaintiff, Emma Alvarado, didn't prove Microsoft was in any way gaining value from these charges. In fact the downgrade fee to move to XP was, in this case, being charged by Lenovo, not Microsoft, and was to cover the additional time it took to physically install that OS over the standard (at the time) Vista. In other words Alvarado missed the mark and in the process surely cost taxpayers and Microsoft thousands and thousands of dollars. Hooray!
Quantcast: Apple share of OS growing while Microsoft shrinks slightly
Research released today indicates that in North America, Apple's Mac OS X is gaining traction, while the Windows share of the OS market is shrinking ever so slightly. That's the report from Quantcast, a company that measures and analyzes web traffic. They say that the market share for Mac OS X is up 7% from December to January. Microsoft held steady for the last 3 months of 2009 with the release of Windows 7, but started a slow decline again in January. According to Quantcast, Apple has a 10.9% North American share as of January, while Windows has 86.8%. An interesting note is that the largest group of users is on Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6, while Windows XP dominates on the Microsoft side. Apple's relative share in North America is up 29.4 % in a year, while Windows share is down 3.8%. These figures measure web consumption, so if you're not web connected your OS choice doesn't count. Quantcast measures ad supported sites, so huge traffic sites like Google, Facebook, Yahoo and others don't supply statistics.
Microsoft confirms rootkit caused Windows XP blue screens
When malware writers fail to generate clean, reliable code, just who can you trust? On the heels of many Windows XP 32-bit users facing blue screen of death errors and unwanted reboots, Microsoft is now confirming that there's a little bit of malicious code sitting at the root of it all. A rootkit, to be specific, one called Alureon that compromises the atapi.sys file and others. This rootkit makes a system call via an address that, after the update, no longer corresponds to the particular call Alureon is trying to make. This is apparently the cause of the BSODs, not the update itself, and so those suffering from similar issues can resolve them by simply replacing corrupted system files via the recovery console. It won't be as much fun as using Microsoft's more popular console, but should at least cure what ails you.
Windows XP patch fiasco gets even crazier, Microsoft now scrambling for solutions
If you ever needed a reason to go Linux, here you go. The noise surrounding this patently obscure Windows XP bug / patch fiasco has just reached a fever pitch, and now we've got engineers within Redmond scratching their heads, too. As the story goes, Microsoft recently patched a security hole that took care of an antediluvian DOS vulnerability, and in doing so, some users began to see BSODs and endless reboots. Today, we've learned that the patch has been yanked, and Microsoft is suggesting that malware is to blame. But here's the skinny -- the patch simply disturbed the malware, which called a specific kernel code that directs your PC to keel over; in other words, any application that calls that same code could theoretically leave your machine in dire straits. And that, friends, probably explains the software giant's following quote: "In our continuing investigation in to the restart issues related to MS10-015 that a limited number of customers are experiencing, we have determined that malware on the system can cause the behavior. We are not yet ruling out other potential causes at this time and are still investigating." Rock, meet hard place.
Patch for ancient DOS bug in latest Windows XP update causing blue screen errors
Looks like Patch Tuesday turned into BSOD Tuesday for some Windows XP users -- Microsoft's latest security updates for the venerable OS are causing blue screens and endless reboots for people. That's the word according to a growing support thread on Microsoft's site -- and making matters just slightly worse / funnier, it's apparently the patch for that 17-year-old DOS vulnerability that's causing all the trouble. You win some, you lose some, right? Microsoft's identified a fix for those with access to an XP install disc and an optical drive, but that leaves most netbook users out in the cold -- and considering netbooks are where most of the recent XP action's been going down lately, we're hoping a better solution comes down the pike soon. P.S.- That's the BSOD tattoo guy in the photo -- remember him? [Thanks, HyperSl4ck3r]
ASUS Eee Top ET1610PT with Atom D410 shows up in online support pages
While it doesn't seem to be available to order yet, ASUS' first Pine Trail-equipped nettop is close enough to release that the Taiwanese manufacturer has let some of its specs loose already. What we know so far is that it'll come with Intel's Atom D410 CPU, 802.11b/g/n wireless, six USB ports, a 5-in-1 card reader, and a webcam -- all while keeping Windows XP's dreams of immortality alive. The 1610 will be a 15.6-inch all-in-one, like its predecessor, with the T model offering optional touchscreen functionality. It's hard to argue that the new Atoms offer any great performance gains, but then ASUS is not expected to charge any premium relative to its older models, making this a desirable, albeit incremental, upgrade. [Thanks, Sal]
