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Microsoft finally confirms Windows 7 for 2010 launch
It's all a silly misunderstanding, we tell you. Microsoft has been holding fast to its "three years" development time frame for Windows 7 since forever, the problem is that it's never been clear when that three year period started. Well wonder no longer, Microsoft has finally officially confirmed that the three years started at Windows Vista's general availability release, which was January 30th, 2007. Obviously that doesn't mean will have Windows 7 on midnight of January 30th, 2010, but it does mean we can look forward to sometime within that year for a release. Microsoft plans to give an exact release date only once Windows 7 "meets its quality bar for release." Sounds like a good metric to go by, if you ask us.[Thanks, Isaac]
Microsoft lets loose Vista SP1 for x64-based systems
Not a whole lot to say here, but if you're running Vista on an x64-based system, you've probably already noticed a little surprise courtesy of Windows Update, which today started pushing out the x64 edition of Vista Service Pack 1. If you've been following things in SP1 land, you'll notice that's actually ahead of the neat and tidy Windows Update launch for non-x64 systems, but behind the unofficial options already available. On the upside, that should mean that all the bugs have been ironed out, but you can never be too careful, so take all your usual pre-update precautions and let us know how it all works out in the comments below.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Microsoft weighs in on "Save XP" petition, sort of
It's no secret that there's quite a few folks hesitant (to say the least) to upgrade to Windows Vista, and Microsoft has somewhat accommodated them by extending sales of the tried-and-true Windows XP until June of 2008. That has unsurprisingly done little to satisfy most people, however, and some 75,000 of 'em have even signed a petition started by Infoworld that's attempting to "Save XP." After a couple of weeks, that now seems to have caught Microsoft's attention, although the company's response likely isn't what they were looking for. As Computerworld Australia reports, Microsoft says it's aware of the petition but that it's "listening first and foremost to feedback we hear from partners and customers about what makes sense based on their needs." As Slashdot points out, that statement's a little odd considering that most of the folks signing the petition are Microsoft customers, but either way it seems pretty clear that Microsoft is intent on showing XP the door as soon as possible.[Via Slashdot]
How-to get Windows XP past the June 30th cutoff (or not)
While it looked like Mac users couldn't wait to get their hands on the latest version of Apple's operating system, their Windows counterparts seem to have been a little more reticent about picking up Microsoft's oft-delayed Vista upgrade -- so much so that Redmond decided to both extend XP's shelf life by six months as well as offer an unprecedented "downgrade" service on select SKUs. Well with the June 30th cutoff fast approaching, PC World decided to take a look at your options for procuring an XP license after that date, but unfortunately, the picture isn't too pretty. Basically, personal users looking to purchase less than 25 licenses but not a new machine have almost no recourse; your only surefire move is to buy a new box pre-installed with Vista Business or Ultimate from an OEM opting to continue with that downgrade service. Still, caveat emptor: support for consumer versions of XP ends on April 14, 2009, and with it, the end of your Patch Tuesday celebrations.
This could be the first video footage of Windows 7
Obviously a lot of people cried fake when those screenshots purporting to show Windows 7 Ultimate popped up -- possibly because they looked a lot like rebadged Vista screens -- so the blogger who originally posted the images has followed up with a video for proof. And we do have to say, if this is fake, someone put a hell of a lot of work into pulling it off, from creating a new bootup screen to hacking the source code to adding fresh Media Center options. ThinkNext tells us that this release -- known as Milestone 1 -- expires in May of this year, although if Redmond and its team of crack Enemy of the State-types have anything to say about it, this particular blog will not be getting another preview copy next time around. Video after the break.[Via Softpedia, image courtesy of ThinkNext, thanks Joshua]
Vista pirated half as much as XP, Microsoft rejoices
While it admits it's not possible to pin down an exact number, Microsoft has let out word today that it estimates the counterfeit rate of Vista to be about half that of XP, a figure that it seems to be more than pleased with. Of course, one could interpret those numbers in slightly less positive ways, but Microsoft claims the sharp dip in piracy is due to Vista's amped up authentication system, which it says is a "proven and effective way to combat piracy." To come up with the numbers, Microsoft apparently relied statistics based on Windows Genuine Advantage validation failures, as well as other unspecified internal data. As TG Daily notes, all this follows Microsoft's announcement of revised anti-piracy measures in Vista SP1 and, specifically, some big changes to the aforementioned WGA feature.
Windows Vista SP1 beta gets previewed
While at least some of you out there have likely already put the new Vista SP1 beta through its paces, those less fortunate (or more so, depending on your perspective) can now get a full report of what's in store courtesy of the folks at PC Magazine, who've now provided a full preview of the forthcoming OS revision. Not surprisingly, they say the service pack is "mostly invisible," although that's not to say it's insignificant, with the update supposedly making Vista both "faster and more secure" (certainly no small feat) On the downside, the beta still appears to be very much a beta, with problems reportedly cropping up during the install on certain systems, although PC Mag expects those to be ironed out by the final release. Still no word as to when we might be able to expect that though.
Microsoft beams out Vista SP1 to beta testers
Right on cue, Microsoft has made available the (long-awaited) Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista to a private group of beta testers. One lucky user actually goes on to describe the update and note a number of positive changes, some of which include a much snappier logon experience, a new option in the Disk Defragmenter "allowing you to choose which volumes you would like to defragment," improvements in responsiveness when resuming from Hibernation / Sleep modes, and interestingly enough, slightly improved battery life on a tested laptop. Furthermore, "select members of the community" are also getting to give five new "reliability packages" a whirl, which are all slated to be available to the public before SP1 is released en masse. Be sure and hit the read link for the full rundown.[Thanks, Dhanik M.]
Microsoft giving Vista Business / Ultimate users 'downgrade' to XP option
It's no shock that Windows Vista isn't, shall we say, universally loved, and it's also unsurprising that a plethora of businesses have voiced their preference to keep on runnin' their operations on Windows XP. Presumably in response, Microsoft is "quietly allowing PC makers to offer a downgrade option to buyers that get machines with the new operating system but want to switch to Windows XP," but the program only applies to Vista Business and Ultimate editions. The likes of Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo and Dell all have processes in place to ensure that customers have the ability to downgrade if they so choose, and while some firms are still selling their PCs with XP pre-installed, debates are already swirling around how long that tactic can remain in place.
Vista SP1 to support EFI booting standard - what does this mean for Boot Camp?
Rounding up on 9 months of Vista being on the market, Microsoft is of course at work on Service Pack 1 which is slated for an early 2008 release. At the official Windows Vista blog, Brandon LeBlanc has offered extensive details on what the focus of Service Pack 1 is, and while much of it is targeted at businesses and independent software vendors, an interesting section outlining some of the fundamentals mentions that support for the EFI booting standard is on its way (under the Introducing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 section; there aren't any anchors I can link in this extensive post, so you'll have to search for that title or simply 'EFI').In their hype and marketing for Boot Camp, Apple makes a pretty big deal about Intel-based Macs supporting EFI while "Windows XP, and even Vista, are stuck in the 1980s with old-fashioned BIOS" (check the sidebar of the Boot Camp page). So what could it mean if Vista catches up to the EFI bandwagon? I'm not quite sure yet. It could likely make the Boot Camp engineers' lives a lot easier, and while I know less about virtualization software like Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion, they might be able to sleep better at night as well. Ultimately, if EFI support in Vista makes it easier for Apple to support running Windows on a Mac, this could likely yield even more sales from swtichers - especially those who need Vista for things like work or gaming. As to speculation on whether this could bring some of the wilder stuff like running Windows apps in Mac OS X without the need for the Windows OS or virtualization tools, I'll leave that to the tin foil hat enthusiasts in the audience.Thanks Adam
How would you change Windows Vista?
What do you get when you take a product used by hundreds of millions of people every day, add a few new features / polish up the interface, and then try to get everyone to shell out a grip of money for this delay- and bug- plagued upgrade? No, we're not talking about New Coke, although Microsoft probably could have learned a lesson from that failed experiment when it went about developing what would end up being Windows Vista, namely that consumers demand more than some glitz and fancy new packaging if they're to abandon an old, reliable friend. And besides that impressive Aero GUI -- which many PCs can't take advantage of anyway -- what is Vista really offering us that XP didn't? A crash-prone new media player? Exclusive "ultimate extras" that have so far amounted to a lame shareware game? A thousand chances a day to feel important when bequeathing "Administrator privileges" on all those demanding processes? You can probably tell by now that we're no Vista proponents, and having run the new OS exclusively for almost six months at this point, we're actually about to "make the leap" back to XP. But we're not willing to give up on Redmond just yet, and the beauty of all these service packs and "Patch Tuesdays" is that some of our suggestions could conceivably be incorporated into a product that's already hit the market. So, what does Microsoft need to do to make Vista (and its price points) more palatable (short of re-releasing it based on the WinFS file system)? Loosen up the DRM restrictions? Toss the controversial WGA? Put all possible features in a single SKU like certain other companies? Well come on, we're positive that there's no shortage of suggestions out there, so let's hear 'em!
Palm looses Vista-compatible Desktop Beta
We know, this whole Vista-friendly Palm Desktop software was supposed to be launched, you know, about the same time as Vista itself, but we suppose late is better than never in this scenario. Without further ado, users yearning for a Vista-compatible flavor of Palm Desktop can finally claim their prize -- if you're down with betas, that is. Thankfully, Palm has made sure you're well aware of the limitations found in the software's current state (at least the ones it knew of), so be sure and give those instructions a once over while the 59.2MB file transfers over to make sure you don't fudge anything up.[Via The Official Palm Blog]
Ricochet Lost Worlds is fun - and it's 45% off at MacZOT today
I own a Wii, and i installed Windows Vista in Boot Camp on my MacBook Pro primarily so I could play Half Life 2 and catch up with some of the other rockin' games coming out for PCs (buying Vista at OEM prices via a local computer shop numbed some of the pain). With all this rockin' gaming I have going on, however, I am still admittedly a sucker for a good Breakout-style game, and Ricochet Lost Worlds is just such a game. Yes I know Breakout is one of the traditional jokes about Mac gaming, but those stereotypical days are disappearing anyway. Cool powerups and some unique challenges in Ricochet caught my attention, and a today-only sale at MacZOT for $10.95 instead of its regular $19.95 in the Mac Game Store just netted a PayPal purchase from me. If you're looking for some basic gaming that doesn't take an hour just for the warmup, Ricochet Lost Worlds is a good choice.
Microsoft calls Google out on Windows search integration claim
As the two giants edge closer onto each of their respective core markets, the tension gets more pronounced: just last week Google pointed to the integration of search into Windows Vista, claiming to the Dept. of Justice that it discourages people from using other solutions (like Google's Desktop Search) and violates the company's agreement with the Government. This week, Steve Ballmer called the complaint "baseless," and said that the company is in complete compliance with the agreements it has with the U.S. Government. In any case, Microsoft is fighting a losing battle, with Google able to use the DOJ as a router for its claims, and Microsoft then forced to defend itself on two fronts. Maybe it might be a good time for Microsoft to consider a policy of opening its platforms a little bit: it's not like the opponent (this time around) is going to go away anytime soon.
Microsoft sez Windows Mobile 6 file sync fix coming for Vista
Thanks to a festering mix of bugs and reduced functionality, it frequently doesn't pay to be on the bleeding edge (unless you're like us, that is, in which case your willingness to be on the forefront of tech frequently outclasses your common sense). Such is the case for the lucky... well, not so lucky few that are rocking both a Vista-equipped PC and a Windows Mobile 6 Standard handset (like an upgraded T-Mobile Dash, for example). As we know, Vista throws ActiveSync to the wayside in favor of Windows Mobile Device Center, which is all well and good -- we don't really care what it's called, as long as we can sync our device -- and therein lies the problem. It seems WMDC loses the ability to sync files between Standard handsets and their partnered PCs, something ActiveSync gladly handles. Microsoft advises customers to continue using ActiveSync for the time being as a workaround, but fortunately, a real, honest-to-goodness fix for WMDC is promised by mid-June.[Via the::unwired]
Today's most comparative game videos: Crysis DirectX
If you can geek out to API advancements, we salute you. Today's video picks compare DirectX 9 and the messiah DirectX 10 with Crysis footage. Yes, we can actually see a difference in the clips, and GameTrailers provides big, non-embedable HD files on its site.Will Crysis be the best-looking game ever, and will it require a DX10 system -- and, of course, Vista -- to earn that title? We've seen "best-looking game ever" mugs at a mall kiosk and will set one aside for the game's release later this year. (Don't let us down, Crysis. We could end up taunting you by giving it to the Wii.)See the videos after the break.
ReadyBoost ready, but doesn't boost
Vista's ReadyBoost feature, which theoretically improves performance by placing part of Vista's memory swapfile onto a highspeed flash drive, is one of the slickest OS tricks we've heard about in a long time. Unfortunately, it isn't as sweet in practice, according to PC World. They tested three USB flash drives by Kingston, Lexar, and Ridata that claim to be ReadyBoost, uh, ready, and found that while they were able to measure a slight speedup in certain activities (like opening frequently-used applications) overall the effect was unnoticeable -- they concluded that "installing more RAM inside your PC would help a lot more." Bummer. So much for all those freebie USB sticks we have laying around.
Panasonic brings Let's Note CF-Y7 to Santa Rosa
Not wanting to feel left out of the mad Santa Rosa rush we've seen over the last few days, Panasonic has introduced its first Let's Note model to sport Intel's new chipset, the CF-Y7. This 14.1-inch upgrade features a 1,400 x 1,050 display, 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo L7300, 1GB of RAM, four-flavor WiFi, and a super multi drive, and ships with Windows Vista Business. Also on board are an 80GB hard drive, SD reader, and a claimed 7.5-hour battery, but only a PCMCIA slot instead of the preferred ExpressCard. Hitting Japan on May 18th -- and possible the US as a Toughbook in the future -- the Y7 is expected to go for around ¥275,000 ($2,227). [Via Engadget Japanese and Impress]
Microsoft releases final Vista/iPod fix
Awhile ago we blogged about an issue some Vista users were encountering when ejecting their iPods. The long and the short of it is that the iPod would get corrupted after being ejected. Microsoft issued a patch, but it didn't fix the issue. Today comes news from the Windows Vista blog that a final patch has been released which should fix the problem once and for all. It is interesting to note that Apple and Microsoft worked together to fix this problem.The patch is available on the web now, and will be available on Windows Update May 22nd.[via Infinite Loop]
Halo 2 graphics comparision: Xbox vs Vista
True Xbox fanboys have already played Halo 2 so much that the game disc has started to warp, but our PC friends are just getting a taste of what it has to offer with the release of Halo 2 on Windows Vista. And with a Vista release, Halo 2 received a graphical upgrade with crisper textures and sleeker models. Don't believe us? The Gamespot crew posted a graphical comparison of Halo 2, pitting the Xbox version against its newer Vista cousin. The screenshots make it more than obvious that there is a startling contrast between the muddy Xbox graphics and the higher res Vista screens. And why shouldn't the game look prettier on Vista? Though, you have to remember that this is a port, so the graphics weren't majorly reworked. They were just kicked up a notch or two. Anyone using Vista and thinking about getting Halo 2 or will you be holding out a few more months for some Halo 3? [Via Digg]
