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Sony VAIO P set free with XP, still not a netbook
Fascinating. Sony just figured out a simple truth of ultra-portable computing: for all its beauty, elegant hardware packed into a diminutive chassis will never make up for a perpetually sluggish OS, at least not for long. While it comes late to this understanding, Sony is finally making XP a standard load on its new VAIO P model VGN-P50. Not exactly aspirational, mind you, and very netbook-like... but at least it gets the OS out of the way of your applications unlike the original VAIO P Vista build. Any by not having to downgrade yourselves (or upgrade to Windows 7 RC), you'll keep all of Sony's optimizations like the VAIO P's XMB interface. Starting June 6th, our Japanese friends will also see a 2GHz Atom Z550 processor bump in addition to WWAN data as standard. They'll even toss in a 256GB SSD if you tick the right box. While we'd typically expect these specs to go global, the fact that we're still stuck with a 1.33GHz processor Stateside makes us doubtful, bitter even, and more than a tad envious. Available June 6th in Japan starting at ¥85,000 (about $900).[Via Akihabara News]
The Daily Grind: Does bonus XP draw you back?
It seems like many games are offering bonus experience weekends to draw people back in to their games. After all, it gives you a chance to level up far faster than you normally would, which is nice. The other side effect to these weekends is that it gets more people in-world, so someone thinking about resubscribing would look around and think "there are lots of people here, this place seems to be doing well" and maybe come back. Personally, I played a bit during the recent Lord of the Rings Online bonus weekend, and will undoubtedly poke my head into EverQuest to enjoy some double experience as well. That said, the times I tend to stick around are when I have a friend who comes and plays with me, or if I find some new friends who don't mind my play being somewhat erratic due to work. With that said, do you tend to return for bonus experience? Does it ever get you to resubscribe? Or do you just show up for the bonus weekends and then head back to whatever game you normally play?
Project 62*80: 62 level 80s by Christmas
I first heard about this from El Jeppy when I visited him and company on the Rawrcast Show a few weeks ago, but now he's posted a little more about goals and method on his site. He's just beginning something called "Project 62*80," which sounds pretty crazy on the front of it: he's planning to level 62 different characters (which is apparently one of each race and class combination for both Horde and Alliance) to level 80, and he's planning to do it by Christmas of this year. With 224 days until Christmas, that's 22 levels a day -- pretty easy when you're starting from level one, but not so much when you're trying to do 60-80.He's not just grinding away on it, though -- he's chosen to do some multiboxing, and plans to level three characters at a time up until 60, and then three to five characters per group up to level 80, so if he can move four characters up five levels each a day, he'll be pretty close to his goal rate. And he's using recruit-a-friend, so the triple XP will make things even easier on him. It definitely seems like he can do it if he stays committed, but man, it's not something that would ever appeal to me.He started off with Paladins (for the free mounts and the survivabiilty), and from there it sounds like he's going with Death Knights next, to raise some quick gold for the rest of the enterprise. You can follow his progress over on the Ten Gnomes blog if you want to see where he's at. It's hard to wish him luck (does anyone really need 62 freakin' 80s?), but we'll do it anyway: good luck, Jeppy.
Century's all-in-one dock gives your netbook a greater sense of value
For those who need a little something more from their netbooks, at least while at home, Century's all-in-one dock should help out in that department. It fits just under the little laptop and features a pop-up fan to help with cooling, 8x DVD-writer, and a slot for a 2.5-inch SATA HDD or SSD drive, because let's face it, your digitized copy of the complete Doctor Who series probably isn't gonna all fit on your portable. It's compatible with XP and Vista, but no word on how well it'll jibe with Linux. It looks to be on sale now in Japan for ￥9,980 (US $100), and if you're needing some more intimate shots, Akihabara's got a hands-on with it. [Via Everything USB] Read - Product page Read - Hands-on
Air Force now using super-secure version of Windows XP
Windows 7 might be getting all the attention lately, but Windows XP is having a quiet little renaissance of its own -- not only have sales of the venerable OS been extended until 2010, Microsoft is selling an ultra-secure version to the Air Force. The custom build ships with over 600 settings bolted down, and a security patch turnaround of just 72 hours compared to the standard edition's 57 days -- all because Steve Ballmer personally stepped in and approved the project at the Air Force's request. The effort's to standardize and preconfigure the OS has paid off: 85 percent of previous known exploits have been blocked, support call volume has dropped 40 percent, and the USAF has saved some $100 million in costs. Nice -- but don't get your hopes up, since it doesn't seem like Microsoft has any intention of selling this version to the public.[Via Slashdot]
Windows 7 RC and XP given extensions on life well into 2010
Whether or not Windows 7 does launch in October as previously suggested, those who have (or plan to get) Release Candidate will be happy to hear that Microsoft won't be pulling the plug until June 1, 2010, well over a year from now and 11 months after its initial expiration date. After that, you're gonna have to fork over the Benjamins for one of the retail SKUs if you wanna keep 7 alive. As for those still living in Redmond's past, the company's also extended the life of XP, at least for OEMs. Companies using the older OS will still be able to install it on netbooks for up to one year after 7's official shape date. Seeing as the new system's likely to have a more expensive licensing fee, it's probably the best move if the company plans on keeping that 96% grip on the netbook OS market. [Via gadgetmix] Read - Windows 7 RC extension Read - Windows XP extension
Windows 7's virtual XP has intangible system requirements
Microsoft tickled our meta-OS fancies last week by talking up the virtualized version of Windows XP included with Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate Edition. However, the company has now revealed that ponying up for one of the top tiers of the OS will not be the only requirement. 2GB of RAM will be needed, which isn't such a big deal, but more troubling is the requirement of a CPU that sports chip-level virtualization support. Both AMD and Intel have been quick to add features to support enterprises turning to virtualized hosting environments, but rather annoyingly neither of those companies make it particularly easy to tell which of their chips provide such support. On the AMD side it looks like the tech was introduced with the Athlon 64 and has continued in most newer chips, while Intel's waters are a little muddier, with all Core i7 processors being suitably endowed, but only some of its Pentium, Core 2, and Atom chips made the grade. How to know if you're included? We'd expect an upgrade advisor from Microsoft to hit the internets any time now.Update: Christopher commented to let us know of a little app that'll tell you right now whether you're in our out of the faux-OS party. That's great, because we hate hasty last-minute upgrades.
Atlantica Online running bonus XP weekend with 'thank you' gifts
The popular free-to-play MMO Atlantica Online from NDOORS Interactive ran into difficulties with their extended server downtime earlier this past week. However, any player outcries over this haven't fallen on deaf ears. NDOORS states, "Even through the delays, you stuck through it with us, and for that we want to thank you the only way we know how - through bonus experience time!"All players are currently receiving a 150% experience bonus which will last all weekend, ending on Sunday April 26th at 11:59pm PDT. NDOORS Interactive adds, "As an additional 'thank you', we'll be sending all logged-in players an Artisan's Cube at 1pm PDT on Saturday, April 25th, and Sunday, April 26th. This box will give you the choice of some Skill Decrease Books, Waters of Life, Growth Vials, Secret Vials of Potential, or several scrolls." If you haven't given this particular game a shot in the past, the 150% XP bonus weekend sounds to us like an ideal time to see what Atlantica Online is like.
Virtualized Windows XP coming to Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate users
Color us intrigued. The gang at SuperSite for Windows have revealed what they know about a pretty awesome Windows 7 feature: XP Mode, a virtualized copy of Windows XP with Service Pack 3. It'll reportedly be a free download for Professional and Ultimate Edition users, a shame it won't be coming to all versions. Unlike many other Virtual PC options, the environment won't require a separate workspace so you can run the individual apps as you would alongside those native to 7 -- in the example pictured, that's Word 2003 in XP mode next to Word 2007. It all sounds vaguely similar to the XP compatibility mode found in Vista, but if we're understanding this right, XPM should make legacy compatibility much less of a hassle. We haven't heard any reports of it being found in the leaked Release Candidate build, so if you're antsy to get a glimpse now, hit up the read link for a gallery.[Thanks, Axel]
Viliv S5 reviewed, is mostly smiles with good video playback
You've seen its introduction, its unboxing -- in two different languages, no less -- and maybe even fancied the pre-order page. Now Pocketables has what appears to be one of the first full-fledged review of the Viliv S5, and the verdict? It's quite a sturdy and well-built MID, with surprisingly good battery life and video performance from the Intel Atom Z520 processor (same one as found in the Vaio P). The virtual keyboard leaves a lot to be desired for, and it's a shame to hear the joystick's mouse functionality is limited to four directions, but despite these complaints and a $599 price tag, the conclusion is still a overwhelmingly positive for those who like the form factor. Hit up the read link for the full examination.
Dungeons and Dragons Online celebrates 3rd birthday
It may not feel like it to some of us, but Dungeons and Dragons Online is almost three years old already. Turbine announced that they'll be celebrating DDO's birthday in style, with bonus XP and loot for anyone who joins in: "Starting this Friday, February 27th, and running through February 29th March 1, DDO players will gain a 50% XP bonus and +1 tier bonus to loot quality! But the fun doesn't stop there! Once 50% XP and +1 loot are over with on Sunday March 1st, starting Monday March 2nd, enjoy 10% bonus XP for 2 weeks!" That's a lot of exclamation points but the message is clear; it's definitely a good time to jump into Dungeons and Dragons Online if you've been curious about the game, or have been away for a while. The third anniversary celebration is a limited window of XP opportunity so don't miss out.
Microsoft gets sued over Windows XP downgrade fees
Microsoft may be doing its best to move past Windows XP once and for all, but a Los Angeles woman is alleging that the company is all too happy to bank some extra change on the OS in the meantime, and that it's essentially trying to have it both ways. As a result, she's now suing Microsoft over its XP "downgrade" fees, and requesting that the lawsuit be granted class-action certification so others can get a piece of the action. Apparently, Emma Alvarado bought a Lenovo PC last June and had to pay an additional $59.25 to downgrade to XP, which she claims is simply a case of Microsoft taking advantage of consumer demand for XP to pad its profits. The suit further alleges that the seemingly endless extensions of the XP deadline were "likely due to the tremendous profits that Microsoft has reaped from its 'downgrade' option." For Microsoft's part, it insists that the company itself "does not have a downgrade program," and that it doesn't get any of the money from the Vista-to-XP downgrade options.[Thanks, Cargojack]
Video: Viliv's S5 gets price, March release, and iTunes
We finally have the release and pricing details for the Viliv S5. Up for pre-order on the 24th in Korea, the XP-based MID with 4.8-inch touchscreen will begin shipping locally on March 3rd. Closer to home, the $649 S5 Premium model is scheduled to ship to the US and Europe by the end of March. That configuration will include a 60GB hard disk, Intel Silverthorne-class 1.33GHz Z520 CPU (yes, the very same proc as the VAIO P), GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, and 1GB of memory. Lesser spec'd models and a maxed-out F-LOG version with a DMB television tuner will only be available in Korea. And know what's great about a MID running XP? You can install pretty much any application you want, including iTunes as demonstrated in the video posted after the break. It's no iPod touch, but then again... it's no iPod touch.
Glacier's E4000 tablet is durable enough for your warehouse, portable enough for your fleet
A hard day's work often means dirty hands, and dirty hands and keyboards have a long history of not getting along together. Rugged tablets tend to be a somewhat better (or at least easier to clean) solution, the latest entry being Glacier Computer's Everest E4000, a fully integrated device available in 10-, 12-, and 15-inch sizes running your choice of XP Pro, XP Embedded, or Linux. No details are available on what hardware is lurking inside that purposeful looking case, which isn't the most attractive thing we've ever seen, but certainly seems a lot more durable than some of its competition -- like you could back an 18-wheeler over it and then cozy up with for a nice game of touchscreen 'Solitare' while waiting for your invoices to print. Not that you'd ever play games while on the clock, of course.Update: We got some further details about this brute to pass along. It maxes out at a 1.4GHz Pentium M with 1GB of memory and a 16GB SSD, which may not sound like much, but since it's entirely sealed cooling anything faster would be something of a challenge. The 15-inch screen is 1024 x 768, 802.11a/b/g is supported, and you can get one to mount on your forklift for between $2,500 and $4,500 -- forklift not included.
Ballmer to businesses: deploy WinXP now and face concerns from employees
There's no two ways about it -- Microsoft has moved a truckload of Windows Vista licenses. That said, just 10 percent of all PCs within enterprises in North America and Europe use Vista, with the vast majority sticking to what has worked for years: Windows XP. Company CEO Steve Ballmer had quite the zinger on this topic during a recent interview at an NYC interview to mark the extension of Microsoft's collaboration with EMC, and we're certain you'll love it. Here goes: "If you deploy a four or five-year old operating system today [Windows XP], most people will ask their boss why the heck they don't have the stuff [Vista / Windows 7] they have at home." Of course, a one-off remark from some chap that's not at all pertinent to the day-to-day operations of a company isn't apt to make a business owner rethink their approach to running their own show, but we're sure it's fun for Steve to think that only a handful of consumers out there are still relying on WinXP.[Via PCWorld]
Windows 7 put up against Vista and XP in hardcore multicore benchmarks, XP wins
Now that the Windows 7 beta is out, the benchmarks are coming fast and furious, and while 7's been previously found to best XP and Vista during "real-world" tasks, it looks like XP is still the outright speed champ on current hardware. That's at least the word according to InfoWorld, which pitted all three systems against each other in a suite of tests designed to suss out how each performed on modern multicore systems, and while we won't pretend to grok all the data, there's nothing complicated about the final results, which showed that "any illusions about Windows 7 somehow being leaner or more efficient than Vista can now be thrown out the window." Sure, there was some speedup -- 7 was 60 percent faster than Vista during the dual-core workflow tests -- but overall, 7's just slower on dual- and quad-core hardware than XP. However, there's a silver lining here: InfoWorld says the slowdown is in large part due to the extra code Vista and 7 use to manage multicore processors, and as the number of cores increase, the corresponding performance gains are much bigger than with XP since they can be used more efficiently. Of course, by the time we're all sitting pretty with 48-core Larrabee machines this all might be just a distant memory, so for right now we're just going to get back to installing the Windows 7 beta on anything we can find and reveling in the glory of perceived speedups. Read - Analysis I (against Vista alone) Read - Analysis II (against Vista and XP) Update: The author of one of our sources here has seen been released from InfoWorld due to breach of trust. InfoWorld maintains that Randall C. Kennedy's "insight and analysis [is believed] to be accurate and reliable."
The Queue: Heirlooms, mounts, and more
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft.Today we're going to have a couple of simple answers and just plain "I don't know" responses mixed in with the usual stuff, because they've been repeat questions and not necessarily just one person asking them. Maybe a straight I Don't Know will help a little, but probably not.Delshay Dethecus US asked... My question is: Are Heirloom items worth getting for your Alts? If so why? I understand with End game going so well (easier) a lot of players are doing a lot of Heroics still and they are a good way to spend Emblems after you get the gear you need, but are Heirlooms a good thing to buy or should we save the Emblems for something that may come in the future?
Shuttle's X50 all-in-one desktop pulls up alongside the Eee Top
While the Eee Top may get a lot of zombie-hand loving, it's not the only game in town when it comes to cheapo all-in-one PCs. Shuttle announced its X50 desktop at CES as well, a system with more than just a few similarities to the competition, namely its CPU, base RAM, display size and resolution, chipset, GPU, and OS. In case you don't know those by heart: 1.6GHz Intel Atom 330, 1GB of RAM, 15.6-inch,1366 x 768 resistive touchscreen display, 945GC mainboard, GMA 950 graphics, and Windows XP. The real difference is the hard drive -- the Eee Top sports a 160GB, the X50 just 80GB -- and the price point, with the Shuttle clocking in at $499 ($100 cheaper). Our take? We're starting to see the emergence of what amounts to the netbook desktop -- a one piece, low power system meant for the kids' room, the kitchen, or grandma's rest home suite. The Shuttle wins in the looks department, but don't make any fast decisions -- come its March launch, you'll be seeing plenty of these.[Via Fudzilla]
Windows 7 build 7000 already outperforming Vista and XP in "real-world" tasks
You might've heard that crazy rumor making the rounds that Microsoft leaked the Windows 7 beta on purpose to build some positive buzz, and while there's no real evidence (or likelihood) of that of any sort, the seemingly-magical build 7000 is certainly doing well for itself. Following up on wide praise for the fledgling OS, ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes pitted the beta up against XP and Vista in some informal "real-word" tasks like boot up, shut down, file maneuvers, installations and other common tasks. On both test systems, an AMD Phenom 9700 setup and an Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2200 number (with ATI and NVIDIA graphics, respectively), the Windows 7 install soundly bested XP and Vista task by task, with few exceptions. Performance testing is never an exact science, but it's clear that Microsoft is taking performance very seriously this time around -- we can't wait for the next conveniently-leaked beta to bolster this rep even further. Next on the benchmarking agenda? Real World: Brooklyn tasks.[Via Ars Technica]
Dell Inspiron Mini 12 gets more netbook-y with Ubuntu, XP options
Dell's Inspiron Mini 12 was already blurring the lines between netbooks and traditional laptop when it was shipping with Vista and Vista only, but it looks like Dell is intent on breaking down the walls between the two categories, with it now offering both Ubuntu and Windows XP on the, er... system. Expectedly, there's no changes to be found on the hardware side of things, and you can get either of the new operating systems installed on both the 1.33GHz and 1.6GHz models, the former of which now starts at $499 with Ubuntu pre-installed. And, yes, you can still get Vista if you like -- at no extra cost, no less.[Thanks, TxdoHawk]
