Many pixels have been spilled over Steve Ballmer’s admission that “[Apple has] sold certainly more [iPads] than I’d like them to have sold.” As Ars points out, Ballmer just doesn’t get why a dumbed down machine running a poky processor is so popular. However, any media lover can tell you it’s not about running Excel and Powerpoint on a tablet – it’s about doing a few simple things without much fuss. Here’s what Microsoft can do to build a great tablet platform that people will actually buy. Use the Zune interface – As the four people who own Zunes will attest, the UI is great. It’s so great, in fact, that MS is planning on using parts of it in Windows Phone 7. But we’re not talking about Windows Phones, are we? We’re talking about a usable, cool tablet. So take the best of the Zune and blow it up to tablet size. Ignore Windows 7 – Seriously: unless you’re an insurance adjuster or an EMT, you don’t need a full-bore version of Windows on your tablet. What you need is a media player and a few basic functions, not a full programming platform for folks to write garbage data entry apps. After all, isn’t that what the Internet is for? → Read More
A document purportedly leaked to a Microsoft enthusiast blog (yes, there’s truly a niche for everything on the Internet!) lists a number of features that are intended to be included in Windows 8. In addition to USB 3 and Bluetooth 3, there’s talk about faster boot sequences, ambient light sensing, and more. Pardon my yawn: Mac laptops have had superb power management and ambient light sensing for how long, now? Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Windows 8 will include all manner of wonderful things, but leaking this kind of information isn’t likely to drum up a lot of excitement. I’m especially skeptical of the instant-on stuff, given how bloated Windows installations tend to become over time. → Read More
Have you launched VLC today? If so then you’ll already know that it has been updated to version 1.1.0. The biggest feature in this version is the addition of GPU decoding for Windows (Vista and 7 only) and Linux users. That is, you can use that fancy GPU of yours to help decode that 1080p MKV you’ve got there, leaving your CPU with enough room to breathe, or whatever. Fair warning: if you’re on Windows, hope you’ve got an nVidia GPU… → Read More
What’s better than a tablet with one touchscreen? A tablet with two touchscreens. That’s at least what Toshiba must have thought when they cooked up the Libretto W100 with its dual 7-inch multi-touch displays (1,024×600 resolution and LED backlighting for both). There’s no physical keyboard, but you’ll get a virtual one with haptic response. → Read More
Yesterday, Apple released the latest version of its web browser, Safari 5. In their release notes, they highlight not only new features, but also the fact that it’s faster than the latest versions of Chrome and Firefox. One competitor they didn’t mention was the most-used web browser in the world: Internet Explorer. Today, Microsoft has responded to that.
In a post on their Blogging Windows blog, the IE team has posted a video showing the latest version of IE, IE9 (still in beta testing), running against Safari 5. The result? IE smokes Safari. It’s not even close. → Read More
“See you in hell, Windows.” That’s Google talking, according to a report in the Financial Times. (Not an exact quote, mind you.) The company is taking several steps to phase out the use of Microsoft’s operating system following the well-publicized China hacking situation. New employees are given the option of using a Mac or a Linux-based PC, and others are simply being switched over to Mac or Linux when the time is right. It’s not an official Google policy, but rather something that’s just being done. → Read More
I’m not sure Google has ever come out and said that they hope the future of computing doesn’t involve Windows. But we all know they’re thinking it. However, while they may think that way, it’s been hard to take that too seriously since most of the computers they do their work on likely run Windows. In the near future though, that may not be the case.
A new report tonight in the Financial Times suggests that Google is steering its employees away from using Microsoft’s dominant operating system in the workplace. In fact, the reports says that, “New hires are now given the option of using Apple’s Mac computers or PCs running the Linux operating system.” And it states that getting a computer running Windows may require permission as high up as Google’s CIO. → Read More
Short Version: The Sony Vaio Z-Series is a thin and light with a mission: to prove that a tiny – but expensive – laptop can run Windows 7 and almost anything you throw at it like a champ. → Read More
Microsoft has been throwing their latest builds into the Windows Phone developer tools, so they haven’t exactly been secretive about exactly what WinPho is going to look like. Luckily, there’s a developer who’s shared the latest shots with us, from what looks to be close to the final ROM. → Read More
Hewlett-Packard has killed off its much ballyhooed Windows 7 tablet computer, says a source who’s been briefed on the matter.
The device was first unveiled by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at CES 2010 in January and was supposed to hit the market in mid 2010. But our source tells us that HP is not satisfied with Windows 7 as a tablet operating system and has terminated the project (something CrunchGear mentioned months ago).
HP may also be abandoning Intel-based hardware for its slate lineup simply because it’s too power hungry. That would also rule out Windows 7 as an operating system. → Read More
Uh oh, sounds like the tablet that Steve brought down from the mountain might be susceptible to attack. A recent campaign by malware spammers has been targeting users of the much hyped iPad, inviting users to download an updated and improved version of iTunes. The update promises to provide more compatibility and better performance, and is completely fake. → Read More
Good news for those of you who are still plugging along on Windows XP and Vista. Microsoft is bringing Fix It to said operating systems; it’s already available on Windows 7. Fix It tries to—wait for it—fix your PC problems before they require your to break out a sledgehammer and teach your hard drive a lesson. It’s in beta right now, so feel free to give it a shot. “Feel free,” as if I’m the arbiter of your free time! → Read More
MacBooks have great battery life for a few reasons, including, but not limited to, GPU switching. However, as Ubergizmo discovered, when you run Windows 7 in Bootcamp the GPU stays on all the time, essentially sucking down battery like a fiend. The 2009 MBP also had issues – the screen was too bright and the keyboard backlight was always on – but otherwise there wasn’t much of a problem. → Read More
Just got this from a reader named Oswald in Katy, Texas. Apparently, Coke uses Windows in their vending machines. Oops! → Read More
Whereas Sharp decided to cautiously embrace Android, Toshiba still seems to be firmly in the Windows camp. After releasing the “iPhone killer TG01” on WinMo 6.5 last year, the company announced another Windows Mobile-based cell phone in Japan today (Toshiba is one of Microsoft’s official “Mobile Partners”, after all). → Read More
I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes me a Mac guy as opposed to a PC guy and it seems that the Register may have hit on some very good points. Tim Anderson, the Register writer, notes that Microsoft has lost its edge when it comes to industrial design and even in during its recent MIX conference, where it was supposed to be all about design and sex, they dropped more science than art. Once upon a time abstraction mattered. Now, in an era where most programmers wouldn’t touch machine code with a 10-foot pole and most users have never seen a command line, the science has to be hidden. The thing I hear the most from anti-Apple folks is that Windows is “open.” By open, I assume they mean that you can tweak it and install anything you want on it and if you need to you can get into DOS. The fallacies of that argument aside, it’s a fairly interesting window on Windows: geeks like Windows because it gives them freedom… until they try Linux. → Read More
Attention citizens! Your benevolent overlords have released three new entries in the LifeCam series. Now all of your long-distance correspondences can be in glorious 720p. Unfortunately, none of them are nearly as cool as the camera on the left. → Read More
So here’s a deal, but it’s a bit odd. The Toshiba R600 is advertised as being Toshiba’s ultimate notebook, and for the price it better be. You can buy it from Toshiba’s website for $2,099 for the base model which includes a 160GB hard drive, 3GB of RAM, and a 12.1″ screen, and comes standard with Windows 7. But that’s not the deal. → Read More
Last August, we wrote about Y Combinator’s latest idea: RFS, or, Requests for Startups. Basically, this allows the incubator to lead entrepreneurs in a certain direction based on trends they think will be hot. Y Combinator then selects the best ideas based around these guidelines to fund. The latest RFS (number 6), throws down a gauntlet, of sorts.
“We think the iPad is meant to be a Windows killer.” → Read More
