Windows

According to CNET News reporter Ina Fried, Microsoft might release Windows 7 in 2009, although the company's representatives still won't say whether that rumor is true.

In conjunction with that report, Fried also said that Microsoft is putting the "finishing touches on a program to offer Vista buyers a free or low-cost update to Windows 7. That program could kick off as early as July, sources said."

TechArp published what it says are Microsoft's latest plans for its Windows 7 upgrade. The publication says that anyone who purchases Vista between July 1, 2009, and January 31, 2010, will be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 7. Windows Vista Home Premium users will receive Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows Vista Business users will get Windows 7 Professional, and Windows Vista Ultimate users will receive Windows 7 Ultimate.

TechArp's findings are interesting, but they don't answer a key question: how will Microsoft treat all those Vista users who purchase its operating system prior to July 1, 2009? Ostensibly, they will be forced to pay an upgrade fee, which if it's anything like Vista's upgrade costs, could be as little as $99.95 or as much as $219.95.

That's expensive. This time around, Microsoft should set a flat fee of $50 for a Windows 7 upgrade.… Read more

A new build version of the Windows 7 beta has been available on several torrent sites as Microsoft ended the distribution of an earlier version, according to a report.

Computerworld noticed that Windows 7 Build 7022 has been available on sites like The Pirate Bay for download this week, the last days in which Windows users were able to download the beta before Microsoft pulled the plug Thursday. Several versions are still there as of this writing, which includes a Release Candidate version of Internet Explorer 8 for Windows 7 that was missing from the original beta release, and XTreview.com … Read more

If your family and friends live in another area code or country, talking to them using Skype is a no brainer. The latest Windows version, Skype 4.0, adds some useful audio and video enhancements that should dramatically improve call quality, especially for those of you plagued by a dial-up connection or low bandwidth. Yet staunch fans of the free VoIP application have been disappointed by some of Skype's other changes, with good reason. Watch this First Look video to see why.

We debate the proper pronunciation of WebOS from Palm. Does it rhyme with Huevos? In any case, Palm has killed the old Palm OS, so may it rest in peace. We also analyze the state of the TV industry. LCD shipments are down, so everybody's getting out of the plasma business? I guess that's why I'm not CEO of an electronics company.

Buzz Out Loud chat auction to benefit Kiva http://www.humanety.com/

MS to offer free Windows 7 upgrade to Vista users http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/02/11/238222 … Read more

Garmin-Asus is wasting no time on creating some pre-Mobile World Congress buzz. Last week, the companies announced their strategic alliance to collaborate on an entire line of Nuvifone GPS-enabled smartphones and revealed that it would debut a new Nuvifone model at GSMA 2009. We thought we'd hear about it on the opening day of the show, but on Thursday, Garmin-Asus took the wraps off the Nuvifone M20 and revealed full specs for the Nuvifone G60 (aka the original Garmin Nuvifone.

The Nuvifone M20 will run Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition with full e-mail support, document viewing, and Opera's HTML Web browser. The triband GSM (850/1800/1900)/dual-band 3.5G (HSDPA 850/1900) handset will also have integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Of course, navigation is a top priority and the Nuvifone M20 will come preloaded with maps and points of interest and will offer turn-by-turn voice-guided directions and automatic recalculation. To enter a destination, you can manually enter an address, search for a POI, or use an address from your phone's contact list.

… Read more

Skyfire (coverage), the plucky mobile browser that could, inches closer to a full-version release on Thursday with version 0.9 beta for Symbian and Windows Mobile phones. Despite some rocky loading issues with our preview version, Skyfire's significant additions to its feature set leave much to be admired.

Many of the changes are technical, such as support for all screen resolutions on Windows Mobile phones and a Symbian client that has lost over 50 percent of its kilobyte bulk. Many more developments pack on greater browsing power, like the capability to download some MP3s and videos.

A few features … Read more

Microsoft is moving forward with plans to launch Windows 7 this year, although the company still refuses to publicly commit to that goal.

PC industry sources in Asia and the U.S. tell CNET News that they have heard things are on track to launch by this year's holiday shopping season, which has been Microsoft's internal target for some time.

Microsoft is also putting the finishing touches on a program to offer Vista buyers a free or low-cost update to Windows 7. That program could kick off as early as July, sources said.

The company has run such &… Read more

Shortly after I bought a MacBook, I posted an (unpopular) article in which I vented about learning and using the new platform. I'd been a Windows guy for 20 years, and although I knew a transition to OS X would require effort, I didn't expect it to be quite so frustrating.

But I have since found a way forward with the machine. Rather than trying to jam it into my well-established workflow and have it replace my Windows laptop, I'm now trying to use it alongside my PC. It's also the only computer I travel with. And with a few tricks, I've found it to be a positive and productive experience.

Side by side on my computer keyboard (oh Lord...) At work, I like using the MacBook for instant messaging, Twitter, Skype, for researching and browsing, and for anything involving video. My old ThinkPad is slow, and offloading these apps from it during the day is a small help. I still use my PC for e-mail, since there's as yet no reasonable replacement for Outlook if you work at a company that runs Exchange servers, and for writing and taking notes, since my fingers know their way around a PC keyboard.

Although I'm using two computers, I use only one primary keyboard. Thanks to the old open-source app Synergy (and the Mac version called SyngergyKM), I can control the Mac from the keyboard that's connected to my ThinkPad. I have my MacBook on a stand to the right of my Thinkpad's external monitor (recommended: the Rain Design mStand), and when I drag the mouse off the right edge of the Windows screen, it appears on the MacBook. The keyboard then controls the Mac as well. Even better, copy and paste works between the machines (although, awkwardly, the keystrokes for copy and paste are different on a PC and Mac--I'm still learning to adapt to that). … Read more

My previous post on free alternatives to Windows' built-in utilities confused the Windows Firewall with Windows Defender, which protects against viruses. (My thanks to the folks who pointed out the error.)

The fact is, I stopped paying attention to both programs a long time ago. First, I decided security is too important to leave up to Microsoft. Second, I can do without the hassle of managing separate applications for various security tasks. To me, the time I recover repays the cost of a security suite many times over.

So what's wrong with the Windows Firewall? It doesn't monitor … Read more