After months of waiting, India has finally gotten its first Windows Phone 7 release – and there are two of them! The HTC India website has showcased the HD7 and the 7 Mozart, smartphones running the Microsoft smartphone OS. The phones mobilepack in plenty of features like a 1GHz processor, 720p video recording and an internal GPS antenna along with the standard WP7 features like Zune and XBOX Live integration.
The HD7 sports a 4.3-inch multi-touch display at a 480x800 (WVGA) resolution. Its connectivity options include GPRS, EDGE, 3G and Wi-Fi along with Bluetooth 2.1, a standard micro-USB interconnector and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It has 16GB of internal storage and 576MB RAM, a 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash and 720p HD video recording.
The HTC 7 Mozart is nearly identicalto the HD7, apart from the following specs. The internal storage and screen size are a reduced 8GB and 3.7-inches respectively, but it sports an improved 8 megapixel camera with auto-focus and Xenon flash and supports 720p HD video recording as well.
We’re glad we’re finally getting to see some Windows Phones 7, and we can’t wait to get our hands on these two babies. Fore more information, check out the official HD7 and the Mozart pages.
We’re glad we’re finally getting to see some Windows Phones 7, and we can’t wait to get our hands on these two babies. Fore more information, check out the official HD7 and the Mozart pages.
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Sony’s α NEX-5 and NEX-3 interchangeable lens digital camera captures photo enthusiasts with DSLR quality image. The company has now announced the launch of its next-generation Microsoft Windows 7 compatible Blu-ray disc rewritable drives across India.
Besides offering impeccable image recording and playback quality, the BD-5300S and BDX-S500U claim to be an ideal option to store vital data and back-ups. These offerings manage personal movie, photo and movie collection. In addition, the newest solutions store essential data and frees up space on the hard disk.These devices support downward compatibility, thereby enabling owners to continue using their existing CDs and DVDs. The internalBlu-ray writer BD-5300S comes in bulk packaging while the external Blu-ray writer BDX-S500U comes in retail packaging.
The internal Blu-ray writer uses standard 5.25-inch form factor and SATA interface. The BD-5300S write single BD-R media at about 12X and dual layer BD-R media at around 8X speeds, recording a full 25GB disc in about 10 minutes. In addition to all this, these new writers burn DVD+/-R at up to 16x, DVD+/- DL at up to 8x, DVD+RW at 8x, DVD-RW at 6x, DVD-RAM at 12x and CD-R/RW at up to 48x.
The Internal BD-5300S is tagged at Rs. 11,000 and external BDX-S500U at Rs. 18,500. These drives can be snapped up through Rashi Peripherals.
The internal Blu-ray writer uses standard 5.25-inch form factor and SATA interface. The BD-5300S write single BD-R media at about 12X and dual layer BD-R media at around 8X speeds, recording a full 25GB disc in about 10 minutes. In addition to all this, these new writers burn DVD+/-R at up to 16x, DVD+/- DL at up to 8x, DVD+RW at 8x, DVD-RW at 6x, DVD-RAM at 12x and CD-R/RW at up to 48x.
The Internal BD-5300S is tagged at Rs. 11,000 and external BDX-S500U at Rs. 18,500. These drives can be snapped up through Rashi Peripherals.
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Be it perusing books, browsing Internet, pleasing ears with music, or glancing over favorite photo albums, E Fun indeed helped many enliven their imagination. The company is back again with its new Next3 8.4-inch Android-powered tablet enclosed in a sleek, lightweight chassis.
Designed to revamp the whole fun encounter, the stylish Next3 can be an entertaining companion for consumers seeking entertainment while on the wheels. Featuring Wi-Fi capability, the device enables users to surf the web, receive and answer e-mails, watch YouTube videos, listen to Internet music providers, and get real-time weather reports.
“Our first Android tablet, the Next2, exceeded all expectations, selling out on HSN in less than a week in November,” shared Jason Liszewski, Managing Director and VP of Sales for E Fun. “Our new Next3 tablet continues our objective to provide easy-to-use lifestyle products filled with fun and functionality. With its large touch-screen color display, Borders eBook Store app, and multimedia capability, the Next3 delivers on all counts.”
Hanging directions to pages and settling upon applications gets easier with the tablet’s touchscreen feature. Powered by Google’s Android operating system, the feature-rich Next3 also boasts of a large 8.4-inch TFT color display, built-in speakers, 2 gigabyte flash memory coupled with an SD card slot for additional banking, and an MP3/photo viewer.
Under utilities, features like calculator, clock and alarm have been planked in. For added fun, third-party applications are procurable. Apart from all this, the device cozily hugs a layer of protection in the form of an exquisite, removable case featuring magnetic closure. Users can also purchase and download their favorite titles by taking advantage of the Borders eBook store, which comes preloaded on every unit.
Further, users are offered the power to choose from more than one million titles, including new releases and the latest bestsellers as well as biography, fiction and romance. Compatible with Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7, Linux and Mac OS, it pops up with accessories that subsume an AC adapter, USB cable and protective pouch.
The new E Fun Next3 tablet carries a price tag of $229.99 (approx Rs. 10,442).
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Windows vs. Chrome OS, so it begins, or at least it’s about to. At the end of the past week, Google started sending out invitations to a Chrome team
event on December 7th, 2010, in San Francisco.
The promise from the Mountain View-based search giant is that some exciting news about Chrome will be made public. No other details were offered, but the general consensus among various third-party sources seems to be that the event is related to Chrome OS.
Google’s open source Linux-based operating system has been cooking for some time now, and the company now seems closer than ever to place a foothold in Windows territory.
Speculation indicates that Google might ready a Beta preview of Chrome OS which would ship on a netbook offered to developers.However, this is not the actual general availability deadline of Chrome OS, which was postponed to 2011, with Google refusing to detail the reasons of the delay. Chrome OS was initially planned for availability by the end of 2010.
And Windows is about to get a new rival. Windows 7 at least, since, despite still being present on the market, Windows XP and Windows Vista are largely irrelevant in terms of new sales.
Just a few years ago, Google was launching the Chrome browser, and now the company is extremely close to the 10% mark of the market.
Granted the OS market is not as crowded as the browser one, and Windows is in a far more dominant position than Internet Explorer was when Google’s browser shipped, but if the success of Chrome is any indication, Microsoft needs to brace for impact.
Chrome OS comes with a new approach to the classic operating system model. There’s very little local storage, and there are no application programming interfaces (APIs) to support applications running locally.
Instead, Chrome OS is built for the Cloud, and is browser-centric, with the Chrome browser at the core. The user data, settings, content, applications sit in Google’s servers rather than being stored locally.
Meanwhile, Windows 7 still has the same Cloud connections as its predecessors, largely related to the Windows Live Essentials suite.
Microsoft does have the chance to push Windows 8 into the Cloud, linking it with Windows Azure, but there’s no telling whether the Redmond company will actually do it, or wait for the next version of Windows, after Windows 7’s successor.
Meanwhile, Google is extremely close to have the operating system rendered all but useless, and shift the focus entirely to the web.
Estimates indicate that Chrome OS will be available on netbooks in early 2011, but a release date has yet to be disclosed.
What’s interesting is that Chrome OS was created in a time when netbooks were extremely hot, which is no longer the case.
Consumers seem to prefer tablets / slates to netbooks more and more, especially for media consumption scenarios, and in this regard, Chrome OS might just have betted on a losing horse, at least in the long run.
And the operating system cannot simply be transitioned to tablets, since it’s not sufficiently touch-centric, but tailored to machines with keyboards instead.
Windows 7 dominates the netbook market for the time being, although it will take a while before slates sporting the OS will gain traction, and not until 2011 at the latest, even according to Microsoft estimates.
As far as netbooks are concerned, the Redmond company has won the OS war with Linux, and it did it with XP, before Windows 7 was launched.
Now Chrome OS comes to challenge Windows’ dominance, the shadow of Linux is still in the background, and it’s time for Microsoft to take on a new rival.
event on December 7th, 2010, in San Francisco.The promise from the Mountain View-based search giant is that some exciting news about Chrome will be made public. No other details were offered, but the general consensus among various third-party sources seems to be that the event is related to Chrome OS.
Google’s open source Linux-based operating system has been cooking for some time now, and the company now seems closer than ever to place a foothold in Windows territory.
Speculation indicates that Google might ready a Beta preview of Chrome OS which would ship on a netbook offered to developers.However, this is not the actual general availability deadline of Chrome OS, which was postponed to 2011, with Google refusing to detail the reasons of the delay. Chrome OS was initially planned for availability by the end of 2010.
And Windows is about to get a new rival. Windows 7 at least, since, despite still being present on the market, Windows XP and Windows Vista are largely irrelevant in terms of new sales.
Just a few years ago, Google was launching the Chrome browser, and now the company is extremely close to the 10% mark of the market.
Granted the OS market is not as crowded as the browser one, and Windows is in a far more dominant position than Internet Explorer was when Google’s browser shipped, but if the success of Chrome is any indication, Microsoft needs to brace for impact.
Chrome OS comes with a new approach to the classic operating system model. There’s very little local storage, and there are no application programming interfaces (APIs) to support applications running locally.
Instead, Chrome OS is built for the Cloud, and is browser-centric, with the Chrome browser at the core. The user data, settings, content, applications sit in Google’s servers rather than being stored locally.
Meanwhile, Windows 7 still has the same Cloud connections as its predecessors, largely related to the Windows Live Essentials suite.
Microsoft does have the chance to push Windows 8 into the Cloud, linking it with Windows Azure, but there’s no telling whether the Redmond company will actually do it, or wait for the next version of Windows, after Windows 7’s successor.
Meanwhile, Google is extremely close to have the operating system rendered all but useless, and shift the focus entirely to the web.
Estimates indicate that Chrome OS will be available on netbooks in early 2011, but a release date has yet to be disclosed.
What’s interesting is that Chrome OS was created in a time when netbooks were extremely hot, which is no longer the case.
Consumers seem to prefer tablets / slates to netbooks more and more, especially for media consumption scenarios, and in this regard, Chrome OS might just have betted on a losing horse, at least in the long run.
And the operating system cannot simply be transitioned to tablets, since it’s not sufficiently touch-centric, but tailored to machines with keyboards instead.
Windows 7 dominates the netbook market for the time being, although it will take a while before slates sporting the OS will gain traction, and not until 2011 at the latest, even according to Microsoft estimates.
As far as netbooks are concerned, the Redmond company has won the OS war with Linux, and it did it with XP, before Windows 7 was launched.
Now Chrome OS comes to challenge Windows’ dominance, the shadow of Linux is still in the background, and it’s time for Microsoft to take on a new rival.
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Windows 7 GodMode has gotten its fair share of time in the limelight, albeit the actual trick is in the GodMode label, rather than the action performed on the latest iteration of the Windows 7 client. The actual trick is rather simple, users need only create a New Folder on the Windows 7 desktop and name it GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}. The GodMode moniker can be replaced by any piece of text users desire, but the {Extension CLSID} is essential to the function that the resulting desktop item will get to perform. The GodMode in Windows 7 is nothing more than the All Tasks folder which centralizes a list with all Control Panel items. Another interesting point is that not only will the GodMode trick work in Windows 7 and Windows Vista, but also in the next iteration of the OS, Windows 8.
“Please be assured that there are no security implications with this so called “trick”. It’s simply a documented feature of the Windows shell whereby file system folders can be easily made into namespace junctions or Control Panel items. The item in question is actually the All Tasks folder which simply provides a comprehensive list of possible Windows settings,” revealed Patrick Rogers, Microsoft account technology specialist. “Beginning in Windows Vista, each ControlPanel item was given a canonical name for use in programmatically launching that item to make it easier for developers to access core functionality in Windows. When you create a folder and give it the canonical name, the icon is transformed into the Control Panel item for the named task.”
Following initial reports of Windows 7 GodMode, Steven Sinofsky, president, Windows and Windows Live Division, made public additional Windows 7 Control Panel Canonical Names. Users will be able to find the list provided by Sinofsky via this link. Just as it was the case for GodMode, the additional Control Panel Canonical Names point to various settings in the operating system. Rogers even managed to point to the complete list of Control Panel Canonical Names. What is interesting is that some of the Control Panel Canonical Names items will only work in “Windows 7 and later,” indicating that the same settings will be preserved in Windows 8.
“These canonical names are well documented on MSDN for Windows Vista and Windows 7 so feel free to have fun creating control panels all over your file system. There is no real magic here, but rather, a way for Developers to access the settings in Windows in an easy, centralized way,” Rogers added. “For the rest of us… it’s just kind of cool to have an icon that gives you searchable access to every possible setting and have people ask about that nefarious “God Mode” icon on your desktop!”
Here are a few selections from the Canonical Names of Control Panel Items list:
- Action Center Microsoft.ActionCenter (Windows 7 and later only) {BB64F8A7-BEE7-4E1A-AB8D-7D8273F7FDB6}
- Backup and Restore Microsoft.BackupAndRestore (Windows 7 and later only) {B98A2BEA-7D42-4558-8BD1-832F41BAC6FD}
- Biometric Devices Microsoft.BiometricDevices (Windows 7 and later only) {0142e4d0-fb7a-11dc-ba4a-000ffe7ab428}
- Credential Manager Microsoft.CredentialManager (Windows 7 and later only) {1206F5F1-0569-412C-8FEC-3204630DFB70}
- Default Location Microsoft.DefaultLocation (Windows 7 and later only) {00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33}
- Desktop Gadgets Microsoft.DesktopGadgets (Windows 7 and later only) {37efd44d-ef8d-41b1-940d-96973a50e9e0}
- Devices and Printers Microsoft.DevicesAndPrinters (Windows 7 and later only) {A8A91A66-3A7D-4424-8D24-04E180695C7A}
- Display Microsoft.Display (Windows 7 and later only) {C555438B-3C23-4769-A71F-B6D3D9B6053A}
- Getting Started Microsoft.GettingStarted (Windows 7 and later only) {CB1B7F8C-C50A-4176-B604-9E24DEE8D4D1}
- HomeGroup Microsoft.HomeGroup (Windows 7 and later only) {67CA7650-96E6-4FDD-BB43-A8E774F73A57}
- Infrared Microsoft.Infrared (Windows 7 and later only) {A0275511-0E86-4ECA-97C2-ECD8F1221D08}
- Location and Other Sensors Microsoft.LocationAndOtherSensors (Windows 7 and later only) {E9950154-C418-419e-A90A-20C5287AE24B}
- Notification Area Icons Microsoft.NotificationAreaIcons (Windows 7 and later only) {05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}
- Pen and Touch Microsoft.PenAndTouch (Windows 7 and later only) {F82DF8F7-8B9F-442E-A48C-818EA735FF9B}
- Phone and Modem Microsoft.PhoneAndModem (Windows 7 and later only) {40419485-C444-4567-851A-2DD7BFA1684D}
- Recovery Microsoft.Recovery (Windows 7 and later only) {9FE63AFD-59CF-4419-9775-ABCC3849F861}
- Region and Language Microsoft.RegionAndLanguage (Windows 7 and later only) {62D8ED13-C9D0-4CE8-A914-47DD628FB1B0}
- RemoteApp and Desktop Connections Microsoft.RemoteAppAndDesktopConnections (Windows 7 and later only) {241D7C96-F8BF-4F85-B01F-E2B043341A4B}
- Sound Microsoft.Sound (Windows 7 and later only) {F2DDFC82-8F12-4CDD-B7DC-D4FE1425AA4D}
- Speech Recognition Microsoft.SpeechRecognition (Windows 7 and later only) {58E3C745-D971-4081-9034-86E34B30836A}
- Troubleshooting Microsoft.Troubleshooting (Windows 7 and later only) {C58C4893-3BE0-4B45-ABB5-A63E4B8C8651}
“Please be assured that there are no security implications with this so called “trick”. It’s simply a documented feature of the Windows shell whereby file system folders can be easily made into namespace junctions or Control Panel items. The item in question is actually the All Tasks folder which simply provides a comprehensive list of possible Windows settings,” revealed Patrick Rogers, Microsoft account technology specialist. “Beginning in Windows Vista, each ControlPanel item was given a canonical name for use in programmatically launching that item to make it easier for developers to access core functionality in Windows. When you create a folder and give it the canonical name, the icon is transformed into the Control Panel item for the named task.”
Following initial reports of Windows 7 GodMode, Steven Sinofsky, president, Windows and Windows Live Division, made public additional Windows 7 Control Panel Canonical Names. Users will be able to find the list provided by Sinofsky via this link. Just as it was the case for GodMode, the additional Control Panel Canonical Names point to various settings in the operating system. Rogers even managed to point to the complete list of Control Panel Canonical Names. What is interesting is that some of the Control Panel Canonical Names items will only work in “Windows 7 and later,” indicating that the same settings will be preserved in Windows 8.
“These canonical names are well documented on MSDN for Windows Vista and Windows 7 so feel free to have fun creating control panels all over your file system. There is no real magic here, but rather, a way for Developers to access the settings in Windows in an easy, centralized way,” Rogers added. “For the rest of us… it’s just kind of cool to have an icon that gives you searchable access to every possible setting and have people ask about that nefarious “God Mode” icon on your desktop!”
Here are a few selections from the Canonical Names of Control Panel Items list:
- Action Center Microsoft.ActionCenter (Windows 7 and later only) {BB64F8A7-BEE7-4E1A-AB8D-7D8273F7FDB6}
- Backup and Restore Microsoft.BackupAndRestore (Windows 7 and later only) {B98A2BEA-7D42-4558-8BD1-832F41BAC6FD}
- Biometric Devices Microsoft.BiometricDevices (Windows 7 and later only) {0142e4d0-fb7a-11dc-ba4a-000ffe7ab428}
- Credential Manager Microsoft.CredentialManager (Windows 7 and later only) {1206F5F1-0569-412C-8FEC-3204630DFB70}
- Default Location Microsoft.DefaultLocation (Windows 7 and later only) {00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33}
- Desktop Gadgets Microsoft.DesktopGadgets (Windows 7 and later only) {37efd44d-ef8d-41b1-940d-96973a50e9e0}
- Devices and Printers Microsoft.DevicesAndPrinters (Windows 7 and later only) {A8A91A66-3A7D-4424-8D24-04E180695C7A}
- Display Microsoft.Display (Windows 7 and later only) {C555438B-3C23-4769-A71F-B6D3D9B6053A}
- Getting Started Microsoft.GettingStarted (Windows 7 and later only) {CB1B7F8C-C50A-4176-B604-9E24DEE8D4D1}
- HomeGroup Microsoft.HomeGroup (Windows 7 and later only) {67CA7650-96E6-4FDD-BB43-A8E774F73A57}
- Infrared Microsoft.Infrared (Windows 7 and later only) {A0275511-0E86-4ECA-97C2-ECD8F1221D08}
- Location and Other Sensors Microsoft.LocationAndOtherSensors (Windows 7 and later only) {E9950154-C418-419e-A90A-20C5287AE24B}
- Notification Area Icons Microsoft.NotificationAreaIcons (Windows 7 and later only) {05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}
- Pen and Touch Microsoft.PenAndTouch (Windows 7 and later only) {F82DF8F7-8B9F-442E-A48C-818EA735FF9B}
- Phone and Modem Microsoft.PhoneAndModem (Windows 7 and later only) {40419485-C444-4567-851A-2DD7BFA1684D}
- Recovery Microsoft.Recovery (Windows 7 and later only) {9FE63AFD-59CF-4419-9775-ABCC3849F861}
- Region and Language Microsoft.RegionAndLanguage (Windows 7 and later only) {62D8ED13-C9D0-4CE8-A914-47DD628FB1B0}
- RemoteApp and Desktop Connections Microsoft.RemoteAppAndDesktopConnections (Windows 7 and later only) {241D7C96-F8BF-4F85-B01F-E2B043341A4B}
- Sound Microsoft.Sound (Windows 7 and later only) {F2DDFC82-8F12-4CDD-B7DC-D4FE1425AA4D}
- Speech Recognition Microsoft.SpeechRecognition (Windows 7 and later only) {58E3C745-D971-4081-9034-86E34B30836A}
- Troubleshooting Microsoft.Troubleshooting (Windows 7 and later only) {C58C4893-3BE0-4B45-ABB5-A63E4B8C8651}
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Looking for content to personalize your copy of Windows 7? One of the best places to start is the Windows Personalization Gallery hosted on Microsoft.com. The Redmond company is collaborating with a range of partners in order to offer end users running the latest version of the Windows 7 client a great selection of free content designed to let them tailor the desktop in accordance with their preferences.
One of the best things about the Windows Personalization Gallery for Windows 7 RTM is the fact that Microsoft continues to update the website with new content, all made available as free downloads for end users.
Since the general availability of Windows Vista’s successor on October 22nd, 2009, Microsoft has also introduced a small redesign to the gallery. In this sense, users already familiar with the personalization destination for Windows 7 might have already noticed a new category for themes. At the very top of the list featured on the site are four new themes, appropriately placed in the New Themes area.
Now, Twinkle Wish might have already worn off its new theme smell, since you have been able to read about it and download it for quite some time. However, there are an additional three fresh items that have been added to the Windows Personalization Gallery after Twinkle Wish, namely Cats Anytime, Dogs in Winter and Summit on the Summit.
Of course, there is a consistent number of themes on the Windows Personalization Gallery that users can grab at no charge at all and modify their Windows 7 desktops accordingly. At the same time, via a project ran by Microsoft Advertising, the giant is offering companies around the opportunity to advertise their brands on Windows 7 desktops everywhere. Some companies have already jumped at the chance, including Coca Cola, Pepsi, Ducati, Ferrari, etc.
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Microsoft has made available the Release Candidate (RC) of Windows 7. Also available is a beta of Windows XP Mode, a compatibility tool to help users migrating from XP to Windows 7. The code will be generally available on 5 May from Microsoft's Windows site.The RC code introduces a number of changes from the earlier beta release, many of these are under the hood and will not be noticeable to users. Many of the changes are based on customer feedback to the beta release, improving features such as Jump Lists and the multi-touch user interface.
"We've changed everything from major through to minor, but it won't look a lot different," said John Curran, Windows BusinessGroup lead at Microsoft UK.
Windows XP Mode, disclosed earlier this week, will enable consumers and small business customers to run any software not compatible with Windows 7. It is available only for the Professional and Ultimate editions of Windows 7.
XP Mode is based on a forthcoming version of Virtual PC for Windows 7, but has been customized to hide the fact that applications are running in a virtual machine. Sourced from vnunet.com.
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It seems that Microsoft is really in a tearing hurry, to put the specter of Vista very quickly behind it. Windows 7 that was only recently announced, has already been displayed to developers and is now all set to enter a beta by sometime in January. This fact has been confirmed in this blog,by Microsoft’s Keith Combs. It seems that copies of the new OS will be available, to people who attend the Microsoft developer conference, that will take place in January, in Chicago and Minneapolis.This marks probably the fastest turn-around time for a new OS, by Microsoft. Keeping in mind just how long Windows Vista was in development and how badly it has been panned by consumers, Microsoft is now just focusing on taking Vista, polishing it up with improved UI features and performance related tweaks and just introducing it as a new OS called Windows 7.
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Although Microsoft showcased a much more feature-complete variant of Windows 7 pre-Beta Build 6801 Milestone 3 at the professional Developers Conference 2008 and Windows hardware Engineering Conference 2008 in Los Angeles the past couple of weeks, the bits that made it out of Redmond contained a variety of locked features across the operating system. In all fairness, the software developers and hardware manufacturers participating at PDC 2008, respectively WinHEC 2008, have little use for details of Windows 7 which are mainlyconnected with the user experience, graphical user interface and interaction model. However, those features are indeed included in Windows 7 pre-Beta Build 6801, albeit unfinished, and a hack is now available to unlock them.
Windows' Rafael Rivera put together the Blue Badge tool to deliver a workaround the protections set in place in Windows 7. The hack is designed to unearth all the hidden Windows 7 features that have been identified so far. The workaround supersedes the initial tool limited to unlocking only the Windows 7 new Taskbar, dubbed the Superbar within Microsoft.Following the implementation of Blue Badge, users of Windows 7 pre-Beta Build 6801, which following its limited official launch was leaked and made available for download via torrent websites worldwide, users will have access to the new Taskbar, as well as Aero Shake gestures, panning, and the Desktop Slideshow.
As a general development rule, Microsoft integrates the graphical user interface evolution last in a new iteration of the Windows client. And with features like the new Taskbar still in development, the company's move to lock them is understandable. Microsoft did promise that the first, an apparently only Windows 7 Beta due in early 2009, would be feature complete. In this context, users will not have to wait too long before getting a full taste of Windows 7.
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Today at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) 2008, Microsoft Corp. showcased new innovations in Windows 7 that make it easier for hardware partners to create new experiences for Windows PC customers. Windows senior vice presidents Steven Sinofsky and Jon DeVaan encouraged hardware partners to start testing their current products and building new products on the application programming interface (API) complete pre-beta that was distributed to WinHEC attendees. Microsoft also provided a pre-beta release of Windows Server 2008 R2 to attendees.
“We’ve done a great deal of work in Windows 7 to enable new scenarios with our hardware partners, and we are excited by the partner innovation we have shown today,” said DeVaan, senior vice president of the Windows Core Operating System Division at Microsoft. “Windows 7 presents tremendous opportunities for hardware developers. This innovation will enable our hardware partners to provide customers with even greater choice in rich computing experiences.”
Opportunities for Hardware Vendors With Windows 7
Microsoft demonstrated new features in Windows 7 that optimize how customers interact with Windows PCs, manage devices, access broadband and engage with wireless experiences, providing new opportunities for partners to improve their customers’ experience.The following features in particular were highlighted:
* Devices and Printers. To make it easier for customers to interact with all the devices on their Windows PC, Microsoft has created a new feature in Windows 7 called Devices and Printers. Devices and Printers provides a single place for customers to interact with devices, browse files or manage settings. Devices can be connected to the PC using USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, with simple wizards that simply the setup process.
* Device Stage. Device Stage enables hardware manufactures to create an even richer user experience, especially for more specialized devices such as cell phones, multifunction printers and digital cameras. Device Stage is designed to help Windows 7 customers take advantage of advanced features for devices. For mobile phones, portable media players, cameras and printers connected to a Windows 7 PC, Device Stage provides information on the device status and runs common tasks in a single window customized by the device manufacturer.
* Mobile broadband. Windows 7 delivers a simpler and more reliable way to connect to the Internet using wireless modems. The process is similar to connecting to any other wireless network, and is done using the View Available Networks feature. A consistent experience for customers and a common infrastructure for partners enables lower support, maintenance, deployment and management costs, and allows partners to focus on higher-value services rather than basic connectivity development.
* Windows Touch. Controlling the computer by touching the screen is a core part of the Windows 7 experience, with visual feedback provided for tap and double-tap gestures. The Start menu, Windows Taskbar and Windows Explorer are touch-ready. Windows 7 also introduces support for multitouch technology, which enables customers to control what happens on the screen in new ways by zooming in, zooming out and rotating images with their fingers.
Windows 7 reflects an evolved approach to engineering that weaves partner feedback more closely to the development process, and enables the delivery of innovative new features while preserving compatibility and performance.
“We’re helping protect partner investments in Windows Vista as we build Windows 7,” DeVaan said. “Our goal is to maintain very high compatibility with products designed for Windows Vista.”
Device-Makers Laud Microsoft’s Early Partnership Efforts
Microsoft also announced early industry support for Device Stage from partners including Brother, Epson, HP, Motorola, Nikon, Sansa, Canon and Sony.
As part of the keynote, Microsoft demonstrated Canon’s SD990 digital camera and a Nokia N95 smartphone to show how Device Stage makes it easier for people to use multifunction devices and makes it easier for hardware companies to package custom applications and services as part of the user experience.
Early-partner adoption of Windows 7 and Device Stage illustrates the larger industry opportunity for device manufacturers to increase customer satisfaction by providing customized device information that can be updated at any time. It also provides a platform for device manufacturers to offer customers built-in support for common features and direct access to services such as ring tones, ink cartridges and photo printing. The investments being made in Windows 7 not only help customers get the most from their devices, but also create new opportunities for partners.
“Canon and Microsoft share a history of working together, responding to customer needs through each company’s outstanding technologies and products,” said Yoshiyuki Suzuki, senior general manager of the Office Imaging Products Planning Center at Canon. “We look forward to further developing our relationship with Microsoft as we lay the groundwork for high-performance Windows 7-compatible Canon products.”
“We have been working closely with Microsoft to help ensure compatibility and seamless connectivity between our leading smartphone software S60 on Symbian OS and Windows 7,” said Eero Kukko, head of S60 Platform Marketing at Nokia.
“For the past year, HP has been working closely with Microsoft to ensure maximum reliability, compatibility and an enhanced user experience for our imaging and printing products with the Windows 7 operating system,” said John Crandall, director of Strategic Alliances for the HP Imaging and Printing Group.
Windows Server 2008 R2
Also at WinHEC, Microsoft will be demonstrating Windows Server 2008 R2 to attendees. Microsoft is working with original equipment manufacturers, independent software vendors and developers to help ensure that customers can make full use of the latest industry hardware advancements in 64-bit, as well as multicore and manycore processing and power management efficiencies, with Windows Server 2008 R2. Additional technology investments include virtualization, Web, power management and scalability, while delivering an enhanced experience for Windows 7 customers.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
source:Microsoft News
“We’ve done a great deal of work in Windows 7 to enable new scenarios with our hardware partners, and we are excited by the partner innovation we have shown today,” said DeVaan, senior vice president of the Windows Core Operating System Division at Microsoft. “Windows 7 presents tremendous opportunities for hardware developers. This innovation will enable our hardware partners to provide customers with even greater choice in rich computing experiences.”
Opportunities for Hardware Vendors With Windows 7
Microsoft demonstrated new features in Windows 7 that optimize how customers interact with Windows PCs, manage devices, access broadband and engage with wireless experiences, providing new opportunities for partners to improve their customers’ experience.The following features in particular were highlighted:
* Devices and Printers. To make it easier for customers to interact with all the devices on their Windows PC, Microsoft has created a new feature in Windows 7 called Devices and Printers. Devices and Printers provides a single place for customers to interact with devices, browse files or manage settings. Devices can be connected to the PC using USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, with simple wizards that simply the setup process.
* Device Stage. Device Stage enables hardware manufactures to create an even richer user experience, especially for more specialized devices such as cell phones, multifunction printers and digital cameras. Device Stage is designed to help Windows 7 customers take advantage of advanced features for devices. For mobile phones, portable media players, cameras and printers connected to a Windows 7 PC, Device Stage provides information on the device status and runs common tasks in a single window customized by the device manufacturer.
* Mobile broadband. Windows 7 delivers a simpler and more reliable way to connect to the Internet using wireless modems. The process is similar to connecting to any other wireless network, and is done using the View Available Networks feature. A consistent experience for customers and a common infrastructure for partners enables lower support, maintenance, deployment and management costs, and allows partners to focus on higher-value services rather than basic connectivity development.
* Windows Touch. Controlling the computer by touching the screen is a core part of the Windows 7 experience, with visual feedback provided for tap and double-tap gestures. The Start menu, Windows Taskbar and Windows Explorer are touch-ready. Windows 7 also introduces support for multitouch technology, which enables customers to control what happens on the screen in new ways by zooming in, zooming out and rotating images with their fingers.
Windows 7 reflects an evolved approach to engineering that weaves partner feedback more closely to the development process, and enables the delivery of innovative new features while preserving compatibility and performance.
“We’re helping protect partner investments in Windows Vista as we build Windows 7,” DeVaan said. “Our goal is to maintain very high compatibility with products designed for Windows Vista.”
Device-Makers Laud Microsoft’s Early Partnership Efforts
Microsoft also announced early industry support for Device Stage from partners including Brother, Epson, HP, Motorola, Nikon, Sansa, Canon and Sony.
As part of the keynote, Microsoft demonstrated Canon’s SD990 digital camera and a Nokia N95 smartphone to show how Device Stage makes it easier for people to use multifunction devices and makes it easier for hardware companies to package custom applications and services as part of the user experience.
Early-partner adoption of Windows 7 and Device Stage illustrates the larger industry opportunity for device manufacturers to increase customer satisfaction by providing customized device information that can be updated at any time. It also provides a platform for device manufacturers to offer customers built-in support for common features and direct access to services such as ring tones, ink cartridges and photo printing. The investments being made in Windows 7 not only help customers get the most from their devices, but also create new opportunities for partners.
“Canon and Microsoft share a history of working together, responding to customer needs through each company’s outstanding technologies and products,” said Yoshiyuki Suzuki, senior general manager of the Office Imaging Products Planning Center at Canon. “We look forward to further developing our relationship with Microsoft as we lay the groundwork for high-performance Windows 7-compatible Canon products.”
“We have been working closely with Microsoft to help ensure compatibility and seamless connectivity between our leading smartphone software S60 on Symbian OS and Windows 7,” said Eero Kukko, head of S60 Platform Marketing at Nokia.
“For the past year, HP has been working closely with Microsoft to ensure maximum reliability, compatibility and an enhanced user experience for our imaging and printing products with the Windows 7 operating system,” said John Crandall, director of Strategic Alliances for the HP Imaging and Printing Group.
Windows Server 2008 R2
Also at WinHEC, Microsoft will be demonstrating Windows Server 2008 R2 to attendees. Microsoft is working with original equipment manufacturers, independent software vendors and developers to help ensure that customers can make full use of the latest industry hardware advancements in 64-bit, as well as multicore and manycore processing and power management efficiencies, with Windows Server 2008 R2. Additional technology investments include virtualization, Web, power management and scalability, while delivering an enhanced experience for Windows 7 customers.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
source:Microsoft News
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Microsoft has released key details of the next generation of software that it hopes will run the world's computers. The software giant, whose dominance is increasingly under threat, said Windows 7 will replace the disappointing Windows Vista in January 2010.
Microsoft said the new operating system will be designed to function like a tighter version of Vista, which launched in 2006 but was widely derided as a system hog that slowed down computers with features that most users never used.
Speaking to participants at a Microsoft developers' conference in Los Angeles, Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president of Windows, said Microsoft was learning its lessons from Vista, and making sure that Windows 7 would be fully compatible with all relevant devices and applications on launch.
Among the innovations unveiled by Microsoft was a touchscreen capability that will allow users to select folders and control programs without using a mouse.Windows 7 will also feature faster bootup times, an updated task bar that includes previews of open windows, a new desktop look, and a set of features optimised for laptops. It would also make it easier to coordinate and access files over networks, and to automatically configure settings for different networks.
The new software will ditch some prominent features included in Vista, including Calendar, Windows Mail, Movie Maker, Contacts and Photo Gallery, which will now be available for free download from the Microsoft website.
Microsoft operating systems still power some 90 percent of the world's personal computers, though Vista has only racked up an 18 percent share since its launch.
Microsoft has been hit by the growing success of Apple's Mac computers and by the long-term switch of many computing functions to mobile phones and the internet.
Google has been threatening Microsoft's Office Suite, with online word processors, spreadsheets and presentation programs.
Microsoft Tuesday said it would launch free online versions of Office that would be supported by advertising. Many analysts fear that offering an online version could cannibalize Microsoft's most profitable line of products.
But Rob Helm, a senior analyst at research firm Directions on Microsoft, said that both Windows 7 and Office Online should work out well for the company.
"Both are good improvements," he said. "Windows 7 will help Microsoft overcome the weakness of Vista, while Web-based Office is a direct response to Google. Many businesses will like it because they have lots of users who don't use many of the Office features."
Microsoft said the new operating system will be designed to function like a tighter version of Vista, which launched in 2006 but was widely derided as a system hog that slowed down computers with features that most users never used.
Speaking to participants at a Microsoft developers' conference in Los Angeles, Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president of Windows, said Microsoft was learning its lessons from Vista, and making sure that Windows 7 would be fully compatible with all relevant devices and applications on launch.
Among the innovations unveiled by Microsoft was a touchscreen capability that will allow users to select folders and control programs without using a mouse.Windows 7 will also feature faster bootup times, an updated task bar that includes previews of open windows, a new desktop look, and a set of features optimised for laptops. It would also make it easier to coordinate and access files over networks, and to automatically configure settings for different networks.
The new software will ditch some prominent features included in Vista, including Calendar, Windows Mail, Movie Maker, Contacts and Photo Gallery, which will now be available for free download from the Microsoft website.
Microsoft operating systems still power some 90 percent of the world's personal computers, though Vista has only racked up an 18 percent share since its launch.
Microsoft has been hit by the growing success of Apple's Mac computers and by the long-term switch of many computing functions to mobile phones and the internet.
Google has been threatening Microsoft's Office Suite, with online word processors, spreadsheets and presentation programs.
Microsoft Tuesday said it would launch free online versions of Office that would be supported by advertising. Many analysts fear that offering an online version could cannibalize Microsoft's most profitable line of products.
But Rob Helm, a senior analyst at research firm Directions on Microsoft, said that both Windows 7 and Office Online should work out well for the company.
"Both are good improvements," he said. "Windows 7 will help Microsoft overcome the weakness of Vista, while Web-based Office is a direct response to Google. Many businesses will like it because they have lots of users who don't use many of the Office features."
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The evolution of the Windows client, involving both Windows Vista (now with Service Pack 1) and Windows 7, appears to be closer than Microsoft is ready to acknowledge officially. Of course, Windows XP, even with Service Pack 3, is the past, with the exception of customers abandoning Windows Vista by exercising their downgrade rights. Windows Vista, even with SP1, is a present that makes the future seem to not get here fast enough. And Vista SP2 along with Windows 7 and Windows Cloud (Strata) are the future. But at the same time, both Vista SP2 and Windows 7 are nothing more than the evolution of Vista, to a lesser, and respectively a larger degree.Come the end of October 2008, and the start of November, Microsoft will deliver a rather consistent taste of where it is heading with Windows, not only Windows 7, but also Windows 7 Server and Windows Strata (the label continues to be unconfirmed by the company). Events such as the Professional Developer Conference 2008, Windows Hardware Conference 2008 and TechEd EMEA will be focused on Windows 7 and Windows Cloud, although less on Windows Vista.
While at TechEd Brasil, at the start of this week, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer indicated that the company planned to unveil a range of new products by July 2009. Microsoft's CEO mentioned that, by the end of June 2009, the software giant would offer "client operating system releases." Microsoft is, of course, already cooking Windows Vista SP2 and Windows 7.Ballmer stated that "Microsoft technologies: Windows, Windows Server, .NET, Visual Studio, Silverlight, SharePoint, Office (...) over the course of the 12 month period that ends June of next year, [are] just a subset of all of the exciting new innovations Microsoft will bring to market: client operating system releases, information management tools, security, gaming products and systems. The range of new technologies in some senses is growing and growing quickly." (emphasis added)
Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2)
Microsoft released Windows Vista RTM at the end of January 2007, not counting the business launch of the operating system in November 2006. Vista SP1 was released to manufacturing on February 4, 2008 concomitantly with Windows Server 2008, but was only made available for download starting March 18. Now the Redmond company has already moved onward to Service Pack 2.
In fact Vista SP2 invites to the Beta program have already started to be sent out, according to Neowin. It is not Windows Vista SP2 that Microsoft is cooking, but also Windows Server 2008 SP2, Beta invites for which have also been sent out. Microsoft has yet to confirm anything officially, but the first Beta bits for Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 are reportedly going to testers in just four weeks.
Still, while Service Pack 1 was the catalyst that took Vista RTM out of coma, making the operating system worthy of a long forgotten and discarded Wow label, SP2 is bound to be nothing more than a standard service pack release. At best, SP2 will take Vista forward just as much as SP1.
The equation is rather simple for Microsoft. The company will end up with a repeat of the Windows XP SP2 – Windows Vista scenario in which both operating systems are available at the same time on the market, although this situation would involve Vista SP2 and Windows 7 RTM. The last thing that Microsoft needs is to evolve Vista with SP2 sufficiently enough that it will be capable to rival Windows 7. In this context, the answer is rather simple. The Redmond giant needs to keep Vista at a relative stand-still even with SP2, and focus all innovation on Windows 7.
Windows 7, or Windows 6.1, or Windows Vista R2, or Windows Vista but "a lot better"
The seventh major version of Windows, but only according to Microsoft's math, comes with no differentiation between the codename and the brand. However, Windows 7 will, for the sake of perpetuating the existing level of Vista software compatibility, be in fact Windows 6.1. At the same time, according to Ballmer, Windows 7 will be Vista, but “a lot better.” This makes Windows 7 an excellent candidate for the Windows Vista R2 label, just as Windows 7 Server is in fact Windows Server 2008 R2. Still, the early feedback on the Windows 7 moniker indicates that the management of the Windows 7 project made the right choice.
"There you have it, Windows 7 now has a name. It’s called – Windows 7,” revealed Steve Clayton, Microsoft's UK Partner Group CTO. “To be honest I was quite surprised but also pretty pleased. The naming decision as Mike Nash says is about simplicity. It’ll certainly save us from all having to unlearn the name we’ve all had for it to date. I expect this naming decision will be debated to death on all the usual sites, but me, I’m just happy we settled on a name. Now let’s get to the PDC and get the bits!"
"Win7 to officially be called . . . Win7" said Robert Hensing, Microsoft security software engineer. "I actually for once - LOVE that we are keeping the name of the OS simple and leaving it at Win7. I will admit – I was somewhat disappointed when XP's name was announced internally (internally it was known as Whistler) and I was downright horrified when we decided to call Longhorn "Vista" (my friends call it "Veesta"). Longhorn sounds cool . . . manly . . . Vista is pretty much the exact opposite in my mind . . . it sounds serene and 'pretty'."
"Steve Ballmer was at Gartner's Symposium/ITxpo conference today, talking about a number of issues. The big question was about Vista deployments and what should companies do. He answered by saying that the adoption rate for Vista, is two times that of where XP was after the same period," stated Neil Hutson, Microsoft evangelist. "Then in Jedi style, Neil MacDonald from Gartner said that 61% of respondents are thinking of skipping Vista. To that, Ballmer said that Microsoft would be ready for that outcome, but if he was the audience, he would not wait. I think that this is a good call. Vista SP1 is really stable and the big question is whether companies are going to wait for the first SP of Windows 7 before they deploy? That will leave them with a lot of very outdated machines and OS software that will take them a lot longer to replace."
Windows Cloud – To Strata or not to Strata?
At PDC2008 Microsoft plans to unveil the first Beta of Windows Cloud, which could be labeled Windows Strata, although the company has yet to confirm this aspect. Windows Strata goes beyond the Windows client and server operating systems, and is a new platform tailored to the Redmond giant's Software plus Services business model.
"We have our Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles in a couple of weeks, we're going to roll out new technologies and a new platform for this software plus services world. The new platform has a lot of work to do. First, it requires a new platform in the cloud. In the Microsoft kind of way of thinking every new major trend requires a new version of our operating system. So, we did Windows, then we did Windows Server, then we did Windows CE and Mobile. And you'll see us bring Windows technologies in a new form to the cloud," Ballmer explained.
Microsoft is essentially looking to keep up with the changes associated with the development paradigm. But what the company is doing is transition the Windows style of development to the cloud and make it available in the browser. Silverlight, .NET, Windows Presentation Foundation and Visual Studio will all contribute to enabling developers to built web-based solutions running on Microsoft's new Internet platform. In this regard, the software giant is working to ensure that services will "be available as a system construct in Windows Server, in Windows desktop and in Windows in the cloud," Ballmer stated, adding that "with this evolution to a new world of distributed computing, we Microsoft will introduce a new cloud platform, some new cloud services around Web 2.0, some advances to our development tools and development runtimes, as well as tools and technologies that really support new business models."
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Microsoft has confirmed that the successor to the Vista operating system - what we call Windows 7 now - will officially be called, well, Windows 7.
In a post on the Windows Vista Team Blog, Corporate Vice President, Windows Product Management, Mike Nash, says that the idea behind naming the OS simply Windows 7 was simplicity itself.
He goes on to say that they'd tried everything from version numbers like Windows 3.11, dates like Windows 98, or 'aspirational monikers' like Windows XP and Vista.Redoing all of that didn't quite make sense to them so keeping it simple seemed like the best option.
A pre-beta developer only release will be handed out at PDC and WinHEC.
In a post on the Windows Vista Team Blog, Corporate Vice President, Windows Product Management, Mike Nash, says that the idea behind naming the OS simply Windows 7 was simplicity itself.
He goes on to say that they'd tried everything from version numbers like Windows 3.11, dates like Windows 98, or 'aspirational monikers' like Windows XP and Vista.Redoing all of that didn't quite make sense to them so keeping it simple seemed like the best option.
A pre-beta developer only release will be handed out at PDC and WinHEC.
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Windows 7 won't be just about polish, bug fixes, and missing consumer applications. According to ZDNet blogger Mary-Jo Foley, Microsoft coders are getting their hands dirty tweaking the new operating system with parallel processing in mind. Foley sat down with Microsoft Chief Rsearch and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie to learn more, and here's what he said:
"Win32 was never designed for highly concurrent, asynchronous processing," said Mundie during a recent interview I had with him last week at the Emerging Technology Conference in Cambridge, Mass.
"Parallelism requires adjustments at every level of the stack," Mundie acknowledged. It involves "the repartioning [sic] of different tasks to different layers. . . . So look for a rebalancing of roles and runtimes. We need to formalize that in the operating system. Expect thei [sic] first pieces in the next generation of Windows."Mundie went on to cite Windows' user-mode rescheduling model as an example, saying Microsoft has "introduced a new trial model as part of its Robotics Development Kit runtime." The robotics toolkit includes "new concurrency and coordination (CCR) and decentralized software services (DSS) runtimes that are optimized for distributed/multicore computing," Foley points out.
Microsoft should shed a little more light on Windows 7's parallelism enhancements soon. The official Professional Developers Conference website says Microsoft executives will go over the "key architectural changes Microsoft is making to Windows to enable the efficient execution of parallel software" at the event in October. The changes could help Windows 7 better cope with systems that have eight or more CPU cores.
"Win32 was never designed for highly concurrent, asynchronous processing," said Mundie during a recent interview I had with him last week at the Emerging Technology Conference in Cambridge, Mass.
"Parallelism requires adjustments at every level of the stack," Mundie acknowledged. It involves "the repartioning [sic] of different tasks to different layers. . . . So look for a rebalancing of roles and runtimes. We need to formalize that in the operating system. Expect thei [sic] first pieces in the next generation of Windows."Mundie went on to cite Windows' user-mode rescheduling model as an example, saying Microsoft has "introduced a new trial model as part of its Robotics Development Kit runtime." The robotics toolkit includes "new concurrency and coordination (CCR) and decentralized software services (DSS) runtimes that are optimized for distributed/multicore computing," Foley points out.
Microsoft should shed a little more light on Windows 7's parallelism enhancements soon. The official Professional Developers Conference website says Microsoft executives will go over the "key architectural changes Microsoft is making to Windows to enable the efficient execution of parallel software" at the event in October. The changes could help Windows 7 better cope with systems that have eight or more CPU cores.
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After months of speculation, finally, Microsoft has disclosed some details about the next version of Windows after Vista dubbed "Windows 7" with the obvious highlight being a multi-touch interface.As per the information available, it appears that Windows 7 will boast multi-touch interface support. Last year, at Wall Street Journal's conference, "D: All Things Digital", Bill Gates introduced an all new concept in computing named "Surface". "Surface" exploits touch/multi-touch capabilities to provide users with a natural way to interact with computing devices.This year, Microsoft showcased how few of the multi-touch innovations previewed earlier would enhance Windows 7. The demonstration video posted on Microsoft Windows Client Communications Team Director Chris Flores' blog shows how a user can edit and manipulate photos with his fingertips, navigate a map, and play virtual piano.
In his blog post, Flores wrote, "Touch is quickly becoming a common way of directly interacting with software and devices. Touch-enabled surfaces are popping up everywhere including laptop touch pads, cell phones, remote controls, GPS devices, and more. What becomes even more compelling is when this experience is delivered to the PC on a wide variety of Windows notebooks, in all-in-one PC's, as well as in external monitors."
Officially, Windows 7 is scheduled to ship three years after general availability of Windows Vista; Vista debuted in January 2007. This pushes the launch of Windows 7 to 2010. "We are still on track to ship approximately three years after general availability of Windows Vista," Flores has written in his blog post. As a regular feature, there would be some beta releases before the final launch.
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Is Microsoft already hard at work repeating the history of Longhorn and Windows Vista in terms of overpromising and then underdelivering? Has the Redmond company already started stripping Windows 7 down of the features planned initially? Is DirectX 11 already being scrapped from the nest iteration of the Windows platform? Well, some reports tend to suggest just such a scenario. But is there any truth to this?
Before you jump the gun and end up coming to the wrong conclusions about Windows 7, you
have to consider that all reports on the next version of Windows have to be taken with a grain of salt. This simply because Microsoft is as of yet not breathing a single word on Windows 7. This is Steven Sinofsky's way of avoiding a Longhorn/Vista repeat.
Sinofsky is, of course, the Senior Vice President of the Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group. And the leader of the Windows 7 project. As such, Sinofsky implemented a new development strategy over at Microsoft, one focused on translucency rather than transparency. This essentially means that the Redmond company will from now on only talk Windows 7, Windows Fiji, Internet Explorer and Windows Live only when it will be ready to. With Sinofsky what you see is what you get. Nothing more. Nothing less. This is both a source of comfort and frustration at the same time. The fact of the matter is that Microsoft could talk Windows 7 now, and throughout the development process. And have the public focus on each drawback, on every cut feature... or it could simply wait until late in the development process and fully deliver on its promises.
Before you jump the gun and end up coming to the wrong conclusions about Windows 7, youhave to consider that all reports on the next version of Windows have to be taken with a grain of salt. This simply because Microsoft is as of yet not breathing a single word on Windows 7. This is Steven Sinofsky's way of avoiding a Longhorn/Vista repeat.
Sinofsky is, of course, the Senior Vice President of the Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group. And the leader of the Windows 7 project. As such, Sinofsky implemented a new development strategy over at Microsoft, one focused on translucency rather than transparency. This essentially means that the Redmond company will from now on only talk Windows 7, Windows Fiji, Internet Explorer and Windows Live only when it will be ready to. With Sinofsky what you see is what you get. Nothing more. Nothing less. This is both a source of comfort and frustration at the same time. The fact of the matter is that Microsoft could talk Windows 7 now, and throughout the development process. And have the public focus on each drawback, on every cut feature... or it could simply wait until late in the development process and fully deliver on its promises.
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