About the only way a guy my size can use a netbook is with one hand. Seriously, those things can be super tiny. But what do you think? How small is too small?
I can tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. 42% I can’t tell the difference between 720p and 1080p, but I know HD when I see it. 44% I can’t tell the difference between standard def and high def. 4% It depends. 6% I’m not sure. 5%
Microsoft’s Windows 7 announcement earlier today was followed up by an extensive demo of the new features during the PDC keynote, and since then even more info about the new OS has flooded out, so we thought we’d try to wrap up some of the more important bits here for you. Microsoft seems to have done an impressive job at this early pre-beta stage, folding in next-gen interface ideas like multitouch into the same OS that apparently runs fine on a 1GHz netbook with 1GB of RAM, but we’ll see how development goes — there’s still a ways to go. Some notes:
Obviously, the big news is the new taskbar, which forgoes text for icons and has new “jump lists” of app controls and options you can access with a right-click. You can select playlists in Media Player, for example. Super cool: when you scrub over the icons, all the other app windows go transparent so you can “peek” at the windows you’re pointing at.
Gadgets now appear on the desktop — the sidebar has been killed. That makes more sense for all those laptop owners out there with limited screen space, and you can still see gadgets anytime by peeking at the desktop, rendering all other windows transparent.
Window resizing and management now happens semi-automatically: dragging a window to the top of the screen maximizes it, pulling it down restores; dragging a window to the edges auto-resizes it to 50% for quick tiling. Nifty.
The system tray now only displays what you explicitly say it should — everything else is hidden, and the controls have been streamlined.
User Account Control settings are now much more fine-grained — you can set them by app and by level of access.
They demoed multitouch features on an HP TouchSmart PC — it was pretty cool, although the usual nagging “what is this good for / that’ll get old fast” concerns weren’t really addressed. The Start menu gets 25 percent bigger when using touch to make it easier to handle, and apps will all get scroll support automatically. There’s also a giant on-screen predictive keyboard. Again — could be amazing, but we won’t know until it’s out in the wild.
We’ve always known Microsoft intends Windows 7 to run on netbooks, and we got a small taste during the PDC keynote: Windows SVP Steve Sinofsky held up his “personal” laptop running Windows 7, an unnamed 1GHz netbook with 1GB of RAM that looked a lot like an Eee PC, and said that it still had about half its memory free after boot. (We’re guessing it was running a VIA Nano, since most Atoms run at 1.6GHz.)
At the other end of the scale, Windows 7 supports machines with up to 256 CPUs.
Multiple-monitor management is much-improved, as is setting up projectors — it’s a hotkey away. Remote Desktop now works with multiple monitors as well.
Media Center has been tweaked as well — it looks a lot more like the Zune interface. There’s also a new Mini Guide when watching video, and a new Music Wall album artwork screensaver that kicks in when you’re playing music.
Devs got a pre-beta today; a “pretty good” feature complete beta is due early next year. No word at all on when it’ll be released to market apart from that “three years from Vista” date we’ve known forever.
That’s just the good bits — hit the read links for piles of more info and screenshots, and we’ll keep our eyes out for anything else interesting. Exciting times!
Read - Keynote videos on the PDC site Read - Technologizer Windows 7 hands-on Read - Ars Technica Windows 7 interface walkthrough Read - Laptop Windows 7 hands-on Read - Windows 7 Media Center revealed
Oh Rolly… we know you’re an overpriced, 2GB dancing robot with convoluted controls and questionable sound quality. But dammit, your impractical, big-corporate ways have gnawed a soft-spot deep into the noxious cesspool we call a heart. Now this: Rolly model SEP-50BT with Bluetooth control from your cellphone or laptop. Shipping in Japan on November 21st for an expected ¥40,000 or about $427. Sold. Watch it all unfold in the video after the break.
We knew good and well Microsoft was gearing up to drop a pre-beta release of Windows 7 in developers’ laps at its Professional Developers Conference, but now we’re being treated to a host of details from Redmond itself. For starters, it’s showing off (for the first time, mind you) its new Web applications for Office. As you’d expect, said apps are “lightweight versions of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that are used from within standard web browsers.” According to Ray Ozzie, chief software architect at Microsoft, it’s aiming to bring “the best of the web to Windows, and the best of Windows to the web.” ‘Course, we’re also told about improved navigation, a new taskbar (preview shown), support for multi-touch gestures, Device Stage and enhanced AV integration — all things that have our interest decidedly piqued. Hit the read link for the full spill direct from the horse’s mouth.
We took one look at the electricity-free Hourglass Coffee Maker and thought it a simplistic, design-forward product. And then we examined the brewing process…
To be fair, the basic concept of the Hourglass is simple. You put grounds to soak in the bottom, then you flip it to filter your coffee into the empty chamber. Kind of neat, right?
Except it’s not that simple.
The system uses cold brewing, meaning that you load system with grounds and water before waiting 12+ hours to brew. Once it’s brewed and you do the fun flippy part, you still don’t have coffee. You have something called “coffee extract.” So you heat some water and add two shots of the extract. And then you finally have coffee.
On the plus side, the system does promise to brew coffee with far lower acid content than traditional methods. In case you’re interested, the Hourglass Coffee Maker goes for $70. [Hourglass]
Oh Rolly… we know you’re an overpriced, 2GB dancing robot with convoluted controls and questionable sound quality. But dammit, your impractical, big-corporate ways have gnawed a soft-spot deep into the noxious cesspool we call a heart. Now this: Rolly model SEP-50BT with Bluetooth control from your cellphone or laptop. Shipping in Japan on November 21st for an expected ¥40,000 or about $427. Sold. Watch it all unfold in the video after the break.
Sony has plans to unveil its first touchscreen Walkman at CES, coming in both 16GB and 32GB varieties, and the early word has it looking pretty slick: OLED touchscreen, anyone?
Yes, the rumor has it that the new Walkman will feature a 3-inch OLED touchscreen. It sounds like a direct competitor to the iPod Touch, as it supports Wi-Fi and will have a built-in browser, as well as a bunch of other web-based features.
While most of the usual menu structure of the current Walkman series will be retained in this new model, there are several new exciting features included. For example, upon listening to an artist, you may click on the artist name and watch music videos of the artist on YouTube through Wi-Fi (WPA and WEP support included). Additionally, there will be a Youtube icon on the main screen that will allow full access to the website - search, pause, FF/RW included very similar to Youtube access on the iPhone/iTouch. Additionally, this new Walkman will be able to subscribe to audio podcast and Crackle video feeds; this means automatic download of new updates, the ability to delete old feed content, all over Wi-Fi.
Interesting! If this is true, and the OS and touchscreen is usable and responsive, we might have a strong competitor to the Touch. We’ll find out soon enough, as CES is less than a month away. [Sony Insider]
I get what MSNBC was trying to do with this list—warn its mainstream readers about potential social pitfalls with technology—but the contents of the list are just too condescending even for their target audience.
Here’s a sampling that convinces us this is kind of a lazy list.
• Bluetooth: Yeah, no crap Bluetooth makes you look like a dbag, but it’s necessary seeing as lots of states have passed hands-free calling laws. And putting Bluetooth on here? Is this 2001?
• TiVo: TiVo? TiVo?? Even your grandma likes TiVo, and she’s the one reading this list.
• Linux: Wow.
• Segway: Again, the way too obvious choice.
If you really must see for yourself, the list is over here. What should you do? Make sure your less tech-aware friends know that this list is BS. [MSNBC]
If you like smelling like a horse, we’ve got the deal for you.
About the only way a guy my size can use a 
We took one look at the electricity-free Hourglass Coffee Maker and thought it a simplistic, design-forward product. And then we examined the brewing process…
Sony has plans to unveil its first touchscreen Walkman at CES, coming in both 16GB and 32GB varieties, and the early word has it looking pretty slick: OLED touchscreen, anyone?
I get what MSNBC was trying to do with this list—warn its mainstream readers about potential social pitfalls with technology—but the contents of the list are just too condescending even for their target audience.
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