The Origami Experience: Windows Vista and the Ultra-Mobile PC

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <h1 class="page-title" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; height: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin: 5px 0px 10px;"> The Origami Experience: Windows Vista and the Ultra-Mobile PC</h1> <div class="pm-cont-main" id="content" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <div class="pm-cont-pdg" id="pm-main-pdg"> <div class="node node-article node-article-page page-content clearfix clearfix" id="node-3479"> <div class="content-tools" style="margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 595px;"> <div class="byline-date"> <div class="byline" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.3;"> <br /></div> </div> </div> <div class="intro clearfix" style="background-color: #ededed; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; clear: both;"> <div class="description clear-block" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', 'URW Gothic L', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 10px 10px 7px;"> <div class="summary" style="line-height: 1.5;"> <div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content clear-block" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <div> </div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Almost two years ago, Microsoft launched a bizarre viral marketing campaign for something called Origami, which was later revealed to be part of the Ultra-Mobile PC, or UMPC, initiative. UMPCs are basically touch screen-capable ultra-small form factor mobile computers, sort of sub-sub-notebooks that eschew traditional keyboards and pointing devices in favor of a smaller, highly-portable form factor. If you've ever seen the original OQO device, which was sort of a proto-UMPC, you get the idea: It's larger than a PDA but smaller than the smallest slate Tablet PC.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> The first generation of UMPC devices ran Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and was criticized for being somewhat pointless, a solution to a problem no one had. Part of the problem, of course, was finding the right fit with users: Microsoft had this notion about a portable computing experience that would utilize a 7-inch screen and weigh less than 3 pounds, but it wasn't clear what the audience was. So with the first generation UMPC, the company targeted consumer enthusiasts--thus the viral marketing campaign--but that proved to be a mistake. The devices sold poorly when they hit the market in early 2006.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> The UMPC form factor, not surprisingly, has been at the center of some heated debates. Because it is too large to place in a typical pocket, but too small to contain a useable keyboard (at least by traditional mobile PC standards), the UMPC occupies an interesting but perhaps unnecessary segment of the market. I suspect that Palm faced a similar decision when it opted to cancel its Folio project this year: It's unclear that customers are really looking for a device that's larger than a cell phone but smaller than a sub-notebook.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> What Microsoft was doing with the UMPC at a software level, however, was interesting. The company had created a touch-enabled software front-end to XP called the Origami Experience and had configured XP to be optimized for both the capabilities and limitations of the devices at the time. This provided customers with the familiar Windows user experience but also some unique capabilities that were specific to the UMPC platform. Think of it this way: Microsoft was pushing an ultra-mobile touch user interface years before Apple entered the market with the iPhone.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> A Vista Origami</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> For the second go-round, Microsoft fine-tuned the software, based it around Windows Vista, and worked with a new generation of more efficient hardware. It's still performance-challenged, thanks to the limitations of the ultra-low-voltage (ULV) processors that must be used to power such devices, but various hardware makers and Microsoft have worked in concert to create more interesting solutions that will appeal to a wider audience. And somewhat surprisingly, UMPCs are heading to the enterprise, and though you might want to hold off until yet another chipset generation appears in early 2008, these devices are a potentially compelling solution for those who need to work and connect on the go.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> The primary advantage of a UMPC, of course, is that it's a real PC. It runs real Windows software, albeit somewhat slowly, and it can do so in even the most cramped of situations, like your typical airline coach seat. The battery life is fantastic, and much better than anything I've seen from traditional business notebooks, especially if you're running typical application software. (Battery life during media playback is mediocre; a Samsung Q1 Ultra I've been testing gets about 4 hours of life with business applications, but only about 2 playing back movies.)</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Thanks to a variety of innovative hardware designs, you'll see interesting keyboard and pointing device solutions. For example, the Q1 Ultra that I've been testing since mid-summer features an amazing and tiny smart phone-like thumb keyboard, split in half so that there are some keys on each side of the screen. Holding the device with two hands, as you would naturally, the keys are right where your thumbs are, and work just like the keyboard on the smart phone you're probably already using. I wouldn't want to type this article on that keyboard, but it's great for email, Web browsing, document editing, and other tasks, and is certainly much better than an on-screen virtual keyboard (which is also available, of course). When you're back at the office, you can plug into USB keyboards and mice, and even an external screen, and have a desktop-like experience. A slow desktop-like experience.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> UMPC software</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> While the underlying operating system on a UMPC is a stock version of Vista with full Tablet PC capabilities enabled--Vista Ultimate in my case--Microsoft has added a number of UMPC-specific software solutions to the mix as well, and of course various PC makers will supply their own device-specific utilities as well. Here are some of the software applications you can expect to see on a typical UMPC.</div> <h3 style="color: #242424; font-size: 16px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Touch Settings</h3> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Part of Vista, this application is enabled when you're using a touch-capable screen or device. It's a full screen application that lets you optimize and customize the touch settings on the PC. Optimize, in this case, increases the size of Start Menu items, scroll bars, title bars, the taskbar, icons, and buttons, making them easier to tap with your fingers. You can also optimize the IE 7 UI for touch, and enable or disable the Tablet Input Panel (TIP).</div> <h3 style="color: #242424; font-size: 16px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Origami Experience</h3> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> The Origami Experience is the poster-child of the UMPC world, a unique Microsoft application that combines the simplicity and basic look and feel of Media Center with a touch-enabled interaction scheme. While it's geared primarily towards entertainment--three of four major buttons in the initial UI are related to music, video, and pictures--it can also be used as a straightforward program launcher.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> To my eyes, Origami Experience looks like a specialized version of the Windows Mobile UI with a static set of media player buttons on the bottom. And that's a good thing: The interface is colorful, obvious, and easy to use. There are quick link buttons on the top for task switching (Windows Flip), battery life, and wireless signal, but most of the screen is occupied by large, colorful icons that are easy to look at and, more important, easy to tap with your finger.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Aside from music, video, and pictures, Origami provides a fourth option, Programs, which opens to reveal five sub-categories: Connect, Communicate, Entertainment, More Programs, and Tools. Of course, once you launch any of the applications displayed within these groups, you're popped out of the Origami Experience. This is somewhat jarring, of course, but then I don't think it's reasonable for Microsoft to replace the entire Windows UI. (On the other hand, there are some inconsistencies: Sudoku appears within Origami but not the Games Explorer for some reason.)</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Microsoft says that the Origami Experience isn't just about a new UI, or enabling touch access to most OS functions. Instead, this environment is optimized for what the company calls quick interactions. This is different from the typical Windows user interface, where you're probably multitasking and getting a number of things done in tandem. In Origami, the expectation is that you're typically doing just one thing, or performing a single task while also playing music. It's a new interaction method that's essentially single tasked by design.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Another way to view Origami is via a consumption/management perspective. For example, you won't manage your music collection from Origami or import CDs to the hard drive. Instead, you'll continue using Windows Media Player for those tasks. But Origami is a very simple UI for consuming content, like music, and in this way, it's very much like the first version of Media Center. (Which, since then, has evolved to include management and acquisition functionality as well.)</div> <h3 style="color: #242424; font-size: 16px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Dial Keys</h3> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Microsoft's take on the virtual keyboard is two crescent-shaped half-keyboards that appear in the lower left and lower right corners of the screen. (The standard Tablet PC-style virtual keyboard is also available, of course.) Feedback on this feature, called Dial Keys, has been mixed: Some users absolutely love it, while others prefer the tactile feel of a real keyboard. For this reason, many UMPC makers are building small keyboards directly into their devices as well. Apple is now dealing with complaints about its own virtual keyboard scheme in the iPhone; it will be interesting to see how they react to the same kinds of feedback from their own users.</div> <h3 style="color: #242424; font-size: 16px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Touch-enabled games and applications</h3> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Most UMPCs ship with a selection of Tablet- and touch-enabled games like InkBall and Suduko. There's also a version of Microsoft Reader, the company's eBook reader, designed specifically for Ultra-Mobile PCs. This version of Reader is particularly nice, and stretches the width of the page across the entire screen.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> UMPC in the real world</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> While I'd like to describe the UMPC as a best of both worlds experience, even the least demanding mobile user would never want to use one of these devices as their only PC because of the performance issues. That said, I travel enough to understand how laborious it is to lug around even a mid-sized notebook, and traveling lighter is an ongoing goal of mine. Given my heavy writing needs, a UMPC doesn't quite measure up in my admittedly unusual case, and at the very least I'd need to carry along a USB keyboard and mouse in my checked luggage. I've brought the Samsung with me on the past few trips, and I'm doing so again as I write this from Seattle, for a Microsoft reviewer's workshop. The question I have is simple: Can the UMPC function as my sole PC during business trips?</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> As it turns out, no, it cannot, but that's largely because of the demanding needs of my job. (That said, I did write this review primarily on the UMPC, using a USB keyboard.) I typically travel with a high-end Windows Vista-based notebook that includes, among other things, a local version of the SuperSite Web site so I can work updates while traveling, a decent selection of digital media content for those hours stuck on planes with no room to really work, and a set of current articles that I'm working on at the time. I spend most of my time writing, emailing, and browsing the Web, and this all requires a reasonably well-equipped machine.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> The UMPC is not such a machine. The Q1 Ultra I'm testing uses a lowly 800 MHz ultra-low-voltage processor mated to just 1 GB of RAM, a combination that is woefully inadequate for Windows Vista. I've tried to dumb down the UI in various ways to see how performance is impacted, but I can't see a difference between the Classic and Windows Vista Basic UIs from a speed standpoint, so I leave it on the more attractive Vista Basic. Not that it matters: Try to do two or more things at once and the memory dries up immediately and system performance comes to a screeching halt.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Some tasks are simply too demanding for the UMPC regardless of what else you're doing. Playing back a 1500 Kbps H.264 file in QuickTime or iTunes is almost impossible, and even Windows Media Player stumbles through these files with the appropriate codecs installed, providing a miserable overall experience. The supplied Origami Experience won't play these files at all, even with the right codecs installed.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> For general note-taking in Word 2007 and simple online tasks (email, Web browsing), the UMPC works just fine, assuming you don't try to do both at once. A RAM bump to at least 2 GB--my recommended minimum for Vista--would likely do wonders, but these machines are never going to be performance champs, not in this generation. If your needs are far less demanding than mine, the UMPC may earn a place in your carry-on. But I don't recommend using it as your only PC regardless. This is more of a PC companion than a true PC, despite the underlying operating system and its capabilities. It doesn't matter if the device is compatible with something if it's not fast enough to run it effectively. This may just be the slowest computer I've ever used.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Final thoughts</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> While Intel is set to release more impressive ULV microprocessors and chipsets in early 2008 that should go a long way towards making the UMPC more viable than it is today, that's of little solace to anyone looking for this kind of device now. Here in late 2007, the UMPC is pretty much a non-starter for most users: While the Origami Experience is pleasant and well-designed, the underlying hardware is not even powerful enough to run mainstream multimedia content. Business users might be the best fit here: With a Wi-Fi connection and, preferably, a device with a keyboard, the UMPC is a somewhat capable email, Web, and productivity application solution. But again, you shouldn't dump your existing PC for one of these machines. While the software soars, the hardware is lagging behind by a generation or two. If you value portability above all else and fit the usage model, a UMPC could be a decent traveling companion, assuming you understand the limitations up front. Personally, I'm waiting for the next generation.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

The Origami Experience: Windows Vista and the Ultra-Mobile PC

The Origami Experience: Windows Vista and the Ultra-Mobile PC Almost two years ago, Microsoft launched a bizarre vi...

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How to Clean Install Windows Vista with Upgrade Media

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <h1 class="page-title" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; height: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin: 5px 0px 10px;"> How to Clean Install Windows Vista with Upgrade Media</h1> <div class="pm-cont-main" id="content" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <div class="pm-cont-pdg" id="pm-main-pdg"> <div class="node node-article node-article-page page-content clearfix clearfix" id="node-4163"> <div class="content-tools" style="margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 595px;"> <div class="byline-date"> <div class="byline" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.3;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em;"><br /></span></div> <div class="byline" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.3;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em;">When I began inquiring into various Windows Vista installation options late last year, Microsoft and its representative grew quiet and seemed to begin selectively answering my questions. Previously, Microsoft had said that Vista's upgrade experience would be similar to that of XP: You'd be able to perform an in-place upgrade using the Vista Upgrade media or, with qualifying media (i.e. a Windows 2000 or XP CD-ROM), you could use the Upgrade media to perform a clean install. When rumors began surfacing that Vista Upgrade versions would not support clean installs, however, a veil of silence descended over Redmond.</span></div> </div> </div> <div class="content clear-block" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> These rumors grew louder as Vista's broad release date of January 30, 2007 approached. Then, finally, Microsoft dropped the bomb: The weekend before Vista's launch, the company quietly posted a support note on its Web site ominously titled <a href="http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/930985/en-us" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Upgrade installation keys are blocked when you start from the Windows Vista DVD</a>, Microsoft explains: "Windows Vista does not check upgrade compliance. You cannot use an upgrade key to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista." The support note recommends that users who run into this issue first install a compliant version of Windows first (i.e. Windows 2000, XP, or Vista) and then run Setup from within that install, upgrading the OS to the new version. Or, you could simply purchase a Full Product license. Hey, there's some great advice.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> The reaction in the Windows community was predictably swift and damning. Clearly, Microsoft was disabling this previously handy option in order to inconvenience users (at best) or force them to spend more money on a Full product version (at worst). Either way, the company had pulled a fast one, silently taking away a feature we had all come to know and expect.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Well, it turns out that Windows Vista Upgrade media can indeed be used to perform a clean install of the operating system, at least sort of. Using an undocumented workaround which I first revealed in WinInfo Daily UPDATE earlier this week, you can fool any Upgrade version of Windows Vista into installing itself on a PC without upgrading a previous OS install.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Here's how it works.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Step 1: Install Windows Vista</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Boot your PC with the Windows Vista Upgrade DVD. After the preliminary loading screen, click the Install Now button to trigger Vista Setup. In the next screen, you normally enter your product key. However, there's a little-known trick in Windows Vista Setup whereby you can simply skip this phase and use the install media (Upgrade or Full, any version) to perform a clean install of virtually any Vista product edition. What you do is leave the Product Key field blank, deselect the option titled "Automatically activate Windows when I'm online," and then click Next. Vista Setup will ask you whether you would like to enter your Product Key before continuing. Click No.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> In the next Setup screen, you'll be presented with a list of the Windows Vista product editions you can install. This list may vary from locale to locale, but in the US, you'll see Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, and some N editions. Choose the product edition you actually own. You'll be asked to verify that you've chosen the correct version. Do so to continue past the End User License Agreement (EULA) screen.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> In the next screen, you select the type of install. Choose Custom (Advanced) instead of Upgrade. Next, you choose the partition to which to install Windows Vista. If you need to format the disk, select the Drive options (advanced) option to do so and then continue.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Now, Setup copies the Vista install image to your PC, expands it, and installs Windows. This phase of Setup should take about 15 to 20 minutes and trigger at least one reboot. When Vista is installed, you'll step through the penultimate phase of Setup in which you enter, in succession, your user name and password, computer name, and the date, time, and time zone. Then Setup runs its final task, a performance test that could take about 5 minutes. If everything goes well, and you're running fairly modern hardware, you should hit the Welcome screen and, after logging on, the new Vista desktop less than 30 minutes after you began this process.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Step 2: Upgrade</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> What you've installed is decidedly temporary. You've got 30 days during which you can run this non-activated version of Windows Vista. If you try to activate Windows now, it will fail, because you've performed a clean install of Vista and you only have an Upgrade product key.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> What to do, what to do? If you read Microsoft's support note carefully, you will have seen that the Upgrade versions of Vista support upgrading from "a compliant version of Windows, such as Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP, or Microsoft Windows 2000." Well, you just installed Windows Vista, so why not just upgrade from this install? That's right: You're going to upgrade the non-activated clean install you just performed, which will provide you with a version of the OS that you can, in fact, activate.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> To do this, just open Computer and double click on the icon for the DVD drive that contains the Vista Upgrade media. Run Setup again, this time from within Vista. Choose Install Now, and then "Do not get the latest updates for installation" in the next screen. Then, in the now-familiar Product Key phase, enter your product key. It's on the back of the pull-out Vista packaging. You can choose to automatically activate Windows when online or not, it's your choice. In the next screen, accept the Windows EULA.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Now, choose the Upgrade option. Windows will install as before, though you might notice that it takes quite a bit longer this time. (Upgrade installs seem to take up to 45 minutes, compared to 30 minutes or less with clean installs, and reboots at least one additional time.)</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Because you've just completed an upgrade install, you won't be prompted to enter your user name and so forth (only the time zone screen is presented). Instead, you'll just boot directly to the Welcome screen when the performance check is complete. Using the user name and password you created during the first install, logon to Windows.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Once again, you have 30 days in which to activate Vista. However, this time activation will work: To activate Vista immediately (unless you told it to do so during Setup), open the Start Menu, right-click Computer, and choose Properties. Then, at the bottom of the System window that appears, click the link titled Activate Windows now.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Is this legal?</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> One might naturally wonder whether the aforementioned instructions describe an action that is legal or ethical. After all, anyone could purchase an Upgrade version of Windows Vista (therefore saving a lot of money when compared to a Full version) and use it to perform a clean install even if they don't own a previous, compliant Window version.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> After telling my "Windows Vista Secrets" coauthor Brian Livingston about this workaround, he wrote that using this process was indeed ethical, in his opinion. "Microsoft itself created the upgrade process," he wrote in a <a href="http://www.windowssecrets.com/comp/070201#story1" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">newsletter article</a> describing the workaround. "The company designed Vista to support upgrading it over a previously installed copy of XP, W2K Pro, or Vista itself. This isn't a black-hat hacker exploit. It's something that's been deliberately programmed into the approved setup routine."</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Fair enough. Of course, if you do use this workaround to clean install Vista with the Upgrade media, and you don't own a previous, compliant version of Windows, you're most certainly violating the Windows EULA and, thus, breaking the law. Proceed at your own risk.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Final thoughts</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> This is an interesting and viable workaround for anyone who owns a previous Windows version but would like to perform a clean install of the new operating system on their existing hardware. While I'm a bit nervous about legal implications and Microsoft's ability to cut off this process in the future, I'm glad that innocent Windows upgraders do in fact have all the options that were available to them in previous Windows versions. For its part in this silliness, Microsoft gets a virtual slap on the wrist: Sometimes, it seems, the company forgets that Windows is expensive and paying customers should be able to easily install the new OS without taking on the added clutter of a previous Windows installation.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

How to Clean Install Windows Vista with Upgrade Media

How to Clean Install Windows Vista with Upgrade Media When I began inquiring into various Windows Vista installation options lat...

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WinHEC 2005 Photo Gallery: Tablet PC Prototypes

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <h1 class="page-title" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; height: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin: 5px 0px 10px;"> WinHEC 2005 Photo Gallery: Tablet PC Prototypes</h1> <div class="pm-cont-main" id="content" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <div class="pm-cont-pdg" id="pm-main-pdg"> <div class="node node-article node-article-page page-content clearfix clearfix" id="node-3427"> <div class="content-tools" style="margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 595px;"> <div class="byline-date"> <div class="byline" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.3;"> <br /></div> </div> </div> <div class="intro clearfix" style="background-color: #ededed; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; clear: both;"> <div class="description clear-block" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', 'URW Gothic L', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 10px 10px 7px;"> <div class="summary" style="line-height: 1.5;"> <div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content clear-block" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <div> </div> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="normal" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%px;"><tbody style="border: none;"> <tr><td style="width: 20px;"> </td><td align="left" valign="top"><h1 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> WinHEC 2005 Photo Gallery: Tablet PC Prototypes</h1> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> <br /></div> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 660px;"><tbody style="border: none;"> <tr><td align="left" style="width: 220px;" valign="top"><a href="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127421/reviews/winhec_tabletpc2_01.jpg" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;"><div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 195px;"> <img alt="" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127421/reviews/winhec_tabletpc2_01_sm.jpg" style="border: 2px solid; display: block;" /></div> </a></td><td align="left" style="width: 220px;" valign="top"><a href="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127421/reviews/winhec_tabletpc2_02.jpg" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;"><div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 0px;"> <img alt="" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127421/reviews/winhec_tabletpc2_02_sm.jpg" style="border: 2px solid; display: block;" /></div> </a></td><td align="left" style="width: 220px;" valign="top"><a href="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127421/reviews/winhec_tabletpc2_03.jpg" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;"><div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 0px;"> <img alt="" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127421/reviews/winhec_tabletpc2_03_sm.jpg" style="border: 2px solid; display: block;" /></div> </a></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3" style="height: 10px; width: 660px;"> </td></tr> <tr><td align="left" style="width: 220px;" valign="top"><a href="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127421/reviews/winhec_tabletpc2_04.jpg" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;"><div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 195px;"> <img alt="" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127421/reviews/winhec_tabletpc2_04_sm.jpg" style="border: 2px solid; display: block;" /></div> </a></td><td align="left" style="width: 220px;" valign="top"><a href="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127421/reviews/winhec_tabletpc2_05.jpg" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;"><div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 195px;"> <img alt="" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127421/reviews/winhec_tabletpc2_05_sm.jpg" style="border: 2px solid; display: block;" /></div> </a></td><td align="left" style="width: 220px;" valign="top"> </td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3" style="height: 10px; width: 660px;"> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> <br /></div> </td></tr> </tbody></table> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

WinHEC 2005 Photo Gallery: Tablet PC Prototypes

WinHEC 2005 Photo Gallery: Tablet PC Prototypes   WinHEC 2005 Photo Gallery: Tablet PC Prototypes   ...

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Windows Vista Security Suites Review: Windows Live OneCare 1.6 and Norton 360

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <h1 class="page-title" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; height: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin: 5px 0px 10px;"> Windows Vista Security Suites Review: Windows Live OneCare 1.6 and Norton 360</h1> <div class="pm-cont-main" id="content" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <div class="pm-cont-pdg" id="pm-main-pdg"> <div class="node node-article node-article-page page-content clearfix clearfix" id="node-3483"> <div class="content-tools" style="margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 595px;"> <div class="byline-date"> <div class="byline" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.3;"> <br /></div> </div> </div> <div class="intro clearfix" style="background-color: #ededed; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; clear: both;"> <div class="description clear-block" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', 'URW Gothic L', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 10px 10px 7px;"> <div class="summary" style="line-height: 1.5;"> <div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content clear-block" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <div> </div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> While the Mac community likes to paint the Windows world as an unsafe haven for spyware, spam, and other electronic attacks, the reality is that Windows users have to do very little to protect themselves. The problem, of course, is that some Windows users do absolutely nothing about security, either from a technical standpoint or by exercising some simple common sense: Seriously, do you really think it's wise to open an email attachment from a person you've never even heard of?</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Security vendors have milked a decade of bad press, real and imagined security vulnerabilities, and Microsoft's all-too-conscious decision to only include baseline security tools in Windows to create a booming market. Security suites from companies like McAfee and Symantec are innovative only in that they've invented a way for these companies to charge customers year after year for the same services, many of which the typical PC user never needs or even uses. On the flipside, many new PCs come with time-limited security suites that bomb out after a short time, leaving PCs unprotected. Surely, we can do better at this.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> The first place we might look to is, naturally, Microsoft. And in some ways, the company has really raised the bar with Windows Vista . This new OS is dramatically more secure than its predecessors, with a wealth of low-level security features as well as end-user oriented security tools, like User Account Control (UAC), Windows Firewall, Windows Defender, and the like. The real question, of course, is whether Vista even needs a security suite. With these built-in utilities, a wide range of low-level security technologies, and a free anti-virus solution like <a href="http://free.grisoft.com/" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">AVG Anti-Virus Free</a>, which I use and recommend, it seems like Vista has all it needs.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> This, of course, hasn't stopped security vendors from trying. Indeed, even Microsoft is getting into the act: In 2006, the company shipped Windows LiveOne Care, its first desktop PC security suite. As noted below, however, Microsoft really rethought what a security suite could be, and traditional security vendors followed suit, announcing products that were surprisingly OneCare-like. That is, they are less resource-intensive than traditional security suites, removing what is my primary complaint about these beasts. They also do more than just provide security. OneCare, for example, also includes an excellent backup tool and features that help keep your PC running at maximum performance, eliminating the all-to-real situation where Windows installs seem to degrade, from a performance perspective, over time. They are also licensed for numerous PCs, making them more relevant to customers with a household of machines.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> But again. The question remains: Do we even these things? Are even these Nouveau security suites more than the typical Vista users requires? Are you paying for services you'll never use? To help arrive at an answer, I've examined two of these next generation security suites, OneCare and Norton 360, Symantec's OneCare rip-off. Let's take a look.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> OneCare 1.6</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> How could such a great idea be implemented so poorly? When Microsoft released its initial version of Windows Live OneCare  back in early 2006, I lauded the company for providing a resource-friendly security and PC health suite that thought outside the box and offered a compelling set of services, a sort of "Web services-based IT administrator for home users," if you will. Indeed, aside from some silly and incessant pop-up dialogs and a curious lack of anti-spam functionality, I thought OneCare was pretty darned good. Compared to the security suites of the day, of course.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> I was pretty much alone in that opinion. Security researchers in particular have ripped OneCare to shreds over the past year, complaining that it falls short of the competition when it comes to detecting and removing known malware. That said, those competitors were also busy working on OneCare rip-offs, the most obvious of which is Norton 360, reviewed below. Credit Microsoft for at least creating a new kind of security suite: Companies like Symantec, with Norton 360, and McAfee are still busy tweaking their own products to be more OneCare-like.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> In the months since the original release of OneCare, Microsoft has shipped a few updates to the product, one of which was a major release. OneCare 1.5 shipped around the same time as Windows Vista, adding compatibility with Microsoft's latest operating system and a more integrated experience with Microsoft's anti-spyware tool, Windows Defender. And last week, Microsoft shipped OneCare 1.6 (Figure), which includes a number of small changes, such as the ability to disable the firewall for short periods of time. OneCare 1.6 is, however, largely like its predecessor.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Because I've been using Vista full time since late 2006, and OneCare wasn't available in Vista-compatible form until earlier this year, I found myself in an odd situation last year where I needed to at least find some kind of Vista-compatible anti-virus solution so I could keep my day-to-day systems secure. I eventually settled on the aforementioned AVG Anti-Virus Free product, a lightweight and secure AV solution that's proven amazingly successful. So successful, in fact, that when OneCare 1.5 shipped, I never even bothered to check it out on my production machines.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> However, after deciding to look at Norton 360, I knew I'd have to reinstall OneCare again so I could make a fair comparison. And now, after weeks of use, I'm ready to admit that my initial OneCare review was overly positive. Yes, OneCare 1.6 is lightweight by security suite standards, but it?s a bloated pig compared to AVG. And my God, those pop-ups (<a href="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127477/reviews/winvista_security_suites_02.gif" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;">Figure</a>). OneCare generates pop-up windows almost constantly, even after you tell it to stop notifying it every time the firewall blocks or allows programs. (And yes, that should be two separate options, Microsoft: I don't care when the firewall allows a program, personally. But I do care when it blocks one.)</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> I'll leave arguments about OneCare's effectiveness to security labs that can accurately measure such things. In my time using the product, both last year and this month, I've had no security issues at all. And Microsoft notes that OneCare was once again awarded the VB100 award from Virus Bulletin. It's also been certified, again, by both West Coast Labs and ICSA. So take your pick: Some say it's effective, some don't.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> From a usability standpoint, OneCare is solid. Aside from the annoying and seemingly never-ending parade of pop-ups, the console itself is simpler than what you'll get in Norton 360, and it works with, rather than stomps all over, the security controls built-into Vista. I actually prefer that, but others may want to replace, and not augment, what Vista has to offer. OneCare doesn't appear to impact the overall performance of the system at all, which is frankly one of the things all security suite users should consider when weighing the pros and cons of any of these solutions.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Functionally, OneCare includes anti-virus and anti-spyware functionality, as well as its own two-way firewall that replaces Vista's Windows Firewall. Often, however, OneCare simply integrates with security controls that are already in Windows: Anti-spyware is provided through Vista's Windows Defender tool, for example, and anti-phishing is provided through IE 7's built-in anti-phishing feature (so there's no phishing protection in Firefox). OneCare also automates things like disk defragmentation (which is already automated in Vista), unnecessary file removal, and backups (the last of which can be automated in premium Vista versions). OneCare can only backup to CD, DVD, USB-attached storage, and network locations. Perhaps when and if Microsoft ships a Windows Live Storage service, or whatever, they'll add an online services component to that as well.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Overall, OneCare seems a bit more lackluster to me now than it did a year ago, perhaps because much of what it does is redundant in Vista. The pop-up situation is untenable, and I just don't see a huge advantage to this suite over free options like AVG combined with what you get in Vista. Yes, OneCare does a lot more than just a AV solution. But I find myself not needing the extra functionality, often because Vista does so much of it so well already.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Norton 360</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Symantec's Norton Security suites have gotten so bloated over the years that the very thought of one of those products running on my PCs is enough to get me incensed. The first thing I do every time I purchase a new PC is uninstall all the Norton software that's inevitably preinstalled, from the already-out-of-date and time-limited security suite itself to the redundant Live Update baloney that sits, virus-like, in my Program Files folder. I've had such bad luck with Norton that it's just become synonymous with bloatware in my book.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Well, color me impressed: Norton 360 is like a public apology, a blatant rip-off of OneCare that brings Symantec's vaunted security tools into a much more lightweight and digestible package, while adding the kinds of useful non-security tools that most consumers will appreciate. It's like a bright orange version of OneCare (Figure).</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> As would any self-respecting security suite, Norton 360 includes anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-phishing features. (Unlike OneCare, it even includes optional anti-spam, though you have to install that separately with the Norton Add-on Pack; this also includes ad-blocking and parental control functionality.) It includes a two-way firewall that replaces Vista's Windows Firewall, and a simple new security console that replaces Vista's Security Center.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Like OneCare, Norton 360 features PC performance utilities and a backup utility. Norton 360 one-ups OneCare with 2 GB of secure online storage, which isn't much, frankly, but you can upgrade to more space. I had a lot of problems with Norton's backup utility when used with the online storage space, however.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> And like OneCare, Norton 360 can be annoying. The little orange Norton tray icon seemed to have a red "X" in it more than I'd like, requiring my attention. More often than not, an online backup didn't complete, and wouldn't complete, and I never found out why. Norton's phishing filter, however, takes the cake: It adds a garish colored toolbar to Internet Explorer only (no Firefox support, sorry), noting in bright green that "Fraud monitoring is on" or "No fraud is detected" (<a href="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127477/reviews/winvista_security_suites_04.gif" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;">Figure</a>). Spare me.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Ultimately, Norton 360 seemed pretty decent: It never bogged down my system as do the bigger Norton suites, and it's reasonably non-intrusive, at least once you turn off that browser doo-hickey. The Norton Add-on Pack stuff should just be included in the base install, though I'm guessing that Symantec left it out to lessen the download impact. How about making it more obvious then?</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Final thoughts</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> While neither one of these security suites is as resource intensive and unfriendly as their bloated predecessors, I'm not particularly excited about either one of them. Windows Live OneCare, in particular, is among the most annoying software I've ever installed on my PC, and until Microsoft changes its appalling need to display a pop-up balloon window every time the wind blows, I cannot recommend this software to anyone. Norton, meanwhile, is slightly better, especially after you turn off the ridiculous browser protection stuff, and appears to offer a reasonable mix of functionality.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Indeed, the big benefit of each of these suites is that they do much more than toughen Vista's security controls. Both products provide tools that can backup files to CDs, DVDs, USB-attached storage, network locations, and, in the case of Norton, a limited online service. Both provide automated front-ends to Vista's built-in PC performance tools, helping your PC be all it can be.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> These features are useful, yes. But neither of these suites seems particularly necessary on Windows Vista. Certainly, you should protect your PC, and at the very least, Vista needs a good anti-virus solution. For me, AVG is that solution, and I'll be returning to the quiet, secure world of AVG as soon as this review is posted.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Ultimately, I don't recommend either Norton 360 or OneCare unless you're worried that you could succumb to a carefully crafted Phishing attack or find the non-security features in either suite compelling. On that note, you've got a tough choice: OneCare is dramatically less expensive ($49.95 a year, but can be had at retail for as little as $15 if you look around and can find it on sale) than is Norton 360 ($69.99 for the electronic version), but is much more annoying overall. They say you get what you pay for. But I find it best, in this case, not to pay for anything at all.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Windows Vista Security Suites Review: Windows Live OneCare 1.6 and Norton 360

Windows Vista Security Suites Review: Windows Live OneCare 1.6 and Norton 360 While the Mac community likes to pain...

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In Search of Natural PC User Interfaces in Windows 7

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <h1 class="page-title" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; height: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin: 5px 0px 10px;"> In Search of Natural PC User Interfaces in Windows 7</h1> <div class="pm-cont-main" id="content" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <div class="pm-cont-pdg" id="pm-main-pdg"> <div class="node node-article node-article-page page-content clearfix clearfix" id="node-2951"> <div class="content-tools" style="margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 595px;"> <div class="byline-date"> <div class="byline" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.3;"> <br /></div> </div> </div> <div class="intro clearfix" style="background-color: #ededed; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; clear: both;"> <div class="description clear-block" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', 'URW Gothic L', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 10px 10px 7px;"> <div class="summary" style="line-height: 1.5;"> <div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content clear-block" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <div> </div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> In the late 1970's, Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy hosted a show that will be immediately recognizable to those of a certain age, "In Search Of." The documentary-style investigative program typically highlighted such fare as Sasquatch, UFOs, and the Loch Ness Monster, and I'm guessing its eventual demise had more to do with a lack of tier-one topics than with ratings.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Most of the questions addressed by "In Search Of" remain as unanswered now as they were 30 years ago, and that's true whether you were a believer or not, I guess. But I'm reminded of Mr. Nimoy's less-famous TV role this week not because of a resurgence in Chuckacabra sightings--though that would of course be excellent--but rather because of the unique computer that's been sitting on my desk for the past few weeks. It's an HP TouchSmart PC, an all-in-one desktop computer with multi-touch capabilities. And it's starting to make a believer out of me.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> I borrowed the TouchSmart in order to complete a book about Windows 7, and it's been loaded up with the Release Candidate (RC) version of that OS, the multi-touch drivers that enable Windows 7's otherwise hidden multi-touch features, and some touch-specific games and applications that, in many cases, were ported over directly from Microsoft's<span class="keyword_link">Surface</span> table. (Others will be packed and delivered with touch-capable PCs when Windows 7 ships.)</div> <div class="small" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 720px;"> <img alt="Windows 7 Multi-Touch" border="0" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/126877/win7/win7_touch_hp.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" /></div> <br />The HP TouchSmart PC.<br /> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Windows 7's multi-touch capabilities are pervasive in the system, a fact that isn't obvious until you're using touch-capable hardware. Before seeing this in action, I had reacted with horror to the notion that anyone would want such a thing. After all, the multi-touch iPhone smart phone I've been using for the past two years is wonderful, but it's also a smudge magnet. And I already have a pretty expensive widescreen PC display. Why, I thought, would anyone want to touch a screen like that? It's almost blasphemy.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Until, of course, you actually do it. Microsoft has been in search of (ahem) natural PC interfaces for some time. It briefly attempted to provide Pen services in Windows as far back as the early 1990s, has been working on pen-based Windows Mobile/Window CE derivatives since the mid-1990s, launched the innovative Tablet PC platform in 2002 (also a pervasive and "first class" Windows interface) and then extended that with touch services over time, including a short generation of ill-fated Ultra-Mobile PCs (UMPCs).</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> But multi-touch, in tandem with a full-sized computing device, like the HP TouchSmart I've been testing, really puts all this work in perspective and drives home the fact that Microsoft, after all of this supposed failure, may have been onto something after all.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Sure, my kids were drawn immediately to the TouchSmart. And they intuitively grasped the power and entertainment value in such things as multi-touch Paint (which turns Windows' classic applet into a usable finger-painting solution), two player games like air hockey, and even educational titles like Virtual Earth, which present a full-screen earth that you can spin, zoom in on, and otherwise manipulate with your fingers.</div> <div class="small" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 720px;"> <img alt="Windows 7 Multi-Touch" border="0" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/126877/win7/win7_touch_01.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" /></div> <br />Multi-touch finger-painting in Windows 7.<br /> <div class="small" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 720px;"> <img alt="Windows 7 Multi-Touch" border="0" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/126877/win7/win7_touch_02.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" /></div> <br />A multi-touch air hockey game.<br /> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> But I'm not just talking about frivolous activities like that. What I discovered in using the TouchSmart is that I missed the freedom and immediacy of interaction that multi-touch provides when I moved back to my normal PC. I found myself reaching up to tap the Start button and other on-screen interfaces. And then, realizing my mistake, I felt an odd void. Interacting with the PC in this fashion isn't just obvious. It's desirable. And I found myself returning to the TouchSmart again and again, and rejecting the suddenly old-fashioned PC I normally use.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> It's probably not hard to imagine double-tapping a screen to open a folder, or dragging icons with your finger to copy items from one location to another. But it's quite a different thing to actually experience it. In fact, it's becoming increasingly apparent to me that this sort of interface will eventually reduce training costs for new users because using a computer in this fashion doesn't just mimic the real world, it allows objects in the PC to be manipulated in almost exactly the same way. Suddenly the PC desktop is not as much of an abstract metaphor anymore.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> The interesting thing about this, to me, is that I was onboard for the beginnings of Microsoft's Pen and Tablet PC waves, and neither was as seamless as this. With the Tablet, in particular, Microsoft touted how these devices would lead to more natural computing scenarios, where someone would sit in a comfortable chair, legs crossed, and write on the screen just as they did on a pad of paper. That never really happened though, because the people who really need to process words need a keyboard. And interacting with the screen with a stylus isn't just unnatural, it's counter-productive.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Touch interfaces extend the good stuff in the Tablet PC platform with a more natural interaction model, and depending on the PC of the future you use, you should be able to move between at least two or three of available interaction models--mouse, keyboard, pen/stylus, touch/multi-touch--picking the one that makes the most sense for what you're doing at the time. That's what natural computing is all about, really, and I think that this touch capability--now a fully integrated and seamless part of Windows--will finally make the promises of the Tablet PC a reality for everyone.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> As reviewer, I've discovered that one of the ways in which you can judge a product is to see how much you miss it when you go back and use a prior version. In this sense, generally, Windows 7 gets high marks because I really do miss many of the small improvements Microsoft has crafted in this release when I return to Vista and, even more so, XP. Add multi-touch to the mix, however, and the differences shoot through the roof: Windows 7 with multi-touch is a sensational upgrade, an absolute no-brainer.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Someone has to call Leonard Nimoy: It looks like we've finally solved one of the mysteries of the cosmos. Natural PC interfaces are here to stay.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> <br /></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

In Search of Natural PC User Interfaces in Windows 7

In Search of Natural PC User Interfaces in Windows 7 In the late 1970's, Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy hosted a...

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The Origami Experience: Windows Vista and the Ultra-Mobile PC

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <h1 class="page-title" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; height: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin: 5px 0px 10px;"> The Origami Experience: Windows Vista and the Ultra-Mobile PC</h1> <div class="pm-cont-main" id="content" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <div class="pm-cont-pdg" id="pm-main-pdg"> <div class="node node-article node-article-page page-content clearfix clearfix" id="node-3479"> <div class="intro clearfix" style="background-color: #ededed; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; clear: both;"> <div class="description clear-block" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', 'URW Gothic L', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 10px 10px 7px;"> <div class="summary" style="line-height: 1.5;"> <div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content clear-block" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <div> </div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Almost two years ago, Microsoft launched a bizarre viral marketing campaign for something called Origami, which was later revealed to be part of the Ultra-Mobile PC, or UMPC, initiative. UMPCs are basically touch screen-capable ultra-small form factor mobile computers, sort of sub-sub-notebooks that eschew traditional keyboards and pointing devices in favor of a smaller, highly-portable form factor. If you've ever seen the original OQO device, which was sort of a proto-UMPC, you get the idea: It's larger than a PDA but smaller than the smallest slate Tablet PC.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> The first generation of UMPC devices ran Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and was criticized for being somewhat pointless, a solution to a problem no one had. Part of the problem, of course, was finding the right fit with users: Microsoft had this notion about a portable computing experience that would utilize a 7-inch screen and weigh less than 3 pounds, but it wasn't clear what the audience was. So with the first generation UMPC, the company targeted consumer enthusiasts--thus the viral marketing campaign--but that proved to be a mistake. The devices sold poorly when they hit the market in early 2006.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> The UMPC form factor, not surprisingly, has been at the center of some heated debates. Because it is too large to place in a typical pocket, but too small to contain a useable keyboard (at least by traditional mobile PC standards), the UMPC occupies an interesting but perhaps unnecessary segment of the market. I suspect that Palm faced a similar decision when it opted to cancel its Folio project this year: It's unclear that customers are really looking for a device that's larger than a cell phone but smaller than a sub-notebook.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> What Microsoft was doing with the UMPC at a software level, however, was interesting. The company had created a touch-enabled software front-end to XP called the Origami Experience and had configured XP to be optimized for both the capabilities and limitations of the devices at the time. This provided customers with the familiar Windows user experience but also some unique capabilities that were specific to the UMPC platform. Think of it this way: Microsoft was pushing an ultra-mobile touch user interface years before Apple entered the market with the iPhone.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> A Vista Origami</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> For the second go-round, Microsoft fine-tuned the software, based it around Windows Vista, and worked with a new generation of more efficient hardware. It's still performance-challenged, thanks to the limitations of the ultra-low-voltage (ULV) processors that must be used to power such devices, but various hardware makers and Microsoft have worked in concert to create more interesting solutions that will appeal to a wider audience. And somewhat surprisingly, UMPCs are heading to the enterprise, and though you might want to hold off until yet another chipset generation appears in early 2008, these devices are a potentially compelling solution for those who need to work and connect on the go.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> The primary advantage of a UMPC, of course, is that it's a real PC. It runs real Windows software, albeit somewhat slowly, and it can do so in even the most cramped of situations, like your typical airline coach seat. The battery life is fantastic, and much better than anything I've seen from traditional business notebooks, especially if you're running typical application software. (Battery life during media playback is mediocre; a Samsung Q1 Ultra I've been testing gets about 4 hours of life with business applications, but only about 2 playing back movies.)</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Thanks to a variety of innovative hardware designs, you'll see interesting keyboard and pointing device solutions. For example, the Q1 Ultra that I've been testing since mid-summer features an amazing and tiny smart phone-like thumb keyboard, split in half so that there are some keys on each side of the screen. Holding the device with two hands, as you would naturally, the keys are right where your thumbs are, and work just like the keyboard on the smart phone you're probably already using. I wouldn't want to type this article on that keyboard, but it's great for email, Web browsing, document editing, and other tasks, and is certainly much better than an on-screen virtual keyboard (which is also available, of course). When you're back at the office, you can plug into USB keyboards and mice, and even an external screen, and have a desktop-like experience. A slow desktop-like experience.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> UMPC software</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> While the underlying operating system on a UMPC is a stock version of Vista with full Tablet PC capabilities enabled--Vista Ultimate in my case--Microsoft has added a number of UMPC-specific software solutions to the mix as well, and of course various PC makers will supply their own device-specific utilities as well. Here are some of the software applications you can expect to see on a typical UMPC.</div> <h3 style="color: #242424; font-size: 16px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Touch Settings</h3> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Part of Vista, this application is enabled when you're using a touch-capable screen or device. It's a full screen application that lets you optimize and customize the touch settings on the PC. Optimize, in this case, increases the size of Start Menu items, scroll bars, title bars, the taskbar, icons, and buttons, making them easier to tap with your fingers. You can also optimize the IE 7 UI for touch, and enable or disable the Tablet Input Panel (TIP).</div> <h3 style="color: #242424; font-size: 16px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Origami Experience</h3> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> The Origami Experience is the poster-child of the UMPC world, a unique Microsoft application that combines the simplicity and basic look and feel of Media Center with a touch-enabled interaction scheme. While it's geared primarily towards entertainment--three of four major buttons in the initial UI are related to music, video, and pictures--it can also be used as a straightforward program launcher.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> To my eyes, Origami Experience looks like a specialized version of the Windows Mobile UI with a static set of media player buttons on the bottom. And that's a good thing: The interface is colorful, obvious, and easy to use. There are quick link buttons on the top for task switching (Windows Flip), battery life, and wireless signal, but most of the screen is occupied by large, colorful icons that are easy to look at and, more important, easy to tap with your finger.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Aside from music, video, and pictures, Origami provides a fourth option, Programs, which opens to reveal five sub-categories: Connect, Communicate, Entertainment, More Programs, and Tools. Of course, once you launch any of the applications displayed within these groups, you're popped out of the Origami Experience. This is somewhat jarring, of course, but then I don't think it's reasonable for Microsoft to replace the entire Windows UI. (On the other hand, there are some inconsistencies: Sudoku appears within Origami but not the Games Explorer for some reason.)</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Microsoft says that the Origami Experience isn't just about a new UI, or enabling touch access to most OS functions. Instead, this environment is optimized for what the company calls quick interactions. This is different from the typical Windows user interface, where you're probably multitasking and getting a number of things done in tandem. In Origami, the expectation is that you're typically doing just one thing, or performing a single task while also playing music. It's a new interaction method that's essentially single tasked by design.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Another way to view Origami is via a consumption/management perspective. For example, you won't manage your music collection from Origami or import CDs to the hard drive. Instead, you'll continue using Windows Media Player for those tasks. But Origami is a very simple UI for consuming content, like music, and in this way, it's very much like the first version of Media Center. (Which, since then, has evolved to include management and acquisition functionality as well.)</div> <h3 style="color: #242424; font-size: 16px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Dial Keys</h3> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Microsoft's take on the virtual keyboard is two crescent-shaped half-keyboards that appear in the lower left and lower right corners of the screen. (The standard Tablet PC-style virtual keyboard is also available, of course.) Feedback on this feature, called Dial Keys, has been mixed: Some users absolutely love it, while others prefer the tactile feel of a real keyboard. For this reason, many UMPC makers are building small keyboards directly into their devices as well. Apple is now dealing with complaints about its own virtual keyboard scheme in the iPhone; it will be interesting to see how they react to the same kinds of feedback from their own users.</div> <h3 style="color: #242424; font-size: 16px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Touch-enabled games and applications</h3> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Most UMPCs ship with a selection of Tablet- and touch-enabled games like InkBall and Suduko. There's also a version of Microsoft Reader, the company's eBook reader, designed specifically for Ultra-Mobile PCs. This version of Reader is particularly nice, and stretches the width of the page across the entire screen.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> UMPC in the real world</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> While I'd like to describe the UMPC as a best of both worlds experience, even the least demanding mobile user would never want to use one of these devices as their only PC because of the performance issues. That said, I travel enough to understand how laborious it is to lug around even a mid-sized notebook, and traveling lighter is an ongoing goal of mine. Given my heavy writing needs, a UMPC doesn't quite measure up in my admittedly unusual case, and at the very least I'd need to carry along a USB keyboard and mouse in my checked luggage. I've brought the Samsung with me on the past few trips, and I'm doing so again as I write this from Seattle, for a Microsoft reviewer's workshop. The question I have is simple: Can the UMPC function as my sole PC during business trips?</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> As it turns out, no, it cannot, but that's largely because of the demanding needs of my job. (That said, I did write this review primarily on the UMPC, using a USB keyboard.) I typically travel with a high-end Windows Vista-based notebook that includes, among other things, a local version of the SuperSite Web site so I can work updates while traveling, a decent selection of digital media content for those hours stuck on planes with no room to really work, and a set of current articles that I'm working on at the time. I spend most of my time writing, emailing, and browsing the Web, and this all requires a reasonably well-equipped machine.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> The UMPC is not such a machine. The Q1 Ultra I'm testing uses a lowly 800 MHz ultra-low-voltage processor mated to just 1 GB of RAM, a combination that is woefully inadequate for Windows Vista. I've tried to dumb down the UI in various ways to see how performance is impacted, but I can't see a difference between the Classic and Windows Vista Basic UIs from a speed standpoint, so I leave it on the more attractive Vista Basic. Not that it matters: Try to do two or more things at once and the memory dries up immediately and system performance comes to a screeching halt.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Some tasks are simply too demanding for the UMPC regardless of what else you're doing. Playing back a 1500 Kbps H.264 file in QuickTime or iTunes is almost impossible, and even Windows Media Player stumbles through these files with the appropriate codecs installed, providing a miserable overall experience. The supplied Origami Experience won't play these files at all, even with the right codecs installed.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> For general note-taking in Word 2007 and simple online tasks (email, Web browsing), the UMPC works just fine, assuming you don't try to do both at once. A RAM bump to at least 2 GB--my recommended minimum for Vista--would likely do wonders, but these machines are never going to be performance champs, not in this generation. If your needs are far less demanding than mine, the UMPC may earn a place in your carry-on. But I don't recommend using it as your only PC regardless. This is more of a PC companion than a true PC, despite the underlying operating system and its capabilities. It doesn't matter if the device is compatible with something if it's not fast enough to run it effectively. This may just be the slowest computer I've ever used.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Final thoughts</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> While Intel is set to release more impressive ULV microprocessors and chipsets in early 2008 that should go a long way towards making the UMPC more viable than it is today, that's of little solace to anyone looking for this kind of device now. Here in late 2007, the UMPC is pretty much a non-starter for most users: While the Origami Experience is pleasant and well-designed, the underlying hardware is not even powerful enough to run mainstream multimedia content. Business users might be the best fit here: With a Wi-Fi connection and, preferably, a device with a keyboard, the UMPC is a somewhat capable email, Web, and productivity application solution. But again, you shouldn't dump your existing PC for one of these machines. While the software soars, the hardware is lagging behind by a generation or two. If you value portability above all else and fit the usage model, a UMPC could be a decent traveling companion, assuming you understand the limitations up front. Personally, I'm waiting for the next generation</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

The Origami Experience: Windows Vista and the Ultra-Mobile PC

The Origami Experience: Windows Vista and the Ultra-Mobile PC Almost two years ago, Microsoft launched a bizarre viral ma...

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Games for Windows LIVE 2.0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <h1 class="page-title" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; height: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin: 5px 0px 10px;"> Games for Windows LIVE 2.0</h1> <div class="pm-cont-main" id="content" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <div class="pm-cont-pdg" id="pm-main-pdg"> <div class="node node-article node-article-page page-content clearfix clearfix" id="node-4417"> <div class="content-tools" style="margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 595px;"> <div class="byline-date"> <div class="byline" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.3;"> <br /></div> </div> </div> <div class="intro clearfix" style="background-color: #ededed; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; clear: both;"> <div class="description clear-block" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', 'URW Gothic L', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 10px 10px 7px;"> <div class="summary" style="line-height: 1.5;"> <div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content clear-block" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <div> </div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> This week, Microsoft released the 2.0 version of its Games for Windows LIVE client. Compared to the <a href="http://winsupersite.com/reviews/games_winlive.asp" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;">old version</a>, which shipped about a year and a half ago, the new client is like a breath of fresh air. But it also seems to backstep from the original design, which promised a PC-based version of the Xbox 360 dashboard. This time around, you can still logon to your common Gamercard (really your Windows Live ID), but there's no interaction at all with that information after you're logged on. Instead, the client is just designed as a place to access downloadable content, which ranges from game demos and add-ons to game related videos (like trailers) and more.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> On the plus side, Games for Windows LIVE no longer requires customers to pay for an Xbox Live Gold subscription, and the existence of this client outside of any game suggests that Microsoft will do more with it in the future. However, for this software to be truly useful, it should interact with Xbox Live Marketplace and give gamers the option to move content back and forth between the Xbox 360 console and the PC.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> I still think the Xbox 360 makes a lot more sense for dedicated gamers, but if you are interested in Games for Windows LIVE-compatible games, there are now 8 titles available: Fallout 3, Gears of War, Halo 2, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, Quantum of Solace, Shadowrun, Universe at War and Viva Pi?ata. I reviewed Gears and Shadowrunlast year.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Screenshots</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 540px;"> <img alt="Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Build 16489" border="0" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/128498/vista/gfwl2_01.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" /></div> <br /> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 472px;"> <img alt="Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Build 16489" border="0" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/128498/vista/gfwl2_06.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" /></div> <br /> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 385px;"> <img alt="Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Build 16489" border="0" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/128498/vista/gfwl2_07.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" /></div> <br /> <table align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%px;"><tbody style="border: none;"> <tr><td align="left" valign="top" width="100%"><div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /><div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 720px;"> <img alt="Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Build 16489" border="0" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/128498/vista/gfwl2_09.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" /></div> <br /> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 720px;"> <img alt="Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Build 16489" border="0" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/128498/vista/gfwl2_10.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" /></div> <br /> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 720px;"> <img alt="Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Build 16489" border="0" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/128498/vista/gfwl2_13.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" /></div> <br /> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 720px;"> <img alt="Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Build 16489" border="0" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/128498/vista/gfwl2_14.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" /></div> <br /> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; 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Games for Windows LIVE 2.0

Games for Windows LIVE 2.0 This week, Microsoft released the 2.0 version of its Games for Windows LIVE client. Comp...

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Windows Live Wave 3 Updates: April 2009

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <h1 class="page-title" style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; height: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin: 5px 0px 10px;"> Windows Live Wave 3 Updates: April 2009</h1> <div class="pm-cont-main" id="content" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <div class="pm-cont-pdg" id="pm-main-pdg"> <div class="node node-article node-article-page page-content clearfix clearfix" id="node-3074"> <div class="content-tools" style="margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 595px;"> <div class="byline-date"> <div class="byline" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.3;"> <br /></div> </div> </div> <div class="intro clearfix" style="background-color: #ededed; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; clear: both;"> <div class="description clear-block" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', 'URW Gothic L', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 10px 10px 7px;"> <div class="summary" style="line-height: 1.5;"> <div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content clear-block" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <div> </div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Microsoft this week unveiled three important and previously announced updates to its Windows Live Wave 3 series of products and services : Web Messenger integration, new activities, and social networking services contacts integration. None of these is a game changer, per se, but they all serve to further bolster Microsoft's integration vision for Windows Live Wave 3. Let's take a look.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Web Messenger</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> While Microsoft's full-featured Windows Live Messenger client is the way to go if you're an instant messaging (IM) fan, sometimes you find yourself in front of a public PC, a friend's PC, or some other PC where Messenger isn't installed. Or you may have two Windows Live IDs (for some reason) and want to logon to both simultaneously; you could logon via Windows Live Messenger and Web Messenger simultaneously with different accounts.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Whatever your reason, you're good to go: Via links in the web-based services Windows Live Hotmail (email) and Windows Live People (contacts management), you can now message with your friends at any time. (A previous Web Messenger version, <a href="http://webmessenger.msn.com/" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;">MSN Web Messenger</a>, is more of a standalone web app and is still available.)</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Web Messenger provides a few basic features:</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> <strong>Sign into the Messenger service from the web. </strong>Web Messenger lets you sign into your Messenger account from the web and set an availability level, such as Available, Busy, Away, or Appear Offline.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 347px;"> <img alt="Web Messenger" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127006/live/hm_mess_03.jpg" style="border: 0px solid; display: block;" /></div> <br /> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> <strong>Receive Messenger alerts on the web. </strong>While logged on via the web, you will see small Messenger-like "toast" alerts pop-up in the lower-right corner of the browser window.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> <strong>Send and receive instant messages from the web. </strong>While logged on via the web, you can receive messages from any of your Messenger-based contacts and send messages to anyone in your Messenger or Windows Live People contacts lists.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 526px;"> <img alt="Web Messenger" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127006/live/hm_mess_05.jpg" style="border: 0px solid; display: block;" /></div> <br /> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> <strong>View contacts' IM status from Hotmail. </strong>If you receive an email from a contact on your Messenger friends list, you'll see a small colored pearl next to their name in the FROM field. This pearl indicates the contact's online status, as it does in the standalone Messenger application.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> In use, Web Messenger works fine, with no major surprises. Web-based Messenger conversation windows pop-up when someone messages you, and look surprisingly similar to normal Windows Live Messenger conversation windows. You lose some of the more esoteric formatting options, but get emoticons and nudges (why??). For some reason, the contact pictures are on the right side of the conversation window, instead of the left, as they are in Windows Live Messenger; they also cannot be turned off. (In fact, I didn't see any Web Messenger configuration options at all.)</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Web Messenger integration with Hotmail is available now in Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and USA. (It's also available in France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the UK; those countries actually got this functionality in March.) Microsoft promises to roll it out in more countries in the coming month.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> New Activities</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Next week, Microsoft will bolster the list of third party services that integrate with Windows Live Messenger by 20, bringing the total to over 30. Some of the new partners are major league services, too, including Facebook, PhotoBucket, SmugMug, and many others. (Less well-publicized: Microsoft is finally adding support for its own services, including MSN and the Zune Social.)</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> These new services aren't available as I write this, but you can see the interface for integrating with third party services in Windows Live if you visit your <a href="http://home.live.com/" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;">Windows Live Home portal</a> and then click on the link Add web activities. The <a href="http://profile.live.com/WebActivities/" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;">resulting page</a> provides links for supported third party services. If you're a member of any of these, you can add them to your "What's New?" feed, set a privacy level, and move on to the next service.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 720px;"> <img alt="Windows Live web activities" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127006/live/web_activities.jpg" style="border: 0px solid; display: block;" /></div> <br /> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> You can view the aggregated output from all of the services you add in this fashion via your <a href="http://profile.live.com/" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;">Windows Live Profile page</a>, as can others if you've configured the privacy controls to allow that. With Windows Live adding more and more third party service compatibility, it's really starting to come through on Microsoft's promise of providing a single location from what you can broadcast all of your various affiliations and memberships.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> These new services will be configurable through Windows Live starting next week.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Contacts partners integration</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Finally, Microsoft will also be adding the ability to share contacts between Windows Live and new third party services. (Facebook and LinkedIn contacts integration is already available.) The next three to come on board are Hi5, MySpace, and Tagged. Via this interface, you'll be able to ask your Hi5, MySpace, and Tagged-based contacts to join your Windows Live service, and vice versa. This way, you don't have to manually duplicate your contacts list across all the services that are important to you.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> You import contacts into Windows Live via the Add People link on your Windows Live Home portal (or Profile page). Today, <a href="http://g.live.com/9uxp9en-us/hpg_dmr3" style="color: #0e5f8b; text-decoration: none;">this interface</a> allows Facebook and LinkedIn integration only, of course, but MySpace and the others will be up next week. You select a service from the drop-down list, sign-in, and then select the contacts you'd like to invite, and then send the invite(s), along with an optional message.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> </div> <div class="captioned-image caption-none" style="overflow: hidden; width: 720px;"> <img alt="Windows Live contacts partners integration" src="http://winsupersite.com/content/content/127006/live/contacts_partners.jpg" style="border: 0px solid; display: block;" /></div> <br /> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> As with the new activities, these new contacts partnerships will go live next week.</div> <h2 style="color: #242424; font-size: 22px; height: auto; margin: 0.5em 0px;"> Final thoughts</h2> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> Windows Live Wave 3 is a huge and dramatic change over its predecessors, but when you step back and really think about what it is that Microsoft is trying to accomplish here, it's all rather incredible. I noted in my review of the Windows Live Wave 3 services that "the goal is to provide consumers with a central location from which they can manage these many online personas, reach out to people they care about, and share things with others." Obviously, for this to happen, there needs to be deep integration with the non-Microsoft services that people really use. Flickr. Facebook. MySpace. The big guys.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> In the initial release of the Wave 3 services, only some of that was in place. Now, just a few months later, Microsoft is finally expanding the Windows Live tent to include a more representative group of services, both on the What's New feed side and on the contacts integration side. This should make Windows Live more relevant to users.</div> <div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.48em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"> For those that are already invested in Windows Live, Web Messenger integration with Windows Live Hotmail and People is obvious and not particularly earth-shattering, but it's a nice addition. Taken in tandem with the other updates coming this month, it seems that Microsoft's Wave 3 is really starting to come together.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Windows Live Wave 3 Updates: April 2009

Windows Live Wave 3 Updates: April 2009 Microsoft this week unveiled three important and previously announced updat...

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