Tag Archives: Laptop

Ballmer Launches ‘Simpler, Faster’ Windows 7

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Windows-7Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer officially unveiled the company’s new Windows 7 operating system at a Thursday launch event in Manhattan.

“I’m Steve Ballmer and I’m a Windows 7 PC,” he announced.

The idea behind the new OS is to make computing “simpler, faster, more responsive,” he said. That was possible thanks to an “intense collaboration” between Microsoft and its partners – 50,000 software, hardware, and peripheral vendors, as well as 8 million beta testers, he said.

“Windows needs to be an incredible opportunity for innovation, for hardware companies [and] software companies, and it needs to be a place that is simple and easy to use and opens up the world of diverse innovation … in a way that is manageable and consumable by billions of people around the world,” Ballmer said.

Ballmer pointed to three key components of the OS: it works in the way you want it to work, it simplifies, and it enables new technologies.
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Users want their PC to fire up quickly, to be responsive, and have a longer battery life, and “I think we’ve accomplished that” with Windows 7, Ballmer said.

“The things that you do all the time need to be simpler,” Ballmer said. “You want to manage the windows on your desktop [and] make that stuff super, super simple.”

New technologies include the OSes multi-touch computing capabilities, he said.

“Frankly, there’s more you can do with this system,” Ballmer said. “Ninety-five times out of 100, if people have a choice, they choose a PC.”

Microsoft announced that next month, Amazon will launch a beta version of the Kindle Reader for Windows 7, which will allow users to peruse books using multi-touch. Scroll through a book with the touch of a finger, and zoom in or out by pinching the screen.

“From the end-user perspective, you get dozens or hundreds of new features – everybody finds their own unique set of features to fall in love with,” he said.

Ballmer was introduced by Kylie, the precocious five-year-old who is the star of Microsoft’s latest ad campaign. “You were late,” she informed him when Ballmer asked if she had enjoyed their meeting yesterday. He blamed airport delays and then presented her with a pink netbook as a consolation prize.

Is the World Ready for 3D Laptops? Ask Acer

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I’m all for technology advancements–a new OS, a slicker smartphone, Tang, whatever. Now Acer’s making an odd-but-interesting bet with its new Aspire 5738DG laptop: a 3D display. Yep, the future is now–watch out for flying DeLoreans!

Before I crack any more jokes, let me explain what goes into Acer’s 3D technology. Ray Sawall, senior manager of product marketing for Acer America, took a few minutes to break it down for me. Forget fancy proprietary names (TriDef 3D screen!), what’s at work here are polarized plastic shades, a 60-Hz polarized display, and software working in tandem to trick the image into seeming three-dimensional.

With 3D movies (like, say, Monsters vs. Aliens), it works. It also does the best it can to represent 2D images in 3D. I haven’t had a chance to test it just yet, but the spokespeople say I need to check out The Lord of the Rings–and I will soon, since I expect to see a review unit any day now.
3D: Must-Have Tech, or Gimmick?

Obviously, the big deal here is what this could mean to gamers. I should know; I’m a card-carrying member. The video game crowd’s been chasing that 3D dragon for ages, with some of the best results coming from real-time strategy titles like Command & Conquer 3. Most recently, Resident Evil 5 is a great example of what 3D can do to make the action jump off the screen.

Or maybe Excel spreadsheets will come alive as you get lost in cells–exciting, I know.

Is 3D too much of a niche gimmick? I’m inclined to think so. 3D seems to be the new rationale to sell movie theater tickets, special-edition Blu-ray discs, and apparently PC hardware.

Even Acer’s Sawall seems to agree: “My gut is that [touch-screen technology] has more traction than 3D. Honestly, I’m not sure if there’s a home for 3D in mobile.”

Still, Sawall says the Aspire 5738DG’s been better received by retailers than expected.
Decent Specs for a Good Price

The Aspire 5738DG, available later this week with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit edition, packs decent hardware for the $780 asking price: an Intel Core 2 Duo processor T6600, an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 GPU, 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB 5400-rpm hard drive. Stay tuned and I’ll give you the skinny on how well this machine works when I get my hands on it.

What are your thoughts? Substance, style–or something in-between? Hit the Comment box below or send e-mail to PC World with “ATTN: Laptops (3D? I can barely handle two dimensions)” in the subject line.

Need even more nerdity? Follow PC World Senior Writer Darren Gladstone on Twitter (gizmogladstone) for oddball links, 140-character game reviews, and whatever else comes to mind.

IBM and Canonical team up against Windows 7

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Windows 7IBM and Canonical, the commercial entity behind Ubuntu Linux, on Tuesday are launching a combined cloud and Linux desktop package designed for Netbooks and low-end PCs.

For those of us still waiting for Linux to hit the desktop, this type of packaging may be exactly how the move from Windows starts to pick up steam.

The IBM Client for Smart Work was first launched in South Africa in September and was initially geared toward emerging markets. IBM found that there was strong interest in the U.S. and other markets that had aging PC infrastructure and little desire for continued Windows upgrades.

The U.S. version of the package contains a number of IBM products including word processing and spreadsheets via Lotus Symphony, e-mail via Lotus Notes or LotusLive iNotes, and collaboration tools from LotusLive.com. As with the previously launched initiative, the package runs on Ubuntu Linux.

Bob Sutor, IBM’s vice president of Linux and open source, told me that the target is not a drop-in replacement scenario, but rather something for IT shops that don’t want to be stuck in an endless cycle of upgrading desktop operating systems and applications.

This is an interesting development for multiple reasons:

* IBM and Canonical are teaming up to bring Linux to the desktop, offering what could be considered a next-generation thin-client that relies on cloud services but remains based on an actual operating system rather than just running in a Web browser.
* IBM is targeting Windows installations in the co-opetition model the company excels in–effectively insulating itself regardless of who wins the desktop.
* Canonical is building a channel to deliver solutions rather than depend on individuals and organizations to roll their own.

IBM has been making some interesting moves of late, launching a cloud-based e-mail and collaboration suite to rival Google Apps and now a direct attack on Microsoft’s operating system footprint.

Nokia’s Booklet 3G Netbook Is A Winner

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By Steven Burke, ChannelWeb

Nokia (NYSE:NOK)’s first netbook, the Nokia Booklet 3G, is the equivalent of four aces. There is simply no other product that packs as much cutting-edge technology into a 2.5-pound Windows 7 package for less than $300.

By working closely with Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT), Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) and AT&T (NYSE:T), Nokia has delivered a killer netbook that is priced at only $299 with a two-year service agreement from AT&T.

Make no mistake about it. Nokia has just set a new price/performance standard for netbooks that is going to cause Acer, Asus, Hewlett-Packard and the rest of the netbook pack to lower prices or provide more cutting-edge features for that sub-$300 price tag.

There may be other lower-priced netbooks subsidized by wireless service provider contracts, such as the HP (NYSE:HPQ) Mini 1151NR netbook for $200 with Verizon (NYSE:VZ) Internet access that begins at $39.99 per month. But there is no other netbook that offers 12-hour battery life with 3G wireless capability.

The biggest loser in the Windows 7 netbook bonanza may well be Acer and Wal-mart, which had teamed to offer a sub-$300 netbook. Look for a Wal-mart-Acer price rollback.

Combining the AT&T wireless service as part of the Nokia Booklet 3G bundle is the Acer killer here. AT&T, by the way, is the exclusive wireless service provider in the U.S. for the Apple iPhone. Look for Apple CEO Steve Jobs to closely examine that AT&T-Nokia deal as AT&T attempts to negotiate a new contract with Apple. That AT&T-iPhone contract is set to expire in 2010.

By the way, even with Apple (NSDQ:AAPL)’s Midas marketing touch, you can’t tell me that there aren’t a good number of iPhone users sick and tired of surfing the Net on an eye-straining tiny smartphone screen. Don’t think that some potential iPhone buyers aren’t going to eye and buy the Nokia Booklet 3G. That is going to irk Jobs to no end.

Also look for the Nokia Booklet 3G to cause a lot of people who were thinking about buying a desktop to choose the netbook alternative. You don’t need to be a geek to appreciate a small footprint system with a 10.1-inch display that lets you surf the Internet anytime, anywhere and anyplace.

It is no small matter that the Nokia Booklet 3G comes preloaded with Windows 7 and will be available on the first day the long-awaited operating system is launched Oct. 22. In fact, the Nokia Booklet 3G is a poke in the eye to all those who thought Windows 7 with its smaller footprint and faster load times does not have the chutzpah to drive a hardware refresh.

Congratulations to Nokia, Microsoft, AT&T and Best Buy for all combining here to set a new high watermark for netbooks. Best Buy might not get those same long lines you see at the Apple store when Apple releases a new iPhone. But my bet is the Booklet 3G is going to create enough buzz and excitement to draw a crowd of tech-savvy shoppers to Best Buy and a boatload of netbook sales for Nokia.

HP Unveils Windows 7 PC Line-Up

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HP’s new desktops and laptops include multi-touch screens, tilting Webcams, and improved power management.

In advance of the consumer release of Windows 7 next week, HP on Tuesday announced 11 new desktop and laptop computers loaded with new features such as multi-touch, tilting Webcams, new keypad designs, improved power management, the ability to connect to home gaming systems, and even a drain for spills.

Multi-touch is a big part of HP’s new line-up. For example, HP is upgrading its TouchSmart tx2 consumer tablet, which the company unveiled late last year. The multi-touch tablet allows users to interact with the PC either with the included stylus or with their fingers. The twist display allows users to use the laptop in a PC mode, to flip the display to show something to others, or in a more stereotypical tablet mode. The laptop, like the rest of HP’s line of touch products, will come with applications found on the HP TouchSmart PC. It starts at $799.

Another new multi-touch laptop, the DV3, is a traditional laptop rather than a tablet, but for now it’s only testing in Europe.

The company is also releasing two new TouchSmart PCs, the 300 and the 600. Both continue down the multi-touch path started by previous iterations, and include new multi-touch applications from Hulu, Netflix and Twitter, among others. The 300 gets a 20-inch screen, while the 600 gets a 23-inch screen. Select models of the 600 will be able to connect to the Xbox, PlayStation, and Wii via HDMI or composite video. The 300 starts at $899 and the 600 at $1,049.

HP is also launching a slate of new business-focused PCs, including one with multi-touch, the TouchSmart 9100 Business PC, which follows up on the TouchSmart DX9000. It will roll out in December. Pricing is to be determined, but the current model starts at $1,299. Unlike the current model, the 9100 will be customizable. It will also be shipped to businesses with the USB and other peripheral ports locked down and will have solid-state drives as an option, as HP expects companies to use the 9100 in customer-facing environments such as hotels where security and power savings are key.