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• Xbox 360 WMC Coupled to Xbox Live: Beta Woes

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Jun 16 2009, 01:19 PM

  Filed under: Xbox Live, Xbox 360, Digital Cable Tuners, Windows Media Center, Extenders

  My house is unlike many houses in America. You see, I have a Dell XPS 420 with two Digital Cable Tuners. It is the only device that is currently receiving cable signals. The two TVs in our house use Xbox 360s as Media Center Extenders, and for the most
  

  724 Views

• Showing Solidarity with the Iranian People

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Jun 15 2009, 02:16 AM

  I don’t usually do political posts here, but I am convinced that we are witnessing history with the popular uprising in Iran. I’ve been following reports on Twitter , and many people around the world today are wearing green in support of the legitimately
  

  693 Views

• OT: Community Server / Business Development Guru For Hire

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Jun 02 2009, 05:01 PM

  Filed under: Community, Off-Topic

  I don’t like having to write this kind of post. I try to keep this blog relatively on-topic, but every once in a while, my access to my following of readers, who have remained loyal all these years, requires me to do so. In January, I decided to switch
  

  803 Views

• Bing! First Impressions – Part 2

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on May 30 2009, 05:42 PM

  Filed under: Reviews, Bing

  This is the second part of my ongoing review of Microsoft’s new “decision engine,” Bing . Read Part 1 here . Reading the Bing Commentary In researching my opinions on Bing News vs Google News, I caught some interesting headlines on Google News about Bing
  

  1,437 Views

• Bing! First Impressions – Part 1

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on May 30 2009, 11:17 AM

  Filed under: Reviews, Bing

  This is Part 1 of my review of Bing. Read Part 2 here . When it comes to search engines, I’ve always used Google. I think their results have been unsurpassed in the last decade, which is why they are the “market leader.” I have been heavily resistant
  

  1,731 Views

• Office 2010 Technical Preview Leak Shows Windows 7 Integration

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on May 16 2009, 01:31 AM

  Filed under: Windows 7, Office 2010

  Microsoft passed out the Technical Preview bits to TAP partners, and like clockwork, the bits leaked out on the Internet . And like the Build Whore that I am, I went and downloaded it. There are scores of screenshots all over the net already, so there
  

  8,738 Views

• A Little Trip Through the Wayback Machine

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on May 15 2009, 03:14 PM

  Filed under: PDC 2003, Community, Windows Server "Longhorn", Windows "Longhorn"

  I was doing some ego surfing this morning, when I came across a reference to my company ( Interscape Technologies ) in an unusual place: a PDF file . Curious, I clicked the link… and what I found totally caught me by surprise. Apparently, two professors
  

  1,108 Views

• The Great UAC Debate of 2009 Is Over

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Feb 05 2009, 10:48 PM

  Filed under: Vulnerabilities, User Account Control, Feedback, Beta Testing, Betas, Windows 7

  I have been appalled at what has taken place over the last week. And now that it is over, I want to talk about it… because something needs to be done. The utter fiasco that spilled out into the blogosphere should never have happened. In case you’ve been
  

  3,640 Views

• Windows 7: Next Stop, Release Candidate

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Jan 30 2009, 01:13 PM

  Filed under: Windows 7

  Windows Chief Steven Sinofsky has taken some time to outline what happens from here to GA with Windows 7. As MJ, Paul Thurrott, and others have notes, the release did not say Windows 7 Beta 1, it was just a beta. It’s a good post, but I’ve pulled the
  

  3,126 Views

• The Problem With SaaS & Cloud Services

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Jan 20 2009, 06:26 PM

  Filed under: Windows Vista, Windows SideShow

  When I heard about the iMate Momento digital picture frame, I was an instant fan. I thought it was really great how it integrated with Vista’s SideShow. Once I received one for review, I found out that the execution fell far short of expectations. Well
  

  2,549 Views

• Microsoft Is Pimping Windows 7 Beta Downloads on Facebook

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Jan 17 2009, 11:03 AM

  Filed under: Windows 7

  I logged into my Facebook yesterday, and was greeted with this ad: Judging by the overwhelmingly positive reviews, this is a smart move on Microsoft’s part. You would have never seen this with the Vista beta, or any other beta, for that matter. Microsoft
  

  2,332 Views

• RROD Chronicles: Third Time Still Sucks

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Jan 11 2009, 03:05 PM

  Filed under: Xbox 360, New Xbox 360 Experience, Red Ring of Death

  I just joined the 3rd Red Ring of Death club. The first time, I got a complete replacement. The second time, they just did a repair (though I had my console back 48 hours after I shipped it). I’m hoping this time I get a replacement with a Falcon board
  

  1,893 Views

• I Am Boycotting IE Mobile Until Microsoft Gets Its Act Together

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Jan 06 2009, 12:45 AM

  Filed under: Windows Mobile, IE6 Mobile

  I have very high expectations for Microsoft’s Windows Mobile announcements at CES this year. You see, I have been a fan of Windows Mobile for quite some time. but, for whatever reason, Microsoft has completely dropped the ball on their platform for mobile
  

  2,898 Views

• Who Benefitted the Most from the Vista Capable Program?

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Jan 05 2009, 10:53 PM

  Filed under: Windows Vista, Windows 7, Vista Capable

  Ars Technica has a wonderfully insightful piece about the Vista Capable lawsuit , and the ramifications of the $1.5B number that the plaintiffs have been floating around in the case. if you haven’t read it yet, please do so, as I agree with their points
  

  1,710 Views

• WARNING: Windows 7 Beta Eats MP3s, Fix Coming

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Jan 04 2009, 08:26 PM

  Filed under: Windows 7

  Tom Warren from Neowin warns us that Windows 7 Beta (Build 7000) has an issue where Windows Media Player 12 corrupts the first few seconds of MP3 files when it tries to download additional metadata about the file (which is the default setting). "The
  

  2,364 Views

• Chris Holmes Thinks Windows 7 Will Save Microsoft

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Jan 04 2009, 07:22 PM

  Filed under: Windows 7

  It’s a new year, and in a few short days, Microsoft will introduce the world to a piece of software they are hoping will change the tide of public opinion. Windows expert and former Windows-Now blogger Chris Holmes (AKA Chris123NT ) just posted an editorial
  

  1,988 Views

• My Samsung Q1 Gets an Overhaul

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Jan 04 2009, 01:08 AM

  Filed under: UMPC, Windows 7, Samsung Q1

  Nearly a year ago, I received a Samsung Q1 Ultra-Mobile PC for review . I still have it laying around, although it hasn’t gotten much use lately. I tried using it for a while as a mobile TV device when my wife and I go on trips with the kids, but the
  

  2,615 Views

• Microsoft Introduces “Fix It For Me” KB Articles

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Jan 02 2009, 11:41 AM

  I just stumbled across this new blog in the TechNet Blogs feed: Have you ever come across a Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article or been presented with a Windows Error Reporting (WER) solution and asked yourself, why can't Microsoft just fix this
  

  1,899 Views

• The 2009 30GB Zunepocalypse. Don’t Panic.

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Dec 31 2008, 06:44 PM

  Filed under: Zune

  Holy crap. It seems these days that no one wants to write about Microsoft unless something goes wrong. One look at Techmeme today, and you’d think that all the Zunes rose up at once, coming to life with the sole purpose of killing your mother. In case
  

  1,703 Views

• Merry Christmas from Windows Now!

  Posted by Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on Dec 25 2008, 01:14 AM

  Hey everyone. I just wanted to take a break from wrapping presents to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, or <insert your holiday here>. Please, take some time and enjoy the company of your loved ones. I hope you all have a very safe
  

  1,347 Views