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  • HDX Dragon Contest Update and New Prize Added

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 2 hours, 50 minutes ago
    2 Comments 78 Views

    There is a little over a full day left in the contest, and I know many of you are hard at work wrapping up your videos. Two videos have been posted so far, so I wanted to leave some general feedback based on what I've seen. But first, and important announcement.

    I've been able to secure a new prize to be added to the winning package. In addition to the $5100 in prizes, the winner will also receive:

    A invite to the private WIndows Media Center "Fiji" Beta, with the bits already preinstalled on their system.

    Pretty cool, huh?

    Anyways, some additional things to keep in mind when making your videos:

    • Please try to keep them between 3 and 4 minutes.
    • Please make them a bit more personal. Just because I didn't want to see a monologue, doesn't mean I don't want to see the Faces of Windows Vista.
    • I don't necessarily want to see a demo of Vista, although it won't disqualify you from the contest. I want to see how Vista makes your life better. Things like better wireless networking, mobile devices, etc.
    • PLEASE make them funny!!!

    Also, people have been unable to leave comments with URLs in them on the WindowsNow channel, so just private-message me on the Channel, and I'll get your video posted.

    One final note: The contest ends at 6pm EST Sunday (tomorrow). The winner will be announced just before Midnight EST on Sunday.

    Good Luck!

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  • "Windows 7 Video" Is Fake

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 05-14-2008, 7:17 AM
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    9 Comments 883 Views

    A couple different websites around the net have been reporting over the past few days on a new video making the rounds on YouTube, purporting to be a video demo of Windows "7". While it is pretty high quality, very elaborate, and shows off some pretty interesting stuff, multiple sources inside Microsoft have told me it's a fake. One source told me that security on Windows 7 is extremely tight for various reasons, and that we shouldn't expect to see anything for quite a while yet.

    Having said that, Microsoft should take a hard, frame-by-frame look at the video. There are some interesting features in there, such as a tabbed Windows Explorer, that would make great additions to the user experience.

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  • 31 Days of the Dragon: Our Contest Begins Today!

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 05-11-2008, 9:41 PM
    Filed under: , ,
    18 Comments 1062 Views

    UPDATE: I've posted additional comments here. Good luck!

    The giveaway of the decade is here! HP and Buzz Corps have teamed up to give you, my dear readers, 31 chances to win the beefiest notebook out there, the HP HDX "Dragon" Entertainment Notebook PC (don't you dare call it a laptop).

    The Notebook:

    • Display: 20.1″ diagonal WUXGA High-Definition HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen (1920×1200)
    • Operating system: Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)
    • Processor: Intel Core2 Extreme Processor X9000 (2.80GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
    • Memory: 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
    • Graphics Card: 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS
    • Personalization: HP Imprint Finish (Dragon) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
    • Networking: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
    • Hard Drive: 500GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (250GB x 2)
    • Optical: Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
    • TV & Entertainment Experience: Integrated HP HDTV Hybrid TV Tuner and 4 Altec Lansing speakers + the HP Triple Bass Reflex subwoofer
    • Primary Battery: 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
    • Productivity Applications: Microsoft Office 2007, Corel PaintShop Pro Photo X2, Corel Painter 4, Ulead VideoStudio 11.5 Plus
    • Games: Viva Pinata, Microsoft Flight Simulator X, Microsoft Flight Simulator X Acceleration Expansion Pack, Gear of War
    • Blu-Ray movies: The Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy – The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest, At World's End.

     

    The Websites:

    Website Contest starts Winner Announced
    AbsoluteVista.com May 2 May 9
    Ars Technica May 3 May 10
    OSNN.net May 4 May 11
    JKontherun.com May 5 May 12
    DigitalMediaPhile May 6 May 13
    BostonPocketPC.com May 7 May 14
    The-Gadgeteer.com May 8 May 15
    TheDigitalLifesetyle.com May 9 May 16
    DigitalHomeThoughts.com May 10 May 17
    Windows-now.com May 11 May 18
    WindowsConnected.com May 12 May 19
    Geekstogo.com May 13 May 20
    Bink.nu May 14 May 21
    MediabLab.com May 15 May 22
    Last 100 May 16 May 23
    Digital Inspiration May 17 May 24
    Notebooks.com May 18 May 25
    SlashdotReview.com May 19 May 26
    Neowin.net May 20 May 27
    Geek.com May 21 May 28
    Lockergnome.com May 22 May 29
    Planet x64.com May 23 May 30
    TheGreenButton.com May 24 May 31
    Istartedsomething.com May 25 June 1
    BleepingComputer.com May 26 June 2
    HardwareGeeks.com May 27 June 3
    GeekNewsCentral.com May 28 June 4
    Geekzone.co.nz May 29 June 5
    TheTabletPC.net May 30 June 6
    GearLive.com May 31 June 7
    GottaBeMobile.com June 1 June 8

    The Contest:
    Here's how our contest is going to work. Lately, there have been a lot of people in the press talking about how horrible Windows Vista is. It's driving me completely mad. So I have to give this notebook away, and I want you to help fight the negative press about Vista.

    So I want to see what people are doing with Windows Vista. If you want this notebook, you need to send me a video, no longer than 5 minutes, showing off the cool things you're doing with Windows Vista. Maybe you use Windows Vista to edit together your old home movies and turn them into DVDs with Windows Movie Maker and Windows DVD Maker. Maybe you use Photoshop on Windows Vista to illustrate digital comic books. I don't know. But I want to see how creative you can be, and how Vista makes your computer life better.

    But I don't just want a monologue in front of your computer. Make it creative. You could do a skit. You could animate it. You could involve your whole family. You could use puppets. Whatever. Just make it funny.

    Rules:

    • Winner must sign an agreement stating that the laptop will not be sold for one year from date of receipt. If you plan to win it just to sell it, this contest is not for you.
    • HDX winners from other sites in the promotion cannot win this contest.
    • No nudity or profanity. I don't care what gender you are, it won't get you anywhere. Keep it PG, folks.

    What I'm Looking For:

    • Innovative Use of Windows Vista: Don't just show yourself playing Solitaire, show us something interesting or unusual.
    • Presentation Creativity: I want to see something that totally blows my mind. An example would be Derek Hunter's winning entry from the AbsoluteVista.com contest. BTW, I LOVE special effects, so show me what you're got!
    • Effort: It should go without saying, but the more effort you put into it, the more likely you are to win.
    • Making a Difference: Special consideration will be given to people who use Vista to make the world a better place.

    How To Enter:

    • Step 1: Subscribe to the WindowsNow channel on YouTube
    • Step 2: Upload your video to your YouTube account and leave a link in the WindowsNow channel's comments.

    How The Winner Will Be Picked:
    Once you post a link to your entry, I'll move it to my playlist in the Channel. As my readers, you all will be asked to vote on which video you think is the best. While the votes will not in and of themselves determine the winner, they will be a factor in my decision. Yes, that's right. I'm ultimately picking the winner. No, bribery will not help.

    Alright folks, get to it! Please please PLEASE show me the WOW!

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  • NVIDIA's Vista Drivers Suck, Now There's Proof

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 03-28-2008, 5:03 PM
    6 Comments 1461 Views

    CRN Magazine uncovered some pretty damning evidence from Microsoft on how much of a suckfest NVIDIA's Vista support was/is. Among the 158 pages of internal e-mails released regarding the "Vista Capable" lawsuit, was a chart listing the "Causes of logged Vista crashes, by organization". Nearly 30% of all crashes during an unspecified period in 2007 were related to NVIDIA drivers, over 3x more than their competitor, ATI. Given the state of NVIDIA drivers, that's not at all surprising.

    I recently had another run-in with sh!tty NVIDIA drivers, this time the nvstor.sys driver caused me to burn through *13* hard drives (that's not an exaggeration) on my Windows Server 2008 x64 Hyper-V rig. Just one more reason why I've purged NVIDIA chipsets from my systems.

    But back to the subject at hand. While I am dismayed at the amount of in-fighting and general BS that went on over what made a "Vista-capable" machine, as well as rumors I've heard about how the WinSAT scoring system was manipulated (and the situation as it was relayed to me could be open to interpretation), I think that a bunch of good things will ultimately come out of this lawsuit, if it doesn't go overboard of course. I also think that the relative silence from the Windows team regarding completed/ongoing SP1/Windows 7 work may have as much to do with this lawsuit as it does Sinofsky's crackdown on anything that even remotely conveys a forward-looking strategy.

    At the end of the day though, what is the remedy going to be when it is all said and done? A $25 rebate from Microsoft? Big frickin whoop...

    [via Ars Technica]

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  • RadioTime for Windows Media Center

    Posted By dougknox to Doug Knox on Windows Media Center and Windows Home Server on 03-21-2008, 6:03 PM
    Filed under: ,
    0 Comments 815 Views

    I found a new (to me anyway) service today, thanks to an insert in the box my Linksys DMA2200 came in.  Its called RadioTime, and its free.  Its a Media Center plugin that allows you to stream Internet radio stations from all over the world. And it can present you with a list of local radio stations, based on your ZIP code, that are available for streaming.  You can add your favorite stations to a Favorites list (who knew there was a country radio station in Prague?).  This feature requires a free subcription to utilize.

     Best of RadioTime

    They also advertise a companion service, The RedButton.  This allows you to schedule and record radio, and play it back via Media Center or your portable media player. They do have a 14 day free trial, and if you decide to buy its a one time charge of $29.00.  No recurring fees at all!

    And, yes, it works though the Media Center Extenders, as well.

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  • Linksys DMA2200 Media Center Extender for Windows Vista

    Posted By dougknox to Doug Knox on Windows Media Center and Windows Home Server on 03-21-2008, 5:53 PM
    Filed under: ,
    1 Comments 987 Views

    My Linksys DMA2200 arrived today, thanks to the Media Center team at Microsoft (Thanks, folks!).

    Linksys DMA2200 

    I was fortunate enough to get to test a competing product, the D-Link DSM-750, prior to this.

     D-Link DSM-750

    PRO: The single biggest advantage of the DMA2200 over the DSM-750 is a built-in DVD player.  This is a 1080p upscaling DVD player. Sadly, you have to exit the Media Center Extender UI to get to the DVD player, but........ Its an inconvenience, not a show-stopper.  

    PRO: The UI in the DMA2200 seems to be a bit snappier and smoother than the DSM-750. 

    CON: The DMA2200 does not have the Windows Media Connect feature of the DSM-750.  This allows you to access shared music, movies, videos and pictures across your LAN.  Of course, you can do this within Media Center, too, so I don't see this as any big loss.

    The DMA2200 does what you would expect a Media Center Extender to do, and so far, does it pretty well.  It presents almost every function of the full Media Center Experience, and does it in a small black package.   No need to have that clunky PC in the den or living room any more. 

    Both units support Draft N wireless. as well as wired ethernet.  And they both support Composite, Component and HDMI video.  Surround sound support is standard for both units, as well as S/PDIF audio out.  I haven't tried the wireless yet, since I already had CAT-5 running to the devices location.  All in all, if its a choice between these two units, I'd spring for the extra bucks and get the DMA2200, as it doesn't lose anything I'd miss and gains a DVD player.

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  • For But a Few Brief Moments, I Was Totally Awesome

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 03-20-2008, 7:08 PM
    Filed under: , , ,
    3 Comments 810 Views

    I'm sitting at the San Francisco airport, waiting to board my plane back to Phoenix. The past few days, I've been all over Silicon Valley, with Michael Reyes from Hardware Geeks, Andru Edwards & Jesse from GearLive, and Xavier from Notebooks.com... plus the great folks over at BuzzCorps. On Tuesday, BuzzCorps and I spent most of the day at the infamous Lightspeed Ventures VC firm, which was pretty cool. Then the whole gang and I got to be one of the *very* few people who has ever set foot into the HP garage... which was quite a treat. I'll have some cool pictures of that up pretty soon.

    Yesterday we got to see HP's "Home of the Future", and then we had a discussion with about 50 HP employees about influencers and blogging. Along the way, I got to meet a bunch of really great HP employees, who showed us an awesome time :).

    But that's not why I was totally awesome. You see, on the way to lunch in Cupertino yesterday, we drove by the Apple campus. In fact, we were stopped out in front of it for more than a minute. And as I resisted the urge to throw eggs at Steve Jobs' car, for those few brief seconds, I was as awesome as I am ever going to be, just by being in the sheer proximity of the coolest company on the planet.

    And now I'm disappointed, because at a month from turning 26, I've peaked. It will never get any better than this. To paraphrase Lewis Black, the only thing to do from here is acquire a serious drug problem, drop of the face of the earth for a while, then start a blog over at weblogs.asp.net again and work my way back to the top.

    I guess I'll just have to make due somehow. As soon as my camera gets back, I'll be sure to post a bunch of pics.

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  • UltimatePC.com, Ultimate Exclusives, and Ultimate Extras

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 03-06-2008, 11:44 PM
    Filed under: , ,
    5 Comments 1397 Views

    In case you haven't heard yet, Microsoft has announced the launch of UltimatePC.com, which is the new home of Microsoft's "Ultimate" strategy. Microsoft wants to show that they are serious about engaging customers about the Ultimate SKU, so this site is part release vehicle, part online magazine. The idea is that the Ultimate team can engage customers with new content on a continual basis, without being subject to the rigors of a Windows engineering schedule.

    This is what I was sent from WaggEd on the subject:

    Today Microsoft announced the launch of UltimatePC.com, the new home for Windows Vista Ultimate customers.  UltimatePC.com will highlight leading edge consumer scenarios and systems on an ongoing basis and deliver new “Ultimate Exclusives,” which will join “Ultimate Extras” as added value to Windows Vista Ultimate users. Whereas Ultimate Extras are add-ons that extend certain OS capabilities, Ultimate Exclusives provide Windows Vista Ultimate customers with unique products and services at special discounts to enhance the computing experiences and enable users to do more with their PC. 

    We are launching UltimatePC.com with three diverse Ultimate Exclusives. These offers are indicative of the ongoing value which UltimatePC.com will deliver to customers of Windows Vista Ultimate; the most complete version of Windows Vista.

    • EVGA: Great deals on EVGA e-GeForce 8800 series graphics cards to enhance your gaming
    • Pinnacle Systems: Exciting offers on consumer video editing software and HD TV products
    • Stardock Systems: Promotional pricing on Stardock Multiplicity for Multi-PC control

    Microsoft has set a high bar for Ultimate Exclusives, just as it has for Windows Ultimate Extras and thus will lead the Ultimate Exclusive selection and posting process. While some Ultimate Exclusives will consist of Microsoft products and services, most Ultimate Exclusives will be comprised of third party offerings. We are therefore on the lookout for products and services which highlight the best in high end consumer computing.

    I'm told that there are a bunch more offers on the way, and that they will be changing frequently.

    Now, I know your first reaction is going to be to get angry at the lack to Ultimate Extras, and to feel like Microsoft has gipped you. You might even be tempted to write fictional letters from Windows Executives to the community, or build ASCII art of different Windows visual elements in protest of the issue. BELIEVE ME, I understand your frustration. But there is more to the story than I am able to tell you. There are positives and negatives to the changes the Windows division has seen in the last year... make of that what you will.

    I *AM* however able to say that there will be an announcement soon about the next wave of Ultimate Extras, and that Microsoft *really is* committed to delivering extra value on top of Ultimate.I can also say that Microsoft plans to have fee Exclusives at some point as well.

    At least they are doing *something* and something is better than nothing.

    BTW, I've already heard comments that people are disappointed that the site is using Flash instead of Silverlight... I'm told that Silverlight was the way they started, but they had to temporarily move to Flash for technical reasons. Supposedly they'll move back to Silverlight in the future, once whatever technical issue they had is resolved.

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  • Help Microsoft Test Site Rendering With New IE8 Add-on

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 03-06-2008, 11:14 PM
    Filed under:
    2 Comments 3140 Views

    If you're running the IE8 Beta, Microsoft has put out a new tool that can help them identify web pages with rendering problems in the new Standards mode. I'm not sure how they are going to address it internally, but hey, at least we can start going through all the Microsoft.com pages that need to be fixed. Ironically, the add-on's MSDownloads page was the first one I submitted. Live.com's personalized page was the second.

    From the download:

    The Report a Webpage Problem Internet Explorer Add-on appears as a toolbar button and a “Report a Webpage Problem...” item on the Tools menu.

    When the toolbar button is clicked or the menu item is chosen, the control takes a screenshot of the web page currently being viewed. A new tab is then opened containing a report submission form. A scaled down version of the screenshot will be visible at the bottom, and the user has a choice of whether or not to include the full-sized screenshot (choosing No to the “Include Screenshot?” question means no screenshot will be sent).

    On the report submission page, the user also has the option to select a category best representing their observed problem. This category selection will be part of the report information returned to Microsoft.
    A 1000 character limit comment field is provided, if the user chooses to include some description of the problem.

    Additional data included in the report:

    • The protocol type (http, res, file, etc.) of the URL being reported.
    • The complete URL.
    • A numerical value representing the Document mode.
    • For more information about what data is sent and how it is used, see the Privacy Statement

    Please visit the IE Beta Forum to enter bug reports, comments, and suggestions

    It's an easy way to help make sure the web is ready for IE8. Do your part. Download it now.

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  • March 5, 2008: The Day Microsoft Changed the Web

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 03-05-2008, 7:03 PM
    Filed under: ,
    9 Comments 1373 Views

    I've been saying this for a long time: The tech industry (and the financial markets associated with the tech industry) has continually underestimated Microsoft at its own peril. At MIX 08 today, Ray Ozzie emerged from his undisclosed location to show us all what the "Ray Ozzie Microsoft" will look like. And I try not to swear on the blog to often... but HOLY F---ING SH--! As Scott Guthrie so aptly put it, "Apps speak louder than words," and the LOOOONG keynote showed off more bits than you can shake an ICBM at. Here's what came out, courtesy of WaggEd:

    • Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1: Microsoft unveiled for the first time Internet Explorer 8, showcasing Internet Explorer’s commitment to developers. Internet Explorer 8 offers an unprecedented level of interoperability and tools, enabling developers to be more productive while delivering innovative experiences for end users on the Web. Internet Explorer 8 beta 1 for developers, released today, provides the most extensive support for Internet standards of any Microsoft browser and reduces the amount of time required to bring new experiences online. 
    • Silverlight 2 Beta: Silverlight 2 supports managed code, includes the core of the Common Language Runtime and adds over two dozen user interface controls (such as Button, CheckBox, Date controls, GridView and Layout) that are designed to be used right out of the box, or to be tweaked with styles. If you need full control over the look and feel, the appearance of any control can be fully determined by templates and control behavior can be modified by hooking events, or ultimately by creating custom controls.
    • Expression Studio 2 Beta: Expression Studio 2 works seamlessly with Visual Studio to enable better designer and developer collaboration. New features include PHP support in Expression Web, and support for Silverlight in Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Media Encoder and Expression Design.
    • SQL Server Data Services: Microsoft announced a preview of SQL Server Data Services, a building block service designed for developers and businesses that need scalable, easily programmable and cost-effective data storage with robust database query capabilities. MIX08 attendees will be able to register for an invitation-only beta of Microsoft SQL Server Data Services.
    Don't forget:
    • DeepZoom, powered by SeaDragon
    • NBCOlympics.com, HardRock.com, AstonMartin.com, and the new AOL Mail - all powered by Silverlight
    • XAML embedded in video enabling new ad metrics systems - By DoubleClick

    When Microsoft decides to compete, they don't screw around. And now you can take the platform that a majority of Fortune 500 companies trust and use every day, and take that wealth of developer experience, and bring it to a cross-platform, cross-browser solution? How about .NET developers building rich applications on the Mac? How about using the same XAML code for an advertisement, and having it work on a web page, in a video clip, or in a WPF app?

    So I say it again, count Microsoft out all you want, they have a history of out-competing almost everyone. Everyone thought OS/2 would beat out Windows. They were wrong. Everyone thought .NET would be a joke, cause Java "did everything right". They were wrong. Everyone thought Flash would take over the world. But Silverlight out-flashes Flash, and no one with any sense uses Flash for Enterprise apps.

    Microsoft has a history of letting innovation happen, then finding the weaknesses in a competitor's product and attack it in force. Microsoft now dominates software development, and Guthrie & Co are doing it through good ol' fashioned innovation. Now they are putting their full weight into the arena that Macromedia/Adobe have dominated for so long.

    if I were Adobe, I'd be real scared right about now.

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  • Guess Who's Not Ready For IE8?

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 03-05-2008, 6:43 PM
    Filed under:
    5 Comments 850 Views

    Microsoft! Live.com is totally broken in IE8. Which I find kind of odd, because I would have imagined that the Live.com team had access to the beta. At any rate, changing tabs doesn't work, the Start Orb is broken, and only 3 of the panels on my front page load data.

    Oops! I think we can say that this not the first site that will break with IE8, and definitely not the last. Time to update that meta tag, guys!

    This site, however, is totally ready. One change to the global configuration in IIS7, and we're now spewing the IE7 compatibility HttpHeader, although there are relatively few issues with the way the site renders by default in IE8.

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  • Xbox 360 HD-DVD Emulator, Free For All

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 03-04-2008, 8:34 PM
    Filed under: ,
    3 Comments 1406 Views

    Microsoft may have thrown in the towel on HD-DVD, but they still believe that HDi which is very similar to Silverlight) is better than BDJ. So Microsoft is making the HD-DVD Emulator available for free. Not only that, but anyone who has already bought it will get a full refund.

    Could this mean that Blu-Ray could be seeing HDi support in the near future? If Sony was smart, that answer would be yes... but who knows?

    I might have to check this out and report back on the experience... supposedly you can burn it to a regular DVD and use it in an HD-DVD drive...

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  • Silverlight Mobile... On Nokia Before Windows Mobile

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 03-04-2008, 12:28 AM
    Filed under: ,
    3 Comments 950 Views

    I kind of had a feeling that Silverlight would be coming to Mobile Devices soon... I just didn't realize it wouldn't come on Windows Mobile first. News.com has the scoop:

    Microsoft's Silverlight browser plug-in will be bringing videos and other rich media to Nokia smartphones later this year.

    The two companies on Tuesday at Microsoft's Mix '08 conference are scheduled to announce that Microsoft will write a version of Silverlight for Nokia's Series 60 (S60) smartphone software that runs on Symbian OS. The software, which will be available later this year, will also run on Series 40 devices and Nokia Internet tablets.

    Now I've seen some pretty cool apps for the S60, and now hopefully we'll be able to see even more soon. Does that mean .NET development could be coming to the S60? Let's hope so.

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  • Bulletproof PDF Printing for Vista x64 - For Free!

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 03-03-2008, 5:39 PM
    Filed under:
    1 Comments 839 Views

    "That's bullsh!t!" you might say. No, it's BullZip! (Yes, I'm well aware of how cheesy a joke that was. You'll survive.) It uses GhostScript Lite, and it totally rocks. Plus it's donationware... so make sure you give them some love.

    BTW, they also make a free MD5 Calculator that lets you right-click on any file and get it's hash... it even lets you paste in the hash from a website for a quick comparison. Good for making sure that SP1 download of questionable origin is legit...

    Anyways, I just blasted my laptop and reinstalled Vista SP1 slipstreamed (not because of errors per-se, just time to clear out the software I don't need/use), and these were the first tools I installed. Forget Adobe... get BullZip PDF!

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  • IE8 Will Default to Standards Mode

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 03-03-2008, 4:15 PM
    Filed under:
    6 Comments 1680 Views

    From Dean H. over on the IE Blog:

    One issue we heard repeatedly during the IE7 beta concerned sites that looked fine in IE6 but looked bad in IE7. The reason was that the sites had worked around IE6 issues with content that – when viewed with IE7’s improved Standards mode – looked bad.

    As we started work on IE8, we thought that the same thing would happen in the short term: when a site hands IE8 content and asks for Standards mode, that content would expect IE7’s Standards mode and not appear or function correctly. 

    In other words, the technical challenge here is how can IE determine whether a site’s content expects IE8’s Standards mode or IE7’s Standards mode? Given how many sites offer IE very different content today, which should IE8 default to?

    Our initial thinking for IE8 involved showing pages requesting “Standards” mode in an IE7’s “Standards” mode, and requiring developers to ask for IE8’s actual “Standards” mode separately. We made this decision, informed by discussions with some leading web experts, with compatibility at the top of mind.

    In light of the Interoperability Principles, as well as feedback from the community, we’re choosing differently. Now, IE8 will show pages requesting “Standards” mode in IE8’s Standards mode. Developers who want their pages shown using IE8’s “IE7 Standards mode” will need to request that explicitly (using the http header/meta tag approach described here).

    There is also a press release here. This is great news for the web standards community... but not-so-great news for the billions of web pages out there. You guys have fair warning now... better update your DOCTYPE if you want to show users a consistent experience.

    Reaction? QuirksBlog says: "Isn't that something? The IE team is listening."

    Speaking of web sites and compatibility, a friend of mine discovered that Verizon Wireless' "My Account" site has been inaccessible from Firefox for over a week. So far, Verizon won't even publicly acknowledge the issue, or inform their users on the login page. They just make their users think that they are stupid by erroring out on login. I wonder how long it will take to fix it...

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  • Windows Vista Is About To Get Cheaper

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 02-28-2008, 10:31 PM
    Filed under: ,
    3 Comments 1375 Views

    Looks like I'm the first one to catch this. Microsoft put up a Q&A on PressPass with Brad Brooks. He's the CVP of Windows Consumer Product marketing, and he announced that Microsoft is dropping the price of retail-packaged product (RPP) versions of Windows Vista when the SP1 version hits the shelves in a few weeks. From the interview:

    PressPass: What did you announce today?

    Brooks: Today we announced a variety of price reductions for copies of Windows Vista sold on retail shelves. In developed markets, the price changes will most notably impact upgrade retail versions of the new editions we introduced in 2007 -- Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate editions. In emerging markets, we are combining full and upgrade Home Basic and Home Premium versions into full versions of these editions and instituting price changes to meet the demand we see among first-time Windows customers who want more functionality than is available in current Windows XP editions. In addition, we are also adjusting pricing on Windows Vista Ultimate in emerging markets to be comparable to price changes developed market customers will see.

    These price changes will take effect globally with the retail release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 later this year, though some markets will see reduced prices sooner as a result of promotions many of our partners already are driving, such as Amazon.com in the United States.

    Hopefully soon Microsoft will detail exactly what these changes will be. Maybe Long will dig up a pricing sheet from Microsoft France or something.  UPDATE: Ina fried at News.com has the details. Windows Vista Ultimate drops 27% from $299 to $219, and Home Premium drops 19% from $159 to $129. I think this is great news, and will make Vista a bit more accessible. It also makes Vista Home Premium the same price as Apple's OSX 10.5, which might explain that particular price point.

    For more, read the whole release.

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  • Microsoft Surface: Meet The New Arcade Table

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 02-28-2008, 10:12 PM
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    When I saw Microsoft Surface for the first time, it very much reminded me of this old standby from my youth: the arcade table. The resemblance is uncanny. Besides the purposes that have already been shown, I think Surface has a lot of potential for interactive gambling in casinos, as well as an innovative way to enable Family Game Night in the home. Think about it. Hasbro could sell Surface-enabled versions of Monopoly™, Battleship™, and Life™... and instead of the board, there would be custom RFID game pieces, and the software could reside on an inexpensive USB key.

    Well, that vision just jumped one step closer to reality. Joystiq has a video of the first videogame for Surface: Firefly. It's a simple enough game where you use your fingers to guide the flies into glass jars. It's built by Carbonated Games, the company that has a very large presence on MSN Games and the Xbox 360 Arcade. Could a Surface-enabled version of Halo Wars be far behind? One can only hope.

    Coupled with Steve Ballmer's revelation that Microsoft has had "...more pushback to get a consumer version of the Surface than you can shake a stick at," I'm very hopeful that I might be able to make one of these my coffee table in the not-too-distant future.

    And this time, I might not even need to worry about quarters.

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  • The EU Continues Its Socialist Campaign Against Microsoft

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 02-27-2008, 11:17 PM
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    You know, this whole EU fine thing is really pissing me off. It sure seems to me that the EU has found their cash cow to fund their entire operation, and they're doing so by fining an American company. All told, Microsoft has been fined 1.6B Euros, which could fund their entire "Clean Sky" project through 2013. Is this how governments raise money? It's not a fine, it's a competition tax, and its ridiculous.

    How is this in any way appropriate? As Mary Jo said, they never proved that European consumers were harmed, just competitors. Since when did a free market say that the leader is required to give competitors the tools to build better competing products? I thought that they only had a responsibility to not inhibit interoperability? That sure smells like Socialism to me...

    I think Microsoft should fight it. The American court system doesn't allow for Double Jeopardy, and they shouldn't stand for getting fined twice for the same offense.

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  • Windows Mobile Sells 3.5x More Units Than iPhone

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 02-27-2008, 10:25 PM
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    While Apple still deludes itself into thinking that it's going to sell 20% more iPhones in its second 6 months than it did in it's first, Windows Mobile outsold the iPhone by 3.5-to-1. But you wouldn't know it by reading the tech press, as usual. I guess it's good to be the quiet leader.

    [via Nathan Weinburg]

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  • Wired's Vista "Do's" Have Some Major "Don'ts"

    Posted By Robert McLaws to Robert McLaws: Windows Vista Edition on 02-27-2008, 9:27 PM
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    Wired has an article up about how to speed up Vista. While they have a couple OK tips in there, there are a couple of suggestions that caught my attention as colossally BAD. I tried to edit the wiki page to reflect this, but I was rebuffed by the original author. So much for community contributions.

    1. DO NOT under *any* circumstances, shut off Windows Error Reporting. How do you think Microsoft knows what to fix in the Service Packs? Microsoft doesn't collect personal info with these reports, so what are you worried about?
    2. DO NOT use vLite, despite it's perceived appeal. Look guys, there are *thousands* of people at Microsoft who helped engineer Windows, including the new dependency engine that manages the Setup process. Do you seriously trust ONE GUY to understand enough of all that to be able to delete files safely without affecting anything else? Using this program will make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to install SP1, PLUS it needs to be run to make a custom install of Vista, so it won't help anyone after the fact. Even so... seriously, you mean to tell me you can't spare 6GB on your hard drive?
    3. YOU DON'T NEED TO manually defragment.