SuperSite Blog : Hardware

Microsoft Hardware Launches Exclusive Features for Windows 7

pthurrott — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:56:18 GMT

From Microsoft:

In conjunction with the general availability announcement for Windows 7, Microsoft Hardware has announced that all of its mice, keyboards, LifeCams, gaming devices and notebook accessories will be fully compatible with Windows 7 once the operating system is launched to retail customers on Oct. 22nd.

Hardware is also launching several exclusive features for Windows 7 to make everyday tasks faster and easier, including:

· Taskbar Favorites: Microsoft keyboard users get a smart new way to access their most frequently used programs and documents with Taskbar Favorites, which will map to the location of applications on the improved Windows taskbar. The applications in the taskbar can be easily rearranged just by clicking and dragging, and Taskbar Favorites will automatically adapt to the applications’ new locations.

· Device Stage: Microsoft Hardware mouse and keyboard products will support Device Stage, a Windows 7 feature that gives customers quick and easy access to common tasks, including product information, registration, settings and more for popular device categories such as cell phones, cameras, printers, portable media players and input devices.

· Windows Flip: Microsoft mouse and keyboard users can easily see a thumbnail preview of all open windows with the press of a button. A full-screen preview of the application will automatically display, enabling the user to better identify and select the desired application.

· Windows Live Movie Maker and Windows Live Photo Gallery: LifeCam users will be able to do more with photos and movies. With Movie Maker they can start a movie project with one click, and then upload video to social networking sites. Photo Gallery access will enable them to easily upload a photo that they can edit, tag and share with friends and family.

Related: Microsoft hardware support for Windows 7 (drivers, etc.)

Dell Adamo. Spare me

pthurrott — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:24:11 GMT

I just wanted to post a short comment about the Dell Adamo, which is Dell's entry into the "my computer is smaller and more expensive than your computer" sweepstakes. That is, this epic waste of time is meant to compete with Apple's epic waste of time, the Macbook Air.

JCXP explains the system's specs like so:

The Adamo is available in one of two configurations. The first boasting a 1.2Ghz Intel U9300 Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3 RAM, Intel X4500 graphics, a 128GB SSD, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR and 802.11n wireless. For an additional $700, the second configuration bumps the processor up to a 1.4Ghz U9400 and adds an additional 2GB of RAM. Each configration ships with Windows Vista Home Premium and are available in either Pearl (Silver) or Onyx (Black).

Just to be clear, this is a notebook computer that starts at $2000 and goes up from there.

[sarcasm] This is exactly what's needed in the current economic climate. [/sarcasm]

*Sigh*.

You know what? I feel bad for Dell, I really do. They have a great product lineup, their best ever, and yet they continue to lose share with every passing day. But this machine is a ridiculous, Hummer-sized mistake. It attacks a niche that, frankly, is best left alone (and to Apple), especially given what's going on in the world these days. More generally, however, the Adamo is emblematic of what's wrong at Dell: They're so busy copying what they see as cool and hip that they've lost sight of the fact that they should be doing their own thing. Any product that is essentially a copy of something else (Linux, Zune, there are a million of them), there's something inherently less interesting about them. Because the companies that make them don't lead, they follow.

The Dell Adamo disgusts me. It's marketed like a Lexus. And you know what? Dell sells Toyotas. At best.

It's not even that nice looking. Oh, and the name stinks.

Geesh.

Why people hate buying PCs, part 37

pthurrott — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:24:40 GMT

Unbelievable.

I love Dell, I really do. I recently bought that Optiplex, which has been great. So when my dad called this morning and asked about buying a new PC, I told him I could probably get something at Dell for under $500. I headed over to Dell, went back and forth between the Inspiron and Studio desktops and then started configuring an Inspiron 518.

If you’ve spent any time on Dell.com, you know how this works. They have this nice configurator wizard that walks you through all of the components you can change on the system you’re browsing, like the microprocessor, the graphics card, the hard drive, and so on. It’s all standard stuff and it works well.

And then I got to this step. Honest to God, Dell.

Select my ... Iron Man Movie??? And it’s between the steps for “Printers” and “Speakers.” I kid you not.

But seriously. Crapware in the configurator?

People have been doomed to hell for eternity for less than this, Dell. Wake up.

Optiplex 755 as a server

pthurrott — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:38:46 GMT

Someone asked me this morning if I had posted any photos of the Dell Optiplex 755 I purchased recently … So there they are. I took these the day it arrived but forgot to post them. Hey, it’s been busy :)

So far so good. I’ve really loaded it down with virtual machines and the thing is rock-solid and silent.

How to set up a new PC in one easy session

pthurrott — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:57:59 GMT

Ed Bott takes on the task of starting off fresh with a new PC and, always, offers up some great advice. This is one to file away for that eventual do-over.

Over the years, I’ve done this process dozens of times for business clients, family members, friends, and neighbors. I’ve got the process down to a series of checklists, all built around some core principles. First, this is a great opportunity to get rid of clutter and get a fresh start. Second, the best way to transfer data from the old machine to the new one is by physically attaching the old hard drive to the new PC. And finally, spending time upfront figuring out what needs to be transferred and what doesn’t can save hours of time and headaches later.

Trying to do large-scale data transfers with USB flash drives and cables can be problematic, especially on old, slow, problem-plagued machines. Why spend hours moving tens or hundreds of gigabytes of data from the old machine to a USB drive only to have to do it again with the new PC? Skip the two-step and do what I do: bring along a SATA/IDE-to-USB converter. Newegg sells Syba’s version of this device for around $20 including shipping. I own a couple and can recommend them without hesitation. An external power supply feeds the DC connector on the drive, and a two-headed adapter lets you connect any SATA or IDE drive directly to a USB port on the new PC. While the contents of the old computer are transferring to a folder on the new PC, you can tackle other tasks.

That tidbit alone is worth the price of admission. Good stuff!

...

This [entire process] rarely takes more than a few hours, and when I’m done the client has usually learned some important skills along the way, making it more likely that they’ll be able to steer clear of trouble in the future.

Exactly. Anyone who makes more of this is just wasting their time. I have to continually re-install PCs because of all the testing I do, and while certain tasks (installing Windows, apps) do take some time, that’s not something a typical user will do very often. This isn’t as painful as people make it out to be.

Microsoft Surface piano demo

pthurrott — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:16:36 GMT

Here's a short video I took during my recent trip to Microsoft's campus. This is Mary playing with the piano demo on the Microsoft Surface interactive table:

Microsoft Surface: Piano demo by Paul Thurrott