Technologizer

Device Stage Gets Short Shrift

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Microsoft blogged today about the compatibility logo program for hardware and software devices that will work with Windows 7. It’s in sync with Windows 7’s overall spirit of simplicity: There’s just one logo (“Compatible with Windows 7″) vs. the two that Microsoft came up with for Windows Vista. (“Works with Windows Vista” indicated basic compatibility; [...]

PC Annoyances–and a Security Fix

Thursday, September 10, 2009

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I know you’re not always happy with your PC, so here are three fixes to some of the annoyances you’ve sent to me. Louder. No, Quieter The Annoyance: I have lots of MP3s I’ve ripped onto my hard drive from CDs. Nothing seems to play at the same volume level. When I play Copeland’s “Fanfare,” it’s loud [...]

Bill Gates Sees Project Natal in Windows’ Future

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

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Microsoft tricked us by revealing its 3D motion-sensing camera at E3. At the game industry’s biggest trade show, we all assumed Project Natal would be a console peripheral for gaming, but Bill Gates says the camera will have other uses in Windows. As part of a lengthy interview with CNet, the Microsoft chairman said Project Natal [...]

How Bright Do You Keep Your Notebook Screen?

Friday, June 12, 2009

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(Here’s another guest post by Pat Moorhead, Vice President of Advanced Marketing at AMD. Pat’s postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies, or opinions. You can find Pat at Twitter as @PatrickMoorhead.) The current defacto standard used by PC makers to measure notebook battery life is MobileMark 2007 (MMO7). This [...]

Russia Mounts Antitrust Charges Against Microsoft

Thursday, June 4, 2009

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Russia’s state anti-monopoly service today launched an investigation of Microsoft for phasing out its Windows XP operating system. The agency’s complaint centers on Microsoft’s decision to discontinue selling Windows XP after this month while demand for the operating system continues from retailers and the Russian government. It will consider charges against Microsoft on July 24. Microsoft [...]

Windows 7: Coming to a PC Near You on October 22nd

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

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Back on May 11th, Microsoft confirmed what was already pretty obvious: Windows 7 would ship for the 2009 holiday season. Today, it got specific and said that the OS would show up on new PCs and in retail upgrade boxes on October 22nd. That’s a little later than some predictions–just yesterday I was telling someone [...]

Why I Dumped Windows System Restore for ERUNT

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

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I gave up on Windows System Restore. Yep, I turned the feature off and replaced it with a freebie I like better. System Restore is a recovery tool built into Windows that backs up and restores the Registry. System Restore takes a snapshot of your computer — called a restore point — once a day, as [...]

5Words for Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

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Techwise, it’s a slow day… iPod Nano to get camera? Intel, Microsoft dislike big netbooks. Kids text 80 times daily. Windows Vista SP2 is ready. Microsoft’s future visions video, remixed. Photorealistic games: 10-15 years? Gotta love this 1878 sign. Twitter on the Twitter show.

After Two Years, Microsoft’s Surface Tabletop Computer Hasn’t Revolutionized Anything. Yet.

Friday, May 22, 2009

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When Microsoft unveiled its Surface tabletop computer two years ago, the company vowed to “break down traditional barriers between people and technology.” The revolution has not happened–yet. Microsoft is expanding Surface into new markets, but adoption has thus far been confined to customers in specific markets. Last summer, the company embarked on pilot programs with AT&T [...]

More on Windows 7 and Netbooks

Friday, May 22, 2009

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Microsoft is still wrestling with the question of how to get Windows 7 onto dirt-cheap netbooks without crushing the profit margin it makes when it sells copies of Windows to PC manufacturers. Two pieces of scuttlebutt emerged today; one sounds promising for netbook buyers, and the other is kind of discouraging. Promising scuttlebutt: Paul Thurrott is [...]

5Words for Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Friday, May 22, 2009

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I’d love a 32GB iPhone… Savvy guesswork about next iPhone. Gmail preview for slow connections. Four Pres per Best Buy? Is the Pre shortage intentional? Share bundles with Google reader. Twitter search: broken, broken, broken! Is this Windows 7’s logo? Windows 7’s netbook hardware limitations? Microsoft vs. Apple in Alpha.

Advertising Works!

Monday, May 18, 2009

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I still think that Microsoft’s current Laptop Hunters ad campaign for Windows represents an odd combination of stating the obvious (that you can buy a Windows PC with beefy components for a lot less than a Mac) and avoiding the obvious (that operating systems have a gigantic impact on the experience you get from a [...]

5News for May 18th, 2009

Monday, May 18, 2009

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How’s your Monday so far? Napster launches a $5 service. What’s with the oldest Twitterer? Iomega updates external hard drives. Microsoft patents the magic wand. Windows 7’s virtual Wi-Fi adapters. Walmart ramps up electronics sections. Firefox 3.5 due in June. Trying to buy Verizon’s MiFi, RealDVD headed for legal oblivion?

This Laptop Hunter Isn’t a PC

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

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There’s a new Apple “Get a Mac” ad out–and this one is the first one that would seem to respond directly to Microsoft’s “Laptop Hunters” ads and their snarky put-downs of Macs, since it involves a woman shopping for a computer and addresses the fact that there are gazillions of PCs out there: [...]

5Words for May 11th, 2009

Monday, May 11, 2009

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Lotsa cool-techology news today… Steve Levy on Wolfram|Alpha. Next generation Windows-on-Mac. Real work with Windows 7. Samsung’s cool E-Ink phone keyboard. The trouble with 200-Mbps Internet. A netbook or a phone? Should Facebook censor holocaust deniers? Finally, pants with a keyboard!

Hijacking a User’s Default Browser is Never Acceptable. Repeat, Never.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

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The standard “Express” installation of the Windows 7 RC does something I thought software had stopped doing years ago: If you upgrade from a previous version of Windows, and choose the “Express” option when installing, your default browser will be changed to Internet Explorer. Needless to say, this behavior has immediately sparked complaints from Mozilla and [...]