ForcaTech Blog

Today is the day. Windows 7 has been officially released. Did you go out and pick up a computer sporting the new operating system?

It was also a big day for Microsoft in AZ. The first retail Microsoft store was opened in Scottsdale today. As you can see from the photos the store looks pretty impressive and very futuristic but vaguely familiar at the same time. [gizmodo]

I have posted random grumblings and praise of Windows 7 over the past few months as I have used one of the release candidates but Gizmodo has compiled an impressive list of 27 different reviews. For all you could ever want to know about Windows 7:

CNET
“Windows 7 presents a stable platform that can compete comfortably with OS X, while reassuring the world that Microsoft can still turn out a strong, useful operating system.”

PCWorld
“…the final shipping version I test-drove appears to be the worthy successor to Windows XP that Vista never was.”

NYTimes
“[Microsoft's] three-year Windows Vista nightmare is over.”

IT Pro
“Windows 7…is competent and functional due to internal improvements and the user interface is attractive and good for productivity.”

bit-tech
“For want of a better way of describing it, Microsoft has essentially fixed Vista and the result is arguably Microsoft’s best operating system to date.”

Guardian
“Windows 7 is simply the best version of Windows you can get.”

Slate
“Indeed, the new Windows is not only the best operating system that Microsoft has ever produced. It is arguably the fastest, most intuitive, and most useful consumer desktop OS on the market today.”

Maximum PC
“…Windows 7 is unquestionably the best version of Windows that Microsoft has ever released, and is the true successor to Windows XP.”

Tech Radar
“No version of Windows is ever perfect, but Windows 7 really is the best release of Windows yet.”

PC Mag
“It’s far and away the best OS we’ve ever seen from Microsoft.”

Wall Street Journal
“I believe it is the best version of Windows Microsoft has produced.”

ElectricPig
“With Windows 7, Microsoft wants us to believe that it’s got its OS back on track and for the most part we feel they have.”

Engadget
“Where Vista felt like a sprawling mess, Windows 7 has patched up the holes and feels like a tight, unified mechanism.”

Telegraph
“Windows 7 is the operating system Vista should have been…”

Hexus
“This is the operating system that Windows Vista should have been.”

Digital Trends
“…Microsoft has returned for redemption with Windows 7, otherwise known as “what Vista should have been.”

AP
“Windows 7 [is] a slick, much improved operating system that should go a long way toward erasing the bad impression left by its previous effort, Vista.”

V3
“…Windows 7 is a worthy successor to Windows XP…”

Federal Computer Week
“There is nothing wrong with Windows 7 – and we’ve always thought Vista was a better operating system than its reputation suggested – so if a new system happens to come with it, then you’ll get a fine operating system.”

PC Pro UK
“We like Windows 7 a lot – so much so, that the disappointment that was Windows Vista has already become a distant memory…”

Technodorm
“If you have the money to spend, there is no reason why you shouldn’t upgrade.”

Laptop Mag
“If Vista left you somewhat disillusioned with Windows, we suggest you upgrade to Windows 7.”

Cult of Mac
“I need to go wash my eyes out with bleach.”

The Inquirer
“Windows 7 is as pretty as Apple stuff, just as easy to use, and does not treat you like a moron.”

Computer World
“…it’s finally time to upgrade.”

TechWorld
“Windows 7 feels like an anti-Vista…”

Gizmodo
“…if you’re coming from Windows XP, Windows 7 will totally feel like a revelation from the glossy future. If you’re coming from Vista, you’ll definitely go “Hey, this is much better!” the first time you touch Aero Peek. If you’re coming from a Mac, you’ll—hahahahaha. But seriously, even the Mactards will have to tone down their nasal David Spadian snide, at least a little bit.” [gizmodo]

I will say this; No operating system is going to be as minimalistic as Windows XP however hardware is constantly improving and there aren’t many computers out now that can run Vista or Windows 7. One of the big problems with Vista in my opinion was at that it was so resource intensive that the majority of hardware out at the time struggled to run it. That being said, even on my workstation computer that has no issues running Vista or Windows 7–and maxes out the in OS performance ratings that are useless for the most part–Vista is much more clunky than Windows 7.

It doesn’t end there. Windows 7 is much more user friendly and intuitive and the new taskbar is great once you get used to it.

So the time comes in every quazi-techy persons life. Should I get the iPhone? Unfortunately I can’t answer that for you for less than $1,000. There are many other devices to choose from but as I believe the only real competitor that is available/soon to be available is the Omnia 2 I am going to write this post as if these are your only two options. I am not going to do a full review of either phone as I have spent alot of time discussing them but if you want more information you can read up on the 100 reason I feel you should buy an iPhone and everything you could ever want to know about the Omnia 2.

Did you read up on those? Here we go.

Since none of you actually read the info from either of those links let me catch you up to speed on the Omnia 2. Since mid summer we have been hearing rumors of the O2 and in August it was released in other countries. It is a beautiful phone. I don’t believe anyone will argue with me if I say that the Omnia 2 hardware far surpasses the iPhone in almost every department except the Omnia 2 has a resistive screen while the iPhone has a capacitive screen which is much more finger friendly. Resistive screens are the soft screens that work best with a stylus like you see on PDAs and smart phones. Capacitive screens are the hard screens seen on iPhones and a few other phones like the G1. A regular stylus won’t work with these as something conductive needs to press on the screen.

Whoa, tangent. Moving on…

Some reasons you would go with the Omnia 2 include:

• Windows Mobile
• Handwriting recognition
• Capable of running multiple programs at once
• Hardware, hardware, hardware — Even after Verizon removes the forward facing camera and possibly locks down the GPS to only be usable with their Apps the Omnia 2 has very impressive hardware including a 5mpx camera and AMOLED screen(real quick, an AMOLED screen only turns on the pixels it needs. If you are viewing black those pixels are actually turned off allowing for deeper blacks, better colors and better battery life)
• On the Verizon network which–for the time being–is more reliable than ATTs
• Tethering(the ability to use your phones internet connection on your computer) — Not really a perk as the iPhone will be getting that soon and right now you can jailbreak your iPhone to allow you to do it now(don’t do this! Apple/ATT don’t want you to and I don’t want to hear from you saying you broke your iPhone. In case you forgot what I said one sentence ago, DON’T JAILBREAK YOUR IPHONE!!)

That about wraps it up. If WinMo is a need for you then there isn’t really a decision for you to make, however if you want me to convince you that you don’t need Windows Mobile I can do that for you as well.

Some reasons to buy the iPhone:

• The Omnia 2 isn’t and will never be as finger friendly and intuitive as the iPhone. –I went into a VZ store and messed around with the Rogue which has the same type of screen(AMOLED resistive) and same interface (sans WinMo) and I wasn’t very impressed. IMO a resistive touch screen is never going to feel as good with a finger as capacitive
• The Omnia 2 hardware is the only thing that I cared about that it has over the iPhone but after Verizon gets its hands on it there will no longer be the forward facing camera, GPS will most likely be restricted to their Apps and the TouchWiz 2.0 UI will probably be tainted with their “improvements”
• The iPhone has a huge community following that the CDMA version of the Omnia 2 will never have. If there is something you wish the iphone could do there is probably an App to do it. Verizon is probably going to block every App store except for their own.
• The iPhone OS is snappy, especially with the 3GS, allowing you to be much more efficient. From the videos I have seen of the Omnia 2 it is not as responsive and it is probably going to be even less so when it is running WinMo 6.5
• I don’t want to have to use a stylus!
• The iPhone is made around media as well as productivity. With WinMo you have to download 3rd party programs to play most media types.
• The iPhone exists and isn’t just a figment of our imagination that Verizon is using to keep us with them.
• PUSH. Currently with WinMo you have to set your device to connect to the internet and search for changes every so often which can hog battery life.

Well, not to void this entire post I decided to withhold the following information from you.

I got tired of waiting. After talking to several employees of the big red I gave up. I spoke to cust srv and said I was leaving for the iPhone saying I was tired of waiting for the Omnia 2. My contract has been up for a while. I told them if I could get any info confirming that the O2 would be coming out in the next month or two I would stay with Verizon. They responded saying they couldn’t tell me anything but they “hoped that it would be out in the next couple of months”.

She asked me what the iPhone had that a BB didn’t have…. I didn’t really know how to respond to that in 10 minutes or less so I didn’t.

After taking all of the above into consideration this is the decision that I made. I ordered two iPhones last night.

I am not saying the O2 isn’t a good phone. It is beautiful and the international GSM versions I have seen have been incredible, but the forward facing camera for video conferencing was a big thing for me and since Verizon will be removing that my decision was easier.

I have said plenty good about the O2 and if I knew when I could get my hands on it and just how tainted by verizon it was I may have stuck around. But it comes down to the fact that it has been several months since we heard about the O2 and we dont have any information about it. And, now that I am with ATT I will always have the option of getting an international unlocked GSM version of it in all of its forward facing camera glory.

Everyone can make their own decision. I have said plenty about both the iPhone and Omnia 2. Here it is again:

http://www.forcatech.com//2009/07/100-reasons-to-buy-an-iphone/

http://www.forcatech.com//tag/omnia-2/

While very unlikely Microsoft is admitting that upgrading to Windows 7 could potentially take you 21 hours depending on various different factors including your computers hardware, how much data you have on your hard drive and how many programs you have installed.

The chart above is from the blog of Chris Hernandez–a Microsoft Software Engineer. He did a number of install tests on 3 different hardware builds.

A truly nice feature of Windows 7 is the ability to upgrade from your existing operating system without losing your data and installed programs.

From my experience this chart is a little conservative. I fell into a the Super User group with High End hardware. I had around 450Gb of data and over 50 programs installed (including CS4 Web Premium, games like Crysis/Call of Duty 4, VPN software, etc). Hardware included 4GB of DDR2-1066 RAM, high end AMD dual-core clocked at 3.6GHz and a GTX 280 gpu with 128MB 1GB of RAM.

I was coming from Vista Ultimate 64-bit going to Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit as well. From start to finish it took me just under 2 1/2  hours. After  a few weeks of testing I was surprised that 100% of my programs worked after the upgrade including all of my games, VPN software such as Hamachi and CS4.

While 2 1/2 hours is alot of time it is nice to not have to reinstall everything and lose all of your saved data. If you are one of those people who like to reinstall Windows every so often–like me–then it will take less than an hour to install Windows 7 and probably less than another hour to get all of your programs re-installed like they were before.

These screenshots are a little more than terrifying. Thanks to a Best Buy employee we all get to see the propaganda being shoved down their throats by the technology giant.

The screenshot above lightly scratches the surface of the garbage. For anyone who has never used Linux before, you are being taught that: your Ipod ,MP3, or digital camera most likely will not work with Linux; printers, and scanners do not work, your software will not work either; IM, Email, and photo viewing are not supported, nor are video games, tech support, and video chat. It is blatantly false.

What I found funny about the above image was the “Free Downloads” section talking about how you can get free software with Windows… Hmm, is Windows free to download? No! Is Linux free to download? Yes, almost every distro! Is Microsoft Office free to download? Is OpenOffice free to download? I think you know the answer.

All of the previous screens have been quazi-understandable. Yes, most standard home users will have a harder time using cameras, iPods, MP3 players, printers, scanners, games, etc with some distributions of Linux(while many of these are changing rapidly). But this is the beginning of the ridiculous Fact/Myth trash that Microsoft is pulling. Linux updates and upgrades are easy? Myth? Absolutely not! Anyone who has ever used a distro of Linux that is aimed at the home user–such as any of the Ubuntu flavors–knows just how easy updates are. It is virtually the exact same process as updating Windows. You receive a notification that updates are ready and then just click that you want to download/install them. Piece of cake.

While it is true that you are not completely safe with Linux I can honestly say that of all of the virus issues I have had, 100% of them have been while using Windows, with and without virus protection.

While we are writing propaganda to push our new product lets put together another fact/myth scenario:

Is Windows is the most cost effective solution when you need to set up 300 workstations that only need access to a web browser?

Fact or myth? I’m not even going to help you out on this one. If you are stuck, leave now. Don’t come back.

On the bright side, anyone who is familiar with Linux probably hopefully won’t be turned astray. On the downside, just because you work at Best Buy does not mean you are tech savvy, these are the people who help those who walk in and are still debating if they really need to upgrade their old Windows 98 machine.

Just as it is every holiday season there are a slew of new games on the horizon. Amongst those is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 which you can pre-order now on Amazon. If you go for the Prestige Edition then you will get everything pictured above: the game disc, all the extra, worthless packaging and a more impressive case that you will most likely throw away.

The feature that really sets the prestige edition apart from other games however is the fully functioning night vision goggles. For the rare moments when they aren’t mounted to your own head the game developers have also included a head display to mount them on to really spiff up the place.

Other mentionable games coming out over the next 6 months include Halo 3: ODST, Assassins Creed 2, Mass Effect 2, Left 4 Dead 2, BioShock 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction. All of these are available for pre-order on Amazon now. I am sure there are other so let me know what you are excited about seeing this holiday season.

So the question stands–are the night vision goggles worth the extra $90? This is one that I can’t answer for you.

Just like we had assumed when we saw the Xbox 360 “Super Elite” pop up on Amazon, this retail ad in South Africa shows the release date for the new member of the 360 family to be released in October. Pricing for the 250GB bundle with 2 wireless controllers is a little more expensive here in this leak–hovering right around $646. Hopefully the US release is closer to the $400 price we saw on Amazon.

Windows Mobile 6.5 is now officially coming to us on October 6th. For more information you can read the Windows Mobile Blog. It is not a very interesting post. It is mostly just propaganda for Microsoft about how WinMo is going to be the phone OS for everyone and about how if someone is buying their first smart phone they would rather purchase a Windows phone because it is a brand they know will break down trust.

We have liked what we have seen about the mobile phone OS, but will it be as intuitive and finger friendly as we would like it to be?

This also means one of two things for Omnia 2 fans. Since the leaked info has all said that the Omnia 2 will have Windows Mobile 6.1 the phone will either come out some time in the next four weeks or it will come later and with WinMo 6.5.

The Xbox 360 Elite has now taken the place of the 20GB Pro model and is officially $299. You can pick one up anywhere the console is sold. Now the price line up is:

$299 – Xbox 360 Elite 120 GB
$249 – Xbox 360 Pro 60 GB
$199 – Xbox 360 Arcade 256 MB

Also some big news–Amazon.de “accidentally” posted a 250GB–super?–elite Xbox 360 bundled with 2 wireless controllers and Forza Motorsport 3.

The 360 Super Elite was listed for 279,99 EUR–just under $400 USD. Amazon.de is the same place where the PS3 Slim was listed 20 days before the official release and they have been nice enough to help us out again. There is no official word on the release of this version of the Elite but Forza 3 is due out October 23rd so we have got  a month or two to wait I would guess. This is a good deal, since a week ago you would have paid $400 for 130GB less, 1 controller less and no new release game.

We have seen alot of pictures of the new 360 box that shows the middle brother of the 360s and we have heard the rumors that the Elite will soon be cheaper. Until now, however, those all seemed to simply be rumors. Today amazon listed the Xbox 360 Elite in a white box–much like those “leaked” images we saw.

This means two things, one we will probably be losing the middle of the road 360–maybe in preparation for a Natal bundled system– and two, we may see the $299 Xbox 360 Elite price drop rumor may come to fruition.

This wouldn’t be a bad idea for Microsoft with the release of the $299 PS3 Slim that has the same sized 120GB hard drive.

So you have downloaded a legit RC of Windows 7 from Microsoft–sorry free release candidates went offline last night–or you have purchased your copy from Microsoft directly but don’t want to enter the activation key yet? You can easily extend your trial period by entering a single command into the command prompt.

Open up your command prompt and type in “slmgr -rearm”. This will extend your trial period to 30 days. As soon as those 30 days run up you can do it again.

Microsoft is allowing you to do this 3 times for a total of 120 days. The same trick worked in Vista and it looks like M$ has decided to leave it in Windows 7.

Redbox is now renting video games for $2 per night in the Reno area. To view all of the participating locations click here. Right now the selection is pretty slim pickins but you can view what they have available here.

Here is what we know right now. Renting the games will cost $2/night. There currently is no way to reserve a game online like you can with a movie and the only available game systems right now are the Nintendo DS, PS2, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360.

Redbox has been incredibly successful with their $1 movie rentals. Honestly when you rent a movie at a store and get 1 week how often do you actually watch the movie more than once? Surely not enough to justify spending $4-$7 as opposed to $1-$2. But how is this going to work for video games? Generally you spend more than a few days on a video game. If you keep it for a week that is $14 you have spent for one video game. You can pay less than that(around $9/month) from an online subscription service like GameFly(the netflix of video games) and keep the game as long as you want and never even have to leave the house.

This DIY Xbox case mod puts the Nintendo Wii to shame. A member of the forums over at Xbox-Scene has taken his original Xbox, modded it with an operating system called XBMC–Xbox Media Center, and created a super thin case mod for it.

Here is a picture of the original case versus the modded case. One thing you will notice is the lack of a DVD drive and controller ports. The controller ports of the original xbox were simply custom USB ports and you can get adapters to make your controllers USB.

With XBMC you can install a larger hard drive–this modder used a 320GB) and copy your games to the hard drive via the DVD drive or over the network from your PC.

From my experience with XBMC you lose none of the capabilities of the original Xbox but gain the ability to play your games from the hard drive, stream media over your network to your TV and install emulators to play old NES, SEGA and n64 games.

Windows Mobile 6.5 video here from PockeNow does give Windows Mobile 6.5 some hope. Don’t get me wrong it still too closely resembles previous Windows Mobile versions that we hate with a fiery passion relied completely on the use of a stylus. Keeping in mind that this is a rough beta build of WM6.5 it does look a little more intuitive but still has alot of work to go before being as finger friendly and easy to use as  the iPhone.

We knew this was coming and I have got to admit, now that they are on their way I am rather excited about going in to test out a Microsoft Surface PC or Xbox 360 with Natal device. Yes this picture doesn’t show us much but as plans are passed around and construction begins we will no doubt begin to see more images leaking to the net. The first two stores will be opening in Scottsdale, Arizona and Mission Viejo, California this fall.

This morning Microsoft and Yahoo announced that they will be merging in order to acquire the “resources to create the future of search”, says Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

This seems strange since Microsoft just came out with their search enging which they are spending $100 million dollars. Possibly this was to scare Yahoo! into merging with Microsoft or to show Y! that they could pull off a search engine.

I will be interested to see how this turns out since we don’t have many details at the moment. What we do know is that Microsoft and Yahoo! are making it very clear that they are only partnering up in the search and releated ads area of their business. [CNET]

This time straight from the horses mouth, Windows 7 is now RTM and being installed on machines.

From Microsofts email to us:

Gizmodo has supposedly gotten their grubby hands on a power point presentation with what the Microsoft Stores may look like. Skip on over to Gizmodo to view the full presentation and read the details. Some of the highlights are a Digital Media Wall that will be a massive screen that wraps around the walls of the entire store, Microsoft Surface and Natal demos. It will also have the Apple Genius Bar creatively named Answer Bar.

Microsoft has decided to let a select few into the new LIVE update early just like they did with the NXE. Follow the instructions on MajorNelson.com to request access to the update early. You will be asked some questions about how you use your xbox. Last year I was one of the lucky ones who got in to the NXE early. None of my friends did. The only difference between us when filling out the survey was I said that I had a Netflix account. None of my friends did and so we think that for them to be able to fully test all the features they only accepted those who would be able to utilize them all. Good luck!

Back in February we heard that Microsoft would eventually be releasing retail stores but weren’t given any details.

Now its out that this fall we should be expecting Microsoft Retail stores near Apple stores. This initially doesn’t jump out at me as being a great idea for Microsoft. In the past Microsoft has done things suspiciously similar to Apple in an attempt to out do them–failing miserably in my opinion.

A few examples to prove my point:

On a side note however, if this fall when we see the Microsoft stores begin to pop up then I would love to see some Natal demos! That would be sure to bring plenty of people into the Microsoft stores–not that they aren’t going to walk next door to the conveniently placed Apple store right after though.

Friendly reminder we just got from Microsoft. If you are interested in getting your free–legal–version of the Windows 7 RC Build 7100 in 32-bit or 64-bit head on over to Microsofts download page to snatch it up while you still can.

Notice: Downloads will end August 20

Thanks for all your help building Windows 7. We are on our way to the last big milestone: Release to Manufacturing. Starting on October 22, you’ll see it on PCs and store shelves. As we gear up for that, it’s time to wind down the Release Candidate testing program.

If you or a friend needs a download, you’ve got time. We’ll continue to offer the RC download until August 20, 2009. After that, you won’t be able to get the download, but if you have the bits, you can still install the RC and get a key if you need one. (To get a key, just go to the Downloads page and follow the instructions.)