Microsoft Boosts Windows 7 Graphics With Hardware

Microsoft is trying to improve the visuals in Windows 7 by working with hardware makers on a software interface that maximizes the use of graphics cards.

The OS will support a new API (application programming interface) called DirectX 11 that enables better gaming through more realistic graphics and faster playback of multimedia files. The software giant is working with top graphics chip makers Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices on those features.

The DirectX 11 graphics drivers are designed to help Windows 7 effectively break up tasks over multiple cores to boost application and graphics performance. For example, Windows 7 will process video faster by unloading the task from the CPU to graphics processor cores.

Nvidia has been able to use DirectX compute capabilities in Windows 7 to accelerate tasks like manipulating images or playing DVDs via its graphics processing unit, said Ned Finkle, vice president of strategic marketing at Nvidia, in a video posted on Microsoft's Windows 7 Web site.

"Microsoft did a number of things within the operating system that allow us to take the computing horsepower we developed for visual computing and apply it to a range of tasks that have never been seen before," Finkle said.

Beyond simple multimedia tasks, AMD said DirectX 11 harnesses the massive parallel processing capabilities of GPUs to improve gaming on PCs, said Neal Robison, director of independent software vendor relations at AMD.

"We're going to see gaming at a whole new level of realism that you've never been able to experience before because it just hasn't been possible," Robison said.

He also said that Windows 7 could speed up conversion of video for playback on portable devices. Users will be able to drag and drop video from PCs to portable devices, with DirectX 11 enabling video conversion on the fly.

While Microsoft has built native DirectX 11 support in Windows 7, users will benefit only with capable hardware. AMD in June showed off a prototype DirectX 11 graphics processing unit, but is yet to formally announce a product.

In a blog entry posted Thursday,

AMD's Robin Maffeo, a Microsoft alliance manager, wrote "there are plans to make native DirectX 11 hardware from AMD in its ATI Radeon GPUs available when Windows 7 is released."

Current graphics cards and integrated graphics on chipsets carry support for DirectX 10 or 10.1.

The ability to break up tasks is an evolutionary step for Microsoft in developing operating systems, said Dan Olds, principal analyst at Gabriel Consulting Group. As users demand heavier graphics from PCs, it is in Microsoft's best interests to offer an operating system that breaks up tasks across multiple graphics cores and CPUs, he said.

"In order to be able to get performance from succeeding generations, you have to have a multicore-aware operating system," Olds said. Execution of tasks on a single core isn't highly efficient, which was a problem that plagued earlier operating systems, Olds said.

The DirectX 11 enhancements could also encourage more developers to build games for Windows 7 and help the company keep pace with competition.

One company competing with Microsoft is Apple, which has changed the basic architecture of its upcoming Mac OS X 10.6 OS, code-named Snow Leopard, to include new features that divvy up graphics and other tasks over multiple CPU and graphics cores. It builds in support for OpenCL, a set of programming tools to develop and manage parallel task execution.

Nvidia and AMD have said they would support DirectX 11 and OpenCL. Intel, which offers integrated graphics on chipsets, in June released updated graphics drivers for Windows 7, but it carried support for only DirectX 10.

Free Windows 7 Ultimate Copies For Technical Beta Testers

Time to go '"Yay!" then "Boo!"...

Microsoft communications manager Brandon LeBlanc has announced the company has performed a U-turn (it is getting good at this after the browser rethink) and will be giving out free copies of Windows 7 Ultimate to Technical Beta testers.

"Last week, I blogged that members of the Windows Technical Beta Program would not be receiving a complimentary copy of Windows 7. Normally I hate to be wrong but in this case, I'm stoked that I am. To show our appreciation, members of the invitation-only Windows 7 Technical Beta Program will be eligible for a free, final copy of Windows 7 Ultimate."

Yay? No, here's the Boo! part: users who tested the public Beta or Release Candidate of Windows 7 are exempt. These free copies are only for those testers who were invited into the Technical Beta programme and would have access to either MSDN or TechNet. Those who do quality will get full editions only and a choice to download the OS or fight over limited boxed stock. Downloads will be available from 6 August and physical copies on the global day of release: 22 October.

So near and yet so far...

In related news Microsoft Entertainment and Devices division head Robbie Bach has admitted Windows Mobile had "a challenging year" and while stating "Our experiences are very good in the business space" confirmed what everyone knew saying consumer "experiences are not as rich as they should be".

Have they learnt? Well, "We're excited about Windows Mobile 6.5" he concluded. I'm not, Windows Mobile 7 is where the real do or die stage is for Microsoft and I expect it to pull out all the stops.

Finally, you may come across a curious 'revelation' this week that Microsoft will be rebranding Windows Mobile at 'Windows Phone'. It's hardly news, we revealed this back in mid February but it has forced Microsoft to clarify its murky strategy with both the Windows Mobile and Windows Phone names still being thrown around liberally.

In short: Windows Mobile remains as Windows Mobile, Windows Phone will refer to the Windows Mobile package of mobile services as a whole comprising Windows Phone, Windows Marketplace and My Phone. Yes, it's unnecessarily messy but what else is new?

Links:
Windows 7 Official Blog Post
Windows Mobile News via BetaNews
Windows Phone Clarification via BetaNews

Windows 7 Released to Manufacturing

In the words of Microsoft: "I am pleased to announce that Windows 7 has RTM'd!"

This was the expected news on the Windows 7 official blog late yesterday after the software giant spelt out the Windows 7 RTM dates on Tuesday and what has been officially labelled build '7600' is now starting its roll out to manufacturers and developers for final testing with their hardware and software.

"Today's release is the result of the amazing amount of feedback we received from the millions of people who tested Windows 7 - from Beta to RC," said communications manager Brandon LeBlanc. "We actually had over 10 million people opt-in to the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP). That's a lot of people opting in to help us make Windows 7 a solid release. Through CEIP, our engineers were guided by customer feedback all the way to RTM. We also have had a great group of beta testers who have dedicated a great deal of their time to testing Windows 7 too. A special thank you goes out to all the people who helped test Windows 7."

Conversely the Windows 7 7600 build will not see a widespread release to consumers with Microsoft targeting just the professional manufacturers and developer space. I suspect given Windows 7 RC year long licence the company also wasn't keen on giving users yet another extended reason not to buy the software when it launches globally on 22 October. Like previous builds Windows 7 RTM requires a clean install (excusing any hacks found) and won't upgrade from either the Beta or RC.

If you are absolutely determined to try Windows 7 RTM check the torrents. It's already burning up the bandwidth of ISPs everywhere...

Link:
Windows 7 RTM Blog Announcement

Microsoft Windows 7 (Ultimate)

Click to enlarge

The best thing to happen to Microsoft's public relations in years, Windows 7 is more than just spin. The public testing process, involving one limited-availability beta and one release candidate, too, constitutes what some are calling the largest shareware trial period ever.

Although the look of Windows 7 may seem to be nothing more than some polish applied liberally to the Vista Aero theme, make no mistake: this is a full replacement operating system, and more than just "Vista done right." From driver support to multitouch groundwork for the future, from better battery management to the most user-friendly interface Microsoft has ever had, Windows 7 is hardly half-baked.

The first thing that should stand out is the new taskbar. This is one of the best improvements Microsoft has made--third-party program dock makers are going to have to do some serious innovation when Windows 7 goes public. Besides incorporating the translucent style of Aero, the new taskbar is arguably even better than the Mac OS X dock. It features pinned programs using large, easy-to-see icons; mouse over one and all windows associated with that program appear in preview; mouse over one of those preview panes to reveal an X to close the window; and hover over the preview to show a full-size preview of the program, or click on the window to bring it to the front. When multiple windows from a pinned program are open, a thin line will appear next to the icon, giving users an elegant yet simple way to let them know they've got more than one window in play.

Jump lists are another new taskbar improvement that makes recently opened documents easier to get to. Right-click or left-click and drag on any program icon pinned to the taskbar to see a list of files that you've recently used in that program. In Internet Explorer, this will show recently visited Web sites, although it doesn't yet seem to work in Firefox or other browsers.

If you've noticed the missing Show Desktop icon, that's because it's been baked into the taskbar itself. Mouse over to the right corner; hovering over the Show Desktop box reveals the desktop, and then hides it when you mouse away. Click on the box to minimize all your programs.

Resizing programs has been simplified and improved by dragging a window's title bar. Drag a program window to the top of your monitor to expand it to full screen. If you want to work in two windows simultaneously, drag one to the left edge and one to the right edge of your screen, and they'll automatically resize to half the width of your monitor. Dragging a program away from the top or sides will return it to its original size. This is an entirely new feature in Windows 7, but should prove easy to adopt because it mimics and expands on the maximize/restore button that users have been resizing windows with since Windows 95.

Theme packages also make it much faster to change the look of Windows 7. From the Control Panel, you can change the theme under Appearance and Personalization. Microsoft has created several theme packages to give users a taste for what the feature can do. Click on one to download it, and it instantly changes the color scheme and background--no need to reboot. Users can create their own themes, as well.

One of the biggest new features makes Windows Media Player useful again: you can now stream media files from one Windows 7 computer to another, across the Internet and out of network. Even better, the setup procedure is dead simple.

When you open Windows Media Player, there's a new Stream option on the toolbar. Click it, and you're presented with two choices, both of which require you to associate your computer with your free Windows Live ID. When you've associated a second Windows 7's WMP with that same ID, you can remotely access the media on the host computer. Windows Media Player's mini mode looks much slicker, emphasizing the album art--sometimes at the expense of clearly seeing the controls, but it's a definite improvement.

The new Device Stage makes managing peripherals significantly easier, combining printers, phones, and portable media players into one window. A large photo of the peripheral summarizes important device stats and makes it easy to identify which devices you're using. Device Stage can also be used to preset common tasks, such as synchronization. Device Stage support for older devices makes one of Windows 7's best features applicable to peripherals and externals that don't need to be upgraded. One annoying change is that Bluetooth support no longer comes baked into the operating system. If you need a Bluetooth driver, you'll either need the installation disc on-hand or you'll have to go download it.

A less glitzy but no less important change to how removable drives are handled also can affect your media. Unlike Windows XP and Windows Vista, Windows 7 will no longer AutoRun external hard drives and USB keys when they're connected. This kills off a risky vector for malware infections that has been the bane of many security experts.

Other usability changes to Windows 7 include cold booting and launching programs faster, all from the same hardware that runs Vista. It never hurts to have good hardware, but Windows 7 won't require the hardware upgrade that many Vista users did. Part of that is because the hardware that Vista needed to run is now more common, but it's also because Windows 7 better manages available resources. Aero Peek runs fine on a Pentium 4 used for testing, and it doesn't require 2 GB of RAM, although ancient graphics cards won't do you any good.

There are other little tweaks, too. When you try to use a file already in use, Windows 7 goes beyond Vista and XP by telling you not just that it's being used, but where it's being used so you can manage the situation faster. The bloat-adverse will appreciate that it doesn't come with a slew of Windows Live programs, at least for now. UAC access has been streamlined from Vista, and users familiar with Vista's UAC should find the process to be more streamlined and less annoying, overall. However, one major bug allows UAC to be disabled remotely without notifying the user. Given that the flaw has been publicly known since January 2009, Microsoft doesn't appear to care to fix it.

Windows 7's native search feature has been improved. Files added to the hard drive were indexed so fast that they were searchable less than 5 seconds later. Search result snippets now include a longer snippet, and highlight the snippet more clearly. This should appeal specifically to people who juggle large numbers of long documents, but it's a useful feature for anybody who wants to find files faster.

At the time of testing, we lacked a touch-screen computer to try out multitouch zooming, taskbar previews, and other touch-screen features in Windows 7.

Experts and people or companies who hope to use Windows 7 for business situations will appreciate the new XP Mode. It doesn't have much of a practical application for the home consumer, but if you need to access programs designed for Windows XP that have not been upgraded to Windows Vista or 7, XP Mode creates a virtual environment within Windows 7 that should assuage any fears of upgrading without backward compatibility.

It's not easy to set up once you've downloaded the XP Mode installer. You'll need to double-check that you have the right hardware, and can get the right software. Hardware Virtualization Technology, also known as AMD-V, Vanderpool, or VT-d must be supported for it to work. Motherboards older than two years probably won't work, and even if you do have a newer one you might have to go into your BIOS and activate Hardware Virtualization. CPU-identification utilities that can tell you if you're in the clear or not are available from Microsoft. However, if compatibility is the issue, this hassle will be worth it to you. Users will have full access to peripherals connected to their Windows 7 hardware, including printers, and the clipboard can be used to cut and paste between the virtual operating system and the "real" one.

Judging by the beta and the release candidate, Windows 7 looks like the operating system that we've all been waiting for. Despite its imperfections, it shows a lot of promise for the future while presenting a stable platform that can compete comfortably with OS X and should reassure the world that Microsoft can still turn out a robust and useful new operating system.

Microsoft planning major news for Monday

Google's surprise decision to take its Apps package out of beta and even more sudden announcement of the Chrome OS may be as a result of soon-to-be-announced Microsoft plans, a blogger is hinting.

Well-publicised tech blogger, Robert Scoble, has suggested that Google's timing is based around a Microsoft announcement due on Monday.

Scoble says, via his FriendFeed account: "Why did Google announce Chrome OS this week? Well, of course, Microsoft has a big announcement coming on Monday (I'm embargoed)".

Microsoft's World Wide Partner Conference starts in New Orleans on Monday, so it's not out of the question the company may have relevant news to impart, but what?

Developments for Microsoft's "Azure" cloud computing framework that will be offered alongside Windows 7 are a possibility as is a web-based Office suite.

Alternatively, whispers of a project code-named "Gazelle", an extension of Internet Explorer that would see the browser becoming an all-in-one operating system, are also doing the rounds.

We will keep you posted.

Windows 7 Multiple Licence 'Family Packs' Leak

If there is one downer on the generally excellent Windows 7 pricing and promotions it is Microsoft's frustrating insistence on only selling the public single licences. Until now...

Digging on the Interweb has found a clause in the Microsoft 'Software Licence Terms' which references a "Family Pack" edition of Windows 7 Home Premium that covers up to three computers. The section reads:

INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS.
a. One Copy per Computer. Except as allowed in Section 2 (b) below, you may install one copy of the software on one computer. That computer is the "licensed computer."
b. Family Pack. If you are a "Qualified Family Pack User", you may install one copy of the software marked as "Family Pack" on three computers in your household for use by people who reside there. Those computers are the "licensed computers" and are subject to these license terms. If you do not know whether you are a Qualified Family Pack User, visit go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?Linkid=141399 or contact the Microsoft affiliate serving your country.

The clause is missing from both Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate editions which suggests this is squarely aimed at the mass market. Naturally no reference to pricing is made or whether Europe will be exempt following the Windows 7 E fiasco but it certainly looks like a breakthrough for common sense...

Ubuntu 9.04 review

Ubuntu feels like it could be ready for the masses rather than the computer elite

Why wait for Windows 7? Ubuntu is ready to take over the world right now

It's amazing that the Ubuntu boot media is still a single CD, which you can use as a Live session if you need to.

One cutting-edge enhancement to the installation is the addition of 'ext4' as a filesystem type, which improves read/write speed by about 25 per cent. It's not enabled by default as some users have reported issues with file integrity, but in testing we found no issues.

A standard installation weighs in at 2.2GB, and bundles several software updates. OpenOffice.org 3 and GIMP 2.6 take centre stage. Strangely, Kubuntu users have to do without Firefox and GIMP, and the KDE package manager is less user-friendly.

This being Linux, there's nothing stopping you running any application – but that would be ignoring the obvious care and attention that's gone into the standard installation. For once, you feel like the Ubuntu developers are thinking like normal computer users – and that's why Ubuntu is currently the best Linux distribution on the planet.

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Wolfram Alpha review

Traditional search engines only find your results. Wolfram Alpha creates them

Currently, Wolfram Alpha's domain expertise is limited to some 30 fields, but it covers the most popular ones such as mathematics, weather, health, finance and a smattering of sports statistics.

The key thing is not to expect any Google-style results from your questions. For instance, while Wolfram Alpha can compare books, entering 'Salman Rushdie' will only get you the author's birth details and place of birth.

Despite its diverse field coverage, the data is mostly centralised to the US. The linguistic field also needs some work: 'English to Spanish' is interpreted as 'UK and Spain', and you get geographical data instead of a language comparison.

Wolfram Alpha provides a link to the source information along with its answers, which depending on your query can include over half a dozen books. Even so, advocates of reproducible sciences have concerns about the accuracy of the results.

As it is today, then, Wolfram Alpha looks more appealing to the niche user with specialised queries.

Follow Gadget INN' News Reviews on Twitter: http://twitter.com/gadgetinn

LogoDesign Studio Pro review

Logo design software with built-in templates and objects to make illustration simple

The problem for many applications that claim to make something easy is that some things are just hard no matter how much you dress up the task. LogoDesign Studio Pro is one such application. The name gives away its primary function.

With the advent of Web 2.0 it seems that a funky and modern company logo is almost as important as the product itself. LogoDesign Studio Pro is supposed to take the trouble out for this for you.

This vector-based design tool is quite advanced with layer support and more than 100 filters and effects. It's suitable for print and web too.

The canvas and working toolbar is easy to pick up, but the drawing tools window does look a bit basic. Even the least savvy user will get to grips with it. There are a number of predesigned templates and elements as well as tag lines. Putting the elements together is simple.

However, LogoDesign Studio Pro won't make you a designer, but it will make putting some items on a page and creating something passable easy, but that's about it. Whether you need something more than that defines whether this application is worth it.

Overall, we were very impressed by the quality of the designs that the program allowed us to produce. For £20 it's hardly going to break the bank either. You'll still need an eye for quality design to make the most of it though

National Rail's iPhone app investigated

My Rail Lite treatment brought complaints to ORR

The Office of Rail Regulations has announced that it will investigate the handling of the National Rail Enquiries / My Rail Lite debacle that prompted fury from many iPhone users.

My Rail Lite – a popular and free application with some innovative features and live rail travel information - was told that it did not have a licence, just before a paid-for National Rail Enquiries app appeared.

The decision was greeted with disgust by some, as TechRadar covered back in April.

And it seems that this disgust bubbled over into complaints to the ORR, which is now investigating.

Unfair terms

"The reason we are investigating is that we suspect that NRE may have imposed some unfair terms on third parties," a spokesman told Shane Richmond on his Telegraph blog.

"I know we've received several complaints from people with iPhones."

The statement from the ORR reads: "The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is investigating the supply of Real Time Train Information (RTTI) by National Rail Enquiries Service Ltd (NRE). NRE is the official information service for National Rail and is owned by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC).

"RTTI is a key input into the provision of live train running information to passengers through media such as train information websites or services accessed over mobile phones.

"We are conducting this investigation under the Competition Act 1998 (the Act), having been made aware of concerns in this area including from members of the public, and from Members of Parliament on behalf of their constituents.

"The opening of an investigation under the Act does not necessarily mean that we will make a finding of an infringement. Another outcome of our investigation might be that no infringement has occurred."

IBM launches real-time virtual Wimbledon app

IBM is set to launch applications for Android, Twitter and iPhone that use real-time updates to provide a more technologically advanced Wimbledon experience than ever before.

The most exciting is the Seer Android Beta, which uses augmented reality to give users of a T-Mobile G1 the inside scoop on what's happening in the tournament.

Using a video feed from the handset's camera, combined with the digital compass and accurate GPS, users can hold up the phone to different objects and information will display on the screen.

By adding in information such as scores and updates on a heads up display, the user can simply point the phone at a tennis court, find out the court number and also who's playing and more crucially, who's winning.

The information comes from 'net data and IBM scouts wandering around the grounds providing updates.

Twitter and the iPhone

The Seer Aggregator for Twitter will perform a similar function in diluted form, where users can subscribe to hashtags to be given information on scores, seat availability and queue length among other things.

The IBM scouts, players and commentators will also be Tweeting throughout, to provide users with a rich and in-depth experience.

The Wimbledon 2009 App for the iPhone will work in a much more traditional app manner, with users being given information on scores, draws, play schedules and also news and video highlights direct to the phone.

Bing live, Microsoft warns over sex searches

Company explains safesearch functionality

As promised, Bing is now live in the UK, and you can go and try it by typing bing.com into your browser. However, before you spend too much time on the site, you might want to be sure that safe search is on.

Microsoft has issued instructions via Twitter on how to turn on content filtering functionality for the search engine. Although it's on by default, anyone can turn it off with two clicks and no age verification.

Once you've done that, a simple search for "sex" will get you watching bonking in no time at all on Bing's auto-play function, without even leaving the site. The 'feature' was pointed out by blogger Loic Le Meur, who tweeted about it on 1 June, and Microsoft responded fast - just one hour later.

Porn aside, what do you think of Bing? Have you switched from Google? How do the results and usability features compare? Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below

Acer confirms Windows 7 available 23 October

Acer has confirmed that Windows 7 will be available pre-loaded on their new all-in-one Z5600 PC from the 23 October 2009, not by the end of January 2010 as Microsoft has been previously suggesting.

Although some rumours have put the OS' release closer to the end of 2009, Microsoft has yet to officially confirm that the software will be launched sooner than the 3-years-after-Vista timescale.

Acer also confirmed to us that any Vista-based models purchased in the 30 days prior to this date will be eligible for Microsoft's free upgrade programme.

"23rd October is the date the Windows 7 will be available. There is a 30 day upgrade time so that customers don't wait to buy a new computer, so if you buy during that 30 day period, you'll get a free upgrade to Windows 7", Bobby Watkins, Acer's UK MD told Pocket-lint.

Talking about their new all-in-one model, the Z5600 PC, specifically designed for Windows 7, the company revealed that the Asus Eee Top rival, will actually be shipping at the end of September to be in stores for people to "touch and feel".