Windows Experience Blog : PC

Sneak Peak at the Acer Aspire 1420P

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:50:25 GMT

Today is Day 2 of PDC09, and attendees were given a nice “treat.” During this morning’s keynote, Windows and Windows Live Division President Steven Sinofsky took the stage and announced that all attendees* of this year’s PDC will be given an Acer Aspire 1420P Convertible Tablet PC. This is being done to show our gratitude for the support we received by PDC attendees in the development process of Windows 7. This PC enables developers to leverage many of the unique Windows 7 capabilities including multitouch – which I will talk about further down in this post.

This laptop promotion is the result of a collaborative effort with Acer, whom we worked closely with to have these laptops ready for PDC. This PC is not yet available in the US (Acer has not yet announced pricing and availability for this PC) so that makes this “PDC Edition” of the laptop exclusive to PDC attendees.

The Aspire 1420P PDC Edition comes with the following specs:

Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Processor: Intel Celeron CPU SU2300 @ 1.2GHz
Memory: 2GB (Supports up to 8GB)
Display: 11.6” Widescreen |1366x768 Resolution
Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
Network: 10/100/1000 Ethernet | Intel Wi-Fi Link 1000 802.11b/g/Draft-N
Mobile Broadband: 3G
Storage: 250GB

For a more complete and detailed list of specs, click here.

The Aspire 1420P comes with 3 USB ports, 1 HDMI port for connecting to HDTVs and monitors, a VGA port, Ethernet port, and a headphone and microphone jack. The laptop features a unique design with a metallic textured design just above the keyboard and a metal hinge for converting the laptop into Tablet mode. Its design is essentially a small laptop with Tablet PC features. It’s slim, light, and has a small footprint – making it easy to carry around. This laptop features a CTRL+ALT+DEL button and a Flip 3D button. Also, the Aspire 1420P uses the Windows 7 Sensor and Location Platform to adjust the screen depending on which way you hold the PC (in Tablet mode). For example: if you’re holding it a landscape position, the screen will display in landscape for you. Vice versa if you hold it in a portrait position.

We worked with Acer to image the laptops with some great software – including the beta release of Office 2010.

Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta
Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7
Windows Live Essentials
Windows Virtual PC with Windows XP Mode
Microsoft Security Essentials
Corel Paint it! touch

Because the Aspire 1420P supports Windows Touch, we’ve included the Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7 as well as Corel Paint it! touch.

Corel Paint it! touch allows you to use your fingers to draw and paint. You can also turn your photos into paintings too.

One application I’ve written about recently is Amazon’s Kindle for PC. Amazon has released Kindle for PC and it works great on this laptop. You can download the beta of Kindle for PC today here. You can use multitouch gestures to move from page to page on the Kindle book you are reading. You can also zoom in and out with ease. For more on the Kindle for PC app, check out my demo video here on this post. In Tablet mode, reading books with Kindle for PC is very nice.

The Aspire 1420P also sports Mobile Broadband. With Windows 7, using Mobile Broadband is easier than ever before. Windows 7 will automatically detect if a Mobile Broadband connection is available (after inserting your SIM card).

You can choose to connect to the Mobile Broadband connection where you will be required enter subscription details from your mobile carrier. No need to mess with 3^rd party Mobile Broadband connection utilities.

Not only can you use multitouch with the Aspire 1420P, you can also use it as a Tablet. The Aspire 1420P is perfect for writing down notes using Microsoft OneNote 2010 (my favorite Office app).

Overall, this PC will be great for all the developers attending PDC to experience many of Windows 7’s new features and to be able to develop with those features in mind.

* This promotion is for full-conference attendees who are onsite at PDC. It is not available to Microsoft attendees, members of the media, government employees, staff, speakers, crew, volunteers, day pass attendees, guests, or Workshop-only attendees.

Behold the Dell Inspiron Zino HD

Brandon LeBlanc — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:38:42 GMT

Yesterday, Dell officially announced availability of the Dell Inspiron Zino HD.

The Inspiron Zino HD is a small PC that packs quite a punch in an 8” by 8” square. Hip to be square, right? Ok – enough Huey Lewis, let’s talk about what this PC comes (and can be configured) with:

It comes with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit or Windows 7 Professional 64-bit*.
You can customize the PC with 7 solid colors.
You can customize the PC with 3 designs.
The Inspiron Zino HD uses AMD’s Athlon processor (single or dual core).
The base configuration is 3GB of RAM, but can be configured with 4, 6, and 8GB of RAM with 8GB being the max.
Storage shouldn’t be a problem with your choice of 500GB, 640GB, 750GB, or 1TB 7200rpm SATA hard drives.
You can choose either a DVD +/- RW drive or Blu-ray drive.
For graphics, you can choose either an integrated ATI Radeon HD3200 or discrete ATI Radeon HD 4330 with 512MB of dedicated memory.
It has HDMI and VGA ports.
A 4-in-1 media card reader and integrated gigabit Ethernet are both standard.
It has integrated 2.1 High Definition audio with the choice of going with a Sound Blaster X-Fi High Definition audio from Creative.
For your wireless needs, you can choose either a Dell 1397 802.11 b/g wireless card or Dell 1520 802.11 b/g/n wireless card.

This little PC starts at just $229 and can be customized to support a variety of configurations depending on your needs.

Matter a fact, Dell’s Lionel Menchaca talks about a perfect use for the Inspiron Zino HD – a Windows Media Center “hub” with Windows 7. You can connect this PC up to your HDTV via HDMI and play HD Blu-ray movies. You can buy a USB TV tuner to watch and record live TV in Windows Media Center and also stream video content via Internet TV and Netflix.

For a powerful Windows Media Center setup with Windows 7, it is recommended when ordering your Inspiron Zino HD you choose the discrete graphics option (the ATI Radeon HD 4330) for the best experience. With with the storage options you get with the Inspiron Zino HD, you can literally make this PC the centralized “hub” on your network for all your digital media. And of course HomeGroup in Windows 7 makes it easier than ever to share that content with the rest of your PCs on your network too.

In the coming months I’m hoping to pick one of these up and deploy it in my home as my own Windows Media Center hub.

* Base model comes with Windows Vista Home Basic SP1 32-bit.

Photos credit: Dell. See the full set of Inspiron Zino HD photos from Dell’s official Flickr page.

Windows 7 Wins Popular Science Award for Windows Touch

Brandon LeBlanc — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:12:55 GMT

Today, Popular Science released their annual Best Of What’s New for 2009 which recognized this year’s top 100 innovations. Windows Touch in Windows 7 has won Popular Science’s Best of What’s New Award this year in the computing category. Very cool!

Speaking of Windows Touch – USA Today’s Ed Baig takes a closer look at Windows Touch in Windows 7 and multitouch on PCs in general. He suggests Windows 7 could spur multitouch adoption in PCs. I’ve been playing with the HP TouchSmart tx2 and have a couple of multitouch monitors on the way for my office here in Redmond. If you haven’t had a chance to experience Windows Touch on Windows 7, head to your favorite retailer and give it a spin.

A Look at Some Cool Windows 7 PCs

Brandon LeBlanc — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:12:13 GMT

As of today, we’re 9 days away from the worldwide launch of Windows 7. It’s no secret that when Windows 7 becomes available on October 22nd, our hardware partners are launching a host of cool new PCs to match it. I’ve had the privilege to see some of the slick new machines and I can tell you that there are some seriously fast computers with wickedly cool designs on the way.

“But Brandon!” you might be saying. “I don’t want to wait 10 whole days to start shopping for a great PC! Which machines can I check out NOW?”

Well, fear not. There are quite a few powerful, reasonably priced Windows 7 PCs that you can start test-driving now, and a few that you can even pre-order. I’ve highlighted some of my favorites below.

First up is the HP dm3. This 13” bad boy is available with a whopping half-terabyte hard drive, discrete graphics, a built in web cam, and up to a mind-boggling 10 hours of battery life. Sounds expensive, right? The truth is just the opposite; you can get your own starting at $549, which makes it a great option if you’re a student on a budget, or a consumer looking to get a lot of bang for your buck.

On October 5th, Dell opened up a great new program called the Windows 7 Easy Upgrade which will allow you to order once of their select machines today and have it pre-installed with Windows 7 and shipped to you right around the time when Windows 7 launches on October 22nd. One of my favorites and the laptop I am currently using today is the Dell Studio 15. I love this computer because it’s the total package – its great looking and completely customizable. Dell does a GREAT job at letting you personalize the color and design of your machine via their Design Studio. I customized mine with a weird funky goat.

I affectionately refer to this laptop as “The Goat”. I decorated The Goat with a few stickers (as you can see). The Studio 15 has some serious media street cred with a 15.6” HD screen that does 900p resolution, 256MB ATI discrete graphics, webcam and built in DVD burner. It also has a heck of a reasonable price tag, starting at $899. This is a really solid choice if you’re looking for an eye-catching “do-it-all” laptop. I’ll be talking more about this laptop and my experience with it in another blog post coming shortly.

One of my favorite thin-and-light notebooks is the Toshiba Satellite T135. Maybe it should have been codenamed “Pocket Hercules” instead; 3GB of RAM, a new Intel ULV processor, 250GB drive, HDMI and a 720p HD screen, all wrapped up in a package that’s only about an inch thick. It’s a very cool ultra-portable notebook, perfect for working (or playing) on the go.

Is 11” just too big for you? Then check out the HP Mini 110. This 10”, 2.68lb netbook PC is one of the most unique I’ve seen – for this project, HP partnered with designer Tord Boontje to create HP Imprint 3D, a new engraving process that allows HP to build amazing textured casebacks. At $399, it’s an affordable way to get the ultimate in style and portability.

If you need something to put on your desk, instead of carry in your bag, I suggest you take a look at one of the great new all-in-ones. They’re compact and clean, and work great in the kitchen or in an area where you don’t have a lot of space.

The newest kid on the all-in-one block is Sony’s VAIO L. Part HDTV, part PC, the L has a Blu-Ray player, a TV tuner, and a beautiful 24” multi-touch display that’s ready to take advantage of Windows 7 multitouch. The VAIO L is set to hit stores in November, and pricing starts around $1300.

Dell also makes a nice all-in-one in the Dell Studio 19. I love this thing because it’s a powerhouse in a super slim design, and you can get it in white, blue, grey, pink or red. It’s got an Intel Core 2 Quad processor, 3GB of memory, a 500GB drive and all of the trimmings. Like the VAIO L, its ready to take full advantage of Windows 7’s multi-touch technology via its super-bright touchscreen display, and you can get it in “alpine white” for $999. Adding a custom color job and a Blu-Ray drive will bump the price up to about $1100, which is still a great deal.

And HP just announced today revamp of HPs a revamp of their venerable multi-touch enabled TouchSmart PCs. They’re introducing two new models – the TouchSmart 300 (20” HD screen) and 600 (23” HD screen). Not only are these great looking machines with a long, successful history, but they also include HP customized touch versions of popular applications and services, like Twitter, Rhapsody, Hulu, Pandora, Netflix, and more. Pricing starts at a consumer-friendly $899 for the 300 and $1,049 for the 600.

This is just a small sliver of the PC goodness that’s coming soon with Windows 7. Stay tuned for more info on the latest and greatest Windows 7 PCs!

Dell Now Offering Windows 7 Drivers for Commercial Desktops and Laptops

Brandon LeBlanc — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:32:30 GMT

Dell is jumping in to help business (commercial) customers get ready for Windows 7 by offering Windows 7 drivers for their commercial desktop and laptop PCs. They are posting their Windows 7 drivers here (see Drivers and Downloads on left-hand navigation).

By offering drivers for their commercial desktop and laptop PCs, Dell is helping business customers with Dell PCs in their environments prepare for Windows 7 deployments.

For more information, see this blog post on Dell’s Inside Enterprise IT Blog.

Top 6 Things to Consider Before Buying a Small Notebook PC

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:24:58 GMT

With small notebook PCs (sometimes called netbook PCs) now accounting for about 10% of PC sales worldwide (up to 20% of PC sales in some geographies according to leading retail sales analysts), I’m starting to get more and more questions about what a buyer should look into as he or she is shopping for a small notebook PC.

Ultimately, it depends on how you need to use your small notebook PC. While a small percentage of people are choosing to use these devices as their only computer, most are finding them better suited as a “companion PC” to a traditional desktop or notebook (for example, I use my Dell Mini 9 as a “companion PC” to my desktop PCs at work and at home). They are great for staying more conveniently connected on-the-go (for example: browsing the web on the train home from work, sending email from a coffee shop, or just getting office and/or personal tasks done).

There’s a small notebook PC out there for everyone depending on budget and hardware needs – but sometimes the different choices can get a little overwhelming.

To help out, I’ve pulled together a “checklist” of basic questions that you’ll want to think about before handing the cashier your credit card:

1. Is it easy to use?

This question may seem obvious, but when you think about it, it’s probably the most important one on this list. How are you going to be using your small notebook PC? Are you using this as a companion to your primary desktop or laptop PC? If so, then you’ll want it to have the same interface and experience as your primary machine so you can seamlessly move back and forth without any confusion or hassle and easily transfer and share files between your computers. You’ll also want to be sure that it can easily connect to a wireless or 3G broadband network so you can instantly get online wherever you are. And of course, make sure that there’s a built in tool, like Windows Instant Search, to help you instantly find your, music, photos and files…after all, your computer isn’t very handy if you can’t find your stuff on it!

2. Will it work with my stuff?

Think about what software you expect to use on your small notebook PC. Check for compatibility with your cameras, printers, music players, webcams, and anything else that you expect to connect, such as a GPS unit or mobile phone. Windows supports nearly 3,000 printers, over 700 digital cameras, 240 webcams, and 180 digital video cameras, as well as hundreds of more specialized devices. It also runs more than 10,000 applications, and it’s the only OS that runs Microsoft Office, iTunes and Quicken. This means that whatever it is you use, chances are it works with Windows. It’s also a good idea to make sure that your computer works with free, easy to use tools for email, blogging, chatting, working with photos and movies, online storage, and syncing your stuff between your PCs. I use Windows Live Essentials and Windows Live SkyDrive to do these things on my computers.

3. Is it the right size?

While screen and keyboard size are personal decisions, I can tell you that many of today’s small notebook PCs come with 9” or 10” screens for a good reason. Machines this size offer a better balance between lightweight portability, having a screen big enough to be productive with more than one window at once, and a keyboard that’s comfortable enough for most people’s hands. My Dell Mini 9 has a 8.9” screen. The size doesn’t bother me much but if I were to go out and buy another small notebook PC, I would likely go with a 10” screen. If you find that even 10” is still too small for you though, there are a number of larger but still lightweight notebooks at pretty affordable prices that may work better for your needs over a small notebook PC. If you do decide to go that route, check out the Windows Laptop Scout, which will help you find exactly the right machine for your needs.

4. Does it have the hardware horsepower I need?

When it comes to hardware, there are four key areas to consider – screen & keyboard size, processor speed, RAM, and storage. Screen and keyboard size we covered earlier, but in terms of the processor, look for a machine with at least a 1GHz CPU, and for RAM, get at least 1GB. 1GB of RAM is what my machine came with, but I added another 1GB to it for an extra performance boost. Many models allow you to add at least an extra stick of memory. If you buy a small notebook PC and want to give it more power down the road, having this ability is quite nice.

Storage is largely a personal call, and how much you need really depends on what you expect to do with your small notebook PC. If you want to put your pictures and music on it, then you probably want a 120GB or larger Hard Disk Drive. If you’re just looking to do basic email and web browsing, you might go for a smaller Solid State Drive (typically, these are 8-32GB). SSDs often run cooler and quieter, and may use less power, which means they can potentially get you a bit of boost in battery life. My Dell Mini 9 came with a 16GB SSD, but I found that it wasn’t enough space for me so I replaced it with a 32GB SSD. I also purchased a 320GB My Passport Essential from Western Digital I carry around with me everywhere as well for the added storage.

I recommend checking out CNET’s reviews, as well as the great information, reviews and tips on Liliputing to help you find a small notebook PC with exactly the specs you want.

5. Will I be safe online?

You’re probably going to be online quite a bit, so you’ll want to make sure you can browse, chat, and share safely. Key security features to look for in both your OS and browser are comprehensive phishing and Cross-Site Scripting filters along with ClickJacking protection to help guard against identity theft, built-in spyware and malware protection, comprehensive parental controls, a built-in firewall, and a private browsing model. As an FYI – Internet Explorer 8 in combination with Windows Live Family Safety can do all these things for you.

6. What level of support do I need?

Making sure that you can get the right kind of support when you need it is critical. It’s a good idea to get a small notebook PC that has built-in features to keep your gear up and running, such as automatic self-diagnosing tools and a comprehensive built-in system to help you automatically get security, OS and software updates, without having to track them down yourself and manually install them 1-by-1. When you do run into a need for assistance, you’ll also be better off with multiple support options including online resources, a call-in tech support center, or in-person help at a repair shop or retailer.

Hopefully, if you’re on the market for a new small notebook PC this checklist of questions will come in handy in helping you with your buying decision!

Avoid the Apple Tax – Cash in on the value of Windows

Brandon LeBlanc — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:57:19 GMT

With the ailing global economy, I am looking at ways I get better value for my money. One way I can do this if I need to replace a computer is by avoiding the “Apple Tax.”

Microsoft sponsored a new whitepaper (PDF) from Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies Associates which takes a look at the tax from a tech analyst’s viewpoint. His paper shows the “Apple Tax” is the combination of what people pay up front when purchasing a Mac and what people pay over the life of their computer – the hidden tax.

Roger looked into both aspects in his whitepaper, and has discovered some interesting findings around the “hidden tax” of owning a Mac – using the scenario of a hypothetical family of 4 and their costs over a five year period. Knowing that Tax Day is just around the corner here in the US (April 15), I decided to have a little fun with his findings by building a mock up tax form using Roger’s numbers that show the whopping difference this family would get purchasing Windows PCs over Macs: $3,367.

I know taxes are calculated annually but I thought it would be more interesting to look in terms of total savings Roger outlined in choosing 2 Windows PCs over 2 Macs in that 5 year period.

So what could you do with that $3,367 savings by avoiding the Apple Tax?

If you want to get some exercise you could get bikes for the whole family, and still have money left over (All via Performance Bicycles)!

Schwinn Sid Coasting Bike ($499.99)
Schwinn Nancy Ladies Coasting Bike ($499.99)
Performance Girls 24” Kids Mountain Bike ($299.99)
2008 Mongoose Amasa Comp Mountain Bike ($679.99)
4 helmets: 2 Bell Ukon Sport Helmets @ $34.99, 1 Giro Women’s Kaya Helmet @ $39.99, and 1 Ascent Cruise Youth Helmet @ $29.99)

Take the family out for a night at the movies - 117 times (4 tickets @ $7.18 = $28.72)!

Make your home green, and save even more money!

Generate your own free power with an all-included 260 Watt Solar home kit ($2,319)
New energy efficient Andersen Windows (6 @ $140) that will help you save up to 35 percent on energy bills.

It is human nature to focus on the up-front price. The coverage around our Laptop Hunters ads jumps right to that (“PCs are cheaper”). The harder thing to capture is the overall cost and the VALUE. Roger’s paper does a great job illustrating this. Cost is getting something cheaper. Value is a function of getting more of what you want, regardless of what you spend. And you’re a lot more likely to find that with a Windows PC.

Shoppers rarely do a lifetime cost of ownership calculation for a new computer (even though that’s the real cost and makes the PC advantage even greater) but they intrinsically calculate the value for a new computer. That’s what we see in the market every day and what we see in the choices made by Lauren and Giampaolo as they each selected a PC that met their own unique criteria (features and budget). They wanted the right value for them. And that’s the beauty of Windows PCs – the diversity of choice and options that exist so that people can find what’s right for their own needs, not someone else’s. You’re never forced to buy more than you need or give up features you want like Blu-ray, Mobile Broadband, Firewire, and more. And, Windows PCs offer this across a broadest range of price points and performance from low-end netbook PCs to high-end gaming rigs.

But let’s limit ourselves to the narrow scenario where Apple does have offerings. We get questions about this all the time so we asked Roger to take a look at the comparison chart that we’ve used before to outline features, specs and price points across Macs and PCs. Part of his conclusion is, “Holding the price constant and examining specifications only serves to exaggerate the better deals on the Windows side.”

Note: The chart splits the Mac and PC laptops in to 3 categories: Value for basic models, Mainstream for average models, and Performance for high end models to illustrate options where Apple has machines. Of course the full spectrum of PC laptops is much broader.

What do you think about the concept of value? And what would you do with a $3,367 “Apple Tax Return”? Sound off in comments. In a few weeks I’ll showcase what people say they would do with their “Apple Tax Return” in a follow-up blog post.

UPDATED 4/13

Completing the Windows Experience with Windows Live

Brandon LeBlanc — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:31:46 GMT

Back in October during PDC2008, I highlighted the Windows + Windows Live relationship. Specifically, I called out how Windows + Windows Live will complete the Windows PC experience with Windows Live Essentials. Now that people can experience the relationship first-hand with Windows Live Essentials today – I thought I’d re-approach and discuss the topic in a little more detail.

Today, users are increasingly expecting that their PC (and their OS) allow them to do things on their desktop that have an online component such as e-mail. This is where Windows Live Essentials comes in. For example, when you’re at home on your laptop you can use Windows Live Mail, but when you’re on the go you can access that same mail from any computer with an Internet connection by going to Windows Live Hotmail. Windows Live Essentials combines what you do on the PC with what you do on the Web. That’s the benefit of software + services.

Many of the Windows Live programs within Windows Live Essentials serve as a “bridge” to the Windows Live services:

With Windows Live Messenger, you can not only chat with your friends via IM, but also follow What’s New with them on Windows Live, which means you can stay on top of updates they make like new photos or blog entries.
With Windows Live Writer, you can publish new blog posts to Windows Live Spaces.
With Windows Live Photo Gallery, you can upload your photos to Windows Live Photos and share them with the people you choose.
With Windows Live Mail, you can sync your Windows Live Hotmail e-mail and calendar to your PC.

Windows Live Essentials extends beyond Windows Live as well. Windows Live Writer is capable of publishing blog posts to most major blogging services, not just Windows Live Spaces. As a matter a fact - I use Windows Live Writer to publish all my blog posts here on this blog, which is powered by Telligents’ Community Server. Windows Live Mail supports POP3 and IMAP allowing for multiple e-mail accounts from a variety of e-mail providers including Gmail. And Windows Live Photo Gallery supports custom plug-ins for uploading photos to a variety of photo sharing websites (check out this awesome plug-in for uploading photos to Facebook).

For Windows Live Essentials, we have introduced 3 programs as the successors to programs that were introduced in Windows Vista:

Windows Live Mail is the successor to Windows Mail
Windows Live Photo Gallery is the successor to Windows Photo Gallery
Windows Live Movie Maker is the successor to Windows Movie Maker

We made this change because we learned that many of the end-user experiences need to be updated more frequently. With Windows Live Essentials, we feel we are in a better position to innovate on these programs and enhance your experience as a PC user and at a much quicker rate - as they are outside of the Windows OS.

Windows Live Essentials doesn’t just consist of the above 3 programs, it also includes Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Writer, Windows Live Toolbar, and Windows Live Family Safety adding significant value to PC users through its integrated and powerful features.

Windows Live Essentials today are free, key applications that make it easy to manage multiple e-mail accounts, edit and share photos, chat with IM for PC users and available today for you to download at download.live.com (available for Windows Vista, Windows XP, and the Windows 7 Beta).

In the coming weeks, I plan to dive deeper into many of these integrated and powerful features (many of which I use myself) that I that I hope you will enjoy.