What makes it particularly embarrassing is that Microsoft apparently developed SMBv2 so as to avoid sharing any code with Samba, and the more widely used SMB (to which Microsoft say affected OSes will fall back to).  To shut off SMB2 you can either edit the registry or use Microsoft’s “one click” system; there’s a proper patch in the pipeline, supposedly.

[via ITworld - thanks Robert!]

Video demo after the cut

Interestingly, while he had the NJ70A open, SKY discovered that the optical trackpad actually has its own processor and RAM, meaning it doesn’t rely on the netbook’s own Atom CPU.   He’s now trying to identify exactly what those mysterious components are.

Other hardware details include two RAM slots inside, which makes upgrading from the standard 1GB straightforward.  XP will only recognize a maximum of 2GB; Windows Vista will recognize 3GB; and Windows 7 will recognize 3GB but only allow you to use 2GB.

The full performance results, which see the two OSes tested on various models of platter-based drive and solid-state drive, span several pages, but the takeaway result is that Microsoft have pulled their act together in Windows 7.  SSDs in particular showed up to a 35-percent improvement in read performance and up to a 23-percent improvement in write performance.

Standard hard-drives showed a less significant change, but according to HotHardware the overall feel of Windows 7 is a snappier, more responsive platform.  That certainly seems to accord with the talk we’ve heard from testers using the public beta.

[via Slashdot]

Where the Aspire One 531 ships with Windows XP Home and a 160GB hard-drive, the Aspire One Pro 531 has a choice of Windows XP Home, XP Professional or Windows Vista Business.  In storage, it can be outfitted with up to 250GB of standard hard-drive, or an optional 64GB SSD.

According to Acer’s specification page (translated below), the Aspire One Pro 531 also gains a few extra millimeters over the 531.  It’s now 259.41 x 186.8/206.37 x 26.1/33.09mm (versus 255 x 183 x 19/26.9mm) and weighs 1.12kg with the 3-cell battery or 1.27kg with the 6-cell pack.  The SSD version drops a few grams, coming it at 1.03kg and 1.17kg for the 3- and 6-cell battery models respectively.  Runtime is estimated at up to 3hrs for the 3-cell and up to 7.5hrs for the 6-cell.

The Acer Aspire One Pro 531 has the same wireless options as the 531: standard WiFi b/g but optional Bluetooth 2.0, and optional UMTS/HSPA WWAN.  No word on pricing; the basic N270 531 starts at around €349 ($455) in Europe.

Translated Specifications:

Aspire One Pro 531

The Aspire One Netbook Pro 531 is always present your device to your things to do. Handy, powerful and mobile productivity, allows this mobile office to go up to 7.5 hours without interruption to work. Get into the Business Class with the Aspire One Pro 531, which is also for long transport routes suitable.
Intel ® Atom Processor Acer StorePermaLink
Pricelist
Benefits

Comfortable Travel
You have with this mobile office at any time and any place in any access to your business data. The Aspire One Pro 531 excels with its highly professional design, due to the solid black casing, the silver-gray shape and slim profile. Less than 1 KG in weight, the Aspire One exceptionally easy to Pro531 traveling companion.
Highest Demands
A small, but robust and efficient processor offers facilities for everyday life. To this compact Netbook is, so it shines with a solid drive with huge storage capacity, together with the Multi-in-one card reader and optional Bluetooth for convenient processing of your data.
Always on the ball
Since you have several options for connectivity are available, you can easily obtain information from the Internet, videoconferencing and edit emails. The Aspire One Pro 531 lets you do not miss business.
The special feature of Acer
Due to the Acer Video Conference solution with integrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam your business appointments, regardless of time and place to exercise. Excellent picture and sound gives you the feeling to be in the same room are located. As a special bonus will facilitate the multi-functional user interface to control what you are about your work or find more like it.

Configurations

Technical specifications

Operating System Genuine Windows ® XP Professional
Genuine Windows Vista ® Business
Genuine Windows ® XP Home Edition

Processor & Chipset Intel ® Atom ™ processor N270/N280 (1.60/1.66 GHz, 533/667 MHz FSB, 512 KB L2 cache)
Mobile Intel ® 945GSE Express Chipset (DDR2 400/533/667 MHz)
Mobile Intel ® 82801GBM Chipset

Memory channel with a single SODIMM slot
DDR2 533/667 MHz SDRAM memory interface design
SODIMM Slot: supports 1 GB / 2 GB SODIMM for the entire system memory up to 2 GB

Display 10.1 “SD 1024 x 600 (WSVGA) pixel resolution, high-resolution (200-nit) Acer Crystal Brite ™ LED backlight TFT LCD

Drives 2.5 “Hard Drive with 9.5 mm up to 250 GB or
2.5 “Solid State Disk (SSD) drive with up to 64 GB
Multi-in-1 Card Reader
• Supports Secure Digital ™ (SD) Card, MultiMedia Card (MMC), Reduced-Size Multimedia Card (RS-MMC), Memory Stick ™ (MS), Memory Stick PRO ™ (MS PRO), xD-Picture Card ™ (xD)
• Supports memory cards with adapter: miniSD ™, microSD ™, Memory Stick Duo ™, Memory Stick PRO Duo ™

Audio High Definition Audio Support
Two built-in stereo speakers
MS-Sound compatible
Built-in digital microphone

Communication Acer Video Conference:
• Integrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam, supporting Acer PrimaLite the vortschrittliche ™ technology and 0.3 megapixel resolution
WLAN: Acer InviLink ™ 802.11b / g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED ® network connection, supporting Acer SignalUp ™ wireless technology
LAN: 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet
WPAN: Bluetooth ® 2.0 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
(Manufacturing option – not all models)
WWAN: UMTS / HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) 850/1900/2100 MHz and quad-band GSM / GPRS / EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), upgradeable to 7.2 Mb / s HSDPA and 2 Mb / s HSUPA (for 3G models)
Supports receiver diversity and equalizer to 2100 MHz
(Manufacturing option – not all models)

Dimensions & weight 259.41 (W) x 186.8 / 206.37 (D) x 26.1 / 33.09 (H) mm
Models with SSD:
1:03 kg for models with 3-cell battery
1:17 kg for models with 6-cell battery
Models with a HDD:
1.12 kg for models with 3-cell battery
1:27 kg for models with 6-cell battery

Battery & Power 30 W adapter with power cord
Product Safety Electric Appliance and Materials (PSE), zertifitziert for the battery
24.4 W 2200 mAh 3-cell Li-Ion Battery
• Up to 3.0 hours of battery life
(actual duration depends on application and configuration)
or
57.7 W 5200 mAh 6-cell Li-Ion Battery
• Up to 7.5 hours of battery life
(actual duration depends on application and configuration)

84-/85-/88-Tasten Keyboard Keyboard, 89% of the size of a standard keyboard, 1.6 mm (minimum) Keystroke
Touchpad Display:
• Circular-motion scrolling
• Pinch-action zoom
• Page flip
12 function keys, 4 cursor keys, 2 Windows ® keys, hotkey controls, integrated numeric keypad, international languages are supported
Power button with LED
Start Buttons with LED: WLAN, WWAN
(Manufacturing option – not all models)
Bluetooth ® Start Button
(Manufacturing option – not all models)

3x USB 2.0 ports
1 x monitor (VGA)
1 x speaker / headphone / line-out
1 x Line-in/Mikrofon
1 x RJ-45 connector for Ethernet
1 x AC power connector

Security BIOS user, supervisor and HDD passwords
Kensington Lock slot

Productivity software applications:
• Acer Recovery Management
• Microsoft ® Works SE 9 with Office Home and Student 2007 Trial
• Google Toolbar ™
• Google ™ Desktop
• Google ™ Setup
• Adobe ® Reader ® 9
• Adobe ® Flash ® Player 10
• Microsoft ®. NET Framework 2.0
• Consumer-friendly Internet Explorer ® 7.0
• eSobi
• Carbonite Online Backup
McAfee ® Internet Security Suite (60-day trial version)
Communications Applications:
• Acer Video Conference Manager 4.0
• Windows Live Essentials ™ – Wave 3 (Mail, Photo Gallery, Live ™ Messenger, Writer)

Storage bag options
Carrying
Additional Lithium Ion Battery
External HDD
External optical drive

Certifications Wi-Fi ®

Eco Standards ENERGY STAR ® 4.0
WEEE
RoHS

Warranty 1 year warranty including 1 years International Travelers Warranty (ITW)

According to BetaNews, a Microsoft spokesperson came out and stated that users will be able to downgrade from Windows 7 to XP without a problem.  This comes after the news that Microsoft would continue to support XP through at least June 2010.  Users of Windows 7 may skip Vista entirely when downgrading.

XP is being kept on by Microsoft as the OS of choice for Ultra-Low-Cost-Portables (netbooks), though Windows 7 is fully capable of running on these sometimes underpowered machines. It is unclear if users who purchase netbooks with XP will be offered incentives to upgrade to Windows 7.

[Via BetaNews]

The case may now be able to move ahead with a decreased number of plaintiffs. The new group of plaintiffs include those that bought Vista Capable PCs (that turned out to not be capable of Aero Glass) and those that qualified for an XP to Vista upgrade.

The original complaint was filed in 2007 because people claimed Microsoft had knowingly lowered the requirements for the specs that would be listed on products with the Vista Capable logo, resulting in many people buying computers that couldn’t actually run Vista properly. But now we’ll just have to wait and see how this case moves ahead–if it does at all.

[via ComputerWorld]

According to StatCounter information, Vista is most popular among those switching from older PC models and those doing their computing on the weekends, meaning it is the primary leisure computer platform for PC users. However, Windows XP has lost share much more quickly than Vista has gained it, showing a trend for XP users to switch to Mac OS X. 

This is backed up by the fact that Apple has grown substantially in the last two months–from 6.6% share to 8.3% share between January and March. So what does this all mean? Vista is picking up momentum (finally) but the initial Vista blunders have driven some to Mac. And even though Vista is doing much better now, it may be replaced altogether once Windows 7 is released. 

[via Electronista]

Unlike most nettops, the B208 picks Windows Vista over XP, in this case either the Home Basic or Business editions, finishing them off with its own Eee Cinema media center front-end.  Other specs include four USB 2.0 ports, WiFi b/g/n, ethernet and a multiformat memory card reader, together with an infra-red remote (and receiver dongle).

Onboard storage choices range from 160GB through 250GB and top out at 320GB; there’s also an internal battery that functions as a UPS, allowing you to safely shut down the Eee Box B208 in a power-cut.  No word on price or availability as yet.

[via Liliputing]

The figures have been compiled by Net Applications, who highlighted that Linux is still a few points away from taking just 1-percent of the market (at 0.88-percent) together with the fact that this is Apple’s first market-share loss in over a year.  Interest in Windows 7 had climbed through the second half of January, only to slump a little through the following month to end February at around 0.16-percent (though weekend tinkerers push that up to 0.18-percent on Saturdays and Sundays).

Windows Vista climbed from 22.48 to 22.79-percent, while XP and Windows 2000 dropped 0.09 points and 0.04 points respectively to 63.67-percent and 1.33-percent of the market.  Apple, meanwhile, saw their US sales drop by 6-percent in January, a shift that could have pre-empted their falling OS market share.

The scheme is similar to that which Microsoft organized during the changeover from Windows XP to Windows Vista, in which buyers of a new XP computer could upgrade, without charge, to Vista once that OS was released.  In this way, the inevitable pre-launch sales dip is hopefully minimized, as users are less inclined to wait until machines running the new software hit shelves.

While Microsoft refer to it as the “Windows 7 Technical Guarantee Program”, the final scheme looks likely to be known as the Windows 7 Upgrade Program.  Participation in the scheme is not mandatory for manufacturers producing Windows-based computers, but given the likelihood that buyers will be looking out for the free upgrade sticker, we’d expect to see most take part.

Upgrades will be tier-for-tier, so a Vista Home Premium user will get Windows 7 Home Premium, while a Vista Ultimate user will get Windows 7 Ultimate.  Similarly, 32-bit and 64-bit versions will upgrade to their same-bit version; 32-bit to 64-bit upgrades will not be allowed, although clean installs will be.  Those with a system that has a valid Vista licence but is running XP under the downgrade scheme will be allowed to perform a fresh install of Windows 7.

[via Slashdot]

The TravelMate notebook platform is ideal for those who need to incorporate portability, connectivity and productivity tools into one device. The 15.4-inch TravelMate 6593 and the 14.1-inch TravelMate 6493 notebook PC offer great security options and special features such as videoconferencing that professionals need in a notebook.

The TravelMate 6593 packs an Intel Centrino 2 Processor with vPro technology. With 4GB DDR3 1066 MHz Dual Channel Memory, 15.4-inch WXGA Acer CrystalBrite TFT LCD (1280 x 800) and 250GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive this is really the only notebook you need. Also included in the $1499 package is a DVD-Super double-layer drive, 5-in-1 digital media card reader and Acer Crystal Eye webcam. Of course the TravelMate 6593 runs Windows Vista Business to suite your needs.

The TravelMate 6493 also packs an Intel Centrino 2 Processor with vPro Technology. This model has a 14.1-inch WXGA Acer CrystalBrite TFT LCD (1280 x 800) display, 3GB DDR3 1066 MHz dual channel memory, integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD and 250GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive. Just as the other model, this one has s a DVD-Super double-layer drive, 5-in-1 digital media card reader, Acer Crystal Eye webcam and runs Windows Vista Business. The TravelMate 6493 falls in the $1099 – $1299 price range and both models are available now in the US.

Designed specifically to work with Vista Media Center this voice activated remote control allows users to record shows, watch your recorded programming, skip playlists or even queue up a photos slideshow by simply talking to your remote. That’s it, let it all out, this remote is here to serve you, though it does not respond well to criticism.

Not everyone is going to take to talking to a remote very well, that is why there has also been buttons added for the quieter family members. This remote is slotted to ship sometime in March. Though $299 is a bit more that I would like to spend on a remote, this device certainly would be interesting to try out.

Otherwise it’s the expected drawbacks of pricing and keyboard absence that really undermine the R50a.  The performance issues are already causing consternation about Sony’s upcoming VAIO P netbook, which we know – courtesy of the leaked specifications – will also use a 1.33GHz Intel processor and Windows Vista.

Interestingly, an existing R50a owner has already responded in the comments with his own experience of the UMPC.  Contrasting significantly to Ben’s experience, Arthur has been pleased with his R50a’s performance; it’s capable of playing back iTunes video and Slingbox streaming video without skipping, and the graphics and gaming graphics Vista performance scores were both higher than those on the UMPC Portal review unit:

“My overall Vista score is 2.7. My Graphics score is 2.9 and my Gaming Graphics score is also 2.9. The other Vista scores are the same as yours. My unit did not come with any bloatware. I do not use the security software so I do not get the popups … this is the first UMPC I have owned which can playback Itunes video and Sligbox video without skipping. I love the device, I find it responsive, it has great battery life, the fan is quite (unlike my OQO 02) and it is small, although not pocketable. I do wish however that the mouse pointer worked better and that it had a keyboard” Arthur, ASUS R50a user

PRODUCT (RED) is a global fund raising money for developing an AIDS vaccine together with supporting those with the disease with retroviral medications.  It’s not entirely clear how much out of the purchase price Microsoft are donating.

Amazon currently have the full Vista PRODUCT (RED) edition up for pre-order, for $219.95; that’s $70 more than they’re retailing the standard, Vista Utimate version.  However those eligible for Microsoft’s US student-edition can get the PRODUCT (RED) upgrade for $64.95.

[via istartedsomething]

The date comes courtesy of Amazon, who have put the digital adapter up for pre-order and confirmed the expected availability.  You’ll not only need a reasonably fast wireless network (assuming you want to go wire-free, that is), however; you’ll also need a relatively new Samsung HDTV, which supports the HDMI-CEC standard.

One set up, you can stream content from your PC – live or pre-recorded – as well as access YouTube and other online videos.  It’s also compatible with MSN Internet TV, Vongo, Amazon Unbox and Netflix.  The MediaLive Extender is priced at $199.99.

[via EngadgetHD]

We should see a Beta 1 release of Windows 7 sometime in December, with the operating system itself dropping in late 2009. We should be seeing just about all of the features that are to be included in the beta in these previews, yet not much has changed since Vista. In fact, it seems much more like an add on to Vista itself than a brand new OS.

Windows 7 seems to feature the Ribbon UI from Office 2007 in other programs such as Paint and WordPad. At the very least, let’s hope Windows 7 is more stable than Vista and perhaps has a few tricks up its sleeve.

[via Gizmodo]

That’s ridiculous when you consider that a UMPC is supposed to be a quick-access, companion device; you don’t want to have to wait for Vista to fully boot just to check a phone number, say.  Jenn’s also glad she stumped up for the factory-fit RAM upgrade (2GB instead of the standard 1GB) since it’s not user-swappable.  Update: Jenn tells me that she does actually only have 1GB in her D4 – there’s no way to increase it beyond that, unfortunately.

Thankfully it’s not all bad news, however.  The screen is reportedly sharp and clear, while the keyboard – albeit small and with minimal key travel – is spaced enough for thumb typing or a little hunt’n'peck.  It’s also backlit.  Best of all is Vista’s performance on the 1.33GHz Intel Atom CPU.  Firefox 3 launches in under 5 seconds, and Jenn has put together a 14-minute video demonstrating how the D4 handles online video, streaming radio, multi-tasking and more.

Personally speaking, the battery would be the serious deal-breaker, but Jenn seems relatively happy with the 4.5hr extended battery (that adds weight and thickness).

Standard connectivity comprises WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and 10/100 ethernet, plus there are dual cameras (a VGA webcam and a 1.3-megapixel camera on the back for photography).  The Q1UP-V ships with a 6-cell, 57.7 watt battery that Samsung are claiming will provides up to 7hrs use.

Both models are available now, with the Q1U-CMXP costing $1,499 and the Q1UP-V priced a little cheaper at $1,449.  In the US the HSDPA version will use AT&T’s Broadband Connect network.

Samsung have previously announced that they intend to refresh their UMPC range in Q1 2009, including a potential change in, or addition of new, form-factors.  There has been speculation that this will include a netbook-style convertible Tablet, to take on both the ASUS Eee and Gigabyte’s M912.

The catch is that you have to have one of Samsung’s HDTVs in order for it to work.  In fact, you have to have a pretty recent (i.e. one made in 2008 that has CEC automation support) TV, but once you’ve got over that hurdle you can use the MediaLive’s ethernet port or built-in WiFi draft-N to access Vista Media Center, watch movies from Vongo and MovieLink and stream content from XM Radio.

Once connected, the MediaLive can be mounted behind the HDTV, with remote commands being shuttled via the HDMI-CEC connection.  A single PC can stream content – up to 1080p and in AC3, H.264, JPEG, MPEG2, MPEG4, WMA and WMV formats - to up to five MediaLive-equipped TVs, depending on resolution and bandwidth.

The Samsung MediaLive Extender will go on sale in August 2008, priced at $200.

Press Release

Samsung’s MediaLive: the Ultimate HDTV Accessory, Bringing Digital Content from the PC to the Big-Screen

Combines Microsoft’s Extender for Windows Media Center Technology with Samsung High Design and Cutting-Edge Functionality for a New Era of Home Entertainment

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J. –(Business Wire)– Jul. 23, 2008 Samsung Electronics America Inc., the leader in the U.S. digital television market, lets consumers view PC-content on a Samsung HDTV with the retail launch of the company’s MediaLive adaptor. Samsung’s MediaLive delivers digital content (including HD content) in real-time from Windows Media Center on a PC running Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate operating systems to the big screen of a Samsung HDTV via a wireless or wired home network. From photos, music, feature films, home movies, and live and recorded TV programs, Samsung’s MediaLive is the ideal plug-and-play complement to most 2008-model Samsung HDTVs.
“The PC is quickly becoming the hub for entertainment in the home and Samsung’s MediaLive gives consumers the freedom to enjoy and manage movies, photos, and music on the bigger screen of an HDTV,” said John Revie, Vice President of Visual Display Marketing at Samsung Electronics America. “Samsung’s MediaLive opens up a constantly expanding world of content for consumers, adding yet another connectivity option to the latest Samsung HDTVs.”

Easily connected to an existing wireless or wired Internet connection, Samsung’s MediaLive allows PCs running Windows Vista or Windows Vista Home Premium to stream a personal movie, photo, music, and video collection to any 2008-model Samsung HDTV in the home with an HDMI-CEC connection. With the ability to display content at up to Full HD resolution and support for a range of video, audio, and image codecs such as AC3, H.264, JPEG, MPEG2, MPEG4, WMA, and WMV, consumers will be able to enjoy an impressive variety of video and audio files using Samsung’s MediaLive. Instead of crowding around a 15-inch PC monitor to share their latest music or movies, users can transfer the same PC content in real-time and share it on a 50-inch HDTV with a group of friends. One PC can stream content to up-to five Samsung MediaLive boxes connected to a TV through a home network – providing total access to entertainment from most 2008-model Samsung HDTV’s in the home.

Beyond streaming personal entertainment, Samsung’s MediaLive gives consumers access to a wide range of entertainment options including online services such as Vongo, MovieLink, Showtime TV, XM Radio, and FOX Sports, as well as the ability to browse through top news stories from Reuters and NPR. Additionally, in the U.S., Windows Media Center features the Internet TV beta program, which offers access to viral videos, news stories, movie trailers, sports clips, cast interviews, movie concerts and more. For access to live and recorded TV through the Samsung MediaLive, a simple TV tuner can be connected to the PC, turning it into a powerful DVR with the ability to watch and record favorite television shows and movies. In conjunction with FOX Sports, consumers are able to access SportsLounge to quickly view up-to-date sports scores, statistics and schedules – a perfect tool for any fantasy sports fan.

“Microsoft is pleased to be working with an industry leader such as Samsung, which shares our commitment to expanding TV entertainment options through Windows Media Center,” said Ron Pessner, General Manager of the Connected TV Division at Microsoft Corp. “We’re seeing the industry recognize the value of delivering these types of integrated solutions that allow consumers to extend pictures, music and more from their Windows Vista Home Premium- or Ultimate-based PC to the TV.”

Employing the simple-to-navigate user interface and integrated electronic program guide of Windows Media Center, content browsing and playback is easily controlled using the arrow and enter buttons available on either the included MediaLive Simple Remote, or the Samsung HDTV’s remote control.

Using the included mounting bracket, the compact device can be easily mounted to the rear of select Samsung flat-panel TVs for a clutter-free home theater setup. Operational commands are sent to the MediaLive via the HDMI-CEC port for a high quality, single-cable connection to the HDTV. The device connects to a PC via a RJ45 connected LAN cable, or wirelessly through a built-in 802.11 a/b/g/n receiver.

The Samsung MediaLive will be available in August 2008. -0-

Specifications
—————————-
MediaLive
———————————————————————-
Online Content — Windows Media Center online media
content providers
———————————————————————-
Audio — WMA, MP3, AC3
———————————————————————-
Video — WMV, MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264
– HDMI-CEC output
– Replay
– Down & Play of recorded TV program In
PC
– AV Streaming with PC (Server)
– AV Streaming with PC (Client) – WMV,
MPEG2 file Streaming
———————————————————————-
Photo — JPEG
– Zoom in/out, Rotation
———————————————————————-
Input and Output — DC Power
– USB 2.0 Slave
– USB 2.0 Host
– HDMI-CEC
– Ethernet (RJ45 LAN cable)
———————————————————————-
Works With — 2008-model Samsung HDTVs 450 series
and higher, LCD, Plasma and DLP
———————————————————————-
Dimension (W X H X D, mm) — 270 x 48 x 155
———————————————————————-
Weight — 1.8 kg
———————————————————————-
Estimated Selling Price $200
———————————————————————-
Availability August 2008
———————————————————————-
*Subject to change without notice.

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.

Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, NJ, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., markets a broad range of award-winning, digital consumer electronics and home appliance products, including HDTVs, home theater systems, MP3 players, digital imaging products, refrigerators and washing machines. A recognized innovation leader in consumer electronics design and technology, Samsung is the HDTV market leader in the U.S. Please visit http://www.samsung.com for more information.

“Unfortunately, (SSDs) performance in the Vista environment falls short of what the market really needs and that is why we need to develop the next generation, which we’ll start sampling end of this year, early next year … We have very good internal controller technology, as you know … That said, I’d say that we are now behind because we did not fully understand, frankly, the limitations in the Vista environment” Eli Harari, Chairman and CEO, SanDisk

The crucial development point has been a disk controller capable of handling both the next-gen SSD’s multilevel cell (MLC) technology as well as “compensating for Vista shortfalls”.  Harari’s confession that the company underestimated the development work necessary has once again placed Microsoft at the center of an argument that its flagship OS is too bloated for mobile devices.

SanDisk expects to have large SSDs – measuring 128GB, 160GB and 256GB – with controllers capable of taming Vista’s issues by the end of the year or the beginning of 2009.  Harari described current SSDs, in far smaller capacities, as being unaffected by the Vista issue as they were “relatively unsophisticated”.

Check out the unboxing and a switch from XP to Vista after the cut

First impressions are good, with the 1.6GHz Atom processor and 1GB of RAM doing such a good job that they wondered exactly how well might Vista Ultimate run.  So out came an external optical drive and on went Microsoft’s latest- often accused of being too swollen for these budget ultraportables – taking just 30 minutes to install.

Straight off the DVD, Vista was reporting a weak Performance Index of just 1; after installing all the latest driver and patch updates, however, that climbed to 2.7 (graphics up to 4 and gaming graphics at 2.7, in fact).  Real-world performance is reportedly “surprisingly good”, with the consensus being that the SSD version of the 1000 (the 1000H uses an 80GB HDD) would be even smoother.  Praise is also due for the speed at which the Atom CPU switches between performance and economy settings.

You’d probably not want to run Vista full-time on any of the smaller Eee notebooks, but it looks to be a real possibility on the 1000-series.  If anything, it just confirms that the largest Eee blurs the line between “budget ultraportable” and “low-end normal notebook”; if Vista’s power-saving functionality ekes out much better battery life, then that could be a reasonable answer to critique that the 1000-series is too expensive.

Unboxing video:

Install of Vista on Eee PC 1000H:

None of the newly-announced XP versions have identical spec to the existing Vista models, so it’s difficult to say exactly how much HP are charging to downgrade the software on your behalf. However the KX870AT differs from the new KR964UT only in having 40GB less hard-drive capacity, but the price difference is $70.

HP also added a self-configuration tool to the product page, allowing you to specify your own Mini-Note, but at the moment the only options it permits mimic the setup of the pre-built systems. It’s possible that this is a teething error rather than the way the company intends it to operate. For now, though, I’d give the XP systems a miss.

[via HP 2133 Guide]

It’s a reasonably tempting prospect, as long as you’re happy with something that – at 84 x 118 x 25.9mm – is smaller even than HTC’s compact Shift UMPC.  The D4 is obviously intended for mobile use, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t sit on a desk and do basic office and internet tasks; the internal WSVGA (1024 x 600) screen might tax the eyes after a while, but hook up an external display and you can enjoy a 1360 x 768 picture.  WiFi b/g, ethernet and Bluetooth 2.0 are all present, but any cellular connectivity Willcom might have initially demonstrated has been stripped away.  Since it runs Vista Home Premium (with GeekStuff4U preinstalling OpenOffice) whatever apps you usually run on your ultraportable could – spec capabilities assuming – fall to the D4 instead.

Now for that downside: the price.  $1,526.33 is what it’ll cost you for the Sharp-made device, with a choice of English, French, German or Spanish OS.  That’s a whole lot of money for something that, despite monitor hook-ups and USB port, is most definitely going to be a second (or third) computer.

[via Pocketables]

Normally such an operation would require your choice of putting the compute next to the TV to directly connect it, a separate Set-Top-Box that is a Media Center Extender, or and Xbox 360. Now none of those things are needed, you just set up your TV pair the two together by adding the Extender to the Media Center PC, and you are off and on your way streaming the best of what you have downloaded to your new TV.

The two TV’s come in 42 and 47 inch models and have both Ethernet and WiFi connections. The downside is that the TV’s are priced respectively at $1900 and $2400 for their meager sizes, sure they have 2000:1 contrast ratios and are 1080p capable, but you can do better than 47-inches for $2400. For those with older MediaSmart TV’s, HP has put out a firmware update that will magically grant you the same capabilities.

[via Gizmodo]

The first, the one that goes for $300, is the T3646 and has 1GB of RAM, and AMD Sempron LE-1250 processor, a 160GB HDD, and it comes with Vista Home Basic. That might be a bit of a stretch on the hardware side for Vista, but an upgrade to XP or Linux should pull a premium with that configuration.

The second one, the T5254 which retails for $400, comes with a dual-core Athlon processor, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB HDD, and Vista Home Premium. So basically it doubles everything, and is far more likely to actually be capable of running Vista smoothly than the previous system. Since you were wondering, neither comes with a monitor, but it has NVIDIA’s 6100 graphics chips integrated to output video.

[via i4u]

No word on what hardware configuration the XP system will come with though. So there is a chance it will be available as an option across the board, and at the price Microsoft is offering it to manufacturers of these “Budget” PC’s it would be a smart move to do so.

I have to admit though, the 2133 was hot a while ago, but it may already be losing its flame by some of the other new notebooks being announced. That’s to say just prior to the actual announcement of the notebook and all of its details I definitely would have bought one, but now I’m waiting for something else, they are taking too long.

[via laptoping]

Psystar is no longer just targeting Apple’s Mac Mini and iMac lineups, with the new OpenPRO they are even going after the Mac Pro, a computer which, from Apple, has a base price of a fair amount over $2000. The OpenPRO can be had, maxed out with a 1TB HDD, an 8800GT with 512MB VRAM, 8GB of RAM, and a nice case with 3 120mm fans inside and OS X installed for you for $1929.99.

Then there is the Open Computer, or OpenMac as it was formerly known, that is selling for $399 with a plain white case, a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 processor, 2GB of RAM, integrated Intel Graphics, a 20x DVD burner, 4 USB ports and a 250GB HDD, that’s $200 less than the cheapest Mac and running hardware more comparable to higher end Macs. OS X installation is $155 extra on each machine and includes a copy of the OS as well as the installation being performed for you, you can also get the OpenPRO configured with a number of OS’s including Windows XP Pro, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit edition, OS X, and even Ubuntu. I must say I’m impressed, and the company is even rumored to be willing to fight Apple’s EULA terms in order to get the OS installed on their hardware.

[via Psystar]

It packs in a 1.33GHz Intel Centrino Atom processor model Z520, has a 1024×600 touchscreen LCD with LED backlighting, a full keyboard that slides out from underneat, and WiFi b/g. Add to that the Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, a 2MP camera that is capable of video recording, and 1GB of RAM and this thing is shaping up to be one of the best UMPCs there is.

It comes loading with Windows Vista Home Premium and Microsoft Office Personal 2007, it also has NAVITIME and some virus software pre-installed. Other than the keyboard that slides out, and can even be used to lock the screen in a vertical position, which would make it possible to type like a regular keyboard and or watch movies, there also seems to be some touch sensitive keys on either side of the screen. More on this little bugger as it comes our way.

[via AkihabraNews and k-tai.impress]

The numbers spell it out too, Intel’s Celeron+G945+ICH4 setup can’t run Blu-Ray, can’t run Vista Premium, can’t support DirectX 10, and only gets 6.4 GFLOPs. NVIDIA’s proposed setup would use VIA’s Isaiah processor, you know, the one that can run Crysis on a single core 1.8GHz chip, and then the rest of the chips would be from NVIDIA including an integrated graphics solution from NVIDIA that would combine to give you Vista Premium, Blu-Ray playback, DX10 support, and 36 GFLOPS for around the same price or less than the Intel solution.

Yes, you did read that right, the VIA process can run Crysis, a game which is currently used to benchmark high-end gaming PCs, no word on how well it can run it, but the fact that it can at all is simply amazing. Personally I wholly support our new NVIDIA/VIA overlords, its about time someone stepped up and started making Intel and AMD both work for their money.

[via Engadget]

They were fairly efficient in getting this thing out quickly, it will be available for what is a listed price of $199 come April 7th, a.k.a. today. It comes bundles with Cyberlink’s PowerDVD BD Edition software for playing Blu-Ray discs.

It also comes with a SATA power and data cable, with the power cable being a 4-15 pin adapter cable. It also comes with mounting screws, a disc loading tray cover replacement kit, and then the user manual and quick start guide. Not a bad deal if you ask me, however one of those drives that does the same thing, yet also plays HD-DVD drives and can burn certain formats seems more useful, but I don’t think they hit around the same price point.

[via Gadgetell]

First impressions count for a lot when you’ve just spent $1,500 (unsubsidized) on a device, and HTC make a decent attempt of giving the Shift’s packaging a premium feel. Inside the metal-effect sleeve and matte cardboard box is the UMPC itself, a tri-fold leather case, tiny AC power brick in its own felt drawstring bag, wired hands-free kit with stereo earbuds, and a surprisingly chunky breakout box that adds three USB, a miniUSB and ethernet ports via the Shift’s single onboard USB. Somewhat strangely, the leather case is actually attached to the Shift by screws; perhaps HTC are trying to avoid too many broken screen repairs from those who might normally carry their gadgets in the raw.

Familiarity from months of anticipation means the Shift’s design doesn’t exactly wow, but build quality is impressive and the plastics feel sturdy. To the left of the screen there’s a webcam, left and right mouse buttons, speaker and the SnapVue/Vista toggle button; to the right there’s a shortcut to the HTC Communications Manager app, a button that flips between 800 x 480 and 1024 x 600, a postage stamp-sized trackpad, speaker and finally a biometric fingerprint scanner. Around the edges of the 25mm thick device lie a VGA-out port, power switch to boot into Vista, SD card slot, single USB port, mains power socket and a 3.5mm headset socket.

Of course, the Shift’s hardware party trick is the sliding keyboard, and with a firm push the touchscreen fascia moves up to reveal the roughly half-size keyboard. The display can also tilt, turning the Shift into a mini laptop, and the hinge is both sturdy enough to feel reassuring as well as to stand up to touchscreen prodding without collapsing back. Obviously you won’t want to copy out War & Peace on this keyboard, but unless your fingers are of the sausage variety then you should have no problem pecking out emails, making edits to Word documents and Presentations, and entering URLs and passwords. The reduced space has relegated the function keys to share space with the number keys (and require a Fn modifier) and for some reason, despite there being the keys to accommodate them, F11 and F12 have been omitted. More frustrating, the keyboard lacks a backlight and as such – together with the space-saving layout – is nigh-on impossible to use properly in low-light conditions unless you’ve had far more practice than we have.

The temptation, perhaps, would be to use the Shift as a true UMPC, with the keyboard hidden. It’s not an especially light device – 790g with battery attached, compared to, say, Samsung’s Q1 Ultra which rocks the scales at 690g – but the combination of touchscreen and trackpad mean you can alternate between one- and two-handed use. The display is reasonable, with a powerful backlight you can easily afford to leave a few notches down (and reap the battery rewards); a passive touchscreen, it responds to any press, so you’ll only need the stylus HTC include if you’re using Vista’s handwriting recognition. It’s relatively low standard resolution (800 x 480) is acceptable considering it measures just 7-inches, and flipping into the 1024 x 600 mode takes care of any oversized dialog boxes.

If the HTC’s hardware trick is its screen, its software trick has to be SnapVue. Intended to bridge the divide between smartphone and full Vista laptop, SnapVue is HTC’s cut-down version of Windows Mobile that the Shift can instantly load for when you merely want to check email, contacts or calendar. As the device can be configured to support push email via an Exchange server, being able to quickly read messages without waiting for Vista to boot fully is a real time saver. Assuming there’s network coverage, you can also send SMS messages via SnapVue; however, despite the presence of a hands-free kit in the box, you can’t make voice calls, and the modified email app loses Windows Mobile’s usual ability to open message attachments. Instead you’ll have to save them to the 40GB hard drive and open them up in Vista.

HTC suggest you can eke out three days of use solely using SnapVue, though of course you’d be basically carrying a massive, slightly under-functioning smartphone. In fact that may simply be their pre-emptive defence of the Shift’s Vista battery life: 2hrs of normal use, dropping to 1.5hrs with anything taxing the CPU. That’s a not-unusual situation to be in, either, as the 800MHz Intel A110 single-core processor and 1GB of RAM are noticeably sluggish running Vista; we’d like to have tried out XP Tablet Edition, which is known to be kinder to lesser-specified machines, but HTC haven’t the relevant drivers for the UMPC’s hardware.

It’s a shame, because when you’ve got a full battery and a decent Sprint signal the Shift makes a decent portable internet machine. The lack of EV-DO Rev.A support is another disappointment, and means the CDMA Shift can’t match its GSM sibling’s browsing speeds when there’s a top-speed HSDPA network about. We’d have to lean toward the GSM version if it were our money, especially taking into account using the Shift outside of the US where CDMA networks are far rarer. VoIP and video conferencing are both usable either via a WiFi connection or over EV-DO, and the quick-launch HTC Communications Manager gives straightforward control over switching wireless options on and off (with a one-touch flight mode), adjusting volume for the surprisingly impressive speakers and changing the screen backlight settings.

Have HTC made the perfect UMPC? It’s difficult to recommend the Shift as a general purpose ultraportable, with most traveling users better served by a normal laptop and a separate smartphone (especially given Shift owners will still have to carry a cellphone for voice calls). However, users who really do demand a mobility solution – not just at different desks, but using their laptop while standing, walking and generally moving around – the Shift makes a pretty convincing, if expensive argument. Yes, an improved version of SnapVue and higher-capacity battery would make the argument stronger, but if you find yourself in that ultramobility niche the Shift should definitely be on your shortlist.

Rating:

3 out of 5 gears

Unboxing Video

[View the entire gallery of HTC Shift]

Some of the more apparent fixes include file copying ETA being more accurate, UAC should pop up a bit less in certain areas, and DirectX has been fixed to support DX9, DX10, and DX10.1 hardware. They also fixed WGA to fix the two most common exploits of the system and they’ve added some more support for third party search solutions.

Prior to getting the service pack you must have, in order, updates KB947172, KB937287, and KB938371 installed, each of those may or may not have their own sets of prerequisite updates, but I’m sure you’ve got all that covered already right? What I really want to know from you, the readers, is does this new SP make Vista usable? You see I’ve had a copy of Vista Home Premium ever since it was released and I installed, and then promptly uninstalled it, shortly after I got it, but if Vista is now usable again, myself, and I am sure countless others, would be interested in knowing if its worth the update.

[via ArsTechnica]

Not only is it eco friendly by being 25 percent smaller than other ThinkCentre products and being made from recycled materials, but it manages to cut down on the noise pollution. It puts out a maximum of 4 bels of noise regardless of what mode its in, so no more walking into a room and it sounding like its about to take off. Both pictures were sent to me as the M57P, but you’ll notice, like I did, that they look different so I am assuming one of them is the M57 and the other is the M57P.

As far as professional/enterprise features you get the full set of ThinkVantage technologies, the Intel vPro technology, and the TPM or Trusted Platform Module. It comes configured with the Intel Celeron 440, one gig of RAM, a 160GB HDD, DVD drive, and Windows Vista Business for $699. The monitor is sold separately and they also already have a VESA stand that allows you to re-orientate the M57 as well as mount a monitor to the stand, its $70 extra.

Their goal is to extend the sale of XP to forever, I like it, I love XP, and if I had to choose a Vista upgrade or death right now, I’d probable be shopping for rope right about now. But the best a Microsoft rep can come up with is that they are “aware of it” and that they are listening to “feedback we hear from partners and customers,” when they clearly aren’t since there are over 75k people that took the time to sign up for this campaign, so really they must only be listening to partners who can move more and pricier higher-end hardware if they push Vista on everyone.

So far the only thing we have is that public sale of XP will cease on June 30th, it will continue to January 2009 for system builders and vendors for those resilient business users, and then XP Starter Edition for “emerging markets” will continue to be sold through June 30th 2010. Hopefully they listen and continue selling XP past June 30th, best case scenario is they open it up so that a community can be built around it and developers can find and fix bugs and such without MS having to spend any money on maintaining the OS, but that probably won’t happen.

[via pcpro]

The 22-inch model has a resolution of 1680×1050 and a contrast ratio of 3000:1, making this my favorite of the two. The 19-inch model has a res of 1440×900 with a contrast ration of 1000:1.

They both have a 5ms response time and a drop date of April. The 22 will sell for $269.99 and the 19 will sell for $199.99 not a bad price for either one.

[via i4u]

The 6000 is the one made for use on the go, it is a full sized mouse, but has the snap-in transceiver like that of smaller portable mice. The 7000 has a vertical recharge stand and is clearly meant for the desktop.

They both have some pretty amazing battery efficiency and they both have MS’s HD laser tech as well as the wireless tech on the 2.4GHz band for distances up to 30 feet. The extra buttons are for Flip 3D, Magnifier, and tilt wheel. These mice will be available in March for $50 and $70 respective to their numbers, or you can pre-order them now.

[via gearlog]

Specs wise the $45,500 PC gets you an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 running at 3GHz, 4GB of RAM and a 10K RPM 150GB HDD. On top of that you get dual NVIDIA 8800GTX graphics cards, a 500GB 7200RPM HDD, 7.1 audio, Vista Ultimate and light-up liquid cooling.

Did I mention that it looks amazing, reminiscent of a temple of some sort? I’d probably pay the nearly $50 grand price just for the case and cooling if I had it, but for this PC, $46k is more the middle of the line than the top, it maxes out at $70k and goes as low as $9k (which probably is just the case).

[via PCLaunches]

The majority of the purchase cost still goes to the cost of whatever gadget you are getting in return, but in the case of Dell, $80 of the XPS One will go to the charity, $50 of the two XPS notebooks, and $5 of the printer. And, like I said, you get some pretty brilliant red gadgets in return which are generally exclusive to those that ordered the (PRODUCT) Red version.

The (PRODUCT) Red charity is in place to help fight AIDS in Africa, a disease that is killing an alarming number of people worldwide, but seems to have flourished in Africa where there is generally a complete lack of protection. The computers will go on sale at the end of this month (January 31st to be precise) and will also include a special version of Vista Ultimate with tons of extras specifically for the cause including six wallpapers, a DreamScene video background, a screen saver, and a pair of Sidebar gadgets.

[via gadgetell]

It can be configured with up to 2GB of RAM. Even better yet are the HDD options of the Fujitsu with your choice of the standard 80GB drive or a 100GB drive (the same 4200RPM speed as the Air, but 20GB more) or a 32GB SSD which only adds $300 to the price compared to the $1000 the 64GB SSD option adds to the Air.

It also has ports, and you can get a port replicator for it as well, oh, and did I mention it has a tablet screen that you can swivel and use the digital pen on to do stuff with it instead of just a regular LCD screen? Also, Fujitsu recommends XP be used with this, but if you order Vista with it, it costs nothing extra and you get a set of XP restore discs as well as the Vista ones. So, with the new 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo, the 2GB of RAM, the 100GB HDD, and an extended battery, it comes in at $2474, which isn’t much higher than the Air for a computer that could be exponentially better than the Air depending on your needs/perspective.

Fujitsu P1620- now that’s an Air [via jkOnTheRun]

It is quite literally an AirPort Extreme with all the wired and wireless connections built in, then just adds in a 500GB or 1TB HDD that’s apparently server grade. I just finished reading the fine print and it works with Window’s computers, both XP and Vista, and Macs (obviously), but it will work with both as a run of the mill NAS as well, not just a backup drive.

So, this is officially my favorite announcement today, and I want one now. But in order to get one I’ll have to fork out a minimum of $299 for the 500GB or $499 for the 1TB, comparatively to other NAS drives, that’s damn good pricing considering it also has both a wired and wireless router/AP/switch built in.