Well, the numbers for week 1 are in, and they look good for Microsoft and Windows 7. Microsoft’s latest OS venture has outpaced Vista in first week sales by, get ready for it, 234%. Not bad in a down economy for sure. The new OS has also outpaced Vista in terms of revenue: Seven has generated 83% more revenue for Redmond than the big “V” in its first week. We’ve got 7 on our fleet of machines, but how many of you out there have upgraded? What are your thoughts thus far? So far, we like!

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Things always get a little chippy between Apple and Microsoft when Microsoft one company is preparing for a large OS release, and with Windows 7 it has been no different. Justin Long and John Hodgman have been all over our televisions throwing subtle digs at the newest OS to come out of Redmond. However, Apple is — from a support standpoint — singing a different tune as the Mac maker has announced plans to fully support Windows 7 in its Boot Camp software before the end of this calendar year. The announcement (if you can call it that) came via a knowledge base article on Apple’s support website and states a software update to the Boot Camp software and an Intel Mac will be required. All this bickering reminds us of a scene in The Dark Knight where the Joker explains to Batman, “I don’t want to kill you! What would I do without you? No, no, NO! No. You…you…complete me.”

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Microsoft has started to ramp up its advertisement of Windows 7 and they’ve enlisted some serious star power to do it; Stewie and Brian Griffin. A special titled “Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show” will air November 8th on Fox at 8:30p  (EST and PST). You won’t have to deal with any commercials, just the constant subtle placement of Windows 7 into the plot line.  The deal is also said to include a 12-week college tour with outdoor movie nights hosted by Brian and Stewie. Can cartoon characters give Windows 7 the “mo” it needs to have a successful launch? We’ll see. And hey, if you need your memory refreshed, this is Microsoft’s last Windows advertising adventure, staring comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

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Well, well, well. Look what we’ve just got our hands on… One of our Northern ninjas has hit us with full pricing and specifications for Sony’s VAIO X Series line of notebooks (these are meant for the Canadian market but give us a good ballpark). We’ve been told it will be announced sometime tomorrow, but hey, you know how we roll.

The Sony VAIO X Series is being billed as the “world’s lightest notebook,” we’ve been told and it’s due in part to its carbon-fiber chassis. It weighs 1.6 pounds and is just over half an inch thin. There’s a 16:9 aspect ratio display that clocks in at 11.1″ that features some nice LED backlighted action. Our ninja tells us that the notebook will come with standard and “super-extended” batteries with the standard battery providing around 3.5 hours of battery life and the “super-extended” battery lasting up to 14 hours! The touchpad of the notebook features multi-touch functionality letting you flick through photos, rotate items, zoom in and out, and scroll both directions right from the touchpad.

Lastly, the X Series ships with a SSD drive and Windows 7 Home Premium. Oh, pricing! How does $1,499 sound? It will be available in Canada starting next month and we’d assume U.S. availability will be at the same time or before.

P.S. We didn’t get an answer from our guy on what CPU is in there, bummer!

Back in May, blogs across the Web erupted when word of Microsoft’s planned maximum specs for Windows 7 Starter Edition emerged. To recap, Microsoft had decided to limit the specs for netbooks on which OEMs could pre-install Windows 7 Starter Edition. The move would, in theory, help ensure beefier (and pricier) editions of Win7 got enough attention. Fast forward to today however, and it appears as though Redmond had a change of heart — not only where maximum specs are concerned, but also with the long-reported three app limit. A Microsoft UK spokesperson had this to say:

OEMs and ODMs have the choice to install any version of Windows on a netbook. Starter is an entry version and doesn’t have many of the consumer or business features. The three application limit isn’t there anymore.

The bottom line is that it’s now up to the user to decide which is more important: the attractive price of 7 Starter Edition or the fanned out functionality of pricier versions. You know — the way it should be. Good show, Microsoft.

Thanks, Roger!

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It’s no mystery that manufacturers are dying to ship Windows 7. Regardless of its current state, there’s still just too much of a stigma attached to Vista and manufacturers are all too eager to move on. Moreover, so is Microsoft. As such, we highly doubt the Redmond-based giant will put up much of a fuss over the fact that small custom PC builders like Puget Systems are advertising the availability of Windows 7 ahead of its official launch on October 22nd. According to Puget’s site, Windows 7 is available for pre-order as of yesterday and PCs with 7 preloaded are expected to begin shipping on October 13th — slightly over a week ahead of Win 7’s official retail launch. Of course a week is hardly a long time to wait if you’re not into the idea of purchasing from a smaller computer shop, but early adopters will be glad to know they have options. In any event, 7 is almost upon us… Rejoice!

Thanks, Adrian!

[Via Ars Technica]

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We’re not exactly sure why “WIDEBOOK” has to be in all caps, but LG just took the wraps off its latest line of niche notebooks. Comprised of five models in total, LG’s WIDEBOOKS all feature LED-backlit displays with a 16:9 aspect ratio that LG has dubbed “cinematic”. Mmm hmm. Starting at the bottom we have the R380, a 13-incher that can boot in five seconds with “Smart On”. In the middle of the pack, the R460 and R560 tout 14 and 15.6-inch displays respectively, and then up at the top we have the like-sized R480 and the R580. The entire range sports Windows Vista or 7, Core 2 Duo processors, between 2GB and 4GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce graphics chips with up to 1GB of graphics memory, and display resolutions of either 1600 x 900 or 1368 x 768 pixels. The R580 also packs a Blu-ray drive to make that “cinematic experience” complete. Pricing isn’t yet available but the wait won’t be long — LG’s WIDEBOOKS will roll out this month in Turkey, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, followed by other countries in Asia, Europe, Latin America and last but not least, North America.

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Following a report pinning October as the likely month ASUS’ highly anticipated Eee Keyboard would finally reach market, it looks as though Asustek CEO Jerry Shen has finally confirmed what we’ve been waiting to hear. The almost-all-in-one Eee Keyboard we’ve had an unhealthy obsession with since January is finally set launch next month in Europe and North America. While pricing is still forthcoming, we’re still under the impression that a base price under $500 should become a reality. Spec highlights include:

• Self-contained PC / keyboard combo with integrated 5-inch touchscreen display
• OS: Windows XP Home Edition (though the one benefit of the delays may end up being Windows 7 at launch)
• 1.6GHz Intel Atom microprocessor
• 1GB of DDR2 DRAM
• 16GB or 32GB SSD
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Ultra Wideband HDMI
• USB 2.0 x2, VGA, HDMI, headphone and mic ports
• Weight: 2 lbs

We’ll say it one last time: we need it.

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The good news for Nokia notebook hopefuls this morning is that the much anticipated Booklet 3G is now available for pre-order in Italy. Of course most of our readers don’t live in Italy, but this simply means that Nokia is getting ready to begin pushing its first laptop out to market. The bad news, and it is in fact pretty bad, is the pricing: a whopping €699. In case you’re wondering, that works out to about $1,021 USD. Now as you may recall, we were definitely digging the Booklet 3G when Nokia finally detailed it in full earlier this month. A grand for a 1.6GHz netbook with 1GB of RAM and a 120GB hard drive is bordering on crazy though, even if it does actually come close to providing 12 straight hours of light usage on a single charge. The standard disclaimer of course, is that Nokia products are priced very differently for each region so odds are good that we’ll see a lower price point if and when the Booklet 3G hits US shores. Even if it drops down to $799-$899 territory however, Nokia may have a tough time moving product when similarly-spec’d netbooks can be had for $400. Will a $400 netbook come anywhere close to matching the styling, elegance or battery life of the Booklet? Absolutely not. Where the typical consumer is concerned however, we’re not so sure that matters.

[Via IntoMobile]

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UPDATE: Just a word of warning — we’re getting reports from several Mac users that 3.5 has issues with restoring sessions/tabs after exiting and reopening the browser. By issues, we mean it doesn’t work. Windows users are seemingly not affected.

UPDATE 2: If you’re having the problem mentioned above, go to Firefox > Preferences > Privacy [tab]. If “Clear history when Firefox closes” is checked, click on Settings and uncheck “Browsing History”.

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Are you excited for the day Microsoft Windows 7 officialy drops but afraid of the potentially huge dent that it might put in your wallet? Well, at least the mystery is now over as Redmond has finally made its 7 pricing official. Those of you planning to upgrade from XP or Vista to Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate will have need to come up with $119.99, $199.99 or $219.99 respectively, while those who opt for a brand new retail copy will have to part with $199.99, $299.99 or $319.99. If that’s too rich for your blood, don’t resign yourself to piracy just yet — limited pre-orders start tomorrow with Home Premium upgrades running $49.99 and Professional upgrades coming in at $99.99. More good news: If you absolutely need to replace a dying computer ASAP, you should feel pretty good because nearly everyone who buys a new Windows computer as of tomorrow should be able to get a free upgrade to Windows 7 (although we must caution you that not all manufacturers are participating in this program). Thoughts on the pricing, kids?

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Opera tantalized everyone last week with its proclamation that the Norwegian company was about to reinvent the Web. We were skeptical at best. Here we are on launch day and, well, the Web kind of feels the same, but Opera has announced its latest and greatest innovation, dubbed Opera Unite. According to the post at Opera Labs, Opera Unite is an application that will turn any computer running the software into a web server. Users running Opera Unite will be able to share content with multiple computers over the Internet through the web browser, or even web applications called Unite services. Opera is pushing the service as a social media tool that requires no third party service, no complicated setup and no additional fees. Your data shared from your computer, on your terms and under your control. The service will launch with a few demo applications including Opera Unite Jukebox, an in-browser media player, and an instant messaging application. Opera Unite will work on Mac, Windows and Linux PCs with expansion to mobile browsers and other devices expected in the future. An alpha version of the Opera Unite software is now available for download.

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Microsoft announced on Thursday that it will sell a European version of Windows 7 sans Internet Explorer. The decision to ship these specialized “E” versions of Windows 7 arises from a January decision by the European Commission that determined the inclusion of Internet Explorer in Windows violated European competition law. The new E versions will be available in 23 different languages and are projected to launch at the same time as regular versions of Windows 7. One side benefit of this “un-bundling” is that computer manufacturers will be able to install their browser of choice on Windows 7 systems. Mozilla, Opera, Google; get to courting… Hooray for fair business practice, umm, if that’s what this is.

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It’s no mystery that when it comes to computers and the Internet, you need protection. Maybe not the kind of protection ‘ole Harry here is packing, but the stronger the better in this day and age. Most agree that there are several good free anti-virus solutions available on the market and while they may offer decent protection against the various malware floating around, there’s no substitution for subscription services such as those offered by Symantec and McAfee. Apparently, Microsoft hopes to change that stance. Codenamed Morro, Microsoft is preparing to bring a new free anti-virus solution to market that could spell trouble for competing products in the AV industry. The company’s earlier attempt at an anti-virus solution, OneCare, was anything but a success following its launch in 2006 and subsequent benching. Since then however, Microsoft has stepped up its game where marcom is concerned and to say the company is on a roll is an understatement. Morro, poised to compete with free anti-virus and entry-level paid solutions, is expected to be released soon as a public beta with a full launch slated to follow before the year is out.

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Mark your calendars, Windows fans. Ballmer’s crew has just made the launch date for Windows 7 official: October 22nd, 2009. Since Microsoft first released Windows 7 to the public in beta form (and even well before then), feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, many were caught by surprise. Windows 7 is a breath of fresh air to those who were blindsided by a disastrous Vista launch and who didn’t bother to stick around to sample later, infinitely more stable/usable builds. Despite the fact that it has maintained its market share very well, Microsoft has been in a constant battle to revitalize its image since then. Efforts were hit and miss until the company’s latest effort, the Laptop Hunter campaign, which has been very well received. Apple’s “I’m a Mac” campaign simply rehashes the same jabs over and over at this point and with a global recession in full swing, shoppers seem much more receptive to Microsoft’s message of affordability and value than Apple’s recycled quips. If Redmond can ride the wave until October, Windows 7 could certainly be a death blow to Apple’s already-dwindling market share. That is, if we don’t see a more affordable option from Apple before then.

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Yesterday, news that the Palm Pre was capable of synchronizing content with iTunes hit just about every tech and gadget blog on the planet. In fact, it even reached mainstream media blogs that typically shy away from little tidbits. Really? Fair enough — it’s pretty cool for Pre proponents to know that their future handsets will sync with iTunes out of the box. The level of excitement over this story got us thinking though… If people are this excited that the Pre can sync with iTunes, does that mean they think many current handsets cannot sync with iTunes?

If the answer is yes, that is most definitely not the case. While it is indeed true that many handsets lack the ability to sync with iTunes out of the box, it’s 2009, people — there’s an app for that. There are many, many solutions for syncing your phone with iTunes in fact; from OEM and Apple-sourced solutions to third party plug-ins and utilities. Here at BGR we have two apps in particular that we are fond of, both developed by third-parties: iTunes Agent for Windows PCs and iTuneMyWalkman for Mac.

Without getting too into the particulars, both of these awesome free applications allow you to sync iTunes with any device capable of connecting as a drive. Smartphones, dumb phones, flash drives or even digital cameras if you’re so inclined — if it has a mass storage mode, you can sync it. Several OEM options are a bit cleaner in terms of appearance and dedicated functionality but none are as universal the aforementioned apps. Since we go through phones like they’re candy, we can’t be bothered with 10 different OEM sync solutions. Even if you only get a new phone every year though, why bother with learning new sync software if you change brands? So, if you’ve been looking for a way to sync your phone with iTunes quickly, easily and even automatically, definitely give our recomendations a shot and let us know what you think.

In an age where lightweight, undersized netbooks are all the rage, Microsoft is most definitely wise to manufacturers’ game. That game, of course, is to keep netbook pricing as low as possible while slowly but surely raising the bar where specs are concerned. One of the many ways manufacturers can keep netbook pricing down is by taking advantage of a cheaper edition of Microsoft’s OS, which means less revenue for Redmond. As such, Microsoft instates a set of maximum specifications a PC must not exceed in order to offer its base OS. Above to the right, you’ll find said maximum specs for Windows 7 Starter Edition. As compared to XP/Vista’s max specs, we can see that processor speed has been doubled and 90GB has been tacked on where HDD space is concerned. Nice. On the flip side of the coin, max display size has been cut from 12.1 inches to 10.2 inches. Not so nice. In the end we’re certainly left with a pretty capable netbook but if you’ll be looking for a netbook that raises the bar without breaking the bank in the near future, it probably won’t be running Win 7.

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[Via The Next Web]

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While WES might have turned out to be a wash as far as new handsets are concerned, there’s still plenty of awesome new stuff down here in sunny Orlando, FL. New to the scene is LogMeIn Ignition, an app for the Storm which allows Windows and Mac users to access and control their computers on the go. Just like its iPhone app cousin, LogMeIn Ignition has the ability to pan and zoom, a full-QWERTY keyboard and the ability to store login details for multiple computers along with necessary passwords with 256-bit SSL encryption. LogMeIn’s Ignition looks to be a definite winner for those who are looking to access their computers while on the move. Look for it to make its retail debut sometime in the near future, but for now you can sign up to learn more and be notified as soon as you can join the beta program by hitting the read link.

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Microsoft confirmed on Friday the rumored May release of Windows 7 RC1. The release candidate version of Microsoft’s upcoming OS will be available on April 30th to MSDN and TechNet subscribers, with a broader public availability slated for May 5th. RC1 adds several new features to Windows 7 including remote media streaming, Windows XP mode and some slick new eye candy. Also the remote media streaming, if it works as well as promised, might just give services like Orb a run for their money. Associate your Windows Media player library with your Windows Live ID and you can stream your media across the Internet from any remote PC. Sweet! Before you get too excited, this is Microsoft we’re talking about so both computers must be running the same version of Windows Media player. This cool new feature will not work from Mac or Linux machines, so take note if your personal arsenal of computers includes any.

Windows 7 will also include a new XP Mode meant to assist businesses as they transition from Windows XP to Windows 7. XP Mode will utilize Windows Virtual PC to provide a full-fledged Windows XP virtual environment which, theoretically, will allow users to run all those legacy Windows XP applications without issue. Last but not least, Windows 7 RC1 will see some eye candy in the form of stunning background graphics. Microsoft has been slowly adding new background images throughout the development process and now the public will get its first look at Microsoft’s sense of style. All you folks still running Windows XP with its default green rolling hills background might just be pleasantly surprised.

[Via Giz]

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You know when you’re talking about a subject you’re really passionate about and you start to head down a dangerous path? In the back of your mind, you know it’s going to come back and bite you in the ass but you don’t care at that particular moment because you’re so intoxicated with said passion… So you throw caution to the wind and keep going. Ahem. Microsoft COO Kevin Turner had this little gem to say at the MidMarket CIO Summit last week:

Vista today, post-Service Pack 2, which is now in the marketplace, is the safest, most reliable OS we’ve ever built. It’s also the most secure OS on the planet, including Linux and open source and Apple Leopard. It’s the safest and most secure OS on the planet today. Everything that we’ve learned in Vista will be leveraged in Windows 7, but certainly when we broke a lot of the compatibility issues to lock down user account controls, to lock down the ability to manipulate states and all the things, that was a very painful process for us to grow through, but we had to do it. And the reason that Windows 7 will be successful is because of the pain we took on Vista. Because from a compatibility standpoint, if it works on Vista, it will work on Windows 7. If it doesn’t work on Vista, it won’t work on Windows 7.

We’re not even going to touch this one, but please, feel free to discuss it amongst yourselves in the comments section.

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Cloud-based productivity suites are popping up left and right these days and each new product poses a new level of competition to Microsoft’s Office Suite, which at one time had reached monopoly-like status. It’s still certainly at the top of the pile of course and Microsoft is planning to embrace the cloud at some point, but the company has a more immediate need to invigorate current Office offerings. The solution? Get ‘em while they’re young. Regularly priced at $679.95, Microsoft just dropped its student pricing on Office Ultimate 2007 an unheard of 91 percent to $59.95. That’s right, Ultimate 2007 is now less than half the price of Home and Student 2007 which only includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote compared to Ultimate 2007’s 10 software titles. Got a valid .edu email address? Head on over to the Microsoft shop and get your discount on.

[Via SAI]

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Microsoft announced the availability of Internet Explorer 8 today and the preliminary reactions around the net have been pretty good. While betas and RC versions have been floating around for quite a while, the final version of IE8 will be available for your download at Noon EST. With its promised security enhancements, color-coded tabbed browsing and the incorporation of add-on accelerators, IE8 may be worth a try for those who have not already sampled the beta or RC1 versions. Let’s hope Microsoft’s servers can stand up to the demand this time.

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Microsoft’s Engineering Windows 7 Blog posted details on some of the new features users will see in the release candidate version of Windows 7. One of the more interesting notes is the expansion of the “Windows Features” control panel, which allows users to enable or disable certain functionality within Windows 7. Along with the typical applications listed in Vista and Windows 7 Beta version, the list has been expanded to include the following applications:

• Windows Media Player
• Windows Media Center
• Windows DVD Maker
• Internet Explorer 8
• Windows Search
• Handwriting Recognition (through the Tablet PC Components option)
• Windows Gadget Platform
• Fax and Scan
• XPS Viewer and Services (including the Virtual Print Driver)

No, you did not misread the list. Microsoft is indeed allowing its users to disable Internet Explorer 8 along with Windows Media Player, Windows Search, Windows Media Center and more. Microsoft does clarify that “disabling” does not equate with “removal” — the application’s components will remain an integral part of the operating system and can not be removed. This is not the complete removal option many have been waiting for Microsoft to implement but it is, nonetheless, a step in the right direction.

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Just in case the current economic climate didn’t tip you off, Gartner has issued new predictions for PC sales in 2009 and things don’t look good. You don’t say? According to the firm, the PC market is in for its sharpest decline ever in 2009 with sales expected to drop a massive 11.9 percent. Should Gartner’s prediction be accurate, the PC business is in for a decline nearly three times its current record slide of 3.2 percent in 2001. Insights from George Shiffler, research director at Gartner:

The PC industry is facing extraordinary conditions as the global economy continues to weaken, users stretch PC lifetimes and PC suppliers grow increasingly cautious.

The firm sees laptop sales rising around 9 percent year-over-year in 2009 while progress in the portable department is offset, and then some, by a steep 32 percent drop off in desktop sales. Gartner also predicts a 10.4 percent sales decline in emerging markets which saw an 11.1 percent growth in its prior worst year, 2002. Long story short, 2008 was bleak and 2009 is shaping up to be even worse.

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Despite the contrary wisdom of the current economic crisis, Microsoft appears to be moving ahead with plans to open a series of retail stores. The company has hired a former Wal-Mart corporate hound as their corporate VP of retail stores, which probably doesn’t bode well for anyone expecting an intimate, customer-focused retail experience ala your local neighborhood Apple store. Little has been set in stone, but the company is currently scouting out retail locations and attempting to codify its retail strategy, hoping to “improve the PC buying experience”. There’s no word on whether the stores themselves will be solely focused on PC retail, or if they’ll also allow shoppers to purchase various other Microsoft-themed products, including Zunes and XBoxs, though we can’t imagine Microsoft would pass up an opportunity to peddle their full range of wares. The time frame for opening the babies up is still unknown, but in typical Microsoft fashion, we wouldn’t expect much to happen for quite a while, giving us enough time to mentally and physically prepare for the Wal-Mart of computer buying experiences.

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• Windows 7 Starter: $199
• Windows 7 Home Premium: $259
• Windows 7 Professional: $299
• Windows 7 Ultimate: $319

Now before flames rain down, let’s start at the beginning. This is not upgrade pricing, this is fresh box pricing. We do have a bit of good news today in the form of confirmation from Microsoft that it will be offering a Windows 7 upgrade package for those of us still running XP, though the news is somewhat sullied by the fact that an upgrade will require a complete wipe. So with that out of the way, this rumored pricing isn’t terrible. It places entry-level pricing at the same level as Vista and knocks $80 off the Ultimate edition, though we know Ultimate will only be available during promotional periods. Home Premium pricing jumps up by $20 which seems a tad odd, while Professional maintains its $300 price tag. Given that the price model was hardly among notable barriers for Vista we wouldn’t be surprised if these prices indeed end up hitting shelves. As far as upgrade pricing is concerned, we would expect it to stick close to Vista as well. While the base upgrade price for Vista is $99 however, Microsoft should get a little saucy with 7 and show us a $77 limited-time launch price on the Starter edition. Make it happen, Redmond.

[Via OSNews]

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To say Microsoft’s handling of Windows 7 to date has been nothing short of excellent would be an understatement. To paraphrase, the world wants 7. Working towards a very stable beta release and then making it available to the general public was a very smooth move – it showed the tech blogosphere, Vista’s harshest collective critic, that hope is not lost. 7 is fast, 7 is capable and most importantly, 7 is usable. The fun couldn’t last forever though and Microsoft announced last night that the public availability of the Windows 7 beta is coming to an end. Those of you who still haven’t gotten around to download the beta will have until February 10 to begin the process as no new downloads can be initiated as of that date. As the ISO is massive however, those who initiate downloads before the deadline will have until February 12 to complete them. Beta product keys will continue to be available after the deadline though, so stragglers need not worry. The key for Redmond now is to work tirelessly to ensure upcoming milestones are met and Windows 7 is rolled out on time. The world is high on 7 right now and the longer it has to wait for its next taste, the more people will have forgotten this round of praise.

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