Window 7 is the newest Operating System to be released by Microsoft Windows, which is set to release mid-2010. But before it is released, it has given out the pre-release edition, Windows 7 RC1. You can now test Windows 7 for free legally by downloading it from the official Microsoft windows website and installing it into your computer, whether it is on a Microsoft Windows operating system or even a Macintosh.

The Windows 7 RC1 that is very similar to Windows 7 the final release except it might still have a few different functions. This is because the program is still being refined and the pre-releases are, as the name suggests, released before the final show. To install it, you will have to have the following specifications first.

o 1 GHz processor for either 32-bit or 64-bit
o 16 GB of available disk space if you’re using a 32-bit or 20 GB of available disk space if you have a 64-bit
o 1 GB of RAM for 32-bit and 2 GB of RAM for 64-bit
o A DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or a higher driver

If you have all of these, then you are on your way to Windows 7, otherwise you might want to update your computer to make it fit these specifications, because it is well worth the trouble.

Although this is a pre-release version, it is not unsafe or unstable. This very much resembles what one will experience with a real OS which makes a PC user happy. The dock on the Windows 7 is much like the OSX from Mac, but still unique.

There are also a lot of multi-touch features available such as the multi-touch piano application and the multi-touch paint program which allows you to draw with all then fingers. There are also many individual widgets like weather which you can add to your desktop which are similar to the Widgets on Mac. The computer also minimizes and maximizes windows by itself, snapping into the grid. Similar to Vista, the windows can be previewed by rolling the mouse over the taskbar, but unlike Vista, the taskbar is always transparent, rather than turning opaque.

For those of you who had problems using Windows Vista, Windows 7 will be able to answer all your needs. It was created to be more user-friendly while still keeping the functionality of Vista. And even if you loved Vista, you will love Windows 7 even more. Windows 7 also comes with many free background images that were created by the world’s best graphic artists for you to choose from on your computer. Doesn’t that sound great?

This might sound like one of the greatest free rides in terms of software; the fun has to end sometime. And that date has been confirmed to be on June 2010. But even starting in March 2010, the system starts to malfunction and becomes very unstable. These are measures to make you want to buy Windows 7, and after using the Windows 7 RC1, you will definitely want to get the final release.

Google has been slowly building its influence in the PC technology industry over the years, and now with the use of the Android OS as a desktop OS means they may be well on their way to overtake Microsoft.

Matthaus Krzykowski and Daniel Hartmann who are also the founders of mobile-facts took the Android OS and started using it on an Asus Eee PC 1000H. They were surprised at how little change it took to be able to run Android on the netbook, in fact it only took 4 hours of work to put together everything together. What made this possible is that Android is really just Linux at its heart, so it’s common sense that it shouldn’t be too port over to the desktop.

According to Daniel Hartmann who got the netbook running with Android, they were able to have full functionality including graphics, sound and wireless Internet. They said that they had been expecting Google to use Android for more than just mobile phones for a while now, and this shows where Google might go with it.

So as Microsoft rushes to release Windows 7, Google may be using their Android OS on PCs by the beginning of the summer. It’s finally time for a little change in the PC market.

Via PC World

Supposedly around midnight P.S.T last night, 30GB Zunes all over the world started to lock up then reboot, freezing at the end of the boot process. It didn’t matter what the Zune was doing, as one user reported his Zune freezing while charging it in his computer.

Microsoft hasn’t issued a comment on the issue yet as the problems started happening early last night, but they are expected to provide an explanation or solution early today. Some theories suggest that the time change with the New Year may have caused the problem, some think it’s a hoax, or maybe even a joke put into the Zune’s software.

The frozen boot doesn’t appear to be affecting Zune’s with firmware prior to the 3.1 release from November.

One member of a Zune forum has suggested that Microsoft provide users with broken Zunes with free Zune Passes which are similar to iTunes Gift Cards. Regardless, this doesn’t help the reputation of the Zune, and hopefully Microsoft can get to the bottom of this strange problem.

Via Gizmodo

Just a few days after Microsoft’s launch of their new blogging platform Oxite, a new web application was launched. Thumbtack is an online “list” type of application. Users can store messages and links for later use then send them to friends.

According to the website, Thumbtack is ideal to:

collect a list of your favorite restaurants and share them with your friends

plan a trip- collect information about places to stay and things to do

research your next purchase- store, analyze and sift through your options in thumbtack

take notes and share them with your team

Microsoft shows in a video how webpages can be copied and pasted directly into Thumbtack to store information, as well as making lists. Microsoft also invisions Thumback being used to share links, lists or other information with friends.

Thumbtack Introduction

Thumbtack seems very useful for keeping track of certain things in an organized manner. I always seem to clog up the Stickies on my Dashboard in OS X with links and reminders, so Thumbtack seems like a viable alternative.

Many people have commented that Thumbtack is very similar to Google Notebook with the “copying and pasting” webpages to be stored, but time will tell if Thumbtack brings any other exciting features that make it stand out.

After Using It:

The application is a bit buggy, sometimes it would pause and just stop working and other times it wouldn’t put a note up. Overall it works pretty well though. It’s even better when paired with a Firefox addon that allows Thumbtack to bookmark a page right from the browser windows without having to log into your account. The option for this addon is in the top right of the interface. Here is a screenshot of a quick account setup.

Hopefully in the future Microsoft will allow developers to play around with it and integrate it with other useful web apps. Time will tell, but until then definitely go check it out.

Mainstream PC maker Dell announced on Thursday that they will be offering users a choice between Windows Vista and Windows XP on certain computers. The announcement came after Vista was released this January with high expectations. Vista has since been battered down with bugs and problems that have caused users to complain asking for options to be able to use Windows XP again.

Users prefer XP due to its simplistic interface and the notions that it “behaves” well. Vista had many driver issues and performance problems at its release which has plagued its popularity ever since. Currently Microsoft lets Asus, the maker of the Eee PC use Windows XP Home Edition on their lightweight, portable netbooks.

Even though Dell offers the choice, it’s going to cost $150 to “downgrade” to the older operating system. This downgrade is done through a loophole in an agreement with Microsoft that allows for business users to use Windows XP. Microsoft is currently embarking on $300 million ad campaign to clear up concerns over the operating system, and to restore faith back in Microsoft before the release of Windows 7.

Article Sources - Electronista / Computer World / MSNBC