NetbookBoards.com
Netbook, Netbooks, Netbook Reviews, Acer Aspire One, Lenovo S10, ASUS Eee PC, HP Mini-Note PC, MSI Wind PC

Good old Steve

I really never thought I’d see the day that Steve Ballmer said nice things about Apple. After all, Ballmer is the CEO of Microsoft, and aren’t Apple and Microsoft supposed to be mortal enemies? We must recall that Ballmer completely dismissed the threat the iPhone would have to the smartphone market and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system. Three years later, Ballmer has been proved wrong, as proved by the runaway success of the iPhone and the App Store.

Ballmer knows he was wrong. At a recent speaking engagement, he actually praised the App Store, saying, “Apple’s done a very nice job that allows people to monetize and commercialize their intellectual property.” The comment may appear to be insignificant at first glance, but when we consider the history between Microsoft and Apple, as well as the possibility that Apple may be replacing Google as the default search engine with Microsoft’s Bing, Ballmer’s words take on a new meaning.

Could Apple be prepared to team up with Microsoft to defeat a common rival, Google? I’m not sure how I feel about this idea: I’m an avid Mac user and I’m also rather fond of Google products (I have an interest bordering on obsession with Gmail), but I don’t like Microsoft at all. I’d rather see Apple and Google teaming up against Microsoft.

Of course, it may be too early to make any predictions. After all, Microsoft is still planing to compete with Apple by releasing a new mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7.

Via DailyTech, image via DailyTech.

It has oft been said that Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, is the antithesis of Steve Jobs.  While Jobs is viewed commonly as the artistic designer and creative genius of the computing world, Ballmer is the brick and mortar business man, known for constantly playing catch-up on new ideas.  However, it appears Ballmer wants to dispel the belief that Microsoft can’t be creative.

To prove it, Ballmer explained Microsoft’s deep interest in the cloud to a crowd at University of Washington. Stevie is planning to get heavily invested in what he is valuing as a $3.3 trillion industry. That’s absolutely massive, and there is no wonder why he and the rest of Redmond are taking it seriously.  He broke up his talk into five major points:

1. “The Cloud Creates Opportunities and Responsibilities”
2. “The Cloud Learns and Helps You Learn, Decide and Take Action”
3. “Cloud Enhances Social and Professional Interactions”
4. “The Cloud Wants Smarter Devices”
5. “The Cloud Drives Servers Advances  That Drive the Cloud”

One surprising aspect of Ballmer’s approach was his emphasis on the quality of consumer devices and hardware.  Much of cloud theory has been based on the idea processing should happen server-side and minimize the amount of work the client needs to do.  In layman’s terms: complicated stuff happens in the cloud, and you just get the product.  Ballmer appears to be arguing instead that if processing on the client end delivers better content at a lower cost than bandwidth enhancement, then we should be making better products to work with the cloud.  His example of choice was the Windows Phone 7 Series.

Still, the most important things to take away from this are twofold.  Firstly, the cloud is here to stay.  Learn to love it.  Secondly, all members of the computing triumvirate have now tossed their hats into the next great war of the information age: Apple with the iPhone/iPad App Store and MobileMe, Google with Google Apps, and Microsoft with Windows/Xbox Live.  Let’s see who has what it will take to become this decade’s premier content provider.

Via Gizmodo.

With only a few weeks remaining before the much anticipated Apple iPad is released, Microsoft is finalizing details on its own “Courier.” Microsoft’s tablet, “a book-like device with two opposing screens,” according to Engadget, will supposedly have handwriting recognition built-in, and a stylus resembling a pen seems to be a primary source of input.

Engadget also claims there will be a built-in camera and a headphone jack as well. It will also serve as an e-book device, similar to the iPad’s own “iBook” app.

There has been no more information concerning pricing for the Courier, but because of the larger amount of features it is rumored to have, it is expected to be more expensive than the iPad

The Courier is to be released prior to the holiday season this year, which means by the time it is released, the iPad will have been part of the tablet market for over half a year—meaning more rumors about future updates, such as cameras on both sides of the device, tethering, and Flash support for Safari could cause possible Courier purchasers to refrain from purchasing until an iPad refresh.

Via Money.Gather

I reported last month that Microsoft would, starting on March 1, be offering browser choices to its European users as a result of an agreement between Microsoft and the EU.

Microsoft has started offering browser choices, as they promised. But according to a web designer, users are not getting as much of a choice as they think they are, due to the fact that a lot of the browsers offered are basically clones of Internet Explorer. Many of the lesser-known browsers offered use the same rendering engine, Trident, that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer uses.

Of the twelve browsers offered, five use Trident, three use Mozilla’s Gecko, two use WebKit, and one uses Opera’s Presto. One of the twelve browsers can use either Trident or Gecko. Most web designers do not like Trident because it does not conform to rendering standards. Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Opera are the browsers that adhere to rendering standards best.

Via BBC News, image via Microsoft.

I posted an article a week ago stating how the Windows Phone 7 Series would be the end of WinMo 6.5, to the point that I was verbally dancing on its gravesite.  Well, looks like WinMo just got some major life support, and will continue on as Windows Phone Starter.

There were hints of this before WinPho 7’s launch, with rumors of a “Windows Phone Classic”.  Whether or not this is the same as Windows Phone Starter we still don’t know.

What we do know isn’t all that groundbreaking either.  At the new OS’s core is the WinMo 6.5 we love and hate, just stripped down a bit. It is designed to be a cheaper alternative to the WinPho 7 line, targeting emerging markets in developing countries. The name and concept naturally follows Microsoft’s idea for Windows 7 Starter Edition.

However, don’t plan on ever actually getting to use a WinPho Starter phone if you live in the US or the developed world.  Microsoft posted a list of radio spectra that it is planning to support for Starter, and HSDPA 3G stands noticeably absent.  Looks like Microsoft is going to strong-arm carriers and manufacturers into using WinPho 7 in markets they can.

Another missing feature for some versions will be Office Mobile.  If you have a strong hankering for Sense UI WinMo phones, look to your favorite developing nation to buy a WinPho Starter phone.  The rest of us will just have to struggle living in a world where WinMo is being phased out.

Via Engadget.

Once upon a time, there was a highly successful PDA OS known as PocketPC, available in stores during the early 2000s.  People didn’t have mobile internet and fancy ideas such as “the cloud” and “App Stores” didn’t exist.

But then Steve Jobs came along in 2007 and ushered in what is commonly thought of as the “Mobile Web Revolution”.  Smartphones quickly spread, and PDAs began to die.  Microsoft’s response? Repackage PocketPC as “Windows Mobile” (commonly known as “WinMo”), and hope no one would complain. Unfortunately, the tech blogs did complain, and with each WinMo release there was an outpouring of disgust towards the next cruel joke that came from Redmond. Until now; Windows Mobile 6.5 will be the last WinMo version ever, and the crude monstrosity it was is dead.

Normally we don’t focus much on phones, but with the Mobile World Confrence in Barcelona, it is hard to avoid reporting on them. And frankly, the death of WinMo for a new line called the Windows Phone 7  Series is some pretty ground-shaking news in the mobile world.  Windows Phone 7 completely scraps the PocketPC core and instead takes the approach of the Zune HD in terms of user interface.  The result is a lot prettier of an UI, though the resulting effect on the user experience is debatable.

A major element that Microsoft will bring is that it has taken Android and WebOS’s approach of dynamic and live data displaying.  Rather than the iPhone which requires individual apps to access info from sources like Facebook and Twitter, WinPho 7 (I expect the nickname to catch on once we all get sick of saying Windows Phone 7 Series) integrates it all to the “People Hub”. This is what on traditional phones (smart or dumb) is called the “Contacts”.  There are other hubs as well, like Pictures, Games, Music + Video, and Office.

Another weapon in Microsoft’s arsenal is Xbox Live and its integration to WinPho 7. The iPhone has shown that mobile gaming is a very real market, and Apple took advantage of  it without much of a background in gaming. Xbox Live is the world’s largest console gaming community, and there is not much doubt that Microsoft will be using this to turn gaming on phones into more than a simple recreational activity.  Adding a Gamerscore to WinPho games will make it a highly competitive device (it might actually attract real gamers from DS and PSP) and probably cause the major names of the game development world to start investing their money onto this new platform.

Microsoft has killed its old app platform, which was viewed by many as a monstrosity in WinMo 6.5.x. Of course this will naturally cause many unsatisfied developers in the beginning, but it is almost undoubtedly guaranteed that the new API will be vastly better.  Another issue Microsoft will have to face is that WinMo was a heavily corporate OS, with a focus on productivity, while WinPho is essentially a Zune + Social phone, with the productivity getting pushed back.

Microsoft still intends to keep the Office hub, so they will likely not lose much of their consumer-base.  Still, WinPho is a product that may already be too late – it will not even hit the market until Q4 2010.  Whether or not it can save Microsoft’s dismal mobile prospects remains to be seen, but this writer is glad to welcome Microsoft back to 2010.

Via Gizmodo

The security update from Microsoft released on Tuesday caused many Windows users to get the blue screen of death on their computers. Many users complained on a Windows 7 forum that they could not even boot up into safe mode without seeing the blue screen, and that the Microsoft help line was basically useless. Some solutions were posted on the forum that required the Windows installation CD, but that was of no help to those who had bought laptops with Windows pre-installed, and netbook owners who do not even have a CD-ROM drive on their devices.

Microsoft’s Jerry Bryant had this to say later on in a blog:

I am writing to let you know that we are aware that after installing the February security updates a limited number of users are experiencing issues restarting their computers. Our initial analysis suggests that the issue occurs after installing MS10-015 (KB977165). However, we have not confirmed that the issue is specific to MS10-015 or if it is an interoperability problem with another component or third-party software. Our teams are working to resolve this as quickly as possible. We also stopped offering this update through Windows Update as soon as we discovered the restart issues. However, those using enterprise deployment systems such as SMS or WSUS will still see and be able to deploy these packages(…)

While we work to address this issue, customers who choose not to install the update can implement the workaround outlined in the bulletin. CVE-2010-0232 was publicly disclosed and we previously issued Security Advisory 979682 in response. Customers can disable the NTVDM subsystem as a workaround and we have provided an automated method of doing that with a Microsoft Fix It that you can find here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/979682.

Customers who are experiencing issues after installing any of our security updates can get help resolving the issues by either going to https://consumersecuritysupport.microsoft.com or by calling 1-866-PCSafety (1-866-727-2338). International customers can find local support contact numbers here: http://support.microsoft.com/common/international.aspx.

Users have reported they have been told by Microsoft that it will not release a fix for netbooks.

Via CNET.

Just like the possibility of Bing on the iPhone, this is wrong on so many different levels. Microsoft is apparently considering releasing an iPad version of Microsoft Office.

Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 is due out later this year. Mike Tedesco, Microsoft’s Senior Product Manager for the Macintosh business unit, said in an interview with Macworld that an iPad version of Office is something that Microsoft is seriously considering. This really isn’t too surprising, considering the hype surrounding the iPad. If the iPad is popular, Microsoft could potentially make quite a bit of money from selling Office.

It really depends on how Microsoft decides to price of iPad version of Office. Apple has an Office competitor called iWork that it will be selling for the iPad. Each component of iWork (there are three in all) will cost $9.99. Even if Microsoft is able to offer competitive pricing, will anyone actually want to buy Office for iPad? I know I certainly would not—I am still using Office 2004 on my Mac and when the time comes to upgrade, I plan on switching over to iWork.

Via TFTS, image via TFTS.

The iPhone was the device that made multitouch mainstream and popular, and now, three years later, multitouch is ubiquitous in our world, seen in the Droid, the iPad, and now the common keyboard. Microsoft’s Sidewinder X4  uses an array of resistive touch sensors instead of the traditional switch system.

The old switch system had limitations in that after a certain number of keys were pushed down at once, the keyboard controller can’t detect which keys are pressed, which doesn’t exactly seem like a big limitation except for CAD users and hard-core gamers. The Sidewinder’s resistive touch sensors can detect which order they were pressed in which would allow much longer finger combinations. In other words, spell chaining in WoW just got much more interesting.

Via ZDNet

Microsoft, after receiving blistering criticism for the apparent abject failure of Vista, has rebounded and achieved startling sales gains in recent months.  Windows 7 currently holds 10% of the OS market after only 5 months, while Vista has managed to crawl up to 20%.  Stunningly, XP still dominates at 60-70% of users, showing that until recently, most people have been wary of upgrading.

Microsoft is not content to stop here, however: Windows 8 is already in development.  On the MSDN blogs, Chris Green, a former Microsoft employee, posted a chart that shows support dates for current and future products, posted above (dates are in dd/mm/yy). The date to look for is July 1st, 2011, the apparent time of public release.  Of course, if you are like this blogger who participated in the Windows 7 beta, that means you can expect to see what’s coming in a future not so distant.

Microsoft furthermore finally seems to be defeating the scourge that is Internet Explorer 6, arguably deemed the worst web browser of all time.  After multiple security flaws were revealed for Internet Explorer 6 and 7, Microsoft has started to push its first not-despised browser in a long time, Internet Explorer 8, which has finally overtaken IE 6 as the number one browser in the world.

Lastly, expect Windows 7 Service Pack 1 to come out in beta in June and final release in September.  One of the most notable features of SP1 will be out of box USB 3.0 support.

Via DailyTech.

It is no secret that the two key ingredients of Microsoft’s software supremacy are Windows OS and Office.  They are the lifeblood of the company’s home consumer line, and new versions need to be pumped out at regular intervals to provide new revenue for the company.

However, despite the fact that Microsoft is due to release it’s new Office 2010 sometime this year, it also has worries that the announcing it could scare off consumers from continuing to purchase Office 2007.

Fortunately, it looks like the problem will be averted by Microsoft using the same tactic as it did during the Vista-Windows 7 transition.

Ars Technica managed to capture a screen of an accidental post of the details.  Essentially the info stipulates that that if users purchase Office 2007 from March 5 to September 30, they will be guaranteed a free upgrade to Office 2010 for most versions, as long as they request the upgrade by October 31st.  However, none of this is official yet, and the Microsoft blog posting these details pulled them down shortly after.  Either way, expect Office 2010 sometime around June.

Via DailyTech, image via Ars Technica.

The latest security update from Microsoft will patch a bug in Windows that has existed for 17 years. It first appeared in Windows NT 3.1 and has been incorporated into most versions of Windows since then. The security update will also fix 25 other holes, five of which are critical.

The old bug was discovered by a security researcher at Google in January 2010. It involves a utility that allows new versions of Windows to run old programs. The researcher was able to exploit Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and 2008, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 due to this bug. Microsoft will patch the bug in its February security update.

The security update will also fix bugs in Office XP, Office 2003, and Office 2004 (the Mac version of Office 2003). This update is not the largest released by Microsoft—the October 2009 security update fixed 34 flaws, eight of which were critical. Microsoft also has recently released a patch for a vulnerability in Internet Explorer that is thought to have led to the attacks on Google in China.

Via BBC News, image via BBC News.

Google is really not happy with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 6. After all, it was a vulnerability in IE6 that allowed Chinese hackers to mount an attack against Google and target Chinese human rights activists’ Gmail accounts. Beginning on March 1, Google has said that some services, such as Google Docs, will not work properly with IE6, and recommended that users upgrade to a later version of the browser.

After the attack against Google was made public, people were urged to switch to a more secure browser. The French and German governments, as well as security analysts, urged users to upgrade or switch browsers for their own safety.

Approximately 20 percent of users are still using IE6. Many developers have expressed a desire to see IE6 phased out soon. However, Microsoft has promised to support IE6 until 2014. It released an update designed to correct the vulnerability and recommended that all users install the update or upgrade their browser.

Microsoft said it has known about the vulnerability since September 2009 and planned to patch it in February. The negative publicity in the wake of the attacks against Google have helped rival browsers such as Firefox gain market share. In fact, in Europe Firefox has almost as large a share as Internet Explorer, and even surpasses IE in some countries.

Via BBC News, image via Microsoft.

Apple is not the only company that is having great sales. Microsoft has seen a 60 percent increase in profit, due largely to “exceptional demand” for Windows 7, which was released in October 2009. (Windows 7 is in high demand probably because Windows Vista was just so bad.) Microsoft’s net profit for the last three months of 2009 was $6.66 billion, up from $4.18 billion at that same time of year in 2008. Its revenues were $19.2 billion, beating analysts’ predictions.

The company’s profits were probably helped by an increase in computer sales leading up to Christmas. A large portion of Microsoft’s profit comes from the Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office software. The sales in these two areas were higher than expected, but Xbox sales were below expectations.

Chief operating officer Kevin Turner said he was thrilled by the response to Windows 7, adding that, “This is a record quarter for Windows units.”

Via BBC News, image via Microsoft.

Steve Ballmer may annoy Apple users sometimes–he said that the iPhone was prohibitively expensive–but I really cannot deny that he can be pretty amusing. He certainly does not fit the stereotype of the staid, laid-back CEO. Ballmer is quite the opposite, always very enthusiastic. I first found out about him when I saw a YouTube video of him at an event during which he ran on stage yelling, “I love this company!” Even though I don’t really care for the products his company sells, I do find his enthusiasm refreshing.

The latest amusing thing Ballmer has done involves Apple–specifically, a MacBook Pro computer. At a technology council meeting at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee, a student boldly approached Ballmer and asked him to sign his computer. The student then presented Ballmer with a MacBook Pro and promised that it had Windows on it. Ballmer laughed and signed the computer, adding a note with his signature that read, “Need a new one?” Somebody recorded a video of this amusing encounter and posted it to YouTube.

You have to wonder: what would Steve Jobs have done if he had been asked to sign a Windows computer? I would like to think that he would have been as good-natured about the whole thing as Ballmer was.

Via Geek.com, image via Useless Universe.

As many have said, it is time to stop using Internet Explorer. It is simply too unsecure. Some new malware is now exploiting yet another vulnerability in Microsoft’s popular browser.

This new threat is not the same as the one used against Google in China. This malware replaces the code of “MessageBeep API” so that Internet Explorer cannot play a beep sound. Then the malware causes the IE window to be displayed again, which results in a malicious file being downloaded. The malware is on hundreds of websites, which contain a shell code that bypasses a warning dialog.

Part of the problem is the incredible number of people who persist in using Internet Explorer 6. IE6 is almost ten years old. It was designed in a time when people did not fully understand browser security, so it is extremely vulnerable. Yet, it remains the browser with the largest market share, despite the fact that Microsoft has released new versions of their browser that are more secure.

Via CIO Today, image via Microsoft.

In an interesting move, Microsoft has said that it plans to Bing users’ IP addresses after six months. It currently deletes IP addresses only after eighteen months, but has bowed to pressure from the Article 29 Data Protection Party, a European Union advisory group comprised of national privacy regulators from each of the twenty-seven EU member states.

The change should be implemented within the next twelve to eighteen months. Currently, Bing takes search data and separates a user’s personal information, like email, from non-personal information, like a search query. The process will continue to work in this manner, with the exception of the decrease in time it takes Microsoft to delete IP addresses.

Article 29 has been critical of search engine companies in the past, specifying how long they can keep European users’ data. It has said that search engine companies should only keep data for six months and must treat IP addresses as personal information. Furthermore, companies must obey even if they are not based in the EU.

Currently, Google keeps data for nine months and Yahoo three months.

Via Ars Technica, image via Microsoft.

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser remains the net’s most popular browser, despite its many flaws and the plethora of better alternative browsers available for download. The recent attack on Google in China, however, has truly shown that it is time to stop using IE and switch to a better browser.

Both the German and French governments have called on web users to find alternatives to Internet Explorer. A government agency that monitors cyber threats, Certa, has warned people not to use any version of the browser. The malicious code that was used in the attacks on Google is now published online, compromising the security of every Internet Explorer user.

Microsoft continues to assert that the latest edition of its browser, Internet Explorer 8, is the “most secure browser on the market.” It is true that so far, the malicious attacks have occurred on Internet Explorer 6. But security researchers say that this could easily change. Since the code is posted online, hackers could modify it to target other versions of IE. Microsoft has yet to release a patch for IE that would alleviate these concerns.

It’s true that no browser is perfect and other browsers have potential problems that hackers could exploit. But right now, IE is simply not a safe browser to use. Firefox, Chrome, and Safari are much safer alternatives.

Via BBC News, image via Microsoft.

The competition between Google and Apple is heating up and some analysts believe that the next major move will involve Apple dumping Google as the default search engine on mobile devices. That wouldn’t seem tremendously surprising, except for the fact that Microsoft’s Bing may be replacing Google.

The logic behind getting rid of Google is to cut it off from mobile data that could be used to improve its advertising. Microsoft’s Bing may therefore be the search engine of choice on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Alternatively, Apple itself may decide to start its own search engine. I personally find it surprising that Apple still does not have one already.

Apple and Google have competed in various arenas for a while now, but Google’s release of the Nexus One smartphone has really intensified the battle. The iPhone is near and dear to Apple’s heart and Google has made everything so much more personal by attempting to compete with the iPhone.

Via MacDailyNews, image via BusinessWeek.