Friday, March 05, 2010

Microsoft Courier's Devolution [Microsoft]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/XsHGG6aya7I/microsoft-couriers-devolution

These fresh images and details of Microsoft's Courier paint a slightly different device than the one uncovered a few months ago—tinier seeming, perhaps less genre-busting, and a more direct iPad fighter.

This take is built on the same mobile OS core as Windows Phone 7 and Zune HD, powered by Nvidia's Tegra 2 hardware. It's supposedly thinner than an inch, under a pound, and about the size of a 5x7 photo when closed.

As you can see, the device seems even smaller (Update: maybe not), the interface, though still pen-based, seems less whizzy based on these stills than the wildly complex and sophisticated (or maybe just complex) interface shown earlier:

Is Courier progressing or regressing? It's hard to tell—we're not sure where in Courier's development these concepts are from vs. our initial reportage. But if they are newer, a few things stand out.

• Courier's grown to be more realstic and less different, which is not uncommon for mind-bogglingly radical-seeming products. (Our mind was blown by the original interface, anyway, for better or worse.)

• Shifting from using Windows 7 as its core as Mary Jo Foley first reported to Windows CE6 and mobile guts puts it more squarely against the iPad, using a similar philosophical approach of scaling up to a tablet, vs. scaling down as Microsoft's always done before. (Which makes sense, given that this is supposedly J. Allard's project—he'd want to use E&D's own goods to power his tablet.) Also, mobile guts are cheaper than low-power laptop guts.

• This could be one of the several prototype tablets J. Allard's got—which would explain why there's versions that seem more like full Windows 7 vs. Windows Phone 7.

• Engadget pegs the launch date later this year, though we've heard separately that Courier won't show up anytime in 2010.

• We're still pretty excited.

[Engadget]



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Sony VAIO Z with Quad SSD stripped down and explained by its project leader

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/sony-vaio-z-with-quad-ssd-stripped-down-and-explained-by-its-pro/

For the average geek like us, there's nothing more satisfying than watching a gadget skillfully torn apart by its creator. That's why we're slightly envious of Engadget Chinese, who saw Sony VAIO Z Series project leader, Takamitsu Kasai, explaining the differences between the old and new VAIO Z literally part by part. Hightlights include Sony's proprietary Quad SSD (so not user-upgradable, sadly), a redesigned heatsink to accommodate the new chips' higher TDP (thermal design power), and various features of the "one-piece milled aluminum" and "hybrid carbon" chassis. Of course, all we really care about are photos of the naked VAIO Z, so go ahead and gorge yourselves after the jump.

Sony VAIO Z with Quad SSD stripped down and explained by its project leader originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft's Courier 'digital journal': exclusive pictures and details

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/microsofts-courier-digital-journal-exclusive-pictures-and-de/

We've been dying to know more about Microsoft's Courier tablet / e-book device ever since we first caught wind of it last September, and while our entreaties to Mr. Ballmer went unanswered, we just learned some very interesting information from an extremely trusted source. We're told Courier will function as a "digital journal," and it's designed to be seriously portable: it's under an inch thick, weighs a little over a pound, and isn't much bigger than a 5x7 photo when closed. That's a lot smaller than we expected -- this new picture really puts it into perspective -- and the internals apparently reflect that emphasis on mobility: rather than Windows 7, we're told the Courier is built on Tegra 2 and runs on the same OS as the Zune HD, Pink, and Windows Mobile 7 Series, which we're taking to mean Windows CE 6.

As we've heard, the interface appears to be pen-based and centered around drawing and writing, with built-in handwriting recognition and a corresponding web site that allows access to everything entered into the device in a blog-like format complete with comments. We're also hearing that there will be a built-in camera, and there's a headphone jack for media playback. Most interestingly, it looks like the Courier will also serve as Microsoft's e-book device, with a dedicated ecosystem centered around reading. It all sounds spectacular, but all we have for a launch date is "Q3 / Q4", and we have no idea how much it's going to cost, so we're trying to maintain a healthy skepticism until any of this gets official -- call us any time, Microsoft. One more pic showing the interface after the break.

Update: We've added a gallery of user interface shots -- some of which we've seen and some of which are new.

Continue reading Microsoft's Courier 'digital journal': exclusive pictures and details

Microsoft's Courier 'digital journal': exclusive pictures and details originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Run XP Mode in VirtualBox Instead of Virtual PC [Virtualization]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/v_sYsGTADIw/run-xp-mode-in-virtualbox-instead-of-virtual-pc

Windows 7 only: If you've been itching to use the new XP Mode feature in Windows 7, but you aren't too keen on using Virtual PC or just prefer VirtualBox, here's how to use XP Mode in VirtualBox.

We've already covered how to set up and use XP Mode in Windows 7, how to use it on a machine without hardware virtualization, and then how to create your own XP Mode for any version of Windows with the freeware VMWare Player software, but if VirtualBox is your virtualization platform of choice, writer Matthew from How-To Geek (my home away from Lifehacker) has you covered with a guide to setting up XP Mode under Windows 7 using VirtualBox instead of Virtual PC.

The basic principle is pretty simple, requiring you to just install XP Mode from Microsoft without the additional Virtual PC component, creating a copy of the XP Mode virtual hard drive, and then using it as an existing hard drive in a new VirtualBox VM. Because you can only legally install XP Mode for Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate PCs, if you're using a different version you should probably create your own XP Mode that works anywhere.

Update: Several readers have pointed out that XP Mode doesn't properly activate when used under VirtualBox, so the author is researching whether there is a workaround. Until then, be sure to check out how to create your own XP Mode that works anywhere.



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Explore Google Search Suggestions Word-By-Word [Google]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/98CQbfS4NDo/explore-google-search-suggestions-word+by+word

You can learn a lot about the psyches of internet users through Google's search suggestions, as we've seen. But What Do You Suggest? lets you explore these suggestions in a much more in-depth way.

The site allows you to start with any word you want, opening up visual trees showing what words people usually type next. The lines connecting the words show how common each word combo is, allowing you to follow the popularity to the most common search phrases or going to some of the weirder ones. And at the end, of course, you get the results those people searching for these things end up with.

It's a fascinating little time-suck, if you're interested in just how people use Google and how everyone is just a little bit crazy. [What Do You Suggest? via Infosthetics via Brian Stelter]



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