Users, OEMs and Microsoft partners will not be able to change the wallpaper within Windows 7 Starter Edition.
While many consumers anxiously await the arrival of Microsoft’s new Windows 7 operating system, recently controversy has surrounded the Starter Edition version. Originally, SE would only allow three programs to run in the background at one time, however Microsoft eventually relented and lifted the restriction. Albeit not quite as drastic, now another restriction has surfaced: the inability to change the desktop wallpaper.
According to Within Windows, consumers cannot swap out the original windows wallpaper, change the colors or sound schemes. Apparently the same now holds true for OEMs and partners, a feature said companies normally modify in-house before shipping to retail outlets. Although Windows 7 Starter Edition isn’t available on the market, Microsoft recently confirmed the SE’s upcoming limitation in a short but firm statement.
“In Windows Starter Edition, OEMs must not modify or replace the Windows-provided background for Windows Welcome, the logon screen, or the desktop,” the company confirmed.
As of this writing, Microsoft has not yet revealed the official desktop background for SE. Consumers wanting to switch out the wallpaper for images of Fluffy or the in-laws will need to upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium. However, it’s highly likely that a wallpaper workaround will be available online long before the OS makes its debut this October.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
No Wallpaper Swapping in Win 7 SE
Intel Reveals Core i3, i5, i7 CPU Naming System
Lynnfield, Clarksfield, Arrandale, Clarkdale – all codenames for upcoming Intel chips based on the latest architecture and all very confusing.
Today we know that the “Core” family for the performance segment goes mainly from Core 2 Duo to Core 2 Quad all the way to the top with Core i7. But with Core 2 on the way out to be replaced by new CPUs later this year, Intel needs to sort out its naming and branding conventions to that consumers will be able to figure out what they’re buying.
Intel corporate communications manager Bill Calder wrote in a blog post, “Today the Intel Core brand has a mind boggling array of derivatives (such as Core2 Duo and Core 2 Quad, etc). Over time those will go away and in its place will be a simplified family of Core processors spanning multiple levels: Intel Core i3 processor, Intel Core i5 processor, and Intel Core i7 processors.”
“Core i3 and Core i5 are new modifiers and join the previously announced Intel Core i7 to round out the family structure. It is important to note that these are not brands but modifiers to the Intel Core brand that signal different features and benefits,” Calder added.
The new Core line will be naturally be position from bottom to top Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7. The odd-numbers convention makes sense with the possibility that some consumers may confused Core 2 Duo and Quad with 2 and 4.
The desktop processors codenamed Lynnfield, which are due this fall, will marketed as both Core i5 or Core i7, depending upon the feature set and capability. Interestingly, all Clarksfield mobile chips will have the Core i7 name.
The lower-cost line will remain mostly unchanged with the Celeron being the entry point, the Pentium for basic computing and the Atom doing what it’s been doing to the netbook and MID segment.
“For PC purchasing, think in terms of good-better-best with Celeron being good, Pentium better, and the Intel Core family representing the best we have to offer,” said Calder. “This will be an evolutionary process taking place over time, and we acknowledge that multiple brands will be in the market next year including older ones, as we make the transition. But overall this is a good thing, designed to make it easier and more rational over the long run.”
Source : Tom's Hardware US
Windows 7 Build 7232 Leaks, Has New Wallpaper
The latest Windows 7 leak shows wallpaper freshness.
Windows 7 build 7232 has leaked onto the Internet. Some believe that this is one of the last builds before Microsoft stamps its upcoming operating system with the RTM status, but the company has estimated that the release to manufacturing won’t happen until late July.
Nevertheless, there’s still progress since the first release candidate build 7100 – mostly in the area of drivers and application compatibility. There is one immediately noticeable change in the latest build, and that’s a new wallpaper that replaces the betta fish that we’ve seen ever since the first public beta build 7000 from January.
What you see below could be the final wallpaper that users will see loading up Windows 7 for the first time. It also provides a detailed look at the revised Windows logo, which features cues from nature, for this generation of operating system.
The same logo was first seen on the mockup shots of the Windows 7 retail box. Of course, with the bevy of new wallpaper choices included in Windows 7, the default logo wallpaper probably won’t remain on the desktop for long.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
Nvidia Considering AMD's Globalfoundries
Recently Expreview sat down with Jen-Hsun Huang, CEO and co-founder of Nvidia, and discussed a round of hot topics that included the company's relationship with Intel and AMD, its stance on VIA, and even its take on Larrabee, Intel's upcoming GPU with general purpose computing. But the surprising little tidbit of news stemming from the interview was the revelation that Nvidia is currently in talks with Globalfoundries, a spinoff manufacturer from Nvidia's rival, AMD/ATI.
According to Expreview, Huang previously said that Nvidia was working on three models based on 40nm. Despite this, there were reports that TSMC had problems with 40nm yields. During Computex, TSMC supposedly fixed the issue, and reported that it expects to ship GPUs based on the revised 40nm process soon. However, Expreview asked if Nvidia planned to seek another OEM similar to Globalfoundries.
"Globalfoundries is a leading silicon foundry with advanced and outstanding processing technology," Huang said in the interview. "We’re seriously evaluating and discussing about the possibilities of working with them. As to TSMC, we do regard it as a world-class silicon OEM with flexible strategies. We’re working very closely together."
Along with a possible partnership with Globalfoundries, Huang reiterated that Nvidia doesn't have plans to enter into the CPU market, nor does it have plans to acquire VIA. As for the company's loss in Q1, Huang blames the weak demand on the global economic recession. He also said that Nvidia did extremely well in Q3 2008, but when the market condition changed in Q4, Nvidia found itself over-stocked. He said that this massive amount of product--along with the recession--actually influenced Q1 2009 sales figures.
"But now, we've reduced the inventory greatly to lower the risk," he added.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
More Americans Go To Facebook Than MySpace
Facebook bypassed MySpace in terms of total U.S. visitors for the first time in May, as Facebook's popularity in terms its user base continued to rise.
Facebook pulled in 70.278 million unique visitors in the states, compared to MySpace's 70.237 million, according to data released by ComScore. That made Facebook the most popular site in the U.S., in terms of visitors. Just a month earlier, Facebook had a little over 67 million U.S. visitors behind MySpace's 70.9 million.
A year ago, in May 2008, Facebook was at 36 million unique visitors compared to 73.7 million for MySpace.
Worldwide, Facebook continued its wide lead over the News Corp.-owned MySpace. In May, Facebook had more than 307 million users, compared to MySpace's 123 million.
Facebook first surpassed MySpace in global visitors in April 2008. The social networking sites were neck-in-neck with Facebook at 116 million and MySpace at 115 million. That gap widened the following month, as Facebook logged almost 124 million visitors and MySpace dropped to 114.5 million.
MySpace Cuts Staff by 30 Percent
MySpace is not having a good week.
On the same day that news broke about Facebook overtaking MySpace in number of U.S. visitors, the social networking site confirmed Tuesday that it will reduce it workforce by 30 percent.
The layoffs cut across all U.S. divisions of the News Corp.-owned MySpace, and bring the total number of domestic staff at the company to 1,000 workers.
"Simply put, our staffing levels were bloated and hindered our ability to be an efficient and nimble team-oriented company," MySpace chief executive Owen Van Natta said in a statement.
"I understand that these changes are painful for many," Van Natta continued. "They are also necessary for the long-term health and culture of MySpace. Our intent is to return to an environment of innovation that is centered on our user and our product."
Van Natta, who previously served as chief revenue officer and vice president of operations at Facebook, was named MySpace CEO in April.
"MySpace grew too big considering the realities of today's marketplace," said Jonathan Miller, News Corp's chief digital officer. "I believe this restructuring will help MySpace operate much more effectively both structurally and financially moving forward."
Nvidia Intros New GPUs for Over 100 Secret OEMs
New chips give twice the performance but idle at only half the power -- a good mix for a mobile chip.
Nvidia this week announced five new additions to its mobile GPU family that boast up to twice the speed with only half the idle power draw as the previous generation of chips.
The new chips are all a part of the 200M series (G210M, GT 230M, GT 240M, GTS 250M, GTS 260M) and are based on the still-current G200 architecture and built on the 40-nm process.
According to Nvidia, the GTS 260M and 250M GPUs are for enthusiast notebooks; GT 240M and 230M GPUs are for performance notebooks; and GeForce G210M is for mainstream notebooks.
The new additions to the 200M series also mark two firsts for Nvidia: full DirectX 10.1 compliance and use of DDR5 memory.
The GTX 280M and GTX 260M, even though based on 55-nm G92 designs, will continue to occupy Nvidia’s top-end offerings.
Nvidia claims that the GTS 260M with its 1 GB of DDR5 memory running at 3,600 MHz on a 128-bit interface is nearly as fast as the GTX260M, which makes it a compelling alternative given the power savings and the added battery life that comes along with it.
Nvidia said that it has over 100 notebook design wins “in the bag” but can’t disclose any of them due to NDA commitments. We'll just have to wait and see who will be first out the gate with one of the new chips.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
Kingston Launches 128 GB USB Stick, Costs $546
Remember how impressed we all were once upon a time when we saw a USB thumb drive? It was clearly the most convenient and portable of all storage devices thus far, even if it only held data in the “megabytes” range.
That was then, and this is now; and today Kingston makes all of our USB sticks look puny with its introduction the DataTraveler 200, the world's first 128 GB USB Flash drive.
"The new DT200's robust storage capability lets consumers store complete libraries of music, photos and videos. It is also a great tool for business users who carry around large databases or files," said Andrew Ewing, USB business manager, Kingston. "The password protection helps safeguard data and requires no admin rights, making the DT200 a terrific solution for the home or office."
Kingston didn’t reveal the speed of the drive, but did say that it’s fast enough to be compatible with Windows ReadyBoost.
With a drive that big, it’d be a viable solution for a user to load onto it an entire OS, programs and even media files. The DT200 is also available in 32 and 64 GB models. The 128 GB model will be a special order item, so don’t expect to see them on store shelves.
Prices are $120 for the 32 GB; $213 for the 64 GB; $546 for the 128 GB.
What would you do with a USB stick that big?
Source : Tom's Hardware US
Sign Up for Outright.com, Get a Free Domain
Domain names don't cost that much anymore, but they're usually not free. Starting this week, though, through the end of July 2009, you can get a free domain name and Web site from Network Solutions for one year by signing up for Outright.com.
Outright.com is a free online accounting solution designed for startups and very small businesses that need help tracking income and expenses and planning for estimated taxes. Outright integrates with services like FreshBooks and Shoeboxed to make data input easier.
I like Outright and have reviewed it favorably, though it's early in the site's life -- I'd expect to see even more integration in the future, and would love to see it evolve into an even more robust site. As it is, it's extraordinarily helpful to get an estimate of your estimated taxes based on your income and expenses.
Outright.com is designed for sole proprietors and single-member LLCs who file a Schedule C tax form, says the company. Outright.com plans to introduce fee-based services at some point in the future, but the company says that the core service for self-employed individuals will remain free.
Originally posted to the PCMag.com @Work blog.
Rumor: New Core i7, Celeron Soon
Intel plans to launch the Celeron E3000 series and a new Core i7 processor during the second half of 2009.
DigiTimes is reporting from un-named motherboard sources that Intel is invading the entry-level CPU market with two new processors from the 45nm Celeron E3000 series. Set for a third quarter release, The Celeron E3200 will feature a core clock of 2.5 GHz, 1 MB L2 cache, an 800 MHz FSB, and a 65 W TDB. The Celeron E3300 will offer the same base features, but will provide a slightly higher core speed of 2.5 GHz and support for VT-x virtualization (Virtual XP on Windows 7).
Additionally, Intel's Core i7 960 processor is set for a release in the fourth quarter, offering a core clock frequency of 3.2 GHz, 4.8 GT/s bus speed, 8 MB of L3 cache, and a 130 W TDP. The CPU will replace the reigning champ, Intel's i7 950 clocking in at 3.06 GHz, and even looks to go neck-and-neck with the i7 965 Extreme Edition, also with a core clock of 3.2 GHz (but offers QPI bandwidth).
In the mobile department, the dual-core Atom D510 CPU for netbooks also shares the same timeslot, followed by the single-core Atom D410 processor in Q1 2010; both are replacing the Atom 230 and 330 processors. This is also the same launch window Intel plans to release Pine Trail, the new platform that will offer only two components: the CPU/GPU/Memory controller Pineview package, and the Tiger Point I/O controller. Pine Trail is expected to reduce material costs for OEMs.
Intel said that it does not comment on "unannounced products" thus, we're reduced to classifying this bit of information as rumor only.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
Microsoft Decides No IE with Win 7 in Europe
Microsoft has come up with its own solution to the whole EU antitrust issue that has been plaguing the company since January of this year: don't ship Internet Explorer with Windows 7, but only in Europe.
Citing a confidential memo that was sent to PC makers and seen by Cnet News, Cnet yesterday reported that the company plans to offer a version of its latest operating system, Windows 7 to Europeans but without the browser. Computer makers would then have the option to add the browser back in, ship another browser or ship multiple browsers.
“To ensure that Microsoft is in compliance with European law, Microsoft will be releasing a separate version of Windows 7 for distribution in Europe that will not include Windows Internet Explorer," the Redmond company said in the memo to PC manufacturers. "Microsoft will offer IE8 separately and free of charge and will make it easy and convenient for PC manufacturers to preinstall IE 8 on Windows 7 machines in Europe if they so choose,” the company continued, adding that “PC manufacturers may choose to install an alternative browser instead of IE 8, and has always been the case, they may install multiple browsers if they wish."
This sheds new light on yesterday’s news in which European regulators were said to be investigating whether or not Microsoft had pressured PC makers into voting against a ‘ballot screen’ solution that would see users choose their own browser the first time they connected to the internet.
Microsoft confirmed that the document seen by Cnet is legit and as far as we can tell, however, the company’s solution offers PC makers the choice of browser and not the user. Do you agree with this remedy by Microsoft? Let us know in the comments below!
Click here to see the original story.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
