Vaio L Series Announced

Along with the VAIO CW and VAIO X, Sony has decided to release a touch-screen, all-in-one desktop called the VAIO L. Like the CW and the X, it runs Windows 7 which should integrate nicely with the VAIO L’s 24-inch touch-screen. Apparently, Sony is actually billing it as part HDTV and part PC because it can play Blu-Ray discs and has a built-in TV tuner. The VAIO L will cost $1300 when released. Not bad

Sony Reviles Waterproof Universal Remote Control for Mythical Mermaids

If you are one of the millions of super clumsy people, or a mythical mermaid, Sony has the thing that you need. The Rimotokomanda RM-PZ3SD comes in a variety of colors, works on several TV’s (including those by Panasonic / National, Toshiba, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Victor / JVC, Sanyo, Aiwa, Sharp, Funai / PRECIOUS, NEC, Fujitsu, Pioneer, Philips, and, of course, Sony) and offers hours of entertainment while watching your underwater TV. This product will be released in Japan soon (whenever that is) for ¥2,468, which is around $26.

PS3 Now 70% Cheaper to Make, Could Mean Future Price Cuts

During a conference call, Sony CEO Nobuyuki Oneda announced that the PlayStation 3 is 70% cheaper to manufacture, then it was at launch. That means that the manufacturing cost went from about $800 to $240.

If what Oneda says is correct, it means Sony can significantly reduce the price of the console and remain profitable. Dropping the price would be a good move, if Sony which's to bean Microsoft and Nintendo.

Apple Demands Microsoft Stops Laptop Hunter Ads

Microsoft's Chief Operating Office, Kevin Turner told audience members during his Worldwide Partner Conference keynote told his employees about how Apple's lawyers wanted Microsoft to take down their Laptop Hunter ads. Here's the story he told.

And so we've been running these PC value ads. Just giving people saying, hey, what are you looking to spend? "Oh, I'm looking to spend less than $1,000." Well we'll give you $1,000. Go in and look and see what you can buy. And they come out and they just show them. Those are completely unscripted commercials.

And you know why I know they're working? Because two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey -- this is a true story -- saying, "Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices." They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call in the history that I've ever taken in business. (Applause.)

I did cartwheels down the hallway. At first I said, "Is this a joke? Who are you?" Not understanding what an opportunity. And so we're just going to keep running them and running them and running them.

The whole keynote is available on Microsoft Presspass.

The most recent Laptop features Matt and Olivia, who were looking for a $700 laptop that they can use to share photos. It needs to have a large screen and great battery life, and of course they find their dream machine:

Xbox Live update rolling out, includes Games on Demand support, Netflix Movie Parties, game ratings

Microsoft just announced the details of the next Xbox Live dashboard update, which should start rolling out in waves later this summer. Highlight features include support for Games on Demand (coming in August), a slew of Netflix updates including the ability to browse the library and manage your queue, the long-awaited Movie Party system that allows Gold members to share a flick in a virtual theater, and a ton of other little tweaks like user ratings, avatar enhancements, friends list sorting, and a streamlined Party invite system. Yeah, we think we'll take it.

iTunes 8.2.1 Update Breaks Pre’s Music Syncing Capebility

Palm warned Pre users that the iTunes syncing feature could be broken at a moments notice by Apple. It’s no surprise that Apple broke the feature. I'm able to confirm that iTunes version 8.2.1 will break the Pre’s iTunes syncing ability, meaning you’ll have to copy your music the old fashion way. Palm may find a way to make iTunes syncing work again, but of course Apple would just break it again. This could end up being a very fun game of cat and mouse, but will leave consumers stuck in the middle.

Microsoft Opening Retail Stores Beside Apple Stores

Microsoft has acknowledged that Apples retail stores is a huge threat to Microsoft's business. Microsoft COO Kevin Turner announced that this fall, Microsoft will launch a chain of retail stores, which will be located right next door Apple stores.

And stay tuned, because we're going to have some retail stores opened up that are opened up right next door to Apple stores this fall. Stay tuned, just stay tuned. – Microsoft COO Kevin Turner

 

There are no details about the actual strategy except that it will start happening this fall. I can't wait. I love this kind of war.

Microsoft Confirms Windows 7 Upgrade Rules

As October 22 quickly approaches, Microsoft is releasing starting to release more details about Windows 7. The latest tidbit about Windows 7 is about upgrades. A company spokesman confirmed that users of the Windows 7 Release Candidate will not have to "reinstall an older version of Windows before using a Windows 7 upgrade disk.” Unfortunately, people who choose to do this will  have all of their files put into the folder “windows.old” when they upgrade. Interestingly, if you need to do a clean install of Windows 7 using your upgrade disk, you'll need to install and activate Windows Vista.

New Windows Head Chosen to Make Sure Windows 7 Launch is Successful

Microsoft has chosen Steven Sinofsky as the new head of Windows division, making him responsible for Windows Live, Windows OS, and Internet Explorer. Steve previously was responsible for developing Windows 7 and his success with delivering Windows 7 on time has led to the promotion. Not only is Windows 7 ready for launch, it is full of new and useful features.

Sinofsky has an excellent record of delivering huge products before product deadlines. The next step is to insure that Windows 7’s launch wont be an embarrassment, like Windows Vista’s. Windows 7 will be launched on October 22, just in time for the holiday season.

Critical Security Hole Found in Windows XP and Server 2003

Microsoft is warning users of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 of a security hole in Internet Explorer that allows hackers to remotely install malicious software on computers.

The hole, which is caused by Internet Explorer and ActiveX, has been used for about a week to install viruses on users who click certain links in spam emails. Microsoft’s solution is available here is used to disable the video software. Microsoft is working hard to fix the problem.

Microsoft Confirms Windows 7 RTM Coming July 13

Neowin.net has reported that July 13, 2009 will be the day that Windows 7 reaches RTM (release to manufacturing). This is great news for people who are anxiously  awaiting the launch of Windows 7, on October 22. This means that the code will be finalized and manufacturing will begin.

July 13 will be a huge milestone for Windows 7. There will be no more testing, leaks, by-hourly testing, or shutdowns. The RTM will be the real Windows 7. The only thing that should delay the RTM is major bugs, but that is unlikely to happen.

We are still on track for general availability (GA) on October 22, 2009. That is the day when you can walk into a store and take Windows 7 right off the self and buy it. That is when we will finally know if the average person likes it.

In the next few months there will be a huge surge in Windows 7, as Microsoft makes more announcements and releasing ads. Its the beginning of the end!

Microsoft Makes Windows 7 Packaging Easier to Open

Microsoft has attempted to make everything in Windows 7 easier to use, including the packaging.

One of Windows Vista’s biggest criticisms was its insanely hard to open packaging. In an effort to prevent theft and piracy, Microsoft created boxes that required their own set of instructions to open.

In a blog post Microsoft said Windows 7’s packaging would be similar to Vista’s packaging, except that it would open like a standard DVD case.

 

The case will be recyclable and will contain only the Windows 7 DVD and starting guide. Microsoft said that overall it reduced the packaging weight by 37 percent.

Windows is scheduled to be launched on October 22 although pre-sales of the product as well as a free upgrade program for new PC buyers have started.

Windows 7 is Microsoft's Most Affordable Version of Windows Yet

Windows 7 is Microsoft's least expensive version of Windows yet and is a bargain compared to Windows Vista.

When comparing prices to previous versions of Windows most editions cost approximately $200, with exception to the Vista price spike. When you adjust for inflation you can see that pricing has become a downward cascade (with the exception of Windows Vista Home Premium).

The Pro versions of Windows have also has a decrease in price.

Windows 7 Pricing Confirmed: Good News

Microsoft has finally officially confirmed Windows 7 pricing.

If you plan to buy a new PC after tomorrow chances are that you will not need to pay for a Windows 7 Upgrade.

FREE Upgrades

Starting Friday June 26 if you buy a new PC you should be covered by a free Windows 7 upgrade program. If you buy a computer with Windows Vista Home Premium this weekend when Windows 7 comes out you’ll get Windows 7 Home Premium FREE. If you buy Vista Ultimate you will get 7 Ultimate and if you get Vista Business you’ll get 7 Professional. There is no free upgrades for buyers of Windows Vista Basic.

Half Price Deal

People in the US, Canada or Japan who already own a PC running XP or Vista will be able to upgrade to Windows 7 for half price as long as they pre-order. The offer begins Friday June 26 for a limited time only.

As I said, Windows 7 Home Premium, usually $120, will cost $50, and Windows 7 Professional, usually $200, will cost $100. Windows 7 Ultimate is not part of this discount plan, but it might get its own incentive plan later on. (You could technically buy Home Premium upgrade, then pay to convert it to Ultimate, saving at least a little cash.) The pre-order deal will be visible at store.microsoft.com and at "most major retailers."

Windows Product Management said that the half price deal will end when an undisclosed amount of licences are sold. "We have enough quantity," he said, adding that the magic number was "equivalent to a year of Vista sales volume at retail."

Europe

Europeans will not be getting any nice treatment from Microsoft due to the European Commissions banning of IE8 in Windows 7. Microsoft will be selling Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional but there is no way to upgrade from Windows Vista.

Europeans who purchase Windows 7 will be forced to do a clean install, and will have to migrate there data anyway they can. The logic is that, while the Windows team can do a clean install without IE8, there's not enough quality assurance on what an upgrade install would be like without IE8, with assorted HTML rendering apps co-existing in the OS already. Could be messy, says Ybarra. "We don't want to break anyone else's software, we don't want to break our own software, and we don't want the customer on the phone with support." That funky deal is supposed to run through December.

Official Prices

Here are the Windows 7 estimated retail prices, for the people who don't want to accept the upgrade offers.

Windows 7 Home Premium: $120 for upgrade; $200 for full version
Windows 7 Professional: $200 for upgrade; $300 for full version
Windows 7 Ultimate: $220 for upgrade; $320 for full version

You may remember that there are other Win 7 SKUs such as Home Basic and Starter. Windows 7 Home Basic is not available in the United States or most of Europe though, along with residents of Burkina Faso and Vanuatu, Montenegrans will be able to buy it.

Windows 7 Starter will be offered to Dell, HP, Asus and other manufacturers to stick on netbooks. Just in case you were concerned, Windows XP will also be available, distributed and supported for 12 months after Windows 7 launches though limited to these same "small notebook PCs." I think Microsoft—and quite a few non-vested-interests—are expecting netbooks to ditch XP for Win 7 pretty fast.

Windows 7 RC Download Deadline is August 15

Microsoft will turn off Windows 7 RC downloads on August 15 2009.

The download program closes August 15. After that, you won't be able to get the download, but you can still install the RC and get a key if you need one," Microsoft employee Stephen Rose said.

Microsoft released the final public preview of Windows 7 on May 4. At the time Microsoft said that Windows 7 will be available through July and changed its policy when there was an overwhelmingly high amount of downloads.

Windows 7 will be launched on October 22 2009.

Windows 7 RC will not expire until June 10 2009 and will shut down at two-hour intervals starting March 1, 2010.

Testers who still use Windows 7 Beta will experience automatic shutdowns much sooner than Release Candidate users. You need to move to the RC and fast," a Microsoft employee said.

People who want to download the Windows 7 RC can do it here.

Morro Beta Released Today

Just a quick reminder: Microsoft plans to allow the public to download a beta version of “Morro,” now known as Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) on June 23, starting around 9 a.m. PT.

Update (8 a.m. PT): The beta download is now live. Or maybe not. It was for a minute, there….

MSE is the free antivirus/anti-malware product that is replacing Microsoft’s paid Windows Live OneCare subscription service. It is aimed primarily at users who can’t or won’t pay for security software.

Here are the details about today’s beta kick-off:

Who is eligible: Anyone in the U.S., Israel or Brazil who wants to try MSE on XP SP2, Vista or Windows 7 (Beta or Release Candidate) can grab the beta. Last week, Microsoft officials told me there was no cap planned for the beta, but  shortly thereafter a spokesperson said the beta will be capped at 75,000. “This could change though depending on what the download scenario is,” he added.

Download site: Testers will be able to download MSE beta from Microsoft Connect by going to this page: http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Versions: The MSE beta will be available in 32- and 64-bit flavors. It will be available in English and Brazilian Portuguese on June 23 and simplified Chinese some time later this year. Update: The beta is restricted by country. The beta site says: “This beta is available only to customers in the United States, Israel (English only), People’s Republic of China (Simplified Chinese only) and Brazil (Brazilian Portuguese only).”

How long will the beta be available: Microsoft plans to keep the beta open until the cap is reached or the final product is available, whichever comes first.

When is the final MSE release due: Official word is before the end of calendar 2009. I’ve seen several bloggers saying this fall.

If you’re among the testers who grab a copy of today’s beta of MSE, I’d be interested in hearing what you think. How does MSE compare to other free and paid third-party security offerings and Windows Live OneCare?

Microsoft’s Bing Does Good for a Second Week in a Row

Its still early in the game but Microsoft’s new search engine managed to hold onto its second place spot in the search engine market share.

Bing’s market share is up about 3 percentage points from where Microsoft was at pre-Bing in terms of both number of searchers and total query share. That is about a 1 percent gain from both categories in its first week.

For the week of June 8 to 12, Microsoft's search engines were used by 16.7 percent of those doing searches and accounted for 12.1 percent of all queries, both up 3 percentage points from where Microsoft was at before Bing's launch.

"It appears that Microsoft Bing has continued to generate interest from the market for the second consecutive week," ComScore Senior VP Mike Hurt said in a statement. "These early data reflect a continued positive market reaction to Bing in the initial stages of its launch."

Microsoft launched Bing at the beginning of the month, after a lengthy development period and months of internal testing.

For its part, Microsoft seems to recognize it is still very early. The software maker has declined to comment on the market share gains.

Intel Simplifies it Core Structure With i7 i5 and i3

Intel has wisely chosen to simplify its overley complicated brand structure by creating only three main categories of chips: i7(high level) i5(mid level) and i3(entry level).

...we are focusing our strategy around a primary 'hero' client brand which is Intel® Core™. Today the Intel Core brand has a mind boggling array of derivatives (such as Core™2 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. For example, upcoming processors such as Lynnfield (desktop) will carry the Intel Core brand, but will be available as either Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7 depending upon the feature set and capability. Clarksfield (mobile) will have the Intel Core i7 name. - Intel spokesman Bill Calder

Celeron, Pentium and Atom are staying put, but the famous core brands will be broken into the ones above. Intel said that the transition will take time, and will most likely be done in 2010.

Microsoft Refuses to Reimburse Employees for iPhone Bills

Microsoft has stopped paying its employees wireless bills if they don't have a Windows Mobile phone.

This is not at all a shocking move. Lots of companies standardize on a particular mobile operating system or two and limit reimbursements to those devices.

Microsoft confirmed on Friday that "the data plan reimbursement for Microsoft employees is limited to Windows Mobile devices."

"This policy took effect as part of the broader cost saving measures announced earlier this year," Microsoft said

Microsoft made its product line smaller, and also pulled back on spending on travel, vendors and contractors.

Windows 7 to Have a Low Key Launch

Stuff.co.nz has been talking to Microsoft employees in New Zealand and they were told that Windows 7 would not have a big launch event, similar to the launches of XP and Vista.

When Windows 7 is launched on October 22, a Microsoft spokesman said:

“We will be doing something interesting and exciting. It’s hard to say what direction we will go in right now, but it will be appropriate to the times and not anything terribly extravagant.”

The news is a shame, especially because Windows 7 is most likely one of Microsoft’s best products in a long time. There has been lots of buzz around Windows 7 and most feedback has been positive.