Web Buzz » Windows 7

Microsoft and British agency create child-friendly version of IE9

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:51:00 +0000

As the entry age for web access heads ever southwards, preventing young minds from the perils of the internet is a growing concern for parents. For this reason, Microsoft teamed up with the UK-based CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center) to create a special kid-friendly version of its IE9 browser. Access to key CEOP pages are baked right in, and there are dedicated tabs for the thinkuknow.co.uk information site and, of course, Bing. Additional security comes via a Jump List that lets parents and care-givers set the age group of their child and prevents them from seeing unsuitable content. It's only available on Windows 7, and you'll need to prevent your curious children from using any other browser, but at least it's extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

Microsoft and British agency create child-friendly version of IE9 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Glasses-free 3DeeScreen augments Windows 7 displays, lets Peter Gabriel get in your eyes

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Glasses-free 3DTVs sporting 4K resolution don't exactly match up to the everyman's budget. Still, the tech needs to trickle down to the masses somehow and it appears Spatial View's keen to take up that three-dimensional, plebeian mantle. Available today, the outfit's inventively titled 3DeeScreen snaps onto 15.6-inch laptops of the Windows 7 variety to translate ordinary 2D images and video into autostereoscopic eye candy. And, unlike prevailing iterations that depend upon strict viewing zones, this ad hoc implementation can adjust to a viewer's position through the use of eye-tracking software, letting their zombified heads loll about while they tune in and drop out. Of course, if you choose to plunk down $130 for this visual pizzazz, you'll be jonesing for a library of compatible media. Good thing then the company's prepared to scratch that imaginary itch with a planned one-stop hub, dubbed 3DeeCentral, that'll offer up a curated mix of free and paid content. Need to know more? Then peruse the official presser below while you wonder how the other one percent lives.

Continue reading Glasses-free 3DeeScreen augments Windows 7 displays, lets Peter Gabriel get in your eyes

Glasses-free 3DeeScreen augments Windows 7 displays, lets Peter Gabriel get in your eyes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP Mini 1104 tickles budgets, tackles on-the-go needs

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:04:00 +0000

As Ultrabooks give us one more reason to eschew the cramped dimensions of low-powered netbooks, outfits like HP continue to churn out the little laptops that could've despite the deafening ring of that category's death knell. So, if you're a student on a crunched budget, a business-y type with low-cost computing needs or just a wee PC fetishist, this latest Mini should suit your tiny tastes just fine. Starting at $399, the 1104 runs Windows 7 Home Premium on a dual-core Intel Atom N2600 clocked at 1.6GHz, sports a 10.1-inch WSVGA display, 320GB of storage, 2GB of DDR3 SDRAM, Bluetooth 3.0 and support for WiFi a/b/g/n networks. You'll also have the option to swap out the standard battery with a six-cell Li-ion for up to nine hours of productivity. And if security's your major concern, the embedded TPM 1.2 chip along with Computrace Pro software should help you keep tabs and control over your data. Wondering if this lil' guy fits your bill? Then check out the gallery below for additional shots while you ponder the merits of subnotebooks.

Gallery: HP Mini 1104

HP Mini 1104 tickles budgets, tackles on-the-go needs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer’s Aspire One 722 kitted with HSPA+, sold by AT&T

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:07:00 +0000

Sleek and svelte Ultrabooks and tablets might have stolen the limelight from ye old netbook, but that doesn't mean the less glamorous category is completely bereft of all signs of life. Take for example, Acer's Aspire One 722. Sure, the 1GHz AMD C-50 powered, Radeon HD 6250 wielding netbook's internals got more pizzazz in an updated Europe-only edition, but that didn't stop AT&T from taking the original and giving it a new beginning thanks to shiny new internal WWAN module. Up-to-date silicon it is not, but it could be yours for just $40 a month -- provided you sign your life away on a two-year, 3GB per month, contract. Or alternatively, the HSPA+ redux can be had for the unsubsidized price of $450. Decisions, decisions. Pull the trigger at the source link below.

Acer's Aspire One 722 kitted with HSPA+, sold by AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ViewSonic ViewPad 10pi dual-boot tablet hands-on (video)

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:06:00 +0000

The ViewSonic ViewPad 10pi was announced here at CES, and according to the company, it'll be in retail stores later this month. This is a scary proposition. Sadly, our time with the tablet was filled with glitches and frustration -- as is, this dual-booter seems entirely unfit for the market. The Android 2.3 environment is nearly unusable and often freezes completely. While this could certainly be resolved with a software update, the hardware implementation is regrettably poor for Android use. Rather than capacitive navigation buttons, necessities such as home, menu and back are located along the edge of the tablet as small, physical buttons. Half the time, they didn't even work. Our fleeting moments with a usable Android environment were generally pleasant, but the system generally locked up after a few minutes. As another black eye, Android Market is nowhere to be seen, which means the Amazon Appstore will have to suffice. We're told that customers will need enable Android themselves, because out-of-the-box, the tablet will only run Windows 7. It's painfully apparent why this decision was made.

With a 1.5GHz Intel Oak Trail Z670, we had decent expectations for performance within Windows. Unfortunately, even web browsing was generally unsatisfying. Pinch-to-zoom and scrolling were both rather choppy, and -- as much as this comment pains us -- we longed to return to Android. Windows has never been friendly for touch use, and while ViewSonic has included a special environment that's designed to make applications and settings more accessible, in practice it takes a while to load and is no more useful than a set of well-appointed desktop icons. Another gripe, the included Swype keyboard would often appear at inopportune times, even when there was no option for text input. Priced at $849, we struggle to see much of a value proposition here. While the ViewPad 10pi attempts to be the jack of all trades, in reality it's just one big headache.

Gallery: ViewSonic ViewPad 10pi hands-on

Continue reading ViewSonic ViewPad 10pi dual-boot tablet hands-on (video)

ViewSonic ViewPad 10pi dual-boot tablet hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OnLive launches desktop app, streams start menus to your iPad, we go hands on (video)

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:35:00 +0000

Desktop sized games aren't the only thing Palo Alto's premiere streaming service is pushing to your tablet -- now OnLive is out to stream you an actual desktop, as well. Following up on an old Windows 7 demo and later promises to build a "no-compromise, media-rich enterprise experience," the outlet is now launching OnLive Desktop. It's almost exactly what it sounds like -- Windows, seamlessly streaming to your iPad.

Microsoft's OS rides the same bandwidth pipelines that host OnLive's gaming service, and offers tablet owners a streamed desktop with access to fully functional versions of Microsoft Office products like Word, PowerPoint and Excel. The iPad app that is launching Thursday represents the outfit's "free" version of OnLive Desktop, and packs 2 GB of secure cloud storage in addition its limited suite of office applications. OnLive plans to expand the service with OnLive Desktop Pro, a paid variant (starting at $9.99 a month) with 50 GB of cloud storage, priority server access, additional applications and "cloud-accelerated browsing." Need something more specific? OnLive Enterprise will let firms custom tailor their cloud desktop to suit their needs -- dictating data, application and device access by user.

But how well does it work? It depends on your connection, of course. We dropped by OnLive's west coast headquarters to stream it from the source. Read on to see how it did, or simply skip the bottom if you're looking for an official press release.

Continue reading OnLive launches desktop app, streams start menus to your iPad, we go hands on (video)

OnLive launches desktop app, streams start menus to your iPad, we go hands on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigabyte intros S1081 Windows slate and T1006M netvertible, both packing Cedar Trail

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:01:00 +0000

Intel told us to expect next-gen netbooks from a throng of manufacturers, but for some reason it forgot to mention little ol' Gigabyte. Perhaps that's why the Taiwanese manufacturer is being slightly standoffish when it comes to detailing its two new 10-inch slates, which both run on unspecified variants of Cedar Trail and have equally unknown launch dates and prices. What we do know is that the T1006M is a convertible tablet that sports 1366 x 768 densely packed pixels, a USB 3.0 port and what appears to be an optional 3.5G modem -- specs that are already familiar from our recent encounter at the FCC. Next comes the S1081, which is a straightforward Windows 7 business slate like its $680 predecessor and comes with a choice of HDD or SSD storage, an optical trackpad for extra "precision," USB 3.0, VGA and HDMI outputs, plus the same optional multimedia dock. Rest assured that we'll track these newcomers down on the CES floor to fill in the blanks and judge how well they stand out, now that the quiet trail has become a highway. Until then, feel free to read on for the press release -- which also reveals that the Booktop T1132, Booktop M2432 and P2532 gaming notebook are all heading to the US market.

Continue reading Gigabyte intros S1081 Windows slate and T1006M netvertible, both packing Cedar Trail

Gigabyte intros S1081 Windows slate and T1006M netvertible, both packing Cedar Trail originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Series 7 Chronos review

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Thin and light may be the name of the game for many when it comes to mobile computing, but there's still plenty of folks who need a full-featured portable machine. Samsung's Series 7 Chronos is just such a PC, packing an optical drive, numpad and discrete graphics beneath a brushed aluminum façade. While it may look like just another MacBook Pro clone running Windows 7, this Sammy's got some surprises up its sleeve that set it apart from Apple's offering (aside from a $1,000 price difference) and other laptops running Redmond's OS, for that matter. To find out what the Series 7 brings to the table and how it stacks up against its competition, you'll have to read on past the break. Let's get to it, shall we?

Gallery: Samsung Series 7 Chronos review

Continue reading Samsung Series 7 Chronos review

Samsung Series 7 Chronos review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP Spectre teaser video: fantastically thin laptop, shrouded in mystery

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:13:00 +0000

Why, what's this? Funny you ask -- we're wondering the same thing. A source at HP just dropped us a mysterious teaser video of a so-called Spectre laptop, a heretofore unannounced lappie that looks to be the company's next Ultrabook. In our wildest dreams, this rig has a dual-LCD setup -- similar to Toshiba's Libretto W100 and Acer's Iconia-6120 -- but perhaps the creators here were just coincidentally interested in showing us lots of glass panes. We'll be digging for more details (we're told that an official produce portal should surface tomorrow), but for now, lose your mind in the video just past the break.

Update: If we had to guess, we'd say it's the Envy Spectre -- a machine that passed through the FCC's database around a week ago.

Gallery: HP Spectre laptop teaser leak

Continue reading HP Spectre teaser video: fantastically thin laptop, shrouded in mystery

HP Spectre teaser video: fantastically thin laptop, shrouded in mystery originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook Messenger client for Windows slips out for download (Update: Official download available)

admin — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:56:00 +0000

We've already had an early peek at Facebook's yet-to-be-released Messenger client for Windows, and now you can give it a shot yourself courtesy of a leaked copy that's turned up on the TechIT website. Not much in the way of surprises here, but if you're the sort that prefers desktop applications to websites or mobile apps, you'll be glad to know that it provides access to not just Facebook chat, but status updates and notifications from your friends as well. You can find the download at the source link below (Windows 7 is required).

Update: Facebook has now made an official download available -- you can grab it here, and find additional details on the application here.

[Thanks, Avi]

Facebook Messenger client for Windows slips out for download (Update: Official download available) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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