But if you are going to buy a new PC with Windows 7 pre-loaded, why don’t you try an AIO? An All-in-One (AIO) PC basically consists of three components – the monitor which has an integrated CPU, the keyboard and the mouse. AIOs have started gaining popularity due to two main major factors – they look sexy and they save space. It is also worth noting that the concept of an AIO was first given by Apple with their iMac. So here we present you some of the best AIOs available in the market currently:-

5. Sony Vaio VGCJS410F/S

This AIO from Sony has Intel’s Pentium E5400 clocked at 2.7 GHz along with 4GB of DDR2 RAM giving it enough juice to carry out your tasks efficiently, although the processor will surely hamper it. 320 GB of disk space is given for storing all your files while for graphics there is Intel’s X4500 HD graphics. The monitor is 20.1 inch and has a screen resolution of 1680*1050. The camera with face tracking technology is also included. This system, meanwhile runs the 64 bit edition of Windows 7 Home Premium. No Bluetooth, and touch screen support are a disappointment but the low price is well, okay.

Price: $849.99

Purchase it!

4. Sony Vaio VGCJS450F/S

Forgive me for my fascination with Sony’s AIOs, but their products are just so beautiful. Anyways this one is similar to product number 5 on this list with the only exception being  the addition of 500 GB of disk space – 180 GB more than the previous model, Bluetooth 2.1. and Blu-Ray support. Well, these additions are really worthwhile and so, this product finds a place on this list.

Price: $999.99

Purchase it!

3. Dell Studio One 19

The Dell Studio One 19 looks like an over sized tablet when you first look at it, but on the second look, it doesn’t fail to impress. Available in four colors: White, Charcoal, Navy Blue and Tuscan Red, the top end model features a 18.5 inch touch screen, with a screen resolution of 1366*768 and a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is more than enough for your 720p HD movies, all of which can be dumped on this model’s spacious 640 GB hard drive along with all your documents and games. To play all those games and movies, you can safely rely on its Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 processor clocked at 2.33 GHz and 4 GB of DDR2 RAM while the integrated Nvidia Geforce 9400 graphics are good enough for moderate gameplay. The integrated webcam and the multi-touch capabilities of this device make it one of the best AIOs available. This top end model also includes within its price, Dell’s 2 year Basic Service Plan and Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit.

Price: $1199

Purchase it!

2. Sony Vaio VPCL111FX/B

This VPCL111FX/B has a Intel Pentium E5400 processor clocked at 2.7 Ghz and has been coupled with 4 GB of DDR2 RAM, to give you the best performance. For storage, there is 320 GB while for graphics there is Nvidia Geforce G210M having 512 MB of dedicated VRAM. The monitor is 24 inch and has a 1920*1080 resolution which allows you to watch full HD movies. Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi support, Blu-Ray is all there but only the processor is a disappointment in this wonderful machine otherwise running Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit.

Price: $1299.99

Purchase it!

1. Sony Vaio VPCL116FX/B

This Vaio, also described as a HDTV, is although available only in Black color, features Intel’s Core 2 Quad Q8400S processor clocked at 2.66 GHz along with 6 GB of DDR2 RAM which will be more than enough for all your memory intensive tasks. The hard drive is 500 GB is although less, considering it may store a lot of 1080p movies. It has been correctly described as a HDTV as it integrates a Blu-Ray player, TV Tuner card and a remote. A wall mount option is also given. The monitor featuring a 24 inch touchscreen has a 1920*1080 resolution, which means that you can watch all your 1080p movies on it. For gaming, it has the Nvidia Geforce GT 240M, which has 1 GB VRAM dedicated totally to it. Apart from all this, it features an integrated camera with a 640*480 inch resolution, Bluetooth 2.1 and Wi-Fi.

Price: $1799.99

Purchase it!

Through this article you will see how Windows 7 will allow you to balance between aesthetics and performance, so read on …

• Color your World – Windows 7 gives you an option to choose from 16 different colors and set its intensity to either a bolder or a softer tone. An option to enable transparency is also available. Enable the Aero Glass feature to give your desktop a translucent and glassy effect.
• Make it your very own Desktop – Your very own Desktop can display a showcase of your photos, images and wallpapers. You can also create your own background images and customized them according to your preferences.
• Control your Screensaver – Whether it is just a still picture or an animation, customizing your screensaver will give you a sense of satisfaction as you see pictures and animations come to life when your mouse or keyboard is idle.
• Set your own Theme – Your own theme is comprised of a combination of photos, sounds, colors, menus, screensaver, icons and mouse pointers. Microsoft offers pre-built Theme packs or better yet you can set out to customize your very own theme complete with everything you want your desktop to be.
• Configure your Monitor – For your computer to set the best display you also need to configure your monitor’s settings either through its screen resolution, refresh rate and its color.
• Optimize your Visual Effects – Windows 7 interface has tons of graphical enhancements including visual effects for menus, toolbars, windows, and the taskbar.  Windows 7 can help you customize your settings based on your priorities or choose for you the best configuration.
• Fine-tune your Apps Performance – Windows 7 allows you more control on the performance of your computer by better prioritization of which applications should run making background processes and housekeeping tasks  take lesser toll on your PC’s total performance.
• Rig up your Virtual Memory – Windows 7 through paging allocates virtual memory to at least as large as the total physical memory installed on your computer or this can also be done manually by you. At the same time Windows 7 also introduces its Ready Boost which extends the disk-caching capabilities of the computer’s main memory to a USB flash device. With Ready Boost, Windows 7 will read flash devices up to 1000 percent faster than its physical disk drives.  Overall, both boost the speed and performance of your machine.

Personalizing Windows 7 to suit your tastes and preferences will make your experience with your OS a more enjoyable and fulfilling one.  Try to spend a few minutes now to do these and you bet you will curl up in satisfaction.

Technorati Tags: windows 7 features, windows 7 theme downloads

From the outside, Windows 7 retail box is eco-friendly with the plastic case protecting the disk lighter and is recyclable. It opens like a standard DVD case with a packaging that is 37% lighter than its predecessor.

Inside the OS, Windows 7 was designed to help companies focused on reducing costs. It is in this area that Windows 7 had left its predecessor lagging quite behind. Windows 7 has more energy saving options for IT administrators called the “Power Management” features. This is the ability to manage power consumption via group policy, WMI, and a command line utility called PowerCfg. The OS uses time coalescing, an enhanced processor power management that can provide the highest level of performance by grouping tasks sent to the processor power management in turn providing  the highest level of performance by grouping tasks sent to the processor core at the same time while using the least amount of power.

Another simple and yet very obvious move towards being eco-friendly is manifested through its shutting down process which takes relatively a much shorter time. This is primarily because of fewer active services running in the background. Windows 7 can reduce the timeout to 12 seconds and enable users to force shutdown all unresponsive applications.

For users on the go, the adaptive display brightness feature of Windows 7 will help your battery last longer. This can be seen on its automatic screen dimming, powering off unused ports, less power consuming DVD playback and a more accurate battery life indicator. Once the network cable is reconnected, Windows 7 will put the adapter back into a full-power state. In addition to this, Windows 7 also enables wireless network controllers to enter low power modes. Laptops with wireless antennas can also be disabled when not in use for Internet connection or browsing to  prolong battery use.

By providing an infrastructure and tools that will make developers determine the energy consumption of their applications and allowing users both individuals and on corporate settings to trim down on their energy cost; Windows is emulating an example worth following. By setting their initiatives towards the Green Revolution, Microsoft together with other eco-conscious companies are creating demands for similar energy-efficient products and propelling the technology sector trend toward green products and processes.

Technorati Tags: windows 7, windows 7 features, Windows 7 Software

Let us explore how this touch experience works…

Basic Touch Gestures

Gestures are one or two finger touch inputs that translate into predefined action (gesture) that the user performs. Once this is detected, Windows 7 will then send a gesture message to your application which contains the information needed for decoding and make it work.

Single Tap –Single Click

Double Tap – Double Click

Tap and Hold – Left Click

Single Finger Rotate – Touch the corner of an object and drag it in a clockwise or counter clockwise motion to rotate the object.

Swipe Left – Page Forward

Swipe Right – Page Back

Swipe Up – Scroll Down

Swipe Down – Scroll Up

Two Finger Pinch Inwards – Zoom In

Two Finger Pinch Outwards – Zoom Out

Double Tap – Reset Zoom

Double Press and Drag – Pan

Two Finger Spin – Rotate

Single Tap and Hold Followed by a Second Finger Tap – Right Click

On-Screen Keyboard

• Using the keyboard will light up the keys and a clicking sound will indicated a pressed key.
• The keyboard can be resized to fit your fingers.
• Keystrokes can be saved using the intelligent text prediction engine which stores words you frequently type and will display this list once you start typing.

Microsoft had ushered in a new breed of UI with the following major elements: multi touch, physics and gestures. By integrating the multi touch support into its operating system, Microsoft had elevated itself several notches higher by allowing developers to open a new avenue in software development that will use multi touch on their applications. Likewise, the hardware aspect is advancing up ahead even though applications are still relatively limited. After several decades of working on user interface functionality, Microsoft had finally hit home on what could be one of the best user interfaces after all.

Technorati Tags: multi-touch windows 7, top windows 7 features

• Document actions in sequence using text and screen captures in real-time.
• Recording of series of actions that are taking place in your computer.
• Allows the inclusion of “comments” throughout the documentation process.
• It is not a key logger type of documentation.
• The report incorporates the display of the version of the OS and URLs of web pages visited during the documentation process.

To activate and use PSR, follow the list of steps below:

1.To run PSR is to go to Start and in the Search box, type PSR, then press ENTER.

(Note: PSR can be found at C:\Windows\System32\psr.exe)

2. Press Start Record or use the keyboard shortcut , ALT-A.

3. Start your recording of the entire process.

4. A downloadable PSR report will be generated.

5. Remember to include comments and notes along the way. As you enter your comments, you will be prompted to highlight the area of the screen that will be added to the report.

6. Just press Stop Record to finish the recording and documenting process.

7. After which, the PSR Report can already be viewed.

8. Take note however that in recording administrative tasks, PSR should run in administrator mode.

Once done, the captured data is stored in an MHTML document which is enclosed in a zip file. This zip file can be emailed and forwarded to a technical support group. Likewise, the recorded steps can also be viewed as a slideshow for presentation purposes. This cool utility will also come in handy for the recreation of the exact steps in a coding environment which are usually needed by developers.

This might not be a “biggie” compared to the other features of Windows 7, but you can just imagine the time and effort that will be saved for other more important tasks. For help desk supporters, this is one tool that will make their lives easy and more productive. It’s a simple tool and yet works wonders!

Technorati Tags: windows 7 features, windows 7 review, Windows7

Let us explore in detail and see why the “Superbar” deserves both the Pros and Novice Users’ attention.

A Pleasing Visual Effect – Most will agree that Windows deserve a round of applause for the makeover look that the Taskbar now has. Although it has bigger icons and takes much space, still a lot of applications can be squeezed in.  The presence of large icons is because of Windows 7’s support to multi-touch technology. It supports the Aero Glass look without text and once a window is maximized, gone is the dark and dreary opaque color of the taskbar and the window’s title bar.

Bye Quick Launch, Hello Smart Launch – The Quick Launch buttons and separate taskbar had been dropped in favor of a faster way of maneuvering. Right-clicking on an icon brings up a list of recent items, open each one with a single click. Windows 7’s Color Hot-Track in which a light source tracks the mouse and consequently, the specific program icon lights up with its own color. Any icon that has a border frame and has that glowing effect then is the active application.

Slick and Snappy Thumbnails – Hovering over an icon on the dock will display small thumbnails of every active window of that application. These Thumbnails allow fast switching to the programs they represent. Moreover, if these are video thumbnails then they are shown in real-time. The Thumbnails are also highly customizable in any photo-editing application, automatically grouped together, and can likewise be displayed separately even the icon represents multiple windows. This paved the way for a clutter less process of managing and switching between windows.

Useful Progress Bars – Programs can now give feedback and information about progress by having their taskbar button turn into a progress bar.

A More Restrained Notification Area – Control of the Notification Area is back to the user’s hand. By default, only selected system icons will be displayed while the rest will appear in a menu. Control is achieved through dragging icons on or off the taskbar. Furthermore, any annoying alert can be configured or totally disabled.

Windows 7 had adopted several changes indeed with its Taskbar but definitely it’s for the better. Now, still in its initial phase, Windows 7’s “Superbar” rave is still far from over. The best judge of this is time itself because the more the Taskbar is put into practice and in constant use; the more we will appreciate the changes that had taken place.

Technorati Tags: multi-touch windows 7, windows 7 features, Windows 7 Software, windows 7 task bar

Yes, as after a month of its launch, on December 9, 2008, it brought major partners to the Open Handset Alliance such as ARM, Atheros, Asus, Garmin, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Vodafone. This partnership has already started to bear fruits as Sony Ericsson has plans to launch a number of handsets running Android next year.

The potential of Android has just started to show, as it has matured from version one to version two, featuring a number of wide changes, such as the ability to record video, improvement of the User Interface and the User Experience, improvements in hardware speed, and features such as directly uploading videos to sites such as YouTube, beside quashing many bugs.

The best examples to showcase Android’s progress are devices like Motorola Droid from Verizon and HTC Hero, alongwith other similar devices.

Android is not just confined to mobiles only, it has already found its way on e-book readers such as Nook, Portable Music Players, GPS devices, laptops, netbooks.

Software
One major advantage with Android is that it is Open Source and runs on Linux kernel version 2.6. The source code of Android was released on October 21, 2008 and has since been available under the Apache License. This means that it is due to this only that Android has been available on such a wide range of devices. Companies can modify the code to suit their needs and satisfy the customer.

Graduating from version one to present doesn’t just mean that Android has only undergone hardware improvements. It has also undergone several software improvements like improvements in the touch keyboard of the phone, the addition of the Android Market, and the constant improvement of the Google experience which is essential to the Android experience.

Conclusion

The Google experience which the device promises courtesy of Android is one of the most important selling point of the device. Google has become interconnected to an average person’s life, with its services being extremely popular and Android promises to integrate this experience, for Google and the user’s own benefit.

Case in point, is the update of the navigations application, which was developed by Google, in Android’s version 2, has also become one of the most important selling points of Android. Users were till now used to paying for the GPS service until Google came and revolutionised the scene with its own navigation application which was available for free with Android.

To conclude, Android can become massively popular if it continues going along the path which it has set for itself.

In this article, let us explore in detail the transition of the Windows Home Theatre Personal Computer through its Media Center.

• Easy Setup and Searching – Windows 7’s Media Center setting up and use of digital broadcast TV was trimmed down to its basic and made very simple. It even provides two ways to optimize your ATSC digital experience through scanning for more channels option and tweaking through the digital TV antenna signal strength option.
• Accessibility through launching tasks from the Start Menu – Navigation of the app’s features was also simplified by allowing the user to launch WMC tasks directly from the Start Menu. Also, WMC supports the jump list feature of the OS.
• All in One Media Center gadget – WMC features can be easily accessible from the desktop with the gadget which is installed upon the initial start of WMC. Launching TV recordings and Internet TV from your desktop is just a click or touch away.
• Browsing on your Favorite pictures – Sorting your photos, viewing and displaying them as slide shows and searching them using the new library feature of the OS are just some of the ways to tinker your photos.
• Endlessly listen to your Favorite songs – While relaxing and listening to your playlist, the cover art from all albums displays as a scrolling background for the song that’s being currently played.
• A Free Internet TV Service – Not having a TV tuner installed on your PC is no longer a drawback with Windows 7 Media Center. Virtual channels include popular shows from many genres from the Web.
• Integration of Games – Windows games can now be played inside WMC and can be accessed by just clicking their corresponding icon.
• A Special Feature for Sports Enthusiasts – WMC Sports feature goes even beyond what Vista offered by enabling you to select how much information you want to display for each sports league you follow.
• A Live Sneak Peek – A thumbnail that can be played backwards and forwards at the same speed can be displayed when you’re watching.
• A Turbo scroll for both channels and music – Skipping in-between channels through the use of the arrow button on the remote and alphabetized listing of artists are just some of the quick and easy ways of manipulating WMC.

In terms of functionality and interface, Windows 7 Media Center is several notches higher than what Vista Media Center had offered. A solid proof of how Microsoft’s investment was not put to waste. Windows 7 Media Center transcended from a mere product to an in-demand technology no doubt.

Technorati Tags: top windows 7 features, windows 7, windows 7 features, Windows 7 Software

• Startup Repair
• System Restore
• System Image Recovery
• Windows Memory Diagnostic
• Command Prompt

To access Windows 7’s System Recovery Environment, boot your PC and just before the system loads the Windows operating system; hit the [F8] Function 8 key on your keyboard which will launch the Advanced Boot Options menu. An option ‘Repair Your Computer’ will be shown, select this option and hit ‘Enter’ on your keyboard. Once this is through, Windows will load the necessary files to start the System Recovery process. In this aspect, the need for your Windows DVD is disregarded. In addition to these options, Windows 7 provides the option to create a ‘System Repair disc’ which contains all the System Recovery tools. To create your System Repair disc, click Start > All Programs > Maintenance > Create a System Repair Disc. Insert a blank DVD or CD and click the Create disc button.

For now, we would concentrate on System Restore and its refinements under Windows 7.  System Restore is like a time machine for your operating system for it restarts your system back to a set point. It is a process that returns the computer to an earlier state while retaining Windows files and settings, the programs that were installed, registry settings that had been changed and other elements that can prevent your system to get back to its feet.  However, there is a catch here. You can’t just wave System Restore’s magic wand and restore to an arbitrarily chosen point in time. Instead, when you invoke this feature it presents you with one or, several event-specific restore points from which to select. These points are created on a regular basis by the system on both a timed basis and when specific events take place. By default, Windows 7 will display the most recent restore point. Windows 7 had added an additional feature to System Restore and this is the chance to see what will be the effect on your system once you revert to a certain restore point. It also has the advanced recovery options that can guide you through the reinstallation of Windows 7 and restorations of personal files and settings.

Despite the magnitude of its impact on the system, System Restore through the enhancements it had undergone in Windows 7 had become more simple and user-friendly.  This is best seen in its simplified user interface and utmost guidance towards selecting a better recovery method. Once it’s running, then you know you’re on your way to recovery and your disaster should then be just a part of an unpleasant memory.

Technorati Tags: windows 7, Windows 7 Protection, Windows 7 Software

Here are their most common reasons …

• Rave and excitement for the new OS is not enough to change their minds and join the bandwagon of the shrieking fans of the new OS. Most users noticed the same hype and attention were given to Vista on its early days and yet Vista in the end had failed to meet the user’s expectations.
• The fear and uncertainty of scenarios where users will find themselves shortchanged in case they migrate to Windows 7  and the option to revert back is not feasible anymore. This holds true more when the time comes that XP will not be around anymore.
• During Vista’s heydays, a lot of entrepreneurs and SMBs had decided to buy lots of licenses for Vista for migration for their business units and some even upgraded and changed their hardware to accommodate Vista’s hardware requirements. Apparently, when problems and issues started cropping out like hardware and driver incompatibilities, security, frequent crashes and a lot more from Vista, they found themselves downgrading back to XP. Just imagine the merry go round of bucks that were spent at that time.
• Lack of budget is another factor why a lot are still on the waiting list, the instability of the global economy is still lurking around.
• Lastly, a small percentage would like to take their sweet time and hold back to wait and see for awhile on what will be the turnout of this new OS in the coming days. Being cautious and wise is the name of the game.

So are these reasons justifiable? Yes they are in a way and to some extent. Looking at the other side of the coin, companies will also have to weigh the cost of a migration to new hardware and software as well as the upgrading of some applications. A typical time frame schedule for deployment of a new OS in an organization will take less than 18 months, so to delay further will be additional cost on the part of the company.  The truth of the matter is, migrating to Windows 7 is inevitable and for some it’s just a matter of time and for how long, it all depends on their priorities. If Windows 7 can deliver, what’s stopping you anyway? Go and take that leap!

Technorati Tags: installing windows 7, Windows 7 Software, Windows Vista, Windows7