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DriverGuide 'Blogs
Categories: Ask DriverGuide, DriverGuide News, Technology Blog |
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Technology Blog: Google Desktop 2 Launched, Big Improvements
by quincy, posted 22 August 2005, 4:41 pm |
For those of you curious about the possibility (and rumors) of an eventual Google browser the latest incarnation of Desktop 2 is another step in that direction. Besides the desktop search features previous versions provided, it now includes a sidebar. The sidebar displays news (via RSS feeds) which apparently (I've not tried it yet) learns what news is of most interest to you by which sites you go to (which have RSS feeds) and automagically includes that news. Also from the sidecar you can launch Windows applications, get weather, stock quotes, and do nearly anything that developers can think of via plugins. See screenshot and Download at Google.
Personally I use Copernic's free Desktop Search which I preferred to Google first version, but I'll need to give Google's Desktop 2 a try.
Quincy |
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Technology Blog: What Vista Means to Low-End PCs
by quincy, posted 16 August 2005, 9:21 pm |
One question that people have been asking of late is, what will Windows Vista mean to the low-end PCs that have become so popular. Will a $400 Dell you buy now, next summer, or when ships, run Vista well? The answer is yes, -ish. Microsoft has come up with two terms, Vista-ready and Vista-capable. Vista-ready means that all the features of Vista are supported, and that the OS is expected to perform at reasonable speed. Vista-capable means (in most cases) that you won't get the nice Vista Aero Glass effects and (in many cases) that the OS might feel a bit pokey. If you were to buy a low-end PC today, last week, or next month, you're almost certainly going to be able to run Vista, but you will probably be in the Vista-capable category. I haven't seen any benchmarks available showing performance/usability of Vista Beta 1 on low-end machines, but the discussions of the issue of performance and usability I have seen center around Aero Glass and the UI. Aero Glass requires DirectX 9 support, which in turn requires a relatively recent graphics card. And almost certainly it will require more than a little horsepower behind the graphics card, something that integrated graphics cards probably won't deliver. In some cases you may be able to drop in a graphics card into your low-end PC, but read the PC's specs before you buy, many do not include the AGP or PCI Express slots you need to plug in a modern graphics card.
Given the success of low-end PCs in attracting users who may not typically buy PCs or may not typically replace a PC quite so often, it will be interesting to see how PC manufacturers respond. They would much rather sell you a $650 PC over a $400 PC (the margins are worse for them on the cheap PCs), but if it's $400 or no sale, then I'm sure they'll continue making models that fit that price point. Some have been suggesting that this new version of Windows will seriously erode the perceived value of these low-end PCs and sneakily draw more and more people into mid-level PCs. It's a good theory, and there's probably truth to it. While the main requirement for Vista-ready appears to be graphical, and it can operate without those effects, I'm sure a good marketing expert (or psychologist) could go on at length about the importance of appearance, and how people will feel an uncomfortable gnawing inadequacy knowing their PC doesn't look as cool as their neighbor's. It might not affect your father or grandfather and their PC buying, but it'll probably influence everyone else.
Quincy |
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Technology Blog: Worm spreading fast, update your Windows PC!
by quincy, posted 15 August 2005, 8:01 pm |
Just a follow-up from the previous message, as they predicted worms based on the PnP vulnerability announced and patchable (last Tuesday) via WindowsUpdate.com are spreading. The vulnerability exists in Windows 95, 98, ME, NE, 2000 and XP, but so far the worms appear to target Windows 2000.
Read more here or here.
Quincy |
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Technology Blog: Got Windows? Better visit WindowsUpdate ASAP, new worm released
by quincy, posted 12 August 2005, 2:20 pm |
According to the Internet Storm Center there are already worms in the wild which are based on the exploits resolved in last Tuesday's critical patches issued by Microsoft. They warn the worm could go critical this weekend. The worms appear to target Win 2K, but the vulnerabilities exist in XP as well.
Check out Slashdot's coverage.
Quincy |
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Technology Blog: Treo to run Windows Mobile, Not Looking Good for PalmOS
by quincy, posted 6 August 2005, 3:22 am |
In a move sure to surprise many, it appears that the Treo 670 will run Windows Mobile and *NOT* PalmOS (as it always has). Another nail in the coffin of PalmOS? Seems likely. See the evidence of the Treo 670 running Windows Mobile at Engadget.
Quincy |
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