Office 2010 preview program coming in July

Those attending Microsoft's TechEd event will not only get to hear about Office 2010, they will also be among the first to get to try it out.

Microsoft said Monday that it will launch an invitation-only Technical Preview Program of the new Office in July, and said that those at this week's Microsoft conference in Los Angeles will be among the first to get to kick the tires on the new version of Microsoft's flagship software.
Whereas Office 2007 introduced new file formats and a major overhaul of the user interface, Office 2010 is a more modest change to the desktop programs. However, in conjunction with the release, Microsoft is also releasing browser-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, known as Office Web Applications. It will also be the first version of Office to come in a 64-bit version, as well as the traditional 32-bit variety.
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Windows 7 world tour wallpapers

Thanks to Windows 7, there will always be some corner of your desktop that is forever England. Or Canada, or the Outback, or an African elephant, because localized wallpapers are included in the newest iteration of Microsoft's operating system.

Windows 7 is here, kind of: The release candidate is out this week as a soft launch ahead of the proper finished version, which is expected sometime before the end of this year. Among the new features are a fistful of new wallpapers created by illustrators and designers. But if you like your computer to reflect a little piece of home, you can choose from 30 wallpapers depicting a scene from a specific country.

Each of the beautiful photographs shows landscapes from the UK, Australia, Canada, the US or South Africa. The files take up 19.2MB of disk space, divided into folders depicting each country. Some are obvious landmarks, while others are a little more generic.

Click through our gallery to see the wallpapers, some of which are frankly stunning. While you're at it, see if you can name all 30. We certainly couldn't--it's times like this we wish we'd paid more attention in geography, instead of sneaking off to the science lab to tinker with those BBC Micros.

Via Crave UK

Belkin's CushDesk: Because you can't be too careful with your lap

Belkin's looking out for your lap's wellbeing. While laptop heat hasn't been proven to cause permanent damage in the nether regions, it can't hurt to be safe, we suppose.

Still, does anyone really need a product like the CushDesk? At US$30 (available now), it's like a lap pillow with a hard surface for laptopping on. We've often worked with laptops on our laps, and while we haven't had any brushfires, the temperature can often become uncomfortable. So if nothing else, consider it a heat sink, with an added bonus of an upward-angled hard surface (which could also aid in what might be called "laptop droop".)

Boasting an "easy-to-clean" exterior, according to Belkin's press release, the overall concept is slim and innocuous enough to be useful if you're a frequent couch worker.

Available in colors both muted (black/gray) and flashy (espresso/fuchsia), the CushDesk claims compatibility with any laptop, PC or Mac, up to 17 inches. We're still skeptical of the needless peripheralization of our mobile electronics, especially since a flat board could conceivably do the trick just as well. There also doesn't seem to be any room to rest a mouse or any other USB plug-ins.
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Credit card-size USB drive that fits in your wallet

We've all seen tiny thumbdrives that look no larger than the USB port itself, but one problem is how to store it without losing the unit under a pile of stuff? The Clickfree Traveler may not be the smallest USB storage device in town, but its credit card size means it can be easily stored in your wallet. Even better, this comes with a tiny built-in USB connector. Just be careful not to sit on it as we doubt it's as flexible as your cards.

The 32GB Clickfree Traveler is available for US$149.99, though you'll have to factor in international shipping cost of US$55.50.

First SSD-based CD ripping NAS device?

Via RipNAS announced its latest network attached storage devices this week--the Statement series--in solid-state drive and harddisk drive formats. The RipNAS Statement is purported as the first CD ripping NAS device to come equipped with the former.

Based on the Windows Home Server OS and housed in a silver aluminum casing (designed to eliminate noise pollution), the Statement is capable of CD ripping, media streaming, and networked storage on either the 500GB SSD configuration (2 x 250GB SSDs) or the 3TB HDD configuration (2 x 1.5TB HDDs). The entire case measures 10 x 43 x 38cm and is powered by a dual-core Atom CPU, has 2GB of memory, and four USB ports.
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