Now here's an oddity: Microsoft's "Windows 7 compatible" sticker that will be affixed to nearly all Windows computers around Windows 7 launch doesn't seem to include current Atom Netbooks.
The reasoning, according to Microsoft's page and an Engadget report, is that these stickers will indicate that the computer in question can run all versions of Windows 7, including 64-bit. Says Mark Relph, senior director of the Microsoft Windows Strategy Group: "To be granted the Logo, products are tested to work with all versions of Windows 7 including 64-bit. This is an important change since 64 bit systems are becoming more mainstream." While future Atom processors will be 64-bit capable, current Intel Atom Netbooks with processors such as the Atom N270 can't run 64-bit Windows 7, and are thus off the list for this sticker. Read more »
Moving, resizing, and arranging windows on the screen has been one of those things we've done since the earliest days of Microsoft Windows. If you've used Windows since 1995, you know the maximize, minimize, and restore buttons like the back of your hand. But those old-school tools just don't cut it with today's big monitors and high-definition resolutions. ZDNet's Ed Bott shows you a cool new set of gestures and shortcuts to help you move, resize, and arrange windows more intelligently. Check out the video after the jump. Read more »
Microsoft confirmed Wednesday that it plans to open a "Windows Cafe" in Paris where people will be able to try out the latest from Redmond while drinking a cup of coffee.
The cafe will open on October 22--the day that Windows 7 launches, Microsoft said.
"This initiative expresses our intention to meet with the general public and show the new Windows experiences on PC, mobile and on the Internet," a Microsoft representative said in a statement to CNET News. "People will be able to discover Windows 7, the Windows phones and the Windows Live services."
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Looking to take advantage of tightened corporate travel budgets, Hewlett-Packard showed the latest tech to come out of its labs: Skyroom.
Unveiled together with Intel at the start of the Intel Developer Forum here, Skyroom is a real-time collaborative video conferencing and whiteboarding tool. HP CEO Mark Hurd hinted at the product when he spoke at Fortune's Brainstorm conference in July. Read more »
Microsoft has finally started to open up its Web-based versions of Office apps to early testers. Last week we got access to a "technical preview" of Excel and PowerPoint on the Web (not, notably, Word). The obvious comparison that will be made is to Google Docs.
Excel
The version of Excel that we have access to is the most similar to Google Docs in capabilities. It allows simultaneous editing--two or more people working on a spreadsheet at the same time. As in Google Docs' spreadsheet app, as soon as one person updates a part of the spreadsheet, everyone else viewing the sheet gets the change in real time, or close enough to it. Users don't have to "save" their file for the changes to get pushed out.
In raw editing capability, Excel on the Web beats Google. It will have features approaching the PC counterpart of the app, not to mention the same user interface (the "ribbon" Office users are accustomed to) instead of Google's old-timey but clear pull-down menus. The commonality between the Web and PC versions of the products should make it easier for people to pop between the desktop Office apps and their Web counterparts.
The technical preview of Office Web Apps shows how similar the online apps will be to their desktop counterparts, even though many features are missing in this early version. (Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)