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Vol. 2, # 22 - Jun 3, 2010 - Issue # 38 |
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Win7 on a Tablet - or Not? How Microsoft Could Make an iPad Killer
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- Editor's Corner
- Win7 on a Tablet - or Not? How Microsoft Could Make an iPad Killer
- Follow-up: The dream device
- Quotes of the Week
- Cool Tools
- News, Hints, Tips and Tricks
- The Courier is dead; Long live the Courier
- PCs are selling again and we have Windows 7 to thank for it
- Whistle Phone: The price is right
- What should Microsoft do about the Zune?
- How to: Using the New Windows 7 Features
- Pin a file to the taskbar
- Windows 7 and Vista Security
- Don't be a tabnabbing victim
- Question Corner
- New commands for Windows 7
- Windows 7 Configuration and Troubleshooting
- You run an .exe file and a different program starts
- Fav Links
- This Week's Links We Like. Tips, Hints And Fun Stuff
- Product of the Week
- Noromis PhotoLab: Download Photos From Your Camera & Fix Them Automatically!
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Editor's Corner |
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Win7 on a Tablet - or Not? How Microsoft Could Make an iPad Killer
Last week, I talked about my "dream device." But the almost-impossible specs
that I described there aren't really necessary, in my opinion, to make a device
that would be an iPad killer. In fact, my "one device for all purposes" dream
would probably cost so much that nobody could afford it. So this week, I'm going
to talk about a more feasible way that I believe Microsoft could edge out the
iPad.
When Steve Ballmer showed off a prototype of a Windows 7 slate-style tablet made
by HP at this year's CES, Windows fans had high hopes. It looked slick, like
something that just might be able to take on the not-yet-released iPad. But a
lot has changed since then. Apple brought out its "magical and revolutionary"
device (as described by Steve Jobs) and although it didn't quite live up to that
hyperbole, it proved to be extremely popular, selling a million units in 28
days:
http://www.win7news.net/100603-iPad-Sales
Shortly thereafter, HP stopped talking about the Win7 Slate, and the rumors
started going around that they were dropping it. Their acquisition of Palm
seemed to confirm that the company had decided to use the mobile WebOS for their
slate instead of Windows. Right around the same time came the news that
Microsoft had cancelled the Courier project - a dual screen tablet that many in
the business were excited about, and last week several web sites reported that
J. Allard, Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices "Chief Experience Officer," was
leaving the company because of the Courier's demise:
http://www.win7news.net/100603-Courier
So where does that leave those of us who were looking forward to an iPad-like
Windows device? Forrester, a highly reputed technology analyst firm, recently
issued a report that said tablets are going to be the next important computing
form. Heck, Bill Gates was saying that almost ten years ago, when XP Tablet
Edition came out. I still remember, with fondness and frustration, my big, heavy
Toshiba convertible tablet that ran that OS. And although tablets have been
embraced in some industries, such as healthcare, and featured on prime-time TV
shows such as CSI, the idea never really caught on with consumers. Until Apple
turned the tablet market on its ear with their slimmed down slate that's selling
like hotcakes.
The iPad buying frenzy isn't without reason. Even though it has some serious
flaws, the iPad fills a gap that most of us didn't even realize existed. Prior
to its release, I - along with many others - questioned whether there was any
need for a form factor and capabilities that fall somewhere in between a smart
phone and a notebook/netbook. It didn't seem as if the iPad would be able to do
anything that one or both of those couldn't do. And to a large extent, that's
true. Anything you can do with the iPad, you can do with the phone or notebook.
It's just that some things can be done more easily and pleasantly on the iPad.
And that (along with the "hey, look at me; I've got an iPad" factor) is the
reason so many people are buying it.
So what are these tasks that lend themselves to the slate format? I've
discovered several. One is reading an electronic book in bed. Yes, I could do
that on the phone, but its small screen requires "turning" the page every few
seconds and the overall experience just isn't as good. Yes, I could do it on the
laptop, but holding the open computer with the bottom resting on my chest is
awkward and uncomfortable. Yes, I could buy a dedicated ebook reader like a
Kindle, but if I'm going to pay $250 for something that does nothing but read
books, I might as well go the extra $250 and get something that will do much
more than that.
Another good use for the iPad, for those who like to cook, is as an electronic
recipe book. Could do it with the phone, could do it with the laptop, could do
it with the big 25" HP kitchen computer. But the first two suffer the same
problems you encounter when reading in bed, and I can't move the TouchSmart
around with me from one counter to the other as I can with the iPad. It's also
good as a "coffee table" device. When we're watching TV, if I want to look up
something on a website quickly, or check my email, I can grab it and do it. With
the laptop, I have to open it up, then wait for it to resume Windows. With the
phone, I don't get the rich, full size HTML mail experience. Either will work
for those tasks, but neither works quite as well as the iPad.
Then there are the apps. The Maps app on the iPad is just about the coolest
thing I've seen in a long time, the way it integrates with your contacts, picks
up your own location and just works like an electronic map should. Whistle Phone
is a free app that lets you make free phone calls to any phone in the U.S. over
the iPad (you have to listen to a short commercial, about 20 seconds, before it
dials). ABC Player lets you watch recent episodes of your favorite ABC TV shows
(now where are my CBS Player and NBC Player?). Annotate PDF lets you add notes,
draw and highlight text in PDF files. And there are many more, to fit your own
needs.
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But it's what the iPad is lacking that opens up a big window (no pun intended)
of opportunity for Microsoft. Apple convinced the world that the slate format is
cool and useful - now Microsoft can step in and give us the things we want in a
tablet that Apple, with their control freak design philosophy, never will. I
just hope the Powers That Be at Microsoft see this opening for what it is and
run with it.
First, just as PCs outsell Macs by far in part because they cost less for the
same specs, a Microsoft tablet should cost less than the iPad. The first time my
son and I played with an iPad at the Apple store, his overall assessment was,
"If it cost about $200-300, that would be a pretty neat little device." The iPad
can be useful for some work tasks, but it's also very much a tech toy - and
people don't want to pay $500-800 for a toy. If Microsoft (on its own or through
its partners) could come out with a slate that offered similar functionality for
$250, I believe they would sell out fast.
Next, give us what Apple left out or makes us pay extra for. A device the size
of an iPad could easily have included a USB port, but Apple didn't want us
connecting an external drive and transferring files that way; they want to lock
us into iTunes. My little smart phone has room for a microSD slot, but Apple
didn't give us one - they certainly wouldn't want you to be able to expand your
storage space instead of buying a much more expensive version of the device. If
Microsoft created a $250 slate with USB and SD or microSD (and how about a user-removable
battery while we're at it), I know plenty of people who would buy one.
Oh, and give us a great on-screen keyboard. The iPad keyboard is responsive but
still annoying and slow to type on because you still have to lift your finger
off the keyboard between each key. Every time I use it, I think about how great
it would be to have Swype on that keyboard. With Swype on my Omnia II phone, I
can enter text at 50 wpm. On a bigger device, it would be possible to go even
faster.
In the end, though, it's all about the apps. Sure, everybody knows the Apple App
Store has over 100,000 apps - but it's really about quality, not quantity. Many
of the apps for the iPhone don't display well on the iPad, and many of the apps
don't do much of anything useful. Steve Ballmer has a favorite chant:
"Developers, developers, developers." Make it easy for developers to write great
apps. Give us the apps we want and need - such as a touch-friendly version of
Office. Give us a centralized app store for those who want to sell their
software that way, but make it optional, not mandatory. Don't lock out any apps
(as Apple did with Google Voice) because they might compete with yours or the
services of your provider partner.
Speaking of providers, something that would really make users happy: don't lock
us into one cell phone provider for 3G/4G service. Make versions that will work
with each of the major U.S. providers. I know many people who said they wouldn't
get the iPad, or at least not the 3G version, because they didn't want to use
the AT&T network.
Finally, the big controversy is whether a Microsoft slate should run Windows 7
or the Phone 7 operating system. My gut response is "neither." Or maybe "both."
Those who say Windows 7 is too mouse-centric for a good touch experience are
right - sort of. Win7 does work fine as a touch OS on our big 25" TouchSmart
screen, but on a 10 inch tablet, maybe not so much. Tony Bradley comes out
against Win7 on a tablet here, and he makes some good points.
http://www.win7news.net/100603-Windows-7-Tablet
However, based on what I've seen of Windows Phone 7, I'm not sure that's the
right choice, either. It's a pretty interface and nice for a phone, but I don't
know if it's robust enough for a tablet. Another big complaint I've heard about
the iPad is that many people do want a full fledged OS, and they want to be able
to access the file system. One advantage of Windows 7 is that it's what people
are familiar with on their desktops. Plenty of folks don't want to have to learn
a new operating system (witness the continued use of XP). It appears Microsoft
itself isn't convinced that the phone OS is the best tablet OS, either:
http://www.win7news.net/100603-Win7-Tablet-Plans
What I would like to see is a "hybrid" OS for the tablet that looks a lot like
Win7 so folks don't flounder around, trying to figure out how to do things, but
is redesigned to be more touch-friendly like the Zune HD interface and Windows
Phone 7. I know all of this is asking a lot. But if Microsoft could deliver on
it, I think they truly would have an iPad killer. What do you think? Does Apple
have the market sewn up so that it's hopeless to even try? Do you have other
ideas about what people want in a tablet? Is Forrester wrong, and the tablet
market totally irrelevant, the iPad just a niche device in which most people
will soon lose interest? We invite you to discuss this topic in our forum at
http://www.win7news.net/100603-Forum-Discussion
Follow-up: The dream device
It seems I'm not the only one "to dream the impossible dream." A few of you
have been longing for the same thing: one device that could do it all. Others
said no, thanks. And they offered some valid concerns, such as security.
It goes without saying that such a device would have to have heavy-duty security
features, such as remote wipe capabilities, and I would want multi-factor
authentication, too. Both fingerprint swipe and passphrase would be nice, and
let's go a step further: if the incorrect passphrase is entered, after three
tries the device automatically wipes its memory. That way you have remote wipe
even if the thief never connects it to the Internet. It also goes without
saying that I would back it up regularly, and since we're dreaming here, the
software would allow for a quick, painless restoration process when needed.
As always, thanks to all of you who participated in the discussion.
'Til next week,
Deb Shinder, Editor
feedback@win7news.net
PS: Did you know this newsletter has a sister publication for XP users called
WXPnews?
You can subscribe here, and tell your friends:
http://www.win7news.net/100513-WXPNews
And for IT pros, there's our "big sister," WServer News, at
http://www.win7news.net/100513-WserverNews
Look for the Win7News fan page on Facebook!
Quotes of the Week
"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." -
Lewis Carroll
"In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd." - Miguel de
Cervantes
"Most of the things worth doing in the world have been declared impossible before
they were done." - Louis D. Brandeis
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- New antivirus + antispyware engine with firewall
- Advanced anti-rootkit technology
- Cutting-edge Proactive Protection
- Full email protection: Outlook and Windows Mail
- Ideal for Netbooks that need malware protection
- No automatic credit card charge each year!
Try VIPRE Antivirus Premium now for 30-days FREE!
http://www.win7news.net/100513-VIPRE-Premium
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Cool Tools |
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News, Hints, Tips and Tricks |
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The Courier is dead; Long live the Courier
Matt Burns, over on Crunchgear, reports that the Courier might be dead at
Microsoft, but Sony has just filed a patent that describes almost the same thing
- only better. I've been saying for a long time that Sony is the company that
needs to make the killer tablet I was wishing for in the editorial above. Sony
is the only company that makes hardware to rival Apple's for "cool" factor - my
VAIO X is lighter and thinner and more elegant looking than a MacBook Air. Of
course, it might not ever come to be but if it did, I might just line up outside
the store for that one.
http://www.win7news.net/100603-Courier-Lookalike
PCs are selling again and we have Windows 7 to thank for it
A new forecast from analyst firm Gartner predicts that PC sales will grow by 22
percent in 2010 world-wide, 29 percent in the U.S. Why? Well, Windows 7 has a
lot to do with it. The OS has been a big success and businesses are starting to
replace their fleets of PCs with new Win7 models. Consumers are finally letting
go of XP and moving to Windows 7, too. If things go as they think, that means
$245.5 billion in revenues for the PC industry, and that's nothing to sneeze at.
http://www.win7news.net/100603-PC-Units
Whistle Phone: The price is right
I discovered Whistle Phone for my iPad and was impressed with it on that device.
But you can also download a version for your PC or Mac. The app itself is free,
and it lets you make free calls to any phone in the U.S. and receive calls, too.
The voice quality was fine over the wi-fi network (802.11n) when we tested it.
What's the catch? Well, when you dial out, you have to listen to a 20 second
commercial before the connection is made. The web site isn't very informative
and when you set up your account, it asks if you want to add money to your
balance - but you only need to do that if you want to make international calls.
Otherwise, you can leave that blank and use it without ever entering credit card
info. Works on Windows 7; I haven't tested it on other Windows operating
systems. Check it out here:
http://www.win7news.net/100603-Whistle
What should Microsoft do about the Zune?
I have a Zune and I like it. I'm not really much of a "pod person" - I'm just
not that into music these days. But for those times when I am, it's an
impressive device. The sound quality is great, the interface is pretty and
intuitive, it's responsive and easy to use. But it continues to have only a tiny
share of the market. Matt Rosoff opines on how Microsoft could tune that around.
Read it and see whether you agree or disagree:
http://www.win7news.net/100603-Ballmer-N-Zune
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How to: Using the New Windows 7 Features |
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Pin a file to the taskbar
Windows 7 has lots of neat little ways of doing things that you might not be
aware of, even if you've been using it for a while. For instance, how do you
open a file? Double click on it in Explorer? Right click and select "Open?"
Sure, you can do it those (old) ways. But there's a new way to do it in Win7,
too, that makes it more accessible later if you're going to be using it a lot:
- From the desktop or Explorer, drag a file to a program on the Windows 7
taskbar (for example, drag a .doc file to the Word icon).
- This pins the file to that program.
- Now you can open it whenever you want by right clicking the program icon and
clicking the pinned file.
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Windows 7 and Vista Security |
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Don't be a tabnabbing victim
You know that there are many different types of attacks that can be made via the
web browser. If you're a multi-tasker who likes to keep lots of tabs open at the
same time, and especially if you use Firefox, be careful not to become a victim
of the latest form of phishing, called "tabnabbing." You can read more about it
here:
http://www.win7news.net/100603-Tabnabbing
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Question Corner |
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New commands for Windows 7
QUESTION:
I'm a command line junkie. I've discovered that Windows 7 supports some brand
new commands for getting to common controls and programs via the Run box. Do you
happen to have a list of all the new ones? Thanks! - Ron L.
ANSWER:
This web site lists commands that are found in Windows 7 and Vista, that weren't
in XP:
http://www.win7news.net/100603-Run-Commands
Did you know that you can create your own "Run" commands for programs? This site
shows you how to do it:
http://www.win7news.net/100603-Start-Search-Box
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Windows 7 Configuration and Troubleshooting |
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You run an .exe file and a different program starts
If you run an executable file on your Windows 7 or Vista computer, sometimes you
might find that a different program from the one you expected starts. What's up
with that? If you're using Vista, you can use the Microsoft FixIt feature to
automatically fix the problem for you. If you're using Windows 7, you'll need to
fix it manually by editing the registry. For either method, see KB article
950505 at
http://www.win7news.net/100603-exe-Files
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Fav Links |
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This Week's Links We Like. Tips, Hints And Fun Stuff
Disclaimer: VistaNews does not assume and cannot be
responsible for any liability related to you clicking any of
these linked Web sites.
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Product of the Week |
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all of the photos on your hard drives will be analyzed and corrected while your
PC is idle or while you're busy with other tasks, saving you even more time. 15%
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Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Other products and companies
referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders.
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