http://www.win7news.net Win7news is the world's first and largest weekly B2C-zine uniquely focused on the many millions of new Microsoft Windows 7 users. en-us Copyright 1996-2010 Sunbelt Software All Rights Reserved. feedback@win7news.net (Deb Shinder) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:24:47 1440 Most new computers come with Windows 7 Home Premium, but do you need to upgrade to a more expensive edition? Is it worth the extra cost? And if Home Premium won't do everything you need, should you go with Pro or go all out for the Ultimate experience? Those are the questions we tackle in this week's editorial. In the follow-up, Deb responds to readers' comments on Windows 7 speech recognition. http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=26 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 Do you wish you could just tell your computer what to do, instead of typing or clicking? With speech recognition technology, you can. We might not be at the point where we can converse with our computers like they did on Star Trek, but voice command and dictation software is improving all the time, and we take a look at the latest implementation in this week's editorial. In the follow-up, our readers had something to say about email and social networking. http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=25 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 Social networking might be the hottest new way of interacting with people, but I'm an email addict from way back. Now it's getting easier to combine the two. In this week's editorial, we look at the ways email clients like Outlook are starting to converge with social networks. And in the follow-up, we're still talking on (or about) the phone. http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=24 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 Deb had too many places to be this week, all at the same time. Thanks to the Internet, she was able to go all the way to Barcelona - without leaving home. Read about what happened at the Mobile World Congress, including the introduction of Windows Phone 7, in this week's editorial. And in the follow-up, reader opinions about the iPad were all over the charts. Love it or hate, we love finding out what you think. http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=23 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 By now, you've probably heard all about the Apple iPad, both from those who think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread and those who make jokes about it. If you're intrigued by the tablet concept but find the iPad's specs a bit lacking, it's good to know that there are plenty of alternatives out there, including many that run Windows 7. We explore some of the possibilities in this week's editorial. Then we follow up on the topic of running Win7 on a notebook with modest specs. http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=22 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 You've installed Windows 7 on your desktop computer and you're pleased with the performance, but will it run well on a notebook (or netbook) with more modest technical specifications? Are there any "gotchas" to watch out for if you're thinking about upgrading a portable system to Win7 or buying one with Win7 preinstalled? That's what we talk about in this week's editorial. And in the follow-up, seems that for most of our readers, Windows 7 is not all fun and games. http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=21 Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 Many of us have focused on how Windows 7 makes it easier for us to get our work done, but what about those who use their computers primarily for leisure time activities - specifically, how does Windows 7 stack up for gamers? That's what we talk about in this week's editorial. And in the follow-up, the reader consensus seems to be (for the most part): "We don't need no stinking service pack." http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=20 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 In the past, all except confirmed early adopters waited for the first service pack to come out before migrating to a new Windows operating system. But is Windows 7 different? Do you really gain anything by waiting, or is this OS stable enough so that you should start enjoying its benefits now? When can we expect to see that service pack, anyway, and what will be in it? Read this week's editorial for more info on Windows 7 SP1. And in the follow-up, there's more on this year's CES and readers' comments pertaining to it. http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=19 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 This year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) may have been a little smaller than usual, but Microsoft was there in a big way, and the real star of their show was none other than Windows 7. Read about it in this week's editorial. In the follow-up, readers weigh in on password management and alternative user authentication methods. http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=18 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 How do you prove to your operating system that you're really the user whose account you're logging onto? In most cases, you do it by entering a password - but is that really the best way? Tech security experts have been saying for a long while that passwords are passé, and Windows 7 has enhanced support for other forms of user authentication that are more secure. Read about it in this week's editorial. http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=17 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:00 You have a brand new version of Windows; you might as well dress it up with a brand new version of Office, too. The Office 2010 beta is available to the public, and installing it might just give you a brand new Outlook. Read this week's editorial to find out more about it, and specifically about what's good - and what's not - in the latest incarnation of Microsoft's email/calendaring/contacts management software. http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=16 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 Windows 7 includes a new feature that makes it easier than ever for you to set up a whole-house entertainment system: Media Streaming. Read all about it in this week's editorial. And in the follow-up, we talk about your ideas that did or didn't make it into Windows 7. http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=15 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 In Microsoft's latest ad campaign, everyone and his dog claims that "Windows 7 is my idea." What ideas of yours did Microsoft adopt - and which ones do you wish they would use next time? Read this week's editorial to find out about some of my Windows 7 ideas. Then we follow up with responses to readers' comments and questions about HomeGroups. http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=14 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 While most of you are recovering from a traditional Thanksgiving feast, Sunbelt would like to kick off your holiday season with an incredible Black Friday Special. http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=13 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:00 Windows 7 has lots of great new features. HomeGroup is a new way of networking that makes it easier for you to share your entertainment media with others on your local network. Want to know more? Check out this week's editorial. And in the follow-up, readers responded (mostly positively) to last week's comments about the great copycat debate. http://www.win7news.net/rss/?id=12 Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:00:00