| Windows 8 Sales Reach 100 Million Licenses, Should Microsoft Reverse Course? Posted: 07 May 2013 10:52 AM PDT  Steve Ballmer and company have some big decisions to make.
It was bit odd that Microsoft chose not to disclose in its most recent financial report exactly how many Windows 8 licenses it sold, though we now know the number is north of 100 million. Tami Reller, Microsoft's Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Financial Officer, revealed the figure in a Q&A session that was posted on Microsoft's Windows blog, adding that the figure takes into account Windows 8 licenses that ship on new tablet and traditional PCs, as well as upgrades to the touch-friendly OS. "This is up from the 60 million license number we provided in January. We've also seen the number of certified devices for Windows 8 and Window RT grow to 2,400 devices, and we're seeing more and more touch devices in the mix," Reller said. "As we talked about in our last Q&A, Windows 8 is a big, ambitious change. While we realize that change takes time, we feel good about the progress since launch, including what we've been able to accomplish with the ecosystem and customer reaction to the new PCs and tablets that are available now or will soon come to market." Reller also touched on Windows Blue, the codename for an update that will be available later this year. She said that Blue represents an opportunity for Microsoft to respond to customer feedback, though stopped short of saying the coveted Start button would make a triumphant return. Regardless of what Microsoft decides to do with the Start button, you have to wonder if the company would be better served by admitting failure and going in a different direction before it's perhaps too late. Reller, who apparently has been getting around the interview circuit, spoke with the Financial Times and admitted that Windows 8's "learning curve is definitely real." More than that, at least one analyst likened the current state of Windows to that of Coca-Cola's New Coke nearly three decades ago. "This is like New Coke, going on for seven months -- only Coke listened better," Richard Doherty, an analyst at Envisioneering, told FT. It only took Coke three months to drop its new formula after consumers reacted negatively, and one could argue that Microsoft should do the same with Windows. Just as Coke tried to reinvent the flavor of its soda, Microsoft drastically changed the flavor of Windows to suit the trend towards tablets and mobile, but iOS and Android slates still rule the day. What's your opinion on all this? Should Microsoft admit failure and reverse course, or ride it out knowing that consumers sometimes reactive negatively to change in the beginning? Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| TiVo Desktop Software Stops Being Free Next Month Posted: 07 May 2013 09:36 AM PDT  TiVo's Desktop platform is about to switch to a paid pricing model.
Ruh roh Shaggy, time is quickly running out to grab the free version of TiVo's Desktop software for PC. Starting June 5, 2013, the free version will no longer be available to download, so if you want to listen to music and view photos on your TV, or transfer shows from your TiVo DVR to your PC -- all of which the free Desktop software allows -- you'll have to download the software before the deadline. Even then you could still end up having to pay a subscription, depending on your operating system. After June 5th, you'll still be able to use the free software, provided you're running a compatible OS earlier than Windows 8. Those who plan to use their Windows 8 box will have to upgrade to TiVo Desktop Plus for $16, which is $9 less than it used to be. "TiVo Desktop Plus works with Microsoft Windows 8 and gives you all of the same features of the regular TiVo Desktop software for the PC. Plus it allows you to transfer shows to your portable devices and transfer web videos to your TiVo DVR," TiVo explains on its FAQ page. For the full experience that TiVo Desktop has to offer, you'll need at least a 2.2GHz Pentium 4 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 5GB of disk space plus an additional 5GB for ever every of HD programs you transfer. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Crysis Not Averted: MSI's GX70 Gaming Laptop Can Handle Crysis 3 Posted: 07 May 2013 08:09 AM PDT  Yes, it can run Crysis 3.
Ultrabooks and tablets are fine for what they're intended to do, but if you want to play a game like Crysis 3 at a high resolution, good luck trying to so on Integrated graphics. Gaming notebooks, while bulky, flex significantly more pixel pushing power, and that's especially true of MSI's new GX70 laptop, a system the company claims is "officially recommended for Crysis 3." MSI's marketing spin aside, this thing wields a pretty powerful Radeon HD 8970M GPU. MSI also tapped AMD for central processing chores, which is handled by an A10-5750M quad-core APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) clocked at 2.5GHz to 3.5GHz. It's not Ivy Bridge, but respectable nonetheless, especially when paired with the high-end discrete graphics. Other hardware features and options include up to 32GB of DDR3L-1600 memory (two DIMM slots), 128GB solid state drive (RAID 0) paired with either a 500GB or 750GB hard drive (7200 RPM), up to a Blu-ray writer for optical duties, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, SD card reader, HD webcam, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, Killer Gaming LAN, HDMI 1.4 output, DisplayPort, D-Sub, 9-cell battery, and Windows 8. It also has a full color backlit LED keyboard built by SteelSeries. No word on price or availability. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Sony Launches Line of Affordable Vaio Fit Laptops Starting at $549 Posted: 07 May 2013 07:41 AM PDT  When's the last time you saw "Vaio" and "affordable" in the same sentence?
Sony's Vaio line doesn't have a reputation for being friendly to budgets, but that's about to change with the introduction of new Vaio Fit laptops and Ultrabooks. Pricing starts at $549, which isn't exactly netbook territory but is a far cry from being expensive for a notebook. For that kind of dough, Sony will sell you a Fit E 14E model, which is a 14-inch laptop that's thin, light, and made of aluminum. If you need something a little bigger, there's a 15-inch variant (Fit E 15E) that starts at $579. Both are available in a few different color options, including black, pink, and white, and both are outfitted with 3rd Generation Intel Core processor options. There are also non-E models to choose from, with the 14-inch Fit boasting a 1600x900 resolution and the 15-inch Fit featuring a Full HD 1080p display (1920x1080). Nvidia graphics are optional, as are hybrid hard drive and straight-up solid state drive storage. Pricing for the Fit 14 and 15 start at $649 and $699, respectively. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: OCZ ZT Series 750W PSU, Samsung 840 Series 120GB SSD, and More Posted: 07 May 2013 05:51 AM PDT |
| Seagate's 600 Series Solid State Drive is Its First SSD for Consumers Posted: 07 May 2013 05:33 AM PDT  Welcome to the consumer fray, Seagate.
Seagate, one of the largest suppliers of hard drives in the world, announced on Tuesday a new portfolio of flash-based storage solutions. Among the portfolio of products is a new Seagate 600 Series solid state drive, the company's first client-based SSD and one that's available in multiple z-heights, including an industry first 5mm-high drive that can squeeze into ultra-thin devices and laptops alike. The 600 Series comes in 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB flavors, all of which use multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory and sport a 6Gbps interface. Performance varies by capacity and breaks down as follows: - 120GB: 500+MB/s read, 300+MB/s write, up to 80,000 IOPS read, up to 60,000 IOPS write
- 240GB: 500+MB/s read, 400+MB/s write, up to 80,000 IOPS read, up to 70,000 IOPS write
- 480GB: 500+MB/s read, 400+MB/s write, up to 80,000 IOPS read, up to 70,000 IOPS write
Seagate didn't mention the controller it's using, but a peek at some reviews that have popped up on the web indicate it's based on Link A Media Device's LM87800 controller, the same as found in Corsair's Neutron and Neutron GTX SSDs. The storage maker also unveiled a 600 Pro SSD Series billed as a low power server and storage solution that's especially well suited for cloud system builders, hyperscale data centers, content deliver networks, cloud service providers, and virtualized environments. It only uses 2.8W of power (typical). Finally, Seagate announced a 1200 SSD Series. These drives feature dual-port 12Gbps SAS connectors and are twice as fast as previous generation drives. These are available in capacities up to 800GB in either a 1.8-inch or 2.5-inch form factor. No word yet on price or availability. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
