Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

"The EU will require Microsoft to package third party browser software with Windows. Furthermore, it will require Microsoft to provide further support efforts to make third party browsers' interface with Windows components like Windows Explorer as efficient as Internet Explorer's. The ruling is set to apply to both desktop Windows OS's and to Windows Mobile for cell phones."

Ah, the EU bureaucrats. With the world economy in tatters, they're still running after Microsoft, salivating for more money. Don't they have better things to do? Or maybe fleecing a big American company is part of their plan for the economic recovery of Europe - I wouldn't put it past them. We all know that Microsoft had some heavy-handed, monopolistic tactics back in the '90s - it's a matter of public record. But in the technology world, that's an eternity ago - politics, and even the law, can't keep up with the ferocious pace of technology and they look like idiots when they try. Read more...

"Windows 7 Senior Program Manager, Gabe Frost, demonstrates Windows 7 “Play To” functionality to the crew of On10.net For those unfamiliar, Play To is a new function introduced into Windows 7 that allows one to send a media file (from the same PC, shared media library derived from networked PCs, or a dedicated home server / NAS) for playback or display to a DLNA / UPnP device like a music streamer, digital media adapter, or photo frame with a simple right-click of the mouse."

One of the new features that Windows 7 brings is the "Play To" option. It is one thing to read about it, but Gabe Frost of Microsoft demonstrates this feature in a video at On10.net. Towards the end of the video, he says that Windows 7 can become a "Universal remote control for your media" which I think best describes "Play To." I'm very looking forward to this, as I've worked to come up with a wide variety of hacks such as using FM Transmitters, Shoutcast and Videolan to stream audio and video across my house and this seems to bring it all together in a much easier to use interface. I'm glad that they're going with a standard like DLNA, however, to make full use of this means upgrading/replacing a large amount of hardware I have around the house. Then again, new toys are always welcome!

"We've covered a few tidbits of what the Windows 7 Beta has to offer, including the mess of machines we've installed it on, but we finally gathered together all our thoughts and impressions of the OS into one meaty pile of words and screencaps. Naturally, we're working with a beta here, so things can absolutely get better (or worse), and Redmond might be hiding a feature or two in the wings -- or for the inevitable SP1 -- but we'd say Microsoft has really put its best foot forward here. Check out all our ramblings after the break."

More reviews of Windows 7 Beta are coming in, but Engadget has taken the time to publish a detailed review, going over each major component of note. They certainly like what they see, and applaud many of the improvements made, but they also take time to criticize many, many parts of Windows 7. In the end, they see the upcoming OS as an evolutionary step in the right direction for Microsoft. I really like how they've broken Windows 7 into different parts, explaining what we can expect with pictures. They thoroughly walk through each step, from the Superbar, to how the display control panel's been updated to benefit mobile workers, to its home networking abilities. I particularly like the part showing the "Play to device" feature. I also feel that the reviewer, while trying to be fair, has not been impressed with Microsoft in the past, so comments are harsh. I find this a good thing, since many reviews out there seem to be a bit blinded by some parts of Windows, gushing over every tweak. This review brings Windows 7 back to Earth and looks at it from a more practical perspective. Definitely a worthwhile read for those looking to upgrade once Widows 7 comes out.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends. The first iteration of Microsoft’s next operating system has arrived, and things are looking up for the Windows faithful. In fact, the first beta of Windows 7 is so reliable and responsive that it reminds us of the early Windows XP betas. With less than 12 months to go before launch, Windows 7 is in much better shape than Vista was at the same time, and it feels like a much more usable operating system than even XP did during its beta phase."

The Windows 7 beta has been out for over a week now and MaximumPC has been putting it through its paces. Under the hood, Windows 7 draws a lot from Vista, however, the interface has changed drastically. The taskbar, networking, media playback and even how you interact with windows have been updated. Many of the changes look nice and make sense, such as the taskbar morphing into a task manager/quicklaunch/recent documents controller. However the only downside I see is after having spent 10+ years getting used to the Windows 95 interface legacy, I'm going to be real stubborn about learning a new interface, despite how beneficial it might be. I applaud change, especially ones that help, but I know more than one person who has kept with Office 2003 because they loathe Office 2007's ribbon interface. I strongly suspect that that will be Microsoft's greatest challenge, convincing people that they need to move past Windows XP. Anyone else with me, or should I pull up my pants and tell everyone to get off my lawn?

"Windows PCs have always represented a great value relative to other companies in the marketplace, both in terms of the whole range of price points and all the capabilities that you get out of the box. Given the economic situation, as shareholders would expect us to tighten our belt, but with the things that are most important, and customers would expect us to do that while continuing to innovate. And this is why even in this touch economic situation it's exciting to be able to look at the product pipeline we've got with Internet Explorer 8, Windows 7 and Windows Live...and the next generation of Windows Live, and look at all of the advances that we're offering to customers. A Windows PC is an unbelievable entertainment investment."

Bill Veghte is currently at CES stirring up interest in Windows 7. While the public beta is now available, CNet was unable to get Veghte to commit to a firm release date raising some questions as to whether it'll meet hopes that it will be released this year. However, a good portion of CNet's interview with Microsoft's Senior Vice President was spent emphasizing Windows 7's flexibility and focus on consumer needs, going so far as actively soliciting feedback during this beta period. I'm eager to set up a test computer to try out all the new features that I've been reading about. Fortunately, the requirements for Windows 7 aren't steep and in fact, very similar to Windows Vista. Anyone else going to try out the beta?

"Windows® SideShow™ for Windows Mobile® is an application for Windows Mobile 5 and Windows Mobile 6 Pocket PCs and Smartphones that allows you to use your Windows Mobile device as a Bluetooth SideShow-compatible device. This enables you to use your phone as an extra window into your PC. You can both access your computer’s information from your Pocket PC or Smartphone, and control the computer through a gadget interface. While the phone is out of range, or when your computer is off, you can continue to view content sent to the phone previously. This makes it easy to send information to the phone that you'll need later on."



Last year, I trekked over to Beijing with fellow MVPs and other technical community leaders to meet with the Microsoft Research and Windows Vista teams. There, we discussed the direction that Windows Vista was going to take over the next few years. Microsoft obviously wanted to make the user experience better, but they wanted (needed?) ideas. While a great deal of the week-long meeting focused on the product itself, we did spend some time discussing how it could better communicate with the rest of Microsoft's products, and most importantly, take advantage of them. For the most part, it was all about Windows Mobile, and I was brimming with ideas. Can you see where this is heading?

Yes, we discussed Windows SideShow, which at the time was one of Windows Vista's most impressive features, yet sadly, one of the most underused, too. Not everyone has a digital picture frame or a laptop with an in-lid display. But a lot of us have phones, and if you're reading this, it's probably a Windows Mobile phone. I often wondered why Microsoft didn't endow its own mobile product with SideShow support right off the bat. Some third parties cooked up their own solutions, but adoption was far from widespread, and I was sincerely hoping that Microsoft would realize their oversight and rectify the situation by releasing an official solution to bring SideShow to Windows Mobile.

So, here we are, a year later and Microsoft has heeded advice and finally released a developer preview. It's at v0.01, so don't expect it to be rock solid, but it'll still give you a taste of things to come. Our pal, Arne, has given it a test run and likes what he sees. Maybe you will too. Download it, install it, and let us know what you think.

"Am I the only one getting hot and bothered by the prospect of SideShow devices? No matter, I'll blog anyway! The gizmos were conceived of as a second, external laptop screen on which you could check your e-mail, or the weather, or show pictures of your family, all without opening the laptop's cover. But there was exciting talk of other gadgets: independent gizmos that can talk to and access data on your main PC from anywhere in your house. They were one of several hardware innovations that I thought really made Vista stand out."



We've heard about Windows SideShow technology for a while now (about the time Vista was announced I think?), but have there been any devices released that use this technology? Well it looks like there's at least one company out there close to releasing a SideShow device (a universal remote to be exact). In addition to standard universal remote functions (multi-device compatibility, macros, etc.), it also has SideShow built-in, which I guess means it has a data connection to a PC which allows you to pull down email, view pictures, listen to music, and do other cool stuff (using "gadgets") without being at your PC. This sounds like a neat feature, but if you're buying this Media Center remote, wouldn't you already have a Media Center PC setup in your living room? Why wouldn't you just access your pictures/videos/emails right on your TV? So I'm not sure how practical this is. Is this a case of looking for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist? Or maybe it's simply a case of W?BIC! ;-)