Windows 8 is a radical new version of Windows which has just been released into a free to download consumer preview version. You may remember my previous article about the developer preview where I said that Windows 8 needs a lot of work to get it optimised for regular PCs as well as touch screen devices. After a bit of time playing around with the new version, I think that Microsoft has almost achieved this goal although there are a few minor problems which make some processes a lot slower than they should be.

The idea behind Windows 8 is to unify all of Microsoft's products - PCs, tablets, mobile phones and XBox. They will share an OS which is more or less the same between devices and all of your settings should be synced between the devices meaning you can move from one to the other and continue where you left off. In theory this idea sounds pretty cool but in practice you realise that this basically means that the OS has to be optimised for use with many different input methods and be just as easy to use no matter what device you choose.

One of my biggest complaints in my previous article was that the Metro interface removes easy multitasking and makes keyboard and mouse input much more difficult. In order to rectify this, there are a few new things which have been added to the metro interface. By hovering over the top right hand corner with your mouse, a bar comes down which shows you all of your open applications. This includes both Metro apps and those you have on the desktop view:

This not only makes multitasking easy like the traditional Windows on desktop but also makes the desktop view more incorporated into metro to prevent them seeming like two different worlds. As well as this, tablet users will get super easy multitasking which is not that common on a mobile OS. Another new feature is charms. By hovering over the top left corner a menu pops up which has quick access things like search, settings, devices and other things you may need. This is a lot better incorporated than the previous "start menu" on the developer preview. Accessing the control panel is now really easy, changing volume and brightness is also made a lot easier.

These new gestures are simple, yet quite powerful and they feel natural using both your finger and the mouse which is something very important for Microsoft's concept. Of course, not everything is as good as it should be in this consumer preview. Multi-monitor support is still a bit weird. When extending the display across 2 monitors, one shows the desktop and the other shows Metro. There is no option to stretch Metro across two monitors. On top of this, by opening an app on the desktop mode, instead of it opening on the monitor with desktop mode, it will minimise your metro app and open it on the wrong monitor. This is really counter-intuitive when trying to do multiple things at once and it basically takes a lot longer than it should to set up apps running across both interfaces so you can view them both.

Another new feature is the evolution of Aero Snap where you can put two Metro apps running side-by-side albeit one app runs semi minimised on the side while the other takes up most of the screen. This allows you to run Metro and desktop apps side-by-side on one monitor. This feature seems like it would be useful on multiple monitors but again, you can't seem to do this easily.

The idea behind Windows 8 seems pretty cool when you think about it but there are a few shortcomings right now which will hopefully be fixed before the full version comes out.

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1. Windows 8 Developer Preview: What I Don’t Like By now we've all had a chance to play around...
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UPDATE: I found this link to some tweaking software for the Developer Preview which fixes a few of these problems. You can add shutdown, restart and sleep buttons to the start menu now and also completely remove the Metro Start screen. Here is a link to the download

By now we've all had a chance to play around with the Windows 8 Developer Preview. Now, I know this isn't the final version but there are several things which Microsoft has done which annoy me to no end.

Firstly, there is the placement of the shutdown button. One of the most known commands on every single computer is usually kept in the most conspicuous place possible. What puzzles me to no end is why Microsoft chose to put it in the Settings menu. It makes no sense and to most people who think logically, it is the last place they would look. Clicking on the username gives the user the option to log off but not to shutdown. Obviously tablet users will not be bothered by this since most will just put their tablet to sleep but since this is meant to be a full blown desktop OS, many users will want to shutdown at the end of the day. It seems like a bit of an oversight to me.

The new Metro interface seems pretty cool when you first try it out but it's only when the fun is over and you need to do actual work that you realize how useless it is for productivity. First, it is not very clear what applications are currently running in the background. If you have 2 apps open you can easily switch between them by dragging from the left side of the screen but when there is more than this, it just becomes annoying. You have no idea what you are doing and having to keep returning to the Start screen to open new apps and search just adds an extra click to every process. A feature similar to Expose (but not a copy) on Mac OS X would be awesome for this purpose so I could have a birds-eye view of everything which is happening.

As well as this, Windows 8 offers both a Desktop mode and Metro mode. The Desktop mode is for compatibility applications but ends up being used quite often anyway. But what bothers me is that there seems to be absolutely no integration between the two. An app which I open on desktop mode cannot be dragged over to Metro and made full screen, it will just change that monitor to desktop mode as well. If I wanted to take a Metro app out of full screen and make it windowed, there is no way for me to do this either. To add insult to injury, there are TWO versions of Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer, one for each interface. Neither has any connection with one another and they seem completely different. Essentially this means that anyone who is new to computers is going to have to learn how to do the same thing on both modes in two different ways. Something which is honestly just stupid. It seems kind of like using two different operating systems at once and I don't think this is the way to go. It adds confusion and basically shows that Microsoft isn't really sure what they're doing. Finally, there is the lack of a list with all of your programs in it. You only have a choice of manually pinning it to the Start screen or searching for it. All this again requires an extra click or an extra two clicks if you are on Desktop mode.

So, quite obviously, the Metro interface is almost specifically designed to be used with touch screens. But since it is meant to also be a full blown desktop OS, it should also be keyboard and mouse friendly. Unfortunately, I often find that the mouse isn't two suited to Metro. It feels very out of place with all the random gestures and flicking, scrolling etc. Maybe there should be a few more options about how the OS handles the mouse, making it more mouse friendly when someone prefers to use that rather than an awkwardly placed touchscreen. I mean, let's face it, How many people actually have touch screen computers?

I feel that the new Metro interface is nice to look at but productivity is where it falls short. Everything you are used to doing takes an extra click. It feels more suited to tablets and phones rather than proper computers. I think there are quite a few improvements which can be made to improve the OS and it isn't a total lost cause. There are still plenty of aspects which I like about it but obviously those don't really fit with the title.

So what do you think about the new developer preview? Is it something you would like to use on a daily basis?

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Windows Developer Build Installation

The initial screen once the computer is started and files are loaded. Pretty similar to Windows 7

Windows Developer Build T&Cs

Again, this screen is pretty similar to the Windows 7 install

Windows Developer Build Installation

This first part of the installation is extremely similar to Vista and 7

Windows Developer Build Installation

20 minutes later...

Windows Developer Build opening screen

One of the first hints that you're installing a new version of Windows

Windows Developer Build Personalise

Finally, something new. The personalise screen is pretty easy to read and nice to look at

Windows Developer Build Settings

A convenient option for express settings is provided which keeps the installation moving along quickly

Windows Developer Build Login details

The login screen. Pretty standard

Windows Developer Build Welcome

Again, pretty standard stuff.

The new start screen

The awesome new start screen. It looks pretty similar to Windows Phone 7 but a bit bigger. There's a scroll bar down the bottom to go across to more apps

Start screen menu thingy

There is a menu which pops up which allows you to access settings for the home screen. It also pops up will you're in apps so you can press the start button to exit the app. I found it a bit difficult to get it to pop up with a mouse pointer as it wouldn't work if I let the mouse hover in the area, only if I moved the mouse to the bottom of the screen quickly. I guess it could work for tablets but not so sure about desktops

The new control panel

Although it looks nice and is easy to use, a lot of the time it would need to go to the desktop version (Windows 7esque) to get to more advanced settings such as changing the screen resolution. i found this a bit unintuitive and clunky

Windows Developer Build Desktop Mode

Desktop mode opens like a regular app. It basically looks the same as Windows 7 with a few slight changes. Everything works the same way and you can access everything as normal. It's a good idea for backwards compatibility but honestly, the new stuff should probably all go into the Metro interface so you don't have to keep switching between the modes to get to more advanced settings

Windows Developer Build Lock Screen

You drag the picture up with your mouse (or finger) to get to the actual logon area. It has the capability to show information from apps but none are available yet. The dragging gesture is awesome for tablets but not so good with mouse. The layout is very touch oriented and doesn't work as effectively with mouse and keyboard

Windows Developer Build Weather App

This is the new weather app. It looks really nice with a video playing in the background depending on the type of video. It can get a bit bogged down if you have too many cities added though. Overall it's nice and easy to read and quite good to look at as well. This also shows the new right click menu along the bottom. Pretty awesome, I'm confused about how you would access this with a touch screen. Maybe I should buy a touch screen computer to find out....

So the new developer build of Windows looks pretty cool. It is pretty similar to what you've been reading in the news lately. There are a few bugs for example, after leaving it on for a while, the screen goes black and the computer freezes. It also sometimes randomly crashes while in any app so it isn't something you want to use permanently. Overall, its a pretty good idea but needs a few improvements. There are a few preinstalled apps which I still have to look at and I'll make another post with more information on that stuff. For now, enjoy the slideshow!

UPDATE: Another small flaw is how difficult it is to access the shutdown button. It is hidden away in the most difficult to find spot. It probably should be located somewhere on the home screen

UPDATE: Here is the download link if you want to install it yourself. I used virtualbox to install it but beware that it will probably run a lot slower than what it should

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As most people do, I used to believe that in order to secure your computer you just put a password for Windows and then it is impossible to access. This all changed when a friend of mine came to me because they had forgotten their password. They wanted me to try and reset the password. I honestly had no idea what to do but I said I would give it a go. A quick google search later, I found several pages detailing how to reset a 'forgotten' password. After about 10 minutes I found simple to use program. All it needed was a USB stick and the computer where you had forgotten your password. It took me about 10 minutes to erase the password and get into the locked computer. I could access everything no problem and I am a  complete amateur when it comes to hacking.

Now, obviously, if someone stole my laptop they would be able to do the exact same thing. Its like setting a PIN code and telling everyone what it is, it's useless! So if your operating system password doesn't do anything to secure your computer, what do you do?

Well, if your files are top secret and need to be secure, encryption is the answer. There are many programs to encrypt all of your files but one of the easiest to find and use is Windows Bitlocker. It comes built in to all computers which have Windows Vista or 7 Ultimate edition. Bitlocker uses either a recovery key and password or a TPM chip inside your computer. By setting a password, you need to type it in every time you start the computer and if you forget it, there is a recovery key which you save to a USB stick so you can recover the data of your hard drive. If you lose the recovery key, your data will be forever lost. A TPM chip is built in to your computer and it basically stores the encryption keys. When your computer starts up, everything on your hard drive is decrypted and so you can access it.

A TPM chip is useful because if an attacker removes your hard drive and installs it in another computer, the hard drive will remain encrypted and will be useless. IThe chip comes built in to many business laptops as these people are the ones with the most sensitive files.

So, if you think your computer is secure because you have set a password, think again. Try other methods such as encryption to keep prying eyes away from your files.

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Pros:

-Free

-Effective virus protection

-Small file size

-Easy to understand interface

Cons:

-Lacks high end features such as email scanning and anti spam

-Full scan takes a long time to complete

Recently Microsoft launched their new security suite to combat the many viruses which plague PCs and give Mac people a point to argue about. But this isn't just another competitor in a huge market; this product is free and is built to put virus protection in almost every Windows computer due to its simple interface and low file size.

this new security suite is quite basic, consisting of an anti virus only. It has no anti spam, firewall or any other bells and whistles which other security suites have. Instead it relies on Windows' built in firewall as protection. Despite lacking some of the features of other security suites, it is incredibly light weight and only a 4MB download. The interface is simple and easy to use and understand. It shows all security threats visually but is very unobtrusive. It only interrupts when necessary, otherwise it quietly runs in the background.

Not only is it a quiet antivirus, it is also very effective in detecting and getting rid of viruses. It easily detected several trojans on my computer after visiting a dodgy site. This was after performing a quick scan which, for normal users is all that is needed. A quick scan only takes a few minutes and is quite good. The full scan which, as the name suggests, scans everything is quite slow, often taking a few hours to complete a scan. The program also constantly scans in the background while you are browsing the internet and warns you of potential threats. It quickly immobilises any viruses which get onto your computer through the internet. I doesn’t,  however, scan email as it comes through. This means that any viruses which get to you by email will only be detected after your computer has been infected. Visual cues make it easy for anyone to know whether something is wrong with your computer and large, clear buttons make this program easy to use and understand for anyone. In general, the software is reliable but the fact that it lacks may  high end features such as email scanning and software firewall, it is not a good solution for people and businesses with sensitive data. For any home user it is a perfect and cheap solution.

Overall, this anti virus package from Microsoft is an excellent free solution to a problem which has plagued PC users for years. It really leaves no excuse for having no virus protection as it is a good piece of freeware. Although it lacks some of the more advanced features of other security packages, it is free and you can't complain about that.

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After a week of testing Microsoft's latest operating system out, here is a full review on how it is.

Pros

• Redesigned Taskbar
• Gesture Controls
• Faster than Vista
• Smaller Footprint

Cons

• Similar Appearance to Vista (Not really a bad thing but I like change)
• Some features are a bit gimmicky
• Pricey for Australians (unless you buy the OEM version)

Overview

I don’t have to remind everyone of the epic failure Vista was but Microsoft has now released their latest operating system, Windows 7. It has promised to be everything Vista was not. Judging by first impressions, I was very impressed. Installation was incredibly fast and easy (I performed a clean install) and surprisingly Windows found the drivers for ALL my devices automatically. My wireless card drivers were even there. I didn’t need to touch any of the CDs I got with the devices or manually go to websites to download 64-bit drivers. So far Windows 7 was living up to its claims.

Features

The most obvious new feature is seen as soon as the desktop has loaded. It is the new taskbar. I must say that it is nice to have large icons for a change. The taskbar is much tidier than the older windows ones as when a program is running, all you see is the icon of the program lit up on the taskbar. You can preview all the windows just by hovering over the icon and Windows will even maximise that windows will the mouse pointer is over the thumbnail. The new taskbar is very similar to Mac’s dock however minus the visual effects of bouncing icons and Mexican waves. Another new feature is the fact that the system tray is not clogged up with icons anymore. Instead all of the icons can go to an overflow area unless you specify that you want the icons on the system tray. Also, instead of having annoying pop ups saying your anti-virus is turned off etc. there is a new action center which is indicated by a flag. You just need to click on it to see what problems there could be on your computer and you can easily disable the message. Another new feature is Aero Peek which is a little button on the far right of the taskbar. If you hover over it, it turns all the windows transparent and allows you to see the desktop. Clicking on the button will minimise all windows. I honestly don’t see any point for this feature except for eye candy. The only thing you could use it for is if you needed to see the weather or check the currency exchange rates but it still is a fun thing to play with. Windows 7 also features a new search bar which I found extremely useful. The search is much more detailed and covers Control panel items as well. Once you use it you will never want to go back. This covers most of the new taskbar improvements.

Another feature which I really like is the gesture controls. For example, if you want to maximise the window you simply grab the top of it and drag it to the top of the screen. To restore it, you just drag down again. There is Aero Shake which means if you have hundreds of windows open on your desktop and you wanted to focus on that one window, you simply shake the windows you want to focus on and all the other windows will be minimised. If you want all the windows back, you just shake the same window again. Finally, there is Aero Snap where you can drag one window to the right of the screen and the other to the left and they will fit side by side making it easy to copy text from one to the other. When the two windows are side by side, you don’t to click twice to activate the other windows and do something. Instead you can just normally copy text without having to click the other window hundreds of times just to get it to activate. These small features easily become second nature and increase your productivity however I feel these features will be much more effective on a touchscreen rather than with a mouse. Another thing is the boot up time. This is significantly improved over Vista. Not only this but while everything is loading, you can use programs. You don’t have to click the Internet Explorer logo and wait 10 minutes with just the blue loading ring going on. It will load as fast as it does everytime. This just about covers the major Windows 7 improvements and the ones which are worth covering.

Installation

Windows 7 was a piece of cake to install. It is like installing any other program. You just keep clicking next and it will be installed. I managed to get it fully installed with updates and drivers in less than one hour. The OS also takes up a smaller footprint partly because Microsoft hasn’t included Windows Photo Gallery and Movie Maker. These can be installed as part of the Live Essentials program though and both programs are an improvement over their Vista counterparts. The new Movie Maker has the Ribbon interface which makes it easy to use and there are several new effects. it still can’t match iMovie though. Microsoft also but their Ribbon interface on Wordpad (The free version of Microsoft Word) and Paint. Microsoft has significantly improved Paint. It has new brushes and is a lot of fun to use. The brushes look realistic as well and some even “run out” of paint! Windows 7 also has new types of themes which allows you to have a line up of wallpapers which will change after a specified amount of time. In these themes you can also set the colour of the Aero glass. There are many downloadable themes from Microsoft’s website including ones for different countries. There are also a few themes from different companies such as Coca-Cola and Porsche. Microsoft has included quite a few themes pre installed and you can easily create your own theme if you want to.

Along with Windows 7, Microsoft released a free Security suite called Security Essentials. It is basically just an anti-virus. I tested this program out and it is actually really good. it doesn’t eat up RAM and is easy to manage. It is non intrusive and barely slows down start up time. I would highly recommend this product for average computer users. Those who need a lot of protection for their valuable data might want to look elsewhere as this suite doesn’t have some of the advanced features which many payware suites do have. There is a full review of this coming soon.

Conclusion

Overall, Windows 7 really has lived up to its claims. Although there are no real gaming performance advantages, Windows 7 loads faster and overall feels more polished than Vista was. There are several new features and although some may be gimmicky, it is still fun to use. Honestly, Windows 7 is on of the best Microsoft OS’s I have ever used and I highly recommend it to anyone. It will work on many computers, even those with low system specifications. Windows 7 really is what Vista never was.

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Apple has launched a new line of Mac a day before Microsoft is set to release Windows 7. Apple's new iMacs have the latest Core i7 and i5 processors and a new "Magic Mouse". They also feature larger screen sizes (21.5 inches and 27 inches). The screens also have a Full HD (1920x1080) resolution as well as a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Apple's new mouse features multi touch technology allowing you to control everything using gestures such as pinching to zoom. This is similar to the trackpad found on Apple's laptops. The new iMac also has more USB ports and an SD card slot. The new Mac is also wall mountable showing how Apple is designing their computers more and more for the living rooms.

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Judging by the overwhwelming response I got from all these people in my last post. I thought I would even the argument out a little. Here are 7 Reasons why a Mac is better than a PC.

1. Almost No Viruses

The majority of Mac users don't even have an anti virus. This is because there are very few viruses out there for Macs. This is due to the fact that there are more PCs in the world so people only want to make viruses which can spread quicker. This makes a PC the medium of choice. This is great news for Mac users who don't need an additional anti virus which means there is no additional program to slow their computer down and eat up RAM. There is a built in security to stop viruses if they do come. This is of course free as opposed to Microsoft's Live One Care.

2. Heaps of Software Built In

Macs come with so much useful software built in to them. These are mainly part of the iLife suite which includes things like iMovie, iPhoto and Garageband. These pieces of software are so much better than their PC alternatives as they are easy to use and not to mention free. For designers, the software they need is much cheaper than any comparable software on PCs and it is the same, if not more powerful. Take for example Final Cut Studio which is cheaper than Adobe's Premiere. This makes a Mac almost ready to go as soon as you buy it.

3. Dock

The Dock in OS X is so much easier to use and access than Windows' start menu. All the programs you need are conveniently viewable and much more accessible than the "All Programs" menu. The Dock is also more flexible as it can be made bigger, hidden etc. This also leaves the desktop free of clutter and gives it room to put all the drives on it. This makes it easier to quickly access all your drives instead of going into My Computer and searching through there.

4. Display

Apple Monitors are always very bright and vibrant. They reproduce colours very well. Their Macbook displays are especially good when compared to other Windows laptops. This makes Macs a very good choice for designers who need accurate colour reproduction.

5. Build Quality

Even PC users will agree that Apple's build quality is excellent. Their computers always feel expensive and oozing of quality. An example is the Macbook Pro. These have a unibody aluminium shell, glass screen and glass touchpad. Their iMacs are also similar in design.

6. It Runs Windows!

The fact that Apple supports Windows means that it has a bigger software pool to choose from. This means that a Mac user can have the advantage of getting things like iPhoto and iMovie, which outweigh their Windows competitors, as well as having support for Aperture 2 and Final Cut Studio. They can also choose from a wide range of PC software and hardware should they want something which Mac doesn't support. There are no Windows computers that can legally run a copy of Mac OS X.

7. Seamless Backups

Apple's Time Machine makes backing up your Mac easy. It is a powerful software which can perform backups at regular intervals. Compared to Vista's backup solution, Apple's software is incredibly easy to use. Anyone who hasn't backup up a computer before wouldn't find this a challenge.

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Six in 10 companies in a survey plan to skip the purchase of Microsoft Corp's Windows 7 computer operating system, many of them to pinch pennies and others over concern about compatibility with their existing applications.
Windows 7 will be released October 22, but has already garnered good reviews, in contrast to its disappointing current version, Windows Vista.

Many of the more than 1,000 companies that responded to a survey by ScriptLogic Corp say they have economized by cutting back on software updates and lack the resources to deploy Microsoft's latest offering.

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Microsoft has released more details about its long awaited OS, Windows 7. The original release date is October 22 where Windows will be released in the 14 most common languages. More languages will be released on October 31. It will first be launched in Australia and New Zealand and follow the sun around the world basically.

The pricing is less than Vista thankfully and the full Ultimate version will cost AU$469 instead of the AU$799 for Vista Ultimate. But you can also buy the OEM version of Windows 7 which will be alot cheaper. This is fro people who build their own computer however. The pricing on OEMs hasn't been released but judging from Vista OEM pricing it will be huge.

Vista Ultimate cost AU$799 while the OEM version could be had for AU$280. This is a huge drop in price. Upgrade versions of Vista were more expensive than the OEM. Full Pricing is as follows:

Windows 7 Home Premium: AU$299 (Full)                          AU$199 (Upgrade)

Windows 7 Professional:  AU$449 (Full)                           AU$399 (Upgrade)

Windows 7 Ultimate: AU$469 (Full)                             AU$429 (Upgrade)

As you can see the difference between the full version and upgrade version becomes quite small when you look at the Ultimate version. Also the price difference between Professional and Ultimate is very small. I am sure most people would pay the extra $20 to get the Ultimate version.

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