Posts Tagged ‘ windows 7 ’
AshMan says…
Do you want to live rent free in a property which costs up to $1500 per week for 7 Months? Do you also want it to be decked out in awesome technology? Well Microsoft has a competition for you!!! Head over to facebook.com/TheStudentHouse for entry details!
AshMan says…
Windows 7 unlike previous versions of Windows allows you the user to really personalising the look and feel of you PC Experience.
The backgrounds are no longer just static images, you can choose to display a slideshow of photos of your friends and family or anything else you want to display. You can even customise if you want those images shuffled, and how often you want your background to change.
The colour of your task bar is also fully customisable, allowing you to choose any colour on the spectrum you like to match your personality!
The video below shows you how you can customise the look and feel of Windows 7. Be sure to check it out.
AshMan says…
As an owner of a Acer Aspire One netbook, I’ve grown used to the convenience of being able to carry around a laptop which is capable of most daily tasks (also the ability to run Windows 7) but also being able to not notice that I have a laptop in my bag all of the time.
Acer Aspire Timeline 1820PT - $1599
A problem I have found however that for when I’m in a meeting or lectures at University I would prefer to have something which I could just scribble notes on. Acer has just announced a solution to my problems…the Acer Aspire 1820PT Timeline.
This ultra portable features:
This is a pretty good package for only $AUD1599 RRP. Connectivity also includes gigabit Ethernet if you ever required to transfer large files to or from the tablet.
An added feature and the first of many similar laptops to come is the multi touch tablet screen. This allows you to use the touch features built into Windows 7 to control and interact. A stylus is also included providing the ability to neatly write memos directly into the provided software from Acer (Touch Portal and Touch Memo) or directly into Microsoft’s One Note.
Acer Aspire Timelin 1820PT - $1599
This is looks to be a promising laptop and the return of a style of laptop which was trying to break into the market in 2002 where Acer was at the leading edge with the C110. I was lucky enough to be the first student in the world to test the C110 and hope to have a review of this laptop soon. So stay posted!
AshMan says…from the Microsoft Blog
The Imagine Cup 2010 registrations are now open. The 2010 Worldwide Finals will be held in Poland. The theme to the 2010 competition remains the same as last year, “Solve the world’s toughest problems”. The UN Millennium goals are encourage as a good place to start, check out the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
The Imagine Cup categories have also been downsized to 3 major categories, Software Design, Game Design and Digital Media. Check out the Competition overview for more info.
To register for the competition, please visit www.imaginecup.com. Start putting your team together ASAP to allow yourself the best chance of succeeding!
Stay tuned for more info on The Australian Imagine Cup summer camp and Australian Imagine Cup website being launched later this year.
Watch the preview video for Poland!
AshMan says…
Earlier in the year you may recall a 20% Cash Back offer from Microsoft. A similar promotion is now on offering up to 20% off the RRP for the 360 Controllers directly at the retailer.
Up to 20% off RRP Wireless Controllers
This time they have really streamlined the process for the end consumer as you don’t have to do anything else such as online forms or sending off receipts. The controllers have to be purchased before the 15th of November 2009 to be eligible as well as purchase from a participating retailer. The participating retailers are: Big W, Clive Peeters, Dick Smith, Dick Smith Powerhouse, Domayne, EB Games, Game, JB Hi-Fi and Myer
It’s a great opportunity to share the Xbox experience with your mates.
AshMan says…
Students in Australia, US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Korea and Mexico will all be able to purchase the upgrades to Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional for a significantly reduced price.
Prices haven’t been confirmed for Australia yet, however in the US and UK the upgrades will be on sale for US$30 and £30 respectively. To be eligable for the discounted price you are required to have a valid student email address (an email address provided to you by your university)
You can find some more information at the Windows UK and Windows US sites.
Windows 7 Upgrade to be only US$30 for students with a valid email.
AshMan says…
Microsoft has just announced The Windows 7 Family Pack.
This will allow you to install the operating system on three home PCs at a lower price. There are a number of online retailers offering the Family Pack and it is priced at approximately US$145. Originally this offer was going to be released on the 18th of October before the public release on the 22nd of October, so this is a bonus!
Windows 7 Family Pack Offer
Another change to the Family Pack is its availability; it will now be available to North America, Europe – the U.K, Ireland, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden.
If you only need a single license however, you are still able to order one from online retailers including Amazon and of course, the Microsoft Store.
AshMan says…
Netbooks have been at the centre of all the hype over the past year however there is a new laptop emerging onto the market.
In the workplace and at home the benefits of having a dual monitor setup are starting to be realised in everyday computing, but those benefits are only available in the one spot at the moment. The gScreen Spacebook may change that however as it offers a portable solution.
The gScreen Spacebook will have two 39cm screens that slide away to a single screen for storage or transportation. This design provides the benefits of dual screens however still remaining at its core a portable device. This is especially handy for video editors and photographers who prefer to work on dual screens to effectively organise their work on the go.
According to Gordon Stewart, founder of gScreen, the first Spacebooks should be available on Amazon by December.
The planned specifications for the Spacebook are:
- 2 LED backlit display screens
- Windows VISTA/ WIN XP PRO (optional)
- Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26-GHz
- 4 GB of RAM (2GB DDR2 SO-DIMM x 2)
- 320GB 7200-rpm HD
- NVIDIA® GeForce® 9800M GT with 512MB dedicated memory (or)
- NVIDIA® Quadro FX 1700M Graphics with 512MB dedicated memory
- 9-cell battery
- IEEE 1394 1 Graphics Card Output (15-pin, D-Sub) X 1, HDMI X 1 Mic-in X 1, Line-in x 1, Headphone X 1 PCI Express Card X 1 AC Power Adaptor Output: 19V DC, 90W Input: 100~240V AC, 50/60Hz universal Battery Pack Li-ion 9 cells
The price for the dual screen killer laptop is estimated to be around $3500. Potential buyers should be aware of the potential weight and battery drain which two screens would have compared to a more standard laptop.
Spacebook with an estimated price of $3500
For more information check out the gScreen website at www.gscreencorp.com
AshMan says…
The Asus Eee PC when it launched introduced consumers to a new type of computer…a netbook. Its features weren’t the latest or the fastest, but were enough to perform the basic tasks of web surfing and Skype all at a very cheap price.
The Acer Aspire One takes everything which the Eee PC did and made it better; it looks better, feels better and performs better.
Acer Aspire One
The Aspire One contains an Atom 1.6Ghz processor, and though it doesn’t sound like much of a processor, it is capable of playing 720p resolution video with little or no stutter. Paired with the processor is 1GB of RAM, which is upgradable to 1.5GB. Unfortunately it is however a pain to try and access the RAM slots and when you do you can only remove one stick as the other is soldered to the motherboard.
Acer Aspire One - Number One for Netbooks
8GB SSD and 120/160GB hard drive versions are available and both versions run Windows XP SP3. Personally I own the hard drive version as I think that 8GB wouldn’t give me enough room to upgrade to Windows 7 which has been designed with netbooks in mind. The screen size is 8.9 inches with a 1024 x 600 resolution; the resolution is large enough to not need to struggle to see the text. At the top of the screen there is a 0.3MP webcam and microphone which is adequate enough to have a video chat on Skype.
Pretty in Pink: Aspire One available in a number of colours
Weighing in at 985 grams this netbook is one which is so light that I have had to double check my bag that I have it still in there. The 3 cell battery doesn’t give battery life as good as the Eee PC but it is still very respectable. In a light use test (running only a word application, and default start up programs) it achieved 3 hours 10 minutes. In the heavy use test (encoding a video file, as well as a full virus scan) it powered on for 1 hour 25 minutes.
External ports on the machine include: Multi-card reader, SD card reader, 3 USB ports, VGA, Headphone, Microphone, and Ethernet. This set of ports on a small machine beats some full laptops, especially the number of USB ports. The two card readers also are a great asset to a netbook as they can double as SD card storage or Ready boost memory if you are running Windows 7.
All the ports in the world you could need in a netbook
The usability of this small laptop isn’t a problem as the keyboard is 92% of a traditional keyboard which is quite easy to get used to. The mouse buttons are located to the left and right hand side of the track pad, allowing the keyboard to be that bit larger. The location of the left and right buttons takes a little while to get used to it, but once you’re accustomed to the layout it is very easy to use.
The Acer Aspire One is a brilliant little machine, and one of the most popular netbooks available on the market. The average price for the hard drive model is $499, which is a superb price for a machine that is loaded with ports, good battery life, great looks and the ability to run Windows 7 excellently.