Microsoft tries to make Vista iPod-friendly

Microsoft released several patches for Windows Vista, including one designed to put the iPod and the new operating system back on speaking terms. The software maker issued a patch that is designed to fix a problem that had left iPods vulnerable to being corrupted if Vista users select the operating system's Safely Remove Hardware option to eject the music player. Apple had resolved several Vista compatibility issues in iTunes, but has continued to warn users to only use the eject function within iTunes to remove an iPod in Vista. Microsoft posted several other updates, including one aimed at fixing a problem that could have resulted in Canon EOS-1D users losing images if metadata was added to RAW files. Another update attempts to solve a video quality problem that some people were seeing when using video in interlaced mode, the type of video used by standard television.

What is Windows Firewall ?

What is firewall ? A combination of hardware and software that provides a security system, usually to prevent unauthorized access from outside to an internal network or intranet. A firewall prevents direct communication between network and external computers by routing communication through a proxy server outside of the network. The proxy server determines whether it is safe to let a file pass through to the network. A firewall is also called a security edge gateway. What is Windows Firewall? A firewall helps to keep your computer more secure. It restricts information that comes to your computer from other computers, giving you more control over the data on your computer and providing a line of defense against people or programs (including viruses and worms) that try to connect to your computer without invitation. You can think of a firewall as a barrier that checks information (often called traffic) coming from the Internet or a network and then either turns it away or allows it to pass through to your computer, depending on your firewall settings. In Microsoft Windows XP (SP2), Windows Firewall is turned on by default. (However, some computer manufacturers and network administrators might turn it off.) You do not have to use Windows Firewall—you can install and run any firewall that you choose. Evaluate the features of other firewalls and then decide which firewall best meets your needs. If you choose to install and run another firewall, turn off Windows Firewall. How does it work? When someone on the Internet or a network tries to connect to your computer, we call that attempt an "unsolicited request." When your computer gets an unsolicited request, Windows Firewall blocks the connection. If you run a program such as an instant messaging program or a multiplayer network game that needs to receive information from the Internet or a network, the firewall asks if you want to block or unblock (allow) the connection. If you choose to unblock the connection, Windows Firewall creates an exception so that the firewall won't bother you when that program needs to receive information in the future. For example, if you are exchanging instant messages with someone who wants to send you a file (a photo, for example), Windows Firewall will ask you if you want to unblock the connection and allow the photo to reach your computer. Or, if you want to play a multiplayer network game with friends over the Internet, you can add the game as an exception so that the firewall will allow the game information to reach your computer. Although you can turn off Windows Firewall for specific Internet and network connections, doing this increases the risk that the security of your computer might be compromised. What Windows Firewall does and does not do: It does:

1. Help block computer viruses and worms from reaching your computer.
2. Ask for your permission to block or unblock certain connection requests.
3. Create a record (a security log), if you want one, that records successful and unsuccessful attempts to connect to your computer. This can be useful as a troubleshooting tool.

It does not:

1. Detect or disable computer viruses and worms if they are already on your computer. For that reason, you should also install antivirus software and keep it updated to help prevent viruses, worms, and other security threats from damaging your computer or using your computer to spread viruses to others.
2. Stop you from opening e-mail with dangerous attachments. Don't open e-mail attachments from senders that you don't know. Even if you know and trust the source of the e-mail you should still be cautious. If someone you know sends you an e-mail attachment, look at the subject line carefully before opening it. If the subject line is gibberish or does not make any sense to you, check with the sender before opening it.
3. Block spam or unsolicited e-mail from appearing in your inbox. However, some e-mail programs can help you do this. Check the documentation for your e-mail program to learn more.

The real reason that Google bought YouTube?

The $1.65 billion purchase of the video-sharing site could actually be a boon for traditional TV ads.

When Google spent $1.65 billion for 19-month-old online video phenomenon YouTube, it was portrayed as a sign of the triumph of online video. And in important ways it is. But the voluminous coverage missed something central. Google's interest in the video-sharing site, ironically, also has a lot to do with its belief in the staying power of conventional broadcast television and cable.

It's important in watching Google (Charts) never to forget that it makes just about all its money from advertising. The fact that its role in advertising keeps growing is what, in turn, keeps its stock in the stratosphere, thus giving it the $128 billion market capitalization which enabled it to purchase YouTube with stock.

Many writers recently pointed to the obvious opportunity for a Google-owned YouTube to profit from placing video ads next to the 100 million video streams that YouTube claims users view there each month. That is surely one reason Google can justify paying so much money, but a closely-related reason may be even more important.

YouTube will stay independent, really! Google has for about a year-and-a-half been talking about its ambition, considered quirky or worse by some, to extend its auction-driven ad sales model beyond the net into what we think of as "old media." It has said it wants to get into the business of placing ads in print, radio and television.

Indeed, while last week's YouTube purchase was Google's largest, the second largest was January's $102 million acquisition of dMarc Broadcasting Services, a company with a successful automated system for placing ads on radio stations all over the country.

Television advertising is the biggest ad market of all, still dwarfing the Net. Last year it totaled $61 billion in the United States compared to the Net's $8 billion. Google executives confirm that the company bought YouTube in part to better position itself for getting into the business of selling traditional television advertising.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt has not been secret about his ambitions to do so. This summer at a conference he said Google would soon deliver "targeted measurable television ads" and complained that today when you watch TV you see commercials that are "a waste of your time," and "clearly not targeted for you."

What separates Google's current ad service from what has come before is its orientation towards results. Advertisers only pay for ads that attract user attention as evidenced by clicks. But the way Google enables its advertisers to get results has a lot to do with the process of repetition and refinement that identifies the most effective ads.

Google's most successful search advertisers are those who methodically experiment with multiple messages. Sometimes they try thousands of combinations of different texts displayed in response to various search keywords, quickly - often in hours - eliminating those that don't attract the clicks of users and refining those that do, until they arrive at the ideal combination of message and keyword.

A similar process of refinement takes place in Google's AdSense service. It places ads on the Web sites of affiliates with which it shares ad revenues. Google's managers now seem to believe they can do the same thing with print, radio and TV, albeit with much of the testing taking place on the more immediate and low-cost medium of the Internet. Buying YouTube will give Google a platform on which advertisers can experiment with TV ads in different forms.

If you were a big TV advertiser, before you spend what is sometimes millions for a primetime spot, wouldn't you like to know how it fared on YouTube compared to alternate versions? How many people willingly chose to view it? How many clicked through for more information? Did it perform better adjacent to some kinds of content than others? Presumably Google has a variety of ideas about how it could help advertisers evaluate TV ads online before placing them offline.

If Google can offer advertisers such tools to test the efficacy of offline ads, it could put them in a far better position to also assist in placing those ads. Google can buy ad inventory in TV, radio, and print to place ads there it pre-tested online. If it chose to, it could even create its own offline media products on which to host such ads.

Google's competitors are mostly still trying to figure out how to better take advantage of today's online advertising opportunity. Meanwhile, Google is already looking ahead to a still-to-come era when the Web links tightly with all other media.

Technology and Developing World

The simultaneous rise of the internet and use of cell phones worldwide is making information and communications available to a huge portion of humanity that has up to now been excluded from the global economy. There is no question that the biggest problem facing the world today is the vast disparity in wealth between the relatively small percentage of us who live in the developed parts of the world and the billions who still live hand-to-mouth. This technology gives individuals unprecedented new power. Make no mistake, personal empowerment is the most important consequence of the acquisition of technology tools. And most of us still underestimate the impact that will have on our institutions, whether it be business, government or the press. As a new document from Microsoft puts it, "the effective use of ICT is not only a technical challenge, but a cultural and institutional one, requiring adjustments in basic patterns of social and individual behavior and ultimately in political attitudes." Hard as these things might sound, the alternative is far worse. Countries that fail to take these steps and help their citizens enter the information economy will very quickly get left behind. Cell Phones: But let's be clear about the technology that is already having the greatest impact - the cell phone. As soon as a person possesses one they acquire a window into the entire world. More than 80 percent of the world's population, calculates Motorola, already lives in an area covered by wireless networks. There are an estimated 1.5 billion cell phones now in use in the developing world. That figure will go to at least 3 billion over the next five years. In India alone, 5 million new customers sign up for cell phones every week. People are starting to talk about owning a cell phone as a basic human right. The cell phone may not yet seem a very effective window to the world's information. But as the internet gets more and more customized for the cell phone, we will see an explosion of new uses for this small but immensely powerful device. One good example of what's possible is a little company in Bangladesh called CellBazaar. Closely related to GrameenPhone, the largest mobile phone company in the country, CellBazaar enables the users of cell phones to conduct business on an eBay-like market. Sellers list products or services in a database, and buyers search this database using only SMS text. CellBazaar doesn't actually conduct transactions, it just makes a connection between the parties, who meet in person to conduct the deal. This company illustrates several key points about the use of cell phones in developing countries. First, well over 50 percent of cell phone usage there is for business use, mostly very small businesses. Even in the slums of Mumbai, today a large percentage of residents have a mobile phone, which they use to bring more efficiency to the micro-businesses that occupy almost every home. Cell phones speed the pace of economic activity and enable far more people to participate actively in the economy. Much of this activity is driven not by voice caling but by SMS - short text messages. Think of how much more useful these phones will be when they become fully Web-enabled everywhere, allowing multimedia communication with video and photos. Motorola already has many millions of orders for its new Motofone, built specifically for emerging markets. It will sell for around $30. But it is slimmer than the celebrated Razr, which has proven such a hit in the U.S. Motofone gets up to 400 hours of standby time on one battery charge, enabling its use in environments where electrical plugs are scarce. It uses a new kind of screen-a very large one specially enabled for SMS - that works in reflected light, using no internal lamps. The Motofone also illustrates one of the most exciting trends when it comes to technology for the developing world - the poorest markets will increasingly be served with the absolutely most sophisticated high technology. To make Motofone both simple and cheap enough for the markets it aims to serve, Motorola had to apply state-of-the art design and electronics. When my wife heard about it she said she wanted one. But technologies like this will appear first in the developing world, and only later penetrate places like the U.S. Semiconductors: The technology industry has a wonderful force on its side as it attempts to serve the vast markets in the developing world - the continuing power of Moore's law, and the amazing magic of semiconductors. These chips are at the core of every electronic device. Moore's law, formulated by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, suggests that the complexity and capabilities of a computer chip doubles approximately every 18 months, even as its size and price remains constant. So because of that exponential effect described by Moore's Law, chips are getting smaller and cheaper even as they grow ever-more complex. And the price of a chip - or any sophisticated technology product - goes down even faster when it gets built in larger numbers. That has the wonderful effect of making the stuff that tech companies are building for the people of the developing world in many cases the most sophisticated products they have ever built. They will be less expensive simply because there are so many of them. Another good example of this trend is the famous $100 laptop, promoted by Nicholas Negroponte, founder of MIT's Media Lab. The program is called One Laptop Per Child, or OLPC. The device is intended for elementary schoolchildren in undeveloped regions. It will include full internet connectivity and be capable of receiving audio and video, and has a screen which can be used either as in a conventional laptop or twisted around so it can be read like a book. The $100 laptop is just now going into production for pilot units. Negroponte expects it to be shipping in large volumes by next year, though initially it will cost more like $150 per unit. The $100 target will be achieved, OLPC hopes, as production volume rises. Libya has made a huge commitment. But other countries which have shown great interest in equipping their schoolchildren with this powerful device include Argentina, Brazil, Nigeria and Thailand. To make such a laptop cheap enough but still powerful Negroponte had to invent fundamentally new technologies. The screen, the power source, and the physical design are all breakthroughs. Many wonder if this radical device will ever really get used by the poor children of the world, but just by talking so much about it Negroponte - a master marketer - has sped up the process of getting technology to the world's poor. He's motivated a number of tech companies to radically increase their own efforts. Increased Interest: Indeed, one of the most promising recent developments for those of us who are committed to greater tech access for the world's developing regions has been the increased interest on the part of the biggest tech companies. This is one area where the forces of globalization are working to everyone's benefit. Now Microsoft (Charts), Google (Charts), Intel (Charts), AMD, Cisco, Sun (Charts), Motorola (Charts), and Nokia (Charts), among others, are resolutely focused on the opportunity presented by the developing world. They are interested because of a wonderful combination of social concern and greed. This is the largest market any of these companies have ever seen. And it is a market developing incredibly rapidly. Just to give one example, a recent survey by the AMI Partners research firm determined that 40 percent of small businesses in India that don't already have a PC intend to buy one within the next year. That means many millions of new PCs just in that market alone. And even in Indonesia and the Philippines, about 25 percent of such small businesses expect shortly to purchase their first PC. The business theorist CK Prahalad has had a huge impact in the tech industry with his theories about the opportunities offered by the developing world market. His book "The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid" has been widely read and studied among the largest tech companies. He is the one who first explained how attractive a business proposition it can be to serve the world's poor, and also explained that - as my wife's reaction to the Motofone demonstrates - products developed for developing countries can prove tremendously powerful in developed ones as well. AMD, for example, has undertaken a major corporate initiative it calls 50X15. In support of the UN Millenium Development Goals, AMD is working to do its part to help get 50 percent of the world's population onto the internet by 2015. Today, only 17 percent of the world's population is online. One step AMD has taken is to support Negroponte's OLPC project. The $100 laptop uses an AMD microprocessor. AMD also has developed its own inexpensive computer it calls the Personal Internet Communicator, which it has started deploying in some parts of the world in conjunction with local internet service providers. AMD's much-larger rival in microprocessor production, Intel, is also focusing more and more on devices for the world's poor. In its World Ahead program it has committed to investing over $1 billion over the next five years to develop better low-cost computers, increase the deployment of wireless broadband internet access technology, and help teachers use the internet in education. Intel has several new PC designs for developing regions. One is a low-cost desktop for first-time computer users that is small and energy-efficient, intended for dense living environments. Intel is already working with governments and telecoms companies to make these available in Mexico, Egypt, Ghana, Brazil and Nigeria. Intel also has what it calls the "Community PC" for shared use in rural villages. This machine is designed to resist dust, humidity, and extreme temperatures. Experience especially in India has shown that shared machines can be very valuable in villages, especially for farmers, fishermen and others. They can monitor market conditions and be much better informed about how to get the best price for their commodities. And then Intel is also doing something else - what it calls "a small-form-factor, low-cost laptop PC that incorporates unique software and hardware features to serve educational needs." Sound familiar? Intel has been significantly motivated to act by the growing global interest in Negroponte's OLPC project. It aims to show that devices powered by its own processors, not AMDs, will be most suited to the world's children. But hey, why not? Competition is what drives growth. The more companies attempting to solve the problem the better, no matter what motivates them. Intel plans to help train 10 million teachers worldwide on the effective use of technology in education. [It is conducting research on how to best achieve all these goals at four new design centers in Cairo, Mumbai, Sao Paulo and Shanghai.] In addition, Intel has put big money and efforts behind the growth of wireless broadband networks, specifically the standard called Wi-Max, which is undergoing field trials worldwide right now. If Wi-Max works as many hope, it will be the lowest-cost way to bring new billions into the internet economy. This techology should enable wireless networks which extend in a radius as large as 30 miles while providing broadband connection speeds to PCs or mobile phones. Microsoft, for its part, has radically reduced the price of its Windows and Office software for developing countries, and created a new program that makes them much easier to translate into local languages, however obscure. Microsoft is also contributing hundreds of millions of dollars into programs that train students and teachers in technology use. It's also creating what it calls Community Technology Learning Centers in places like Gabon, where people of all ages can gather to use the net, learn how to use computers or participate in community activities. Often Microsoft has donated the computers to a school which at night becomes a community tech center. There isn't time to explain all the things that other companies are doing, but Sun Microsystems stands out for its work to advance what it calls the "Participation Age." Cisco Systems now operates more than 10,000 Networking Academies in 150 countries. These programs, located in high schools, technical schools, colleges, universities and community organizations, teach the basic skills necessary for the operation of computer networks. Over 1.6 million students have graduated from these academies so far. In addition to Motorola's efforts with Motofone, but other mobile technology companies including Qualcomm and Nokia are also focusing on making technologies for the people of poorer regions. Software: When it comes to software, many in the developing world are excited about the potential of open source to speed the technologization of resource-poor economies. Open source software is, by definition, free. And the range of software available is now staggering - spanning everything from the most basic applications for individuals to the most sophisticated server infrastructure for large businesses. However it is worth noting that even if it can be acquired free open source software can cost a substantial amount to maintain, just as any software would. One company, Zimbra, is now making an open source email product. Any organization can download this full-featured product for free, and get features which aren't even available in Microsoft's Office and Exchange. If you want service and support, you pay, but not much. Executives at Zimbra were surprised where it got its first paying user - the University of Guatamala, which now maintains 25,000 email mailboxes on Zimbra. Sanjiva Weerawarana is a Sri Lankan who spent many years at IBM Research in Westchester County. A couple years ago he moved back to his home town of Colombo. Now he owns his own software company there, called WSO2. It's building an open source middleware product. Middleware is one of the most expensive and important kinds of software used by any big company. IBM, who you will be hearing from shortly, and BEA Systems are the two most important companies that sell it. But here you have a competitor emerging in the most unlikely location with a product which it intends to make available for free. WSO2 shows that open source not only enables customers in the developing world to acquire more inexpensive software, but that open source software can readily be built in the developing world. That's because it is made from components that are available to anyone. Weerawarana told me that a critical factor which makes it possible for him to operate WSO2 in Colombo is the availability of high-quality IT graduates from the local university. A project of Sun Microsystems shows the potential of open source for projects other than software. In 2004 it launched its Global Education and Learning Community, or GELC, which aims to bring the principles of open source to education. In open source development, anyone can contribute improvements to a product and some sort of central body decides which ones to accept and incorporate. Sun's GELC, now being assisted with great energy by its former CEO Scott McNealy, is working to creat a free universal curriculum for Kindergarten through 12th grade in every major subject. Any educator or researcher will be able to contribute ideas or improve and modify text. This curriculum will be kept up to date and can be translated into any language or modified to meet the needs of any country or local government. In a recent conversation McNealy seemed perplexed why school districts around the world spend so much money on textbooks, when the basic information in them is well known and, in most fields, standardized. If this development gets traction, which I suspect it could, the world's primary and secondary educational systems could save a huge amount of money on textbooks which would enable us to bring more children into the world's schools. There's another parallel trend to open source. Software no longer needs to be purchased. It can be used as a service, either for free, as we all do when we use Google, or for a fee. Salesforce.com is the best example of the fee-based software as a service model. [Its product, which costs $80-100 per month per user, helps companies keep track of their customers and business prospects. It replaces software from companies like Siebel Systems which often cost $4000 or more, and even after that companies had to install the software on their own servers and hire technicians to continually maintain them.] Just like open source, Software-as-a-service shows how powerful tools are getting more affordable and accessible. You can acquire capabilities without spending much money or taking much risk. That means businesses can get started more easily, and in any part of the world. That's a great thing for developing countries. It levels the playing field, and again, speeds the pace of economic development. Surprising possibilities for the developing world also exist in other new techologies, like online virtual worlds. You may have heard about Second Life, for example, a 3D virtual world that is free to enter and enables people to interact in many of the same ways they do in the real world. Second Life has developed an internal economy in which its participants build clothing, buildings, landscapes and other objects and sell them to one another. Inside Second Life it is not that hard to make $200 a month selling virtual goods. Think about that. If you have broadband internet access it doesn't matter where you live. You can still make that $200 even if you live in Rwanda. But in Rwanda $200 a month will allow you to live a very nice lifestyle. We all know how the existence of the internet has enabled the emergence of the global software and services outsourcing business. But in a similar way individuals can now run their own businesses online, and from anywhere. Wireless Technology: In order to realize all this potential, any country ought to be focusing its efforts on how to improve its broadband networks. Many countries still don't recognize how significant this one factor is. But it's possible for developing countries which make the right decisions on data networks to leapfrog developed countries like Korea has done. The better your country's internet network, the more economic potential there will be for your citizens and companies. Intel thinks the broadband solution is WiMax wireless. Some telcos are betting on 3G and 4G cell phone networks. Others are putting their hopes in the highest-capacity systems - fiber line hardware sent directly to peoples' homes. In countries like Japan and Korea these systems now give some customers data at 100 gigabits per second. (In the US, most people still get less than one gigabit per second.) In general, wireless technologies are likely to be the way developing countries modernize their infrastructures, simply because they don't require nearly so much digging. Wireless technology is a gift to the developing world. Once broadband becomes available in a region, then lots of new opportunities arise. For instance, the use of Voice over Internet Protocol, or VOIP. Skype has popularized the largest system for VOIP so far, and in many developing countries it has become a routine way to stay in touch with relatives who have emigrated for higher-paying work in developed countries. But this is yet another trend that poses challenges for the existing infrastructure players and governments. VOIP is free or extremely inexpensive. Tolls for long distance calls have been, along with cigarette taxes, among the most lucrative revenue sources for governments worldwide, since in many countries the government has owned the telephone company. Government Intervention: It may be as hard as quitting cigarettes, but every country MUST find a way to allow its citizens to take advantage of these new inexpensive communications and computing technologies, no matter what harm it brings to the long-established local monopolies. To best take advantage of technology, the role of enterprise will be crucial. Countries that impose limitations on companies' ability to operate because of corruption or tax policy or favoritism for local suppliers risk seeing the growing investment dollars of the world's technology providers invested elsewhere. For companies like CellBazaar or WSO2 to operate successfully in a developing country, they need to be certain they can count on laws being enforced and the protection of intellectual property. They need to have strong local educational institutions to work with. It also can make many governments nervous to see technologies that increase the power of individuals. In some cases governments have tried to keep the power of citizens in check. We could all name a few. That attitude will not work anymore. The UN, of course, has a role in pushing towards change. It has tried several times to significantly boost efforts in IT for development. But in general, those efforts have failed to engage the IT industry players whose energies and knowledge is crucial. In coming years we will see an explosion of new technologies for broadband, for mobile computing, for education and health care - and the first place in the world many of these will take root will be in developing countries where there is no legacy system problem, no installed base - just a huge mass of hungry eager people. The next five years will be the beginning of a golden era for technology to empower the poor.

Windows Vista Home Basic

Windows Vista Home basic is the entry-level offering for consumers with basic computing needs. If you want to use your PC for tasks like surfing the Internet, keeping in contact with friends and family via e-mail and chat and creating and editing documents, Windows Vista Home Basic edition is for you. Windows Vista Home Basic edition is designed to help people stay... More better connected and to be compatible with a wide range of software, devices and services that people use and trust the most.Windows Vista Home Basic will deliver a safter, more reliable and more productive computing environment. In fact, its the safest operating system that Microsoft has ever developed. Whether browsing the internet, connecting to wireless or reading an e-mail, Windows Vista Home Basic Edition protects you with security tools and technologies, parental control features and more. And with new tools to move your files and settings from your old PC, Windows Vista Home Basic makes using your computer a snap. Windows Vista Features: Basic File Backup and Restore The basic file backup and restore features in Windows Vista make it easier for you to keep your data and your computer safe from user error, hardware failure, and other problems. In the Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions of Windows Vista, you can automate the entire backup process using a simple wizard so you'll never have to worry about forgetting to back up your work. Backup and Restore Center : The Backup and Restore Center gives you one place to manage all backup-related features. File backup and restore: Windows Vista helps you easily back up the files on your PC when and where you choose to back them up, with the convenience of automated scheduling. For ease of use and to prevent confusion, programs and system files are not included in the file backup. They can be separately restored by reinstallation or by using either system restore points or Complete PC Backup and Restore, a feature available in the Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions of Windows Vista. You no longer have to remember to periodically back up your data. You can now use a simple wizard to schedule when and where you want your data to be backed up, and Windows Vista will take care of the rest DirectX 10: Eye-popping graphics in Microsoft Flight Simulator X. DirectX 10, the latest version of the DirectX suite of multimedia application programming interfaces (APIs), puts gamers and multimedia buffs on the leading edge of PC audio and video performance. DirectX 10 features heavily enhanced 3-D graphics-rendering capabilities and helps noticeably improve your computer's in-game and multimedia performance. Providing a standard development platform for Windows-based PCs, it also provides software developers access to specialized hardware features without the need to write hardware-specific code. For gamers and video enthusiasts, this translates to higher-performance graphics and sound when you're playing games or watching video on your PC. Additionally, DirectX APIs make it possible for multimedia applications to make use of high-performance hardware such as 3-D graphics acceleration chips and sound cards. They control low-level functions, too, including 2-D graphics acceleration, input devices (such as joysticks, keyboards, and mice), sound mixing, and sound output. Explorers: In Windows, the Explorer windows are the main tools for finding, viewing, and managing information and resources: documents, photos, programs, devices, and Internet content. The new Windows Vista Explorers empower you to manage your information with greater ease, speed, and flexibility. They also happen to look super cool.

In the new Explorers, the menus, toolbars, Navigation Pane, Task Pane, and Preview Pane have all merged into a single intuitive interface that's consistent across all of Windows Vista. Instant Search, which is always available and finds files rapidly. Navigation Pane, which contains quick links to the places your documents, pictures, and Search Folders are stored.

Command Bar, which displays tasks appropriate for the files being displayed. Live Icons, which display a thumbnail image of the actual contents of each file. Details Pane, which provides rich information (metadata) about files so you can easily add or edit their metadata.

Preview Pane, which you can use to browse through a preview of a file's contents in programs that have this feature.

Enhanced title bars, borders, and Address Bar. In Windows XP, the Explorer menus, toolbars, Navigation Pane, and Task Pane are distinct. In Windows Vista Explorers, all are merged into a single, streamlined interface Fast Sleep and Resume : Putting your PC to sleep can save time and power, and protect your work. In the past, if you turned your computer off to save power or extend your mobile PC's battery life, it took a long time for it to start back up when you wanted to use it again. With Windows Vista, you can easily and quickly use your PC whenever you want, while still preserving battery life. The default "off" state is now the new Sleep power state. Just press the power button on the Start menu or on your PC, and your PC will automatically save your current session to memory, and then quickly enter into a very low power state. It will also save your session to the hard drive, so you can access it even if the memory loses power. Then, when you want to resume your computer use, just press the power button on your PC. Your PC will turn on in seconds, and be just how you left it last time. Unlike Windows XP, which offered the different Standby and Hibernate modes, Windows Vista combines the benefits of both modes into Sleep to simplify the entire process for users. For optimal speed and performance when putting the PC to sleep, and when resuming it, purchase a new PC with Windows Vista preinstalled, rather than upgrading an existing PC. Internet Explorer 7 : Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista features a new and cleaner interface. Windows Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista, the new version of the popular web browser, represents a major step forward in making everyday web tasks easier. Making everyday tasks easier : To help you perform tasks more productively and efficiently, Internet Explorer 7 has been redesigned with new and enhanced capabilities for searching and making use of myriad sources of information. Everyday tasks are easier with improved navigation through tabbed browsing and web search right from the toolbar. Improved printing and the ability to easily discover, read, and subscribe to Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds enable you to access only the information you want, any time it's convenient. Dynamic security protection: Through a robust new architecture, Internet Explorer 7 offers dynamic security protection to help defend against malicious software (also known as malware), as well as new ways to protect users from unintentionally providing personal data to fraudulent websites that use deceptive practices such as phishing. And, Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista provides Parental Controls and a Protected Mode setting to keep families safer online and to help protect your PC from web-based attacks. Cleaner, sleeker user interface: Internet Explorer 7 offers a new look to minimize the number of toolbars you need while maximizing the amount of screen space devoted to the webpages you care about. Internet Explorer 7 is noticeably simpler, more streamlined, and less cluttered. It reduces the toolbar "creep"—consecutive rows of buttons and tools—that can sometimes take up as much as a third of the screen. The Back and Forward buttons are now smaller and have been moved next to the Address Bar. The Windows flag icon in the upper right corner of Internet Explorer 6 has been replaced with the powerful Instant Search field. Microsoft has invested heavily in the improvements in Internet Explorer 7; you'll experience the difference the moment you start the new browser. Improved platform for web development and manageability Internet Explorer 7 offers better support for cascading style sheets (CSS), a rich RSS feeds platform, and robust tools for deploying and managing Internet Explorer 7 in enterprise environments. Network and Sharing Center: A visual representation of your network. The Network and Sharing Center puts you in control of your network connectivity. It's a place where you can check your connection status, view your network visually, and troubleshoot connection problems.N The Network and Sharing Center informs you about your network and verifies whether your PC can successfully access the Internet—then summarizes this info in the form of a Network Map. If any computer connected to your network loses Internet connectivity, the Network and Sharing Center provides a graphical representation of which connection is down. Then you can use Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting to determine both the cause of the problem and possible ways to correct it. Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting : The Windows Network Diagnostics tool in Windows Vista helps you identify the top potential issues preventing network connectivity—and it automatically takes appropriate steps toward correcting them. If a computer on the network loses Internet connectivity, you can graphically see which connection is down and then use Network Diagnostics to help determine the cause of the problem and find possible solutions. Windows Vista includes wireless diagnostics capabilities as part of the extensible Network Diagnostics Framework (NDF). The NDF provides you with advanced help in resolving network-related issues. When you are unable to connect to a network resource, you are presented with clear repair options rather than error messages, which can be difficult to understand. If Windows Vista can repair the issue automatically, it will; if not, you are directed to perform simple steps to correct the problem without having to call for support.

Microsoft Office 2007

This redesigned productivity suite is powerful and full featured, once you get used to the changes.The applications we reviewed sport both a dramatic new look and new underpinnings in the form of XML-based default file formats for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The changes have a collective purpose: The redesigned interface makes finding and using these applications' powerful features much easier, and it is especially useful if you want to make your documents look their best. The XML file formats reduce file size, let corporate users easily transfer information between applications, and automate formatting and other changes across huge libraries of documents. Since they're based on an open Microsoft spec, rival productivity apps should eventually be able to duplicate and work with Office documents faithfully.For network-connected workers, the suite provides more tools than ever, including the new Office Groove collaboration app, and support for wikis and blog posts. These features become even more useful for enterprises that invest in Office server products, such as SharePoint Server or Groove Server.

A Whole New Look:

The sweeping design changes in Office 2007 can be unsettling. Instead of depending on myriad cascading text menus and skinny taskbars, most of the action in Office now takes place in a fat band or "ribbon." It appears where the taskbars used to be and graphically displays features that change as you click the different menu bar tabs.You may have to scramble at first to find the new locations of familiar options (Microsoft provides extensive online help). But the ribbon may also introduce you to tools and commands you never knew existed. In addition it supports a useful new feature called live preview: Select all or a portion of your document, hover your mouse over a formatting option (a new font, for example), and you'll see how it changes the actual document's appearance. If you like how it looks, click to apply the change; if not, move on to another option. This feature makes experimenting with style changes easier and more fun than ever.In case you miss having a few frequently used commands always at hand, the Quick Launch toolbar gives you a place to pin commands from any of the application's ribbons. It's not perfect: I miss being able to add boilerplate text with a single mouse click on one of the AutoText toolbar buttons I created. But by default, the Quick Launch toolbar includes some highly useful commands, including Undo and Save buttons.

XML Marks the Spot:

Microsoft's decision to use its new Open XML file formats (distinguishable from the old formats by the addition of the letter x to the file extension--.docx, .xlsx, or .pptx) as the defaults in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is likely to irritate people who don't have the 2007 versions of these apps and receive documents from people who doMicrosoft has tried to minimize the pain by quietly shipping Office 2007 awareness patches to Office XP and 2003 users who keep their suite current--by using Windows Update, for example. People who've received the patch and try to open an Open XML file within Office XP or 2003 will get a pop-up window informing them that they need to get a 2007 Office Compatibility Pack--a free, 27MB download. With the Compatibility Pack installed, Office XP and 2003 users will be able to open, edit, and save to the new Open XML format.Unfortunately, people who try to open Open XML documents in older versions of Office or other productivity suites will encounter messages saying that the application can't open the file. Your odds of reaching the Compatibility Pack improve if, instead of launching an older productivity application, you click on a file to let Windows try to open it. The OS will still tell you that it doesn't recognize the file type, but you'll have the option of letting Windows go online to find an application that can open it--and that way you'll get to the Compatibility Pack. With the Compatibility Pack installed, Office 2000 users gain limited functionality in the XML formats; and all other users will be able to convert Open XML documents to Office 97 formats and back again from Windows, though the process isn't particularly intuitive. See "Using New Microsoft Office 2007 Files with Older Office Suites" for more on opening Open XML files in older applications.Basically, Microsoft's Open XML formats sort the various components of a document--content, formatting, comments, and so on--into different files that the software then zips into a single Open XML file. (You can check this out by changing any Office XML file's extension to .zip and then opening the file with any zip utility.) Using zip compression makes files smaller; separating content from other attributes enables you to change those attributes without changing the content. A corporate user could, for example, change the look of a series of documents by swapping out the formatting files

Microsoft Office Standard 2007

Significant revamp provides more applications and many design improvements, though these take time to learn.$399 ($239 upgrade)Current prices (if available)

Word 2007:

Smarter and Loaded With New FeaturesInterface and internet elements shine in this revamped word-processing application.Microsoft Word is the most frequently used application in the Office suite, so the major interface changes will likely affect most Office users. But whether you'll call these changes improvements or productivity busters will depend on how fast you complete the unavoidable relearning curve. Ultimately, Microsoft's well-executed Help structure, along with a legion of formatting, collaboration, and integrated online tools, make Word 2007 a welcome upgrade.The most conspicuous switcheroo in Word 2007, the ribbon toolbar, does enhance productivity once you figure out where various commands have been relocated. For example, Drop Cap resided intuitively within the Format menu in Word 2003, but it appears on the Insert toolbar in 2007. To aid Word veterans in finding commands, Microsoft has posted the indispensible (but online-only) Interactive Word 2003 to Word 2007 Command Reference Guide. Without the guide, hunting for Drop Cap would be like engaging in an impromptu game of Where's Waldo. The extensive interactive online help (like the limited off-line help) is full of screenshots and video, so you'll need a broadband connection to view it.

Better Mail Merge :

The ribbon toolbar's Mailings tab improves on the formerly arcane mail-merge process by walking you step-by-step through choosing a project, selecting recipients (which you can import from Outlook), and writing and inserting mail-merge fields.Office 2007's other design improvements work nicely in Word. If you highlight text, open the drop-down font selector, and hover over a font, Office's live preview will show you how the highlighted text looks in that font. Word themes--which set colors, fonts (including heading and body text options), and effects (including lines and fills)--reside in the Page Layout ribbon and employ live preview to its fullest advantage. The themes let you jazz up an entire document with one mouse click. Highlighting text in your document brings up a shadow toolbar composed of formatting functions; but if you select a formatting option here, you won't be able to see an on-the-fly preview.

Word Goes Online :

Microsoft obviously designed Office 2007 with the Internet in mind, and you'll need to go online to take advantage of some of the suite's features. Selecting New*Blank Document from the Office button menu brings up a panel that offers a copious array of templates (invoices, business cards, flyers, and so on), most of them located at Microsoft Office Online. If you highlight a word in your document while pressing the ALT key, Word will search the Web to find references, definitions, and more. If you use one of six major blog services (such as Blogger), you can create, publish, and update blog entries directly from Word by typing in your account name and password; if you use something else, you can do the same things after entering a little more information (such as blog feed format and URL). Pressing Publish from the Office button menu will send your document to a blog, a Website, or a document server.Microsoft has packed Word 2007 with an ocean of old and new features, commands, and tools--and thanks to its new interface, you might actually find and use them. Its improved formatting and page layout functions, together with its tight integration of Web functions, are reason enough to upgrade to Office 2007. Of course Word 2007's $229 stand-alone price ($110 upgrade) and its migration issues with previous versions might give some upgraders pause. But the software's productivity-enhancing improvements are enough to overcome these drawbacks.

Microsoft Word 2007 :

Office's ribbon and live preview features integrate well; some help and document templates are online-only.$229 ($110 upgrade)Current prices (if available)

Excel 2007:

Spreadsheets Get Easier to UseCharts undergo a facelift; spreadsheets get bigger.Though the new Office ribbon is the most obvious innovation in the new Office suite, Excel 2007 has some major changes under the hood as well. For a decade, Excel users have been stuck with the same limits on spreadsheet size: 65,536 rows and 256 columns. Excel 2007 blows past these limits to offer a mind-boggling 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns--enough to permit users to crunch data from a gigantic relational database that an SQL Server might use.The new limits aren't the only tune-ups. Excel now accommodates lengthier text values in cells, allows formulas with more layers, and divides calculations among multiple processors in dual-core CPUs (if you have them) to perform complex calculations even faster. All of these improvements will keep demanding number crunchers happy, though they probably won't make much difference to a typical home user.

Better-Looking Charts :

Previous versions of Excel had considerable charting muscle, but you'd never have known it by looking at the dated graphics. As part of Microsoft's work to give Office a new drawing engine, charts take a dramatic jump into the future. If you're not graphically inclined, pick from preset styles to get harmonious color combinations and effects such as shadows, beveled edges, and three-dimensional shapes.The only disappointment is that Excel 2007 doesn't add new chart types. For years Excel users have been requesting inclusion of box charts, bullet charts, dot plots, trellis displays, and other popular chart varieties, to no avail; presented with another opportunity to broaden the range of options, Excel 2007 merely embellishes the existing chart types.

Conditional Formatting :

Easily the most improved Excel feature is conditional formatting, which lets you add formatting to values that meet certain criteria. When you create a conditional formatting rule (such as "display all the prices over $100 with a red background"), Excel will automatically apply it to all the cells you specify. Conditional formatting has been in Excel for many years, but using it was too much of a hassle for most people.In Excel 2007, the feature is easier to use; in many instances you can choose a preset option right out of the ribbon. It's more powerful, too, enabling you to mix and match as many formatting rules as you want (previously there was a limit). But the real excitement in conditional formatting comes from two new features: data bars and icon sets. Data bars permit you to add a shaded bar behind every cell you identify--the bigger the bar, the bigger the number. Icon sets add different icons (tiny pictures) next to various numbers. For example, if you're creating a grading spreadsheet, you can tell Excel to give failing marks a red X and passing marks a green check mark, so you can distinguish them at a glance. You're limited to the icon sets included with Excel, but they're quite good.Excel also packs in a slew of minor refinements, including better Formula AutoComplete, which works with functions. (Functions are number-processing tools in Excel. They examine some data you supply, and then they perform a calculation and provide the result.) Formula AutoComplete has always been able to inform you of the data you need to supply for a function, but now it can also suggest possible function names and named ranges on your worksheet as you type in a few letters. This small improvement will save people who use Excel day-in and day-out a lot of time.

Formula Autocomplete :

Excel 2007 seems sure to remain king of the spreadsheet world, and it's not cheap at the top. Excel costs $299 as a stand-alone application ($110 as an upgrade). But if you create spreadsheets regularly of if you're a current Excel user, this is an improved version you'll want to consider.

PowerPoint 2007 :

More Presentation Pizzazz, Less WorkBetter, easier graphics make this a winning upgrade.Of all the Office 2007 applications, the new PowerPoint is the most focused on helping people who aren't graphics gurus create documents that show a little style. So it's not surprising that PowerPoint 2007 benefits hugely from Office 2007's highly visual ribbon interface and new design tools. There's still room for improvement in some features, such as multimedia support, but the new elements add up to the meatiest PowerPoint update in many years--one that lets you produce slicker shows more quickly and with less expertise.PowerPoint 2007's graphical improvements begin with its new themes--sophisticated, predesigned layouts that improve markedly on PowerPoint 2003's cheesy Templates, though they still fall far short of the stylish ones that Mac users get with Apple's Keynote program. Themes include preset color choices to prevent you from creating ugly presentations, but the multitude of color combinations available will probably seem limitless. If you do feel boxed in, you can modify the colors and layout of a Theme, and then save for later use. Since themes and color selections are also available in Word and Excel, you can apply a consistent look across all your Office 2007 documents.

SmartArt Adds Style :

Also new (and available in Word and Excel, too) is SmartArt, a drawing tool for creating graphics that show relationships--for example, organizational charts, pyramids, and cycles. You can add SmartArt elements to a presentation and change their style with a few clicks, and you have to make a real effort to produce one that doesn't look polished and professional.Adventuresome presenters who don't want to rely on canned elements will like PowerPoint 2007's improved effects--which include drop shadows, perspective, beveling, reflections, and glows. You can apply almost every effect to both text and graphics (including charts and SmartArt) directly from the ribbon, and in almost every case you can see how the change will affect your presentation before you actually apply it.

Better Tables :

PowerPoint 2007 includes some worthwhile nondesign improvements, too. Tables, long a headache to work with, are easy to manipulate and style; and moving data between Excel and PowerPoint, complete with formatting, is finally the cakewalk it should have been all along.Though most of what's noteworthy in this upgrade relates to slide design, other areas have a few worthwhile improvements, too. For instance, a presentation file can now contain subsets of itself that don't include all the slides, making it easier to wrangle variants of a presentation for different scenarios. Also, dual-monitor support is more sophisticated, allowing you to blank out the presentation display temporarily if you need to do something on your laptop that you don't want projected to your audience.

What Still Needs Work :

PowerPoint's new look sets the bar so high that the few weak spots in the interface are downright jarring. One involves the new charting engine, which produces much handsomer graphics than earlier versions, but uses a chart type selector that hides your slides and doesn't offer a live preview of what its results will look like. And I can't figure out why PowerPoint--unlike Word and Excel--doesn't show a Theme's name unless you hover your mouse pointer on it.Cutting-edge presenters may be disappointed that PowerPoint 2007 is still ultimately a tool for creating traditional slide shows, not rich-media extravaganzas or browser-based presentations. Features for adding video, audio, animation, and transitions to a presentation remain pretty basic; and output for the Web still looks so shabby in non-Microsoft browsers that Firefox and Safari users who try to open your presentations will get a message warning them that it may not work. (PowerPoint 2003's ability to broadcast presentations over the Internet is gone altogether--not a huge loss, since it never worked very well anyway.)A PowerPoint that unfailingly delivered on the new interface's promise and that packed additional multimedia and Web panache would be even more impressive. But PowerPoint 2007 is a winner as is. If you buy it on its own, it costs $229 ($110 as an upgrade); but if you're using any previous version and care about how your presentations look, you need this updated version.

Outlook 2007 :

Partial MakeoverApart from the new interface, there's not much new in Office's e-mail and calendar app.The improvements in Office Outlook 2007 amount to a touch-up rather than a retooling. Still, after surmounting a few glitches in the conversion from Outlook 2003, I came to appreciate the interface enhancements in the program's message, compose, and other windows. If you want to integrate instant messaging and otherwise collaborate (apart from sharing calendars on the Internet), you'll need to have Windows Sharepoint Services running on a Microsoft Exchange server. Because it still lacks easy links to non-Microsoft messaging and collaboration tools, Outlook remains less integrated than you might expect a communications program to be.

Access 2007 :

A New Lease on LifeRedesigned database program has better window management and security measures.In recent years, Access users have started to wonder about the fate of their favorite database program. Will Microsoft keep Access around and still pack in new features? Or will it eventually replace Access with some version of SQL Server that has a few fancy design tools?For now, the speculation is on hold. Access 2007 constitutes a major overhaul of the aging database app, adding significant new features and streamlining the interface. For people who manage data in Access regularly, it's a worthwhile upgrade.

Access Tames Its Windows :

Previous versions of Access have forced users to deal with a dozen floating windows at once. Access 2007 removes the clutter and organizes its windows into neat tabs. At the left, a navigation pane lets users choose the database object they want to work with. The pane is permanently visible, but you can collapse it into a narrow bar if you want more workspace on your screen. The difference is dramatic: Working in the less congested new interface is much easier and more enjoyable.Fortunately, Microsoft hasn't forgotten about old-school Access users. A buried setting lets you bring back the overlapping windows, which are still useful if you want to see several database objects at a time. Access 2007 handles databases created in previous versions of the program without a hitch, though the new display environment and code security settings will force long-time users to adjust a bit.

Put Files in Your Database :

One of the niftiest new features in Access is the Attachment data type, which permits you to embed entire files in your database. It's a great way to store pictures, documents, and other files alongside a related record. But the program's 2GB database size limit means that you can forget about using Access to store movies, music, and other rich-media files.Interestingly, an attachment field can hold as many files as you want, which makes it an all-purpose container for extra bits of information. For example, if you have a table of employees, you can throw in a personal picture, a recent resume, and whatever else you want.

A Simpler Security Model :

Great databases use code, and code can do bad things. Previous versions of Access handled buggy code by popping up a stream of warning messages that users had to click through every time they opened a database.Access 2007 uses a simpler approach. When you open a database, the program quietly disables all potentially unsafe macro actions and code. A slim security message then appears at the top of the window, informing you that your database has been restricted. You can switch your code back on with a couple of clicks, or you can place your database in a folder that you specifically designate as a trusted location. Once you've done the latter, you'll never see an unnecessary security warning again.

Easy-to-Design Forms and Reports:

Designing data-entry forms and reports in Access can be a bit tedious. To get the exact arrangement of information you want, you have to drag each piece of information to the right place individually. Access 2007 improves this situation dramatically with a feature called layouts, which keeps information together in neat columns or tables.Best of all, layouts are a breeze to work with because Access includes a new WYSIWYG form designer and report designer. Using these tools, you can apply formatting and see the results immediately--a feature that previous versions of Access sorely lacked.

Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger

Call their phones. Call their PCs. Call your friends' mobile or landline phones.* It's affordable, both within the US and internationally. And calling someone's PC is always free. See them on the screen Show and tell: Grab a webcam and start a video conversation within minutes. Share stuff Set up a Sharing Folder with a friend. Drop in photos and other stuff, as many as your computer can handle. See your Sharing Folder even when one of you is offline. Now: Talk to your Yahoo! friends, too The world's largest IM network has just gotten bigger—and better. With Windows Live Messenger you can now connect with your Yahoo! IM contacts. Forget about using multiple accounts to talk to your friends—IM them all with Windows Live Messenger

Trend Micro, Computer SW

Trend Micro is a global leading provider of comprehensive antivirus, Internet content security, and outbreak management software and services. Our products and services - including our award-winning antivirus software Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security - are designed to deliver coordinated protection at application and network layers to proactively manage the outbreak lifecycle—from vulnerability prevention to malicious code prevention and elimination

Laplink Software

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For over 23 years, Laplink has won acclaim for developing award-winning connectivity products. It has earned the trust of more than 15 million customers worldwide who transfer, synchronize, share, and remotely access billions of files per week; swiftly, securely, and reliably. Microsoft's recent investment in Laplink speaks to the stature of our company and products.

Laplink continues to win awards for its innovative products, including PC Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award and a finalist nomination for the prestigious SIIA (Software and Information Industry Association) Codie Awards. Laplink also maintains a strong international presence with a worldwide network of representatives, including offices in the United States, Canada and Great Britain, and an international sales and marketing team. Most Laplink products have already been localized in French, Spanish, Italian, and German. Share in the success of our products and get the powerful Laplink brand working for you.

Computer Associates

World-class Antivirus, Industrial Strength Personal Firewall, and more for Home and Small Office PC. We've been at this a while... CA, through its product line, has quietly become the industry's #1 supplier of eBusiness security solutions. The CA security solutions secure a vast range of platform types, ranging from hand held computing devices, through desktops and servers, all the way up to IBM mainframe systems. We have a long and distinguished history of providing award-winning, enterprise-class security solutions to our customers, who include the Global 2000, and major governments throughout the world. PC MacLan 2007 from CA - Share music, photos, files, and even printers between PC's and Macs!