Vista Revisted

I wish I had done better research on my last blog. I was basing most of the information on past Microsoft policies but I should have known that they changed all the rules when it came to Windows Vista.

As Dave and Rob pointed out from the Ars technica article, Buying OEM versions of Windows Vista: the facts, there are more negatives involved with OEM DVD's then lack of support. The biggest issue being that the OS is tied to the motherboard. You can swap out any other part without having to reactivate but once you upgrade your mobo, you have to purchase a new copy of Vista. To me this is the deal breaker. I don't like the idea of my expensive OS only lasting as long as one component in my PC.

Another negative with the OEM DVD is that you only get a 32-bit version or a 64-bit version, unlike the retail DVD's which ship with the 32-bit DVD and you can order the 64-bit one for a small fee (Vista Ultimate ships with both DVD's in the box). My next processor is definitely going to be 64-bit capable and providing that all my hardware components have 64-bit drivers I will most likely want to use this version as it contains more security features like Kernel Patch Protection then with the 32-bit version.

Everything isn't as rosy with the retail upgrade versions of Vista either. Another Ars article talks about the upgrade versions of Vista no longer will check for a qualifying CD of XP or Windows 2000 when trying to perform a clean install (installing Vista on a freshly formatted hard drive). There is a workaround, but it's not very elegant as it requires you to essentially install Vista twice on the same computer.

1) Boot from the Windows Vista Upgrade DVD and start the setup program.

2) When prompted to enter your product key, DO NOT enter it. Click "Next" and proceed with setup. This will install Windows Vista as a 30-day trial.

3) When prompted, select the edition of Vista which you have purchased and continue with setup.

4) Once setup has been completed and you have been brought to the desktop for the first time, run the install program from within Windows Vista.

5) This time, type in your product key when prompted.

6) When asked whether to perform an Upgrade or Custom (advanced) install, choose Custom (advanced) to perform a clean install of Vista. Yes, this means that you will have to install Vista for a second time.

7) Once setup has completed for the second time, you should be able to activate Windows Vista normally. You can also delete the Windows.old directory which contains information from the first Vista install.

So those are the negatives I've read about so far. Perhaps we will see even more when other people begin to upgrade. To me its a pick your poison proposition. Either fork over the $400 for the retail full version of Vista Ultimate (which contains both 32-bit and 64-bit versions, allows you to transfer your license to a new motherboard), use the OEM version (which limits you to either 32-bit or 64-bit, and one motherboard only), or go retail upgrade (which you can order with 64-bit for a small charge, has a poor clean install option and nullifies your right to use your XP license.

Perhaps its best summarized by someone who said, "at $400 for just another version of Windows, I rather pay $200 more and get a Mac Mini with a superior operating system".

'Nuff said.

Vista Eve

In just a few hours Microsoft will unleash it's latest consumer operating system Windows Vista, to U.S. customers. Although I'm much more looking forward to Leopard's pending release, let's admit it, if you want to play computer based games you have to run Windows and if you want to play future DirectX 10 based games you will have no choice but to run Vista.

What's really different about this version as opposed to previous ones is the ultra strict product activation feature. Although hackers have already circumvented the process, you won't be able to update your system with patches if you decide to follow the path of the dark side. With Windows being such a malware target, having a unpatched OS is not the smartest move to make so it's best to go legit and purchase your own legal copy.

To save money you can buy the upgrade versions providing you have a valid copy or CD of Windows XP or Windows 2000, but I've never been a fan of keeping old CD's around as you can never seem to find it when doing a fresh rebuild of your system. I much prefer full versions but at such high prices the most cost effective option is purchasing the OEM DVD. Stores like Newegg.com have OEM Windows Vista Home Premium for as low as $119.99. The only negative is that you have to provide support for yourself (can't call Microsoft), but when was the last time you needed to do that?

2007 CES - The Anti-Keynote

I noticed that the entire Bill Gates keynote from the 2007 International CES has been posted on YouTube and decided to see if his public speaking skills had improved over the years. Horr-i-ble! So many critiques- the trying to be cool and hip video intro showcasing Microsoft technology, the hunched slouching, the misfired joke with no one laughing -it just doesn't end. I'll try to muster the strength to see the remainder of the presentation. What I originally wanted to see was the tech demo for Windows Vista.

Such good timing for Jobs to steal the spotlight from CES in January with his usually spectacular showmanship.

Skype

A friend from work who plays WoW gave me this little gem! It's an alternative to using Ventrilo while we play, as typing during a battle can make or break your groups defenses. It's called Skype, and though it doesn't have the advantage of many numbers to chat with, 40 man online players on the server, maybe more but I've never tried, it does a wonderful job easier than Vent when in small 5 to maybe 10 person live online callers.

Instead of using servers that need to be created, Skype uses whoever makes the "call" as the host server. Very easy and you don't have to create a dedicated server as in Vent. A group of us from my guild in WoW tried it and we loved it! It made our Baron run in Stratholme much easier. I recommend this little app, which is both Mac and Windoze compatible.

Next time we do a WC3 game, or any game, we should give it a shot. Or instead of iChat, when we don't feel like typing, we can just turn on Skype and make our calls online to each other! It also is able to make regular phone calls, with a charge of course. Very convenient if we need that part. Kudos to the makers of Skype!

Famous Cousins

Ever since I was little, I took delight in telling everybody I knew that my cousins were in one of the most successful movies of all time, E.T. Of course I told Annel but she never seen the part where Gary and both twins are visible so I popped in the DVD and paused it at just the right moment for her. After watching it she wanted to know where Marcitos was.

Although I couldn't find the exact location (Mark told me it was in Northridge), I did find a Google map for where the main house is in Tujunga.

Reality Distortion Field

For some reason I have now long forgotten, I took a forensic (debate) class in high school. It ended up preparing me for the real world more so than any other single class as good speech skills are sorely lacking in the business world. Not that I'm any better then the guy next door but I can recognize when someone excels at it. Steve Jobs is a perfect example of someone who has mastered the art of public speaking, so good that you don't notice it until someone else comes along (Stan Sigman) who lacks the same skill set. I found this article very interesting on why Stevie does such a good job.

iPhone Clones

One of the disadvantages of being a design pioneer like Apple is that so many other companies try to emulate your products. Although technically not a clone since the technology has been around a while people are already comparing the iPhone touch screen to the Onyx device from Synaptics that was demoed at CES. I don't know what crack this guy is smoking as he calls the user interface "spectacular". Did he not see the iPhone demo?

Another blogger can't stop talking about the OpenMoko FIC Neo1973 Smartphone which looks rather iPhonish in principal if not in design. After reading their press releases about how this device has been delayed until later next month, I give this product the vaporware award of 2007.

MacWorld SuperBlog

News overload. That's how I felt after I returned from our recent trip which is why this review took so long. I still have lots to catch up on but hopefully you will enjoy my initial impressions of MacWorld 2007 at San Francisco this past week.

Rob did all the planning and got us a hotel room at the Villa Florence in downtown San Francisco. It was a nice location full of corporate executive types in 2 piece suits. I felt a bit out of place with my blue jeans and black shirt but if it's good enough for Steve...

Based on Rob's online recommendation we left the hotel about 3:45 AM in order to make it in the line at about 4:00 AM. Much to my surprise there was already a line starting from the doors of the Moscone West building to the end of the street. We knew it was a big hall so we weren't worried about getting a seat. We plopped down and busted out with our iPod's. We talked with a few of our fellow brethren to kill some time. One man in front of came from Chicago and another couple of guys came from Berkeley and Seattle. Most were first time keynote attendees like us. One thing about downtown San Francisco is that there is literally a coffee house on every corner but the one next to us didn't open until 5:00 AM. Eventually some MacWorld employees came around with free coffee and donuts around 6:00 AM but by then I already picked up some Cafe Mocha's at Starbucks down the street (one next to Moscone had a Wii sized line already).

At around 8:00 AM they let us in the building and directed us to the staging area in a very long line about 6 people wide. We waited there and noticed a separate line across from us form. It turns out this was the line for all the MacWorld Platinum Pass and SuperPass ticket holders that got priority seating for the keynote. With a Early Registration price of $1,495 and $1,395 respectively I had no problem coming in early for a seat since we only spent $215 for our tickets.

The MacWorld Keynote was everything I expected it to be and so much more. After we were allowed in, people were frantically trying to find a seat since the rows were filling up fast. Rob and I sat down right away and within a few minutes all the seats were taken followed by waves of people combing the aisles looking for that last available one. Most of them ended up standing in the back and sides of the auditorium. Based on the size of the line behind us, I figure that a good percentage of people couldn't get in and had to watch the keynote from another room with a TV feed. Hey you snooze you lose.

Jobs presentation and speech skills are legendary and it was a real treat to see him in person. Since we sat kind of back it was actually easier to view him via the big monitor on display. His keynote speech is available for viewing on Apple's website so I won't rehash what was discussed but I would like to give my first person view on the experience.

The Apple TV presentation looked good, up until Steve announced that the maximum supported video resolution is 720p. Apple really should have made it work with at least 1080i if not 1080p. Not that I even have a HDTV but when I buy one it's sure going to have 1080 resolution. What's really weird is that Apple currently doesn't sell any HD content (movies/TV shows) to watch on your TV other than the standard free movie trailers from the QuickTime site. Add a rather smallish 40GB drive coupled with a $300 price tag and you have something that needs a rev B before I will consider it. Apple had a wall of demo units that connected to 40" Sony Bravia LCD's that we were welcome to test out. I noticed that navigating to the photos had a small lag before they were displayed but other than that the product looked good. What the demo didn't reveal but what I eventually found out on the Apple website is that a widescreen TV is mandatory so even if I wanted it, I couldn't use this with my current SDTV.

The iPhone demo was nothing short of amazing. Everything that is wrong with current cell phone design has been solved with the iPhone, from the difficulty of entering (and syncing) contacts to answering voicemails in any order. In addition there are plenty of Apple touches like the gorgeous bitmapped display to the smart touchscreen that can detect which key you meant to press based on the adjacent keys and what word you are trying to spell. People complained about the relatively high price ($499 and $599) and the exclusive Cingular contract but I firmly believe this phone will sell like hotcakes. Remember when the iPod was first introduced it was also deemed too expensive compared to other MP3 players but people snapped them up anyways. Apple later introduced less expensive models and I'm sure they will do the same for the iPhone. Since I already have a phone provided by my job and Annel just got a brand new LG Chocolate Cherry phone I can't justify getting one in June, but once her 2 year contract expires you can bet I will be looking to see what new models Apple has to offer. Another complaint I overheard was the 5 hour battery life, but this is no worse (and even better) then other "smart" phones. RIM's top of the line BlackBerry Pearl only gets 3.5 hours of talk time while Palm's high end Treo 750 only gets 4 hours and none of these phones are half as cool as the iPhone! The only real negative I can think of is that corporate customers won't quickly ditch their Treo's and BlackBerry's since they need secure access to their Exchange or Lotus Notes mailboxes via the MAPI protocol and not IMAP like Jobs said would be available. I'm sure by June we'll see something to address this.

The Cingular CEO, Stan Sigman was a complete bore. He read from cue cards (amateur!) which never seemed to disappear as he kept flipping them over. I really don't know what point he was trying to make, all I remember was something about AT&T merger with Cingular and very little was spoken about Apple or the iPhone. The crowd seemed to agree and was losing interest fast so they collectively started clapping at the end before he finished. He looked up sort of irate and then quickly finished his speech. If only they had that 'hurry up' music they play for long winded winners at the Oscars!

What was missing from the Keynote was the obligatory Microsoft supports Apple speech from Roz Ho. I was so looking forward to seeing her on stage. It turns out that Rob saw her hanging out at the Microsoft booth where they were showing off previews of Office 2008. I walked right by her when Rob tugged at my arm to point out where she was standing. I thought it would be a hoot to get my picture taken with her but Rob advised against it, thinking it would be in poor taste.

Since Rob and I both registered for the Users Conference we ended up attending most of the same sessions together. Because of our schedule, we only got to see a few but they were informative and offered a nice place to sit down and relax after walking around all day. One night we went to the local Apple Store and saw a demo of Luxology's modo 202 product which is where this picture came from.

The Expo itself was smaller than what I was used to from attending previous tradeshows like E3 and Comdex but it turned out to be a good thing. There was plenty of room to walk around without bumping into people and you got to talk to vendors without waiting in line. Apparently the Woz was there as well as Robin Williams (who is a San Fran resident) but I didn't see either of them. Rob and I attended some cool upcoming product demo's from Adobe, Apple and some rather boring ones from FormZ and Microsoft (Office 2008 looks awful!). I ended up purchasing a few products since most vendors were offering MacWorld discounts and I also want to legitimize my software collection. I bought Roxio's Toast 8 Titanium which was just introduced during the show and Elgato's EyeTV Hybrid, which allows you to play, record and edit live TV on your Mac. I'll blog about these products at a later time.

We attended a MacWorld party on Tuesday night sponsored by Google and Microsoft. It was the typical geekfest I thought it would be but the roast beef sandwiches were excellent. I ate about 6 of them. Cheap Trick was there performing but I have to admit I never heard of them until they played the theme song from That 70's Show.

Since it was on the way to the Moscone Center, we stopped by the Metreon to play a little Resistance of War on the PlayStation 3. It was timed to quit after 15 mins but it gave us enough of a chance to play some co-op. It was a good looking game but not good enough for me to drop $600 bucks (plus $60 for the game) to get a PS3.

One night we walked over to Chinatown and ate at the famous House Of Nanking. It's famous because its a tourist haven and features pictures from some D-list celebrities like Rachel Ray and Kathy Griffin. I thought the food was OK but had better in Camarillo. Reading some online reviews ahead of time would probably have sent us to a better place.

Overall I had a great time at MacWorld. It would be interesting to see where the iPhone ranks in Mac history. Jobs seemed genuinely excited about it as he compared it to the launch of the original Macintosh and the iPod. Perhaps one day I can tell my grandkids that I was there when Jobs first announced it.

Macworld 2007 Trip

Since I can't wait for Mark's blog any longer, here are some photos from our trip to San Francisco. It was a fun getaway- beautiful city, great food and the opportunity to meet people who were even more fanatical with all things Apple than even us.

Wow!!!

So, with the day of events over at MacWorld, what else is there to say but wow!? Yes, it didn't have a lot of product announcements, but in a short editorial note on one of the Mac rumor sites, they mentioned that Apple insiders said that there were other products that were coming out soon but no time to announce them today because of all the time the iPhone took!
Can we say Quad Core machines yet?!

And so the era of the new iPod has been ushered in, with a slight delay since it comes on sale in June, the wonderous iPhone! Can anyone deny the greatness of that device? I think not! When it's avaliable for orders, I'll be there ready with cash in hand! I had planned on getting it this month when it was announced, but I can wait! It's worth waiting for even though my current phone is around 5 years old.

I can't wait for the twin bloggers come back from San Fran to write about their experience watching Steverino first hand and up close! Why oh why didn't you two bring a laptop?! Oh the agony of having to wait for those blogs!!!

MacWorld Predictions

Ok! So you boys are gonna be off to MacWorld in a few days to see first hand what's coming out and to see the man in all his glory! In dedication to that, I will give my first predictions in writing. Seeing the times and the tech currently in use, and tech that is "on the horizon," maybe I'll be shooting for more than we can hope! In any case, whether they come to pass this MacWorld or not, these are my predictions!

Photoshop CS suite finally makes it to Universal! Not an exciting or far fetched prediction, but an expected one! And if it's still not out next week, shame on Adobe!

MacPro with the new Quad Core from Intel! The most powerful home computer that will not only do what you want when you want, but will also sport a hot new design that will make every pc user drool with envy! Jobs will be at his best with this best kept secret! It's gonna be hot!

The all new iPod Video Nano! Yes! It's finally here! Screen too small you say? No way! Now you can see your favorite shows and movies anytime anywhere and you'll love it! Thought the sales were doing great before? Zune never had a chance!

Finally, my last prediction is....
the incredible iPhone with exclusive partner Cingular! It's a rumor that's been around a bit now, but the timing is perfect now! completely Mac OS compatible, not only able to download iTunes and podcasts, but videos as well! It'll be roughly the size of a regular video iPod but with so much more capabilities on it! iSync with iLife, iWork and .Mac! Truly the coolest device/phone for the year till the next MacWorld! That will be my next purchase for sure!

And for those of you still wanting some good news in the windoze arena, Vista will finally catch up, at least halfway, to OS X, being released, so far, at the end of this month! Can't wait to Boot Camp that one! Oh, does that make OS X seem like a show off? Oops, Microsoft!

The Next Star Wars Experience

After playing with Mark's Wii last Christmas, I made an obvious conclusion that the Wiimote would make the perfect lightsaber for a new Star Wars game. Performing a quick search resulted in discovering that LucasArts is well aware of the unique properties of the Wii and has hinted at a next-gen game specifically for it. Awesome.

What I also learned is that LucasArts is developing a next-gen game for the XBox 360 and PS3 consoles right now. I guess if I went to E3 I would have known this. ;) Anyways, they released a tech demo titled Force Powers Pre-Vis which showcases a new technology called Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) that LucasArts licensed from a company based in Switzerland.

It's basically a volumetric approach to creating objects and digital sets instead of using the traditional method of textured polygonal shells. This allows developers to create more realistic ways to destruct objects and animate physical properties. You can see a Quicktime demo of DMM in action on Pixelux Entertainment's website found here.

Consoles continued

I'm only posting this for the rest of the pics of what I used to have and what I currently have. It seemed like a long blog as it is, but the story is very condensed as it goes from the 1970's to the present. I didn't wanna bore you guys too much, but I think I bored myself after re-reading it! Next time I'll post it in parts if it ends up being a long blog.

Over the years

Well, because you asked, here is my list as far as I can remember of the consoles/computers I have had through the years. Our first one was in the 1970's and from I believe Radio Shack. It was beige and had 2 controllers, which had no buttons as far as I can remember. The joystick that was attached to the controller was a very flimsy rod with a plastic sort of tube at the end, to give it some sort of "hi-tech" design I'm sure. I remember it was Santa's gift to us one Christmas. Pong was a classic!

After that, it was quite a while later that after the Atari 2600 came out, and never buying one but always envying everyone who did, yes as a kid it was easy to envy, I decided to save money for one when Coleco released the ColecoVision! I saved some dance money and knew I would be the one with the coolest console! The graphics were light year's ahead of the 2600 and Intellivision, so it was an easy decision to buy it. Of course, Atari spoiled it with the release of the 5200! One system that I knew I didn't want was the Magnavox Odyssey. I thought it was just horrid, and that was just the console, not the graphics! Of course, not too long after, Atari then released another system, the 7800. Oi, even back then it was hard to keep up!

Just as I was getting ready to save up money for the next gen systems, I was eyeing the Jaguar from Atari, I decided to buy my first computer because of the compatibility with my ColecoVision, the Adam computer! It came with the really nifty and fast tape drive and was the best buy for the power at the time, or so I thought. No sooner did I purchase it when I had my first buyer's remorse, as I eyed the Apple and Atari computers. I felt robbed! So not too long after that, I went for the next steal, the Amiga 500! Now that was a computer!

After another few years, with no new software on the horizon, I finally broke down and got the Atari 800 XL! I felt so good at that time, buying a real computer, but my eye was still on Apple. I blame cousin Dan as he used to bring over his Apple II over when we were little kids. We would play Choplifter and Lemonade and of course the all time classic, Zork!

Finally, after a long wait and the right time, I got what I wanted, an Apple computer! Yes, at long last Apple made the ultimate pc with a new processor that would surpass any windoze machine, the PowerPC chip! I got the 6100 model, then not too long after that with, a Mac clone! It was supposed to be cost effective, but ended up sometimes costing more. I didn't care, I had the best! And a clone of the best! But again, I had some buyer's remorse as I did not get the top of the line systms, but the bargain priced for families unit. I was not completely satisfied.

The '80s were pretty bleak for consoles.

After years of getting the low end systems, I decided to make the plunge and buy the next gen of computers from Apple and graduated to the tower! Behold, the awesome power of the Blue and White G3!!! It was at that time I decided that I would not get the low end anymore, but the mid-grade if not the high-end! Slowly, my eye turned to video gaming again. What were these new systems from Sega and Nintendo? Nah, no time for those, I have a G3! Hmmm, now Sony came out with one? My interest had been sparked. I watched the first wave of new systems come out and decided I had to have the Sega Dreamscape! Truly, the consoles had caught up to the arcade machines! Too bad the Dreamcast died a horribly fast death. I was not about to shell out more money just to have a Playstation 2! So I got an Imac G5 instead! Now that was a pc!

But my eye strayed, and low and behold, after making a pc with the AMD 64 and an nVidia 6800 card, here came the Xbox! Though I was no fan of Microsoft, that machine was worth getting. And then even less time had passed and I had to have the Sony PSP! Now I know that the PSP isn't a console, but a handheld, it was just too cool to pass up! I mean, come on, widescreen movies on a tiny disc or download onto a memory card?! Who can not buy something like that, I ask?! But then Apple had to spoil everything. They went with Intel, a company I couldn't stand, and made the ultimate machine to date!

I tried to wait, but after one month, the MacBook Pro was in my little mitts! So I blame UbiSoft for my next purchase! Dang them for making Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter for the Xbox 360! Not too long after the MacBook Pro, I was the happy owner of the 360 and even happier owner of Gears of War! I didn't actually plan on buying one, as I thought it had a weak list of games at launch. I thought, eh, I'll wait for the PS3. Now, with the even weaker launch titles for the PS3, I'm not sure about that one now, only time Wii tell. Yes, the Wii got in my sights at launch time, as a friend from work brought one to work and I had a blast testing it out! That I have to buy, even if it's for the nieces and nephew, which I can go inside the main house and play with them easily enough!

Long live the console!