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As you already know, the big news this week was the announcement of the date for general availability (GA) of Windows from the Windows 7 Team Blog, posted by: Brandon LeBlanc (Jun 02, 2009) – "This is one of those posts where I’m truly excited to be writing. I get to tell you when Windows 7 will be on store shelves! According to input from customers and partners we’ve made a lot of progress with Windows 7. Our milestone-to-milestone approach for Windows 7 is built on a great deal of feedback from customers and testers. This has been pivotal to the development of Windows 7. I blogged a few weeks ago that it’s looking like we’ll have Windows 7 ready in time for the holidays."

Also of interest is this article on Why Microsoft Built Its Own content delivery network (aka CDN), as Rich Miller covers the announcement that Microsoft "will begin providing on-demand access to the full versions of retail video games. That means titles like BioShock (6 Ggigabytes) and Mass Effect (7 GB) can be downloaded through the Xbox Live online gaming service, which has more than 17 million members. The growth of these type of bandwidth-draining services has been a major driver in Microsoft’s decision to build its own content delivery network."

Let’s talk about Windows 7 Starter – Windows 7 Team Blog – The Windows Blog – "There has been a lot of talk recently about Windows 7 Starter, so I thought I’d dive a little deeper into what it means to have this edition of Windows 7 running on a small notebook PC (a.k.a. a netbook). Today, the Starter edition of Windows is designed for entry level PCs and available only in certain regions. We first introduced a “Starter edition” with Windows XP, and did again with Windows Vista. Starter comes with limitations, such as being able to run only 3 concurrent applications on a PC at a time (this excludes background processes such as anti-virus applications, wireless and Bluetooth, and system tools like Explorer and Control Panel)."

Microsoft reverses Windows 7 Starter limit – Tech and gadgets- msnbc.com updated 9:42 a.m. PT, Sat., May 30, 2009 SEATTLE – "Microsoft said on Friday it would not limit the number of applications available at one time on the Starter edition of its upcoming Windows 7 operating system, reversing its earlier strategy of limiting its capabilities and urging users to upgrade. The move is a significant reversal for Microsoft as it looks to keep a hold on the fast-growing market for small, cheap personal computers — known as netbooks — which are the principal market for the most basic version of Microsoft’s new operating system, expected to roll out later this year. (Msnbc.com is a Microsoft-NBC Universal joint venture.) The world’s largest software company had originally planned that users could run only three programs at one time using Starter. The new plan would not limit the number of applications that could be used."

We have the Kodak EasyShare W1020 10-Inch Wireless Digital Frame, and PC World posted this review. "The wood-framed, glass-fronted Kodak EasyShare W1020 is easy to use, with or without Kodak’s proprietary software." Kathleen Cullen, PC World, June 4, 2009

SanDisk CEO concedes: "You can’t out-iPod the iPod" – "It’s a truth that many open-minded observers have known for awhile now: Apple rules the roost in the portable media player market, and everyone else is just trying to keep up. Sorry, but it’s true. So true, in fact, that SanDisk’s own CEO has finally come forward to admit it, recently stating in a Fortune interview that "you can’t out-iPod the iPod." And believe us, such a statement probably wasn’t easy for Mr. Eli Harari to make. Remember, this is the same fellow that spent boatloads of dough on an "iDon’t" anti-iPod campaign back in 2006. ‘Course, SanDisk is still a (very distant) second place in the sector, and its flash memory is used in all manners of PMP devices. Still, it’s a huge relief to finally hear the mastermind behind slotMusic confess that he doesn’t actually believe such gimmicks will put it on a fast track to first place. Then again, crazier things have happened."

Building Community One Brick At A Time : Are Your PCs Ready for Windows 7? – "When planning for migration to Windows 7, specific knowledge about each computer on the network and its readiness for migration is essential. Manually conducting a detailed network inventory is time consuming and costly; and existing assessment management tools typically require software agent installation on each machine, creating a security risk. How do you gather comprehensive knowledge about your existing IT environment quickly and cost effectively? The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 4.0 Beta gathers essential infrastructure information to answer the question “are your PCs ready for Windows 7?” This tool also assists you with Windows Server 2008 R2 readiness assessment."

DHS names key cybersecurity staff By Jaikumar Vijayan June 2, 2009 05:05 PM ET Computerworld – "U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano tapped Philip Reitinger as director of the National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC), replacing Rod Beckstrom, who quit the post earlier this year citing turf battles with other agencies. Reitinger will be responsible for collecting, analyzing, integrating and sharing cybersecurity information among federal agencies, the DHS said in a statement Monday. Reitinger, a former Microsoft Corp. cybersecurity executive, will also continue in his current role as deputy undersecretary of the DHS…"

Federal CTO Aneesh Chopra’s Priorities in Cheeky Fresh (June 2, 2009) – This morning at the IAC/ACT Management of Change Conference in Norfolk, VA the newly confirmed Federal Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Aneesh Chopra outlined his priorities. Based on personal notes taken during the talk, here they are. What do you think of them?

Google’s Android to Run Laptops, Taking On Microsoft (Update2) – Bloomberg.com By Tim Culpan, June 2 (Bloomberg) — "Google Inc.’s free mobile-phone operating system will begin running computers next quarter, entering a market dominated by Microsoft Corp.’s Windows and deepening the rivalry between the two companies. Acer Inc., the world’s second-largest laptop maker, will release a low-cost notebook featuring Android in the third quarter, Jim Wong, head of information-technology products at the Taipei-based company, said today. Asustek Computer Inc., pioneer of the sub-$500 laptops known as netbooks, also developed a model that runs on Google’s software, Chairman Jonney Shih said."

Asustek puts Android netbook on ice | Mobilize – InfoWorld By Dan Nystedt and Sumner Lemon June 2, 2009 – "A day after an Asustek Eee PC running Google’s Android operating system was shown at Computex Taipei, top executives from the company said the project will be put on the backburner for now. The Eee PC with Android is not ready yet because the technology is "not mature," said Jonathan Tsang, vice chairman of Asustek, on the sidelines of a press conference at the show Tuesday. "For the time being this project is not a priority because our engineering resources are limited," he added.

Windows on Small Notebook PCs: The Momentum Continues in the US and the UK – Windows Experience Blog – The Windows Blog Posted by: Brandon LeBlanc Jun 01, 2009 — "On the eve of the Computex, the largest computer exhibition in Asia and the second largest in the world, we got word that PC World, the largest electronics retailer in the UK, is de-assorting (i.e., getting rid of) all of the Linux small notebook PCs in their stores and going all-Windows. It’s pretty big news from across the pond that they’re making this move, but what’s even more important is the “why” behind the decision. In April I wrote about why Windows market share on small notebook PCs has jumped from under 10% in February 2008 to 96% a year later (that number has increased since then…more on that below), and PC World agrees with our thinking. You can read the entire PC World press release, but to save you some time, I’ve pulled out the key points: http://bit.ly/e07Uh

HEXUS.net – News :: Shuttle’s X50 all-in-one flaunts Microsoft’s Windows 7 at Computex Taiwan news: "There’s all sorts of tech on show at this year’s COMPUTEX, but two items are clearly prevalent – Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system and touchscreen all-in-one PCs. If 2008 was the year of the netbook, 2009, it seems, is shaping up to be the year of the touch-enabled nettop. Although Taiwan’s annual trade show doesn’t officially kick off until tomorrow, we’ve been browsing what’s on display and there’s a huge number of touchscreen all-in-ones from many of the industry’s big names." Shuttle’s X50 award winning all-in-one PC demo’ed w/ Windows 7: "smooth as silk" http://bit.ly/15Nkfy 

Different Types of Sleep Disorders Triggered with Daylight savings | Tips to Stop Snoring – AirWare, Inc., maker of Brẽz premium nasal breathing aids, the first commercially available device for inside the nose that is clinically proven to reduce snoring and increase overall sleep quality for the bed partner, today released five tips to help consumers easily transition to Daylight Savings Time. The company asked Michael J. Breus, PhD, a leading sleep specialist certified in clinical sleep disorders and author of Beauty Sleep, to offer some easy to follow methods for coping with the transition to one less hour of sleep.

Lifehacker – Build a $14 Video Camera Stabilizer – Video camera – "Professional video stabilizers are prohibitively expensive. You won’t get $10,000 worth of stabilization out of a $14 DIY model, but you will get radically smoother video for a tiny fraction of the price. How does the DIY model provide smooth video? Instead of the complex arrangement of balancing mechanisms, resistance bands, and springs, the DIY stabilizer relies on a simpler system. Your arms and a counter weight at the bottom of the stabilizer work together to minimize the movement. Camera shake is radically reduced when the weight of the camera is offset by a equal or slightly heavier weight at the bottom. Sound about right for your needs? You’ll need some pipe, a disc weight, some hand tools and a power drill to put this one together. For photos and a step by step build guide, check out the PDF below. If you need to stabilize video in a car, check out how to make a dashboard stabilizer out of a sponge."

Satisfy Me : Want to know more about Bing? Live webcast on June 1, 2009 @10:00AM Pacific Daylight Time – Want to know more about Microsoft’s new Bing? Then take a look at the new Bing Interactive Product Guide, the Virtual Press kit (filled with screen shots, fact sheets and more) On Monday, you’ll have a chance to learn even more in a live, interactive webcast where you will see examples of Bing and can ask the Bing team questions.

‘IT is the central nervous system of the company’ – Hardware – Breaking Business and Technology News at silicon.com By Tim Ferguson Published: 26 May 2009 17:15 BST Show related articles CIO John N Johnson oversees an IT department of more than 5,500 staff in over 50 countries who support some 80,000 employees across the company – and all of them working for one of the biggest technology companies in the world, Intel. Johnson originally arrived at the chip giant in 1981 and joined the IT department in 1999 before becoming CIO in 2005. His team is responsible for developing enterprise applications used across all of Intel’s departments as well as running the company’s data and voice networks and datacentre operations. silicon.com caught up with Johnson to talk about the company’s big projects, the magic of wireless and Gen Y.

Windows Virtualization Team Blog – Information and announcements from Program Managers, Product Managers, Developers and Testers in the Microsoft Windows Virtualization team.

Lifehacker – Properly Erase Your Physical Media – Hard Drives By Jason Fitzpatrick, 4:00 PM on Sun Feb 15 2009, 111,000 views — "A whopping 40% of the used hard drives on eBay contain easily recoverable personal data. Use the following guide to ensure your personal data never makes it out into the wild. Kessler International, a computer forensics company from New York, conducted a study of used hard drives available on eBay. Almost half of the hundred drives they sampled, purchased in random bulk lots, contained data that was easily recovered. A shocking amount of them required no more recovery effort than plugging them in and powering up. They found personal photos, financial records, emails, personal and corporate correspondence, corporate secrets, and more…"

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