Every now and then we come across something
that just begs for a comment. Although I usually try to
just sit on my hands until the urge passes to post something I
may be sorry for later, there are times that I just have to
post. These are my opinions and nothing more, although
comments from our readers are always welcome and will be posted
in response.
No
Good Deed Goes UnpunishedThe old
cliché proves itself again.
Microsoft and Dell joined (RED) and will
contribute $50-80 for specific (PRODUCT) RED computers running
Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED.
Rather than appreciate the fact that there are
women and children in Africa who will be helped by these
contributions, there are sites and forums that are trying to
minimize the effort in order to gain hits.
Unfortunately, anti-Microsoft sentiment is
often the headline and many times the headline and the facts
don't match, or the facts are buried in the article that unless
someone carefully reads the entire thing, they'll come away
feeling the way the writer wants them to feel. After all,
if it's in print, it must be true.
A perfect example of this is the recent
Engadget article. The article mentioned that the
additional software covered the additional cost, but started the
article with a photo showing two products side by side with a
$300 price difference - intimating that the $80 donation was
being absorbed by a $300 price increase and the companies were
making a larger profit off the special bundle. The
comments in the forum proved that many did not read the article,
but took the headline and the photo at face value.
Personally, I'd like to congratulate both
Microsoft and Dell (and every other company) who makes
contributions that better the world. If we all looked at
the good things that are happening just a bit more, I think the
world could be a friendlier place for everyone.
Why Does Microsoft Continue
to Use the Same Name with Different Meanings?
Once more Microsoft is confusing consumers and
possibly hurting Tablet PC sales by doing so. Let me try
to explain.
Windows Vista Basic operating system is
probably the first thing that anyone thinks of when they see the
Windows Vista Basic sticker on a computer. I noticed
several new notebooks or Tablets with the sticker and was told
that it was a requirement of Microsoft to use these stickers.
It made no sense when none of the computers were running Windows
Vista Basic. I decided to investigate and talked with
several people at Microsoft to find out the underlying reason.
Anyone who's familiar with the different
Windows Vista SKUs knows that
Windows Vista Basic doesn't run Tablet PC bits. It
requires Windows Vista Home Premium or above.
Now, in its infinite wisdom, Microsoft has
many new Tablet PCs and other notebooks wearing a Windows Vista
Basic tag. No, this doesn't mean that the operating system
is Basic. It means that the computer may be lacking a
piece of hardware that will adequately run some feature of
Windows Vista, often Aero. Why not call it something like
'Standard' or another word that doesn't lessen what it really
is?
I don't know what the specific requirements
for the hardware to earn the Windows Vista tag, but the
Basic tag is selling many products short. For example,
I've been using the Fujitsu U810 in order to review it.
Aero wasn't enabled out of the box, but I turned it on
immediately to see if there was a decrease in performance.
If there was, it wasn't something I noticed, although benchmarks
may. I don't really care about benchmarks, only how a
computer runs for the way in which I normally use it.
If you're looking at a new notebook or Tablet,
don't let the Windows Vista Basic tag make you walk away.
If it meets your needs, do some simple investigation first to
see what version of Windows Vista operating system it's running.
Why anyone would think it's a good idea to
stick a tag on hardware that makes it seem as though it won't
run the operating system it's made for is certainly, at the
least, confusing.
Right hand, meet left hand.
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2000-2009