Microsoft cuts Vista prices just a year after its consumer launch
Windows Vista has received a sour reputation in the year it has been on the market. Some users of complained about driver incompatibility and performance issues -- among other things -- compared to the venerable Windows XP operating system the came before it. Microsoft addressed a number of these issues with Service Pack 1, but many consumers and businesses are still sticking with Windows XP.
Microsoft is looking to give customers more incentive to upgrade to Windows Vista by cutting the price on some versions of the operating system. Although upgrade versions account for less than 10% of Vista licenses, two upgrade editions will see price cuts.
The range-topping Windows Vista Ultimate (full) will fall from $399 to $319. Windows Vista Ultimate (upgrade) drops to $219 from $259. Finally, Windows Vista Home Premium (upgrade) had its price cut from $159 to $129.
"We anticipate these changed will provide greater opportunities ... to sell more stand-alone copies of Windows," said Microsoft corporate VP Brad Brooks.
Microsoft says that it sold over 100 million Vista licenses since its consumer launch in late January 2007. Hopefully for Microsoft, this latest price cut will help improve Vista adoption.
However, there may be one obstacle in the way that will still stop consumers from making the switch: Windows XP SP3.
3/7/08
Microsoft cuts Vista prices just a year after its consumer launch
ECS Guns for Eee PC 900 With G10IL Notebook
ECS shows off 11" notebook with HSDPA
ASUS made headlines around the globe earlier this week with the 8.9" Eee PC 900 at CeBIT. The second generation Eee PC improves upon its predecessor with a higher resolution screen, larger trackpad, more storage/memory and hopefully a faster/more power efficient processor.
ASUS-rival ECS is tired of letting the Eee PC hog the spotlight in the sub-$500 price range and today showed off its 11" G10IL sub-notebook. Hard specifications for the device (processor, chipsets, memory, storage capacity/type, etc.) were not revealed, but we do know that the G10IL will come with three USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, VGA connection, 56k modem and built-in HSDPA 7.2.
Although it wasn't mentioned, 802.11a/g support is a given and Bluetooth connectivity is likely for the production model. As with the Eee PC 401/Eee PC 900, no optical drive is included with the ECS G10IL.
It should be interesting to see what processor platform ECS chooses to power the G10IL. The notebook appears to be pretty feature-packed for the sub-$500 price point, so one would likely point towards a VIA-based platform for cost reasons.
However, Intel's new Atom processor and Centrino Atom platform could give VIA a run for the money in pricing and power efficiency. Regardless of which processing platform ECS chooses, we'll keep you informed with the latest details.
Olympus Launches World's Smallest DSLR Camera
The Olympus E-420 is sized more like a point-and-shoot camera than a DSLR
Olympus announced a new digital SLR camera called the E-420 that it bills as the world’s smallest DSLR camera. Despite its small size, Olympus promises a full feature set.
Olympus says the E-420 is small enough to fit into a purse or jacket pocket with measurements of 5.1-inches by 3.6-inches by 2.1-inches the E-420 is sized more like a point and shoot camera than a traditional DSLR. The camera is also very lightweight at only 13.4 ounces.
Other features of the E-420 include autofocus with a live view LCD that allows users to frame shots with the LCD screen rather than the view finder is desired. The LCD itself is a 2.7-inch HyperCrystal II promising twice the contrast and better viewing in bright conditions. The camera uses a 10-megapixel Live-MOS sensor promising clear images even at high ISO settings.
The E-420 is also compatible with wireless flash units form Olympus including the FL-50R and FL-36R. The camera supports CompactFlash Type I/II, Microdrive and xD-Picture cards for storage and the lens mount is a four thirds system. A dust reduction system is built-in and uses Supersonic Wave Filter technology. Images can be shot in 12-bit RAW format, JPEG, or RAW+JPEG.
The viewfinder is an eye-level single-lens reflex design with approximately a 95% field of view with a magnification of 0.92x. Image stabilization is not included. The autofocus system uses 3-point multiple AF and has an available focusing aid. The ISO sensitivity rage is ISO 100- 1600 in 1EV steps and the shutter speed is from 2 – 1/4000 of a second. The camera ships with a 14-42mm f2.8 kit lens. Availability is scheduled for late April at about $599 for the kit with lens and $499 for the body only.
