While Mac users bob and gasp in the wake of the release of Apple’s new operating system, Snow Leopard, Windows users are gloating (a bit preemptively). As Microsoft gears up to unleash its long-awaited operating system, Windows 7, friends and foes alike are hailing its amazing security. One industry publication declares that “the new version of Windows is stacking up to be the most secure to date.”

That’s a high and mighty claim for an operating system that has historically had more bugs, viruses, glitches, malfunctions, spyware, malware, and problems than all the other operating systems combined. Ok, that sounds a little harsh, but when you’re a household name in computing and founded by the erstwhile richest man in the world, people will throw rocks at you. Those rocks came in the form of a veritable torrent of hack-happy engineers unleashing their twistedness to deconstruct Windows versions from the system BIOS up. It’s been going on for a long time.
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Popularity: 6% [?]

Out with the Old Zune, In With the New Zune HD

The Zune is joining the ranks of cast-off technology as Microsoft rearranges its product line to keep pace with morphing media consumption. Paul Thurott recently blogged, “I met with the Zune folks today and one bit of information than I can discuss immediately is that the Zune HD will be the only device type going forward.”

Microsoft currently produces several models of the Zune: 4GB Zune, 8GB Zune, 16GB Zune, 80GB Zune, and the 120GB Zune. All models wil effectively be discontinued. A backward glance at Zune’s history reveals a rocky three years of difficult competition with other media producers. Launched in an unsuccessful attempt to dethrone Apple’s domination of the mobile media market (still unsuccessful), the Zune somehow managed to gain a sizeable following.
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Popularity: 6% [?]

Duracell has come a long way in the battery charging world and now is trying their hand in Smart Power charging stations. The Duracell myGrid eliminates wires all together and allows you to charge up to 4 devices at one time. It is compatible with Nokia, Motorola, Blackberry, and Apple products like the iPhone and iPod. All you need to do is attach a Power Sleeve or Power Clip to your devices and then when you need to charge just lay it on the ultra-slim power pad. The myGrid will automatically shut off when it is being touched and can detect when metal or moisture comes into contact. It will charge in the same amount of time as your standard charger but without all of the cords.

Duracell also has introduced some new portable battery chargers and other portable device chargers. Their new portable battery charger can recharge AA or AAA NiMH batteries in about 60 minutes. If you are interested in the myGrid it will hit the shelves in October for around $80. And the other 10 Duracell Smart Power devices are in stores now. Here is a Press Release from Duracell that goes over their new line up.
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Popularity: 7% [?]

Upon first sight, Vista Premium looks like a dazzling graphical interface. If you compare the translucent windows and animated icons to how windows 98 used to look, clearly the design has come a long way – though at a price. Even with a higher end spec machine – lots of RAM, high-speed dual core processor – performance differences are generally noticed. Is this a small price to pay for gaining a beautiful desktop?

If you recently bought Vista Premium, Business, Ultimate or Enterprise, you may have decided to stick with the new desktop visual experience. It’s called Windows Aero, and unlike its predecessor called Luna, it carries some graphical delights at the expense of some processing power. The word Aero is an acronym derived from Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and Open. Many windows users (which are most of us) will love the smooth look and feel now adopted.

Aero is also present in the new Windows 7 OS system no doubt to further push Microsoft’s attempt to clasp the market on user interfaces by offering an aesthetic mix of color and content. There are a large number of graphical changes with Aero. There are live thumbnails, and improved display boxes attached offering better information regarding the purpose of a particular button or menu item.
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Popularity: 6% [?]

Windows Marketplace for Mobile is getting ready to launch. With the blastoff date less than two weeks away, Microsoft provided an enthusiasm-building announcement to prepare for the launch.

Todd Brix is (get ready for this title) The Senior Director for Mobile Platform Services Product Management at Microsoft. His report on Tuesday provided a we’re-on-schedule update and promised a great new slate of applications to be available on Windows Marketplace for Mobile. In addition to the expected, he announced that users of the old mobile platform (Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1) would have access to the online store as well as users of the yet-to-be-released Windows Mobile 6.5, which is scheduled for availability this fall.
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Popularity: 6% [?]

Whether or not you were expecting it (and you weren’t), Kindle slashed the price of the new Kindle 2 by sixty dollars, bringing the price down to a manageable $299. Still pricey, but not as pricey as buying 1,500 paper books.

The new Kindle, after only two months on the market, is bigger than its predecessor and has a few extra bells and whistles. When it originally came out with a price of $359, customers gobbled it up, making it an instant Amazon bestseller. Now, Amazon hopes it will become an even bigger seller. With an appreciated dip below the three hundred mark, the Kindle is available to a broader market base.

The question is, “why?”
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Popularity: 6% [?]

It’s finally here. Google’s snazzy new phone service is slowly becoming available to one and all. Google Voice is a one-stop shop for all your phoning needs, combining all of your phone numbers into a single number and even routing all of your extra phone services to one device. The beauty of simplification has a lot of appeal for the phone-stressed time in which we live. Now, it’s available on a wider scale.

During the test phase, Google Voice was a service that only GrandCentral customers could use. GrandCentral, a shiny new toy that Google bought two years ago, was the predecessor of the new-and-improved Google Voice. Demand for the service was greater than the smallish number of GrandCentral subscribers, so Google opened the gates wider to those potential users who had requested the service before. Now, Google Voice is taking invitation requests from any and all users. The official site reads, “Google Voice is currently available for GrandCentral users only, but will be open to new users soon. In the meantime, please leave us your email address and we’ll notify you as soon as Google Voice becomes available.”

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Popularity: 7% [?]

Even if you forgot your laptop at work or your PC crashes just as you’re about to print a coupon for a late night trip to the store, you can forget your worries if you’re going to print using the new HP TouchSmart Printer.

Today in San Francisco, HP shared the news of a new addition coming to their TouchSmart technology family. Finally, a printer made for the tech-savvy generation. And it’s just a little bulky.

The TouchSmart technology has already been used in HP’s TouchSmart computers. Used in this line of printers, it will allow users to access and print from the web using only the 4.3-inch LCD touchscreen on the printer. The main web-printer relationship will stem from the HP Apps Studio, which will be built into all printers of this line. Various apps will allow users to print maps, news updates, photos from online storage sites, printable coupons, movie tickets, and more. Current partners include Google, USA Today, Coupons.com, Dreamworks, Web Sudoku, Weathernews, and Nickelodeon.
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Popularity: 7% [?]

Digital frames are popping up everywhere these days. Even my grandmother received one for her 85th birthday, right along with a pair of fuzzy, pink slippers. I’m pretty sure that even if she did know how to work it, it wouldn’t tweet. And yours probably can’t tweet, nor can it view pictures on Facebook, Flickr, or Picasa. But the new SilverFrame, the latest and greatest digital photo frame from SilverPac, can do all of the above.

This 10.1-inch touchscreen-operated digital frame is Wi-Fi enabled and actually connects with several photo-sharing social networking sites. But really, it’s more like a mini computer than it is a digital frame. Windows CE 6.0 R2 is the operating system, supporting Windows Sideshow and Live FrameIt. It is also Bluetooth-enabled, allowing users to send images directly to the frame from their mobile phones. Additionally, the SilverFrame has USB ports and a multi-card reader, just in case you’re set on uploading pictures the old fashioned way. Images can be stored on the SilverFrame’s 1GB of onboard memory, and two 1.5W speakers provide impressive stereo quality sound. The SilverFrame even comes with an IR remote control and AC adapter.
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Popularity: 8% [?]