eMediaOne

If you’ve heard that the next Engadget Show will be featuring a live, one-on-one interview with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (on the Windows 7 launch day, no less) — you’ve heard correctly. Additionally, our good friend Bit Shifter will be there providing chiptune jams, and Paris and Outpt will be on hand for some brain searing visual art. And of course, the editors of the site will sit down for a roundtable discussion of the week in news. If you’d like to join us for the live taping, you can — just check out the info below. If you can’t make it in the flesh, don’t worry. We’ll be livestreaming on the day-of, and we’ll also have a full, edited version of the Show available just a few days later for download via the site, iTunes, or the Zune Marketplace.

The Show will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues. Tickets are — as always — free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served… so get there early! Here’s all the info you need:

• There is no admission fee — tickets are completely free
• The event is all ages
• Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 12:30PM on Thursday, October 22nd, and the show begins at 2:30PM
• You cannot collect tickets for friends or family — anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket
• Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we’re full, we’re full
• The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break)
• The show length is around an hour

If you’re a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we’ll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com.

If you can’t make it to the live event, we’ll have a stream here on Engadget (provided by USTREAM) which coincides with the taping. Just tune your browser to Engadget at 2PM on the 22nd to catch it. You can also hit our USTREAM page.

Subscribe to the Show:

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
[Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

Continue reading Reminder: The Engadget Show with Steve Ballmer tapes tomorrow — here’s how to attend (or livestream it)!

Filed under: Announcements

Reminder: The Engadget Show with Steve Ballmer tapes tomorrow — here’s how to attend (or livestream it)! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Want a “high-quality” machine that represents the “best of the best in laptops?” Microsoft’s got your back with its all-new PC Scout, a Flash-based laptop recommendation engine whose delivery is unfortunately more than a little reminiscent of those misguided Windows 7 launch party promos. Ah well, should you successfully navigate your way past bad jokes about space-cats and online dating, and on to the Selection section, you’ll find a thoroughly decent laptop comparison tool — with sliders for price and features narrowing or expanding your available choice in real time. With future plans to expand it to cover desktop hardware as well, Microsoft is making a commendable and seemingly rather useful effort to aid its users in picking out a new machine. Kudos for that, now how about hiring some real actors for a change?

[Via Ars Technica]

Filed under: Laptops, Software

Windows PC Scout patronizes, offers surprisingly good comparison tool originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

If you’ve heard that the next Engadget Show will be featuring a live, one-on-one interview with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (on the Windows 7 launch day, no less) — you’ve heard correctly. Additionally, our good friend Bit Shifter will be there providing chiptune jams, and Paris and Outpt will be on hand for some brain searing visual art. And of course, the editors of the site will sit down for a roundtable discussion of the week in news. If you’d like to join us for the live taping, you can — just check out the info below. If you can’t make it in the flesh, don’t worry. We’ll be livestreaming on the day-of, and we’ll also have a full, edited version of the Show available just a few days later for download via the site, iTunes, or the Zune Marketplace.

The Show will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues. Tickets are — as always — free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served… so get there early! Here’s all the info you need:

• There is no admission fee — tickets are completely free
• The event is all ages
• Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 12:30PM on Thursday, October 22nd, and the show begins at 2:30PM
• You cannot collect tickets for friends or family — anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket
• Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we’re full, we’re full
• The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break)
• The show length is around an hour

If you’re a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we’ll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com.

If you can’t make it to the live event, we’ll have a stream here on Engadget (provided by USTREAM) which coincides with the taping. Just tune your browser to Engadget at 2PM on the 22nd to catch it. You can also hit USTREAM proper, where the Show will be featured.

Subscribe to the Show:

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
[Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

Continue reading The Engadget Show with Steve Ballmer tapes Thursday, October 22nd — here’s how to attend (or livestream it)!

Filed under: Announcements

The Engadget Show with Steve Ballmer tapes Thursday, October 22nd — here’s how to attend (or livestream it)! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

We’ve already seen plenty of Windows 7 laptops and desktops up for order, but it looks like we’re now finally starting to see how things will shake out on netbooks as well. After much confusion in the early days of Windows 7, it appears that Windows 7 Starter edition will indeed be the standard issue offering on the majority of netbooks, and it looks like it’ll also demand a slight premium over otherwise comparable XP-based systems. In most cases, Windows 7 Starter seems to add $30 to the cost of a netbook (as with the Dell Mini 10v pictured above), or $50 in Canada if the first few listings on Future Shop are any indication — which, as Digital Home Thoughts points out, would appear to be quite a bit more than the license fee manufacturers are paying. Of course, there are also a few netbooks that break the mold with Windows 7 Home Premium, and it unsurprisingly appears to be the standard offering on low-cost thin and lights that eschew the netbook moniker altogether. Hit up the link below for a rundown of some of the options already available to order, which is sure to grow considerably in the next few days.

[Via Digital Home Thoughts]

Filed under: Laptops

Windows 7 Starter leads the way on netbooks, demands premium originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Not content with letting a good numeric opportunity pass it by, Microsoft Netherlands has announced that it’ll be handing out up to 777 copies of Windows 7 to residents of the small town of Zevenhuizen, the name of which translates to “seven houses.” The installation requirements are a bit peculiar, however, as Microsoft won’t actually give you a disc, instead opting to either make you ship it to them or actually bring a technician to your house to do the dirty work. The offer isn’t valid to Windows employees, those younger than 18 years, or people who use Macs or Linux machines as their primary computer — however they prove that. Zevenhuizen residents who read Engadget (hallo!) can point their browsers to the read link for all the relevant details — signups end tomorrow, and installations will occur from October 17th through October 23rd.

[Via Ars Technica]

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Software

777 copies of Windows 7 for Seven Houses, Netherlands, says Microsoft seven times fast originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Of all Microsoft’s advertising moves, this certainly falls in more clever side of the spectrum. Redmond et al. have announced they’ll be “sponsoring” a November 8th variety special on Fox, “Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show.” The episode’ll be a mix of live-action musical performance and animated shorts with the usual celebrity cameos you’ve come to expect. This show will be commercial free, so long as you don’t count all the Windows 7 that’ll somehow be integrated — and that’s the most interesting mystery of all, how Microsoft will get its brand recognition without too many jabs from showrunner Seth McFarlane and company. If you don’t recall the last time McFarlane teamed up with a big company to enliven its image, check out video from “Burger King presents Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy,” a venture also done in tandem with one of the ad agencies responsible for this new deal, Crispin, Porter & Bogusky. It’s just after the break.

Update: As commenter Zebb reminded us, Bill Gates pulled off a cameo in Frasier “answering caller questions” about Windows XP. We couldn’t help but add it to the post just below, jump to the 2:20 mark for the relevant scene.

Continue reading Windows 7-branded ‘Family Guy’ special to air November 8th

Filed under: Software

Windows 7-branded ‘Family Guy’ special to air November 8th originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

If you’ve heard that the next Engadget Show will be featuring a live, one-on-one interview with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (on the Windows 7 launch day, no less) — you’ve heard correctly. Additionally, our good friend Bit Shifter will be there providing chiptune jams, and Paris and Outpt will be on hand for some brain searing visual art. And of course, the editors of the site will sit down for a roundtable discussion of the week in news. If you’d like to join us for the live taping, you can — just check out the info below. If you can’t make it in the flesh, don’t worry. We’ll be livestreaming on the day-of, and we’ll also have a full, edited version of the Show available just a few days later for download via the site, iTunes, or the Zune Marketplace.

The Show will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues. Tickets are — as always — free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served… so get there early! Here’s all the info you need:

• There is no admission fee — tickets are completely free
• The event is all ages
• Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 12:30PM on Thursday, October 22nd, and the show begins at 2PM
• You cannot collect tickets for friends or family — anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket
• Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we’re full, we’re full
• The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break)
• The show length is around an hour

If you’re a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we’ll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com.

If you can’t make it to the live event, we’ll have a stream here on Engadget (provided by USTREAM) which coincides with the taping. Just tune your browser to Engadget at 2PM on the 22nd to catch it. You can also hit USTREAM proper, where the Show will be featured.

Subscribe to the Show:

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
[Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

Continue reading The Engadget Show with Steve Ballmer tapes Thursday, October 22nd — here’s how to attend (or livestream it)!

Filed under: Announcements

The Engadget Show with Steve Ballmer tapes Thursday, October 22nd — here’s how to attend (or livestream it)! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Photo courtesy of Flickr user zone41.

Bill Gates isn’t going to like this one bit.

Small business owners should boot their Windows computers into Linux, according to Washington Post columnist Brian Krebs, if they want to bank online without risk of someone stealing their banking password, and shortly after that, their money. Assertions like that must sting Microsoft, especially considering the emphasis it placed on security during the launch of its Vista operating system.

Krebs claims that Windows computers — despite Microsoft’s best efforts to secure them, and even with the latest security software installed — are susceptible to malicious software that logs your keystrokes and sends your password to a hacker, who is then free to clean out your account.

Consumers are generally protected against such thefts, says Krebs, but banks typically hold small businesses accountable for funds lost when hackers steals their passwords. As such, prudent small business owners should reboot their Windows computers into Linux before doing any online banking, if they want to minimize the risk of having their businesses wiped out by a hacker.

“I’m not saying it’s impossible to bank online securely with a Windows PC,” writes Krebs. “This advice is aimed at those who would rather not leave anything to chance.”

The technique he recommends requires a bit of legwork: downloading Ubuntu (which comes with FireFox for Linux), burning it to CD, toggling to BIOS mode, and booting into Ubuntu from the CD. Every time you want to bank securely, you’d need to restart your computer and reboot into Ubuntu (updated).

There is another option for small business owners who want to heed Krebs’ advice: picking up an inexpensive Linux netbook purely for online banking purposes and writing it off on their taxes. If the IRS wonders why you needed another computer, simply refer it to the security concern mentioned above.

See Also:

• You Predict the Winner of OS Wars: Chrome, Windows, Linux, OS X
• Microsoft Sues TomTom Over Linux Patents, No Biggie
• Adobe AIR for Linux Delivers (if You Can Get it Installed
• Middle America Rejects Wal-Mart Linux Experiment
• Microsoft: Linux Violates 235 of our Patents
• Symbian CEO Disses Linux-Based Android, Tells Google to Bring It
• Google Announces PC Operating System to Compete with Windows
• OQO’s Brutal Lesson: Innovate and Die

We’ve seen plenty of tech over the years meant to mitigate our destruction of the environment — from greener autos to Grateful Dead-themed cellphones — most of which don’t really ask us to tone down our consumer impulses all that much. But how about these new “Cool Cars” regulations recently adopted by the California Air Resources Board? By the year 2016, all autos sold in the state must have windows that prevent 60 percent of the sun’s energy from entering the vehicle. To achieve this, windows are given a coat of glazing that contains microscopic specs of reflective metal oxide — which will seriously hamper reception for your GPS, cellphone, and (this is of special interest to Engadget readers) white collar criminal-style work release ankle bracelet. As you can imagine, companies like Garmin are fuming — although we suppose that if they play this right they can make a killing in the external car antenna business. It just goes to show you — when it comes to environmental catastrophe, everyone’s a victim.

[Via AutoBlog]

Filed under: Transportation

California Cool Cars regs put the kibosh on radio, cellphone, and GPS reception originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Street dates are invariably broken somehow, somewhere even when it comes to the biggest products and companies, and Microsoft is certainly no exception, with it now able to chalk up at least one sold copy on the Windows 7 charts thanks to an exceptionally eager college bookstore. While it didn’t come in an actual retail box, this does indeed appear to be a legitimate education copy of the OS and, according to our tipster, it has been successfully activated. A little earlier than the usual slip-up to be sure, but we have a sneaking suspicion this won’t be the last copy that drops before the big October 22nd date. Feel free to let us know in comments if you happen to come across one.

Filed under: Software

Windows 7 sold early at college bookstore, order somehow maintained originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments