Windows Vista! Only Cheaper!

This is unexpected: Microsoft is slashing the price of some retail versions of Windows Vista, effective when the SP1 version rolls out later this year. Vista Ultimate's full version will go to $319 fro $399 (an upgrade is now $$219, down from $259); Home Premium's upgrade is now $129, down from $159. The Microsoft site has an interview with an exec who talks about the news.

Who will benefit from this development? Basically, folks with Windows XP machines who have chosen not to upgrade to Vista until now because they found it pricey. But it's not as easy as that: Most of those people probably have PCs they bought in 2006 or before, and while some of those aging machines will run Vista well, many won't. (If you bought a Windows XP computer in 2007, I have a hunch you did so specifically to avoid Windows Vista, and therefore today's news means little or nothing to you.)

Source : http://pcworld.com

Google Sites: What's all the fuss?

The launch of Google Sites is like the opening of a movie or play. The critics (including myself) feast on it, churning out copy and opinions as to whether Google Sites is a Microsoft SharePoint killer or merely the McDonald's of wikis, with more nutritional value than the venerable fast food burger and no cost.

Dennis Howlett wasn't impressed. On his ZDNet blog he wrote:"After 16 months at Google developer's hands, the outcome is substandard. This is such a pity. In its JotSpot incarnation, it was far from perfect but that didn't matter because JotSpot was shedding light on a new way of collaborating. Since passing into Google's hands, the guts have been ripped out and then re-assembled with as much Google 'stuff' as they could cram in but rushed to completion."

At the very least, Google should get rid of the gadgets addition facility and rework it. Otherwise, I sense the SMBs at which it is aimed will find the service a turn off.

I'm don't think the guts were ripped out, but JotSpot was given the Google makeover, which is rooted in the way founders Brin and Page think about Web applications. Like Google search, the interface is extremely simple. No boiling the ocean with features no one can comprehend. Dennis pointed to slowness in integrating Google gadgets in Sites and a lack of business-oriented widgets. Maybe Google should have added "beta" to the Sites label. Gmail is still in beta after several years of gestation.
Source : http://www.news.com/

Contraband : Mobile phone with a built-in Gun

A mobile phone with a built-in gun? Not the usual type of device we cover, but then Contraband is not your usual type of graphic novel.

Set in what is perhaps the not-too-distant future, Contraband pictures a society addicted to violent, user-generated content - posted to the "Contraband" network. Imagine YouTube gone very, very bad and you'll get the idea. Perhaps we're not there yet, but several disturbing cases involving YouTube show worrying signs that the future portrayed by Contraband is not as far-fetched as it sounds.

The plot centres around a character called Toby who decides to become a "citizen journalist". After attempting to film a secret transaction, Toby is drawn into a dangerous web of violence, greed and sabotage. On one hand, Contraband examines the social aspects of violence and voyeurism, on the other hand it's a fast paced unusual story with some very attractive artwork (see some details below). In our opinion, Contraband looks like an intelligent and interesting read.. and yes, the mobile phone with a gun does make an appearance.

One interesting feature about Contraband is the background of its writer, TJ Behe who has done extensive work in the mobile content industry, combined with illustrations from Phil Elliott, an experienced artist who has done work for Marvel and DC in the past.
Source : http://mobilegazette.com