Windows 7 boasts an impressive array of features that will increase your productivity and save your business time and money.

Quicker access to your stuff: Use Pin and Jump Lists to keep the programs and files you use the most at your fingertips.

Manage open windows easily: Re-size and arrange windows simply by dragging and dropping on your screen.

Quickly find what you’re looking for: Use Windows Search to find a specific file, program, or e-mail in seconds.

Share files and printers: From one Windows 7-based PC to another in seconds.

Connect to networks easily: View and connect to any available wireless network in as few as three seconds.

Do more and wait less: Windows 7 boasts Improvements that accelerate your PC, make it more responsive and allow you get more done.

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Windows 7 Business Performance

In a note to clients issued Tuesday, Think Equities’ Rajesh Ghai largely avoids speculating about what Apple (AAPL) might announce at Wednesday’s special event.

Instead he concentrates on the iPad, raising his sales estimates and ticking off the reasons he believes Apple’s tablet could be, in his words, “the Trojan horse that finally gets Apple into the enterprise.” Among them:

• The tablet is here to stay. The form factor is a hit, he says, and rapidly becoming a standard issue personal hardware device for business types, alongside the notebook and desktop PC.
• Speed is of the essence. “For instance,” he writes, “we are told the product’s relatively short startup time relative to the notebook is a big plus for time-challenged business people.”
• It’s a global phenomenon. “While the rapid adoption by the U.S. consumer was evident last quarter,” he writes, “our contacts overseas suggest that the geographic expansion of the iPad has been equally successful overseas.”
• Supply has finally caught up to demand. “We believe it is positive and timely not only from the point of view of Apple’s ability to meet rapidly increasing demand but also because it prevents consumers from seeking out competitor products, such as the Samsung Galaxy tablet likely to be launched in early September.”
• Apple is in the catbird seat. “Considering the iPad’s early lead and traction in the tablet form factor,” he writes, “we believe it could be the product that finally makes Apple a broader IT hardware supplier into the enterprise.”
• Apple will sell iPads by the millions. “We note that the PC market is about 300-350M units annually,” he estimates. “If the tablet market becomes about 20% of its size in 2011, the tablet market can be seen more than tripling in size next year.”

Ghai now estimates that Apple will sell 5.75 million iPads in the quarter that ends Sept. 25, up from an earlier estimate of 5 million, and 22 million in fiscal 2011, up from 19.5 million.

[Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter @philiped]

Click to Enlarge

We’ve waited for one for months, and now someone’s finally done it: an iPad case with a keyboard is finally here. Actually, it’s already sold out. The KeyCase iPad Folio with Integrated Bluetooth Keyboard is a thin leather stand-type case for the iPad not unlike other cases we’ve seen, except with a silicone Bluetooth 2.0 keyboard built in. The keyboard recharges with Apple’s standard iPad charge cable and lasts 45 hours.

At the rough equivalent of 90 U.S. dollars, it’s not a bad deal for a case that would always be ready to convert your iPad into a quasi-Netbook. It seems more ergonomic in landscape mode than the awkward, vertically aligned Apple keyboard dock. And the good news is that, with this on the way, more such keyboard cases should be on the horizon shortly.

Is this the missing link in making the iPad a true ultraportable laptop replacement?

Scott Stein / CNET

7 Makes Business Sense

Businesses that upgrade their PCs to Windows 7 gain many advantages that just make good business sense.

XP Can’t Protect Your Business
• At over 8 years old Windows XP doesn’t have the usability features or the level of security that you get from a more modern OS.

No More Support for XP
• Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows XP in early 2009. That means there will be no more service packs, design changes or new features.

7 Saves Your Business Money
• Businesses that upgrade their PCs to Windows 7 can cut their support costs by 50% or more and save significant support dollars in the process.

Compatibility Is Not A Problem
• Using brand new integration technology, Windows 7 allows you to run your old XP applications on XP, but they appear in your Windows 7 OS.

Bottom Line, 7 Makes You Profitable
• How will Windows 7 improve your company’s bottom line? Better performance means less time waiting. Better reliability means less downtime. Both mean a reduction in administrative and tech support overhead.

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Windows 7 Professional

Here are 7 Reasons for Your Business to Go 7.

WINDOWS 7 PROFESSIONAL:
1. Cut Costs
• Cut your PC support costs up to 50% or more and save hundreds of dollars per person/year.

2. Simplify Your Work
• Fewer click and keystrokes.

3. Get More Done
• Instant search to get to your information quickly.

4. Be Secure
• Vastly more secure than XP or Vista combined.

5. Plays Nice with Others
• Work as a team with easier sharing and connectivity.

6. More Stable
• Eliminate crashes and weird errors with 7.

7. Go Forward
• Keep your business ahead of the rest.

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Windows 7 Professional

On the surface, this second tidal wave of growth will be driven by cell phones and new classes of consumer electronics, according to an IMS statement. But an even bigger driver will be largely invisible: machine-to-machine communications in various kinds of smart grids for energy management, surveillance and public safety, traffic and parking control, and sensor networks.

Earlier this year, Cisco forecast equally steep growth rates in personal devices and overall Internet traffic. [See "Global IP traffic to increase fivefold by 2013, Cisco predicts"]

Today, there are over 1 billion computers that regularly connect to the Internet. That class of devices, including PCs and laptops and their associated networking gear, continues to grow.

But cellular devices, such as Internet-connected smartphones,  have outstripped that total and are growing at a much faster rate. Then add in tablets, eBook readers, Internet TVs, cameras, digital picture frames, and a host of other networked consumer electronics devices, and the IMS forecast of 22 billion Internet devices by 2010 doesn’t seem farfetched.

The research firm projects that in 10 years, there will be 6 billion cell phones, most of them with Internet connectivity. An estimated 2.5 billion televisions today will largely be replaced by TV sets that are Internet capable, either directly or through a set-top box. More and more of the world’s one billion automobiles will be replaced by newer models with integrated Internet access.

Yet, the greatest growth potential is in machine-to-machine, according to IMS President Ian Weightman. Research firm Gartner named machine-to-machine communications one of the top 10 mobile technologies to watch in 2010. And almost exactly one year ago, Qualcomm and Verizon created a joint-venture company specifically to support machine-to-machine wireless services.

“This has the potential to go way beyond industrial applications to encompass [such applications as] increasingly sophisticated smart grids, networked security cameras and sensors, connected home appliances and HVAC equipment, and ITS infrastructure for traffic and parking management,” Weightman said in a statement.

By John Cox: Network World

John Cox covers wireless networking and mobile computing for “Network World.”
Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnwcoxnww
Email: john_cox@nww.com

Office 2010 Gives Your Business
The Latest Technology
Microsoft Office 2010: Technology working for your business

FEATURES INCLUDE:

Co-Authoring
• Enable multiple team members to work on a single document at the same time, so revisions, edits and approvals can be handled quickly and efficiently.

Conversation View
• Improve the tracking and managing of related e-mails, letting you manage large amounts of e-mail with ease.

Broadcast Slide View
• Broadcast your PowerPoint presentation to a remote audience over the Web, whether or not they have PowerPoint installed.

Video Editing & Formatting
• Add impact to your PowerPoint 2010 presentations with media that fits your message, no additional software required.

Microsoft Excel 2010 Sparklines
• Organize, view and present data more effectively, so that your point doesn’t get lost among the numbers.

Microsoft Office Web Apps
• Office Web Apps extend the Office suite to the phone & browser so that you can respond faster & better, even when you are away from the office.

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Microsoft Office 2010

RIGHT FOR YOUR BUSINESS!
Microsoft Office 2010 & Windows 7 Professional.
Get the latest technology working for your business.

Your business can increase when gaining the enhanced capabilities of
Microsoft Office 2010 & Windows 7 Professional.

WINDOWS 7 PROFESSIONAL:

Maximize Return on IT Investment
• Cut your PC support costs up to 50% or more and save hundreds of dollars per person/year.

Work More Efficiently
• Fewer clicks and keystrokes.

Enhance Employee Productivity
• Instant search to get to you information quickly.

MICROSOFT OFFICE 2010:

Get Your E-mail under control
• Gain productivity using the new Conversation View.

Complete Your Work More Efficiently
• Work more efficiently with the new Backstage View.

Create Professional Materials that set you apart
• Experience the easy-to-use, powerful new video & photo editing tools.

Contact me about
Microsoft Office 2010 &
Windows 7 Professional

It’s the sour, emulsifying yogurt of the technology world, basically.

Sure, three-quarters of all PCs still run Windows XP, but coupled with the fact that the average age of a PC is nearly five years old, I’m surprised these machines aren’t still run by mice running on a wheel on the inside.

I hate to side up to Microsoft’s messages here but on a selfish point, it’s no longer what it’s cracked up to be. While Windows XP has been given another reprieve until 2015, Windows 7 SP1 has been recently released giving those in the enterprise the reliability and security they didn’t feel they could get from the initial release.

Internet Explorer 9 might push the balance as Adrian Kingsley-Hughes points out, seeing as the next-generation web browser won’t be made available for XP users. Even though IE still holds the majority market-share, there’s no reason why say Firefox users could jump ship and move to the latest Ubuntu edition?

But these arguments are superficial frankly. I doubt you could find one person to give a single, good reason to convince every single XP user to upgrade to a newer alternative. If such a golden key answer was indeed possible, surely every operating system manufacturer would have used it long ago.

In a nutshell, XP is not “Generation Y” anymore. It hasn’t been for a long time. If you’re still desperate to use it – and why, I would love to know – you can still have it in Windows 7 as well as run it on Linux with WINE.

But, even though Windows XP Mode may well give you the application compatibility, it pretty much leaves the door open for suicide bombers by simply being there in the first place.

This coming semester when, or if, you buy yourself a new laptop – you’ll be saddled with Windows 7 no doubt. Unless you’re going for a netbook, then keep with the times and make the leap. Even then, there’s no reason not to jump aboard the Linux train.

At least it’s not like the latest iPhone which has been stuffed up from the start; XP was good while it lasted but it’s time to pull the plug and ditch it for the latest and greatest.

By Zack Whittaker

The iPhone 4 is here and we have all the answers to your questions about Apple’s new iPhone including pictures and detailed specifications.

Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone  4 today, which he claims offers over 100 new features, though he would focus on only a handful for the keynote. The iPhone 4 looks like the iPhone prototype obtained under questionable circumstances by Gizmodo: stainless steel casing, all-glass front, and a design Jobs describes as the thinnest smartphone on the planet: almost 25 percent thinner than the iPhone 3GS.. Unlike previous iPhones, the iPhone 4 will have volume controls on the side of the phone along with an accessible microSIM tray. The iPhone 4 features a front-facing camera, and the back sports a microphone, 30pin connector for docking, and a speaker, while the top sports a second microphone for noise cancellation, sleep/wake button, and a headset input.

Jobs went on to highlight the bands around the side of the iPhone 4 that caused much speculation in the wake of the leaked prototypes. Jobs identified them as part of the phone’s antenna system, saying the stainless steel band is also a primarily structural element of the device. The antenna supports all the iPhone 4’s wireless capability, from 3G to Wi-Fi to Bluetooth to GPS along with cellular communications.

iPhone 4: Retina Display
The iPhone 4 will also sport what Jobs described as a “retina display” with four times the pixel density of a typical LCD display at a whopping 326 pixels per inch—by far denser than anything else in the consumer electronics market. The result is a 3.5-inch display with a native resolution of 960 by 640 pixels that is actually a higher resolution than the typical human eye is capable of perceiving, when held at a distance of just 10 to 12 inches. Jobs claims the iPhone 4’s display winds up looking like a high quality printed book (albeit that emits light!) rather than a blocky pixellated grid. The iPhone OS automatically handles rendering text and controls at the higher resolution for the iPhone 4, so developers don’t need to do anything to update their applications to look good on the new display…but, of course, if developers want to add higher-resolution graphics to their apps, they will look stunning on the iPhone 4.

iPhone 4: A4 Chip and Gyroscope

The iPhone 4 will also feature an Apple-designed A4 CPU, following along the lines of the processor powering the iPad. Jobs said the A4 processor improved power management, so the iPhone 4 will manage 40 percent more talk time on 3G networks (up to 7 hours), or up to 6 hours of 3G Web browsing or 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing. The device can also play up to 10 hours of video, 40 hours of music, and should have an standby time of up to 300 hours. The iPhone 4 will also pack up to 32 GB of onboard flash storage, and will offer quad-band HSDPA/HSUPA for mobile broadband speeds up to 7.2Mbps downstream, 4.8Mbps upstream…assuming carrier networks support that technology. The iPhone 4 will also support 802.11n Wi-Fi, assisted GPS, Bluetooth, and packs and accelerometer, compass, proximity sensor, and an ambient light sensor,. The iPhone 4 also sports a gyroscope, which enables six-axis motion sensing…just like a game controller, and iPhone OS 4 will offer developer APIs to leverage the gyroscope: Jobs envisions the gyroscope enabling whole new types of mobile gaming.

iPhone 4: Camera & iMovie
The iPhone 4 will feature a 5 megapixel camera with a backside-illuminated sensor, which Jobs says increases the amount of light captured by the sensor, resulting in better photographs, particularly in low-light situations. The camera will also record HD video at 720p resolution and 30 frames per second, and the LED flash can be used to light video as well. Like the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4 will feature in-phone video editing and enable users to share video the the Internet (think Facebook and YouTube). However, Apple is pushing the video editing envelope with a new iMovie application for iPhone, that enables users to assemble and trim clips and record directly into an iMovie timeline. Users can also add camera photos to their movies (complete with the pan-and-scan Ken Burns effect), and iMovie for iPhone will enable users to add titles and transitions to their videos. The iPhone 4 camera embeds geolocation information in video; iMovie for iPhone can optional display display that information. Users can also add music as a soundtrack to their video, and select from a number of pre-generated themes. iMovie for iPhone will be available as a separate purchase from the App Store for $4.99.

iPhone 4: Bing
Among new features in iOS 4 will be an option to use Microsoft’s Bing as a default search engine; Google will still be the iPhone’s default search, but Yahoo and Bing-powered searches will be available as options. Note that Bing will be taking over the back end for Yahoo’s search services later this year.
iBooks for iPhone

Apple also announced a version of iBooks will be available for iPhone, with feature parity to the iPad edition (complete with previously-announced PDF and annotations support). The applications will be able to synchronize across devices, so users will be able to start reading an iBook on an iPad, then pick up at the same spot on the iPhone. Users will be able to download purchased books to all their supported devices at no extra charge.

No Longer iPhone OS 4: iOS 4
Since it won’t do to have an iPad running something called “iPhone OS,” Apple has decided to rename its mobile device operating system to simply “iOS 4,” encompassing all its mobile devices: the iPhone, the iPad, and the iPod touch. iOS 4 will have the features Apple outlined back in April, including a form of multitasking support (so applications like Pandora can stream music in the background while an iPhone user, say, surfs the Web in Safari), a unified Mail inbox that supports multiple services, home screen folders, a Game Center, and improved support for Microsoft Exchange and enterprise users. However, developers will probably be more intrigued by a boatload of new APIs and significantly deepened features. Developers at WWDC will be able to set hands on a release candidate today.

iAds
Jobs also took a moment to highlight Apple’s new in-application advertising platform iAds: according to Jobs, Apple is developing iAds as a revenue channel for developers so they can earn money from applications in ways other than direct sales to users. As outlined last April, Apple is aiming for high amounts of interactivity and engagement with iAds, building on HTML5 technologies rather than the still-industry-standard Adobe Flash. Apple will host all the advertising and handle ad sales, so all applications developers have to do is specify where in the applications the ads should be placed, then collect 60 percent of the revenue from placements in their applications. Apple has only been selling iAds for about two months—they should go live Jule 1—and so far has many major brands on board, including Disney (Jobs is Disney’s biggest single shareholder, remember), Target, Best Buy, Geico, DirecTV, and other major brands. Unlike traditional banner ads that eject users from applications out into Web browsers, iAds run without exiting a user’s application, providing an interactive experience without causing people to leave apps, or lose work or messages: the goal is an engaging experience that users know is “safe” regardless of the app they’re using.

Video Calling
Of course, that front-facing camera in the iPhone 4 exists for one and only one purpose: video calls. Jobs demonstrated what Apple is dubbing FaceTime video calling with the iPhone 4. The feature will initially be Wi-Fi only and operate iPhone 4 devices—no word in whether FaceTime will support, say, desktops or notebooks equipped with cameras. Users will be able to switch to the rear-mounted 5 megapixel camera on the iPhone 4 to let callers see what they’re seeing, or stick with the front-facing camera for face-to-face chat. Jobs says Apple plans to work with mobile operators to make FaceTime available over 3G data services. Apple says it plans to ship millions of FaceTime-capable devices this year—and if current iPhone sales are any indicator, they’re right—so iPhone 4 users will have plenty of people to talk to. (How far off is an app called FaceTime Roulette?)

Apple says the technology behind FaceTime will be come an industry standard, and will be supported by other devices and services.

iPhone 4 Pricing and Availability
The iPhone 4 will be available June 24 in black or white, with pricing set at $199 for a 16 GB model and $299 for a 32 GB model: those price points match the iPhone 3GS. Initial availability will be the United States, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

In the United States AT&T will enable any iPhone user whose contract expires in 2010 to upgrade to the iPhone 4 for $199 or $299 (for the 16 GB or 32 GB model) if users top off their contracts for another two years of service.

Apple plans to continue selling the iPhone 3GS, with the 8 GB model going for $99.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 4 will open on June 15.

Apple plans to begin offering the iPhone 4 in 18 more countries in July, followed by 24 additional countries in August and 40 more countries in September.

Apple will offer a selection of accessories, including a $29 dock and a “bumper” case in various colors.

iOS 4 Availability
Apple’s iOS 4 will ship standard on new iPhone 4 handsets. Apple plans to make iOS 4 available on June 21 for the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, and iPod touch—although there will be some limitations and some iOS 4 features wont be supported on older handsets. (For instance, multitasking will not be supported on the original iPhone 3G. Apple’s original EDGE-only iPhone, released in 2007, won’t support iOS 4 at all.)
Official iPhone 4 Video

By: Digital Trends Staff • July 13, 2010