Windows 7: Forget Vista, Say Goodbye to XP

Forget about Vista! At least that’s what Microsoft wants you to do. They have brought out Windows 7 very quickly, and mainly to wash away the bad taste of Vista, yuk!  Beanstalk Computing is recommending that their clients either stick with Windows XP or wait until Windows 7 is released on October 22nd. Note that if you buy a computer now with Vista you will get an upgrade to 7 free!

Versions:

What version of Windows 7 should you get?  According to SuperSite the choice will come down to two or, at most, three choices, Windows 7 Home Premium, which is aimed at consumers, Windows 7 Pro, which adds some business-oriented features, and Windows 7 Ultimate, the “uber” version of Windows 7.

Most consumers should go for Home Premium.  It’s priced right, it includes the features that consumers want, and it’s not missing any major functionality.

In the business world, Beanstalk Computing recommends Windows 7 Professional.  It includes support for Active Directory based domains.  You also gain access to Windows XP Mode, a virtual fully licensed copy of Windows XP, so you are guaranteed that ALL legacy software will work!  Its like two operating systems in one!  Some other features include support for 192GB of RAM, automated network backups, remote desktop, offline file support, and presentation mode.

Windows 7 Ultimate includes every single feature.  Compared to Windows 7 Professional, there are only a few differences that apply to individuals, so its a pretty uninteresting upgrade.   The main addition is BitLocker and BitLocker To Go, the drive encryption add on, but that's about it. 

Upgrading:

Upgrading to Windows 7 from Windows Vista is a snap.  Simply put the CD in and click a few buttons and go.  Note that you have to keep in the same or higher version to upgrade.  IE, Vista Home Basic can be upgraded to Vista Home Premium or higher, but Vista Ultimate can not be upgraded to Windows 7 Home Premium.  Unfortunately, Windows XP has no direct upgrade path, you would have to format and reinstall from scratch.  You can, however take advantage of the upgrade pricing.

Pricing

Pricing for Windows 7 Upgrades is as follows:  $119.99 for Windows Home Premium, $199.99 for Windows 7 Professional, and $219.99 for Windows 7 Ultimate.  For the full version the pricing is $199.99 for Home Premium, $299.99 for Professional, and $319.99 for Ultimate.

Let Beanstalk Computing help your business upgrade to Windows 7, we offer a free audit to see how Windows 7 can improve your business.

PC Decrapifier – Clean up the Crap!

You may not know it, but when you buy a new computer, it comes with several pre-installed programs, some of which can be running in the background, without your knowledge.

On the other hand, if you have been using your computer for a while and noticed that your computer has slowed down for no reason at all, you might want to consider a maintenance check and clean out the junk you may have accumulated over the past months.

Bloatware are applications that you don’t use, have been installed but have been overwritten, or programs that you had no idea even existed in your PC. In other words, it’s stuff you have, but don’t need.

By using PC Decrapifier (unusual name, but works since you won’t forget it easily), you can improve the performance of your computer, and clean up space on your hard drive for new programs.

This is a powerful program that has been recommended by many computer experts from Wall Street Journal, New York Tomes, PC World, and Washington Post, among many others. They think this is an excellent cleaning tool, and you will too after you try it and discover just how convenient it is to have it around. We also recommend CCleaner (Crap Cleaner) to help clean up temporary files and registry errors.

FreeConferenceCall.com – Make Conference Calls For Free!

Now that we have become a global village, it has become imperative that communications keep you on top of your business. Your client list has now grown from being local to international, especially if you have a website and entertain clients or buyers from all over the world.

You can now enjoy free conference calls with freeconferencecall.com. You can have up to 150 people from anywhere in the world be a part of your conference call, and this can last for as long as 5 hours!

It has amazing service features including the ability to record your conference call which you can download later on.  This is perfect for meetings and discussions that you would like to review later.

This service will speed up your business transactions, allowing you to increase your income potential by a big margin. Imagine, instead of having to wait for email replies which can be very constricting because of time zones and the common problem of insufficient information, you can get feedback instantly. And best of all, its COMPLETELY free!

Wireless Power System Soon To Be Available

Imagine never having to plug your cell phone in to charge your battery, or being able to watch TV or movies on your home theater without seeing any wires from the back of your TV. This is just a few examples of things to come very soon.

It’s an amazing new technology wherein you just don’t need to use power cables anymore, ever again. You just need to have one energy source in the room, and it will charge any gadget, appliance, iPhone, or eventually even an electric car.

The technology being developed by Witricity, uses a system of low frequency electromagnetic waves to power up your batteries or electrical appliances.

As long as you have a main coil, and your appliance or phone has a corresponding coil, you won’t even have to bring them close to each other. Your phone can remain inside your bag, and it will still be able to get charged by the main coil!

Say goodbye to unsightly wires and annoying plugs that are dangerous anyway to begin with. The future is so much more exciting now with wireless power.

Microsoft Office 2010 – Free Beta Available Now

“When you think about Microsoft Office, you most likely think of Word, Excel, Outlook and the other core Office applications. This is understandable, since the traditional Microsoft Office suite is now 20 years old.”

“In Office 2010, for the first time, email, the central purpose of Microsoft Outlook, becomes a fundamental capability.”

The BIGGEST addition to Office 2010 is the web edition of its applications, in direct competition with Google Docs.  “Office Web Applications consists of stripped-down, web-based versions of Word, Excel, OneNote, and PowerPoint. Microsoft sees this technology as key to the future of Office, and the company's expectation is that we will lose the distinction between the PC desktop and web-based versions eventually.”

For a closer look at all the new features of Office 2010 head over to Paul Thurott’s Supersite Article

Microsoft Office 2010 is now in beta and is expected to be release in the first quarter of 2010. Download the Beta here.

Beanstalk Computing does not recommend using Beta software on your primary computer.

Boxee TV - The Ultimate TV/Computer Experience

This is a great new concept that you can enjoy at the convenience of, well, just about anywhere! Boxee.TV is a open source media center with social networking features that will allow you to share movies, music, and even news with your friends.

Boxee.tv will allow you to stream media like songs, movies, weather, news, etc. right to your computer.  If you have a Facebook or Twitter account then you can even share files with your friends.

If your computer is hooked up to a large monitor or a TV, you can control the shows from a remote control, with built in support for the Mac remote or any windows based remote such as the Xbox controller I wrote about in an earlier post.

You will need either a DVI/VGA or HDMI cable to link your computer to the TV, the exact cable would depend on the TV requirements for input and output.

The fun part about Boxee.tv is the fact that it is an open source, and what this means for you is that you can play around with it. You can use your own interface, plug-ins, or skins. You can create your own media applications and portals, or use existing Boxee.tv applications like Hulu, Pandora, BBC iPlayer, and Howcast, among many others.

Hive Haus

I just joined the Hive Haus, a downtown community of small businesses.  Come by for a visit!