For the past few months, Microsoft has been loudly and insistently banging a drum. All support and service for Windows XP and Office 2003 shuts down on April 8 -- no more security updates, no more fixes. In early February, faced with a slight uptick in users on the decrepit operating system the month before, Microsoft...Read more...
If Microsoft maintains a list of its least-popular ideas, initiatives, and software programs, Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) has to be near the top. Initially marketed as a voluntary tool when it launched in September of 2004, Microsoft announced just six months later that any user who wanted to access non-critical security updates for their...Read more...
Heads-up, PC enthusiasts! Windows 7--Microsoft's self-proclaimed "best OS ever" is launching to the public tomorrow. Tomorrow, junior! It hasn't even been three full years since the launch of Windows Vista, but already Microsoft is looking to put the past behind it and get on with the new. A recent survey by iYogi has...Read more...
Believe it or not, Windows 7 is about to take the computing world by storm. If all goes to plan, we'll see Microsoft's latest (and hopefully greatest) OS on store shelves by the time 2009 draws to a close, but it remains to be seen who all will be jumping to upgrade. According to Darrel Ward, director of product management for Dell's business...Read more...
This one would make Vernon Reid proud -- or maybe not? Regardless, here's a little something for Sunday night kick-back and amusement. If you've ever played Guitar Hero and attempted Living Color's song, Cult of Personality on any setting but easy, you'll know why some axe-slinging musicians are called "heroes". With...Read more...
Here at Hot Hardware, we are big fans of the XPS 700 series of gaming desktops. Over the last two years, they have consistently earned our coveted Editor's Choice award time and again. We thought the last incarnation of the 700-series, the XPS 730 H2C, was the best yet in the series. It seems Dell isn't quite done with the XPS 730. Today Dell...Read more...
Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X1 Available in U.S. for 2008 Holiday Season Pre-orders for the premium converged device begin today at SonyStyle.comSony Ericsson North America announces the arrival of the highly anticipated Xperia™ X1 to the U.S. marketplace. The Xperia™ X1 delivers a range of multimedia and communication...Read more...
Fresh New Version of the Iconic Dell XPS One Kicks Off a Season of Design and Discovery XPS One 24 Is Bigger, Brighter, Bolder -- Beautiful Each XPS One 24 (PRODUCT) RED Purchase Contributes $50-$80 to Fight AIDS in Africa New Dell.com/Everyday Site Serves Up Hot Deals for Holiday Shopping ROUND ROCK, TEXAS, OCT. 30, 2008 – Dell today kicked...Read more...
Traditional antivirus (AV) testing, such as that done by organizations such as AV-test.org and AV-comparatives.org, uses collections of malware to demonstrate the capabilities of security products. Secunia, on the other hand, focuses on exploits. For example, it has a scanner at its site that will search your system for unpatched vulnerabilities...Read more...
Emblazon this with a big "rumor" label, but according to The Register, Microsoft may be caving into OEMs. As we know, OEMs can offer users of certain versions of Windows Vista a downgrade to XP. For some OEMs, this can mean they will actually downgrade the PC for you, prior to shipment. For others, this means an XP install...Read more...
Thermaltake is ready to formally introduce its Xpressar RCS100 Micro Refrigeration Cooling System, which was first shown off at Computex in June. If you haven't yet seen the Xpressar RCS100, it is somewhat similar to the famed VapoChill Vapor Phase-Change Cooling systems we have shown you a few occasions in the past, but Thermaltake's offering...Read more...
In May, the FCC announced that Wilmington, North Carolina had volunteered to be the victims, er, first community to switch completely over to digital TV. Although there were concerns that Tropical Storm Hanna would cause a postponement of the switch, the FCC announced on Sunday that the experiment would still go live on Monday,...Read more...
If you think the contents of your work computer are your business and only your business, then think again. Applying federal rulings from other jurisdictions to help guide its ruling, the New Jersey State Appeals Court ruled in a recent case that "an employee has no reasonable expectation of privacy in personal files stored on a company-owned...Read more...
For the past few months, I have been participating in a campaign created by the folks at Toshiba and Federated Media designed to help users get answers to their laptop-related questions. You may have seen the banners here at HotHardware from time to time. The LaptopExperts website born from the campaign was created to provide a central location...Read more...
It's always amusing to read blog comments and hear just how unpopular Microsoft is. Of course a 90+ percent market share in their core business would seem to indicate a certain level of popularity, but apparently popularity is measured in a different way than simple arithmetic. It really doesn't matter if your average websurfer likes the guy...Read more...
Today on HotHardware we’ve got a quick-take spotlight video for you on Dell’s hot XPS M1730 Gaming Notebook... Synopsis: Dell's XPS M1730 is a powerful Desktop Replacement notebook designed with the performance enthusiast in mind. Sleek styling and custom lighting adorn this beastly, semi-portable machine that weighs in at well over 10lbs....Read more...
Synopsis: Dell's XPS M1730 is a powerful Desktop Replacement notebook designed with the performance enthusiast in mind. Sleek styling and custom lighting adorn this beastly, semi-portable machine that weighs in at well over 10lbs. Gaming and multimedia performance with the M1730 is top notch, with frame rates across its beautiful...Read more...
GIGABYTE Unleashes Industry’s Most Secure, Green and High Performing Intel G45 Express Chipset Motherboard Hitting Over 1100+ 3DMark 06 score for Media-Center Solution Taipei, Taiwan, – GIGABYTE UNITED INC., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today launched the new GIGABYTE EG45 Series motherboard - GA-EG45M-DS2H. Featuring...Read more...
Ever wonder why Microsoft releases these sorts of major updates via manual update first? Well, if you've been reading along, you know why (and we've seen more than one example of why). However, Windows XP SP3, after its initial fits and starts, is nearly ready to hit automatic distribution via Windows Update.This was revealed in an MSDN blog...Read more...
Nine days and counting until the Apple iPhone 3G goes on sale in the U.S... Many plan on buying their first iPhone, while existing iPhone users ponder whether to upgrade to the new phone or not. Rumors and speculation abound as to how much AT&T will charge for its service plans and what features will come with those plans. We've taken...Read more...
It's not over yet - not completely - but it might as well be. On Monday Microsoft sent out a letter to its customers dashing any hopes of a stay of execution for Windows XP.The letter (PDF) from Bill Veghte, senior vice president of the Online Services & Windows Business group, affirms that after June 30 Microsoft will suspend OEM distribution...Read more...
Last night, Google unveiled something called "Gmail Labs." It can be found under your Settings tab in Gmail. Of course, typically, this will roll out gradually to users, so you may not see it, though it went live at 6 PM PDT Thursday night, so most should have it by now.Gmail Labs is a way for us to take lots of the ideas we wouldn't normally...Read more...