Heres an unexpected file hidden in the Mac OS X system files.
Go to the Finder’s Go menu, and select Go to Folder. In the window that appears, type:
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.3/lib/python2.3/test/
and hit Go. In the window that opens, double-click on the audiotest.au file/
Recently Microsoft announced Australian pricing for the full packaged retail versions of Windows Vista (up to $751), drawing many astonished gasps from users while their credit cards tried to look as inconspicuous as possible.
Microsoft has just released some extra pricing information, this time relating to upgrades. Here are the details, along with the full package RRP in AUD:
* Windows Vista Home Basic – $385
* Windows Vista Home Basic Upgrade - $199
* Windows Vista Home Premium - $455
* Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade Academic - $179
* Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade - $299
* Windows Vista Ultimate - $751
* Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade - $495
* Windows Vista Business - $565
* Windows Vista Business Upgrade - $379
In general, the upgrade pricing is about $150-$180 cheaper than the full package price. It’s not a bad solution for those users who already own XP, but there’s no information available as to whether the upgrade pricing is available to those with OEM licenses. There’s also still no information on OEM pricing for Vista – and it seems likely that few people are going to look at upgrading to Vista any other way than OEM.
But spot the version that’s being pushed – Vista Home Premium. The academic upgrade pricing is pretty good, but it’s a real shame that there’s no academic pricing offered on the full package of Home Premium, or on Vista Home Basic at all. Not every household needs or wants the bells and whistles of Home Premium.
However, Microsoft seem to be trying to get across to potential Vista buyers that the move to Vista Ultimate is really worth their while. Accompanying the upgrade pricing we received from Microsoft was the following statement:
“With Windows XP, customers often had to make tradeoffs in features and functionality as the Windows XP editions were aligned with specific hardware types. With Windows Vista, customers now have the ability to make choices between editions based on the features they want, which are now available as standard features in mainstream editions. For example, 64-bit support and Tablet PC and touch technology are standard features of the Home Premium and Business editions.
Windows Vista Ultimate is the first operating system that brings together all of the consumer-oriented features available in Windows Vista Home Premium with all of the business-oriented features available in Windows Vista Business.”
OK fair enough – Vista Ultimate has been the OS of choice in the beta testing, and it’s certainly a nice package, but I think Microsoft will have to come up with arguments a bit more tangible and meaningful than that if they want to get home users to fork out a minimum of $495.
Hot on the heels of the release of Internet Explorer 7, Media Player 11 for Windows XP made its entrance this week. Download it here.
Media Player 11’s feature set includes integration with the MTV’s URGE online music store service (though it isn’t available to Australians), as well as other online music, video and radio services.
Thumbnail and album art is a major focus. Microsoft may now be regretting having released so many early betas, though, since Apple has taken Microsoft’s idea and expanded on it for iTunes 7.
WMP11 also has “improved device detection”, including support for over 200 portable and networked media devices. Of course, your iPod is still an unwelcome foreigner to WMP.
Interestingly, the latest rumour is that Microsoft’s own Zune player will only work with WMP, as it has no USB mass storage mode for drag-and-drop file transfer.
Other features include shuffle sync, reverse sync and device exploration. Application and library navigation is also simpler.
Installing MP11 varies vary slightly depending on whether you’re upgrading straight from MP10, or from a beta of MP11. In both cases the setup makes you validate your copy of XP, and then accept the license agreement. A System Restore point is created – if System Restore is turned off you get a warning to this effect, but installation carries on regardless.
In the upgrade from Media Player 10, the following components get installed:
• User Mode Driver Framework
• Windows Media Format Runtime
• Windows Media Player
• Windows Media Library
• MS Delta
• Appcompat shim WMP10
And then the setup procedure kicks off. The upgrade process from MP11 beta is almost exactly the same, except that the Windows Media Library doesn’t get installed (it’s already present) and once installation is finished the workstation has to be restarted. Once that’s done, run MP11 and the configuration wizard starts up.
The setup procedure is largely unchanged from Media Player 10. You get the option of an Express or Custom setup. Express makes MP11 the default player for both music AND video, allows it to download CD/DVD information automatically from the internet as well as media usage rights. It signs you up anonymously to the Customer Experience Improvement Program and sets Media Guide as the active online store. In other words, the Express setup lets MP11 work on its own, rather independently of the user. Custom setup lets you disable any of these options – interestingly by default all the options are disabled.
When setting the default file associations, the MP11 setup picks up the old associations from MP10. It won’t try to take over. The online store window gives you a choice of Media Guide or nothing. You can set one up later through the Player’s menu. And that’s it – the old MP10 library is imported and the Player loads.
The timing of the release of MP11 and IE7 is pretty good for Microsoft. Both feature very heavily in Windows Vista, and Microsoft is clearly hoping to get Windows XP users familiar with them before Vista’s release. It’s actually a good practise in general – expose your users to new technology early, before they’re forced to use it.
Now all we need is a Vista interface for XP and the Office 2007 ribbon for Office 2003 and we won’t have to pay to upgrade at all!
Wireless technology that can handle uncompressed, streaming high-definition media may soon become a reality.
The interface is called WirelessHD, truncated to WiHD, and it aims to remove all the switches and the evil spawn of Cables and Co. noosed around your tangled media devices.
A collection of companies have formed a special interest group and are now promoting the interface. Presently being written up, it is hoped the specification will reel in wide support throughout the industry and ultimately be approved by the IEEE as a standard.
The first generation WiHD interface will transmit both audio and video at speeds of 2 to 5Gb/s on the unlicensed 60GHz band. Future implementations could be scaled up to as fast as 20Gb/s.
One of the goals is to overcome the inherent line-of-sight requirements at this frequency with a ’smart antenna.’
It will be designed to be scalable for future media formats and other data types and it will likely feature some form of encryption, with ‘Secure communications’ as a listed objective.
Plans are in motion to have it ready for use in real-world consumer electronics relatively soon, with its specifications due to be complete ‘… in Spring 2007.’
Of course, consortiums using seasons in place of slightly more globally-persistent months doesn’t help anyone. It probably means March to May.
The collaborating companies involved in this steamy conglomeration are LG, Panasonic, NEC, Samsung, SiBEAM, Sony, and Toshiba.
It’s actually an odd mix, mostly because the two next-gen optical media archrivals, Sony (BluRay) and Toshiba (HD-DVD), are jumping into bed. It’s good to see they seem to realise universal standards are necessary. Could this be a rare splash of common sense?
There is apparently a fundamental issue with the technology, however. Stephen Wood from WiMedia, of which all the new WiHD consortium’s companies are also members, says WiHD is jumping too far ahead with an immature technology.
“The regulations for 60 GHz radios are not all in place, and the standards aren’t ready,” says Wood. That could prove a hiccup, although he’s inclined say such things, as he’s in charge of promoting ultrawideband technologies (think wireless USB).
How WiHD compares to the previously reported UWB wireless HDMI remains to be seen.
Don’t trip on the pun.
Microsoft has set November 30 as the release date for Vista (and Office 2007) to business customers and January 30, 2007 as the date for the official launch to consumers and The World At Large.
Five years, three months and five days after Windows XP made its debut, Microsoft will usher its next-generation OS onto the stage.
APC has been advised by a very well placed source that January 30, 2007 is about to be announced as the official release date for Vista.
In addition, in a move that mirrors previous side-by-side launches of Microsoft’s OS and Office suite (in the 95 and XP waves), Office 2007 will also touch down on that day.
However, as previously planned, Vista and Office 2007 will first step out for a ‘business launch’ on November 30 (alongside Exchange 2007). From that date, the programs will be available to corporate customers who hold an enterprise licence or software assurance deal with Microsoft.
The mainstream ‘consumer launch’ will take place two months later, at which point stores will offer a riot of Vista retail packs as well as desktops and notebooks pre-loaded with Vista.
Corporate customers, system builders and everyone else who has a spot near the front of the queue should have access to the final code for Vista and Office before the month is out. Both the OS and Office suite are expected to make the transition from a tweaked Release Candidate to the final ‘gold master’ and hit RTM (Release To Manufacture) stage around the middle of this month.
For Vista, this will include a build number of 6000, which also matches the 6.0 reference that denotes Microsoft considers this the sixth full version of their beloved OS. Both Windows 95 line and NT 4.0 were officially stamped as Windows version 4 (or variants, such as Windows 98 being 4.1); Windows 2000 was christened as version 5, and XP anointed as Windows version 5.1 (due to its being built on the NT/2000 codebase).
(You don’t have to take our word for it: these version numbers are still there under the covers. Run a DOS box and enter VER at the command prompt to see for yourself).
The past thirty days have been a hive of hyper-activity at Redmond as the ‘Softies cleared the decks in readiness for the Vista wave.
On October 9, Microsoft released local retail pricing for Vista and US pricing for Office 2007, although we’ve yet to hear the cost of Office 2007 in Aussie dollars.
The long-running Office 2007 beta program also began to be wound down.
Final versions of Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11, Windows Defender and Windows Desktop Search 3 all broke cover during the past fortnight. This also indicated how close things were to Vista’s RTM, as each of these programs is rolled into the shiny new OS as well as offered as stand-alone components for XP.
Last week, Microsoft announced details of the discount scheme intended to soften consumer resistance (and thus reduce vendor angst) when it comes to buying a new PC for Christmas while Vista remained just around the corner. Under the plan, many systems will quality for a free upgrade to Vista while paying only a nominal (sub-$30) cost for delivery and handling.
Yesterday saw the unboxing of the Vista retail boxes and today, confirmation of local prices for upgrading from XP to Vista.
Expect a formal announcement from Microsoft Australia shortly.
