There’s been a great deal of more talk lately about browser performance. You may have seen some previous discussion about page load performance as you saw here in a video and whitepaper in March. Page load ensures that you get to where you want to go quickly. But page load time differences actually measure about the length it takes for a person to blink their eye once, making a win for any browser pretty inconsequential as far as time savings go.

However, Internet Explorer 8 today offers a feature that saves you time and clicks and lets you get things done more quickly: Accelerators. Accelerators optimize the browser experience by removing repetitive, time consuming actions and give people easy access to the online services they use most. You can discover new Accelerators for Internet Explorer 8 at the Internet Explorer 8 Add-ons Gallery.

With all the talk about performance, we wanted to see what features like Accelerators really meant for time savings when people use the web, so we created another video looking at common tasks people actually do in four browsers: Safari 4.0, Chrome 2.0 beta, Firefox 3.5 beta 99 and Internet Explorer 8. Please note, all tests were performed using the default installation settings for each browser. No additional add-ons or extensions were added. 

Here is a video that shows off how Accelerators in Internet Explorer 8 make your browsing experience quicker and easier:

Accelerators in IE8 Help Save Time!

[Source : Windows Experience Blog]

Registry in my view is an emotional concept for various configurations across Windows(WINREG) & LINUX (ELEKTRA) provided to an user/administrator. If you’ll be unable to handle her(win/linux) emotions(registry) , you may lose (destroy) her (Win/Linux O/S).

So my friends , to win a girl’s heart you need to be very alert & careful. Please learn art of flirting to play with emotions. Because better you play with emotions , better she will be your companion.

But beware , playing too much can make her away from you(i.e. may slow down your system’s performance).

Everyone wants to have most beautiful girlfriend with whom one can live his whole life. accordingly if you are aware of internals of OS & your needs , you may find your beautiful companion in your Operating System.

friends carry on , I’ll make registry your best friend. Your friends will be jealous to see your systems.

Hundreds of tweaks , patches & tricks are here , just to help you.

Tutorials to give a insight of Operating System.

This Blog is dedicated to :

• General users who use Windows XP at their desks and are responsible for their own computer(s). Typically, these users don’t have responsibility for other users’ computers, though they may help their friends out from time to time.

• System administrators who are responsible for an organization’s computers (and perhaps thousands of Windows XP installations). Administrators will be presented with virtually every conceivable problem over a given period of time. Whatever can go wrong will; Murphy’s Law is applied double to system administrators.

• Help desk staff who support users, even if they don’t usually administer the system. Help desk staff roam throughout the organization, providing help and assistance as needed. All help desk people are going to find this book very useful.

[Source : Windows Xp , Vista , 2000 Registry Tricks Hacks]

Starting July 1st, 2009, when you launch Windows Live Movie Maker Beta you will be prompted to implement a software update which will extend the beta. You can download the software update here to continue to use the software without any interruption. If you choose not to install the software update, you will be unable to continue to use the Windows Live Movie Maker Beta.

The folks on the Windows Live Movie Maker Team are hard at work on “V1” which should be out sometime this year. For more information on the future of Windows Live Movie Maker, see this excellent blog post by Lead Program Manager Mike Torres from the Windows Live Team Blog.

I’m pretty excited for what they have in store for Windows Live Movie Maker!

[Source : Windows Experience Blog]

Lenovo announced today a new T-Series ThinkPad Laptop called the T400s. Lenovo’s T-Series laptops cater to business customers looking for a powerful and thin laptop. Lenovo put a lot of effort in designing this laptop to be light, durable, robust, and powerful – key elements to a great business laptop for the mobile worker. I’ve had the chance to play with a T400s here in my office for the last few days and it has been a great experience so far.

The T400s will ship with the following specs:

• Choices of Intel 2.53 GHz Core2Duo processors and graphics
• Choices of up to 128GB SSD or 250GB hard drive storage
• 9.5 mm slim DVD burner or Blu-Ray player
• Ethernet (Gigabit) & WiFi
• Optional WiMAX, WWAN, Bluetooth and Ultra-wideband Connectivity
• 34mm Express Card slot or 5-in-1 multimedia card reader
• Almost 6 hours of battery life
• Display Port and VGA connectors (Supports 2 External Monitors!)
• Energy Star 5.0 Compliant
• 2 Built-in USB Ports
• 1 Built-in eSATA/USB Combo Port (Total of 3 USB Ports)
• Fingerprint Reader
• TPM 1.2

As you can see, with these specs the T400s is quite powerful. It also can come jam-packed with network connectivity options (including support for Mobile Broadband) helping keep you connected no matter where you go. Because security is super important to the Mobile Worker – the T400s comes with a Fingerprint Reader and TPM 1.2. With TPM 1.2, BitLocker can be used in both Windows Vista and Windows 7 to secure the laptop. You also get your choice of storage. My T400s had a 250GB hard drive.

The design of the T400s is pretty slick. The T400s uses Lenovo’s “Top Cover Roll Cage”, which they first introduced with the X300, in the construction of its frame. This roll cage is made out of reinforced monocoque carbon fiber which is the same stuff they use on airplanes and super-fast cars. This keeps the T400s pretty light. It weighs in at just under 4lbs (with a 6 cell battery) which is about 20% less than its T400 predecessor. A non-SSD hard drive may also add some weight to the laptop as well as they tend to be a little bit heavier. But Lenovo gives you the choice to choose (as mentioned above).

This is a pretty thin laptop, measuring in at 0.83 inches (yes, I measured!). Part of the ability to keep this laptop so thin is that Lenovo uses a very thin 14.1 inch LED screen.

For the T400s, Lenovo tweaked the keyboard a bit. The keys are much closer to each other – likely to prevent gunk from getting underneath. The Delete and ESC keys are also larger.

The touchpad is now flush with the palm rest and is textured to help people feel its location.

I also discovered that the T400s has an “always on” USB port in the back. This means that if the system is in sleep/standby or hibernate mode you can still plugin devices like MP3 players or mobile phones and have them charge off the laptop’s battery.

Another very interesting aspect of this laptop is how Lenovo optimized it for VoIP. Many businesses are utilizing VoIP for their communications. This laptop can essentially serve as your communication hub when you’re out-and-about. Lenovo added a new toggle switch at the top of the keyboard so that you can easily increase and decrease your system volume – putting the user in more control of their audio. I’m told this will become a standard for all Lenovo laptops going forward. The speaker volume has been amped up to be more than 2x greater than audio levels see on the T400. And the speakers themselves have been moved to the sides instead of on the palm rest area seen on the X300 series laptops.

Lenovo put 2 digital microphones in for better recording. The dual microphones are expected to cut down the amount of ambient noise picked up during your VoIP calls and improve clarity with sound. And of course you can have audio without video. The T400s comes with built in 2.0 megapixel webcam that can shoot video up to 30fps. The webcam also has “Lower Light Capture Capability” to capture decent video is very low-lit conditions.

Lenovo puts Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate on their business laptops. The T400s I have came with Windows Vista Business.

However I decided to put Windows 7 (the Windows 7 RC) on it. Instead of upgrading from Windows Vista, I did a clean install. Windows 7 picked up most of the drivers with updates to many of them available for me on Windows Update. I had everything up and running very quickly.

With Windows 7 and the T400s, I am able to secure the laptop with a variety of features from Windows 7. Windows 7 has BitLocker (which we introduced with Windows Vista). Using TPM, I was able to encrypt the hard drive of the laptop to ensure if the laptop ever gets lost so that no one can get the data off the hard drive.

Windows 7 has a new biometric framework and in combination with UPEK’s biometric software – I was able to quickly enroll fingerprints for a further enhanced security. UPEK takes advantage of Windows 7’s biometric enhancements. This process was incredibly easy. As mentioned above, the T400s can come with built in Mobile Broadband. Windows 7 brings enhancements that take advantage of Mobile Broadband making it easy to connect and stay connected.

I had fun playing with this laptop. Special thanks to Lenovo for the opportunity!

The Lenovo ThinkPad T400s will become available at www.lenovo.com starting at $1,599.

[Source : Windows Experience Blog]

With small notebook PCs (sometimes called netbook PCs) now accounting for about 10% of PC sales worldwide (up to 20% of PC sales in some geographies according to leading retail sales analysts), I’m starting to get more and more questions about what a buyer should look into as he or she is shopping for a small notebook PC.

Ultimately, it depends on how you need to use your small notebook PC. While a small percentage of people are choosing to use these devices as their only computer, most are finding them better suited as a “companion PC” to a traditional desktop or notebook (for example, I use my Dell Mini 9 as a “companion PC” to my desktop PCs at work and at home). They are great for staying more conveniently connected on-the-go (for example: browsing the web on the train home from work, sending email from a coffee shop, or just getting office and/or personal tasks done).

There’s a small notebook PC out there for everyone depending on budget and hardware needs – but sometimes the different choices can get a little overwhelming.

To help out, I’ve pulled together a “checklist” of basic questions that you’ll want to think about before handing the cashier your credit card:

1. Is it easy to use?

This question may seem obvious, but when you think about it, it’s probably the most important one on this list. How are you going to be using your small notebook PC? Are you using this as a companion to your primary desktop or laptop PC? If so, then you’ll want it to have the same interface and experience as your primary machine so you can seamlessly move back and forth without any confusion or hassle and easily transfer and share files between your computers. You’ll also want to be sure that it can easily connect to a wireless or 3G broadband network so you can instantly get online wherever you are. And of course, make sure that there’s a built in tool, like Windows Instant Search, to help you instantly find your, music, photos and files…after all, your computer isn’t very handy if you can’t find your stuff on it!

2. Will it work with my stuff?

Think about what software you expect to use on your small notebook PC. Check for compatibility with your cameras, printers, music players, webcams, and anything else that you expect to connect, such as a GPS unit or mobile phone. Windows supports nearly 3,000 printers, over 700 digital cameras, 240 webcams, and 180 digital video cameras, as well as hundreds of more specialized devices. It also runs more than 10,000 applications, and it’s the only OS that runs Microsoft Office, iTunes and Quicken. This means that whatever it is you use, chances are it works with Windows. It’s also a good idea to make sure that your computer works with free, easy to use tools for email, blogging, chatting, working with photos and movies, online storage, and syncing your stuff between your PCs. I use Windows Live Essentials and Windows Live SkyDrive to do these things on my computers.

3. Is it the right size?

While screen and keyboard size are personal decisions, I can tell you that many of today’s small notebook PCs come with 9” or 10” screens for a good reason. Machines this size offer a better balance between lightweight portability, having a screen big enough to be productive with more than one window at once, and a keyboard that’s comfortable enough for most people’s hands. My Dell Mini 9 has a 8.9” screen. The size doesn’t bother me much but if I were to go out and buy another small notebook PC, I would likely go with a 10” screen. If you find that even 10” is still too small for you though, there are a number of larger but still lightweight notebooks at pretty affordable prices that may work better for your needs over a small notebook PC. If you do decide to go that route, check out the Windows Laptop Scout, which will help you find exactly the right machine for your needs.

4. Does it have the hardware horsepower I need?

When it comes to hardware, there are four key areas to consider – screen & keyboard size, processor speed, RAM, and storage. Screen and keyboard size we covered earlier, but in terms of the processor, look for a machine with at least a 1GHz CPU, and for RAM, get at least 1GB. 1GB of RAM is what my machine came with, but I added another 1GB to it for an extra performance boost. Many models allow you to add at least an extra stick of memory. If you buy a small notebook PC and want to give it more power down the road, having this ability is quite nice.

Storage is largely a personal call, and how much you need really depends on what you expect to do with your small notebook PC. If you want to put your pictures and music on it, then you probably want a 120GB or larger Hard Disk Drive. If you’re just looking to do basic email and web browsing, you might go for a smaller Solid State Drive (typically, these are 8-32GB). SSDs often run cooler and quieter, and may use less power, which means they can potentially get you a bit of boost in battery life. My Dell Mini 9 came with a 16GB SSD, but I found that it wasn’t enough space for me so I replaced it with a 32GB SSD. I also purchased a 320GB My Passport Essential from Western Digital I carry around with me everywhere as well for the added storage.

I recommend checking out CNET’s reviews, as well as the great information, reviews and tips on Liliputing to help you find a small notebook PC with exactly the specs you want.

5. Will I be safe online?

You’re probably going to be online quite a bit, so you’ll want to make sure you can browse, chat, and share safely. Key security features to look for in both your OS and browser are comprehensive phishing and Cross-Site Scripting filters along with ClickJacking protection to help guard against identity theft, built-in spyware and malware protection, comprehensive parental controls, a built-in firewall, and a private browsing model. As an FYI – Internet Explorer 8 in combination with Windows Live Family Safety can do all these things for you.

6. What level of support do I need?

Making sure that you can get the right kind of support when you need it is critical. It’s a good idea to get a small notebook PC that has built-in features to keep your gear up and running, such as automatic self-diagnosing tools and a comprehensive built-in system to help you automatically get security, OS and software updates, without having to track them down yourself and manually install them 1-by-1. When you do run into a need for assistance, you’ll also be better off with multiple support options including online resources, a call-in tech support center, or in-person help at a repair shop or retailer.

Hopefully, if you’re on the market for a new small notebook PC this checklist of questions will come in handy in helping you with your buying decision!

[Source : Windows Experience Blog]