I've posted this week Stories of the Week for January 28th, 2007. Check them out here

So I ordered my copy of Windows Vista Ultimate OEM Version for $199 from Newegg.... I'm probably going to install it next weekend once it arrives. I was going to buy the full retail version, but for $200 less I can always buy another OEM copy later... I'll let you know what I think of it, once I install it.... so I'll have a full review within the next couple of weeks.

Additionally I'll eventually be buying Microsoft Office 2007 using my student discount at some point in the not too distant future... I'm not sure what version of Office yet, but I'll figure it out

Does anybody else find this image a bit odd? I mean, why would Myspace be advertising a show from NBC, when Myspace is owned by NewsCorp, which owns fox?

I've posted this week Stories of the Week for January 21st, 2007. Check them out here

Just a conversation that somebody and I had a few minutes ago...

[10:05:12 PM] Wayne: I don't know, only you can determine where you might like to go, although where you end up, is where you're supposed to end up...
[10:07:19 PM] Wayne: you don't have a choice in where you end up, the big things in life are set for you, it's the little thing that you can control
[10:07:29 PM] Sarah: yea
[10:07:29 PM] Wayne: but the little things ultimately control the big things
[10:07:33 PM] Sarah: yea
[10:07:47 PM] Wayne: so the choices you make, you make them because you're supposed to make them
[10:08:00 PM] Wayne: not because you want to necessarily make them, although sometimes you do
[10:08:44 PM] Sarah: but i dont no nearly as much as u
[10:09:11 PM] Wayne: oh, but you'll learn
[10:10:13 PM] Sarah: yea
[10:10:16 PM] Sarah: i hope
[10:11:56 PM] Wayne: oh you will... you learn whether or not you realize it...
[10:12:02 PM] Wayne: with everything you experience, you learn
[10:12:30 PM] Wayne: you learn what works, what doesn't, you learn how two things fit together, how things don't
[10:13:00 PM] Wayne: you learn all of the lessons of life... the good, the bad, and the indifferent

MacWorld San Francisco

Mac, over Half of all Macs Sold are new Mac owners

over 2 billion songs sold
350 TV Shows, 1.3 million sold

Paramount Videos added to iTunes, over 100 Movies to over 250 movies offered now, over the next week
new ads for ipods

Apple TV (iTV)
wirelessly trasmit content to tv
Looks the same as back in September
Can use Video, TV shows, Podcasts, Music, or Photos
720p HD Video
40GB Hard Drive, 50 hours of video
802.11B+G, Draft N
intelProcessor
Auto-Sync from One PC
Stream Content from up to 5 pc
Sync directly with iTunes
Can use apple remote
Heroes TV Show
Shipping February, taking orders now
$299

Jobs has been Looking forward to this day for 2 1/2 Years
Widescreen iPod with Touch Controls
Revolutionary Mobile Phone
Breakthrough Internet Communications Device
All in one Device called iPhone

so I just realized I'm like a kid on Christmas eve, awaiting all of the presents Santa Jobs will present tomorrow at Mac World Expo: SF... I'll give a recap tomorrow

So I was just watching the stream of the Keynote from Microsoft's Bill Gates from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas... Here are the notes

Vista
- Searching across all vista computers
- Plug Xbox controllers into Vista PC, and play games
- Live Search, 3D fly through

Office 2007
- New layout, with ribbons, more features available for users
- Simultaneous Release of Office 2007 & Vista

Media Center in Vista
- Watch & record HD Television
- Sports Lounge - Microsoft & Fox Sports

Photos
- 2 Billion photos taken last year
- Photo gallery ~ edit and manage photos & videos.
- DVD Maker - built in

Ultimate ~ Flagship Edition
- Extras
- Group Shot
- Allows the combonation of several pictures to be made

into one.
- Dream Scene
- Full motion Desktop
- Set Video as Desktop Background

1.5 million devices supported in Vista
- Baackup
- Video
- DVD

Software
- Gadgets
- Search API
- Visulization, DirectX 10
- Windows Presentation Foundation

Touch Screens
Media Center

Vista PCs

Ultra Mobile
- Medion
-
Laptops
- Toshiba
- Acer
Gaming
- Voodoo
- Alienware
- Dell
Entertainment
- Dell
- Monoreal
- Sony

Windows Home Server
- Homes, Multiple PCs, xboxs
Storage available at all times
2nd Half 2007
HP Media Smart Server
Automated Backup
- Remote connectivity
- no need to talk about volumes
- Quite a bit of expandability
- Move data around in order to remedy drive issues
- Terabytes on the device
- AMD, Intel
- Great Simplicity

Connected Entertainment
- Entertainment, whenever, whereever they want
- community, share content & ideas
- Needs HW/ SW & Service

URGE
- continuing to be commited to it. 350 Partners around the

world.
- Zune Media Player
- Ship & Sell 1 million copies of zune

Mobility & Mobile Phones
- Calls
- Emails
- IM
Movies
Tv
Music
Connected Entertianment on the Phone

BlackJAck
Treo
Dash
Q
driving for Windows Mobile
- outsells blackberry

Gaming
- 200 Million Gamers
- #1 Gaming Platform
- More Powerful with DirectX 10
- Easier to use, simple
- Safer with family settings
- Hardcore Gamers, Casual Gamers
- Growing Market
- Desktop, on the Go
- Xbox 360
10.4 million
37 countries
160 HD Games
- Gears of War: 2.7 million copies, Halo Like franchise.
- 300+ Titles end of the year...
- GTA 4, Mass Affect, DDR, Guitar Hero.
- Halo 3.
Xbox Live
- 5 Million Members
- Expand Community
- Take it to a whole new level
- Windows/Windows Vista, Bring Windows to Xbox 360

Live on Windows (Xbox live)
- Just like Xbox 360 Live, compatabile with Vista
- Applies to both Hard Core Games and Casual Games
- Live on the Live Service,Summer '07
- 3 Billion hours of gaming

TV & Movies
- HDTVs were the thing to buy
- 4 Ways to get HD Movies
- HD-DVD Player, xbox 360.
- HD-DVD Format top selling

• Media Center
  
  • 80% of PCs sold as Media Center
    
  • 30 Million world wide.
    
  • network with XBOX 360, all experience you want.
    
  • from media center streamed to 360
    
  • Media Center Extender
    
    
  • Xbox Live Video
    
  • 1000 hours of content
    
  • Adding Lionsgate
    
    
  • IPTV
    
  • In Market,
    
  • AT&T
    
  • BT
    
  • DeutscheTelekon
    
  • SwissTelecom
    
  • Major part of delivery over the next 4 years
    
  • Available on Xbox 360
    
  • Available Holiday 2007
    
    More choices from consumers
    take content whenever where
    share it with their friends
    
    
    Give connected experiences 24/7
    not sure about during sleep times
    
    Connecting in the Car
    
  • simple
    
  • incredibly simple, safe commands
    
  • People spend hour and a half in their car
    
    New Sync
    
  • fully voice-activated
    
  • totally integrates, all electronics
    
  • cell phones
    
  • zuines
    
  • ipods
    
  • seamlessly
    
  • access to full capability of your phone
    
  • never having to download your phone book
    
  • every personalized setting
    
  • place, receive calls
    
  • maintain entering and exiting vehichle
    
  • text messages read to them
    
  • translates emoticons and the like
    
  • ability to be full entertainment platform
    
  • most USB storage devices
    
  • flash & zip drives
    
  • Uses Windows Auto Software
    
  • Roll it out quickly on a dozen ford products in 2007
    
  • Including Ford Edge & Crossover
    
  • Improve, capability, appeal, and value to vehicles
    
    Moving Forward in years ahead 4 or 5 years
    
  • Use voice to interface with PC
    
  • ability to have a camera to do face recognition
    
  • microsoft home of the future, new version
    
  • Knows information about you
    
  • Special offers
    
  • coupons, and store that away and use later
    
  • Browse menu and like
    
  • View through camera, delivery of package
    
  • Kitechen: Projecting images onto a surface
    
  • Uses RFID, and brings up ingredients
    
  • Brings up Recipie
    
    Bedroom
    
  • Change screen if you want, to do whatever you'd like to.
    
  • Control from Ultra Mobile PC.

The Keynote is at 9am PST on Tuesday, January 9th, in SanFrancisco... this is an hour earlier than normal...

Ok, here are the rumors thus far:

Rumor 1: An Apple iPhone

Specifications 1: Kevin Rose
- January launch date on all carriers
- Extremely small form factor
- Two batteries
- Two Models: 4GB for $249, 8GB for $449
- Slide-out keyboard.
- Possibly touchscreen

Specifications 2:
- Two Models: 4Gb for $599, 8GB for $649
- Wider than the iPod nano, yet thinner than the iPod Video
- Made of Metal
- Muliple Colors, but at least black, white, silver
- Claims Cingular is likely US carrier.
- Virtual Clickwheel
- Full screen LCD (3.5 inch)

Specifications 3:
- 3-megapixel Camera.
- 2.2 inch display
- Complete iTunes/iPod integration.
- Strictly GSM/EDGE
- Apple asking carriers to not subsidize the price of the phone

Rumor 2: True video iPod
There are too many to list.... however here's the basics
- Full Screen
- Touch Screen, on screen scroll wheel
- Larger Capacticy? I don't see why not, with the increase of storage capacities...
100GB would be my guess is that it would have this one...

Rumor 3: Increase in .MAC storage
There's a video floating out there, here. I'm not sure if this is true or not... we'll see...

Rumor 4: Mac Pro Upgrade
Possible update of the MacPros to include the Intel Quad Core processors... meaning 8 cores for processing with the MacPro.

Rumor 5: Mac Mini upgrade
- Possible upgrade to the Core 2 Duo, versus the Core Duo it currently has

Rumor 6: Blu-Ray addition
- Possibility of adding Blu-ray support to the Mac Lineup

Rumor 7: New iSight Camera
- Apple stopped selling the iSight camera, and the only way to get it is in the laptops... so a new one?

Rumor 8: New Displays
- Possible refresh of the displays, including 32" display or possibly 37" display.
- Rumored 50" display.

Rumor 9: Thin 12" MacBook Pro
- There used to be a 12" powerbook model, but that was dropped, so could they be replacing it with a 12" macbook pro?

Rumor 10: Mac Tablet
- Least likely, since Steve Jobs doens't like the idea of a Tablet

Releases we'll most likely see:
iLife '07
iWork '07
- Which might include a spreadsheet application

More Information released
iTV (name will be changed) But this is Apple's Wireless streaming devices...
- Small Hard drive for cache
- HDMI connector
- RCA audio
- Component Output
- 802.11n Wireless
- No power brick, internal power
- USB 2.0
- Ethernet
- Digital Audio output
- Works with the Apple Remote
- Front Row-like interface
- Works with iTunes PC and Mac
- $299

Next version of their operating system OS X: Leopard
- Includes TimeMachine, a new feature that allows automatic backup of files.

I've posted this week Stories of the Week for January 7th, 2007. Check them out here