In a presentation made to investors, Microsoft said the resumption of strong PC sales worldwide, with a one-year growth estimated between 22 and 24%, which resulted in a 26% increase in the number of licenses Sale OEMs. The publisher also states that it sold 1.5 million Xbox 360 consoles over the quarter and have more than 25 million subscribers to its Xbox Live service.

The division dedicated servers and associated tools for its part has reported revenues up 14% year on year, against 15% for the Enterprise Division, in which products such as Sharepoint and Dynamics CRM are made to increases two digits. Activities related to online advertising (Microsoft Advertising) know about them an increase of 19%.

If Apple chose to make the iPad approach inherited from the field of Mobile, HP would have passed it on the opposite articulating the Slate about hardware and software from the computer field. It had actually been operating on Windows 7 and host the configuration of a netbook, similar to a tablet like Archos .

But it is Windows 7 that did not convince HP as operating system Tablet, according to the source, thereby causing the manufacturer to halt the project. The Intel solution would in turn proved too energy intensive. But HP has already demonstrated enthusiasm for touch, especially with its range of computers all-in-one TouchSmart touch, equipped with an interface designed specifically for use on the finger. Still, Windows 7 is devoid of shop similar to the App Store.

HP might therefore ultimately be based on the field of mobile phones by adopting a solution and an ARM-compatible operating system, Android as Google, or even a variant of WebOS, fruit of the recent takeover of Palm .

In early April, a comparison chart with the iPad concocted by HP also pointed autonomy as one of the weaknesses Slate.

webOS instead of Windows 7?

The acquisition of Palm seems to have been the trigger since it webOS should equip tablets HP. During the conference call with the transaction, John Rubinstein, head of Palm, has also said that the manufacturer would provide the means to deploy on different platforms.

The most likely scenario is that the range is intended to webOS range of mobile consumer products while Windows 7 be restricted to target more professional, like the iPaq powered by Windows Mobile.

Quoted in Computerworld , analyst Jeff Kagan remains cautious and believes “it is too early to predict whether HP will pull the plug on its partnership with Microsoft.”

Mark Hurd , the CEO of HP, meanwhile, said the development strategy of the range of tablets will be unveiled during the finalization of the purchase of Palm, by the end of July.

When the netbook was declared to get released in the month of August, it was quoted at £500, but this was even higher than that. The Booklet 3G has been comprised with 10.1 inch 1280×720 HD ready screen, HDMI, integrated 3G, Wi-Fi and A-GPS, along with 1GB RAM, Intel Z530 processor, 120 GB hard disk drive, GMA500 and a big 16 cell battery, which can seemingly hold the netbook powered for approx. 12 hours.

Also, the laptop will be available with Windows 7; all carried in a 19.9mm thick and 1.25 Kg enclosures. Nokia has more plans to build another Booklet 3G in the year 2010 and we are expecting it to be a less expensive one, running on Intel platform, comprised with Maemo technology.

Till year 1991, Nokia has not been well acknowledged for manufacturing computers or laptops but it has been reckoned when it left the computer business altogether. The Nokia Booklet 3G is like the return of Nokia to the portable computer world, equipped with the concept of device halting from long battery life of the company’s phones with everything manufactured around that notion.
It seems to an awesome idea, having a netbook created around a battery. On the first note, Nokia Booklet 3G is a very well designed, stylish and elegant netbook. This manufacturing of netbook by Nokia, really get us to think on the topic that, if a computer maker can reveal a stylish looking phone, why can’t a phone manufacturer make an attractive computer? The entire base of the Booklet has been made from premium quality aluminum and it used to release all the heat through its chassis. In addition, the layout and design of the Booklet 3G are neat, clean and very distinguished. It has been really a good effort taken by Nokia this time.

The set of runtime libraries present in the Platform Update give Vista ability to support newer technologies thus simplifying the compatibility between both the versions.

Availability: Microsoft is providing the update free via Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services, and Microsoft Download Center.

Requirement: enable Windows Update “recommended settings” so to automatically receive the update without additional action.

Various features the Update includes are:
• Window Ribbon and Animation manager Library:
• Windows Graphics, Imaging, and XPS library
• Windows Automation API
• Windows Portable Device Platform

Microsoft released the final Platform Update of Vista for developers to provide them with the ease for application development without impacting their users. This in turn would give customers an increased number of applications in their Windows 7.

Microsoft joined with Intel in a Sept. 1 press conference to claim that Windows 7 will offer better processor performance and battery life than Windows Vista. Both companies have a deeply vested interest in the new operating system, due for release on Oct. 22, being a substantial hit among businesses and consumers alike.

Microsoft’s goal is to give companies that have been evaluating and testing the Windows 7 Release Candidate a way to continue their efforts with the final, release-to-manufacturing code. Windows 7 Enterprise will only be available through volume licensing, so this is a welcome move for companies that perhaps cut back on expenses due to the economy.

The offer is limited and will be available while supplies last, Rose said. It is available in English, Spanish, French, German, and Japanese in 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

“This evaluation release is specifically intended for IT professionals responsible for desktop administration,” Rose said, though it was unclear how closely Microsoft plans to check downloaders’ credentials.

After the 90-day trial ends, the computer where the Windows 7 Enterprise trial is installed will shut down every hour. IT professionals will then have to purchase and perform a clean installation of Windows 7, including drivers and applications, to continue using the OS.

Volume licensing customers without SA will have to wait until Sept. 1, and Microsoft Gold and Certified partners will be able to download it from the Microsoft Partner Network portal on Aug. 16. Consumers and smaller businesses will be able to get their hands on Windows 7 when Microsoft officially launches it on Oct. 22.

Meanwhile, anyone wishing to fiddle with the Windows 7 Release Candidate version of the operating system has until 20 August to download it.

“Most customers considering an upgrade will be running one of a handful of Windows products,” Bott said. “If they are using Windows XP, they’ll need to do a custom install to move up to Windows 7. That was announced ages ago. Most Vista users will have clear and logical upgrade paths from their current edition to the same edition of Windows 7.”

Gold or Certified members of Microsoft’s Partner Program get access to Windows 7 on August 16, while Action Pack subscribers get the OS on August 23. Sept. 1 marks the day when Volume Licensing customers who do not have Software Assurance subscriptions can download the Release To Manufacturing, or final, version of Windows 7.

The full version of Windows 7 Home Premium is priced at $199, with an upgrade from Vista or XP costing $119. The full version of Windows 7 Professional is $299, with upgrades going for $199. Windows 7 Ultimate is priced at $319, with the upgrade version at $219.

Windows XP Mode, Release Candidate, is available as a download from Microsoft’s Windows Web site. The software requires a PC equipped with virtualization capabilities, such as Intel’s Virtualization Technology or AMD to operate properly.

There are several new features in XP Mode RC. XP Mode programs will now offer users a jumplist of most recently opened files with that program. This brings one of Windows 7′s more useful productivity features into play with older programs that wouldn’t otherwise have it. So, not only will you be able to directly start your most recently used XP Mode programs from the Windows 7 taskbar, but you’ll be able to launch specific files from the Windows 7 taskbar, too. You can now use USB devices in XP Mode without having to make it full-screen, directly from the Windows 7 taskbar.

“Windows XP Mode is specially designed for small and medium-sized businesses to help ease the migration process to Windows 7 by providing additional compatibility for their older productivity applications,” said Brandon LeBlanc, Microsoft’s in-house Windows blogger, in a post Tuesday.

In a blog post, Microsoft said that most XP applications should run “just fine” on Windows 7 PCs and the XP Mode is considered to be just a “last mile compatibility technology for those cases when a Windows XP productivity application isn’t compatible with Windows 7.”

Netbooks may undergo the biggest change. Models that appear after Windows 7 ships in October will see the most significant overhaul internally since the Netbook category debuted back in the spring of 2008. Intel’s new “Pine Trail” Atom silicon will collapse most of the core chips onto one piece of silicon, improving the power efficiency and boosting performance.

According to Intel netbooks will see a major design overall with the new Intel Pine Trail Atom heavily integrated chip.

Intel’s Pine Trail combines CPU and GPU in the same chip and will offer better performance.

Other new features of the new Windows 7 netbooks and notebooks will include thinner designs, better cooling and HUGI power-saving technology.

The company also confirmed in an entry on The Windows Blog that it would release a rumored “family pack” of the Windows 7 Home Premium edition of the OS for households with multiple PCs, allowing for installation of the software on as many as three PCs. Microsoft did not give details on pricing of the pack, however, saying that would be available later.

“RTM almost seems like a non-event,” said Michael Cherry, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, who stressed that he had no special knowledge of when Microsoft would declare Windows 7 finished. “But it’s got to be any day now.”

Once code has been released, customers on volume licenses and with Software Assurance subscriptions will get RTM code on August 7, while those without SA can get the code on September 1. That’s also the date when discounts of between 15 and 35 per cent will kick in for customers without a SA subscription.

Microsoft did not disclose the price of the family pack, however. “I know there have been some rumors going around about a “family pack” for Windows 7,” Microsoft blogger Brandon LeBlanc wrote Tuesday. “We have heard a lot of feedback from beta testers and enthusiasts over the last 3 years that we need a better solution for homes with multiple PCs. I’m happy to confirm that we will indeed be offering a family pack of Windows 7 Home Premium which will allow installation on up to 3 PCs. As I’ve said before, stay tuned to our blog for more information on this and any other potential offers.”