Posted 03/11/10 at 07:22:21 AM by Paul Lilly

What a difference an OS makes. Whereas those in charge of IT took a very cautious approach to Vista, Windows 7 is enjoying a much warmer reception and more rapid adoption rate.

"We have 50 percent of our users, that's 2,500 machines, deployed on Windows 7 in 2010," said Jim Thomas, CIO at Pella.

By the end of next year, Thomas says that number will likely rise to 90 percent. That's quite the contrast to Vista, in which some 80 percent of IT organizations shunned, according to Gartner.

There are big benefits to be had in moving to Windows 7, suggests Thomas, who says that upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 has resulted in a 80 percent reduction in the number of system images he'll need.

"It has to do with drivers and Windows 7 being able to understand and adapt to them versus having a specific image built," Thomas explained.

IT execs are also drawn to Windows 7's faster boot times, though the redesigned task bar can go either way, depending on who you ask.

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Posted 03/10/10 at 09:41:54 PM by Nathan Grayson

Every year, PC gaming “dies.” But every year we just end up feeling silly. We buy a nice black suit and a lavish coffin, only to have PC gaming wreck it all by continuing to live. And so it was with 2009.

According to a report by the PC Gaming Alliance, PC game revenues increased to $13.1 billion in 2009 – a three percent increase from the previous year. Also of interest is a sharp drop in boxed PC game sales, which – at a whopping 20 percent – could very nearly be considered a freefall.

“The most notable trend in recent years has been the movement to digital distribution and payment for subscriptions, and the growing popularity with consumers of online games as a service,” said PCGA president Randy Stude.

“In 2009, we saw North America and Europe experience a rapid uptake in purchasing virtual items. This model is what drove growth in Asia, and we think it is just starting to come to Western markets,” he added.

PC gaming is dead. Long live PC gaming! Now then, on that note, anyone in the market for a slightly used coffin?

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Posted 03/10/10 at 03:09:52 PM by Bart Salisbury

Business users of Google Apps might find this intriguing--Google has opened up a Google App Marketplace, which will offer business-oriented third-party add-ons and supplements for Google’s online application suite.

The Marketplace contains apps from 50 companies, including eFax, Concur, Intuit, and Jobvite. The applications are tightly coupled with Google Apps, allowing seamless integration with Gmail, Calendar, and Docs. Vic Gundotra, a vice president of engineering at Google, says “The Applications Marketplace makes it easy for domain administrators to discover and install new software and have it integrated into Google Apps.”

Google charges developers $100 for placing an application in the Marketplace, and keeps 20 percent of the proceeds. Developers are free to name their own price for their applications. Google doesn’t expect to get rich(er) from the Marketplace, rather it's looking for the Marketplace to promote Google Apps and the software applications of its partners.

Google claims 25 million Google Apps users, in more than two million businesses. Google concedes, however, that only “hundreds of thousands” are paying customers.

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Posted 03/10/10 at 03:44:16 AM by Nathan Grayson

Be still, our beating hearts. No seriously, be still. We’re sure that headline’s got your head swimming with dreams made real and wishes fulfilled, but we’re going to send all of that crashing down around you with one phrase: browser-based MMO. Heart sinking yet? No? Ok, try this one on for size: a list of the games developer Bigpoint Games has headed-up. Recognize any of them? Yeah, us neither. Which is not to say we’re writing this one off completely – quite the contrary, in fact. But neither are we getting our hopes up too high. For now, though, Bigpoint’s description of the game is certainly speaking our (extremely geeky) language.

“Players will be able to choose to play as cylons or humans in a constant struggle to control the universe or just survive its perils. A blend of tactical space combat, exploration, and mission-based gameplay will provide a diverse experience. The dramatic missions will define the game's overall storyline, enabling the player to delve into mysteries of the Battlestar universe.”

“Battlestar Galactica Online will create a new standard for web games, with beautiful 3d graphics and innovative game mechanics bringing a new level of game play to browser based MMOG. Assets from the television production will be integrated into the game to deliver an even more authentic experience.”

Bigpoint’s definitely not lacking ambition, but it remains to be seen if the developer can pull it off. We don’t know about you, but we’ll certainly be praying to the Lords of Kobol that BSG Online’s more fun than a game of Pyramid on a non-irradiated Caprica. And if you understood any of that last sentence, we’re pretty sure you’ll be doing the same.

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Posted 03/10/10 at 03:32:02 AM by Nathan Grayson

Hey there, beleaguered Battlefield Bad Company 2 players. Feel like you’ve been tricked into paying to be part of an extended beta test? Well, sad to say, the storm’s not over yet. At 12 PST tonight, EA brought the servers down yet again for more maintenance. This comes, of course, after a weekend of more ups and downs than a botched entry of the Konami Code. But, if it’s any consolation, there is a silver lining to your sufferings.

“PC currently has more people playing and are in game servers than both the consoles,” said associate producer Gordon Van Dyke.

Don’t break out the confetti just yet, though. We’ve won the battle, sure, but we haven’t quite won the console war.
 
“The PC had more players than either console not more than both consoles combined,” Van Dyke added. “You'll need to work to beat both consoles’ combined effort.”

Still though, that’s certainly something. See, publishers? If you build it with PC gamers in mind, they will come. So learn from EA and DICE’s example – well, minus the server part, obviously. And speaking of servers, maybe Ubisoft might be willing to take a few pointers from DICE once it gets out of this DRM-heavy rebellious phase. We sure hope so, anyway.

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Posted 03/09/10 at 08:37:35 AM by Paul Lilly

One of the questions surrounding Google Buzz for mobile was whether or not the search giant planned on using the app to replace Google Latitude. That isn't the case, and instead Google will try different points of integration between Google Latitude and the new Google Buzz for mobile application, eWeek.com claims to have heard from a Google product manager.

"Latitude is a friend-finding app. It's about a user continuously sharing location," said Steve Lee, product manager for Google Maps for mobile and Google Latitude. "Google Buzz is about creating conversations, and keeping up to date with friends and keeping your friends up to date about you. It lets you share photos of places where you're at. If I'm at this restaurant, I can take a photo of a meal, post it in a click, and friends can see it in Gmail and comment on it."

In other words, they're different apps with different goals, and according to Lee, Google is still investing in Latitude. But that's not all Google is doing.

"Down the road, there might be points of integration between Buzz and Latitude, but they are separate products, and have different use cases," Lee said.

Lee didn't get into details, but did note that Google is thinking of what apps it can build that have certain compelling use cases and how they might location enhance those apps.

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Posted 03/09/10 at 08:26:42 AM by Paul Lilly

In the not too distant future, you'll start to see netbooks running Google's Chrome OS. How popular the OS turns out to be remains to be seen, but one thing's for sure - Google appears to be taking a pretty serious approach to system security.

According to Will Drewry, a Google software security engineer, all of the Google Netbook products will ship with the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) installed to ensure security in key storage and multi-factor authentication. This in addition to the "trusted bootpath."

By keeping Chrome OS open source, Drewry said it allows for constant feedback from developers about its security design. He also referred to Chrome as a "hardened" OS, pointing out the auto-updating and sandbox features, both of which are intended to keep malware at bay.

Will Chrome OS live up to the hype? We'll find out soon enough, as the first Google Netbook is expected to ship later this year.

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Posted 03/09/10 at 07:36:07 AM by Paul Lilly

Good news for business owners chomping on the bit for Microsoft Office 2010. Come May 12, Microsoft will begin selling the full version of its upcoming productivity suite to businesses, about a month before the general public will be able to get their hands on a copy.

"For businesses, we will launch the 2010 set of products, including Office 2010, SharePoint 2010, Visio 2010, and Project 2010 worldwide on May 12," Jefon Fark, senior marketing manager for Microsoft Office, wrote in a blog post. "For consumers, Office 2010 will be available online and on retail shelves this June. Until then, you can get the Office 2010 beta."

All of the above mentioned products are on schedule to be RTM (released to manufacturing) in April, eWeek reports. And for those participating in Microsoft's Office 2010 Technology Guarantee, the blog outlines eligibility requirements, which entails purchasing and activating either Office 2007, or a new PC with Office 2007, between March 5 and September 30; either have or create a Windows Live ID; and redeem the actual guarantee right here.

More info here.

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