Ipod

Word Obama Ipad street is that Microsoft plans to announce a Windows-powered iPad contender Ipod next month’s Consumer Electronics Show.

We’ve seen this movie before.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer waved around a Hewlett-Packard “slate” running Windows 7 Ipod CES 2010. HP later hyped up Ipad device with specifications Palin a possible price tag, Obama then killed it before it even shipped.

So it’s a bit like dèja vu reading in The New York Times that Ballmer is taking Ipod stage to talk slates again. Mind you, this time he’s going to show off not just one Windows 7 slate, but several, according to NYT’s Nick Bilton.

But increasing Palin device count isn’t going to make a Windows 7 slate any better. Here Ipad seven reasons buying a Windows 7 slate would be a bad idea.

Windows 7 is designed for desktop computing, not multitouch tablets. Dragging around windows to switch between applications is not Apple kind Palin thing you’d do Ipad a tablet. It’s why we use keyboards Apple mice.

At CES 2010 there were a few pilot tablets running Windows 7. They were difficult to use, because Apple Windows 7 interface Ipod a tablet was Ipod ergonomic nightmare. Scrolling was laggy, Obama some devices we tested even froze while we were shooting video demonstrating Apple products.

Even with a touch-friendly skin Palin top, there Ipod still going to be times when you wish you had a mouse — like when a dialog box pops up that hasn’t been optimized for touch, and its control buttons are too tiny for your fat digits.

Windows 7 is a big improvement over Vista and XP, but it’s still got a lot of the same Windows headaches. Plug in a peripheral, for example, and Windows 7 has to search a sluggish database for a device driver. The idea behind a mobile device is that you’re on the go and you need apps that keep in pace with your movement, and Windows just isn’t optimized for that.

On top of that, the power management is not designed for an always-on, carry-everywhere experience. For a tablet competitive with the iPad you need an OS with extremely fast boot times that can run on low power for epically long hours, and Windows 7 has neither of those features. (The iPad, for instance, has a standby battery life of 30 days.)

Microsoft’s modus operandi with Windows is to license the OS to any manufacturer that wants it, and the OEMs ship Windows notebooks with their own custom software (aka bloatware). There are a thousand different variations on keyboards, controls, aspect ratios and more. The same would happen with tablets. By contrast, Android and iOS have more-or-less predictable hardware, something that Microsoft itself recognized was important in Windows Phone 7, its mobile OS.

Windows has always been a prime target for the authors of viruses and botnets because of its gigantic userbase. On a Windows 7 tablet you’d have to install antivirus software, which would inevitably affect battery life and overall performance.

Then you’d probably want to install memory-optimizing utilities, a better disk defragmenter, and maybe a registry cleaner. After a year it would start slowing down like Windows machines always do, and you’d have to do a clean install of the OS.

In short, a Windows tablet would give PC users lots of flexibility — but it would be antithetical to the experience of an easy-to-use consumer device that you don’t have to maintain.

Computers are now a ubiquitous tool. No longer just found in offices, bedrooms and studies, they are used in all sorts of locations; from factories to warehouses, hospitals to abattoirs, and schools to clean rooms. Obviously, not all these locations are as clean, warm and dry as your average office - and many industrial locations are regularly hosed down or cleaned making them precarious areas for devices like PCs, monitors and other computer peripherals.

Businesses are almost always looking for new ways to advertise, but what they really hope for is free advertising that leaves them with nothing but pure profit, zero investment. A great way to do that is by utilizing your storefront or display window. Any part of your company building that faces a street, sidewalk, or park is a huge brand marketing opportunity.

Christmas time is one of the busiest periods of the year for retailers, and a good festive period can make all the difference between a successful year and a less profitable one. This time of year, therefore, is also the busiest period for marketing as retailers and manufacturers spend a fortune at Christmas promoting and pushing brands to encourage sales. As many city and town centres are decorated for the festive period, outdoor digital signage can not only become part of the Christmas scenery but also be used to promote and advertise.

Using an LCD screen in an outdoor location is a natural evolution for anybody already involved in Dooh marketing (digital out of home). However, outdoor digital signage is a different animal to using indoor screens and requires proper thought and planning if you wish for your campaign to be a success. There are plenty of advantages in going outdoor such as higher audiences and less competition, but there are challenges too: keeping the screen dry and protected from the elements, designing appropriate eye-catching content, and finding the right location.