After hitting the market on Thursday, Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7, seems to have struck gold. Early reviews are raving about Windows 7 being faster, more secure, and simpler to use than its predecessor, Windows Vista.
So confident about its new operating system, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer expects the company will sell 300 million Windows-based PC’s this year.
Other features getting the thumbs up is the ability for users to watch live television on their PC (though a TV turner is required), receiving live primetime content from CBS, and its Kindle e-book reader, allowing users to read books and articles by flipping pages with a touch-screen.
Seven other features to know about Windows 7, include:
1.) New search engine uses new and improved algorithms, which ranks results based on relevance. Results appear highlighted with snippets of file content. The search engine additionally comes equipped with a query builder, which allows you to narrow your search, such as by date or document.
2.) Windows 7 features an automatic trouble shooting platform. Go to the ``Start’’ menu, and type: ``fix or troubleshoot’’, which then automatically launches a wizard with suggestions on how you can fix the problem without having to wait for a tech rep on the phone.
3.) For the visually impaired, Windows 7 has a magnifier which allows users to enlarge the whole screen or just parts of your text
4.) With the Windows 7 ``Aero Peek’’ feature, if users hover their mouse over the far-right side of the Windows Taskbar, all open windows become transparent, so you can easily see your desktop
5.) Windows 7 has dramatically improved Windows speech recognition, allowing users to dictate an email into your program by speaking the recipients name along with the content of your message.
6.) With the ``Windows Touch’’ feature, instead of pointing and clicking, Windows 7 allows you just to tap on an item (much like an ATM machine) to select the item your interested in. The ``Start’’ menu is also touch-friendly with bigger icons. And pictures can be arranged with your fingers in your photo album.
With Explorer 8, users can also scroll down a web page by just using their fingers.
NOTE: The ``Windows Touch’’ feature is only available on specific touch-enabled PC’s
7.) Windows 7 has incorporated new blogging material which allows the sharing of photos and videos on number of top blogging services, including Windows Live, Wordpress, Blogger, LiveJournal, and Typepad
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7 Fast Facts about Windows 7:
1.) Users from more than 113 countries downloaded the Windows 7 beta version
2.) There are 50 new fonts in Windows 7
3.) Windows 7 comes with 12 background wallpapers, seven Windows Aero themes, six character wallpapers, six scenes and unlimited downloads
4.) Windows 7 is available in more than 45,000 retailers worldwide on new PCs in 14 different languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Chinese (Hong Kong)
5.) Twenty-seven new TV ads were developed for Windows 7 across the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Germany and Australia.
6.) More than 2,600 customers participated in user research and usability studies for Windows 7; another 16,000 online interviews were conducted to help identify, test and validate scenarios and features for Windows 7.
7.) More than a billion people around the world use Windows every day,
7 Shortcuts in Windows 7:
1.) Windows icon (on keyboard) + SPACEBAR (hold keys) = Reveals the desktop
2.) SHIFT + click on taskbar icon = Launches a new instance of a program
3.) In Explorer: ALT + P = Show/Hide Preview Pane
4.) Windows icon (on keyboard) + T=Brings focus to the first item in the task bar. Press again to cycle through each item.
5.) Middle Mouse button + click on TASKBAR thumbnail = closes the window.
6.) Shift + Windows icon (on keyboard) + Arrow = Moves the window to other displays.
7.) Accessibility: a.) Windows icon (on keyboard) + + = Zoom in; b.) Windows icon + - = Zoom out
-Bill Lucey
[email protected]
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