X-bit labs

Monday, January 30, 2006

Microsoft May Delay Windows Vista if Quality is Unsatisfactory – Exec. Microsoft Hints Possibility for Windows Vista to Face Delay

Microsoft Corp., the world’s largest maker of software recently said that in case its upcoming operating system does not meet its quality standards, it would delay its commercial introduction. The company’s executives, nevertheless, said that at this point Vista is on-track to be released this fall.

“Where we sit today, things are going according to plan, and we’re feeling very good. But I always like to preface that as I did with Windows 2000, Windows XP: quality is the thing that will dictate if we’re ready to go. So if we have any problems in quality, I'll slip this product. It's the thing that is at the top of my mind,” said Jim Allchin, Microsoft’s co-president of the platforms, products & services division.

“Microsoft will release a feature-complete test version of Window Vista this quarter as planned, a move in line with the company’s aim to produce the highest-quality release of Windows ever by the time it ships,” Mr. Allchin added.

Microsoft has completed internal development of Vista and has no plans to add new features once the next Vista test release, called a community technology preview (CTP), comes out sometime before March, reports IDG News Service.

• Techworld.com: Microsoft Hints at Delay to Vista.

Battle of the Giant Hard Drives: Barracuda Vs. Caviar. Barracuda 7200.9 Compared with Western Digital Caviar RE2

The demand for high-capacity hard disk drives (HDDs) is growing tremendously as users become more and more familiar with digital photography, video and games. Therefore, a lot of buyers are asking themselves which of the hard drives currently available can both operate quickly and store a lot of data. It seems that a web-site has posted an answer to the question.

ExtremeTech has reviewed Seagate’s Barracuda 7200.9 500GB hard drive and Western Digital’s Caviar RE2 400GB product in an attempt to find out which one is better performance- and price- wise.

“Our benchmark results suggest the Western Digital Caviar RE2 400GB is a bit more competent for typical Windows tasks, but we feel that both of these drives offer comparable and impressive performance for the applications they’re designed for. They’re both very quiet and robust, and they come with five-year warranties,” the review says.

The web-site points out that Seagate’s 500GB HDD costs $344, whereas WD’s 400GB product is quoted at $209 online.

• ExtremeTech: Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 500GB and Western Digital Caviar RE2 400GB.

Philips Chief Technology Officer Interviewed. Philips CTO Talks about Future

Today the consumer electronics market is gearing up for several major changes that include high-definition formats, advanced copyright protection and so on. Philips has a long history of successful innovation resulting in revolutionary consumer products: compact audio cassette, compact disc and some other products, hence, it worth to learn opinion of this company when it comes to the present and the future of consumer electronics.

Engadget web-site has managed to sit down with Cesar Vohringer, chief technology officer for Philips consumer electronics business to discuss such questions as interoperable DRMs, the winner of Blu-ray vs. HD DVD, and the future of technology as well as home and mobile entertainment converge.

• Engadget: Interview with Cesar Vohringer, Chief Technology Officer for Philips Consumer Electronics Business.