Microsoft tweaks Experience Index for Windows 7

Nautilus Science & Technology News
February 25, 2009
By: Marco Ayllon

New performance tool better measures multi-core CPUs and drives

Microsoft Corp. has changed the PC performance rating tool Windows Experience Index for Windows 7 to better measure faster graphic cards, multi-core processors and drives.

The index's top score will go up from 5.9 to 7.9, and add several new tests to more accurately measure the performance of hard-disk and solid-state drives, says a mid-January post at the Engineering Windows 7 blog.

Windows Experience Index, first introduced with Windows Vista, is intended to help users discover which parts of their system needs to be upgraded for Windows and applications to run well, or if the PC needs to be replaced.


Reviews of the first public beta of Windows 7 indicate that it generally runs faster and more smoothly than Vista, despite the two sharing a very similar codebase.

But critics have alredy begun questioning the revamped index's usefulness and accuracy. One beta tester, going by the handle 'Hurricane Andrew' on Microsoft's MSDN developer Web site, complained that an older hard drive using the slower IDE interface was awarded a much higher rating than his newer, larger hard drive using the faster SATA-II interface.

"I hardly believe that's accurate," he wrote.

Others complained that the new scale, from 1.0 to 7.9, was counterintuitive, or that the criteria for drive performance should not have changed between Vista and Windows 7 for consistency's sake.

Michael Cherry, an analyst with the independent firm Directions on Microsoft, said he "doesn't put much stock" in the index's scores.

A Microsoft representative said in an e-mail that the company was "closely monitoring" input from beta testers aboutWindows 7, including for the new index, but would not say if changes would result from the feedback.

Windows 7 apps may not run faster on quad-cores
The Windows Experience Index, found under the System Icon in Vista or Windows 7's Control Panel, quickly scans hardware befor delivering five results, including for: processor, memory (RAM), graphics for general desktop work, gaming graphics performance, and the primary hard drive's performance. The results are based on the rated specifications of each component, not on their actual performance history in the scanned PC.

Because PC performance is often determined by the speed of the slowest-performing component, the index's "base score" is defined by the lowest of the five scores, rather than an average of all five.

PCs with a base score of between 1.0 and 2.9 can run Office applications and surf the Web, but not play games and videos or use Vista and Windows 7's Aero graphical user interface, Microsoft says.

Computers with a base score in the 3.0-range should be able to run Aero and most of Vista and Windows 7's new features, while those with scores in the 4.0 to 5.0-range should be able to enjoy high-definition (HD) video and 3-D gaming.

For more information visit: Official Microsoft Windows 7 Blog

Marvell’s SheevaPlug is a Plug Computer

Nautilus Science & Technology News
February 25, 2009
By: Marco Ayllon

Marvell Introduces Plug Computing with SheevaPlug

With the economy in nearing 1997 lows we all need a distraction from the pains of the market and today that distraction is the Marvell SheevaPlug (Originally designed by GlobalScale Technologies). Marvell’s SheevaPlug looks like night light, but it is a what they are calling a plug computer — an embedded computer that plugs into the wall socket and is capable of running network-based services that normally require a dedicated personal computer. The enclosure is designed to plug directly into a regular US wall socket and draws less than one tenth of the power of a typical PC being used as a home server, which should lower your monthly electric bill if you run a PC at home 24/7. Even better the SheevaPlug development kit is available right now for $99 through Marvell, so this is a product that you can actually purchase.



The SheevaPlug is just 110mm (L) x 69.5mm (W) x 48.5 mm (H) and features a 1.2GHz Marvell Sheeva CPU with 512MB of flash memory and 512MB of DDR2 memory, the SheevaPlug provides what is said to be enough processing power and resources to run nearly any embedded computing application. As one would guess the PC plug doesn't consume much power and draws on average, less than five watts under normal operation compared to 25-100 Watts for a PC being used as a home server. The Marvell SheevaPlug also has Gigabit Ethernet for network connectivity as well as a USB 2.0 connector.



Today digital home services such as media servers, file sharing and backup software all need to be installed on a PC. A plug computer is a small, powerful computer that connects to an existing network using Gigabit Ethernet and it eliminates the need for an always-on PC in the digital home to access these services. The software for the SheevaPlug includes multiple Linux distributions that follow the opensource model which makes the SheevaPlug an ideal platform on which to develop or port any application. The SheevaPlug development kit contains the SheevaPlug as well as all the software tools needed to develop applications for the platform.



The Plug Computer is an inexpensive computer solution that has the technology and advancements to run a service on its own. This allows a software service to be bundled together with a plug computer and provides a simple deployment model for a consumer or small business. Specialized plug computers can be targeted at different market segments allowing vendors to clearly communicate the value proposition and deliver the optimal installation and use for the consumer. Consumers can use the plug for media sharing or for backup services. The convenient compact form factor of a plug computer promotes an energy efficient design and simplifies installation.



When Legit Reviews spoke to Marvell about the SheevaPlug we were told that it works well with USB 2.0 switches, so hooking up several USB 2.0 hard drives and using this as a file server is very much a possibility. Marvell also said that the Sheeva We also asked Marvell if the 1.2GHz Sheeva CPU would be able to keep up with streaming HD Blu-Ray content from the USB 2.0 input and they said that it had plenty of horse power to playback smooth HD content. If that proves true with the sample we have in route this could cause an issue for NVIDIA with their upcoming Ion Platform. NVIDIA expects the Ion platform to cost between $50 and $100 more than the the cost of a typical Intel Atom powered netbook ($225-$300), which means that the Marvell SheevaPlug will be roughly one third the price. With the way the economy is right now the lower the price the higher the sales and since many of use have USB 2.0 external hard drives or can get them for a low price. The $99 SheevaPlug should be an interesting product for those that run a PC at all times and doesn't need a ton of horse power. If you have a large network you can place the virsus scanner on the SheevaPlug and let it scan and fix issues found on the network without running the local machines. The SheevaPlug is an interesting PC, but we will save our full thoughts on it for when we get our hands on one this week and will bring you a detailed review after we use it!

Questions or Comments? View this thread in Legit forums!

Browsers Battles: Google backs case against Microsoft's Explorer

Browser makers Opera, Mozilla and Google are adding weight to an EU attack on Microsoft's dominance.

Nautilus News Science & Technology
February 24, 2009
By: Marco Ayllon

Google is joining forces with European regulators in an attack on Microsoft's dominance of the web browser market, injecting more bad blood between two of computing's richest and most powerful companies.

The latest assault on Microsoft's Internet Explorer comes as Google is trying to expand the usage of its own web browser, a six-month-old product called Chrome.
A complaint by another Internet Explorer rival, Opera, prompted the European Commission to open an investigation into whether Microsoft's bundling of its web browser with the Windows operating system had stifled competition and innovation. In their preliminary findings, the European regulators concluded that Microsoft had indeed given its web browser an unfair advantage that has been in violation of European law since 1996.

Microsoft has until late March to respond, which could force the Redmond, Washington-based software maker to detach Internet Explorer from Windows.
By becoming a third party in the European proceedings, Google hopes to build a case as to why Microsoft should be required to level the playing field for Chrome and other competing browsers.

"Creating a remedy that helps solve one problem without creating other unintended consequences isn't easy - but the more voices there are in the conversation the greater the chances of success," Sundar Pichai, a Google vice president, wrote in a blog post.

The makers of Firefox, which has risen in popularity in recent years and is the second-most-used browser behind Internet Explorer, already have offered to help the European Commission crack down on Microsoft.

A Microsoft spokesman declined comment on Tuesday, referring instead to a statement that the company issued last month after the European Commission's preliminary findings.

"We are committed to conducting our business in full compliance with European law," Microsoft said at that time.

In a quarterly report to shareholders last month, Microsoft said European regulators might force the company to set up a version of Windows that would bundle several browsers with the operating system, to make it easier for users to pick something other than Internet Explorer.

While Microsoft's has been at odds with other browser makers, its rivalry with Google is the most prickly.

Google has milked its leadership of the lucrative internet search market to undermine Microsoft's influence on how people interact with their computers. Microsoft has unsuccessfully tried to thwart Google's growth by pouring billions of dollars into its own search engine.

The battle between the two foes has occasionally spilled into the regulatory arena. Last year, Microsoft spearheaded a campaign that raised serious antitrust concerns about Google's plans to sell some ads on behalf of Yahoo, which is a distant second in the internet search market.

Google scrapped the Yahoo alliance in November, averting a lawsuit that US Justice Department planned to file to block the partnership.

Report: Free Windows 7 upgrades to run until January 2010

Nautilus Science & Technology News
February 12, 2009
By: Marco A. Ayllon

Latest clue that Windows 7 will ship by Christmas, says analyst

To encourage consumers to keep buying Windows Vista PCs this year despite Windows 7's looming release, Microsoft Corp. will give away free Windows 7 upgrades to people buying PCs with Vista until as late as Jan. 31 of next year, according to a report.

The report, from the Malaysian blog TechARP.com, which has called similar details correctly in the past, is another clue that Microsoft plans to release Windows 7 before year's end, said Matt Rosoff, an analyst at the independent research firm Directions on Microsoft.

Citing purported confidential memos from Microsoft, TechARP.com had earlier reported that the Windows 7 Upgrade Program will begin July 1 of this year.

That would mean that any Vista PCs purchased between then and Jan. 31, 2010, would be eligible for free upgrades to Windows 7.

TechARP reported today that those Windows 7 upgrade DVDs should be delivered by PC makers to customers by April 30 of next year. These dates are "open to change," TechARP reported.

The veracity of the report "seems reasonable to me," said Rosoff. "If they're soliciting OEM feedback now, that points to a possible release in time for holiday 2009."

Microsoft declined to comment on the TechARP report.

"Microsoft often explores options with our partners to determine product offerings," a spokeswoman said in an e-mail. "We are not announcing anything new at this time."

TechARP correctly named the release-to-manufacturing (RTM) dates for several Windows editions last year.

In Microsoft's prior Vista Express upgrade program, Windows XP PCs bought between October 26, 2006, and March 15, 2007, were eligible for free Vista upgrades.

Microsoft launched Vista to consumers officially on Jan. 30, 2007, or 45 days before the program's eligibility ended.

The program was plagued with delays, with consumers waiting weeks or months to get their Vista upgrade DVDs mailed to them.

TechARP has other purported details from the upgrade program, including screenshots and upgrade paths.

"The program sounds very similar to what they did before Vista," Rosoff said. "I think the terms are slightly different, but that's because there were fewer [versions] in XP, so the edition upgrade paths were similar."

Google's Grid Meter Looks to Save Homeowners Some Green

This is an example screenshot of Google's power meter software in action. The service, once it receives more partner support should eventually help reduce the stress on the grid and save users power bills by monitoring their usage and comparing it with grid demand for live information feeds. (Source: Google.org)

Nautilus Science & Technology News
February 12, 2009
By: Marco A. Ayllon

Google distinguishes itself from the pack by offering its green grid meter service for free.

DailyTech previously covered IBM's efforts to release a "green meter" which monitored the amount of electricity that small businesses use and equating it to green house gas emissions. Now Google has joined IBM and others by releasing its own entry into the burgeoning grid meter market.

The new service from Google is called PowerMeter and it's free to both home and commercial users. While this sounds great, there's one significant catch -- PowerMeter relies on others to provide the information it needs. Google is hoping that makers of home electronics and appliances will add hardware which will feed the service information wirelessly. It also needs utilities to provide it with grid metrics.

Kirsten Olsen Cahill, a program manager at Google.org, the company’s corporate philanthropy arm which developed the service, states, "We can’t build this product all by ourselves. We depend on a whole ecosystem of utilities, device makers and policies that would allow consumers to have detailed access to their home energy use and make smarter energy decisions."

The new service, if it gains a hardware foothold, will offer homeowners their first chance to participate in a smarter grid. Google is among the firms leading such efforts which seek to use existing resources more efficiently.

The service and others in the future may interface with the chips inside devices such as washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers to give users an ever-changing visual display of how much money it will cost to use the device at that particular time of the day. Electricity charges are tied to demand, something most consumers never pay much attention to when it comes to power usage. By using devices at times when demand is lower, users could potentially save a great deal of money, depending on their utility's policies.

Describes Rick Sergel, chief executive of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, an industry group that sets operating standards for the grid in an interview with the New York Times, "They’ve been putting a chip in your dishwasher for a long time that would allow you to run it any time you want. (These services) provide an opportunity to create dancing partners that will help the system balance itself."

The new meter could also be very useful for plug-in electric vehicles. With GM and others preparing to unleash a fleet of electric plug-ins on the streets, advanced grid meters could allow for billing, at local recharging stations and could also help users and utilities work together to figure out the optimal time for daily recharges. If the user leaves the car plugged in, the smart meter would help the power companies figure out the lowest demand time of the day and recharge the car then. This would save the user money, while helping the utility by reducing the stress on its networks.

The new stimulus package which has almost passed through Congress should help further finance efforts such as Google's. It includes $4.4B USD for "smart" power technologies, with money earmarked specifically for 4 million meters. James Hoecker, a former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has some jurisdiction over transmission lines says the efforts will not only improve the grid, but will also create jobs. He states, "You can hire a lot of people to install smart meters."

ConnectU’s ‘Secret’ $65 Million Settlement With Facebook

Nautilus Science & Technology News
February 12, 2009
By: Marco A. Ayllon

One of the sideshows in the quest to peg a valuation on the rapidly growing social network Facebook has been its continuing legal battle with the founders of a rival Harvard site, ConnectU.

I’ve chronicled the continuing skirmish, most recently here and here. The case was settled last year, but then the ConnectU founders, who include the Olympian brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, contested that settlement, claiming that part of it was in Facebook stock, whose value had been misrepresented to them. They also sued one of the law firms that brokered the deal on their behalf, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, claiming the firm had failed to do proper due diligence on Facebook’s internal stock price.

Curiously, the value of Facebook’s contested legal settlement with ConnectU was guarded almost religiously by all parties -– until now. The Recorder, a legal newspaper in San Francisco, reported Tuesday that Quinn Emanuel had published the amount -– $65 million -– in some of the firm’s own promotional literature.

“WON $65 million settlement against Facebook” appears in the firm’s most recent newsletter, along with dozens of other settlements reached by Quinn during 2008, according to The Recorder.

The Recorder also said that John Quinn, the firm’s chairman, asked the paper not to print the amount and declined to comment further.

It’s unclear why the firm would trumpet a “settlement” that represents less a triumph than a continuing legal morass, a disputed valuation and a furious client. The $65 million number is somewhat misleading anyway, since part of that amount is based on Facebook stock that was once valued at $15 billion, by the famous Microsoft investment, but has since fallen drastically.

What is certain is that this latest twist is not likely to help Quinn Emanuel assuage the anger of its former clients, whose dispute with the firm is currently in arbitration.