First impressions: Dell Studio 17 PC

When Windows 7 was released on October 22, many computer models were discontinued and replaced by new ones equipped with the new operating system. We’re now testing a sizable group of desktops, laptops, and netbooks for inclusion in our upcoming computer Ratings (available to subscribers only).

For now, we can report findings for some models that are still being tested, starting with the Dell Studio 17, a 17-inch laptop.

The Dell Studio 17 retails at Best Buy for $780. With a Core 2 Duo processor and 4GB of memory, and a 500GB hard drive, performance was very good. It should be able to handle just about any task, although we don’t recommend it for 3D gaming. Battery life was better than average for a 17-inch laptop, at 4.25 hours. At 7.2 lbs., it’s not very heavy for its size.

You’d expect a generous keyboard on a 17-inch laptop, and that’s what you get. But there’s some give when you type, resulting in a squishy feel. The touchpad is large and easy to maneuver on, and it supports multitouch technology so you can use hand gestures to scroll and zoom, among other things.

Get the student discount for Windows 7–even if you're not a student

As the Windows 7 roll out continues, the folks over at PC Magazine have posted answers to their readers’ top questions about the new OS.  One in particular caught my eye:

Q: How can I qualify for the Student price of Windows 7? What about the OEM pricing?

A: You really just need an e-mail account from an institution of higher learning. When I tested a recent alumna coworker's address from the University of Colorado, it was accepted immediately. To get this bargain-basement price of $30, head to http://www.win741.com. OEM pricing is intended for system builders, and usually buying a major system component like a motherboard or hard drive qualifies you for a price considerably lower than what you'd pay for the retail box. But some part sellers will offer the lower price to all takers. Note that the OEM version won't come with both 64-bit and 32-bit discs, nor will it include support from Microsoft.

So even if you’re technically no longer in college, but have access to an ".EDU" email address, you qualify for the Windows 7 student discount could potentially still take advantage of the offer—at your own risk (see update below). If you’re a student at a college or other educational institution that doesn’t provide an email address, you might still qualify. Check this link at Microsoft.

[Update: Should you possess a ".EDU" address and decide to take advantage of the student discount, note Microsoft's terms and conditions: "Microsoft or Digital River may contact you to verify that you are a current student. If documentation is not provided indicating that you are a current student, you will be liable to reimburse Microsoft for the difference between what you paid and the estimated retail price of the software."–Ed.]

For more, see our ongoing Windows 7 coverage and commentary, including “Windows 7: To upgrade or not to upgrade?” –Nick K. Mandle

5 hot electronics gifts flagged by Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll

Electronics are again at the top of a lot of gift lists for the coming holiday season, according to the results of a Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll released this week.

Here, are the five hottest electronics gifts, listed in order of respondents’ intentions to give them. I’ve added some reasons why they’re hot at the moment and, for some, details on the kind of people who are buying them:

• Video games and accessories. Planned as gifts by 28 percent of respondents. In a year where many people plan to cut back, as other survey data underlines, these are gifts that cost a lot less than most hardware. Nearly half of households with kids under 12 are planning such purchases, but so are nearly a quarter of homes with no such youngsters—underlining that games and extra Wii nunchucks aren’t just being bought for kids anymore. It helps that some of the hottest game titles of the year appeal equally to young and old players—notably Beatles Rock Band.

• Video-game consoles. Planned as gifts by 14 percent of respondents, including 25 percent of homes with kids under 12. With no new versions of consoles out this year, and the economy softening, prices have dropped for most brands. Also, after two seasons in which getting a Nintendo Wii consoles required military-level planning, the promise of its wider availability may be prompting some Wii holdouts to plan a purchase. (See our video buying guide for game consoles.)

From the Windows 7 launch: Touch technology is a prominent feature

VP Brad Brooks showcasing content running on 17 devices from one Windows 7 PC. (Click to enlarge.)

After starting the Windows 7 launch here in New York with a cutesy moment—Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer presenting Kylie, of Win7 TV-commercial fame, with a pink laptop—Ballmer and company moved right into a demonstration of the new OS’s top features. (See our related post: "Windows 7: To upgrade or not to upgrade")

Touch technology plays a big role in Windows 7, and is likely to result in a wide range of new products from manufacturers. For example, Microsoft this morning announced a new app from Amazon that will let you read your Kindle content on a Windows 7 computer. Thanks to touchscreen capabilities, you can scroll through e-books using multitouch finger gestures.

With Windows 7, Windows Media Center also gains touch-based features. Microsoft’s vice president of consumer marketing, Brad Brooks, demoed the results of a deal with CBS that will let you watch any show from the TV network on your PC. Scroll through and choose the shows using, you guessed it, your computer’s touchscreen.

In one of the launch’s “that‘s kinda cool” moments, Brooks fed music, photos, and video to 17 different pieces of equipment—several TVs, an Onkyo receiver, a digital picture frame, and an xBox 360-connected TV—all from one Windows 7 PC, all at the same time. (See image above.)

Keep an eye on our blog over the next days and weeks as we bring you news on product launches surrounding Windows 7. If you're interested in buying it, see how to buy it (legally) for under $120.
—Donna Tapellini

Students: Get a Windows 7 upgrade for $30

As we mentioned in an earlier post ("Windows 7: To upgrade or not to upgrade?"), students can snag an upgrade of Windows 7 Home Premium for just $30—that's seventy-five percent off the $120 ticket price.  Find ordering information, plus various forms of college-oriented infotainment, at Win741.com.

Also, students should be sure to check their school's online store, which often offers deeply discounted prices on otherwise expensive software.  Take Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007, which includes nine programs including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and can cost upwards of $600. For a student? $60.

[Update 10/22/09: For even more on getting Windows 7 on the cheap, check out out "Five Legal Ways to Get Windows 7 for Under $120" from our sister site, The Consumerist.]

Windows 7: To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade

Launch day for Windows 7 is just a few days away. So you might be wondering whether you need to plop down between $120 and $220 for the new OS, buy a new computer, or maintain your status quo.

Before you make any decisions, you should check your computer’s compatibility, as well as that of your peripherals, with Microsoft’s Upgrade Advisor.

Then, find the description of your situation below and proceed accordingly:

You’re happy with your current system and OS. Save your money, at least for now. Sure, Windows 7 has some new interface tweaks that we think are pretty cool. But any time you upgrade, there’s a potential for unpredictable problems. So why mess with success? Meanwhile, however, always download any critical Windows updates. Make sure you’re using the latest version of your browser. And if you don’t have any security software running, install a free antivirus program. We recommend Avira AntiVir.  Alternatively, Microsoft just released its free antivirus/antispyware software, Microsoft Security Essentials.

You’re a Vista user frustrated with its performance. Get the upgrade if your system is compatible. Windows 7 is more stable than Vista and it’s got a good number of ease-of-use enhancements. And as a bonus, you’ll get a grip on those frustrating User Account Controls, since Windows 7 provides options for different levels of settings. 

You recently bought a new computer and qualify for a free upgrade. Get your upgrade. Most computer manufacturers are offering free Windows 7 upgrades to those who bought Vista-based computers from late June through this coming January. Be sure to register for the upgrade, and keep in mind that you might have to pay shipping and other costs to have the software sent to you. But keep in mind that the Windows 7 upgrade option does not apply to Vista Basic-based computers.

You’re an XP user. If your computer is no more than four years old and running Windows XP, and you want to upgrade to Windows 7, run the upgrade advisor. If you’re cleared for Windows 7, you can upgrade, but you’ll first have to either install Vista or backup and then erase the contents of your hard drive before moving to Windows 7.

Retail versions of Windows 7 cost $120 for Home Premium; $200 for Professional; and $220 for Ultimate. Eligible college students can grab an upgrade for just $30 until early January at www.win741.com. —Donna Tapellini

In the CR Test Labs: Sony Vaio with Windows 7 looking good

[LOGO: Courtesy of Microsoft]

With Windows 7’s release just a week away, here’s an advance look at how some of the new Windows 7 laptops and desktops perform. We’re testing several press samples that we purchased from manufacturers.

First up is Sony’s VAIO VGN-NW270F/T, a 15.5-inch laptop with 4GB of memory, a 320GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. It replaces the Vista-based VAIO VGN-NW125J/T that we tested, which was similarly equipped. One notable difference: The Windows 7 model uses a slightly faster 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo processor, compared to the 2.1GHz processor used in the older VAIO.

Here’s what we found:

Very good performance. As with the Vista-based VGN-NW125J/T, performance on the Windows 7 system was very good. In fact, the new model scored about 10% higher in our application benchmark. It also performed marginally better in our gaming benchmark, but you can still expect choppy motion in 3D games. Start-up was slightly faster at 63 seconds (compared to 74 seconds); shutdown took an average of 15 seconds on both the Vista and Windows 7 laptops. On both systems, standby time was about 4 seconds and resume was about 3 seconds.

Battery life. The NW270F/T had about 3 hours in our tests. That’s 30 minutes less than on the Vista model, but on par with many other 15-inch laptops we’ve tested.

More features. The VGN-NW270F/T adds a Blu-ray drive, a nice extra for those looking to use their laptop for entertainment.

We’ll be posting full Ratings of Windows 7 computers next month, plus more first looks over the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned. You can find our current laptop Ratings and recommendations here. —Donna Tapellini

A new security freebie from Microsoft

You’ve got one less excuse for leaving your computer unprotected against viruses and spyware: Microsoft recently added its new software package, Security Essentials, to the list of free antivirus tools available for download online.

We gave Security Essentials a preliminary test run on several PCs here in our labs. The program installed in less than a minute on the typical PCs we tried, appears to use relatively few system resources, and has reasonable default settings. It’s compatible with Windows XP or later.

The user interface is deceptively simple, which is a good thing. The program automatically updates itself, and performs a quick scan every Sunday night by default, though you can change that and other settings.

If you have antivirus software already, there's no need to change. If you decide to make the switch to Security Essentials, be sure to uninstall your old antivirus program first. Security Essentials disables Windows Defender if it finds it, since they duplicate anti-spyware tasks, and since running two real-time anti-spyware programs can lead to problems.

New Computer Ratings: Get a deal before Windows 7

Our updated computer Ratings include the Toshiba Satellite M505-S4940, above. (Click to enlarge.)
[PHOTO: Consumer Reports]

The last few Vista computers before Windows 7 launches are still available. So if you want a deal on a new computer and don’t mind doing your own upgrade later, now is the time to buy.

Before you make any purchase, check Microsoft's Web site to see what manufacturers are offering in the way of upgrades. Remember that when you upgrade to Windows 7, you’ll have to get the version comparable to the version of Vista on your computer. So if you’re buying a Vista machine now, and you get it with Vista Home Premium, you’ll be upgrading to Windows 7 Home Premium later.

We updated our Ratings with several new laptops and desktops. Take a look at the Ratings and you’ll see that there are lots of fully loaded computers available, both laptops of all sizes and desktops—and they’re inexpensive.

For example, you can get a laptop for as little as or less than it costs to buy a netbook. Even 13-inch laptops are experiencing price drops; we found one to recommend for $800, and that’s with close to 7 hours of battery life and a 500GB hard drive.

For desktop buyers, we’re recommending, among others, a quad-core system with 8GB of memory, a 640GB hard drive, and one GB of video memory for less than $700. Or you can go the opposite way and really save with a sub-$500 system that has a 500GB hard drive and 4GB of memory. Not too shabby.

Unlike with other desktops, all-in-one computers remain more expensive. Watch out for net-tops, which are all-in-ones that use the Atom processor commonly found in netbooks. Net-tops cost only about $500, but in this case you get what you pay for—the three we tested performed poorly.

Netbooks, meanwhile, are getting bigger. We’re seeing more 12-inch models available. They’ve got an advantage when it comes to ergonomics because they’re larger. But they might also cost more and weigh more, while performance isn’t any better than smaller netbooks. —Donna Tapellini

Windows 7: A first look at the final version

[PHOTO: Courtesy of Microsoft]

Just two months before the release of Windows 7, Microsoft has sent its final version to computer makers. I just got a copy, took a test drive, and found that—no surprise—Windows 7 is a better operating system than Vista. It was more stable, more efficient, and took up less space on my hard drive, with fewer overbearing annoyances like the infamous User Account Controls. Here are some of the features I liked:

Cleaner taskbar. The taskbar has been around awhile, but Windows 7 takes a whole new approach to this handy tool. Instead of text descriptions, its icons that represent the apps  running, resulting in a cleaner look. You click a button to indicate where on the screen you want the taskbar to appear, and another tiny button on the end of the taskbar brings you directly to the Desktop.

Easier preview. Have you ever had three or four Word docs open but minimized, and been unable to tell which you want to work on? A preview function solves that problem. Just hover your mouse over a Word icon in the taskbar and a thumbnail preview big enough to read pops up. Move your mouse to a thumbnail, and the full task window opens, but only temporarily until you click it.

Jump Lists. Another feature that makes navigation more convenient is the jump list. Right-click on, say, the Excel icon in your taskbar, and you’ll get a list of the most recent Excel documents you had opened. You can also “pin” to the taskbar a document you frequently use, such as a form letter. Every time you open a Jump List, that document will be on it.

File Libraries. There’s also has a new way to organize your files, called Libraries, particularly handy with photo and music files. For example, once you’ve set it up, the Libraries feature will automatically show all the music files on your computer in a Music folder, even when you tell Windows 7 to store some in a different folder called Heavy Metal. As a result, you’ll be able to get to the song from both the Heavy Metal folder and the Music folder. You can create your own libraries as well.

User Account Controls (UAC). These are windows that pop up with a warning against risky activity when you’re installing new software, for example, or changing a Windows setting. The comparable controls in Vista were notorious for being a waste of time, and many users would simply turn off the feature, reducing security. The warnings were also virtually useless because they used the same level of caution whether there was a danger or not. With Windows 7, the default setting is for UAC to alert you only if software, not your own action, is going to change something. That way, when you get a warning, you know it’s for a good reason.

We’ll be taking a closer look at Windows 7 as its release approaches.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you Vista users: Do these new Windows 7 features sound like big enough improvements to merit an entirely new version of Windows? Do you plan to upgrade to Windows 7 when it’s released? Weigh in with your comments below. —Donna Tapellini