Vista is coming. Do you care?

Photo--- A screen grab of frozen Windows Explorer.

The general release of Windows Vista is less than a week away. As someone interested in tech stuff, I’m interested in it just because it’s new. The truth is, I don’t know anything about it. My gut tells me Microsoft is going to try and make the new Windows look a bit like the sleek and pretty Mac OS (Operating System).

I have to give a tip of the hat to my Mac based friends. Chuck Humel one of the long-time photographers is a diehard Mac guy and nothing gives him more pleasure than pointing out the shortcomings of Windows. As I was reviewing the Microsoft Web site, my Explorer browser froze. It seems ironic but maybe it’s just a clever Microsoft ploy to convince us all that upgrading will end that sort of frustration.

Here a few links to help you on your way to seeing if the new Windows operating system is right for you.

Check out what Microsoft has to say about features and specifications for Vista.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/

Windows has an upgrade advisor program that will tell you if your computer has the guts to run the new OS. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeadvisor/default.mspx

For those interested in a slightly less biased view that Microsoft offers, PC Magazine has a great review that offers up the good, the bad, and the ugly about Vista
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2074563,00.asp


I sure would be interested in hearing from anybody running the beta version of Vista. How has it been working for you?

iTune, iPod, iPhone, iWant it

Photo--- (AP) Steve Jobs shows off the iPhone.

Tech-geeks the world over have been celebrating the news about the latest greatest offering from the geniuses at Apple. The newsroom was buzzing over this much needed upgrade, how can you go wrong with a really cool device that combines a phone, an iPod, a Mac like interface and free, push technology e-mail.
I was already budgeting for the new phone, the unlimited Internet package, and planning for a serious bump in the money I already spend on iTunes.com.
But then I heard the catch, and what a huge deal-breaking catch it is. I can’t use the greatest piece of techno-gadgetry.
Why? Because the phone is only going to be released to customers of Cingular Wireless. I have to wonder how many people are going to pull the plug on their existing service to go with the new phone. Would you?
Since we’re talking about Apple and the iPod, there was an Internet-fueled story that said the iPod is poised to take a fall as the premier portable music player -- being replaced by things such as the Zune. However, as many people who tried to download music the day after Christmas knows, the fall isn't coming anytime soon. There were so many users that they were unable to pull down music because the servers were overloaded. Are the iPod junkies still out there? Is it an overrated toy?
Let me know.

New site coming soon

Here's a little preview of things to come here at The Chronicle. We are in the final stages of launching our new Web site at the paper. The final touches and tweaks are getting put into place and we expect to launch the beta site by the middle of next week.

One big change is the look of the site. It's much more modern and navigating your way around the site will be much easier. We also have tons of RSS options and we are integrating our newest feature: the breaking news e-mail notification.

Some of the features that will be offered on the site are years ahead of what is currently available to readers of even the largest national newspapers so it's something we are all looking forward to getting into.

But the heart of it all is the content --- news. We will have the ability to bring our readers the latest news from the community, the nation and the world.

Wii tales

One of the hottest presents under the Christmas tree this year was the Nintendo Wii game console. For those not caught up in the Playstation3, Xbox 360 or the Wii craze, I can tell you that what makes the Wii different is its interactive hand controllers.

Instead of the traditional hand-controller, Nintendo developed a pair of wireless controllers that read your hand and wrist movements to influence game-play.
Ground-breaking stuff. Also door, window, hand, and ceiling fans breaking have been reported. It seems that overenthusiastic gamers have been smashing things when the straps have either snapped or have not been used by players.
This year, we ended up with one under the tree and I can attest to what happens when that happens. We had one kid hit another, the dog got punched and one of the boys smashed his hand on the arm of the couch.

I'm wondering how many of you got one of these games this year, and have
you had the same kinds of experiences.