Blogs


Windows 7 discounts its way to success

November 6, 2009

Windows 7The early sales numbers for Windows 7 are impressive. According to market researcher NPD Group, US sales of Windows 7 boxed software were a whopping 234 percent higher than Vista's first several days of sales.

The news is so good, in fact, that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer called early Windows 7 sales "fantastic" during a Thursday media event in Tokyo, according to The Wall Street Journal.

PC Advisor Blog | Jeff Bertolucci | Read more...


Android vs iPhone: security nightmare

November 6, 2009

iPhone smartphoneHere's an ad you'll never see: "The new Vodafone (or T-Mobile or O2 or Orange) smartphone: Your IT department's best friend."

After all, the smartphone wars have been about the consumer for some time now, promising more features, more fun, more glitz.

PC Advisor Blog | Bill Snyder | Read more...


The Beatles on Apple! (But not how you think)

November 5, 2009

AppleNo, you can't get Beatles tunes on iTunes or elsewhere (legally) online. But you will be able to get them on an apple-shaped USB drive.

This is... odd. The Beatles are finally releasing their remastered catalogue in digital form - both high-quality FLAC files and 320-Kbps MP3s. But they're not selling it on iTunes or any other online music merchant. They're releasing it as a limited edition of 30,000 16GB USB drives that fit into an "exquisitely crafted" commemorative apple.

PC Advisor Blog | Harry McCracken | Read more...


Why Google wants you to use a single password

November 4, 2009

securityIt's one of the basic tenets of online security: never use the same password/username combo for every website that requires one. The logic is sound, of course. A single security breach could expose your most private information - such as banking and credit card numbers - to the bad guys.

Problem is, who can remember multiple passwords and usernames? Many times I've signed up for a service, returned to the site a few weeks later, and quickly realised that I couldn't remember my login details.

PC Advisor Blog | Jeff Bertolucci | Read more...


Profits of doom

November 3, 2009

PC securitySecuring your cash and privacy in the real world is one thing. Doing so on a PC is a whole new challenge. Breaking into other people's computers and doing funny stuff to them used to be a nerdy challenge; today, it's simply an opportunity to make money.

Security software companies emphasise how much you stand to lose if your PC is hacked: banking credentials, credit-card details and, ultimately, your cash. But hackers aren't the only ones getting rich; online security is big business for the good guys who sell you software to protect you from the bad guys.

PC Advisor Blog | Andrew Harrison | Read more...


Windows 7 adoption puts Vista to shame

November 3, 2009

Windows 7Watch out, Vista. Windows 7's early sales are making your figures look embarrassingly puny.

New data suggests Microsoft's new operating system is showing strong early growth compared with past releases. About 3.6 percent of web-connected computers were running Windows 7 over the weekend, less than two weeks after its launch, according to analysts at Net Applications.

PC Advisor Blog | JR Raphael | Read more...


Google Chrome: fast browser, slow on the uptake

November 2, 2009

internetThe launch of the Google Chrome browser a little over a year ago brought with it a mountain of hype and expectations, with some suggesting it could be as instantly disruptive and beneficial as Gmail was to the webmail market.

After all, here was Google opening another front against Microsoft with a big and bold move, and also turning into a competitor to its close partner Mozilla, maker of Firefox, the darling browser of techies worldwide.

PC Advisor Blog | Juan Carlos Perez | Read more...


Happy 40th birthday, the internet

October 29, 2009

Internet & BroadbandWhy do we today celebrate today - October 29 - as the internet's 40's birthday? Because on this day in 1969, what would later became known as the internet was used for the very first time - and crashed.

Here is what happened. The first network had four nodes: the first at UCLA, and the second at Stanford Research Institute. The other two - at the University of California-Santa Barbara and the University of Utah - were not yet installed.

PC Advisor Blog | David Coursey | Read more...


Microsoft ditches 'Family Guy' sponsorship - wisely

October 29, 2009

Windows 7When Microsoft pulled out of sponsoring a TV programme by 'Family Guy' creator Seth MacFarlane, a remarkable thing happened to the future of television. it sets back the doomsday countdown to when our media is tightly woven into sponsorships, corrupting entertainment itself.

I'm springboarding off a TechCrunch article by Paul Carr, in which he argues that 'Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show' is "the end of television, and the world". Carr articulates what we were all thinking when the deal was announced: MacFarlane is selling out, and he's paved the way for other programmes to water down their content with in-show product pushing. "It's simply not possible to write funny jokes about Windows 7 while simultaneously making Microsoft happy," he writes.

PC Advisor Blog | Jared Newman | Read more...


A pictorial guide to Android 2.0 'Eclair'

October 28, 2009

SmartphoneFeeling hungry? Try a taste of Eclair, Google's brand new Android operating system, in our mouthwatering pictorial guide to its improvements and innovations.

Google took the wraps off Android 2.0 on Tuesday. The software is expected to officially debut on Verizon's Motorola Droid smartphone - you know, the one that does all those things Apple's phone doesn't - early next month.

PC Advisor Blog | JR Raphael | Read more...


iPod at 8: The device that changed everything

October 27, 2009

Digital audioAmid all the hubbub last week surrounding Windows 7, you may have missed another tech milestone: the iPod turned eight last Friday. Eight? Hasn't it been with us forever?

But no. On 23 Oct 2001, Steve Jobs introduced Apple's first portable music player. It only worked with Macs. There was no online store where you could download music, so you had to rip all your songs from CDs. It was chunky, held 5GB of music and cost £349 in the UK.

PC Advisor Blog | Robert X Cringely | Read more...


Web 3.0: the shopping centre web

October 26, 2009

InternetIf Web 2.0 was the two-way, user generated, cool internet, Web 3.0 will be the era of post-search rationalisation. The shopping centre web. The big brands are taking over.

It may not be cool, but it's the way it's going. And it's the web we made ourselves.

PC Advisor Blog | Matt Egan | Read more...


Can Windows 7 change our minds about Microsoft?

October 26, 2009

Windows 7As operating system launches go, Windows 7 has been pretty smooth. The reviews are mostly thumbs-up, and aside from some unintentionally hilarious videos promoting Windows 7 launch parties, Microsoft seems to have generally done things right.

Today, the Microsoft site is featuring a running series of tweets praising the new OS (though they're running at least a day behind - so much for real-time web search). They're also a bit too uniformly positive, so you know somebody's cherry picking. Still, it's a clever idea.

PC Advisor Blog | Robert X Cringely | Read more...


Website aims to stop office tea-round chaos

October 23, 2009

Internet & BroadbandWhen it comes to office life, there's one activity guaranteed to put even the most confident of employees on edge. No, I'm talking about your appraisal, or even the day the big boss comes to visit - I mean the tea-round.

It's a minefield for even the longest-serving employees, and can make or break a new starter's chances of cementing friendship with other office members - whether it's felt that you don't pull your weight and make enough rounds, or that you're too stingy or enthusiastic with the milk. The tea-round has even caused the occasional gripe at PCA towers.

PC Advisor Blog | Carrie-Ann Skinner | Read more...


5 ways Windows 7 could be another Vista

October 23, 2009

Windows 7Windows 7 hasn't been officially released for 24 hours yet, but there are those who think Win 7 is nothing more than Vista with a few extra bells and whistles.

To be honest, I like Windows 7 and believe it will be a phenomenal success for Microsoft. But, just to play devil's advocate, let's take a look at 5 ways Windows 7 could become another Vista.

PC Advisor Blog | Tony Bradley | Read more...


Microsoft 'fakes old Mac' to promote Windows 7

October 22, 2009

Windows 7Microsoft appears to be using a picture of an Apple laptop on the cover of its Windows 7 launch documentation.

The cover of Microsoft's "Final Win7 Product Guide" shows a man sitting on his couch apparently using the new Windows 7 operating system on his laptop. His son - we presume this is his son and not a random child jumping on his head - is also excited by the new OS, so much so that he risks breaking his father's neck.

PC Advisor Blog | Lexton Snol | Read more...


Windows 7 launch parties: Are they mad?

October 22, 2009

Windows 7It's tricky to imagine the thought process that led to Microsoft's 'Windows 7 launch party' strategy. Has there ever been a more embarrassing idea? Whose brainwave was this?

Picture the scene; a big marketing meeting at a very large software company.

PC Advisor Blog | Mark Gibbs | Read more...


Windows 7 stat attack

October 22, 2009

Windows 7You've already read the Windows 7 review, you've already swotted up on the first Windows 7 PCs, and may have already received your copy through the post. But what you really want are some Windows 7 stats.

At Windows 7's UK launch event yesterday, news was thin on the ground, but facts and figures came thick and fast. So, here goes.

PC Advisor Blog | Paul Trotter | Read more...


Windows 7 more popular than Harry Potter

October 21, 2009

Windows 7The magic of Hogwarts has nothing on Microsoft's new operating system, as Windows 7 raced past Harry Potter in Amazon's UK pre-order sales.

A day before Microsoft releases Windows 7, Amazon UK said the operating system has become the best-selling pre-order product of all time, according to TG Daily. The retailer didn't provide any numbers.

PC Advisor Blog | Jared Newman | Read more...


Why Windows 7 may still fail

October 21, 2009

Windows 7The Windows 7 launch event is at fever pitch, but there's one aspect of the new OS that I believe is being glossed over by the mainstream media: hardware compatibility.

Windows 7 has been lauded for its extensive hardware compatibility. Most reviews have noted that Windows 7 - unlike Vista, which was plagued by a slew of buggy and incomplete drivers - works with the majority of hardware devices out of the box.

PC Advisor Blog | Randall C Kennedy | Read more...


Google

Search blogs


Recent reviews

Reviews index


Top news

News index


Blogs available...

New Products
PC Advisor Blog

You can have the latest blog entries delivered to your desktop via RSS. Use the links below to get access to a specific blog feed or click on RSS previously to get more information on RSS.

 New Products
 PC Advisor Blog

Sponsored Content

  • Take the internet to new places with the Nokia N800
    Communicate how you want to, where you want to with instant messaging, email and internet calling. View movies, browse the internet wirelessly and watch TV on the high-resolution screen and listen through high-quality stereo speakers with headphone jack.
    Buy now