The Consumer Electronics Show is the Super Bowl of the technology industry. As much as industry analysts and the tech press whine about CES being too big and being a relic of a bygone era, there’s no better place for tech companies to make a big splash that will be remembered throughout the year, and in some cases for years to come.
It’s also the place where tech companies can jockey for a better position in the market by generating more attention for their product line than a competitor’s. Conversely, companies that don’t make a good showing at CES can risk creating an impression that they are falling behind and risk having their products get lost in the crowd.
As such, every CES has its winners and losers. Here is this year’s scoreboard.
WINNERS
Motorola Mobility
Motorola Mobility the new Motorola spinoff that went live as a separate entity on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday of CES week. This new company focuses entirely on consumer devices and their first CES couldn’t have been scripted any better. In partnership with Google and Verizon they officially announced the new flagship Android tablet, the Motorola Xoom. They announced one of the first high-powered smartphones running on Verizon’s LTE 4G network, the Droid Bionic. And, to top it all off, they unveiled the breakthrough product of CES 2011, the Motorola Atrix, a smartphone that doubles as a legitimate PC replacement with both desktop and laptop docks.
Verizon Wireless
In the past, Verizon Wireless has saved most of its big product announcements for some of the telcom-specific trade shows or its own private announcements. This year, the company came to CES with both guns blazing. On the heels of the successful US launch last month of its 4G LTE network — which is, arguably, now the world’s most advanced 4G Internet experience — Verizon had LTE live in Las Vegas and ready to show off the world’s largest annual crowd of technology enthusiasts. The network performed like a champ. And, on the official opening day of CES, Verizon held press conference announcing 10 LTE devices — smartphones, tablets, and hotspots — that will launch during the first half of the year. It was an impressive roster of devices from leading vendors such as Samsung, Motorola, HTC, and LG. The Motorola Xoom tablet and the HTC Thunderbolt were especially impressive. I spent 25 minutes using the Thunderbolt and was blown away by the speeds generated by the combination of its high-end hardware paired with Verizon LTE.
NVIDIA
The company that was seemingly everywhere at CES 2011 was NVIDIA. Specifically, the dual core NVIDIA Tegra2 was the processor du jour, showing up in many of the new smartphones, tablets, and even car-tech announcements. At CES, NVIDIA announced that it is partnering with ARM to launch its own high-performance CPU cores the size of a dime. This is the long-rumored “Project Denver” that NVIDIA has been working on and it will likely position the company as a leading powerhouse in the next generation computing, since ARM processors power nearly all of the smartphones and tablets coming to market and are now scaling up to run PCs and servers as well. NVIDIA looks like it could become the Intel of the next great wave of computing.
HONORABLE MENTION: Samsung
LOSERS
Microsoft
This is beginning to sound like a broken record, but I’m still waiting to hear any hint of Microsoft’s vision of where it sees the computing world headed in the decade ahead and how Microsoft plans to take us there. We didn’t get it at CES 2011 even though Microsoft once again had the biggest stage — the opening keynote the night before the official opening of CES. Microsoft squandered its opportunity to set the agenda of the tech industry. Instead, it simply trotted out its standard stump speech on “Windows everywhere” and replayed many of the same demos from its 2010 product launches. Then, once the show opened, many of Microsoft’s traditional PC partners spent CES spotlighting their tablets instead of new netbooks or laptops running Windows 7. Microsoft’s newly-launched Windows Phone 7 devices got completely overshadowed as partners HTC, Samsung, and LG put their new Android smartphones front-and-center. And, at a show dominated by the launch of new tablets, we heard nothing from Microsoft about its tablet plans. Even Microsoft’s long-time partner Intel criticized Microsoft’s missing tablet strategy.
Sony
Sony’s CES story is not unlike Microsoft’s. Where’s the leadership? Where’s the vision? Sony has traditionally been the biggest name in the consumer electronics industry. It should dominate CES. But, when’s the last time you heard about a breakthrough product from Sony? When’s the last time you heard about a market-leading product from Sony? Its competitors have been running circles around it, and it was no different at CES 2011. Sony put on some glitzy presentations, but lacked the product leadership. Much of that was due to the fact that Sony focused most of its energy on the wrong thing — 3D TV. While Sony had perhaps the most impressive 3D television at CES, that’s a dubious distinction akin to having the nicest house in a neighborhood scheduled for demolition. Contrast that to what Samsung did at CES. It delivered thin, high-quality, reasonably priced (non-3D) TVs — the ones people actually want to buy. But, TVs weren’t Samsung’s only story. They unveiled exciting new smartphones, tablets, and PCs, including one of the most innovative new products at CES, the Sliding PC 7, a hybrid laptop/tablet.
Intel
One of the major trends at CES 2011 was the acceleration of the world to mobile computing. With the unveiling of dual core smartphones, over 80 new tablets, smartphones that also serve as PCs (the Motorola Atrix), and an emerging new category of hybrid tablet/laptops, it’s clear that technology companies are rising to meet the demands of users, who are spending more and more of their computing time using mobile devices instead of traditional PCs. If you look closely at this army of new devices — which were the headliners of CES — almost none of them are running Intel processors. Practically the whole fleet of these devices are running ARM processors in general and the dual core NVIDIA Tegra2 specifically. Intel has known that this trend was coming. I remember Intel presenting a slide at the 2008 Intel Developer Conference showing how sales of mobile devices were going to rapidly overtake traditional PCs in the years ahead. Intel attempted to meet this trend with its Menlow and Moorestown processors for “Mobile Internet Devices” (MIDs), a category that it tried to create with its hardware and software partners. However, Intel’s chips couldn’t match the low-power efficiency of ARM chips and rise of smartphones crowded MIDs out of the market. Instead of going back to the drawing board and making a more power-efficient class of mobile chips, Intel continues to fall behind. While NVIDIA chips were powering nearly all of the tablets and high-end smartphones at CES, Intel played up its “Sandy Bridge” chips for multimedia PCs. This focus on high-end chips feels like a tacit admission that Intel has no answer in mobile.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Has ASUS discovered the strategy to take down the iPad?
On Tuesday, ASUS unloaded the first round of ammo at the Apple iPad, which promises to be the favorite target of the big tech vendors at CES 2011. As the first major company to host a CES press conference, ASUS dedicated nearly the entire hour to announcing its line of four tablets — three Android and one Windows — aimed squarely at stealing market share away from the iPad in 2011.
The biggest takeaway of the event was that ASUS has a different strategy than most of the PC and device makers trotting out tablets at CES. It’s not just about launching cheap iPad clones that can detach users from the draconian Apple ecosystem. ASUS is betting that it can pull more users into the tablet market by providing a choice of four tablets aimed at users with different proclivities and by turning tablets into productivity devices that can also create content (perhaps the iPad’s biggest weakness).
Whether the ASUS strategy succeeds or not will depend heavily on whether Microsoft Windows 7 and Google Android can successfully adapt their software for multi-touch tablets in the months ahead. Android still has big questions to answer and Windows 7 may simply be too heavy and battery hungry for tablets. Nevertheless, I like that ASUS isn’t just playing “me, too” in the tablet market and actually has a viable strategy that targets some of the iPad’s genuine weak spots.
ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih shows off one of the four new ASUS tablets at the company’s CES 2011 press conference. Photo credit: Jason Hiner | TechRepublic
Why ASUS?
The fact that the rising computer maker spent 75% of its biggest press conference of the year talking about iPad competitors speaks volumes. Four years ago at CES 2008, the newly-launched ASUS Eee PC — a 7-inch netbook — was one of the buzz products of the show and its surprising sales essentially launched the netbook phenomenon.
The Eee PC launched ASUS into mainstream consciousness and the company has since expanded nicely into laptops and desktops of all sizes and shown that it is one of the few PC makers that really cares about product design. In the ecosystem of Windows PCs, I’d rank ASUS with Sony as the two companies that consistently produce the most attractive designs, and ASUS does it without the big price premium that you pay for with Sony and Apple.
ASUS clearly watches a lot of what Apple does — Apple’s name came up at least half a dozen times in its press conference — and has decided that the iPad is a serious threat to its laptop business, otherwise it would not have dedicated so much of its resources and marketing to its new tablets.
Here is a quick summary of the four ASUS tablets:
Eee Pad MeMo
The MeMo is a 7-inch Android 3.0 tablet that will compete with the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the plethora of other 7-inch Android tablets about to hit the market, as well as the BlackBerry PlayBook. This is definitely aimed at media consumption with a Micro HDMI port and 1080p video playback. It has a capacitive touch-screen and includes a stylus for note-taking, so it also has the productivity element in mind.
Eee Slate EP121
The EP121 is the one Windows tablet in the ASUS lineup. This is a 12-inch tablet running the same Intel Core i5 processor that runs a lot of powerful desktops and laptops. It offers 1280×800 screen resolution, two USB ports, a 32GB or 64GB SSD hard drive, 4GB of RAM, and a 2 megapixel camera. It has both multi-touch and pen input. In the demo, ASUS was watching a full 1080p video while editing a picture in Photoshop and this thing didn’t flinch. Battery life could be an issue though.
Eee Pad Transformer
Here’s a slim 10-inch tablet that will compete more directly with the iPad. It features the dual core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and will run Android 3.0. It has a 5 megapixel camera on the back and a 1.2 megapixel camera on the front. The Transformer also offers an optional keyboard dock (see below) that essentially turns it into a laptop. The dock has has added battery capacity that can extend the battery life of this tablet up to 16 hours. I consider this the most interesting of the ASUS tablets and the one with the greatest potential, if Google gets the Android tablet software right.
Eee Pad Slider
The Slider is very similar to the Transformer. It is a 10-inch Android 3.0 tablet running on an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and has the same 5.0 and 1.2 megapixel cameras as the Transformer. Instead of a keyboard dock, the slider features a slide-out qwerty keyboard. Again, ASUS is betting on turning the 10-inch tablet into a productivity device so that people don’t need to carry both a tablet and laptop, but can do all of their content creation on this device. It will be very interesting to see if Android can cut it as a light laptop OS.
The biggest takeaway of the event was that ASUS has a different strategy than most of the PC and device makers trotting out tablets at CES. It’s not just about launching cheap iPad clones that can detach users from the draconian Apple ecosystem. ASUS is betting that it can pull more users into the tablet market by providing a choice of four tablets aimed at users with different proclivities and by turning tablets into productivity devices that can also create content (perhaps the iPad’s biggest weakness).
Whether the ASUS strategy succeeds or not will depend heavily on whether Microsoft Windows 7 and Google Android can successfully adapt their software for multi-touch tablets in the months ahead. Android still has big questions to answer and Windows 7 may simply be too heavy and battery hungry for tablets. Nevertheless, I like that ASUS isn’t just playing “me, too” in the tablet market and actually has a viable strategy that targets some of the iPad’s genuine weak spots.
ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih shows off one of the four new ASUS tablets at the company’s CES 2011 press conference. Photo credit: Jason Hiner | TechRepublic
Why ASUS?
The fact that the rising computer maker spent 75% of its biggest press conference of the year talking about iPad competitors speaks volumes. Four years ago at CES 2008, the newly-launched ASUS Eee PC — a 7-inch netbook — was one of the buzz products of the show and its surprising sales essentially launched the netbook phenomenon.
The Eee PC launched ASUS into mainstream consciousness and the company has since expanded nicely into laptops and desktops of all sizes and shown that it is one of the few PC makers that really cares about product design. In the ecosystem of Windows PCs, I’d rank ASUS with Sony as the two companies that consistently produce the most attractive designs, and ASUS does it without the big price premium that you pay for with Sony and Apple.
ASUS clearly watches a lot of what Apple does — Apple’s name came up at least half a dozen times in its press conference — and has decided that the iPad is a serious threat to its laptop business, otherwise it would not have dedicated so much of its resources and marketing to its new tablets.
Here is a quick summary of the four ASUS tablets:
Eee Pad MeMo
The MeMo is a 7-inch Android 3.0 tablet that will compete with the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the plethora of other 7-inch Android tablets about to hit the market, as well as the BlackBerry PlayBook. This is definitely aimed at media consumption with a Micro HDMI port and 1080p video playback. It has a capacitive touch-screen and includes a stylus for note-taking, so it also has the productivity element in mind.
Eee Slate EP121
The EP121 is the one Windows tablet in the ASUS lineup. This is a 12-inch tablet running the same Intel Core i5 processor that runs a lot of powerful desktops and laptops. It offers 1280×800 screen resolution, two USB ports, a 32GB or 64GB SSD hard drive, 4GB of RAM, and a 2 megapixel camera. It has both multi-touch and pen input. In the demo, ASUS was watching a full 1080p video while editing a picture in Photoshop and this thing didn’t flinch. Battery life could be an issue though.
Eee Pad Transformer
Here’s a slim 10-inch tablet that will compete more directly with the iPad. It features the dual core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and will run Android 3.0. It has a 5 megapixel camera on the back and a 1.2 megapixel camera on the front. The Transformer also offers an optional keyboard dock (see below) that essentially turns it into a laptop. The dock has has added battery capacity that can extend the battery life of this tablet up to 16 hours. I consider this the most interesting of the ASUS tablets and the one with the greatest potential, if Google gets the Android tablet software right.
Eee Pad Slider
The Slider is very similar to the Transformer. It is a 10-inch Android 3.0 tablet running on an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and has the same 5.0 and 1.2 megapixel cameras as the Transformer. Instead of a keyboard dock, the slider features a slide-out qwerty keyboard. Again, ASUS is betting on turning the 10-inch tablet into a productivity device so that people don’t need to carry both a tablet and laptop, but can do all of their content creation on this device. It will be very interesting to see if Android can cut it as a light laptop OS.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The 10 most useful Windows 7 keyboard shortcuts
Along with Windows 7’s new features comes a set of new keyboard shortcuts. This little cheat sheet will help you work more efficiently with the latest version of Windows.
Note: This list is part of Greg Shultz’s comprehensive collection of Windows keyboard shortcuts, available as a PDF download.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 and 70-662 Exam Training in One Package
A few months ago the newest Microsoft 70-662 dumps Exchange server 2010 has released and companies are upgrading largely from older version towards newer one. In email communication solutions Microsoft holds two third of market share but the cornerstone and flagship product of Microsoft is Microsoft Exchange Server 2010.
The new version of 2010 has breaking features like Power Shell utilization as its basic engine, transport protection rules, role based access Control, full unified communication support like text to speech, voice mail, instant messaging etc and many other advanced software communication qualities which make this product as one of the most powerful company tools.
If anybody wants to get involvement in administration and maintenance of Microsoft Exchange 2010 then that requires a proper training because IT professionals are responsible for server administration and looking that the server is ready to manage thousands of users and their mailboxes, the databases, the server security, operating system etc. If anyone wants to survive in such a demanding task he must have to acquire proper Exchange 2010 package.
Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Configuration exam i-e 70-662 dumps is an important step towards Microsoft certification. Passing 70-662 dumps exam results into higher salary, better career, and also towards strong IT position within the company.
When you come for training there come two things in the training package:
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2. Full coverage of 70 662 dumps exam with practice test.
So certify yourself with 70-662 dumps exam under Certkingdom 70-662 dumps exams preparation tools.
The new version of 2010 has breaking features like Power Shell utilization as its basic engine, transport protection rules, role based access Control, full unified communication support like text to speech, voice mail, instant messaging etc and many other advanced software communication qualities which make this product as one of the most powerful company tools.
Best Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com
If anybody wants to get involvement in administration and maintenance of Microsoft Exchange 2010 then that requires a proper training because IT professionals are responsible for server administration and looking that the server is ready to manage thousands of users and their mailboxes, the databases, the server security, operating system etc. If anyone wants to survive in such a demanding task he must have to acquire proper Exchange 2010 package.
Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Configuration exam i-e 70-662 dumps is an important step towards Microsoft certification. Passing 70-662 dumps exam results into higher salary, better career, and also towards strong IT position within the company.
When you come for training there come two things in the training package:
1. Extensive in depth training includes knowledge about installation, configuration, maintenance, and trouble shoot the server under the certified instructor.
2. Full coverage of 70 662 dumps exam with practice test.
So certify yourself with 70-662 dumps exam under Certkingdom 70-662 dumps exams preparation tools.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
How to Run Mac OS X in Virtual Box on Windows
first install Virtualbox. Open up Virtualbox and click on New at the top left.
At the Create New Virtual Machine window, click Next.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
At this window type OSX as the name and it will automatically change the system and version. The next window will let you choose your RAM amount:
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
If you can spare it, crank it up as far as you can go, but 1024MB should be sufficient.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
This is where you'll make your hard disk. 20GB should be enough so what it comes down to is dynamic or static. Dynamic will expand on use and Static will be a fixed 20GB no matter how much data is actually in it. Dynamic is better for not taking up your hard drive but static should give you better performance. I normally use dynamic. Click next unless you want to change it from dynamic or if you want to increase the disk size or file location.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
It will show a summary of your settings. Click Finish, then click Settings at the top. At this window click on System in the left pane and uncheck Enable EFI.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
Now click on the Storage button on the left. From there click on Empty under the OSX.vdi, then click the folder with the green arrow on the right (next to "CD/DVD Device").
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
At this window click the Add button at the top. Then find and add the OSX86 ISO you downloaded earlier. Then highlight it and click Select at the bottom. Then click OK, and hit the Start button on the left side of the main VirtualBox window.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
As it starts up, click inside the window and hit F8. Then at the boot: prompt type –v so you can see what exactly went wrong if something does go wrong. All the services will run and eventually you should come to the language screen. Choose your language then click next. If you are unable to move your mouse around then hit Right-Ctrl + I. Click Continue and Agree. Next, start up Disk Utility by going to Utilities in the menu bar.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
At this screen highlight 20GB VBOX HARDDISK. Then click the Erase tab, name it what you want in the name box and click the Erase button on the bottom right of the window. It shouldn't take long. Then click Disk Utility in your menu bar and quit it. Now you're back at the installer. Highlight the drive that is now showing up and click Continue.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
The next window is important. Click the Customize button on the bottom left.
AMD Users check:
Any Updates included at the top.
Drop down Kernels and choose Legacy kernel.
AMD option below System support.
Intel Users check:
Any Updates included at the top.
Drop down bootloaders and check the newest Chameleon.
Drop down Kernels and choose Legacy kernel.
Then click Done and hit the Install button. To speed up the process you can click Skip when the disc check pops up.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
As soon as it says "installation finished" and starts counting down to restart, press the right Ctrl key. Click on Devices at the top of the VirtualBox window, hit CD/DVD Devices and click Unmount CD/DVD Device. Then go to Machine > Reset and click Reset at the prompt. Next you'll see the Chameleon loader and then OS X will begin to boot.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
After it boots you will see the setup screens for OS X! You're good to go. The only hiccup I've found is that it can only be virtualized with one core. It could be the OSX disc I was using or it might not be. And I have yet to find the right kext that will allow audio to work and the resolution is limited also. But other than that you'll have a fully functioning OSX virtualized!
Update: I'd like to post some answers to the resolution and audio. I should have looked around before posting this but I just didn't have the time. So anyways heres what you can do:
To fix the resolution issue, open Finder and go to the OS X drive on the left. Open the folder called Extras. Right Click on the file com.Apple.Boot.plist and open it with TextEdit. Under the first insert this:
Graphics Mode
1280x1024x32
or another compatible resolution. Select "Save As" at the top and save it to the desktop, unchecking the check under Unicode and then save it as com.apple.boot.plist. After that drag and drop it into the extras folder and overwrite the original file, entering your password when prompted.
Instructions for the sound issue can be found here.
Don't install system updates. If you want updates you'll have to install another iso distribution with the updates on it. If you install the updates directly from apple it messes with the custom kexts and chameleon. Just a forewarning.
And for those of you getting boot issues try choosing a different version of Chameleon or a different kernel. Sometimes that seems to help. And If your getting one of the USB errors then try disabling USB in the VirtualBox settings and see if that helps.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
At this window type OSX as the name and it will automatically change the system and version. The next window will let you choose your RAM amount:
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
If you can spare it, crank it up as far as you can go, but 1024MB should be sufficient.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
This is where you'll make your hard disk. 20GB should be enough so what it comes down to is dynamic or static. Dynamic will expand on use and Static will be a fixed 20GB no matter how much data is actually in it. Dynamic is better for not taking up your hard drive but static should give you better performance. I normally use dynamic. Click next unless you want to change it from dynamic or if you want to increase the disk size or file location.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
It will show a summary of your settings. Click Finish, then click Settings at the top. At this window click on System in the left pane and uncheck Enable EFI.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
Now click on the Storage button on the left. From there click on Empty under the OSX.vdi, then click the folder with the green arrow on the right (next to "CD/DVD Device").
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
At this window click the Add button at the top. Then find and add the OSX86 ISO you downloaded earlier. Then highlight it and click Select at the bottom. Then click OK, and hit the Start button on the left side of the main VirtualBox window.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
As it starts up, click inside the window and hit F8. Then at the boot: prompt type –v so you can see what exactly went wrong if something does go wrong. All the services will run and eventually you should come to the language screen. Choose your language then click next. If you are unable to move your mouse around then hit Right-Ctrl + I. Click Continue and Agree. Next, start up Disk Utility by going to Utilities in the menu bar.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
At this screen highlight 20GB VBOX HARDDISK. Then click the Erase tab, name it what you want in the name box and click the Erase button on the bottom right of the window. It shouldn't take long. Then click Disk Utility in your menu bar and quit it. Now you're back at the installer. Highlight the drive that is now showing up and click Continue.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
The next window is important. Click the Customize button on the bottom left.
AMD Users check:
Any Updates included at the top.
Drop down Kernels and choose Legacy kernel.
AMD option below System support.
Intel Users check:
Any Updates included at the top.
Drop down bootloaders and check the newest Chameleon.
Drop down Kernels and choose Legacy kernel.
Then click Done and hit the Install button. To speed up the process you can click Skip when the disc check pops up.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
As soon as it says "installation finished" and starts counting down to restart, press the right Ctrl key. Click on Devices at the top of the VirtualBox window, hit CD/DVD Devices and click Unmount CD/DVD Device. Then go to Machine > Reset and click Reset at the prompt. Next you'll see the Chameleon loader and then OS X will begin to boot.
How to Run Mac OS X in VirtualBox on Windows
After it boots you will see the setup screens for OS X! You're good to go. The only hiccup I've found is that it can only be virtualized with one core. It could be the OSX disc I was using or it might not be. And I have yet to find the right kext that will allow audio to work and the resolution is limited also. But other than that you'll have a fully functioning OSX virtualized!
Update: I'd like to post some answers to the resolution and audio. I should have looked around before posting this but I just didn't have the time. So anyways heres what you can do:
To fix the resolution issue, open Finder and go to the OS X drive on the left. Open the folder called Extras. Right Click on the file com.Apple.Boot.plist and open it with TextEdit. Under the first insert this:
Graphics Mode
1280x1024x32
or another compatible resolution. Select "Save As" at the top and save it to the desktop, unchecking the check under Unicode and then save it as com.apple.boot.plist. After that drag and drop it into the extras folder and overwrite the original file, entering your password when prompted.
Instructions for the sound issue can be found here.
Don't install system updates. If you want updates you'll have to install another iso distribution with the updates on it. If you install the updates directly from apple it messes with the custom kexts and chameleon. Just a forewarning.
And for those of you getting boot issues try choosing a different version of Chameleon or a different kernel. Sometimes that seems to help. And If your getting one of the USB errors then try disabling USB in the VirtualBox settings and see if that helps.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Reviewing the 70-680 Windows 7, Configuring Exam
Well, first let me thank everyone for their support and start by saying I did pass the exam 70-680 Windows 7, Configuring. I did want to take this chance to discuss my experience with the MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Support Technician 7. I had previously written about Exam 70-680 Windows 7 Configuring now available.
To begin with, keep in mind that this exam is intended to be a "full" Windows client software exam, and not just an upgrade from Vista or XP. Therefore, there is the normal collection of questions that you would expect covering items like sharing permissions, installing printers, etc. and I would say that roughly 70% of the questions on my exam could be researched and answered using study materials for the Windows Vista, Configuring exam 70-620.
As far as Windows 7 specific content; If my test is any indication, you want to be very familiar with Internet Explorer 8. There were 4 (out of 45) questions dealing with new IE8 security features. For that I recommend working with IE8 and clicking the help on each feature so that you know you have a strong understanding of what each setting does.
I had 5 questions dealing with migration and 2 questions dealing with using the User State Migration Tool. However, none of my migration questions involved the new DISM tool. They focused on use of Imagex and Windows PE. That doesn't mean that DISM wont be involved on each test but it should tell you that migration will probably be addressed on just about every exam. A lot of the new features questions were more about concepts than specific files paths. For example, in one question would you make a new applocker rule or use the defaults to solve the situation stated. But I did have one very precise question regarding configuring Branch Cache using a command prompt command. I still don't know where I would have gone to research the answer to that one. But that type of question is to be expected. Just like the one asking how you view the automatically assigned IPv6 address on a client without using ipconfig. I did know the answer to that but of course the solution takes about 6 more steps than just using MCTS: Windows 7, Configuration.
So overall, I would say to anyone looking to take this exam, grab the Sybex or similar book for the exam 70-620 (Vista) and study it well before navigating through the various web sources and white papers regarding Windows 7 if you are new to IT certifications for MS. If you are already experienced with client software like Windows XP, you are probably best served by taking a class like the 6291 "Upgrading your IT skills from Win xp to Win 7 Beta". We actually offer that class at Springhouse and the content is based on the Beta release but still relevant to the RTM version. Of course that course will most likely be re-named with the Beta tag removed in the near future.
Based on what I have seen so far from our interaction with the free Microsoft practice tests, there is a LOT of interest in fast, early adoption of Windows 7 and if you're an IT pro looking to increase your marketability, Win7 certification could be a real nice addition to your resume.
To begin with, keep in mind that this exam is intended to be a "full" Windows client software exam, and not just an upgrade from Vista or XP. Therefore, there is the normal collection of questions that you would expect covering items like sharing permissions, installing printers, etc. and I would say that roughly 70% of the questions on my exam could be researched and answered using study materials for the Windows Vista, Configuring exam 70-620.
As far as Windows 7 specific content; If my test is any indication, you want to be very familiar with Internet Explorer 8. There were 4 (out of 45) questions dealing with new IE8 security features. For that I recommend working with IE8 and clicking the help on each feature so that you know you have a strong understanding of what each setting does.
I had 5 questions dealing with migration and 2 questions dealing with using the User State Migration Tool. However, none of my migration questions involved the new DISM tool. They focused on use of Imagex and Windows PE. That doesn't mean that DISM wont be involved on each test but it should tell you that migration will probably be addressed on just about every exam. A lot of the new features questions were more about concepts than specific files paths. For example, in one question would you make a new applocker rule or use the defaults to solve the situation stated. But I did have one very precise question regarding configuring Branch Cache using a command prompt command. I still don't know where I would have gone to research the answer to that one. But that type of question is to be expected. Just like the one asking how you view the automatically assigned IPv6 address on a client without using ipconfig. I did know the answer to that but of course the solution takes about 6 more steps than just using MCTS: Windows 7, Configuration.
So overall, I would say to anyone looking to take this exam, grab the Sybex or similar book for the exam 70-620 (Vista) and study it well before navigating through the various web sources and white papers regarding Windows 7 if you are new to IT certifications for MS. If you are already experienced with client software like Windows XP, you are probably best served by taking a class like the 6291 "Upgrading your IT skills from Win xp to Win 7 Beta". We actually offer that class at Springhouse and the content is based on the Beta release but still relevant to the RTM version. Of course that course will most likely be re-named with the Beta tag removed in the near future.
Based on what I have seen so far from our interaction with the free Microsoft practice tests, there is a LOT of interest in fast, early adoption of Windows 7 and if you're an IT pro looking to increase your marketability, Win7 certification could be a real nice addition to your resume.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Microsoft Sends Invites for Feb. 10 Internet Explorer 9 Event
Microsoft on Friday sent out invites to a February 10 Internet Explorer 9 event that WinRumors says will likely include the unveiling of the IE9 release candidate.
"Members from the Internet Explorer team (and some special guests) will be visiting San Francisco in two weeks to share some important news. I know it's an extremely busy news week already, but we're hoping you can join us," according to the invite.
WinRumors says an escrow build of IE9 appeared online Friday, and screenshots suggest that Microsoft will add a location privacy feature in the updated browser.
Earlier this month, Microsoft revealed that the IE9 beta had been downloaded over 20 million times. The beta, which launched on September 15, accounted for 4.6 percent of all Internet traffic worldwide, according to year-end numbers from Net Applications. Separate numbers from Adobe's Omniture SiteCatalyst site-traffic monitoring software put the overall Internet average of IE9 beta usage at an even 0.5 percent for December.
PCMag will be at the February 10 event, so stay tuned for more details.
"Members from the Internet Explorer team (and some special guests) will be visiting San Francisco in two weeks to share some important news. I know it's an extremely busy news week already, but we're hoping you can join us," according to the invite.
WinRumors says an escrow build of IE9 appeared online Friday, and screenshots suggest that Microsoft will add a location privacy feature in the updated browser.
Earlier this month, Microsoft revealed that the IE9 beta had been downloaded over 20 million times. The beta, which launched on September 15, accounted for 4.6 percent of all Internet traffic worldwide, according to year-end numbers from Net Applications. Separate numbers from Adobe's Omniture SiteCatalyst site-traffic monitoring software put the overall Internet average of IE9 beta usage at an even 0.5 percent for December.
PCMag will be at the February 10 event, so stay tuned for more details.
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