Windows 7 Is Making People Forget About Vista

It looks like Windows 7 is making consumers forget all about Windows Vista and its associated headaches.

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)'s Q1 2010 report, released, Microsoft's customer satisfaction score rose nine percent in the past year due to the positive reception Windows 7 has enjoyed. Microsoft's overall customer satisfaction score now stands at an all-time high of 76 on the ACSI's 100-point scale.

According to David VanAmburg, Managing Director, ACSI, the opposite trend was seen in the wake of Vista's release in 2006. In the ACSI's 2007 report, Microsoft's customer satisfaction score dropped from 73 to 70, marking the first time a company's score was affected so negatively by a product release, VanAmburg said.

"When Microsoft's score tanked [in 2007], that was pretty much a first. But we're now seeing the reverse of that, as Windows 7 has had a reparative effect," VanAmburg said in an interview.

The ACSI's report measures customers' opinions of companies in a variety of industries, including phone service, healthcare, satellite and cable television. In Microsoft's case, the ACSI score doesn't pertain just to Windows, but to its full product portfolio, although Windows is by far Microsoft's dominant product.

Long after Vista's release, Microsoft crowed about it breaking existing Windows sales records, but the reality is that many consumers bought Vista PCs and used downgrade rights to switch over to XP. Many businesses opted to avoid Vista altogether to wait for whatever came next, and even volume licensing customers gave Vista a miss.

"A lot of the issues with Vista were overblown, but from a customer satisfaction standpoint, Vista didn't offer people enough benefits to overcome the stuff that drove them crazy," said Todd Swank, Vice President, Marketing at US-based system builder Nor-Tech.

Nonetheless, Swank and other Microsoft solution providers agree with the ACSI's assessment of Windows 7. Larry Piland, President of Datel Systems, a US-based solution provider, says customers that skipped Vista are now switching from XP to Windows 7, and they're encountering few problems along the way.

"We are finally seeing those organizations that would not upgrade to Vista migrating over to Windows 7," said Piland. "Microsoft once again has a fairly happy user base, and even Microsoft haters are finding it hard to criticize the product."

Industry pundits that claimed Vista would leave an indelible mark on Microsoft's reputation perhaps didn't consider that in the software business, a company is only as good—or as bad—as its latest product release. Unloved software just doesn't provide an ever-present, tangible reminder of one's faulty buying decision.

Even people that still poke fun at Windows ME, probably Microsoft's worst product release prior to Vista, have pretty much forgotten how annoying it was.

"The software world is one where you can recover more quickly than in other industries, perhaps, by releasing better software quickly," VanAmburg said. "Your chance of rebounding and having better overall customer satisfaction is better."

Asus Eee Keyboard PC priced $500, specifications and photos available

It was initially expected that the price would be between $ 400-$600, and that has come true – the price, for now, seems to be $599 on pre-order, but that might come down when the Asus Eee Keyboard PC is available in retail stores.
The device was first put on display at the Consumer Electronics Show 2010 with the announcement of a February launch. Asus is yet to declare a date when the shipping of pre-ordered Eee Keyboard PC would begin.

The Asus Eee Keyboard PC consists of a full-fledged home entertainment PC fitted into a QWERTY keyboard. Yes, it is a complete PC in the shape of a keyboard! The keyboard comes with a small 5-inch multi-touch LED screen with a resolution of 800×480. The screen can be used as a mousepad to move the cursor. It can also display the user interface that allows users to access music and other content on the device. Quick launch keys and shortcuts can also be displayed on the screen.
How do you use the Asus Eee Keyboard PC? Just plug in any computer monitor, HDTV or projector and use it as you will. The Eee Keyboard PC can stream HD videos with 720p resolution over a 5-metre range through Ultra Wide Band Wireless Display. It also enables high speed and capacity data transfers and serves as a reliable link to another device.
What we were interested in were the specifications of the Asus Eee Keyboard PC. Just how uch horsepower has this baby got? The processor of the keyboard computer is an Atom N270 CPU combined with an Intel 945GSE chipset. The Eee Keyboard PC has 1 GB of internal memory with provision to add upto 32 GB of SSD external memory. Multimedia hardware such as speakers and a mic are also built into the device with an 802.11 bgn WiFi , Bluetooth and a Broadcom decoder for video as well. Three USB 2.0 ports and a HDMI and VGA out are also present in the Asus Eee Keyboard PC. The on-board battery can power the gadget for a period of 4 hours.
That is reasonable specs, for sure. You don’t expect the Asus Eee keyboard PC to run Crysis, I am sure. But the rest it should be able to handle. We will have to wait for the first reviews to come in, though, to make up our minds about the Keyboard PC. We really, really, hope it is good. In 2009, some of the major tech blogs had got their grimy hands on the Asus Eee Keyboard PC for a few minutes, and they were quite amazed.
The Asus Eee Keyboard PC, weighing 1.1 kg comes with an aluminum cover and its underside is coated with UV. Amazon.com has put a price on the product for pre-order at $599.
AKPC_IDS += "3946,";

Most Haunted Places...

Everyone seems to know of at least one haunted house; as kids there was almost certainly one in our own neighbourhood. This list contains the most famous and most haunted places in the world. If you have had any experiences of a similar nature, feel free to tell us about it in the comments. I should add, before starting, that I am a skeptic; I have written this list for entertainment value.
1. Borley Rectory, Essex, England [Wikipedia]
The haunting of the Borley Rectory during the 1920s and 1930s, is undoubtedly one of the most famous in Britain, as well as being one of the most controversial. The wealth of sightings and experiences by independent witnesses, suggests that although much of the phenomena can be explained in rational terms, a percentage remains which can still be seen as inexplicable at the present time.
2. The Whaley House, California [Wikipedia]
Author deTraci Regula relates her experiences with the house: “Over the years, while dining
across the street at the Old Town Mexican Cafe, I became accustomed to noticing that the shutters of the second-story windows [of the Whaley House] would sometimes open while we ate dinner, long after the house was closed for the day. On a recent visit, I could feel the energy in several spots in the house, particularly in the courtroom, where I also smelled the faint scent of a cigar, supposedly Whaley’s calling-card. In the hallway, I smelled perfume
, initially attributing that to the young woman acting as docent, but some later surreptitious sniffing in her direction as I talked to her about the house revealed her to be scent-free.”
3. Raynham Hall, Norfolk, England [Wikipedia]
aynham Hall is a country house in Norfolk, England. For 300 years it has been the seat of the Townshend family. The hall gave its name to the area, known as East Raynham, and is reported to be haunted, providing the scene for possibly the most famous ghost photo of all time, the famous Brown Lady descending the staircase. However, the ghost has not been reported since the photo was taken. Its most famous resident was Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend (1674-1738), leader in the House of Lords.
4. The Myrtles Plantation, Louisiana [Wikipedia]
The Myrtles Plantation was built in 1796 by General David Bradford and called Laurel Grove. Touted as “one of America’s most haunted homes”, the plantation is supposedly home of at least 12 ghosts.[9] It is often reported that 10 murders occurred in the house, but historical records only indicate the murder of William Winter. Possibly the most well known of the Myrtles supposed ghosts, Chloe (sometimes Cleo) was reportedly a slave owned by Clark and Sara Woodruff. According to one story, Clark Woodruff had pressured or forced Chloe into being his mistress. Chloe and Clark were caught by Sara Woodruff, and Chloe began to listen at keyholes, trying to learn what would happen to her.
5. Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia [Wikipedia]
Designed by John Haviland and opened in 1829, Eastern State is considered to be the world’s first true penitentiary. Its revolutionary system of incarceration, dubbed the Pennsylvania System, originated and encouraged solitary confinement as a form of rehabilitation. On June 1st, 2007 a television show called “Most Haunted” went live to the penitentiary. Part of the group went to Al Capones cell. Two people passed out while “investigating” the prison. One member of the team, Yvette, stated that “this is the most evil place I have ever been.” They claimed to have had contact with spirits but there was no hard evidence that their claims were legitimate.

6. The Tower of London , London [Wikipedia]
Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically simply as The Tower), is an historic monument in central London
, England on the north bank of the River Thames. Perhaps the most well-known ghostly resident of the Tower is the spirit of Ann Boleyn, one of the wives of Henry VIII, who was also beheaded in the Tower in 1536. Her ghost has been spotted on many occasions, sometimes carrying her head, on Tower Green and in the Tower Chapel Royal.