Futurecat - Michael Karek

3D entertainment is gaining quite a bit of momentum especially with awesome 3D movies like Alice in Wonderland and of course James Cameron’s Avatar. We’re seeing a sort of “3D revolution”, as NVIDIA calls it, where 3D is being introduced in all kinds of types of visual entertainment ranging from of course movies and PC games to photos and even live 3D broadcasts. At Computex 2010 this week, NVIDIA is partnering with us (Microsoft), Alienware, Asus, Dell, Toshiba and others to introduce a new category of PC: the 3D PC.

With a 3D PC, the consumer can easily bring the amazing 3D experiences into their home. For example, they can play 3D PC games. NVIDIA has invested a lot of time working closely with game developers so that more than 425 PC games work great with NVIDIA’s 3D Vision technology. Sony and Fujifilm will be bringing 3D digital cameras to market where consumers can take 3D photos and view them in 3D on their 3D PC. A 3D PC can view the Web in 3D including live streaming of 3D video. And you can watch Blu-ray 3D movies thanks to folks like Cyberlink who will be releasing a version of their software player that will support playback of Blu-ray movies in 3D.

UPDATE 5/31: Microsoft and NVIDIA are showing off streaming 3D content this week at Computex using the latest 3D Vision Silverlight-based video player and IIS Smooth Streaming to a PC running NVIDIA’s 3D Vision technology.

So what makes a 3D PC? A 3D PC must have, by definition, the following minimum requirements:

• A pair of 3D active-shutter glasses.
• A 120Hz 3D-capable display which can be a desktop LCD monitor, a 3D projector, a 3D TV, or a laptop with an integrated 3D-capable LCD.
• A discrete GPU such as the latest GeForce GPU’s from NVIDIA that are designed to deliver HD content to a 3D display.

The idea behind having a 3D PC category is to make it easier for consumers who are looking at purchasing a new PC to get a PC that is capable of delivering the 3D experience for the right budget. For example, several OEMs will be featuring a “3D PC” category on their websites. For folks wanting to upgrade an existing PC to get the 3D experience – retailers will be featuring 3D PC branded components to easily identify what they need to do their upgrade.

It’s really exciting to see this new category and the 3D space grow. Both my colleague Ben Rudolph and I will be talking more about 3D PCs in the coming months here on the Windows Experience Blog.

For more information, give this blog post a read from the NVIDIA Blog. UPDATE 5/31: You can read more information here from NVIDIA’s Press Release.

NVIDIA today is also announcing the newest addition to their GeForce consumer GPUs based on their Fermi architecture: the GeForce GTX 465. Previously, the GeForce GTX 480 and 470 GPUs were announced in March. The GTX 465 will hit with the target price of $279, like all GTX 400 series GPU will support DirectX 11, and also support NVIDA’s 3D Vision technology. For more information on the GTX 465, click here to read their blog post. UPDATE 5/31: More information included in NVIDIA’s Press Release for the GeForce GTX 465.

Gamers on the go have always had to trade portability for power, and vice versa. If you  wanted a killer system, you had to be ok with lugging around a “lapmonster”, and if you wanted small and light, you had to cosign yourself to a less-than-ideal set of specs.

The guys and girls at Alienware were tired of that trade-off too, and solved the problem with the Alienware M11X Gaming Laptop. This is 11” of pure power – one of the most impressive gaming rigs I’ve used, packed into a little, tiny, netbook-sized package. And it’s LIGHT! My machine weighs in at just about 4.5lbs, which is plenty light to toss into a messenger bag and tote around all day.

Chassis design is very Alienware – black polycarbonate, sharp edges, etc. – but what really stands out are the specs. Inside my unit is a ULV Pentium U4100 (there is a Core2Duo model available), 8GB of DDR3 RAM, 256GB SSD, backlit keyboard and webcam. Graphics are switchable; run the integrated Intel graphics when you’re browsing the web and doing basic productivity work to save juice, and hit the Binary GFX button to kick on the discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M card for ultimate fragging power. The GeForce GT 335M is a mid-range notebook graphics card, but still packs good power, clocking in a 6.5 WEI score for both desktop and 3D graphics. The card supports CUDA, too, so it’s available to handle processor cycles in certain scenarios like video encoding. This is handy since the Intel Pentium U4100 isn’t all that powerful and can choke a bit on processor-intensive actions. Switching is fast and near-seamless, and I found myself switching modes pretty regularly.

Battery life is surprisingly good. I got about 4 hours of normal use out of the M11X (using largely the integrated graphics mode). While gaming I stayed plugged in but logically assume that battery life will tank when cranking hard on a 3D game.

Admittedly I’m not a huge gamer (having an 18-month old at home severely impacts one’s ability to retreat to my home office for an hours long HALO-bender), but I did take one for the team and spend a few of my working hours playing favorites like Street Fighter IV and Batman Arkham Asylum, and both performed beautifully. Running full-screen at full-frame rate, Batman ran nearly lag-free with only the occasional very short stutter. Sound is immersive and fills the room, and helped me easily blow an entire afternoon on the game.

One of my favorite things about this PC (beyond the sheer power of the hardware) is the Alienware Command Center, a pre-loaded app that lets you completely customize the look and feel of your PC. That includes dropping on the “Alien Guise” custom theme, and changing the led backlighting on the Alienware logo, keyboard and case accents to almost any color you want. It’s a nice way to make the PC as unique as its owner, and it’s a great compliment to the Aliensense facial recognition software, which makes login as easy as smiling at the built-in webcam. Check the video to see it in action:

While my loaded M11x costs about $1800 (nearly $600 of which was due to the fact that I splurged on a giant 256GB SSD!), you can get one starting at $799. That’s a very reasonable price point for hardware of Alienware’s quality.

If you’re a gamer and are looking to keep playing even when you’re away from your main rig, definitely look into the M11x.

Questions/comments/concerns? Leave a comment or hit me on Twitter @BenThePCGuy.

The Bus Tour gets to our nations capitol in Washington DC for two days of presentations on Windows 7, Office 2010 and MDOP. The crowd was great and the city is amazing. Check it out! For more on the Get On The Bus tour or to sign up for sessions in one of our remaining cities, check out the site here.

Tony Bradley from PCWorld published an article yesterday highlighting a recent report from Gartner predicting a 22% growth of global PC sales for 2010. This “rebound”, as Tony calls it, is reflective of the general economic recovery but also reflective of the success of Windows 7. Tony’s article gives some excellent insight into the predictions and statements from Gartner’s report about what to expect for the PC market in 2010. In a statement, Gartner predicts the aging life of PCs with the adoption of Windows 7, will generate robust demand in the professional market for PC sales.

Yesterday, Microsoft’s Get On The Bus tour came to Philadelphia, PA. We got to see the sites, try some Cheesesteak sandwiches and meet with some amazing IT pros, We even got to meet the Mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter.

It was a great stop with many more to come. If you in DC, Charlotte, Richmond, Raleigh or Atlanta, don’t miss this great opportunity to learn more about Windows 7, Office 2010, Med-V, App-V, Certification and MDOP and sign up for one of our Get On The Bus events today. Next stop, Washington DC.

I hope you’re all enjoying the recent upgrade to The Windows Blog – I personally really like the new look and feel.  I wanted to let you know about just one more change as we continue streamlining the way we are delivering content to you.  Because the topics that we have been sharing with you as part of the Genuine Windows Blog (such as activation, validation, and licensing) are just part of the way that Windows works, we think it makes sense to just share these with you through other Windows blogs that you’re likely already visiting. 

Not to worry, all our previous posts will stay put on the blog archive and will be searchable on this site.  However, this means that those of you with bookmarks or RSS feed subscriptions to the Genuine Windows Blog will need to make an update to continue seeing the latest news:

• For the latest Windows news and announcements, check out Blogging Windows (RSS feed here).
• You can find future blog posts about how to buy genuine Windows or offers and downloads available only to genuine Windows users on the Windows Experience Blog (RSS feed here). 
• IT professionals will be able to find news about volume activation, deployment, webcasts, etc. on The Springboard Series Blog (RSS feed here). 
• Of course, if you want to know about everything happening in Windows and being blogged about here on The Windows Blog, you can subscribe to The Windows Blog’s main RSS feed here.

You’ll continue to hear from me on the Windows Blog – so, until next time!

- Jodi

Our third stop on the Get On The Bus Tour was New York City. With over 450 people registered, it was largest attended event to date. Check out what the people had to say about the tour, Windows 7, IT pro Certification,  Office 2010, Virtualization and get a sneak peek inside the Get On The Bus tour bus.

Are you deploying Microsoft Office 2010 and Windows 7?  Come learn from the experts in Engineering and Support how the new release of the Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) helps manage product activation for Windows client and server operating systems and Office 2010 applications. This free download is an important tool that helps customers automate and centrally manage a range of activation activities. Have you ever wanted to remotely set up your Key Management Service (KMS) host and then KMS activate the Office 2010 applications you just deployed across your organization, all from a central console? Or do you want to use Multiple Activation Key (MAK) to centrally activate machines in your test lab and locally reactivate them without using up any more activations? Attend our webcast to find out how, plus much more.

Register now for this June 16 webcast, from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific Time.

Hello Everyone –

It is my pleasure to announce that the Windows Summit 2010 kicks off today.

Those of you who have heard about Windows Summit 2010 know that it is a virtual comprised of three tracks – Device, System and Software. The event designed for hardware and software designers, developers, engineers and testers who want to build great products on Windows. Members of the Windows team have been working hard for weeks to prepare and record a full agenda of great sessions. The event opens today with comments by Michael Angiulo – General Manager, Windows Planning & Ecosystem.

After Mike, 10 sessions from the Device Track will go live. The Windows Summit 2010 doesn’t stop there – the Systems track launches on June 2 with a kickoff by Brad Brooks and Dean Hachamovitch is kicking off the Software track on June 16.

I’m excited to let you know that I’ll be kicking off the Device Track this morning. I am a real gadget geek and I love to take advantage of Windows 7 features like Device Stage and Play To. The Device Track is going to walk you through those technologies (and more!) and learn how to differentiate your products with Windows 7.

Here are some of the sessions that I am most excited about from each track (but be sure to check out the website for a full list!)

Devices Track: May 25

• Windows 7 Device Experience Overview
• The Windows Logo Kit: What’s New in WLK 1.5
• Windows 7 Device Content and Web Resources
• Developing Your Device Experience Strategy

Systems Track: June 2

• Windows 7 Imaging and Deployment Tools Overview
• Understanding the Windows Logo Program for Systems
• Building Troubleshooters
• Using the Mobile Broadband Platform in Windows 7

Software Track: June 16

• Developing Multi-Touch Applications for Natural Experiences
• Unleashing the Latest Innovations in Modern Graphics Hardware with Windows 7
• Windows 7 Scenic Ribbon: The Next Generation User Experience for Presenting Commands in Windows Applications
• Extending Battery Life by Creating Energy-Efficient Applications

It should be a great event and we hope you can join us for it! The content will be available for download, so you can consume it at your own pace. Go to the Windows Summit 2010 website to register and hear Mike Angiulo open the event at 9am PST today.

The Get On The Bus Tour visited Boston, MA yesterday. Here’s a peek at what you missed.

To join us in New York, Philly, DC or any of our other stops, make sure to visit the Get On The Bus site and find out how you can attend one of our Windows7/Office 2010 seminars for free.