Futurecat - Michael Karek

Kicking off the new year with a bang, our Partners announced and showcased all kinds of awesome new products for Windows 7 at the 2010 International CES. I spent some time over the week compiling many of those announcements which include PCs, hardware and apps. This list is in no particular order. And just to warn, this is a pretty lengthy blog post!

HP: HP announced several new PCs this week at CES including the HP TouchSmart tm2, and additions to their Mini line. The HP Mini 5102 brings multitouch!

Dell : Dell has announced new Alienware PCs, Inspiron and Studio laptops and a new Studio XPS desktop PC and many of these PCs will be shipping with Intel’s i3, i5 and i7 processors (desktop and mobile versions) processors. For more on what Dell showed off at CES, read this post from Lionel over on Direct2Dell.

Lenovo: You can catch all of Lenovo’s new PCs on their CES 2010 page. I’m diggin’ their IdeaCentre A300 All-in-One desktop PC.

AMD: AMD has shipped 2 million of its DirectX 11 capable graphic processor. Holy cow that’s a lot of DirectX 11! They also introduced the ATI Mobility Radeon 5000 series graphics – bringing DirectX 11 capable graphics to laptop PCs. The 13” Lenovo ThinkPad Edge will be shipping and is the first laptops to ship with AMD’s Vision Pro Technology which includes the ATI Mobility Radeon 5000 series graphics.

Samsung: This press release talks about Samsung’s new PCs being shown off at CES.

Toshiba: Here’s what Toshiba announced at showcased at CES this year. Toshiba is shipping custom touch apps on PCs that support multitouch in Windows 7 – the Toshiba Bulletin Board and Toshiba ReelTime apps. They also announced the Satellite E205 series, the SatelliteT100 series, and the NB300 netbook series.

NVIDIA: At CES 2010, NVIDIA showed off their new “GF100” (Codename) graphics chip. The GF100 is based off NVIDIA’s Fermi architecture and supports DirectX 11. They also showed off their impressive 3D Vision technology including 3D Vision Surround which allows gamers to play games in 3D on up to 3 screens. 3D was huge for NVIDIA this year – they also showcased Blu-ray movies playing in 3D on PCs on top of gaming. ASUS also showed (introduced) the G51J 3D Gaming Notebook powered of course by NVIDIA’s 3D Vision! You can expect me to be blogging more about 3D Vision from NVIDIA in the coming months. For more on 3D Vision, check out this blog post from NVIDIA.

Sony: Sony announced an eco-friendly netbook PC – the VAIO W Series – that is 23% made out of recycled CDs. They also announced the VAIO Z and F series laptop PCs and the VAIO Y Series as well for high power at an affordable price.

Acer: A few new PCs were announced at CES this year from Acer. The Gateway EC14D is an 11.6” ultraportable ULV notebook with a DVD drive that will cost $629. And the Acer Aspire Gemstone series laptop PCs will be shipping with Intel Core i3 and Core i5 processors starting at $599. They also announced the Acer Aspire One 532h and Gateway LT netbooks. Acer also revealed the Aspire AS5740 and AS7740 series of laptops. These will ship with the new Intel Core i3 and Core i5 processors and select models will also come with AMD’s ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 or ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 graphics – supporting DirectX 11!

MSI: MSI this year at CES revealed several new Ultra-Thin PCs: the 13" X350 and X360, the 14" X420, and 15.6" X600Pro.

Silicondust: Silicondust has announced a new addition to their HDHomeRun product line – HDHomeRun CableCARD. HDHomeRun CableCARD is the first network attached TV tuner with CableCARD support for PCs running Windows 7 & Windows Media Center. I’ve heard a lot of great things about HDHomeRun so you can bet I’ll be checking this out!

Ceton: Speaking of TV tuners with CableCARD support, Ceton has announced it will release a quad- tuner CableCARD capable PC card. With this card, you’ll be able to record up to 4 HDTV shows at once in Windows Media Center!

While PCs and devices were front and center at CES, I thought I would take a look at some really cool software for Windows 7 that was highlighted at CES this year.

Ambient Design: You can use ArtRage 3 to use a real paintbrush or your fingers on a Windows 7 PC with multitouch capabilities through Windows Touch to create a painting just like you would on a real life canvas or you can recreate a photo by tracing it.

Nuance: OmniPage 17 is software that converts paper, PDF and pictures into files for editing in Office. If you are a student, you can use OmniPage 17 photos of blackboards or scans of notes into Word docs, or send them to a Kindle. Check out the OmniPage 17 page on Nuance’s website for more information.

Sabi Games: Based off an IP Ventures spinout from Microsoft, leveraging multi-year research, Sabi Games introduces multi-touch support for their award winning new game called ItzaBitza. ItzaBitza is a children’s game that takes their sketches and brings them to life using the game’s built in drawing recognition technology. Sketches become interactive and the game encourages reading. If you have a young kid, this game is worth checking out. Sabi Games will also be announcing upcoming multi-touch enhancements. They support single touch today.

Graphic.ly: a digital comic book plus a whole lot more. Read my Q&A with Graphic.ly CEO Micah Baldwin for the lowdown on Graphic.ly and why comic book fans should pay attention to this app! 

Blio (KNFB Reading Technology): The Blio eBook reader will provide full-color, interactive reading of tons of books. The Blio eReader software will include features such as annotation, embedded multimedia and web look-up, translation, a "read-aloud" option for hands-free reading, and a multi-device synching personal library.  For more on Blio, read this guest blog post on the Windows Partner Blog from Forrest Dobbs, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at KNFB.

Betty Crocker Kitchen Assistant: I’ve talked about this app before – Kitchen Assistant from Betty Crocker helps you find the right recipe for dinner through an interactive experience. This app is perfect for a Windows 7 PC serving as a Kitchen PC and is even more perfect if that PC supports touch. You can download the Betty Crocker Kitchen Assistant here. At CES, they announced the app will support multitouch (right now, it only supports single touch through 1 finger).

I also wanted to take a moment and remind everyone to check out the videos I posted late last week and over the weekend sent to me by Mark Relph. Mark stopped by several of our Partner’s booths on the CES showroom floor and talked to them about what they are doing, new products, and of course Windows 7.

#1: A Closer Look at the Microsoft Booth at CES 2010 and Partner Products Inside!

#2: AMD bringing DirectX 11 to Laptop PCs

#3: Canon Cameras & Printers with Compatible with Windows 7 Logo

#4: NVIDIA Showcases 3D Vision Technology on Windows 7

#5: Kodak talks using Windows 7 to offer ease of use for their customers

#6: D-Link shows their concept of “Link your Life” at CES 2010

As a comic book fan, I’m stoked about Graphic.ly (previously known as Take Comics). We mentioned Graphic.ly during Steve Ballmer’s keynote at CES this year. Graphic.ly is an app that will digitally bring comic books to your Windows PC. But Graphic.ly will also go beyond simply being a digital comic book reader. You’ll be able to interact with friends that are also comic book readers. They will also be providing an outlet for you to check out merchandise related to the comic books you’re reading – right from the app! You will be able to rate and leave comments on comic books you read. 

The above screenshot is from one of the latest beta releases. They are doing quite a bit of work right now on the app so some aspects are subject to change (see below on beta info and release timing).

I sent along some questions to Graphic.ly CEO Micah Baldwin about Graphic.ly and their plans.

Brandon LeBlanc: So Micah, tell us about Graphic.ly.

Micah Baldwin: Graphic.ly provides an immersive social experience and marketplace for digital comics and associated merchandise. We like to think of Graphic.ly as a place for all people that, like us, love the art and storytelling that lives within the pages of a comic book or graphic novel, and enjoy nothing more than sharing that enthusiasm with their friends. 

Brandon LeBlanc: What kinds of things does Graphic.ly take advantage of in Windows 7? Why do people wanting to use this app would also want to do it on Windows 7?

Micah Baldwin: The Windows version of our app is built with WPF, and takes advantage of all the touch features Window 7 has. Have a touchscreen with Windows 7? Then there are some great bells and whistles for you…

Brandon LeBlanc: Tell us about what kinds of comics we’ll find in your Comic Store.

Micah Baldwin: There is a wide selection of current comics and back issues, plus graphic novels and other great books. We are also working on bringing Marvel and DC comics to our service in the future as well – including the Windows application.

Brandon LeBlanc: You’ve worked closely with Microsoft in developing this app. You’re also a BizSpark company. Dave Drach, a Managing Director for the Emerging Business Team here at Microsoft, posted a blog post about working with you. Can you elaborate on that experience?

Micah Baldwin: It’s been a great experience. We are getting introductions and mentorship that would have been really difficult or take a long time to develop. It has truly accelerated our growth. 

Side note from Brandon: For more on BizSpark, click here.

Brandon LeBlanc: Graphic.ly’s entire backend service is hosted on Windows Azure correct?

Micah Baldwin: Yes.

Brandon LeBlanc: You guys launched the Private Beta for Graphic.ly this week at CES right? How can someone get on that Private Beta?

Micah Baldwin: They can sign up at http://graphic.ly or shoot me an email at micah AT graphicly dot com and I can probably work something out.

Brandon LeBlanc: When do you expect to have a more public release?

Michael Baldwin: Probably closer to the end of January, maybe middle of February. We are currently receiving a ton of beta tester feedback and it has really added to what we will deliver.

Brandon LeBlanc: Thanks Micah for taking the time to answer my questions!

Once Graphic.ly announces their public release, I’ll be sure to update everyone on where they can go and grab it. Stay tuned!

For more on Graphic.ly, visit their website.

And in our last video from Mark Relph from CES 2010 – he visits the D-Link booth. There, he talks with Dan Kelley about what D-Link is coming out with including network area storage devices, routers and wireless cameras.

Many of D-Link’s products use Windows Connect Now which allows their consumers to experience a fast and easy installation. Click here for more information on Windows Connect Now.

Kodak has done a lot of work taking advantage of new features of Windows 7 such as Devices and Printers and Device Stage, for ease of use for their consumers using Windows 7. Mark Relph talks with Kodak at CES 2010 about seeing value with the Windows 7 Logo Program and what they’ve done to take advantage of Windows 7 with their products.

They also showcase the Kodak ESP 7200 All-in-One Printer.

I am continuing the series of videos Mark Relph sent me last from the CES 2010 showroom floor. Mark stopped by the NVIDIA booth at CES 2010 and talked with NVIDIA’s Ujesh Desai about their 3D Vision Technology running on Windows 7. Check out the video:

NVIDIA also offered a sneak peek at their upcoming GeForce GF100 graphics card.

As CES winds down, interest in Windows Home Server remains strong. Despite this being one of the last days of the show, it was still extremely busy and tons of people were on the search for the Windows Home Server booth. Windows Home Server Marketing Manager Nicole Berett shared with us some of the great stories the team heard at the booth today. Nicole said they had many customers talk about how they were using Windows Home Server in their small office/home office (SOHO).  One story that stood out in particular was a couple who owned a small IT consulting business in Wenatchee, Wash. and used Windows Home Server to connect to all of their customers and data. They recommend to all of their customers that they should use Windows Home Server in their homes as their “safe” for their digital content. Nicole said: “One thing that I thought was impressive was that this business also used Windows Home Server to back up their Microsoft Windows Small Business Server, which they use to run their company.”

These kind of SOHO stories also reinforce what we heard in our 2009 user survey; we saw the number of home-based businesses using Windows Home Server nearly triple in the last year. This week’s announcement from LaCie with its network storage server for small business based on the Windows Home Server platform, as well as HP’s new StorageWorks X500 Data Vault, are the first specific Windows Home Server based offerings targeting SOHO. It’s exciting to see the home server category and Windows Home Server quickly propelling into the SOHO market. 

Canon was showing off their cameras and printers that have earned the Compatible with Windows 7 Logo at their CES booth. Mark stopped by to chat with Lisette Ranga and Nicole Centrone from Canon. They also discuss how their cameras and printers take advantage of Device Stage. Check out the video:

I recently had a chance to check out their PIXMA MP990 printer. What’s great about having printers such as the MP990 support Device Stage is that all that you need for all your printing and scanning needs are all on one screen. It’s a one-stop-shop for managing your printer.

The PIXMA MP990 also supports Jump Lists in Windows 7 too!

Special thanks to Canon for giving me the chance to check out the MP990.

Mark stopped by AMD’s booth to talk to Bob Sison about what AMD was showcasing this week at CES. AMD announced their Mobility Radeon Premium graphics in laptop PCs – supporting DirectX 11. Check out the video:

Did you know AMD has shipped 2 million of its DirectX 11 capable graphic processors?

For many of you who couldn’t make it CES 2010 this year (including myself) in Las Vegas, we thought we would try to bring a little CES to you here on the blog. Mark Relph, Senior Director on the Windows Ecosystem Team and fellow blogger here on The Windows Blog, sent along a few videos for me to post for you. Our booth had a great setup this year with a wide range of Partner products being showcased. In the first of several videos, Mark takes us through the Microsoft Booth and stops to talk about several products along the way…

Stay tuned – we’ve got video interviews from Mark with AMD, D-Link, Canon, NVIDIA and Kodak on the way!

For more about Mark, see his post talking about the Windows 7 Logo Program. He also posted before the holidays about looking for the logo when shopping for new devices and software for your Windows 7 PC.

And I also recommend watching this video from Larry Larsen on Channel 9 with Gary Schare. Gary works for the Windows Ecosystem Team as well and does a few demos of several Partner products at the Microsoft Booth.

This week at CES, Ray Kurzweil (CEO of KNFB Reading Technology) revealed Blio, a free eReader application that we believe will transform the digital reading marketplace through significant advances in display and interactivity. The rich-media design will deliver a vast range of eBook titles, across genres.

The Blio development team was able to take advantage of the .NET 3.5 Framework, WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation), XPS file format, Microsoft Speech API and UI Automation for accessibility, all of which have native support in Windows 7 and are core Windows technologies. In addition, Windows Touch in Windows 7 and support for small netbook form factor will be utilized by Blio to improve usability for Windows 7 users. These technologies have enabled our team to streamline the creation of the application and provide seamless integration into Windows 7 devices.

The free Blio eReader application provides a superior way to view and interact with electronic versions of books, newspapers and magazines. Blio preserves a book’s original layout and color images, enabling image-rich titles to be as vibrant on screen as they are in print, for the first time. Blio users can now enjoy a full-color display, embedded multimedia, and a 3D virtual book mode for an entertaining and intuitive reading experience.

We are excited about this close collaboration with Microsoft in redefining the digital book experience, and we appreciate the Microsoft team’s close cooperation in our development process and their ongoing support. The application will be released in February, and you can find out more on our website: www.blioreader.com.

Forrest Dobbs
Vice President, Sales and Marketing