There have been rumors flying in every direction for the new Xbox (720, Next, whatever you want to call it), but this one sounds almost legit. The new Xbox may come without a disc drive and rely solely on a network connection to play games. While this would be great for those with a high speed internet connection, but for those without (or those that have one Xbox in one room and another Xbox in a different room with no network), it’s a no-sale right off the bat. I really like online content, downloads, streaming and buying games online (Steam is not only a wallet killer during sales, but a great way to keep content).

But, going online ONLY for a console doesn’t sound quite as enticing. It’s just one more pain in the butt to get it going. For pre-ordering games and having them pre-download and then activate at midnight the day of release would be awesome, when I buy a six month old game and have to wait a day or two to actually play it is not.

“Xbox 360 has found new ways to extend its lifecycle like introducing the world to controller-free experiences with Kinect and re-inventing the console with a new dashboard and new entertainment content partnerships. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform and how to continue to defy the lifecycle convention. Beyond that we do not comment on rumors or speculation.”

David Murphy over at Maximum PC has a love / hate relationship with Microsoft’s still-in-beta operating system Windows 8. There is a lot to love about the new OS, but the things he hates are genuinely very good points. They really aren’t a deal stopper, but they are things that Microsoft should really look at before the final release of Windows 8. Unless things change for the better, I think I may end up buying a Windows 8 tablet and leave my desktop with Windows 7. I honestly tried to give MetroUI a chance on the desktop. It’s not bad, but it is lacking so much (not able to be customized much, too simple, I could go on for a while). Put it on a simple tablet, and you’re golden. For the most part.

My desktop is my productivity machine. That is the single most reason I won’t go with a Mac. I need to get work done – whether it’s gaming or writing an e-book or designing a new application. Windows 8 makes that more difficult, not easier on the desktop.

My tablet is my fun machine. Read books, play simple games, watch Netflix, read websites, nothing really needing much power or much of an OS. Just an application launcher, basically. 

Will Microsoft make some very much needed changes before it hits RTM? Will they take the massive consumer and IT professional advice (more like backlash!) and use that input to make MetroUI an optional desktop interface or better integrate it into Windows? I sure hope so, but I don’t want to take that bet. Way too risky.

This quote from the article puts it about right – I might not upgrade my desktop if it remains like the Consumer Preview.

Note, we said usually. For Windows 8’s errors are so flagrant and its annoyances so widespread, this might be the first operating system in your Windows lifetime that you’re going leave right there on the retail shelf. That’s right. We said it. Microsoft’s not only created a new operating system; the company has also created a healthy amount of doubt in the minds of potential purchasers.

As long as Microsoft and Intel hold steady on their pricing on their respective products, I’m thinking this guy is not that far off. The new iPad may end up beating Windows 8 tablets – and it may all come down to cost. The new iPad will start at $500, the last generation starting at $399-That’s not bad! Windows 8 tablets based on the x86 chipset will run around $600-$800 for an equivalent tablet. Those based on ARM architectures will be slightly less. I would rather have a Windows tablet as it is a lot less limited as far as applications and development goes (although, I’m sure that many desktop apps aren’t well suited for a tablet), but if the cost is $200 more than an iPad, I’m sure I could deal with owning an iPad. In fact, for the first time since the Apple 2 years, I’m actually contemplating buying an Apple product. For MYSELF! I’ve bought my wife an iPod Touch and an iPhone, and while I don’t care much for the iOS (not to be confused with Cisco IOS, which I love), I could really get used to it to save a couple C-notes.

The usual thing that gets people to stay with Windows isn’t that they don’t like Apple. It’s that they don’t like the higher price tag. Although you do get what you pay for with the usually superior quality hardware (there are exceptions, but I’m talking laptops and tablets now – minus the Thinkpad Tanks), most people want something affordable that they can use for daily activities. If Windows tablets were to cost equal or more than the Apple iPad, there will be a lot more Apple converts. And, I’m sad to say I might be one of them. We’ll see.

The company said it will continue to sell the iPad 2 but dropped its price by $100. The older tablet now starts at $399 while the new third-generation wi-fi only iPad starts at $499.

…Following the cut in the price of iPad 2, Apple is now well positioned to counter competition from products at the lower end of the market like Amazon.com Inc’s Kindle Fire given the device’s superior hardware features, say analysts.

This is just a small, simple and sweet review of the freeware Start button replacement for Windows 8 from Stardock called Start8.

Installation was very easy, the standard Next, Accept, Next, Next, Finish. After that, you get the Start button on your desktop:

The Start8 program replaces the MetroUI Start screen with a very Metro-like Start button. The Metro way of organizing the various programs is still present in the Start8 interface, which is one of my gripes with the new MetroUI in the first place. It just moved the problem to a Start button lookalike.

When you click the lower left corner, instead of going to the Start screen, you go to the Start8 interface. So, it attempts to replace the Start screen with the new Start8. But, I was able to hit the Windows key and go back to the Start screen. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to do it since that first time. Now, the Windows key also goes to the Start8 interface.

For me, I prefer the “old” MetroUI over the Start8 interface. It’s not bad, and if you really need to have a Start button, go with Start8, but just know that it really isn’t a replacement for the Metro UI, it just moves it to a smaller area on the desktop “Explorer” interface (which is now just an app). I’m uninstalling and staying with the standard Metro UI Start screen, rather than the hackjob of Start8.

If you installed it and liked it, please leave a comment. I’m not a fan of it at all, it seems like a very rushed job to be the “first” for a replacement start button (there are others, but they weren’t made for Windows 8).

Paul Thurrott’s rant has some merit. There has been a lot of whining and moaning going on in the various forums. My thoughts are this:

It’s a beta. Some things won’t work. It’s a new OS – it’s DIFFERENT. If you want it to look and behave like Windows 7 – stay with Windows 7. There is a lot of changes, and it takes some getting used to. But, once you get used to them (I’m sure not… yet), it will become much more efficient and easier to use. Maybe they made too many drastic changes in such a short time, I don’t know. But, as more people use it for longer periods, I expect a lot of the bitching to go down.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s 100% a better OS than Windows 7. Some of Paul’s complaints are off base for some users. Media Center may only be used by 1% of people. But, those 1% really like it. It’s a very well designed piece of software. Those 1% may just end up throwing Linux on a new box and run XBMC as a replacement (which is also a great piece of software that runs on Linux or Windows). Since Windows isn’t required, you can save a hundred bucks by going with Linux for a dedicated HTPC (which is probably less than 1/10th of that 1%). But, then you’re working on getting a new Linux convert for their other PC’s. It may not be a large demographic, but small changes in MC would satisfy those few and keep them loyal.

I also use the shutdown button on Windows every weekend. There are a lot of times when Windows Updates requires a restart. Why not just shutdown on the weekend, restart on Monday morning (work PC, of course – home PC can be once or twice a week) – that would save you time instead of interrupting you in the middle of the day while you’re working on something important. This may not be 1989, but Microsoft still hasn’t honed the process of updates to not require a restart to replace essential Windows files.

But, all in all I agree with the guy. It’s not Windows 7. Get used to it. If you want Windows 7, stay with Windows 7. You may not need to switch to a new OS. People are complaining that they will move to a Mac. Fine, it’s a whole new OS with a different UI, too. It will take a lot of time and effort to learn it. And, your old Windows programs won’t work with it, either. Also, Windows 8 is designed around MetroUI. Aero will not be updated. Again, if you want a full Aero and no Metro, stick with Windows 7.

I do miss the Start menu, though. I can honestly say that I miss it because after 17 years, it’s familiar. That’s it. I don’t miss it because it’s the only way and it’s easier. That’s how I’ve launched my programs, found the Control Panel, etc.. It’s been replaced, and after a couple months, I’ll wonder how I was ever able to use that stupid Start button. Times change. Maybe the removal of the Start button is long overdue. Maybe it was Microsoft’s greatest invention and was a very easy way to access programs and the MetroUI is a step backwards. I don’t know yet. Because we were so familiar with the Start button, Explorer desktop and other Windows 95 era components, it will be difficult to let it go and learn a new interface. It may be a lot easier to use, faster and more efficient. It has to be learned and given time.

I’ve been using the Windows 8 Consumer Preview for over a week now, and have been listening to the bitching and moaning on Twitter and via email since, oh, about 6:45 am PT last Wednesday. (You know, roughly speaking.) And as I write up front in my Windows books, maybe it’s time I establish my expectations. For you.

Yes, I’m going on a rant here. And, yes, this time it’s personal.

I’m sort of amazed I need to communicate this. After all, you’re a power user, right? But I am distressed at the absolute lack of sophistication I see here. And it needs to stop.

SlashGear asks the question “Will Microsoft ever be cool like Apple?”. Hipsters have bought into the marketing of the “underdog” Apple, and have dubbed them as cool. However, how many hipsters do you see at a Microsoft event? Very little, if any. I think if a beret wearing, neck beard and thick rimmed glasses drinking a Starbucks espresso were attending a Microsoft event, he’d hear “Are you in the right place? Apple is down in Cupertino”.

I don’t really think Microsoft will ever be cool like Apple. They have a huge demographic, many of which are IT professionals, business managers, programmers, etc.. They really don’t care about the image of the software, and if they think it’s cool. They want it to work and get the job done. Microsoft’s focus is just that: keeping your business running.

Whenever Apple holds a special event, like the one on March 7 to introduce the iPad 3, the company makes it an experience. Music is blaring before the show starts, and when it kicks off, the company gets down to business. Within minutes, there’s something that will make a headline.

Microsoft’s events, though, take an inordinate amount of time to get going. The company’s executives usually recap things that we don’t really care about and only get to the good stuff after about an hour. By then, our attention is elsewhere and we’re wondering why we’ve dedicated that much time to something that, well, bores us.

There has been a lot of controversy on the removal of the iconic Start Menu as part of Windows 8. I don’t care for the change, either. Yes, a Start button on a touchscreen isn’t very intuitive, and that was my major gripe on Windows Mobile (a desktop OS on a mobile device?!).

Stardock has announced a new program called Start8, which brings back a Start menu to Windows 8. I sure called that one. I had said that a third party, either Stardock or someone else, will create a new application to bring it back. And I knew it would be Stardock, as this is their specialty! Should be released later this week!

For those running the new Windows 8 Consumer Preview on a machine with a AMD/ATI video card, AMD has released an updated Catalyst driver for their line of video cards.

Full WDDM 1.2

• Highlights include:
  • Native Stereo 3D support:  Windows 8 will natively support Stereo 3D for full-screen and windowed gaming, and video applications
  • Unified Video API – Video playback is now integrated within the DirectX® 11 API;  enabling simultaneous high quality Video and 3D content, and the potential for enhanced video transcoding performance
  • Optimized screen rotation
  • improved sleep / resume performance
  • Optimized Power Consumption
• AMD Eyefinity
• OpenC™
• OpenGL®
• UVD
• AMD Dual Graphics / AMD CrossFire™ Technology
• AMD Overdrive™
• AMD Catalyst Control Center / Vision Engine Control Center

Please note: A future AMD Catalyst Windows 8 driver release will add support for the AMD Radeon™ HD 7900 Series, and AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series in the coming weeks.

Wow. The official Windows 8 twitter page has claimed that Windows 8 Consumer Preview has passed the one million download mark in it’s first day. That is very impressive for a beta. Hopefully, users will like and get used to the new interface before the final release and sales will look equally impressive.

Judging by the amount of negative comments towards the new Metro interface in the various forums, including Microsoft’s own Answers forum, they may end up adding a way to default to a Windows 7 like interface for those without touchscreens and don’t like the live tiles and other enhancements that the Metro UI brings. I really like the new interface, but I’ve been using it on Windows Phone for about 6 months. The mouse and keyboard combination isn’t too dismal, but it definitely takes a lot of getting used to. I would say that if I didn’t use the Windows Phone first, I’d be talking a different story. Metro UI isn’t bad, it’s just way too different than what we are all used to. Some people like change, others don’t, but such a drastic change to make Windows a true touchscreen operating system is a lot to take in. I’m still not entirely sold on the whole Metro UI on the desktop yet. I love what it brings, but I don’t like it as a complete desktop replacement.

Like it or hate it, it’s Windows 8. It’s coming. I’m not going to go out and switch to a Mac (a lot of people are screaming that in the forums based on the Windows 8 beta – still unreleased operating system), or Linux just because I don’t like the interface. I’m going to learn it, get used to it, and see if it will fit my needs. If not, I’m sure someone will come out with a program to regain a real desktop (Stardock, or similar company). That is one thing I love about Linux: the variety of desktop environments. From KDE to Gnome to Fluxbox, they all give you the basics and improve on that. They don’t take everything away and add what they want. They even have some that work with very minimal PC configurations to reduce CPU/Video usage.

It’s happened in the past, with a gamer with the last name of Gaywood, but now another man with an slang word for a last name is getting the boot. At least, he has to change his gamer tag. This is going a little too far to appease the Xbox Live moderators. Censoring someones given last name as a Gamertag because someone else finds his name “offensive”. Seriously, how many people have played on Xbox Live and heard a lot worse?

His name? Christopher Gooche. I wonder if George W. Bush plays on the Xbox Live network? Bush is sure a bad slang word. Dick Butkus probably plays a game or two of Madden every once in a while. I’m hoping Christopher can keep his given name as his GamerTag, and that Microsoft’s censors can tone it down a notch or two and maybe do a little research instead of just pointing a mighty finger and saying “NO! YOU MUST CHANGE!”. I’m thinking if they checked out his information and saw that it was his real name, they’d let it slide. At least, I would hope so.

“I mean its not the end of the world, but for the last decade its been my name… my online persona… even on [PlayStation Network],” Gooche said in an e-mail to Kotaku. “How do you change that in five minutes?”