DSTL1 Android Smartphone Is Battlestar Galactica's iPhone

This is the Android-based, 3-inch Sharp touchscreen, General Mobile DSTL1. And it is everything the T-Mobile isn't: A stunning design and features combination that may convince regular consumers to choose the Android platform over iPhone.

Seriously, while the T-Mobile G1 leaves me completely in a blah state of mind, DSTL1 actually makes me horny in a "I wish this thing vibrates really hard" kind of way.

Look at it. It's like the Battlestar Galactica designers took the iPhone design and passed it through their Colony-Design-a-thon, adding angled corners to it but keeping the same black glass, chrome accents, black plastic, circular home button, ear speaker grill, and volume controls. The result is a design which looks extremely familiar to the public, yet adds enough changes to appeal to people who want something cool looking, but different. And with better specs too:

Technology
Double SIM, Linux 2.6 Kernel
Platform
Marvell PXA 310 (624MHz)+NXP 5209
Bands
900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
Screen
TFT/ WQVGA/ 260K Colors/ 3.0" Sharp Brand Touchscreen Display/ 240 x 400 pixels
Wi-fi
802.11 b/g
GPRS
Yes
EDGE
Yes
WAP
Yes, HTTP/WAP2.0 support
MMS
Yes
E-mail
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes / BT 2.0 + EDR, SPP, A2DP, AVRCP, OPP, HFP
FM Radio
Yes
TV
Java
Yes ( MIDP 2.0, CLDC 1.1 )
MP3/MPEG4
Yes/Yes
Face to Face videoconferencing
Yes

Weight
135gr
Dimensions
112 x 54 x 16 mm
Memory
4GB internal memory, 256MB flash + 128MB SDRAM ,"Up to 8GB T-flash Card Support"
Camera
5MP Auto Focus with Flash Sharp Brand Camera
Voice Recorder
Yes

Talk Time
240 minutes
Standby Time
150 hours
Battery
1200 mAh
Accessories
Extra Battery, USB Cable, Earphone, AC Charge Adaptor

Others
Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF document view MP3/ WAV/ MIDI/ AMR support 3GP, MPEG4, AVI (DIVX),QVGA recording 30fps, decoding 30 fps JPG/GIF/BMP/PNG Business card reader support Anti theft support Video chat support Impressive. Apparently the DSTL1 it will be at Barcelona's 3GSM in February and I will be there to see if all these features are the real thing and how much this beast will cost. But on paper and renderings, it may be the first phone that would make me drop my iPhone. The only "but" for me: It's 0.63 inches thick (16mm). Too much of a brick after being used to the ultra-thin iPhone.

Is The Xbox 360 in Real Trouble?

While Sony’s revenues increased this year, Microsoft’s share ended up decreasing in value likely due to decreased Xbox 360 hardware prices. This comes on the heels of Microsoft boasting and toasting themselves all over the gaming industry for their successful increase in unit sales of the 360 due to the price drop of the Arcade edition for $199.

While the 360 did gain ground on its rival Sony’s PS3. This is all attributed to the price drop. On the surface it seems like a good move, but underneath lies the truth that the current trend for Microsoft’s unit sales is; units sales up, profits down. Leaving it  up to software sales for continued economic prosperity. This is one area where Microsoft is no slouch. Gears of War 2 will easily go on to sell 5 million copies. Two new Halo games and continues high sales of third party titles almost assure success in 2009. The real question for Microsoft this year is not 09 itself, but rather can they sustain beyond.  

Competition has gotten very steep this year as Sony ups the ante with Killzone 2. From all impressions and reviews given so far, it seems as though Sony finally has an absolute powerhouse of a game on its hand. "Halo Killer" is a common statement heard in reviews and impressions. Also Sony has probably the biggest game of the year sitting in the training room brewing to what should be perfection. That’s right, God of War 3.

This year is beginning to shape up to be a very heavy hitting year in the HD console war. The stakes are higher than ever. Microsoft’s must hold of the huge onslaught of PS3 exclusive titles with its own triple A titles all while getting the next few years ready at the same time. It should be one hell of a ride.

WD finally launches 2TB drive

WD's much talked about 2TB hard drive has gone on sale in Australia, and we're expecting it to pop up in Europe and the States within days, if not hours. We were expecting it last week, but it seems WD wasn't in much of a hurry to launch it.

The cheapest listings currently stand at just under AU$400, while the WD's 1TB drive sells for under AU$180. Australians have the misfortune of paying more for their hardware than the rest of the world, and we expect prices in Europe to be slightly lower, although WD's official MSRP is €299. The company will also release a 1.5TB version of the drive, and one of the first uses of the new drives will be in WD's My Book series of external hard drives.

Seagate has recently announced its 12th generation Barracuda series, also featuring 500GB platters, so it might launch its own 2TB drive soon, this time around hopefully without messed up firmware.

Apple gets multitouch patent

Everything you touch belongs to Apple 

The glorious Apple religion has scored a key patent which now means that anyone who comes up with touch screen technology might have to pay Jobs' Mob shedloads of cash.

World of Apple spotted the patent, which was awarded to Steve Jobs, iPhone software chief Scott Forstall, and Wayne Westerman, one of the founders of a company called Fingerworks that Apple acquired in 2005.

The patent is extremely long, and covers many of the methods used by the iPhone to display data, such as pinch-to-zoom Web browsing and swipe-to-scroll. Yesterday COO Tim Cook's warned Palm that it would be getting nasty if iPhone competitors nicked its IP it would use whatever weapons that we have at our disposal.

Palm said that if Apple wanted to sue them they should “bring it on”.

Will the Google GDrive kill off the PC?

Cloud computing means stormy weather for Microsoft

That large beige box under your desk could be consigned to history if, as predicted, the Google GDrive hits the market.

It's said to be the next step in the company's 'cloud computing' strategy, with direct access to all of Google's office-based software, not to mention Gmail, Picasa photo storage, Google Maps, media files and of course, good old web searching. Ok, you'll still need a monitor, keyboard and other desktop accessories, but if this thing comes cheap, it'll fly out - and rip a large hole out of Microsoft's projected profits. After all, with no desktops, where does Microsoft stick its software?

Are there any downsides? Well, of course there are. You will have to trust all your personal data and files with a third party. If you've nothing to hide (or need to conceal), that's fair enough. But if the thought of a third party accessing your life gets you in a sweat, maybe the GDrive isn't for you.

And of course, we don't just use desktops for web browsing - if you use it for gaming or graphics, the Google box is unlikely to tick the boxes. Not much use if you rely on a laptop either.

But the pros certainly outweigh the cons. Google is refusing to confirm that the GDrive is imminent, but we suspect it is. Watch this space.

PSP to Come in New, Festive "Carnival Colors"

OK, when we werebrainstorming new functionality for the PSP, who out there requested four new "carnival colors" instead of a second analog stick?

Beginning March 5th, Japan will have access to the PSP in Radiant Red, Vibrant Blue, Bright Yellow and Spirited Green. They'll come alone for about 19800 yen (the normal PSP price) or with a matching case/wrist strap and 4GB Memory Stick for 24800 yen (that's about $280 when converted).

I don't know about you, but these new PSP colors make me crave elephants, clowns and bearded women...and definitely not in that order, if you know what I'm saying. 

3D Porn is Coming: Three Guesses as to What Will be Sticking Straight Off the Screen

Nobody asked for it, but it's coming anyways: 3D porn. Yes, Hong Kong filmmakers are hard at work on the first 3D adult film, shooting with a budget of $4 million.

The movie, which will be in Chinese, is called "3D Sex and Zen" and begins shooting in April.

Just imagine that you'll be watching it as if you were sitting beside the bed. There will be many close-ups. It will look as if the actresses are only a few centimetres from the audience.

And if lots of close-ups didn't sell you, get this: only 25% to 30% of the movie will be sex scenes. This sounds like a terrible porn. But hey, 3D guys! You'll get to watch it with headache-inducing glasses! The future!

GT300 is Nvidia's DirectX 11

Nvidia is working on what looks to be its first DirectX 11 card and as it was the case before, Nvidia will start with DirectX 11 in the  ultra high-end and it will pass it on to slower cards at a later date. The codename that we've heard is a quite logical one, GT300, and this card will help Nvidia to fight and eventually take the performance crown in ultra high-end market.

We do know that ATI should have its high end DirectX 11 at a similar date, and in the meantime both companies will focus more on cheaper cards in 2009, as the year of the Ox will probably be a good year for selling cheaper and more affordable stuff. All of the cards to launch in next three quarters in mainstream and entry-level will stick with DirectX 10 or 10.1, depending who are you talking about.

Many of you know that high-end helps selling entry level and mainstream, and it is rather important who wins this round, but it is still way too early to tell.

All electric car Aptera 2e in production

 California will soon be home to a production version of the Aptera 2e (see TG Daily'sprevious coverage with pictures). The futuristic, all-electric, highly aerodynamic car will go on sale only in California for starting at $25,000, will have a range about 100 miles on electric alone (down from previous 125 mile estimate). Like Chevy's Volt, a 2010 model (revised from previous 2009 estimate) small gasoline engine will be available to recharge the batteries, extending that range.



The Aptera 2e will be the official name of what was previously known during development as Aptera Typ-1. Aptera 2e is a three-wheeled, highly aerodynamic two-seater design. The doors open up and the roof includes a solar panel for powering the ventilation system. Some of the specs have changed from this original Typ-1 design (see original specs as published in December, 2007).




Note: See link above for additional images.

It has a 0-60 mph time of just under 10 seconds, a top speed of 90 mph and its energy consumption rate is equivalent to more than 200 mpg (compared to previous nearly 300 mpg estimate) using the standard EPA driving cycle. The company has received 4,000 $500 non-refundable deposit orders so far (up from 400 in December, 2007).

Nintendo DSi coming to U.S. in April

IGN has started a rumor that the successor to Nintendo's DS Lite, The DSi, will hit U.S. store shelves in April for $179.99. The devices have already sold more than one million units in Japan for the equivalent of $211.


There are not many changes to the new DSi appearance-wise. However, it does have two built-in 3 megapixel cameras, an SD Card slot that allows for AAC audio content playback, a slightly larger screen, 256MB of internal memory, and downloadable DSi games via the DSi Shop. The one drawback is a lowered battery life.

The new DSi is not compatible with GBA games, Guitar Hero: On Tour, or theNintendo DS rumble pack - because the front slot is not on the new device.

Nintendo of America said last October that it did not feel necessary to release the DSi in 2008 for the holiday season as its predecessor's sales were continuing at "phenomenal rates."

Up next for OS X: An Apple-branded gaming console?

Among all the things that Apple trademarked you wouldn't have thought that the company would had applied for the "OS X" trademark as well. Note: "OS X", without the "Mac" prefix. If it were the "Mac OS X" trademark, it would hardly file as news: It is a norm for companies to protect their respective trade names. What Apple's OS X  filing reveals though, is an intention to distance the operating system from the Mac realm, indicating Apple's desire to use OS X on a much broader array of gadgets in the future. Some Apple watchers are convinced we will see more OS X software platforms beyond current desktop and mobile OS X. Like a game console, for instance.

Apple originally filed for the "OS X" trademark in Tobago and Trinidad in the weeks following WWDC 2008. In addition, another trademark was filed in Asian trademark office in November 2007. The timing of the original Tobago and Trinidad filings isn't coincidental: It was at the WWDC 2008 where Apple first shed light on new plans about its operating system that used to power only Macs. WWDC show banners in the run-up to the event read "OS X Leopard" and "OS X iPhone", while Apple promoted both OS X flavors under the "world's most advanced operating system" and "world's most advanced mobile platform" taglines, respectively.

True, the new naming could have been purely a marketing or re-branding thing. Such explanations would fall in line with the company's broader re-branding effort that dates back to the January 2007 iPhone introduction when Steve Jobs announced Apple would drop "computer" from its name and would be known from there on as just "Apple, Inc." - indicating that the company wants to become a consumer electronics giant instead of a niche computer player.

But common sense logic suggests that removal of "Mac" prefix from the "OS X" trademark goes deeper than just re-branding. After all, Apple watchers have been saying for some time that the company will keep spawning OS X-based software platforms in the future, and beyond desktop and mobile OS X versions. OS X currently runs inside Apple's Mac desktops and notebooks, in addition to the Apple TV set-top box and the iPhone/iPod touch that both run a modified version of the operating system.

The three OS X flavors share the same essential components, but two of them - OS X Leopard and OS X iPhone - have now become distinct software platforms. Guessing what the third OS X-based software platform might be is another thing. Your guess is as good as ours and we can only speculate at this point, but we can safely assume that OS X will in fact power Apple's future gadgets as well.

Originally based on Mach microkernel (which was derived from the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD)), combined with parts of FreeBSD and NetBSD Unix implementations, OS X sports an efficient code base with a small memory footprint, making it easily deployable into many form factors - from cellphones to full-blown desktop systems. On top of that, OS X brings a set of libraries and high-level frameworks that take care of networking, audio, video, graphics, power management, input and output, security, communication, multi-core processing, and everything else. In short, OS X wraps everything neatly into a single package that's ripe for use.

We could speculate that Apple might deploy OS X next in a $600 Mac netbook, a Mac tablet or a home entertainment center. It is also entirely possible that none of these products are in the works at all. But if some of these are actually in Apple's queue, they will be most likely based around the existing, perhaps slightly tweaked, desktop or mobile OS X versions.

For example, there is no reason for Apple not to use current OS X Leopard in a rumored Mac netbook since it successfully powers current Macbooks. On a similar note, alleged Mac tablet or an oversized iPod touch could be entirely built around mobile OS X version that powers current generation of iPhone and iPod touch. Finally, a home entertainment device could be entirely built around the same desktop OS X code that powers Apple TV set-top box. But none of these products have the potential to spawn an entirely new OS X software platform like the Mac and the iPhone did.

If you ask us, of all future Apple products that come into mind, only a home gaming console could constitute a third, distinct OS X software platform. For start, a console would require Apple's software team to significantly tweak OS X code in order to optimize it for high-performance computations, graphics and sound - the things that matter the most in game applications.

On top of that, "console OS X" would require some entirely new accompanying components that currently do not exist - like online gaming services, broader support for gaming controllers, more advanced multimedia features with DV-R recording capabilities, in addition to an entirely new user interface. All of this would require more substantial adaptation of the existing desktop OS X code. Especially crafted version of the online game store for online-only games delivery, like the App Store for the iPhone, would complete the picture of the third OS X software platform, in addition to the desktop and mobile OS X platforms.

DisplayPort 1.2 doubles bandwidth, enables Stereoscopic 3D

And a mini-DisplayPort for laptops

For those who have been following VESA standards,  DisplayPort is a royalty-free digital display interface concept introduced back in May 2006 that has been trying to gain ground in the computer industry for some time now.  

The open industry standard, supported by HP, Philips, Samsung, AMD, Nvidia, Intel and many other companies, seeks to eventually replace the de facto DVI standard over the next several years due to its greater bandwidth allowance, slimmer display support, internal chip-to-chip communication, and reduced electromagnetic interference levels among other technical advantages.

According to Register Hardware, VESA is set to publish its new DisplayPort 1.2 specification by the middle of the year.  Among the interface's central improvements include a doubling of available bandwidth to 5.4 Gbit/s.  As a result, this should provide sufficient throughput for 120Hz stereoscopic 3D imagery at 1920 x 1080, or four standard 1920 x 1200 screens.  However, VESA anticipates multi-display setups to be linked in a daisy-chain fashion rather than through a four-way split cable.

Although DisplayPort does lacks xvYCC color space support in contrast to HDMI, the increased bandwidth in the 1.2 specification will also allow 3840 x 2160 resolutions to be reached with a color depth of 30 bits per pixel. 

Very soon, laptop vendors will be able to implement the interface in upcoming lineups with the mini-DisplayPort connector. According to Apple, the smaller version of the interface is 10% the size of a full DVI connector.  As a result, there is more free space inside a laptop and on its sides.

Facebook makes a major change to its code

Today, in a blog post, Facebook announced major changes to the proprietary language in which Facebook applications are written, called Facebook Markup Language (FBML). The code will now be capable of being edited using custom tags which can be shared between multiple applications. Currently, the feature is only available on the site, but it will eventually be shared with all of the Facebook Connect supporting sites on the web. Effectively this means Facebook will now be more open. But the question is, how open?


FBML was designed to make sure that malicious applications would not be able to infect the browsers and PCs of their users. More than likely the new version of FML will take into account security measures so that code can efficiently be shared. 

Developers have built many applications on the Facebook platform, the majority of them lack in quality, however, and don’t function well after the site redesign.

With Facebook moving to a more open source platform, it will open the doors to higher quality programs.

We’ll have to wait to see how Facebook moves forward with this development, and whether or not they choose to become a more open software platform.

Apple approves four iPhone web browsers into the App Store, but not mobile Firefox

Apple has once again loosened its iPhone approval process to allow third-party web browsers into the App Store, those that rival Apple's Mobile Safari which comes preloaded on the handset. As always, there's a catch: Apple's iPhone SDK strictly prohibits applications (web browsers included) from using their own frameworks. This means that all alternative browsers approved for App Store are and will be based on Apple's WebKit framework that powers desktop and mobile Safari versions. As a result, browser like mobile Firefox (dubbed Fennec and based on Mozilla's Gecko framework) remain off App Store's limits for now.

The unexpected news caught Apple watchers off guard since Apple had previously kicked Podcaster applications out of the App Store solely on the grounds that they duplicated the podcasting features found in iTunes software. Apple then added podcast downloading features to the iPhone just weeks later via 2.2 firmware update. Apple also rejected NetShare's modem tethering application, and currently prohibits VoIP applications that use cellular data - both are due to the terms of Apple's agreement with carriers. In addition, some aspects of the iPhone remain off limits to developers, including mostly critical features like the dialer, SMS application, iPod media player, and more.

But Apple has learned a lot since it first allowed third-party applications to run on its handset six months ago. The company has tweaked App Store approval rules several times to address concerns. Most recently, Apple allowed a new kind of entertainment applications that would have been previously rejected because of their tongue-in-cheekiness, like iFart and iSteam.

Early this week, Apple once again loosened restrictions and now allows third-party web browsers to co-exist on the device alongside its own built-in Mobile Safari web browser. Four web browsers that are now available in the App Store are all based on Apple's WebKit engine, the same one which powers mobile and desktop Safari versions as well as several other browsers.

Edge Browser

Edge Browser is not exactly an all-new browser. Instead, it is based on the same engine and framework that Safari uses. Its main feature is the total absence of address and navigation bars so as to maximize screen real estate for displaying web page content. When I say "total absence of address bar," I mean it literally: There is no way to bring up the URL entry field other than resorting to Edge Browser's preferences found in the iPhone's Settings application.

There, you can set the default home page and an associated username and password to log in (if needed) along with several minor options as well. This doesn't bode well for the Edge Browser at all, and the fact that it comes free of charge doesn't change this one iota.

The program remains useless unless developers can come up with a better way enter URLs, thereby providing basic navigation features. Would semi-transparent on-screen navigational controls that fade in when I flick my finger really be that hard to implement?

Incognito

Incognito borrows more than just a name from Chrome's private browsing feature. This browser is dedicated to anonymous web browsing on your iPhone and iPod Touch. It doesn't leave history, and it deletes all files accumulated over browsing session upon exit. Incognito guards your privacy even while playing known media types. It also comes with a customizable homepage and an orientation lock mode.

Overall, it doesn't replicate Safari's browsing experience, and the fact that it comes with a $1.99 price tag doesn't help it out any either. After all, you could always delete browsing history and saved files in Safari manually, as its preferences are found in iPhone's Settings.

Webmate: Tabbed Browser

As its name suggest, this one is all about tabbed browsing - but with a twist. Although Safari lets you open several pages at once and flip between them back and forth, you can't open a link on a page you're currently viewing in a new tab. Besides that, Safari reloads content of each tab as you switch to it - which is pretty annoying if you constantly switch between tabs. Webmate nails down tabs by queuing up all the links you click on, allowing you to view them one by one whenever you want to.

An On/Off switch at the bottom lets you navigate between queuing and standard behavior where links are followed immediately after you click them. Additional controls at the screen's bottom let you cycle through queued links, jump to any link in the queue, or to trash the currently selected link from a queue.

If you desperately need tabbed browsing on your handset, a feature highly valued among those that read lots of news on the go, you may want to consider Webmate. Priced at just 99 cents, it may prove a worthy investment - assuming you live in tabs.

Shaking Web

This $1.99 browser exists to solve the problem of reading web pages while commuting by bus or metro, along with other situations when you can't hold the handset steady. You guessed right, Shaking Web comes with "anti-shake technology" that helps stabilize web page during the user's jostling, thus increasing on the go readability. Similar to Vibration Reduction technology employed in digital camera, Shaking Web is able to compensate for the minor shaking which occurs as a result of body movements when commuting.

It does not, however, miraculously stabilize image in more extreme circumstances, such as when walking down the street during rush hour.Besides, why would you want to surf the web while walking down the street, anyway? You can choose to stabilize only vertical movements - which is the most common scenario for majority of users, or both vertical and horizontal movements. The usefulness factor of this application is limited by its lack of support for pop-up windows. In addition, it does not work with sites that require a new window to open links.

Final thoughts

As you can see, the four non-Safari browsers are not full-blown rivals to Safari, nor are they ones which would offer a better user experience out of the box. Although it is reassuring to know that Apple now allows third-party vendors to rival Mobile Safari on the iPhone, the policy change does not open the doors fully for the arrival of mobile Firefox version (dubbed Fennec), Opera Mini or any of the several other browsers which do not use iPhone's official frameworks. In fact, Apple's iPhone SDK specifically prohibits applications from using non-Apple frameworks. Apple may have left this policy in place for security and user experience reasons, but it is the one fact which also prevents real Safari rivals based on non-Apple technologies from appearing on the iPhone.

That being said, mobile Firefox on the iPhone is out of the question unless Mozilla decides to completely re-write the application using Apple's WebKit framework (instead of Mozilla's Gecko framework that powers mobile and desktop Firefox which, of course, will not happen). When and if Apple decides to allow developers to use other frameworks (besides iPhone's), only then will projects like mobile Firefox hit Apple's handset. For the record, it should be noted that neither Mozilla nor Opera have expressed even the least amount of eagerness to bring their browsers to the iPhone.

How to Get, Install and Play With Windows 7, Pain Free

You've been thinking about installing Windows 7 Beta 1 now that it's totally available to anyone. Well, here's our complete guide to grabbing, installing and playing with Windows 7—it's (mostly) painless, so no excuses!

Are You Ready?
First thing's first—you might be tired of XP, but can your computer handle Windows 7? Probably! Here are the minimum requirements:
• 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
• 1 GB of system memory
• 16 GB of available disk space
• Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (to enable the Aero theme)
• DVD-R/W Drive (actually not necessary)

Where to Get It
Microsoft is obviously the first stop to getting Windows 7. Here's the download page, where you'll pick either 32 or 64-bit version. If you have 4GB of RAM or more, get 64-bit. You'll need your Live ID and Microsoft will want some info about you, but just lie or tell the truth or whatever, and you'll be taken to a download page with your product key. If you have some trouble getting the download link to work after getting your product key (like me), here are the direct links to the 32-bit image file and 64-bit image file.

Even if Microsoft's own servers are crumbling under the strain of surprisingly strong demand (though I downloaded at 1MB/sec just fine), you can always hit BitTorrent. You're looking for Windows 7 Beta 1, build 7000. Other benefit to torrent: It'll still be available afterMicrosoft's Jan. 24 deadline and you don't need a Microsoft Live ID. But you will need toget your own product key.

Getting Stuff Ready
Windows 7, from everything we've heard is surprisingly stable beta, and it's easy to upgrade from Vista, since it happens automagically. However, that doesn't mean you should run it as your sole OS (especially on your work computer), because your programs might not work with it (they should, but you never know), crash possibilities and other unknown unknowns. should dual boot it, meaning you'll be able to run either OS at startup. Luckily, Lifehacker has a step-by-step guide to doing just that.

It works especially nicely if you have two hard drives in a desktop (like me), but most likely, you'll have to partition. Keep in mind if you're partitioning a single hard drive, the minimum space for Windows 7 is 16GB, and you'll probably want more room than that. Again, Lifehacker has the complete details, but the short version is that in Vista, run "Computer Management" from the Start Menu and you can complete all of the partition voodoo from Disk Management, like shrinking your current volume to give your new Windows 7 partition that minimum 16GB of breathing room. And you know, actually creating the fresh partition for Windows 7. (Do that now, and remember which one it is!) For XP, you'll need the GParted Live CD, which you burn to a CD, restart, boot from disc, and do the partition thang.

How to Get Windows 7 on Your computer
After getting install downloaded and hard drive prepped, you've got a couple of options for actually getting Windows 7 onto your computer. The first, and easiest, is to make a Windows 7 disc by burning the image to a DVD using something like ImgBurn.

If you're installing Windows 7 on a Mac, you can burn the image to a DVD with Disk Utility.

Or, you can do what I'm doing since I'm out of blank DVDs at the moment, and put it on a flash drive for installation. This is also how you'll get it on a netbook or MacBook Air. You'll need a 4GB USB 2.0 flash drive and a mounting program likeDaemon Tools on Windows or MountMe on Mac. Format the flash drive in FAT32, mount the Windows 7 image, then copy everything over to the flash drive.

Installing
Hello easy part! Pop in your disc or your flash drive. Boot from it, and follow the wizard, installing Windows 7 on your clean partition (under Custom installation type). On a Mac, Boot Camp Assistant will take you through the process after you slide in the Windows disc.Make sure it's the right partition or you will hose your actual current Windows install. Then go watch some TV or take a poop while it does its thing. Come back, and you'll have a few more setup screens—hope you wrote your license key down!—then you'll be up and rolling with Windows 7.

Now what?
The initial setup is fast and easy, but you might wanna check out your driver situation. Mac users, for instance, have a little bit of work ahead of them, since you'll have to install drivers from the OS X disc, and if you're running 64-bit, download theBoot Camp 2.1 update.

Well, there's a lot to check out in Windows 7. Like the new Media Center, which has 10 new features we're really hyped about, like sweet dissolve effects, turboscrolling, virtual channels and remote copying.

The new taskbar is one of its major new UI features that's both exciting and at first a little confusing, since it works a lot differently than the taskbar you're used. Checking out Microsoft's video tour before you jump might save you some frustration. There's also Aero Shake, which knocks all the clutter off your desktop instantly; Snap, with its instant window resizing; and Peek, which is like turbocharged thumbnail previews.

Oh, and whatever you guys do, don't play your MP3s in Windows Media Player, since it could corrupt them! Update: There's a patch out for this issue, here's the 64-bit download and here's the 32-bit.

There's definitely a lot to play around with. Let us know in the comments once you get your install running what else you think people should check out as soon as they get their machine fired up! If you've got any other install tricks, let us know about those too!