Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 Review, Part 1
Paul Thurrott published the first part of his Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 Review

As I noted in my review of Windows Vista build 5536 (see my review), Windows Vista has suddenly turned a corner. Gone are the egregious and annoying bugs. Gone is User Account Control's most painful and frustrating behavior. Most application and hardware incompatibilities? Gone. Performance problems? Gone. What we're left with is a highly usable upgrade to Windows Vista with tremendous security and deployment advantages. And now anyone can get it, literally: Microsoft plans to ship RC1 to millions of people around the world beginning next week. If you want in with Windows Vista, your time has come.

As a backgrounder, I've been writing about Windows Vista for several years. During that time, my opinion of the product has bobbed and weaved dramatically, based on the events of the day and quality of the latest beta release. There were good times (PDC 2003) and bad (a year long layover between public builds), good builds (5536) and bad (Beta 1, Beta 2). There was good news (many features back-ported to XP) and bad (innumerable delays, dropped features, broken promises). And now, none of it matters. Now we have RC1, and it can stand or fall on its own merits. All around the Web, as you read this, geeky geeks are downloading, installing, and evaluating Windows Vista RC1. And if I had to guess, I'd say that most of those people are going to be quite happy indeed. In other words, this is the Windows Vista you were promised three years ago. This is the anti-Beta 2.

Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 Review, Part 1

Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard Review
ThinkComputers.org posted a review on the Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard

Logitech is known for creating some of the best computer and gaming peripherals available. Their expertise in building well constructed and groundbreaking products definitely shows in the G15 Gaming Keyboard. The G15 has a wide array of features that any gamer would find extremely useful. The keyboard also has a folding LCD panel that is a first for keyboards. So is this keyboard for you? Let's take a look and see...

Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard Review



How To Properly Clean Your DVD Collection
Hardware3D explains how to clean Your DVD collection

Properly cleaning the data side of DVDs is one of the most disregarded hardware longetivity precautions. Often times, individuals wipe off grease and/or dust by simply rubbing the non-label side of a disc in a circular fashion, using harsh abrasives, such the underside of a t-shirt, or worse, a towel. Truth be told, that's not the way to do it! Yes, you may have temporarily fixed the read issue, but you have also permanently scarred the disc, which could cause many more read issues in the future. Why not take a few extra precautions and do it the right way, and make your data last longer?

How To Properly Clean Your DVD Collection

Samsung YP-U2 Review
Overclockers Online has posted a review on the Samsung YP-U2 player

Samsung has again put together another awesome product and at a low price too. Like all portable digital audio players, one of the biggest downfalls is the included ear buds, but for such a moderately priced product it is expected. However, the audio quality, button layout, navigation, screen, and the ability to drag and drop both music and files directly into the player easily outweigh the minor design flaws.

Samsung YP-U2 Review

Five Great Features in Windows Vista RC1
SuperSite for Windows published an article about five great features in Windows Vista RC1

If you're an Average Joe (tm) using Windows XP right now and wondering what the big deal is with Windows Vista, please, read on. If you picked up the Beta 2 version of Windows Vista and were shocked--shocked, I say--at how horrible it was, please, it's time to give Vista another chance. Seriously. RC1 is a huge improvement. Huge.

Microsoft can point to hundreds of new features in its next client operating system--indeed, if Apple was handling the marketing, I'm pretty sure they'd trumpet an estimated 571 new features. But once you get past the obvious stuff like the new user interface, Aero animations and effects, and the absolutely massive security improvements in this release, there's plenty of "there" there. You just need to know where to look. And let me tell you, I've been staring at this thing for far too long.

Five Great Features in Windows Vista RC1