News Highlights – February 2011

Ron

The second month of this new year has come to a close. This month brought us several hot stories mainly revolving around Microsoft and its Windows operating system and Windows Phone operating system platforms. Before we embrace yet another new month of exciting technology news, lets look back at the 10 most popular news headlines of February 2011.

Windows 7 SP1 Released to Manufacturing
Yes, you heard right. Windows 7 SP1 has hit RTM. The long anticipated, long awaited update for Microsoft’s latest and greatest Operating System, Windows 7, has finally been released to manufacturing (RTM).

Windows 8 roadmap: A picture is worth a thousand build numbers
Mary Jo Foley: Given the very few (and occasionally confusing) leaks around Windows 8, an update as to how things are progressing is always welcome. Here’s a slide from a source of mine that is allegedly a snippet from the Microsoft internal Win 8 Milestone build timeline.

Rumor: Nokia to adopt Windows Phone 7?
It’s no secret that Nokia has been struggling in its smartphone line. With new speculation that Nokia and Microsoft are planning on partnering up, what does this mean for the smartphone arena?

Nokia CEO: Cheap Windows Phones Coming Soon
Looking for a fancy new cheap-priced Nokia phone powered by Windows Phone OS? You may not be waiting long after all. Nokia’s Chief Executive Stephen Elop claims that prices will fall fast very soon.

Windows 7 and SSDs: Cutting your system drive down to size
Ed Bott: Solid-state drives are wicked fast. They can breathe new life into a PC whose performance is being dragged down by a slow conventional hard drive. They’re also expensive and (at least for now) limited in total capacity. So how do you get the performance benefits of an SSD upgrade without breaking the bank?

Confessions of an Apple Store Employee
Popular Mechanics: Apple is famous for its secrecy, with a code of silence that runs from top management all the way down to its retail employees. One Apple Store employee decided to throw protocol to the curb and tell us what it’s really like working at the vaunted retail outlets…

OCZ Vertex 3 Pro Preview: The First SF-2500 SSD
AnandTech previews OCZ’s latest generation of SSDs utilizing SandForce’s new SF-2000 controller. Although the Vertex 3 Pro isn’t due for another 1-2 months, the preview provides us with a good benchmark of the capabilities of next-gen SSD controllers.

Drive Extender for Windows Server to return via add-in
Back in November of last year (2010), Microsoft was talking about killing a very promising and well receipted feature for Windows Home Server called Drive Extender. Just recently, in the very first release candidate of Windows Home Server codename “Vail”, Microsoft canceled this feature. Well, fear not, looks like we may get to taste Drive Extender after all.

Nokia and Microsoft deal hurts Intel
Rumors were floating around that Nokia and Microsoft were in discussions about possibly forming a partnership. Well, they formed that partnership. But now, Intel is claiming that this partnership will hurt them.

What does it mean to be a Microsoft beta tester any more?
Mary Jo Foley: There’s a lot of unrest in the Windows Home Server ‘Vail’ community right now, with a number of enthusiasts and testers wondering aloud whether their feedback means anything any more. And they’re not the only ones asking…