Who wants a free copy of Windows 7? You probably just instinctively raised your hand or yell out "me!" without thinking twice. Well, we've got good news for you. Microsoft is hosting The New Efficiency launch events in 25 cities between September 28, 2009 and November 9, 2009 for Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Exchange 2010. All attendees will be receive a free copy of Windows 7 Professional. The events are targeted at IT professionals (Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Exchange Server 2010) and developers (Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2).
The following session tracks will be offered at the launch events:
If this event is for you, pick a city from the list below to get started:
What makes this a true freebie is the fact that registration for the launch event is completely free. All you have to pay for are travel expenses to get your butt to the event. We're told that registration is filling up quickly, so hurry up. Pick your city and start filling out the required information. An e-mail confirmation outlining all the details of the event should be sent to you within 24 hours.
Google Maps has started offering driving directions in India using landmarks, rather than road names alone.
The feature may be rolled out in other countries, as there appears to be a need for it in some other countries as well, Manik Gupta, product manager at Google India, said on Thursday.
Using Google Maps from their desktops and mobile phones, people can navigate around locations in India following landmarks like petrol stations, banks, schools, railway stations, bus stops, local businesses, traffic circles and signals.
The new feature in Google Maps addresses a peculiar requirement in India, as roads in the country are often not properly marked, or the markings are not visible, Gupta said. People in India are also culturally inclined to navigate using landmarks rather than road names, he added.
"We found that the way we offer directions globally on Google Maps is probably not the best way to do it in India," Gupta said.
Google's competitors, Yahoo and Microsoft, already offer maps with both landmarks and road names in India. Google took more time to release the feature as it wanted to get the user interface and the structure of the data right before launching it, Gupta said.
Yahoo's landmark information is supplied by map providers, though it has a provision for users to suggest corrections to landmark and other map data.
Google collects landmark data through "Points of Interest" created by users in Google Map Maker. Google sees user created data as more accurate because of the strong moderation system, including peer review, in Map Maker, Gupta said.
Yahoo did not comment for this story.
Google's new algorithm determines which of the landmarks are most useful for navigation, based on importance, and closeness to the turns that the user is making, and other available signals, the company said.
Following the launch of the new service, Google will now combine landmark data, counted turns such as "the 2nd right", intersection names, and road names, and try to use whatever information is most relevant and useful, the company said.
Google is providing two kinds of landmarks - to identify where users need to turn, and to provide confirmation that they're on the right track, it added.
The Intel Atom-based netbook platform gives a speedy user experience, handing everyday applications with ease. Everything from web browsing to movie watching can be handled with little effort, leaving only HD content and gaming to your larger machine. On the Mini 1000, with the slower 4200RPM 1.8" PATA hard drive, some disk intensive applications were sluggish at times. Boot times felt slower than what we were used to and moving files around from external drives took longer than expected. Looking at our HDTune image below you can quickly see the problem, with much slower data transfer speeds than what you would find on a 5400RPM 2.5" SATA drive.
wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance): 3DMark06 comparison results: HDTune hard drive performance results:
Notebook / CPU wPrime 32M time HP Mini 1000 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 125.788 seconds ASUS N10 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 126.047 seconds ASUS Eee PC 1000HA (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 117.577 seconds Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 127.172 seconds Acer Aspire One (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 125.812 seconds ASUS Eee PC 901 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 123.437 seconds MSI Wind (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 124.656 seconds ASUS Eee PC 900 (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 900MHz) 203.734 seconds HP 2133 Mini-Note (Via CV7-M ULV @ 1.6GHz) 168.697 seconds ASUS Eee PC 4G (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 630MHz) 289.156 seconds ASUS Eee PC 4G (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 900MHz) 200.968 seconds Everex CloudBook (VIA C7-M ULV @ 1.2GHz) 248.705 seconds Fujitsu U810 Tablet PC (Intel A110 @ 800MHz) 209.980 seconds Sony VAIO VGN-G11XN/B (Core Solo U1500 @ 1.33GHz) 124.581 seconds Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.2GHz) 76.240 seconds Dell Inspiron 2650 (Pentium 4 Mobile @ 1.6GHz) 231.714 seconds
Notebook 3DMark06 Score HP Mini 1000 (1.6GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 88 3DMarks ASUS N10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 73 3DMarks ASUS N10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, NVIDIA 9300M 256MB) 1,417 3DMarks ASUS Eee PC 1000HA (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 95 3DMarks Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) N/A Acer Aspire One (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 122 3DMarks Sony VAIO TZ (1.20GHz Core 2 Duo U7600, Intel GMA 950) 122 3DMarks HP dv2500t (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB) 1,055 3DMarks Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100) 532 3DMarks HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400) 827 3DMarks 
Speakers and Audio
The speakers on the Mini 1000 sound very nice, and easily win out over other netbook models. They are located right underneath the screen, so they don't get blocked with your hands on the keyboard. Bass and midrange are weak, but this is common even on much larger notebooks. Peak volume levels are adequate to fill a small room with a movie or podcast, but headphones might be the better alternative out in public.
Ports and Features
Port selection is sparse from what we have seen on most netbooks, with only two USB ports, LAN, one combo headphone/mic plug, and a proprietary VGA connector. To have video output the purchase of a separate adapter to get VGA is required. The Mini 1000 also has an SD-card reader and for models that do not have a hard drive, a special USB port for storage expansion.
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One odd feature is a missing Kensington Lock slot related with a proprietary connector that looks more like a lanyard hook than a security attachment point.
Heat and Noise
While the older Mini-Note 2133 with the VIA platform that scorched pants and fingertips the newer Atom-based model is cool to the touch. The palmrest and keyboard are slightly above room temperature and the bottom panel is finally lap friendly. The only hotspots were above and below the stick of RAM, which included the touchpad, since it is right above that area. Noise from the cooling fan was minimal even under stress. The temperature readings below are listed in degrees Fahrenheit:
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Battery Life
With the screen brightness set to about 60 percent and wireless active the HP Mini 1000 managed 2 hours and 55 minutes of battery life before it had to go into sleep mode. This is a big step up when you look at the Mini-Note 2133 which only managed 2 hours and 15 minutes on the same size battery. The downside to the slim battery design and location on the Mini 1000 makes it nearly impossible to design an extended battery for it. For travel use, especially with 3G WWAN, you are really living life one outlet at a time.
| HP Mini 1000 Review Article Contents | |
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by Kevin O'Brien
The HP Mini 1000 is the much hoped for Intel Atom based update to the VIA platform Mini-Note 2133. With a complete refresh this netbook is thinner thanks to a smaller hard drive and 
HP Mini 1000 specifications:
Build and Design
The HP Mini 1000 looks just like a condensed Pavilion notebook, with a sleek and smooth body, glossy Imprint Finish, and color coordinated design. Compared to the older Mini-Note 2133 HP took extra steps to reduce the thickness of the body; removing the VGA port in favor of a thin proprietary connection, using a 1.8" hard drive instead of a 2.5" model, and switching to a lithium polymer battery instead of the older lithium-ion cylindrical pack. HP also reduced the number of external connections, removing the ExpressCard slot, combining the microphone and headphone jack, and even hiding the LAN connector under a soft rubber cover. Compared to the other netbooks on the market, the Mini 1000 easily wins in the design category.
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Build quality is above average with high quality plastics used throughout the body. The plastics don't creak or squeak when you are carrying it around, and when closed it has a very solid feel. The display cover provides more than adequate protection for the LCD, which can help out if you like to store heavy books in the same bag as your electronics. When open the palmrest and keyboard section are very stiff, but with thin notebooks this is normal with the reduced internal space.
When it comes to upgrading a netbook on your own there are netbooks that make it difficult and there are netbooks that make it easy ... and then there's the Mini 1000 that makes it ridiculously easy. While some netbook and notebook manufacturers go the route of "warranty void if removed" stickers HP goes the extra mile with a special spring-loaded RAM cover. After you slide over the battery lock switch, you expose a hole big enough for a pen tip. Simply flick it over to the side and the RAM cover pops up with no extra tools needed. This is one of the coolest things we have seen on a notebook and a first for netbooks. The other internal components take a bit more work to get at, needing two screws under the battery removed before the keyboard can pop off.
Display
The BrightView Infinity panel on the 10.2" Mini 1000 model has very good color and contrast, but at the cost of being overly reflective in anything but a dark room. This style of screen is becoming more common on multimedia notebooks, but on a netbook which might be used while traveling or outside it adds a level of annoyance that is hard to overcome. Black levels are good in the optimal viewing range, fading slightly to a light grey as you tilt the screen closer or farther away. Backlight intensity is strong to be viewable outside but easily overcome by glare from the Infinity panel. Viewing angles rate average, with an acceptable viewing sweet spot before colors start to invert. Horizontal viewing angles are better, but at the steeper angles the screen fades out and all you see is the reflection of the surrounding area.
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One thing that cropped up is small marks on the plastic layer over the screen from the keyboard keys pressing on it with the lid closed. This is caused from oil on your fingertips, but most notebooks have a panel is recessed far enough to prevent the keys from touching.
Keyboard and Touchpad
By far the best feature of the HP Mini 1000 is the keyboard, which is the most comfortable compared to any other netbook we have reviewed. The key size and shape is very close to what you would find on a fullsize notebook and you just don’t feel cramped while typing. With most netbooks it takes time getting used to the smaller keys, which if you have large fingers can be difficult to accurately type on. HP first released this keyboard on the Mini-Note 2133, which would have been a hit if it wasn’t slowed down by the early VIA platform.
Key spacing is minimal to fit the full-size keys into the small area, but once you get your palms aligned properly on the small palmrest it is a breeze to type on. Individual key action is smooth with a barely audible click when pressed. The keys feel very solid and durable, something that you would expect from a great keyboard. Keyboard flex is non-existent because of the tight clearances in the super thin chassis.
The Synaptics based touchpad is easy to use once you get used to the buttons located on either side of the touch surface. Sensitivity is great with the default settings, leaving the only adjustment of narrowing the scrollbar area. The surface has a semi-gloss paint which is easy to slide your finger around, but really shows off the accumulated oils from your fingertips. The buttons are easy to trigger, with moderate feedback and a short throw.
HP today unveiled three new ultraportable notebooks, the Pavilion dv2, Pavilion dv3, and a new HP Mini 2140, each designed for constantly mobile people who require comprehensive laptop performance and entertainment features in a small, portable package.
The HP Pavilion dv2 ($699) is a revolutionary ultraportable notebook and perhaps the notebook we are most excited to see at CES this year. The dv2 measures just under 1-inch thick and starts at 3.8 pounds, but the big news is the powerful processor and graphics packed inside a durable magnesium chassis.
The dv2 is powered by a specially designed new AMD Athlon Neo 64-bit processor that provides enhanced multi-tasking capability similar to an Intel Core 2 Duo processor while consuming significantly less power ... meaning better battery life. The 1.6GHz Athlon Neo processor can convert a music file for your iPod (from .wav to .acc) or encode a movie file 148% faster than the 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor.
The dv2 is also configured with ATI Radeon X1250 integrated graphics or ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 discrete graphics (256MB memory) which supports smooth 1080p HD playback over the notebook's HDMI port. The notebook is powered by your choice of either a 4-cell or 6-cell battery (4-cell battery shown in photos below).
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In addition, the dv2 supports optional built-in WWAN for wireless connectivity when you aren't close to a WiFi hotspot, and includes an HP Webcam and microphone for staying in touch with friends and family. An optional lightweight, external Blu-ray disc drive is available and is connected via one of the notebook's three USB ports.
A variety of high-capacity hard drive options up to 500GB provide more than enough room for photos, music and other content. The 12.1-inch diagonal LED BrightView display (1280 x 800 resolution) and a nearly full-size keyboard make this notebook a powerful alternative to a netbook. It will be available in two durable finishes with matching HP Imprint designs on the palm rest: Espresso (black) and Moonlight (white).
The HP Pavilion dv3 ($799) is a new 13-inch consumer notebook that weighs 4.35 pounds and is perfect for people who want a laptop that's easy to travel with but still has the power of a full-featured notebook. It offers a 13.3-inch diagonal LED BrightView backlit display (1280 x 800 resolution) and a built-in optical drive and is based on the AMD Turion Ultra X2 (Puma) processors.
In addition, it features ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics for a true HD experience, a slot-loading SuperMulti DVD player, 5-in-1 media card reader for quickly transferring photos, three USB ports (including a USB/eSATA combo port), an HP Mobile Remote control and SRS Premium Sound. Optional features include a solid state drive for faster boot up time and lighter weight and a backlight keyboard for working in low light. The dv3 is offered with a variety of wireless options (including 802.11a/b/g/n with Bluetooth), Gigabit Ethernet, and is powered by your choice of either a 6-cell or 9-cell battery.
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This notebook will be available in only one finish, the bronze and chrome "Intersect" Imprint Finish. The dv3, like the dv2, features a magnesium chassis for lightweight durability and HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection for protection from data loss. Both the dv2 and dv3 are ENERGY STAR qualified and EPEAT Silver registered.
The HP Mini 2140 ($499) is an update to last year's HP Mini-Note 2133 and features an attractive, durable all-aluminum chassis. Starting at 2.6 pounds, the new Mini 2140 features the 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, a range of hard drive or solid-state drive storage options, as well as the following:
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New accessories designed for the Mini 2140 include an HP USB Docking Station, USB-powered HP Mobile Audio Speakers and HP USB optical disk drive that can read and write CD and DVD formats, as well as offer HP LightScribe capability to burn labels directly onto discs. A lightweight, functional Messenger Bag designed specifically for the HP or a neoprene slip case offer added protection for professionals while on the go.
Pricing and availability
The HP Pavilion dv2 starts at $699 and will be available in April. The HP Pavilion dv3 starts at $799 and will be available starting today. The HP Mini 2140 starts at $499 and is expected to be available later this month. See www.hpdirect.com for more details. Stay tuned to NotebookReview.com for in-depth reviews of all three of these new notebooks.
