December 21
For those of you who are planning on upgrading to Windows Vista or buying a new computer with Windows Vista pre-installed, I've compiled a short list of things to expect from the new operating system:
- Improved security.
- Improved user interface with new icons and a more intuitive feel.
- New applications such as Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Calendar, Windows Contacts, Windows Mail, and Windows Meeting Space to name a few.
- New and improved games such as FreeCell, Minesweeper, Solitaire, Spider Solitaire, Mahjongg Titans, and Chess Titans (Pinball is M.I.A)
- Windows Media Player 11 offers a great way to manage your music and videos, with instant search.
- New search capabilities allow you to create customized search queries which are automatically updated as you modify, create, or delete files.
You'll need at least an 800 MHz processor and 512 megabytes of RAM to run Windows Vista, however for an optimal experience I recommend a 1.6 GHz processor or higher with over 1 gigabyte of RAM, a decent video card (such as a NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT, this will allow you run the Windows Aero interface fluidly), and a DVD burner.