Below is a rather exhaustive bunch of photos describing every piece of the pack. Sorry about the photo quality…apparently my twelve-megapixel camera does horribly in low light. If anyone wants me to reshoot a picture or two, that’s no problem Click on any picture for the full, huge, 12-megapixel version.

The box is colorful but nothing out of the ordinary. No, you can't know where I live without asking me first.

Here's what the box looked like when I first opened it. That's my bed by the way, in case you were wondering.

This is all of the smaller stuff in the package, as I got it, plastic wrap (iff applicable) intact.

The white thing at left is the rather large Windows 7 poster. The colorful thing on the right is, as it turns out, party bags.

More after the break…

Here's the poster. To give you an idea of the scale, its length is nearly the width of my twin-sized bed.

Here's the poster, horizontally.

Here are all the various promo fliers that came in the package. Ten each. This picture shows all possible sides of the promo cards (front, back and inside for the Corel one).

Same thing, but with flash. Maybe this one's more readable if you want to read exactly what the fliers say.

As I said, there were ten of each item. Ten Windows 7 promo cards, ten Corel cards...

...ten Norton promo cards, ten Kaspersky proo cards, ten Zune promo cards...

So here you've got balloons (three red, FOUR yellow, three blue, three green), some balloon tie thingies (?) and ten Nero cards. Yes, some are upside-down; it's not just you.

Here you have ten psychadelic-looking Windows 7 party favor bags. Hey, at least they're roomy enough to be used s a grocery bag...oh wait, nobody would do that. Or would they?

Three jokers, poker rules and larger-than-usual graphics. Otherwise the deck of cards isn't out of the ordinary (Steve Ballmer is NOT the ace of spades or the king of hearts).

The front of the card box is semi-glossy, as you can see by the reflection of my camera in the picture. Also, the backs of the playing cards are just as crazy as the design on the handbags. And, if you so choose, on your Windows 7 desktop.

Unfortunately, this shot is too also too blurry to read the poker sheet (cool idea, not unique to this since it's just a Bicycle deck). The back of the card box has the same back-of-card image on it. The 64-bit CD has "GENUINE" and "Microsoft" holographics on it. Steve Ballmer's signature is slightly embossed, but definitely just a copy.

You know the X-shaped foldy thingies you have on restaurant tables? That's what is at the top of this picture. The next picture shows the opposite side of the right card. The left card is the same on both sides.

This picture doesn't show it, ut both of the items shown (not the newspaper) are on the glossy side. That's the back of the Windows 7 Signature Edition package by the way.

Centerpiece. That's what you call that thing. Anyway, here it is assembled, with the 64-bit Windows 7 install disc.

Here are the two Windows 7 discs side-by-side. 32-bit was/is in the Signature Edition holder. As if the disc actually mattered...I'm betting Windows 7 will be ofered for download when it comes out.

Here's what it looks like inside the Windows 7 Ultimate Signature Edition DVD holder. The photo was taken from my desk, about three inches away from my iMac, which will get a copy of Win7 installed soon enough. No, you can't have my key.

As others have pointed out, there isn’t a ton of branding on the party pack, though there’s a decent amount. The cards are a nice touch, as is the simple DVD holder, which is a welcome change from the Windows Vista Ultimate Edition box I bought two and a half years ago.

If you’re in the Golden area, drop me a line (ilittman@mymail) if you want to come to the party, though I’ll probably run out of swag to give away. Also, if you have any questions or comments, that’s what the comments section is for!

Win+Shift+Left/Right arrows: If you’ve got dual monitors, this will move the active window to the adjacent monitor

1. Want to quickly access a program that’s in your quick launch bar? Just hit Windows + <position in quick launch bar>, using numbers 1 through 0 (10) for the app in question’s position. So for example I have Windows Explorer as my leftmost Quick Launch app (Windows+1) and Google Chrome right next to it (Windows+2). If you have more than ten quick launch apps, you’re outta lck on eleven and beyond, but this is great for a quick keyboard shortcut to launch your favorite programs.
2. Want to place some but not all, of your windows side by side, pushing the rest to the background? Select the windows you want, then execute your favorite window arrangement command. How to select? Just Ctrl-click them in the taskbar, just like with files in Explorer.

Got your own quick tips? Post them in the comments, and you’ll receive the thanks of all our loyal readers.

UPDATE: I’ve put the download of Windows 7 English 32-bit up here. Note that you’ll still need a key from Microsoft. Get it quick, before my bandwidth runs out!

In all seriousness, the response to Microsoft’s new operating system, due out when Microsoft is good and ready (a close paraphrase of their words at the recent Consumer Electronics Show), was absolutely phenomenal. Microsoft said it themselves. So phenomenal, in fact, that they had to farm out downloads of Windows 7 to Akamai, an outfit known for providing high-speed downloads at high prices, and one who is incidentally just a few hops away from the Mines network.

Server troubles aside, put succinctly, Windows 7 gives the performance of Windows XP with the features of Windows Vista…and then some. As anyone who downloads the beta will find, the operating system is stable enough to be used in a production environment (I’m doing just that) and feature-complete enough that, in most cases, you won’t miss whatever version of Windows came on your coputer for its system-centric addons.

Windows 7 has been retooled a fair amount so it will take some getting used to, especially if you’re upgrading directly from Windows XP. Though you can change some settings beck to their old positions, some streamlining on Widnows 7 is irreversible.

Wth that bit of fair warning, go out and text Windows 7 right now. If you have a system that will run Windows Vista, it’ll run Windows 7 better. If you have two or thre GB of memory, you can even run Windows 7 inside Windows Vista via something like Sun’s free VirtualBox, and it still might be faster. If you’re using Windows XP, if you’d feel somewhat uncomfortable about putting Vista on your machine, Windows 7 will work just fine. Yes, it’s hat good.

One problem: Microsoft is now unsure as to when it’s shipping Windows 7, at least that’s what they said a few days ago in their CES keynote. Though the OS is obviously nearly ready for prime time, Microsoft is unwilling to commit to a 2009 launch. Sad indeed, considering I’d buy a copy for my new Vista-equipped laptop as soon as it came out. Additionally, the back-to-school season would be a nice time for the-Windows-that-didn’t-suck to hit store shelves, both on systems and in shiny rounded-corner boxes everywhere.

I’ll be either writing an article in the paper or a post here about Windows 7 (maybe both) with a fuller review. Until then, you can download the beta here, here and at locations that I’ll post on my Twitter account later, once I’ve had time to upload them. Yes, the second link is from BitTorrent; it may be more reliable than Microsoft’s own download site and, as long as you go back to Microsoft and get a key, you’re 100% legit the way I see it. The other links are to a few different locations I’m setting up on my own web host accounts, in case you find Microsoft’s own downloads too slow. Which means that they cost me money, so only use them in times of most dire need, or if you’re going to do me some sort of favor in return .

The bottom line: Windows is cool again. Let’s just hope Microsoft kicks their development program into high gear and spits Windows 7 out before Apple launches another successful smear campaign against the company.

Google Earth is now available for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. Less features than the regular Google Earth app but still fun. By the way, you can see the Mines “M” from Google Earth…check it out!

If you have a Mac, you can now stream Netflix movies online within OS X. Nice feature, especially with Netflix’s growing instant-watch catalog. Additionally, Netflix streaming will be available on the TiVo , and in HD on the XBox 360.

Heard of the Amazon Kindle? How about Oprah? Put the two together and you get $50 off the Kindle, so it’s now a cool $309. Contrast this to the new Sony eReader, weighing in at $400…I’ll take the internet-connected Kindle, thanks.

One of the high-speed internet networks powering the Mines campus, along with most colleges and research institutions, is the National LambdaRail. Soon, regular companies will be able to get a piece of the supercharged internet action, thanks to DarkStrand . Don’t worry; there’s plenty of internet to go around, with 300 gigabits per second of capacity available right now on the network.

Introducing yet another brand buzzword into the internet equation, Microsoft introduced its Azure (cloudless?!?) “Cloud” platform to the spotlight at last week’s Professional Developer Conference (PDC). Azure seems to be a mix of online computing power (like Amazon Web Services, which includes their S3 data storage system) and current Windows Live services. The software giant also showed off the latest build of its new operating system, Windows 7 , which will probably ship in time for back-to-school 2009. Additionally, their upcoming office suite, Office 14 , will have an online version available, among other enhancements, a la Google Docs. Last but not least is Windows Media Player 12 , with an eye to getting out of the way when you’re just trying to play a random track instead of diving into your music library.

Using AOL Hometown, AOL Pictures, AOL Journals, Xdrive or Bluestring? Grab your data now; the services will be going offline in the near future.

Wal-Mart has relaunched its music store as a DRM-free, all-MP3 affair. Downloads are as inexpensive as 74 cents, plus tax, apiece. Hot Topic (yes, the clothing outlet) is doing something similar, albeit with more standard (higher) per-song pricing.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is this month. Two words: do it.

GMail users can now chat with mobile phones via SMS , a nice added bonus for people on that system (myself included).

Watch out! If your bank login page looks different than usual, you may well have been infected with a rather nasty “trojan” malware app.

Having problems getting to websites on your Sprint phone? You’re one of those affected by a complete Sprint blockade of Cogent traffic after Sprint determined that Cogent (a big, dirt-cheap internet backbone provider) was sending too much traffic in Sprint’s direction, and not receiving enough traffic back. This “push me, pull you” system of internet traffic is called “peering”, and happens free of charge to both parties when they agree that both are receiving mutual benefit. Sprint, mostly a high-price-per-megabit-per-second, ISP-focused system, decided that Cogent (whose highly inexpensive bandwidth offerings make it ideal for web site hosting, along with some ISP use) wasn’t “playing fair”, so for now “you can’t get from here to there” is an all too real problem on the internet for some people. Basically, Sprint wants Cogent to pay for the rather self-imposed traffic imbalance (probably a majority of Sprint customers can’t go elsewhere easily). Cogent seems willing to “wait it out” until Sprint decides to turn on the internet taps again, in the meanwhile giving a free 100 megabit connection (both upload and download speed) to anyone within Cogent’s immediate service area, who is affected by this “peering dispute”. On the other hand, if you’re using the Mines campus network, Comcast, Qwest, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T or CricKet, you aren’t directly affected by this “inter-rift”. If you are, simply connect via VPN into the Mines network, or use a proxy like Kroxy and you’re routed around this internet blackhole (seriously, that’s a networking term for such an event as this).

UPDATE: Sprint has grudgingly turned connectivity back on with Cogent, while “working on a long-term solution”. Sounds to me like the company just got too many customer complaints to leave the inter-pipes broken for too long…

YouTube is now serving up TV shows on their site, starting with Star Trek, Beverly Hills 90210 and MacGyver. The interface seems reminiscent of Hulu’s, with a big focus on the viewing area, plus some ads interspersed in with the content. Fine with me…I’d rather watch an ad or two on a cool TV show than have YouTube keep on not making any money…

Texting while driving has now been proven to be more dangeous than driving while drunk. Just don’t do it. Also, if you don’t have a number on voice dial, think twice before trying to hammer it own while speeding down the freeway. Have an iPhone? You’re screwed; stop if you want to do anything with your shiny new toy, or have someone who isn’t behind the wheel do it for you.

Know about the Roku “Netflix Box”? Pretty soon it’ll be able to stream from a variety of sources. A very good deal when you’re talking about a device that costs just under $100.

Between this article and the last one of its kind, MySpace Music was announced…and streamed over one billion songs! It helps that “the usual suspects” are on board in terms of recording labels. It’s also an advantage when your service is probably already the largest aggregator of indie bands on the web at the moment.

Aside from being delayed…or maybe coming soon…depending on who you ask, Windows 7 (which, by the way, will actually be called Windows 7 upon release) will not ship with photo, video or e-mail editing applications on board. This time around, they’ll be downloadable from Windows Live, something Microsoft is already doing as an option with everything mentioned but a video editor. The idea is to get both applicatioons and Windows itself to the market quicker, with the side benefit of less litigation from the suit-happy EU. In “same difference” news, Microsoft is now touting “Windows Cloud“, some bit of vaporware that exemplifies Microsoft’s new focus on web-based services. Misplaced focus? You decide.

eBay is nixing check and money order payment options for small-ticket items, trying to keep buyer satisfaction up. They also laid off 1,000 workers recently. Coincidence? Mostly, but eBay hasn’t been doing so well lately, with their modified policies on both ends of the transaction and the site’s unfortunate abundance of cheap accessories for whatever item you’re really trying to buy.

Verizon Wireless now has the option to buy a phone and plan without a contract, though you’ll pay as much as three hundred more dollars for your phone for this privilege. Or you can activate your own Verizon-capable phone. In other news, they’ve announced that the BlackBerry Storm 9500, a touch-screen, multi-network Swiss army knife of a phone, will be out “in time for the holidays” “priced competitively”. Whatever that means, the phone itself looks awesome. Not so awesome: charging content providers three cents per text message sent to a Verizon subscriber, in addition to what that subscriber already pays to receive the message. Look for mobile services like Google SMS to start offering their wares everywhere except Verizon sometime soon.

The Large Hadron Collider is shut down until early spring. Even the paranoid are safe…for now…

TiVo is now available for your computer. TiVo lovers rejoice…and say “Finally” under their breaths.

Pandora will survive for just a little longer. The internet radio service is a direct beneficiary from a Senate bill that passed recently, allowing internet broadcasters more time in negotiating with the big names in terrestrial radio, who would absolutely love to sock it to internet venues with high per-play royalties, thus putting the poor guys out of business.

RealDVD has been halted from sale by entertainment industry litigation, after Real, the software’s producer, sued to establish legitimacy of its product. In the mean time, Google is your friend; there are plenty of free DVD rippers out there.

iTunes threatened to shut its music section down in light of Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) rate hikes. The CRB blinked, so Amazon’s MP3 store is still playing second fiddle to the Apple music behemoth.

Adobe Flash is being developed for the iPhone. The problem is that Apple decides what goes onto the iPhone, and such platforms as Flash just aren’t on that list. A few other notable apps, such as a podcast catcher and a special GMail reader, have also been rejected. Look for them on an Android phone near you soon.

Android phones seem to be qite the hot item these days. T-Mobile is having trouble keeping up with preorders for their device, the HTC-built G1. Over 1.5 million have been sold, and it isn’t even the first day!

It’s not a phone, but the Nintendo DSi, coming soon to Japan and likely later here, looks to be a solid answer to Apple’s iPhone\iPod Touch challenge to the mobile gaming throne. The DSi has an internal camera, a 3.2 megapixel external camera, larger screens and an application store. It’s also even thinner than the last iteration of Nintendo’s handheld series, making it enough of an upgrade to get people thinking about the platform again. On the other hand, it remains to be seen whether DS or DS Lite owners will upgrade…the price of $190 probably doesn’t justify the number of features added to the unit.

Heard of the Slingbox? Its makers will soon be pulling together content from major studios, your computer and even the Slingbox itself at Sling.com, though not all of these features will e available at launch. Still, very, very nice.

It’s a TV, it’s a camera, it’s a game console, it’s an MP3 player…it’s the Sega Vision! No kidding…they’re getting back into the hardware market next year, though who knows how successful this handheld PSP competitor will fare.

Want more battery life? Then don’t boot into Windows and use a cell phone processor to do all your work. That’s the premise behind the Dell Latitude ON feature. Naturally, when you’re in this flash-based, email-checking mode you’re running Linux and not Windows Vista.

Heard of the Sony eReader? No? What if Sony gave it a touch screen, spiffed up the design and added a few features both on the dive and its associated online store, then raised the price by $100? Ah well, that’s what those folks did…

Is drunk e-mailing a problem for you? How about drunk basic math? If you answered yes to the last two questions, Google’s Mail Goggles may be the answer to your first problem, by taking advantage of the second.

AMD is splitting into two companies, one for design and the other for actual chip-building. The idea is to have the design half focus on…well…competing with Intel on the CPU front and Intel\nVidia in the GPU sector, leaving the expensive process of building factories and other such physical burdens to another entity.

What happens when you cross light with WiFi? A research project, of course. The idea is to allow for scrue short-range communication in lieu of WiFi by way of LED-based light fixtures. Sorry guys, but the very thought gives me subliminal messages that a headache is imminent.

Google Chrome (yes, the browser) seems to have had a dose of meteoric success; its market share is dropping faster than the Dow in an economic crisis (close to home but an appropriate sense of scale). It probably doesn’t help that the browser is no longer being promoted on Google’s front page, but it’ll probably go back there once a new version (or a Mac version, or both) becomes available.

Paranoids, now is your time. The Google-exclusive GeoEye-1 mapping satellite has beamed its first high-resolution images down to earth, and while they aren’t military-grade (each pixel covers 50cm of territory) they are creepily detailed, especially if you don’t trust what used to be simply the world’s best search engine, or something like that.

That’s it for now. More news bits coming soon!

1. Best Buy has bought Napster for $121 million. Why, we’re not sure…maybe because they want to increase their position in the music selling market…they sell CDs and had a relationship with Real for Rhapsody. Now they have their own subscription service, which of course still won’t break the iTunes mega-market share situation.
2. The Large Hadron Collider was infiltrated by hackers earlier this week, to the point that a computer one level away from the actual control inferfaces was compromised. Also, they’ve shut the collider down to fix some cooling system problems. Scary, much?
3. Google has been working on a new place to put their data centers: on the ocean. THe big advantages: power from the waves, cooling from the water and the lack of land to tax. Sounds like a plan…let’s just hope there aren’t any scurvy data pirates around, ready to take all that personally identifyiable information wieth them on a raid in the high seas.
4. Heard of the Google Android phone? How about the HTC Dream? Well, T-Mobile will be introducing the latter, with the former operating system on it, Tuesda. The phone won’t be available until October, but this is finally the end of the vaporware that has been Google’s mobile phone operating system for some time now. The Dream will retail for $199 with a two-year contract, on par with the iPhone 3G lower-end model.
5. Have a Zune? Microsoft has made a deal with Wayport, a WiFi hotspot provider, to give Zune customers free WiFi at McDonalds outlets, for downloading music. In contrast, Apple has had a deal with Starbucks ever since their iPod Touch came out. Interesting dichotomy though.
6. In other Microsoft news, they’ve launched “I’m a PC” ads to counteract Apple’s ongoing PC-bashing ad blitz. Whereas Apple touts what Macs have that PCs don’t have, or are uncomfortable with Macs having, the “I’m a PC” ads focus on the wide ariety of people who use PCs. Sure, Apple might connotate Macs with being cool, but with a PC you can be cool, smart, rebellious or…um…a suba diver. That works. Microsoft has also passed a milestone build of Windows 7, meaning that a full-blown beta release may land as early as this year.
7. Yahoo is trying out a new home page layout. They’re also where Sarah Palin had an e-mail address, which was social-engineered by some hackers. Moral of the story: check the “Forgot your password?” option on your e-mail provider; it may well be the weakest link security-wise for getting into your e-mail. It was for Sarah.
8. In other political news, researchers have designed a program that figures out how much political spin is placed on a speech based on word usage. The verdict: Clinton is average, McCain pretty much doesn’t spin things, and Obama is an absolute spin doctor. Also, there seem to be problems with voting machines in several swing states, which includes here in Colorado. No is a good time to volunteer to help in whatever way you can to solve these problems. Tech heads are patriotic like that, right?
9. In the ongoing Spore saga, Electronic Arts has decided to relax some of the onerous copy protection restrictions imposed on the game. Now you can install it on up to five computers (up from three) and there’s an automated mechanism for deauthorizing machines if, say, you trade an old computer for a new one.

That’s it for now! If you have any comments or questions, look below…a comment box awaits your command!