Dear Technical Preview Participants,

Thank you so much for all your feedback on the Office 2010 Click-to-Run Technical Preview. Your feedback has been of great help to the product team.

We are starting to prepare the Microsoft Connect site for the next Office 2010 release that we will also be asking for you to provide feedback on to us. You will receive an email next week with more information about the new release.

Starting November 10, 2009, the Office 2010 Click-to-Run Technical Preview release will no longer have available for downloading. You can continue to use the product on any computer it is installed.

It is important that you plan for the next product release. This release will NOT be upgradeable. You will be required to completely uninstall the current version of your product on the machine. We strongly advise that you backup all of your data files, before you uninstall the Office 2010 Click-to-Run Technical Preview release.

Again, thank you for your participation and feedback in the Office 2010 Office 2010 Click-to-Run Technical Preview Program.

Office 2010 Click-to-Run Product Team

Following this email is an interesting tweet by the Microsoft Office official Twitter account, stating “MS Office team has some exiting news to tell at PDC. This is a must attend event. Stay tuned”. It turns out that Microsoft may not have simply chosen next week for the public beta without substantial reason; it would make perfect sense for it to coincide with PDC, as it’s a big Microsoft event where exciting new products and services from Microsoft are revealed.

We’ll all find out if this is the case or not next week, and, as always, GeekSmack will be covering all the exciting developments with PDC 2009 and Office 2010 as they unfold.

If you’re in the market for a monitor and have a machine running Windows 7/will get one, than getting a monitor that’s capable of utilizing Windows Touch is definitely an option worth considering. Here, we have a roundup of the 4 Windows 7 ready monitors that either are available to be purchased right now, or will be released sometime in the near future, with a brief description of the monitor and a link to a place where you may purchase it.

HP Compaq L2105tm 21.5-inch Widescreen - $299, Available Now

The HP Compaq L2105tm 21.5-inch monitor is the cheapest one on our list, buffing Windows 7-capable multi-touch technology, a 1920x1080 resolution, and a 5 ms response time all for the cost of $299. If you want multi-touch capabilities and a decently-sized monitor without breaking the bank, than the HP Compaq L2105tm is right for you. [Buy]

Acer T230H 23" monitor - $370, Available Now

If a 21.5” monitor won’t cut it for you, than perhaps the Acer T230H monitor is worth a look. With the T230H, you have a decent screen size, a full HD resolution, and multi-touch all in one package allowing you to both view your media nicely and sharply while better interacting with your system. [Buy]

Dell SX2210T 21.5” Multi-Touch Monitor with Webcam - $469, Available Now

HP and Acer aren’t the only major manufacturers that have dipped their feet into the multi-touch monitor waters; Dell has also introduced its offering, the Dell SX2210T into the multi-touch market. The SX2210T, buffing a 2 MP built-in webcam, a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080, and a 21.5” screen size is one of the more pricier offerings in the multi-touch market compared to the others listed in this article. [Buy]

Packard Bell Viseo 200T Touch Edition - €199, Unknown Availability

Packard Bell has unveiled it’s own entry into the multi-touch market as well; the Viseo 200T Touch Edition, which is, a 20” multi-touch monitor that is expected to hit the shelves at an average price of €199, with pricing and availability differing by country. The reason I say “unknown availability” is because, although the press release states that it was supposed to hit the shelves sometime mid-October, it has yet to surface on any store that I’ve been able to locate. Readers: If you spot the Packard Bell Viseo 200T Touch Edition anywhere, please let us know by dropping a comment.

Quoting the press release: It features 2 built-in stereo speakers and advanced display features: 16:9 ratio, 5-ms response time, 50000:1 maximum contrast ratio and a VGA and a DVI port with HDCP support. [View Press Release]

We hope you enjoyed our roundup. If you stumble upon any additional multi-touch monitors targeted towards average consumers, please let us know using the comment system.

Originally, the Atom 2 [Pine Trail] was scheduled for a January 2010 release. However with Mobile devices being the high seller, Intel has decided to push out the Atom 2 December 21st. In hopes of grabbing more end-users during the holiday shopping season. The Atom 2 has an integrated memory controller and GPU, successfully removing the need for a Northbridge chipset. Leaving only two main circuits.

By January 4th, PC manufacturers are already expected to have devices ready built with the Atom N450. Just in time for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). You can expect these babies to have some good number-crunching features. However, the GPU may be another story.

Xbit has posted some rather “rumored” specifications of the Atom 2:

• Intel Atom N450: single-core with Hyper-Threading support, 1.66GHz, 512KB cache, x86-64, BGA437 package, $63 price-point;
• Intel Atom D510: dual-core with Hyper-Threading support, 1.66GHz, 1MB cache, x86-64, BGA437 package, $63 price-point;
• Intel Atom D410: single-core with Hyper-Threading support, 1.66GHz, 512KB cache, x86-64, BGA437 package, $43 price-point;

Xbit Via [NordicHardware]

Though these could be simply Photoshopped, Engadget's source claims that there is genuine insider knowledge, though it wouldn't be surprising if these images are real. With improved consistancy with functionality and appearence, the apps canbe a proper part of Google's upcoming lightweight operating system, Chrome OS.

While the Waves have yet to make their way to other apps and to public eyes, this is a sign that Google is hard at work to unify its products and make the Chrome OS simpler and a good experience overall. Also, the unified look and feel is meant to "provide a consistent experience throughout all Google Apps and blur the line between the browser and the website (e.g. drag and drop, right-click, etc.).", which further supports the idea that this is meant for Chrome OS.

But this should be available to everyone regardless to their operating system, which is always nice. 

Source: Engadget

If you have jailbroken your iPhone and installed SSH, it’s recommended that you change your root user password to something other than the default, optimally a password that isn’t a dictionary word. The worm has at least 4 variants written thus far. The latest variant tries to hide its presence by using a filepath suggestive of the Cydia application.

At this point, it appears that the worm is harmless in a sense that changing your wallpaper is all that it does, though the principle of it is not. Now that the first iPhone worm has been discovered, perhaps more hackers will be willing to dip their feet in the iPhone worm-making waters.

Source: Sophos

So, after seeing a countless amount of positive reviews, playing around with it a bit on a friend’s PC or at the store, perhaps trying out the Beta and RC, and simply hearing your geek friends talking amongst each other about 7, you finally decided to make the switch. Whether you’re upgrading a current system, or purchasing a new PC, there are a few things you can do to spruce up your experience and make it even better.

1. Reinstall 7 if you purchased a new PC with 7 – Yes, you heard right. If you purchased a new OEM PC from a store like Best Buy, FutureShop, CompUSA, Costco, etc., or from another similar store, than it’s best to go and purchase a fresh copy of Windows 7 from that same store and re-install your OEM PC right after purchasing it. Why? Because the installations of Windows that come with these OEM systems are clogged with bloatware, causing system crashes, instability, sluggishness and various other issues that can be eradicated with a clean copy of Windows. Myself and many people I know do this with all the systems that they get their hands on, and it’s been proven to make a positive difference.

2. Run Windows Update – It’s very important to have the latest drivers and security patches on your machine for optimal performance. This is why it’s important to check for updates after an installation, and to let it automatically install important updates to keep your system safe and speedy.

3. Adjust UAC – If you were one of the many people that were annoyed by User Account Control (UAC) in Windows Vista, than I have good news for you. In Windows 7, you can keep the protection offered by UAC without the intrusiveness. To do this, go to Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Change User Account Control Settings. From there, you can either disable UAC altogether or simply tone down the intrusiveness.

4. Skin it – Even though Windows 7 only hit the shelves on October 22nd, there already are a few rather nice skins out there for it. In a previous GeekSmack post, titled 7 Stylish Skins for Windows 7, you will see my personal favorites at the moment. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of skinning, skinning is basically patching your machine so that you can use custom skins instead of the default Aero look alone. Skinning isn’t harmful at all towards your system, and it’s something that many people do.

5. Set up a homegroup – Among the many other improvements in 7, networking was also made better and easier. With homegroups, you can set up a password-protected network of PCs that are all running Windows 7, which makes it easier to share files, printers, and stream media. To get started with homegroups, simply go to Start > Computer (or any Explorer window of your choice) > Homegroup (in the left pane). From there, it’s quick and easy to start a homegroup, and all you need to do from there is connect the other PCs to the homegroup.

6. Learn the time-saving keyboard shortcuts – By using some of the spiffy keyboard shortcuts built into Windows 7, you can save time and interact with your PC more using your keyboard. There’s some great keyboard shortcuts out there, such as the ones listed below:

+ number - Start the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. If the program is already running, switch to that program.

+ Up Arrow - Maximize the window.

+ Left Arrow - Maximize the window to the left side of the screen.

+ Right Arrow - Maximize the window to the right side of the screen.

+ Home - Minimize all but the active window.

+ Shift+ Left Arrow or Right Arrow - Move a window from one monitor to another.

There’s many more keyboard shortcuts to learn about, and you may do so by going to: Start > Help and Support > Type “Keyboard Shortcuts” in the search box > Click on the first link titled “Keyboard Shortcuts”.

7. Install XP Mode – If you’re one of the many people out there that need to use software not supported by 7 (or even Vista) that works on XP, than there’s no need to fear. XP Mode, a program that utilizes virtualization technology to basically run the incompatible apps in XP while still using 7 may prove useful to you. It will allow you to run applications incompatible with 7, for example IE6, in a Windows XP window alongside the usual 7 applications in their appropriate Windows 7 windows. As XP mode utilizes virtualization technology to do this however, you will need to have a compatible CPU. Check to see if your system supports XP mode and download it over at the XP Mode official website.

AIM Ad Hack, an application which blocks ads and removes the installation of bundled software in the AIM instant messaging program, has been updated to a new version that supports the AIM 7.1 Beta. We’ve managed to get our hands on this version exclusively, and you may download it by clicking on the link at the bottom of this article. Here is some information about the program, quoted from the installation:

This program must be installed over AIM version 7.
Installing this over any other version will not work correctly.

AIM Ad Hack is a AIM patch that removes all advertisements and removes & blocks installation of bundled software.

Anyone can contribute to this project; any help is appreciated.

=================================================================
*Features*

All Features in Current Version
*Removes advertisements from buddy list
*Removes Buddy Info Ads
*Removes Settings Ads
*Removes Buddy List and IM search box
*Blocks AOL Software Update Utility Install
*Blocks Viewpoint Media Player Install
*Blocks AIM Toolbar Install
*Blocks AOL Loader Install
*Blocks Quality Feedback Agent Install
*Blocks AOL Media Playback Install
*Blocks IE search provider change
*Blocks homepage change
*Removes AOL On Desktop (AOL Installer)
*Removes Triton's crash reporting tool
*Removes System Information Utility
*Removes AOL Browser
*Removes Plaxo
*Removes Wild Tanget
*Removes WeatherBug
*Removes MySearch toolbar
*Removes AOL Toolbar
*Removes AIM Logger
*Removes Internet Explorer requirement
*Adds support for Windows 2003
*Optionally removes AIM plugins
*Optionally disable HostManager from starting up with windows
*Optionally install AIM while running AIM Ad Hack

=================================================================
*Changelog*

Changes in AIM Install Condom 6.14 - 11/08/09
*Updated for AIM 7.1 Beta

View: AIM Ad Hack Official Website

Download: AIM Ad Hack 6.14

New MSN Design Unveiled – For the first time in a decade or so, MSN is slated to receive quite a major facelift. Cutting through the clutter, this clean, new design is both practical and less “overwhelming” with over 50% less links than its predecessor while introducing new features such as tighter integration with Facebook and Twitter, more local-oriented content, and several more features. Check it out for yourself at http://www.msn.com/preview.aspx . Once it’s launched, it’s expected to be U.S. only for a good while, unfortunately.

FutureMark working on new DirectX11 Benchmark – The guys over at FutureMark are already hard at work on a new benchmark tool for DirectX 11. Oliver Baltuch, President of FutureMark had this to say: “ We are hard at work creating beautiful looking art and fantastic code which will be at the leading edge of technology”.

USB 3.0 delayed until 2011? – It appears that we may have to wait a bit longer for USB 3.0 technology—NVIDIA spokesperson Brian Burk has stated that Intel may have postponed the USB 3.0 standard by up to 2 years, coming after reports stating that USB 3.0 compatible chipsets won’t arrive until 2011.

HTC DROID Eris Revealed – The Boy Genius Report has done it again, this time revealing the HTC DROID Eris ahead of time. Check out the article to see all the tasty unboxing pictures that they managed to obtain from their source.

i7 930 To Be Released Q1 2010 – Out of all the Core i7 LGA1366 CPUs released last year, the Core i7 920 is the only one that’s survived to this day without a successor. The Core i7 965 EE was replaced by the i7 975 EE, and the 940 with the 950, which itself is going to be succeeded by the 960. The Core i7 has at last met its successor, and it will be discontinued in favor of the Core i7 930: a chip clocked at 2.88GHz, with 4 cores, 8 threads, 8MB of L3 cache, a 130W TDP, and an expected price tag of around $284. There’s some uncertainty regarding the manufacturing technology used for the chip though, but it’s likely Intel will save the good stuff (32nm) for its 6-core Gulftown processor.

Details emerge of Microsoft’s Courier – The guys over at Gizmodo managed to get their hands on some interesting illustrations of Microsoft's Courier tablet. The Courier will have two side-by-side 7” screens with either stylus or multi-touch input. The hinge allows you to fold the tablet like a book, and between the hinge you’ll find things such as wireless connectivity and battery life. Check out the illustrations over at the article.

Mr. Blurrycam Strikes Again, Leaks Halo Reach Pictures – ToM MoReLLo, a Major League Gaming forums member, has leaked seemingly legit pictures of Halo Reach that he managed to snap while visiting a Microsoft office. Showing off “perks”, some new guns and a bit of what we can expect, these interesting yet blurry pictures are definitely worth a look.

Rumor: Apple to launch next-gen UMTS/CDMA iPhone in Q3 2010 – Backing our recent report with iPhone rumors that we received from a tipster, it appears that more information has surfaced backing the rumor that Apple will be launching a UMTS/CDMA iPhone on the Verizon Network in 2010. The iPhone, rumored to have a 2.8” screen, will be compatible CDMA2000 networks while maintaining support for UMTS 3G networks, allowing Apple to sell a single handset to carriers worldwide.

Open Letter to OEMs: Cut the Crap (Literally) – After the end-user has been plagued by bloatware from OEM manufacturers for a good while now, I finally decided to vent and share my opinions with the world on the matter in the form of an open letter. Read the letter to read about why OEM’s need to “cut the crap” if they want to provide a better end-user experience.

Techbits – 11.06.09 – DVDs being replaced by… USBs? Blacksn0w to unlock the 3G and 3GS? Read more interesting tidbits over at this week’s edition of Techbits.

Here’s a GeekSmack review that may be of interest to you:

Review: Roccat Sota Mousepad and Roccat Kova Mouse – The Roccat Kova Mouse, a good quality gaming mouse received the GeekSmack’s Editor’s Choice award from reviewer Alex Warren! Come on in and see how it performed to deserve the award.

Well, that sums up all of the exciting headlines this week! If you’d like to catch us around the net, feel free to follow us on Twitter, become a fan of us on Facebook, or subscribe to our RSS feed—or do them all! Stay tuned for next weeks edition of This Week in Geek.

The new iPhone will reportedly be compatible with CDMA2000 networks (such as Verizon’s US network), while maintaining compatibility with UMTS 3G networks by using a new hybrid chip produced by Qualcomm. Sources also state that the new iPhone will have a 2.8” screen, which is notably smaller compared to the current iPhone’s 3.5” display. Last summer, some pictures surfaced of a 2.8” iPhone model surfaced over at iLounge, which may be viewed below:

This report, originating from OTR Global and provided to AppleInsider by an industry analyst, states that Asustek subsidiary Pegatron will be in charge of building the new hybrid phone deviced rather than Hon Hai, supposedly to prevent the company from being “constrained by a single-source assembler”.

Of course, all of this is pure rumor at this point and nothing’s confirmed, but there’s a good chance that this information is real. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the new iPhone, and, if we find anything else out, we’ll be sure to write about it. Have any information? Feel free to tip us on news.