I recently loaded Windows Vista Home Basic on a spare laptop to explore the low-end option of Microsoft’s latest operating system. Besides the occasional (OK, very frequent) UAC prompts, it’s pretty nifty. My main concern for many users is they will likely never repeat the same procedure twice when making changes to the operating system. I say that because there are so many different ways to get to where you want to go. Sometimes, limiting options makes for a better user experience. I expect someone will contact me for help because they changed something and don’t know how they got there! One good thing, though, is knowing what you’re looking for can save you. The search function (available almost anywhere in Vista) is pretty powerful. Say you want to get into the Device Manager - simply type dev into a search field, press enter and you’ll have a link to it in the first few results.

OK, enough of my Vista review. There are a million reviews of it already! The thing that prompted me to write this post is what I just experienced. I have a personal photo gallery on Picasa Web Albums that I tried to access as a visitor using Internet Explorer 7 on the Vista laptop. Instead of taking me to the page showing my public albums, the Picasa front page with a Google Account login window appeared asking me to sign in or create an account. HUH? This address is not supposed to require a login to view the albums. I started Firefox on the same laptop, keyed in the same address and… voila! The index of my albums showed. Hmmm… What’s amiss? This little “Protected Mode On” indicator at the bottom of IE looked suspicious. I double-clicked on it and unchecked the “Enable Protected Mode” option and clicked OK, acknowledged the warning (surprised it was not the UAC) and re-entered the address. Again, voila! My index page showed.

Now people getting into my measly little photo gallery is not of great concern. However, being redirected from a perfectly harmless photo album (or other harmless site that Little Timmy might send to Grandpa) without telling of the redirect, why the redirect and, quite importantly, how to get past the redirect… That ain’t all that good. Now when I choose to email a link to my gallery or to another such site, do I have to include a blurb of directions for Vista/IE7 users to access the site? Wow. That really improves my and the recipients’ computer experience.

In light of this and the plain ol’ newness of Vista, I counsel my clients NOT to purchase Vista just yet. Let the “first adopters” play with it for awhile and put it through real-world paces. After Microsoft and other developers have worked out the kinks (about this time next year?), then consider the purchase. For what most of my clients need, Windows XP with service pack 2 is highly adequate. If you need a new PC now, consider a refurbished unit with XP. It’s a good buy.

This device is going to make life simpler. I have TONS of wall-warts (i.e. AC chargers) and frequently have to add outlet strips to my already burgeoning supply, just to be able to plug in the charger for my latest gadget. Behold the future of gadget charging:

This little pad will replace the wall-warts and any device that’s configured for WildCharge can simply be placed on the pad and have its batteries topped off. Of course, the catch is that it’s unlikely many of my current devices will be adaptable to the new charging method. Some likely will, like my cellphone.  However, I’ll certainly include this feature in the set of those that are most desirable for my future gadgetry acquistions.

WildCharge is expected to be on the market in early 2007. Look for gadget manufacturers to be touting it in the near future.

How convenient will it be to walk into you home (or even a hotel room or coffee shop!) and simply place your phone or other device on the pad for a quick top-off?! I’m truly looking forward to this tech and hope early adopters of it really push it into ubiquity.

From Canada’s National Post: Xerox Canada helps develop ‘erasable paper’

Xerox Corp. said yesterday it has found a way to create temporary images on paper that would self-erase in 24 hours or less.

The special pages could theoretically be used again and again — as much as 50 times — to give the office recycling bins a rest. Xerox is now trying patent the technology.

…

“You could see there were these documents people only use once or twice or for the day, and then they’re gone. You start to classify them. And from that, you could see that two out of every five [printed pages] are for daily use,” said Paul Smith, a lab manager at the Xerox Research Centre of Canada, the company’s Mississauga, Ont.-based think-tank.

…

The Canadian team designed paper covered with special chemicals. Once the paper goes through the printer, the chemicals are exposed to a light source that causes the text on the paper to gradually fade. It disappears completely in 16 to 24 hours, but can be quickly erased by running it through the printer again.

After all these years of being promised our offices were going paperless, (I think “they” have finally stopped promising that.) here’s a technology that may very well provide significant reductions in the amount of paper used in large and small offices and maybe even homes.