It Has Arrived!

My new Dell XPS M1210 has arrived! I am typing on it currently. It is very cool. I love the set up and the size. The screen is just amazing!

My thoughts I Vista so far:
Vista is different then any of the Windows version that came before it. The interface has a nice look and feel to it. It feels way more modern than XP ever did. I have even tried out a few of the games - completely for testing purposes of course ;-) I downloaded Visual Basic 2005 Express any have tested that out. Visual Basic even looks better in Vista.

Some of the new "security" features are interesting. I like that there are options. However, I get a little tired of answering similar questions over and over again. I figure once I get all of the settings for programs worked out then I won't notice it nearly as much. I do like the look and the placement of these messages. Long gone is the ugly window in the middle of the screen asking you a question. Now a nicely matching and intergrated message box appears. The placement and description don't leave you wondering: Should I really click on that?

I am enjoying testing out my new laptop. I even (and this is coming from a huge fan of iTunes) the Media Player. It will actually collapes into your toolbar so you can control it from there. Which is great if you are like me and almost always have music playing in the background. Each time it does to a new song a little window pops up giving the name of the song, album, and artist.

While I am not the subject of toolbars I would like to mention another great feature I noticed. If you hoover over a minimized program it shows you a small "preview" of what it looks like. Then you don't have to keep clicking on things looking for the window you want. Anyway, I give the toolbar two thumbs up :)

Now I just have to get using a two button mouse again ;-) Before, I was rarely using anything but my PowerBook (except when I had to use Visual Studio or another software requiring Windows). But, I have a feeling that I am going to be using this laptop a whole lot more.

I still love my PowerBook - don't worry :) I haven't switched sides or anything. I just like to see both pastures. Why? Because I think as a CS student I need to have experience on several of the major technologies out there. If you only ever use one, then you are not well rounded. But realistically, I know each person has their favorites (and they will battle anyone who says otherwise).

Well, that is preliminary report on the laptop. As I discover new and interesting tidbits I will of course blog about it! Have a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by and reading :-)