Microsoft Windows Vista is an inevitable reality for many Windows users. January 30th is the official launch date when consumers will have, for the first time, the ability to download a Windows OS directly from the corporate site. Store shelves will also be filled with colorful boxes containing Vista and new computers will come loaded with the OS. It will be everywhere, but don’t feel compelled to jump off the cliff just yet. Microsoft recently announced it will extend its support of Windows XP until 2014. Word on the street and all over Microsoft.com is that Vista boasts improved built-in imaging functionality and organization in the form of Windows Photo Gallery. I recently had the opportunity to take the plunge and I jumped in head first ready to accept whatever fate had in store. Since Microsoft recommends a minimum of 512MB of RAM and a 1GHz processor, my trusty Dell Latitude D600 seemed the perfect guinea pig. At 1.5GHz and 2GB of RAM, this secondary system would give me the chance to evaluate Windows Vista on a minimal computer system without crippling my productivity if the inevitable happens…yes, I’m a pessimist. I decided to perform a clean install after backing up the system, since past experiences with upgrading a Microsoft OS have been less than pleasant. This MSDN version of Windows Vista Business (Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate are the four available versions of Windows Vista) prompted to upgrade the current OS, which was Windows XP SP2, or copy all current Windows related files and folders into a ‘Windows.old’ folder and perform a fresh new installation of the OS. I chose the latter. MAC users are snickering at this point, but to be fair OS X wasn’t a walk in the park to upgrade either.
I must admit the installation was quick and painless, the main caveat being that an internet connection was required. The process downloads several components directly from Microsoft and was completed within thirty minutes, with little interaction from me. After completion and a reboot, I found all of my installed devices such as internal wireless NIC, Modem, Video Driver, etc., all discovered and working correctly. The ‘Windows.old’ directory that was created was a surprising 10GB in size. My first impression of Microsoft Windows Vista is that it has serious MAC envy. Gadgets instead of Widgets, Aero instead of Aqua; who is Bill trying to kid, they’ve been copying Apple since day one, and Vista is the closest Redmond has come so far.
That being said, my first point of interest was Vista’s image related upgrades. The new Windows Photo Gallery is a welcome improvement. This multi-use tool allows for better management of images and video, and includes basic image editing capabilities such as Auto Adjust, Adjust Exposure, Adjust Color, Crop Picture, and Fix Red Eye. Similar imaging editing tasks can also be performed within the new Microsoft Office 2007 Suite, but I’ll comment on that at a later date. Within Windows Photo Gallery add keywords, tags, edit metadata, rate images with the common star rating system, and search by date including day, month or year the image was taken. I am impressed with the level of detailed information that can be added to each image using Windows Photo Gallery, such as Camera Model, Lens Maker, Lens Model, Flash Model, Camera Serial Number, Light Source, and other common data such as F-Stop, ISO, Focal Length, etc. Combined with the free Microsoft Photo Info tool, which allows for editing metadata directly from Windows Explorer and context menus, Vista’s inherent image management provides intuitive organization possibilities right out of the box. Another suggestion is to install Google’s free Picasa tool to expand your capabilities and managing images with Vista won’t cost you a dime beyond the initial investment in the OS upgrade. The Windows Photo Gallery also supports video. View movie files, add tags, captions and organize videos all within the same interface used for still images. Windows Photo Gallery also includes a ‘Make a Movie’ feature, direct emailing of images, printing and burning directly to CD/DVD. This application is definitely a marked improvement over its predecessor.
I don’t want to be a shill for Brother Bill, but let’s face it, don’t be surprised if our nation becomes the ‘United States of Microsoft’ within the next fifty years. If you can somehow trademark the name of a country Gates will figure out how. Since I use Microsoft Windows, along with millions of others, it’s logical for me to be curious if upgrading to Windows Vista will improve imaging productivity. I believe it will. Along with the much improved search capabilities of Vista, which tops my list for the best new feature, I think most folks will come to like this new OS, once they get past the initial ‘shock and awe.’ Now it’s time to unbox the new IMac that just arrived. Life is good…
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