I always found it strange that Apple locks devices even when the customers pay the full / unsubsidized price for them. All that I could think of was that it is their product. They are free to market it the way they want and there is no reason anyone should be bothered! You like it, buy it, otherwise there are more customers and more sellers! (On this note, I use ONLY Windows Mobile because I think it is the best mobile platform)

I got an iPhone because I wanted to see what is it in the phone that people don’t mind waiting in queue for weeks to buy it. I got it last November and used it for a couple of days, finally realizing that it was meant for my wife who is a casual techie. I wanted my Windows Mobile back, which meant getting the all new HTC HD2, the powerhouse!

When I heard about iOS 4, which is funnily termed as the world’s most advanced mobile OS by Apple, I wanted to see what was in there. I connected my jailbroken and unlocked phone to iTunes and it was quick to offer me the upgrade to the World’s most Advanced Mobile OS!

The *primary* features that iOS4 offers are Multitasking, Folders, FaceTime, app Platform, performance and stability, security and the fact that it works World over. Is it all that is required to make an OS the world’s most advanced mobile OS? I have been using all these (except FaceTime) on the Windows Phone platform since the first phone I bought!

I call Windows Mobile OS a platform because I think it is not an OS but actually a platform that allows people to develop on it and improve it. Any of the above features, which are a part of the OS (not hardware dependant like the phone works world over), have always been available on Windows Phone. The ability to manage apps in folders sounds as if we are getting something still in it’s infancy, Windows allows you to manage the entire file structure! You can manage all the files, applications, pictures and whatever is there on the phone in an explorer like structure.

XDA-Developers and HTC make a great software and hardware combination for the Windows platform. The fact that I can change anything, even the OS flavor on my phone, in max 30 minutes without thinking about anything, gives me the satisfaction that I own what I paid for!

I think the openness (and I have not used android yet) of Windows Phone makes me love the platform. Apple may make great products and they may be ‘cool’, I want something that works according to me and not according to the manufacturer!

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i was watching the pretty Windows 7 launch videos and pictures from various Microsoft sites around the world. I wanted to find out what was happening in India and to my surprise, Microsoft India didn’t even mention Windows 7 on their Windows Home Page!

The Windows Site has ‘Highlights’ – Small Business: Upgrade to Windows Vista with Confidence

Microsoft India

Funny a company like Microsoft forgot to mention Windows 7. Having said that, I guess even MS would not know what web properties they have around the world! Elephants can’t Dance Saala!

PS: As you can see from the screenshot, I happily use Windows 7, Live Writer, and I love Microsoft!

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I recently bought a new laptop, HP dv7-2180us, Core2Quad, with 6GB RAM and an ATI Radeon with a GB dedicated. It had Windows Vista preinstalled on it and before I bought it, I ensured that I had a Windows 7 upgrade available (postponed my purchase for 3 days). I have used other operating systems, including OSX, Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and CentOS. The moment I came home and unpacked my new beast, I took out the DVD with the Windows 7 RC and upgraded my laptop.

I knew that I will have to do a fresh install when Windows 7 will finally be available, as upgrade from Windows 7 RC to Windows 7 Release is not allowed (yet). I knew that my license allowed me an upgrade to Windows 7 Home, which meant that I will have to do away with my installation that I was about to perform on the system as RC was available only in Windows 7 Ultimate. I knew that the Windows 7 RC will stop working after sometime, the bi-hourly shutdown to begin on March 1, 2010.

Even after all this, I chose to install Windows 7 RC on my laptop.

Windows means a ‘life without walls’. After using all the operating systems that I could put my hands on, I can say that I love Windows. I have used Windows Mobile on my HTC Touch Diamond, and when I changed it to Nokia E71, I missed the convenience of doing things the way they were meant to be done. Cut, Copy and Paste were so much easier on Windows Mobile, am glad IPhone users are also able to experience it now!!

Windows 7 seems to have been designed for the latest machines. Adding my Canon Printer or the E71 or HTC Phone was not even a task. I connected them and the Device Manager automatically installed the required Drivers, else told me what was required. Before installing the Windows 7 RC, I forgot to make a driver-disk, which would have all the drivers of this new laptop. I was amazed to see that everything installed perfectly and there were no conflicts whatsoever!

Windows 7 makes the online life easier. With Windows Live Essentials and the Internet Explorer 8, there is not much that I would require for working on the Internet. I have an instant messenger, blog writing application, email client, movie editor, networking utility, safety and security software, Fax and Scanner software and everything that I will require in a Home PC!

I didn’t have to do anything except give a couple of details and press next. It was smooth and it works perfect. I am not in a habit of shutting down the laptop anymore because the wake-up time from Sleep is about 2 seconds, and it doesn’t consume any battery on Sleep. I can move between my work and home wireless without worrying about establishing connections and the networking with a wired connection is also painless. The Action Center keeps on telling me about the problems ‘and’ the solutions, which taught me to create a Backup of my important files.

I don’t know if I have any reasons to move to any other Operating System. I have Windows 7 and I am very happy!