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Tech Bytes: Vista haters sign petition to keep XP
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Published: July 3, 2008
Microsoft pulled the plug on the Windows XP operating system this week to make room for the newer Windows Vista system. As of Monday, Microsoft stopped selling XP to retailers and large computer manufacturers, though some smaller operations will still be able to sell XP through the end of January.
But there are still plenty of XP fans who want to keep their existing system and are reluctant to upgrade, citing bugs with Vista.
InfoWorld.com started a petition several months ago to let Microsoft know how widely Vista is disliked. As of last week, the petition had more than 210,000 signatures.
"We began this campaign because our readers compelled us to do so," Eric Knorr, the editor of InfoWorld, wrote in his blog. "Those of us who have been in the industry for a long time have never seen anything like the negative reaction to Windows Vista. Our readers have frequently voiced their frustrations about software incompatibilities, arbitrary UI changes, expanded hardware requirements, and altered security business rules."
The petition, which was sent Friday to Steve Ballmer, the Microsoft CEO, asks that Microsoft keep XP available until January 2010, when the next Windows operating system -- Windows 7 -- is scheduled to be released.
The number of teen cellular subscribers surpassed 16 million in 2007, according to a report from MultiMedia Intelligence, a market research firm. That is a 12 percent increase from 2006.
Over half of teens are cellular subscribers by age 13, according to the report.
"The teen market has been the ‘golden child' for cellular providers in the U.S.," according to the report. "Teens simply use their phones to do more, from text messaging to purchasing premium content."
But the survey found that the teen cellular market is nearly saturated, and MultiMedia predicts that it will take until 2012 before the number of teen subscribers reaches 17 million.
Sony's PlayStation 3 game console has long trailed Microsoft's Xbox 360, with only 12 million PS3s sold to date compared with more than 20 million 360s, but PS3 is gaining momentum. In May, PS3s outsold 360s by 209,000 units to 187,000, according to a new report from the NPD Group.
"Since the beginning of the year, PS3 has been riding a wave of good news," according to a report at AdvertisingAge.com, "including the triumph of its Blu-ray DVD technology, a critical mass of consumers, and a spate of upgraded reviews. But lately Sony itself has gotten more aggressive in helping the system gain traction with new services and features from across its vast electronics and content empire."
On Wednesday, Sony released a new software update for PS3 that includes two new features, XrossMediaBar (XMB), which will let users communicate with other gamers and use various features while playing games, and Trophies, which "lets gamers tout their accomplishments via profiles, which also lets users compare their skills," according to a report at NewsFactor.com.
For more information, including walkthroughs of the new features, go to http://blog.us.playstation.com.
■ Tim Clodfelter can be reached at 727-7371 or at tclodfelter@wsjournal.com.
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