Windows 7 Ship Date – I think we’ve all been waiting for Windows 7 since that first fateful moment we clicked Enter after typing in the password on a new Vista set-up.  The whole “Mojave” diversion was like bleach in the wounds. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait much longer. Microsoft has announced that Windows 7 will be shipping to customers on Oct. 22. I’ll be anticipating it like prom-night virginity loss. Indications are that all versions of the new OS will run on PCs, notebooks and netbooks. The release candidate has received relatively positive reviews, but I guess we won’t really know for sure until we power it up. For those that can’t make the full leap, Microsoft will also be issuing Windows Upgrade Option for current users.  Like said prom night, there’s a real mix of hair-tingling excitement and petrifying, palm-drenching fear. And similarly, it will all be over soon, for better or worse. [via PC World]

After curling up in the fetal position and taking a thorough ass-kicking from Wii for a while, Microsoft has opened its eyes to make sure it was clear, pulled itself up, hobbled battered and bruised back to the proverbial drawing board, and taken solace in the old maxim that starts off by admitting defeat then advocates mimicking the competition. In other words, they’ve announced a new package of body motion-based hardware at E3.

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Bing Search Engine by Microsoft – Ahead of schedule appears to be the theme of this beautiful, bright 1st of June. Microsoft’s anticipated new search engine Bing was originally scheduled to launch on Wednesday, but is already available today. Though it will take more than a couple of hours to decipher just how much of a “Google killer” it is, it does offer some new features that set it apart. When searching travel destinations, for instance, you’ll be provided with real time pricing and availability to make booking fast and seamless. Similarly, online shoppers and those looking for health-related and local information are provided with more customized tools.

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Zune HD – You know Microsoft’s leak culture is bad when its announcement of a new portable media player is not really an announcement, but a “confirmation.” Yes, the oft-rumored and even pictured touch screen handheld is real, and there are bare-bones specs and (more) pictures to prove it. Obviously rivaling the iPod Touch, the Zune HD — we don’t yet know if that name is final — will have a 3.3-inch, 480 x 272 OLED multi-touch screen, with an HD Radio tuner and HD video playback through a dock. It’ll also include Wi-Fi and a special version of Internet Explorer to browse the Web, running on a modified version of Windows CE rather than Windows Mobile. Over on Xbox Live, a Zune-branded store will replace the Xbox Video Marketplace, so expect a lot of cross-branding down the line. As for gaming, Microsoft’s being cheeky, saying we’ll have to wait until E3 to find out how the new Zune plays into that — unless something leaks first. [via Electronista]

Twitter’s the new tech hype machine, and if you keep your ears to the wire, you’ll get tidbits of news in unlikely places. The latest comes from Microsoft’s Office ’10 Twitter page, which has oddly dedicated 40 percent of its posts so far to Zune-related issues. First, we’re told that June 2009 will be “an important month for Zune lovers,” followed by confirmation of a new product launch. “Hold off from buying an iPhone/Pre,” the feed sayeth. There are other dots to connect here. We’ve heard that Microsoft is working on an iPhone rival, codenamed Pink, plus the possibility of a Zune HD. Then, there’s the fact that E3 falls on the first week of June, raising the possibility of some Xbox connection. Also, Xbox Live director of programming Larry Hyrb is tweeting about “the coolest opportunity I’ve had in a long time.” So the takeaway is this: Microsoft is working on something, and they think it’s going to be awesome. [Twitter via Engadget]

Word on the Wall Street Journal is that Microsoft is teaming up with Verizon to create an iPhone-like smartphone, complete with a touch screen and apps for sale at the Windows Marketplace. Reportedly, Microsoft will design the software and hardware, then hand the manufacturing off to a third party, kind of like Google does with its Android operating system. This isn’t a surprising rumor, but there’s a twist: USA Today reported that Verizon is in talks with Apple to reel in the iPhone. Could both of these unconfirmed stories pan out? Maybe, but get ready for yet another shocker: BusinessWeek says Verizon and Apple are actually working on an “iPhone lite” and a media pad that only includes Wi-Fi for making calls. With so many crazy rumors packed into such a short period of time, they can’t all pan out. Which one would you like to see the most? [Wall Street Jounal via Engadget]

Microsoft has launched the latest version of Internet Explorer, complete with self-commissioned studies on why you should use it instead of Firefox, Safari or Chrome. Right now, it’s all about security. A survey found that 91 percent of U.S. adults are worried about online security threats, and 78 percent are more likely to choose a browser with built-in security features. Wouldn’t you know, Internet Explorer 8 has that, blocking two to four times as many malicious sites as other browsers — according to another Microsoft-commissioned study. But, the software giant is quick to point out that IE8 is fast as well, with Accelerators, Web Slices and visual search suggestions. Microsoft also claims its browser is fastest, though one can easily find counterarguments. I think it all comes down to comfort. If you’re down with Internet Explorer, or are curious to see if it will make you feel safer and faster, go right ahead and dive in. [via Microsoft]

Rumor has it that the near-final release candidate of Windows 7 is going to be ready to hit the streets by April 10th. A source from within Microsoft has indicated that the company plans on making its final release candidate launch in less than two months, meaning that we’ll definitely see the street version of the program hit store shelves before the end of the year. Many people speculate we’ll actually see the first version by July, with plenty of time for it to make its way onto computers for the holidays. Microsoft has promised the public shorter wait times for the launch of its products for some time now, it looks like this time they may actually be serious. [via Electronista]

We’ve seen a surge of portable projectors, getting smaller and smaller, over recent months. Most of those projectors don’t include a portable computer in the package, or stereo speakers for that matter. Designed by Jinwoo Han, the Microsoft Portable PC Theater includes everything that you need to set up a little movie theater on the road: computer for all your multimedia, projector for displaying your video and built-in speakers for full audio. Projector also detaches from the computer base for independent use. Potentially both practical and fun, this is a cool little device to have in your portable electronics arsenal. [Industrial Design Served]

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