Windows Vista Cheat Sheet

Now that Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 is available for everyone, the new operating system is getting closer to launch. Looking at the features and costs, I still fail to see the need for a resource-hungry Windows XP that has a fancy interface, "Google Desktop", some new applications and a better security.

Prices for Vista editions
* Vista Ultimate: $399 (upgrade $259)
* Vista Business: $299 (upgrade $199)
* Vista Home Premium: $239 (upgrade $159)
* Vista Home Basic: $199 (upgrade $99)

Requirements (for best experience)
* 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
* 1 GB of system memory
* Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory, Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel
* 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space

Features
* Windows Aero
* User Account Control
* IE7 (Protected Mode)
* Windows Defender
* Desktop search
* Gadgets
* Better file recovery
* Windows Media Center
* Photo album, calendar
* Parental controls
* more

SWOT

Strengths
* the first Windows that brings the Internet to the desktop
* focused on security

Weaknesses
* needs too many resources
* no killer-feature
* too many features left out

Opportunities
* promote Windows Live
* beat Google at its own game (search)

Threats
* Google makes the operating system irellevant

Screenshots from Vista RC1

Positive and negative feedback

Download Windows Vista RC1

Tips and tricks