Task Switching
The traditional Alt+Tab method of switching has now undergone a facelift with Vista. Whilst the old Alt+Tab task switcher still remains, the enhanced version for Vista Aero users is called Windows Flip or Flip 3D. It now uses live thumbnail views as well as transparency to display live running applications. Upon holding down the Windows key and Tab, Flip 3D will show you live windows of all running tasks. Cycling through the tasks can be done by either using your mouse wheel, or by tapping tab while the windows key is still held down.
Users without Aero can still use Flip 3D but without the transparency or live thumbnail views. Windows Sidebar
One feature I thought wouldn’t make it into Vista’s final builds was the Sidebar. This is a separate application that can run as part of the desktop. It enables users to have at-a-glance information on various bits of information, E.G CPU usage, RSS feeds, Outlook appointments etc. The list is endless and it all works via add-ons or Gadgets as Microsoft has called them. Gadgets are simple scripted XML mini apps, which can latch onto the sidebar, or be dragged off it onto the desktop itself and act like a Mac OSX Widget. Vista already includes quite a few semi useful gadgets by default. These include a Clock, stock checker, weather info, CPU usage meter and a few more.
Cleartype as default
Windows XP brought us Cleartype technology which basically adds aliasing to screen fonts to improve their readability on LCD screens, and in Vista this is now enabled by default.
Microsoft has also looked into readability again and has produced the new Segoe UI font as a result. This is the standard font used in Vista now.
Welcome Center
Once the vista desktop appears for the first time after installation, Vista will present you with the Welcome Center. This is basically an intro to Vista and it will also allow XP users to transfer files and settings from other machines, allow you to set up additional users as well as setting up your internet connection. True newcomers to the OS will find video based tutorials instructing them on how to use the mouse, and windows dialogue boxes. The Welcome Center also acts as a way for Microsoft to get in touch to its users for its products. The center itself has a link to purchase Windows Live Onecare, as well as upgrade your copy of Vista.
Media Center
Windows Media Center comes with the Home Premium and Ultimate versions of Vista. Since Media Center 2005, it has undergone a raft of changes, mostly visual to optimize itself for large screen monitors, widescreen ones for example.
At present, Media Center Extender is confined to the Xbox 360, although in future more and more hardware will support MCE.
If you have an Xbox 360 connected to your Vista PC, then it will detect it on your network and set it up for you with minimal fuss and from there, your PC will stream almost any content to your 360, including TV feeds. You still cannot play Divx or Xvid videos natively, although both XP/Vista users can use Transcode 360 to do this without any drawbacks at all.
High Fidelity Audio
This is a major headache for sound card companies. The audio subsystem in Vista has been rewritten from scratch.
Its aim is to provide top quality sound, with extremely low latency. Microsoft wanted to take total control of how audio is processed on their OS rather than letting the sound companies do it themselves. In turn they have developed a solid, robust architecture that is geared towards media creation. Microsoft has called this system Windows Audio Video Excellence or Wave for short.
This completely new subsystem means that it has taken far longer for sound card manufacturers to come up with decent Vista drivers. Indeed Creative Labs are one of the main culprits here. They have had months upon months to come up with suitable working drivers, and even though they do have Beta drivers for their Audigy and XFI range – they are extremely poor and buggy. However Realtek, whose audio chipsets are incorporated in a large number of motherboards have beat Creative to the punch by coming up with superb up to date drivers that work perfectly well with Vista, with just a few minor issues.
Photo Gallery
One of Vista’s goals was to allow easy organization of digital media, which is on the increase at a phenomenal rate. Photo Gallery is Vista’s answer to gallery software such as Picasa. This application lets you import photos from almost any camera, and perform very basic image editing. In addition to this you can rate photos and tag them with Meta data featured in Flickr. In essence Photo Gallery is a very capable video and image library management application.
Parental Controls
Parental Controls make their first appearance into a Microsoft OS. They will allow parents to restrict access to unsuitable content in various ways. You can monitor your kid’s activity and see what they are up to via generated logs. Customisable White and Blacklists can be created to allow or block web content, and most importantly downloads can be disabled completely. Access to the PC itself can be restricted according to the time of the day, or even day of the week. Application control is also featured and allows parents to restrict what applications their children can use.
PC Backup & Recovery
Business and Ultimate versions of Vista come with a built in disk imaging based backup feature that will take snapshots of your entire hard drive, and save it in Microsoft’s virtual hard drive format. Restoration can be done by simply using the Vista DVD to run access the System Recovery Environment should you encounter hard drive issues. This image format is the same format used by Microsoft’s very own Virtual PC, so images can be loaded into Virtual PCs and examined, although you cannot boot from them. From the System Recovery Environment, which is accessed via the Vista DVD you can issue automated fixes for non booting systems, as well as restoring backed up images and restore points.