Ease of Use:  

Perhaps the Windows 7 Beta is so easy to use because it parallels the logic of the Mac OS. But, after watching some of our staff that haven’t even used an iPod before explore Windows 7, it’s clear that the Windows 7 UI is straightforward and avoids unnecessary clutter. A first time user will get comfortable with Windows 7’s layout in minutes.

The ease of install impressed us too. We didn’t have to track down a single driver manually. Windows 7 was on top of all of our hardware, peripherals and network setup.

Personalizing the desktop and theme on the Windows 7 Beta was easy and, frankly, fun. New options like slideshow desktop wallpaper, and colored transparent window panes are enjoyable novelties that add a touch of personality to a PC.

Compared to Vista’s release, Windows 7 doesn’t seem to have any bugs that will interfere with ordinary computer use. For everyday tasks like web browsing and email, the Windows 7 Beta makes a very good impression. After just a few minutes, we had no problems at all switching between tasks, navigating multi-windowed tabbed web browsing sessions. Even in the beta phase, Windows 7 handles Firefox, Chrome, MS Office, Photoshop and iTunes perfectly.

Solid support for third party software doubled up with the familiar and user-friendly UI on Windows 7 make everyday use all the more convenient on Windows 7.

Given that Vista ate more resources than the Windows 7 Beta, and that load times on Windows 7 are significantly faster, it is well suited for laptop use too. Many current netbooks even meet the hardware requirements for Windows 7. The support for touch screens also opens up the possibility for Windows 7 on tablet PCs.

Technical Help/Support:  

The Windows 7 Beta includes a comprehensive troubleshooting tool as well as thousands of pages of help files. Because we had such a smooth experience with the Windows 7 Beta, we can’t imagine tech support being nearly as necessary on Windows 7 as it was on early Vista.

Microsoft has clearly learned from their mistakes with Vista. The Microsoft Windows 7 Beta is less demanding on resources, offers time saving navigation tools and interfaces seamlessly with hardware and everyday programs. If the beta version is this good, we feel confident that Windows 7 proper will be even better.