Technology News And Reviews

On a day when virtually all the news was about the Palm Pre or the new iPhone, enGadget got its hands on a leaked Best Buy memo that offers many details on how and when the Windows Vista to Windows 7 upgrade program will begin (click to enlarge above image).

Customers who buy Vista PCs between June 26th and October 22nd (Windows 7 launch day) (October 22) will get a free upgrade copy of Windows 7, according to the memo. That’s not all … according to the memo, on June 26th Best Buy will start a pre-sales program for Windows 7. Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrades will pre-sell for $49.95 and Windows 7 Professional Upgrades for $99.99.

Note: these are upgrade copies, not full versions. On the other hand, in the past Microsoft has allowed clean installs of upgrade versions as long as you had a key for the older OS; of course, with Vista that required a workaround; it was not intentional. I am unclear on Microsoft’s plans for clean installs of 7 upgrades.

Microsoft also has not released full pricing details for the different versions of 7. So it’s unclear if these are promotional prices or standard. The Windows 7 versions will be:

• Windows 7 Starter: ability to join a Home Group, improved taskbar and JumpLists.

• Windows 7 Home Basic: unlimited applications, live thumbnail previews & enhanced visual experience, advanced networking support (ad-hoc wireless networks and Internet connection sharing), and Mobility Center.

• Windows 7 Home Premium: Aero Glass & advanced windows navigation, improved media format support, enhancements to Windows Media Center and media streaming, including Play To, and multi-touch and improved handwriting recognition.

• Windows 7 Professional: ability to join a managed network with Domain Join, data protection with advanced network backup and Encrypting File System, and print to the right printer at home or work with Location Aware Printing.

• Windows 7 Enterprise: volume licensees only, covers everything in Ultimate.

• Windows 7 Ultimate: bitLocker data protection on internal and external drives, DirectAccess for seamless connectivity to corporate networks based on Windows Server 2008 R2, BranchCache support when on networks based on Windows Server 2008 R2, and lock unauthorized software from running with AppLocker.

Also, Best Buy dissed Vista somewhat, saying in the memo:

“Microsoft is launching Windows 7 in mid-October 2009. This new operating system isn’t just a “Vista that works” program – it’s a new operating system with improved productivity, functionality and creativity that uses less computer resources.”

Oops. I’m sure Microsoft was not happy about that memo being leaked.