The upcoming Windows 7 Starter Edition seems kinda lame when you consider that it can only run three applications at a time, but if you are using it with a netbook, it makes a little more sense. Most people use netbooks to browse the Internet and maybe check their email, with some MP3s playing in the background.

And since more applications are becoming Web-based, those applications can be stored online instead. We will be keeping an eye on Windows 7 Starter Edition to see just how well it fares. Of all the Windows 7 editions, this one is the oddest.

The Mac VS. PC war is still raging, albeit in a quiet nerd way, not a full out battle with explosions. You’ve probably seen Apple’s new Hodgman ads. The “legal copy” ad is the most interesting. Whenever Hodgman says how easy PCs are to use, a bunch of fine print explodes upwards. The folks over at MacJournals have actually transcribed every word of it. Nearly two full pages. Here’s an excerpt:

To remove unneeded bloatware first open uninstaller, select applications to remove, and uninstall. To remove optional components, click start, go to all programs and open control panel, select remove components, select components you want to remove, select next, when done, select finish. Once initial prep is complete, PCs may then be easy to use under certain controlled conditions and when properly maintained. In order for PCs to achieve optimal performance on a regular basis and for long periods of time, routine maintenance should include (but is not limited to) the following: download and install updated anti-virus software, run anti-virus software, check for system updates, clean out registry, defragment hard drive, free up disk space, remove temporary Internet files, empty the recycle bin, remove unnecessary programs, run error check utility and fix file system errors.

If you thought Microsoft’s Laptop Hunter ads did a good job dissing Apple, wait until you hear Apple’s response. In a statement to Macworld, spokesperson Bill Evans does the usual praising of his brand, waxing poetic about security, stability, design. Then lays the smack down:

“A PC is no bargain when it doesn’t do what you want,” Apple spokesman Bill Evans says. “The one thing that both Apple and Microsoft can agree on is that everyone thinks the Mac is cool. With its great designs and advanced software, nothing matches it at any price.”

Spring has sprung so why not celebrate the season with a new spring-themed Zune Original? Unless you are waiting on the Zune HD. Microsoft is offering a collection of custom engravings inspired by the spring season.

There will be six new pieces of art in total for this collection, all by artist duo APAK and individual artists Carolina Melis and Linn Olofsdotter. The patterns are free and apply to any of the flash or hard drive-based Zunes. The spring Originals don’t replace any existing artwork and sit alongside the Artist, Tattoo and Zodiac collections.

There’s no way to know for sure if this new image is the real deal. However, some sources of Zunited’s have chimed in to say that it is an authentic ZuneHD. The specs seem too good to be true.

Some of those specs are: multi-touch capacitive OLED screen in a 16:9 aspect ratio, 3D Xbox game support, playback of “HD media” available from Zune Marketplace, TV-out from what looks like a mini-HDMI port on the left-side, HD Radio, choice of 16GB or 32GB of storage, wireless sync, multi-touch “browser”.

Microsoft’s latest Sidewinder mouse is geared toward the entry-level gaming crowd, retailing for just $40. It looks plain and fairly boring. For your money, you get some performance though. It features a 2,000 DPI laser sensor that can be changed to 800 DPI or 400 DPI whenever the need arises.

You also get eight more buttons crammed into the ambidextrous layout. This USB-powered gaming mouse will be bundled with the Intellimouse software for Windows PCs for quick and easy macro programming. You’ll be able to get one when the Microsoft Sidewinder X3 hits retail shelves this May.

Yesterday images of the Zune HD were leaked to engadget and since then we’ve learned that it’s the real deal. The images above are promotional shots from Microsoft’s forthcoming marketing campaign.

We don’t know much, but the name is a dead giveaway that the display will be “HD”. Can we expect it to have 1280×720? Or are they just using it as a fancy marketing word?

Remember Lauren the actress from the first Laptop Hunters commercial? Well, she’s got her PC and is probably happily using it while a new guy by the name of Giampaulo goes shopping. If you thought the first ad hit the nail on the head and lit a fire, Giampaulo doesn’t mince words.

He calls himself “technically-savvy” and thinks that the unibody MacBook he looks at is “so sexy,” but ultimately he rejects it because he wants to pay for “computing power,” not the “brand.” Sound familiar? Many people feel that way.

Back in September of 2008 we talked about the Microsoft SideWinder X8 gaming mouse. The gaming rodent was delayed and didn’t show up on store shelves until recently. Today I am going to take a hands on look at the SideWinder X8 gaming mouse, which is the first gaming mouse to use Microsoft’s BlueTrack technology. Read on for all of the details.

The above video for your enjoyment features Bill Gates, dressed in a black trench coat and carrying a shotgun, inside of the Doom game. Apparently it was a promotional type clip used to introduce Windows 95 and DirectX at the Microsoft Judgement Day event in 1995.

Basically Bill is in the game and wants to share his feelings about how Windows 95 and DirectX is ideal for playing PC games. DOS is too hard to use to play the games. At one point a Doom character shows up and gets blown off the screen(Not very convincingly) with Bill saying “Don’t interrupt me”.

There are so many things to like about the iPhone and I think many will agree one of the most important features is the App Store. Apple’s App Store has proven to be wildly popular and offers up all sorts of software and games that add fun and functionality to the iPhone.

With the success of the App Store, it’s no surprise that many other phone makers are looking to start their own similar store. Google has done it for its Android smartphones and now Microsoft has announced a new Windows Marketplace for Mobile to do the same thing.

Here’s some exciting news for gamers. Microsoft is apparently deep into the development process for the successor to the Xbox 360 console. Blizzard’s Rob Pardo has confirmed that his company has taken part in talks with Microsoft about this next console.

We all knew they would launch another console eventually, but the news suggests the company plans to replace its current 4-year-old system very soon. Pardo didn’t provide any hardware details, just that Blizzard is “actively in discussions with Microsoft” about the new gaming hardware.

Video: Laptop Hunters $1000 – Lauren Gets an HP Pavilion
The ongoing war between Microsoft & Apple continues. In this new ad, Microsoft exploits Apple’s Achilles heel, being outrageously overpriced. It’s a brilliant ad that hits them right where it hurts. Because it’s true.

The ad shows a customer looking for a laptop for under a $1000. She searches both the Apple store and a conventional electronics store and finally settles on an HP laptop for under $700. Unlike their previous ads, this one works because it actually speaks to the consumer, and what matters to them. Getting a decent computer for a fair price.

Well hello hotness. What’s not to love about the new Xbox 360 dev kit unveiled at this week’s Game Developers Conference and due out in the summer? It’s ultra-sexy with its sleek black-and-blue tint finish and stylish etchings. It also features 1GB of RAM, twice what is found in the retail model.

Sadly, no matter how much drool pools up on your desktop, this hardware is only for those who make the games. But maybe they will take pity on us and offer one up to the masses soon.

I have spent many summer nights in the back yard looking at the stars with my kids. They particularly like to look through the telescope and see the moon and other planets up close. If you don’t have a telescope or live in a city where there is too much light, Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope is a great alternative.

Microsoft and NASA have announced that the two firms will be working together to provide NASA images and data to the public under the Space Act Agreement. The firms will work together to develop the technology and infrastructure needed to offer the most interesting NASA content via Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope.