Windows 7 Saves 43 Hours, or $1,400 Per PC

A good case for business to jump to the newest Windows.

We know from personal experience that Windows 7 is a faster, smoother, smarter and more capable operating system than it predecessors. But now businesses are finding that there may be a worthwhile investment in stepping up to a more modern operating system.

Microsoft blogged about findings published in an IDC whitepaper (sponsored by Microsoft, mind you) that showed that for businesses that use Windows 7, each user saves an average of about 43 hours, or $1,400 total benefit per PC, annually.

Furthermore, researchers at IDC found the payback to companies started just after seven months and a return on investment of 375 percent.

While such lovely and optimistic numbers were well accepted by Microsoft, the main savings thanks to Windows 7 are due to features that we've experienced as well in our enthusiast purposes. Such features include faster reboots, shorter start-up times and other under-the-hood performance upgrades. IT managers also cited fewer software failures as another time and money-saving feature.

Microsoft Announces InstaLoad Battery Technology

ometimes the smallest technological developments make a big difference.

It's not a big deal, but it is annoying. You check the little positive and negative markings on the battery cover (if they're there at all) and then you put them in the wrong way around anyway. Sure, taking them out and switching them around isn't going to make you late for your lunch date, but it's something you'd like to avoid if at all possible.

Thanks to Microsoft, it is. Microsoft recently debuted a new technology called InstaLoad, which involves doubling the number of contacts in the battery compartment. By including a set of positive and negative contacts at both ends of the compartment (instead of a single positive contact at one end and a single negative contact at the other end), Microsoft has enabled users to cram batteries in any way they like. This should come in particularly handy when changing batteries in the dark.

Microsoft is licensing the technology out to any and all third-party device suppliers and already counts Duracell on its list of licensees. If companies want to license the technology for accessibility products aimed at people with vision or learning disabilities, Microsoft is willing to license the technology royalty-free.