Digital Home Thoughts: Engadget Taste Tests Windows 7 RC1

"As you may or may not know, Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 has been officially handed out to MSDN and TechNet subscribers today, and there are plans to unleash the heavily-hyped OS to the waiting public at large come May 5th. We had a chance to sit down with reps from Microsoft to discuss the new iteration of Windows (and the company's current frame of mind) more in-depth, and we've taken the new build for a bit of a spin around the block. Read on for an exploration into a few of the more delicious Windows 7 tidbits, as well as a full complement of our (potentially) enlightening observations."

Yes, that is one of the built-in wallpapers that Windows 7 RC1 comes with. Engadget touches on a few parts of the Release Candidate like Remote Media Streaming and the Windows XP Emulation that's been getting headlines lately, but not a huge amount has changed since the beta. The hype around Windows 7 has been pretty favourable and while I personally haven't had any issues with Vista, Windows 7 looks to be a welcome step up that might be more worthwhile than an XP to Vista upgrade. For those of you who still haven't tested Windows 7, word is that the Relase Candidate will be made available to the public within a few days and will not expire until June 1st, 2010! That's pretty much a free copy of Windows 7 for one whole year. It looks like Microsoft is really working and pushing hard to make Windows 7 their recovery after the Vista disappointment.