Following my posting Windows Vista on tour, Paul posted a comment that the new photo import wizard sounds like a real 'downgrade' from XP, in that the Windows Vista photo import wizard there is no longer a step to select the photos you want to import, so rather than just respond with a comment I thought it was worth a formal response as this has also been a point of discussion on Microsoft’s internal photography discussion alias to whether this was a good thing or not. I must admit that when I first used Windows Vista many months ago, I too was of that opinion but not any more. So before you decide it’s a bad thing read on….

Importing is just a means to an end, and in Vista we focused on getting you to that end as quickly and painlessly as possible. Once all your pictures are imported to the Windows Photos Gallery you will see a link in the navigation tree labeled ‘Recently Imported’.  This allows you to quickly find all the photos you’ve imported in the last 30 days.  It’s always where you will find yourself immediately after the import completes.  Then you can quickly view, delete, organize, edit, and share you photos with just a few clicks of the mouse.  You might have been used to deleting the duds in the Windows XP import but we think it’s worth the wait to acquire them and take a second look in the Gallery.  It’s hard to tell if a photo is really salvageable from a thumbnail.  In the Gallery you can look at your photos full screen to see if the photo is really hopeless or it might just be worth saving. What about if you forget to erase your card after your last import and don’t want to re-import the same images again?  No problem, Vista has duplicate detection.  The Import Pictures experience recognizes files it has already imported and doesn’t try to import them again.  No need to make you go in and select the new pictures by hand anymore.  

You’ll see a lot of other changes from XP but don’t let that scare you off, we have spent many hours testing the usability of Windows Vista to ensure all the changes end up in an overall better experience.

So as already posted I have been very busy over the last couple of weeks, but I did promise to let you know how I got on with Windows Vista while on safari. Well even though I was using a two year old thin and light PC, the only issue I had was being a bit short of horsepower when importing the 15mb raw files and 2mb jpegs.

There were a couple changes worth noting, firstly when using the new default acquisition and import tool, you have to import all your files via the tool, unlike Windows XP you can chose upfront which files to import. You can custom tag your files on import with single or multiple tags so they are imported they are immediately organized in a way that makes it easier and faster to find them, but don’t worry if you don’t add tags as Windows Vista adds default tags such as day, date, time etc. which are all searchable. Top tip, if you want to add multiple tags you need to use a semicolon after the first tag then leave a space and then enter your additional tags e.g. Tag1; Tag2  this is not apparent in the tool. Once imported the scaleable views allow you to preview your files in much grater detail than just the standard thumbnail available in Windows XP, this both applies in the explorer view or in the new photo gallery.  I did manage to try out the slide show feature on my fellow travellers, who were suitably impressed with the range of themes that could be applied and how it added to the experience of sharing photos. The only thing I couldn’t do was create a picture DVD to give one of my fellow travellers, as you do need a compatible WDM graphics card even if you have Windows Vista Premium or Ultimate editions installed.

One of the more advanced features that I use is in the explorer view. We have now added enhanced column header controls which allows you to search on a new wealth of data such as, focal length, camera make, camera model, lens make, lens model, f-stop, white balance, exposure program, etc. etc. So however you want to stack /search your photos there’s a view for the way you want to work. Just a quick word on stacking files, this new view shows currently displayed data organized by stacks based on the values in a specific column. For instance, you can select the foal length header and choose to stack by camera model, and all the files currently in view, irrespective of where they are physically stored on your hard drive, are rearranged into stacks of by those criteria. These stacks behave much like folders in that you can click to open them and see the items inside, but unlike folders, stacks have no physical location on the hard disk. In a sense, they are virtual views of your content.

 I have also presented these features and many more to a number of Photo journalists over the past couple of weeks they were impressed with the range of options available out of the box and commented that these features will be great for the amateur photographer and even the pro/semi pro photographer will benefit from some of features as part of their workflow. 

So now I've been on Safari, I decide that I needed to rename my blog to reflect the broader nature of future postings, so it is now called My Vista rather than a Taste of Tanzania

These are busy times at Microsoft!  I’ve been spending lot of time with press over the last couple of weeks and had great feed back. One of the more unusual discussions I had was with a group of Mac journalists, while I doubt they will ever publish positive reviews, deep down I think they were suitably impressed.
Also last week, just a few days after the final lines of code of Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system were written, we started helping Microsoft employees to upgrade their work PCs to the new software. With so many people using so many different PCs and related hardware this was the biggest test yet of the new versions. But so far, so good! Over 3 days we comprehensively upgraded over 800 computers.  First we helped them backup their files onto external storage, then we reinstalled with a clean build of Windows Vista Enterprise Edition, Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise edition and all the other related software our staff need to get their jobs don, all in one single image. We then helped them connect securely to the office network domain and restore their files from their backup and then sent them on their merry way confident that we’d given their laptops a new lease of life! On average it took each employee just 1 hour to upgrade their computer!

The feedback so far has been excellent and everyone seems to be enjoying the new software. I’m really looking forward to 30^th January when we launch the software and can make it available to consumers around the world.

To find out more about Windows Vista please visit www.windowsvista.co.uk

The Parental Controls panel in Windows Vista provides a set of controls for every aspect of your child’s computer use, such as.....

Time limits for computer use

You can decide when your children are allowed, or not allowed, to use the computer. You are presented with a grid showing the days of the week and the hours of the day to restrict their computer use, you simply click on the specific times and days that you want to block. As a child nears the end of an approved time period, he receives a 10-minute and a 1-minute notification that their time is about to expire. If their time ends before he logs off the computer, Windows Vista suspends his session and displays the login and their session stays active in the background.

Computer game restrictions

Parents can decide which computer games their children are allowed to play. You might decide to allow your child to play all games deemed appropriate for a certain age level by one of the game ratings boards. (Windows Vista supports all of the major international ratings boards that are currently active.) You also have the option of refining your choices by allowing or disallowing specific game titles and various types of game content. This enables you to make decisions about games that are unrated.  

Activity reports

Monitoring your children’s computer behaviour not only makes it easy for you to keep track of what they are seeing, hearing, and doing, but it also enables you to refine and modify parental controls based on actual feedback. For your children, a padlock icon in the system tray is always visible to let them know that the Parental Controls feature is on.

Application restrictions

Windows Vista allows you to decide which programs, or applications, your child is allowed to use. When you click the Block Specific Programs button in the Parental Controls panel, it calls up a list of installed programs. You can either choose to allow your child to use all programs or approve only certain programs that you feel are appropriate. You can also add a program to the list at any time and then approve it for your child’s use.

Web restrictions

Windows Vista comes with a built-in Web Content Filter, which can examine content on various webpages and provide parents with information they need to make informed decisions about the limits they want to place on their children’s web browsing. It works with most major browsers, not just Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Wildlife is my favourite photographic subject and IMHO you can prepare in advance even though your subjects can be unpredictable. You can have the most expensive camera equipment available but unless you know how to use it and know what makes a good photograph you may as well be using a point and shoot, but I am not belittling point and shoot cameras because again if you know the camera and can compose the shot you can get some stunning results, in fact I carry mine with me when its not practical to have my DSLR. So apart from knowing your camera you should also research the location so you know the type of wildlife you will encounter and the environment you will be shooting in. Before reaching our location have your camera ready by having the right type of lens attached to your camera along with the the correct settings. I usually shoot on aperture priority mode and have my Nikkor 80-400mm set on f8, this allows me to ready to capture any fleeting moments. Obviously with more time you can adjust the settings according to the type of shot you want. You can also prepare in advance for the type of shot you want, by this I mean from your research you can decide what you want to capture such as a close up shot for detail or the environment or you might want both. I usually try to visulise the type of shot I want and this certainly helps me. So practicing what I preach I’ve being doing some research on the three main areas I will be visiting on my short safari and my first stop will be at Lake Manyara, which has many hundreds of bird species including great numbers of flamingos also this area is famous for tree climbing lions. So personally I will be looking to capture mainly environmental shots of the wildlife as well as silhouette shots with sun setting behind the animals. Next on the list will be the Serengeti which is famouse for all the big cats, so my aim here will to capture close up detailed shots. Finally I will be will be visiting the Ngorongoro crater and here will be a combination stunning scenic shots and close ups to capture the details of the resident Lions, Hyenas Wildebeest, elephants and if lucky the black Rhino. That’s the plan anyway and I'll let you know how I get on in the coming weeks. So what’s the almost? Well if I new that, I could prepare for it, there is always the unexpected that nearly moment.

Adding RAM is often the best way to improve a PC’s performance, since more memory means more applications are ready to run without accessing the hard drive. While RAM is fairly cheap these days, upgrading memory can be difficult as some machines have limited memory expansion capabilities. Windows Vista introduces Windows ReadyBoost™, a new concept in adding memory to a system. You can use USB 2 flash drives >256mb to extend system memory and improve performance without having to add additional memory “under the hood.” The USB device serves as additional memory cache—memory that the computer can access much more quickly than it can access data on the hard drive. Windows ReadyBoost technology is both reliable and secure. You can remove the memory device at any time while using Windows ReadyBoost without any loss of data or negative impact to the system; however, when the storage device is removed, performance returns to the level experienced without the device. Wear on a USB drive is not an issue when you use it to enhance performance—a unique algorithm optimizes wear patterns so the USB device can run in this capacity for many years, even when heavily used. Finally, data on the storage device is encrypted to prevent inappropriate access.

Then check out the Voodoo Gadget for the Windows Vista SideBar. What are Gadgets? Well these are mini-applications with a wide variety of possible uses. Gadgets can connect to web services to deliver weather information, news updates, traffic maps, Internet radio streams, slide shows of online photo albums or just be fun. Windows Vista comes with an essential set of gadgets to get you started and you can easily download more gadgets from the online gadget gallery.

We’ve all had an OH NO moment when working on a document and have accidently overwritten, deleted, or failed to save the file.  Well if you use either Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate editions you will be able to take advantage of a feature called Previous Versions, which automatically creates daily “restore points” that capture older versions of your files as you work, so when that OH NO moment happens you can quickly and easily retrieve previous versions of a document regardless of where on the disk they are located - even if you have never backed up your files. The Previous Versions features uses the Volume Shadow Copy technology first introduced in Windows Server 2003. This powerful and performance-optimized technology has protected millions of documents on Windows file servers and is now available to help protect the files stored on your PC as well.

You can access a previous version of a file by right-clicking on the filename and selecting Previous Versions and this feature only takes the bare minimum of disk space because changes are tracked at the physical, or “block,” level. If only a small part of a file changes (such as a slide in a presentation), only that portion of the file is saved rather than the entire file. A set amount of disk space is used for storing the previous versions, and Windows Vista automatically “ages out” older versions of files to make room for newer ones. You can configure this setting at the volume level by using the System control panel’s System Protection screen, which also governs the System Restore feature. You can typically access about one month’s worth of previous versions for your files.

Well it’s only a couple of weeks until I set off on Safari and I’ve almost sorted everything. I got my visa last week. I’ve had all the required jabs & got the malaria tablets, but was surprised by the cost over £120 in total I thought we had the NHS in the UK! Anyway on a different note I have been trying to purchase Nikons 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR DX Zoom, but trying to get one in the UK is just a nightmare. I placed an order with one well known supplier 3 months ago, I contacted them again this week to see when the order would be fulfilled and was told with their current back orders and shipments from Nikon, it could take another 6 months. So I took the plunge and order one on eBay from Hong Kong and received it in 4 days and am very happy with my purchase. I have also decided to take my 2 year old Sony TX laptop as its small and light and it runs well with Windows Vista Ultimate RC2, I don’t get the Aero interface as there are no WDDM drivers for the Intel graphics chipset, but do get everything else.  I am also taking my 80gb LaCie Rugged Hard Drive to back up all my photos.

Windows Vista Aero offers a premium user experience that makes it easier to visualize and work with your information and offers a smoother, more stable desktop experience. Key features in Windows Vista Aero include the following.

Smoother-performing desktop.
When you use Aero, open windows glide across your screen when you move or resize them. You’ll see no redraw artifacts, latency, or “tearing” effects that sometimes appear on existing computers, particularly in windows that display dynamic content such as video. The Aero experience also reduces graphics driver–related system crashes and blue screens.  

Glass.
Aero features windows that are truly translucent. This “glass” effect allows you to more easily focus on the content of a window, while providing better context for the surrounding elements on your desktop. For added personalization, you can change the color, the saturation, and even the level of transparency, to get exactly the look and feel you want.

Dynamic windows.
When minimized, a window will subtly animate to a specific location on the taskbar, making it easier to locate when you need it later.

Live taskbar thumbnails.
With Windows Vista Aero, live taskbar thumbnails show you the contents of the windows that are currently open or minimized to the taskbar. When you pause your mouse pointer over a tile on the taskbar, you see the “live” contents of the corresponding window without having to bring that window to the foreground.

Windows Flip (Alt+Tab).
Windows Flip is an update to the feature known as Alt+Tab in previous versions of Windows. Windows Flip shows you live thumbnails of your open windows instead of generic icons, making it easier to quickly identify the windows you’re looking for. One of the displayed windows in the Flip experience will always be on your desktop, giving you a fast and simple way to instantly minimize all the open windows on your desktop.Windows Flip 3D. Flip 3D gives you a new way to find the window you want. When you press the Start+Tab keys, Flip 3D dynamically displays all the open windows on your desktop in a 3D, stacked view. In this view, you can rotate through your open windows to find the right one. Flip 3D can even show live processes such as playing video. You can also use the arrow keys, or the scroll wheel on your mouse, to smoothly flip through the open windows and select the window you need.

Great news! Future Publishing put their preview issue of Windows Vista Magazine, on sale 1^st November. I’ve manage to get a sneak preview and it's absolutely packed with everything you need to know about Windows Vista. Inside the mag, you'll find in-depth guides to help you buy the perfect Windows Vista ready PC -- whether it's a desktop or a laptop you're after -- as well as the information you need to know about upgrading your existing PC so it runs Windows Vista at its best.

So it’s been a while since I posted anything as I have had my head down working on the general availability launch in January, but I did manage to install RC1 a couple of weeks ago & this week move to RC2, well all I can say these builds are night & day from where we were with Beta 2, all the functionality is enabled and the OS does not hang and performance is greatly improved. I am now using RC2 on my production machine, yes I do have a couple issue with drivers but that is to be expected until the OEM’s release their updates but nothing that can’t be worked around. IMHO if anyone wanted to use Windows Vista today, they would be able to do so.

This update does not do much, other than add Image Authentication into the setup menu and support for the wireless transmitter - click here if you wish to get the download.

BAA has now lifted the restriction so that flights from the UK are back to 56x45x25cm carry on bag. So Camera & Lenses can travel safley with me

The Windows Vista Photo Gallery has the ability to perform powerful queries and search on all my pictures across different drives, thanks to the great database engine. Why is this important? Well as our collection of photo’s grow we all have trouble remembering which folder we stored that picture because of hierarchical file system in Windows today and all to often the photo could belong in two or three different folders. I should add at this point you can continue to use folders in Windows Vista (and there are a few new touches here as well, but more of that later) without the need of Photo Gallery or use both in harmony. But back to the search in Photo Gallery, although my picture will live in one only folder, I’ll be able to find it in new ways, for example by the date it was taken, the date it was imported, I could also use the tags I have applied, the rating I have given it, or by searching for text in the file name, path, or caption. The best thing about this is that all the additional information that is added to the picture (file) is not locked away in a proprietary database like some cataloguing software available today it's actually added the picture. Why is this so good, well once this information has been indexed by Windows Vista any software developer can access the Windows Vista index, so let’s hope they do.

Windows Vista currently does not have RAW support as we have to wait for the major manufactures (Nikon, Cannon etc) to make these available and I hope they will by the time we reach the launch. So I am going to need a solution if I want to use the Photo Gallery, as I only shoot RAW. So at the sacrifice of storage on my CF I am going to shoot in Raw+Jpeg one of the many options available on my Nikon D200. I did think about spoofing this a little and use iView Pro 3 to convert all my RAW files at the end of the the days shoot and then use photo gallery but that kind of defeats the object of the exercise of using Photo Gallery.  See the Microsoft PIX team Blog for more on Windows Vista Photography.