Stealth.com Wins OEM Hardware System Building Partner of the Year in
2011 Microsoft Partner Network IMPACT Awards
Leading Canadian technology partners honoured and celebrated at annual Awards ceremony

Stealth.com Inc. (Stealth Computer) announced today that it has been selected as the winner in the OEM Hardware System Building Partner of the Year at the 2011 Microsoft Partner Network IMPACT Awards. The ninth annual IMPACT Awards recognize excellence across the large and diverse community of Microsoft’s Canadian technology partners. The winners were announced at an award ceremony in Toronto on November 30, 2011.

“Our annual IMPACT Awards celebrate the great work done in the Partner Community to help customers respond to their business challenges through the benefits of technology,” said Eric Gales, President of Microsoft Canada Inc. “Technology partners like Stealth.com are always finding new and exciting ways to develop and deliver innovative technology solutions, making them true leaders in their respective fields.”

Stealth.com was chosen as the winner in OEM Hardware System Building Partner of the Year for providing their customer with a rugged PC solution that could operate reliably in the agricultural field. The Stealth model: LPC-460FM is a fanless PC that was successfully deployed in the harsh environments of farm machinery due to its durability, diminutive size and mobile functionality.

The application involved processing real time data obtained from non-contact sensors mounted on tractors and trucks that would measure the absorption and reflectance of light in plants and provide adjustments accordingly. The customer accomplished significant ROI by benefiting in higher crop yields, savings in fertilizer costs and a reduction in the environmental impact.

About the Microsoft Partner Network IMPACT Awards
In 2003, Microsoft Canada Inc. launched the IMPACT Awards, a program to recognize the numerous achievements within its technology Partner community. This year’s awards program is bigger than ever with over 35 award categories designed to recognize excellence across Microsoft Partner Network competencies, emerging technologies, community involvement as well as sales, marketing and partnering excellence.

The IMPACT Awards are open to Active Canadian members of the Microsoft Partner Network.

For a list of all 2011 winners & finalists, and more information on the Microsoft Partner Network IMPACT Awards, please visit: http://www.microsoft.ca/awards.

About Stealth
Founded in 1990 Stealth.Com, is a leading manufacturer of specialized Computers and Peripherals. The company is ISO 9001 registered and continually develops innovative products designed to meet the exact needs of their clients. For two decades Stealth has provided thousands of proven reliable product solutions that have assisted clients with a myriad of applications. Our impressive customer base includes a wide range of customers from single man operations to Fortune 500 companies, Military installations and Governments worldwide. www.stealth.com

The growing popularity of Google’s Chrome internet browser has allowed it to overtake Firefox for the first time globally in November for usage and it continues to narrow the gap to market leader Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, web analytics firm StatCounter said on Thursday.

In November 2011 Chrome saw its market share roughly doubling from a year ago to 25.7 per cent, while Internet Explorer’s share dropped to 40.6 per cent from 48.2 per cent. The market share of Firefox – which is popular in Europe – slipped globally to 25.2 per cent from 31.2 per cent.

StatCounter statistics are based on aggregate data from more than 3 million websites with a sample of more than 15 billion page views per month.

Stealth.com Inc. (Stealth Computer) has been chosen as a Finalist for OEM Hardware System Building Partner of the Year for the Microsoft Partners Program IMPACT Awards. The ninth annual IMPACT awards recognize excellence across the large and diverse community of resellers and solution providers. Stealth was the winner of this prestigious award in 2005, nominated in 2006 and is honored to be nominated again for 2011. Winners of the 2011 Microsoft Impact Awards will be announced November 30th, 2011 in Toronto.

For more info on the Microsoft Impact Awards and to see a list of all the finalists click here.

From ZDnet:

This morning, Microsoft officially took the wraps off of Windows 8, unveiling its radically revised new operating system in front af an audience of software developers.

If you think you know what to expect from Windows 8, just wait till you get your hands on it.

I stayed up far too late last night, experimenting with the developer preview build that Microsoft will show off to the public for the first time today. I wanted to get a good night’s sleep, but I literally couldn’t keep my hands off the sleek Windows 8-powered tablet that I have on loan for the rest of this week.

The new OS has more than its share of rough edges, and the new “modern shell” is disorienting—at least initially. And Windows boss Steven Sinofsky took great pains to stress that this is not a launch but rather the initial availability of the platform for developers. Still, after a few hours of increasingly addictive hands-on experience, I am convinced that this new release will indeed be a very big deal.

Although you can use Windows 8 with a mouse and keyboard, it’s at its best on a touchscreen-equipped tablet like the one I tested. The form factor is thin, but this compact PC is no lightweight; there’s a fully loaded PC under the hood, with an i5 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and a speedy solid-state drive. With a screen resolution of 1366 by 768, it’s capable of playing high-definition videos and meets the minimum spec to arrange two of the new Metro-style apps side-by-side.

The Windows 8 difference is obvious from the moment you boot it up. As part of the setup process, I configured the system to use my Windows Live ID and password as the login, which automatically picked up my picture for the user tile on the Start page. Choosing this configuration also allows you to sync your personalized settings to the cloud so they can roam with you as you switch between devices.

• To read the full ZDnet article on Windows 8, click here.
• Also see the video below of Microsoft previewing Windows 8.

An excerpt from Computer World:

Windows XP quietly turned 10 years old Wednesday, a milestone for the still-popular operating system that powers nearly half the world’s PCs.

Microsoft did not celebrate the anniversary, eschewing any congratulatory blog post or press release.

On Aug. 24, 2001, Microsoft shifted Windows XP’s status to RTM, for “release to manufacturing,” a term it uses to mark the end of development and the move to duplication and release to computer makers. XP reached retail in October 2001.

One analyst questioned whether it was really the right anniversary to celebrate.

The Windows XP that people loved wasn’t [the original 2001] XP, it was XP SP2,” said Michael Cherry, an analyst with Kirkland, Wash.-based Directions on Microsoft, a research firm that covers only Microsoft.

Windows XP SP2, or “Service Pack 2,” shipped three years later, in August 2004.

“Windows XP is old,” said Cherry. “Ten years in this business is a lifetime.”

To read the full article click here.

Custom LCD Monitors	Custom Rack Computers	Custom PCs with Expansion
Custom Portable Computers  Custom LittlePCs (Mini PCs / Small Form Factor)

Hardware & Software Integration, Personalization

For well over two decades Stealth.com Inc. (Stealth Computer) has been designing and manufacturing high-performance, ruggedized, industrial-grade computer systems and peripherals. One of the keys to our success is having the flexibility to meet the exact needs of our customers, from one-off configurations to large production rollouts.

Leverage our experience – and have a complete solution delivered to your door allowing you to focus your energy on what you do best. If you don’t see it please ask. We have a plethora of existing products that may require slight changes to meet your needs or we can work with you to design something new. Contact us today to discuss your application with one of our product specialists. Toll Free: 1-888-STEALTH (1-888-783-2584).

Hardware Customization can include;

	Hardware Integration – We build it your way with a massive amount of options such as, multiple hard drives, RAID, DC and special power inputs, PCIe, PCI and ISA slots, custom chassis designs, redundancy, NEMA rated, high shock/temp/vibration to name a few.
	Software Integration – We can install and manage standard or your proprietary software so that you maintain the same revision control on each order. Your new products will arrive ready to operate right out of the box.
	Personalization – We can provide your product in custom colors or simply add your logo helping you build your brand. Custom model and serial numbers can be added for your own asset tracking and control. (For large quantity orders)
	Third-Party Hardware – Do you need special boards, or other hardware? Let us build it right in and ship fully tested to you saving you time.
	Fast Delivery – We have a long history of filling orders correctly and on time. By managing your blanket orders we can ship products directly to you when you need them.

The Stealth Competitive Edge

• Over 20 years of proven success
• Certified to ISO 9001: 2008 quality standards
• Our highly trained production personnel provide consistent product quality.
• All integration, assembly, final testing and packaging is performed in a static free facility.
• All hardware is subjected to rigorous final testing, inspection and burn-in
• Documented revision control and last time buy opportunities for end of life products
• Quick to market with new product development cycles
• Product depth – Offering many sizes, shapes, color and designs.
• Fast Delivery – Long history of filling orders correctly and on time.
• Technologically superior product offerings, with a quick response to market new products using the latest technology.
• Competitive pricing – Priced for customer optimal return on investment.
• World-Class service and support. Stealth listens to its customers and addresses their needs carefully.

Below is an excerpt from our latest Knowledge base article,
How Does Downgrade Rights for Windows 7 Work?

Introduction
Windows 7 is the latest offering in desktop operating systems from Microsoft.  In some cases end-users still need to operate with previous versions of O/S such as Windows XP or Vista. As part of Microsoft’s End User License Agreement (EULA), Stealth Computer is an authorized Microsoft OEM and is permitted to offer its customers the ability to run previous versions of XP or Vista Operating Systems.

How does this work? – Downgrade to Microsoft XP as an example.
Windows XP is no longer available for purchase from Microsoft. What you are purchasing is a Windows 7 Pro license with product key, installation media along with a service that allows us (with your permission) to exercise your downgrade rights. You will need to purchase a separate license for each computer ordered.

When choosing the downgrade option Stealth will preinstall Windows XP Pro, 32-Bit, SP3 on your new machine. You will not be provided with Windows XP Pro media.

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• You can find additional information on Microsoft’s downgrade rights by clicking, HERE.
• Click here to view the full knowledge base article on the Stealth website.

Please be aware that when upgrading Windows XP based systems to the larger capacity hard drives,  limitations do exist. Here is a short video from Seagate that explains the challenges of using hard drives over 2.1TB

Not everyone has been going with Windows 7 as there are many companies who have standardized on Windows XP Pro and cannot migrate quite yet. Microsoft is to discontinue support on XP Pro SP3 in April 2014 but just try buying a copy. Usually after the first service pack we will see further adoption to the new OS Win 7.

If you must have Windows XP Pro, Stealth has limited inventory that is available on a first come first served basis. Keep in mind this is the original OEM License and media and must be sold with a PC. Call our Sales Associates to discuss; Toll Free: 1-800-498-1777

Windows 7 is now shipping on Stealth machines

Stealth.Com Inc. (Stealth Computer) is pleased to announce the availability of Windows 7 for presale starting today.

Systems are expected to begin shipping with Windows 7 on 10/30/2009.

Place your order now to ensure an early spot in our queue!

Microsoft just released Windows XP Mode to manufacturing and said it will make XP Mode available as a public download on October 22, 2009 which is the official launch date for Windows 7.

XP Mode is an acknowledgment that many customers skipped Vista and will move to Windows 7 directly from the eight year old XP OS.  Microsoft says XP Mode supports older or custom-built applications, maintaining backward compatibility through a virtual Windows XP SP3 environment running under the Windows Virtual PC.

Customers that buy Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions will get XP Mode as a free download however it is important to note that there are some hardware considerations. A minimum of 2GB’s of RAM, 15GB of hard disk space and as well (very important) a virtualization enabled processor from Intel or AMD.

Read the article by Ed Bott of ZDNET: How many Intel CPUs will fail the XP Mode test in Windows 7?