Normally when I review a laptop, I spend most of my time on performance and design – how it looks, how it feels to hold and type on, how it performs under various workloads.  Today’s post on the MSI GX640 gaming laptop is a bit different, because I wanted to focus on MSI’s implementation of Windows 7 Device Stage.

For those of you not familiar with Device Stage (I suspect most of you are), it’s a new feature in Windows 7 that makes it easy to find the things you want to do with your devices on your PC – basically, a a multi-function version of Autoplay that displays all the applications, services, and information related to your device.  To access the device stage experience: click Start, then Devices & Printers, from the Devices and Printers folder, you’ll see all of the devices connected to your PC.

While Device Stage is typically used by device manufacturers for things like cameras, MP3 players, and printers, MSI is taking advantage of it to make managing your PC extremely easy.  Unlike most manufacturers who typically pre-load their machines with a bevvy of house-made applications to set up preferences, configure power management, and update drivers, MSI has has customized Windows 7 Device Stage to allow users to easily access system settings, open the Network and Sharing Center, modify keyboard, audio, and other hardware settings, get easy one-click access to the user manual and to MSI support, and keep their MSI drivers and software up to date.

When I first heard about what MSI is doing with device stage, I wasn’t sold on it – I’m used to working in different applications and Control Panel windows to manage PC settings, and I’ve never thought of that process as difficult or cumbersome.  After using the GX640 for a few days, though, I started to realize how nice it was to have everything in one place. 

In terms of performance, the MSI GX640 doesn’t disappoint.  Mine was loaded with a Core i5 processor, powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250M graphics, 4GB or RAM – although it came pre-loaded with the 32-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium, so I couldn’t use all 4GB.  Even with the RAM limitation in place, I had an easy time playing my standard test loads of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Street Fighter IV, and running standard apps like Office 2010, TweetDeck, Internet Explorer 8, and the Windows Live Suite was a breeze.

MSI did a nice job of making the GX640 look and feel like a high-power gaming rig.  It’s big with a 15” 1680 x 1050 screen, and is trimmed with red paint and lots of brushed aluminum.   Not quite as intimidating as an Alienware M15x or my Origin EON 18, but still more aggressive than your average 15” laptop.  It just looks like it means business.  My favorite design touch on the GX640 was the aluminum palm rest with the laser-cut mouse buttons.  It’s an aesthetic choice that I really like.  My only gripe with the system is that its heavy – it weighs nearly 6lbs and has a monster power brick that weighs another 1- 2lbs.  While that’s not a deal breaker for a guy my size who’s used to carrying a big backpack full of tech gear, it could be awkward for a smaller user. 

Overall, I liked the GX640 more for everyday stuff and its great implementation of Device Stage than for its gaming prowess (which is undeniably formidable, I’m just spoiled by that Origin!).  It’s a capable laptop and shows the power of a great piece of hardware taking advantage of Windows 7’s unique features.

Have a question about this or any other PC?  Post a comment, hit me on Twitter or Ask Ben Anything via email.  Your question might appear in my monthly Ask Ben Anything Q&A column.

The Microsoft Education team shared the graphic below with us last week.  As students head back to school, they’re going to face a job climate that will increasingly require tech skills – 77% of jobs will require some tech within the next ten years. 

And if you drop out?  High school dropouts from the Class of 2006-7 will cost the US economy $329 billion in lost wages and productivity. That’s enough to buy every student in America 13 Windows 7 PCs.  So students, stay in school and good luck with the coming year!

And remember students, if you need Windows 7 and you live in the U.S., you can get it for a cool $29.99 with a valid .edu email address.

For the next 24 hours, Round 7 of the Windows Recession Sweepstakes is now open. Drop us a comment and let us know what you think we can do to help students out. If you like reading legal fine print, full Terms & Conditions can be found here.

Please Tweet this post if you know someone heading back to campus, and don’t forget to follow me for all the inside track on all the latest news.

Red Bull Flugtag was on Saturday, and I’m proud to say that the Phoenix flew 62 feet!  45 of those feet were straight down, but who’s counting?  Have a look at the video (the photographer got our name wrong, but that’s ok)…and pay attention to the mind-blowing dancing.  I’m the one in yellow:

The actual flight wasn’t a huge success, but the event was.  People were cheering their hearts out for us and for Microsoft, and I know I speak for everyone on the team when I say that it was really cool to be part of something so totally off-the-wall crazy.  I think my favorite part of the flight was the reaction from the crowd when we played our launch music, which we laced with system sounds from Windows 7 and Windows XP.  When the Windows XP startup music played, the crowd immediately got into the groove.  Everyone knows that iconic noise and it instantly made the Flugtag/Microsoft connection for the 105,000 people who were watching.

The Windows Project Phoenix Team celebrating the completed craft & tower

We’re all safe and sound and in one piece (I smashed into the wing on the way into the water and banged up my mouth, but nothing major), and happy to be back in Redmond with our friends, families and co-workers.

Below are a few more of my favorite photos from launch day and we’ll be posting many more stills and video clips on our Facebook page over the next few days.  Thanks again to everyone who supported us – we really couldn’t have done it without you.  And be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page for information on our next crazy adventure.  I’m pretty sure that Project Phoenix will rise again!

Three words: Mad. Dance. Skills.

Seconds before the “flight”.  We were running at full-tilt to get the Phoenix up to launch speed.

Our engineers, Mike, Lucas and Brian, worked their hearts out (and butts off) on this project.

The team with one of our fans.  Support for Project Phoenix was off the charts.

Jay, Ali and Ryan working the crowd.

Dave Pezzner is one of our 4 Windows DJs and on tour in Australia and Japan until 20 September, but he took time out of his crazy tour schedule to send us this video of him spinning at the Triple Crown in San Francisco.

Awesome stuff if you ask me, and even more exciting given this morning’s announcement of Windows presenting sponsorship of the dB Conference at the Decibel International Festival of Electronic Music, Digital Art and New Media.  Pezzner will be spinning and speaking at the Conference (which is free to the public).

Video courtesy of Miroz Dondini. All Rights Reserved.

If you listen to house and don’t know Pezzner, chances are you’ve heard his stuff. In July, his tracks made up 8% of Beatport’s Deep House Top 100. Download these tracks ASAP:

#9   - Pezzner - Find Me (Jay Shepherd Mix)
#15 - Pezzner - The Tracks Are Alive (Rozzo Mix)
#48 - Groove Armada - Paper Romance (Pezzner Mix)
#49 - Pezzner - Blacklist (Pezzner Mix)
#62 - Pezzner - The Tracks Are Alive
#76 - Pezzner - The Tracks Are Alive (Ryo Murakami Mix)
#81 - Shiny Objects - Black Spaces (Pezzner Version Two)
#93 - Pezzner - Chiuso Per Ferie

For the next 24 hours, Round 6 of the Windows Recession Sweepstakes is now open. Comments today are an open thread – let us know whatever’s on your mind. If you like reading legal fine print, full Terms & Conditions can be found here.

It’s my pleasure to announce today that Windows is teaming up with the 7^th Annual Decibel International Festival of Electronic Music, Visual Art and New Media to serve as the Presenting Partner for this year’s dB Conference. The dB Conference, held in conjunction with the Decibel Festival program, is an educational series of panels, screenings and workshops that are free of charge to the general public. This series seeks to provide a space where artists, professionals and the public can exchange knowledge and create a supportive, creative community.

Scheduled for September 22-26 in Seattle, WA, Decibel is one of North America’s premier art and technology events.  This year’s festival is expected to attract more than 20,000 attendees and will include a diverse selection internationally-renowned artists, including Flying Lotus, Modeselektor, Carl Craig, Fennesz, Beats Antique, Pantha Du Prince, VibeSquaD, Monolake, Murcof, Scuba, Theo Parrish, Starkey, Mary Anne Hobbs, Plastician, Moritz Von Oswald Trio, Cassy, Ben Frost, Bluetech presents: Satori Social, as well as performances and talks by Windows DJs Dave Pezzner and Darek Mazzone

Here in Windows, we believe that creativity is a vital part of the human experience. Technology serves to free and empower the creative spirit in all of us, and we believe that Windows 7 is one of the most powerful vehicles for personal expression. For these reasons, we’re proud to be the Presenting Partner for this year’s dB Conference, which will be held at Pravda Studios in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

In addition to presenting the conference, Windows will sponsor four workshops with Festival partners on how anyone can use the versatility, powerful performance, simplicity and choice of the Windows platform to unleash their inner artist and create music. These workshops will be recorded so that artists unable to attend Decibel can share in the experience.

I’ll be your live Windows link at Decibel this September, and I’ll also have additional posts up shortly with more information on the topic of each session and who will be presenting. We’ll also have Festival passes to give away, and I’m working on some other treats for all you music lovers. Stay tuned!

But that’s not all: Over the next few weeks, the Windows Experience Blog will partner with the Microsoft News Center and the folks at Decibel to bring you additional features on Decibel and the dB Conference, as well as in-depth interviews with Dave Pezzner and Darek Mazzone. And don’t forget to follow me and Decibel Festival on Twitter for all the latest announcements.

Last week, Darek and I spoke about Windows’ Decibel sponsorship and what it can mean for up-and-coming artists:

Photo by Bootsy Holler, courtesy of Darek Mazzone. All Rights Reserved.

Ashley: For an artist just starting to make music, why go with a Windows PC?

Darek: It’s about performance and choice. Most people don’t have $2,500 to $3,000 to drop on a laptop, especially in developing countries or Eastern Europe. Does that mean you can’t create? Absolutely not! With Windows 7, you can start producing and DJing with the proper software right out of the box. Windows 7 is an insanely powerful and responsive operating system in the creative space.

Ashley: On KEXP’s Wo-Pop, you introduce us to new artists every week. What role do you think Windows can play in helping today’s up-and-coming artists?

Darek: The laptop running Windows has completely revolutionized music in all ways. In the past, if you were a musician, you would need to spend a fortune on recording equipment or a studio space. If you were from a developing country, often these things would be in Europe or the US which was impossible to get to unless you had a label. You might have been a great artist, but you weren’t heard or seen by anyone.

Now, I get tracks produced on laptops from every corner of the world—amazing hip hop from Mongolia, Electro Congolese noise from Kinshasa, Kuduro from Luanda. This was unheard of just a few years ago. But now, with Windows, these artists can be heard, tour and make a living to make more art. It’s a creative renaissance driven by music.

Ashley: Where can we find you at Decibel this year?

Darek: I’ll be playing the opening gala and speaking on a range of panels on promotion and social media. I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences with the attendees and keep watching this blog for updates on my schedule.

Ashley: How was DJing for Bill Clinton?

Darek: That was amazing. It was a very surreal experience with the Secret Service and the crowd completely mesmerized by the President. I’ll remember it forever. Bill is an inspiration with what he’s doing with the Clinton Foundation and the focus on Haiti and Central Africa. My focus is on music from all over the world, and to have Bill Clinton work on developing the technology infrastructure in those countries can only help get more music heard.

Related Links & Posts

· Windows Finds a Beat

· Windows in the Mix at Sonar

· Microsoft News Center

Hello from Long Beach! I’m writing this from inside the Flugtag hangar where we’re putting the finishing touches on the Phoenix.  Excitement is in full swing with less than 24-hours to go before flight time.

Just a reminder from me and the entire Windows Project Phoenix team to please help us take the Red Bull Flugtag People’s Choice award!  All you need to do is text Team 15 to RBull (72855) anytime between now (noon Friday) and 11am tomorrow.  Tired of hearing this from me?  How about hearing (and seeing) it from Ryan and Ali?

Every vote counts, and you can vote multiple times per number, so warm up those thumbs and get texting. And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter for the latest event updates!