By way of Dell Computer, we have just received notice that Microsoft will no longer be making Windows XP available after 10/22/2010. No matter when a system is ordered, if it is not shipped by Oct 22nd, Dell reports that the order will be canceled and the OS replaced with Windows 7. 

Many businesses have been relying on Windows XP for the continued support of their legacy applications. For these businesses, this will likely be a major cause for concern. Microsoft has announced phase-out’s of Windows XP in the past, but they have been forced to keep extending its life due to a strong reluctance by IT managers to embrace Windows Vista. However with Windows 7 outperforming Vista's opening sales by a wide margin, it appears that Microsoft has finally decided to let the venerable Windows XP sail into the sunset.

We would not be surprised if this announcement produces a short term surge in demand for PC’s, which in turn could cause a rise in PC prices temporarily, or even shortages of certain PC components.  

Just in time for Christmas, Dragon Dictation for the iPhone has arrived. And not only is it free, it actually works!

After using it for a day, it appears even more powerful than the PC version. For starters, It doesn't require a bulky headset. Dragon Dictation simply uses the iPhone's built in microphone. But even more impressive, the accuracy appears to be near 100% with absolutely no training.

To use it you open the Dragon Dictation app, press the red button to record, and then click the stop button when you are finished. Within a few seconds your speech will be magically converted into text and displayed on your screen. From there you can copy and paste the text into any iPhone app.

The only drawback appears to be the fault of Apple's iPhone OS. The iPhone only allows one third-party app to be running at a time. So you'll have to open the Dragon Dictation app each time you want to dictate something which can really slow you down, especially if you're trying to chat using a program like Skype.

To get it, just pull up the app store on your iPhone and search for "dragon dictation".