14 DAY TRIAL // If you feel like you need a Windows expert’s recommendation when you’re buying a new laptop, then a new interactive guide from Microsoft might just be the thing for you. The Windows PC Scout is a web-based application that will allow users with absolutely no experience to find a laptop that is best suited for their needs, and to buy it. This is not to say that more advanced users won’t be able to also leverage the Windows PC Scout in order to maybe bring some clarification to a selection of laptops that they’ve been looking at, trying to decide on a single product. At the same time, Windows PC Scout is an excellent point to start when shopping around for a new machine, if all you want to do is to get some recommendations for a new laptop, while not having a precise idea of what you want to buy.
“We’ll start by making sure you understand laptop computers. Then, find out exactly what you’re looking for in a new laptop. Finally, we’ll match your needs against PCs recommended by the experts here at Windows. We’ve hand-picked these PCs—the best of the best,” Microsoft promises in the welcoming message.
The Windows PC Scout is currently focused entirely on laptops, but the promise exists from Microsoft that it will also add desktops in the future. However, the Redmond company has chosen to provide guidance on buying a laptop specifically because customers find it more difficult to select a mobile computer suited to their needs.
The voice from the guidance app notes that “the experts at Windows went far and wide screening laptops to find the ones they think are best.” And while it might be so, fact is that I found Windows PC Scout lacking in two ways.
First off, Microsoft has not updated the application for Windows 7, and it continues to recommend Windows Vista as the operating system of choice. Since Windows 7 general availability is just one day away, I find this at least a little upsetting. And second, as you can see from the image on the left, the Windows PC Scout had absolutely no recommendation for me. This is indeed troublesome as I have recently bought a new laptop that more than matched the criteria I served the application. So it’s either that the Windows experts didn’t search far and wide enough, or that I did a better job at finding the best laptop according to my preferences than the Windows PC Scout. Either way, I still think that Windows PC Scout should be given at least a small chance.
