XP SP3 Brings Nothing New for Gaming

Windows XP Service Pack 3 is a case of “much ado about nothing” when it comes down to gaming. SP3 was released to manufacturing on April 21, 2008, almost two months after the RTM date of Windows Vista Service Pack 1. But if Vista SP1 does bring to the table advances that will affect the gaming experience of end users in comparison with the original version of the latest Windows client, SP3 will not do the same for XP SP2 users. This is, of course, due to the fact that Microsoft has virtually ignored the graphics components of XP in the move from XPSP2 to XP SP3.

With Vista, SP1 delivered DirectX 10.1, an incremental update from DirectX 10. In fact, Microsoft has continually referred to version 10.1 as a superset and a minor update to the component which is shipped by default with Windows Vista. Read More »

Watching the Weather

Billed as the world’s first ‘Weather Watch’ this widget from Oregon Scientifictells you what the weather is going to be over the next 24 hours, oh yes, and it also tells the time. Quite how it performs this semi miraculous task wasn’t’ fully explained in the advance publicity blurb but it’s a fair guess that it measures barometric pressure, and by plotting a trend, can give an indication of what direction the weather is heading. In other words it is probably just a wrist barometer, though it’s just possible it picks up some form of weather data transmissions, though with a retail price of under £40 that seems a bit unlikely. Either way, in addition to the time and date it also has alarm and stopwatch functions, and just in case it fails to warn you that it’s about to rain, it’s waterproof too. Read More »

Free Video Capture Makes its Debut

If it moves and it appears on your PC screen then you can capture it with this freeware application, called Debut. Now don’t get too excited, it can record streamed video (and audio), like You Tube and iPlayer, but the unless you have a blisteringly fast PC the frame rate will probably be quite slow if you don’t want to sacrifice too much picture quality, but it’s definitely worth experimenting and its certainly good enough for a quick and dirty archive. It’s just the job for making tutorial videos, showing someone how to do something on a PC, by recording everything that happens on the screen. It also has a built in timer and it can be set to email or upload your movie by FTP. You can even get it to burn directly to DVD with an optional add-on and there’s a facility to record from external sources like web-cams and USB capture devices.

Smarty, or should that be Qwerty Pants

It’s what every well dressed computer user has been waiting for, a pair of jeans with a built in Qwerty keyboard. It’s just the job for having a quick google when you’re away from your desktop PC.

We can blame designer Erik De Nijs for the classically styled ‘Geek’ jeans, which, you may be interested to know, also incorporates a small pair of speakers that have been sewn into pockets just above the knee, and there’s also a handy mouse but we can only guess where the joystick is kept…

New Eee PC from May

As you may know I’m a huge fan of the tiny Linux-based Asus Eee PC and went out and bought one with my own money I hasten to add the minute they were available, last year. It’s been a very happy partnership and this cute little PC has been all over the place with me on numerous press and family jaunts, and it has never let me down. The Wi-Fi always latches on first time, it has all of the applications I need, 3 USB ports, an SD card slot and an MS compatible office suite. A few tweaks here and there, install the KDE desktop and you have a near perfect travelling companion. But now the Eee 900 hoves into view. Read More »

Simple Email Backup

Over the years I must have written tens of thousands of words on how to copy, transfer and backup email messages. With Outlook Express backing up the Message Store folder is not too difficult but it’s all the other bits and pieces – account settings, signatures, rules, blocked senders and so on – that make life difficult because they’re all over the place. Now it looks as though I won’t have to go through the rigmarole again.

Presenting Amic Email Backup. It’s a small freeware application that backs up all of the vital files and info in most popular email clients, including OE, Outlook, Eudora, Pegasus, Incredimail, The Bat, Poco, Netscape, to name just a few. Read More »

Watch Out Windows

Radio, phone, GPS, MP3 player, TV, camera… been there done that, but just when you thought there wasn’t anything else that could be shoehorned into a wristwatch, think again. A company called Epoq has managed to fit a copy of Windows Mobile onto one, which you drive using a 1.4-inch OLED touch screen, and just for good measure the EGP-98B has built in 1.3MP camera, wi-fi, Bluetooth and a 4-band GSM phone. Now, it might all be a wind-up (pun intended) because details and availability are all very sketchy, and good images are also hard to find. Read More »

Introducing the New Windows XP

On April 25, 2008, Microsoft introduced the next version of its Windows XP operating system, detailing revamped plans for the business built around the platform, a brand overhauling and the road map for upcoming products. However, the desktop version of Windows XP got no play as the Redmond company focused entirely on the embedded version of the platform. The Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley 2008 in San Jose was also synonymous with the introduction of the Windows Embedded Ready, a brand umbrella for the company’s forthcoming key device products. Read More »

Lock Your Windows, With a Cellphone

If your PC or laptop has a Bluetooth adaptor, and your cellphone is similarly equipped, then here’s something that might interest you. It’s a free utility called BtProx, and the idea is you can lock your PC, so no-one else can use it, unless you, and your cellphone are in the immediate vicinity. As I’m sure Apple Mac fans will remind me, it’s not exactly a new idea, but no matter, its a simple and effective way to protect your computer, though, just make sure your phone battery doesn’t run out, or you will be in trouble…

Assault on Batteries

This kindly looking old gentleman could be your next best friend, if you are thinking about buying an electric car, laptop, or indeed anything powered by lithium ion batteries. His name is Peter Roth and he’s the lead researcher at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque. His team is part of a government funded research project called FreedomCAR and it is focusing on Lithium Ion batteries, which have a bit of a reputation for popping and bursting into flames. So far it’s only been a bit of a nuisance for laptop owners, with a handful of fried machines and no serious injuries or damage, but imagine what could happen when you get hundreds of them packed tightly together in an electric car. Read More »