Windows 7 Life Theme
Windows 7 users that have been keeping an eye on Softpedia already know that Microsoft has been releasing a steady flow of personalization content. The latest Windows 7 theme made available by the Redmond company is titled Life, and comes courtesy of the Discovery channel and BBC.
The theme pack in question is available for download, as many others, free of charge via the Windows Personalization Gallery, the company’s central hub for offering themes designed to allow customers to customize their Windows 7 desktops.
“Bizarre, beautiful nature from Discovery Channel,” the short description of the Life theme, which will leave users with a feeling that the images should have been accompanied by more information, reads. Of course, the same is not the case with many themes on the Windows Personalization Gallery, but this specific example feels like it needs the added touch of the Bing wallpaper hotspots.
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Windows 7 ATI Catalyst 9.3 Unified Driver
AMD is ready for the RTM release of Windows 7. Or at least this is what the chip-maker claims as it has released ATI Catalyst 9.3 Unified Driver introducing support for Windows 7 Beta Build 7000. The processor manufacturer, which acquired ATI, indicated that the advent of ATI Catalyst 9.3 drivers for Windows 7 represented a guarantee that support would be available with all planned future releases of ATI Catalyst, for the remaining milestones of the next iteration of the Windows client, but especially for the gold (final) version Windows 7.
“AMD’s expertise in visual computing shines through in the combined experience of Windows 7 and ATI Radeon graphics,” revealed Anantha Kancherla, group program manager responsible for Windows graphics, Microsoft. Read more
Insight on the Virtual Earth
Live Search Maps/Virtual Earth has grown with the integration of content from Photosynth. Essentially, Microsoft is now integrating synths into its mapping, location and search platform. This means that Virtual Earth users will no longer be able to explore only aerial, Bird’s Eye and satellite imagery, but also 3D environments put together with 2D pictures with various locations around the world, namely synths. Microsoft has blended together two of its services making available Photosynth content from Live Search Maps.
“In order to find Photosynths in Live Search Maps you’ll search for a location. In the welcome pane, you’ll see a link for ‘Explore Collections’ which you click and begin seeing all kinds of collections. Read more
Download Beijing Olympics Stadium 3D Screensaver
Most of my fellow friends blogger’s written a lot about Beijing Olympics 2008 already, So I also thought of writing some thing new and unique about Beijing Olympics 2008.
Yesterday, night I found a cool Olympic Stadium 3D Screensaver for all windows edition including windows XP and vista.
These Screensaver provides a realistic 3D environment of the stadium of Olympic Stadium.
Feel the spirit of Beijing Olympics 2008 by installing Olympic Stadium 3D Screensaver on your computer. Read more
New soccer MMO announced
Most of the massively multiplayer online games are slowly turning into social networks, offering their players a chance to make more friends, talk with different people from all over the world and have fun at the same time. The most important thing is that this trend can be associated with any type of MMO, including sports titles.
This will be proved by the most recent game from Elephant Entertainment and Sleepy Giant – Goal Or No Goal (GONG!), a soccer simulation that comes with a pretty neat 3 vs 3 multiplayer format. The game also has a few adventure elements for those who wish to do even more than play soccer matches and socialize with new friends. Read more
Nvidia’s New Driver Takes Gaming on the 3D Stage
Nvidia is reportedly working on a new driver for its already existing and upcoming graphics card offerings that will unleash 3D features even for 2D games. The new feature is expected to arrive in June or July this year but will only be available for Nvidia graphics card owners.
In short, once the 3D driver is installed, any PC equipped with an Nvidia graphics card will be able to run the game either in 2D mode or in 3D, without having to purchase an expensive 3D-ready monitor. However, you will still have to purchase a pair of 3D glasses, also designed in Nvidia’s laboratories.
The three-dimensional effect will be achieved by giving the user a left eye- and right eye-view of the screen. The new technology is expected to work with any gaming title, given the fact that the 3D effect is not rendered on-screen, but rather on the user’s eye via the special glasses. Read more
Google Bubbling Under
Google has mapped the Earth and the skies, now, according to CNET News it is turning it attention to the briny deep. Provisionally dubbed Google Ocean, it’s a work in progress, now being developed by a team of eminent oceanographers. The idea is to create a 3D map of the sea floor and if the early indications and speculation proves correct users will be able to ‘dive’ below the surface of the seas and using images based on a mixture of sonar maps and satellite data and navigate their way through the watery environment, visiting shipwrecks and coral reefs.
ESA presents Mars in 3D
This is a mosaic of Olympus Mons, the highest volcano on Mars, which towers 26 km above the surrounding plains. The image covers an area of approximately 600 000 sq km and is colour-coded according to height based on data from the Digital Terrain Model (DTM). The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA’s Mars Express orbiter imaged the region over 18 orbits. Credits: ESA/ DLR/ FU Berlin (G. Neukum)
Mars is about to come into 3D focus as never before, thanks to the data from the Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC). A new high-resolution Digital Terrain Model data set that has just been released onto the Internet, will allow researchers to obtain new information about the Red Planet in 3D.
Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) allow scientists to ‘stand’ on planetary surfaces. Although ordinary images can give spectacular bird’s-eye views, they can only convey part of the picture. They miss out on the topography, or the vertical elevation of the surroundings. That’s where Mars Express comes in. Read more
Hidden Flight Simulator in Google Earth
Here is another good reason to upgrade to the latest version (v4.2) of Google Earth. Drop what you are doing now, open the program and press Ctrl + A (or Ctrl + Alt + A) to launch the hidden Flight Simulator program.
It’s based on Google Earth’s image streaming and you can fly around the area currently showing, choose from a number of preset locations or takeoff and land from a selection of airports around the world.
You have a choice of two aircraft, an F16 fighter or a slightly more sedate Cirrus SR22 single engine aircraft. Read more
