Windows Experience Pack
Undoubtedly, one of the aspects of Windows 7 that has generated a lot of user enthusiasm, and for good reason, is related to customization. The latest iteration of the Windows client comes with a range of personalization options, with the new Theme feature, and the actual themes released by Microsoft, being extremely well received. Still, the Redmond-based company is taking it one step forward with the release of a free Windows 7 Theme tool dubbed the Windows Experience Pack. And to top it all off, the Windows Experience Pack is not only designed to allow users of Windows 7 to customize their desktops, but also the software giant’s free instant messaging client: Windows Live Messenger.
“While we can’t send all of you on vacation, we can give you something special to help you daydream and customize your PC and online experience,” revealed Brandon LeBlanc, Windows Communications Manager on the Windows Client Communications Team. “With the Windows Experience Pack, you are able create an alter-ego of yourself in a specific destination – a beach, mountain, safari, or city. When you create your alter-ego, you create a fully customized avatar for that destination that becomes a part of a Windows Live Messenger and Windows 7 theme for your PC. You’ll also be able to download a .jpg image of your avatar to share, print, or use as your icon on social networks.” Read more
Windows 8 Coming into Focus in 2010
Windows 7 was released to manufacturing on July 22nd, 2009, along with Windows Server 2008 R2, and both platforms made it to customers by October 22nd, 2009, with the client flavor of the OS being the last to reach the general availability stage. Undoubtedly, for the latest iterations of the client and server operating systems, the Redmond company will produce the first service pack come next year. There might even be a third service pack for Windows Vista, although Microsoft is keeping all details under a hermetically shut lid. But one thing is certain, as 2010 rolls in, Microsoft will shift its focus to Windows 8, the next generation of Windows.
Users are bound not to come across publicly shared details on Windows 8 from Microsoft for quite some time. Going out on a limb, I would say that the software giant will start unveiling the first Win8 information through official channels no sooner than the end of 2010, or even in 2011. After all, Jon DeVaan, senior vice president, Windows Core Operating System Division, and Steven Sinofsky, president, Windows and Windows Live Division, kicked off the Windows 7 engineering conversation with the public in August 2008, a year and a half after Vista’s GA in January 2007. Read more
Windows on the Wall
Let me say straight away that so far I haven’t been overly impressed with the performance of so-called pico’ projectors I’ve seen to date. These tiny pocket size projectors produce a small dim image, not much larger then a big monitor screen that you can just about see in a very dark room. That’s fair enough, someone somewhere will find that useful. However, my gripe is with the way they’re often portrayed in publicity shots, showing vast bright displays in what appears to be well lit environments. Maybe one day that will happen, who knows, but as a display device they leave a lot to be desired, so I’m not too hopeful that the Guangzhou Darling DP200 is going to break the mould, and with a light output of just 9 lumens it’s not going to trouble the mainstream projector market, but it does have one other thing going for it. Built ino the case is a Windows CE PC so you have all that you need, in one handy box, to do a quick presentation on the nearest wall. Plug in a keyboard and mouse and you can do a spot of word processing, though good luck seeing the keys in the dark…
HTC Magic
The second device launched by the joint-venture HTC and Google – HTC Magic aka G2, suggests that the new Android-branded phones have great potential on the smartphone market. Updated to the latest firmware version, including Cupcake 1.5, HTC Magic is now shadowed by its new brother, HTC Hero, which features the new Sense GUI developed by the Taiwanese manufacturer. Still, Magic owners will be happy to find that HTC officially announced that they would be able to update their devices with the new Sense GUI, if their Magic smartphones were unlocked. Yes, those that got their devices from network carriers like T-Mobile or Vodafone will not be able to take advantage of the new GUI offered by HTC.
Announced in February 2009, HTC Magic hit the shelves three months later, in May 2009. The device is available in two classical colors: black and white. HTC Magic can be bought for around 450 USD, but that depends on location and plan. I suggest buying the unlocked version, so you can get the new graphical user interface that has been included with the Hero model. Read more
How to get the holy grail of Windows Vista and Windows 7
1. ACCURATE SCORE
Make sure you have an accurate WEI score. Follow our advice to optimise your PC, then close down all open applications and run the test again.
2. PERFORMANCE TWEAKS
If your CPU score is over 5 then overclocking, while risky, might help you reach the maximum. Check your BIOS setup program and documentation for advice.
3. FIND A REPLACEMENT
Upgrading your CPU may deliver the best results. Check your motherboard manufacturer’s web site to see which CPUs it supports, then comparison-shop at uk.shopping.com.
4. CHECK SPEEDS
Can this processor really deliver a 5.9? Visit shareyourscore.com/ ComponentScores.aspx to see how it performs on other people’s systems.
Read more
Google To Challenge Windows and Mac
Rumours that Google are working on a desktop operating system, to rival Windows and the Mac OS have been floating around the web for a while and they’ve generally been dismissed but now it’s official. Google Chrome OS is due to hit the streets some time in the second half of 2010. Whether or not the good folk at Microsoft and Apple will be quaking in their boots remains to be seen but on past experience Google certainly has the clout to make it happen and the Android OS for smart phones is already starting to have an impact.
Chrome OS is designed to run on standard x86 PC hardware, as well as ARM chips and the ever popular Intel Atom used in the majority of netbooks. It’s going to be based on a Linux kernel and according to Sundar Picha, the Google Engineering director who broke the news on his blog, key user-inspired features will include near-instant startup and email download Read more
Google Has a Need for Speed
Everyone knows faster Internet is better, but Google is actually doing something about it. The company wants to make the web faster with a variety of different measures detailed on the newly launched site code.google.com/speed, aimed at web developers and full of tips, tutorials and tools, all focused on speed.
“We are excited to discuss what we’ve learned about web performance with the Internet community. However, to optimize the speed of web applications and make browsing the web as fast as turning the pages of a magazine, we need to work together as a community, to tackle some larger challenges that keep the web slow and prevent it from delivering its full potential,” the official Google blog reads. Read more
Scrub System of Useless Data
There is no secret that working on the computer, no matter its outstanding initial performance, will eventually bring it to a slower functioning. Also, web browsing and installing applications will generate tons of files needed for some process, but never wiped after they are no longer needed. They’ll hang in there until you decide to take some action against them the moment you find yourself in need of free space or simply settle to clean the system of data that serves no useful purpose.
The need of more space, especially on the system drive, often requires going into the temporary files (Windows and web browser) manually and eliminating files you no longer need. An automatic approach to this task has already been created and there are plenty of apps perfectly fit for the job. Read more
NVIDIA Is Still the King of Graphics
Santa Clara, California-based NVIDIA is reported to have recorded an impressive first quarter in 2009, as the company managed to maintain its position as the number one GPU vendor on the market. The news comes after earlier reports, according to which Sunnyvale, California-based Advanced Micro Devices grabbed a market share of approximately 40 percent in the third quarter of 2008. However, NVIDIA now claims that its market share has increased to an impressive 68 percent, compared to the company’s results in the fourth quarter of 2008.
According to a recent news-article on bit-tech, citing sources from research firms Mercury Research and Jon Peddie Research, NVIDIA succeeded in increasing its market share by 0.3%, in Q1 2009. Read more
NVIDIA GeForce 181.71 Graphics Drivers for Windows 7
NVIDIA has made available for download a new set of graphics drivers designed to make GeForce GPU play nice with the latest public development milestone of the next iteration of the Windows client. The new GeForce graphics drivers tailored to Windows 7 Beta Build 7000 went live on March 2, 2009, and are now up for grabs. NVIDIA explained the need to offer graphics drivers for Windows 7 at this early stage due to the high number of GeForce customers that installed the Beta Build 7000 release of the operating system. Read more
