Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Life Story Of A Notebook

Computing on the move has been a focus area for a lot of Information Technology Companies for years. The idea of being able to work while on the road is extremely fascinating. A notebook, also known as a laptop, which may also be understood as a mobile computer has been the solution for these portable computer related tasks.

History

It is a little hard to determine which is the first notebook or portable computer ever made. The Osborne 1 is considered by most historians to be the first true portable computer or notebook. This was produced by Adam Osborne in the year 1981. It featured a 5 inch screen, modem port, floppy drives, few bundled software programs and a battery pack. The total weight of the notebook was about 11 kgs. Gradually after this Epson, Radio Shack, IBM, Apple Computer etc. all came out with a portable computer. IBM`s IBM PC convertible introduced in 1986 was a true laptop computer. This computer ushered in the laptop area. Since these early models, notebooks have seen tremendous development.

Features and Functioning

Notebooks have the identical major components as Desktop PCs: microprocessor, RAM, operating system, input/output ports, hard disk drives, speakers and sound cards, and speakers. However, all laptops have power management features to extend battery life, or conserve battery power when battery is low. A notebook differs from a desktop PC in terms of power supply, display, and the type of input devices it uses. Notebook processors usually have multiple sleeps, meaning slow down modes which help in increasing battery life and can also run on low voltage. Hard disk in the notebook also functions in the same way as it does in Desktop. These are slower in speed and have lesser capacity.

In addition to hard disks, notebooks also have options for removable disk storage system such as Floppy Discs, CDs and DVDs. A notebook also has various input/output ports that enable you to connect to various peripherals. Most notebook computers today feature built-in modems and Ethernet for external connectivity. Infrared ports for wireless connectivity are also becoming very popular. One of the most critical components in a notebook is its battery as it works on battery power for usage while on move. Battery life offered is different for each device as it depends on the configuration and power management features implemented. All notebook computers come with an in-built LCD screen for display output. For Input, notebooks are featured with built-in keyboards for text inputs. As far as pointing devices are concerned, notebooks use one of the three-Trackball, Pointing stick, Touchpad.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Notebook

The most important advantage of a notebook is its portability. One can work with ease anytime and everywhere. Also, access to wireless networking in public places is making notebooks more and more useful. The counting of disadvantages for a notebook always starts with its high cost. Not only the initial cost, its parts are also expensive and are not interchangeable. Notebooks have a lesser storage capacity and its processor usually works at a lower speed when on battery power. Notebooks are also prone to theft due to its portability.

Future Directions

With falling prices and acceptance of new technologies, we can expect to see a significant increase in demand of notebooks. Vendors are also working on the design of the notebook to make it stronger so that it can withstand jerks and shocks. New technologies are being integrated into the notebooks to prevent failure and data loss. Mostly used by corporate firms, professionals and businessmen, vendors are now targeting students and home users as well because of increasing affordability of these devices.

So the emergence of this new usage category is definitely on the cards. This means there is a huge potential for notebooks in the coming future and the price cuts offered with technological improvements are sure to fuel growth.
Roberto Sedycias

Sony Ericsson W910i




DESIGN
Wow! what a great look thanks to our resident miracle worker, your friendly neighborhood Phone-Man, yours truly managed to get his greedy little paws on the not-yet-but-soon-to-be-released Sony Ericsson W910i Walkman phone. Now this is not strictly a review – I only managed to get a prototype piece that didn’t have 100% functionality, but it came close enough for me to be able to whet your voracious appetite for more. So here's what you can expect from this super slim slider.







FEATURES

The W910i Walkman phone is slim and sleek, and slides smoothly like a knife through warm butter. It looks familiar enough – just like any other Sony Ericsson slider, in fact – but it has a pleasantly large 2.4 inch screen with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution and 256K colors.

The buttons are also much the same as you'd see in any Sony Ericsson slider, with shortcut keys and a five-way nav-pad. There are also two keys placed on top of the display. I must say I found the keypad very annoying. The keys aren’t small but they could have been bigger – it’s not as if there’s no space. They’re also a little hard, but hopefully Sony Ericsson will rectify this when it's released.


The phone has 40MB of internal memory and supports M2 cards for external memory. It’s HSDPA enabled, with 3G capabilities, and supports video calling through the VGA camera located in the front. The main camera is 2 megapixel and really quite good. It doesn’t have too many settings, but the ones that are there do help. It also has EDGE class internet connectivity which is a improved class technology for an absolute replacement for GPRS.

MEDIA

I wasn’t the only one impressed with the new media interface that Sony Ericsson has incorporated into the phone. Not only does it have a new look but a new feel as well. As odd as that may sound, the W910 seems like it harbors intentions of running against the fabled iPhone.

The new interface allows you to automatically change viewing modes by simply turning the phone. The mode will automatically change from portrait to landscape. The gyroscopic sensor is awesome if you’re watching movies or viewing images.

The next-gen technology doesn’t end there. It’s even incorporated into the music player and the games. For instance, if your keypad is closed and locked and you wish to skip tracks, all you need to do is keep the Walkman key pressed and simply flip your wrist in the direction you want to skip tracks – left to go back and right to go forward.

The games include Marble Madness 3D which requires you to tilt the phone in the direction you have to move the marble. Although you’re going to look quite odd doing this in public, trust me, it’s a lot of fun. The rally game (also preinstalled) is a great way to pass the time. You can select to play in landscape mode and use the top key above the display as the accelerator and control movement with the nav-pad.


The music player is okay too, with EQ presets and a customizable option, with 3D surround and album art or visualizations. The external speaker unfortunately failed to impress.



APPLICATIONS


Sony Ericsson has graciously included some really great applications for their customers' benefit. One happens to be the Plus application which is very similar to Nokia’s Catalogs. You can download content fro specific servers using this app.

Although the W910 already comes with MusicDJ, VideoDJ, and PhotoDJ, another application included is the Music Mate 4 that is a sort of 3D-ish Music DJ application which appears more vibrant. Unfortunately I was not able to test it past the startup screen since this was a prototype piece. Hopefully this problem won't be there in the boxed set. Oh, and there’s also an Audible Player application preinstalled.


Apart from these the W910 has the usual features – calendar, memos, appointments, reminders. It supports Bluetooth with A2DP support and a remote control function for controlling your media player on the PC or a presenter or desktop.

First Impressions
Everyone’s first impression of the W910 was – awesome! I’m eager to review this phone ASAP. I love the view switching feature! What a crazy fun game! It looks cool! Clearly this is one phone that's created a stir already.




Monday, November 12, 2007

Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone (born January 5, 1986) is an Indian model turned actress. She is the daughter of former badminton champion Prakash Padukone. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, at eleven months old she moved to Mangalore, Karnataka when her family returned to India.

Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark

Height: 5 ft. 9 inchs (1.75m)

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Brown

Modelling career

She attended high school in Bangalore. She has been modeling appearances in print and television advertising campaigns for Liril soap, Dabur Lal powder Close-Up toothpaste and Limca, receiving many prestigious modeling offers, including brand ambassadorship of the

Jewels of India, an annual jewellery exhibition. She hit the international scene when Maybelline made her their new international covergirl face.

At the fifth annual Kingfisher Fashion Awards, for Indian models and designers, she was awarded the title of Model of the Year. Shortly afterwards, she was chosen as one of the models for the Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar for 2006. She also won two trophies at the Idea Zee F Awards in 2006 - Female Model of the year (Commercial Assignments) and Fresh Face of the year. She recently did a commercial for moods.

She is a brand ambassador for Kingfisher Airlines.

Personal life

Deepika's schooling was done in Sophia's High School, Bangalore and she did her undergraduate

studies from Mount Carmel College.Her father is the legendary Badminton player Prakash

Padukone who was one of India's greatest sportsmen. During the late 1970's and early 1980's Prakash was the World No.1 in Badminton, winning the All-England Open in 1980, and the

World Cup in 1981. Her mother is a travel agent and she has

a younger sister named Anisha.

On screen appearances

Padukone

has branched out from modeling into acting. She

started by starring in the music video for Naam Hai Tera a song from the pop album Aap Ka Suroor, an independent album by Himesh Reshammiya.

More recently Padukone made her cinematic debut in a Kannada film, Aishwarya, directed by Indrajit Lankesh co-starring Upendra.[5] The film has already been successful at the box-office, and Padukone has received rave reviews for her screen presence.

Padukone made her Bollywood debut in the Farah Khan-

directed film Om Shanti Om, opposite Shah Rukh Khan. In the movie, she has been depicted as a 1970s superstar Shantipriya and later as Sandhya aka Sandy. Padukone has already signed Priyadarshan's next film Pirate, and Made In China opposite Akshay Kumar.

Filmography

Year Title Role Co-Stars Other notes
2006 Aishwarya Aishwarya Upendra, Daisy Bopanna Padukone's debut movie
2007 Om Shanti Om Shantipriya/Sandy Shahrukh Khan
2007 Pirate
Kunal Khemu , Shreyas Talpade Announced
2008 Made in China
Akshay Kumar Pre-production
Photos Gallery:








Please give your comments on Deepika Padukone

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4



Your Ad Here

The Easy and Complete Photo Experience

Bring your memories to life

Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4 has tools and effects that make managing, editing, enhancing, and sharing your digital photos and videos fun and easy. You can add special effects, transitions, text captions, animations, and even soundtracks to your photos and videos to create your own photo slide shows. Delight family and friends by sharing your creations on the PhotoCircle free web space or on your TV.

  • Create unique photo and video PhotoShows
  • Add music, animation, and special effects
  • Easy-to-use interface and professional tools
  • Edit and touch up photos
  • Free personal web space for uploading PhotoShows and videos
  • Burn PhotoShows to DVD to watch on a TV set
Fun and easy to use, Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4 is now Windows Vista™ Ready!

Create & Edit:

PhotoShow

Turn your digital photos into dynamic slide shows quickly and easily with Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4. Insert professional credits, captions, transitions, special effects, and animations, add a great musical soundtrack, and personalize your slide show creation to show family and friends online or on your TV set!

Screensavers

Looking for a new, customized screensaver for your PC? Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4 lets you turn your PhotoShows into personalized screensavers that are guaranteed to draw a crowd!

Photo

Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4 lets you convert photos to JPEG, BMP, and TIFF formats, making it easy for you to share them online and view them on any PC or Mac computer.

Convert & Share:

Photos

Do you have High Definition video content but no blue laser burner? Convert HD content easily into AVCHD format, and compress content without losing quality. Your HD content can then be burned to a normal DVD and played on a Blu-ray Disc player or PlayStation® 3 for the ultimate blue laser experience.

Online

Want to share your digital life with friends and family all over the world? Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4 makes it easy to upload and share your photos, PhotoShows, and videos on online communities like My Nero, YouTube, and MySpace. Or, get your own personal slice of online real estate! Nero PhotoShow lets you share your creations online with personal web space on PhotoCircle. Customizable web addresses make it convenient to share your photos and videos.

Home Entertainment:

Television

With Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4 you can create photo and video CDs and DVDs to play back on your TV set. Relive your memories over and over again in the comfort of your living room.

Rip & Burn:

CD and DVD

Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4 makes it quick and easy to burn your PhotoShows, images, and videos to CD and DVD for easy storage, to give to friends and family, and to play back on your TV.

Backup:

CD and DVD

Running out of space on your PC? If you take a lot of photos, Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4 has the answer to your hard drive space problems. Keep backed-up copies of your photos, videos, and PhotoShows burned to CD or DVD for easy storage and retrieval.

Online

Take advantage of free web space on PhotoCircle where you can upload PhotoShows and videos to view, edit, and share anytime.

Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4

  • Windows Vista, XP or 2000
  • Pentium Class 800MHz Processor
  • 256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM Recommended)
  • 1 GB of available hard disk space
  • Microsoft DirectX 9
  • Color monitor with 800x600 resolution and 16-bit color video card
  • CD-ROM drive or internet connection to install
  • Windows compatible sound card
  • Internet Service Provider account required to share online
  • Web browser that supports Flash Player
  • Macromedia Flash Player version 8
  • Compatible with most digital cameras, scanners, printers, and storage devices
  • Imports file formats in JPEG, TIF, BMP, GIF, PSD and PNG
  • CD-R/RW Drive to burn photos and PhotoShows on CD or Super Video CD (optional)
  • DVD-R/RW Drive to burn PhotoShows to DVD (optional)
  • Internet Connection is required for free one-time activation for MPEG-2 support





To buy
Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4:
http://www.nero.com/nerophotoshow/ena/Onlineshop.php






PC Performance - 6 Tips You Must Know

Are you frustrated with your PC?

Is it feeling sluggish or crawling at a snail's pace?

Are programs running slower than they used to?

Are you just plain fed up with frequent slowdowns, freezes or crashes?

Then it's time to stop what you're doing and optimize your system to improve PC performance!


Follow these 6 simple sure-fire tips to help improve PC performance and you'll be surprised by the results! Each comes with an indication of how often you should do it.

Improve PC Performance Tip #1:
CLEAN UP YOUR WINDOWS REGISTRY (Frequency = Daily)

This is an essential, but often overlooked, task to improve PC performance. In fact most PC users are unaware of the necessity to regularly clean the Registry as Microsoft does not include a cleanup tool in any version of Windows.

Every time a program is installed it makes changes to the Windows Registry - a huge internal database of Windows' settings. Virtually all Windows programs, and Windows itself, store a massive array of information inside the database. These thousands of entries control the behavior and appearance of virtually everything on your system.

Changes to your PC system are not always handled correctly in the Registry, leading to conflicts and the slowing down of your PC. Over time this leads to a bloated and possibly, corrupted Registry. Reasons for this include:

- frequently installing or uninstalling programs
- removing a program which leaves traces behind
- leftover entries from a hardware uninstall
- unused drivers on your system
- Spyware or similar programs that reappear every time you reboot

You can edit the Registry manually using a Windows program called Regedit, but this is really a job best left for hardened PC experts.

Thankfully, programs are available that can clean up your Registry automatically to help improve PC performance, such as "Registry Optimizer '06". This scans your Registry, looks for entries that are redundant or invalid and lists them so that they can be corrected with one mouse click. As an added bonus, to improve PC performance, it runs automatically in the background every time you start your PC.


Improve PC Performance Tip #2:
EMPTY THE RECYCLE BIN (Frequency = Weekly)

Regularly empty Windows' Recycle Bin.

This will release hard drive space and help improve PC performance.

When you choose to delete a file, rather than removing it completely from your computer, Windows first puts it into the Recycle Bin. This gives you a second chance, as it means you can restore flies from the Recycle Bin back to their original place on your computer.

To ensure optimum PC performance, empty your Recycle Bin weekly (or even daily). To do so, right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop, and choose Empty Recycle Bin.


Improve PC Performance Tip #3:
REMOVE PROGRAMS (Frequency = Monthly)

Installing programs is easy - but once you have, it's just as easy to end up leaving them languishing, forgotten, on your hard disk.

Most programs come with their own uninstaller. You'll find this under the program's entry in All Programs, from the Start menu.

If the program doesn't come with its own uninstaller, open Control Panel from the Start menu, and double-click Add/Remove Programs. Your PC will pause briefly while it gathers a list of all the programs you have installed.

Once it has done so, find the program you'd like to get rid of, click it and then select Change/Remove.

Be aware that some programs leave uninstalled traces all over the Windows Registry! Therefore, to improve PC performance after an uninstall, it's essential to clean the Registry.


Improve PC Performance Tip #4:
RUN DISK CLEAN UP (Frequency = Monthly)

Windows' Disk Clean Up is a fantastic built-in utility that automates regular maintenance tasks to improve PC performance, such as deleting Temporary Internet files, Setup log files, etc.

To start Disk Clean Up, double-click My Computer, right click on your 'C:' drive and then select Properties. Now click Disk Cleanup. Your computer will then spend a few moments analysing itself.

When it has completed the audit Windows will give you a list of areas where it has found files to cleanup. To clean an area, put a tick in the box next to it. To leave something intact, such as Temporary files, just remove the tick next to the item and click OK.

Your computer will then begin the removal process to improve PC performance - this can take some time.


Improve PC Performance Tip #5:
DISK DEFRAGMENTATION (Frequency = Quarterly)

When Windows stores programs on your PC hard disk it saves fragments of files in the nearest empty spaces.

This slows down your PC as it has to spend time hunting down the fragments and piecing files together.

There is a simple cure - running the Windows program Disk Defragmenter. This gathers together the fragments of programs and puts them back in the right order.

This makes it far easier for your hard disk to find what it's looking for, enabling programs and files to load more quickly - a sure-fired way for improving PC performance.

To defragment your hard disk click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then Disk Defragment. When the program has loaded, click Defragment.

The process can take well over an hour. Because defragmenting your hard disk takes such a long time, you really don't want to go through the process too often.

Defragment your hard disk every 3 months or so - this way you'll get the best results and optimize the performance of your PC.


Improve PC Performance Tip #6:
EMPTY THE PREFETCH CACHE (Frequency = Quarterly)

To improve the time it takes to load programs, Windows guesses which files are likely to be needed next and loads them into a pool or 'cache'.

This process is called prefetching, and it generally works well. Overtime, though, the prefetch cache can become clogged with files you no longer need - and that can slow down Windows' startup.

To clear Prefetch, choose Run from the Start menu, and enter Prefetch into the text box that appears. When you've done that, you'll be confronted by a window filled with icons. Press Alt+A to select them all and press Delete.

The cache will quickly refill with links and files that Windows really needs. As a result, your system will feel more responsive and benefit from a PC performance speed up.


So there you have it, 6 sure-fired PC performance tips to revitalize your PC. Now you know how to improve PC performance - simply follow these steps and repeat them regularly.

Computer Satellite TV � Review of Satellite TV for PC 2006 Elite Edition

The Satellite TV for PC 2006 Elite Edition was just released. I have purchased the elite edition to compare it to the TV for PC 2006 Pro edition. I have found this edition to be more improved then the pro edition with additional channels and faster transmit time I have found that it is well worth the extra ten dollars. The pro edition was selling at $39.95 and the elite addition can be sold at an low priced of $49.95. It usually retails for as much as $400. I have found one site that is selling it for that very low price.

Satellite TV defiantly has come a long way. I have tried many software packages for my pc and have found one they stays far a top of the rest. Satellite TV for PC 2006 is one of the best packages I have found. This site is offered at the best price and quality that I have seen. With over 2000 channels at a one time only fee of $39.95, is the cheapest for the best quality that I have yet to see for computer satellite TV.

The price was not a problem for me. I paid with a smile hoping that this would be better than the Computer Satellite TV pro 2006. The computer satellite TV Elite edition is defiantly the way to go. I used it over the weekend and could never make up my mind what to watch.

Before I started to review the Computer Satellite TV 2006 Elite edition. I was checking into another software package. Its price is a one time fee of $150 I am still reviewing and will make a post when I am through. The offer states there are more sports channels along with football. I will wait a bit before I post a review in this product.

For now I would highly recommend the Computer Satellite TV for 2006 Elite Edition. I defiantly give this one a very high rating. There are a variety of channels from around the world including, sports, movies, weather, news, music, and regular broadcast channels. I will now be using satellite TV for pc 2006 elite edition instead of the pro edition. If you would like a link to the site that is offering it for $49.95 you can find the link by visiting web site.

Please visit some of sites PC Satellite TV and Computer Satellite TV

"Shift + Delete: Not a Permanent deletion”

Critical or important files are often lost by individuals using various techniques or just by mistake. Files are also lost due to accidental deletion. A command known as the Shift + delete command deletes large files even without reaching the recycle bin. These files can still be viewed by an individual as windows do not remove the deleted files from the computer; it remains in a hidden area in the computer to the relief of the user. With applicable software’s the erased or deleted files can be seen or viewed by the user. Deleted files can be searched by Stellar Phoenix Deleted File Recovery, which can work on different versions of windows which includes Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows 2003 Server and Windows XP. Data can be recovered when the folders are emptied from the recycle bin or using Shift+Del key. Stellar phoenix deleted file recovery also supports: Basic and Dynamic Volumes long filenamesData can also be retrieved using Stellar phoenix from: USB Drives Floppy disks Zip Disks Hard Drives
Digital camera cardsImportant features of the software are: Properties of the files and folders can be viewed. Results can be viewed at any time as any process can be halted. Log generated can be saved as file. Scanned information can be saved and thereafter used. Required systems: A minimum of 10Mb free disk space is required, 32Mb RAM, and Operating System: Win 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003. Thus it can be seen that even if an important file is deleted, removed or cant be seen anywhere it can be easily retrieved using by data recovery software like Stellar phoenix deleted file recovery which saves a lot of hard work and time.

Removable Storage Drive Recovery

File Recovery Utilities has announced Removable media file recovery utility supports to recover corrupted data from all category of external storage media device like iPod, USB drive, compact flash drive, pen drive, smart card, thumb drive, jump drive, key drive, external notebook hard disk, compact flash, multimedia memory card, micro card, SD and XD card. This restoration program restores accidently deleted pictures, images, files, folders. Application provides JPG, JPEG, GIF, BMP, DIB, JFIF, TIF, TIFF, JPE, PNG pictures retrieval solutions from all major brands including transcend, SanDisk, iBall, Imation, Moser Baer.

Removable card photo restoration tool supports to get back all image files, mp3, mp4, avi, m4a, m4b, m4v, aiff, mov, audio, video songs, music from all types of storage drives like USB zip drive, geek stick, pocket drive, disk-on-key and key chain drive. Revival software rescue your essential data that has been deleted due to viruses or other things like software or hardware malfunctioning. This is a read only application that salvages your important data in the original format in which data files lost.

Utility supports all major brands of secondary storage media like HP, Jenoptik, Kodak, Konica, Canon, Ikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Acer, Mustek, Pentax, Philips, Aiptek, Benq, Fujifilm, Casio, Ricoh, Samsung, Sony, IBM. Features: * Provides GUI facility that makes the software easy to understand and operate. * Supports windows operating system like 98, 2000, 2003, XP, ME, NT, Vista, Longhorn, Server 2008 etc. * Removable media data recovery software recaptures deleted images, files, folders, photos, documents etc. * Revival utility revives data in the old format without any changes. * Rescue corrupted data from USB drive, pen drive, flash card, thumb drive etc. * Retrieval program restore damaged jpg, jpeg, gif, tiff, bmp, png pictures from your hard drives.


Company Details:
Company Name:File Recovery Utilities

Company URL:http://www.filesrecovery.org
Download URL:http://www.filesrecovery.org/downloads/removal-media-data-recovery-demo.exe

How to recover data from corrupted Zip File

There are many circumstances where we use zip files to compress large amount of files. But some times these files fails to open up, either because of virus attack, unexpected system shut down or media error. To over these difficulties some data recovery software has being designed which repair and recover the data from corrupted zip file.

Stellar Phoenix Zip Recovery software is a powerful and easy to use application to repair corrupted zip files. The software does the thorough scan of all selected zip files and restores the damaged zip files back to the original state. The repaired files can be saved either to their original location on the hard disk, or to any user-specified location.

Stellar Phoenix Zip Recovery Software is useful in the following cases:

• Cannot open file: it does not appear to be a valid archive.
• The Compressed (zipped) Folder is invalid or corrupted.
• File Path: Either multipart or corrupt ZIP archive.
• File Path: Wrong Password for "File Path".
• The archive is corrupt.
• Bad CRC.

Key Features of the software provides:
• Repairs and recovers corrupted zip archives.
• Repairs and recovers large zip files up to 800 MB.
• Repairs and recovers all sub-types of zip files, which are not password protected, till Win Zip 11.1.
• Repairs and recovers all sub-types of zip files, which are password protected, till Win Zip 8.0 (Zip 2.0 Compatible encryption [Portable]).
• Creates an output file in the directory where the corrupted file is located or at the user-defined directory.
• Compatible with platforms: Windows Me / NT / 2000 / XP / 2003 / Vista.
• Files are displayed in an easy to use windows based tree structure.
• Simple to operate with no prior technical skills required.
Thus this special data recovery software provides recovery of data from compressed files which cannot be provided by the other simple data recovery software.

WindowBlinds 6

If you've been dying to give your Windows XP machine a Windows Vista makeover without the pain of upgrading, WindowBlinds' latest offering will probably seem like a gift from the interface fashion gods. Or, if you're into pain and you'd like to cover up that snazzy Vista interface with an XP look, you can do that, too.

Heck, you can even add a flaming-spewing, animated dragon if your desktop skin is crying out for some orc-love.


WindowBlinds 6 lets you choose from several preloaded themes, can install more, and gives you control over most aspects of your interface.

WindowBlinds offers a generally compelling way to add some panache to your Windows XP or Windows Vista. It skins your graphic interface, offering a number of preconfigured themes that range in styles and change the entire look of your desktop. You also have the ability to make some serious tweaks to each theme, should it be close to what you want, but just Not Quite Right. No matter what skin you choose, though, it's doubtful you'll have any complaints with the appearance of the polished, attractive themes.

Almost as important as the available themes is the fact that WindowBlinds can install your choice without restarting your computer. When it comes to making fine-tuning tweaks to colors and font, constantly being forced to reboot could make the process take so long that Microsoft might come out with an upgrade for Vista before you're done.


One interface features a medieval theme, including a flame-breathing animated dragon in your Start Menu.

To assist in the process, the WindowBlinds publisher has made the program blur your screen except for its logo while it updates your UI, minimizing any confusion about why your machine isn't responding. Especially on slower machines, this can be invaluable in avoiding assuming that your PC has crashed.

You also choose from several toolbar icon sets to match your skin of choice and tweak settings such as the size of the taskbar. WindowBlinds gets high marks for performance: skins loaded seamlessly after about 30 to 60 seconds. However, the program takes up its fair share of system resources, and load times will depend on your system hardware, as always.


The blurred-out screen indicates that WindowBlinds is processing your changes.

To make more than cosmetic changes, though, you'll have to install the publisher's SkinStudio. However, the latest version of WindowBlinds scans your root My Pictures folder and lets you select your own wallpaper. Make sure that image you want is in the main folder and not a subdirectory, otherwise it won't find it.

Anything that can help liven up the Windows experience for both novices and those advanced users who've got better things to do than hack their system files to splash some rounded menu edges on the UI is a good thing. For the sake of making your screen look significantly less like 2002, WindowBlinds is definitely fashion-forward.

What changes do you think Microsoft should make to their interface? Tell us in comments

Yahoo Messenger 9

Yahoo is launched a new version of its popular Yahoo Messenger on Tuesday that lets you forward phone calls and instant messages and watch videos and view photos with friends, among other enhancements. But probably the most popular thing will be the new emoticons.

Yahoo Messenger 9.0 has a redesigned interface with new "skin" background designs and new emoticons for expressions like "thumbs up," "thumbs down," and "rock on," (yes, the little yellow face ball is holding up its second and fourth fingers in the rock-star pose).

Beyond the surface, some of the changes are even more impressive. For instance, it's easier to call, text or IM contacts by simply hovering over the contact name and clicking. You can also click an arrow to the left of the contact and see a larger version of their avatar, contact them, start an e-mail session, and edit their information. And you can send a text message to someone's phone using your computer keyboard. These communications features were here before but were just not as apparent or easy as they are now.

You can also forward offline IMs to a mobile device and forward incoming phone calls to a phone number.

Sharing online map links doesn't open a new browser window, but displays the map in the IM window, allowing you to zoom and scroll around.

You can also send videos from YouTube, Yahoo Video and other sources, and you and your contact can watch the synchronized video via a sharing window, pausing to chat or replay.

The same thing with photos from Flickr or your desktop. You and your contact can view them together via a sharing window.

And file transfers between contacts can be up to two gigabytes in size, double the previous size limit. If you have Norton antivirus on your desktop, the files can be scanned for viruses as well.

Some changes will be instantly noticeable. For instance, the contacts have two lines now, with the status message on its own line. But you can condense that back to one line if you like. You can also insert emoticons within the status messages--like I could say I'm "in a meeting" and have the "sleepy" emoticon next to it with the "zzzzs" trailing up.

Yahoo is expanding the service to more countries and languages, too. People in Thailand and Indonesia now can instant message in their native language, and in India they have nine new languages to choose from. The service has been localized in six new markets, bringing the total to 25 markets reached.

Six tips to Organize Your Digital Photos

1. Organizing images

Organizing images or finding a particular photo can seem a daunting task. Having a digital photo management system in place for archiving and cataloguing your images will make the process much simpler.

Besides devising a consistent method for cataloguing your images, using a photo organizer or album software program will make managing your digital collection a breeze. While everyone has their own organizing method, here are some guides based on what works for me.

2. Archive Originals

Right after downloading your photos, it's a good idea to burn them to CD or DVD. This prevents you from accidentally overwriting an original image. You can always go back to your disk to retrieve it. To save space you can keep adding new images until the disk is full. Be sure to label the CD with the year and note the contents whenever you add new pictures.

3. Delete Unnecessary Photos

After you've archived the original images to disk, review your downloaded images and purge unwanted shots. Delete badly exposed images, duplicates, out-of-focus shots, etc. If some are a little over or under exposed you can generally adjust them with your photo software, so unless you have a better version of an image, you may want to keep some of the so-so shots and fix them.

4. Name Your Images

Create a new subfolder to My Pictures whenever you download new photos. Don't just dump them all into My Pictures. There are several methods for naming and structuring your folders. I like to organize my folders chronologically and put all photos for a particular year into subfolders under that particular year. Other people like to group their pictures by topic, such as Vacations, School, Sports, Baby, Wedding, Family, etc.

When you download images, your software will prompt you for image names. Be sure to use relevant names, not the default "003784.jpg." For instance, if I download a series of Halloween photos, during the download process I will have my photo manager software rename all the images using "Halloween 2007" in the name. Later you can rename individual photos if you wish. For example, by adding "Lisa_Linda" within the file name you can later do a search to find all images of Lisa and Linda. To make it easier to find certain photos, you can rename individual images within your folders or use the Bath Process feature to rename a group of photos.

5. Tag Images

To help you find photos of specific subjects, you can use your photo album software to tag images with keywords. They can have a variety of attributes such as date, place, occasion, and person. For instance, you could label a picture of your daughter Kathy at her 10th birthday party at the zoo using the keywords Kathy, 10, birthday, zoo and then be able to search for all images with these tags, no matter where they are on your hard drive. This is a huge timesaver in helping you find favorite pictures. Initially it can be quite time-consuming to tag photos, but most software will let you batch label a group of photos with the same keywords. This greatly speeds the process.

It's also helpful to tag images that need editing like red eye reduction, cropping, color adjustments etc.

6. Protect Your Digital Photos and Projects

Can you imagine losing that cool slideshow you made of your child's first birthday? Computer crashes can and will happen. Back up your photos! Burn them onto CD or DVD. It's easy, inexpensive insurance. Most PCs and laptops come with CD burning software. Or, if you have an external storage drive, use it to back up your images.

Finally, don't just let your precious picture sit on your computer. Print them, email them, frame them and enjoy them!

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Nero Mobile Pro

Nero Mobile Pro lets you transform your mobile phone, PDA, or portable media player into a mobile multimedia center. Put your best videos, latest photos, and favorite tunes in your pocket to take everywhere you go. Create custom play lists and slide shows, and even access Internet TV and radio from your phone.
  • Unique user-friendly interface
  • Choice of 2D or 3D interface icons
  • Playback on PDAs and mobile phones
  • Customized slide show transitions and background music
  • Mobile viewing of Internet radio and TV
  • Full screen video player
  • Shuffling, random playback and easy content search options
  • Drag-and-drop features for multimedia collections

Nero Mobile Pro puts your digital life in your pocket
Nero Mobile Pro is the perfect way to mobilize your digital lifestyle and share your photos, movies, and slide shows on your mobile phone, PDA, or other portable media player. You can even create your own mobile digital content. Quickly and easily drag-and-drop your audio, video, photo, and TV/radio files into easy-to-access collections. Find what you’re looking for quickly by searching your mobile media library, or shuffle and play content randomly.

Nero Mobile Pro makes creating portable content fun and easy
Nero Mobile Pro includes a unique, user-friendly interface, carefully designed and optimized for the best possible multimedia experience. Plus you can customize the interface with your choice of cool 2D or 3D icons. Take your favorite videos and movies with you everywhere you go and view them on a full-screen video player, with complete support for many popular video formats and streaming capabilities.

To buy nero mobile pro: http://www.nero.com/ena/store-mobilepro.html

Friday, November 9, 2007

Sony Vaio VGN-N11H Laptop

Sony Electronics with its innovative style and technology has always stunned the consumer market. The latest model Sony VAIO VGN-N11 is also no exception. The model coming from the home of Japanese techno giant shouts elegance at a very first look with its royal appearance. This laptop comes with enhanced features assisting the interactive management of your personal, professional, and entertainment collection.

Known as an ultra-portable powerhouse, due to the unique features, this notebook is enabled with an ideal configuration for all the digital leisure needs that the user longs for. This model lap top supports the user from multi-tasking, to demanding flexibility and power without compromise, to be productive and connected, and to be equipped with leading technologies. Of course, there are various expectations that a user will carve for while opting for a laptop that has to be fulfilled to conquer the heart of the consumer. And the latest model from Sony, VAIO VGN-N11 succeeds in that.

Sony VAIO VGN-N11 model laptop arrives in the market equipped with a Core-Duo processor and a 80GB hard drive, a DVD writer, and 1 GB of RAM, Display Size of 15.4", and an Operating System of Windows XP Media Center Edition. The attractive characteristic features incorporated in the laptop notebook, not only gives the users a hassle-free but also it didn’t fail to exude a sense of feel good factor, comfort and relaxation in them. The notebook is a very resourceful, efficient notebook which has already created a strong wave in the market.

The luxuriously sleek and ultra-portable Sony VAIO VGN-N11H notebook comes in an incredibly small size and lightweight form-factor making it more comfortable to the user. Thanks to the 3.1 kg weight that makes it comfortable to carry by the user. The lap top notebook comes with innovative power-saving technology embedded in it. It has various features that offer lower power consumption for improved battery life that provides incredibly high brightness levels.

Also it don’t fail in providing an incredibly high brightness level, amplifying colors and creating clear with crisp and sharp pictures. And, with the anti-reflective coating in the Sony VAIO product, reflection has been minimized while providing a wide viewing angle, ensuring a beautifully clear image from almost every angle.


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Spyware Virus Protection


Spyware virus protection is a growing concern amongst savvy internet users. There are hundreds of thousands of spyware programs floating around the internet, waiting to lodge themselves in your computer and monitor your browsing habits, log your passwords, even steal credit card information.

Have you noticed that your computer is slowing down, taking a long time to boot up, and displaying lots of “pop up” ads? Is your home page suddenly different? If you’re experiencing these problems, it is 90% likely due to adware. Anyone who even connects to the internet is at risk for adware, as it can install itself discreetly right from a web site. You don’t even need to download or install any programs to have a spyware infection in your computer.

Unfortunately many of today’s brightest minds in the programming industry are putting their talents to poor use, creating malware that will sniff out your internet browsing interests in order to send them back to advertising companies. These companies then cause annoying pop up ads, banners, and home page hijacks in order to try to gain your attention.

Spyware is not generally considered a virus since they do not self replicate and generally serve a purpose other than being purely malicious. However, spyware is becoming much more advanced each and every day, and can often cause disabilities to your computer that are just as bad, if not worse, than a virus.

Effective spyware virus protection starts with the use of specially designed anti-spyware software programs. These programs allow even the most inexperienced computer user to clean spyware from their computer quickly and easily.

Because of the dangers of identity theft and credit card fraud that is all to prevalent, it is important not to hesitate in investing in a high quality spyware virus protection program.

For more information on spyware protection, please visit TheWiseSurfer’s comprehensive anti-spyware website. diGit-it is a website of computer hardware/software and Technology.

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