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!

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

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.

Photoshop Trick: How To Place a Photo Into Text

Have you always wondered how to put photos into text using Photoshop? This Photoshop trick is perfect for creating simple yet cool looking headers for your websites or blogs. Say you are planning on setting up a website, but you are totally clueless on how to design the header and hiring a professional graphic designer is out of your budget, no worries, with Photoshop you can bang out a simple and sleek looking website header in no time by applying this really cool Photoshop trick. You can also use this effect to create magazine covers, movie posters, ebook covers and much, much more.

Ok, without further ado, here are the steps on how to place a photo into text:

1) Open a new file then go over to the Horizontal Type Tool or vertical Type Tool and click on the icon. Next just type whatever text you want using the type tool.

2) Open up a photo that you wish to place inside the text and the go to Select > Select All (alternately hit ctrl+A on the keyboard).
3) Once you've selected the whole image or photo, just go over to Edit > Copy (ctrl+ C on the keyboard).

4) Next head over to image where you created the text and hit ctrl + V on the keyboard or go to Edit > Paste. Now you have pasted the whole photo onto the text but how do you place it into the text? Take a look at your layer palette; notice that the image layer (layer 1) is right above the text layer? Yes? Cool, because in the next step you will discover how to insert the image layer into the text layer via the layer palette.

5) Go over to the layer palette and hold the Alt key on your keyboard. Then move the cursor right between the layer that contains your photo and the text layer. Once you do this, you should be able to see that the cursor has changed shape.

6) Left click on the mouse and bingo! You have successfully placed a photo into text. Of course you can still make some adjustments like moving or resizing the photo inside the text or even the text itself, so that the whole effect looks just right. Simply use the Move Tool (V) to move the image around or go to Edit > Free Transform (ctrl+ T) to resize the photo.

That is how you do a photo into text trick in Photoshop. It's so simple isn't it? You can also spice up the whole thing by adding a few layer effects like bevel and emboss and what not. With Photoshop, anything is possible so get creative!

Ghaazi Ismail is a Photoshop fanatic and has been a user of this amazingly fun application for over 7 years. Initially he had some problems understanding the basics of Photoshop. A visual learner by nature, he managed to massively improve his Photoshop skills after watching a collection of easy to follow video based tutorials.

Visit http://www.easyphototips.com to learn more.