Archive for the ‘software’ Category

Speed Up Windows Startup

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

Windows provides its own utility application for altering start-up programs that are initialized as Windows is booting up. In this article, we’ll show how to use the System Configuration tool to speed up Windows startup performance.

As Windows starts up, it needs to initialize a number of services, programs and third-party applications. Each of these requires CPU and RAM to complete its initialization. Luckily, Microsoft Windows comes with its own administration utility called System Configuration utility which contains a start-up tab listing off all of these programs.

You can start up this program via start/run by entering msconfig. Go to the Start-up tab on this application and you will see a list of all programs initialized at boot time. There is a column which allows you to enable/disable whether or not the program is run. Save your changes and the next time the system restarts these programs will be activated/deactivated accordingly.

The key to using the application is to make sure you are familiar with the programs before you disable them. Unfortunately, programs are listed using their executable file name which may be unfamiliar to you. Research this executable name online to establish what these programs are before making any attempts to disable them as you do not wish to run the deactivate an important/critical tool (e.g. anti-virus updates).

For additional performance improvements, you could also try using free PC maintenance software or registry cleaners that can re-factor the registry file settings on your PC. By doing this, you can tune the settings for each program on your computer, including those that are run at start-up, to make these applications run faster.

Once you speed up Windows start-up performance for the first time, you should notice some initial gains. However, you should also consider using the hibernation and standby modes as an alternate way of shutting down and starting up your PC. This can often prove to be a lot faster than doing a full reboot every single time.

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Microsoft Internet Explorer Testing Lab

Friday, October 1st, 2010

Jason Upton, the Partner Test Manager, took a few technical journalists through Microsoft’s Building 50, to Microsoft Internet Explorer Lab.  Upton informed us that the 948 PCs along with the 119 servers could be individually configured via an automation system. This vast lab enabled Microsoft configure browser testing for the best slices of data.

The opt-in customer improvement program of Microsoft takes data from all over the world, so that the labs can duplicate prominent hardware trends as well as software setups of any user.  The program also paves the way to have a look at the hardware trends, distribution, language and other data. Varying environmental trends can be mimicked and tested by customizing physically and logically, by tasking the machines through the automation system.

Every month, 146 versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer are shipped by Microsoft.  The browser is available in 63 varying languages. The lab is continually testing versions from IE5 to IE9, inclusive of released ones and developer browser builds.  The PCs in the lab facilitate thousands of tests dealing with all software aspects.

Monitors and keyboards are very few in Microsoft Internet Explorer Lab, as remote access is rendered from each team member’s office.  Any system that does not respond to remote commands is dealt with a ‘crash cart’ loaded with the required tools. There are several notebooks, though laptops are hardly seen.  Upton informed us that hundreds of desktops used in the lab were configured with hardware components of laptop specifications.  The team conducted most of the tests using clean OS installations, because the results are reproducible, though OEM software setups are used in some tests.

The systems are ranked impressively, though they are away from the whole test bed.  The Internet Explorer Virtualization Manager (abbreviated as IEVM) constituting HP c7000 class chasses, and loaded with ProLiant BL460G6 Dual SocketX5550 servers is a system built by the test team. It is equipped to concurrently run 1200 virtual client machines in a completely automated testing system.  A group of servers renders 300 variants of Microsoft Internet Explorer and Windows running at any point of time in virtual machines.  Behind the lab’s main server bank, an intense hot wind emanates, contrary to the very cool air in the lab’s other areas.

The entire laboratory setup involves tremendous power consumption, and Microsoft’s development team works to mitigate it. Hundreds of PCs can be remotely addressed and their distinct power sockets can be addressed via IP power distribution units. Through a program known as Green Lab Initiative, this system can power down the machines which are not being used.  It had saved 1.8 kilowatt-hours (equivalent to 218 tons of carbon dioxide) last year alone.

Microsoft Internet Explorer Lab is a standing example of the largest software company in the world. Coupled with supportive installations, no other browser is equal to Microsoft Internet Explorer.

About Me:

I like to write about all sorts of technology topics including games and computers. My latest craze is writing is the XBox 360 Kinect which will be released next month. This new game platform will allows users to play video games without the use of a controller and the XBox Kinect games will be able to detect and transmit your movements, even fine facial movements, right into the gaming environment. It is amazing technology and will transform the way people play games with each other.

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VOB File Converter for Internet Use

Monday, September 27th, 2010

One of the main reasons you would want to convert a VOB file to any other kind of video file is for storage or for internet usage. Sometimes you need a small file to upload to your YouTube account or Facebook page, but you cannot upload a VOB because it is too big. VOB files are huge video files that are mainly used for movies on DVD disks. They are copied into VOB format because VOB allows the incorporation of multiple options for subtitles, audio streaming, scene selection, etc. This is extremely useful when you are creating a DVD, but when all you want to do is take a clip and put it on your YouTube account, it can be frustrating to work with.

So how do you convert a VOB to an appropriate file for the internet? You will need VOB file converter software, but first you need to know what kind of file you want to convert the VOB into. The most common kind of internet video file is FLV. FLV is the kind of file that YouTube, Google Videos, and many live streaming sites use to play their videos. This is because FLV is a file format that allows for a reasonable amount of quality in an incredibly small file size. A company called Macromedia in a program called Flash, now taken over by Adobe, originally created the extension FLV. It is played with Flash player.

If you need to change your VOB to an FLV file, you will need to search for video converter software that allows you to convert straight from VOB to FLV. If you cannot find that, then you could look for a VOB file converter that converts your file into something that is easily convertible into FLV. In this instance, it is probably best to change to MPEG, choose your video clip, and then convert to FLV.

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Pocket Chef for iPhone

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

Can’t get enough of cooking? Well, if you’re wondering whether it’s becoming an obsession, answer this: if you own an iPhone, have you downloaded any cooking games? If you’re nodding your head, then it has become officially an obsession. But don’t worry. You’re not the only one addicted to the cooking game craze. There are a lot of you out there. So if you can’t get enough of them, here’s one that might tickle your fancy: Pocket Chef.

Gameloft’s Pocket Chef gives you a 3D rendition of the ingredients and tools you’ll be using to get your cooking done. The graphics may not be state-of-the-art, but it’s devoid of the cartoon-like graphics most cooking games use. Now aside from the graphics, one of the things that make this game stand out is the game’s layout. Since it carries a minimalist approach, your screen isn’t flooded with different menus or options.

For the gameplay, you’ve got five different criteria, starting with American dishes. As you progress, you get to develop cooking skills aside from the basic slicing, mixing egg batter, soaking, and frying. Each new skill comes with a demonstration so you won’t have to worry about not knowing what to do. These skills will be graded though so you need to keep in mind how it’s done to avoid getting a low percentage.

As for its controls, Pocket Chef won’t force you to master any sort of complex combos like the ones used in Tekken or Street Fighter. You’ll just have to use your stylus and move your iPhone from time-to-time during the game.

So if you’re currently on the hunt for more cooking games for your iPhone, you might want to consider downloading Pocket Chef. It offers a more realistic approach in terms of cooking and a simple interface which you can easily master over time.

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Internet Explorer 9 is Out to “Beautify the Web”

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

With the launch of Internet Explorer 9 beta, the browser wars are expected to take a fresh start. Microsoft has done wonders creating a user interface that is so sleek, simple and beautiful in the new Internet Explorer. The controls and tabs are much reduced so you can now see more of the web and less of the toolbars.

The reinvented browser features decent support for HTML5 and web standard compliance. IE9 has a much enhanced speed as compared to the previous versions. Even the complex flash or silverlight websites load very quickly.

One of the most remarkable new feature is of “pinned” sites. Now you can pin down your favorite websites separately on the taskbar and can also be bookmarked as ‘applications’ in the operating system. If a site starts to hang, there is no need to close down all tabs. Bing is the default search engine but there are options for installing Google, Wikipedia, Amazon and others.

Rendering Comparison: Internet Explorer 8 vs Internet Explorer 9

The aesthetic additions include color changes of the backwards and forwards button, glass frame and translucent windows.

Microsoft is proud of the new and improved features in Internet Explorer 9 as high ranking and popularity is gained right after the launch last week.

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Review of PowerDVD 10 Ultra from Cyberlink Technologies

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

The Power DVD 10 Ultra, from Cyberlink Technologies is priced at 100 dollars as on the 28th of April 2010, and forms a powerful and stable Blu-ray movie player. The latest version comes with a set of new features, especially 3D support.

The interface instantly shows that it is different from PowrDVD 9. Three tabs namely, Movies, Music and Video are displayed under the menu across the top. Movies option is for DVD and Blu-ray discs, and Video maintains the track of video files contained on hard drives. Music option shows a list of MP3 and similar files. Both the video and music panes are visible as file browsers.  But video files can play only on the file browser, so that your browsing is disabled while playing a video. The user cannot adjust the column width file browsers and the program is relatively slow in enumerating media files in a folder.

Cyberlink Technologies has produced many good but incomplete interfaces, like the PowerDirector app, and now PowerDVD.  However, these issues don’t nullify the advancements in the PowerDVD 10.  The interface design is enhanced for smoother workflow, accessible options and overall usability.

The program offers a wider file support which has rendered Cyberlink Technologies to convince that PowerDVD is a universal player.  Cyberlink Technologies offers more support for the Real Media (Real Alternative codec performs quite well), and also for .flv, .mkv, .3g2 and .3gp files. However, it had problems with some media.  When the progress bar showed my test.flv file being played, there was no video, and the player was crashed by another .flv file.  Therefore, I noted that .flv covers many varying video CODECs, and my files had been encoded with Sorenson Spark h.263.  Later Cyberlink Technologies stated that PowerDVD 10 only supports h.264 and not h.263 or VP6.  This limitation cannot ignore the crash. It also couldn’t identify my Ogg Theora files, though a DirectShow filter was installed.

Apart from .flv glitches, playback performance and picture quality were superior.  With adjustable controls, PowerDVD provides a set of tools for image enhancement namely, TrueTheater HD to upscale 480p video to 1080p giving moderate success, TrueTheaterMotion to increase frame rate to smooth HD pan, and the TrueTheater Lighting to compensate for overly dark scenes.  The TrueTheaterImage Stabilizer is a new feature that can mimic image stabilization used by many DV cameras to compensate for unsteady hands or platforms.  These features worked quite well.  All the TrueTheater effects can be used for more media types, ATI Stream and nVidia CUDA hardware acceleration.

Cyberlink Technologies’ upscale from 2D to 3D is remarkable.  The results were satisfactory, even though the early 3D-encoded content is not sharp enough.  A free upgrade that is yet to come will support 3D Blu-ray titles.

Cyberlink Technologies has also included social features like video uploading to YouTube, integration with Windows 7 library, sharing through Twitter, Facebook and also Moovielive.

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Review of Android Double Twist Player 1.0.1

Sunday, September 12th, 2010

An Android device doesn’t offer advanced video and music synchronization options.  The Double Twist Player’s desktop application officially used by T-Mobile as Android synchronizing software has proved to be the best.  The desktop coupled with an additional companion media player application of superior performance enables synchronization of movies, music, podcasts, iTunes and photos.

Double Twist Player can be installed from Android Market, and it is presently listed as ‘free for limited time’.  It has been tested for Android on LG Ally which runs a stock 2.1 version of Android. There are six icons in a grid namely, Albums, Artists, Videos, Songs, Podcasts and Playlists.  The artist view shows tracks grouped artist-wise, and clicking on it will show all tracks with thumbnails.  Album view works similarly.  But there is no internal accelerometer response, and tilting the handset doesn’t bring the Cover Flow-style jukebox view.

Clicking on a track renders a full-screen display of larger album graphic arts and playback controls.  The Menu brings down three options namely, Library for going to the previous view, Play Queue for lining up tracks to be played later, and Use as Ringtone for converting tracks to set as default ring tone.  Shuffle and repeat buttons are also seen. Though the playback appears good, the album art forms the centre of attraction. Tracks lacking album art data need sorting to avoid undesirable music note icons.

The Playlist View of Double Twist Player allows browsing of recently included tracks, currently playing ones and recently played ones, just as in Android 2.1’s default player.  Video and Song views render a swift flick through the lists.  Video view shows thumbnail-preview with playback times for all videos.  Clicking on the Menu shows the Settings window with two options namely, Auto USB Drive to enable mass storage, and Headset Controls for responding to Bluetooth or wired headset actions.

The application works only for files stored on microSD cards and this is a drawback.  Unlike the HTC Droid Incredible, it can’t work using internal storage.  The company is to add support for internal storage on Incredible and similar Android devices. Furthermore, additional video codecs cannot be added to the phone.  Quite a few Android phones come with the inability to play well-known video formats such as XVID, DIVX and FLV videos.  Working to improve file compatibility would be good, though difficult.

At first the Double Twist Player looked simple and unimpressive with comparatively fewer features, seeming a mere player.  But after going through slow players associated with a few Android devices, Double Twist Player with minimal design gives a neat appearance. You may get rid of manually mounting devices, dragging files to and fro for every playlist change, and go ahead to get the complete combination of Double Twist Player on desktop as well as for Android.

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Commercial Vehicle Tracking Systems

Monday, August 30th, 2010

If you own or are in charge of a fleet of vehicles, then tracking their location, speed, and typical use will allow your company to run more efficiently and save money on fuel and maintenance. A commercial vehicle tracking system should be implemented for security reasons or to just make sure the vehicles are being used properly by the employees. By monitoring the activities of a vehicle, you will be able to see how much fuel it has used or wasted, and make changes that will save your company money in the future.

The fact is that two of the most common ways a vehicle can waste fuel is by unnecessary idling or by going at excessive speed. With a tracking system on board, you will be able to determine what is happening and make necessary corrections. The amount of money that can be saved in the long run is huge. The next reason for using this type of system is obviously for security. This is a natural off shoot of such a system. This is because you will be able to see when and where the vehicle is headed at all times, which allows you to better protect your drivers as well as their cargo.

Types of Vehicle Tracking Systems

There are several different types of vehicle tracking systems. The 2 basic types are passive and active tracking systems. Both systems are capable of collecting information such as speed, location, direction the vehicle is headed, whether the door is opened or closed and if the engine is on or off. The difference between the two is that active tracking systems are capable of giving you information in real time and passive ones are not. Passive trackers will store the info in its data base which you will be able to down load later.

Cost of Owning a Commercial Tracking System

Some transportation and hauling business owners are concerned about the cost of such a system. While the initial set up can be expensive, the long term savings for middle to large scale commercial fleets are dramatic. With a press of a button you have access to all the info you need about the whereabouts and health of the vehicle. This allows you to plan more fuel efficient routes and monitor that your drivers are committed to the standard practices that ensure the commercial vehicle has the longest lifespan possible.

Improved efficiencies mean that your business will improve its bottom line and be able to expand. As you look for new commercial trucks for sale to expand your fleet, the incremental cost of adding another vehicle to the tracking system is minor, but the savings is amplified the more your fleet grows.

For example, a local hauling and dump truck company with 10 vehicles could invest in a tracking program that allows them to save on fuel and provide better customer service to their clients. That cost savings from efficiency and increased business from happy customers allows the business to expand into other commercial fleet services.

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Ebook Software on the Rise

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

For those who thought ebooks was a recent technology would be surprised to know that it has actually been in the market for over 30 years. The idea of an ebook was first conjured in the 1970s by Michael Hart. To him, computers should solely be used for computing purposes. It had greater capabilities beyond that like storing, searching and retrieving information. This gave computers more ‘life’ other than long codes and formulas. With that in mind, the first ever ebook- the Declaration of Independence was produced. Fast forward to present day and the ebook software has certainly improved leaps and bounds. Ebooks now have different medias embedded in them. These include graphics, audio, video and animation that enhance the storyline.

The shifting from traditional paper bound software to digital, electronic form is not unexpected. Traditional paper bound books have recently come under fire for being an environmental waste. Considering books now come in all types of sizes and fanciful covers and colours, they certainly pose a hazard to the environment. Ebooks are definitely more environmentally conscious since it rids all of the materials needed above and requires lower energy consumption. For those who think that ebook readers are also energy eating devices, they actually require low energy. There are new products on the market that charge their batteries using solar and renewable energy.

With ebooks coming in all sorts of forms and functions, the trend looks set to stay. As more people warm up to the idea of flipping books with a touch of their finger rather than manually, it is expected that demand for ebooks and ebooks software will only go up. The consumer base is also expanding and the older generation is also catching up with this popularity. Next time you search for a book, trying looking for it online first before trying out your bookstore.

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DLGuard Review – Software That Automates Sales And Delivery Of Digital Products

Monday, April 19th, 2010

DLGuard has existed now for several years providing an economical and low-fi way to sell digital downloads from a web server. This DLGuard review highlights the key features and benefits found, along with its main issue, during three years using the product on small sites.

Software for digital sales management range from an array of costly enterprise level products down to those targeting small businesses – with DLGuard being one such product. The product’s scripts cover all the shopping cart, checkout payment handling and automation (tracking customers, sending emails, etc) that are required for basic sales management.

While installation consists of ten simple steps, initializing your inventory and customizing the web forms (for the shopping cart & auto-responder emails) can take a little more time if your coding is not good. Customizing the pages is worth doing so that they blend in with your own website design. Administering your inventory is simply a case of setting up the download folder, specifying digital files and providing some meta-data on the product. My first foray into online sales with DLGuard was when I was writing ebooks, so the small inventory of PDF format ebooks was easily administered.

The shopping cart itself can handle/store any number of products along with free products and membership sales. If your site offers free downloads then DLGuard can be used for capturing customers email addresses for your own mailing lists. Membership sites provide a passive monthly income stream so are becoming an increasing popular way of monetizing blogs. You may not wish to setup membership sections on your site, but having the functionality in DLGuard at least gives you the option to use it in the future if you change your mind.

As with any download sales tool protecting the hyperlink from misuse will always be a crucial feature. DLGuard takes the approach of allowing the site owner configure the time period for which the link stays valid as well as configure the number of download tries that can be attempted. This may catch out some genuine customers who don’t download the digital media in time, but at least the products reporting will track any download attempts so you can gauge if the link is being shared.

One key issue that many small web entrepreneurs will have with the product is the 2 domain limit specified in its license. Many users will have several sites which they wish to install a shopping cart/sale tool. In this case, you will either need to pay for the extra licenses or settle for a single sales server (one web server that handles the checkout process for several sites).

DLGuard is ideally targeted to small business owners wishing to dip their toe in ecommerce. In such a context, it’s a stable low-maintenance product that is easy to set up and use. It can offer an additional income stream if your site receives enough traffic. But if your site has low volumes then your better option would be to place your digital products on dedicated online services (ebook publishers, software hubs, etc.).

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