Entries tagged with software - Channel 10

Make Your Own Icons

Sarah Perez — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:06:00 GMT

I just came across this program, AllMedia Grabber, which is a shareware utility that extracts all the pictures, videos, music, and sounds files on your PC for easy access, including those hidden in executables, libraries, custom controls, databases, Microsoft Office, and more. However, what really caught my eye about this program is that it has an option to convert any graphics file into .BMP or .ICO format. "ICO" - like "icon" - format, which means you could potentially use this to turn your own photos into icons. Cool! Since it's shareware, there is a free trial so you can see if it's worth the price as compared to competitor's programs, like Axialis IconWorks, for example. Do you have a favorite icon-making utility?

Startup Faster with Startup Delayer

Sarah Perez — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:03:00 GMT

By now, most of you have heard about editing your startup options via msconfig, but that process involves checking or unchecking programs from running at startup altogether.

However, you might have quite a few programs that you do need to run, like your online backup or your anti-virus auto-updating program. Unfortunately, some of these programs can take a lot of time to start up when you first turn on your computer. This is where Startup Delayer can help.

Startup Delayer takes a different approach than msconfig. Like msconfig, you can use the program to enable and disable programs from running, but you can also use it to have programs run after startup at a designated time, by customizing the intervals at which they begin to run.

To do so, you just go into Startup Delayer's options and specify how many seconds after Windows has started up before running each program.

Startup Delayer is free and can be downloaded from here. (via Download Blog)

HP's Upline

Sarah Perez — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:57:00 GMT

HP has just announced that they are launching a new online storage service called Upline. The service provides unlimited storage for all your documents, photos, music, videos, and anything else you have on your Windows PC. The interface makes Upline easy to use, which is important, and once installed, the service checks for new files every 15 minutes (by default) and then uploads them in the background to HP's servers.

A free version lets you store 1 GB of data for one year, but if you're really going to back up your computer, you'll need to go with one of the paid plans. For $59/year, a "Home" plan is available, which gives you unlimited storage and allows up to three PCs to connect. That's quite a bargain when you think about it. (But is it really unlimited?)

For businesses, the unlimited storage option can range up to $299 per year, depending on how many users and PCs you have.

While you're traveling, you can access your stored files from a web-based interface from which you can also email the files or publish them for public access.

If desired, you can specify the program to back up to a second hard drive, server, or PC on your local network, too.

There are, however, a couple of problems you should be aware of: Upline doesn't back up email archives or system restore files, but that may change in the future.

In the meantime, you can check out what Upline has to offer from the HP homepage for the service here.

Cubedesktop

Sarah Perez — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:23:00 GMT

Here's a twist on multiple desktops: software from Cubedesktop increases your working space by offering you a 3D virtual desktop environment. With Cubedesktop, you will have 6 virtual desktops which you can move between in different ways, one of which is a 3D cube. As you move from desktop to desktop, you will see a live preview of what's happening. All the windows update in real time, so you can find just the one you are looking for. Each desktop can be named (like "work," "school," or "fun") and can have its own wallpapers and icon arrangement.

Besides the 3D cube, you can also use features like the "Window Exposer," which tiles the open windows on to your screen, or a simpler Desktop Explorer. The software is available as a free trial for both XP and Vista (does not specify if x64 supported). (via Go2web20)

Get Microsoft Digital Image Starter Edition For Free

Sarah Perez — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:20:00 GMT

Microsoft Digital Image Starter Edition 2006 was popular photo-editing software for users of Windows XP and below. The product has been discontinued, but fans can still download it for free from Microsoft Downloads. Digital Image Starter Edition provides easy-to-use tools that help you create, organize, and enhance your digital photos. The software contains 3 modules: the Library, where photos are organized, the Editor, where editing and retouching are done, and Photo Story, where you can create movies based on your photos. Despite it's age, Digital Image Starter edition is still a great program for beginners to the world of photo editing, and you can't beat the price!

Is this the future of Software and Services? It could be...

Max Zuckerman — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Other than jetpacks and freeze dried food, there may be some other things to look forward to in the future. OLED displays, surface computing, and of course a robot that walks your dog for you...

Some of us, however, believe there could be more to how technology progresses. Will new genres of devices emerge or will we continue to converge and overlap in capabilities? How will these devices work with each other? What will the interface be like?

Check out this video to catch a glimpse at what software and services could potentially lead to in the not so distant future...

Panoramic View of Your Desktop

Sarah Perez — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:01:00 GMT

360Desktop is a new software app that lets you see your Windows Desktop in a whole new way - as a user-generated, panoramic space, which scrolls around in a circular manner. This gives you the experience of having a virtually unlimited desktop, as you can open programs and windows and then spin to the "other side" of your desktop to have more space. You can further customize your desktop with web apps, widgets, RSS feeds, AJAX start pages, and any part of any web page. Even better, the web content placed on your 360Desktop can be viewed independently from your web browser. The download will be free - forever, the company promises. Announced at the DEMO conference, the download is not available yet, but you can sign up to be a member of the beta program if you're interested in testing it out. The software will work on Windows XP and Vista computers.

Enjoy Music & Media on Your Smartphone

Sarah Perez — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:29:00 GMT

A recent post on LifeHacker mentioned a little program called MPlayer, which allows you to play nearly any media file (like RealAudio/Video, Ogg, & M4A) on your Windows Mobile 5 or 6 phone. However, the post mentioned the program was a rough port of a Linux version of the app, and was somewhat of a killer on processor (and thereby, battery) usage. However, a commenter mentioned another program called Conduits Pocket Player, which they liked better, so I thought it was worth checking out. The Conduits Pocket Player, although not free (it's $19.95), supports all Windows Mobile devices and offers a myriad of features. The Pocket Player supports MP3, WMA, WMV1 2, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, Protected WMA, u-Law, A-Law, AU, &ADPCM WAV formats. It also has a Media Browser menu system with touch scrolling & gesture support; a Media Library with ratings, an auto-imports up to 1000+ tracks; an internet radio web guide for finding mp3 blogs & podcasts; voicemail playback as WAV attachments which integrates with your inbox; a skinnable player with visualizations and album art support; a playlist manager; bookmarks; a sleep timer; and so much more! If you're looking to do more with your smartphone, this looks pretty cool!

Saving money, saving lives: Vanderbilt's perioperative information management system

Bill Crounse, MD — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:31:00 GMT

Does information technology really improve care quality and safety? Can well designed and implemented clinical software applications really improve physician satisfaction? Can healthcare information technology really have a positive return on investment? For Vanderbilt University Medical Center's perioperative anesthesia department the answers are yes, yes, and yes!

While not every IT solution in healthcare clearly demonstrates results as stunning as those I'm about to share, here's what I gleaned from a keynote presentation made by Dr. Paul St. Jacques earlier this week at the MSHUG Tech Forum 2007 in Redmond. Dr. St. Jacques shared the stage with me on day one of the conference. I delivered the opening keynote, and he provided the close.

Dr. St. Jacques is Associate Professor and Director of Anesthesiology Informatics in the anesthesiology department at Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt's perioperative information management system, VPIMS, serves as "master control" for the medical center's 60 operating rooms in 6 suites, handling thousands of surgical cases each year. You may be surprised to learn that less than 5 percent of all surgeries in America are fully managed and documented electronically. That's right. In the year 2007, 95 percent of the "life and death" work-flow processes in surgery are still done on paper.

So what's to be gained by going electronic? How about a 100 percent improvement in on-time cases starts, or a 90 percent compliance with perioperative antibiotic protocols resulting in an 1 percent decrease in surgical wound infections. How about a 67 percent reduction in chart errors. How about the average time to produce a billable chart moving from 12 days to 1, with a $1 Million plus improvement in formerly lost revenues. Or how about a 10 percent yearly increase in case volume without adding capacity, keeping in mind that every additional case per day generates more than $1 Million in revenue per year.

VPIMS handles everything from surgery scheduling, to perioperative documentation, to billing. In addition, a module called Vigilance provides real-time monitoring of every operating room in the facility with multi-view streaming video, patient vital signs, alerts and reminders. It might look like something out of Star Wars, but what it does for patient safety and staff satisfaction is priceless. And did I mention there's a whole lot of Microsoft technology under the covers?

Greater detail on VPIMS is beyond the scope of my Blog. Let me just say if you ever want proof that information technology in medicine saves lives and saves money, look no farther than the very fine work going on at Vanderbilt. And yes, VPIMS has been so successful at Vanderbilt that the medical center is exploring options to commercialize and sell it. And with 95 percent of the market still doing perioperative management on paper, they should have no problem finding customers.

Bill Crounse, MD Worldwide Health Director Microsoft Corporation

PS If you would like information about some of the other presentations at this year's MSHUG Tech Forum, my good friend and colleauge who serves as Microsoft's senior technical strategist for our worldwide health group, Roberto Ruggeri, provides play by play coverage on his Healthcare IT Blog.

Comic Life beta breathes new life into your photos

JD Lewin — Wed, 02 May 2007 17:20:00 GMT

Last night the Plasq team released a beta of Comic Life for Windows, while some of us from the 10 team were watching the last piece of epic cinema. As you can see from our three minutes of handiwork, any single photo can be quickly turned into a hilarious piece of original art. This normally Mac development house has given the masses access to one of the more entertaining applications to come around in years, particularly if you’ve got a dedicated web-cam connected to your machine. If you install the beta, be sure to give the team as much quality feedback as you can, as that’s how devs know you really care ;)

GreenPrint saves trees from unnecessary pain

JD Lewin — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:41:00 GMT

Once in a while an idea so brilliant and basic comes along, leaving us shocked that the problem went on for so long without a solution. GreenPrint is a delicious little application that eliminates the dreaded unwanted page from your print jobs by highlighting the pages with nothing but an errant URL or other nonessential text, allowing you to choose what stays and what goes. Once you’re comfortable with the app’s operation you can let it work its magic automatically, saving you both money and trees. Not only that, the GreenPrint team will plant trees for each low-cost copy of their magic. Also be sure to check out this hilarious viral advert from the GreenPrint blog.

Mobile network providers want fewer device operating systems

JD Lewin — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 22:32:00 GMT

Mobile phone service providers are apparently unhappy about supporting so many different kinds of device software, According to today’s New York Times piece on the call for fewer mobile operating systems. With approximately 2 billion handsets in the world, providers have something of a leg to stand on, as every operating system requires understanding and support on their part. Late last year Windows Mobile was chosen along with Symbian and Linux as the only operating systems Vodafone will sell on handsets in the future. The issues of content delivery, configuration, and technical support are all very real concerns, particularly as more handsets are become ‘smart.’ The flip side of this coin though is the conservative nature of the service providers. Rather than focusing on how to enable potential customers to utilize their networks with whatever device they choose, the end user will be presented with diminished choice. While we’re happy to see that WinMo will be safe on networks like Vodafone for years to come, the strategy here is questionable. We would rather see genuine innovation from the providers rather than moves to protect their existing way of doing business.

HD Photo format as an open imaging standard

JD Lewin — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 18:54:00 GMT

The PMA convention in Las Vegas last week was the event to watch for any self-respecting shutterbug, with Sony unleashing svelte, new point n’ shoot Cybershots, and Canon dropping a 10 frames-per-second 1D Mark III beast on those with the cash (and the muscle) to carry one away. Not to be left out, Microsoft came to the show to talk about…platforms! In this case the new HD Photo image file format, which has been designed to provide superior image quality and features to support digital photography. CNET reported Microsoft’s intentions to make HD Photo a neutral standard, as it will be submitted to standards organizations in order to make sure it can get the widest adoption possible. Right now there are beta plug-ins for Photoshop that run in CS2 as well as the CS3 beta available for XP and Vista, with OS X drivers available shortly, and the finished plug-ins targeted for a May release. The HD Photo format has support for different pixel formats, high dynamic range, and wide gamut imaging. If those terms flew over your head, you can get the skinny in Bill Crow’s post about the HD Photo announcement.

[via Mattias talks…]

Microsoft TechFest 2007 Wrap-up

JD Lewin — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 00:07:00 GMT

Microsoft’s Conference Center has been buzzing this week and we’re going to bring you up to speed for all of your weekend dinner party banter. The boffins from MS Research were on campus to peel back the curtain on all of their latest and greatest and they came nowhere near disappointing. Tuesday the show was also open to public press for the first time in the event’s 15 year history.

Rory Blyth published his videos to Channel 9, the first featuring DynaVis and FastDash and the second focusing on technology on the wall. Both videos give you a great idea of the vibe in the room, as well as Rory’s unique style if you haven’t ever sampled it.

Scott Beale of Laughing Squid shot gorgeous photos (as usual), featuring Lego workfolk, Windows Vista soda, and of course kittens. Brady Forrest came down from O’Reilly and was smitten by Asirra (a crowdsource service that helps cats and dogs find new homes) and how some Microsoft Researchers are able to move gigapixel images across the web with their HDView technology. Scoble experienced TechFest by viewing everything through the LCD on his PodTech camera. He also determined that using Twitter to publish updates of Rick Rashid’s keynote, available in webcast and transcript forms, was the right tool for the job--a decision probably best described as, “permalinks schmermalinks.”

Bre Pettis was reporting for Make Magazine and talked to MSR boffins about Personal Audio Spaces (think grooving to Sketches of Spain where you’re sitting, but the person next to you is rocking to Now Here Is Nowhere). And of course Engadget’s Ryan Block was there to photograph his fingers on everything.

All told it was quite a whirlwind tour. We here at the 10 HQ have certainly got ourselves a new list of people and projects to follow as we hunt for the cool inside of Microsoft, in this Year of our Bond.

Photo credit: Scott Beale / Laughing Squid.

Red vs. Blue and WPF/E make for machinima nirvana

JD Lewin — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 18:12:00 GMT

The greatest side-effect of Halo mulitplayer, at least in the realm of online video, is without a doubt Red vs. Blue. Combine that with the slick cool of WPF/E technology and you get something fantastic. One of our intrepid evangelists here at MS stepped into the RvB world recently for what resembles an interview. One thing led to another, and after our own Adam layed down some sweet code, we have a WPF/E presentation of Scott Guthrie's Red vs. Blue adventure.

An Update on Windows Home Server

JD Lewin — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 17:59:00 GMT

Remember that up and coming Microsoft technology that's going to make storing all of your data a world easier? The machine that will sit quietly, backing up and sharing every bit and byte, and even giving you control of your home computer(s) from anywhere on the globe? Windows Home Server has moved into its second beta, and Joel Sider wanted to tell us all about it. Once registered and invited to this beta, the heavy testing and bug reports will help the team make WHS ironclad. Joel also gave us a peek at some other hardware ideas that could bring your home server out of the closet and onto the coffee table.

Vista Sidebar gadgets running wild

JD Lewin — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 18:37:00 GMT

Call them gadgets, widgets, sprockets, or tribbles. Regardless of the name, these little mini-applications have spread like wildfire and they're showing no signs of stopping. Sidebar gadgets are one of the most eye-catching parts of Vista, and they're one of the largest opportunities to tailor your user experience and decrease your dependence on keeping dozens of websites open at all times.

If you're looking for the next hot conference, the Mix '07 Countdown gadget will show you how long you've got to prep for the 72-hour conversation. For those who simply cannot put together a colorful website (or outfit), the Color Swatches gadget will deliver you softly into the technicolor world. If you're web-two-oh savvy, then you can chirp at your friends with Twitter's Twadget gadget. To minimize your time stuck in traffic, the Traffic by Live Search Maps gadget will help you drive quicker. You can never have too much meteorological info, so chase the sun with a WeatherBug gadget or four. Always know what to date your checks with the 'Flickrized' Calendr gadget. The KEXP Now Playing gadget gives you a peek at when you can mute your favourite Northwest internet radio station, and when you've simply got to rock out. Save the roos and dingos with the Australian Brushfire Danger gadget (provided you happen to be a volunteer firefigher). Those of us who live with near-constant precipitation can try to stay dry using the USA Doppler Radar gadget. Branch out and psyche up for Imagine Cup '08 with the Korean Audio Word of the Day gadget. Pick your tags of preference, subscribe to the RSS feed of your friendly neighborhood photo site, and look out on the world with the Feedr gadget.

Finally, be sure to keep an eye on Gadgets from TeamBlackshirt, as their eye for style and substance is second to none.

Flashback: SeeWindowsVista being built!

Tina Wood — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 18:37:00 GMT

The creative forces at WORKTANK here in Seattle show us how they built the seewindowsvista site. From Story Boards and scripts to Photoshop and After Effects. They worked with actor Tom Skerritt of Top Gun fame, but it's a cool opportunity to see the behind the scenes stuff. Come on people...celebrate good times. Come On! IT'S FRIDAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!! Oh yea and Rick Wallace who is in the piece isn't really as stoned as he looks. He was just up for 48 hours straight working on this project. Right...............right.

Links: See Windows Vista

Old Spice rewards for increased Xbox Experience

JD Lewin — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:11:00 GMT

Starting 12 February, Old Spice and Xbox Live are kicking off the Old Spice Experience Challenge. The purveyors of your grandfather's fragrance are challenging gamers to increase their Gamerscore by a few thousand points. The minimum increase is 1,500, which will earn you an exclusive gamer picture and a copy of Contra from Live Arcade.

If you're curious what Bruce Campbell has to do with Xbox, do yourself a favour and Experience Old Spice. We promise it'll put a smile on your face.

Steve Jobs suggests a solution to the DRM music equation

JD Lewin — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:47:00 GMT

At the Mix n' Mash event in Redmond last year, Bill Gates acknowledged the problems with the DRM employed with digital music, and that there is no easy solution. Now in a rare release that has been described by our trusted tipster as the, "best blog platform ever..." Steve Jobs has published his Thoughts on Music. The ten minute read addresses the current state of digital music across the entire market and respectfully considers all the players. While we expect people to critique his argument along the same stale lines (can't we all just get along?), the more important issue that Steve raises is about how two-faced the music companies are: "In 2006, under 2 billion DRM-protected songs were sold worldwide by online stores, while over 20 billion songs were sold completely DRM-free and unprotected on CDs by the music companies themselves." We're certainly pleased to have first Bill and now Steve, both people who hold considerable sway over this issue, helping the market understand where they should really focus their displeasure.

Veteran Mac user moves to Vista

JD Lewin — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 20:43:00 GMT

This is the sort of story that doesn't get heard very often. Joe Hutsko's A Mac user switches to Vista is a tale of moving a writer's life out of OS X and into Windows. Joe's story speaks deeply to the process, the hurdles, and the benefits found in moving to the latest version of Windows. For anyone with a Mac zealot in their lives, this is an educational read that will hopefully open some eyes. Let's face it, which one of these guys is truly cooler? Sure Justin Long is younger and more comfortably dressed. John Hodgman though is clearly smarter, funnier, and a more interesting human being.

Vista desktop backgrounds from Flickr users and MS employees

JD Lewin — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 19:01:00 GMT

One of the most entertaining parts of setting up your new Vista install is walking through the new desktop backgrounds that are included. The Microsoft Design team has done something truly excellent, by including photographs from Microsoft employees and Flickr users such as Hamad Darwish. Read more about the process from Long Zhen's Finding vistas, and also check out Scoble's interview with Jenny Lam from this past July.

(via Kottke)

GRAW2 Development Diary shows new game tech

JD Lewin — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 17:24:00 GMT

One of the more anticipated games for the Xbox 360 is the sequel to Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. The blend of action and extremely detailed controls creates a great crossover from Tom Clancy's novels to the gaming world. The team at Xboxyde published the first devdiary for GRAW2 last night. The video focuses on the technical and artistic accomplishments such as object translucency, dynamic fire and smoke, and a real day and night time cycle. While we're not sure about a war with Mexico, we're looking forward to playing out the what-if.

The Vista and Office launch on the Microsoft campus

JD Lewin — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 21:09:00 GMT

We're here in Cafe 34 on the main Redmond campus to welcome Vista and Office to the world. The room is filled with microsofties, lunches and laptops, and hundreds of balloons netted suspiciously to the ceiling. In a few minutes Windows godfather Jim Allchin will grace the stage as master of campus ceremonies for the launch. While we won't be liveblogging the event, the C9 Coffeehouse thread will be extremely busy over the next hour. We'll also be updating this post later in the afternoon with some aftermath reporting.

2:01pm - Watch the Vista and Office launch webcast with Bill Gates and co.

Vista launch tonight: Parking lot parties with NFL pros

JD Lewin — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 17:39:00 GMT

Around the world tonight, Windows Vista and Office 2007 go on sale. Here in the States Microsoft is throwing parties in just about every city with a pro football team, and everyone's invited. The Vista Team Blog posted a VIP invitation for all comers. Print out your own golden ticket and go out for a Monday night of excitement. It's not often there's this much geeky furvor to be had!