Hi there. I thought I might give you a little background on myself before I wrote this blog entry. My name is Cody “Belthesar” Wilson, and I’m one of the lesser known members of the Geekologist team. Typically, I sit in the background and am here to give guidance and direction on the way this site moves forward, either technical or otherwise. You probably won’t see a lot of blog posts from me, but when you do, it’s because, well, I just gotta share something with everyone.
I was raised for the most part in the Windows world (unless you count when I was mucking around in DOS 5 and 6, and my Apple II years, but we won’t bother with those for now.) 4 years ago, I decided I wanted to give Apple a shot and bought a friends Powerbook G4. I was hooked from there, and became a Mac zealot of sorts. I did my fair share of Microsoft bashing while as a Windows user, but it certainly increased when I saw “the light”. So when I tell you that Windows 7, even in its release candidate stage, is the first Microsoft OS I feel not only comfortable, but welcome and enjoy using since I made the switch to OS X, I want you to know exactly what I mean.
Being the Apple fan I am, not only in OS but in hardware, I decided that I would bite the bullet and nuke my XP Boot Camp partition in favor of installing the Windows 7 release candidate (RC). Given that I have a new Unibody Macbook Pro, I thought I’d give the x64 release aside, as I was tired of not being able to address all of the RAM when I was in the Windows side of things. The install process worked without a hitch. After installing the Boot Camp 2.1 drivers for x64 Vista (which also work without any fuss) I had a fully functional Boot Camp compliant Windows 7 install. This meant it was time to play.
My first impression was the new Taskbar system, which now very much so replicates and expands upon OS X’s Dock. You can pin applications to the Taskbar and launch them from there, as well as access any running application from it. Instead of having a text description, the Taskbar now only has the application icon. It’s important to note that since they have done this, they have removed the “Quick Launch” toolbar for the Taskbar. Not a problem as this would have been redundant anyway, and the new system works great. The Taskbar groups windows by application, and hovering over the application’s icon allows you to select which window you want from a labeled preview icon. All in all, a very comfortable and familiar experience, especially coming from being an OS X user. The Taskbar has two other really nice features, one of which is the movement and expansion on the “Show Desktop” button. Formerly located in the Quick Launch toolbar, the “Show Desktop” button now resides on the far right of the Taskbar. Clicking it has the same functionality as before, but hovering over it fades each visible window into an Aero transparent window pane, allowing you to see your desktop as well as the outline of each open window. I found it interesting to find that at one point there was a dialog box that had gotten buried in my persistent clicking about and was able to address it in this manner. Lastly on the Taskbar, the new System Tray is fantastic. You can now not only choose what icons appear in the tray, but how their notification behavior works. Also, instead of expanding the System Tray, it brings up another small window like when hovering over application icons on the Taskbar which allows you to select the other hidden System Tray icons. All in all, easy to use, easy to manage. Many welcome changes from not only Vista, but from XP, and given that many users are still staunchly avoiding Vista like the plague, I have a feeling this new interface will be different, but welcome to the users that have avoided the switch to Microsoft’s current desktop OS.
Secondly, the modifications to the Vista-introduced “User Account Control” system have made a very annoying and ridiculed feature much less of an annoyance while maintaining the security benefit of user-granted process elevation. UAC now has a slider that controls just how in depth it’s requests for attention are. Its default setting seems to be very sufficient by being present, but not unobtrusive. UAC offers a hyper-paranoid setting for users questioning if they have viruses, or just really like knowing whenever any system change is trying to be made, a little more relaxed setting which still brings up a dialog window whenever a system change is being made but does not lock out or dim the screen (also an added feature for older systems and I’m sure netbooks, who have trouble with the DirectX transparency overlay taking a long time to load), and finally an option to disable UAC completely. Not being unfamiliar with having to elevate to perform certain tasks since my experience with UAC, I have left it at its default setting. UAC also learns what tasks you seem to perform on an elevated level and will learn to automatically elevate certain tasks. These tasks still have the “elevated shield badge” on them in the Taskbar, but have a opposing pattern blue and gold shield coloring versus the Windows patterned shield for elevated processes.
The last feature I’m going to talk about in this article is the Theme system. Present since Windows 95’s PLUS! Pack, Windows Themes allow you to style your computer’s interface to your liking. Sorta. They can change your desktop icons, your border colors, your wallpaper, and your sound set. And they still do now. But making and changing themes to suit your style is easier, more intuitive, and more powerful than ever. Desktop backgrounds no longer require a third-party application to be rotated. I use the same folder I do in OS X for my backgrounds in Windows 7. A nicer set of default sound sets are included, so if for some reason Vista’s sounds make you cringe, then there are several other themes you can choose from. The Aero and Taskbar colors can also be modified. All things that you could do before, but now have a way of doing them simpler and easier.
All in all, the Windows 7 experience is something I’m truly excited about. I finally feel that Microsoft has a true contender in the OS market again, and it’s now Apple’s turn to start looking at what Microsoft is doing and learning on how to improve upon it. While I’m not about to say that Windows 7 is fantastic and I’m a switcher, I now have no problem booting into Windows and feeling like I’m using an alien or antiquated operating system. For basic users, it’s newly simplified and streamlined interface will be a breath of fresh air. For power users, those advanced features and organization systems are easily within your grasp.
So alright, Apple. Microsoft has finally stepped up their game, and they have an OS to rival yours. Time to step up the Apple experience once again and keep this rivalry going. Because there’s finally some competition in the desktop OS market again and it’s time to see where innovation takes us next.
Remember when your computer was new? The new computer smell, and extremely responsive interface? Today the time it takes to boot up your computer seems to take forever compared to it’s younger and more youthful years.
You might think what is going on with this slow computer. I just bought it last year. Well to be honest what you are experiencing is very common and can be easily fixed.
As you continue to use your computer, you install new programs, surf the web, and download music, and movies. Your computer becomes very bogged down. I have compiled a list of tasks you can do to keep that computer running just like it has been pulled out of the box.
1. Remove any old files, folders and programs from your computer.
- The easiest way to remove programs from your computer is to navigate to your control panel under your Start Menu click on control panel and navigate to Add/Remove Programs if you are on Windows 200o or XP. If you are on windows vista please click the icon titled Programs and Features. In this window it will show all the installed programs on your computer and tell you how frequently each program is used. You can remove any program you know is old or you are no longer using.
2. Remove all temporary or cached files from your internet browser.
- Assuming that the majority of you are running Internet Explorer as your browser navigate to the tools tab and click Internet Options. In the first window you will see an option to erase both your cookies and Temp Internet Files. It is alright to remove both because all that is stored is some simple information about where you have been on the internet and some pre cached images that will help the page load quicker next time you visit.
3. Disable programs from running at startup.
- You may have noticed when you installed a program that a new icon now shows up next to your systems clock even when the program is not open. This means that the program you installed runs in the background. Most of the time programs do this to make it quicker to start the program when you are ready to use it. However if you have to many programs running at startup your computer can become very slow and even unusable. To remove programs from startup go to your Start Menu and click run. In the run dialog type msconfig and press enter. You will see a new window on the desktop and you will need to navigate to the startup tab. In this tab msconfig will show you all the programs that run when you boot your computer. Please uncheck any box next to a program you do not wish to run at startup. Note! – IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT A PROGRAM IS DO NOT UNCHECK THE BOX NEXT TO IT. IT COULD CAUSE YOUR COMPUTER TO BECOME UNBOOTABLE. Once you have removed all the startup items you wish click ok and restart your computer.
4. Organize your files and folders.
- This may not get your computer running any faster but just like you clean your car or home your computer does need it’s own spring cleaning. Try to put common files in folders and label them. Trust me you will not regret taking time out of your day to do this when you save time not searching for that paper.
5. Update your anti-virus, anti-spyware, and Windows.
- This is a MUST DO. Installing the latest Windows updates and ensuring that your Internet Security software is up-to-date is crucial to the health of your computer. If the updates are not installed or your Internet Security software is not updated your will be at risk of getting a virus that could render your computer useless. Please make sure this step is completed if none of the above are. The tech community and I can not stress enough how important this step is!
Other ways to get that new computer smell back.
- Install more memory. – Join the live chat at http://geekologist.net/live and we can help you find the right memory for your computer.
- Get an external Hard Drive for your files. – Keep your music and photos externally to save valuable space on your Hard Drive.
Keep your mac running like new coming soon!
If you have anymore questions or would like to offer your own tips to our readers do not hesitate to leave a comment below!
Today I got an interesting opportunity to try a cool new service from Microsoft. Thanks to Jeff in the chat room for mentioning Windows Live Mesh. At first I really had no idea what it was and considering Jeff and I were talking about Windows 7 I honestly thought it had something to do with wireless mesh networking. However come to find out it is a free service from Microsoft similar to Drop Box.
Here are some of the key features of Windows Live Mesh:
Device Page -
- The place to manage and edit all your devices in your mesh. This includes PC’s, Mac’s and Mobile devices.
- Links to download software for new devices. Currently the software supports Mac OS X Leopard, Windows XP SP2 and Vista. However I was able to run it without issue on the Windows 7 Beta
Live Desktop – This is my mind is really cool! Live Desktop is an online desktop environment that shows you all the files that you are syncing and “watching” in real time.
- 5GB of free online data storage.
- See all synced folders and files without having to be at one of the devices in your mesh.
- Access all your files and folders of any computer or device with a web browser.
Mesh Bar – Live Mesh is not just an online sync utility but also a collaboration tool. Here are a few things you can do with the mesh bar.
- Manage members and invite new people to see your files and folders.
- Post messages and see news on a folder.
- Built in support with windows live messenger to allow you to chat with members.
- Allows you to change permissions and settings to a synced folder on your mesh.
Remote Desktop -
- Access and manage a system across the globe. Really cool if you remember something that happens to not be in your synced folders or you just want to pull up a program on your remote computer.
Remote Desktop has potential but I am unsure if it will support all version of windows vista and windows 7. I also expect the support for remote desktop to not be included in the Mac version of the software.
I love that Microsoft is developing new ideas and really pushing to that cloud computing goal. I am excited to see what they have planed for the final version of the software and I will be keeping a close eye on it from now till then. If you are curious and what to check it out head over to http://mesh.com
Used Windows Live Mesh before? Leave us a comment!
Sorry to all you Windows Mobile fans but if you have had a bad day then what I am about to tell you is going to make it slightly worse. According to tips given to CNET by Microsoft the release date of windows mobile 7 has been pushed back once again.
This defiantly spells disaster for the Windows Mobile platform. With the android platform finally out and the iPhone taking most of the market windows mobile is really going to have to kick it into gear to compete.
Among some of the features that are highly expected to be part of the release is advanced gesture recognition, using technology similar to the iPhone and possibly using the camera as means for reading gestures. Better speech input and enhanced active sync features are also expected for this new version of the windows mobile software.
With Windows Mobile 6.1 just hitting the streets I think Microsoft is really going to have to rethink the Mobile platform and bring something more than just enhanced features. I wish I have more on this topic but seeing as Microsoft has said little to nothing about Windows Mobile 7 I am left with little to tell.
SO AT&T has some really cool phones that are going to make AT&T an even better choice for all the consumers out in the world looking to get a new cell.
One of the more notable devices coming to AT&T’s line up is the HTC Fuze. This is the “replacement” phone for the AT&T Tilt and not only that has features that kick any other smart phone in the rear end.
Bellow are the launch dates for future AT&T devices:
Notice: The date’s above have not been confirmed but we highly suspect that the are close to the actual launch date’s.
This is most defiantly the question I get asked the most, and I am sorry for the delay in the response. This topic will contain all the links to software and the official HTC ROMS for your windows mobile device. First and foremost I want to make it clear that any damages to your device are your responsibility and I do not take any responsibility in data loss or bricked phones. This tutorial was written with that in mind so if you follow the directions word-for-word you should be fine.
First off you will need to download ActiveSync 4.5 if you do not already have it installed on your windows XP or Vista computer. FYI – In vista it is called the mobile device manager and is pre-installed in most vista distributions. You can download ActiveSync 4.5 here >>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/downloads/eulas/eula_activesync45_1033.mspx?ProductID=76
Second head on over to the xda-developers wiki. Honestly the easiest way to get to the wiki is to google it. So go to http://google.com and search for xda-developers wiki. Once at the wiki page find your phone. FYI – The HTC name of your phone is different then the AT&T, Cingular, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint name of the phone. Make sure that you find the HTC name of your phone and select that on the wiki page. For example the HTC name for the AT&T 8525 is the HTC Hermes. The link for the HTC Hermes wiki on xda-developers can be found here >>>http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Hermes. Once on the page that matches your model phone. Scroll down till you see Official Factory Shipped ROM’s, click on the link and you will be directed to a page that will show you all the Factory Shipped ROM’s for your phone. You have many options here because you can choose to install the HTC ROM that will basically only install the O/S and HTC preloaded software or you can choose the ROM for your carrier. The carriers ROM usually includes bloatware that will slow down the phone a.k.a – at&t’s music software. I choose to install the HTC ROM in this tutorial. Once you go to the download page you can then download the ROM from rapidshare.
After you have everything download you will need to install active sync 4.5 and reboot the computer. After the computer has booted back up plug in your phone with the USB cable that it came with and once active sync sees the phone double click on the new ROM for your phone. A box will appear that will tell you a few things that need to be done before you can continue, please read it carefully before click next. After you click next you will be asked if the phone and computer have more that 50% battery life along with a few other questions. Once you click next the ROM flashing program will open and begin flashing your phone. FYI – The phone will reboot and you will see a multi colored screen. DO NOT UNPLUG, POWER OFF, OR REMOVE THE BATTERY. You will see a status indicator on your phone and computer, once again wait till it is finished the phone will reboot again into your new O/S and you are done. Just reconfigure your phone and re-install your favorite programs.
If you have any questions please email me at support@bluephoenix.tv.
Last but not least I have put a tutorial video in the post and I strongly recommend anyone who is serious about upgrading their phone to please watch it.
So many people say that it is impossible to watch youtube videos on a windows mobile phone easily. This is absolutely not true. vTap is a great application that allows you to search and view Youtube videos all in the vTap application. Not only does it give you the ability to watch the videos but if you create a vTap account you can save favorites and come back anytime and see the latest videos from that youtube account.
Some of the things that I can see vTap improving on is the ability to log directly into your youtube account. Allowing a user to do this would give them access to their subscriptions so that they may view and search through the subscriptions just as they would on their computer.
The application is built for windows mobile 5 and 6 touch screen devices and iphones only. So sorry to all you Moto Q fans this is not the application for you. If you would like to download vTap just click the link >>>> http://www.vtap.com/wm.html
Video to be posted soon.
To all you windows mobile fans I have found your best friend. This application not only is the worlds most advanced mobile browser but also gives you everything and I mean everything that your computers browser can bring to you.
So you may ask how this work? Well to put it as simple as possible your phone does not do anything. Really, it does not process the data that your computer normally would. What makes this browser special is the fact that it uses server side processing to provide a rich end user experience. This means that the Skyfire servers process all the data before it gets to your phone. You phone just receives raw data from skyfire and displays and plays any audio that the skyfire servers transmit.
What does this mean? This is awesome because it will allow manufactures of websites to continue to make graphic intensive website while not leaving a mobile user in the dust. This revolutionary way to process web pages on mobile phones is the future and do not be surprised if you see this technology soon in your iphone and newer HTC devices.
If you are interested in joining the private beta please go to http://skyfire.com and click Sign Up!
Sorry for the audio issues 
Insiders tell us that the apple iPhone software upgrade is coming not on the 11th but tomorrow. Yes ladies and gentlemen the App Store, Mobile Me, and the iPhone software upgrade are to be released July 10th 2008 at 9am PST. So fasten your seatbelt and get ready for the ride of your life. All you apple fans we have been waiting a year for this and it is finally here.
So you might ask what exactly does this bring to the table? Well first of Mobile Me is going to allow users to sync all their contacts, calendar events, email, and tasks over the air. This gives the consumer, i.e you and I the ability to have the features of exchange without the hassle or price. Mobile Me is a small price to pay at just $99, compared to these Person Exchange solutions that can total over $250 a year. Like Steve Jobs said so well. “Mobile me is exchange for the rest of us.”
Moving right along to the next big thing this great software upgrade brings is the App Store. WOW! That is all that I can say. I almost cried when I heard that apple was going to have a centralized place for all iPhone app’s. I would give anything for my WM6 based device to have something similar to this, but because WM6 is brought to us by the wonderful screw up’s a.k.a Microsoft I do not see that happening. If you want to have one place to get all your applications, the iPhone is the phone you need.
So, that about wraps it up for this blog posts, and if you have any questions, comments or concerns please email me at support@bluephoenix.tv or stop by the chat room on the live page. Thanks for reading and see ya around!
So in todays day and age the internet is becoming more and more part of out everyday lives correct? Well in my case yes! So on thursday May 29th HiWEB-Interactive over at hiweb.net and I were talking about AT&T and where they plan to be with there data network in 4 years. I learned tons about some very interesting wireless technologies and here is a breakdown of the current and future wireless data technologies at their best!
Sprint and Verizon :
EV-DO Rev. A – 1.5- 3.1 Mbps download max! This means that Rev. A is only going to see these speeds that is it nothing more they are done.
Sprint and Verizon are investing in WiMax that will deliver 50Mbps to the end user by the year 2015.
AT&T :
UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA – 1.4 – 20Mbps! This current wireless technology is already in use in more major cities that AT&T is servicing! WOW 20Mbps. Well you might be saying why are we not seeing these speeds? It is because currently the overhead of the AT&T network is too high therefore we are only going to see 1.4.
AT&T plans on releasing HSPA that will bring the wireless devices closer to the 20Mbps by late 2009 and plans to have a full blown LTE (long term evolution) network set up by the end of 2012 bring 100Mbps data transfer speeds per handheld on the AT&T wireless network. So if you have a phone with AT&T keep it they are the leaders in the future of wireless voice and data coverage.