Archive for the “Software” Category

I just got an e-mail this morning about module expansions for Vue 6 Esprit are 50% until July 7th.  Figures since I just bought one recently, but regardless, it’s a great deal if you have Vue.  I use both Ecosystems and HyperVue, and they are worth the investment.  I think I will pick up Botanica with this sale as well.

Link: Vue 6 Modules sale

Head over to iBoughtAMac.com and check out my latest review. This time I take a look at Delicious Library 2, which is an application to inventory and catalog collections of items.

Link: Get Organized with Delicious Library 2

Stardock has released the highly anticipated Impulse today. Impulse is the next-generation of digital distribution for PC games and applications. With Impulse, users don’t have to worry about losing registration numbers or finding long lost CD’s when setting up or updating a new or existing PC.  Once a user purchases a game or application, that item is associated with their Impulse account so it will always be accessible.

Impulse will also provide a virtual platform called Impulse Reactor, a set of server-side features for developers that will work even if the user doesn’t have the Impulse client installed. Impulse Reactor will include support for virtual drives for saved game data, multiplayer matchmaking, game rankings, NAT negotiation for multiplayer games, friends lists, and support forums.

For more information and free download, visit www.impulsedriven.com.

I am a huge fan of SnagIt from TechSmith. I was really surprised this morning to see an post on the Visual Lounge with info about a new release! It’s gotten quite an overhaul especially in the UI department, but one of the best additions is the multi-image capability.

I use SnagIt daily for work and personal use, and it’s worth every penny. Without a doubt it’s the best solution for taking screenshots and more of your desktop. TechSmith has a special upgrade for existing users for only $19.95, but that’s only good for a limited time. I will give SnagIt 9 a proper review in the future, but first I need to get my upgrade in the next week or so.

Link: SnagIt 9

RapidWeaver 4 from RealMacSoftware was finally released today. It’s a free upgrade to users of 3.6, and a discounted price is available to previous users before that.

RapidWeaver is a revolutionary but friendly piece of web design software made exclusively for the Mac. RapidWeaver creates and publishes beautiful, modern sites that are fully compliant with today’s web standards. Once you’ve created your website, RapidWeaver publishes it to an FTP, SFTP or .Mac server quickly and easily.

The update looks great so far, and hopefully I can give a review in the next couple of weeks.

Link: RapidWeaver 4

To help count down the days until the release of the upcoming PC game, The Political Machine 2008, I created these gadgets for your desktop.  One gadget will run on any XP or Vista desktop, and the other is for the Windows Vista Sidebar.

Download: TPM 2008 desktop gadget

Download: TPM 2008 Vista sidebar gadget

Dell Dock

Originally uploaded by Island Dog

“Last year’s successful launch of the Apple iPhone made clear to cell phone makers that yes, the experience a “commodity” provides for the customer matters. PC makers have begun to take note and leading the way is Dell who began pre-loading the new Dell Dock on consumer PCs yesterday.

The new dock, represents a significant improvement for Windows Vista users over the default experience by seamlessly integrating programs and data into the desktop experience. It’s a first step to be sure but it’s a pretty bold move for one of the world’s leading PC producers to take.

While at a glance, one might try to argue that the dock looks like the MacOS X dock. But that would be akin to people saying that the dock in MacOS X is like the LaunchPad that came with IBM OS/2. What makes the Dell dock special is its ease of customization, low memory foot print, and raw performance. In addition, as pretty as the Dell Dock is, its focus is on usability rather than flash. Short-cuts get separated from folders, the category view is designed for ease of access, and dozens of small touches make it feel as if it were a natural part of Windows.”

Article link: http://www.wincustomize.com/Articles.aspx?aid=312693

Windows Vista is here, and regardless of whether you upgraded from XP, or just purchased a new PC with it installed, I’m sure you are ready to customize the way Vista looks.  Now we can go in all sorts of directions in customizing Vista, but I wanted to cover some of the basics as that is enough for most people.

Let me also take this time to cover a few questions about customizing Vista that you might have.

Q. Will it use many resources or “slow” Vista down?

A. By using the tools I will show you, your system performance should not be affected at all.

Q. Will this somehow “hurt” my computer?

A.  Not at all.  The methods used here are not system hacks, and the software I will show here is fully tested on Vista.

Q. Is this free?

A. Some applications are free, and some require a purchase after the trial period runs out.  The price of the applications are typically small and well worth the investment.

Changing the Vista Logon

The logon screen is basically the first thing you see when you start your computer.  Windows Vista has a nice default logon screen, but why not personalize it?  To do that, just go and grab yourself a copy of LogonStudio Vista and have at it.  LogonStudio Vista (free) lets you easily change a create the Windows Vista logon to any number of downloadable logons already available.  If you prefer to use an image of your own, it’s as simple as drag and drop to create your own.

Read the full Customizing your Vista Desktop article….

JJ Ying has updated one of his GUI Champs ‘06 WindowBlinds skins to be Vista and WB6 compatible.  This is a really nice skin to use on a daily basis, thanks for updating JJ Ying!

Download: V!VA by JJ Ying

J. Aroche is one of my favorite CursorFX skinners. He makes cursor themes with some truly amazing animations and effects. He recently put out another cursor that stays true to his style.

Link: Conspiracy for CursorFX