Stardock is excited to announce that “phase two” of its digital download platform, Impulse, has begun and all updates, new games and software applications will soon be live. Phase two of Impulse sees new games from 2k (Civilizations III, Shattered Union, Sid Meier’s Pirates! and Sid Meier’s Railroads!) and Tilted Mill’s Children of the Nile enhanced edition. New software applications include a host of Corel applications like WordPerfect Office X4, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4, and Corel Paint Shop Pro X2 as well as software applications from Genie Soft, Iolo, and AVG Internet Security and Anti-Virus & Anti-Spyware software.
Phase two of Impulse also adds the ability for users to install and update third-party and freeware programs that are available via Impulse. This makes the transfer of the catalogue of programs installed on a user’s machine extraordinarily simple from machine to machine as it’s all centrally located on Impulse. Phase two has already addressed user feedback and incorporates significantly faster load times, downloads, a smart queue option and a smarter updating process which exponentially decreases processing time for updates.
Sins of a Solar Empire is one of the biggest hits this year, and I’m pleased to announce the next major update (v1.1) will be available as a public beta sometime in July.
Stardock has made available the preliminary change log to Sins of a Solar Empire v1.1. Developer Ironclad has been busy updating virtually every part of the game based on player feedback. Version 1.1 not only includes a host of play balancing changes but new content such as an updated graphics engine, updated visuals, new damage animations, and more. It also includes a new multiplayer system called “Alloy” which eliminates the need for configuring routers or changing port numbers.
This huge beta will only be available on Impulse from Stardock. The preliminary change log which lists many of the updated features can be found here.
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.
The Political Machine 2008 is getting closer and closer to release. Last night, more screenshots were released of the current beta showing off many aspects of the game. IGN also put up a preview that is a great read as well.
“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.”
The WindowBlinds 6.1 update is available to current customers as a free update, and users can upgrade either through Stardock Central or the Impulse preview. The WindowBlinds 6.1 release includes the following updates:
Several maintenance and performance tweaks.
Option to force start button to the middle of skins.
Explorer background feature.
WindowBlinds has a free download available for evaluation, and is $19.95 for the full enhanced version. WindowBlinds is also part of the Object Desktop suite of desktop enhancements.
Have you ever been writing that important report for your boss and suddenly, Word just “unexpectedly” stopped working? Or maybe the spreadsheet you have been working on for weeks gives you that strange corrupt file error? Regardless of the reasons, I’m sure it’s safe to say all of us have had some type of similar experience regarding losing important data.
Backing up data is always one of the first things people tell you to do, but lets face it, many of us just forget or don’t make a steady routine of it. So what do people like us, or anyone for that matter, do to ensure our data is kept safe and can be easily restored if needed?
First thing you need to do is grab yourself a copy of KeepSafe. KeepSafe is an application from Stardock that provides real-time backup of your data, and provides an easy to use interface for managing and restoring your saved data. You can choose to backup specific document types, or entire folders, and KeepSafe will only backup when the files are changed, saving disk space.
Once installed, KeepSafe will present you with a wizard for a quick and easy setup of commonly used files. You can always select more, and have access to more options in the full configuration window.
The main configuration window is where you can add and configure more file types, and also specify directories for backup. It’s not just for backing up document and spreadsheet files, you can select it to save nearly anything including media files.
One new feature in KeepSafe 2.0 is the ability to set a secondary backup location to an external hard drive or USB drive. save to local storage temporarily and copy to secondary drive when connected. There are also many different configuration options that lets you choose how often, or specify a backup size, allowing you to save even more space if needed.
If you are one who likes to keep tabs on what is being saved, and how much space it’s taking, then don’t worry as KeepSafe also has an easy to read Statistics section. This section gives a variety of options to view all your KeepSafe statistics.
In the event that you do lose some of your data, getting it back is what really counts. Another new feature in KeepSafe 2.0 is newly designed user interface of the recovery wizard. This makes recovering any of your lost data a snap. You can search through saved filed by time, file type, name, and more. Once you find your file you then have the option to open or save it.
KeepSafe works with both Windows Vista and XP. A free trial is available and you can find more information at the Keepsafe website.
Stardock is excited to announce that “phase two” of its digital download platform, Impulse, has begun and all updates, new games and software applications will soon be live. Phase two of Impulse sees new games from 2k (Civilizations III, Shattered Union, Sid Meier’s Pirates! and Sid Meier’s Railroads!) and Tilted Mill’s Children of the Nile enhanced edition. New software applications include a host of Corel applications like WordPerfect Office X4, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4, and Corel Paint Shop Pro X2 as well as software applications from Genie Soft, Iolo, and AVG Internet Security and Anti-Virus & Anti-Spyware software.
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