Microsoft is preparing to launch in the next few months a Web site called Skymarket to sell Windows Mobile OS applications, a job advertisement suggests.

The clue to the launch is a job advertisement spotted by blogger Long Zheng. Microsoft is looking for a senior product manager who would oversee the marketing and development for the service, intended to complement the eventual release of the next mobile OS, Windows Mobile 7.

Third-party developers have built more than 15,000 applications for Windows Mobile, but the applications are sold through a multitude of vendors on different Web sites.

The advertisement would suggest that Microsoft is aiming for something closer to Apple's one-stop shop approach with its iTunes Store, which also sells applications for the iPhone. Those applications, which now number more than 1,000, are vetted by Apple and are not sold elsewhere.

One of the goals listed in Microsoft's ad for the position is making "the Windows Mobile marketplace 'the place to be' for developers wishing to distribute and monetize their Windows Mobile applications."

Microsoft has already taken a shot at loosely roping its applications under one online roof with its Windows Mobile Catalog.

But the site is a facade, with links leading to vendors such as Pocketland, Handango and MobiHand which handle the transaction and downloads. By contrast, Apple's applications can be purchased and downloaded on its iPhone wirelessly.

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Photosynth, a Microsoft Live Labs project previously available as a view-only tech preview, now lets those signed up with Windows Live to upload and create their own multi-photo walk-through panoramas. The webapp, which requires an 8MB software installation on the user's side, can stitch together dozens or hundreds of photos and then let viewers "walk" through them, altering perspective and creating entirely new views from the details of all those shots. That means you not only can show off your new workshop shed in your backyard garden, you can let viewers actually step into it and look around. Pretty cool stuff, although those uploads, and the software itself, can take up a bit of bandwidth and memory. Photosynth requires a free download and a Windows Live ID to use.

Photosynth .. [via Lifehacker]

Some worms, such as the Blaster worm, use known bugs in Microsoft Operating Systems to force the computer to shut down itself. you may also get the shutdown command by inadvertently ending a system program in the Task Manager. You can create a shortcut on the Desktop for a command that will allow you to quickly abort any un-wanted shutdown commands you might get.

Simply right-click on an empty space on the Desktop and select 'New->Shortcut'. In the Location box type in 'shutdown.exe -a' and click on the 'Next' button. In the Title box enter any name you want for the shortcut then click on the 'Finish' button.

Whenever you see the shutdown command appear on your screen, simply double-click on the shortcut to abort the forced shutdown.

Some people find it a lot more convenient to have the Shift key release the Caps Lock function, as typewriters do. With windows XP, this feature is available from the Control Panel, but only when you install another keyboard layout during the Windows installation. You can also change this feature in the Registry.
Simply folow these steps:

1. Click on the Start button and select Run.
2. Type in regedit and press OK
3. Look for the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout

4. In the right pane, right-click and select 'New->DWORD Value'
5. Name the new value 'Attributes'
6. Double-click on the new Attributes value
7. In the Value box enter '00010000' and press OK
8. Exit the Registry and reboot your computer

After you make this change, the Caps Lock key will always turn Caps Lock on but you must press one of the Shift keys to turn it off. This tip reduces the chances of you looking up at your screen only to find that you've typed a whole paragraph in uppercase letters.

ooVoo is an iChat-like video conferencing and chat tool for Windows, loaded with useful, powerful tools that make it a viable alternative for small work groups using conference calls and screen-sharing applications. A recording feature lets users tape video chats with other participants. Since the video and audio are being recorded to the hard drive, the only time limit is how much free space the computer's hard drive has. In testing, a nearly 15-minute, four-way video conversation only took up 95MB, which ooVoo can convert into a workable FLV file.

A conference calling tool gives host and participants a phone number to call. Other ooVoo users who call this conference line get plugged right into the audio that's a part of the video chat, and just like the video recordings, this audio gets archived, too. Call-in lines support up to six people, meaning users can have up to a dozen participants--including those on the video side. Note that this service isn't free. An optional companion for ooVoo's video player can be used for screen sharing or file sharing, and fun facial overlay tool that applies digital masks either to users faces or to backgrounds.

One of the best features is support for high-quality video streams, but two qualms users have had with the service are the compressed-sounding audio quality and datastream delays. More than annoying, one or more seconds of lag can force a heated debate to grinding halt. Still, ooVoo makes for a strong alternative to other VoIP and conferencing software.

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If you share your computer with other people in your house and they have a habit of uninstalling programs from the Add/Remove list, or you don't want them seeing what is installed on your computer, you can take out any program from the list without actually uninstalling it.
Just follow these steps.

1. Click on your Start button, select Run and type in regedit.
2. Look for this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Uninstall
3. Look for the program you want to hide under the Uninstall subkey and highlight it (If you see all numbers and letters, highlight that key and look in the right pane for the programs name)
4. Select Export from the File menu and select a name and location for the .reg file that will be created
5. Now delete the program under the Uninstall subkey

If you ever decide to uninstall a program, simply double-click on the .reg file to restore the uninstall data then launch the Add/Remove Programs.

This tip is very helpful to hide and secure your personal data from other users, particularly on your home computer. You can use third party softwares but at times they can be costly. There is a way to hide your folders using the built-in Windows (XP, 2003, Vista) Attrib commands option. With the Attrib command, you can change the attributes of a folder (Read only, Hidden and System attributes) and safeguard your data.

Follow the given steps to edit the folders attributes to secure your data:
Note: To enable this feature, you will need to be logged into your computer with administrative rights.

1. Create a folder that you want to hide on any computer drive. (For example, you have created a folder on D drive with the name 'Data'.
2. Click on Start button and type CMD in the Run box then press O.K. button to display the Windows Command Prompt
3. Now type the command "attrib +s +h D:\Data" (without quotation marks) and press Enter button to execute it

This command will hide your "Data" folder from D drive and now you can verify it.

Any one cannot unhide this folder using the Windows' "Show hidden files and folders" option also.

When you want to unhide this folder, open command prompt and type the command "attrib -s -h D:\Data" and press Enter button. If you want to hide some files, then simply move them to this 'Data' folder.

In Internet Explorer, you can use the combination of different keys to access many of it's functions. Shortcut keys help you speed up your surfing without lifting your hands from the keys. You do not need your mouse to select menus and buttons options. Basically keyboard shortcuts keys help you save time and perform tasks without leaving the keyboard.

Useful Internet Explorer shortcuts keys:

CTRL+A - Selects the all items on active page

CTRL+B - Display the "Organize Favorites" dialog box

CTRL+D - Add the active page to your favorites list

CTRL+F - Display "Find" dialog box to search text on active page

CTRL+I - Display the Favorites pane

CTRL+H - Display the History pane

CTRL+N - Use to open new Internet Explorer page

CTRL+W - Closes the active explorer window

CTRL+Tab - Go to address bar of current explorer page

ALT+Home - Use to open the home page of internet explorer

ALT+Left - Arrow Go to previous page of active page

ALT+Right - Arrow Go to next page of active page

ALT+A - Go to Internet Explorer Favorites Menu

ALT+D - Go to address bar of current explorer page

ALT+E - Go to Internet Explorer Edit Menu

ALT+F - Go to Internet Explorer File Menu

ALT+T - Go to Internet Explorer Tools Menu

ALT+V - Go to Internet Explorer View Menu

Tab - Move forward between all items on active web page

F5 - Refresh the active web page

CTRL+P - Use to print the active web page

F11 - Press F11 key to view any webpage in full-screen view and then again press for normal view.

Ctrl+Enter - Windows will automatically add both "www" and ".com" to a domain name. For example, if you type cooltechcheck.blogspot in your address bar and press Ctrl+Enter, then it will automatically become www.cooltechcheck.blogspot.com.

These shortcuts certainly speed up your browsing and save time. Once you get used to them, you'll see the difference.

Intel will release it's first quad-core processor for laptops next month, rounding out a broad update to its mobile computing platform.

"We're bringing quad-core to mobile in August," said Sujan Kamran, regional marketing manager for client platforms at Intel in Singapore. Kamran declined to disclose specifics of the quad-core chip, which will carry Intel's Core 2 Extreme moniker.

Getting a quad-core processor into a laptop is more about bragging rights than a genuine boost in performance. Very little PC software is designed to take advantage of multiple cores and it's unclear what performance benefits a quad-core chip would offer over a dual-core chip, such as the 3.06GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9100.

While official details of the upcoming quad-core chip are scarce, Australian PC maker Pioneer Computers is taking preorders for laptops based on an unreleased quad-core mobile chip, the 2.53GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9300.

The chip is advertised as a A$1,449 (US$1,390) upgrade to Pioneer Computers' DreamBook Style 9008 laptop. But adding a quad-core processor to the laptop doesn't come cheap: the cost of the upgrade is more than the laptop's A$1,399 basic price.

Read More ..

Is your 5-6 month old camcorder outdated now? Well it may happen with any gadget you spent your hard-earned money on.

Technology advance everyday and the result is the market getting flooded with new products each day. The newer gadgets are usually more attractive and functional than their old counterparts and tend to replace them gradually. No one wants an old device when there is a better one available. But everytime you cannot replace your older one as it need to be used for some time and there's a big possibility that your new gadget will also be outdated pretty soon.

How about a solution to this problem? Well, there is this website Inyopocket.com. These guys let you take any product available on their site and use it till the time you get bored or annoyed with it and wish to buy a new gadget. They give you buy back guarantee on their products. It means that once you're over with the device, just send it back to them and they'll refund the money you agreed at while buying the product. It's a pretty good deal and you get a good amount of money back. The amount of money you receive also depends on the condition in which you return the product. If it's bad, then some reduction in the amount may happen and if it's excellent, you get a+10%. Buy back guarantees can even be acquired for products up to 60 days after the initial purchase.

It's a really good way to get the latest gadgets, use them until you hate them and then get something new from the money earned by returning that product.

Take a look at what's it all about ..

This tip will help you uninstall your upgraded version of Windows XP using the command prompt. This will only work if you have upgraded your operating system from a previous versions of Windows like Windows 98 Second Edition, or Windows Millennium Edition (Me) and now want to revert to the operating system that was previously installed on your computer.

Follow these steps to revert to the operating system that was previously installed on your computer:

Note: To perform this trick, you need to have administrative rights.

1. First boot your system in Safe mode by pressing the F8 button as soon as the BIOS screen appears.
2. Once you get into the Windows XP Safe mode, click on Start button and type 'cmd' in Run option then press OK.
3. At the command prompt, type 'cd/' command and press enter.
4. Now again type the command 'cd\windows\system32' and press enter.
5. Now type 'osuninst.exe' to start the uninstall process.

Once you give the above command, you can begin with the OS uninstall procedure. Follow the instructions on the screen to restore your previous operating system.

Vista Firewall Control protects your applications from undesirable network incoming and outgoing activity, controls applications internet access. Allows you to control personal information leakage via controlling application network traffic.

Manages and synchronizes port forwarding provided by external network connection (firewall/router) box with applications requirements and activity.

Features:

• Designed for Windows Vista
• Zone based network permissions management
• Integration with Window Explorer for direct access permission management
• Integration with Windows Security Center
• Instant notifications of blocked activity
• Free versions available
• Special editions for portable devices (USB flash/HDD drives, iPod etc)
• Special editions for U3 smart devices
• Protection from incoming and outgoing threats
• External network connection (firewall/router) box support
• Automatic network connection box detection/management
• External/worldwide access to selected local application
• Port Forwarding management
• Automatic Port Forwarding-to-applications synchronization
• Simplicity of operation
• Per-application security settings

Download Vista Firewall Control 1.3 ..

Linksys' Dual-N Band Wireless Router just became official, giving users simultaneous 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands so 802.11N users and 802.11G users can coexist without N users having to use the crowded 2.4GHz space. Also, since it's dual N-band, two N users can connect (one to each frequency) without interfering with the other. It's styled in Linksys' new form factor, which helps emphasize that Linksys is more for consumers (especially compared to their parent company Cisco).

The Price: $199 MSRP.

Theoretically, you can get rid of it (as well as a few other things). Windows 2000 power users should already be familiar with this tweak.

Fire up the Windows Explorer and navigate your way to the %SYSTEM ROOT% \ INF folder. What the heck is that thingy with the percentage signs? It's a variable. For most people, %SYSTEM ROOT% is C:\Windows. For others, it may be E:\WinXP. Get it ??

Okay, on with the hack! In the INF folder, open 'sysoc.inf' (but not before making a BACKUP copy first). Before your eyes glaze over, look for the line containing "msmsgs" in it. Near the end of that particular line, you'll notice that the word "hide" is not so hidden. Go ahead and delete "hide". Save the file and close it. Now, open the Add and Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel. Click the Add / Remove Windows Components icon. You should see "Windows Messenger" in that list. Remove the checkmark from its box, and you should be set.

NOTE: there are other hidden system components in that 'sysoc.inf' file, too. Remove 'Hide' and the subsequent programs at your own risk.

Do u get irritated when acrobat reader takes 5/10 seconds to load once you open a PDF document? There is a way to speed up the loading.

Follow these steps:

1. Make sure Adobe Reader is not running. If it's opened, then it will lock the files and not allow you to move them. So close it first.
2. Go to the installation folder of acrobat reader
(C:\program files\adobe\acrobat\reader\..... whatever)
3. Move all the files and folders from the 'Plugins' directory to the 'Optional' directory. (Do not copy the files, cut and paste them)

After you follow these steps, your acrobat reader will open up quickly.

In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.

As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.

If you use your computer daily, you should try to run this utility weekly to help prevent data loss.

Important: Be sure to close all files before running the Error-Checking utility.

To run the Error Checking utility:

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2. In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
3. In the Properties dialog box, click the 'Tools' tab.
4. Click the 'Check Now' button.
5. The 'Check Disk dialog box will pop-up. In that dialog box, check the "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors" box, and then click on Start.
6. If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.

Tip: Only select the Automatically fix file system errors check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.

Brilliantly Awesome! Nothing else could be a better compliment for this spectacular LCD wonder. A double sided transforming LCD screen could be the future displays.

This concept display can be divided into two back to back monitors allowing two persons to indulge in their own worldly pleasures. With this you can be working on your next project on one screen and your room mate can be busy with the sci-fi movie on the other. If you want to watch the same stuff together, fold it back to recreate a big LCD TV. Isnt that a cool concept?

Unfortunately it is still in the concept phase and may take some more time to get finer details revealed. And so about pricing. Lets wait for that golden moment when this one finally gets launched in our part of the world.

Basically a digital camera is a device use to capture pictures without the use of film. The increased weight is because these cameras often use heavy batteries even though they have fewer moving parts. The storage used is similar to other computer based products so they are compatible with may other types of media we use to view images. This computer language is called pixels, tiny colored dots represented by ones and zeros that make up the picture that you just captured.

These cameras still use lenses in much the same way that conventional cameras do. Instead of film the digital camera captures the light with the aid of a system which records the light rays digitally. A feature of the better quality versions is they have a sensor that converts light into electrical charges using a different system to their less expensive cousins. Some people believe the device used to capture an image in cheaper cameras the CMOS will eventually be the replacement for the better CCD but this is highly doubtful.

You may have noticed the price of some models has dropped, making them much more affordable to many people; the CMOS image capture device is the reason for this. Whilst both the CMOS and CCD systems both capture an image using millions of solar cells to make up the whole picture, they perform this in slightly different ways Information to help you choose a suitable model of camera is mention in this review. From the point of view on having good quality photos, search for a high megapixel version as it will be worth it for the image you will capture with it; if you are lucky you may find a model that is discounted because a new version is about to be introduced.

Where you have a choice, optical zooms on digital cameras are better than digital ones - always; perhaps you can remember how grainy and blurred images become when you used your camcorder’s digital zoom function? Today’s nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries are very powerful and last for around a 1,000 charges so always use these if you want to save money. Although most are supplied with a number of photo functions, try for as many as you can because you will appreciate the effects that can be achieved; just a few examples of functions to look for are shown here:

* Video capture * Time lapse (i.e. one shot every 5 minutes for example) * Self-timer
High resolution cameras require more space to store images so you will probably need an additional storage card. Although larger storage cards have plummeted in price, a 1GB card should be enough for most peoples needs; some cameras won’t accept very high capacity cards anyway.

Cameras are now very tiny compared to a few years ago so you can actually carry around a high specification variant in your pocket and still be able to take fantastic pictures. Professional photographers may need heavy, bulky equipment but there is no requirement for a keen amateur to do so! Hopefully, these few tips will be enough to steer you in the right direction when you come to buy your camera. With all its technology, versatility and portability, the digital camera is the future of photography.

AUO recently announced the launch of curved displays, LCD panels that are just over a half millimeter thick and TFT multi-touch panels. The curved displays are said to be the first built on glass substrate. Because the display has a curve radius of 100mm, it needs a special thinning technology.

AUO will also release a superthin, 1.9" TFT display that is .63 mm thick, while the 8" multi-touch TFT panels that veer away from the trend of multi-touch glass panels.

The Windows Vista registry is an important core Windows Vista operating system component because it comprises all information that is required to keep your PC functional. The registry is basically a tree-like database in which all software and hardware configuration information, user preferences and system setup information is stored. You can view the Windows Vista registry by running the “regedit” command from Start > Run. When the Registry Editor window is displayed, you will see a tree-like folder structure—quite similar to Windows Explorer.

The registry comprises five root keys—HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CURRENT_USER, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, HKEY_USERS, and HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG—which you will see in the right-pane of the Registry Editor. These root keys are further divided into subkeys and sub-subkeys with each key comprising zero or more values in which configuration data is stored.

When your PC is first installed, this registry tree is quite small and contains only the information that is required for the functioning of your Vista PC. However, as you start working on your system and start performing activities such as, adding new applications, changing system configuration, creating new files and folders, and even browsing the Web, information is accessed, added or removed from the registry. This builds up the registry and it gradually grows in size. The problem starts when, in the process, a large amount of invalid, outdated, and corrupt information strays into the registry and unnecessarily contributes toward its growing size. Many things happen, when you your Windows Vista registry grows to a very large size:

• The registry becomes unstable and easily gets damaged and fragmented.
• Data access speed slows down, and PC performance deteriorates leading to frequent system freezes and crashes.
• Accumulation of a large number of invalid and incorrect entries in the registry generates frequents system errors.

When the situation gets out of hand your registry may fail and leave your PC unbootable. This is the reason why it is important to regularly backup your Vista registry. Because if you have a backup, if your registry fails, you can easily restore it from the backup, get rid of Vista registry problems, and have your PC up and running again.

You must also backup Vista registry before you:

• Make any major system configuration change.
  Install or uninstall a large application.
• Make direct edits to the registry using the Registry Editor.
• Perform registry scan and repair using a registry cleaner tool.

Methods to Perform Registry Backups

There are many different methods that you can use to perform registry backups. Some of the most commonly used methods are discussed here.

Methods # 1: Registry Editor: To backup the registry from Registry Editor, open the File menu in the Registry Editor window and select Export. Specify the name of the backup file in the File name box, in the Export range section, select All to backup the entire registry tree, or select Selected branch and specify the name of the branch in the text box provided and then select Save.

Note: To restore just double-click the backup file and select Yes to confirm your decision.

Methods # 2: System Restore: System Restore is a utility that automatically creates snapshots—or restore points—of your PC system files, including the registry, on daily basis or before you make any major change to the PC. You can also create manual restore points by opening the tool from, Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. When you restore your system using this tool, all your system configuration information and registry is reverted to the time when the snapshot was taken.

Methods # 3: Registry Tool: One of the easiest methods to backup the registry is by using a registry tool. There many different tools available in the market, you must select the one that suffices your needs and is compatible with Vista. These tools are primarily GUI-based, and you can easily use their backup and restore feature to take regular registry backups and restore them if your registry fails. Many advanced registry cleaner tools also enable you to undo registry edits, which make them more useful to the user, in comparison to the other tools.

How to be sure if your anti-virus program is working properly or not ? Using this simple method you can figure out if it's functioning correctly or not.

Copy the below line on a notepad. Then save it with the name of 'fakevirus.exe' or any other name you wish. Just make sure that you add .exe at the end of the file name. After you save it, give it a scan and you'll know it all.

Here's the line -

X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*

If your anti-virus is working, it will alert you. Otherwise you need to pay attention to your program.

The Dell XPS 730 H2C is Dell's highest-performing consumer PC ever. It comes with the usual gaming rig accoutrements: lighted windowed case, hulking chassis, overclocked quad-core processor, latest technology, and dual-card graphics. Since each ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 card has two GPUs on it, this is really a quad-GPU gaming leviathan. At this price level, however, only high-end gamers with deep pockets need apply. It yielded some of the better gaming performance I've seen lately, but for the time being you're really buying a system with future-proofing built in. You can get this thing for $6,629 direct.

Exceedingly popular, AVG Free offers rock-solid protection, but only the bare necessities. The security features include a real-time shield to prevent infections, antivirus and antimalware wrapped up in one engine, and a link scanner for Web surfing with care.

By default, AVG is set to search for new virus definitions daily, but you can always use the scheduling tool to change this. Should a virus create serious system problems, AVG creates a rescue disk to scan your computer in MS-DOS mode. The program doesn't tax your system when scanning or when running in the background, and it always proved effective in our tests. The new interface is much easier to navigate than in previous version, with tabbed navigation on the left assisting users in drilling down to the tools they need.

Download AVG Free 8.0 ..

Some people hate text messaging simply because of the hassle to compose a message using the cell-phone keypad. You could always upgrade to a keyboard-equipped phone like the LG Voyager, AT&T Tilt, or RIM BlackBerry Curve, but even those models require you to use your thumbs when it comes to text input. Plus, it probably seems excessive to spend hundreds of dollars on a new phone just for the sake of easier text messaging.

How about your voice doing the fingerwork for you? A free service called Jott will transcribe your spoken message into text and deliver it via SMS to anyone in your contact list (which you have to set up in advance on the Jott site). Just speed-dial Jott from your cell phone, say the name of the person you want to contact, and then start talking.

USB Drives are a necessity for most people today. New models appear in the market everyday. The latest is an 8GB drive with "the world's smallest 8GB drive" tag. This thing weighs less than a nickel and is just a little bigger than a quarter.

What may happen with this drive is that it may get accidentally washed in someone's pocket. So to deal with this problem, they've made it water-resistant. Hope that we get to see more such 'small stuff'.