Vista Transformation Pack

I’m sure alot of people out there have heard of the Vista Transformation Pack, a software bundle that ads alot of Vista’s features (as well as a clone of Vista’s ‘Aero’ theme) to Windows XP. I used it a few years ago and have to say, it’s not great. It does add some usefull things to XP but it slows the computer down considerably.

Vista Transformation Pack dosn't always work properly.

Some of the features that I liked included Vista SideBar, a tool that mimicked the SideBar in Vista, ViStart, a clone of the Vista Start menu (rather buggy though) and WinFlip, a peice of Software that simulates the Start+Tab flip hing in Vista. I did however end up un installing the pack because it made my computer so slow. In some cases it took 5 times as long to do something in XP with the Pack than in XP without it. The Pack also messed up my Audio Drivers.

When compared to the speed of real copy of Vista on the same machine, the Pack was faster but by so little it hardly mattered. If you have an old PC, I don’t suggest trying the pack or attempting to install Vista itself, just stick with what works for you  -  XP.

Microsoft Announces Morro

By Erwin Blonk, November 23th, 3:35PM

Microsoft recently announced Morro, dubbing it a no-cost consumer security offering which will protect against viruses, spy-ware and other computer problems. It will become available in the first half of 2009.

According to Roger Kay of Endpoint Technology Associates, “By offering such basic protection at no charge to the consumer, Microsoft is promoting a safer environment.” As such it can be seen as an extension to Windows Update.

Rowan Trollope, Symantec’s consumer business senior vice president, considers it proof of Microsoft’s inability to provide quality security software.

Randy Abrams, technical director of security firm ESET, sees it differently. Windows Live OneCare took 2% of the market without many promotional activities, deeming it not a defeat to competitors but a bid to enhance Windows’ security positioning.

OneCare will be sold until June 30th, 2009 and support will be phased out soon after.

iPhone 2.2 Software Update

By Jonathan

Apple has released another software update for the iPhone, iPhone 2.2. Among other things, the updated OS features Google Street View and streaming podcasts via WIFI or your data plan. I have already tried it out, and both new features work fantastically. I have been waiting for real streaming podcasts for months, so this update is something I have realy been looking forward to. Thus far iPhone users have had to use other podcast solutions which were incomplete and far inferior. Now if we could only see a copy & paste option!

Google releases themes for Gmail

By Kris at 5:38 PM

Google has been releasing a ton of updates for Gmail lately, ranging from video chat to goggles, but none of those updates are as cool as the new Gmail themes.  More behind the break.

17 ways to survive a Mac Disaster.

By Jonathan

Mac Life has came up with 17 great ways for you to survive almost every Mac disaster.

iPod Charger Defense

By Dan at 12:41 PM CST

A recent article on Gothamist tells a rather sad tale of a young woman who, when faced with an abominable situation, was able to come back with a rather unusual defense.  While her assailant was busy forcing himself upon her, she was able to take her iPod charger and stab it into his neck, leaving a clearly identifiable mark from the charging prongs.  These wounds coupled with physical evidence left by the assailant and the testimony of the victim have aided greatly in his arrest and identification.  With any luck, the wounds will stay with him for at least long enough to teach him a lesson about bringing harm to others.

Source: Gothamist: Woman Fights Serial Rapist with iPod Charger

Take Full Advantage of your Gmail

By Kris at 5:48PM

It is very likely that a lot of people don’t know the full potential of their Gmail account. In this article, I will give you some tips on how to take full advantage of your Gmail account, with its biggest feature: Gmail drive. Gmail Drive is a tool that lets you create a hard drive out on the web that can be accessed right from your computer. Read on for the instructions.

Strategic Assault for the iPhone

By Jonathan at 6:51 PM

A new game by the name of Strategic Assault recently saw its iPhone debut. It may be the first real time strategy game published on the iPhone platform, but is it really all that great?

Strategic Assault has very similar feel to that of the Command & Conquer series. You can create a variety of little fighters like tanks, jeeps, and helicopters with which you capture resources.  As in most RTS games your ultimate goal is to hunt down the opposition with a squad of your finest men…or whatever troops you can afford anyways.

Those of you new to Strategic Assault may marvel over it, what with the four out of five star rating it holds, but it really is an antique. I first played Strategic Assault over five years ago on my Palm M100 which had a 16 MHz processor and 8MB of ram/storage.

PC to Mac the Easy Way

By Kris at 5:08 PM

There may be many ways to transfer your files from a PC to a Mac, but most can be pretty hard to do for the average person. Well not anymore, because Belkin has made a Switch-to-Mac Cable that allows you to move music, movies, photos, and Internet preferences to your new Mac with ease. All you have to do is plug one end of the USB into your Mac and the other end into your PC. After that it automatically takes your files and transfers them to your Mac. The Switch-to-Mac Cable will be out soon for around $50. A 2008 Needham report shows that Macintosh sales have tripled in the past 3 years and by 2017 Apple will sell 40 million Macs at the rate their going, so it would seem that Belkin has chosen a great time to unveil their cable.

The Future of Planes

By Kris at 6:25

NASA recently started a project with a couple engineers from MIT to create a fuel efficient and quieter plane. Yes I said plane. Not car. I was shocked too because with all the environmentalists talking about global warming I thought they would already have an airplane up in the sky that’s fuel efficient. But I guess not, NASA says that the project there working on will be the future of planes. So in other words the plane will most likely be flying around 2030. Comment