Monday, July 26, 2010

IT News HeadLines (Techradar) 26/07/2010


Techradar
In Depth: 40 cool iLife features you probably don't use

The iLife suite has been around for a while now, and iMovie and iPhoto were even available long before all these programs became part of a single retail package. In fact, they've become such a big part of our interaction with Macs that it's hard to imagine using a computer without them.
But the problem with owning a program for such a long while is that you can get stuck using the same functions over and over again.
The iLife suite is designed to make life as easy as possible by apparently limiting the number of options available to you. But just because you're constrained doesn't mean it has to be Apple's way or the iWay.
What many basic and intermediate users don't realise is that all of these programs have a lot of hidden features within them, designed to offer more advanced users some powerful tools and useful shortcuts that they can use to improve their workflow.
It's not a failing on your part that this isn't immediately obvious – most of these tools are undocumented, which means you'll probably happen across them by chance or discover them via an obscure comment in a forum or web page online. So to make your life easier, we've gathered together 40 tips you may not be aware of that can help you find new and efficient ways of using all of these iLife apps.
It could be as simple as using a keyboard shortcut to speed up your workflow in iPhoto, or as complex as writing some code yourself in iWeb. It's like finding 40 new features you weren't aware you even had, which should keep you going for a while – or at least until the next version of iLife.
iPhoto tips
Handy tricks for modifying and storing your pictures
1. Multiple libraries
Digital photography has exploded since the early days of iPhoto and you may find yourself needing bigger and bigger drives to store all your pictures. One of the downsides of iPhoto is that everything is saved in one location, meaning you can't split your photos up onto multiple drives.
But you can actually do one thing to help you organise yourself better, and that is to create multiple iPhoto libraries.
Multiple libraries
Hold down the Option key when you start up the program and you'll find a new window asking you to choose the library you'd like to load. You can also create a new one from there.
And best of all, these libraries can be stored anywhere, even on external drives. You could have one library for your family shots, one for work and different libraries for any project you need to work on.
2. Adjusting multiple photos
Sometimes you may need to apply identical changes to a great number of photos. If your camera wasn't calibrated properly for instance, or if you didn't change the settings for each environment, every shot you've taken in a day might well need to have the same adjustments applied to them. But manually adjusting each and every one individually would be extremely time consuming – not to mention mind-numbingly tedious.
Thankfully, there's a workaround. You still have to adjust at least one image, but once that's done, just click the Copy button, on the lower right of the Adjust window.
Next, select another photo and then click the Adjust window's Paste button (handily situated right next to Copy), for the changes to be applied instantly – saving you a good deal of time and more importantly a lot loss less headache.
3. Zooming into your work
When it comes to editing your images, you may find that doing precise adjustments is difficult because the interface displays the whole image by default with no obvious means of zooming into it. You could of course go full screen (View > Full Screen), but you still can't focus on a specific area unless you use your keyboard.
Zooming
Using the keyboard you have two magnification levels: press 1 or 2 to select them. To go back to seeing the whole image, press 0. When magnified, a small floating window appears showing you which part of the photo you're currently seeing. To move to another, click and drag within that navigation window.
4. Before and after
When tweaking a photo to make it look right, you could get carried away and forget what it looked like originally. Sometimes, seeing the initial state of your photo can help you focus on what else needs to be done, or bring you back in line if you've gone too far and made your image look too artificial.
You could click on the Adjust window's Reset button (lower left) and then hit Command+Z to undo that action to switch between the original and current state.
That's all well and good, but there's a much easier way to achieve a similar result. Just hold the Shift key to see what your original photo looked like, then release it to get back to where you are now. That way you've got a quick and easy method to toggle between how your snap looked like when you took it and its latest modified version.
5. Confirm or deny
The Faces feature introduced with iPhoto '08, is a great way of seeing all the photos you took of a particular person, but setting it up can be a little time consuming.
Confirm or deny
First go to Faces, double-click on a specific person and you'll be presented with a series of photos which iPhoto thinks are a match. You then have to click once to confirm or double-click to inform the program that this selection was a mistake.
If there are a lot of errors, though, doubleclicking them all can be annoying, so try this instead: Option-click to reject the image.
6. Redirect the rejection
But what if you recognise the face that you're about to reject as belonging to someone else?
Naming
Instead of hoping to find it again in that person's series of shots you need to approve, there's another way. Ctrl-click on the image and you'll be presented with a contextual menu bearing three commands: Confirm, Reject and Name.
Select the last one and start typing that person's actual name. iPhoto will even link to your Address Book database to help you autocomplete the name, which is fabulously helpful.
7. Pins on the map
Unless you've got one of the latest cameras or you use your iPhone a lot, you may find that the Places section is of little use to you.
Map
But if you like to see at a glance were you took all your photos, you can add that information manually. You can even apply it to multiple photos at once: select all the ones you wish to work on then click on the 'i' button, to the lower right of any of the selected shots.
Now type in the shooting location and all those photos will automatically get the same info.
8. Take your pick
If you mouse over an Event you're able to scroll through all the photos within it. Hit [space] and the image you're currently viewing becomes the one used to display the Event. You can also perform the same action in Faces, so you're not stuck with the first photo you labelled.
9. Copying location
If you find a photo you wish you'd included in a batch, don't despair – you don't have to type anything.
Just select an image which already contains the location you want and copy it. Next, Ctrl-click on the new photo and select Paste Location from the Contextual menu. Job done.
10. Date and time
What if you hadn't set your camera's time right, or you scanned a few old photos and need them to be placed in the order that you took them?
Well, you can easily alter that information: select a shot and go to Photos > Adjust Date and Time. Be aware though that if you select multiple photos, you won't be changing them all to the same date.
If you add five months to the first one, it'll also add five months to the others, time-shifting them all.
Easier ways to edit, archive and view clips with iMovie

11. Archiving
The days of FireWire camcorders and recording everything to tape are drawing to a close. Now, everything's on flash memory or hard drives built into cameras.
But this begs the question: what to do with all your footage? Importing it into iMovie is an option, but it gets converted to a format that takes up a lot more disc space.
But there is a way to save your media in its original format: connect your camera and go to iMovie's Import window. Bottom left of the interface is an Archive All button. Select it and iMovie will save the entire content of your camera into a special file.
When you're ready to import your clips into an iMovie event in the future, just go to File > Import > Camera Archive and select that file.
12. Copying adjustments
When it comes to making adjustments to your footage, you have some very powerful tools at your disposal. But just like with iPhoto, having to perform the same changes to multiple clips isn't something many people look forward to. Again, Apple's engineers have come to the rescue.
Copy adjustment
First alter one clip and copy it when you're done. Then select all the clips within the project or event you'd like to change, go to Edit > Paste Adjustments and choose the type of adjustment you'd like to apply.
Once done, all your selected clips will have been modified. You can also use keyboard shortcuts to make this job even faster.
13. Transferring data
If you've got a lot of footage stored on your Mac, you may get a little wary of adding more – especially if your disc space is running low. Even though the media you already have may be old, you're still reluctant to delete it.
Transfer data
But there is something you can do to free up some space – move any event you have to another hard drive. Don't do this from the Finder otherwise you would break the link between them and your projects.
Instead, connect your external drive and go to iMovie. To the right of the Event Library is a small icon representing a hard drive. Click on it to redistribute your events based on the drives they're stored in.
You can now Command-drag any event you like onto the new drive to move it to its new location, while at the same time preserving its link to any project that uses it.
14. Thumbnail selection
Thankfully, iMovie '09 brought back the idea of Themes, which had mysteriously disappeared from the previous version. They come with unique transitions which often pan over random and not particularly useful static shots from your project.
But did you know that you can actually choose which thumbnail images are displayed? To do this, click on the transition to select it. This reveals numbers along your project. Now drag those numbers to a new location to change the thumbnail to whatever you prefer.
15. Transferring your projects to one place
If you'd like to keep your projects and events together, you can perform the same action with your existing projects. Go to the Project Library. With the Event Library drive icon still selected, you should see your projects organised by drive.
Transfer projects
When you move a project, you'll be asked if you'd like to also move the Events associated with them, or simply move the project itself. Now all you have to do is simply select your preferred option and the process will happen immediately.
16. Audio control
It's easy to add music to your film. Just drag it from the Music and Sound Effects section onto your project. But sometimes, that track clashes with your clip's audio, making it hard to hear either of them. When that happens, you can reduce the volume of specific tracks.
Double-click the track you wish to hear and select the Inspector's Audio tab. Tick the Reduce Volume of Other Tracks To box to instantly lower any other audio that also runs over this particular one. You even have a slider to choose how much of a reduction you want to apply – great for fine tuning.
17. Choose a new font
Select a title in your project and you'll see a Show Fonts button, top-left of the main preview section. Click on it and you'll be presented with a very short list of available fonts, along with only nine colours and nine sizes – but you'll be pleased to know that you're not limited by these choices.
Click on that window's System Font Panel button to reveal the regular font window from which you can choose any font, size or colour you'd care to use, adding nicely to the versatility of your finished product.
18. Font control
With the System Font window open you'll find that you have complete control over your title. You can, for instance, use the Kerning values to bring letters together, and not just for your entire title – you can affect only those that you've selected, leaving the others unaltered.
You could do the same with the Baseline controls to raise or lower letters. You could even go as far as choosing a different colour for each letter, or even a different font for each, if you're that way inclined. You're only limited by your own imagination and the boundaries of good taste.
19. Moving Ken Burns
Ken Burns has been part and parcel of iMovie since version 3, and it's been a great tool to bring some motion to still images in your project, but did you know that as of iMovie '09, you can finally apply this effect to video clips as well?
Ken burns
It's a great way to add some motion to a static shot if you'd come to the conclusion that panning across it or zooming in would make it more interesting.
20. Copying titles
Once you've created a unique-looking title with the two tips above, you might be frustrated to realise that you can't Copy the text layer – even when it's selected, that option is greyed out in the Menu Bar.
But don't despair, you won't have to re-create your title for every instance you'll be using it.
All you have to do is hold down the Option key as you drag your text layer to duplicate it. You can then move your copy to another part of your film, alter the text and you're done.
Making your tunes sound just like the real thing with GarageBand
21. Add MIDI files
There are hundreds of resources online where you can download free MIDI files to help with your music creation in GarageBand. These files include all the instrument information and notes for any particular song that you might need to recreate in your own style.
If you download a MIDI track from the internet and drag it onto an empty GarageBand project it will load all of the notes and instruments for that song for you to use as the basis of a new track, or even to use in creating your own remixes of an existing song.
You're also free to change any of the loaded instruments as you wish to suit your preferred style or genre, should you want to turn any of Radiohead or Vera Lynn's greatest works into happy hardcore or brass band remakes.
Of course, for some MIDI files, copyright may apply, so check your rights before downloading the files and also when publishing your project.
22. Record An iChat podcast
If you want to record an iChat conversation as part of an interview or for a podcast, you can do so in GarageBand version 5 and above.
Start by inviting friends to an audio or video chat via iChat (first letting them know you'll be recording). Now launch GarageBand and click Record. A message will appear asking if you wish to record the session. Click Yes and GarageBand will make a track for each person in your chat or conference.
If you're using a video chat, you can choose to show the Podcast Window from the Track menu where a snapshot of each participant will be shown each time they speak.
23. Play your keyboard
If you're lucky enough to own a USB keyboard then you won't have problems playing notes into GarageBand. If you don't, you have another option beyond simply clicking in the Piano Roll with your mouse.
Keyboard
Press Shift+Command+K to bring up GarageBand's Software Keyboard which enables you to use your Mac's keyboard as an input device. The keys are lettered so you know where to press, and there are also Velocity, Octave, Pitch Bend and Modulation controls available.
When using the software keyboard you'll need to manually click the Record button as the R key will be assigned to a note.
24. Shift octaves
If you want to adjust the pitch of an entire MIDI track you can do so in a few clicks.
Shift octaves
Start by double-clicking your MIDI track on the GarageBand timeline to show the Piano Roll, which includes all of your MIDI notes. Click within the Piano Roll and press Command+A to select your notes.
All of your notes will now be highlighted green, denoting that they're selected. Click and drag the first of your notes up or down to adjust their pitch. An octave change will be 12 notes up or down from your original note.
25. Note expression
Notes in songs are rarely played in the same way twice unless it's part of some highly programmed dance music. If you're applying your own MIDI notes to your project you'll run this robotic-sounding risk, so make sure you make the most of the Expression feature in the Piano Roll.
Select Expression from the Piano Roll's drop-down menu, which can be accessed by double-clicking on any MIDI track. With Expression selected, hold the Command key and click on the Piano Roll to add points to determine how the expression of a note changes over time. This is especially handy for creating swelling notes for organs and string instruments.
26. Realism and swing
As with Expression, real live drummers aren't metronomic and often slip a little out of time. If you listen to a track that has perfect percussion it sounds a little too rigid.
If this is the case with your MIDI drum part, try picking a preset from the Enhance Timing drop-down menu in the Piano Roll. From here you can set a level of Swing that pushes some of your notes a little out of time for a more realistic effect.
You're also able use the Enhance Timing slider to fine-tune the rest of your settings.
27. Automation
To automate changes to an instrument as your song plays, click the downward pointing arrow next to the Lock button on any of your tracks to show the Automation section. Now select Track Volume and Pan and add other effects you wish to automate.
Automation
When selected, you can apply your automation by clicking on the timeline to add control points, which you can drag up or down to create changes over a period of time. This is especially useful for fading tracks in and out using the Track Volume automation.
28. Export song as sheet music
So you've created your first GarageBand song and you want to share it with others. Of course, you can email it around as an MP3 or upload it to the web, but what about your friends who can actually read music?
Sheet music
There is another way to share your project from GarageBand as long as it's made up of MIDI tracks. Start by opening the project you want to share and select the instrument you want to create sheet music for.
From the File menu, select Print, and that's it! If you want to save the sheet music as a PDF, simply choose the PDF option from the Print menu.
29. Count in and metronome
If you're having trouble playing along to your track and recording it, give yourself some warning of the start with a count in.
Head to the Control menu and select Count In. Now, every time you click record, there'll be four metronome clicks to prepare you before recording starts.
You can also turn on the metronome to help you keep time when recording without a drum track to follow. The metronome can also be turned on from the Control menu and plays every time you click the record button.
30. Multi-take recording
If you want to perfect a recording from a MIDI or real instrument you can set GarageBand to record multiple takes and then choose the best one.
Turn on the Cycle Region feature, the button to the right of the Play button on the Transport bar, and you will notice a yellow bar appear above the GarageBand timeline. Drag this bar over the area of your track you wish to record onto and click record.
You can now record your part as many times as you wish and then select your best take from the recordings. You can select takes by clicking on the number that appears at the top left of your recording on the instrument's track.
Make your website look better than ever with iWeb

31. Copying logos
Adding a logo to your pages is a great way to perpetuate your branding across your site, but have you noticed that many websites use their logo to link back to their home page? You can do this yourself very easily.
Click on your logo to select it then go to the Inspector's Link tab (second from the right), tick the Enable as Hyperlink box, choose One of My Pages from the Link To menu and select First from the Page menu.
If you did this for the first page, you can then copy and paste your logo onto every other page and its position and the link will be preserved.
32. Adding to the footer
By default, every web page you create with iWeb has a footer – a place at the bottom of your page that contains any information you'd like. No matter how much data you add in the main body, the footer will always remain at the foot of the page.
But moving an existing text box, photo or other object from the main body to the footer appears to be impossible. No matter how much you drag, this action merely extends the main body's size rather than adding it to the footer.
To move your selection into the footer area, you have to Command-drag rather than simply drag.
33. Removing the footer
But you may have no need for the footer at all and would quite possibly like to remove the Made on a Mac logo as well.
You can select it and delete it manually, or go to Insert > Button > Made on a Mac instead, but this still leaves you with an empty footer that you could do without. To remove this section from your page, go to the Inspector and select its Page tab (first on the left).
Select the Layout section and type 0 in the Footer Height field.
34. Resizing your page
You can use the Inspector tab to alter the dimensions of your page, especially its width, since most modern computers can cope with a width much greater than 700 pixels. You could also resize it to make your site more compatible with the iPhone if you so wished.
There's one problem with all this though – it only affects the page that you're currently working on. If you want to change the dimensions for your whole site, it's best to do this at the very start and duplicate the existing setting by Ctrl-clicking on it and choosing Duplicate, rather than creating a whole new page every time. This way you don't have to type in all your custom dimensions again.
35. Vertical navigation
If you're going to customise your page, why not change the most obvious part: the navigation menu?
Vertical navigation
If you click on it to select it, you'll find two resize handles – one to the left, the other on the right. Drag either towards the other to alter its dimension. As you do, the menus will start to appear one below the other. You can then move the whole thing to the left or right of your page.
As the navigation menu resides in the header section of your page, making it vertical will result in a much bigger header. You can drag items to it from the main body to fill it up using the same method described for the footer section.
36. Clickable numbers
Speaking of iPhones, wouldn't it be great if you could tap on your phone number when viewing your page on your mobile device so you could quickly dial it? This involves the use of an HTML Snippet (found in the Widget section of iWeb).
iWeb number
To drag one to your page, access the Snippet window, and then type in the line of code:
[your number]
Once you've entered that, click Apply, and your number will be instantly tappable.
37. Customise snippets
When adding text to a Snippet, the style never seems to match the rest of the site. But have no fear, you can change it by adding the following code to it:

You can of course change the font name, size and colour to any style or colour that you want to match your own preferred style.
The colour codes can be found in OS X's Colour Palette window in the Web Safe Colours section.
38. Static backgrounds
By default, if you add a background image to your site, it'll scroll down as you scroll down the text.
Static background
To keep the image static, do the following: go to the Page Inspector and add your image to the Browser Background section.
Next, save your site to a folder on your Mac. Open up the file using TextEdit as described in Step 40. Use the Find command to locate 'repeat scroll'. Change it to 'repeat fixed' and save the file. Your background will now remain static.
39. External navigation links
The navigation menu only links to pages within your own site. There's no obvious way to link to an external page – but you can manufacture one.
Static backgrounds
Create a new blank page and give it a relevant name. Next, remove all content from it and drag an HTML Snippet onto it and type in this code:

The page will appear in your navigation menu since it exists in your site, but as soon as you click on it, that code will handily reroute your command to the external web page URL you typed in.
40. Working on the code
If you've got any coding experience, you may wish to get your hands on the HTML code to tweak a few things here and there. You actually don't need a fancy program to do this, as TextEdit will do fine. But if you use it to open an HTML page, TextEdit will translate and display the content as if it were a web browser, which is not what you want.
Instead, open TextEdit and go to File > Open. Select a file you wish to view from there, but before you do anything else, make sure the Ignore Rich Text Commands box is ticked. Now open it and you'll see the proper code.



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Review: Q Acoustics 2000 Series 5.1
Q Acoustics is a member of the Armour group – the umbrella name for a sprawling collection of brands, some of which it distributes while others are owned and operated in-house. Q Acoustics falls into the latter category.
In common with other budget and near price labels, the brand's speakers are designed in this country, but manufactured in the Far East, which offers the combined benefits of UK-friendly acoustic fine tuning, with the kind of pricing that is readily available in China.
There is another connection too: the Q Acoustics 2000 Series 5.1 owes much to Karl-Heinz Fink, a freelance designer of loudspeakers and well respected in the industry as something of a 'golden ears'.
The remit of the brand is what might be described as the affordable mainstream, comparable if you like to similarly priced models from the likes of Wharfedale, to give one obvious and very prominent example. The 2000 series, which is all new, is not avant garde design by any means, and it is unlikely to be the first name to spring to the mind of the fashion conscious. But it is clearly better looking than some of the previous ranges from this marque and more solidly built, too.
The 2000 series replaces the 1000 series, and is available piecemeal or as a pre-configured system, usually as the 5.1-channel package we're looking at here. But if you want to add extra satellites for 7.1 channels or more, or double the dose in the bass with an extra subwoofer (of which more later), this is easily done.
Shapeshifting flexibility
The design fundamentals are straightforward enough, but there is plenty of evidence of attention to fine detail, with the result that the package is easily set up to make the best of a range of room shapes and sizes.
Some interesting touches help ensure that the speakers don't intrude excessively, always a preoccupation with many buyers and their other halves.
The four main front and rear speakers are identical, two-way designs. The centre speaker is bigger – longer when used in its normal landscape orientation – to accommodate a second bass driver.
In all cases the tweeter is a 25mm woven polyester dome unit with ferrofluid cooling, while the bass and midband are handled by small 100mm units with cones made from a paper/mica mix. The latter adds some stiffness to the material, to reduce distortion levels compared to previous speakers from the company.
The speakers are rear vented, with removable foam plugs, the general rule being to use the bungs to help control the bass when the speakers are very close to the rear wall. And each speaker is equipped with good quality 4mm binding post terminals – no cheap and nasty spring terminals here – which are designed so that lead up cables don't add to the speaker depth.
Q acoustics 2000 series 5.1 rear
Optional tilt and swivel wall brackets allow the speaker to be wall-mounted as an alternative to being stood on shelves; these come with detachable covers which hide the recessed terminal blocks on the bottom of the cabinets.
The subwoofer is a compact design, limited depth being made feasible by using twin bass drivers (and matching ports). It is a Class D design, which is standard practice at this price level being cheaper to implement, needing less cooling, and integrating, in this case, with a digital control system. This allows a full range of setup possibilities including the ability to adjust system tuning to accommodate music or home cinema, and to switch absolute phase (ie. whether the speakers 'suck' or 'blow' at the crossover frequency), and also to daisy-chain a second.
The benefit of using two subs includes a more even sound through the bass region and a higher level of bass when the tap is opened wide, but the bass does not extend any further into the low frequencies.
The system works really well for its modest asking price. The satellite speakers are identical, except for the centre one, which is similar to the front and rear speakers, but more importantly, they're all consistent in sound with each other.
You won't get great sound when the speakers are first used, though; there's a rough, rather 'boxy' quality straight from the factory, but they do loosen up within a reasonable period, and after a few hours at moderate volume levels, performance becomes smoother and more fluid, with far less obvious evidence of colourations.
Treble quality is still not this system's best feature: there's plenty of detail, but some low-level roughness. But the sound holds up well when heard from off the main front axis, which helps the sound fill the listening room in a consistent way.
The low frequency region – the upper bass and the midband – have real strength, and again this helps the whole system sound bold and dynamic. And while it's not the most sophisticated setup out there, it does offer clearly intelligible speech, a strong presence and good stereo imagery, plus impressive spatial effects in movies that demand them, such as the recent Star Trek.
The bass is a different matter as the satellites don't reach far into it, and the system is wholly reliant on the subwoofer to provide real depth and muscle in the lower register. In fact, although the Q Acoustics satellites are small, don't expect too much bass coverage from them; there are similarly compact designs whose bass reaches further.
The rated bass response of this speaker is given as 68Hz, but in practice I think this may be a tad optimistic. Of course the subwoofer plugs the gap, which is what it is supposed to do, but there is a suggestion of discontinuity around the crossover point between the subwoofer and the satellites, and as a result the lowest octave can sound 'slow' and out of character with the midband.
The optimum crossover settings is close to 100Hz, but the character of the sound changes so that the sound loses punch as the subwoofer takes over the reins.
I found the system highly dependent on how it is set up, though I applaud the design features that make setup changes easy to achieve. In particular, the various ports can be used with foam bungs or without, the general rule being that using them gives a slightly more damped feel, which tends to work better when the speakers are positioned close to walls.
More important are the various settings available on the subwoofer. The options are covered in the instructions, but my advice is not to finalise the system setup until the speakers are thoroughly bedded in.
A real movie goer
It's all down to that familiar three word phrase – value for money. I was never fully convinced that the system would double effectively as a music system, which is one of the maker's claims, but it ticks all the boxes for affordable home cinema.
It goes loud, sounds bold and dynamic and offers clear and distinct dialogue, while sporting respectable bass and attractive packaging.
Another plus point are the optional variants that could be a real pulling point in many design conscious homes, especially as they don't cost very much more than the standard finish.
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Review: Sony Bravia KDL-40HX803
Sony may be making a belated splash with 3D, but at the very least it looks committed with no fewer than three full TV ranges, of which the HX800 series, reviewed here, is its mainstream proposition.
All the HX803 models need to be teamed with a separate IR emitter and 3D glasses (available as an accessory bundle) before you can go three dimensional.
As Sony's Tim Page explained, when delivering the set to HCC Towers, 'these sets are for those that want to add 3D at a later date, or just want to future-proof their new TV purchases.'
The HX803 comes in 40in and 46in and variants. The step-up HX903 series comes in 46in and 52in screen sizes and has Full Array LED backlighting. The brand's so-called Signature range, also known as the LX models, are available as 40 and 60in screen sizes. They are Dynamic Edge LED screens and ship with two pairs of Active Shutter glasses included.
The HX803 is only 7.4cm deep and sports a regulation gloss black bezel, but build quality is a tad ordinary. The set itself can stand straight or, as per many other Sony models this year, tilt 6ثڑ backwards (in case you have a fashionably low TV stand). It all depends on how you assemble the pedestal stand.
A Home button summons the main Xross user interface, while Options pulls in a complete list of options from the right hand side. The Input button pulls in a map of sources from the left.
In awe of the S-570
I partnered the screen with the BDP-S570, a آ£230 3D Blu-ray player. Like all of Sony's 2010 models, the deck is Super Audio CD compatible.
Sony bdp-s570
You have a choice of outputting two-channel SACD via phono or multichannel over HDMI. If you hook it up with a (Sony) AVR able to take DSD over HDMI you'll get a digital stream from the disc, which is really neat. If the player interrogates the AVR's EDID data and discovers that it cannot handle DSD, the player outputs multichannel PCM instead.
Other attractions, according to Sony, include its network talents and audio visual performance. 'The build quality is highly considered,' Sony's man made sure to let me know, explaining, 'circuit tracks are nice and short and architecture is tidy.'
The more I used the S570, the more I was in awe of it. There is only one model above the BDP-S570, and that's the S770 (typically آ£30 more at retail). Differences are largely aesthetic: the top of the S-range model has a high-gloss cabinet to better match the brand's 3D TV range, but beneath the hood it's essentially the same player.
There is quite a large caveat, though. You'll not want to own it unless you have (or soon plan to buy) an HDMI v1.4 compatible receiver.
Unlike the Panasonic DMT-BDP300 and Samsung BD-C6900 3D players, there is no provision for routing lossless audio (DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD) to a non-HDMI v1.4 AV receiver, while still preserving the 3D video signal path. Your only option if you route the HDMI straight to the screen is to use a lossy optical/coax digital audio lead, which carries only DTS/DD5.1.
Networked entertainment
Sony has aggressively developed its online content portal, Bravia Internet Video. Hook up the HX803 to the internet via the Ethernet connection, or an optional Wi-Fi dongle (UWABR100) and you'll encounter a number of free and pay-TV content options. There's Demand 5, YouTube, Eurosport, LoveFiLM, trailers, DailyMotion plus copious other stuff.
Like the BD player, the HX803 also makes much of its DNLA network certification. However, its home network and streaming functions are far less straightforward than the Bravia 'net portal.
The set is happiest with local storage media. Plug in a USB flash drive and it'll find and play more common video file types, including AVIs and MKV HDs. It even plays out SRT subtitle files.
However, over the network it's a different story. The only video files it seemed interested in were MPEGs. It certainly couldn't see or play AVIs or MKVs from a NAS. MP3 audio playback over the network was fine.
The Blu-ray player had much of the same functions, but added it's own level of confusion. While the Bravia Internet interface is consistent, the portals differ slightly: BBC iPlayer features on the BD player (with HD), but it is currently missing on the TV (but expected soon).
As a media streamer, the S570 behaves much like the television with comparable File playback limitations. Across the network, my MKVs solicited a 'Not Playable' dialogue box, while AVIs ran well enough (and SRT subtitles were ignored). None of my test video files were recognised from a front-loaded USB and only MP3 and AAC music tracks were actually playable. This may be a sample fault, however.
There is some nice integration with the Gracenote Database: play a CD and the album art is retrieved. There are also some visualisation modes, although these are so ponderously slow, I can only conclude they have been designed purely to accompany soporific classical tunes and soft jazz.
Getting with 3D
To add the third dimension you'll need to spring for the emitter plus a pair of glasses, which together will add another آ£150 onto your bill.
Sony kdl-40hx803 and bdp-s570
The IR emitter plugs into what looks like a deformed S-video connection on the rear of the screen. It uses no fewer than 15 infrared transmitters, offering 3D viewers a wide theoretical spread.
Picture-wise the set can be considered good in both standard and 3D modes, with some reservations. The set uses 'dynamic' LED edge-lighting, but only across the top and bottom of the screen. The LED backlights get an automatic boost when in a 3D mode, and to aid 3D image smoothness and motion clarity, Sony repeats each frame twice in a left/left/right/right sequence. Out of a 3D picture mode, this changes to more conventional frame interpolation.
I auditioned the screen with both 3D Blu-rays and Sky 3D. Overall, I was impressed with the sense of depth, and appreciated the fact that alterations to brightness and tint caused by the 3D glasses are not too disastrous for picture integrity.
The big issue when it comes to 3D on LCD panels is crosstalk, which manifests itself here, although attempts to disguise it are partially successful. In scenes with fast moving action, you'll not be able to spot crosstalk all the time, although you will occasionally notice the double imaging effect.
Sony 3d galsses
As with Samsung's 3D sets, the Sony range offer '3D upconversion' of 2D sources. Ostensibly, this gives viewers starved of content something to watch with their spex. However, I was very unimpressed by this processing mode. A good deal less convincing than the 2D-to-3D mode on the Samsung, it makes images look decidedly unnatural. I tried it out with source material as diverse as HD, Blu-ray and games, but nothing was very successful. I don't see myself revisiting it for casual viewing.
Getting the best picture performance from this set takes some care. Out of the box, images look fizzy and unrefined. On all settings, I spotted obvious digital noise, though this can be quickly removed via the sharpness control, which should be reduced to its minimum setting.
It's important to realise that altering the Sharpness control does not affect actual image clarity. Indeed, taking it right down removes the kind of digital fizz and edge enhancement which destroys genuine detail.
A typical brightness setting should be no more than 45 on the sliding scale, with contrast set high (there's no bloom to worry about with LCD). After a period of calibration I felt quite happy with the picture.
Hi-def images from its Freeview HD tuner had visual pop, good greyscale and black level, along with plenty of texture and depth. Overscan has also been perfectly judged. You can watch in any of the three picture modes and know that nothing is being obscured by the bezel.
Where the set does have a weakness is in motion resolution. While still image resolution comprises a full and clear 1080 lines, this erodes with motion. A scrolling monoscope image revealed the picture stressed with movement, while test patterns lost cohesion.
In real world viewing, this isn't as horrible as it might sound, but clearly there is lost detail when viewing fast motion. Bear this in mind, if you're looking for a set primarily for sports.
The Blu-ray player is getting short shrift in this review, which is undoubtedly unfair. From a picture performance point of view I thought it very good, particularly given the price point. The inclusion of SACD is a major plus point. Anyone with a collection of these discs will be thrilled. Perhaps it might even encourage more releases in the format.
Sony kdl-40hx803
The player has IP Noise Reduction to help clean up low-bitrate internet video sources, but does not have the kind of highly expensive video processing seen on last year's BDP-S760. The only catch is that missing secondary HD audio output.
Flexible friend
It's not difficult to see where Sony is coming from with the HX800 range. A 3D-capable model that the buyer can upgrade whenever they want makes sense. But the TV has to be keenly priced to start off with, and it needs to undercut rival screens with integrated IR emitters (there's no aesthetic plus point to having a separate emitter). So check carefully before buying.
As a regular 2D set, the HX800 is solid enough, with commendable network content options, but it's a shame that its local networking skills are less developed.
The prudent BDP-S570 comes with fewer reservations. The most affordabel 3D BD player currently out there, it's also the best, as long as your amp supports HDMI v1.4.
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Interview: 'Business will overcome its opposition to Creative Commons or perish'
Joi Ito wants to revolutionise the internet. His vision is of a world unperturbed by a complicated, costly and outdated copyright system, where everybody can collaborate and share content on the web as they wish.

He doesn't want to get rid of copyright, he just wants you to be able to adapt it to your needs. He wants to build a sharing economy.
Ito is the CEO of Creative Commons, the nonprofit organisation that's creating and overseeing the use of free-of-charge licences and tools to ensure content creators can easily mark how they'd like their works to be used online.
Its collaboration with the World Wide Web Consortium could have a significant impact on how we deal with rights on the web: it could automate the licensing and make it machine-readable. "We work very closely with the W3C to create RDFa, which stands for Resource Description Framework in attributes," Ito explains.
"It allows you to put Creative Commons Rights Expression Language, or ccREL, inside of HTML and XML, so anyone can mark each object with the copyright and other attributes associated with the object directly in the markup. It will help greatly in searching for open content, doing proper attribution, allowing people to copy and paste stuff directly from the web and making it easier for software to keep the rights metadata attached.
"Our hope is that it will be widely adopted by people who make services, tools and content for the web. For web design this is really important. You used to have to put Creative Commons in the comments page, which is really stupid. Now you can wrap each object with the rights, and we'd love it if web designers started using valid RDFa to express the licences."
Already Slideshare is using RDFa to express its Creative Commons licences, as does the Creative Commons License Generator, but Ito stresses that RDFa can be used to express more than just copyright.
And so other key adoptors include Facebook (which uses RDFa for its new Open Graph protocol), Google, Tesco, Drupal and the White House, which has announced plans to make increasing use of RDFa (check out rdfa.info, wiki.creativecommons.org/RDFa and the RDFa primer at www.w3.org/TR/xhtml-rdfa-primer). However, it's still a recommendation and there's no news on when it will be included in the spec for HTML5.
Ben Adida, chair of the RDFa Task Force at the W3C, claims that "for all practical purposes, RDFa is already part of HTML5" and that it "probably doesn't matter" that the theoretical discussion around which spec it's included in, core HTML5 or an add-on, is still up in the air. However, HTML5 editor Ian Hickson recently admitted that RDFa still seems to have "some pretty serious problems".
Be interoperable
Today, about 350million pieces of content are licensed under Creative Commons in more than 50 jurisdictions. The biggest part, over 135million images, is taken up by Flickr. Other high profile users of Creative Commons licences include the White House, Nine Inch Nails and Al-Jazeera, which has put all of its Gaza footage under Attribution only. And last year Wikipedia migrated all its content over to a Share Alike licence.
"Wikipedia existed before Creative Commons," Ito says, "and they were using the GNU Free Documentation licence from the Free Software Foundation, which wasn't perfect for wikis because it's meant for printed books.
"The biggest problem was that it didn't have interoperability, so you couldn't mix it with Creative Commons Share Alike and then relicense it, because both require relicensing under their own licence. So it took about four to five years, and we got the Free Software Foundation to agree a time limited window, where wiki projects could convert from GFDL to Creative Commons. And then there was a board vote, and then a whole community vote at Wikipedia to decide whether they should switch. It took a very long time!"
In the past Ito had to convince people to use Creative Commons licences, but the opposition he previously experienced is waning.
"There are many new businesses using Creative Commons and for some it's a central part of their business model. We're not 'anti-business'. Like the internet, Creative Commons creates interoperability and lowers friction.
"This causes some businesses or business models to become less relevant. This is true for just about any technology and important social advance. I believe that business will overcome its own opposition to Creative Commons or that business will perish."
The biggest challenge now is to get people to use Creative Commons licences correctly. "It's like writing valid HTML – most people can't do it," says Ito. "It's important for us to try to get key players like the White House to use Creative Commons and RDFa in a very valid form.
"We're really trying to focus on being an infrastructure player and on making sure that the legal and technical stuff works. Because 99 per cent interoperable is like zero! We need to make sure everything is precise so we spend less time advocating and more time executing. I'd like Creative Commons to become so standard that everybody uses it and we're just the custodian to make sure it doesn't fail."
Ito believes the potential of the non-profit organisation for business, society and the environment is massive.
"Every layer – Ethernet, TCP and World Wide Web – created an explosion of innovation," he enthuses. "It created start-ups and non-profits and all kinds of socially beneficial disruption. I think that Creative Commons will also mark an explosion of innovation that will happen on the content level. As an investor, for instance, I can't invest in many of the music companies because of the risk of copyright litigation. And there are a lot of really interesting sharing business models that just can't happen because Creative Commons isn't widely adopted yet. Once it is, there is a whole bunch of neat things that can happen."
You're inclined to believe Ito. He's one of the most influential people on the web. His LinkedIn page lists no less than 35 jobs and involvements. One of the companies he's most passionate about is music streaming venture thesixtyone.
"It's looking at music from the perspective of the fans and independent musicians, not of the distributor or the record label like most other music sites," Ito says. "This is really a place where the musicians participate and interact with the fans."
Getting funding
For a prolific investor like Ito it must be frustrating having to go around and beg for Creative Commons funding. The organisation still has no real business model.
"We kicked around ideas like citations," says Ito, "which is a big problem for Wikipedia, for instance. People take a picture from Flickr, post it and then the original photographer will change the licence and tell Wikipedia to take it down. Creative Commons licences are perpetual – we don't want people to change the licence. It's important to be able to take a snapshot and say 'This content was available under this licence on this day'.
"Things like that may have value and may be something that we would build a business around, but we're still thinking about it. It would be great to have a revenue stream, because personally going around and doing fundraising every year is a lot of work.
"On the other hand, we always want to make our licences available for free and have the widest adoption possible. There is an inherent difficulty in coming up with a business model when you're trying to give everything away."
Ito continues to travel the world to talk about open innovation. One of Creative Commons' most recent tools, CC0, enables a copyright holder to waive all their rights, including attribution. It's as close to public domain as possible and already having a big effect on how science and education work.
If Ito's vision becomes reality, the culture of sharing made possible by Web 2.0 was just the first step.




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Review: Quora
The Quora website hopes to be the place you go for definitive answers on everything from tech startups to which TV to buy, and it's already raised sacks of cash from excited venture capitalists.
So is Quora like Wolfram Alpha – a new way of finding and analysing information – or is it just Yahoo Answers with a better education?
The site combines Q&As with social networking, so you can search for people and follow them to see what topics they're interested in. For example you can follow Twitter's Evan Williams, who is currently tracking topics including Twitter, Facebook, startups and bacon.
When somebody answers a question, you can 'vote up' their answer, just like you would on Digg, and you can endorse users in much the same way as you can hit 'Like' on Facebook or say something nice about a colleague on LinkedIn.
For now membership is heavily tilted towards the Silicon Valley tech community, but that may change when it exits beta.
Question my answer
A lot of Q&A sites choose to close topics once the original poster has approved an answer, and there are often lots of duplicate questions and sheer idiocy to wade through. Quora's different.
Questions evolve, with users editing them and combining duplicates into single entries. You can follow topics, questions or users that interest you, and anonymous comments are banned.
Quora's problem is that it has too many rivals. For facts there's Google, Wolfram Alpha or Wikipedia; for products there's Hunch, Epinions, and DooYoo. If you want to see people quizzed, you can go to Formspring.me. For opinions, there's Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Digg, Ask Metafilter, Answers.com, Stack Overflow, Mahalo.com, the Google-owned Aardvark and more.
Quora is trying to enter not just a very crowded market, but one that web behemoth Facebook is also about to enter with Facebook Questions – so its chances of being the Q&A site to rule them all are looking slim.
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In Depth: 100 best ever free PC system tools
There's a tool for just about anything you can think of in Windows. And if you look hard enough, you'll find a freebie is more than capable of doing the job you want – in some cases, free tools outclass their shareware or commercial rivals.
The trick is knowing what's out there and where to find it, which is where we come in. We've done the hard work for you, trawling the web for hundreds of free Windows tools and selecting the finest 100 to include in this feature.
You'll find programs to help you fix problems, speed up the way you use Windows, and unlock cool and exciting features you never knew existed. You'll save money in many ways too.
We're not going to pretend you need to download all 100 of these tools and install or run them all simultaneously; that's a recipe for disaster. Here's one tip, however: if you're in the mood to experiment with a selection, install Comodo Time Machine first, so you can undo any changes you make to your PC if you discover a program isn't to your tastes or doesn't meet your needs.
We'd also recommend backing up your computer before you begin – as you'd expect, we've highlighted a number of free backup tools in the System health section to help you here too.
One thing we will guarantee you: there will be at least one tool in this collection that – if you haven't already discovered it – will become indispensable. We predict you'll find at least ten tools to revolutionise the way you use your PC.
Now that's got to be worth an hour or two of your time…
System health tools
Monitor the status of your hard drive, CPU, memory and software
CrystalDiskMonitorhttp://crystalmark.info/?lang=en
Your hard drive is arguably the most important component in your PC, seeing as all your precious data and settings (never mind Windows and programs) are stored on it. Knowing when a hard drive is about to physically fail could save you heartache, as well as hundreds of pounds in expensive data recovery fees.
CrystalDiskMonitor
CrystalDiskMonitor enables you to keep an eye on your hard drives' health in the background, providing you with a health rating based on its SMART status, as well as information about each drive's temperature.
If a drive is running too hot – over 50-55 degrees Celsius in a desktop or over 60 degrees in a laptop – you'll need to invest in cooling measures to reduce its stress and lengthen its life.
What gives CrystalDiskMonitor the edge over similar products is the fact it can also monitor external USB and FireWire drives, so your essential backup device is also covered.
FixWinWebsite
FixWin
This handy – and portable – utility can fix common Windows problems in a single click. Over 50 issues – such as a missing Recycle Bin – are covered, and although it's designed for Windows 7, many fixes work in Vista and XP too.
Partition Wizard
www.partitionwizard.com/download.html
Partition wizard
Create, resize, move and recover partitions without data loss, thanks to the free Home Edition of this powerful partition manager. We've picked it over other similar offerings as it also works in 64-bit versions of Windows.
Microsoft FixIt CenterWebsite
This centralised tool gives access to all of Microsoft Support Center's automated fixes in a single tool. Select your problem to download and apply the fix.
SystemRescueCDwww.sysresccd.org
A customised boot Linux disc that gives you access to your hard drive and PC, even when Windows won't boot. Burn the CD using ISO Recorder.
Windows Memory DiagnosticWebsite
A downloadable boot disc (burn with ISO Recorder) to test for memory errors. If you have a Windows 7 or Vista install disc it's under "Repair your computer".
Belarc AdvisorWebiste
This useful system information utility lists your PC's hardware spec, installed software, product keys and Microsoft updates, on a web page to save or print.
HWINFO32www.hwinfo.com
This is a detailed hardware system information and diagnostics tool – frequently updated to work with the latest chipsets, motherboards, and processors.
CPU-Zwww.cpuid.com
Another system information tool, CPU-Z focuses on core components (with CPU, memory and graphics). Again, you can save reports to give to others or print.
GFI Backup Home Editionhttp://gfi.com/backup-hm
Currently the best free files and settings backup tool, this is essential if you use XP or if you want more control over your Vista or Windows 7 backup.
ERUNTWebsite
This backs up your Registry each time Windows starts. It's invaluable if you use XP, as you can easily fix a corrupt Registry from the Recovery Console.
DriverMaxWebsite
Easily back up, restore, and find updates for your drivers with this free tool. It also identifies unknown hardware devices – a free subscription is required.
AmpSoft WinOffWebsite
This will set Windows to shut down, restart, log off, hibernate, or lock at a certain time or after an interval. Great for file servers and non-attended PCs.
AutoPatcherwww.autopatcher.com
This stores all Microsoft updates and certain system components offline, enabling you to quickly bring your PC back up to date after reinstalling Windows.
SpeedFanwww.almico.com/speedfan.php
You can monitor the temperature of your PC and – if supported – adjust fan speeds, to give better cooling or less noise directly from within Windows itself.
Comodo Time MachineWebsite
A life without System Restore is unthinkable, and Comodo Time Machine offers something even better – instead of only monitoring certain changes on your system, it monitors every file and setting, enabling you to roll back your PC to a working state quickly, easily and with complete confidence!
Step 1. Take snapshots
Comodo time machine 1
Like System Restore, Comodo Time Machine can take both automatic snapshots and manual ones; take one before installing a new program, for example.
Step 2. Reverse changes
Comodo time machine 2
Select Restore System to roll your PC back to a previous state. Remember though, all changes (such as data stored on monitored drives) will be rolled back.
Step 3. Individual files
Comodo time machine 3
You can also restore lost, deleted or changed files and folders: choose Recover Files and enter all or part of the filename you want to restore.
CacheMyWorkhttp://cachemywork.codeplex.com
CacheMyWork
Frustrated by Windows' inability to retain your open programs and documents after a restart? CacheMyWork solves this, so you can restart after updates without having to start from scratch.
TeamViewerwww.teamviewer.com
TeamViewer
Quite simply, this is the simplest and most effective free tool for connecting remotely to another PC, whether that's your home machine from work, or a friend's PC that's been playing up. You can even use it from your iPhone.
Registry Tweakerwww.registrytweaker.net
Registry tweaker
This handy tool gives access to key Registry tweaks for a more user-friendly experience, by describing what tweaks do rather than listing Registry keys and values. It's a good substitute for the Group Policy Editor.
CS Fire Monitorwww.pcwintech.com/cs-fire-monitor
CS fire monitor
This freebie has a whopping 11 monitors, to keep a beady eye on everything from hardware to software and the internet. Once set up it monitors in real-time, with a graphic display in the guise of a line graph and it also stores the results in a database to output as reports.
Its monitoring tools include NetStats, which doesn't just track your network and internet activity, but also identifies which programs are hogging your bandwidth. It can track processes, services and installed software too.
The program also has a built-in screensaver, which feeds data from the program into a series of graphs that display when the screensaver kicks in.
Buddy Backupwww.buddybackup.com
Buddy backup
Do you want the security of an online backup program, but can't afford the monthly cost? Buddy Backup enables you, and like-minded individuals, to back up to each others' PCs over the internet for free. The new version now also backs up to external devices such as a hard drive, for when your buddies aren't online.
Partition Find and Mounthttp://findandmount.com
If you lose access to non-Windows partitions, this recovery tool fi nds them. It can mount the partition and transfer the data off it to a more reliable source.
Zero Assumption Recovery
www.z-a-recovery.com
This commercial program gives one component for free in its trial version: the ability to recover lost and deleted image files from a camera's memory card.
ISOBusterwww.isobuster.com
Data recovery from damaged CDs can be tricky, but ISOBuster is one of the best tools. Some functions are free but others require registration (US$29.95).
Unknown Device Identifierwww.zhangduo.com/udi.html
This useful freebie helps you identify hardware that shows up as "unknown" when detected by Windows. Once identified, you can source the correct drivers.
Recuvawww.recuva.com
Recuva
Data recovery used to be an expensive business, but Recuva is the best in the growing number of data recovery tools that don't cost a bean. It enables you to recover your deleted and lost files with the help of a user-friendly wizard.
Windows Registry Recoverywww.mitec.cz/wrr.html
This handy free tool enables you to recover the Registry settings from files stored inside a drive image (such as that taken by Macrium Reflect Free). It's perfect if you've forgotten to export a key setting prior to reinstalling Windows on your PC.
EasyBCDhttp://neosmart.net/
Vista and Windows 7 use a different bootloader to XP. Therefore if you have two or more Operating Systems – including Linux – installed on your hard drive using this alternative bootloader, you'll need this to manage them all.
Customise how Windows looks and works with these unmissable desktop customisation tools
Fenceswww.stardock.com
Fences
It doesn't take long for the average desktop to become cluttered with shortcuts, folders and files. Fences is designed to bring order to chaos, by turning your desktop into a series of fenced-off areas, into which you organise your desktop icons any way you want.
Once created, fences can be reshaped, moved and resized, and if you want clarity of thought for a moment, just double-click on the desktop to hide everything from view (double-click again to bring the corrals back).
Once it's installed, reboot your PC and the setup wizard will guide you through the process of setting things up. You can back up your existing desktop settings too – so if you don't like what you see, you can return to the familiar cluttered mess in no time at all.
Windows DreamScene ActivatorWebsite
Vista Ultimate supports DreamScene, so you can use animations and video on desktop backgrounds. This tool enables it in all versions of Windows 7 too.
Seven Transformation PackWebsite
If you can handle potential instability, you can get much of the look and feel of Windows 7 in XP and Vista with this collection of tools in a single installer.
Yahoo! Widgetshttp://widgets.yahoo.com
If you use XP and are jealous of the Desktop Sidebar – or use Vista or Windows 7 and want something different – try this free sidebar tool from Yahoo!
Kludgetshttp://kludgets.com
This is another desktop sidebar tool, but uniquely supports Apple Mac gadgets, as well as those used to extend the functionality of the Opera browser.
Litestepwww.litestep.net
If you want to step out on a limb, take a look at this free tool; it replaces the entire Windows desktop shell with a radically different user interface.
LogonStudiowww.stardock.com
Change the Windows logon screen to any image you like, with this simple-to-use freebie from the makers of ObjectDock.
Stardock ObjectDockwww.stardock.com
Similar to the "dock" Taskbar replacement found on an Apple Mac, this dock is attractive and easy to use. And the good news is you can easily augment (or even completely ditch) the Windows Taskbar in favour of something similar thanks to this fabulous free tool. Download and install the free version, and read on to find out how.
Step 1. First steps
Dock 1
Once the installation is complete, double-click the desktop shortcut and the dock will appear at the bottom of the screen above the Taskbar.
Step 2. Configure dock
Dock 2
Some shortcuts are built-in, but you can drag and drop others from the Taskbar or desktop onto the dock. Click "Configure Dock" to make changes.
Step 3. Hide the Taskbar
Dock 3
Switch to the General tab and tick "Hide the Windows Taskbar" – it'll disappear from view, and your new dock will take its place permanently.
Switcherwww.insentient.net
This handy little tool enables you to view thumbnails of all open windows and programs side-by-side on the desktop, so it's easy to switch between them.
Launchywww.launchy.net
Launch programs and access files from your desktop with this floating widget – enter a few letters to see programs and files for those search terms.
IcoFXhttp://icofx.ro
The best free tool to design icons from scratch or convert existing image files. It supports icons up to 256x256 in size, perfect for Vista and Windows 7.
DeskSavewww.desksave.de
This simple tool creates a backup of the current icon layout on your desktop. If it changes – such as switching screen resolution – it's quick to restore it.
MultiMonitor TaskbarWebsite
If you work with a multi-monitor setup, you'll want this free tool, which extends the Windows Taskbar to all of the additional screens you've got set up.
VirtuaWinhttp://virtuawin.sourceforge.net
You don't need a second monitor to take advantage of extra desktop space: VirtuaWin enables you to set up, customise, and work on nine virtual desktops.
Right Click Extenderhttp://snipurl.com/rcextender
Customise and manage the context menu when you right-click with this. It works perfectly in Windows 7, but is semi-compatible with XP and Vista too.
Google Desktophttp://desktop.google.com
Google desktop
Google's Desktop tool has an indexed search engine to provide lightning-fast searches of your hard drive (as well as the web via Google itself). This is combined with a Sidebar application that can be customised with standalone gadgets, in much the same way as Windows 7 and Vista's built-in Sidebar.
If you're using Windows XP you'll get the most from this utility; if you use Vista and Windows 7 you may prefer to stick with what's already provided in the Operating System.
Standalone Stackwww.chrisnsoft.com/standalonestack
Standalone stackThis tool creates a desktop shortcut that – when double-clicked – displays a tiled stack of the items in the folder. You can even pin the shortcut to the Taskbar to use from there, keeping your pristine desktop as uncluttered as possible. Think of it as Jump Lists on steroids.
BioniX Wallpaperwww.bionixwallpaper.com
Bionx wallpaper
Bored with staring at the same wallpaper day in, day out? Desktop Wallpaper Changer enables you to cycle between different background images of your choice, at a time that suits you. The program is packed with options, making it perfect should you tire of looking at the standard Windows desktop.
Keep Windows running smoothly with these streamlining tools
CodeStuff StarterWebsite
Codestuff starter
As programs are added to your PC, Windows takes longer to boot and your computer feels more sluggish in operation. Much of this is down to the number of programs that start with Windows – not only do they add seconds to the startup time, they also use valuable resources, hampering performance as a result.
You can disable startup items using Windows' own MSconfig tool, but CodeStuff Starter is vastly superior; you get a more verbose description of each startup entry, can delete as well as disable unwanted entries, and quickly search the web for more information on any unknown items.
MSconfig Cleanwww.get-in-control.com/msconfig-cleanup
If you've used MSconfig to manage your startup items, you may wonder how to permanently delete entries you've previously disabled. Simple: use this.
Startup DelayerWebsite
This program enables you to introduce timed delays for specific startup programs, so resources at startup time are shared more efficiently.
Windows SteadyStateWebsite
This tool for Vista and XP will restrict access to your PC based on user profile, plus undo system changes at every reboot with Windows Disk Protection.
PageDefragWebsite
This tiny little tool defrags the paging file and Registry hives in XP, so you can defrag these key system files and give your system a speed boost.
AntiFreezewww.resplendence.com/downloads
If Task Manager won't respond, this might enable you to recover your system. But only use it in an emergency – otherwise it can crash a functioning PC.
Ultimate Windows Tweakerwww.winvistaclub.com/uwtf.html
Dubbed "TweakUI for Windows 7 and Vista", this handy tweaking tool is packed with optimisation and customisation features.
Auslogics Disk Defragwww.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag/
Why choose this over the defragmentation tool built into Windows?
First, unlike the XP tool, it runs on a schedule. Better still, it can be configured to run in the background, defragging your drives when your PC is idle, thus keeping performance at top notch.
It can also be used to defragment individual files and folders too, making it your perfect one-stop defrag shop.
TweakUIWebsite
Microsoft's unofficial PowerToy is packed full of handy system optimisations and tweaks, making it an essential tool if you use Windows XP.
Free Registry Defragwww.registry-clean.net/
Registry defrag
Free Registry Defrag skips the "search and delete supposedly useless Registry entries" part of Registry cleaning – where most problems occur. Instead it simply compacts and defrags the Registry itself, which is where the actual optimisation takes place.
Start Menu Cleanerwww.iceview.com/start-menu-cleaner
Some program uninstallers leave Start menu shortcuts behind: this free tool searches it for redundant shortcuts, so you can clear them out.
Tidy Start Menuwww.tidystartmenu.com
Take control of your Start menu with this tool: once installed you can filter programs into a number of set categories, making them easier to find in future.
AM-DeadLinkwww.aignes.com/deadlink.htm
AM-DeadLink supports all major browsers, to search for duplicates and non-working bookmarks. You can clean out your favourites and ensure they work.
Eraserhttp://eraser.heidi.ie
Simply deleting files isn't enough to ensure they're destroyed – you need this tool to securely wipe files, folders or free space, manually or on a schedule.
PC Decrapifierwww.pcdecrapifier.com
If you bought your PC from a major manufacturer, this free tool enables you to quickly get rid of the bundled extra software you don't want.
Driver SweeperWebsite
This thoroughly removes drivers and hardware devices. Remove a driver in the usual way, then boot into Safe Mode and let it clean up any leftovers.
Revo Uninstallerwww.revouninstaller.com
Revo
When uninstalling software from your PC, you may be surprised by how much detritus is left behind. Revo Uninstaller can perform a more thorough uninstall of programs by searching for leftover files and redundant Registry entries from the program's own uninstaller.
The program also features a Hunter mode for those applications that don't have their own uninstaller, enabling you to remove hard-to-shift software too.
CCleaner
www.ccleaner.com
CCleaner
It doesn't matter how diligent you are, rubbish builds up on your hard drive in the form of leftover files, Registry entries and more besides. CCleaner makes it incredibly easy to search for and remove these unwanted items, freeing up space and resources.
OOLauncherWebsite
This manages your startup items, so you can change the order of programs, delay their start times, and even reduce the priority of resource-hogging startup programs, to speed things up. And you can even set an entry to start up minimised or in an open window.
Process Lassowww.bitsum.com
Some programs you install are more demanding than others, which is where Process Lasso comes in. This free tool sits quietly in the background, monitoring running processes, reining in the more demanding ones, and so ensuring your PC is swifter and more stable to boot.
Process ExplorerWebsite
This freebie enables you to keep a beady eye on which files and folders have been opened by all your running programs, and you can uncover which processes are using which DLL files. In terms of spying on the inner workings of Windows, there's no equal.
KillProcessWebsite
A process assassin, this tool should be used with care – it's capable of killing any running process, even your protected ones. And unlike Task Manager it can kill multiple processes at once. When it's appropriate, however, this is the perfect response to unwanted programs on your PC.
Protect yourself and your PC with this collection of useful free security tools
Panda Cloud Antiviruswww.cloudantivirus.com/en
Panda cloud antivirus
When it comes to protecting your computer from the latest malware, why should you pick this relative newcomer to the freebie scene? Is it easy to use? Check – the user interface is one of simplest we've seen. Is it light on system resources? Check – it only uses around 10MB of memory, meaning it won't slow down even low-specced PCs.
Ah, but what about the essential protection? Check, check and check. When it comes to malware detection and blocking, Panda is up with the very best, and only loses a little of its sheen when it comes to cleaning up already infected systems.
Even here, however, it's on a par with most other freebies on the market. The program utilises an online database ("Cloud Intelligence") for its AV scans, which is updated hundreds of times a day to keep it ahead of the latest threats. All in all, Panda has raised the bar for free anti-virus, so you should definitely take advantage – if you haven't already.
Malwarebyteswww.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php
Malwarebytes
No security tool is infallible, which is where Malwarebytes comes in. The free version has no real-time protection, so won't interfere with existing protection, but it can scan and remove threats missed by other programs. It's an essential addition to any armoury.
Threatfire Freewww.threatfire.com
Threatfire
Threatfire bends the rules of security software: despite its real-time protection against malware, it won't conflict with any anti-virus tool already installed on your PC.
It's designed to sit alongside existing security software, to strengthen your protection by flagging up what it considers suspicious behaviour. Review the details in the dialog, then either allow or deny the action based on whether you trust it.
TrueCryptwww.truecrypt.org
If your computer is vulnerable to outside use or even theft, you owe it to yourself to make sure any important data is encrypted, so thieves can't steal your personal information as well as your laptop.
TrueCrypt is the best free tool for the job: not only can it encrypt individual files and folders inside a special encrypted container, you can use it to encrypt your entire hard drive too, preventing people from using your computer when you're not around.
If you want to protect your data, create and mount your container. Once done, you'll see a new drive appear in Windows – just drag your sensitive files into here, and you can edit and open them like any other.
The difference is, when you click Dismount or restart your computer, your files will be safely hidden and encrypted from prying eyes. Just open TrueCrypt and follow step four again when you want to regain access.
Step 1. First steps
Truecrypt 1
Click "Create Volume", tick "Create an encrypted file container", and click Next. Leave "Standard TrueCrypt volume" selected, and click Next.
Step 2. Create container
Truecrypt 2
Click "Select File" to pick a folder and unique filename for your container. Click Next, tick the default encryption options, and click Next.
Step 3. Select properties
Step 3
Make the container big enough to hold your files, click Next, assign a password, and click Next. Change the file system to NTFS and click Format.
Step 4. Access container
Truecrypt 4
Click Continue if prompted, then OK > Exit. Click "Select File", browse to your file, and select a drive letter. Click Mount and enter your password.
AppRemoverwww.appremover.com
AppRemover
Switching from one security app to another can be problematic. AppRemover recognises a wide variety of security tools, and ensures all traces are wiped before you install your new tool to prevent possible conflicts.
ZoneAlarmwww.zonealarm.com
ZoneAlarm
Free firewalls are less common than anti-virus tools, and they're not as good as their paid-for cousins. ZoneAlarm is by far the most popular of those available, and offers superior protection to that offered in Windows.
HijackThis!http://free.antivirus.com/hijackthis
To scan your PC for the effects of malware, HijackThis! can generate a log of areas commonly infected. It also has tools to fix malware problems.
Virus Effect Removerwww.virussecurelab.com/VER.html
An essential tool in your security armoury, VER enables you to undo any lingering effects of malware infection.
KeePasshttp://keepass.info
Rather than a single password for all your accounts, KeePass can manage multiple logon details with just one master password, beefing up your security.
KillBoxhttp://killbox.net
This tiny tool specialises in deleting files that are in use, and therefore protected – many malware infections protect themselves in this way.
Microsoft Baseline Security AnalyzerWebsite
Malware infections often exploit security holes in Windows and other Microsoft products; MBSA will quickly scan your PC and verify you're fully protected.
PopTraywww.poptray.org
Prevent spam and virus-laden email by vetting all new mails while they're still on your mail server. Just select any dodgy mail, click Delete, and you're done.
File and folder apps
Manage your files more efficiently with these useful freebies
SyncToy 2.1Website
SyncToy
Microsoft's handy free tool enables you to keep the contents of two folders (also known as folder "pairs") perfectly in sync. Just select the two folders in question – one of which can be a shared folder on another networked PC – and then choose how you want the files to be kept in sync.
Once done, click Preview, check which changes will occur, and then click "Run" to update your two folders.
SyncBack FreewareWebsite
SyncBack
SyncToy is simple and easy to set up, but if you need more options – including automatically syncing two folders – then SyncBack Freeware is without doubt the best free synchronisation tool.
Rename MasterWebsite
Rename master
If you're ever faced with the unappealing task of renaming dozens of files, Rename Master makes it as simple as possible. There's a powerful set of options including MP3/JPG tag support.
DupKillerwww.dupkiller.net
Duplicate files can quickly clutter up your hard drive, but it can be a dangerous game if you start deleting what appear at a superficial glance to be identical files.
DupKiller will hunt for replicate files in locations you may not consider, and does more than simply search by filename or file-size. You can also search by date stamp and even content, and you can even set a percentage match to ensure that only identical files are picked.
MagicDiscwww.magicdisc.net
This enables you to create virtual CD and DVD drives on your PC. You can then mount special ISO fi les and access them as if they were actual physical discs.
ISO Recorderhttp://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com
ISO Recorder can burn discs directly from ISO images by double-clicking an ISO file; you can also rip CDs and DVDs to ISO images for use with MagicDisc.
CDBurnerXPwww.cdburnerxp.se
This CD and DVD-burning application is lightweight, with all the features to burn audio and data discs. And it behaves nicely with other CD-burning utilities.
WinDirStathttp://windirstat.info
If you need details of a specific folder or drive, this displays its content in interesting ways. Perfect for finding out what's taking up all that space.
NoSleepHDhttp://nosleephd.codeplex.com
Frustrated by your external hard drive powering down to save energy? This tool prevents it, by writing a small, empty file to the drive every few minutes.
FolderSizehttp://foldersize.sourceforge.net
This tiny program adds an additional column to the Explorer window, enabling you to see the size of a folder without opening it. It runs in Windows XP only.
AppSnaphttp://appsnap.genotrance.com
AppSnap
This handy free tool simplifies the process of installing and updating your software – just tick the program you wish to download or update. The program will tell you what version is available, and then enable you to easily download and install it.
Universal Viewerwww.uvviewsoft.com
Universal viewer
This handy tool enables you to view a large number of different file types without having to open the parent application, including image files, text and Office files, and many more. Plus you can add additional types with the help of free plug-ins.
ArsClipWebsite
Frustrated by Windows' inability to store more than a single item in the Windows clipboard? ArsClip enables you to store multiple entries in a wide variety of formats – including HTML, RTF, plain text and images.
These can be catalogued permanently if you frequently have to perform repetitive tasks such as form filling, and the bonus is that the program requires no installation, so won't bog your system down unduly.
Lock Hunterhttp://lockhunter.com
Lock hunter
Do you ever run into an error message telling you that a file or folder can't be deleted or moved because it's locked, or still in use?
The solution is to install this handy free tool; you can then simply right-click any file and choose "What is locking this file?" A dialogue box will pop up revealing what's locking the file or folder – just click "Unlock It!" and it will be freed up for whatever you need to do.
FileTypesManWebsite
This handy little tool provides an alternative to the confusing Windows file type manager, enabling you to quickly edit and view current file associations.
Zamzarwww.zamzar.com
This is actually a free online conversion service, so you can convert files up to 100MB in size between a variety of image, office and other file formats.
TeraCopywww.codesector.com/teracopy.php
Speed up copying large files from one folder or drive to another using TeraCopy; it provides quicker file transfers than the Windows file manager.
The File Splitterwww.dekabyte.com/filesplitter
This tiny program enables you to split large files into smaller chunks, making them easier to transfer using floppy disks and other media, or via email.
IZArcwww.izarc.org
This comprehensive file archiving tool will compress files to save space, and has a mind-boggling array of obscure archives: there's RAR and LZW, as well as ZIP.
JDisk Reportwww.jgoodies.com/freeware/jdiskreport
JDisk report
Want to find where all that free disk space has gone? JDiskReport enables you to view a pie chart showing the largest folders or files in a selected directory or disk, plus you can view a selection of bar and pie charts (and top 100 lists).
These can be based on criteria such as when files were last modified, or what file types are taking up most room; it's perfect for managing your cluttered drive.



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