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It is almost unbelievable that Microsoft are bringing out a new version of Windows when Vista was only released two years ago…but I suppose it is only in Beta.  But we have it here to test and have been playing with it for some time.

First impressions are that it is very Vista-like!  But we are fans of Vista here so that is a good thing.  The install went very quickly and smoothly on a fairly basic Dell Optiplex 360 Intel Core 2 Duo machine.

So here is the desktop….

As you can see, it has the Vista Sidebar with the clock at the top, and the big Vista style icons.  The most noticeable change here is the taskbar at the bottom.  The quick launch icons have got bigger!  And the open applications are just the program icon which is nice.

One note about the Sidebar, this is actually no longer just a Sidebar because the gadgets that you can choose to have there can actually be positioned anywhere on the screen.

If you hover over one of the icons on the taskbar that is representing an open application you get a preview of what is open, see image below….

And then you just click on the one you want to work with.  Easy.

Also, if you right click on one of the icons on the quick launch/taskbar you get a menu specific to that application, rather then the good old standard right click menu.  So for example you might get recent documents if you right click on the word icon that is down there or shortcuts to desktop, pictures, music, videos etc if you right click on the documents folder.

The main aim here I believe is to make things more accessible for users, ways to quickly get where we want rather than having to wait for windows to load before we can get to pictures etc.

Another nice, yet simple feature I would like to bring to your attention is a change to the start menu,

You will notice that in the top picture that programs such as Word and Paint have arrows next to them, if you were to hover over the program for long enough or click the arrow and you get….yes you’ve guessed it, a list of recent documents (see  bottom image of the two above).  Now that is a feature we really like!

That’s it for the first glance, coming up soon will be some nice simple features of Windows 7 Beta!  Keep an eye out for that one.

See Also:
Windows 7 Beta

Everyone goes on how you can do pretty much anything with a computer now days….but is that true?  Things to do is a small site from Google which aims to help you to do something new and different with your searches in Google.  For example, fancy a good read but can’t get to a book shop or library?  You can now browse through books on the Internet and read reviews etc.  You can also check the weather, learn a new skill, find cinema times, learn a new language and much more!

Google’s Things to do has some great ideas for you use up any free time you may have and make your life that little bit easier.  Have a look if you have some time to spare!

We like to be on the ‘cutting edge’ when it comes to Microsoft Software..so I think we must have been one of the first to download the Windows 7 Beta when it was made available last week!

So far we haven’t done much with it other than

• Install it on a Dell Optiplex 360 with no problems, it was very quick to install and installed all the drivers automatically so that was a nice surprise!
• Downloaded and installed AVG Trial which again works so it is good to know there will be Anti-Virus protection out there as soon as Windows 7 is released!
• Connected the machine to a Windows Home Server…again a breeze!

So there have been no problems as yet. As it is a beta I do expect them but let’s see what happens.

First Impressions are that Windows 7 is very quick. It is obviously a build on Vista but there are some nice touches that make working on a computer faster and easier   We’ll keep you posted but if you have had the chance to play with it share you findings

Cheers. Graham.

This Month’s Site Of The Month brings some very sad news…This will be the last ever Site Of The Month!  But don’t worry, we have come up with a NEW idea to replace Site Of The Month for the forthcoming year.  All will be revealed on 31st January 2009!  As it is the last ever Site Of The Month we have decided to give you a quick reminder of what our Site Of The Month’s have been over the past 12 months:

January: Xpanity

February: Eurosport

March: AllMusic

April: Moonpig

May: Bill Bailey

June: PetrolPrices.com

July: Number Logic

August: MSNBC Spectra Visual Newsreader

September: SU2C

October: Searchme

November: Money Saving Expert

Which website has been your favourite?  Let us know by commenting below!

Live Mesh is a new application from the ‘Windows Live‘ range.  Mesh enables you to connect to your devices, desktops etc from anywhere in the world.  This really is a breakthrough in technology in a market which is becoming more and more internet based.  There is just one thing which you must do to be able to use the software which is to have a free Windows Live ID.

You can synchronize information/documents you need between devices which eliminates any reliance on emails.  To do this you’d just simply have to install the Live Mesh software onto each device and then upload the information through the filling system on the application.  This therefore allows you to be able to access all the documents you add to Mesh from anywhere, assuming you have an internet connection.

You are also able to share with family, friends and colleagues by inviting them to use/view a folder in your Mesh.  In the shred folder you are able to update documents, post comments and use instant messaging between folder between members.

There is also a news feature which keeps you up to date on any changes which have been made to any of the folders which you are a member of.  This also shows you if other folder members are online or not.

There of course is a limited amount of space you can use which is just over 5GB.  5GB is plenty for a majority of users, but a few may find it too little.

What do you think of Mesh?

Today we launched our new theme, one of the best things about WordPress is the vast amount of freely available themes that are on the web and how easy it is to change them! So here we are an orange version of the red theme used on www.brandstar.co.uk. We will continue to make a few tweaks to the site over the coming weeks but don’t worry…we won’t let it get in the way of our normal post writing!

Let us know what you think

Brandstar have recently released a brand new Software page!  The software page attempts to tackle the problem of not knowing which software is worth buying and downloading.  After all, there are so many options to choose from!  It covers a variety of both free and commercial products in the genres of Computer Security, Media, Office Applications and System Tools.

It’s worth checking out!

Apple have released the latest version of the music software iTunes.  iTunes isn’t something we give much time to but credit has to be given to Apple really because it is a brilliant bit of kit and if you have an iPod it works seemlessly. Allowing you to fully manage your music, videos and podcasts!

Their latests version I have to say I am very impressed with, which is why I thought it warrented a mention in today’s tip!  I haven’t played with it properly but iTunes Genius claims it can create great playlists based on the song you are listening to! So far I have been impressed but let me know what experiences you have had!

The other thing they have done is changed the way we browse our music, implementing a grid view which is far more graphical that the old big long list!

But this is a quick tip…head over to the Apple iTunes Site and download it for yourself, or just read about it

Enjoy!

Probably a bit slow on the uptake here but I was setting up a hotmail address for someone at the weekend and I noticed that there are live.co.uk addresses as well as hotmail.co.uk!  Three fantastic reasons to consider this address potential!

1. live.co.uk – makes your email address nice and short for people to remember!
2. Unlike hotmail that has been around since time began (well…almost!) live.co.uk is relatively new and therefore there are many email addresses still available!
3. Uses the nice new Hotmail web email application which is very much like Outlook Web Access (for those familiar with remote Exchange administration).

Certainly worth checking out if you are in need of a new address! Visiti hotmail.co.uk to get yours!

The last day of each month this year we will be writing a short post with our “Site of the Month” suggestion, with a brief explanation of why we like the site so much This can vary from it being a fantastic design to useful content to something just very different!

This month the site is Xpanity, with social networking becoming bigger and bigger on the web these days this is yet another way to communicate with new people while browsing the web. This tool allows you to chat in real time with people viewing the same web page as you.

I have to say we haven’t tried the tool out yet, but plan to soon. It is a interesting idea with lots of potential, if you decide to have a play with it then let us know what you think!

The reason for it being our Site of the Month? The design is great, clean, crisp, colourful and I love the logo! The content (or in this case, the tool) has huge potential and I would certainly say it is different!

If you have any suggestions for our site of the month then let us have them