change of pace

So I realized through doing some reading yesterday that the Microsoft series was over a year and a half ago. Needless to say it probably isn’t relevant anymore. Still news on the horizon. I recently built a new pc and will be discussing specs and reviews in some later posts. I’m also excited to be helping another acquaintance of mine build a new pc. This will be his first custom machine and his first time building. I’m interested to see how it will go, especially the quality of the parts he decided on.

-Chris

I’m back!

Hey guys. I pretty much abandoned this blog but I really want to give it another shot. To prove I’m committed I’m going to finish this microsoft series so I don’t leave everything hanging…that is if I can remember how I was going to complete it.

More stuff to come!

Will I ever finish this windows series?

Is anyone reading this blog?

New things from Microsoft – #4

once again a slow update. but I think this is a better pace for me and what minimal readers I have.

#6 – Bing

What a strange name for such a great search engine. If you haven’t heard of bing, click the link above to get started. Bing is the newest search engine from Microsoft. Bing offers an innovative way of searching the internet for information rather than just webpages. Bing is designed to help you find the information you are looking for without actually having to click possible links only to find that it’s not quite what you wanted. Bing allows you to stay on it’s site while still being able to pull text and information from other websites. What do I mean? Let’s get started.

The first thing you will notice about bing is the the beautiful pictures that are uploaded daily. Each picture is provided with interesting links that tell you more about the picture’s surrounding area, activities, and culture. These links may contain pictures, videos, and websites all using Bing’s search engine.

Let’s initiate a search. I like video games so lets search the term “ign”.

Major sites, like ign, appear with multiple links underneath. If you have ever visited ign’s website, you know that they have multiple pages dedicated to different video game systems. It’s nice to see that you can easily access the xbox 360 page or the nintendo wii page without having to go to ign.com and navigate to it. Another thing you can do is hover over each link and information will appear on the side. Say you are looking for a wiki on something. You can now read a good amount of information on the right side of the link without actually clicking it.

What about images? Let’s search for an upcoming game “Starcraft 2″

Never again will you be clicking next. Bing will continue to generate results as long as you know how to scroll down. Links and sizes are also left out until you hover over an image. This is the way an image search should be. Just pictures. Nothing complicated about that. but that’s not it.

on the left side, you can filter your results by size, layout, color, style, and people. Want a wallpaper image? Bing figures out your desktop space and only shows you images made to fit perfectly for a background. What about photos that are only in black and white or pictures that just has faces? Bing can do it.

Videos:

Video searches are increasing with the introduction of youtube. Now everyone is searching for videos online. Bing has taken it a step further than anyone else. Let’s stick with starcraft 2.

Just like with an image search, you get a clean presentation with a snapshot of each video. The coolest thing is if you hover over each video, it will begin to play. No longer do you have to click a video, wait for it to buffer, find out it isn’t quite what you were looking for and click a new video. Finding videos is as simple as hovering your cursor over each snapshot and watching the preview that begins to play.

Just like with images, you can filter your results. The categories are length, screen type, resolution, and source.

Cool? cool. That’s the extent of this post. Bing also has other great features such as shopping, news, maps, travel, and more. Check it out today at www.bing.com

New things from Microsoft – #5

I took an extra day to play around with the next thing on my list.

#5 – Windows Live

What is it:

Also known as windows live essentials. I’ll break down this blog post into sections considering that windows live is really a suite of products rather than one all-inclusive program. The installer also lets you choose which programs you want and don’t want. This way, you don’t end up with a bunch of stuff you don’t use or need. To cut this blog short, I’ll focus on the top three things in the suite. It’s up to you to check out the rest.

Windows Live Messenger
I must say that although there are many messengers to choose from, this one definitely holds it’s own against the other giants like aim or skype. Microsoft has had somewhat of a rocky road with messengers but I would say that they have finally pulled their best team together to produce what I think is the best messenger available for download.

The latest version of Microsoft’s messenger allows you to easily see what someone’s online status is. Green means they’re available, red means they’re not, and yellow means they’re busy. The colors are displayed by each persons name to show status. With a chat window open, the color also surrounds the persons profile picture. This is a large step beyond attempting to use tiny pictures to signify status. The ability to create groups is still there with a few tweaks. You can now select a group and send a message to everyone within that group without having to type your message multiple times. You can also add favorite contacts which expands the user’s profile picture and creates a larger button to click on in order to create a chat window. Yet another new innovation is offline messaging. No longer do you have to wait for your friends to come online in order to send them a message. You can send your message and it will be delivered upon the user’s login. Other things to check out are the cool skins you can choose from to customize your program, the easy-to-use calling, and video calling features, and the built-in online table top games you can play with your friends. The new messenger is here. Get it and add me as a friend.

Skydrive
Not enough space on your hard drive? Want to share large files with just friends and family across the internet? How about publicly sharing that new poem or song you just wrote. Skydrive is probably one of the coolest things about the new live suite. Skydrive is essentially a place where you can store up to 25 gigabytes of data on a server sponsored by Microsoft. The best thing is that it’s totally free. There is a limit of how big each individual file can be but it goes without saying that 25 gigs of free space is more than any other company has offered. All you need is a live account.

Windows Live Writer
If you’re reading this blog (there aren’t many) then you probably own a blog yourself. With Windows Live Writer, creating and uploading custom blog entries is a snap. Having to open your browser, navigate to wordpress, and then login is a thing of the past. Open Live Writer and start typing.

But that’s not all:
Although I didn’t cover everything here, the live suite contains more programs such as mail, photo gallery, a movie maker (beta), family safety features, and a toolbar. Windows Live essentials is available right now. Go here to start the download process. Don’t have a windows live account yet? Get started here.

Why you want it:
You’ve got your reasons, I’ve got mine. I don’t think this section is necessary for this post. Your reasons are above and through the links. Windows Live Essentials makes #5 on my list.

,Chris

New things from Microsoft – #6

I apologize for the delay on what I promised to be a seven day update. I actually spent Saturday spending the day with my girlfriend, with whom I proposed to (she said yes), and I spent Sunday resting up.

But on with it. Here we go.

#6 – Microsoft Visual Studio 2010

What is it:

Number 6 on my list in Microsoft’s newest version of visual studio. Although still in the works, this looks to be yet another promising piece of software. Once again for all of those you do not know, Visual Studio is a program that allows you to build windows applications as well as web applications. Visual studio provides a easy to use GUI that allows you to build and edit objects without having to actually write code. It also provides a spell check-type system for verifying code. This makes sure that whatever code you type is in the proper format and is following correct logic. Since 2005 Visual Studio and  the .net framework has essentially revolutionized the way a programmer builds code. Each release has provided more features and more ease of use. I expect nothing less from the newest release.

Why you want it:

If you are into developing software and web applications, visual studio should be the first place you look. Whether is small windows applications or large asp development, visual studio is an awesome tool. With the implementation and furthering of .net coding is becoming more user friendly and easier to understand. Keep an eye out for the latest features in Microsoft Visual Studio 2010.

Microsoft actually has a beta available for download at the link above. They also have the new specs listed at the link so I won’t go into detail here. This is a blog, not and information site.

,Chris

New things from Microsoft – #7

For the first post in this series I wanted to start with something small. With each post, I’ll introduce a product/service that I think is next in line for Microsoft’s greatest release in the coming year. So here we go.

#7 – Microsoft Hohm

What is it:
Microsoft Hohm is (will be) a service that will help people to save energy and money. Here’s what Microsoft has to say

Microsoft Hohm is a free online beta application that helps you save energy and money. With Microsoft Hohm you can better understand your home energy usage, get recommendations to conserve energy and start saving. As with any recommendation engine, Hohm will provide increasingly more accurate and relevant suggestions for energy conservation as its users contribute home energy input and feedback. One of the objectives during our beta period is to refine our tool and further increase the value our product can offer to you.
-Microsoft

Why you want it:
Who doesn’t like saving money? In today’s economy money is tight and getting the most out of your dollar is important. It is also becoming more pressing to conserve energy for a better tomorrow. I don’t know about you but I’m all for a company that wants to help customers save their pennies and conserve energy. Don’t hold me to it but from the looks of it, this is shaping up to be a free service so that makes it all the better.

Hohm, as it is properly named, is currently in beta but you can request an invitation going to the link above.

Check back for number 6 on my list
,Chris

7 new things from Microsoft (and why you want them)

The sleeping giant has awoken…and he has presents for everyone. For all of those users who jumped from Microsoft to Apple, I think its about time to come home. Let’s see if i can convince you.

For the next week or two I’ll be making posts pertaining Microsoft’s new products and services. If you haven’t noticed, Microsoft has really jumped on their A-game this year. There are plenty of new things at bay for this company and they all should be arriving within the next year if not sooner. I won’t be on a tentative schedule for this but I would like to post something new every day for the next week. Keep checking back to see what’s new.

An argument for Final Fantasy 8

For the final fantasy fans

So I’ve always enjoyed the final fantasy games and, unlike others, I thoroughly enjoyed the 8th game in the series. Head on over to the link below and read this compelling argument that describes deeper meanings hidden within this unfavored game and maybe you will change your mind. Even I learned a few things that weren’t so apparent playing through this 50-hour game.

review of FF8

more info about the Wii Vitality Sensor (WVS)

so kotaku has more info on this new device that was announced by Nintendo. I’m still puzzled as to why they announced such a device at an event as big as E3 with no tech demos or live usage of the peripheral.

Read here

I understand where Nintendo is coming from but does the WVS really have anything to do with video gaming? It seems that the whole line of wiifit products are veering away from the video game community. Anyone who is a true gamer wouldn’t be spending their money on junk like this. They would be focusing on more popular blockbuster titles. I won’t list any games here due to variance of opinions but I tend to see things like wiifit and think “In what way is this pushing the threshold for video games?”

I could be wrong because I’ve also thought that games like guitar hero, rock band, and DDR would be complete fads and have no chance of standing up against series like final fantasy, metal gear, or even halo. In my opinion, these games are revolutionary and will be more memorable in the future.