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Posts Tagged ‘microsoft’

When the Kinect first launched last November, gamers were (to put it charitably) a bit skeptical. Here was a device with incredible technological potential, and the most impressive game that came out with it was a dance simulator.

Still, the Kinect has become a bona fide hit, selling more than eight million units in the first 60 days alone and being named the “fastest-selling consumer electronics device” of all time by Guinness World Records. But more importantly, the software problem has been solved. Not by Microsoft, whose Kinect releases have been few and far between, but by the ever-growing legion … [Read More...]

We set out to build a Sandy Bridge box that takes up little space in our entertainment center and fulfills all our streaming needs

Back in the August 2010 issue of Maximum PC I built a 3D HTPC that I was pretty damned happy with, but the times have changed. The CableCard quad tuner that was featured prominently in that machine is no longer needed, as I have joined the ranks of the Cable Cutter Movement™. So without the need for a CableCard, I wondered if I could build a rig with all the same capabilities but make it much, … [Read More...]

Last week our colleagues in the UK launched The Collection, a hand-picked group of best-in-class Windows 7 PCs. The Collection is a way for customers in the UK to find the perfect PC, regardless of what they love to do or how much they’re looking to spend. There’s a great online tool to help you choose at The Collection’s homepage (we have a similar tool here in the US, called Windows PC Scout, that’s an interactive and fun way to find your next PC), and if you’re in the UK, you’ll be able to find Collection PCs at PC World, … [Read More...]

From January 4th through April 7th, Windows asked filmmakers from around the world to show off what Windows 7 and Windows Live could do. The contestants were asked to submit a short video that spoke directly to students with the chance to win over 20,000 in prizes. The Grand Prize was huge: a trip to the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC for 2, a special screening of their film and $8,000. With these stakes on the line, videos flooded in and in took an agonizing few days to choose the top finalists and one grand-prize winner.

Grand Prize: Detention by … [Read More...]

The following blog post is from Janelle Manuel who is a member of the Windows UCrew. As a member of the UCrew, she spreads awareness about Windows products at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She is a Film & Digital Media major who will graduate this May. Originally from Dallas, Texas her love of Windows is surpassed only by her love of shoes. She considers herself an addict.

Janelle Manuel is a participant in Microsoft’s UCrew program, and receives Microsoft software, hardware, and financial compensation as part of her participation in the program.

After a less than spacious plane … [Read More...]

If you have a bunch of photos shot at a huge 10 megapixels (and thus the huge file size) that you want to quickly share with your friends and family via email, Facebook etc., and if you are too lazy to fire up a slow-loading-and-complex image manipulation application, Image Resizer is possibly the best solution for you.

Image Resizer is an evolved product from the Image Resizer Powertoy Clone (which we have covered previously) by Brice Lambson, which allow the user to resize images with just a few clicks. Once it is installed, it sits comfortably in your right click … [Read More...]

Life is filled with important choices. Chocolate or vanilla? Ketchup or mustard? Heads or tails? Choice is awesome – it’s what makes life interesting & personal.

You know what’s even more awesome than choice? Not having to choose. That’s exactly the concept behind the new Acer Iconia Tab W500. Rather than having to choose between a slate PC or a traditional laptop, the W500 gives you the convenience of both via a powerful slate PC that “docks” into a portable, attachable keyboard. It’s an interesting, unique take on multi-touch computing.

The 10.1” Iconia Tab W500 goes on sale starting today … [Read More...]

While Windows updates can be a pain and dealing with issues can be even more painful, Windows updates are essential to running a secure and reliable PC. Due to the vast popularity of Windows, there are many people trying to find vulnerabilities all the time. When you purchase your copy of Windows, you’re not just getting what’s stored on the disc or OEM PC you just purchased; you’re signed up for many years of support from Microsoft via Windows Update.

To make the most of these updates, you should install them when available. We’ve looked at troubleshooting specific Windows Update … [Read More...]

Why switch from Yahoo! Mail to Hotmail? There are lots of reasons. For example – if you email photos to friends and family, Hotmail lets you send them without clogging up your friends’ inboxes. Hotmail uploads your photos to SkyDrive and lets your recipients view in a slide show or download. You can view or edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents directly in Hotmail – even on a PC without Office installed. And Hotmail has made a lot of progress in protecting you from spam and malware with SmartScreen. Hotmail is the only email provider that allows you to take … [Read More...]

“They have been training their whole lives to save the world,” said Jane McGonigal, world-renowned game designer and author, in reference to the students who participated in the Microsoft Imagine Cup.

For one member of the winning Software Design team, his solution not only stands to change the world, but to also affect his day-to-day life. David Hayden, the team captain from Arizona State University, was born legally blind. He used his first-hand experience struggling to see the teacher and take notes simultaneously as inspiration to create Note-Taker.

Note-Taker is a system that enables low vision students to take notes … [Read More...]

Windows Forums member, UVAIS, informs us of the availability of Internet Explorer 10 Platform 1.

You can read more about it and download it here. [Via Windows Forums]

Further Reading:

• Paragon Go Virtual: Clone your Windows into a Virtual Enviroment [Freeware]
• HTC Home Gadget 2.4 [Freeware]
• [Update] An Explanation of the Pros and Cons of Using RAID on Your Computer
• Guidelines for Dealing With Computer Uninstall Errors
• Troubleshooting Computer Problems Related To Internet Issues

This article was written by Windows Guides (Source)… [Read More...]

Today we are heading to New Orleans—the land of beignets, street parties and Mom 2.0! If there is anything that I’m more excited about then fresh beignets, it’s the chance to meet the many talented women (and men!) who are participating in this year’s summit. This is our first time at Mom 2.0 and with the event sold out, I’m really looking forward to connecting with attendees to better understand their challenges and to think about the ways Microsoft technology can help them make sure they are marketing themselves and their blogging businesses in the best way possible.

We’ll be … [Read More...]

Can we build an AMD machine—any AMD machine—that can compete with an Intel-powered rig?

In the forever war between CPU vendors, AMD and Intel have traded places many times—one leads, then the other. Since the advent of Intel’s Core i7, though, AMD hasn’t been able to touch the performance of Intel’s high end, and Sandy Bridge further increases the gap. But, well, you couldn’t buy Sandy Bridge motherboards when I wrote this build-it story in February for the May print issue—something about a bad chipset—and I’d been meaning to build an AMD-powered machine for a while now—with CrossFire, even. Why? … [Read More...]

There are a lot of reasons why I love Windows 7. One of those reasons is seeing people use Windows 7 in surprising new ways. Innovative people seem to create extraordinary solutions on our platforms. In particular, this ingenuity is evident in students.

As part of the Imagine Cup, students from Brigham Young University have designed an application that allow pregnant mothers in rural parts of the world to receive ultrasounds from doctors who otherwise wouldn’t have access to expensive machines and equipment. This problem, which is omnipresent in the developing world, has in the past been responsible for a … [Read More...]

For professional use only

Celebrities and athletes have great sway over how and what we buy. Cars that win NASCAR races peak consumer interest. Gear that we see experts and athletes use on TV generates far more interest than run-of-the-mill hardware.

So for people who want a board optimized for a badass gamer like Jonathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel, it makes sense to buy his Fatal1ty P67 Professional motherboard.

The Fatal1ty P67 Professional has support for up to three ATI cards or two Nvidia graphic cards.

Obviously, Fatal1ty didn’t buy a motherboard company. The board is actually made and supported by the … [Read More...]

Last night I had the chance to attend Samsung’s UK launch of the 900x, the same groundbreaking, breathtaking, game-changing ultrathin that I covered in both the unboxing video that I shot in my office, and in the video tour of the Miami PC showcase. 

The 900x is a seriously impressive PC – it’s loaded with a 128GB SSD, 7 hours of battery life and a new Intel “Sandybridge” i5, and wrapped in an aircraft-grade Duralumin chassis that weighs less than 3lbs.  It’s one of the finest PCs I’ve ever had the chance to use, and Samsung did it’s beauty and … [Read More...]

You know you’re a fabulous blogger. You’ve been around the block and know it’s not just about the words, it’s also about content development, business skills and networking. So of course you’ll be at Mom 2.0 in New Orleans next week. Good, because I can’t wait to meet you there with the rest of the Windows and the Office team. We’ll have a suite at the show where we can answer all of your questions about Microsoft and we’ll some fun contests and prizes (new PC anyone?) to give away to attendees. And seeing as how the show is sold … [Read More...]

In this guest article, Yoav Ezer shows you how to change the default axis interval in a chart in Microsoft Excel. Find out more about Yoav at the end of this article.

Microsoft Excel is pretty clever and usually the default choices it provides you are good, but sometimes it can be frustrating when it tries to help you and you can not find a way to alter the choices it makes.

Chart axis options are a common example of these frustrations. People often ask us how to override the default Axis Interval. Here is the solution for how to … [Read More...]