Finally, finally, finally got Windows 7 on my home machine. After much waiting for Lenovo’s final drivers for Windows 7, I finally had quality time with my T400. Done with the installation I had no problem getting the correct drivers as Lenovo has a very nifty tool on discovering your machine. This will then download and install the necessary components. So in case you didn’t get your Windows 7 pre-installed, just look for ThinkVantage System Update.
Onto Zune! Hey! Finally got me one of the Zune players from one of my colleagues. Shout out to Chewy for that! Not the Zune HD but a Zune none the less. Comes with all the syncing goodness and podcast madness.
So, what’s up with the title you ask? If you read my previous post on the Zune here, you’ll know just how much I love it. With Windows 7, they made some cool features just for the OS, harnessing the power of that amazing taskbar. And can I say I just love that taskbar (and Windows 7 in general)
I opted for the none-iconish task bar. Best of both worlds if you ask me
Jumplists FTW!
For the Windows 7 uninitiated, jumplists is a new introduction to the Windows family. Making the taskbar more functional, jumplists is a fast and easy way to access common tasks on the application without having it on focus. This makes things much easier and faster to do. So far a bunch of apps already has it and more on the way. (Saw some Firefox jumplists a couple of days back). If you want more nerd rave on jumplists, check out Aimee’s blog on making your own jumplists.
Aero Peek
Another taskbar productivity addition is the aero peek. Now all these terms confuse me but I don’t care as long as it works. Essentially on the Zune, it allows me to have access to the basic functions just by hovering on the icon. Hover, some control pops up, click next then boomz! (lol)
That’s it for me and hopefully you guys have tried out Windows 7. I’m so happy that one of my non-techy pals enjoys her Win7 so much that she became an informal evangelist. That’s you RainWalker!
Are you a frustrated PowerPoint user? Do you wish there’s a better alternative aside from Keynote? Want to make your presentation better even if you suck at presenting? Well say no more! pptPlex is for you!
Developed by Microsoft Office Labs, pptPlex is a play on how you can extend PowerPoint and how a different way of presenting your slides can affect your whole presentation. This is achieved by deviating from the normal linear way of showing your slides. Whenever you are presenting in PowerPoint it assumes that whatever content you have is just linear, meaning you go from slide one to slide ten just like you are counting. PptPlex deviates from this by giving you the flexibility to jump from one slide to another while still maintaining an overall flow. Check out my short video below
I’m using the slides made by my friend Sile covering Windows Azure (http://innovativesingapore.com/blogs/mic/archive/2009/07/28/getting-on-windows-azure-in-3-days-day-1.aspx learn it here). Notice that you make your slides in the normal way, you then go to the pptPlex tab to use its features. From here you can then arrange your slides in sections. Using pptPlex’s slideshow, easily navigate between disconnected slides without having a disconnected experience when presenting.
I found this very useful especially for slides that has a lot of sections. If you need to skip one section you don’t need to move forward a lot. Just unzoom and double click on that section then proceed with your slides. PptPlex shows offs its capabilities with the different backgrounds that it has built-in. From timelines to flowcharts this is where pptPlex really shines.
This can be really helpful for those drill-in slides. Students out there would love this as it provides another dimension to your presentation.
Some cons though as some PowerPoint objects disappear when you use pptPlex. (Inking for one) None the less, if you want to spice up your boring slides, this can just be the thing you are looking for. But always remember not to overuse it. Use it to complement your slides rather than be the center of it. If your presentation is simple enough, then a linear presentation might be the best rather than making a complex zooming in and out type of slides.
So stop reading and give it a shot. Never hurts to try out something new especially on things you present in and out. You might even get a better reception using this one.
Just to set the tone, I don’t really own a Zune MP3 player but I do own a couple of iPods. Got me an iPod shuffle (2nd gen) and an iPod Mini (either 1st or 2nd) a long time ago and they’re still working. My mini is more than five years old and I just use it as a storage disk because the battery dies after a couple of hours. Five years ago I used the iTunes that came with it and it was a so-so for me. I didn’t really enjoy the UI, quite confusing setting it up and the inability to transfer files from one pc to another made me revert to good old Winamp with it’s useful plugins. Haven’t been using any other music player since then (A collegue laughed when she saw me using Winamp). Apparently I’ve been living under a rock for not trying out other players out there.
Come 2009 a friend gave me a Zune Pass and asked me to try it out. That Zune Pass commercial also got me curious. Being the law abiding citizen that I am (*wink* *wink*) it was quite fun being able to have unlimited music for a month and getting to keep 10. I know that iTunes has changed in those five years and I know its UI has definitely changed according to Apple standards but damn…. the Zune UI looks great. Ok I got you confused now didn’t I? (or not) There’s Zune MP3 player and then there’s Zune their media player.
Red Zune
Black Zune
Zune
Minimalist white is the theme of the entire player with a hint of mixart, your album arts made into a mosaic, here and there. I just love the simple UI and how easy it is to figure out where everything is. The best part is when you get yourself a Zune pass, you can search for a multitude of songs and stream or download (with DRM of course) as many times as you want for a whole month. Within that month you can then choose ten songs that you want to keep for yourself.
Tried the search function with one of my favorite artists, Imogen Heap. I don’t have a copy of her first album I, Megaphone and I wanted to hear how much she has changed, so a quick search will get you all of her albums plus extra info on her. Surprise, surprise it also gave me one of her unheard of single (for me at least).
The Immy lover in me just says that Not Now But Soon is worth buying the Zune pass then and there. =)
My recent love for the The Cure got me excited. I knew they were old but I never realized that they have so many albums. Unlimited songs here I come!
Oh yea! I love Pictures of You!
Check out the other pictures below.
and when you’re playing/sleeping it shows you cool pictures of the band and some info.
And the best part of it all is mixart!
OK OK I didn’t deceive you with the title. Apparently, Microsoft only sells the Zune in the US but that’s not going to stop you from getting one right? So, few things you have to do to get the Zune Marketplace to work in your location and how to get the Zune player itself
Change your locale to United States (Control Panel -> Change country or region -> Current Location: United States)
Go to Zune.net then download the Zune 3.0 software
Register and remember to choose United States all the way
Now the Zune Pass itself is quite difficult to get and my friends say you can only buy it in the US. too bad You can always use your credit card to buy but having the physical Zune Pass card is just cool.
Now having one card won’t make me blog about it now would I? Thanks to Aimee for giving me a bunch! haha If you get a chance to go to the US or a friend is coming back, ask if he or she can buy you one at WalMart or one of those stores. Try it out and don’t be hatin.
Now I know why the name sounds so familiar! It’s a Transformer!
Anyways, that’s not the Skyfire I want to talk about. I’ve been toying with a lot of mobile technology lately, from mobile phones to netbooks and Skyfire is one application that has stood up in the mobile phone area.
Providing you with full (and I say full) browser support that is currently unbeatable by any browser on the mobile phone (including Opera Mobile, IE Mobile, Safari and Nokia’s thingamajig). I’ve been using Skyfire like it was a regular browser in your beloved PC. From watching videos served in Flash and Silverlight, to going through all my social media sites, Skyfire will never fail you. I don’t work for Skyfire but this is how you get a cult following. Dishing out great technology that really serves its purpose. Get Skyfire from http://get.skyfire.com/
Are you a frustrated PowerPoint user? Do you wish there’s a better alternative aside from Keynote? Want to make your presentation better even if you suck at presenting? Well say no more! pptPlex is for you!
You can always use your credit card to buy but having the physical Zune Pass card is just cool.
