The new Google Chrome browser

Good news for Google Chrome users! Google has updated the Stable channel to 27.0.1453.93 for Windows, Linux, Mac and all Chrome OS Devices.
According to Chrome team, this build contains a number of new features, bug fixes and security improvements.

Highlighted features:

• Web pages load 5% faster on average
• chrome.syncFileSystem API to save and synchronize data on Google Drive
• Improved ranking of predictions, improved spell correction and numerous fundamental improvements for Omnibox predictions

This build also contains a new Adobe Flash build.

You can download the new version using following link:
Download Link

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Why is Windows 8 a big failure?

After Microsoft announced that Windows 8 has failed to reach his goals all people start comparing windows 8 to Windows Vista.

No doubt that Windows 8 had officially failed, however windows 8 is actually way better than windows 7 but the problem is that people did see any difference between the two operating systems, in today's world marketing is very important, and why windows 8 failed ? because Microsoft didn't spent enough money to advertise the new system.

True, on the desktop, Windows 7 still ranks as the top operating system with 44.85-percent of all PC users, followed by the still popular Windows XP with 37.74-percent. Vista—yes the never-loved Vista—comes in at third with 4.51 percent. Despite the fact that finding and buying Windows 7 PCs has become increasingly more expensive and difficult, just try finding one in a retail store, Windows 8 share is growing but still comes in last at 4.27 percent.
Worse still, Windows 8's month-over-month growth rate is lagging further and further behind Vista's dreadful 2007 adoption numbers. When comparing the operating systems when they were first launched, Windows 8's adoption rate in its first month trailed Vista by just over half-a-percent among PC buyers. Now, in their 8th month out, Vista's market-share numbers now lead Windows 8 by 3.64 percent. Needless to say, both lag far behind XP and Windows 7's numbers at similar points in their product life-cycle.

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what new on 4th generation Intel processors Haswell

Its been almost a year since Intel announced the 4th generation of processors, Haswell processors are  finally available on the market.

Its important to notice that the new processors is not compatible with old motherboards "socket 1155", you have to buy a new motherboard 1150.

 

Haswell features:
On the brand new processors Haswell you no longer have 6 USB 3.0 ports instead of 4 on the Ivy Bridge, also 6 ports of SATA 6Gb/s.
One of the best features Intel has announced is the energy economy witch make laptop's battery  like MacBook Air and Vaio Pro  last longer.

Performance

Compared to Ivy Bridge:

• Approximately 8% better vector processing performance.
• 4%-6% IPC (instructions per clock) increase.
• 3% faster single-threaded performance.
• 5% faster multi-threaded performance.
• Non K models are completely locked and cant be overclocked at all unlike Ivy.
• Haswell is around 10°C-15°C hotter than Ivy Bridge when overclocked and does not seem to break the 4.2-4.4 GHz mark nearly as easily.Haswell draw around 30w more under load than ivy)
• A 4% increase in sequential CPU performance (eight execution ports per core versus six).
• Up to 25% performance increase over the integrated HD4000 GPU (Haswell HD4600 vs Ivy Bridge's built-in Intel HD4000).
  
  

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Side-by-side comparison Instagram, Vine, Viddy

You have more options for social video than ever! In the wake of Instagram’s video update, battle lines are being drawn. So where are you going to cast your allegiance? If you need help deciding (and can’t imagine being dedicated enough to use multiple platforms – no shame, that sounds horrible) here are how three of the major social video apps stack up against each other.

Filters

Instagram
Video for Instagram comes with 13 new filters (new meaning different than the stills filters). According to Instagram, they were created with help from artists who specialize in creating filters for video.
Vine
N/A
Viddy
Viddy features 15 filters, as well as the option to shoot your video with the flash on the entire time you’re recording. Here are Instagram (R) versus Viddy filters (L).

Timing

Instagram
Videos can be as long as 15 seconds; you also have the option to film a video in clips to create a “collage” effect.
Vine
Part of Vine’s fame is tied to its 6-second rule. Videos loop for a GIF-like effect, and you can also apply the “hold-and-release” method to make a video that features a set of individually recorded moments.
Viddy
Viddy puts both Instagram and Vine to shame (if longer video is what you’re looking for): Viddy has a max length of 30 seconds. Like Instagram and Vine, you can hold-and-release to take individual segments that are strung together for the video.

Features and editing

Instagram
In addition to the filters, Instagram includes a feature called Cinema, which drastically improves the stability of the video. Handheld video, being what it is, can be very shaky. However, we’re noticing that videos with the effect appear somewhat modulated, sort of blurred around the edges on the finer details if you will.
Cinema is automatically on and you have to toggle it off, for the record.
Last but not least, you can individual trash clips you don’t like. If it’s a straight, one-shot take, then this is a no-go, but if you took individual clips and strung them together, these separate clips can be trashed as you see fit.
Vine
Vine is what it is: Meaning, beyond holding your thumb down over the screen to capture moments to be looped into eternity, there’s not much else you can do with your posts. There’s no real editing included. The one option: You can flip to the front-facing camera.
Viddy
While Vine might be sparse, and Instagram fairly simple, Viddy pulls out all the stops: You can add a frame to your camera to keep things level; you can rotate flip to the front-facing camera; you can leave your flash on – and that’s all just while you’re shooting. In addition to filters, you can add music or trim the video.

Search and discovery

Instagram
Video for Instagram functions the exact same way as stills do in this regard: If you open up the explore tab, you can see a host of popular, much-liked photos, or you can search by users or hashtags. You won’t be prompted with anything here, except for hashtags you’ve recently used.
You can, of course, also hit hashtags showing up from users in your own feed.
When it comes to Web, you’ll have to rely on a third party app like Statigram or Webstagram for discovery; Instagram doesn’t have any such built-in functionality.
Vine
Vine nearly puts Instagram to shame when it comes to hashtagging the bejesus out of content, so that’s probably one of the easiest ways to find different types of Vines. The Explore tab is also quite useful, divided into “Editors picks,” “Popular now,” and “Trending” categories.
You can also go off on your own and search by users or tags – you might find some incredibly lewd content, however. Or some just plain weird stuff.
As far as Web goes, Vinecrawler is probably the best app that gives you control over what you’re looking for. Vinepeek is fun, though totally pulling up Vines at random.
Viddy
Under Viddy’s Explore tab, you’ll find a bevy of options. You can search Viddy by the “Featured,” “Popular,” “Who to follow,” “Newest,” “Recommended,” “Celeb,” or “Funny” tabs. Actually, there are way more than that – a few popular hashtags are in there, like #dogsofviddy and #summer as well. The list goes on; suffice it to say that Viddy is doing a lot to help you find what it is you’re looking for (even if you don’t know what that is yet).
You can, of course, also click on hashtags within your feed to find something as well. Viddy doesn’t have a Web client, though, so there’s no search effort online.

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How to speed up YouTube videos? its not that hard

Most people have quick internet connection but they face problems watching YouTube videos, we are going to show you how to YouTube faster than ever.

People wonder why videos on YouTube load so slow, the truth is that every time you load a video YouTube  use a temporary server to load the video witch make the video so slow if there is so many people watching the same video, so what we are going to do is make force the video to be loaded from the original server .

First press windows logo +R then type cmd a black screen will show up copy and paste the follownig code

 netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="YouTubePerformanceHack" dir=in action=block remoteip=173.194.55.0/24,206.111.0.0/16 enable=yes

 

 

and press enter .

if you faced any problems after this changes you can undo the above by pasting the following code in the same screen (cmd)

netsh advfirewall firewall delete rule name="YouTubePerformanceHack"

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Using linux and missing IDManager? 4 substitute softwares for a better donwload

Most people who just move to Linux OS they immediately miss Internet Download Manager, we are going to show you some alternatives for a better download under Linux OS.


1- DownThemAll:
It's not really a software its just a add on for Firefox, it work perfectly with Linux, giving you high speed download, this add-on could be used for windows user too.



Download from HERE

2-FlareGet
Its a powerful software that increase download speed and help splitting files and download each , it also resume downloads and work perfectly with all browsers, and many more features.




Download HERE 

3-Axel
A small but powerful program that deliver all Internet Download Manager features but without a graphic interface, its perfect for console users under Linux.



Download HERE

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How to cool down your laptop

It's summer time , and most people have problems with laptops increasing heat. For those how cant afford to buy a new fan we are going to show you some tips to avoid high computer temperature .


1- Always place you laptop on a solid surface , putting laptops on beds is bad idea.

2- Make sure you laptop's fan is clean, dust is one of the most common reasons of fan's decreasing performance.

3-Don't use your laptop for a long time, specially at day time, its recommended to use laptops at night .

4- Use software like  SPEEDFAN to monitor laptop heat and increase fan's speed when its necessary.

5- whenever you feel the laptop is too hot, open task manager ( Alt+Ctrl+Supr then choose task manager )  and kill all the processors that use too much memory , some times after using the laptop for a long time the task "explorer.exe" take too much memory , stop it then go to aplication tab on the task manager and click on start new task and type "explorer".


6- Don't play games that need high graphics at day time for a long time, save the games for the late night.

You can Download SpeedFan from the official site its a freeware : SpeedFan 4.49

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Siri for the smart home, meet the ivee Sleek Wi-Fi voice assistant

Already surpassing fifty percent of a $40,000 funding goal on Kickstarter in the first day, the ivee Sleek is a Wi-Fi connected device that’s designed to provide voice control for common tasks within a smart home. Moving beyond the company’s lineup of bedside alarm clocks with voice activation, the ivee Sleek can connect to smart devices within the home like a Nest thermostat or a Lockitron deadbolt door lock. Rather than accessing an application on your smartphone or tablet to control the home’s functions, you would simply use a voice command to change the temperature or turn off all the lights in the home.
In addition to providing voice control for the smart devices within the home, the ivee Sleek also acts as a personal assistant similar to Siri on the iPhone. The ivee Sleek can tell you about the current weather conditions, recommend leaving early for work due to a reported accident on the road, provide up to the minute stock prices and even wish you a happy birthday. In addition, users can set reminders for later in the day as well as alarms. Within the admin interface, the user can add their mobile phone number to receive text notifications for those reminders.

If the ivee Sleek is moved into the bedroom, it can also be used as a traditional alarm clock with LCD display. In addition to providing FM radio for music, the ivee Sleek can play relaxing sounds that will help you fall asleep like the constant waves of an ocean. Also useful for the kids, the ivee Sleek can read a bedtime story out loud as they are falling asleep.
In order to relay a voice command to the ivee Sleek, the user first says “Hello ivee” to listen for the user’s voice. The microphone array within the device makes it possible to silence ambient noise in the area and focus on the user’s voice up to 15 feet away. There are also light and temperature sensors within the hardware to take note of the nearby ambient light as well as the current temperature in the room. Internally, the hardware includes a 400 MHz ARM9 processor, 128MB of RAM, 256MB of flash storage, a 45mm speaker, a 4.3″ LCD display and 802.11 Wi-Fi b/g connectivity. Similar to any mobile device, the ivee Sleek includes a USB connection for charging the battery.

As more people start to use the ivee Sleek, the development team will be able to make the device smarter over time. In addition to smart thermostats, locks and lights, the ivee Sleek will be able to control smart vacuums, scales, blinds, plugs, pedometers and health monitors as well. Regarding price, the device will eventually retail for $199, but the current price for early Kickstarter backers is $179. Assuming the project is heavily funded, the team will be working on additional functionality at launch including movies times, Internet radio and a calendar function.
According to the Kickstarter project page, the team is targeting a four-month time frame to launch with the first batch of ivee Sleek devices heading out to backers by October 2013. As with all projects on Kickstarter, be aware that manufacturing issues can cause significant delays in the launch of a new product. However, it’s likely that this will be less of an issue with the ivee Sleek due to the company’s history with the production of a similar product line.

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How to Add “Scan with Windows Defender” Option in File Context Menu in Windows 8?

Microsoft's new OS Windows 8 comes with "Windows Defender" preinstalled which is an anti-malware utility to improve your computer security. Windows Defender is a free product released by Microsoft in past which has been now replaced by another advanced tool "Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE)". Microsoft Security Essentials can also be downloaded separately for other Windows version.
Windows Defender in Windows 8 has all features of MSE so most of the times you'll not need to install any other security software in your system. But it lacks one important feature which is an option to direct scan a file using Windows Defender.
Almost all security software add a new option in files/folders context menu (right-click menu) to allow you to scan those files/folders for virus quickly and easily. You just need to right-click on desired file and select the option to scan the file using your security software.
But Windows Defender doesn't add any such option in files context menu. Whenever you need to scan a file for virus, you have to launch Windows Defender and then you can select the file using browse dialog box. It requires lots of steps and many times it becomes quite frustrating.
Wouldn't it be great if you could manually add such option in files context menu? Whenever you want to scan a file using Windows Defender, just right-click on the file and choose the scan option.
Today in this topic, we are going to share a free software to solve this issue. "Windows Defender Status Manager" is a freeware which automatically adds a new option "Scan with Windows Defender" in all files context menu. It also shows a new icon in Taskbar notification area (system tray) to show the current status of Windows Defender whether the program is working fine or not.

You just need to run the setup of the program and it'll ask you whether you want to add the option in context menu? Just click on yes button and complete the installation. Once the installation completes, it'll add the Windows Defender status icon in system tray and a new option "Scan with Windows Defender" in all files context menu.

Its a very useful software for those who want to use the built-in security program in Windows 8 and don't want to install any extra 3rd party antivirus or anti-spyware software. With the help of this small software you can make Windows Defender a perfect security program.
It supports both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows 8.

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How to Disable Protected View in Microsoft Office While Opening Email Attachments or Downloaded Files

If you are using Microsoft Office 2010 or Office 2013 versions, you might have noticed this problem. Whenever you try to open an Office document (Word, Excel or PowerPoint file) which was downloaded from Internet or was attached in an email, Microsoft Office program opens it in Protected View which is also known as Read Mode or Restricted Mode.
In this mode, the file is opened as read-only. You can't edit the file until you click on "Enable Editing" button as shown in following image:

In Protected View you also get a message bar at the top of the window containing messages similar to following:

• This file originated from an Internet location and might be unsafe
• This file originated as an e-mail attachment and might be unsafe
• This file was opened from a potentially unsafe location
• Editing this file type is not allowed due to your policy settings
• Editing this file type is not recommended due to your File Block settings in the Trust Center
• Office has detected a problem with this file. Editing it may harm your computer

Protected View mode was introduced in Office 2010 version which is present in the latest Office 2013 version as well. It was designed to provide better security as the files downloaded from Internet or attached in emails might contain viruses and can be dangerous for your computer system. Protected View protects your computer from being infected by these suspicious items automatically.
But if you are sure about the file and if you know that the downloaded file is absolutely safe, then this Protected View might become annoying for you. Every time you try to open such a file in an Office program, you'll need to click on the enable editing button each time to edit the file.
Don't worry! Here is the solution. Microsoft Office comes with an option to disable this built-in Protected View feature in any desired Office program.
If you also want to turn off Protected View feature in Office 2010 or Office 2013 version, check out following simple steps:
1. First launch any Office program such as Microsoft Word and then click on File menu present in the ribbon.
2. Now click on Options tab present in the left sidebar.
3. It'll open Options window. Now click on "Trust Center" tab given at the end in left-side pane and then click on "Trust Center Settings" button.

It'll open a new window to customize Trust Center settings.
4. Click on "Protected View" tab and in right-side pane, you'll see following options:

• Enable Protected View for files originating from the Internet
• Enable Protected View for files that are located in potentially unsafe locations
• Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments

5. All options are enabled by default. Disable the desired option or disable all given options to turn off Protected View completely and click on OK button to save the changes.
6. Close the Office program and now whenever you open a file downloaded from Internet or attached in an email, it'll open normally instead of Protected View.
NOTE: You'll need to follow the same procedure for each Office program such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint separately.

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Windows 8.1 Features List

Many of us know that Microsoft is working on Windows 8.1 (codenamed Windows Blue) which is an update for Windows 8 and Windows RT. Windows 8.1 will try to fix issues and annoyances which many Windows 8 users are facing such as missing Start button, annoying hot corners, inability to customize Metro stuff, etc.
Windows 8 is considered as a 2-in-1 OS which was made for Desktops as well as touch-enabled devices such as Tablets. Windows 8 seems one of the best OS for Tablets but it failed to attract and satisfy Desktop and Laptop users. The new touch-oriented features such as Start Screen, hot corners, Metro apps, etc don't seem to work perfectly on computers.
Also the removal of Start button and a few other classic components disappointed many Windows users and new users found it difficult to operate Windows 8 computers.
But since when Microsoft started posting about Windows 8.1 features, it seems that Windows 8.1 will help Microsoft in making Windows 8 a perfect OS for both Desktops as well as Tablets.

Now it seems that Microsoft is listening to users feedback and they are fixing Windows 8 issues in Windows 8.1 to make all Windows users happy.
In this article, we are going to list all new and exclusive features which Microsoft is going to put in Windows 8.1. It'll help you in understanding the difference between Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 and you'll be able to know about all new stuff present in Windows 8.1.
So without wasting time lets share the complete features list of Microsoft's upcoming OS Windows 8.1:

NOTE: We are trying our best to list all known features present in Windows 8.1. We'll update this article whenever a new feature found in Windows 8.1 so keep checking this topic regularly.
1. Windows 8.1 will come with good old Start button in Taskbar. It'll launch Start Screen upon clicking. Currently Windows 8 users need to use 3rd party software to get Start button and Start Menu back.
2. Windows 8.1 will allow users to direct boot into Desktop. Users will be able to select whether they want to go to Start Screen or Desktop after login. Windows 8 users need to use extra software for such essential functionality .
3. Windows 8.1 will allow users to set All Apps view as default on Start Screen. Once you enable this option, Windows 8.1 will always show App view instead of Start Screen homepage as soon as you launch Start Screen using WIN key or other methods.
4. Windows 8.1 will allow users to disable hot corners such as Charms Bar and recent app switch list. These hot corners stuff appear when you move your mouse cursor to top-left or top-right corners of screen. Windows 8 users can use 3rd party software to disable hot corners
5. Windows 8.1 will allow users to set current Desktop wallpaper as Start Screen background image. There will be many new Start Screen background images available to choose. Also users will be able to choose moving (similar to animated) background for the Start Screen.
6. Windows 8.1 will come with new tile sizes on Start Screen. Users can select from 2 new tile sizes: Large and Small.
7. Windows 8.1 will allow users to bulk organize tiles on Start Screen such as selecting more than one tile and resizing, moving or uninstalling them in one step.
8. Windows 8.1 will come with many new touch screen gestures such as swiping from bottom on Start Screen to access All Apps view page, slide to shutdown, etc.
9. Windows 8.1 will allow users to set multiple images slide show on Lock Screen.
10. Windows 8.1 will come with refreshing and redesigned Store.
11. Windows 8.1 will come with new Metro apps such as Alarm, Calculator, Sound Recorder, etc.
12. Windows 8.1 will come with new updated versions of existing Windows 8 apps.
13. Windows 8.1 will come with improved Snap functionality. Users will be able to resize apps to any desired size. Windows 8.1 will also allow snap functionality on screen resolutions lower than 1366x768.
14. Windows 8.1 will come with a complete PC Settings app (aka Metro Control Panel). Users will be able to access almost all classic Control Panel options from new PC Settings page.
15. Windows 8.1 will come with new Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) web browser.
16. Windows 8.1 will come with new SkyDrive app to manage your SkyDrive account.
17. Windows 8.1 will come with improved Search functionality and users will have access to Search feature almost from everywhere.
18. Windows 8.1 will come with Broadband Tethering feature which will allow users to turn their PC into Wi-Fi hotspot so that they can share the Internet connection with other devices. Windows 8 or previous Windows version users can use 3rd party apps such as Wi-Host to enable such feature in Windows.
19. Windows 8.1 will come with support for fingerprint authentication for enhanced security. It'll also allow users to use their thumb impression to lock folders or the whole Windows 8.1 PC.
20. Windows Defender in Windows 8.1 will include network behavior monitoring feature which will help computers in detecting and stopping execution of known and unknown malware.
That's all for now. If you know about a feature present in Windows 8.1 which was not covered in this topic, feel free to share it in your comment and we'll add it to the above list.

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Samsung Galaxy Express Review

When carriers offer a smartphone for free (or $1) on contract it often means that the device has some problems. It’s usually a warning sign to steer clear. That’s not always the case, though. Samsung’s Galaxy Express on AT&T is one of those nice, cheap exceptions to the rule. This compact 4.5-inch handheld has a lot going for it: good display, nice design, and decent camera. Plus, it runs Android 4.1. If you really want a smartphone but really can’t afford to plunk down $100 or even $50 to buy one, the Galaxy Express is worth a look.

Look and feel

The Galaxy Express is basically a smaller version of the Galaxy S3, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s light, slim, and comfortable to hold with a great screen. It’s better for people who have smaller hands or want a phone that is more easily used with one hand than the S3 or S4. Just like the flagship Galaxy S phones, the Express has a physical Home button flanked by capacitive Menu and Back buttons, a Micro USB port on the bottom, and the Power button and Volume rocker on the right and left sides. That placement can get a little awkward since it’s easy to accidentally press one of them while going for the other, but overall the Express is well designed. It also looks pretty good and doesn’t feel cheap despite the plastic casing. Under the removable back you get access to the battery, SIM, and microSD slot.

The 4.5-inch display isn’t exactly small, though it doesn’t make the phone itself feel huge at all. Instead, it feels more like a 4.3-inch, medium-sized phone; the extra fractions of an inch aren’t that noticeable, especially with a 800 x 480 pixel resolution. That’s nowhere near full HD but that’s fine for a handset that’s free. The Super AMOLED Plus display is at least bright and viewable in sunlight. Even with the lower resolution, icon edges are relatively sharp. Where you’ll notice the difference is in small text and high-resolution images, which can look pixilated. Viewing angles are wide enough that we didn’t notice any color or brightness distortion when playing games. At extreme angles the screen darkens, but in most use cases you won’t encounter this.

Android and Apps

As with all Samsung Galaxy phones, the Express runs Android 4.1 (which is 1 version off from being up to date), but the interface doesn’t look like Google intended. Samsung has its own extensive user interface/skin called TouchWiz. The TouchWiz skin offers some nice additions to Android and makes it a little easier to use for novices, though we’re not fond of the toy-like look or how it makes a few things more difficult (like creating a folder). We do like the toggles in the Notification shade and the timesaving features like Motion gestures. The feature set is just right for an inexpensive phone, even if it isn’t as extensive as the Galaxy S3.

Pre-loaded apps include a few from Samsung and a ton from AT&T. We appreciate Samsung’s MyFiles, the enhanced Clock app, and the MediaHub for music. Samsung Link is for connecting Galaxy devices with other Samsung devices, such as laptops and smart TVs and sharing the screen. S Voice, Samsung’s Siri competitor, is also on board. The voice prompts for S Voice aren’t as conversational as Siri’s, but the service is improving overall.
AT&T pre-loaded a lot of apps (12) onto the Galaxy Express. Some are necessary and useful, such as My AT&T, AT&T Family Map, and DriveMode. However, do we need two messaging apps (Messaging and Messages)? And there’s little need to pay for Navigator when Google offers that service for free; same with Locker. At least you can hide some of these apps you’ll never use.

Cameras

The 5-megapixel camera on the back takes surprisingly good pictures for an inexpensive phone. Outdoor shots are colorful and mostly accurate and the camera app includes several useful scene modes to help you get the best shot. Unfortunately, HDR is not included, so stay away from mixed shadow/bright light situations. Indoor shots have more noise and since the shutter isn’t very fast the pictures aren’t very crisp, especially the low-light ones. All of the resulting images are good enough for sharing online and on social networks, but they won’t look great when printed.

The front-facing camera is crisp enough for video chats and the occasional selfie and does a slightly better job of pulling in light for evening or night shots than your average low-budget phone.

Specs and Performance

Inside the Galaxy Express is a 1.5-GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. This combo scored 5,106 on the Quadrant benchmark, around the same as the Galaxy S3 and a little less than the Pantech Discover. Our hands-on testing matches this – we found the Express snappy and smooth when doing everything from reading email to playing games. Even with quad-core phones dominating the horizon, it will likely be several years before you run into apps that are too much for a dual-core phone to handle, and many of those will be games.
The 8GB of internal storage isn’t much, especially for media hounds; good thing there’s a microSD slot that takes up to 32GB cards.

It’s light, slim, and comfortable to hold with a great screen.

Connectivity includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA, NFC, and GPS. The Express is a quad-band GSM world phone with LTE capability. We saw very good speeds on LTE in New York City. SpeedTest.net recorded download speeds in excess of 20Mbps and upload speeds around 12Mbps even when the phone only showed three or four bars.
Call quality on our end was very clear through the earpiece. Whether talking to people on landlines or cell phones their voices came through sans static and we didn’t experience any dropped calls. Our voice didn’t always come through clearly on the other end, especially with medium background noise. The speaker on the back pumped loud volume for speaker calls and music, though the quality is tinnier and harsher than we’d like.

Battery Life

Since the 2,000mAh battery doesn’t have to power a high-resolution screen it’s no surprise that battery life is great. Even with heavy usage, we were able to get over 12 hours of use out of the Express without employing any battery saving tricks. This included long gaming sessions, watching video, talking for an hour, and lots of background downloading from email and social networking apps.

Conclusion

For a $1 smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Express is fantastic. You get a decent display, comfortable and attractive design, good performance, and speedy 4G LTE. If you’re on a tight budget and really need to get a phone for next to nothing, the Express is not a bad choice. It’s not as great as the Galaxy S3 (now just $100 on contract), but is definitely better than its price would suggest.

Highs

• As powerful as a Galaxy S3
• Compact, lightweight design
• Bright, colorful display
• Long battery life

Lows

• Too many AT&T apps
• Low screen resolution
• Poor speaker quality

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Uploading Your Brain to PCs May Soon Become Reality

NEW YORK: Humans may be able to upload their brains to computers by as early as 2045, some futurists believe. This notion formed the basis for the Global Future 2045 International Congress, a futuristic conference held in New York, last week. 

The conference, which is the brainchild of Russian multimillionaire Dmitry Itskov, featured Ray Kurzweil - an inventor, futurist and now director of engineering at Google - who predicted that by 2045, technology will have surpassed human brainpower to create a kind of superintelligence -- an event known as the singularity. 

Other scientists have said that robots will overtake humans by 2100, 'LiveScience' reported. 

According to Moore's law, computing power doubles approximately every two years. Several technologies are undergoing similar exponential advances, from genetic sequencing to 3D printing, Kurzweil told conference attendees. By 2045, "based on conservative estimates of the amount of computation you need to functionally simulate a human brain, we'll be able to expand the scope of our intelligence a billion-fold," Kurzweil said. 

Substantial achievements have already been made in the field of brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs (also called brain-machine interfaces). Jose Carmena and Michel Maharbiz, electrical engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, are working to develop state-of-the-art motor BCIs. These devices consist of pill-size electrode arrays that record neural signals from the brain's motor areas, which are then decoded by a computer and used to control a computer cursor or prosthetic limb (such as a robotic arm). 

Theodore Berger, a neural engineer at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, is taking BCIs to a new level by developing a memory prosthesis.

Berger aims to replace part of the brain's hippocampus, the region that converts short-term memories into long-term ones, with a BCI. The device records the electrical activity that encodes a simple short-term memory (such as pushing a button) and converts it to a digital signal. That signal is passed into a computer where it is mathematically transformed and then fed back into the brain, where it gets sealed in as a long-term memory. 

Martine Rothblatt - a lawyer, author and entrepreneur, and CEO of biotech company United Therapeutics Corp introduced the concept of "mindclones" - digital versions of humans that can live forever - in the conference. 

She described how the mind clones are created from a "mindfile," a sort of online repository of our personalities, which she argued humans already have (in the form of Facebook, for example). This mindfile would be run on 'mindware', a kind of software for consciousness.

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Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (2013) Review

Apple’s WWDC 2013 gave us a revised MacBook Air, but the revision didn’t go as far as expected. Retina, considered an obvious upgrade by some, didn’t make its way to the Air, nor was the chassis itself redesigned. Instead, Apple has just upgraded what’s inside.
“Just” may be too weak of a word, however, because the hardware update consists of Intel’s new Haswell architecture and the 4th-generation Core processors based on it. The Apple MacBook Air was the first laptop on the market to offer a dual-core 4th-gen processor, and, at the time of this review’s publication, still has few PC peers.
While the new architecture is the Air’s most significant update, it’s not the only one. Apple also dropped the 11-inch model with 64GB drive in favor of an 11-inch model with a 128GB drive (without increasing the price), and also lowered the price of the 13-inch Air to $1,100, a price drop of $200. Though perhaps not innovative, this is still significant, as computers rarely receive new hardware and a price drop simultaneously.
Then again, the lowered price may be necessary. The design of the current Air dates all the way back to late 2011. Can Apple’s aging laptop keep up with the latest Ultrabooks?

You’ve seen this before

Though Apple changed the internals, the 2013 model is aesthetically no different from previous years. The laptop’s simple, silver exterior remains among the most elegant in the business, and the chassis tapers forward to a sharp, definitive point. Give the Air a few moments on a grinder and you’d be able to dice vegetables with it.

The Air’s age is starting to show, however. When unboxed this laptop from the rear and momentarily thought we’d picked up a Pro with Retina by accident. Less than a tenth of an inch separates the maximum thickness of the 13-inch Pro with Retina and the 13-inch Air, and while the latter does taper to a much thinner edge, the difference between them is no longer impressive. More importantly, the Air no longer feels remarkably thin next to PC competitors like the Acer Aspire S7 and Dell XPS 13.
Apple’s design also lacks the “wow” factor that used to separate it from the pack. When the original MacBook Pro and Air hit the market, they re-invented how a premium laptop should look and feel. Now, several years later, the competition has caught up. Most Ultrabooks offer a similar look and similar quality.

Seeking ports

Connectivity is an area where the Air clearly lags behind the competition. Only two USB 3.0 ports are available, along with a combo headphone/microphone jack, a Thunderbolt port, and an SD card reader.

There’s nothing about the Air that’s explicitly bad, but there’s far too much about it that’s merely “meh.”

Thunderbolt technically is a great addition, but device support remains somewhat limited. Fortunately, the port can be used with HDMI and DVI displays via an inexpensive adapter.

Good keys, but the touchpad surprises

The Air’s keyboard isn’t the best available, but it defeats most Ultrabooks on the market. Key caps are large, key feel is above average, and there’s good separation between each individual key. OS X provides an edge by enabling useful shortcuts that simply aren’t available on a Windows PC.
Backlighting is standard and works extremely well. There’s almost no light-leak from beneath the keys and brightness can be adjusted with excellent detail.
Past versions of this laptop have received praise for their touchpad, but it no longer feels particularly large, premium, or smooth compared to the best Ultrabook competitors. We’re still a fan of OS X’s gesture support, however, and the touchpad’s surface provides plenty of room to navigate via swipe, pinch, and waggle.

Need more pixels, please

The MacBook Air 13-inch comes with a 1440 x 900 display. Though that’s a respectable resolution, most Ultrabook competitors above $1,000 now ship with a 1080p display, which puts Apple at a bit of a disadvantage. The difference in pixel density is noticeable in certain situations. Small font on a document or webpage, for example, often renders with a ragged, haphazard look.

Competitors caught up in image quality, too. Our normal benchmark won’t work with OS X, so we can’t judge the display from a purely objective standpoint. Subjectively, however, the Air lacks contrast and suffers from limited viewing angles. The display’s saving grace is brightness, which can be turned up so high that outdoors use is possible (if not enjoyable).
Audiophiles won’t be pleased with the Air’s sound system. Though generally clear, deep bass can cause distortion, and maximum volume is adequate at best. Anyone planning to watch movies or listen to music should buy a pair headphones or external speakers.

A portable pleasure

At a weight of three pounds, and with a thickness of up to 17mm, the Air is no longer the sultan of slim. Losing the crown does rob the laptop of something that made it special. At the same time, however, it’s not as if this system is chunky. In fact, most Ultrabooks are still a bit thicker and a bit heavier, despite the fact that Apple’s design has been on the market for almost three years.

Even with the price cut, the Air’s inferior display and merely adequate hard drive capacity hinder its overall value.

The 2013 model gained battery life – and a lot of it. Apple claims maximum endurance has made an incredible leap from seven to 12 hours, though that’s representative of a best-case scenario. The Peacekeeper browser benchmark ate through the Air’s battery in six hours and 45 minutes, which is about an hour and a half better than an average Ultrabook. Only Toshiba’s Kirabook and the HP Envy x2 last longer.
We were surprised to see our wattmeter report that the Air consumes 14 watts at idle (with screen at maximum brightness) and 34 watts at full load. These figures are worse than the average Ultrabook. Without another Haswell laptop to reference, we can’t be sure of why these results were so unimpressive, but we suspect either OS X power management or the display is to blame.

Haswell for mobile arrives

Our base model MacBook Air 13-inch boasts a Core i5-4250U processor, 4GB of RAM, and Intel HD 4600 graphics. None of our normal benchmarks work with OS X, so we loaded Windows 8 via Boot Camp to perform our tests.
SiSoft Sandra’s Processor Arithmetic benchmark came to a result of 39 GOPS, and 7-Zip turned in a final score of 7,174 MIPS. These numbers are adequate, yet a bit worse than the average 3rd-gen mobile Core processor. The i5-4250U’s low maximum clock speed of 1.9 GHz (with a base of 1.3 GHz) can be blamed. The Core i5-3427U, used in the previous Air, had a Turbo boost maximum of 2.8 GHz. That’s right; the new Air is slower than the old one.

PCMark 7 redeemed the processor by posting an excellent score of 5,144. Anything above 5,000 is extremely good, and the Air is only the third laptop – after the Kirabook and Sony Vaio T14 – we’ve tested to vault over that mark. The excellent score is largely propelled by the system’s astoundingly quick solid-state storage. Apple’s decision to ditch SATA hard drives may make its laptops more difficult to repair, but the performance benefit is clear.
The Air is also our first chance to test Haswell’s Intel HD 4600 graphics in a mobile format, and we’re happy to report IGP performance is strong. 3DMark managed a score of 4,492 in the Cloud Gate Bench and 774 in Fire Strike. These numbers represent a gain of over 50 percent compared to 3rd-gen Intel Core mobile processors with Intel HD 4000. Most games available for Mac will perform well on this laptop.

Reasonably cool and quiet

Past versions of this laptop have at times had issues with heat. That’s a thing of the past, however, as we never recorded an external temperature above 97.1 degrees Fahrenheit while stress-testing the new Air. More mundane use barely warms the laptop’s bottom, which makes it more comfortable to use in any situation.
The system fan doesn’t drone to cool the internals, either. At idle the fan isn’t loud enough to register on our decibel meter, and noise at full load reaches just 44.8dB. That’s noticeable, to be sure, but tolerable for most users.

Conclusion

The 13-inch Air’s new $1,100 starting price undercuts competitors like the ASUS Zenbook X31A-DH71 and Acer Aspire S7, but it puts Apple in an uncomfortable position. For the first time in years, the company is selling based on price rather than quality.
Even with the price cut, the Air’s inferior display and merely adequate hard drive capacity hinder its overall value. An Asus Zenbook may be $100 to $150 more (for the newest model), but it offers double the storage and a 1080p display. Then there’s Lenovo’s Yoga, which offers a convertible form-factor, superior specifications and a better keyboard at the same $1,100 price point. Or, consider the Dell XPS 13, which is much more expensive (with the 1080p panel) but boasts an amazing display and carbon fiber chassis.
There’s nothing about the Air that’s explicitly bad, but there’s far too much about it that’s merely “meh.” With the Apple’s own Pro with Retina now only slightly thicker, and numerous Ultrabooks available, this entry-level Mac has become hard to recommend to anyone except consumers who want OS X but can’t afford a Pro.

Highs

• Good build quality
• Long battery life
•  Extremely quick solid-state storage

Lows

• Design is now just average
• Limited port selection
• Low-resolution display with no option to upgrade
• PC alternatives are a better value

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Office 2013 Professional Plus for download

We know that Microsoft has released the final RTM version of its latest Office suite "Office 2013" to TechNet and MSDN subscribers and a free Customer Preview (Beta) version of Office 2013 is available for download to public:
Microsoft Releases Office 2013 Customer Preview Free to Public
Now the good news is that if you are not a TechNet or MSDN subscriber but want to test the final version of Office 2013, you can download a fully functional copy of Office 2013 RTM version absolutely free from Microsoft. Keep in mind that its a 60-day trial version but there are no limitations or restrictions. So you can use it for 2 months approx.

Microsoft is providing Office 2013 Professional Plus version for download which comes with following Office programs:

• Microsoft Word 2013
• Microsoft PowerPoint 2013
• Microsoft Excel 2013
• Microsoft Access 2013
• Microsoft Outlook 2013
• Microsoft OneNote 2013
• Microsoft Publisher 2013
• Microsoft Lync 2013

Free 60-day trial versions of Microsoft Visio Professional 2013 and Microsoft Project Professional 2013 RTM versions are also available for download separately.
Both 32-bit and 64-bit editions are available for download and its available in many languages such as Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian and Spanish.
System requirements:

• Processor: 1 Ghz or faster 32-bit or 64-bit processor with SSE2 instruction set
• Memory (RAM): 1 GB RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• Hard Disk space: 3.0 GB available
• Display: Graphics hardware acceleration requires a DirectX10 graphics card and 1024x576 resolution
• Operating System: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2012

You can download the free trial versions using following links:

Download Free Microsoft Office 2013 Professional Plus Trial Version

You'll need a Windows Live ID to register before downloading the free RTM version. As soon as you register, you'll get your working product key to install Office 2013 RTM in your system.
Let us tell you again that this final version of Office 2013 comes with 2 new color schemes (themes) to choose which are Light gray and Dark gray.

PS: If you are using a preview version of Office 2013, you'll need to uninstall the existing version from your system to be able to install this final version. The good thing is that if you install this free trial version and later you purchase full version of Office 2013, you can convert this trial version into full version by just entering the new product key using your Account settings in Office 2013.

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Is Google Glass in danger?

Google Glass: Privacy officials from six nations ask Larry Page for more info

Privacy concerns surrounding Google Glass show little sign of easing with news that officials across six nations have contacted the company in a joint letter which sets down a series of questions they want answered about the head-based tech.
The letter comes in the same month that Google CEO Larry Page – to whom the letter is addressed – told shareholders that privacy issues regarding the device are “not that big a concern,” though for officials in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Israel and Switzerland, they clearly are.
The Mountain View company’s high-tech specs, which are capable of capturing images and recording video, are currently being tested in the field by a number of engineers and developers. The device is expected to get a commercial release some time next year.

Frustrated

Despite extensive media coverage surrounding the tech, the authorities behind the letter are clearly frustrated that up to now they have had no opportunity to engage in any “real dialog” with Google about privacy concerns with Glass.
“To date, what information we have about Google Glass, how it operates, how it could be used, and how Google might make use of the data collected via Glass largely comes from media reports, which contain a great deal of speculation, as well as Google’s own publicizing of the device,” the letter said.
Those represented in the correspondence said that while they are aware similar devices are being developed by other companies, Google is “a leader in this area.” Despite this, “most of the data protection authorities [in this letter] have not been approached by your company to discuss any of these issues in detail.”

Questions

The letter listed eight questions it would like answered, including how Google Glass will comply with data protection laws and how it will share information collected via Glass. It also asks if Google is doing anything about “the broader social and ethical issues raised by such a product, for example, the surreptitious collection of information about other individuals.” The Mountain View company was recently named as one of the Internet firms which has been sharing user data with the NSA as part of its PRISM surveillance program.
The final question in the letter may leave some wondering if the authorities haven’t simply got caught up in the buzz surrounding the specs and would like nothing more than an early hands-on with Glass: “Would Google be willing to demonstrate the device to our offices and allow any interested data protection authorities to test it?” it asks.
The letter ended, “We would be very interested in hearing about the privacy implications of this new product and the steps you are taking to ensure that, as you move forward with Google Glass, individuals’ privacy rights are respected around the world.”
News of today’s letter comes a month after a Congressional privacy group in the US also contacted Larry Page on the same issue.
While up to now Google’s usual response has been along the lines of hey, this is new tech we’ve got here, we don’t even know how it’s going to turn out so let’s see where it goes, it may well be time for Larry to take a set of his AR specs along to some meetings with concerned parties, together with some soothing words to allay privacy fears.

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5 Methods to Reset / Recover / Change Forgotten Administrator Password in Windows

Many times we face this problem when we or our friends forget Windows administrator password and can't log into Windows. So here we are posting a few methods / utilities which can be used to reset or recover forgotten Windows password:

DISCLAIMER: Following information should be used only if its your system and you have forgotten account password. Don't use this information to access a system which is not yours without permission.

1st Method:

This method includes the first thing which should do whenever you forget your Windows login password. When we install Windows, it automatically creates an account "Administrator" and sets its password to blank. So if you forget your user account password then try this:
Start your computer and when you see Windows Welcome screen / Login screen, press <ctrl>+<alt>+<del> keys twice and it'll show Classic Login box.

Now type "Administrator" (without quotes) in Username and leave Password field blank. Now press Enter and you should be able to log in Windows.
Now you can reset your account password from "Control Panel -> User Accounts".
Same thing can be done using Safe Mode. In Safe Mode Windows will show this in-built Administrator account in Login screen.

2nd Method:

If the above mentioned trick doesn't work, try following trick which is actually a loophole in Windows XP Setup and also a big security hole:
A. Boot using Windows XP Setup CD and follow the instruction like Accepting EULA, etc.
B. When it asks to repair your existing Windows installation, accept it and press "R" to run the repair.
C. Setup will start repairing your Windows and will start copying files, etc.
D. After a few minutes setup will restart your system and when it restarts don't press any key when it shows "Press any key to continue..." otherwise Setup will start from the beginning. Don't press any key and setup will resume where it left.
E. Now it'll start doing other tasks and will show a small progressbar with a few details in left side.
F. Look carefully at the details and when it shows "Installing devices", press <Shift>+F10 keys in your keyboard.
G. It'll open a Command Prompt window. Now type nusrmgr.cpl and press <Enter>.

H. It'll open the same "User Accounts" window which you see in Control Panel.
I. Now you can remove or reset any account password without any problem.

3rd Method:

Windows XP and later Windows versions provide a built-in method to recover forgotten password by using "Password Reset Disk". If you created a Password Reset Disk in past, you can use that disk to reset the password.
If you don't know how to create a password reset disk, lets tell you in details. You can create the password reset disk using Control panel -> User Accounts applet.
First open Control Panel and click on User Accounts icon. It'll open User Accounts window. Now click on your user account and then click on "Prevent a forgotten password" link given in left-side pane. It'll open forgotten password wizard as shown in following screenshot:

Follow the instructions and you'll have a password reset disk in your hand.

4th Method:

You can also use various bootable rescue CDs to reset your Windows password.

There are also a few 3rd party utilities available to help you recover your Windows password such as:

• UBCD for Windows
• Ultimate Boot CD (UBCD)
• Offline NT Password & Registry Editor

You can search for their download links on Google, Bing or any other favorite search engine.

5th Method:

If all fails, then simply reinstall Windows and create new account. To recover lost data, you can use Data recovery tools available on net but the chances will be very low to get data back.

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CCleaner 4.02 Released, Best Free System Optimization and Cleaning Tool

CCleaner is a free system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes temporary unused files from your system which helps your computer to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains no spyware or adware.
It cleans following stuff:

• Internet Explorer - Temporary files, history, cookies, Auto-complete form history, index.dat.
• Firefox - Temporary files, history, cookies, download history, form history.
• Google Chrome - Temporary files, history, cookies, download history, form history.
• Opera - Temporary files, history, cookies.
• Safari - Temporary files, history, cookies, form history.
• Windows - Recycle Bin, Recent Documents, Temporary files and Log files.
• Registry Cleaner - Advanced features to remove unused and old registry entries.

Changes in new version:

• Improved Download History cleaning for Firefox
• Optimized Cookie cleaning for Internet Explorer 10
• Optimized detection of Google Chrome Startup items
• Improved compatibility with Internet Explorer 10
• Improved System and Browser Monitoring (Pro Version)
• Improved drive detection in File Finder
• Added cleaning for Adobe Fireworks 6.0, Nero 12 Platinum HD Suite, Foxit Reader 6.0, Virtual Clone Drive, PDFCreator and PDF Architect
• Improved cleaning for Freemake Video Converter
• Minor bug fixes and GUI improvements

You can download it using following link:
Download Link
Download Link (Mac)

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Windows 8 Lock Screen Customizer

If you are using Windows 8 or if you are following this blog regularly, you might be aware of the new Lock Screen present in Microsoft's latest OS Windows 8. This new Lock Screen is quite similar to the screen present in smartphones. Windows 8 Lock Screen basically shows current date and time along with a nice background image which can be changed using PC Settings aka Metro Control Panel.


Today in this article, we are going to share a new freeware which allows you to tweak and customize Windows 8 Lock Screen. This free tool has been developed by our friend hb860.
"Lock Screen Customizer" is a free and portable software for Windows 8 which allows you to:

• Change Lock Screen background image
• Change date language
• Change date and time format (12 or 24 hours format)
• Change color set of Login or Sign in Screen
• Set Slide Show of background images which change at every startup
• Disable or turn off Lock Screen

You can see this small utility comes with many useful features. You just need to download the utility and run the appropriate version and you are ready to tweak Lock Screen.
It supports both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows 8. Interested people can download it using following link:
Download Windows 8 Lock Screen Customizer

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Sony's secret to beat xbox one

Sony’s secret to making PlayStation 4 a success is getting more women making games

 

 

Making and distributing a video game is easier today than it has ever been. The materials needed to make a game – a computer, development tools, access to people with experience – are commodities within reach of far more creative people than they have been for the past thirty years, when games have been largely beholden to wildly expensive technology and delivery methods. For all the newfound accessibility in game development, however, the industry itself remains largely homogenous. On average, based on data culled from Game Developer Magazine and Gamasutra, there are more men making video games professionally than women (and it would appear that they make less doing so, though just how big the discrepancy is open to debate).
For big businesses in the game industry, getting women to play games has been a major goal of the last decade. Today, about 47-percent of players are women. Goal achieved. Now companies like Sony want more women making games.
In attempting to make the PlayStation 4 a console that appeals to women, Sony believes that the path to success lies in hiring women to make games.
“We are not going down the route of making the console pink,” Sony Europe’s Andrew House told The Sun, “I think the key is to have people – and increasingly women – with different sensibilities creating different games. It is not all about shoot ‘em up games.”
Surprising words from a company who decided that the second PlayStation 4 game it would ever show the public was Killzone: Shadow Fall, a game that even in the smallest demo size proved beautiful but just a shoot ‘em up. The company has demonstrated though, that it’s interested in investing heavily in smaller developers working on more unusual fare. At both the PlayStation 4 event in February and at GDC 2013, Sony pushed its new console with myriad partnerships with independent developers. Finding the small developer that can create the next simple, genius hit is another part of Sony’s goal for getting women interested in PlayStation 4.
“The key is getting game developers who are going to make the next Angry Birds excited about the PS4. And they are,” said House.
If you trust the statistics, the turn away from “core” gaming will be the quickest way to win female fans. Core games, AAA titles like Tomb Raider and BioShock Infinite that tend to emphasize violent spectacle, are overwhelmingly played by men. About 71-percent of the audience for core games is male according to the NPD Group. Turning to more unusual games may not be enough to bring more women into PS4 game development, but it’s a start.

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Change the welcome login screen to an FBI agent login screen

 

Hello everyone

today we are  going to show you how to change the log in classic screen to the FBI log on screen










first off download this folder it contain the logonui file and the replace script

 go to C:\WINDOWS\system32 and find the logonui.exe then drag it into the replace script  press ok

drag the logonui_fbi_1280x800_vir.exe into the same script

then press Y or y

maybe a message box will show telling you that a systeme file is missing just close it

log off to see changes

the download link Download

this tutorial is also  available on Youtube video

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how to change the login screen for windows 7

Finally Microsoft has incorporated a new feature in the latest build (7057) of Windows 7 which supports the end user to change the logon screen background without using any hacks or third-party tools.

In previous version of Windows, user had to use third-parry tools like Tune-Up-Utilities to change the logon screen background easily. Windows 7 now supports customization of Windows 7 logon screen officially. Replacing the old logon screen is just another task like changing wallpaper (Desktop background).

 

 

Follow the procedure below to change the Windows 7 logon screen.

1. Download the registry file from here. Extract the file and double-click on the file to enable this feature (Alternative method: right-click, select Merge).

2. Now, head over to the following folder:

C:\Windows\System32\oobe (“C” is your Windows Seven Installation drive)

3. Here, create a new folder named Info. Again, create a new folder inside the Info folder and rename it as backgrounds.

4. Copy your favorite image file to this folder and rename it as backgroundDefault. Note that the image must be in JPG format and the size should be less than 256 KB.

5. You are done. Reboot your system and see the change.

The following files (sorted by width-to-height ratio) are supported in  C:\Windows\System32\oobe\Info\Backgrounds folder:

* backgroundDefault.jpg
* background768×1280.jpg  (0.6)
* background900×1440.jpg  (0.625)
* background960×1280.jpg  (0.75)
* background1024×1280.jpg (0.8)
* background1280×1024.jpg (1.25)
* background1024×768.jpg  (1.33-)
* background1280×960.jpg  (1.33-)
* background1600×1200.jpg (1.33-)
* background1440×900.jpg  (1.6)
* background1920×1200.jpg (1.6)
* background1280×768.jpg  (1.66-)
* background1360×768.jpg  (1.770833-)

 

 

 

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How to add gadgets to windows XP

gadgets are more often used by windows 7 users today we are going to show you how to add gadgets to windows XP  so we get something like this

 

first thing we

download this compressed file and extract it Download

list of gadgets

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The winners and losers of E3 2013

 

 

 

The doors to the Los Angeles Convention Center have closed, and tens of thousands of weary gaming aficionados are making their way to their homes scattered all around the world. It was a big show, too. The new hardware was the spark that started a fire in gaming, leading developers to push their software to new limits, reinvent their wares for a new medium, and look at new ways to approach the industry. Some succeeded masterfully. Others, not so much.
Here’s a look at some of the winners and losers.

Winner: Sony

There was near universal consensus that Sony dominated E3 with its PlayStation 4 unveiling redux. It was showmanship on a global scale, with pitch-perfect notes about the hardware meant to invigorate the fanbase while not so subtly sticking it to a rival.
Microsoft had a fairly good showing as well. It did what it needed to by shifting the focus back to gaming and unveiling several exclusive titles. It eschewed the bluster of previous shows (last year featured both Usher and Joe Montana), and instead just offered a workman-like display that was tailored to fans. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was solid. Then Sony had its go.
From the start of the year, Sony has been playing chess with Microsoft. Its February reveal caught everyone by surprise, and it debuted things we already knew would favor Sony – more powerful hardware and streaming technology. It deflected most questions, and answered honestly that there were a lot of things it was still working on; after all, it had almost a year before it was released. On the other hand, Microsoft waited. When it unveiled the Xbox One, it was much closer to a finished product and that meant more scrutiny. Sony essentially handed Microsoft the lightning rod and stood back while it answered tough questions. At E3, Sony’s press conference seemed almost designed as a counter to Microsoft’s recent bad press.
One after another, Sony announced things that were specific to contradicting Microsoft. No always-on requirement, check. No restrictions on used games, check. No region locks, check. Sony basically walked right up to Microsoft and dropped the mic. Then it picked it up, announced a lower price, and dropped it again.
The next-gen systems won’t be out for five months or so, and that is a lot of time for Microsoft to take back the messaging. It could change policies or simply introduce new features that wow us. Sony could also stumble along the way and lose the momentum. For now though, Sony dominated E3 and was the clear winner of the show. It wasn’t even close.

Loser: Nintendo

You never want to count Nintendo out. Those who have in the past tend to end up regretting it. Just look at the Wii, a massive hit that followed the financially disappointing GameCube, or even the 3DS right now, which is finally finding its legs after a slow start. The Wii U, however, is faltering.
With only 3 million units sold since launch and two new, much more powerful pieces of hardware on the way (one of which is just $50 more than the top Wii U bundle), Nintendo’s future is uncertain. It had a chance to turn that around at E3, at least partially, but it didn’t. Instead it put forth a surprisingly weak effort.
If Nintendo wanted to, it could have stolen the show. We all know they are working on a new Zelda, Metroid, Mario, and countless other first-party titles gamers grew up with and love. Why not announce at least a name for some of them. Drop a generic image with “The Legend of Zelda Wii U” on it and you’ll have people screaming with joy. A price cut for the Wii U, possibly a new model with a decent internal hard drive, and releasing more old-school Nintendo games for both the Wii U and the 3DS would have been a great move, and all within Nintendo’s power. Instead we got the Wii Fit Trainer for Super Smash Bros. and a closer look at a couple of games we already knew about. Some have argued that Nintendo is simply moving away from the press and instead focusing on directly reaching out to fans. That sounds reasonable, but when your big, surprise announcement is the Wii Fit Trainer, there is an odd disconnect somewhere.

Winner: Oculus Rift

The retail version of the Oculus Rift is nearing release, and the VR headset continues to gain traction. Oculus VR itself was in attendance at E3, but more importantly the Oculus Rift kept popping up all over the place. There were demos scattered around places like IndieCade, and one of the most mind-blowing games at E3 was EVE VR, a short space-flight dogfighter that was cobbled together by the team behind EVE Online in their spare time.
People were talking about it and the buzz was good. Developers and publishers pay attention to that sort of thing, so the odds are you can expect more gaming people to want in on the action. It was a very good show for Oculus VR.

Loser: THQ / Winner: The winners of the THQ sweepstakes

The demise of the storied publisher THQ was sad for many reasons, but looking at the games it had on its docket, if it could have held out a bit longer things might have been very different. Metro: Last Light was great, South Park, Company of Heroes 2, and Saints Row IV are all but guaranteed hits. The publishers that managed to purchase the rights to those games without incurring the development costs are going to be very happy soon.

Winner: New IPs

Like most entertainment industries, game producers like sequels – a quick look at the last few years can quickly confirm that. Unlike most, however, the gaming industry is unique in that it resets itself every few years, and with that reset comes opportunity. This E3 saw plenty of sequels announced, but it also saw a glut of new properties. The Crew, The Division, Destiny, Knack, Mad Max, The Order: 1886, Project Spark, Ryse, Titanfall, Watch Dogs, and many others will help to herald in the next generation of consoles. During the twilight of the current gen, most publishers were wary of putting money into a new IP. That has changed.

Loser: Peaceniks

If violent video games made people instantly violent, E3 would be a bloodbath. The show was littered with titles with plenty of action, most of it featuring guns and digital murder. There is a growing feeling of exhaustion when it comes to violent video games. It isn’t the subject matter, just the oversaturation. That trend continued at this E3.

Winner: Ubisoft

Ubisoft’s press conference was a bit underwhelming, but its messaging was right on. The lineup of games Ubisoft has coming is impressive: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, The Crew, The Division, South Park, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and Watch Dogs all look like they could be hits. Rocksmith 2014 and Just Dance 2014 also have strong audiences. On top of that, Ubisoft Entertainment chose this week to announce a Ghost Recon film made in conjunction with Michael Bay. It was a good week for Ubisoft.

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