Well, the final Windows 7 release is now upon us; in fact, I received my full retail Windows 7 pre-order copies this morning which I’ll be looking to install as soon as possible, that is once I’ve managed to get some new computer parts ordered to actually build a new computer with. It’s been quite a ride if you’ve been following the tech news of this operating system; it’s had various potential versions (especially for EU customers) and browser options talked about, but thankfully those issues have now all been settled and we have a fairly straight-forward line up of potential versions of Windows 7 to buy.
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Spotify iPhone App Review – Is It Worth The Cost?
Well, the Spotify iPhone app has been released, it’s finally here after Apple actually approved it (a surprise in itself to some people), but has it been worth the wait?
I’m a big fan of the Spotify music-streaming service and usually have its music playing in the background as I work (or play) on my main desktop computer and have been perfectly happy just sitting back and using this free service listening to the occasional advert between songs. With the release of the iPhone app, it’s given me cause to think a bit more about this service, here are my thoughts…
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Spotify Invite Not Needed?
Music on the internet is a big thing in so many ways, not only have you got the online physical and digital sales but you also have the free online streaming services as well as the massive (estimates suggest even 95% of music download activity) illegal market. So it’s always great when people offer you free music and this is something you can access with a free Spotify invite for their beta.
Currently, the Spotify beta will allow you to quickly and easily stream music through a combined use of streaming servers and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. This system will be free, funded by the short adverts in-between songs (although so far I haven’t encountered many). Unfortunately, this is only in the beta stage and only those people with invites can use it… but there is a back door so you a Spotify invite is not needed!
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The Digital Nomad: How To Use Windows And Media Around Your House
The Reality Of The “Microsoft House”
My goal in this whole endeavour was deceptively simple. I wanted to centrally store my media and share it across my home network to my various PCs and mobile devices. If you believe the hype, this should be simple, but of course, it’s not. The purpose of this article is to give a true and reasonable account of what it’s actually like to try and “live the dream” of the ideals set out in the “Microsoft House” and why it’s not what we all have in our homes, unlike Microwaves, DVD players and yes, iPods.
The recently banned iPhone ads (Apple are liars, but we all knew that) are a great example of what should happen, contrasted with what actually happens.
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The iPhone and the Windows Guy
It’s a bit of a strange one, this. I was going to write a straight review of the iPhone 2.2 Firmware, but I don’t think the circumstances under which I came to use it really qualify me to write a fair review, so I won’t. Instead, I’ll tell you about my experiences with Firmware 2.2, which I hope is perhaps just as interesting.
I’ve never paid a penny for an iPhone, and the one I have now is an 8GB first-gen model which was given to me by my Dad, who’s decided that he doesn’t need all the bells and whistles and just wants a phone (I know exactly how he feels).
Obviously, it doesn’t work as a phone anymore, but it still works over Wi-Fi and functions in every way, apart from voice calls, cellular data and SMS. It’s not got GPS or any of the other enhancements in the new generation of iPhone 3Gs and this is the primary reason I chose not to do a straight review because a lot of my iPhones failings may because of the hardware, so to make a summary judgment over the Firmware alone would perhaps be unfair.
Anyway, the iPhone is basically a big fat lie.
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When The Windows Blows: A Post-Apocalyptic Review On Vista
I remember Windows 95 on floppies and it was rubbish
I think Windows 95 came on about 17 of the little buggers (proprietary 2MB formatted so don’t think you’ll be backing any of them up).
Of course, I couldn’t wait to crowbar the thing on to my 486. As the “Start me up” advert with the Rolling Stones resonated in my memory, I was about to install the RTM version of Chicago!! The true power of my Multi-Media PC was about to spring to life! It was all going to be perfect because Mick said so!
Well, it made a grown man cry.
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iTunes 8 Review
As an iPod Classic owner, I’ve got quite used to having to download new versions of iTunes over the past few months which don’t seem to offer any new features, but iTunes 8 promised something new, so I was looking forward to giving it a go.
There’s one new feature which you’ll notice straight away which is called “Genius”. Genius is actually two very different things in iTunes 8 with completely different purposes. The first is basically the “mini-store” from previous versions but on steroids.
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Google Chrome Web Browser Review (Internet Explorer Alternative)
I downloaded Google Chrome browser on launch day for XP/Vista (the only version available for the moment, although Mac and Linux versions are to follow) and the phrase “bare bones” just doesn’t quite say enough about this minimalist offering. Those used to IE7 won’t be too disturbed by the lack of a menu bar, although pressing the “Alt” key won’t do anything in Google Chrome. Oddly, the home button is not on-screen by default – You have to enable it in settings.
The only tinkering you’ll be doing is by clicking the spanner in the top right corner, which leads to a VERY basic config menu. With tabs such as “Minor Tweaks” and “Under The Hood”, it isn’t going to replace your installation of Firefox and it’s 214 plug-ins. I don’t think that’s what Chrome is about though, it’s designed as a solid cloud-computing platform, which it is.
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