If you are looking to add a Mac style dock to your Windows desktop, or just want to organize your desktop from a mess of icons, then this release of ObjectDock 1.9 might just be the solution. This update went from 1.5 straight to 1.9 because of all the updates and features added.

Some of these features include:

• Start menu docklet (for bringing up the real Start menu in the system tray)
• Live thumbnail previews on Windows Vista
• New weather docklet
• Reduced memory requirements
• Tileable dock backgrounds

This is freeware, but there is a Plus version that adds features such as tabbed docks, multiple docks, system tray support and more. It’s also Vista compatible, so be sure to check it out.

ObjectDock 1.9

Tags: vista, xp, objectdock, mac dock, apple, desktop, stardock

I have been running Vista for a while now, and although I like the Aero interface and other elements of Vista, I’m glad I can easily change them now more to my liking. I wanted to specifically talk about Vista icons today though. On Windows XP the maximum size of icons was typically a maximum of 128×128 pixels, with people viewing them on the desktop at 32×32.

Windows Vista comes and brings us icons that are 256×256, adds dynamic scaling, and adds a new icon type…..the Live icon. With Live icons you will be able to view a richer preview of the contents of the folder instead of a static icon set. In addition to these new features Vista adds many more icons that icon artists will need to create when building new icons for Vista.

So what do you do when you want to change your Vista icons to something completely different? Stardock recently released IconPackager 3.2 which now supports changing Vista icons including Live icons. You can change the entire set of Vista icons with just a click. Program icons can also be changed as well. So if you are wanting to change the default Vista icons to something mor than the default icons, then IconPackager is the way to go.

IconPackager 3.2

Tags: iconpackager, vista, vista icons, themes

Adobe released the much anticipated Creative Suite 3 on Monday. The Creative Suite is compatible with Windows XP/Vista, and Universal for both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs, which is a long awaited addition. Along with the suite of applications, the stand-alone products such as Photoshop, DreamWeaver, Flash, etc. are available as well.

I haven’t decided yet on whether to upgrade to CS3. I have been very happy with Photoshop CS2, and the cost of the upgrade doesn’t justify my main reason for upgrading… to work on Windows Vista. I was very annoyed with Adobe that CS2 will not be supported on Vista, and for my needs I might just go back to Paint Shop Pro.

I’d like to hear if you plan to upgrade (or already have), and what was your main reason for upgrading.

Tags: adobe, photoshop, cs3, cs2, creative suite, vista

The first thing many XP users change immediately is their desktop wallpaper, and that is usually their first steps in “customizing” their desktops. There is no reason to stop there though. Just as you can easily change your wallpaper, the same can be said for the cursor as well.

Enter this nifty little program…CursorXP.

It allows you to easily change your XP cursor to a variety of different themes that should fit your desktop style no matter what you like. Best of all….it’s free.

Simply install and select from the included selection of themes from the dropdown menu, select “apply” and you have a new cursor. If the included themes aren’t enough, there are many more available, and the best place to get them is at the CursorXP library at WinCustomize.

A Windows Vista compatible version is in the works, and there is a plus version that adds additional functionality.

Tags: cursorxp, cursors, desktop, windows, xp, themes, stardock, wincustomize

Last month I wrote about rumors that Apple was going to delay the release of Leopard until October so that Boot Camp was fully compatible with Vista. More rumors followed that and nothing was confirmed until today. Yes, Leopard will be delayed, but not because of Vista… but because of the iPhone.

“However, iPhone contains the most sophisticated software ever shipped on a mobile device, and finishing it on time has not come without a price — we had to borrow some key software engineering and QA resources from our Mac OS X team, and as a result we will not be able to release Leopard at our Worldwide Developers Conference in early June as planned.”

That is part of a statement from Apple confirming the delay until sometime in October of this year. The fact that Leopard will be delayed is no real surprise for me, but I was somewhat surprised that the development of the iPhone was the cause. Some would say that’s a big gamble to delay a major update to an operating system for a phone, but time will tell if it was a wise move.

Tags: os x, leopard, apple, iphone

Microsoft has announced it’s plans for a Spring update to the Xbox Live service for owners of the Xbox 360. The most notable new feature will be the addition of Windows Live Messenger which will allow Xbox 360 users to chat with their PC friends and view their Xbox Live Gamertags.

If you are worried about communicating through the on-screen keyboard, then don’t worry. Microsoft also announced an upcoming keyboard attachment for the 360 which will attach through the headset plug on the handset and offer a small keyboard which can be used for typing. USB keyboards will also be supported.

Other updates to the Xbox Live service will be improvements to the Marketplace service and updates to downloading content. The Spring update is set to launch in May. As a frequent user of Xbox Live the Messenger addition really doesn’t excite me much. I play my Xbox 360 to kind of “get away from things”, but for someone who always wants to be in contact, I’m sure this will be a welcome addition.

• Link 

Tags: microsoft, xbox 360, xobx live, live messenger, games

With many rumors and speculation about the release date of the iPhone recently, it was a surprise to some to receive a “teaser” e-mail from Apple about the iPhone. Earlier rumors from a “Customer Service Manager” at Cingular put the iPhone’s release date at June 11th.

This e-mail somewhat confirms that date. The e-mail contains an image of the iPhone and this message:

“Talk to you soon- Thanks for signing up. You’ll be the first to hear the latest about iPhone— coming this June. That gives you just enough time to think of ways to break the news to your current phone.”

There is still a lot of speculation if Apple will drop the price of the iPhone as was rumored in a market survey a month or so ago. I personally would like to get my hands on one, but the $399 is just a little too steep for me. I will definitely keep an eye out for updates on this.

Stardock has released DeskScapes 1.01. DeskScapes is an extension of Windows DreamScene which gives Vista Ultimate users the ability to have “animated wallpapers”.

DeskScapes takes this several steps further and adds the ability to run triggered content. This content can be based on the time of day, weather conditions, or any set events. Dynamic content is also possible that can be rendered on-the-fly such as a rotating planet Earth that displays whether it is day or night.

DeskScapes requires Windows Vista Ultimate and DreamScene to be installed. It is a free download and there are many Dreams (animated wallpapers) already available for download.

• Dream.WinCustomize.Com

• Screenshot

Tags: vista, vista ultimate, dreamscene, deskscapes, animated wallpaper

Anyone with children will tell you monitoring their child’s internet activity is vital, and I can’t agree enough. My kids are at the age where they need to access the internet to do research for homework, projects, etc., and I have tried many types of software to monitor or limit their activity. I haven’t found one that I am extremely pleased with, so I welcomed an integrated parental control tool inside Vista.

The parental controls include the ability to limit when the specified account can log on, and I configured it to only allow access at certain times of day for only a certain amount of time. Another feature is the ability to block or allow games based on their ratings, or just block/allow certain games to be played. Similar to that is the application settings, where you can block or allow only specific programs to be used. I set this up to block all chat and instant message programs, as well as a few others. I then spent my spare time testing this account and seeing how the parental controls stack up.

One of the best features to me was the activity reporting. Vista gives you a detailed summary of the websites your child tried to access, what programs or games they used, and much more. This was very helpful in monitoring the activity of your child online.

I have used many applications designed to block and control the content on a designated PC, both freeware and shareware, and I have to say the parental controls built into Windows Vista impressed me the most. They were very easy and straightforward to setup, and were very effective at blocking web content. The parental controls blocked most of the content that parents would find “questionable”, and there were very few times where I could get around the filtering.

Tags: vista, parental controls, internet, microsoft