Tag Archives | Windows

Review: Getting Started With Microsoft Application Virtualization

By Matthew Guay on April 8, 2011 in Books, Reviews

If you’ve used Windows PCs for any length of time, you’re almost guaranteed to have had problems with application incompatibilities and messy uninstalls. Over time, your computer can get increasingly junked up with fragments of programs you’ve uninstalled. Then, if you have multiple computers or, say, use a home computer and a work machine, there’s no way to have all of your programs synced between your computers. You’ll have to install and setup all of your programs on each of your computers individually. Even in 2011, we’re still tied down with ’90′s limitations on our computers.

This problem is only extrapolated in enterprise settings. Managing applications installed on hundreds or thousands of computers can be terribly difficult. Then, keeping each employee’s files and settings on their machine even if they get a new computer, and making sure everything stays cost effective, all together makes for a complex situation. That’s where Microsoft’s Application Virtualization, App-V, comes in. It lets you created virtualized, self-contained copies of programs that can be streamed from the server and run on client machines without being installed. Everything work the same, no matter what computer you’re on. This is what I hope the future of computing looks like, and based on rumors, Windows 8 may include similar technology for standard users, but for now, this can be a reality in the enterprise. Continue Reading →

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OmmWriter Dana for Windows | Writing at its best on a PC

By Matthew Guay on March 15, 2011 in Featured, PC Software, Reviews

Computers are supposed to help us be more productive. That’s how we justify huge investments into computers, office software, desks, and more. Yet all too often we find ourselves frittering time away, checking the latest RSS feeds, social network updates, Google Analytics stats … oh, and someone just popped up on IM to say Hi.

That’s not exactly a productive environment.

OmmWriter is an app that seeks to bring concentration back to computing, or at least to writing on a computer. It’s been a popular app on Macs for the past year, and now it’s finally been released for Windows 7. PC users can now write in one of the few distraction free writing apps available on Windows.

In the tradition of WriteRoom and the many plain text editors on iOS such as iA Writer, OmmWriter offers a full-screen, distraction free environment to help you concentrate on your writing. Unlike these other writing apps, however, OmmWriter also includes calm background wallpapers, soundtracks, and typing sounds to accompany your writing. As its splash-screen says, OmmWriter is best enjoyed with headphones.

For the most part, OmmWriter doesn’t have a traditional program interface. There are some tools on the side, and an iOS style scroll bar on the right. You can change the font, chosing from a serif, sans-serif, script, or monospaced font, as well as choose from 3 font sizes. On the bottom, you’ll be able to save your file in plain text format or open a new document.

The main thing is the rectangle where you can type in text. As you start typing, the rectangle itself will fade away, leaving you only with your text, the background you’ve selected, and the soundtrack keeping you motivated in your headphones. Elegance, meet writing. Move your mouse, and the box and tools reappear, along with a word count on the bottom. Again, simple and easy; all you need to think about is your text.

But wait … wouldn’t the background sounds make it distracting? Actually, I’ve personally always found that I write the best with an instrumental soundtrack playing in the background. OmmWriter’s soundtracks are great background music to write with, and the keyboard sounds help keep you focused on writing. It’s the best possible combination in my opinion, but if you’re not a fan, you can always turn them off or select another sound combination that suites your tastes best on the side options that appear when you move your mouse. And, the included backgrounds range from a paper-like texture to plain white, so you can choose one that works best for your writing style, too.

Of all things, OmmWriter does actually still include a file menu, though you’ll almost never need to use it. If you’d like to reset the interface to the defaults, or export your document as a PDF, just hover over the top right edge of the program and the file menu will appear. Alternately, all standard keyboard shortcuts work as normal; press Ctrl+S to save the file, Ctrl+N to start a new document, etc.

Best of all, OmmWriter is yet another new Mac app that’s now available for Windows, joining the ranks of CloudApp, 1Password, Droplr, Backblaze, and more. It can be frustrating as a PC user to see most of the innovative and creative new apps coming out only on Macs, and is very refreshing to see some coming now to Windows. OmmWriter Dana is available in 2 editions for Windows and Mac: a free version with 3 backgrounds and soundtracks, or a paid version with 8 backgrounds and 7 soundtracks. I’d suggest trying the free version, and if you like it, strongly consider buying the pro version to let the developers know you appreciate their effort. The app starts at $4.11, though you can pay more if you’d like. Once you’ve purchased a pro copy, you’ll need to uninstall your free version and install the new OmmWriter Dana II and activate it with your key.

OmmWriter is a truly impressive and immersive app. Its my new favorite writing app on Windows, and I’m sure many of my upcoming essays, articles, and book chapters will be typed in it. It’s forcing me to concentrate on what I’m writing, and only what I’m writing, and that’s a refreshing experience. The only thing I need now is a way to disable Alt-Tab so I don’t switch away to other programs!

After all, the world won’t end if you miss that next tweet.

Written in OmmWriter Dana II for Windows with background #3, soundtrack #4, and keyboard sound #1.

Download OmmWriter Dana for Windows or Mac OS X

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Get Angry Birds on Your Windows PC

By Matthew Guay on February 22, 2011 in Featured, Techinch

Want to get the most popular mobile game on your PC? Angry Birds has taken the iPhone and Android world by storm, and it was recently released on the new Mac App Store. Windows doesn’t include an App Store by default, so for the most part you have to manually find, purchase, and install new programs you want. That is now changing with Intel’s AppUp Store. The AppUp store is designed to bring new applications to Windows XP and 7 based netbook, but it works fine on normal Windows desktops and laptops as well. Best of all, Angry Birds is now available for $4.99 on the AppUp Store and runs great on any Windows computer.

Angry Birds is now avilable for all Windows Computers directly from Rovio, so you can now get it without the Intel AppUp store. Just go to http://download.angrybirds.com/, and you can download trial and paid versions of all the editions of Angry Birds!

Install the AppUp Store

First, though, you’ll need to install the Intel AppUp application on your PC. Download and install it as normal on your computer. This should only take a few minutes, and once it’s installed, you’ll have quick access to tons of great, new free and premium apps for your Windows PC.

Note: While the AppUp Center works great on both Windows 7 and Windows XP computers, it is not working at all on Windows Vista in our tests. If you try it on Vista and get it to work, please let us know in the comments below!

In the mean time, you’ll need to register for an AppUp account. Head over to the AppUp registration site, and enter your personal and credit card info so you’ll be ready to purchase new apps like Angry Birds.

As soon as the install is finished, the AppUp Center should automatically open. If it doesn’t, you’ll find it in your Start menu or on your desktop. You can now browse the store and see the different games and apps that are included. Apps are organized into categories, with featured apps front and center similar to the way the iOS App Store looks in iTunes. Only difference is, this time, the programs are designed for your PC.

Getting Angry Birds

Ok, enough talk. Let’s get the game everyone wants: Angry Birds. It’s currently a featured app, so you could just click Buy App right from the front page. Alternately, click its link or search for it via the top search bar to see more info. Once you’re sure you want to buy it, click Buy App.

When prompted, sign in with the account you made previously, then confirm that you want to purchase the app. The AppUp Center gives you a 24 hour free trial, so you can return the app within 24 hours if you decide you don’t want it.

Angry Birds will now start downloading, and will automatically install once its downloaded. It still uses a standard Windows Installer, and you may have to click an UAC prompt during the installation, but overall it’s quicker and easier than traditional Windows program installs. It’s not as easy as installing apps from the Mac App Store, but it’s not that bad either. And, if you have multiple PCs, you can install the same app on up to 4 computers with the same account for no additional charge!

Smash Those Pigs!

Once its installed, you can launch the game straight from the AppUp center, or from the Angry Birds link in your Start menu. Seconds later, you’ll be playing the world’s favorite touch screen game … on your PC with a mouse! I’d say it’d be rather fun on an HP Touchsmart or other PC with a touchscreen, though I don’t have a touchscreen PC to try it on. If you’ve got a touchscreen PC, let us know how it works on it!

Angry Birds worked great on my main PC, which is a Windows 7 desktop with an AMD Athlon 64 x2 processor … definitely not a netbook! It also works great on netbooks, of course. The only computer I couldn’t get it to work on was a Vista desktop with an Intel processor; hopefully they’ll support Vista in the near future, but for now, the App Center only runs on Windows 7 and XP.

Angry Birds for PC includes everything you love about Angry Birds, including all of the standard levels. The only problem is, you can’t import your score from your iPhone or Android phone, so you’ll have to go beat all the levels all over again! Or, if you haven’t gotten to experience Angry Birds because you don’t have a modern smartphone, it’ll be all new to you.

Since most PCs don’t have touchscreens, you’ll have to drag the screens with your mouse to pan and see the whole level. Then, just click and drag your bird back, aim, and release your mouse to set your bird sailing through the air to the birds.

Oddly, the only major problem I had with Angry Birds for PC was with taking screenshots. It interferes with almost every screenshot program, so the only way I could get shots is to press Alt-tab and then hover over the Angry Birds icon in my taskbar. Camtasia Studio couldn’t take a video screencast of it, either; it just recorded my desktop with my mouse going back and forth and the Angry Birds sounds in the background. But hey, you don’t usually need to take screenshots while playing a game, so this shouldn’t be a problem!

Returning AppUp Center Apps

Of course, Angry Birds isn’t the only interesting app in the AppUp center, so feel free to check out other apps in the store. There’s plenty of free and for-pay options, and you just might find a fun, new app that you’ve never come across before. Best of all, you can try out any app, even paid ones, for free for 24 hours. If you decide you don’t want the app, just open the AppUp Center and click the My Apps tab on the left. Select Transaction History, then click the Options button on the app you want to return. Click Cancel Purchase before your 24 hour timeframe is up to return it. You’ll be asked to tell why you’re returning the app, and then it will automatically uninstall from your computer. That’s tons easier than most ways of trying out new programs!

Conclusion

It’s exciting as a Windows PC user to see new apps coming out for PCs again. Recently it’s seemed like all the developer focus is on mobile and Mac apps, but Intel’s AppUp Center just might turn things around again. In fact, some developers are finding it easier to get their new apps out for PCs than on Apple’s App Stores. TinyGrab, a great freemium screenshot utility for Macs, Windows, and iOS, has recently found Apple’s restrictions on the App Store too restrictive for their app, while at the same time they’ve found it easy to work with Intel on getting their app on the AppUp Center.

Hopefully Intel will continue to improve the AppUp Center and make it fully supported on computers other than netbooks. And, of course, hopefully Microsoft will make their own App Store for Windows and make it easier to get apps on all modern versions of Windows. For now, though, all the apps I tried work great on Windows 7 and XP. And hey, who would have thought that Angry Birds would finally be available for PCs?

Download Intel AppUp

Angry Birds Info Page on the AppUp Store

The Angry Birds Official Site

New! Download directly from Rovio Without the Intel AppUp Store

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Get an Offline Dictionary on Your PC and iOS Devices for Free with Kindle

By Matthew Guay on January 20, 2011 in Featured, Techinch

Do you find yourself needing to check a dictionary from your PC, iPhone, or iPad? While there are many dictionaries available for both Windows and iOS, many of us just default to looking up definitions online. This works, but when the internet goes down, so does your dictionary. Amazon Kindle is my personal favorite eBook reader on both Windows and iOS, and with the latest versions, it includes a free copy of the New Oxford American Dictionary. Here’s how you can put the dictionary to use so you don’t have to purchase a separate dictionary or stay online to find definitions.

Offline Dictionary in Kindle on iPad and iPhone

When you first run Kindle on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, the New Oxford American Dictionary will automatically download and be added to your Kindle library. You’ll see it right along with all of your other books, and can open it to look up words whenever you need.

Whenever you’re reading a book, you can simply highlight the word to see a quick definition of it in a small popup. Tap the definition to view that page in the dictionary.

Alternately, you can open the dictionary itself to search for words, so no matter what you need to look up, you’ll be able to get the definition in seconds. Best of all, if you’re not certain of a word’s spelling, you can flip though the dictionary like you would a paper dictionary.

And it’s not just on iPad … the Kindle dictionary works just as good on an iPhone or iPod Touch. Now no matter where you are, you won’t need to be without a dictionary.

Another good thing to remember is that many other iOS apps, including iBooks and Pages for iPad include dictionaries themselves. This really makes iOS devices great learning tools!

Using Your Free Dictionary in Kindle for PC

If you don’t have the latest version (Kindle for PC 1.3 as of this post’s publication), Kindle should automatically update. Alternately, head over to Amazon’s Kindle for PC page, download the latest version, and install it over your existing copy. The next time you start reading a book, select a word and you’ll see a small popup letting you know that the New Oxford American Dictionary is downloading. This may take a few minutes, but once it’s done, you’ll have the full dictionary ready to help you understand anything you read better.

Whenever you’re reading a book in Kindle for PC, you can now select a word and instantly see its definition in a small popup. You can then select to Google the word or look it up on Wikipedia, or alternately click Full Definition to see the whole section for that word in the included dictionary.

Oddly enough, the dictionary won’t show up in your Kindle Library in Kindle for PC even though you’ve got the full eBook on your computer. So, if you want to look up any random word, you’ll need a little workaround. Just open any book in your Kindle Library, then select any word at random and click the Full Definition link. Now, to look up any other word, just enter it in the search box on the top left. No matter where you are, you’ve now got a full dictionary offline on your PC for free!

Other Devices

While Kindle apps are available for Blackberry, Windows Phone 7, Android, and Macs, the other apps currently don’t support dictionary lookup. The PC app didn’t either until the most recent 1.3 update, so hopefully Amazon will add Dictionary support to the other apps in the near future.

Conclusion

All of us need to look up words to find their correct spelling and definition from time to time, and sometimes even today it’s not so easy to get online. Kindle makes it easy to find definitions from a Kindle device, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or PC, and best of all, it’s free! I’ve found the Kindle dictionary very handy on my iPod Touch, since I can look up definitions even when I’m offline.

Download Kindle for PC

Download Kindle for iOS (Free, Universal)

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Backup All Your Files Online Automatically with Backblaze

By Matthew Guay on October 26, 2010 in PC Software

Computers are amazing machines. What started out as crude scientific instruments turned into the main way we store most of our memories, important documents, to-dos, and more. For years, people have been telling us we need to keep our computers backed up, but it’s usually something we put on a to-do list and then forget about it. That’s often because it’s difficult to keep your backups up to date, plus it requires you to keep up with DVDs, portable hard drives, or other media.

The good news is, there are some easier ways to backup your computer. There are many popular online backup services today that can automatically backup all your important files to the cloud. No DVDs to mess with, and even if you lost everything, your files would still be ready for you to download and start using again quickly. We’ve been evaluating many online backup solutions, and have found several that work great, are economical, and protect all your most important files without much effort on your part. Today we’re going to look at one of our favorites, Backblaze.

Backup Your Computer With Backblaze

Backblaze is an online backup service that makes it amazingly simple to backup your computer. It finds all the important files, pictures, music, and more on your computer, then encrypts it to protect your privacy and uploads it to their secure servers. Whenever you need to restore your files, they’ll be waiting for you to download and restore them within minutes. Let’s see how it works.

First, download the Backblaze installer from their site, and run the installer on your computer. It’s available for Windows and Mac OS X, so download the correct version for your computer. Then, enter your email address and a password of your choice to create a new account, and click Install Now to get started.

Backblaze will now install and scan your computer for files to backup. This may take a few minutes, but you’ll only need to do it this first time.

Once it’s done, Backblaze will show you how much data it found to backup. Click Ok to finish installing Backblaze and let it get to work protecting your data.

And that’s it! Within seconds, Backblaze will start backing up your files to their secure servers. It’ll backup all files under 9Gb on your computer other than program files, virtual machines, and other files that would be installed by your operating system and programs. All of you data files, documents, music, and more will be automatically backed up, and you don’t need to do anything else. If you’d like, you can open the settings and select specific folders to backup or skip, but for most users, the default settings will work great. Just note that the first backup can take a long time to complete, but you don’t need to worry about it. Just use your computer as you normally would, and it’ll do its backups in the background whenever the computer’s running.

Whenever you open the Backblaze window to check on your backup or change settings, you may see a small tip on the bottom. But for the most part, Backblaze should live quietly in your system tray, happily keeping your files safe as you’re saving memories, meeting, memos, and more on your computer.

Encrypting Your Backup Files

By default, all of your files are encrypted on your computer, uploaded over SSL, and then secured on a protected and encrypted server. The backup key used, however, is accessible by Backblaze, so if you’d like an extra layer of security, you can add your own private encryption key. Simply open the Backblaze preferences, select the Security tab, and click Enter your private encryption key.

Here you can add and confirm a second password for your Backblaze account that is not stored on Backblaze’s servers. This encryption key is required to access your data, and you’re the only one who knows it, so make sure to remember it. If for some reason you can’t remember the key, your backup data will be lost as even Backblaze can’t access it.

Now your files are as secure as the can possibly be. Just make sure to never lose the encryption key you set, as otherwise you won’t be able to access your backups in the future.

Getting Your Files Back

If disaster strikes and you’ve lost all your files, or if you just accidently deleted the PowerPoint you were supposed to present today, Backblaze is ready to help you get your content back. Just head over to the Backblaze account page on their site, and login with your account info.

Alternately, open the Backblaze app and click and click Restore Options, then click Sign in in the popup window that opens.

Here, you can select to download a zip file of your backed up files for free, or order a DVD or USB hard drive with your full backup for a fee. Select the option that’ll work best for you.

Underneath this, you’ll see a file browser to let you select your files to restore. If you added an encryption key, enter it first to unlock your files.

You can now browse through your files and folders online, just like they appeared on your computer. Select any files, folders, or even the data from whole drives you want to download.

If you happened to make a change to a file, and want to download the older version, you can easily do that too. Click the Files backed up till menu, and select the time you want to view. Then select your files from that time snapshot.

Once you’re finished selecting the files you needed, click Continue with Restore to download your backup files or order a backup disk.

If you selected the download option and chose to download a large amount of files, you may be asked if you’re sure. Do note that it can take a very large time to download a full backup, so you may be better to download data from individual folders and restore them individually.

Once you’ve selected the files you wish to download, Backblaze will generate zip files for you to download. This may take some time, so Backblaze will email you when the files are ready. Just click the link in the email you’ll receive to go get your files.

Now just download the zip, extract your files, restore them to where you want them saved, and get back to work. Easy! Alternately, of course, if you selected to order a DVD or USB drive, you’ll need to wait for them to get to you, and then you’ll be able to quickly restore your computer.

Conclusion

Backblaze takes the guesswork out of backing up your computer, and lets you keep your data secure. It ran great in our tests, and unlike many backup programs, it used very few system resources. It also didn’t slow down our internet usage much even when creating the initial backup, as it automatically throttles its internet use based on current internet speeds and traffic. Most importantly, it made it easy to get our files back, even offering previous versions of files we’d edited.

Backblaze runs on recent versions of Windows and Mac OS X, and costs $5/month or $50/year per computer for full, unlimited backup. If you’d like to give it a try first and see what you think before installing it, feel free to download the free 15 day trial and give it a spin. Let us know how you like Backblaze, or if you have another favorite online backup service.

Download Backblaze and start protecting your data today!

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