PCTips Box

Microsoft has made Origami Experience 2.0 available for download. A collection of programs designed to enhance the user experience of ultra-Mobile PCs, Origami Experience 2.0 is set up to integrate seamlessly with Microsoft’s latest Windows operating system. In the Redmond company’s vision, UMPCs upgraded to Windows Vista should also feature Origami Experience 2.0, as the project announced at the Consumer Electronics Show January 2008 was finalized. In fact, even as early as the start of May, the Origami team was hinting that the downloads of 2.0 were planned to go live with the final bits.

“The Origami Experience 2.0 is designed for Ultra-Mobile PCs that run Windows Vista. To run the Origami Experience 2.0, a UMPC with the following specifications is recommended: minimum 100 MB of available hard disk space; minimum 1 GB of system memory and touch panel display (required for Origami Picture Password),” revealed Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc.

A total of four applications have been packaged into Origami Experience 2.0. Users running Windows Vista Business; Enterprise; Home Premium; and Ultimate on UMPCs will be able to enjoy the added power, flexibility and functionality of Origami Experience 2.0: Origami Central, Origami Now, Origami Picture Password and Touch Settings. (more…)

Ever had the feeling that Microsoft is scrambling to salvage what little it still can out of Windows Vista? While continuously claiming that its latest Windows client is not a failure, and pointing to the 140 million licenses sold as of March 2008, the Redmond company seems keen on demonstrating that it can pull the operating system out of the sinking sands of public opinion. In this regard, Service Pack 1 is indeed used as a floating device, but a tad of marketing on the side can’t possibly hurt, can it? The focus for the time being, as far as Microsoft is concerned, is business users. Traditionally slow to upgrade to a new Windows release, corporate clients are now looking at Windows XP SP3 and Windows 7 as alternatives to Vista upgrades. The software giant is working to push Vista SP1 down their throats even if XP SP3 continues to work, and despite the proximity of Windows 7. (more…)

Wireless hotspots are changing the way people work. These wireless local area networks (LANs) provide high speed Internet access in public locations as well as at home and require nothing more than a notebook PC with a wireless card. From coffeeshops to restaurants, airports to hotel lobbies, hotspots are ubiquitous. They are the de facto connection method for travelers and remote workers to access the Internet, their e-mail, and even their corporate networks.

Hotspots range from paid services, such as T-Mobile or Boingo, to free connections at your local coffee shop or library. But they all have one thing in common: These are all open networks that are vulnerable to security breaches. And that means it’s up to you to protect the data on your PC. Here are a few tips to make working in public locations more secure. (more…)

Check out this great mash up using database technology & Microsoft Virtual Earth to document speed traps in America.

Available now is Speed Trap, a mashup (Web application hybrid) that combines Microsoft Live Maps and the ability to pinpoint and review speed traps located anywhere on the planet. Membership is totally free. Speeding tickets are not. Insurance price quotes for a car/auto after a ticket is even worse. Inform yourself and others. Future revisions of the site will allow for uploading to mobile GPS devices and GPS Enabled Phones. Speed traps are consolidated. Zoom in to see more. (more…)

First all, if you own a Zune and you listen to a lot of podcasts, you probably won’t want to miss this desktop software update for the Zune. It purportedly has a lot of podcasting related fixes. (I know that occasionally I’ll get certain podcasts registered twice in the desktop Zune software.

Personally, I use my Zune primarily to listen to podcasts, and podcasts alone. (I’ve only recently really started to load up more than a gigabyte of music on my 8GB flash-based device.) In fact, I should probably do an entry highlighting the IT related podcasts I listen to as some point. (more…)

Is your Zune acting up? Then, Microsoft has the right solution and, in this regard, is offering the Zune Device Diagnostic Tool for download. According to the Redmond company, the tool is designed to isolate and identify USB and wireless synchronization connection problems, associated with the digital media player device. However, the Zune Device Diagnostic Tool will not also resolve potential issues that it manages to come across with. It will only compile the information in order to provide the data to the Product Support Services. The tool is offered as an executable ZuneDevices.exe (250 KB), available as a free download. Microsoft provides additional instructions. (more…)

iPhone is virtually slaughtering Windows Mobile powered devices in terms of market performance. In yet another aspect of the multifaceted Microsoft vs. Apple face-off, the Cupertino-based hardware company has left the Redmond giant in the dust. On the U.S. Market, the iPhone has been nothing short of a smashing success just a few weeks short of the first six months since it was introduced. Earlier in 2007, Apple chose to sacrifice Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard on the altar of the iPhone. Apple talked at that time of necessary tradeoffs, and it looks like their gambit payed off. The iPhone is swallowing market shares at a rapid pace and is consistently growing its audience. (more…)

Lately, mobile phones have evolved extremely fast, and whether you need them to access the Internet, record videos, send/receive MMS and SMS messages or e-mails, listen to music or radio stations, cellular phones are the most indispensable devices these days. But today’s guide will teach you a very easy way to connect and transfer files to/from your mobile phone using an USB cable through the Pop-Port interface. Many Nokia phones come with this Pop-Port and I just happen to be the proud owner of such a mobile device (Nokia N70).

The problem with the phones that use the Pop-Port is that when you connect the USB cable to your Linux PC, nothing happens. I bet you are (like me) probably used to see an “Open with…” window a few seconds after you connect some multimedia device (camera, phone, hard drive, ipod) in the USB port, but this will not happen with these phones. Don’t panic, I have the solution! You just have to follow the next steps: (more…)

The client is an official Microsoft Windows Live client (v1.0.614) for Symbian S60 3rd edition phones which integrates Windows Live Hotmail, Live Contacts, Live Search, Live Spaces and Live Messenger with your S60 v3 mobile device.

Some of the features of the Windows Live Client include: (more…)

ActiveSync is no more for Microsoft Windows Vista and is getting a face lift called the Windows Mobile Device Center.

Currently it is available as a Release Candidate 3 (RC3) for download.

Windows Mobile Device Center is the new name for ActiveSync in Microsoft Windows Vista, and provides overall device management features for your Windows Mobile-based devices in Windows Vista, including smartphones and pocket PCs. All of the features previously available in ActiveSync are available in Windows Vista, including synchronization and setting up your partnership. (more…)