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…)

Although I’m a very big fan of Jeff Dunham, this is not an article dedicated to Jose Jalapeno. Its purpose is a bit, let’s say, dorkier, but very useful. Using your computer actually means using applications installed on that computer: browsers, messengers, office suites, audio/video players, graphic viewers etc. But what happens when you go to another computer? You have another person’s applications personalized by that person. What happens when you have to reinstall your Windows? All those applications must be reinstalled and customized again. How can you go from any Windows to another and still have your same applications customized as you like? How to avoid reinstalling software when working on a brand-new Windows? Easy: Use portable applications! All you need is a memory stick; I’ll provide all the information you need in this article. (more…)

Here is a pctipsbox for those of you who frequently schedule meetings using Outlook 2007. It is sometimes handy to have a hard copy of the names of attendees invited to a meeting, along with the name of the meeting organizer. Although it requires a few steps, you can print this information in Outlook 2007.

Your first step is to copy the names of attendees and the organizer:

1. Within Outlook, click the Calendar.

2. Open the appropriate meeting request.

3. On the Meeting tab, click Scheduling Assistant.

4. Select the names in the All Attendees list.

5. On the Format Text tab, click Copy.The names of the meeting organizer and attendees are copied. (more…)

If you’re going on vacation, you’re probably looking forward to getting away from the phone. But e-mail is less intrusive, and many of us want to bring it with us.

That used to be a real chore. But accessing e-mail from anywhere has become easier over the years. Today, it’s not much more difficult than downloading it at the office.

The key is finding decent PC access to the Internet on the road. Most hotels offer such access. Even a dial-up account is OK for downloading e-mail. And with Wi-Fi hotspots all over urban areas, fast access is a snap.

Of course, you have to find a way to access your e-mail server. So let’s look at how that can be done. (more…)

Over the years we’ve looked at various manual methods of backing up and archiving your email messages but here’s a clever little program that makes the whole thing much easier. It’s called MailStore Home and it works with all of the popular email client programs, including Outlook Express, Outlook, Windows Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird and so on. It allows you to take all of your emails and store them in one convenient place with a single click, on your hard drive or a CD or DVD, and it is smart enough to only save one instance of each attachment (in case you have been sent the same one several times). (more…)