In what’s essentially a very, very early build of Star Citizen here at NVIDIA’s Montreal 2013 event, we’ve gotten the opportunity to get up-close and hands-on with the likes of 4K output. This game isn’t out on the market yet – it’s still rolling in funding cash, in fact, having just reached a $23 million […]
This week the folks at NVIDIA have put three of history’s biggest names in gaming development on stage together, and one of the key questions put to them right off the bat stuck in Valve’s SteamOS. John D Carmack, co-founder of id Software and CTO at Oculus VR (with the Oculus Rift), Tim Sweeney, founder […]
This article was written on December 20, 2005 by CyberNet.
WinSuperSite is a great place to head if you are looking for the latest pictures of Microsoft Windows Vista 5270. Paul Thurrott has many great galleries and will soon have a review on the new build. So if you are interested in checking out what it looks like until you can get your hands on a copy, then head on over to WinSuperSite.
Visit The Vista Gallery Page At WinSuperSite
Copyright © 2013 CyberNetNews.com
This article was written on September 06, 2006 by CyberNet.
Web Browser Wednesday
Firefox is a big topic here at CyberNet News as many of you have probably realized by this point. I do, however, receive emails quite frequently asking why I don’t write more about Opera. There are actually two reasons and the main one is that I don’t use Opera as my default browser. It is great to use from time to time because of the large number of features but too many Google services lack complete compatibility with it.
The other reason that I don’t write about tweaking Opera is because an amazing wiki already exists that has just about everything I would be able to tell you. If you’re an Opera user then you need to bookmark that page. The list of bookmarklets that they have is absolutely insane!
That wiki is so extensive that I won’t really be able to cover anything new, but I can let you know a few of the speed tweaks that I have found to be useful. Alright, here we go…
Every time you start to type something into the Address Bar Opera goes out and looks for a networked machine with that name. I don’t know about you but I definitely don’t use Opera for searching for a networked machine. This just makes your computer do even more unnecessary work so I went ahead and disabled that feature:
After using Opera for awhile I start to notice that it takes longer to load. You can solve this issue by having it remember fewer addresses that you visit:
If you are constantly opening a ton of tabs then they will probably load the sites slowly. It isn’t because Opera can’t handle the load but it is that the number of connections that Opera can make is limited. By default they only want you to make 8 connections to a single server and 20 connections total. That is probably good for dial-up users but if you’re on broadband then you should try increasing it:
Okay, so those are the tweaks that I have applied to my Opera installation. Let me know if you come across any other helpful options to change because I love trying to make things faster! 🙂
Copyright © 2013 CyberNetNews.com
This article was written on May 12, 2008 by CyberNet.
Microsoft/Mac Monday
Today we’re taking a look at Apple’s Front Row vs. Windows Media Center. We’re not really sure if Front Row can be compared to Media Center because right now, they serve different purposes. Front Row is more of an interface for controlling the media already on your computer while Media Center will do that in addition to recording television shows. They’re both media hubs though, so we thought it would be interesting to see how they compared.
Before we dive in, we thought we’d first mention the fact that while we may be using MacBook Pro computers for our everyday use, we do have a PC dedicated to running Vista’s Media Center. It has 3 tuners and enables us to record 3 shows simultaneously, and was one of the best investments we’ve made.
Front Row is an application for Apple computers that is similar in some aspects to Windows Media Center. The first time it was announced was back on October 12, 2005. It now comes shipped on all new Mac computers.
Windows Media Center originally debuted in 2002 for Windows XP. Now it comes with Windows Vista Ultimate and Home Premium versions of Windows Vista.
One thing that Apple did really well with Front Row is transitions. These transitions start the moment you open up Front Row because it nicely fades-in to display the menu. Their interface is nice, but I noticed it’s missing a few things. First I should say that a lot of people use the Apple Remote to navigate Front Row, but for people who don’t want to use the remote, they’re stuck using a keyboard. There’s not a way (that we know of) to use the mouse which is pretty inconvenient. Navigation with a keyboard is a little more difficult, and you’ll end up using the Escape key frequently.
The biggest downside to Front Row if we’re comparing it to Windows Media Center is that there is no way to watch or record live TV.
Content that you can access via Front Row include:
Overall Front Row is nicest for watching movie trailers or maybe listening to your music but really it’s just a remote-friendly, fancy interface for iTunes. If they’d allow you to rent movies from iTunes via Front Row, that would be fantastic, but they don’t. They also don’t allow you to watch YouTube videos from there which is something that can be done on Media Center through an add-on, or even using Apple TV.
One of Media Center’s best features is the interface. Microsoft really did a fantastic job here. Another thing they did a great job with is packing a lot of features in under the hood. Not only does it come loaded with a bunch of features, but there are many add-ons that give you even more features like commercial skip and WebGuide which we’ve mentioned before. To Apple’s defense, because they don’t provide a way to record and watch live TV, there’s really no need for add-ons like commercial skip.
Another awesome thing about Media Center is that they’ve got quite the community surrounding it. There’s a website at www.thegreenbutton.com where you’ll find thousands upon thousands of people who are there to post and answer questions. There are even members who work on the Media Center Team that will stop by to help answer questions. While Apple does have a developing community out there, a lot of them are for Mac computers in general and not specific to Front Row.
Features:
Unlike Front Row, users are able to navigate through Windows Media Center using a mouse, and in fact, when they use a mouse or a keyboard, other navigational buttons appear on screen to make it a little easier.
If we were asked to decide which was better, Front Row or Windows Media Center, without question we’d choose Windows Media Center. This is one of those things that Microsoft really has done a great job with in multiple aspects. Maybe Apple will “borrow” a few of their ideas to improve Front Row in the future?
While Windows Media Center may be superior, it also depends on what you’re looking to do. If you don’t have a tuner card and you don’t have any intentions of getting one for your computer, there’s no reason why you can’t get most of the same functionality out of Front Row as you would with Media Center.
Those of you looking for a nice way to manage your media, graphically both applications look nice and get the job done. If you’re looking to record TV, Media Center is the only way to go. So now our question for you is, do you think Apple will go the route of recording television, or will doing so distract people buying episodes of TV shows from iTunes which ends-up bringing in money?
Copyright © 2013 CyberNetNews.com
There’s little doubt at this point that a future update for Google Glass will unveil the ability to take a photo using little more than a blink. In the most recent firmware update pushed to the wearable headset, it’s been revealed that a previously known feature has been given a new name, complete with connection […]
It would appear that nostalgia is getting the better of at least one of the original designers of the original Grand Theft Auto as Michael Dailly has announced his intent to re-make the original Liberty City. This re-creation of the original landscape from the top-down game that eventually lead way to one of the best-selling […]
Some older gamers complain that we’re spoiled today because of the wealth of guides, cheats and tips available online. If you’re one of those gamers, you’ll hate Machinima’s Xbox One app. The rest of you, feel free to rejoice. The app will let you view videos related to the game you’re currently playing. Because of the console’s multitasking feature, you’ll be able to watch videos and play your game at the same time.
While playing a game, you can start the Machinima app by saying “Xbox, snap Machinima.” Once it opens, the app will then load Machinima videos that are related to the game you’re playing. You can then watch videos from the side of your screen, while your game takes up most of your display. If you have a mobile device, you’ll also have the option of using the app from inside Xbox SmartGlass.
I don’t know if the app can recognize what part of the game you’re playing or if you’ll have to search for a relevant video yourself. That said, Machinima is working on what it calls Wingman, a series of official help videos for certain Xbox One games that will have detailed and exclusive content. You can expect that feature to come with a price tag.
The Machinima app will be available on November 22, i.e. the same day the Xbox One is released. I wish Shin Megami Tensei IV had this feature built-in. Damn you Tokyo and your stupid overworld map!
The touch-friendly interface of Windows 8 led to the rise of portable computers with touchscreens. Those that run Windows 8 often have decent specs, enough to run modern PC games. The problem is that almost none of these games are optimized for touchscreens. GestureWorks wants to help solve that problem with Gameplay, a Windows 8 app that lets you make virtual controllers for PC games.
Yep, that’s Skyrim on a touchscreen. GestureWorks Gameplay has a simple drag and drop interface. You can make d-pads, joysticks and buttons of different sizes and colors, then map them to mouse buttons or keyboard keys. It also lets you map gestures, so you don’t have to fill up your screen with buttons.
As shown in the video, another convenient feature of GestureWorks Gameplay is that you can share controllers with other people. This means you may not even have to create a virtual gamepad; just download someone else’s configuration and you’re good to go.
Penny Arcade’s Mike Krahulik loves this app and uses it on his Surface Pro. I’d rather use physical controllers to play games, but as an iPad owner I know how convenient it is to play games on the go or in bed. GestureWorks Gameplay seems like a decent compromise for Windows 8 gamers. The app will launch on November of this year, but you can try and enter the open beta by registering on its website.
[via Engadget]
Microsoft has finally got around to releasing Windows 8.1, the company’s first significant refresh of its desktop, laptop, and tablet platform. Available as a free update to those already using Windows 8, the new upgrade refreshes how the Metro-themed Start menu looks and works, with easier access to all applications, boosted multitasking with the ability […]
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