Windows 8.1 With Bing Could Be Attempt At Free Windows Offer

Windows 8.1 With Bing Could Be Attempt At Free Windows OfferIt was not too long ago when there was a brand new Windows 8.1 Update 1 build which leaked onto the Internet, where it was given the label “Windows 8.1 with Bing.” Taking into consideration how Bing SmartSearch happens to be part of Windows 8.1 already, this has led to many people thinking just what this mysterious SKU is all about when the real deal is introduced to the masses eventually. Unnamed sources today mentioned that Windows 8.1 with Bing happens to be an experiment for Microsoft, where the actual SKU sported minor differences from the other versions of Windows 8.1, and it could very well be one way for Microsoft to lay the bait of Bing-related incentives, so that either consumers or OEMs could enjoy free Windows down the road.

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  • Windows 8.1 With Bing Could Be Attempt At Free Windows Offer original content from Ubergizmo.

        



    Google Chrome: Merging the Best of All Browsers?

    This article was written on September 02, 2008 by CyberNet.

    google chrome.jpg

    Google kicked off Labor Day yesterday with a huge announcement. They gave everyone a heads up that sometime today the Google Chrome web browser would be launched for the first time. Needless to say there’s been a lot of buzz surrounding the pending release, but will it be able to live up to the hype?

    The browser will include Google Gears and will be based on Webkit, which is the same rendering engine that powers the Safari web browser. That’s basically saying that if a website doesn’t work right in Safari there’s a good chance that it won’t work in Google Chrome either.

    One of the most acclaimed features for Google Chrome is that it treats each individual tab as its own process on your computer. That way you’ll be able to see which tabs are eating up your memory, and when one of them crashes it won’t bring the entire browser down with it. That is definitely a welcomed feature.

    Google’s browser has also taken a few cues from Opera. The more obvious example of this would be the “new tab” page that displays nine of your most visited sites (see screenshot above). It’s pretty clear that they took the idea of Opera’s Speed Dial, and then put their own little twist on it by displaying the user’s most visited sites instead of user-defined entries. They’ve also decided to place the tabs above the address bar, which is something very few browsers do besides Opera.

    The question that’s burning in everyone’s mind is whether Google Chrome will be the browser that takes the world by storm. Personally, I don’t think so. I believe existing Firefox users will give it a shot, but probably won’t like not being able to customize it through the use of extensions. After all, Opera’s always criticized for not being extensible despite the fact that it ships with a robust amount of customization options. Google will probably have to target Internet Explorer users, and they’ll likely do that using a massive Adsense advertising campaign.

    Google Chrome will be released for only Windows at first, but Google says Mac and Linux versions are on the way. Just hold on a little longer… today’s the day we get to see how Google envisions a browser.

    Google Chrome Announcment
    Screenshot Source
    Thanks to everyone who sent in the tip!

    Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com

    Google Voice SMS Notifier for Windows

    This article was written on November 10, 2010 by CyberNet.

    gvnotifier.png

    I’ve been getting into using Google Voice more and more these days since I’m able to send text messages to any phone number without having to pay for an outrageously priced SMS plan. With my iPhone I can use an app like Notifo to get free push notifications for SMS messages that I receive, and then there are several apps to choose from for sending messages using your account (or even Google’s free mobile-optimized site).

    The even bigger benefit, however, is that I’m also able to respond to any messages right from my computer. With GVNotifier sending and receiving SMS messages with Google Voice doesn’t seem any more difficult than sending an instant message. If you receive a text message it will popup on the screen, and you can instantly respond from within that window.

    Keep in mind that the app also handles calls and voicemails, and Windows 7 users will appreciate the jumplist support that provides quick access to your favorite contacts. At times GVNotifier still feels a bit rough around the edges, but from a functionality aspect it gets the job done.

    Here are some frequently asked questions, and some answers provided by the developer:

    • Can I change the polling rate?
      Yes. Edit %localappdata%\GVNotifierWPF\settings.xml. Look for UpdateFreq, which is in seconds. Using a zero-value will disable updating completely.
    • Can I invoke a manual check?
      Yes. Call GVNotifier.net.exe /check. (Other arguments include: /signout, /quit and /update_contacts)
    • Can I change the notification sound?
      Yes. Edit %localappdata%\GVNotifierWPF\new.wav
    • Can I dial a number that isn’t in my contacts?
      Yes. Type the number into contacts search.
    • What hotkeys does GVNotifier support?
      While on the message window, Ctrl+N will clear the message log, Ctrl+R will check for new messages immediately. Ctrl+Enter will insert a new line, Escape will close the window. You may also middle-click the tray icon to check for new messages immediately.
    • Is GVNotifier portable?
      Yes, copy the application files from the GVNotifier install loction. Create a blank text file named settings.xml in the same directory as GVNotifier.net.exe. GVNotifier will then store all preferences and cached contact photos in the same directory.

    Unfortunately the developer hasn’t released an update since June 2010, but for the most part it already does everything I want it to. The only thing I’d like to see at this point is an easy way to display the phone number associated with each contact. I have a few contacts that have multiple phone numbers assigned to them, and I have to double-click to open each of their contact entries to find the correct one. That’s just a minor annoyance, and definitely won’t keep me from using the app.

    GVNotifier Homepage

    Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com

    Free XML Validator and Viewer for Windows

    This article was written on January 10, 2012 by CyberNet.

    Xml file viewer

    When working with large XML files they can take awhile to load depending on the program you’re using, but the free (and portable) XML Explorer can handle some big files with ease. This XML file viewer can pull up a 100MB file in just seconds, and it displays the information in a tree view so that you can efficiently browse the contents of the file.

    Despite not being able to edit files the XML Explorer app has other features that are quite handy:

    • When opening a file it validates the document and points out any errors it finds
    • XPath expressions can be evaluated making this a powerful search tool
    • There are several different formats available when copying data:
      Xml viewer copy
    • Tabbed interface for opening multiple documents in the same window
    • Portable version is available making it easy to run from any machine

    XML Explorer (Windows only; Freeware; Portable)

    Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com

    Start Screen Background Spotted On Windows Phone 8.1

    Start Screen Background Spotted On Windows Phone 8.1Rumors have always been around, and will continue to be around. After all, there is no smoke without any fire, right? It seems that the Windows Phone 8.1 update would arrive eventually with a spanking new feature thrown into the mix in order to make the Live Tiles to be part of the background image of the Start screen, as you can see in the leaked image on the right hand side. First of all, the feature, which has more often than not been referred to as “skinnery,” could very well split opinions right down the middle, so couples who want to preserve their domestic unity would find it more beneficial to talk about other subjects. As for those who prefer something more to the plain color themes of Live Tiles, the very act of making the tiles part of the picture itself looks appealing.

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  • Start Screen Background Spotted On Windows Phone 8.1 original content from Ubergizmo.

        



    Nosferatu Curtains: If Drapes Could Kill

    They say that a person’s eyes are the windows to his or her soul. But what about the windows to your home? They’re literally windows to your life, but could they also be windows to your psyche? That could be the case for those who have fancily-decorated blinds and drapes, like the ASCII curtains and 35mm film curtains.

    Hopefully, that won’t be the case for the folks who have these Nosferatu curtains hanging on their windows, though.

    Noseferatu Curtains01magnify

    Most people associate “nosferatu” with vampires, but did you know that it was derived from the Greek word “nosophoros,” which means “plague carrier”? People in the olden times associated vampires as being carriers of diseases, which explains why both are used interchangeably when referring to one or the other.

    These hand-painted curtains incite fear and they’ll most likely scare off potential burglars from entering through windows that’s shadowed by this menacing figure. If you don’t want to go the Nosferatu route (which is most likely too creepy for many people’s tastes), then you can always get the stealthy Ninja curtain for the same deterrent effect and geeky vibe ala Ninja Assassin.

    Ninja Curtainmagnify

    These curtains are handmade and are made from soft 100% polyester fabric, so they’ll flow every which way when a cool breeze blows by. They can also be used as shower curtains, as headboard decor behind your bed, and as wall art wherever you feel like it.

    For example, this Superman curtain would be awesome for a kid’s bedroom (bathroom, or window, too), don’t you think? If these designs aren’t up your alley, then you could always go the DIY route (ala the 35mm film curtains) or get some custom window blinds made especially for you. Customization would be ideal if know what you want to end up with, but just don’t have the time to make it yourself or shop around for it.

    Superman Curtainmagnify

    These curtains are available online starting at $40.99(USD). Prefer to make your own? Then check out this do-it-yourself guide found here for some tips, tricks, and a comprehensive how-to.

    [via Geek Alerts]

    CyberNotes: Ways to Shutdown Your Computer

    This article was written on April 29, 2008 by CyberNet.

    CyberNotes
    Time Saving Tuesday

    This article might seem familiar to some of you because we’ve covered shutdown utilities quite a bit in the past, but rest easy knowing that this is going to be different than anything you may or may not have read. We’re going to cover some of the best shutdown programs and tips out there since, as Ashley has pointed out, this coming Saturday is Shutdown Day.

    By shutting down your computer you can save a lot of energy, which is merely money in the bank for you! If you’re one of those who leave your computer on 24-hours a day then think about the money you could save by shutting down your computer overnight. It’s estimated that 25% of people leave their computers on at the end of the day (whether it be at work or home), and so a simple shutdown would be very much welcomed. Heck, we’ve already seen how much money Vista saves because of its various power schemes.

    Alright, let’s jump into the different ways to shutdown your Windows computer…

    –Shutdown After BitTorrent Downloads Finish–

    I’m sure many of you have left your computer running overnight to download something from the BitTorrent network. That’s definitely understandable considering how long it can take somethings, such as Linux DVD’s, to finish downloading especially when you don’t have a fast Internet connection.

    One of the most popular BitTorrent clients, uTorrent, has a feature buried within the Options menu that you may not have seen before called Auto Shutdown. Check it out… you can have uTorrent shutdown your computer when the downloads complete:

    utorrent shutdown.png

    –Schedule and Shutdown From Anywhere–

    I have a server that I like to shutdown at night before I head off to bed, but one of the problems is that it’s not connected to a monitor or anything. So what I end up doing is remotely shutdown the computer from a web interface using Shutter, and thanks to a little port forwarding on my router it’s actually accessible from outside of my network. Don’t worry, you can specify a username and password so that some joe schmo from your local cafe isn’t rebooting your computer every 10 minutes. 😉

    Shutter
    (Click to Enlarge)

    To setup web access beyond the computer you’re on you’ll need to pull up the options, and there is a tab called Web Interface that you’ll need to jump to. You’ll want to change the Listen IP from the 127.0.0.1 to the IP address of the computer, and it’s probably easiest if you leave the port set to 80.

    Tip: There’s also a Screenshot option that you can select on the web interface which is really nice. It will show you a screenshot of your desktop at that moment, which is handy when you don’t have a monitor hooked up!

    –Shutdown After Firefox Downloads Finish–

    firefox shutdown-1.pngMaybe it’s not a BitTorrent file that you’re downloading? No problem. If you’re using Firefox you can have it shutdown your computer after all downloads in the browser finish. All you’ll need is the Auto ShutDown extension.

    Once installed the extension will place a “Shutdown” checkbox in the download window, which essentially gives the browser permission to shutdown the computer once the downloads complete.

    If you really get into using this you may want to checkout the options it has to offer. You can change around how it works quite a bit, but the default settings will be fine for most people.

    –Bulk Shutdown Computers–

    Have too many computers that you need to shutdown? PowerOff Beta has an option available where you can specify multiple computers that you would like to shutdown according to IP address, name, or by browsing for them. Naturally you’ll need to know any usernames and passwords for the computers you want to shutdown… otherwise we would all be having too much fun randomly shutting down people’s computers. 😉

    Poweroff
    (Click to Enlarge)

    –Shutdown Shortcut–

    Looking for a blazingly fast way to shutdown your computer? What’s faster than creating a shortcut that you merely have to double-click? There are a lot of different options available when shutting down your computer via a shortcut, and so I’m just going to point you in the direction of our fairly comprehensive article on creating the shutdown shortcuts.

    –Overview–

    So I think you’re all set for Shutdown Day on Saturday, May 3rd! Shutdown your computer, get some fresh air, and then come Sunday you can stop hyperventilating from the severe withdrawals you went through.

    Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com

    Nokia HERE Maps for Windows 8.1 and RT released

    Nokia HERE Maps for Windows 8.1 has arrived for download in the Windows Store, bringing the mapping and navigation app to any Windows tablet, notebook, or PC running Microsoft’s latest … Continue reading

    Mouse Wheel Scrolling in Background Windows

    This article was written on July 14, 2010 by CyberNet.

    background scrolling.png

    One of the features I’ve grown accustomed to on my Mac is being able to scroll in any window without first having to bring it to the foreground. The OS is smart enough to realize that I probably want to scroll the window underneath my mouse regardless of whether it is the foreground window. Why is this important? On my multi-monitor set up that means I can be writing an article on one screen and have a product’s website open on the other. I can continue to scroll up and down on the website while the focus stays on the window I’m writing with, and therefore makes it easy to continue typing the article.

    Microsoft doesn’t operate Windows in the same fashion, but with a with WizMouse you can get the same functionality without compromising a lot of your system’s resources. When running the app uses just 1.7MB of memory, and is virtually unnoticeable. The overall experience, however, is the opposite… it is very noticeable. After just a day of running WizMouse I was already feeling like I was working on my Mac.

    WizMouse will also come in handy if you use some apps that don’t support a mouse wheel. It will convert your mouse wheel actions to scrollbar commands that the program should be able to understand.

    This is a must-have app in my book, but that is largely because I’ve grown so accustomed to how it works on the Mac OS. It’s possible that some people may find it annoying, but I’m definitely not one of those people.

    WizMouse Homepage (Windows only; 32/64-bit; Freeware)

    Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com

    RSS Feed Desktop Notifier

    This article was written on March 17, 2011 by CyberNet.

    RSS feed notifier

    I have a rather large collection of a few hundred RSS feeds that I follow daily, but I’ve come across situations where I’d like to get notifications of certain news items instead of having to sift through all the feeds. That’s where Feed Notifier comes into play. It is a desktop notification program that is highly configurable to ensure that you only see popups for the things that interest you.

    There are a lot of things Feed Notifier is capable of, but the filtering is the thing that caught my attention the most. I have a screenshot below showing off the filter configuration screen, but I’m sure most of you already know how this kind of system works. Much like email filters you can designate keywords that are required to either be or not be in the entry. The developer put together a guide explaining how the keywords work, and goes on to show how you can use special syntax to apply filters to the author, title, or content fields of the RSS entries. You can also choose whether a filter is applied to all your feeds or only to certain ones.

    These are some of the other features found in Feed Notifier:

    • Supports all common RSS and Atom web feed protocols.
    • Configurable polling interval for each feed.
    • Configurable popup duration, size, position (multiple monitor support), and transparency.
    • Popups do not steal keyboard or mouse focus from other applications.
    • Navigation controls in popups to view next/previous items.
    • Advanced keyword filtering options.
    • Supports enabling/disabling individual feeds.
    • Deactivates when user is idle to save bandwidth and processing time.
    • Supports authenticated feeds that require a username and password.
    • Multi-threaded feed polling.

    Screenshot of keyword filtering in the Feed Notifier settingsRss feed filter

    Feed Notifier Homepage (Windows only; Freeware)

    Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com