Kylo, the TV-friendly web browser, isn’t brand-new, but a recent update should peak the interest of Windows Media Center enthusiasts: Kylo is now available via Media Center plugin.
With the launch of the Kylo Browser Beta 0.7, a new plugin for Media Center lets you browse the web via your HDTV after launching the browser from within Media Center. What’s even better is that you can easily close it and return to Media Center when you’re done surfing the web. That’s a big plus.
The browser requires no hardware keyboard for text entry – an onscreen keyboard does the job. It also lets you zoom, pan and bookmark sites. Onscreen targets, fonts and the cursor are made larger for better viewing too.
One thing it won’t do: play Hulu videos. This worked at first but Hulu quickly blocked it. But for light TV-based web surfing, it does the job.
There’s a new application that lets you re-enable the discontinued DreamScene feature on Windows 7, an option originally introduced in Vista which let you set a video file as your desktop background. With a new and incredibly easy-to-use application called DreamScene Activator (zip file), you can bring this feature back to Windows 7 with just a couple of clicks.
The app, created by Kishan Bagaria, is a simple .exe file which moves some files around and creates a couple of registry settings. After downloading the app, you’ll need to run it as Administrator (or else you’ll get a error message) and then click the “Enable DreamScene” button). Afterwards, simply locate a video file you want to use – if the file is supported, you’ll notice a new star icon appearing the bottom-right corner of the video file’s thumbnail. Now, just right-click on the file and choose the new option “Set as Desktop Background.”
I just tried this myself and had a DreamScene running in less than 30 seconds flat. Your mileage may very, caveat emptor, etc. etc.
If you run into issues or have questions, visit the forums here on the Windows Club site. If you need some videos to use as wallpaper, try searching here and here.
An application called Soluto (beta) just launched at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference, where a number of new startups are now being revealed. This software aims to improve PC performance by analyzing a computer’s boot up process to uncover which installed applications may be slowing the computer down. According to the Soluto website, the software can cut down on PC boot time and improve on-going PC performance.
As TechCrunch explains, the app helps with performance by tracking what applications were running when your PC has a “hiccup” (a momentary lag in performance). And through its back-end, it tracks other users who have that same problem. If someone, somewhere in the world, makes a change that fixes the issue, Soluto tells the other users about the suggested fix. Crowd-sourced troubleshooting!
Another Soluto project, this one yet to launch, is called PCGenome. This piece of the puzzle would actually solve PC problems by not only identifying issues, but then automatically fixing them.
Those interested in testing the Soluto beta can sign up to do so now, but be forewarned. The label says “beta” which means this app could cause issues of its own. I’m heading off to download it now, so I can’t report on its stability just yet. But from the description, it sounds like a promising solution for both non-technical users and anyone else who wants to speed up their PC.
If you’re a fan of Dropbox, the service for storing, sharing and syncing files between Internet-connected devices, you’ll be glad to hear that a Dropbox client is now in development for Windows Mobile phones.
The first beta will be available in just a few days, announces the Ruttensoft website where the work is being tracked. (The client is being developed by Fuze Mobility under Ruttensoft’s license.)
The beta will be free but the final version will cost $6.99 US.
Dropbox for Windows Mobile will support 6.5.x phones that have high-end VGA and HVGA resolutions only. Later, more resolutions will be added.
(Via Redmond Pie)
A couple of new videos recently appeared on YouTube showing off what Microsoft Office will look like on the upcoming Windows Phone 7 devices. In one video, you can see what the Microsoft Office calendar will look like plus you can see a PowerPoint presentation edited directly on the phone after receiving it via email…and that looked incredible, actually.
The other video focuses more on the Office hub and gives a sneak peak at voice recordings, OneNote and Word, too.
The two videos are available here and here if you want to watch them yourself.
And you should, because they’re pretty amazing.
There have been rumors galore, but now it’s official: Windows Live’s next major release (aka “Wave 4”) is underway. A new post on the Windows Team blog finally gives us some insight into what to expect from the updated web services known collectively as Windows Live. If you missed the news, here are the highlights:
- “Messenger is evolving into a companion for your social networks,” says the post. Oh Facebook, you mean?
- Hotmail changes will “help you quickly see the mail that matters most, and letting you easily sweep away mail that you don’t want. We’ll also make it simpler and easier to share through email.”
- Windows Live Essentials (the downloadable programs for your PC) will “focus on connecting your PC to your social networks, your photo sharing services, your phone, and your other PCs – and help you keep things in sync across all the devices you use.”
If you follow the rumors, you may already know what some of these vaguely described new features may be referring to. If not, it looks like it won’t be much longer until you can try the apps and services for yourself.
According to the post, Wave 4 will be rolling out “shortly” to folks outside Microsoft for additional feedback.
Facebook’s new “Community Pages” are places where Facebook users can share common interests and experiences. These will function sort of like Wikipedia pages within the social network. Initially, they’ll actually source some of their material from Wikipedia. But later, as Community Page members contribute to these micro-sites, there will be even more information featured on each page, transforming them into rich resources of data around that topic.
Some sample topics already available now include Cooking, Cycling, and Hiking, for example. There are several others, too. In fact, Facebook has 6.5 million pages available right now.
If the page features a geographic area, the Community Page will include a map of that location using the Bing Maps Platform. The map is fully navigable as it would be on the web, including the ability to pan and zoom.
Tweets Near Me is a location-based Twitter application for Windows Mobile phones that shows real-time postings of tweets in and around your current location. Using the drop-down box at the top of the app’s main window, you can specify the radius for what tweets it should display (e.g., those within 10 miles, 25 miles, etc.). You can also search the stream by keyword.
Even if your phone doesn’t have GPS, the app still works – it will use your cell phone’s tower data to determine location instead.
Other than that, the app is pretty basic. It’s not a fully functional Twitter client that lets you see your own messages, mentions, favorites or lists. You’ll still need something else for that. But it is a handy way to quickly see what’s going on around you.
You can download the app for free from here.
(via Pocketnow)
There’s a new iPhone app out now called the “Top 100s by Year – by Bing” which lets you listen to the top 100 songs from every year starting at 1947 and going up until last year, 2009. The app, a partnership between Bing and digital music provider Melodeo, features a list of years to pick from after which the top songs from that time frame will stream in a random order.
You can also preview a list of songs from any given year and listen to short previews. Plus there are options to buy the song from iTunes, search Bing for the Artist or Lyrics or download the full Bing app from iTunes.
This app was originally $1.99 when it launched earlier this year but now, thanks to the Bing sponsorship, it’s free.
(via cultofmac)
Fresh on the heels of Microsoft Tag’s debut in Woman’s Day magazine, the mobile barcode reading technology has now arrived in Entertainment Weekly magazine. As an EW subscriber myself, I was pleasantly surprised to see the tags featured throughout their new Summer Movie Preview issue which gave readers early looks at the upcoming movies due out this summer. Using the free Microsoft Tag scanning software for mobile phones, you could scan the tags next to the articles in order to launch the trailer for the film in question. There were tags available for sixteen of the movies featured in the issue. In addition, several advertisers included tags alongside their ads including Absolut, HBO, The History Channel, Honda, and CTAM/Movies on Demand.
I thought this was a great way of using Tag in real life – augmenting the printed page with more information. This issue of EW is available on newsstands now.
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