Kylo

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.

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.

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 found god mode useful, you may be interested in adding it to your taskbar or context menus, too. Thanks to the site Tweaking with Vishal, there are now tutorials on how to do exactly this. Using registry hacks and other tricks, you can do the following:

• Add God Mode to your My Computer context menu
• Add a God Mode shortcut to your Desktop context menu
• Pin God Mode to the Taskbar

Just click on the link above for the appropriate instructions.

(img via askvg.com)

Using the phone’s mass storage device mode, James was able to copy all the Windows installation files to the phone and then hook the phone up to the PC needing the upgrade. The whole process is documented in this YouTube video if you want to try it for yourself.

But now there comes the easiest way yet to use Bing’s backgrounds as wallpaper: a Windows 7 theme that’s already been created for you. This time, you don’t have to make the file yourself, you just have to click to install it. The Bing theme, discovered on Blogsolute and blogged about on .Net Devhammer is incredibly simple to install. Here’s how:

1. Download the file Bing.theme (Right-click & choose “Save as”)
2. Double-click the downloaded Theme File.
3. Select the Download Attachments option so images are downloaded automatically when Bing RSS updates.

That’s a much easier way than anything else I’ve seen before and I had the theme up-and-running in seconds after install. The only downside is that the images hosted on Bing.com aren’t in the correct size for desktop backgrounds, so the theme centers them instead. However, you can go into the settings and change the background color if desired. You can also set the images to fill the screen, but you’ll lose a little resolution in the process. 

On Newegg, Windows 7 Home Premium OEM is $99.99, Professional OEM is $134.99, and Ultimate is $174.99.

(via ZDNet)

Of course she likes Windows…she works over there. And I do, but believe me, I don’t get paid to blog on sarahintampa.com. If I did, there would be a lot more content here.

So anyway, for the folks that need a little more convincing, I offer you up some more impartial insights from around the web:

1. Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal: “I do have some first impressions, and they are all pretty positive.” Video:

See also, Even in Test Form, Windows 7 Leaves Vista in the Dust

2. Gizmodo: Why the Windows 7 Taskbar Beats Mac OS X’s Dock

3. Ubuntu’s Shuttleworth praises Windows 7, welcomes fight

4. Information Week: Windows 7 ‘Incredibly Stable,’ Intel Expert Says

5. Plus, as I pointed out on Twitter earlier, even a couple of die-hard Mac fans commented on how they “didn’t dislike” Windows 7:

• Oh My God, I Actually Like Windows 7 (So Far): “… I honestly would not mind using Windows 7 on a daily basis, which is something I haven’t been able to say about a Microsoft OS since when the early days of Windows XP”
• Windows 7 on the HP 2710p:  “… Let me say at the outset that the installation and the amazing experience I have had with Windows 7 had me seriously thinking if I should stay with Mac OS X.”

6. But why should you try Windows 7? Well, sometimes, things are great not because there is one big revolutionary change, but because every little thing has been improved.

7. Oh and because things “just work.” (Hey now, we get to say it too!)

Here’s a great example of things just working, from anand iyer’s blog – his Lenovo T60P running Windows 7 waking up from sleep:

…Yeah, it works that way for me too.

The wait is up! Today at PDC, we finally got to see a demo of the next OS from Microsoft: Windows 7. One of the biggest improvements in Windows 7 is the new taskbar, but there have also been other improvements like better networking features and a less noisy UAC. We’ll go into these in more detail later, but first, here’s what you really want, Windows 7 screenshots! Want to see them? Click here or just launch the Flickr slideshow below: