iPhone: What do the three comedy greats Homer Simpson, Fred Flintstone and The Dude from The Big Lebowski have in common? The answer, of course, is that they all love bowling. Guys, if any of you are reading this and have an iPhone then make sure you check out iBowl. This game is perhaps the closest you’re going to get to bowling without actually getting out of the house and going to the lanes.
Windows: If you already have uTorrent as your favorite torrent client, wait until you see its portable version! uTorrent Portable features the same characteristics as its desktop counterpart (clean interface, fast connection, easy to use), only that it doesn’t require installation and you can take it anywhere with you on a USB memory device.
Mac: Grappling hooks have often played a big part in comic book fiction and games like Bionic Commando, but they have never caught on in real life. Grappling Hook is a novel 3D first person game where the excellent device is essential. It starts with little explanation, but a computer communicates to you along the way that you are in some kind of test, and all you have to do if find the right teleporter to finish.
We’ve just had a plea in from OnSoftware reader for some help with a problem she’s having with Windows Live Messenger. Shirley writes:
I have MSN Messenger Live 8 (or it might be 8.5) and I have a problem when I try to do video chats with my granddaughter. Sometimes when we both can see each other, but others she will not be able to see me, even though I can see her. Do you have any suggestions for me on how to correct this problem?
This isn’t an uncommon problem, Shirley, and unfortunately there is no straight answer because the cause of the problem could be one of a number of things, related to your webcam hardware or software, or to Live Messenger. Here’s what I’d recommend you try to do, in chronological order, until you find the solution:
- Check your hardware - It might sound obvious but you should make sure that your webcam is plugged in correctly and switched on. You should be able to see the device from the ‘My Computer’ panel the Windows Start menu. If it’s not showing up then try reinstalling the driver software that came with your webcam.
- Update Live Messenger - It sounds like you’re using an old version of Windows Live Messenger there, Shirley. Download the latest build of the program from here and install it. It could be that there are some compatibility issues with the version your granddaughter is using.
- Try Trillian - If you’re still having no luck with the Live Messenger program, try switching to Trillian Astra instead. This is a free application that lets you make video conferences over a range of different instant messaging networks, including Windows Live. It’s a great program, and I find it a lot more streamlined than Live Messenger (note, that your granddaughter wouldn’t have to switch to using Trillian as well).
- Switch to Skype - If all else fails, you could always both switch to using Skype as your means of video chatting. The video features of Skype are second to none, and the call quality is excellent. This is the solution I always use for chatting with my friends - even with my buddies who I normally text chat with on Live!
The good news is that Windows 7 is out this week and it looks awesome. The bad news is there’s a global financial crisis going on, it’s nearly Christmas, and upgrading to the new operating system is expensive. Don’t worry your pretty little head about this, because you can still experience Windows 7 without actually paying any money, by installing themes and apps that will make your copy of XP or Vista look and feel like the new Microsoft OS. Here’s what you need:
Themes and styles
The most obvious place to start is by installing a theme or a style to mimic the Windows 7 GUI. These programs alter things like the Taskbar, Start menu, windows, and fonts, to make XP or Vista behave like Windows 7. The SevenVG RC Theme for XP is one of the better ones, and includes a wallpaper manager, along with a tool for reducing the size of the program window title bar with a single click.
Windows 7 Style for Vista brings the elegance of version 7 to your Vista PC. The small utility changes things like the height of the System Tray and displays icons for running programs in the tray without the text. Windows 7 Style for Vista also alters the look of the Start menu and comes with a whole bunch of smart new Windows 7 icons. The addition also of the Aero transparency effect helps this style to turn Vista into a work of art.
Wallpapers
If you want to truly capture the look of Windows 7 then you need to get the right wallpapers. Try the Aero 7 Windows Seven Series I Wallpapers, a collection that includes the gorgeous Aero and Aurora designs at different resolutions. A meatier collection is to be found in the Windows 7 Wallpaper Pack. The striking designs inside this bundle include landscapes, animals, oceans and abstract structures. If none of these please you then you might want to put up this Windows 7 Wallpaper, which pays homage to the new OS in fine style.
iPhone: The default battery indicator on the iPhone looks pretty, but it doesn’t really give you much information other than a general idea of how much juice you have left. About Battery delivers a more powerful and advanced way of monitoring battery life on your iPhone. Rather than just give you an overview of the remaining power, the program breaks it down into calculations of the remaining time you have left for certain tasks.
Windows: There are a few apps to listen to music in streaming, but what if you’d like to buy or download a certain MP3 to your hard drive? With Songr you can search the Web for selected MP3 files and download or buy them from within the program in seconds! Songr uses ten different MP3 search engines and also lets you locate songs by their lyrics.
Mac: With so many mobile devices available nowadays, it’s handy to have some way of syncing your data across them all. doubleTwist is aimed at the media side of this issue, allowing you to synchronize video and music across portable devices, including mobile phones, smartphones, PDAs, PSP, cameras, and MP3 players. It’s ideal for syncing iTunes playlists across your mobile devices as well as many other media-syncing needs.
It’s been a long time coming, but finally there’s now a clutch of decent soccer games to choose from on the iPhone. I recently tested FIFA 10, which brings the realism of the console game to the small screen with some aplomb. The great thing about the title is undoubtedly its vast licensing agreements, meaning you can play as real players in real teams in real leagues across the World. There’s even a management option that lets you take command of a team and guide them to success.
While FIFA 10 has the plush presentation and full licenses, X2 Soccer 2009 has arguably the better gameplay. You could almost describe X2 as the Pro Evolution Soccer of the iPhone world. The game isn’t packaged quite as neatly but boy does it play well. The graphics and animation feel more fluid than FIFA, and the fact that there are three action buttons rather than two makes it feel like you have more control over the players. The sound effects and the commentary are also something to be admired in X2 Soccerl 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
Windows: If you need to edit several photos in a row, either you spend a long time with the PC working on each one of them, or you use Modi. This program lets you apply basic changes (rotate, resize, adjust levels, add frames, insert watermark and more) to multiple photos simultaneously, saving you time and work. There are 12 different filters to choose from, and you can even customize some of them.
Mac: PDFs are the best way to distribute documents on the Net, particularly if you’ve scanned one. It’s much better than sending a generic JPEG scan. PDF Studio is easy to use, yet powerful enough to allow you a whole host of editing options that enable you to annotate and edit documents. You can use it with existing PDF documents or directly using the tailor made scan-to-PDF feature
iPhone: iPhone users can relax - finally they don’t have to access the site through Safari any more, and can stay photo-connected with this official Flickr application. You can view your photostream, add comments, search for users and view your contacts. There’s a tab that gives you your recent activity and uploads on Flickr too. The app’s user interface is smooth, fast and intuitive.
The latest version of Windows Mobile rolls out today, as Microsoft tries to put a spring in the step of its aging mobile OS. Windows Mobile 6.5, which we previewed back in February, is designed to freshen up the hopelessly dated shell, making it more touch-friendly and improving on the browsing capabilities within the operating system. But can Microsoft really expect to make ground on its plusher, faster, and more functional rivals, such as iPhone, Android and BlackBerry? It’s a big ask, but there are a few new additions that might help. In fact, I’ve counted six and a half.
Today screen - It’s actually called a ‘Home’ screen now, but this is still the page where everything begins in Windows Mobile. Revamped to make it more touch-friendly, the screen consists only of text headings for the various apps and tools. The shortcuts on the Home screen are much neater and more intelligent than previous versions of the Today screen in WM. Now you can even launch individual Internet Explorer favorites directly from this screen.
Unlock specific tools - The phone unlocking capabilities are much improved in Windows Mobile 6.5, making them much more akin to the likes of the iPhone and Android systems. You can now slide to unlock specific items such as messages and missed calls.
Honeycomb interface - The new honeycomb-style Start menu interface is the flagship feature of the new Windows Mobile. It’s a vast improvement from the archaic-looking menu screens of the previous incarnations, and has been designed specifically for touchscreen use. Icons are spaced out much more, and can be scrolled up and down rather than having to fumble between different screens. Read the rest of this entry »
If you’ve ever been to Finland then you’ll know how cold it can get - especially if you’re walking around naked. Sweaty Boy finds himself in this predicament every day and in order to keep him from turning into an icicle he needs regular visits to the sauna. The trouble is, he’s too cold to even walk. This is where you come in. You need to get Sweaty Boy to the sauna by rolling him along the floor using a elaborate system of seesaws, ramps and falling blocks. Tap the white objects to remove them and watch what happens.
The presentation of Sweaty Boy has a decidedly menacing feel with bizarre graphics, dirty sound loops and some warped sound effects that combine to make you feel decidedly uneasy. Riveting logic problem-solving fun.
iPhone: In my experience, if there’s anything worth than an invasion of aliens, it’s an invasion of paper aliens. And that’s exactly what happens in Inkvaders, an original and fun side-scrolling, Martian-blasting adventure game. The object of Inkvaders is to rid the World of aliens by blasting them with your gun. In order to help you, you also have a jet pack which lets you fly over the Martians.
Mac: If you’ve got more than one Gmail account and can’t keep up with each one individually, then Notify is a handy menu bar extension. Notify allows you to keep track of several accounts at once within an elegant tabbed user interface. It allows easy access of your mail accounts - in a single click of the account you will be taken straight to your inbox and you’ll receive a Growl alert for newly received mail.
Windows: Massive graphic suites are not always the best option. Lighter, smaller image editors are the most adequate tool for quick image optimization and retouch. One of them is Paint.NET, a free photo editor with support for layers and a bunch of special filters and effects that includes all the key features you’ll need for quick image editing.
Winterface has long been one of the best ways to pimp your Windows Mobile, ridding it of that weedy frame it sits upon. Good news for fans of this app - there’s a new version out that adds even more customization possibilities. Winterface 2.0 includes a number of neat enhancements that bring the style and usability of other mobile operating systems to Windows Mobile. For instance, you can now swipe through menu pages like you can with Android, and there are clickable, iPhone-style dots beneath each page. There’s even an iPhone-esque feature whereby if you tap and hold the screens the icons wobble around and you can move, rename, enable or disable them.
Perhaps the juiciest editions though are the new skins, and there are some truly gorgeous new faces as you can see from the screenshots below. There is now also the option to download new skins from Winterface. The great thing about Winterface is that it also lets you tweak backgrounds within these skins and customize the headings for yourself. This app has got to be the best way to make Windows Mobile look and feel like a modern mobile operating system. And heaven knows it needs it.
It seems strange to think that it was just over a decade ago that you had to run PC games through DOS. Many of us remember fondly these first forays into the world of computer gaming, when all adventures started with a flashing command prompt. If you’re tired of this modern world of flashy 3D graphics then take a trip back to when it all started by revisiting DOS. Here’s a simple guide to how to enjoy DOS gaming on your PC.The first thing to do is get hold of the game files. There is a fairly wide selection of abandonware sites where you can pick up DOS games for free. Abandonia offers probably the most comprehensive choice, and each game is reviewed by the site. You can even download instruction manuals and box art. If you don’t find what you’re looking for here you could always try Dosgames.com or Free Game Empire.
Nine times out of ten you’ll find that the game downloads come packaged as a Zip. Create a folder on your C drive game and call it ‘dosgames’. Unzip the game files into a folder within the dosgames folder and make sure the name of this folder is no longer than eight characters. Now it’s time to pay a visit on our old friend the command prompt. Do this by clicking Run from the Windows Start menu. Make sure ‘cmd’ is showing in the text field and click OK.
Switch to the root directory by typing cd\
Navigate to the games folder by typing cd dosgames (or name of your folder)
Now switch to the saved game folder by typing cd foldername (where folder name is the name of the game folder)
Next, you’ll need to look for the EXE file, which you can do by typing dir and hitting Enter
Type the name of the EXE file and hit Enter. You’ll now be transported back in time to a land where blocky graphics and MIDI audio ruled supreme.
Read the rest of this entry »
iPhone: If you’re one of those people who used to spend more time playing Snake on your Nokia brick phone than you did making calls then check out this modern take on the old classic. Snake XT is a graphically-rich iPhone version of the addictive game that takes the gameplay to a new level. There are two different game modes: arcade and challenge.
Windows: Short after its first anniversary, Google has launched version 3 of its web browser. The new Google Chrome 3.0.195.21 includes all the exciting features that were already tested in the Developer and Beta builds: New Tab page redesign, support for themes, improved Omnibox, HTML5 capabilities and a faster speed to render web pages.
Mac: As mobile devices advance, there’s an increasing demand for software that facilitates closer integration between your phone and your Mac. BluePhoneElite (now updated to version 2.2) is probably one of the most powerful out there, breaking down the barriers between the two devices. Amongst the many benefits of it are that it allows you to extend the functionality of both your Mac and Bluetooth mobile device.
iPhone: If you’ve ever worked in an office then you’ll no doubt be familiar with the paper-tossing game. It’s paper, it’s trash cans, and it’s the savior of many a dull working day. Now you can relive those classic moments of abject boredom any time by playing Paper Toss on your iPhone. This popular game sees you try to flick a ball of paper into a bin by swiping the screen.
Windows: Windows Explorer is simply not enough. If you need a more powerful, flexible tool try Total Commander: a dual-pane file manager that lets you handle the contents of your hard drive in a faster, more comfortable way. The latest version 7.5 Final includes many improvements: full unicode support, directory syncing, quick search and more!
Mac: If you’ve ever played Arkanoid then you might be interested to try Pop-pop. It’s a jazzed-up version of the classic game with lots of arcade graphics and sound effects thrown in. You can choose to play as one of seven characters in your bid to break all the bricks by bouncing a ball onto them. The aim of course is to destroy them all before they move far enough down the screen to crush you.
iPhone: Skype for iPhone successfully carries the principles of quick and easy communication across from the desktop to the mobile, allowing users to make free or cheap calls anywhere in the World.You can use it to make free calls over Skype only over WiFi, and SkypeOut calls on 3G to cellphones and landlines using Skype. I think it will be a long time before carriers allow Skype-to-Skype calls over 3G, though.
Mac: Many people use Parallels for hosting Windows inside OS X but VirtualBox (now updated to version 3.0.6) is a free open source alternative that does a pretty decent job too. With VirtualBox, you can install any version of Windows (as long as you have the boot disk), Linux, Solaris and just about any other operating system you can think of.
Windows: Tired of your old music collection? With Spotify (new version 0.3.19) you can have access to thousands of songs, bands and music styles anywhere, anytime. This awesome app streams high quality music to your computer for free, includes bio data about your favorite bands and lets you share playlists online with your friends.
Being a big fan of Monopoly, I was keen to give Monopoly City Streets a try. This online strategy game is a ‘live’ version of the classic board game, allowing you to trade real life properties using Google Maps. The game proves to be both easy to play and a whole lot of fun.
To get started in Monopoly City Streets you just need to search for a street and you’ll be able to see if it’s been built on or not. If the street is available you just need to pay the face value of it to the bank. If it’s already been bought by someone then you’ll need to make them an offer they can’t refuse. Once you own a street you can start building properties on it, just like in real Monopoly. There are different types of buildings you can construct, ranging from simple houses to huge tower blocks. During gameplay you’ll occasionally be dealt a ‘Chance’ card, which could mean one of your building’s is about to be demolished, or it could give you the chance to destroy another player’s property. Ultimately, the game is just an elaborate marketing vehicle for the new Monopoly City game. However, City Streets is still great fun to play and can prove highly addictive, as you try to hustle your way to the top of the online leaderboard.
Following the success of the Monopoly/Google Maps crossover, perhaps we’ll see more tie-ins between classic board games and today’s top web sites. Here are my suggestions, feel free to add your own:
Facebook Guess Who - Who’s that psychotic-looking gentleman who sent you a friend request
Firefox Buckaroo - Keep opening new tabs and see which page will cause Firefox to crash
TechCrunch Hangman - How many letters does it take for Michael Arrington to crucify a site?
Bing Risk - Will Microsoft become the World conquer the World of Search?
Google Trivia Pursuit - The only quiz game with all the answers