Windows 8 consumer preview released last week has start screen as one of the main features. The screen screen has some customization options available in Windows
8 personalization section. But some of the customization options
including adding a background image to start screen, changing the colors
or the number of tiles were missing from the personalization options. My WCP Start screen Customizer is a freeware tool for Windows 8 to customize your start screen.
You can simply click on the image and change the background wallpaper
of the start screen. Your background image should ideally be of size
3500px X800px. You can change the tiles color, common colors etc. Related Reading:Customize the Charms Bar in Windows 8
There is also option to set the tiles rows, to a maximum of 5.
My WCP Start Screen Customizer allows you to customize the Start
Screen in Windows 8 Consumer Preview in terms of background color and
picture in any way you want to. You will have to run My WCP Start Screen
Customizer in administrator mode to be able to edit Windows 8 settings.
Please make sure that you create a system restore point before making
any changes. Download My WCP Start Screen Customizer
[via nirmal tv]
Windows 8 consumer preview version was released by Microsoft last week with many new features and improvements over the technical preview. We are expecting the final version (RTM) of Windows 8 some time in August or September, which is similar to Windows 7.
If you have already downloaded and installed Windows 8, there are many
personalization options available as well like Windows 7. You can
customize Windows 8 with themes and wallpapers.
So here is a list of some awesome wallpapers to spice up your Windows
desktop. These wallpapers are based on Windows 8 and are created by
Devianart users. All credits to the creator of the wallpaper.
Please click on the wallpaper to download them.
If you send out SMS messages frequently on your Android mobile and it remains an important part in your daily routine – receiving and sending out important information via SMS – then you must try the following four apps, which allow you to backup your SMS messages on Android OS.
A backup endures that you never lose your important messages, which may include – your friend's telephone number, your password, your bank account number, etc
The SMS Backup+ app is one of the best available apps on the Android device to backup SMS messages. The users can easily backup SMS and call log entries to their Gmail/ Google Calendar.
The app also supports an Auto-backup feature, which ensures that new SMS are always back (ed) up, and you just need to set the settings once and never have to worry about losing your SMS ever again.
When you need to reinstate the SMS or call log entries, just click on the "Restore" button and choose the file to restore saved SMS and call log entries back to your phone.
GP SMS Pro is actually a messaging app available for the Android system that allows you to enjoy your SMS experience on a more stylish, user-friendly layout.
The GO SMS Pro allows you to send out SMS/MMS and send files and share service through 2G/3G/4G or WiFi by SMS.
Just use the SMS backup feature available in GO SMS Pro to backup all your SMS messages and e-mail them to your e-mail address online. You can even put a password lock on the Go SMS Pro app to secure your information.
The SMS Backup & Restore app is an application strictly made for saving your SMS messages for later viewing and for later restoring them back to your mobile. A very helpful feature, especially when you want to save a few important messages and are upgrading your phone firmware.
One of the best features of the app is the automatic schedule backup which as the name suggests automatically backups your messages at given intervals of time.
The backups can be created in XML format and saved on the memory SD card – while the XML format can be converted into any other format once on the computer.
You can also send those backups to your email address. For the time being, the app only supports SMS messages and not MMS messages.
The SMS Backup app is available for Android devices with Android OS 1.5 and up. The app allows users to quickly retrieve their SMS messages and save them for security, or archival purposes.
Unlike other applications, the SMS Backup app does not store the backup in an XML file format. The app instead sends the SMS messages to your Gmail account. However, for this to work, the user needs to enable the IMAP in your Gmail preferences.
Once done, just open the application and click on the "Backup" button to backup your messages. The app also supports auto backup feature which automatically backups new SMS as you receive them.
Keyboard shortcuts are always handy as they improvement the productivity instead of using the mouse while using Windows. Similar to Windows 7 release, Microsoft has added new keyboard shortcuts to Windows 8 as well. Since Windows 8 features a new Start Screen along with new features, there are new keyboard shortcuts to make it easier to use the start screen. Most of the shortcuts from Windows 7 will also work in Windows 8. So here are the list of new keyboard shortcuts, some of them might work only on Windows 8 touch screen tablets.
New hotkeys for the Windows 8 Consumer Preview
Key combination
Functionality
Windows
Toggles Metro Start Screen
Windows + Space
Switch input language and keyboard layout.
Windows + O
Lock device orientation.
Windows + Print Screen
Screenshot of the current screen and saves in Pictures folder
Windows + ,
Temporarily peek at the desktop.
Windows + V
Cycle through Notification toasts.
Windows+ Shift + V
Cycle through Notification toasts in reverse order.
Windows + Enter
Launch Narrator.
Window + PgUp
Move the Start Screen or a Metro-style application to the monitor on the left.
Windows + PgDown
Move the Start Screen or a Metro-style application to the monitor on the right.
Windows + Shift + .
Move the gutter to the left (snap an application).
Windows + .
Move the gutter to the right (snap an application).
Windows + C
Open the Charms bar.
Windows + I
Open the Settings charm.
Windows + K
Open the Connect charm (devices).
Windows + H
Open the Share charm.
Windows + Q
Open the Search pane.
Windows + W
Open the Settings Search app.
Windows + F
Open the File Search app.
Windows + Tab
Cycle through apps.
Windows + Shift + Tab
Cycle through apps in reverse order.
Windows + Ctrl + Tab
Cycle through apps and snap them as they cycle.
Windows + Z
Open the App Bar.
Windows + /
Initiate input method editor (IME) reconversion.
Windows + J
Swap foreground between the snapped and filled apps.
Microsoft released Windows 8 beta(customer preview) few days ago and yesterday I had a chance to install it on one of my home computers. My home PC is running on Windows 7 and I would like to install Windows 8 side by side so that I can dual boot. The installation process was pretty simple and with in 40 minutes my PC was up and running with beautiful Windows 8 OS along with Windows 7.
In this post I want to share my experience and provide information for you to install Windows 8.
1. Identify a drive with at least 20 GB of space – Identify one of the drives on your hard disk that can be used to install Windows 8. Delete all the files or preferably quick format it and make sure that it has at least 20 GB of free space. Rename the drive name to Windows 8 so that it will be helpful to identify the destination drive during installation process.
2. Download Windows 8 installer ISO– Go to Microsoft's website and download Windows 8 ISO file which is approximately 2.5 GB file(32 bit English version).
3. Create Windows 8 bootable USB/DVD – Its advised to launch Windows 8 installer using a bootable USB or DVD for enabling dual boot instead of unzipping the ISO file and launching the setup from Windows 7 OS. Also consider creating bootable USB instead of bootable DVD to save a disc. To create bootable USB/DVD follow these steps
Download and install the Windows 7 DVD / USB tool available at microsoftstore.com
Launch the utility and follow the onscreen instructions where you would be asked to choose the ISO file(point to file downloaded in step 2) and choose a USB drive or DVD as destination. The onscreen instructions are very simple and you would be able to complete it in 20 minutes time.
So now you have Windows 8 installation setup on your USB drive or DVD.
4. Change BIOS settings to boot from USB/DVD – Restart your PC and open BIOS configuration settings key by pressing F2 or F12 or DELETE key (the key depends on your computer manufacturer). Go to boot sequence options and make sure that USB/DVD is ahead of hard disk in the boot sequence. Save the settings and restart the PC.
5. Install Windows 8 – After the restart you should be straight into Windows 8 installation screen. Follow the onscreen instructions and install Windows 8 on the drive that is identified during step 1. When prompted for product serial key enter NF32V-Q9P3W-7DR7Y-JGWRW-JFCK8. The installer would restart couple of times during the installation process. On the first restart, make sure that you remove USB/DVD.
Windows 8 installation process is pretty simple and very quick. The complete process of creating bootable USB and installation should complete in 30 – 40 minutes time.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, stop what you
are doing, head over to Microsoft website and download your copy of
Windows 8 Consumer Preview before Microsoft servers go down. Yes, as
promised, Microsoft has made available for download the Consumer Preview
version of Windows 8 and bits are now live on Microsoft servers.
The
Consumer Preview build string is 8250.0.winmain_win8beta.120217-1520,
which indicates that the build was compiled on 17th February. While the
download size of x86 version is 2.5 GB, x64 version is 3.3 GB.
Nokia was able to create some buzz at World Mobile Conference 2012
(Feb 27th to March 1st) with 6 new launches, including 808 Pureview
equipped with 41 Megapixel camera – that’s huge; few are already calling
it completely meaningless. But sure 808 Pureview is able to capture
images with best results, we can tell you this from the sample pictures
we have seen so far.
We will cover all phones with brief details, keep reading.
Nokia 808 Pureview
Nokia has jumped straight to a 41 Megapixel camera phone, when competition is wimbling around with under 10 MP camera phones.
Nokia 808 PureView comes with Nokia’s new PureView technology,
coupled with highest performance Carl Zeiss optics (that’s what Nokia is
saying) to date and Nokia’s brand-new pixel oversampling technology.
Pixel oversampling technology is vital to discuss here as it will
allow you to switch between pixels, to make sure that long and close
shot offer best results alike. This technology is said to add value in
your shots in low light conditions. Video Recording:
PureView will also allow you to capture 1080p videos at 30fps, with
4X lossless zoom thanks to the big sensor and powerful image processing
which handles over 1 billion pixels per second.
At lower resolutions, the capabilities of the zoom increase, with 6X
at 720p and up to 12X lossless zoom in nHD (640 x 360) recordings.
The Nokia 808 PureView is the world’s first video recording device to
allow recording without distortion at audio levels beyond the
capability of human hearing. This allows you to even in the harshest of
environment capture stereo CD-like audio quality. Pureview Lens Specifications:
Focus range: 15cm – Infinity (throughout the zoom range)
Construction:
5 elements, 1 group.All lens surfaces are aspherical
One high-index, low-dispersion glass mould lens
Mechanical shutter with neutral density filter
Optical format: 1/1.2”
Total number of pixels: 7728 x 5368
Pixel Size: 1.4 microns
Inside PureView:
Built on latest Symbian Belle, Nokia 808 Pureview is said to offer
improved performance, personalization and entertainment options, with a
new browser, the latest Nokia Maps and an improved notifications bar. Other Specs include:
There’s 16GB of internal user memory, with support for MicroSD cards up to 32GB
Weight, including the battery, is 169g.
Batter:
Talk time: up to 6 h
Standby: up to 465 h
Nokia Lumia 610
Nokia Lumia 610 would be a low-end variation of Lumia series, offering teenagers a better solution with-in their budgets.
The secret of the Nokia Lumia 610 is that it uses slightly less
processing power and memory than the other Lumias but will still give
exactly the kind of Internet experiences teenagers are looking for.
Nokia Lumia 610 will start to ship in the second quarter of 2012. Specifications:
Size/Weight: 119.24mm x 62.18mm x 11.95mm / 131.5g
Processor: 800 MHz Single Core/Qualcomm Snapdragon S1
Battery: 1300 mAh
Talk time: GSM : 10.5 h,
Standby time: GSM : 670 h
Nokia Lumia 900
At the high end of the range comes the Nokia Lumia 900 in white, cyan
and black, designed for the rest of the world, outside the United
States.
Nokia Lumia 900 will start to ship in the second quarter of 2012. Specifications:
Processor: 1.4 GHz Single Core/Snapdragon APQ8055 + MDM9200
Battery: 1830mAh
Talk time: up to 7 hours
Standby time: up to 300 hours
Nokia Asha 302
The
Nokia Asha 302 is going to be a premium quality QWERTY phone that is
perfect for young professionals who need to communicate for business,
and love to stay in touch with family and friends.
Metallic touch points and a full QWERTY keypad make text input a
pleasure, and fast one-click access to email, chat and social networks
means that you never need to be out of touch.
For the first time on a Nokia Series 40 phone you can use Mail for
Exchange to easily manage all your business emails and synchronize all
your contacts and calendars – while still staying connected to all your
favorite social networks, like Whatsapp and Facebook through Nokia
Social which lets you view all your feeds, and post updates, right from
your homescreen. Key features:
Dimensions: 115.2 mm x 58.9 mm x 13.5 mm
Weight: 106 g (including battery)
Standby time: Up to 29 days (GSM); Up to 34 days (WCDMA)
Talk time: Up to 9 hours (GSM); 5.9 hours (WCDMA)
Memory: Up to 140 MB internal memory, support for up to 32 GB microSD memory card
WIFI connectivity where available
Nokia Asha 203
Nokia Asha 203 is a low end variation in Asha’s series, built with a motto of touch, and connect to your world.
Accessing your favorite social network, or sending an SMS, is really
fast and easy with an intuitive touch screen for browsing, scrolling and
opening apps.
The Asha 203 comes with an Exclusive Games Gift from EA – with 40
games to download from Nokia Store, including Tetris, Need for Speed,
The Run and Bejeweled.
To get the most enjoyment out of a Nokia Asha 203 there’s a media
player for stereo radio, video and music, and a loud and clear inbuilt
speaker – as well as a 2-megapixel camera. Key Features:
Dimensions: 114.8 mm x 49.8 mm x 13.85 mm
Weight: 90 g (Including battery)
Standby time: Up to 25 days
Talk time: Up to 5 hours
Memory: Up to 10MB free user memory
Memory card: Support up to 32 GB microSD
Nokia Asha 202 – Dual SIM Phone
The Nokia Asha 202 is an Easy Swap Dual SIM phone, meaning that you
can swap SIM cards whenever you need to without powering off – and comes
with a dedicated SIM manager so that you can personalize your phone and
manage up to five different accounts.
with Nokia Asha 202 there would be one SIM active at one time.
The intuitive touch screen lets you browse, scroll and open apps
quickly and easily, and you can stay in touch with family and friends
through email or chat, or by using a preloaded Nokia Social application
to allow you fast access to Facebook, Twitter or your favorite social
network.
Like Nokia Asha 203, the Nokia Asha 202 also has an Exclusive Games
Gift from EA – with 40 games to download from Nokia Store, including
Tetris, Need for Speed, The Run and Bejeweled
To get the most out of your phone, the Nokia Asha 202 comes with a
media player for stereo radio, video and music, and a 2MP camera. Key features:
