Remote Desktop Programs

I just wanted to share with you some of my favorite remote desktop sharing programs.

Crossloop Free, You can however hire someone from their site to fix your computer.
This is pretty cool, I have a profile on there http://www.crossloop.com/D4RK_4NG3L
I personally can help fix your computer remotely. This program makes an easy front end for vnc

TeamViewer Free For Personal use but Has Paid Options.
All the paid options are, however aimed towards businesses with decent budgets so don't expect to pick this program up for commercial use unless you have some capital lying around. This program  is smooth, and very configurable, if you are using for personal use only make sure that are very careful to install it using that option.

Windows RDP Free
Although this works well, it is not nearly as user friendly as the other options. Also while you use this, other people cannot watch the computer, making it not a great tool to help someone, or teach them. Only to login remotely and do what you want to.

Log Me In Free Free For Personal use but Has Paid Options also
I have used this service for a while however Teamviewer provides some functionality for free that Log Me In charges for, So it really depends on what you are using it for, that determines which one fits for you.

Go2Meeting Not Free
Is a reasonably priced way to share you desktop and hold meetings. Aimed more at small businesses there are options for businesses of all sized. While they don't have a free option, there are always free trials and discounts that you can get.

In conclusion. There are many different programs out there, no one program being the best. I recommend that you look at and try each program yourself, and choose the one that works best for your skill level and situation.

Xfire white sidebar fix Windows 7

Because I have had many people ask me for the white sidebar fix, I have decided to write up a Batch File and guide on how to fix it.

Basically the white sidebar problem arises from Xfire not knowing what Win7 is, so it misplaces a few files.

You can try "Typeing in a chat window (any xfire chat window) this command:
/forceupdate"

If that doesn't work read on.

By default Xfire is installed to
C:\Program Files (x86)\Xfire (if you are running a 32-bit version of Windows there will be no "(x86)")


I have created a batch file to fix this problem download and run by right clicking and choosing "run as administrator"

This batch was written with Default installations in mind, and will not work with custom install paths.

Link to the file.




If you don't trust my batch file, or just want to do it manually, here are the steps to fix Xfire manually:

1. Close Xfire if its running
2. Make sure you can get to the ProgramData folder. This folder is hidden by default. If you can't see it don't worry just follow these steps.
3. Open the Windows Start menu
   
4. Choose "Run..." from the right column
5. Type in %programdata% and press OK (see image below).
6. The ProgramData folder should now open. If there is no folder named "Xfire" there, create it.
7. Then open the Xfire folder. By default C:\Program Files (x86)\Xfire (Remember if you are running a 32-bit version of Windows there will be no "(x86)")

Open up two windows and move one window as far left as you can and it will automatically resize to fill in the left half of your screen, then move the other window as right as possible and it will fill that part of screen.

Now you want to move the files and folders listed here to the %programdata%\Xfire folder :

• Folders
• channels
• downloads
• Icons
• screenshots
• skins
• sounds
• templates
• videos
• Files
• Quicktime.qtp
• Xfire.ini
• xfire_games.ini

If there are any other fixes I will try to keep this updated.

I hope this help you can always leave comments, here or give suggestions to the Xfire team.

Cell Phone Freeware

Today I will be talking about some sweet freeware you can get for your cell phone. Most of these programs were made for the s60 (Symbian operating system), but may also be made for other operating systems/phones. However, because I have an Nseries Nokia n93 running s60 v3, this operating system will be the version of these programs that I am referring to in my reviews below. Always check the website for your specific device. I know some of you reading this are probably lost, but come along for the ride and you will probably have fun. Who knows, you may want a new phone when you are finished reading this.

The programs that I will be looking at today are WidSets, Calcium, emTube, Call Filter, Google Maps, Mobile DivX Player, and DrJukka.com. Some of these programs will benefit from stronger phones like Nseries Nokia phones. Having high speed internet (that is not metered) on your cell phone is recommended, as many of these programs require or make use of the Internet. Here we go (in no particular order) with the list from above.

WidSets-https://www.widsets.com/
This program allows easy access to RSS feeds and similar applications on your cell phone. This application is a really good way to stay connected with the latest news and information. I do suggest, however, that if you like adding lots of WidSets, you may want to install it on your external card. I use it mostly to keep up with technology, with such feeds as Tech Crunch, UberGizmo, and others. WidSets is a must have program for any person in the know.

Calcium-http://www.mtvoid.com/calcium/index.html
This is a must have application that simplifies using your cell phone as a calculator. How many times have you tried to do some simple math on your phone only to find that the calculator that came with it really isn't your friend, just to end up pulling out a sheet of paper and doing it the old fashion way (a terrible thing for any techie)? This program makes calculating on your phone a breeze, with intuitive controls and nice functions. So thanks to mtvoid's Calcium you will never have to tax your brain again over simple math. Oh its also quite easy on the eyes.

emTube-http://www.emtube.yoyo.pl/
For some time cell phone users like myself have wanted to watch YouTube and other flv videos on our phones. Some of us had gone so far as to use developer tools and unreleased versions of programs to watch flv's on our phones. emTube has made it simpler than ever. All you do is install the program and its intuitive interface will lead you through the rest. Installing it to your phone memory is fine being that the latest version is still a meager 206 kB plus or minus a little. I still recommend keeping the videos on the memory card because you will have access to some reasonably big size videos. This program is amazing, allowing you to stream, download, save, and even includes a few other options. A phone with highspeed internet or wi-fi is recommended again due to the video sizes. In conclusion this program is much better than the mobile YouTube site and offers much better features.

Call Filter-http://anfymobile.com/callfilter/
Who would like to automatically discard phone calls that we don't want to answer? Whenever that telemarketer calls, or just someone you don't really want to talk to, Call Filter does that for you. No annoying ringing, no need to press the end key. The controls are very lean, and although they take a little time to understand, it works well once you have it setup. Reading the manual is a good idea, and their site features a forum to ask fellow users questions, should you not catch on to the program's control scheme right away. This program is a very capable and useful piece of freeware available for many phones, on the s60 and UIQ platforms. Check their site and see if it works for you.

Google Maps-http://www.google.com/mobile/gmm/index.html
The people at Google just keep on learning and working on making things better. With the latest version of Google Maps they definitely have continued that trend. Not taking up a lot of space and being reasonably responsive. This latest version has added a sweet function that can usually narrow down where you are by the use of cell towers. Not your exact area but it will tell you in what general area you are located by a cool circle notated with how big of a diameter it has. (i.e. you are located somewhere in this 800M circle) Some other notable features include a traffic overlay, and being able to see and zoom in on a satellite view. These features are included with the normal features i.e. directions etc. An added treat for those you that have a GPS built into your phone or that you can connect to via Blue Tooth, both of which are now also supported.

Mobile DivX Player-http://www.divx.com/mobile/
This is really a very straightforward application, it allows you to play DivX on your cell phone. So grab your 2Gb Mini or MicroSd, throw your favorite Divx videos on there and watch them wherever you may be. With detailed options and a great compression and quality it is useful for both the casual and enthusiast user. It is available for Windows Mobile 2003 (or later) and Symbian OS 7.0 or later including UIQ. Check the website for your specific device.

DrJukka.com-http://drjukka.com
While this isn't actually a program itself, his website is a treasure chest of programs that he codes. There are way too many for me to review here today, however here are my personal favorites: Y-Browser, Y-Tasks, and Y-Alarm. Many of his programs have special plugins that allow you to only install the features that you need, saving space and allowing features to be added easily. These programs run very smoothly and give you some great tools at your fingertips.

Cool Beta's

Well I have been sitting on a beta called Joost for a little here. I wanted to fully experience it before I wrote a blog on it. You may be asking what Joost is. Well Joost is a program that allows you to basically have TV on demand. It is well put together, and seems to have the backing of many big names. My experience of Joost is very positive, and I am sure that many of you will like it also. Although it doesn't yet boast the newest content like ongoing news or other day to day shows, it does have a plethora of shows and movies to choose from with more being added everyday. Another cool feature of Joost are the widgets that can stream news let you talk to your friends and even keep you apprised of the weather. The resolution for most shows is quite good, and unlike many competitors, it streams to you so you don't have to download everything you wanna watch and then watch it wasting time and hard drive space. The ads are now worse than on tv, and actually better than TV ads in most cases being much shorter. As with any on demand content worth its salt, you can pause, or skip to the next show, or skip back a show.

If you would like to try it I believe it is still by invite only, however if you want an invite contact me and I will arrange it. Have a Great day. Ciao.

Cool Tools Ep2 : Xion

Well I go through allot of freeware, and other software, and have decided that for this episode, I would share with you a little gem I found. this program is Xion. This amazing little program does what many others do but with style, better and with a smaller memory footprint. So you have a Mp3 player you say, well get a load of these features.
* Full layered skins
* Complete animation support
* Powerful playlist support
* Gapless playback
* 10 band equalizer with presets
* MP3/OGG internet file streaming
* Customizable global hotkeys
* Auto play and position saver
* Single click play/pause
* Volume and balance controls
* Full system tray functionality

So not only does it look good allowing the everyday person to make their own skin for it but it also gives you amazing control of the program, and a 10 band Eq. I am not going to name the other programs that it replaces, however I am going to say that with a small footprint on your memory you will have no problem running this mp3 player while you are doing many other things.

So you want my rating do ya.


Graphics 10
Ease of use 9
Features 10
Stability 10
Potential 10

Overall 99/100

In conclusion this is one awesome program, but don't just take it from me go to the site and see for yourself.

Xion's Home Page

Cool Tools Ep1

Well this is going to be my first cool tool entry, as you all know I am a computer tech, among other things. I do lots of research on the internet, and found this seemingly insignificant free download. The Program in question is Rocket Dock (Click here to go to website). I decided to inspect it closer and found out that this amazing freeware was both beautiful and responsive, not to mention useful. So what does it do your asking? Well imagine a task bar in windows that was both beautiful responsive, and stable, now add in some cool options, and thats what this is, While most people won't completely let it replace their task bars, I think that they will find that it is easy to use, looks nice, and a very reasonable addition to your desktop. Sporting nice features, and good looks it can make any desktop look better. If your like me you may even hide your old task bar using it only once in a while.

Graphics 10
Ease of use 10
Features 9
Stability 10
Potential 10

Overall 98/100



Well thats all for now. I hope that you enjoyed this installment of Cool Tools, until next time.. Ciao