FREE Windows Vista Upgrade…

If you are planning on buying a new computer or laptop, you may just want to wait a few more weeks.  Microsoft has apparently decided to partner up with PC Vendors to offer a free upgrade to Windows Vista for individuals buying a “Vista Capable” computer between October and Windows Vista official launch date sometime in 2007.

Story Courtesy of: Amit Agarwal of Digital Inspiration.  To view story, click here.

Whiteboard Collaboration Tool from GE

This is a fascinating little “freebie” tool from General Electric – virtual whiteboard tool for online collaborations. Simply to use. E-mail drawings, concepts, and ideas to friends. Check it out by clicking here.

FREE FIREWALL from COMODO

A couple of months ago, I wrote a short article about PC Safety, and what users should do to mitigate PC problems related to malware, viruses, and trojans.  At the time, there were three free firewalls that I recommended Windows XP users look at and download – Sygate, Kerio, and Zone Alarm.  Since then, Symantec has bought and discontinued Sygate and Sunbelt Software has bought Kerio and began charging a small nominal fee for the software.  The only freebie left standing was Zone Alarm.  Not content, I scoured the web looking for the best free solution that I can find and vowing to not rest until I have found it!  Well, good news, I have found what probably is the best free firewall for Windows 2000 and XP users – Personal Firewall 2.0 by Comodo.  Note: You must be running Windows 2000 or XP to use the software.  No Macs or 95, 98, SE, ME users.  To get the software, you can click here.

Really Cool How-to for Google

The folks at CyberWyre have written up a fantastic guide to searching with Google.  The guide shows you some basic search syntaxes to advance tips/syntaxes to mine information from the google search indexes.  Quite a fascinating read, check it out by clicking here.

Microsoft Vista Beta 2 Release to Public

Today, Microsoft officially releases Microsoft Vista Beta 2 to the public for testing.  For those eager to see what all the "buzz" is about, you can register for a download key here and download and burn the software on your DVD burner.  MS Vista Beta 2 comes in three different languages (English, Japanese, German) and for 32 bit and 64 bit processors.

Microsoft Office 2007 Beta 2 for download!

Microsoft begins opening up their Beta program to would be testers of Microsoft Office 2007.  If you are interested in test driving the next version of Microsoft Office, you can download it or receive it by post, by clicking here.

Attention: Partition Magic Users!

For users that resize their hard drive partitions, mirror disk images (great backup tool!), etc. and who are tired of paying guys like Symantec $50 bucks everytime they decide to upgrade the current edition of the software. Users should try a free opensource solution called GParted – GNOME Partition Editor. All you have to do is download the ISO image for the software (30 Megs) from this site and burn it to a CD using your favourite CD making software. To use the software, just pop the disc into the drive and boot up your computer and follow the instructions on the screen.

~Geekboy.

Windows Vista Official System Requirements

Today, Microsoft unveiled a brand spanking new website informing consumers and businesses among other things, the minimum system requirements for the upcoming successor to Windows XP – Windows Vista. There are two categories of minimum requirements – Vista-Capable (basic edition) and Premium (everything but the kitchen sink edition) Ready.

Vista-Capable computers must have the following minimum requirements:

• 800 MHz Intel-compatible processor
• 512MB of RAM
• DirectX 9.0-Capable Graphics Processor
• 20GB HD

Vista Premium Ready computers must have:

• 1 GHz Intel-compatible processor
• 1GB RAM
• DirectX 9.0-Capable Graphics Processor, with 128MB graphics memory. (64MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor less than 1,310,720 pixels [no more than 1440×900]; 128MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions from 1,310,720 to 2,304,000 pixels [no more than 1920×1200]; 256MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions higher than 2,304,000 pixels [more than 1920×1200]).
• 40GB HD with at least 15GB "free space"

Note: The only difference between the two sets of requirements is that computers that only meet the minimum requirements for Vista-Capable will still be able to run Vista but will not be able to run the new Windows graphical user interface (i.e. you will not be able to see the really cool transparency effects of the menus and windows). Users planning on buying a machine before the end of the year should look for the tiny "Vista-Capable" or "Vista-Premium Ready" decals on their computers. For those users, who have computers that meet or exceed the minimum requirements and plan on running Vista, they should seriously consider upgrading some of their hardware to optimize the performance of the operating system.

~Geekboy.

Finally, Apple unveils the MacBook!

After numerous weeks of speculation by many Apple rumor sites, Apple finally unveils the much anticipated MacBook. The MacBook replaces the ibook as Apple's mainstream consumer notebook. Apple MacBook features:

• 13.3" Widescreen LCD display
• 1.83 or 2.0 Intel Duo Core processor
• Apple Remote /w Frontrow
• Built-in webcam for video conferencing
• 60 – 80 Gigabyte Hard drive
• Choice of colours: Black or White
• Price (vary depending on configuration): $1249 – $1649 CDN
• Available at your authorized Apple retailer or at www.apple.ca

ClickTrack Appetizer

For all those web designers and website owners, analyzing your website traffic is vital!  Google Analytics is probably the best free tool out there on the web for you to use.  But, unfortunately, Google has decided to keep this wonderful service – invitation only!  Recently, I stumbled upon a very interesting little analytical tool — ClickTracks Appetizer — that does exactly the same thing as Google Analytics.  ClickTracks Appetizer, one-ups Google Analytics, by giving great visual intepretations of web traffic on your site.  The software shows you: where users are coming from, how long individuals are staying on your site, what they are clicking on, etc.  All this for an incredible price – free!  So, if you are serious about optimizing your website traffic or just "plain" curious about who visits your site, make sure you check out this wonderful little freebie!