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Vol. 2, # 8 - Feb 25, 2010 - Issue # 24 |
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A New Outlook on Social Networking?
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- Editor's Corner
- A New Outlook on Social Networking?
- Follow-up: MWC and the "other" Windows 7 (Phone)
- Quotes of the Week
- Cool Tools
- News, Hints, Tips and Tricks
- Free download makes Explorer remember window size and position
- Silverlight to be the platform for Windows Phone 7 applications?
- Windows 7 gets 59 new Language Interface Packs
- The Windows 7 Memory Usage Story gets Stranger
- How to: Using the New Windows 7 Features
- How to change the default folder icon in Windows 7
- Windows 7 and Vista Security
- Survey says ... most believe Windows 7 offers better security
- Question Corner
- How do I share folders with a Vista computer?
- Windows 7 Configuration and Troubleshooting
- Connectivity problems with Vista/Windows 7 computers on some wi-fi hotspots
- Windows Features dialog box is empty
- Fav Links
- This Week's Links We Like. Tips, Hints And Fun Stuff
- Product of the Week
- Classic Menu For Word 2007
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Kiss Your Antivirus Bloatware Goodbye
We asked users of antivirus products what they didn't like about their AV software.
They told us they are resource hogs and slowed their computer down. They told us that
scan times took way too long, and that the AV software nagged them. In short, old-style
AV software takes too much Memory and CPU. Time to switch to VIPRE! It gives you malware
protection that combines antivirus, antispyware, anti-rootkit and other technologies
into a seamless, tightly-integrated product.
Even if you run "free" antivirus software, it hijacks 20% of your PC, so it's really not
free at all! Get VIPRE now and see how fast your PC can really be:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-VIPRE
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Editor's Corner |
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A New Outlook on Social Networking?
For a very long time, probably from the beginning of the Internet through the
early 2000s, email was the "killer app" - the one that most of us depended on
most to communicate with business colleagues, friends and relatives. For many of
us, it has remained so, but among younger folks, not so much.
I run the Outlook 2010 beta on my Windows 7 Ultimate workstation and it's the
application that's always open and that I go to constantly throughout the day.
But many of my family members who are in their teens and twenties don't even
have email clients installed - they just have webmail accounts - and rarely ever
check their email boxes. It's not that they aren't tech-centric; they're very
much so. But to them, email is an "old fashioned" means of communication. They
view it somewhat as my generation viewed the telegraph machine.
Okay, maybe it's not quite that bad. They do use email when they have to; for
example, to communicate with us "old folks." But they prefer different venues
when communicating with each other. Text messaging is popular, but with most
cell phone plans, it does come with a cost - either on a per-message basis or an
extra charge for a fixed or unlimited number of text messages per month. I've
noticed that many of my young friends (and quite a few older people, as well)
have started using social networking sites as their primary means of getting in
touch with others.
Now when one of those young friends wants to contact me, he typically doesn't
send me an email message; he sends me a message through Facebook. That's not how
I use Facebook - I log on to see status updates and rarely ever click on the
Messages link. Luckily, that doesn't matter - because I have Facebook set up to
send the messages to my email address, so his messages are right there in my
Outlook inbox with my regular email messages.
But that's just one small way in which email and social networking are beginning
to converge. I have a Twitter account that I use mostly to post announcements of
my new articles and blog posts and links to interesting professional articles by
others that I run across. I also like to post that information to my main social
networking sites, Facebook and LinkedIn. But it's a bit of a hassle to make
three separate, identical posts - even with copy and paste functionality. So I
installed a small application that causes any post I make to Twitter to also
show up as a status update on my Facebook page. There are actually several ways
to do that; you can find out about the options in this article titled Twitter
to Facebook: 5 Ways to Post to Both at
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Twitter-to-Facebook
Cross-posting your tweets to LinkedIn is even easier; you can do it directly
from your Twitter or LinkedIn page. In your Twitter settings, this shows up on
the Connections tab. From your LinkedIn site, you can do it by clicking More ...
| Application Directory and scrolling down to the Tweets application.
After you link the three sites this way, anything that you "tweet" will show up
on both of the other sites, saving you time and effort. But what if you don't
want to have to go to the Twitter web page to do it? Because my online life is
still centered around email, I like to do as much as I can from within Outlook.
So I use a little Outlook add-in called Twinbox that integrates a Twitter client
into Outlook. You can tweet from Outlook and you can also receive tweets from
those you follow in Outlook. You can do it all without ever cracking open a web
browser - and this lets you manage and search your tweets the same way you do
with your email messages. One of the features I like most is the ability to
create a shortened URL in your tweets (using bit.ly) by simply clicking a
button. It's a free download at
http://www.win7news.net/100225-TwInbox
In addition to all these third-party apps and add-ins, Microsoft is now working
to make Outlook more social networking-friendly from the get-go. With Outlook
2010, there is a pane (called the People Pane) at the bottom of each email
message that shows the name and a photo (if you have one selected for that
person in your Contacts list) of everyone involved in the thread. Clicking on
the name or picture doesn't get you much right now, but by the time Office 2010
comes out, there are big plans to have this feature integrated with a number of
social networking sites through various plug-ins.
In fact, Microsoft released a beta version of the first plug-in, for LinkedIn,
just recently. You can use it with Outlook 2003 or 2007 as well as 2010, but
with the previous versions you'll need to first download and install the Outlook
Social Connector software. You can find out more about the Outlook Social
Connector here:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Outlook-Social-Connector
One big caveat: If you're using the Outlook 2010 beta, you first have to
uninstall the version of Outlook Social Connector that comes with it because
that version isn't compatible with the LinkedIn plug-in. You do that through
Control Panel | Programs and Features, and you have to reboot to finish the
process. Then you download and install this version of OSC:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Social-Connector-Beta
Unfortunately, it only comes in 32 bit at the moment, so if you're running 64
bit Outlook 2010, it appears you're out of luck. I couldn't install it on my
primary desktop for that reason, but I did install it on my laptop, which was
running 32 bit Office. If you're using 32 bit Outlook, you can download the
LinkedIn plug-in beta here:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Linkedin-For-Outlook
You'll need to exit and reopen Outlook after installing the plug-in. When you
reopen the program, a dialog box will pop up, showing LinkedIn as an available
social network provider. You'll then need to enter your LinkedIn credentials,
and you can click the Settings button to choose whether you want your contacts
to be updated without prompting (which is the default) or not and whether to
automatically delete activity items from the feed folder after a specified
number of days (30 is the default). Click the Connect button and Outlook will
connect to LinkedIn.
Once you have the Social Connector and plug-in installed and configured, things
get interesting. Now that People Pane underneath the preview pane will fill up
with information. When you click on an email, and then click on the name or
photo of a person in the People Pane, you'll see a list of email messages,
attachments, RSS feeds, appointments and LinkedIn status updates associated with
that person. You can also filter those items to show mail only, status updates
only, etc. Very cool.
One drawback is that the People Pane does take up quite a bit of space,
especially on a small laptop screen. You can drag it to resize it, or you can
turn it off or minimize it via Outlook's View menu. This is also where you go if
you want to change the account settings for a social network provider.
At the moment, LinkedIn is the only available provider, but Microsoft has said
there will plug-ins for Facebook and MySpace soon, too. And they've already
released the SDK for OSC, so programmers can create more plug-ins. What if
you're just not into social networking at all? Even if email is still your only
communications method, the OSC is still valuable, because it shows you all the
emails from a person in the People Pane. No more searching through your entire
Inbox to find a previous message from someone. It could do away with - or at
least reduce - the need to make rules and filter messages into folders according
to sender.
In addition to the People Pane, the LinkedIn plug-in adds a new Contacts folder.
When you click Contacts in the left pane of Outlook 2010, you see a list of
Contacts folders in the new left pane. Click the one labeled LinkedIn and you'll
see all of the contacts that Outlook pulled from LinkedIn. That's handy, too.
The contact page created for each shows photo, name, job title, email address
(as provided on LinkedIn), web page and other information from the person's
LinkedIn profile. This means you don't have to bother adding your LinkedIn
contacts to your regular Outlook contact list the old fashioned way (note,
though, that the folder won't be available on other computers that don't have
the OSC and LinkedIn plug-in installed).
There is an alternative to OSC: the Xobni Outlook add-in. It provides similar
functionality and already connects to Facebook and Twitter in addition to
LinkedIn. Another advantage of Xobni is that it lets you post social network
updates from within Outlook, not just see others' updates. Unfortunately, it
hasn't been updated for Outlook 2010 but you can have it installed on Outlook
2003 or 2007 along with the OSC. You can get it here:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Xobni
What do you think about the convergence of email and social networking? Have
you tried any of the social connectors? Would you? What features would you like
to see in an email/social networking solution? Is it a moot point for you
because you no longer use email anyway? Do you trust the social networking
sites (in terms of both security and reliability) as a primary means of sending
messages? We invite you to discuss this topic in our forum at
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Forum-Discussion
Follow-up: MWC and the "other" Windows 7 (Phone)
In last week's editorial, I discussed what happened at the Mobile World Congress
in Barcelona - even though I didn't get to go. Luckily, the wonders of the web
brought the action to me. And the web also brings me comments from our readers
who weighed in on the subject.
Tom (Griminal) wants a phone that's just a phone - but I would think that, as a
gamer, he might find himself interested in the new Xbox integration in Windows
Phone 7 series. Riperush had a long wish list for his next phone. He noted that
he was only aware of one phone, the Palm Pre, that supports multiple Exchange
accounts. I do know that the Droid also supports multiple Exchange accounts, as
well. A workaround for some phones, if one of the Exchange servers supports
IMAP, is to set up one of the accounts as an IMAP account.
There is also a registry edit for Windows Mobile 6 phones that will allow you to
synchronize with two Exchange mailboxes, but this isn't supported by Microsoft:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Win-Mobile-6
And reportedly you can sync multiple Exchange accounts on an iPhone if
the phone has been "jailbroken." You can read about that here:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Exchange-Accounts-on-iPhone
Charles P. mentioned that the HTC HD2 is supposed to include a wi-fi router
application that works in place of tethering. There are quite a few phones out
now that do this; my son's Nokia has that feature. There is also a software
solution for Symbian S60 and Windows Mobile 6.0 or higher phones with wi-fi
capability that will let you turn them into "walking hotspots" so you can
connect your laptop and use the phone's 3G connection to access the Internet:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-WalkingHotSpot
Here's another, similar product:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-WMWifiRouter
There's lots of excitement in the mobile phone space now and it's likely we'll
be seeing more important developments in the near future. Meanwhile, thank you
to all who participated in this discussion.
'Til next week,
Deb Shinder, Editor
feedback@win7news.net
PS: Did you know this newsletter has a sister publication for XP users called
WXPnews?
You can subscribe here, and tell your friends:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-WXPNews
And for IT pros, there's our "big sister," WServer News, at
http://www.win7news.net/100225-WserverNews
Join the Win7News fan page on Facebook!
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Win7News-on-Facebook
Quotes of the Week
"Don't confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller is the other." -
Erma Bombeck
"Formula for success: Rise early, work hard, strike oil." - J. Paul Getty
"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that
others have thrown at him." - David Brinkley
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Kiss Your Antivirus Bloatware Goodbye
We asked users of antivirus products what they didn't like about their AV software.
They told us they are resource hogs and slowed their computer down. They told us that
scan times took way too long, and that the AV software nagged them. In short, old-style
AV software takes too much Memory and CPU. Time to switch to VIPRE! It gives you malware
protection that combines antivirus, antispyware, anti-rootkit and other technologies
into a seamless, tightly-integrated product.
Even if you run "free" antivirus software, it hijacks 20% of your PC, so it's really not
free at all! Get VIPRE now and see how fast your PC can really be:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-VIPRE
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Cool Tools |
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News, Hints, Tips and Tricks |
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Free download makes Explorer remember window size and position
A common Windows 7 annoyance for some users is the way the OS "forgets" the
window size and position of Windows Explorer. This little free application makes
Win7 remember its previous size and position. You can also set it to remember a
specified number of recently used folders. Check it out here:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-ShellFolderFix
Silverlight to be the platform for Windows Phone 7 applications?
We got a glimpse of what's to come in the next generation of Windows phones at
the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, which I discussed in last week's
editorial. We expect to find out more at MIX, Microsoft's annual web and media
development conference that will take place in Las Vegas from March 15 to 17.
Meanwhile, there's plenty of speculation going around, especially in regard to
the role of Silverlight, Microsoft's media technology that competes with Adobe's
Flash. Read more here:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Silverlight-Downsizing
Windows 7 gets 59 new Language Interface Packs
Whatever language you speak, there is a good chance that you'll be able to use
Windows 7 and Office 2010 in your native language. Microsoft is making 59 new
Language Interface Packs (LIPs) available for their newest operating system and
Office suite. That's good news for people all over the world:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-LIPs
The Windows 7 Memory Usage Story gets Stranger
A week or so ago, a blogger supposedly named Craig Barth, CTO of Devil Mountain
Software, published a post claiming that 8 out of 10 Windows 7 computers were
seeing all their RAM used up. This was counter to what I and many others have
seen with Windows 7. When an Ars Technica writer tested the software used, he
found that it wasn't measuring memory usage accurately because it didn't account
for SuperFetch caching.
http://www.win7news.net/100225-FUD-Explained
In other words, it was all much ado about nothing, but the story about Win7
using up all your memory was picked up and quickly disseminated around the web
as if it were the gospel truth. Now it has come out that "Craig Barth" was
really a writer/editor named Randall Kennedy, who has since been fired by
InfoWorld. Wow.
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Devil-Mountain-Software
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How to: Using the New Windows 7 Features |
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How to change the default folder icon in Windows 7
Don't like the dull yellow folder icon that represents folders in Windows 7? If
you prefer to use a prettier, custom icon for your folders, here's how:
- Log on as an administrator.
- Click Start and in the Search box, type regedit and press Enter.
- At the UAC prompt, click Yes.
- In the left pane of the registry editor, navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
- Right click Explorer in the left pane and click New | Key
- Name the new key Shell Icons and press Enter
- Double click Shell Icons and in the right pane, right click an empty space.
- Click New | String Value.
- Name the new string value 3 and press Enter.
- Right click the new value 3 and click Modify.
- In the Edit String dialog box, type the full path to the custom icon that
you want to use as the default folder icon, and click OK (Note: this must be a
256x256 pixel .ico file).
- Close the registry editor.
- You'll need to log off and log back on to apply the change. The change will
be in effect for all users.
If you should want to go back to the old default folder icon, just delete the
registry value named 3.
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Windows 7 and Vista Security |
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Survey says ... most believe Windows 7 offers better security
The 2010 State of Enterprise Security Survey - Global Data report compiled by
Applied Research for Symantec showed some interesting responses. One of the 120
questions on the survey asked if Windows 7 offers improved security in
comparison with previous versions of Windows, and fully 72% of respondents said
yes. Although only 9% had already deployed Windows 7, around 70% were
considering or planning to do so. Read more here:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Security-of-Virtualization
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Question Corner |
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How do I share folders with a Vista computer?
QUESTION:
I have my old computer that runs Vista and my new computer that runs Windows 7.
They're on the same wireless home network. I read about how to use a Homegroup
but I think it only works with all Windows 7 machines. So how do I share my
stuff between my Windows 7 and Vista computers? Thanks. - Sari L.
ANSWER:
You're correct that only Windows 7 supports Homegroups. But it's not difficult
to get your Windows 7 and Vista systems talking to each other. First, both need
to belong to the same workgroup. You set this up in Control Panel | System on
both machines. Be sure the Windows 7 computer is set to use either the home or
work network location (not public). Make sure the Vista computer is set to use
the private network location. This is found in the Network and Sharing Center.
Make sure Network Discovery and file sharing are turned on. You can select
password protected sharing for more security, or disable it to make sharing
easier. If it's on, you'll have to enter a user name and password whenever you
access a shared folder on the Vista computer.
Next, share a file or folder. Right click the folder, click Properties and click
the Sharing tab. Click Advanced Sharing and check the box to "Share this
folder." Give it a share name and click the Permissions button if you don't want
to share it with everyone (the default). Here you can add or remove users or
groups and select the level of access you want to give to each. Here is a
tutorial that shows you how to use advanced sharing:
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Advanced-Sharing
To access the shared folder, in Windows Explorer scroll down in the left pane to
Network. In the right pane, you should see the other computer on the network.
Double click the computer name and you should be able to access its shared
folders. If password protection is turned on, enter the username preceded by the
name of the computer you're accessing and a backslash, like this:
Computername\username.
Hope this helps!
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Windows 7 Configuration and Troubleshooting |
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Connectivity problems with Vista/Windows 7 computers on some wi-fi hotspots
If you find yourself having problems- dropped connections or poor performance -
when connecting to certain wireless hotspots with your Vista or Windows 7 laptop
computer that's running on battery power, it might be because the wi-fi hotspot
is using an access point or router that doesn't support the 802.11 power save
protocol. The solution is to either connect your laptop to AC power or change
the default power saving plan. For instructions on how to do the latter and more
information about this issue, see KB article 928152 at
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Connectivity-Issues
Windows Features dialog box is empty
If you try to turn Windows features on or off and find that the list of features
in the Windows Features dialog box is empty, you might then discover that you
can't install any software updates. You may also experience an error message
(0x80073712) when trying to install an update using the Windows Update web site.
There are a couple of methods that you can use to resolve this problem. Find out
what they are in KB article 931712 at
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Windows-Features
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Fav Links |
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This Week's Links We Like. Tips, Hints And Fun Stuff
Disclaimer: VistaNews does not assume and cannot be
responsible for any liability related to you clicking any of
these linked Web sites.
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Product of the Week |
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Classic Menu For Word 2007
Replaces Word 2007 Ribbon With Familiar Office 2003 Menu
How many times have you freaked out trying to find your feature options using the
Microsoft Office 2007 Tool Bar Ribbon? Where is that familiar menu item now hiding?
My blood pressure spikes whenever I have to find an old familiar frequently used
feature like edit message. This amazing add-in allows you to completely replace
the Word 2007 Tool Bar permanently (or temporarily). Once you turn it on you’ll
probably never go back. Definitely a "Must Have" utility for Office 2007 Users.
Download the free evaluation now and try it yourself.
http://www.win7news.net/100225-Classic-Menu
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Copyright © 1996-2012 Sunbelt Media Services. All rights reserved.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Other products and companies
referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders.
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