With the final release of Windows 7 approaching, many people are wondering if their current PC will be able to run the new operating system.  As we mentioned in our previous coverage of the Windows 7 RC release, the system requirements for Microsoft’s forthcoming operating system are surprisingly light: 1GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor 1 GB of RAM (32-bit)/2 GB of RAM ...

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Update: We’ve published a new edition of this article for the updated version of Facebook.  Check that out instead. Facebook has made some interface changes lately which have caused some frustration with its core users.  Most recently, they’ve removed the ability to exclusively view status updates on the Friends tab, which leaves you with only the “full firehose” of the h...

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I miss answering machines. Allow me to clarify: let’s go back approximately ten years when there were still answering machines around. I call you, you’re not home. The answering machine picks up, plays your little message, beeps, and I say what I need to say. Done. Today’s voicemail service could learn a thing or two from the simplicity of the answering machine. That’s wher...

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With the public release of Windows 7 RC, many software developers and tech enthusiasts are flocking to the download site to get their hands on the highly anticipated successor to Windows Vista. Many individuals downloading the Windows 7 RC have extra systems that are dedicated for software development and application testing.  But what if you don’t have spare computers around and you want t...

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Vibe Streamer is a free program that allows you to stream your music library to any device with a Flash enabled web browser.  Vibe Streamer also offers a set of security settings, user controls, and customization features. Download and Install Vibe Streamer is very lightweight.  The system requirements for Vibe Streamer 2.06 are detailed below: 200 Mhz CPU 16 MB RAM Windows NT/2K/XP/2K3 Linux ...

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Firefox only:  With the advent of cloud computing and sites such as Gmail, Google Docs, and even the online version of Photoshop, it is clear that desktop computing as we know it is beginning to shift towards an internet environment.  Browsers are quickly becoming the focal point of all our daily computing tasks, which easily explains the recent popularity of netbooks and mini computers. Desktop...

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Previously, I wrote a guide on monitoring your drive’s status with S.M.A.R.T. tools from a running system [see Check your HDD's S.M.A.R.T. Status].  Although these programs work well for checking the live status of your hard drive, you may run across a situation where you cannot boot the operating system to access these programs. If you system does not boot, it may be necessary to use a boo...

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Facebook – the world’s fastest growing social network – wants to keep you connected to your social network without the web browser.  Using their newly released Facebook Desktop application, you can connect with friends, view your stream, and publish information right from your desktop computer. To install Facebook Desktop, you first need to install the free Adobe AIR platform. ...

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Let’s face it: Gmail is fantastic and Gmail Labs keeps adding features we didn’t realize we couldn’t live without.  New to Gmail Labs this week is the Google Search “experiment” which allows you to perform a Google web search through a sidebar widget – all without ever leaving Gmail.  The next time you’re in the middle of writing an email and can’t...

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Microsoft has announced that a release candidate version of Windows 7 (a version with potential to be the final product) will be released to developers via MSDN and TechNet networks on April 30th, and more publicly on May 5th. Windows 7, which was released as a semi-public beta in January, has initially been well received and appears to have significant performance improvements over Windows Vista....

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