Useful New Features In Windows 7
I remember the Windows Vista launch day in New York City so well. Â I was covering the event for CNET and remember thinking how exciting it was to finally have a successor to Windows XP. Â When the glitz of glamour of the event, with its loud rock music celebration and tasty hors d'Å“uvres, died down, it was clear this was not the version of the operating system that would redeem past users and win new ones.
Three years later, Microsoft is putting Vista in the rear-view mirror and setting its sights on an operating system that's actually worth an upgrade. Â In some brief testing, I found the OS to be simple to (clean) install, super fast on start up and shut down, less demanding of my attention (pop-up bubbles, I'm talking about you) and overall more solid feeling. Â There are many enhancements, but in this episode of The 5 we're taking a look at a few useful features I think you'll enjoy.
All You Can Eat Music Services
Building a music collection of hand-picked artists and albums could soon go by the wayside. Â More and more, new music services are challenging our notions about what exactly constitutes a collection. Â If you have 24/7 access to anything you want to hear, wherever you are, but you don't actually "have" any music, is that a collection? Â To some, the idea of having all music stored in a cloud with unlimited access to anything and everything everywhere would be a beautiful thing. Â Today's reality is a lot of competing services and incompatible gadgets hampering this idea of music bliss. Â Until there's the perfect solution, we present you with five compelling music services that offer all you can eat for one monthly access fee.
Popular Time Wasting Games On Facebook
You know your friends are fooling around on Facebook because there's evidence to prove it: Â Someone just milked a cow on their farm. Â Someone else just won 500 gold coins. Â Everyone wants you to be a part of their mafia family. Â Playing games is one more way to connect with Friends on Facebook. Â The sign up process couldn't be simpler since it uses your Facebook info, and it's easy to join in with friends on the same game because their info is culled from your profile. Â In this episode of The 5, we're taking a look at popular time wasting games on Facebook.
Ways To Trade-In Old Gadgets For Cash
It happens to the best of us. Â You just HAVE to have a certain gadget, and until you buy it, there is no way to get the thought of it out of your head. Â So you research, check it out in-store and discuss with friends who might already own said gadget. Â For me, it was Game Boy, TurboGrafx-16, TiVo, Apple TV, a certain pocket HD camera and many, many more. Â Then comes the day you realize you're done with the gadget and ready to move on - upgrade to a new model or switch to something even more cutting-edge (Super NES). Â Sure, you could sell it on eBay, but in this episode of The 5, we're taking a look at ways you can cut out the middleman and trade-in your old electronics for cash or gift cards.
Breakdown of Android phones
In this week's The 5, we take a look at five Android phones worth knowing about. While there aren't that many Android phones on the market yet, there are so many rumored, and some released devices, that it's hard to keep track. We break down exactly which you should know about, which ones are ripe for the picking, and the phones on the horizon that might fit properly in your pocket.
The 5 Snow Leopard features you should know
With little fanfare, Apple released an update to its Mac OS X operating system called Snow Leopard. While many Mac users didn't even know they needed an update, the software installs quickly, makes machines run faster overall and adds lots of new features - not all are so apparent. End users get more features in less space for a price that's hard to beat - $29. In this episode of The 5, we're taking a look at some of the gems Apple packed into the new OS.
E-Readers That Could Replace Paper, Paperbacks
Stare at a computer screen all day, and the last thing you want to do in your off time is read from another glaring, strain-inducing display. That's why e-readers are different. They use a special type of electronic ink that looks more like words printed on paper and less like a back-lit display. It's a more comfortable experience for long-term viewing, like you'd do if you're reading a book. In this episode of The 5, we're rounding up a group of e-readers that are slowly chipping away at the bounded book establishment.
Live Video Streaming Sites
It takes TV news stations a lot of resources to do a live shot - there's a camera person, transmitter truck, towers or satellites to relay the signal and a team of engineers back at home base to get the final product on-air. Scrap all that - the internet has made it possible for anyone to broadcast themselves live with a webcam, computer or mobile phone and a high speed internet connection. In this episode of The 5, we're taking a look at five sites that let you do just that - for free.
Five Net-Connected TV Movie Boxes
Let's face it– making that trip to the corner video store for a movie rental is fast becoming a memory we will tell our grandchildren about. Net connections continue to get faster and Hollywood studios don't want to make the same mistake the music industry did. Digital movie downloads are quickly becoming the easiest way to make it a "Blockbuster night" without leaving the comfort of your couch. Sure, there are lots of ways to bring Hollywood to your TV, but in this episode of The 5, we take a look at simple set top boxes that harness the power of the internet to deliver the goods to your big screen.
Rich DeMuro is a TechVi contributing host. Check out his blog at Rich DeMuro.com
Five sites to find a flight
The internet has made searching for and booking travel easier than ever.  There are hundreds of sites to search, but nobody has time to sift through all of them.  In this episode of The 5, Rich DeMuro takes a look at sites for finding a flight.  Learn how these sites can do the heavy lifting for you - by searching multiple airline and travel websites simultaneously, they can uncover the best travel options and deals.