The Archives
-
11.04.07Microsoft Exchange to Gmail Migration with IMAP(Yes, an update. I know it's been a while, but I will try to blog more regularly.) While I understand Google had to do a lot behind the scenes to ensure that actions mapped into Gmail properly, it has been a long wait for long-time Gmail users like me to get IMAP support in Google's mail product. I've been using Microsoft Exchange for email for a while, but with my reshuffling of jobs, I found I no longer need the advanced features that it provides. Instead, with the new addition of IMAP access (a necessity in my books), I decided ...
-
02.01.07Oh, the Opacity! (Windows Vista Thoughts)I took the plunge yesterday and installed Windows Vista Home Premium on my notebook, and overall I am relatively impressed. I have had the betas sitting around for some time, but never installed them. My notebook is my full-time work and pleasure computer, so I did not take this move lightly. I am not going to write a massive review, there is plenty of that around the internet, but I will note down my impressions so far. Pros The new effects are nice, and not too intrusive. I completely agree with Greg Hughes, everything does run considerably faster. I have been having performance ...
-
01.26.07The Choice of Media Player in a MonopolyAn interesting thing that I would normally just pass over happened to me a couple of days ago: I was talking about Windows Media Player with a friend of mine, and when I told him he should upgrade to the new version 11, he did not know that Microsoft made it, and as such asked where he could download it. While this didn't strike me as odd at all for a start, in hindsight it really was quite interesting. This person, who is very computer literate and intelligent, took no notice that Windows Media Player came bundled with Windows XP, and ...
-
06.07.06Windows Media Center and OrbEdit: I should mention that I'm not getting a kick-back from Orb or affiliated with them in any way, this is just personal experience. After we did the video demo of the Sling Media mobile beta running on a Motorola Q for MobileBurn, it got me thinking about place shifting. Things like the SlingBox aren't available in Australia at the moment, so I didn't really give it much more thought. Until I was contacted by the PR guy for Orb, that is. Orb is a free (!) application for Windows boxes that will stream media over the Internet to pretty much any ...
-
05.27.06Word 2007 Blogging Problems - I’m Not AloneIt seems that I'm not alone in my problems blogging with the Word 2007 Beta, detailed here. Ed Bott, in a post about a free AV for Vista beta testers, notes that when he tries to publish from Word 2007 to his Wordpress blog his posts seem to disappear into the ether. I don't believe that this is a problem with posts disappearing, just that they are getting a post date of far into the past - in my case, it was December 1969. For everyone having trouble posting from Word 2007 to a Wordpress blog, fire up your admin console ...
-
05.26.06Office 2007 ImpressionsAlong with over 200,000 other people, I downloaded the Microsoft Office 2007 Beta 2 when it was released to the public the other day. In my job, I basically live in Word and Outlook, and as such was hesitant to install beta versions of these products. Nonetheless, I bit the bullet and did it, and overall my experience has been fairly good. Read more after the jump. Continue Reading...
-
05.04.06Microsoft Expression Web Designer BetaI was invited to the Expression Web Designer (the much needed replacement for the terrible Microsoft Front Page) beta today, and so far my impression of the beast is not good. And it hasn't even finished installing yet. After downloading the 250-odd megabyte install file and double-clicking like a trained Microsoft monkey (think Robert Scoble), the installer prompted me if I really wanted to proceed, then extracted the setup files, and promptly launched a progress dialog of the install. While I can understand that Microsoft may want to simplify the install process, there are absolutely no options related to the install. I ...
-
03.25.06Xbox 360 Media Center Extender ExperienceI have a Windows Media Center Edition PC that I use as my full-time machine, and have a Linksys Media Center Extender out in the lounge room that connects back to my box. It is a beefy PC (dual core 3.0GHz, 1GB RAM etc.) so this doesn't have much of a performance hit for me when someone is watching TV and I'm trying to work. Overall, I was satisfied with the experience, until I got my Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 has Media Extender functionality built in, and it absolutely trumps Linksys' effort. Not only do you get the full MCE ...
-
03.24.06You Spin Me Right Round, 360Like a sheep happily wandering with the pack to the slaughter, I went out and bought an Xbox 360 yesterday. The Australian launch obviously was not as intense as the US one, as the box was only released yesterday, and without a pre-order, I simply wandered into a shop and picked one up. The assistant said that out of an initial shipment of about 80, they still had about 20 Premium bundles left. So, here are my initial impressions. Positive: The graphics are quite special Attention has been paid to the little things, such as the 'Ring of Light' that tells you which wireless ...
-
03.12.06Even More Windows Live Messenger InvitesMicrosoft must be feeling very generous, as it has just given me another 20 Live Messenger Beta invites to give out. Leave a comment if you want one.