Island Dog's Articles In Personal Computing » Page 35
February 11, 2015 by Island Dog
You might have seen me mention it before, but my current main/gaming PC is around 7 years old.  I really can’t complain though, because it has lasted and really hasn’t caused any problems until now.  I built it then for around $600 or so, and it is the main PC I work with and play games on.  The past couple of months it has been difficult to start and keep running efficiently, so it’s time to start looking at a new build. In a previous post I mentioned I was l...
December 10, 2014 by Island Dog
At the beginning of the year I posted about a new gaming mouse I picked up.  It was an E-Blue Mazer 2000 which I picked up on Amazon for around $20.  It’s been a fairly good piece of inexpensive hardware, but after a ton of use the scroll wheel was starting to wear down, so it was time for something new. Around the Thanksgiving holiday weekend Amazon had a bunch of Logitech stuff on sale, so I picked up the Logitech G602 wireless gaming mouse for about $44.  That&rsqu...
October 27, 2014 by Island Dog
Amazon announced the Fire TV stick device, and if you are a Prime subscriber you can pre-order one for just $19 for the next couple of days. Link Seems like a pretty good deal for a streaming device for $19.      
October 21, 2014 by Island Dog
Introducing Object Desktop Infinite our new service that gets you access to our growing library of customization software for only $3.99* per month. Now it's easier than ever to get our latest customization features before they're added to future versions Windows. In addition to popular products like, Start8, Fences, ModernMix and WindowBlinds, Object Desktop Infinite includes free updates and exclusive invitations to try out new software betas first. Object Desktop Infinite is av...
October 1, 2014 by Island Dog
Sometime today the Windows Insider Program will launch and people will be able to download the Windows 10 Technical Preview. Windows Insider Program:  http://preview.windows.com/ It should be noted that this is a Technical Preview and should not be installed for use as your main operating system.  If you aren't familiar with any of this, I'd advise just waiting until next year when it fully released.  
September 30, 2014 by Island Dog
It’s so good they skipped Windows 9 altogether! Windows 10 Preview will be available tomorrow. http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2014/09/30/announcing-windows-10/    
September 9, 2014 by Island Dog
Today we updated Object Desktop™ with ShadowFX™ our latest desktop customization product. Now you can easily focus on your most important desktop work spaces by adding distinctive drop shadows to your window frame in Windows® 8. ShadowFX is also available to try as a free 30-day trial and can be purchased for only $4.99. Visit Windows 8 Drop Shadows to learn more.  
September 9, 2014 by Island Dog
Home Depot is the latest to have a security breach of customer data.  In response Home Depot if offering a free year of credit monitoring if you shopped at a Home Depot since April. "The Home Depot is truly sorry for any inconvenience caused by this incident and we are committed to taking steps to protect your payment card information. If you need identity repair assistance during the next 12 months, starting on September 8, 2014, the team at AllClear ID is ready and standing by to a...
August 21, 2014 by Island Dog
We are going to start to see the Windows 9 preview fairly soon according to various reports.   Link:  http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-expected-to-announce-windows-9-on-september-30 We've heard the rumors of supposed features and user interface changes, so we can only wait and see what really to expect in Windows 9. The real question is, what do you want to see changed or added in Windows 9?   Image via Neowin.
June 10, 2014 by Island Dog
I’ve been watching the news about 3D printers for a while, and one of the reasons is the very cool ability in Galactic Civilizations III that allows you to print your ship designs with a 3D printer.  Most people think 3D printers aren’t affordable at least for the general consumer, and in most cases they are exactly right.  However, within the next year we should be seeing several consumer-level 3D printers available for just a few hundred dollars or less. Image via @draginol :...
June 10, 2014 by Island Dog
I’ve been saying since Google bought Nest there would be a great opportunity for a company to create a good competitor to Nest, and Honeywell might just be on track to do that.  It announced Lyric today, which is a new smart thermostat which will work with an accompanying iOS or Android app to help you control and maintain efficiency of your cooling and heating systems. Lyric will use geofencing to know if you’re home or not, and you can set distances so when you are getting clo...
May 29, 2014 by Island Dog
The so-called Smartwatch seem to be the thing people are watching and expecting to be the next big thing in tech.  There are a few available now like Pebble , but many are waiting to see what technologies come from the big players like Apple, Google, and Microsoft.  A patent filing shows Microsoft is working on with a rumored two day battery life. Devices like this are rumored to be focused on health and fitness, which makes sense as devices such as the Fitbit have been po...
May 13, 2014 by Island Dog
I've been talking about recommending Snagit from the folks over at Techsmith for many years.  I use it daily, and it's an essential app in my toolbox that I use for my work at Stardock and any other projects I might be working on.  They are also from Michigan, and I've had the pleasure of interacting with them for a while as well, so I was happy to see they released a new version of Snagit for both PC and Mac today.  Among the variety of new features, it has...
April 2, 2014 by Island Dog
The Windows 8.1 Update 1 will arrive to users on April 8th, and at that time you will be able to update via the Windows Store.  There’s quite a few changes in store for this update, and our friends over at Neowin have the details. Read more: http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-81-update-1-everything-you-need-to-know
March 4, 2014 by Island Dog
This is something I’ve talked about many times before, but it always deserves repeating and a reminder every once in a while.  When you purchase a subscription to Object Desktop you get a great deal on a whole suite of the best desktop enhancement and skinning applications available.  Included with your subscription is: WindowBlinds DeskScapes Fences Start8 ModernMix Tiles and more! Get Object Desktop here! As long as ...