Over the past few weeks I have found myself on the Vista desktop more and more despite the problems I have written about before.  So spending this much "extra" time with Vista means I can't get stuck with the basic Aero theme. I have spent a lot of time just trying out different skins and themes on Windows Vista.  WindowBlinds has done an incredible job of making XP skins works pretty flawlessly on Vista, and it has been nice to boot Vista and see some of my favorite themes on ther...

With all the new Premium Suites coming out I am having a real difficult time deciding which to use on my desktop at any one time.  Last week, Stardock Design and Essorant released the Pantheon premium suite, and it's elegant style will definitely stay on my desktop for a while.  This unique style is easy on the eyes, and is very usable for day to day use.  The matching calendar, weather, and clock gadgets also add a bit of class to your desktop using the same beautiful design. ...

The Omega Premium Suite , done by Treetog for Stardock Design was recently launched and has been getting great reviews from the community.  For those of you who might have missed the launch or just wanted to see a bit more I am going to take you on a walkthrough of the Omega suite. The Omega suite contains the following items: WindowBlinds Visual Style Icon Package Wallpaper When you download the suite you will also get a pack of extras in a .zip file.  These in...

Stardock recently released Aquarium Desktop 2007, and I wanted to take this opportunity to take users on a "guided tour" of some of its features.  I'm sure many of your remember the screensaver from years ago that made your monitor look just like an aquarium with fish floating around.  However, that was just a screensaver, and you had to wait for the screensaver to kick in before you could look at this virtual aquarium. Well Aquarium Desktop 2007 takes it to the next level. ...

One of the things I do on a daily basis is check out all the new skins people submit to Wincustomize.  I also check out countless other desktop customization sites and I am going to post some of the skins that have caught my eye in the past week or so. Be sure to click the artist name and check out other creations they have submitted.   LightHelix (CP) for CursorXP by Artur Berk I'm still amazed at some of the just plain cool cursors that come from the ga...

  Skin Roundup - February 5, 2006   It's been a while since the last skin "roundup".  There is a lot going on, but I would like to take the time to "highlight" a few skins that have caught my eye in the past week or so.   Smooth Alternative by Matt Holder Mattt has continued with this skin which was originally "Longhorn Alternative" by Enhanced Labs.  This Windowblind immediately caught my eye with it's clean and "smooth" look.  ...

  Skin Roundup Christmas Edition Since Christmas is coming soon I thought I would use this weeks "Skin Roundup" to highlight some of the most popular Christmas and Holidays skins here on Wincustomize.   Realistic Animated Christmas Snowflakes This is supposed to be updated soon, but just in case you couldn't wait.  I think this is the one of the coolest objects available.  It's amost a necessity for any winter desktop. Be sure to stop by Greenreap...

Another week down, and another weekend is upon us.  This was another week where I had a difficult time choose the picks for this week.  I shouldn't complain though because that is actually a good thing.  Now for this weeks picks!   Conspiracy for CursorFX by J. Aroche J. Aroche always comes through with some great CursorFx themes.  I especially like the animations on this one.   Conspiracy for Iconpackager b...

This is the screencast to go along with the article about changing Windows cursors with Stardock's CursorFX .

This Week in Skinning is here!  Yes, it's that of the week again, and this edition covers most of the last week of April.  Now that summer is getting even closer, we usually see a slow down in skin submissions just because people go on vacation, take breaks, etc.  We have seen a little bit of a slow down, but I hope we can keep a steady stream of submissions coming through. Since it is the beginning of the month, it's also time for this months edition of featured .dreams (anim...

April saw another good month for .dreams, with many submissions from our "regular" .dream makers, and a couple of new faces as well. Now for this months video!   To use .dreams (animated wallpaper) you need to have Windows Vista and Stardock's DeskScapes (free) installed.  If you are an Object Desktop subscriber, you have beta access to DeskScapes 2.0 which will run on virtually any version of Vista. The .dreams featured in this months video can be found at the links below...

You have heard a lot of Skype lately, mainly due to the fact that we use it to record the WinCustomize SkinCast.  It's a great way for people across the country, or world, to communicate and participate in podcasts.  While Skype has some advanced features, it's really easy to get the basics setup, and within just a few minutes you can be online. Once you get it installed, just signup for your account, add some contacts, and you are pretty much set.  You do need some type of m...

Yes, the week is finally over!  I have spent a bit more time in the galleries this week than usual, and I saw some really good stuff come through this week.  Now I get to share some of that with you, and always feel free to link to skins that caught your eye this week. Now for this weeks picks!   Bluerr in Bootskins by sydneysiders Change that plan default image to something really cool, like this "blue" boootskin by sydneysiders.  Very nice. ...

Here is the screencast to accompany the article I wrote recently, which gives users an introduction to MyColors from Stardock.