Seize the deal! Get Microsoft® Office Ultimate 2007 for just £38.95. It’s a total steal: save time and money with this premium offer. Office Ultimate 2007’s brand new features and fresh look will help you organize and get all your work done in the blink of an eye. The Ultimate Steal is finally here, so grab it now!

The Ultimate Steal presented by Microsoft

Bored with the same old desktop wallpapers? Install this months Vista gadget and change your Windows desktop wallpaper at regular intervals.

Similar to the MS Slide Show Gadget, but also changes your desktop wallpaper at set intervals. It also allows more scaling options that Vista supports by default, such as "Maintain aspect ratio" and "Crop to fit screen". If you don't want the slide show, you can set it to "preview next wallpaper" instead. Any issues, please visit the Gadget home page on www.aeroxp.org
Notes:
1. This Gadget uses a DLL, which provides addition Desktop image resizing options and changes the desktop image.
2. To uninstall the Gadget, you must first remove it from the Sidebar and then either quit/reload Sidebar or uninstall it the next time you log in.
3. By dropping a movie onto the Gadget, it will be played as your desktop background. The desktop icons will however only appear when you hover the mouse over them. Double click the Gadget to stop playback.
For support, please go to the Gadget homepage on www.aeroxp.org, or contact me via my blog: vistagadgets.spaces.live.com

Windows Live Gallery

Is The Simpsons not cutting it any longer? Then why not create your own animations in Windows Vista?

To make a successful cartoon, you don’t need to be a master with the pencil; and you don’t need a Hollywood budget, either. What you do need is a good idea and a bit of spare time. Windows Vista comes equipped with everything you need to create a great-looking cartoon, so once you’ve got a good idea you can get started right away. To find out more click on the link below

Windows Vista Magazine | How to animate your own cartoons using Windows MovieMaker

2007 Microsoft Future Pro Photo Contest Winners

Over 15,600 entries were received from student photographers in 90 countries resulting in a very close competition with many incredible images. We are pleased to present the winning images and encourage you to start planning now to enter the 2008 Microsoft Future Pro Photographer Competition in March 2008.

View Gallery

Microsoft Pro Photo Galleries

Now the weather is turning how about a photography project for the winter "A Home Studio" Follow the links below if you want a quick start to studio photography, in which you can learn before making the big studio equipment purchases.

You may need to make a couple of tweaks along the way to suit you needs.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=eik8iWX97pc

http://www.studiolighting.net/homemade-diffusion-panel-instructions/

Aladdin's Cave of Secondhand Nikon now open at Grays of Westminster

Grays of Westminster the exclusively Nikon-only dealer, announces that it is now stocking probably the largest secondhand range of Nikon in the U.K. & Europe.

Cofounder Gray Levett said, "The refurbishment to Grays of Westminster which began in 2006 is now finished, and has brought an invigorating sense of space and light to the whole premises, echoing the spirit of enlightenment which prevailed at our foundation.

"The timeless delight of walking into the ground floor is as impressive as ever, but now that the final touches to the restoration of our new lower-ground floor second-hand department are complete, a visitor can wander from floor to floor, contemplating the diversity and profusion of Nikon kit in every glass cabinet, weighing down every shelf. The vast amount of (half a ton in the past week alone!) of second-hand Nikon we keep in stock is enough to distract even the most careworn of Nikon users.

"The cabinets on the lower-ground floor are full to the brim with a breathtaking range of secondhand Nikon equipment from the legendary 6mm f/2.8 Fisheye-Nikkor, which offers an angle of view of 220 degrees, to the mighty line-up of 200mm f/2, 300mm f/2.8, 400mm f/2.8 and 600mm f/2.8 super telephoto AF-S Nikkor lenses.

"To add yet more riches to this treasure trove of second-hand Nikon are 14 of the superb 70-200m f/2.8G AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor lenses lined-up on the shelf of one cabinet, whereas another cabinet contains 8 of the 17-35mm f/2.8D VR AF-S Nikkor lenses. On a different shelf, 105mm and 135mm f/2D AF DC Nikkor lenses can be found in multiples, complemented by an equal number of AF-S Nikkor lenses of numerous focal lengths. Furthermore, a huge selection of the mint and near-mint condition manual focus Nikkor lenses is also available to purchase.

"Multiples of Nikon D200, D2X, D2H, D80, D70 and D70s as well as the F6, F5, F4, F100, F3 cameras and other models complement the vast array of lenses. Accessories that include an unequalled range of mint condition finders for the F6, F5 as well as accessories for the F4, F3 and F2 share space with the widest armoury of lens hoods available in any camera shop in the world.

"The term Aladdin's Cave is often mentioned when describing Grays of Westminster but this is an Aladdin's Cave open to everyone with or without their Turkish slippers!" Telephone 0207 828 4925.

For further information please contact:

Grays of Westminster - Exclusively... Nikon
40 Churton Street
Pimlico
London SW1V 2LP
England

Tel: +44 (0)20 7828 4925

Web: www.graysofwestminster.com

In the early beta version of Windows there were some cool features that were powered by the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) but some of these never made the final build. However I have just found these downloads from a developer in Holland 

GlassToasts replaces the WindowsXP/Vista style balloon notifications. With this application the balloons in Vista will also have an aero glass look.

Thumbnail Sizer allows the user to change the size of Vista's Window thumbnails that show when one hovers over the taskbar button for the window.

3D User Picture replaces the user picture in Vista's startmenu with a pretty 3D animated one.

http://mpj.tomaatnet.nl/vista/

I have been reluctant to test drive the new model since it was launched a year ago as I have been very happy and have had 5 great years with the R53 model. But this weekend I popped into my local dealers on the off chance of getting a test drive just for something to do. This turned out to be a big mistake for my bank balance as after taking the the R56 for an extensive test drive I was hooked. The car has improved comfort and handling in standard mode, then when you want to have a bit more fun, engage the sport button and more responsive acceleration and firm handling kicks in. Yes there some trade offs, such as centre control panel which is not a patch on the one in R53, and I will miss the sweet engine note from the super charger, but after taking everything into account the R56 is an improvement .

MONTEREY, Calif.--Adobe Systems has committed to shipping a beta version of its online image-editing tool, Photoshop Express, this year, and said it will be complete in 2008.

"By late this year, we anticipate having a beta version," said John Loiacono, senior vice president for Adobe Creative Solutions, speaking at the 6sight digital imaging conference here. And next year, the online service will be "available to anyone," he said.

Loiacono showed Photoshop Express running on an Adobe server connected over the Internet, he said. But when the average person experiences the software, it likely will be through partners such as Shutterfly or Photobucket, he said.

Unsurprisingly, Loiacono left unmentioned Flickr, which said in October it will use Picnik's online photo-editing tools.

Photoshop Express is a profoundly important project, and Adobe's schedule indicates that its repercussions are near-term and not academic.

For Adobe, the project is the spearhead of a transformation from a seller of boxed software to a provider of services in an increasingly rich Internet experience. And for the industry overall, it signals that Internet technology is maturing enough that companies are willing risk extending the brand of respected PC software to the network.

Photoshop Express, as its name suggests, isn't a full-fledged version of Photoshop proper or even of its hobbyist-oriented sibling, Photoshop Elements. The intent is to reach a much larger audience than the company currently reaches with its higher-end boxed software products.

I wonder if we will get something similar in the UK 

Here is an overview of the show

10 amateur photographers the chance to live out their wildest fantasies in pursuit of their ultimate dream: to become the next great fashion photographer.
Our cast will live and work together in a downtown L.A. loft while being guided by world-renowned fashion photographer Russell James. These aspiring photographers will embark on a series of photo shoots meant to challenge their creativity and expose their individual weaknesses. For the first time in their lives, the cast will work with supermodels and high-end professionals, while traveling to exotic locations -- all to capture that one perfect shot.
Whether it's shooting on the deck of a schooner in the midst of a storm,
or trying to get a supermodel to cuddle up to a Siberian tiger, our cast will face daunting tasks and obstacles that will test their talent, desire and drive to be the next great fashion photographer.
Each episode will contain a "teach challenge", where Russell presents the cast with a new technical or creative lesson, and a photo shoot, in which the cast will be asked to utilize what they've learned in a legitimate, fashion-oriented photo campaign. Each week Russell and his professional panel will review the cast's photos, eliminating the weakest shooter.
After a month long journey the best photographer will emerge and be crowned the show's winner, thus launching his or her professional career.
10 aspiring photographers...30 grueling days...1 shot at a glamorous life
in the world of high end fashion photography.

http://www.vh1.com/shows/series/the_shot/splash.jhtml?source=globalnav

Yesterday Windows Live announced the general availability of the Windows Live Suite which can be downloaded from http://www.windowslive.com  The suite includes several applications, however most importantly for this audience is the new Windows Live Photo Gallery.  If you have not been on the beta, you should go and download it today, because it offers some truly breakthrough capabilities (which can be seen on the cool video up here).  Features include:

- Simple Sharing – Now you can easily share photos via Spaces and flickr.  Additionally you can send a photomail (well formatted email with embedded hyperlinked jpgs).  You can also easily share videos through Soapbox.

- One click panorama stitching – If you have done panoramas with other software you will love this feature!  It’s completely automated, plus this also enables vertical stitching to create a wide variety of panoramic photos

- Video Rotate – You all have done it … shoot a portrait video.  Finally you can rotate that video to the proper orientation

- Editing – WLPG hosts all of the Windows Vista editing components PLUS is has enhanced exposure settings, and a histogram view

- Import – Now you can easily import your photos in “sets” so that you can easily assign individual tags to a small set of photos

- Printing – WLPG supports online printing through mail order or directly to one of over 71,000 retail outlets worldwide (based on regional availability). 

- Slideshows – WLPG supports several slideshow themes to allow users to easily enjoy their favorite photos in a stunning and captivating view

- More – You can also use the Samsung 7" High Resolution Wireless Digital Photo Frame (SPF-72V)to seamlessly view your photos directly from your space on the frame.  There are also 2 photo book providers who have integrated into WLPG:  Picaboo (US) & Cewe (EU)

If you have a hard time reading the text on your screen, this will probably apply more to laptops than desktops, then the following may help. Generally monitors are set to a default of 96 DPI  (dots per inch) which is number of pixels displayed in an inch. If you use a laptop the screens are more dense and have the capabilities of displaying up to 144dpi. which has the effect of making everything look smaller.  You can get around this in several ways, firstly and the most obvious is to change your screen resolution to a lower setting, then everything will look bigger. The issue with this is you won’t be able to see as much and also the image quality will be poor. The alternative is to take advantage of the ability to adjust the DPI in Windows Vista. Windows Vista has been designed to be more intelligent in the way it then displays the interface, by allowing you to adjust the DPI from 96dpi to 120dpi, or even custom settings though to 480dpi (500%), which I don't recommend.

To change your DPI:

1. Right-click on your desktop and choose Personalize.
   
2. Choose Adjust font size (DPI) from the left column of the Personalization window. you’ll be prompted to approve your escalation of privileges, if you have user account protection on.
   
3. In the DPI Scaling window you can choose to increase the dpi to 120 just by clicking the radio button. If you want a different setting, click the Custom DPI button.
   
4. You will need to restart you machine when finished. One restarted you will have larger readable text & icons. I have my laptop on a custom setting of 110% and this works for me.

About Operation Smile and Windows Live

There is, in fact, a universal language.

Across all cultures, one opportunity to clearly communicate. It’s an international symbol of goodwill, how we make amends and how we welcome an introduction, or greet an old friend. Simply, we smile.

Twenty five years ago, one organization started making smiles happen all over the world. They’re called Operation Smile, and the model is simple. Medical professionals from around the world volunteer their time and skills to perform life-changing surgeries across the globe. One surgery costs just $240. In as little as 45 minutes, repairing a cleft lip changes a child’s life forever. Quite literally putting a smile on not just one person’s face, but their family, friends, neighbors — even people on the street. Actually, we hope you might be smiling just thinking about it.

To celebrate their 25th year, and 100,000 smiles, Operation Smile has launched World Journey of Smiles, an initiative to conduct 40 missions in 25 countries over the course of a week, with the goal of providing new smiles and new lives to 5,000 children with facial deformities. But they won’t stop there, and that’s where we come in. Microsoft introduced the new Windows Live to help people communicate and share, making connecting with people all over the world easier than ever. And we can think of no better way to kick off the program then to share a smile.

So, for the months of November and December, share your smile using Windows Live knowing we are donating to Operation Smile. Our donation includes a portion of our ad revenue on Windows Live Spaces. So remember, the more photos you share on Windows Live Spaces the more we donate. It’s simple and free to help them bring smiles to others around the globe.

Please add your smile now, we’ll be featuring smiles shared on this site.

And to learn more about Operation Smile and their amazing global efforts, click here.

Windows Live

This is probably the question I get asked most, "Should I wait for SP1 before upgrading?" Well you probably know the answer I am going give. Yes you should upgrade now. But there is a genuine reason for giving this answer. Service Packs are really a thing of the past, thanks to Windows Update, this service automatically downloads updated drivers, security updates and critical updates as they are released. In addition to Windows Update there is the Microsoft support site, which if you are not familiar with, is an online resource of technical expertise to help you resolve any product issues at home and non critical updates which will eventually get rolled up into SP1.  Below I have listed a few of these non critical updates from the support site for those of you with Windows Vista. So with these resources available to you, there really is no need to wait.

compatibility, reliability, and stability

Knowledge Base 941649 :

•It extends the battery life for mobile devices.

•It improves the stability of portable computers and of desktop computers that use an uninterruptable power supply (UPS).

•It improves the reliability of Windows Vista when you open the menu of a startup application.

•It improves the stability of wireless network services.

•It shortens the startup time of Windows Vista by using a better timing structure.

•It shortens the recovery time after Windows Vista experiences a period of inactivity.

•It shortens the recovery time when you try to exit the Photos screen saver.

•It improves the stability of Windows PowerShell.

This update also resolves the following issues in Windows Vista:

•A compatibility issue that affects some third-party antivirus software applications.

•A reliability issue that occurs when a Windows Vista-based computer uses certain network driver configurations.

Windows Media Player 11

Knowledge Base 941651

•When you run multiple instances of Windows Media Player, the media library database of Windows Media Player may become corrupted. The next time that you start Windows Media Player, the media library will be empty. Then you must rescan the drive and set up your library again. For example, this issue may occur when you run a stand-alone instance of Windows Media Player and an embedded instance of Windows Media Player in Internet Explorer.

•When you try to add some files to the media library or when you try to index the files by using Windows Desktop Search, the process may stop responding.

Media Center

Knowledge Base 941229

•Several issues that are related to the Media Center Extensibility Platform

•Interaction issues that occur between Media Center PC and Microsoft Xbox 360 when Xbox 360 is used as a Media Center Extender.

•Autolaunch issues that occur with video CD (VCD) media

USB Updates

If you have any issues with USB devices check out

Knowledge Base 941600

This is a great tutorial on Dodging & Burning in Photoshop
by Jeff Greene which has been posted on Pro Photo Community Blog and is the first of series that will be posted every Tuesday.

"This week I will cover dodging and burning in Photoshop which enables the darkening and lightening of selected portions of an image. I don't use the Dodge & Burn Tool provided by Photoshop and I never, ever do anything to my image that directly affects the pixels on the Background layer. My basic workflow is done on separate adjustment layers for tonal and color corrections, cloning, and dodging and burning.  I then save this un-sized, un-cropped and un-sharpened file as the master file. This allows for maximum versatility to fine tune the image in the future by reopening each layer and applying minute corrections until perfected"

Full tutorial available via the link below

Microsoft Pro Photo Community Blog : Tuesday Tutorial - Dodge & Burn

For Home Users

It's time to brush the digital dust off your captured moments and media—for good. Introducing a simpler, smarter way for families to organize, share and protect photos, videos, music and much more. Windows Home Server brings it all together in a central hub, connecting your home PCs and making it easy to keep and enjoy your family's most important memories. Grandma will love it too.

Windows Home Server Now Available

Microsoft announces HP MediaSmart Server, powered by Windows Home Server software, is now on sale on leading retailer web sites. Order yours today!

See what the excitement is about

Get a snapshot of how Windows Home Server makes digital life easier for your family.

The rave reviews are in

See what people are saying about Windows Home Server. (Hint: It's good news for families.

For Enthusiasts

You've heard the buzz. Now it's time to dive in and build a better digital home life. Learn about the technology, tricks and tools you need to make it happen. Your family will thank you.

Ready, set up, go!

Learn how to install and configure Windows Home Server with our Getting Started Guide, including a product overview, system requirements and troubleshooting tips—everything but a magic wand.

Get the full scoop on features

Read our Reviewer's Guide for complete details on everything from add-ins and backups to remote access and storage. Prepare to be amazed.Windows Home Server

This is just like Wikipedia but still in it's infancy. It's a free-content encyclopedia of camera information, to learn more about this project, read the About Camerapedia.org page.

It will be interesting to how this develops. It currently does not have a section for software imaging applications

Main Page - Camerapedia.org

Although this is so cool, it does raise the debate when is  photograph not a photograph.