I just had lost allot of files. Seems this is a major conflict with the Catalyst Control Centre. And I am hoping they are just invisible but recoverable. I installed system mechanic and my machine is stable again but I get error messages for the Catalyst Centre control and the dell support center.

Recently started receiving "Catalyst Control Centre: host application has stopped working" message(s). And I am getting this message twice.

When i first started getting this message i also got another warning saying that there was some error with my hard drive like it had been corrupted, i think it said something like a "delayed write" error message appeared, and i have since then lost most of my desktop icons, all pics, all of my music files that I've composed and written, all word docs, etc.

I tried a Virus Scan at first, defragmented my hard drive, and tried a few system restore points and was able to recover some, not all, desktop icons and my background, but that's about it. all of my files are still gone, I'm not sure if this is two separate issues or both part of the same issue.

In this situation, Microsoft suggests only two solution, and still no one can guarantee that the files lost can be recovered. Some times they can by using some third party software, and it all depends on what troubleshooting methods we followed.

However for Catalyst Control Centre problem, I would suggest you to follow these steps and check if it helps:

Method 1:
Try performing clean boot and check if it helps:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

NOTE: After you have finished troubleshooting, make sure you put back the computer to normal startup mode as suggested in step7 from the above KB article.

Method 2:
I would suggest you to follow the steps from the below link and check the hard disk for errors:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Check-your-hard-disk-for-errors

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Don’t underestimate the device because of its size: Your BlackBerry is also a powerful computer.  Read more about the features of BlackBerry.

There has been a lot of talk in the last few years about smartphones like the BlackBerry (which you are probably carrying), and how they can change the way you work,  communicate…  Read More To Know How BlackBerry Can Change Your Lifestyle

With your existing BlackBerry operating system (OS), you can block certain e-mails, SMS numbers, or BlackBerry PINs from getting to your inbox. It’s like having your own spam blocker on your BlackBerry!

To set up your personal spam blocker in your blackberry , follow these steps:

• 1. From the BlackBerry Home screen, select the Options icon.
• 2. Select Security Options.
• 3. Select the Firewall option. The Firewall screen opens.
• 4. Highlight the Status field and select Enable.

The spam blocker is enabled.

• 5. Under Block Incoming Messages, select the option(s) you would like to block:

• SMS: Select this check box if you want to block SMS (text) messages.

• PIN: Select this check box if you want to block BlackBerry PIN messages.

• BlackBerry Internet Service: Select this check box if you want to block e-mail messages (for example, the e-mail account that you set up from Google or Yahoo! mail).

• Enterprise Email: Select this check box if you are within a large corporate e-mail network and want to block the enterprise e-mail.

• 6. In the Except Messages From area, select the desired options.

• Contacts: Select this check box if you want to block everything except the e-mails and phone numbers in your Contacts.

• Specific Addresses: Select this check box if you want to block everything specified by you. (You can set up the list below.)

• 7. If you chose Specific Address, press the Menu key and select Configure Exception.

The Firewall exception screen opens.

• 8. Press the Menu key and select the desired options.

• Add Email: You can specify the e-mails you want to block by selecting this check box.

• Add PIN: You can specify the BlackBerry PIN you want to block by selecting this check box.

• Add Phone Number: You can specify the SMS number you want to block by selecting this check box.

Also Read:

Advantages And Disadvantages Of BlackBerry Curve 8530

iPhone 4 Advantages And Disadvantages

List Of Useful Mobile Applications For Online Transactions

How To Review An BlackBerry Application Before Buying It

Top 10 Applications For A General Purpose Smart Phone

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Windows Internet Explorer 9 (abbreviated as IE9) is the recent version of the Internet Explorer web browser from Microsoft. It was released to the public on March 14, 2011 at 21:00 PDT.

Internet Explorer 9 supports several CSS 3 properties, embedded ICC v2 or v4 color profiles support via Windows Color System, and has improved JavaScript performance.

It also features hardware-accelerated graphics rendering using Direct2D, hardware-accelerated text rendering using DirectWrite, hardware-accelerated video rendering using Media Foundation, imaging support provided by Windows Imaging Component, and high fidelity printing powered by the XPS print pipeline.

Internet Explorer 9 also supports the HTML5 video and audio tags and the Web Open Font Format. Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 9 as a major out-of-band version that is not tied to the release schedule of any particular version of Windows, unlike previous versions.

The system requirements for Internet Explorer 9 are Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista Service Pack 2 or Windows Server 2008 SP2 with the Platform Update.

Windows XP and earlier are not supported. Internet Explorer 9 is the last version of Internet Explorer to be supported on Windows Vista; Internet Explorer 10 will only be supported on Windows 7 and later. Both 32-bit and 64-bit builds are available.

If you have installed Internet Explorer 9 and if you are not satisfied with the product, you can very well Uninstall It. Incase if you cant find Internet Explorer 9 installed in the Add Or Remove Programs, here are the steps to Un Install It.

In some circumstances you may need to uninstall Internet Explorer 9 to get back to a previous version, however, when they try to uninstall IE9 through add/remove programs, IE9 is not in the installed programs list. Internet Explorer 9 is listed under Installed Updates. To uninstall IE9 use the following steps.

• Close all programs.
• Click Start, and then click Control Panel. (alternatively you can click on Computer and choose “Uninstall Or Change A Program” as shown in the below screen shot, and directly skip to 4th Point.

• Click Uninstall a Program under the Programs category
• In the Tasks pane, click View installed updates.
• In the list of installed updates, double-click Windows Internet Explorer 9.
• In the Uninstall an update dialog box, click Yes.
  Note If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
• Follow the instructions to uninstall Internet Explorer 9.
• When the uninstall program is finished, restart your computer.
• After you restart your computer, open Internet Explorer.
• Click About Internet Explorer on the Help menu. If Internet Explorer 7 or 8 appears in the About Internet Explorer dialog box, then you have successfully completed the uninstall.

For more information on Showing and Hiding toolbars in Internet Explorer, visit the following links:

How To Enable The Status Bar In Internet Explorer 9

Problem Opening SWF Files In Internet Explorer 8

IE8 Not Starting In Maximized Mode

Internet Explorer 9 Script Errors

Internet Explorer Stopped Working | Windows Is Checking For A Solution

Use Of SmartScreen Filter

Why Can’t I View Some Websites In Internet Explorer 9

How To Fix When Internet Explorer Has Stopped Working

Move Internet Explorer 9 Favorites Sidebar To Left Side Of The Window

How To Enable Internet Explorer 9 Favorites Toolbar

Fix For Ads Displaying On The Wrong Side In Internet Explorer

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

A status bar, similar to a status line, is an information area typically found at the bottom of windows in a graphical user interface. A status bar is sometimes divided into sections, each of which shows different information.

For more information on Showing and Hiding toolbars in Internet Explorer, visit the following links:

Why Can’t I View Some Websites In Internet Explorer 9

How To Fix When Internet Explorer Has Stopped Working

Move Internet Explorer 9 Favorites Sidebar To Left Side Of The Window

How To Enable Internet Explorer 9 Favorites Toolbar

Fix For Ads Displaying On The Wrong Side In Internet Explorer

A status bar job is primarily to display information about the current state of its window, although some status it also shows things bars have extra functionality. For example, many web browsers have clickable sections that pop up a display of security or privacy information. And in Internet Explorer we have the most important function in status bar, the Zoom. And if you cant find the status bar on your Internet Explorer 9, Here is the steps how to enable and disable the Internet Explorer 9 Status Bar.

The status bar is at the bottom of the browser and typically does two things.

• 1. Shows information about the URL when you hover over a link.
• 2. Allows the user to adjust the zoom on the page.

For Internet Explorer 9, as with the command and favorites bars, the status bar is off by default. To enable the status bar go to View>Toolbars>Status Bar. To bring up the menu bar, press the Alt button.

Once the status bar is enabled Zoom will be available automatically. You can also use the zoom functionality by clicking on the tools button and using the zoom options there. Zoom is also available using CTRL + Mouse Scroll, or CTRL + “+” or ”–“.

For more information on Showing and Hiding toolbars in Internet Explorer, visit the following links:

Problem Opening SWF Files In Internet Explorer 8

IE8 Not Starting In Maximized Mode

Internet Explorer 9 Script Errors

Internet Explorer Stopped Working | Windows Is Checking For A Solution

Use Of SmartScreen Filter

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

When I try to visit some websites in Internet Explorer 9 the pages don’t display at all or they don’t look or act as they did in IE8, what’s wrong?

You may also be interested in some of the other posts related to Internet Explorer.

How To Fix When Internet Explorer Has Stopped Working

Move Internet Explorer 9 Favorites Sidebar To Left Side Of The Window

How To Enable Internet Explorer 9 Favorites Toolbar

Fix For Ads Displaying On The Wrong Side In Internet Explorer

Problem Opening SWF Files In Internet Explorer 8

IE8 Not Starting In Maximized Mode

Internet Explorer 9 Script Errors

Internet Explorer Stopped Working | Windows Is Checking For A Solution

Use Of SmartScreen Filter

Some websites may have been designed for earlier versions of Internet Explorer which may lead to these sites being incompatible with Internet Explorer 9. To help deal with this problem, Internet Explorer includes a Compatibility View button.

Toggling the Compatibility View button causes the Internet Explorer to identify itself as if it were Internet Explorer 7, as well as render web pages mostly the same as IE7 would. The Compatibility View button is present in the IE9 address bar as shown in the below screen shot.

Compatibility View still causes the browser to report itself and render web pages like IE7 would.

For additional information on compatibility view in Internet Explorer 9, visit the following link:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/products/ie-9/features/compatibility-view

For additional information on troubleshooting IE9 website compatibility issues, visit the following link:

956197 Some Web sites may not be displayed correctly or work correctly in Internet Explorer 8 or in Internet Explorer 9

Here are other Articles Related To Internet Explorer

How To Fix When Internet Explorer Has Stopped Working

Move Internet Explorer 9 Favorites Sidebar To Left Side Of The Window

How To Enable Internet Explorer 9 Favorites Toolbar

Fix For Ads Displaying On The Wrong Side In Internet Explorer

Problem Opening SWF Files In Internet Explorer 8

IE8 Not Starting In Maximized Mode

Internet Explorer 9 Script Errors

Internet Explorer Stopped Working | Windows Is Checking For A Solution

Use Of SmartScreen Filter

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

When using Internet Explorer I get the error: “Internet Explorer has stopped working”, why am I getting this error? How do I Fix this?

This error can be caused by hardware or hardware driver incompatibilities. Internet Explorer 9 utilizes the power of the GPU to render HTML5 multimedia elements. The benefit of building on Direct2D technologies is that the browser makes the most of the underlying PC hardware that’s optimized for rendering rich graphics.

This results in faster web applications and a higher quality browsing experience for users. When IE9 uses the GPU, there is less CPU load; this enables other browser subsystems to do more, as well as enabling higher frame rates for smooth animation and video playback.

Disable Hardware Acceleration In Internet Explorer

If your hardware does not support hardware acceleration you can set an option in the Advanced Settings to Use software rendering instead of GPU rendering. You can enable or disable this setting at Tools>Internet Options>Advanced. To bring up the menu bar, press the Alt button. Click to select or unselect the check box for the “Use software rendering instead of GPU rendering” option under Accelerated graphics.

Before setting this option you might download and install the latest drivers for your video card, updated drivers may enable support for hardware acceleration for your hardware.

If changing this option does not resolve the issue there are additional troubleshooting steps that can help, click the link below to see the article: Tips For Solving Problems With Internet Explorer

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Internet Explorer 9 provides the premiere modern enterprise browser experience: fast,clean,and trusted. And while trying to install Internet Explorer 9, we may some time struck in to some type of errors or issues related to prerequisites and IE9 installed. In this post we will see how to fix the issues and successfully install Internet Explorer 9.

When you install Windows Internet Explorer 9, additional prerequisite software and components need to be installed. There may also be other issues keeping you from installing IE9. First, the prerequisites vary, depending on the operating system that you use. To see which updates you need to install IE9, see the following KB article:
KB2399238  Prerequisites for installing Internet Explorer 9

Other possible issues that may cause Internet Explorer Setup to fail:

• Prerequisites updates required for IE9 may be already installed. These updates may have already been installed with Windows Update KB2454826. In this case you do not need to reinstall the updates.
• If using Windows Vista, you may not have Service Pack 2 installed, Internet Explorer 9 will not install without Windows Vista Service Pack 2. Check here to install the latest Service Pack: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloads/service-packs
• If using Windows 7, you need to have a released Genuine copy of Windows 7 installed. Internet Explorer 9 will not install on pre-released or Non-Genuine copies of Windows 7.
• Windows may need to be rebooted to install Internet Explorer 9. If Windows needs to restart to complete a previous installation, IE may not install. Reboot your computer and try and install IE9 again.

Once these issues are resolved, Internet Explorer 9 should install successfully. If you are still having installation issues see the following KB article:
KB2409098 How to solve Internet Explorer 9 installation problems

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

iPhone 4 introduces a whole new way of multitasking. Now you can run your favorite third-party apps — and switch between them instantly — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily. This smarter approach to multitasking is available only on iPhone.

No matter how much more powerful the SGS 2 is, some will still prefer the iPhone 4 or 5. Who are these people? Maybe those who don't value power over all else.

Games. Android phones are powerful no doubt, but gaming wise iOS is still tops. Android may catch up, and soon too, but that day is not yet here.

Personal hotspot performance is superb on mine. It is also dependent on network speed so that may be the problem.

Display Type: LED-backlit IPS TFT, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors

Display Size : 640 x 960 pixels, 3.5 inches

Display Features:

• Scratch-resistant oleo phobic surface
• Multi-touch input method
• Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
• Three-axis gyro sensor
• Proximity sensor for auto turn-off

iPhone 4 is a powerful piece of kit and has good hardware, but as a mobile phone, it doesn't really perform. You just have to think that if Apple changed its policy on controlling it and opening up its potential, it could have been fantastic.

However great the iPhone 5 might be, I cant see it being better than the SGS II. Will be interesting to see how Steve Jobs tries to slag it off

I prefer that Apple controls its products. It has resulted in a very unified product. For example, when it comes to gaming, developers have to take into account the weakest product, so that games can run on as many devices as possible. This has led to weaker game selection on Android, due to fragmentation. The SGS2 is immensely powerful, but without great games for example, what is the point of the power.

For someone who prefers to tinker, and maybe squeeze every ounce of performance out of a phone, iPhone may not be suitable. Then again, even without jailbreaking my iPhone, I do an amazing amount of things with it. And if you jailbreak the iphone you could make video calls over 3g, with an app called MY3G from the CYDIA APP store.

Jail breaking voids your warranty. Why it is against the terms or Apple. Read more on why Jail breaking Apple iPhone or iPod Voids Warranty.

You can play your electric guitar with multiple amps, using Amplitude. Gaming on iPhone is shocking in its quality, Dead Space, Infinity Blade. At the moment, the iPhone gives me a great combination of reliability, a huge selection of quality games, and (in my case) phone calls.

Not only is the product it self great, but the support we get for it puts apple far above any of its competitors.

There is apple stores right across almost every major shopping center in north America, where if your phone shows signs of any defect you bring it in and they repair it. That’s why they hold the gold for products and services.

Apple iPhone 4 manages to cling on to signal where my iPhone 3GS and Blackberry 8900 didn't manage to get signal. And there have been instances where I had signal when my friends did not. Of course this isn't conclusive evidence, but then again it also hardly acts like the signal losing disaster others say it is.

Overall, after almost a year's worth of use, travel, gaming, surfing, emailing, calling, Facetiming, Skyping, this is a reliable and great phone to have.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Microsoft seems to be mixing the best of many of its products and services into one streamlined computing experience called Windows 8. Read more:  6 Things You Can Expect From Windows 8

Leaks about Windows 8 details say Microsoft is planning a 128 bit operating system for 2012. Read more: Windows 8 To Support 128 Bit Architecture

Recently, MSFTtm has tweeted that the latest build of Windows 8 compiled is build 8011 with build string as 6.2.8011.0.winmain.110520-1745. The build string states that the build was compiled recently on May 20. Some other builds compiled recently which has been reported are.

• 6.2.8006.0.winmain.110513-1855
• 6.2.8005.0.winmain.110512-1726
• 6.2.7996.0.winmain.110429-1810

These are not the only builds reported. There were many in the list but we have mentioned the latest few.

There were roomers among the users that more or less every other Windows Operating System is crap look at the history ME crap, XP Good, Vista Crap, Windows 7 Good.

They can only assume windows 8 will be crap when it is first released I'm sure it will have more eye candy then windows 7...think leopard window animations etc.

Although truth be told Microsoft can't afford to put out crap OS's anymore because there are plenty of other viable options out there now for people to choose from...hint hint Microsoft don't release the damn OS until its completely ready in all aspects especially security and stability

But Having good hardware makes any windows Operating System just fine. I have used all of those with no problems.

To apply to become a beta tester for Microsoft Corporation, visit the following Microsoft Web site:http://connect.microsoft.com

Use your Microsoft Passport Network credentials (the e-mail address and password that you use to sign in to the Passport Network) to sign in.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

How do I move the Internet Explorer 9 Favorites sidebar to the left side of the window? Toolbars are usually distinguished from palettes by their integration into the edges of the screen or larger windows, which results in wasted space if too many under populated bars are stacked atop each other (especially horizontal bars on a landscape oriented display) or interface inefficiency if overloaded bars are placed on small windows.

And that might be the reason Microsoft is pulling that concept from its all recent products. Read more: How To Enable Internet Explorer 9 Favorites Toolbar

In Internet Explorer 9, the favorite’s sidebar is on the right by default. To move the favorites sidebar to the left side of the window use this shortcut: CTRL + SHIFT + I

To learn more about the other new features in IE 9, please see:
Discover Internet Explorer 9 - A more beautiful web

If you are using Internet Explorer 9 and if you recently updated your Adobe Flash Player, you will notice that the Images, videos and ad’s pop up on the left side of the browser in Internet Explorer 9. To Fix this issue, click on the below link. Fix For Ads Displaying on Wrong Side

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Where did the Favorites toolbar go in Internet Explorer 9? Slowly Microsoft is removing or hiding the toolbar in all its recent products ever since the launch of Office 2007. Earlier Toolbars are seen in office suites, graphics editors and web browsers.

In a graphical user interface on a computer monitor a toolbar is a GUI widget on which onscreen buttons, icons, menus or other input or output elements are placed.

Toolbars are usually distinguished from palettes by their integration into the edges of the screen or larger windows, which results in wasted space if too many under populated bars are stacked atop each other (especially horizontal bars on a landscape oriented display) or interface inefficiency if overloaded bars are placed on small windows. And that might be the reason Microsoft is pulling that concept from its all recent products.

Well, favorite toolbar in Internet Explorer is not completely removed. its just hidden. And the question is, how do I enable the IE9 Favorites toolbar? In IE9, the favorite’s toolbar is off by default.

To enable the toolbar right click the favorites icon (the star icon in the top-right corner of your Internet Explorer window), and then click Favorites bar. To bring up the menu bar, press the Alt button.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

If you are using Internet Explorer 9 and if you have recently updated your Adobe Flash Player, you will notice that the Images, videos and ad’s pop up on the left side of the browser in Internet Explorer 9.

Of course on multiple websites, images, videos, and ads pop up in the wrong place in Internet Explorer. They appear on the left side and not on the right side in the video window. Is this a known issue? How can I fix this?

This issue has been seen after installing Flash Player 10.3 on a system that has Internet Explorer 9. This has been seen by Adobe and they are actively investigating the issue.

The current solutions are:

• Update your current video driver

Or

• To visit Abode’s website for an update on the issue and see thier suggested resolution, click the following link: http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/904/cpsid_90416.html

Or

• Temporarily disable Hardware acceleration in Internet Explorer.

To Update your video card driver, visit the following help sites:

For Windows Vista Update a driver for hardware that isn't working properly

For Windows 7 Update a driver for hardware that isn't working properly

To temporarily disable Hardware acceloration see the following article:

If you’d like to temporarily disable Hardware acceleration, see the following article:

How to Enable or Disable Software Rendering in Internet Explorer 9

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Your life has gone digital - it is time to simplify your life so you can easily access your files, photos, videos, and music from any PC or TV in your home, or even while away from home. Windows Home Server was designed for households and home-based businesses that have more than one personal computer.

Do more with inspired solutions that meet your family's needs. Power Pack 3 is now available! Learn more.

If you have multiple PCs with increasingly large amounts of digital photography, music, video, and documents, then protecting, organizing, and connecting this digital media can be a challenging task. Help with managing your digital dilemmas has arrived. Windows Home Server does more than Network Attached Storage (NAS). The reason is, Network Attached Storage does not support Add-Ins which Home Server does. And we are listing few most popular Add-Ins For Microsoft Windows Home Server.

1. D-Link D-ViewCam

The D-Link D-ViewCam is a software add-in for Windows Home Server that provides instant access to your live camera feeds and all the surveillance video already saved to your server. Compatible with the D-Link Network Cameras models DCS-920, DCS-1100, DCS-1130, and DCS-2121, this add-in allows users to easily manage their recording, streaming, and camera settings-all within the Windows Home Server administrative Console. Manage and access up to four live camera feeds from home or even remotely via the web.

2. ASUS Web Storage

ASUS WebStorage created for all Windows Home Server users, is featured with Raid six disk array and clustering storage server that eliminates the hardware failure possibility. In addition, the real time virus scanning and in-executable protected file system provided a virus–free storage environment, which your irreplaceable data is 100% safe with ASUS WebStorage. The easy feature in the Home Server console makes your digital life smarter and convenient. Remotely start your BT downloads while you are out and enjoy your digital movies, pictures, and more by connecting to Home Server when you are home!

3. Grid Junction

Grid Junction UPS Add-in. Grid Junction integrates seamlessly to issue power alerts and helps protect Windows Home Server from power problems, brownouts, or blackouts by safely powering down the Windows Home Server when battery levels reach a set threshold.

4. My Movies for Windows Home Server

My Movies for Windows Home Server provides automated disc copying of cd's and movies from attached USB drives, adding meta-data to copied discs, or movies already stored on the server. All metadata is made available to Media Centers and other devices.

5. Remote Alert

Remote Alert permits WHS Administrators to monitor remote access attempts to their Windows Home Server. Any attempt to log on to the WHS by a browser is reported in real-time using the WHS Network Health task tray icon.

6. avast! Antivirus

avast! Windows Home Server Edition is a collection of award winning, high-end technologies that work in perfect synergy, having one common goal: to protect your system and valuable data against computer viruses.

7. Diskeeper

Diskeeper 2009 HomeServer elevates system performance, debugging fragmentation-based problems as they occur, without ever compromising vital system resources, even when the whole family is connected to the computer

8. F-Secure Home Server Security 2009

F-Secure® Home Server Security™ automatically protects all the valuable data stored on your Windows Home Server. It integrates with Windows Home Server, providing, constantly updated automatic detection and removal of all types of malicious software.

9. KeepVault

KeepVault provides real-time, automatic, and continuous synchronization, backup and sharing for your most important digital files via local or online storage.

10. mControl

mControl is software for your digital home. From your Media Center PC, via Internet Explorer or through your Windows Mobile device, you can control all aspects of your home with a touch of a button.

11. PerfectDisk 10 for Windows Home Server

PerfectDisk® 2008 for Windows Home Server brings the power of PerfectDisk 2008's disk defragmentation capabilities to the Windows Home Server environment. PerfectDisk makes everything you do in your Windows Home Server environment faster.

12. Recorded TV Manager Add-in for Windows Home Sever

The Recorded TV Manager Add-in for Windows Home Server integrates your Microsoft Media Center computers with your Windows Home Server. Collect, manage and watch your television recordings from anywhere on the network.

13. WebGuide for Windows Home Server

WebGuide for Windows Home Server lets you access your home entertainment on the go. Listen to your music, watch your videos, and browse through your photos from any location.

14. LightsOut

LightsOut is a power management add-in that allows you to place your home server in sleep or hibernation mode at scheduled times.

15. WHS Customizer

WHS Customizer gives you control over your home server's remote webpage. You can now change your default image display.

16. uTorrent

The uTorrent feature for Windows Home Server lets you download Bittorrent files.

17. Duplication Info for Windows Home Server

Using Windows Home Server's Driver Extender technology, Duplication Info for Windows Home Server shows you which files have been duplicated to a second hard drive.

18. AutoExit for Windows Home Server

ASoft AutoExit for Windows Home Server is a console add-in for Windows Home Server. It can be used to shut down and reboot machines in your home network from within the console.

19. Whiist

Whiist is a Windows Home Server add-in that allows you to create and manage web content on your Windows Home Server.

20. Advanced Admin Console

Advanced Admin Console allows you to extend the Windows Home Server console to various parts of your Windows Home Server's administration controls, giving you access to many server functions that would only be available if you remote accessed into the server itself.

21. Windows Home Server Disk Management

Windows Home Server Disk Management is an add-in for Microsoft Windows Home Server. This add-in is designed for users who need more detail about their server's storage status than what the standard Windows Home Server Storage interface provides.

Want to start doing more with your HP MediaSmart Server? See how others are extending the functionality of Windows Home Server by watching this free webinar today: The Best Just Got Better: Learn how to extend the functionality of your Windows Home Server.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Many people have this question in mind. “Will Microsoft Security Essentials work with Windows Home Server 2011?”

The answer is, No. The world's biggest software maker is now into antivirus software.Although you get firewall and anti-spyware tools as part of Windows, Microsoft has always been reluctant to give Windows users free anti-virus software. However, Microsoft Security Essentials is not supported on Windows Home Server. Microsoft Security Essential is only for Desktop Version Of Operating System and not for server versions.

Anti-virus software for Windows Home Server is available from a number of vendors. When purchasing anti-virus solutions, please make sure that you purchase the Windows Home Server specific edition.

Anti-virus software add-ins may also be available for Windows Home Server. A list of available add-ins for Windows Home Server can be found on our product website here.

Antivirus and antispyware software might cause your computer to slow down, even if the software itself isn't the cause of the slowdown. Read more…

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Access Denied to Bluetooth Connection and thus cannot access Bluetooth Connection. Here is the detailed message of the error. "Acess denied" in Bluetooth devices.

Bluetooth devices>select device>properties>Bluetooth services. When choosing the DUN check box and once we click apply "Access denied" message appears.

But you will be able to connect to the internet using USB cable without any hassles.

Important: Windows Registry is a weak link in the operating system’s stability and robustness. It’s remarkably easy to damage, but very difficult to repair... Backup your registry before you start modifying the registry entries. Read my other article to know how to backup the registry.

Solution:

• Login to your Windows as Administrator.
• Goto Start>Run and type "mmc".
• Click "OK"
• Press Ctrl+M
• Click "Add"
• Scroll Down and click "Security Configuration and Analysis"
• Click "Add"
• Click "OK"
• Right Click "Security Configuration and Analysis"
• Click "Open Database..."
• Type "bth" and click "OK"
• Keep this open
• Open Notepad and enter the following lines:

[version]
signature="$CHICAGO$"
revision=1
DriverVer=07/01/2001,5.1.2600.1106

[Registry Keys]
"MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BTHPORT",0,"D:AR(A;CI;GRGW;;;PU)(A;CI;GRGW;;;LS)"

• Save the file as "%windir%\secutity\templates\bth.inf"
• Close Notepad
• Open "bth.inf" in the "Import Template" dialog
• Right Click "Security Configuration and Analysis"
• Click "Analyze Computer Now..."
• Click "OK"
• Open "Registry" and follow the items that say "Subitems Defined" until you get to "BTHPORT"
• Right Click "BTHPORT"
• Click "Properties"
• Click "Edit Security..."
• Click "Advanced"
• Click the "Owner" tab
• Select your username
• Click "OK" on all open property pages
• Right Click "Security Configuration and Analysis"
• Click "Configure Computer Now..."
• Close Microsoft Management Console
• Done

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

If you are previously working with Microsoft Picture IT, you may have some .MIX files with you. Without using Microsoft Picture IT, how to open .MIX files?.  Also note that there are three types of .MIX file: those for MS Windows Sound MIX, those for Power C object files, and image files.

A doubt may arise on how to open the .MIX file  when someone sends you a file with an .MIX extension without mentioning if its is a Picture. A Sound Or A Power C Object File. Typically, the image file is the cause of confusion for most computer users.

I have some .mix files but no longer have the PictureIt application for my XP computer.  Is there a way to open them so I can save them as .jpg?

There are two methods to work out if the .MIX is a Picture file.

Warning: Its  always a good idea to create a System  Restore point before installing software or updates

Method 1: Using Microsoft Digital Image 2006:

The trial version of Microsoft Digital Image 2006 will open your .mix files and you can use the Mini Lab to batch convert them to the .jpg format. Loading too many photos at one time may cause freezes. Might try starting with 20 or 30 and see how it goes from there.

Just open the .mix files in DIS 2006 and go to Touchup / Batch Edit in Mini Lab.

Microsoft Digital Image Starter Edition 2006
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=7C3B3DED-A15F-48C5-B724-7796FE8C151E&displaylang=en

(this product line has been discontinued but you can still download the Starter Version and run it for 60 days)

Method 2: Using PolyView:

If you are following this method, you'll find it to be  much faster than Microsoft Digital Image and larger batches shouldn't  be a problem.:

If these are single image files created in MS Picture It! and are not layered projects. That is if its not a album pages, greeting cards, collages, etc., the following info should be useful to you:

The evaluation version of PolyView may allow you to batch reformat your .mix files.
You can download an evaluation copy at the following link:

PolyView www.polybytes.com (Go to...Downloads / PolyView Any Latest Version Setup Program).

When you open PolyView Go To File -> Format Conversions – > Browse to the folder your .mix files are saved in and open the drop window and choose "All Files".

• Left click the "Add All" button.
• Left click the "Continue" button.
• Choose your "Destination Format" JPEG
• Choose your JPEG quality –> 100
• Choose a "Destination Folder"
• Left click the "Start" button.
• Also read on how to open a .MIX file: http://www.tech-faq.com/how-to-open-mix-files.html

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

On Microsoft Windows computer operating systems (except for Windows NT), My Documents is the name of a special folder on the computer's hard drive that the system commonly uses to store a user's documents, music, pictures, downloads, and other files.

And you might have noticed that the media player software and iTunes use the default My Music location to store its library and music information.

How to change the default location of My Music folder? For example, if you are running out of space in your C Driver or if you want all your media files organized in a special way, you can Install a 2nd hard drive. What has to be done, if My Music folder to be moved to the new drive.

If you manually copy or move the My Music folder to the secondary hard disk or any other location, Windows XP will again create a new My Music Folder in your My Documents and  will start to store the music files there by default. Is there any way we can change this default action of Windows XP?

Unfortunately this is by design and Windows by default creates a Documents folder even if you delete it.

But you can change the default location of My Documents Folder so that your entire My Documents will be stored in a secondary hard disk along with My Music, My Pictures Etc Etc.,

And to do this, simply right click on My Documents Folder and choose properties.

Click on Move

Give The Location In Your Hard Disk for the new my Documents Folder.

Click Ok And If you get a new dialog box like the above one, give Yes so that your existing files from your old My Documents folder will be moved to your new My Documents.

If you are not interested to move the entire My Documents folder. However, if you have saved music to a different folder you can set Media Player to use a default folder to access music files.

• A. Open Media Player, Press the Alt key to bring up the File menu.
• B. Click on File, Manage Libraries and Music.

Here you can add and remove locations and also select the default location.

Also Read:

Redirecting Libraries To Roaming Profile Location

Steps To Move Folder Redirection For My Documents to Different File Server?

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Error: When accessing personalization in windows vista, it says, "Personalization control panel error," 

When i go to personalization in windows vista, it says, "Personalization control panel error,"  and below that, it says, "there was a problem loading a pre-set color."

Why do you think this happens? How can i fix it?

The exact solution is possible only after knowing How are you trying to access Personalization? Does this happen when you try to access Personalization from desktop or from Control panel. If this happens when you are accessing from Desktop, you have to try from the Control Panel. And if it is otherwise, try the other other option if you are still getting the problem.

And if you make any recent changes to the computer prior to this issue, the simple fix would be to use system restore to restore your computer to a much earlier date and try if that works.

If you are still stuck some where, You can try the following steps and check.

Step 1: You can try running the Windows Aero Fixit and check if it helps:

Troubleshoot problems with Windows Aero

Step 2: If the issue still persists, check the status of Themes service.

• A. Click start, type services.msc in the search box and press enter.
• B. Click continue at the UAC prompt
• C. Locate "Themes" in the list and double click on it.
• D. In the General tab the Startup type should "Automatic", and Service status should be "Started" if not click on the "Start" button to start the service.
• E. Click Apply then OK.

Step 3: If the above steps don’t work, then you can try in a new user account and check if the issue occurs.

Create a user account

If the issue doesn't occur then refer the following link and follow the steps to repair the corrupt user profile:

Fix a corrupted user profile

If you are still not getting any success, you can try to run a SFC scan to check for any corrupted files and try installing SP2 and IE 8. You can refer the following KB article to run the SFC scan: How to use the System File Checker tool to troubleshoot missing or corrupted system files on Windows Vista or on Windows 7 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

These awesome apps let you use your phone for transactions today. here are few cool mobile apps that will enable you to pay for items (or to receive payments for them) with your phone right now. Most of these payment apps are designed strictly for person-to-person transactions, but a few of them will let you make purchases at the retail counter.

Person-to-Person Payments and Recurring Bills Plenty of apps can help you transfer cash  to another person.

Unfortunately, this arrangement imposes numerous limitations on who can pay whom, and it exposes private account information.

Large banks such as Bank of America, Citibank, and Wells Fargo have created Android and iPhone apps that let you pay (or get paid by) anyone who has an account at the same bank. Transferring money between customers requires the payee to share account numbers with the payer,  however, so it isn’t an ideal way to handle most transactions.

If the payee is a company or person with whom you frequently do business, you can probably log on to your account from your PC and add the recipient to a list of approved payees. Thereafter, you can log on from your phone at any time in order to send a payment when you need to, either by instant electronic payment or by check. And best of all, this method lets you pay folks regardless of whether they are customers at your bank.

PayPal: A familiar name in online payments, PayPal offers the mostadvanced options for person-toperson smartphone payments. Any two people with PayPal accounts can send and receive personal payments without incurring transaction fees, as long as the payments are made from a linked checking account (rather than from a credit card).

PayPal Mobile runs on Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone. The iPhone version lets users cash
checks by taking a picture of the check with the phone’s camera. The iPhone and Android  versions allow you to use the Bump app to exchange contact info, and they include an option for splitting a dinner bill easily; the BlackBerry version has yet to catch up on either score.

Venmo: Available (in limited release, with a sign-up waiting list) for iPhone and Android, Venmo offers PayPal-esque features for paying friends, splitting restaurant checks, paying your utilities, and so on. The service lets friends send and receive payments with no transaction fees or signup charges. It also permits you to link your Twitter and Facebook accounts to let everyone on your friends list know the identity of the lucky recipient of your largesse—an odd example of information sharing in this post-privacy era.

PayBack: A little app called PayBack for iPhone lets you handle shared expenses between friends (or roommates) by tracking who spent how much for what. You can quickly set up a report tabulating who owes whom how much, and then send the report via e-mail. essentially, it amounts to an IOu (or a “uOMe”). Mobile Shopping Spree A couple of apps offer you a glimpse of the future, in which you’ll be able to make retail purchases with your smartphone.

Starbucks Card Mobile for iPhone: If someone gave you a Starbucks gift card, but you never have it in your wallet, you need the free Starbucks Card Mobile iPhone app. To use  the app, first register your gift card at Starbucks.com. Then enter the card number into the app, and authorize it with your username and password from Starbucks.com; at that point, a picture of your card will appear in the app along with your current balance. You can enter as many cards as you like.

At your local Starbucks, launch the app, tap the glowing Touch to Pay button to reveal your unique barcode, and hold the phone up to the cash register’s scanner until you hear a beep. When you’re done, the app will display your new balance.

Parkmobile: never have enough coins for a parking meter? If you’ve parked in a Parkmobile spot, you can pay with your BlackBerry, iPhone, or Android device. Once you’ve signed up for a Parkmobile account, you just pull into a space, launch the app, and let your phone’s geolocation features pinpoint your car. Submit your payment, go about your business, and let Parkmobile alert you when 15 minutes are left on the meter. (Whether you can re-up for additional hours depends on what kind of parking space you’re in.)

If you are not a professional, and if you are using the smart phone as your general purpose mobile phone, here are my top 10 list of applications that you should consider using. Read More Top 10 Applications For A General Purpose Smart Phone

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

It’s important to know what you’re getting before you download. That’s not just because we don’t want you wasting your money. There are a few other reasons. For one thing, buggy apps suck up a lot of storage space on your BlackBerry.

Apps that don’t do what they’re supposed to do can also be time wasters. There are also stories in the news every day about malicious apps.

Bottom line? It pays to do your homework. Here are some tools offered by BlackBerry App World to help you get the info you need:

BlackBerry ID:  Sign up today for a BlackBerry® ID login and enjoy exciting new features in BlackBerry App World. Learn more about BlackBerry ID 

• Overview: If you scroll down on the Details page, you can find a brief overview of what the application is and its key benefits. This information helps you know if it’s the type of application that you want to install.
• Reviews: Before downloading an app, read what other people have to say about it. Each application is given a star rating, with five stars  being the highest. Don’t let ratings fool you, though. Opinions are just that — an application that you find useful, someone else may not.
• Screenshots: Everyone likes to see what they are buying before they actually commit to it. Screen captures allow you to check out what the application looks like before you install it. You can usually tell at a glance whether an application has an easy-to-use interface that you’ll like.

Once you’ve downloaded, installed, and used an app, you can share your insights with other potential users. Go back to BlackBerry App World, find the app, and click the Recommend button. After you finish your recommendation, others will see it in the Reviews section.

Click Here To Visit BlackBerry Official App World Website

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

A smartphone is a mobile phone that offers more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. Smartphones and feature phones may be thought of as handheld computers integrated with a mobile telephone, but while most feature phones are able to run applications based on platforms such as Java ME, a smartphone allows the user to run and multitask applications that are native to the underlying hardware.

Smartphones run complete operating system software providing a platform for application developers. Thus, they combine the functions of a camera phone and a personal digital assistant (PDA).

A smartphone is a mobile phone offering advanced capabilities, often with PC-like functionality (PC-mobile handset convergence). There is no industry standard definition of a smartphone. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphones

If you are not a professional, and if you are using the smart phone as your general purpose mobile phone, here are my top 10 list of applications that you should consider using. Please note, right now, I am giving the list for Android Platform, and hope to update it with other models in future.

And the top ten [no particular order] would be as follows:

• 1. Google Docs - Always useful if you use Google for its doc system
• 2. Google Sky Map - Great for outdoorsy types [ if you have low light pollution :) ]
• 3. Google Translate - It's not perfect, but it works very well.
• 4. Dropbox - Fab for transferring files from pc to pc to phone and back
• 5. ebay - If you use it, their official app is great
• 6. BBC iPlayer - Again, if you use it... handy for a "kitchen Radio/TV"
• 7. Amazon Kindle App - Again, if you use it... you can read books wherever you are
• 8. Tweetdeck - If you use twitter, it's a great app
• 9. WordPress - For WordPress users, it works as you want it
• 10. Google Maps/Latitude - never get lost, or loose your friends again.

If you have any idea of using more, then your comments are always welcome into bench3.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Leaks about Windows 8 details say Microsoft is planning a 128 bit operating system for 2012. Read more: Windows 8 To Support 128 Bit Architecture. What Does Microsoft have up its sleeve for Windows 8? Details are scant, but cell phones, tablets, the cloud, and even gaming appear to be figuring strongly into Microsoft's thinking for its next operating system.

Microsoft seems to be mixing the best of many of its products and services into one streamlined computing experience called Windows 8.

Here are some things about Windows 8 from the Web that hint at what we might see in the final release.

1 The UI: One small, but telling, change to Windows 8’s user interface cribs a page from Windows Phone 7’s playbook. Win 8’s welcome/lock screen has the same interface as Microsoft's Smartphone OS.

2 The Office Ribbon Returns: The context-aware Ribbon, which made a mess of Microsoft's office suite, will replace the drop-down menus and toolbar in Windows 8’s explorer windows, making many more of Windows’ hidden features visibly discoverable. and the Ribbon’s big buttons simply beg to be touched—perfect for a touch screen Windows 8 tablet.

3. The Cloud: A closer look at the explorer Ribbon shows two placeholder buttons, sync and Web sharing. Microsoft has been angling to push a lot of its services into the cloud, and that cloud functionality might be digging deeper into the core os. the sync button may work like Windows live mesh, which syncs program settings across PCs and enables offline connectivity.

Web sharing may use Windows live SkyDrive, a cloud storage and sharing feature that hands out 25gB for free, integrates with office, and works just like Drop box.

4 Xbox integration: The possibilities of kinect plus Windows 8 are limitless, but we know that Microsoft plans on using proximity detection and facial recognition to start up and unlock PCs. the company also apparently intends to meld the Xbox 360 and Xbox live to the in - ternet as a whole, especially for social gaming. such use of kinect technology to interact with online buddies, play PC games, and perhaps do much more could be the future of platform integration.

5 128 bits of power: Windows 8 will employ 128-bit architecture, which would represent the next leap in computer performance.

6 Tablet hardware: Ditching the x86 platform, Microsoft has confirmed that Windows
8 will operate on the aRm microchip architecture— the same tech that powers most of the world’s Smartphone's and tablets.

Microsoft has gotten serious about a tablet, and wants to power it with the forthcoming Windows 8. I have beta tested windows vista and windows 7. Here is something if any of you would like to know when the next windows version will be out for testing and if you would like to be included in the testing

Read more: http://www.bench3.com/2011/01/register-yourself-to-test-windows-8.html

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Few of my friends had told that their WinSxS folder has grown from less than 1GB initially to more than  5GB. The whole system size is 7.5GB.

This wont be a big concern if you have a huge hard disk space. But it will be the other way when you are running out of space in your system disk. The question is, can this folder be deleted?

But, deleting the folder is not an option, And never do this. Most files in this folder are no real folders, they are hardlinks which are mapped to the destination folders like C:\Windows\system32 or C:\Program files.

This applies to Windows 7 too. Read more about it here:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/askcore/archive/2008/09/17/what-is-the-winsxs-directory-in-windows-2008-and-windows-vista-and-why-is-it-so-large.aspx

The Windows Side by Side folder (WinSXS) stores shared assemblies for the roles, features and programs of your Windows Installation.

A 5GB WinSXS folder can considered to be normal on a Windows Vista / Windows Server 2008 Full Installation.

You can run this command if you have Windows 7 SP1 installed and want to reduce (not remove) the size of this folder significantly. Note that, we have not tested this in Windows Vista.

open an elevated DOS prompt and run (command prompt with administration rights):

DISM /online /Cleanup-Image /SpSuperseded

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 might be the last on the race, but it’s surely doing its best to catch up. The next Windows Phone 7 update, dubbed as Mango, promised its subscribers with Twitter integration, SkyDrive sync and multi-tasking.

Based on the concept that users want to connect and share, Microsoft has based its Windows Phone 7.5 (Code Named ‘Mango’) design on heavy-duty integration of functions.

Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’ let you e-mail, send text messages, and share photos among a group, all from one place and includes much more features. Great for keeping track of work colleagues vs. friends.

Mango also applies the heavy-duty integration to apps. Today, apps don't currently integrate and must be launched separately for separate functions. Mango seeks to seamlessly integrate into one app what used to take two or three apps. Imaging searching for a nearby shopping mall in your maps app and being able to view a interior map of the mall and get a pop-up directory of stores all in one.

Internet Explorer 9 is included in the update and is exactly the same as the new desktop application. Integration is, once again, key here. Instead of providing a list of hyperlinks, content is integrated and presented in a more useful way.

The Visual Search function lets you do a search based on a photo of an object, barcode, and QR tags. Quick Cards gives you a one-stop look at search items a search for a movie gives you movie poster, local show times, plot descriptions, cast info, and ratings all in one spot. It will even link you to IMDB for the finer details or to Fandango to buy your ticket.

App shortcutting is, perhaps, the most revolutionary feature. It allows you to shortcut to a specific function within an app. Take Virgin Atlantic new app that allows you to book flights, check status, change reservations, etc. When you are ready to fly, you can tack a shortcut onto your home screen that will bring you directly to your paperless boarding pass, rather than having to start the app and navigate through several screens. Not only a time-saver, but it will certainly put you at the ready and cut down on the glares from those in line behind you (and hopefully create a bit of jealousy).

Additional features include improved predictive text, Facebook events now in calendar, improved voice commands and hands-free voice texting, MS Office 365 upgrades, all-in-one mail inbox, redesigned XBOX hub, and app hopping (running multiple apps at once).

Microsoft also announced there are over 18,000 apps available and that Mango developer tools have been released to let everyone get a head start on ramping apps up to Mango speed.

Office, Xbox and Skype Now In Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’

Mango includes an updated version of the Office suite that will ship with new versions of Excel, One Note and PowerPoint. Among the improvements, users will be able to highlight cells in Excel to change data.

The upgrade will also include the Internet voice and video service Skype to allow users to make Skype calls from Windows Phones. Note that, Microsoft buys Skype for $8.5 billion

Mango will also have an Xbox Live gaming capability, the only smartphone OS to do so. Users will be able to see a friend list, and every game on the device can be accessed through the Xbox Live tile on the home screen in Mango, Microsoft said.

The inclusion of Office, Skype and Xbox Live is important because all three products are already market leaders separate from Mango.

Haja is currently working in a multi-disciplinary role that combines programming including, SAP Administration, Network Management, and System Administration. He is passionate about Technology and this blog is his platform for sharing his ideas. If you like this post, Please leave a comment. And if you have any queries, mail to help @ bench3 . com