For those of us that have had to make PowerPoint presentations time and time again, using the same templates over and over again, it becomes increasingly frustrating because you think there is only so much youc an do. Well luckily, with some savvy searching, and perhaps a little creativity on your end, Powerpoint can become something new, thanks to the bevy of templates on TemplatesWise.com.
Powerpoint presentations can get a fresh face lift with these new, unique backgrounds that can ressurect the drab into the fab. By what I can tell, this site has hundreds upon hundreds of new templates for you to use, that are easy to find based on their categories. You can preview them, and download the ones you like. They also include packs for charts and graphis, looped music, and other creative for your presentations that will keep your presentation visually attractive while you share the important information.
I’ve used this site for a few public speaking engagements already, I’ve been very impressed with it, and I recommend you give it a try. As PowerPoint has gotten on in age, it’s nice to see creative sites like this offering the facelift that it has so badly needed.
HDMI Licensing Group gave an advance about what’s coming on the new version of the High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), 1.4. And the upgrades are very interesting, but most of them are related on having compatible devices, meaning that are future-related features.
Here’s a quick review of what’s coming:
HDMI Ethernet Channel. Yeap, you read it right. This new version of HDMI connector will include the possibility to transfer data via Ethernet at 100mbps. This way you can use the devices connected with HDMI inside your LAN or Internet, without having an integrated network adapter.
Getting ready for resolutions superior than FullHD 1080p. This connector will be compatible with resolutions around 4.096 x 2.160 pixels.
Audio Return Channel (ARC). This is another new channel included, will transmit compressed surround sound to Home Theaters without having an optic dedicated connector.
Enhanced support for 3D technologies.
New stabilization system that will help having FullHD definitions in cars or in another places where high definition transmitions are complicated.
Micro HDMI. New connector version for portable devices. Will be around 50% smaller but will “only” have support for 1080p.
The official announcement for all these new features will be published by the end of June.
Seems that will have to wait a little while to take advantages of this new features, but they sure sound very cool.
PayPal seems to have established itself as the premier method for online payments. I have a paypal account which I use on a regular basis myself, but the process can actually complicate even the simplest of situations. In some cases PayPal seems a bit overkill when something easier could be used. This is where Paystr comes into play.
The online application allows you to set up your own web page for collections purposes. The customization far outweighs the impersonal requests that PayPal creates, with the invoices they allow you to create. Instead Paystr really want you to customize your efforts and your attempts to collect funds for a variety of things. The site declares that its services are great for parties, events, games, gifts or whatever it might be you are collecting for.The focus of Paystr is for the user to focus more on the actual project and less time on the actual collections.
The site is free, creating an account is easy, but standard “PayPal” fees apply. The online site accepts credit cards also, to make it easier for you to collect your funds ahead of time. You can set up multiple payment methods and multiple levels of products or services giving your audience options, ease of use, and safety of knowing their payments are secure.
Windows Live Writer team is working on developing the Mobile Version of Live Writer, maybe the best integration tool for blogs. This is a beta version that works only on Windows Mobile 6 or superior, it is very stable even though for a beta (remember that the Desktop Live Writer version worked as a public beta for a long time). You can participate from this beta (testing, sending feedback, etc) downloading it from this link in codeplex.
Here are some snapshots from the developer team, showing also the language compatibility.
In deed this is a fine choice for all bloggers that are constantly trying to post about anything from everywhere.
The funny thing is that Twitter was born on a similar idea, showing your status and what you are doing in real time; well I guess this could help those twitter lovers to use their blogs as updated as they can.
Microsoft, since 1997, annually presents a very exclusive summit dedicated only to the most important CEOs around the planet, “Microsoft CEO Summit“. This year’s topic were dedicated, of course, about the recession and global crisis, and how those are impacting on technologies and companies.
The event took place a few days ago, May 19 – 21, at Microsoft Conference Center in Redmond. But if you are thinking that an event for around 100 people (over 105 attended) it shouldn’t sound like a big deal, well it is. Not only over 100 of the most important decisions-makers around the planet were there, they talk and discuss about their next strategies and even Bill Gates appeared in the sessions.
You won’t find much information about the event, that is completely closed for media or public. But you will find some short videos about what they’ve been discussing. Steve Ballmer talked about the state of innovation in technology and the future of IT industry, Bill Gates about the economic impact and some of the work that the “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation” is doing.
And they gave a clear message about this crisis and technology, they all feel “optimistic” about what’s coming.
Grooveshark is an application that was reviewed here on Crenk sometime ago. At the time, I didn’t see the relevance of
Grooveshark awarded CNET's Top 100 Webware Award
the application, though it had some good aspects, I just did not feel comfortable with the entire package. It was not long after that post that officials from Grooveshark contacted me for a dialogue encouraging me to take a look at the offerings again, highlighting features I had not really seen the first time around. In the year that I’ve had with Grooveshark, I’m impressed with the continued efforts it’s making to establish itself as a viable music service for users.
CNET was obviously impressed enough to award it the 2009 Webware Winner for Audio and Music. Grooveshark has indeed come a long way and its user base has grown significantly. With this announcement comes features that again make Grooveshark heads above the rest. For starters their partnership with Ping.fm to build Tinysong API, which allows users to take the code and develop webapps that provide access to Groovesharks extensive library of music. It will be interesting to see what developers come up with as we’ve seen with various other online applications, the opening of the API makes it easy for supplementary apps to proliferate the net.
The second feature that was announced deals specifically with the blogging community. Grooveshark has announced that is now has a WordPress plugin that allows integration into blog posts for users to set up their favorite songs for specific posts. You can set up just one song, or a playlist of songs for your readers on your site. An interesting option, at the very least you could create a small station of songs on your, possibly with a widget.
Grooveshark is definitely expanding its platform and appeal, and it should be interesting to see how much further they go in 2009!
Microsoft just announced that they are releasing a new product: Zune HD, that will be available in the US this fall.
This will be the first portable device that will include a built-in HD Radio Receiver, HD video, OLED touch screen, WiFi and Internet browser.
Here’s a quick look for what’s coming:
Zune HD comes with a built-in HD Radio receiver so users can listen to higher-quality sound than traditional radio on the go. Users also will have access to the additional song and artist data broadcast by HD Radio stations as well as additional channels from their favorite stations multicasting in HD. If you don’t like the song playing on your station’s HD channel, switch to its HD2 or HD3 channels for additional programming.
The bright OLED touch screen interface allows users to flip through music, movies and other content with ease, and the 16:9 widescreen format display (480×272 resolution) offers a premium viewing experience on the go.
The HD-compatible output lets Zune HD customers playback supported HD video files from the device through a premium high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) audiovisual docking station (sold separately) direct to an HD TV in 720p.
Zune HD will include a full-screen Internet browser optimized for multitouch functionality.
Zune HD is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing for instant streaming to the device from the more than 5 million-track Zune music store.
And from where you can access the HD videos? From Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace. Take notice that the HD TV will be 720p, not in 1080p.
Well indeed this is a great news to the market, that has been for several years now completely dominated by Apple and their iPod versions. When the MP3 player Zune made the appearance we all knew that it was too late to compete with Apple, several rumors appeared since then that the Zune will be removed entirely from the market. But know, they are striking back with a nice piece of device.
What do you think? Can Zune take an important place in the market now? Or the market will wait for the iPod HD?
I’m sure you’ve seen it (or at least you received the video link). Microsoft released their vision about the future of technology. As they predicted, we will have millions of gadgets and cool stuff floating around the air and everywhere you look.
Of course, the Microsoft idea it’s related about all technologies that is currently using or investigating, like: Microsoft Surface, Seadragon and Second Light. And when is this faboulous future will be here? 2019. Yep, around 10 years from now we are all going to use these things, again, according to Microsoft.
It didn’t take long for some to be totally skeptic about this. So here’s a very funny video that was prepared using the same images from the original, enjoy:
Oh and in case you haven’t seen the original one, here it is. Enjoy it as well:
My opinion? They are always optimistics about these type of things, so we’ll be lucky if we can start testing around in some special places and special situations technologies like Microsoft Surface in about 5 to 7 years.
It’s likely that a lot of us have moved towards cloud computing for storage of our files.
Documents, spreadsheets, powerpoint presentations, a lot of these creations are now held in applications like Google Documents, Zoho Writer, or even placed in an application like Drop Box. This transition has left a great many of our thumb drives collecting dust on our desks, or lost in a drawer.
Portable Apps is just one way to bring life to your thumb drive, especially if you like your applications set up a certain way and you’re moving from computer to computer throughout your day. Portable Apps allows you to bring applications such as video viewers, word applications, browsers set up to your liking with your bookmarks, games, and other productivity applications that you may want to carry with you as opposed to having to start from the ground up as you change computers.
Portable virus scanners, portable zip applications, portable image editing software, and even portable coding applications allow a user to increase their productivity as a professional without the fear of downloading software onto another computer, especially if it’s forbidden in areas such as your work computer or a library setting.
Portable Apps promotes itself as “Convenient, Open, and Free.” Your entire life can be portable and your experience can remain the same no matter what computer you are on. Give it a try, dust those thumb drives off and never worry if a computer has the applications you need or if there is a compatibility issue.
We all know that the Vista big buzz that was made by Microsoft a few years back didn’t pay off as they expected and the great response received by Windows 7 beta users it is already generating a lot of expectations among all users.
Those expectations translates in a lot of curiosity, information and builds leaked around the web. This time the turn is for the official Windows 7 logo and some other features that appeared in Stephen Chapman’s blog, including a presentation template and the OS primary typeface.
Check them out:
Windows 7 green logo
Presentation template used for Windows 7
Primary typeface: Segoe Light
I know having a few logos and stuff it’s not a big deal, but these are all the small things that people keeps caring about. Most of Windows “power users” are strongly deciding about choosing Windows 7 instead of Vista. Tons and tons of Vista migrations were already canceled and companies are deciding to wait to this new OS that has shown so far much better performance and in most cases (like mine) even more stability.
HDMI Licensing Group
Windows Live Writer team is working on developing the 
Microsoft, since 1997, annually presents a very exclusive summit dedicated only to the most important CEOs around the planet, “
Microsoft just announced that they are releasing a new product: 
I’m sure you’ve seen it (or at least you received the video link). Microsoft released their vision about the future of technology. As they predicted, we will have millions of gadgets and cool stuff floating around the air and everywhere you look.
We all know that the Vista big buzz that was made by Microsoft a few years back didn’t pay off as they expected and the great response received by Windows 7 beta users it is already generating a lot of expectations among all users.
