Istopmotion 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a fun little program, that's easy enough to use for kids, but has a lot of flexibility for more serious users. I've mostly played around with this making little animated movies with my kids like the one I've included here, which was made entirely in iStopMotion2, but you can export the files to edit further and add sound effects and such in other programs like iMovie and Final Cut Pro.
The basic idea is that you take a picture, then move the object to be animated slightly, then take another picture, then move again. You can decide how many frames per second you want to shoot. Obviously, more frames per second can produce less jerky animation, but it also requires much more patience and control. I like to stick to about 15 frames per second.
For photo inputs you can either use a live source or you can import stills from any camera. With a live source you can either shoot stills one at a time or shoot continuously, at intervals you select. For example you could have your camera shoot every 3 seconds, which would give you time to make a quick adjustment to your clay figure and then move your hand out of the way. If you mess up, you could just stop and delete the messed up frames.
A live camera source is easiest, since the program can show you an "onion skin," or a transparent layer from the last frame in the animation that serves as a reference point to figure out how far to adjust the next. It should be noted that not all camcorders can be hooked up as a live source to Macs - and this isn't really the fault of this program it has to do with the way the Mac is set up. Of course you can use the built in webcam on most Macs as a live source, but that's not always very convenient since you'd have to point the screen at the object you're animating and then you'd be interacting with the keyboard and would want to be sure to get your hands out of the way before taking a still. Any other webcam that you can use for live video chat on your Mac will work with this program, and you can also hook it up to any webcam that is compatible with your Mac or any Firewire based camcorder. As of now the program doesn't have any way of supporting live inputs from most HD camcorders, since they usually connect to the computer with USB ports and not firewire. At least, I'm not able to hook up my Canon VIXIA HFS10 and record "live" from it. Instead, I'm using an older miniDV camera I'd had around and stopped using when I picked up the newer one.
You can import a soundtrack, or add one later from within an editing program. You can add backgrounds and foregrounds, and while the ones included with the software are really more for kids, you can import anything you like. To add backgrounds, of course, you need to do something like greenscreening, so that you can cut out the background you actually filmed in. There is a "key" function with the program that allows you to select a shade and eliminate it, but I've found it's not as effective as the keying function you'd get in Final Cut Pro or other more dedicated compositing programs. Still, it's good enough for most kids projects, and that's the kind of project you'd really want to complete entirely within this program. For more serious work you'd be better off capturing the basic stop motion here and then exporting it for edit, effects, and soundtrack elsewhere.
Another very valuable feature is that you can set this up for time lapse photography, which would help to create very interesting animations for a science project, for example. One very cool feature is the "Rotoscope/Lip-Sync" function. What that allows you to do is, say, shoot a video of someone speaking a line that you want to include in your stopmotion video, and then import that video so you can see it side by side with your animation. You can then animate the mouth to match closely to the movements of the speaker in the video. You could also use this to match, say, the movements of a doll to the movements of a dancer, or match the walk of a clay figure to the movements of a real person walking. It's very useful.
About this video: it was very easy to set up and the whole thing took maybe 10 minutes to complete. Obviously you can do much more sophisticated animation with this software than I've done here, and if you look it up online you'll find some very cool examples of what can be done. I did this just to show what you can accomplish in a very short time, with very little forethought or planning. Not a brilliant idea, but I was writing this review and thought a quick animation would be valuable as an example. I didn't have any clay or toys with me, which is what my kids and I have mostly used at home, but then I noticed a poor little styrofoam cup and realized I could document its destruction. Enjoy!

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Family Tree Maker 2011 Deluxe Review

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(More customer reviews)I used a very early version of this software (the Broderbund release) and enjoyed using it to build family trees. At the time, though, the artificial intelligence aspects of the software (and associated website, ancestry.com) were not well developed, and I found the interface a little clunky (and unattractive). It's been at least 10 years since those early experiences with genealogy software, and I'm very happy to see how much things have progressed since then. The new software appears a little complicated at first glance, which I consider a good thing. In order to capture and correctly correlate reams of data, the application needs to be robust. I've found the new software (and the constantly improving ancestry.com) a joy to use. You can keep things as simple as you like, or dig (and substantiate) as deeply as you like.
I bought the Deluxe version, which I consider a huge bargain. For about $50 you get a very well-designed program (Family Tree Maker), a DVD full of reference books, and a 3-month subscription to ancestry.com.
I'm using the software on a system running Windows XP 64-bit. No problems.
Update (3/25):
I still like the software, but after using it for a few weeks, I have a few complaints. First, and most significantly for users who want to employ both Family Tree Maker and Ancestry.com, the ability to move records back and forth between the local software and the website is poorly conceived and developed. It would be nice to have a button on the Person page that would let you synch the record between the two applications. Second, I've found the support for the product lacking. I've posted a few questions to the support staff, and have received no answers. Similarly, the issue of using the two applications together is not well explained either in the software package or on ancestry.com. I've downgraded my recommendation to 3 stars (from 5). Family Tree Maker is getting better, in my opinion, but still has lots of room for improvement (and subscriptions to ancestry.com need to be more affordable...they'd make more money in the long run).
Final update (4/25):
If I could, I'd downgrade my review to 2 1/2 stars. The software is very useful, and I think the interface is well-designed. The database seems solid, and there are some nice tools. My complaints persist, however. The product support is bad to mediocre, although you wouldn't know that from the "we're here to help" message on the website. After 2 or 3 weeks, I finally received a response to my e-mail question regarding the use of Family Tree Maker with Ancestry.com, and the answer was pretty much what I expected. The two applications (the desktop software and the website) don't really talk to each other. That's very unfortunate, since users of the software will need the on-line account to explore the available data on the web, but unless you're planning to maintain a lifelong account (relatively expensive), that data will never be available locally (on your PC). That may be the plan, which seems like bad marketing, in my opinion. I think the company would sell a lot more of both products if they produced desktop software that accessed the internet seamlessly, synched the local data with the web data, and offered the on-line subscription for a more reasonable fee.

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Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker software gives you 100+ new and exciting ways to discover your family history and preserve it for generations to come. Rich storytelling tools let you build your family tree, create charts and reports, plus incorporate photos and video. The Deluxe version comes with a free three-month Ancestry.com membership that provides access to three billion U.S. immigration, marriage, and census records.
Brand-new user interface plus more than 100 software enhancements makes it easier than ever to discover your family's story.

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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 Standard Review

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(More customer reviews)I have a private pilot cert. I used FS98 to improve my landings, when I was training. It was just good enough. The thing about landing is you have to gradually pull back on the yoke to stay in a certain configuration, relative to the runway. When you fly around with an instructor, you are paying the big bucks to do something lasting 10 seconds. Anyway, you could get better at doing this with the flight sim.
I didn't like FS2000 because I thought the landing sim was sloppier. The one is 2002 is better, and the graphics are good enough that you can judge where the runway is and just fly down. That means you can turn off the power (to the sim aircraft) and pretend you are doing emergency landings...
A lot of flight instructors have griped that their students come in off of MS FS and they don't look out the window. In other words, they fly the instruments because that's how the flight sim works best. As the graphics improve, you have a better shot at seeing how you are, relative to the horizon, and whether things are going the way you want.
You can get a set of pedals for this sim. The problem is one of using rudder and ailerons in turns. When you get down to the runway, you have to cross control to stay on the centerline. This is tough with a twist control for the rudders.

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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002, Standard Edition is the latest version of Microsoft's highly realistic aviation simulation--the top-selling PC flight simulation ever produced. FS 2002 introduces many exciting features, including interactive air traffic control (ATC) and auto-generated scenery, plus challenging new aircraft and stunning visual enhancements that truly make Flight Simulator 2002, Standard Edition "as real as it gets."
Flight Simulator 2002, Standard Edition includes a wide variety of aircraft for you to fly--from a new Cessna 208 Caravan floatplane to the Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet. You can splash down in a lake, hover in the Bell 206B JetRanger III helicopter, practice aerobatics in the Extra 300S, or fly like a famous World War II fighter ace in a Sopwith Camel. FS 2002 Standard includes a total of 12 aircraft.
The most dramatic new features common to both the standard and pro editions are the interactive air traffic control system, crowded skies, and auto-generated scenery.
The interactive air traffic control feature adds a new dimension to Flight Simulator. Now you can ask for takeoff clearance, get vectors for an instrument approach, and hear other traffic as you fly. In fact, the "other traffic" is itself a new feature: a new artificial intelligence system generates air traffic around and between airports.
It'll be hard to pay attention to the air traffic, however, as the scenery in FS 2002 is so attractive. As you fly above cities, towns, farmland, and dramatic landscapes, Flight Simulator adds buildings and vegetation appropriate to the terrain below. Office buildings, factories, homes, farmhouses, and trees smoothly blend in on the horizon and fill the entire area with detail that adds unprecedented depth and reality to the game.
Other features include more than 21,000 airports, multiplayer capability, improved weather effects, a moving map and GPS system, in-depth flight analysis, and more.

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333,000 Games Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a lot of fun and since there is so much variety, the whole family is always playing something from it. In fact, it's hard to decide what to play since the list is very long! What we really like so far: the car racing, the slots, mahjongg and the crystal caverns of amun ra. The crystal caverns is a ball-shooting game and I have to warn you, it's really addictive. Also, the cross words are great fun. There's also tennis, chess and pinball. And we have still a lot of games to check out. I can recommend this since it's a great value and provides a lot, rather a vast amount of entertainment.


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Dragon Age 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)For the 'TLDR' crowd DA2 isn't a *bad* game per se, it's just very rushed and often schizophrenic about what kind of game it wants to be. Fans of Origins in particular will want to be wary, but even newcomers should give the demo a try and probably wait for it to go on sale. It likely won't take longer than a month or two, so you won't have to wait long.
For anyone else wanting a bit more detail...
Many, many fans of Dragon Age: Origins have lamented that a more appropriate title for it's divisive sequel would be 'Mass Dragon Effect 2.' I disagree, as aside from the new conversation wheel the two have very little in common. Dragon Age 2 is, in many ways, far more similar to another title of Bioware's: the often forgotten Jade Empire.
Like Jade Empire, DA2 is a console-focused RPG with much of the choices stripped out, shallow party members you don't interact with much, a set protagonist with a set background, an almost completely linear story, and features a combat system with a bent towards action RPGs/button mashers.
Unlike Jade Empire, DA2 is the sequel to a game that was the opposite of all of that and doesn't have the strong overarching story, pivotal decision moment, and detailed art design of Jade Empire to back it up.
I've spent a significant amount of time with DA2 across two different playthroughs in an attempt to be fair and try to understand some of the changes. My first game was as a DPS warrior on Nightmare, I finished the game with all the non-fetch quest (we'll get to that soon) side quests done in 32 hours. My second playthrough was as a mage with healer leanings due to my loathing of a certain party member on Normal, also with all of the quests done, in 22 hours. Act 3 of the second run was incredibly hard for me to get through, not because of difficulty but due to my own boredom. I have no urge whatsoever to replay the game anytime soon. That should speak for itself.
The absolute worst part of DA2 is how it shows the sign of a rushed development in nearly every facet. Music and codex entries from DA:O and it's DLC have been reused, environments and locations are reused over and over and over again, environments in general are nearly barren and devoid of things to interact with, and there is a surprising amount of purely filler fetch quests to try and pad the amount of content.
In terms of locations, I felt like I spent 80% of the time in Kirkwall, 10% of the time in Reused Dungeon X (Beach Dungeon/Cave Dungeon/Sewer Dungeon/Catacomb Dungeon), 1% of the time in the Deep Roads (much of which was reused for the Catacomb Dungeon), and 9% of the time staring at loading screens as I fast traveled between Kirkwall and Reused Dungeon X. The reused dungeons are a huge problem, anyone that is trying to dismiss it as a minor fault is underplaying it. You *will* get utterly sick of seeing the Wounded Coast and Sundermount tilesets to the point you simply don't want to play anymore. Nearly every side quest in the game takes place in these reused locations, and the game is almost entirely made up *of* side quests. They were reused so overtly that the map wasn't even edited, you'll see areas where the dungeon continues but you can't actually access due to suspiciously placed rocks or non-interactive doors or -- and I am not exaggerating -- INVISIBLE WALLS. When Hawke ran uselessly against an invisible wall in one of the repeated areas I exited the game in disgust and didn't come back to it until a few days later. It really is that bad.
Kirkwall isn't much better, and even has one of it's districts reused for a tileset, as it is nearly barren. Streets and important buildings are practically empty with only motionless non-interactive, largely silent NPCs loitering about amongst the occasional vendor or the rare quest NPC. For the ones that do speak when you walk by, they are shockingly repetitive. DA2 takes place over a span of 10 years, and yet the loitering crowds barely change. There will always be that one NPC in the Keep that bemoans not being able to see the Viscount for the entire game, even after a certain event in Act 2 that makes that line completely bizarre. You will quickly memorize who says what when you walk by them. This wouldn't be so bad if Kirkwall was just one of several major locations you spent the game in, like DA:O's Denerim, but this is literally the ONLY major location. At night the streets are even emptier and you will instead find the occasional spawn of enemy thugs/mercs instead, another blatant sign of being rushed.
Remember back to when you played Mass Effect 1 and how sick you were of the reused cave/bunker map for it's side quests. Now imagine if the game was gutted of it's major quest hubs and you were forced to stay on the Citadel the entire game, complete with loading screens for the different districts instead of elevators, and fast traveled to those caves and bunkers for every single side quest. You now have a pretty good idea of what DA2 is like.
DA2's main plot is a very, very slow starter that depends on side quests for almost all of Act 1 and 2 to fill it out. By the time it picks up at the end of Act 2 it's too late, and you're stumbling your way to the ending and realizing just how utterly linear the game is with a sense of "That's it?!" before you know it. The side quests themselves have the occasional high point, but for the most part they're quite simplified compared to DA:O with superficial choices at best and at worst they're little more than MMO fetch quests. This is largely due to the dialogue wheel and voiced protagonist, it's simply impossible to have the amount of ways DA:O had to solve quests with all the dialogue recorded for both a male and female Hawke. Unfortunately this means there is often only two (blatantly good or naive vs blatantly evil or practical) solutions for each quest, with the rare third option usually depending on what companions you've brought along. Even those third options can be deceptive and can result in one of the two good/bad results anyway. The consequences for these decisions have also been almost completely removed, especially in regards to how party members react. There is exactly one side quest that causes companions to turn on you (it's forced, nothing you say/no amount of friendship can stop it from happening, and it's only temporary), one companion quest that can result in that companion never coming back, and two forced main story events that can result in losing a companion each (one of which requires the prior companion coming back only to be sent away again). This is a far cry from how DA:O handled quest decisions and companion reactions. Now the worst that can happen is you'll earn Rival points if you do something completely against what that companion stands for. Lovely.
Your character in general is so much worse than DA:O as well. Dialogue suffers from the change to the wheel, often having "What? Why did Hawke say THAT?" moments even with the new 'emotion' icons. One of the few interesting additions to DA2 was the way Hawke's non-wheel lines would change in tone depending on what you've chosen before, so a snarky Hawke would be more inclined to be flippant or an aggressive/jerk Hawke would be more likely to behave as a jerk when you're not picking the lines yourself. This is hampered by the fact that Hawke is, in general, a complete jerk. The snarky "funny" lines tend to not be funny at all and even if you pick the "nice/peaceful" option all the time every time, Hawke will still spout incredibly inane/idiotic things when you're not in control. And that's the thing about Hawke, you're never in control. You're given a backstory right at the start, with a family you're supposed to care about, but nothing tangible in game to *make* you care about Hawke's personal story. So something tragic happens to Hawke's family member and one of two things happens: A.) Hawke will say something absurdly stupid (this is easily seen in the demo at a certain point, but it isn't the only time) causing a disconnect between the player and their character or B.) Hawke reacts emotionally but the player doesn't care due to the lack of development and is, again, disconnected. Hawke is never YOUR Hawke the way Shepard became YOUR Shepard in Mass Effect, instead it's on level with Jade Empire foisting Dawn Star on you as your best friend at the beginning. The character is incredibly bland and you never form any kind of emotional attachment to her, but you can never actually make her leave no matter how much of a jerk you are. She's just kind of *there.* So when Surprising Plot Revelation Y comes around you simply shrug while your character reacts much less ambivalently.
The companions fair slightly better than Hawke/Hawke's family does, but they're well below DA:O and Mass Effect standards. With the exception of Varric, they're stereotypes that are given little to no depth or just poorly written in general. Isabela is the stereotypical flirty hot video game chick that provides innuendo in banter, her only development (aside from her bust line from DA:O to DA2) is whether she's only slightly selfish or morally bankrupt selfish. Merril is supposed to be similar to Tali as the geeky/adorable character, but comes off as incredibly childish and frankly stupid. This is especially true in her companion quest, which was so obviously a bad idea with no real way to change the ending short of not accepting the quest that it's frustrating; the end to her quest also highlights just how bad the dialogue wheel's summary misrepresents what you actually say in an awful two-for-one representation of what's wrong with DA2. Fenris is a Broody Elf(tm) that stays a Broody Elf(tm) and seems to be inspired by the worst of anime and the Twilight series mushed together into a video game character, though his...Read more›

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Dragon Age II is a single player role-playing game (RPG) for play on the PC. Epic sequel to the BioWare developed 2009 Game of the Year, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II continues the adventure with a new hero, Hawke, and utilizes the choices made by the player to affect a story that spans ten years worth of time in-game. Additional game features include: the ability to choose your character's class and sex, a new cinematic in-game experience, a nonlinear narrative and the ability to import saved information from earlier Dragon Age games.

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Data Rescue 3 Review

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(More customer reviews)My drive that I had thousands of photos and videos on suddenly would not show up on my mac. After trying everything I could think of, I purchased Data Rescue 3. It took about 7 hours for the data to be transferred to the new drive. After it was done I tried to open some of the files, and they would not open! I should have read the instructions first, and recovered a couple of files, then checked them. Well, to make a long story short, I called the customer assistance line, and got a real human being on the phone! Mike had me explain what I had done, and then led me through how to change a setting. He stayed on the phone with me as I recovered 3 files, and checked them. The 3 files were good, so I then did the entire drive. Everything seems to be in good shape, with no data lost. I have to say I'm VERY IMPRESSED with Data Rescue 3, and the customer support they give. Thank you Mike! I highly recommend Data Rescue 3 to anyone who has a hard drive problem. Just remember to USE DATA RESCUE 3 BEFORE TRYING TO FIX YOUR DRIVE.. You are liable to overwrite valuable information and make recovery impossible if you don't.

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Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Review

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(More customer reviews)I'll admit, I've been running Windows 7 for six months now: the preproduction version of it and have just upgraded to the gold code. So I have quite a bit of experience with the operating system. Let's get to the nitty gritty:
Should you upgrade from Windows Vista? YES! I mean it - upgrade today.
Windows 7 is quite simply faster, more stable, boots faster, goes to sleep faster, comes back from sleep faster, manages your files better and on top of that it's beautiful to look at and easy to use. Even the preproduction version of Windows 7 was better than my Vista with SP2.
Should you upgrade from Windows XP? Maybe, but for different reasons.
XP is a good operating system and if you don't need to add new hardware or software, XP is good. However, XP is old as an operating system. Also chances are that if you're running XP, you might not meet the minimum requirements for Windows 7 - check the compatibility site at Microsoft to see if your system will support Windows 7. That said, Windows 7 is light years ahead of Windows XP in terms of functionality, ease of use, etc - to me it's worth buying a new system.
64 bit or 32 bit?
If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's ok skip this section. If you have a core2 duo or core 2 quad or a multi cpu machine, go with the 64 bit OS, it handles memory and the CPUs much better. If you have a single core CPU, one CPU or run special programs that require 32bit, then stick with 32 bit for now.
BEFORE INSTALLATION:
I recommend you have:
-a core 2 duo or core 2 quad machine
-4gig of RAM (That's about $50 in today's market)
-good hard drive with (200 gig - it doesn't need that much but that's another $50)
-back up your files to a USB drive like Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive WDME5000TN (Midnight Black)
-check to make sure your computer is compatible with Windows 7
INSTALLATION:
Installation was very straight forward. You put in the CD and reboot your machine. You might have to enter your bios and enable the "boot from CD" option. Once the machine reboots a nice screen comes up to guide you through the installation. You have the option to upgrade your PC or do a clean installation. I did an upgrade and it brought in all of my files and settings from my windows Vista system. It worked great.
The upgrade did take about 2 hours for me so definitely consider.
I noticed that early on in the installation the operating system went out to Microsoft's site to look for the latest and greatest updates, so I think this should help Microsoft respond quickly to any hiccups with compatibility.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
The driver from my old HP Inkjet printer for 2001 doesn't work on Windows 7 so there are some things that will not transition. I had to use a generic HP driver which doesn't give me the quality that I got from an injet - so overall, I'm up and running with that printer but I'm degraded on the inkjet front. That said, I recently upgraded to a HP CP2025DN Color LaserJet Printer that I love so no real loss there. I'll likely pick up a cheap inkjet for the occasional photo that I might need to print. Everything else upgraded.
BENEFITS
-faster boot time
-faster go to sleep
-faster wakeup
-faster about 20% to 30% faster at running applications than my Vista - seriously (but those are my results without any benchmarks or anything like that, just seeing how fast Adobe Illustrator loads, and how fast all the applications respond)
-joining wireless networks is much easier
-the interface is just plain beautiful
-my wallpapers are now a slideshow that can be set to change every few minutes (I'm not stuck with the same picture)
-Gadgets - these are wonderful little small applications that you can drag onto your desktop. I have a weather gadget and a calendar gadget on my desktop that tell me
-Better taskbar management - hovering over the taskbar icons shows me mini windows of what's running
-Better file management - I can organize my files into Libraries that are sortable not only by type but by folder or other data. It's great! I can browse through my presentations or illustrator files!
-Windows Media appears to be smoother which I love.
-You get some virus protection and firewall with Windows 7 but consider something more comprehensive like McAfee Total Protection 3User 2010. Yes, it'll make your computer run a bit slower but
CONS:
- Some older programs might not work and some drivers might not be available like my inkjet driver.
- Other than that, there aren't too many drawbacks to Windows 7 - it's a great OS.
WHICH VERSION SHOULD I GET?
I got the ultimate version because I have clients who ask, "is your hard drive encrypted?" -- I wanted to be able to say yes and have sensitive data encrypted one of my computer volumes - Bitlocker is only available in the Ultimate version. Ultimate also includes Multilanguage support.
If you're a home user that doesn't do a lot of networking, you might consider just the home premium edition. If you're using a laptop and connect to networks at work, you might want the Professional version of the operating system to help you with domain joining. Also Windows Professional gives you the option to run applications in XP mode so if you have old applications you can use that nifty feature. I already have 1 application running in XP mode - it's nifty to run an old application.
NOTE:
The box contains both the 32 bit and 64 bit OS.
OVERALL:
It's very hard to write a comprehensive review on an entire operating system so I didn't even try - I'm sure magazines will devote entire articles to the operating system and several books will come out. My goal here is just to give everyone a glimpse of what I've found to date with this new OS. I do hope this has helped you in making a decision.
Hats off to Microsoft on Windows 7. It's more of a refined Windows Vista than an entirely new operating system but it was needed. Thank you.


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Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. You can even watch, pause, rewind, and record TV (a broadcast TV tuner may be required). Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium. Do you use your PC for work, run Windows XP programs, or require enhanced security? Consider Windows 7 Professional.

The best entertainment experience on your PC
Easiest Windows to use ever
Simplify your PC with new navigation features like Aero Shake, Jump Lists, and Snap.
Customize Windows to look and feel the way you like by changing themes and taskbar programs.
Setting up a home network and connecting to printers and devices is easier than ever.
Windows 7 Home Premium supports the latest hardware and software.

It's faster
Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker.
Takes full advantage of 64-bit PC hardware and memory.
Connecting to wireless networks is fast and easy.

Best PC entertainment experience
Watch, pause, rewind, and record TV with Windows Media Center.
Blu-ray read/write support for data files.
Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs.

Simplifies Everyday Tasks
Simple to use
Preview Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows.
Pin Open files and get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar. You can easily pin programs you use often to the taskbar and launch them in just one click.
Jump Lists Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar and Start menu.
Snap Windows 7 has simple new ways to manage open windows. For example, with Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen.
Peek and Shake Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop.
Windows SearchInstantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC, from documents to emails to songs, right from the Start menu, with Windows Search.
Easy to connect
Wireless setup With Windows 7, setting up wireless connections is easier with consistent, one-click connections to available networks, whether those networks are based on Wi-Fi, mobile broadband, dial-up, or corporate VPN.
HomeGroup Connect Windows 7 PCs on a home network in just four clicks and easily get to the photos, music, and files on each one--even share printers--with HomeGroup.
Easy to browse the web
Internet Explorer 8Visual search helps you quickly find the information you want by adding visual cues and previews to search results from top search providers including Live Search, Wikipedia, Yahoo, Amazon, and others.
Internet Explorer 8 Use Web slices to conveniently keep up with changes on frequently updated websites, like eBay auctions or traffic sites, directly from the IE8 toolbar.
Easy to communicate and share
Windows Live Photo Gallery Windows Live Photo Gallery makes share your photos to your favorite photo site easy.
Windows Live Mail Windows Live Mail makes managing multiple email accounts easy.
Windows Live Family Safety Keep your child safeby managing what sites they can visit and who they can send/receive emails and im communications from.
Note: Windows Live components need to be downloaded separately.
Works The Way You Want
Faster and More Reliable Windows 7 will help your PC sleep and resume more quickly. It is designed to respond to commands more quickly and will help your PC to be more reliable.
Fewer clicks and less interruptions
Makes New Things Possible
Media on your terms
Windows Media CenterTurn your PC into a TV with Windows Media Center.
Windows Media Center Watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV.
DirectX 11 DirectX 11 technology delivers breathtaking game graphics so real, it's unreal.
New ways to engage
Windows Touch Windows Touch makes PCs with touch screens easier and more intuitive to use.
Media on your terms
Windows Media Player More and more consumer electronics, from TVs to digital photo frames, can be connected to home networks. With Play To in Windows 7, you'll be able to easily send music, photos, videos from your PC to a networked device throughout your home.
You can enjoy the photos, music, and videos on your home PC when you're away from home with remote media streaming.
Work anywhere
Location Aware PrintingWindows 7 will automatically pick the right printer for you when you move from home to work networks.

Work anywhere with less effort.
Instantly locate virtually any file, email, or document on your PC just by typing a word or two.
Get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar.
Open programs you use regularly in one click and files you use regularly in just two.
Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows.
Manage multiple email accounts, including Hotmail, Gmail, AOL, and Yahoo! Mail Plus, all in one place with one simple program.
Get to the files, photos, and music on any PC with Windows 7 in the house from any other.
Print to any printer in the house from any PC with Windows 7 in the house.


Safeguard your hard work.
Windows Internet Explorer 8 helps keep your PC safer from malware and you safer from fraudulent websites designed to fool you into divulging private information.

Choose the Windows 7 Edition That Is Best For You

Features


Windows 7 Home Premium

Click here for more information about Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

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