PC Advisor Opinion

What Windows 8? Microsoft Pushes XP-to-Win 7 Migration

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Jeff Bertolucci — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:37:00 GMT

What's the best operating system for businesses? If you were to ask Microsoft, you'd probably expect them to preach the virtues of the company's upcoming Windows 8 operating system, which arrives later this year on both PCs and tablets.

This 2D Mario Game Explains Why Stop Motion Is So Cool

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Elizabeth Fish — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:28:00 GMT

If you need to do a project for school, and also happen to have a lot of spare time on your hands, then maybe you should give stop motion a go. Seriously--because you can recreate something like Mario levels in paper, and it will look almost like the real thing.

Mystery Dell XPS 14 Laptop Packs High-End Features in Ultrabook Form

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Melanie Pinola — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:25:00 GMT

What's this? An unannounced 14-inch Ultrabook called the Dell XPS 14 has popped up on Amazon. The specs suggest this superthin laptop will give other Ultrabooks a run for their money--it's got an Ivy Bridge processor, Nvidia discrete graphics, an HD display, and 12 hours of battery life.

Google Android App Can Start Hangouts With Ease, Gets New Look

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Jared Newman — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:00:00 GMT

The Google app for Android just received a big update that simplifies the way users can start Hangout video chats from their phones.

Ford 'Overclocks' New Focus ST: More Top-End Power, Better Fuel Efficiency

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Kevin Riggle — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:49:00 GMT

Anyone who's ever driven a sports car knows the thrill of taking it out on the highway and pressing down on the gas. After years of driving an economy car and chugging up hills, the way a sports car leaps to respond to such challenges is hard to forget.

Move Over Instagram, Here Comes Facebook Camera

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Ed Oswald — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:47:00 GMT

Facebook might have acquired Instagram, but that's not stopping the site from releasing a social photo-sharing app of its own.

Box Adds Admin and Security Features for Business

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Tony Bradley — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:34:00 GMT

Box unveiled five new features for its cloud storage service aimed at making it easier for business customers to manage and protect data stored in the cloud. Among the various cloud storage and file sharing options available Box already stands apart from the crowd in catering more to businesses than consumers, and these latest improvements put even more distance between Box and its rivals.

Box Adds Admin and Security Features for Business

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Tony Bradley — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:34:00 GMT

Google Shows Off Project Glass Photography

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Jared Newman — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:54:00 GMT

Google is pitching its Project Glass eyewear as the next step for mobile photography, and has shown off a bunch of new photos to prove it.

Share Smartphone Photos Wirelessly To Your PC With Bump

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Ian Paul — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:27:00 GMT

Bump for iOS and Android makes it easy to move photos from handsets to PCs with a new Web-based tool that transfers smartphone photos to your desktop with just one tap of your spacebar. The new tool doesn't rely on a shared network or Bluetooth to transfer files. Instead, Bump uses geolocation capabilities on your phone and your PC browser to send photos to the cloud and then download them to your desktop. This is similar to how Bump's smartphone app transfers contacts and photos between mobile devices.

Hands-on: Yahoo’s Axis Browser

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Daniel Ionescu — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:27:00 GMT

Yahoo on Thursday introduced a new browser plugin for desktop computers as well as an iOS browser called Axis. Yahoo’s browser is not meant to be a replacement for Chrome, Firefox or Internet explorer on desktop computers. Instead, Axis is what Yahoo calls a “search browser”, which is basically a plugin to visually display search results served by the search engine.

Run XP Software in Windows 7

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Lincoln Spector — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:26:00 GMT

SIUC asked the Windows forum about running software intended for Windows XP in Windows 7.

Why Office for iPad Is Inevitable

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Tony Bradley — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:58:00 GMT

The rumor is back. There are new reports that Microsoft is developing a version of the Microsoft Office suite for Apple’s iOS operating system--and perhaps the Android mobile operating system as well. I don’t know if the latest speculation is accurate or not, but it makes sense because it’s in Microsoft’s best interests to do so.

Double Fine Reveals New Adventure Game "The Cave"

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (David Daw — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:02:00 GMT

Double Fine, the game studio that brought you games such as Psychonauts and Brutal Legend, have announced a new adventure game called The Cave that the company plans to release early next year for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. The Cave is the brainchild of Ron Gilbert, the man behind seminal adventure games like Maniac Mansion and The Secret of Monkey Island. We visited Double Fine HQ yesterday to get an early look at the game, and after watching Gilbert guide us through some basic gameplay it's clear that The Cave draws inspiration from Gilbert's earlier work on PC adventure games.

QR Code Relies On Sunlight to Deliver Deals, Makes QR Codes Slightly Less Useless

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Elizabeth Fish — Wed, 23 May 2012 23:27:00 GMT

It's fairly well established now that QR codes, well, kind of suck. Although lots of people own a smartphone or gadget with a scanner now, no-one really bothers to scan them--that's if they know how to at all. Still, that doesn't mean smart uses of the technology should go unnoticed, just like Korean Emart's big 3D QR code.

RepRap 3D Printers Will Soon Self-Replicate Like Bunnies

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Albert Filice — Wed, 23 May 2012 23:07:00 GMT

3D printers are awesome. There's a catch, though: The printers are nowhere near inexpensive enough for most people to just pick one up. We've seen some cheap ones like the Printrbot, but that will still run you up $500. What if you could get one for free, though?

Learn DIY Web Skills Through Mozilla's New 'Webmaker' Effort

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Katherine Noyes — Wed, 23 May 2012 23:03:00 GMT

Mozilla on Tuesday announced a new effort aimed at helping everyday users of the Web become more proficient at developing and helping to create it.

Samsung, Sony Put the Kibosh on TV Discounts

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Jeff Bertolucci — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:42:00 GMT

Discounts on plasma and LCD TVs may be great for consumers, but they're causing a world of hurt for TV retailers and manufacturers that face dwindling profit margins. Two global TV industry giants, Samsung and Sony, hope to boost profits by requiring retailers to drop the cutthroat pricing and focus more on making money.

Swim Through Facebook, Twitter, and More Social Networks With Free Bottlenose

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Liane Cassavoy — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:05:00 GMT

If you ever feel like you're drowning in all of the information that social networks like Facebook and Twitter provide, you're not alone. That's where Bottllenose can help: This free online service helps you make sense of all the information that social media delivers. But its own feature set is so dense that it may overwhelm you at first, too.

Why Diablo III is the Fastest-Selling PC Game Ever

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Jared Newman — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:05:00 GMT

Diablo III has become the fastest-selling PC game of all time, with more than 4.7 million players clicking the demons away on launch day.

App Spotlight: Create Email Groups on Your iPhone with MailShot 2.0

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Rick Broida — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:41:00 GMT

Email groups are an important part of business life, yet Apple's iOS offers no support for them.

Leap Motion Leapfrogs Kinect for Hands-Free PC Control

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Tony Bradley — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:41:00 GMT

Microsoft didn’t set out to be in the business of motion control for PCs, but thanks to an uprising of resourceful hackers (in the good sense of the word), the Kinect motion sensing system originally developed for the Xbox 360 gaming console has been adapted for the cause. But, as Microsoft reluctantly embraces the new role of Kinect it may already be obsolete thanks to Leap.

Stream Media From Your PC to Your Roku Box

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Rick Broida — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:40:00 GMT

To borrow from Woody Allen, love is too weak a word to describe how I feel about my Roku box. I lurve it.

Apple Design Chief Ive Working on Most Important Project So Far

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Daniel Ionescu — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:19:00 GMT

Apple is currently working on its “most important and best work” so far, Jonathan Ive, the company’s senior vice president of industrial design, said in a rare interview for UK daily The Telegraph. Ive was in his home country this week to receive his knighthood from the queen, who has both an iPod and an iPad, recognizing his “services to design and enterprise.”

Feeling Lazy? Let Android and Arduino Stir Your Pots Instead

pcadvisor@idg.co.uk (Elizabeth Fish — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:39:00 GMT

If you're anything like me, everything around you can distract you from cooking--something I'm not particulalrly good at. While something is simmering, you may float away to do something on your computer, only to come back later and find you've ruined the food. If you have an Android phone or tablet though, Ben Heck's latest hack gives you an assistant to help save your meal.