Andy TaylorLeave a commentComputers, software, TechtalkRadio, ,

Windows 8 Consumer Preview Today (Feb 29th, 2012)

The idea to put out Microsoft Windows 8 before the end of the year really shouldn’t be thought as a way to make a few bucks before the predicted Apocalypse but a way to keep the profits rolling in for the software developer.

Honestly, I thought I might just be using Windows 7 till the end of of time. I had finally moved off Windows XP with a brief stop in VistaVille to a great experience with Windows 7 X64. The sturdy Operating System has served well and honestly will continue to do so for I am sure years to come. Will Consumers feel the same? Will they take the plunge and try out something else that looks again like a new interface to learn? This is certainly the question Microsoft would like to see answered with today’s Consumer Preview “beta” rollout and launch in Barcelona Spain. Spain? Why not Seattle?

Word of Caution, while TechtalkRadio has not looked at the technical preview which was made available for developers last September, I would always recommend not installing the Consumer Preview on a production machine, meaning a system you use day to day and is imperative to your operations. The goal of the Consumer Preview is not to give you free software or let you taste the sweetness like a candy at See’s sampled by the lady in the white dress, its purpose is to see how the software interacts with various hardware and software conditions.

If you want to try it out, you should be able to download an ISO of the Windows 8 Preview but also remember , over time this will time out and you will be required to purchase or go back to that copy of Windows Vista or Windows 7!! For more information on this Consumer Preview, Check out http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/home

GandalfdjhLeave a commentComputers, software, TechtalkRadio

RangeLog

RangeLog.com “offers an App for Android and soon for the iPhone that is is used by shooters for tracking performance details related to live-fire training, competition scores, dry-fire practice and firearm maintenance. They have a free version you can download and test out as well as an advanced feature paid version.”

Check them out at: https://www.rangelog.com/Default.aspx

Gandalfdjh has personally used this for over a year with great results. Very stable application. I was also a beta tester for the Android version; which operates very well on the Android platform.

 

Diamond DaveLeave a commentComputers, Hardware, Review, software, TechtalkRadio, , , ,

Soluto Solves Slow Startups

A quick trip to the Soluto “Anti-Frustration Software” site, an 80 second video, a small download and an easy install, netted this user over a 25% savings on start up times to an already speedy system!

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The entire process is quite intuitive and user friendly, offering both beginner and advanced options to guide you step-by-step. With the end results listing all the programs that run at start up and exactly how long it actually takes.

As you can see above, my system took a little over two minutes to load, with 80 applications running AT BOOT UP (I had no idea).

The green section shows “No-brainer” applications to remove from the boot up list…to be delayed or paused to be more precise, and hovering over any of the slices reveals a drop drown information window that tells you how long that program is taking to load up, the name of the program and a recommendation to either pause or delay that program on future start ups.

After spending a couple of minutes deciding to either delay a program or pause it all together, I restarted my computer shaved off nearly 30 seconds from previous start ups.

Soluto‘s goal is “ to bring an end to the frustrations PC users encounter”; however, there are so many different programs, with so many different people – who have various levels of skill – being used in so many different configurations, that the task itself seems overwhelming…Enter: The PC Genome project.

“Soluto’s PC Genome is a knowledgebase of PC frustration data built automatically through the usage of Soluto software. Its objective and statistical information, gathered and analyzed by Soluto, is also editable by the community.”

Included in this beta version is even an option to let Soluto know when you’ve been the victim of some computer operation or lack there of. You simply right click on the Soluto icon in the systray, and click on “My PC just frustrated me” and the program sends a report back to the PC Genome project, with ‘Frustration Suspects’ that will be analyzed and ‘mapped’ in order to provide a future solution.

Who knows, maybe one day soon, we will live an a frustration free world…but until then, there’s always Call of Duty or Whack-a-mole for a therapeutic outlet. ~ DDTG

Andy TaylorLeave a commentsoftware, , , , ,

Where is Adobe Audition 4

I was sitting here tonight working on an Audio feature for TechtalkRadio thinking about the Adobe Audition program. It seems like a couple of years have gone by since the program I have recommended to several Radio Stations for Production Work was released. It would be great if some of the companies that put out these full featured programs released the new versions similar to the way Hollywood puts out movies! It seems that now when a feature film is on the way, we get to hear about it, see previews and of course talk about it with other fans of films. I remember seeing the trailer for the first Iron Man film in theaters almost a full 6 months before the release date. Even games are using this technique to really wet our appetites for a new title. With Call of Duty Black Ops which arrives next week, we also heard about it months ago with a release date and a preview.

In the Marketing sence, this can be good or bad. The most recent addition of Medal of Honor features warfare similar to what we would find in the new Call of Duty. Did they get the jump in putting out the title and taking the 50-60 bucks out of the pocket of a consumer that may have been saving up for COD? Apple seems to never talk about a product officially until it is actually available. This works for them in the sense of excitement about a product and speculation of an announcement but we really are never quite sure. I remember some years ago waiting for another version of Adobe Pagemaker  but at the same time, Adobe had this new program that worked similar to Pagemaker called InDesign. User to Pagemaker forums and chats were sounding the death knell for the program which seemed to have a huge user base but really couldn’t do more than it already was doing. That’s not good for the software industry isi it? A Product with a huge life cycle, one that does all it needs to do in a simple basic easy layout?

Generating sales is how even these large companies can continue to develop and produce solutions for a variety of products. For those that use Adobe Audition, it should be hard to argue that there is more that they could really do with it without making clutter of the program itself? The boards are beginning to talk and similar to the chatter heard during the “Pagemaker Crisis” we are hearing comparisons to Adobe Soundbooth. After careful digging I did find a light at the end of the tunnel with a Blog from Adobe Evangelist Terry White which last June he focused on the Adobe Audition package available for the Mac and gave a preview of a version he says should be avialable for both platforms. It looks like there still could be life to the Adobe Audition program and with more users taking the plunge to 64bit programs, this might be a welcome new version. 

Take a look at Terry’s blog post on Adobe Audition and visit often, he always provides some great information without the rumors. His blog for me was like seeing a trailer to Star Trek 2, Can’t wait!

http://terrywhite.com/techblog/archives/5618

Andy TaylorLeave a commentFeatured, software, , , , , , , , , , ,

New Video FX Plugins – Great Price and Features

Logo for NewBlueFX
NewBlueFX - Easy to Use and Inexpensive

I was fortunate through my years growing up to have attended a high school in Southern California that offered a video production class to which I became a TV Nerd spending time before and after the actual class creating shows and segments for the TV news-feed at school. We had much fun creating Wipes and Dissolves and getting our fellow classmates in front of the Blue Screen and Chroma Keying them into strange backgrounds. It was very basic but fun to do. Our editing was done on a Sony RM440 3/4 inch system, much different that what is available today.

With the lower cost of Digital Video cameras and the availability of faster computer systems, the classrooms of today create productions that not only tell a story but also are visually competitive to programs you might find on cable television. When a student leaves school, they can either move on to college or try to get a job professionally in the industry with some of the skills they can pick up in the schools. For a short time before moving out to Tucson, I taught Computer Education at a night school for parent of children wanting to learn what makes them tick. Many adults in the class that wanted to learn about the computer also wanted to see where they could go with it and what great presentations they could create. Video and Photo editing was one of the areas I was questioned about often. 

It seems as thought the numbers are growing and consumers would like to use Video programs and create DVD’s or Online Videos to share with friends and family but haven’t had access to programs that could do more than just basic edits. Many of these users have wanted to incorporate video effects and features to give the videos a step above in the quality of the finished product. But as times have changed since when I started working with video to where the basic user is now, software can now do more with even the good home editing programs we have.

Adobe, Sony, Avid and Apple both have delivered great video editing platforms for the Consumer and the Professional. Many consumers have looked at whats available for the Pro users and have wanted these features in the lower cost home suites. All of these companies have worked hard to include as many features as possible and have done a great job at it. To extend features to the user on both skill sets is NewBlue Inc with its NewBlueFX line of products for professional looking Video Effects.

The most recent product from the company NewBlueFX Video Essentials IV offers 10 different effects with over a hundred different types of presets for a desired look and feel. We talked with Vice President of Marketing of New Blue Inc about the latest suite of effects and what can be achieved with the plugin’s which work into not only professional software packages but also the consumer level users.

Tune into TechtalkRadio and Listen Now to the Audio interview with Sandy Berman about how these features work and how you can save a few bucks ordering online. Need to Shoot at daytime but need it to look like night? Put a Clock on your screen to wind down to a particular event? Easily remove wrinkles and blemishes of your host or talent? The NewBlueFX package is capable of doing these and many other features.  Listen in at http://www.techtalkradio.com/software/newbluefx.html 

Be Sure to Visit the NewBlueFX Blog for Tutorials, Demos and Tips at

http://www.newbluefx.com/blog/category/tips-and-techniques.html

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