Anticipation has been building for the new Windows Phone 7 Series ever since Microsoft unveiled it at the Mobile World Congress in February.? Now, thanks to free developer tools, you can get a first-hand experience of the basic Windows Phone 7 Series devices on your PC.

Windows Phone 7 Series represents a huge change in the mobile field for Microsoft, bringing the acclaimed Zune HD UI to an innovative phone platform.? Windows Mobile has often been criticized for being behind other Smartphone platforms, but Microsoft seeks to regain the lead with this new upcoming release.? A platform must have developers behind it to be useful, so they have released a full set of free development tools so anyone can make apps for it today.? Or, if you simply want to play with Windows Phone 7, you can use the included emulator to try out the new Metro UI.? Here’s how to do this today on your Vista or 7 computer.

Please note: These tools are a Customer Technology Preview release, so only install them if you’re comfortable using pre-release software.

Getting Started

First, download the Windows Phone Developer Tools CTP (link below), and run the installer.? This will install the Customer Technology Preview (CTP) versions of Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone, Windows Phone Emulator, Silverlight for Windows Phone, and XNA 4.0 Game Studio on your computer, all of which are required and cannot be installed individually.

Accept the license agreement when prompted.

Click “Install Now” to install the tools you need.? The only setup customization option is where to save the files, so choose Customize if you need to do so.

Setup will now automatically download and install the components you need, and will additionally download either 32 or 64 bit programs depending on your operating system.

About halfway thorough the installation, you’ll be prompted to reboot your system.?

Once your computer is rebooted, setup will automatically resume without further input.

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When setup is finished, click “Run the Product Now” to get started.

Running Windows Phone 7 on your PC

Now that you’ve got the Windows Phone Developer tools installed, it’s time to get the Windows Phone emulator running.? If you clicked “Run the Product Now” when the setup finished, Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone should have already started.

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If not, simply enter “visual studio” in your start menu search and select “Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone”.

Now, to run the Windows Phone 7 emulator, we have to test an application.? So, even if you don’t know how to program, we can open a phone application template, and then test it to run the emulator.? First, click New Project on the left hand side of the front page.

Any of the application templates would work for this, but here let’s select “Windows Phone Application”, and then click Ok.

Here’s your new application template, which already contains the basic phone application framework.? This is where you’d start if you want to develop a Windows Phone app, but for now we just want to see Windows Phone 7 in action.

So, to run the emulator, click Debug in the menu and then select Start Debugging.

Your new application will launch inside the Windows Phone 7 Series emulator.? The default template doesn’t give us much, but it does show an example application running in Windows Phone 7.

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Exploring Windows Phone 7

Click the Windows button on the emulator to go to the home screen.? Notice the Zune HD-like transition animation.? The emulator only includes Internet Explorer, your test application, and a few settings.

Click the arrow on the right to see the available applications in a list.

Settings lets you change the theme, regional settings, and the date and time in your emulator.? It also has an applications settings pane, but this currently isn’t populated.

The Time settings shows a unique Windows Phone UI.

You can return to the home screen by pressing the Windows button.? Here’s the Internet Explorer app running, with the virtual keyboard open to enter an address.? Please note that this emulator can also accept input from your keyboard, so you can enter addresses without clicking on the virtual keyboard.

And here’s Google running in Internet Explorer on Windows Phone 7.

Windows Phone 7 supports accelerometers, and you can simulate this in the emulator.? Click one of the rotate buttons to rotate the screen in that direction.

Here’s our favorite website in Internet Explorer on Windows Phone 7 in landscape mode.

All this, running right inside your Windows 7 desktop…

Developer tools for Windows Phone 7

Although it may be fun to play with the Windows Phone 7 emulator, developers will be more excited to actually be able to create new and exciting apps for it.? The Windows Phone Developer Tools download includes Visual Studio Express and XNA Game Studio 4.0 which lets you create enticing games and apps for Windows Phones.? All development for Windows Phones will be in C#, Silverlight, and the XNA game framework.? Visual Studio Express for Windows Phone includes templates for these, and additionally has code samples to help you get started with development.

Conclusion

Many features are still not functional in this preview version, such as the search button and most of the included applications.? However, this still gives you a great way to experience firsthand the future of the Windows Phone platform.? And, for developers, this is your chance to set your mark on the Windows Phone 7 Series even before it is released to the public.? Happy playing and developing!

Links

Download Windows Phone Developer Tools CTP

Windows Phone Developer Site

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Everyone has a favorite text editor that they like to use when viewing or working with source code. If you are unhappy with the default choice in Internet Explorer 8 then join us as we show you how to set up access to your favorite text editor.

A Look at Before

Here is Internet Explorer on our test system ready to help us view the source code for one of the pages here at the site.

Perhaps “Notepad” is your default source code viewer…

Or in the case of our test system where “EditPad Lite” was the default due to choices we made while installing it.

Choose Your Favorite Text Editor

Chances are you have your own personal favorite and want to make it the default source code viewer. To get started go to the “Tools Menu”? and click on “Developer Tools” or press “F12” to access the “Developer Tools Window”.

Once you have the “Developer Tools Window” open go to the “File Menu”, then “Customize Internet Explorer View Source”, and click on “Other”.

Once you have clicked on “Other” you will see the “Program Directory” for the current default app. Here you can see the “Program Files Folder” for “EditPad Lite”. To change the default app simply browse for the appropriate program folder.

On our test system we decided to change the default to “Editra”. Once you have located the program that you want to use click on the “.exe” file for that app and click “Open”. Once you have clicked “Open”, all that is left for you to do is close the “Developer Tools Window”…everything else is already taken care of.

And just like that you can be viewing source code with your favorite text editor.

Conclusion

If you have been unhappy with the default source code viewer in Internet Explorer 8 then you can set up access to your favorite text editor in just a couple of minutes. Nice, quick, and easy the way it ought to be.

Thanks to HTG & TinyHacker reader Dwight for the tip!

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If you don’t want to pay the monthly fee for a Zune Pass, one option is buying a pre-paid Zune card. Here we take a look at how to redeem the Zune card points so you can get music for your Zune or Zune HD.

Of course the first thing you will need to do is buy a Zune card. You can find them for different amounts at most retail locations that sell Zune’s like Walmart, Best Buy…etc. When you purchase the card make sure the cashier activates it.

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Now open up your Zune desktop software and sign in if you aren’t already. Go into Settings Account and under Microsoft Points click on Redeem Code.

Now enter the code from the back of the card that you scratch off and hit Next.

After entering in your code successfully it asks for your contact information, which seems odd considering you’re using a prepaid card. You may want to enter in a fictitious address and phone number if concerned about privacy…then click Next. The only thing you might want to enter in legitimately is your email address to get a confirmation email.

You’re given a Thank you message…

And back in your Account Settings you’ll see the points have been added.

Now you can go shopping for music, videos, TV shows, and more at the Zune Marketplace.

If you don’t want to give up your credit card info and pay the monthly fee for the Zune Pass, using prepaid card to purchase music as you go is a good alternative.

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GIMP lovers are going to be disappointed to hear that GIMP is going away in the next release of much awaited Ubuntu 10.04. Today we take a look at installing in on Lucid Lynx using PPA.

The reason for getting rid of it as cited by the GIMP developers, is that GIMP is too professional a software to be included in regular desktop version of Ubuntu. And it takes up too much of space on the disk. Also, the fact that it’s too complicated for regular users.

If you can’t live without it…let’s see how to install GIMP 2.7.1 on Lucid Lynx (Currently in Alpha). The new version of GIMP supports single window mode and we will also see how to enable this feature as well.

First we need to add the official GIMP 2.7.1 PPA in the software sources of Ubuntu 10.04, by opening the terminal window and typing the following command:

sudo sh -c “echo ‘deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/matthaeus123/mrw-gimp-svn/ubuntu lucid main’ >> /etc/apt/sources.list”

Now that we have added the PPA we need to add the GPG key, so type the following in your Terminal window.

sudo apt-key adv –recv-keys –keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com 405A15CB

Next up we have to update the software repository…

sudo apt-get update

All that is left is to install GIMP 2.7.1 by typing in the following…

sudo apt-get install gimp

Click ‘Y’ (for yes) to install GIMP

Once GIMP is installed you can start it by going to Applications > Graphics > GNU Image Manipulation Program.

You now have your favorite GIMP on your favorite Ubuntu 10.04.

As you can see in the image below, GIMP still comes with default 3 windows, which could clog up your lower panel In Ubuntu 10.04.

However, now you can run GIMP in single window mode by going to Windows > Single-Window mode.

That’s all! Now you have your GIMP running in single window mode with less of hassle to manage 3 windows.

It’s unfortunate that GIMP will not be included, but by following these instructions, you’ll be able to enjoy using it in Ubuntu 10.04.

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If you use Windows Home Server to backup the machines on your network, your in luck if you accidentally delete important files or they become corrupted. Today we take a look at getting your data back from backups on your home server.

Open Windows Home Server Console and click select the Computers and Backup tab. Right-click on the computer you need to restore files for and select View Backups.

This will open a list of your recent backups. Highlight the one you want to open, then click the Open button in the Restore or View Files section.

If this is the first time you’re restoring a file, you’ll be asked to verify installation of the device software. Check the box next to Always trust software from Microsoft Corporation and click Install.

Now wait while the backup data is retrieved.

After the backup data has been retrieved, an explorer windows opens up to drive (Z:) which is the backup data. It’s just like if you were opening a drive on your local machine. Now you can browse through the backup and find the files your missing. You can open the files directly, or drag them onto your machine to the location you want to restore them.

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Restoring your data is actually a very easy process with Windows Home Server. Of course you’ll want to make sure the computers on your network are being backed up to WHS. if you need help with that, check out our article on how to configure your computer to backup to WHS. If you want to backup your home server shares, check out our article on how to backup WHS folder to an external drive.

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Since Microsoft has three operating systems in use, chances are you’ll find yourself needing to share files between XP, Vista, Windows 7, or some combination of the three. Here we take a look at sharing between a Vista and XP on your home network.

Share Without Password Protected Sharing

If you’re not worried about who’s accessing the files and folders, the easiest method is to disable Password Protected Sharing. So on the Vista machine open Network and Sharing Center. Under Sharing and Discovery make sure Network Discovery, File Sharing, and, Public Folder Sharing are turned on.

Also turn off Password Protected Sharing…

Now go into the Vista Public folder, located in C:UsersPublic, and add what you want to share or create a new folder. In this example we created a new folder called XP_Share and added some files to it.

On the XP machine go into My Network Places and under Network Tasks click on View Workgroup Computers.

Now you’ll see all of the computers on your network which should be part of the same Workgroup. Here we need to double-click on the Vista computer.

And there we go…no password to enter so we can access the XP_Share folder or anything else that is located in the Public folder.

Share with Password Protected Sharing

If you want to keep Password Protected Sharing turned on, then we need to do things a little different. When it’s turned on and you try to access the Vista machine from XP, you’re prompted for a password, and no matter what you think the credentials are, you can’t get access…very annoying.

So what we need to do is add the XP Machine as a user. Right-click on Computer from the Start Menu or desktop icon and select Manage from the context menu.

The Computer Management screen opens up and you want to expand Local Users and Groups, then the Users folder. Then right-click any open area an select New User.

Now create a new user name and password, you can also fill in the other fields if you want. Then make sure to uncheck User must change password at next logon and check the box next to Password never expires. Click the Create button and close out of the New User screen.

You’ll then see the new user we created in the list and you can close out of the Computer Management window.

Now back on the XP computer when you double-click on the Vista machine, your prompted to log in. Just type in the username and password you just created.

Now you’ll have access to the Public folder contents.

Set up Sharing on XP

If you want to access a shared folder from the Vista computer located on the XP machine, it’s the same process in reverse. On the XP computer in Shared Documents, right-click on the folder you want to share and select Sharing and Security.

Then select the radio button next to Share this folder and click Ok.

Go into Computer Management and create a new user…

Now from the Vista machine double click on the XP machine icon, enter the password, then access the folders and files you need.

If you have multiple versions of Windows on your home network, you’ll now be able to access files and folders from each of them.

If you want to share between Windows 7 and XP check out our article on how to share files and printers between Windows 7 and XP. You might also want to check out our article on how to share files and printers between Windows 7 and Vista.

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If you’re watching live TV on Media Center and need to pause it while you do something, it’s annoying to come back to see it playing again. Here we show you how to increase the default pause buffer so you don’t miss important show highlights.

Have you ever needed to hit the pause button while watching Live TV in Windows Media Center? Maybe you had to take an important call only to come back and find that your paused show has started playing again on it’s own? Windows Media Center has built in pause buffer of 40 minutes. If that just isn’t enough time for you, let’s take a look at how to edit the registry to increase the Live TV pause buffer so you don’t end up missing those important TV moments.

To open the Registry Editor, click Start, type “regedit” into the Windows search box, and hit “Enter.” If prompted by the UAC to allow changes, click “Yes.”

Browse to the following Registry Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionMedia CenterServiceVideoTunersDVR

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Click once on the DVR key to display the values on the right panel. Find the BackingStoreEachFileDurationSeconds value on the right side.

Double click on BackingStoreEachFileDurationSeconds to open the Edit DWORD Value window. Make sure to click on the Decimal radio button on the right to ensure you are editing the decimal value instead of the hexadecimal value.

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This is where we need to do a little math to figure out what Value data to set for our preferred buffer length. The default buffer time is 40 minutes, or 2400 seconds. This is calculated by taking the BackingStoreEachFileDurationSeconds value (300 seconds) and multiplying it by the BackingStoreMaxExistingBackingFiles and BackingStoreMaxNumBackingFiles? value (8) to come to a total of 2400 seconds, or 40 minutes.

Confused yet? Here’s a quick little conversion chart to ease the calculating.

So, if you want to set your pause buffer to 120 minutes, change the decimal Value Data of BackingStoreEachFileDurationSeconds? to 900. Click “OK” when finished and exit out of the Registry Editor.

You will need to reboot your computer before these changes will take effect.

Now you can pause Live TV and have more time to take care of those pressing matters without missing critical moments or important plot points. If you like this tip helpful, you may also want to check out our article on increasing the skip and replay intervals in Windows 7 Media Center.

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Sometimes a thumbnail image can give you a good idea if the photo is worth a closer inspection or not. But what about the times when the thumbnail is just not enough? If the idea of a quick peak zoom feature for your browser sounds good then join us as we look at the zoomZOOM extension.

Options

The first thing that you should do once you have the extension installed is to go into the “Options”. Make certain to enable the extension for any websites that you frequently use. If desired you may also change the “popup location/position”. While there are only six websites available at the moment it is our guess that more will be added with further development (based on the Change Log).

zoomZOOM in Action

We decided to try three of the six currently available websites for our article. We started at “Photobucket” with a search for “cats”…thumbnails can be good but larger images are better.

Note: For some odd reason the “Address Bar Icon” did not display in our test browser.

Next we moved on to “Flickr”.

Our third and final example was “Google Image Search”. Once again everything was nicely enlarged and with the second image the full size (1024 x 768) version became available for viewing.

Conclusion

The zoomZOOM extension may only do one thing but it does it very well…letting you view nicely enlarged versions of the images at your favorite photo websites.

Links

Download the zoomZOOM extension (Google Chrome Extensions)

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Last week we asked you to share if you are a laptop or desktop geek, and many of you shared the type of computer you use. This week we want to know the hardware specifications of your machine(s).

Computer Hardware Specs

Last week we asked Do You Use a Laptop, Desktop, or Both. This week it’s time to share the hardware specifications of your machine(s). If you’re a gamer or do a lot of video processing you probably have a powerful machine with top end hardware. On the other hand, some of us can get by with a basic machine or even a netbook for light word processing, email, and web access. Tell us the computer’s hardware specs like processor speed, amount of memory, hard drive space, and type of video card.

If you’re not sure what’s in your system, we’ve covered some free tools that scan your Windows system and provide a report. Another good tool you might want to try is Speccy.

Leave a comment below and join in the discussion!

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Everyone has a favorite style or format that they prefer to read webpages in. For those who want something more than the default “look” you can choose the one that best suits your needs with the TidyRead extension for Firefox.

Note: A bookmarklet version is available at the TidyRead Homepage for use in Firefox & non-Firefox browsers.

Before

As an example we chose one of the webpages here at the site to show what can be done using TidyRead. The “Before Look”…

After

As soon as you have installed the extension you will see a vast difference in the appearance of online articles. Here is the article shown above with the default settings for TidyRead in effect.

Here is a closer look at the “Toolbar” at the top. Notice the tiny “red symbols” displayed in the various categories…they serve as an indicator of the setting in effect at the moment for each category.

The “Right Click Menu” for the “Status Bar Icon”…

Note: There is a “Toolbar Button” available for those who prefer using it over the “Status Bar Icon”.

With just a couple of clicks you can really change the appearance of the entire article.

Yet another example set at a narrow width with a dark background.

Perhaps the choices available are not exactly what you were looking for but that is easy to fix. Click on the “my Button” to access the custom settings and choose the colors you like best.

If you want to change additional items such as the font or text alignment just use the “More Menu”. You can also use the menu to print the article too.

Printing

If you do decide to print the article the entire thing will shift to the left side of your browser once you click on “Print” in the “More Menu”.

Here is the “Print Preview” for the article shown above…no need to worry about the colored background trying to print out as well.

Options

If desired you can change the automatic display settings for TidyRead.

You may also adjust the types of webpages that TidyRead will be active on, the keyboard shortcut, and the operational modes.

Note: The other two “Options Areas” allow you to set custom lists for “always or never displaying” particular webpages.

Conclusion

If you prefer using a custom display for reading webpages and articles then TidyRead will definitely be a welcome addition to your favorite browser.

Links

Download the TidyRead extension (Mozilla Add-ons)

Download the TidyRead extension or bookmarklet (TidyRead Homepage)

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