Chris Pirillo points us to a freely downloadable calculator from Microsoft that is head and shoulders beyond the default Windows calculator in terms of features. Of course, as with most downloads from Microsoft these days, this one requires Windows Genuine Advantage certification. If that makes you nervous, steer clear, but if you're looking for a new calculator application that gives you conversions including currency exchange conversions (it can even download exchange rates), give this one a try.

This is a really good product. Microsoft did their homework on this one. I had downloaded and tested this product and it really does help people keep their systems safe and up to date. The features include anti-virus, a decent firewall, anti-spyware, PC tune-up, back-up, restore, and even email, phone and chat tech support, yup, included in the same package at the same price. The OneCare suite is available online for download, and also in most Best Buy stores and a bunch of other retailers as well. A quick Google search (sorry Microsoft) yielded that both CompUSA and MicroCenter have OneCare available for around $50 for a year's subscription. OfficeMax and OfficeDepot did not seem to have it in their search at least, as of this writing.

For a long time now, Microsoft hasn't been focusing on PC games, and even us PC gamers can't blame them. Going from zero to 360 in a few years, not bad at all. Now though, Microsoft is going to begin focusing on PC games again. Many think Microsoft will develop, or have developed a gaming platform for the PC that rivals the ease and simplicity of the XBOX brand. Hopefully this is true. A little birdie told me that Microsoft may even be planning to integrate XBOX and PC based gaming platforms via a service like the wildy popular LIVE. This would certainly give them the advantage over Nintendo and Sony, who don't have anything close to a viable PC link to them systems. In fact, most consoles far thus far kept PC gaming out of their respective portfolios, because PC's have been the enemy. Microsoft knows that there are millions of PC gamers who would love to gank their snoody console-based buddies and prove once and for all what PC gamers have known for ages: the PC is the best gaming platform ever. How can you beat a customizable 101-key controller or the ability to upgrade any part of your gaming system? You obviously can't do that with a console.

Cnet features Microsoft executive Michala Alexander talking about piracy and why people do it. Alexander states that, "it's just because people want what they can get for the cheapest price." While I understand this view and agree with the observation of human nature, I think the deeper issue is that software companies still cause a lot of piracy, because they haven't figured out what customers need. I know many people who bought a computer, then one day, inexplicably, their computer crashes. What do they do? They find the nearest guru, and ask for help. He gives them a copy of the operating system (that they didn't get when they bought the computer) to fix their computer. It may not be right, but is it fair to NOT give customers a copy of THEIR operating system THEY bought pre-installed? This is near-sighted and stingy of software companies. Most people in this situation would be fine if they could just get their computer back, yet no provision is made for them when the system crashes.  I know this isn't all of the piracy going on, but this is the portion that I have witnessed. In this way, software companies are pirating their own software.

Apple's iSight cameras now built into many products have been a big hit with mac users. Microsoft is taking a few clues and has come up with their own idea for a web cam as well. It is about time. I have often wished and wondered if this was an idea Microsoft sees the potential in, and apparently they do. The LifeCams should be available sometime this month, according to Mary Jo Foley of Microsoft Watch. No word yet on hardware integration of the product with things like laptops, but if the concept takes off it may end up in hardware in the near future. Video-conferencing would help many enterprises cut down on needless travel costs, as well as tighten the global community. It is a good idea, so Microsoft, bring it on!

[Via Microsoft-Watch.com]

CodeProject.com has a great article on running ASP.NET 2.0 applications on a non-IIS operating system such as XP Home. The article also details how to install DotNetNuke on the Cassini Web Server. For all of the ASP programmers out there who have wanted a way to package ASP.NET apps and distribute them without the invasiveness of more traditional methods, Cassini web server does a great job. There are two versions, one for ASP.NET 1.1, and one for ASP.NET 2.0. Cassini runs as a Windows service, making it easier to implement and distribute with your apps, or to just use in a development environment. Check out the article from CodeProject, they even have links to the Cassini developer's guide on how to bundle your apps for Windows.

Jordan over at DownloadSquad has a post about how to repair Windows XP with only eight commands. Thankfully it's been quite some time since I've been in a position of having to fire up the Windows Recovery Console, but unfortunately problems do hit from time to time and it's worthwhile to be prepared. As Jordan recommends, it's a good idea to read the entire article before attempting the procedure it describes, as there are a few instances where a wrong step could mean catastrophe. But since the process is intended to bring you back from the edge, it's a risk worth taking - and if you're careful about it, it's no risk at all.

Mary Jo Foley reports that Microsoft is now talking up a few new features for Vista, including Transient MultiMon which is intended to make Windows smarter about what to do when external displays are plugged in or unplugged from mobile devices. Personally, I think the time has come for features like this one. I run into this particular headache every day when plugging in my external monitor. Although I've got it down to two mouse clicks to make XP aware of the extra monitor, realistically it shouldn't even require that. Windows should know as soon as I plug the external monitor in, and should even remember based on the monitor's firmware which monitor it is, and what my preferred positioning and resolution are for it. That way, I could be portable between a number of places where extra monitors are available to me, and Windows would know what to do in every situation.

Here's hoping that Vista also handles the taskbar better on secondary displays. It should work out of the box the way it does when you have UltraMon installed. I'm just sayin'.

As you've heard by now, URGE has launched with Windows Media Player 11. Let me tell you that I am always a little skeptical when I hear about Microsoft, or anyone talking about a big launch like this. Some have said URGE could be an iTunes killer. While it is way too early to tell that, and Apple is decidedly way in the lead, URGE is pretty nice. I am actually impressed with WMP 11 and URGE, both. Two good releases from Microsoft, all at once. Judging from the first release of WMP 11 and URGE, it could give Apple a run for their money. It has a few issues, as with anything new, but nothing that time won't fix. All in all I am pretty blown away by version 11.

Microsoft is plotting and planning a new program to rival Apple's GarageBand music creations software, according to Mary Jo Foley of Microsoft Watch. It is all very hush hush right now, as you might imagine, but I am glad Microsoft is thinking about how to be a player in certain markets which I consider to be important to the average Joe.

With shows like American Idol and the like, so many people are now getting into music or have been inspired to create music as of late. Personally, I don't see a lot of viable, consumer-friendly music creation software out there to help all these budding artists become who they want to be. To keep in the vein of the "magic of software" I think Microsoft needs to create more applications like this one.

It was announced a while ago that VMware server was free as a downloadable beta. Being the busy guy that I am, I haven't had a chance to play with it until last night. I have to tell you that I was pleasantly surprised that it worked so well and easily as it did. You can create virtual machines with it, which is something you couldn't do with the VMware player. Installing a virtual copy of windows XP pro was extremely easy as well. I haven't tried it yet, but I hope to soon create a virtual machine using Mac OS X to see if it works. why it wouldn't I don't know so long as it is the x86 version built for the Intel mac. This offers a viable option for those who really don't want to reboot every time they want to get into their computer's alter-ego.

With Apple's release of Boot Camp, which will allow you to easily load Windows XP onto your Intel-powered Mac, some have postulated that this could indicate the beginning of a new era for Mac OS X, where the operating system vies for top spot on the screens of commodity PCs everywhere.

C.K. over at our sister site TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) notes in an afterthought to his post Apple to PC Manufacturers and Windows: It's on! that although it's very cool that we can now use Windows on Apple hardware, what would really be great would be if Apple were to open up Mac OS X to allow users to install it on PC hardware. In a later post at TUAW, David says C.K.'s lost it, and that running OS X on PCs a bad idea. Although I disagree with David, he makes some very solid points.

You really have to see this to believe it. Some poor soul has decided to try to amalgamate the latest version of every known software driver onto one CD for the purposes of creating an unattended Windows XP setup disk that would work on literally any PC. And it looks like he's making extremely good headway on this project!

So far there are 8 driver packs that make up the entire project, supporting: Chipset, CPU, Graphics, LAN, MassStorage, Sound, and WLAN. The final file, Driverpacks BASE contains all the required documentation and batch files to slipstream the drivers onto a Windows XP setup CD, and even includes an UpdateChecker to ensure everything is as up-to-date as it can be.

Windows XP has a stupendously aggravating behavior when first installed when it comes to searching files. For some reason, out of the box Windows XP only searches files that match a certain set of file extensions. While for many people that set is enough, it can drive you crazy to do a search for a file that you know exists based on the contents in the file, and get no results.

If you've ever been bit by this shortcoming in Windows, there is a way to turn off the filtering "feature" using the Windows GUI. But we're DownloadSquadders, and we want it to be even easier! So download this .reg file from Chris Sells, a very well-known Windows developer, and run it on your system. Voila - file searching works as you would expect it would.

In an effort to appease PC hardware manufacturers, Microsoft has announced that they will be certifying PCs for Vista readiness, then allowing manufacturers to affix a "Windows Vista Capable" sticker to them. This is an effort to show users that the PC they buy for the holiday season this year will be capable of running Windows Vista when it is released next year. Microsoft needed an alternative to a simple "Windows Vista" sticker, since the operating system will not be available at the time the systems are sold.

Unfortunately, this is a half-measure that will likely do little to help sales of PCs this holiday season. Savvy computer shoppers will realize that although the PC they are thinking about purchasing will be "capable" of running Vista, they will effectively need to purchase an operating system twice if they purchase one running XP, as they will have paid for their XP license in the purchase price of the computer, then will have to purchase a retail upgrade to Vista when they become available. My buddy Marc Orchant has a very common-sense suggestion for Microsoft on this issue. But don't hold your breath.

Worse, Microsoft admits that "Windows Vista Capable" does not necessarily imply the ability to experience the fullness of the Windows Vista experience. The set of requirements a PC must pass to be certified as "Windows Vista Capable" consists of first fulfilling the requirements to display the "Designed for Windows XP" logo. Above that, they will need a "modern" processor, at least 512MB of RAM, and a DirectX 9 class graphics card. If these requirements seem vague, it's because they are. There's a good chance that a "Windows Vista Capable" system will not actually be capable of displaying the vaunted new Glass interface, amongst other high-performance graphical features.

So, my advice is not to get fooled by the "Windows Vista Capable" sticker, and wait until you have the option of seeing Vista running on the PC you're considering buying. That way you pay for the OS once, and you know that the system is actually ready for Vista, not just capable of running it.