![](http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/apple-logo-thumb.png alt=apple logo width=60 align=left border=0 height=64>I have been a Windows user from the time I was a little tot. I am still a Windows user (and am perfectly happy with it), but sometimes I look over at a Mac and wish I had just a few of their features on my Windows machine. After doing some searching, I have been able to find four applications that give me the few things that I wanted to have on my Windows PC but has traditionally only been available on a Mac.<br>Rocketdock<br><img style=border-width: 0px; src=http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/rocketdock-ss-thumb.png alt=rocketdock ss width=421 border=0 height=314><br>As you can tell, Rocketdock is an application launcher that functions in the same way as the Dock does on Mac computers. I have always really liked the Dock on Macs, because it helped keep your desktop and task bar clear of clutter that can get built up over time. Rocketdock also has several docklets available that allows you to customize it to your liking.<br>RocketDock has been previously mentioned on Make Use Of, such as Tina here.<br>Yahoo! Widgets<br><br><img style=border-width: 0px; src=http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/yahoo-widgets-ss-thumb.png alt=yahoo widgets ss border=0><br>Widgets have always interested me with their ability to keep you up to date on whatever you want while still being hidden behind your desktop. A simple press of a hotkey opens up a world of tools and knowledge. Yahoo! Widgets allows you to bring this functionality to your Windows XP PC. There are almost 5,000 widgets available from Yahoo so you will definitely be able to find what you need.<br>DExposE2<br><img style=border-width: 0px; src=http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/dexpose2-ss-thumb.png alt=dexpose2 ss border=0><br>Expose has always been such a nice feature on Macs that serves as a great alternative to alt+tab. Alt+tab has traditionally served me well, but as I have gotten more and more into being a geek, I tend to have more and more applications open at the same time. This can make alt+tab not as useful when switching between windows or applications. DEexpose2 brings great expose functionality to your Windows computer to give you an alternative to alt+tab.<br>Launchy<br><img style=border-width: 0px; src=http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/launchy-ss-thumb.png alt=Launchy ss border=0><br>Quicksilver was the first keyboard application launcher I ever heard about, but it was only available for Macs. Quicksilver allows users to quickly perform many different types of tasks through just a couple of keystrokes. In early 2007, Launchy was released and brought Quicksilver-like functionality to Windows XP. Since its release, Launchy has received critical acclaim, and it was also recently written about on Make Use Of by Shankar. You might also want to check out Enso Launcher that was covered by Jimmy. We also talked about it in latest MakeUseOf Podcast as well.<br><br>What Mac features would you like to see brought over to the PC?)
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IhavebeenaWindowsuserfromthetimeIwasalittletot.IamstillaWindowsuser(andamperfectlyhappywithit),butsometimesIlookoverataMacandwishIhadjustafewoftheirfeaturesonmyWindowsmachine.Afterdoingsomesearching,IhavebeenabletofindfourapplicationsthatgivemethefewthingsthatIwantedtohaveonmyWindowsPCbuthastraditionallyonlybeenavailableonaMac.
Rocketdock
Asyoucantell,Rocketdockisanapplicationlaunc...[
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![](http://makeuseof.com/images/comodo-backup-logo.png alt=Comodo-Backup-Logo align=left> Comodo Backup is an excellent backup utility from the creators of Comodo Firewall. It’s free, easy to use and have everything you might need. You can easily backup your local files and folders to anywhere on your computer, network, DVD / CD or even FTP server. Plus it can be set to run automatically on specified time intervals.<br><img src=http://makeuseof.com/images/comodo-backup-2.png alt=Comdo - Free Backup Software><br>Comodo has different backup modes: copy, move and synchronization. So apart from simply copying/moving the files from one place to another you can set Comodo to keep source and backup copy synchronized. That is to say, whenever you make some changes to the original files the changes will be replicated on your backup copy.<br>There are plenty of other cool features including rule-based file filtering, incremental backups, backup scheduling, backup archiving and email notifications.<br>Hinx Backup Easy<br><br><img src=http://makeuseof.com/images/hinxsoft-backup-easy.png alt=Backup-Easy-Logo align=left> Hinx Backup Easy doesn’t have that many features as the one above but if you’re looking for a simple automated backup tool it’s a worthy candidate. Similar to Comodo, Backup Easy also allows you to backup files to a local drive or FTP server. There is also a scheduler to run backups on a regular basis. Backup Easy can do both full and incremental backups. In the latter case, it runs full backup only once, every backup afterwards just changes the files that were modified since last backup.<br><img src=http://makeuseof.com/images/hinx-backup-easy.png alt=Hinx Backup Easy - Backup Utility><br>The program can run on all Java-supported systems. If you’re on Windows, simply download the installer and run it. The installation is automatic. For OS’s other than Windows, download the file, unzip it, and run the executable jar file.<br>SyncBack<br>SyncBack - We have already covered the SyncBack backup tool earlier, you can read about it here. Basically, it’s another backup software. Although the app has both free and paid versions, the free one has enough features for running local backups.<br><img src=http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/syncback1.png alt=SyncBackup - Backup Tool><br><br>Free Online Backup Services : Mozy and DropBox<br>The above tools are handy for running hard drive backups to another partition, external drives or your own FTP server. However if you want to backup only a handful of files and store them on reliable third party servers then you can try a free online backup service called Mozy. It’s quick to configure, fully automated and available both for Mac and Windows PCs. The only problem is that the free account gives you only 2 GB of storage space. See all Mozy features here.<br>An even better alternative is DropBox, however since it’s still in beta, you will have to wait for the next round of invites before you can get in. With DropBox you’re also able to access your files from other PCs, keep them synchronized across multiple computers and even keep a detailed log of all changes made to the file and restore it to an earlier version. Quite useful for people who work from multiple locations.<br>That’s about it. If you’re interested here are some more backup related articles that we did in the past:<br><br>)
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Losingyourvaluablefilesasaresultofaharddrivefailure,virusattackorevenaccidentalfiledeletioncanbeverydevastating.Whetherit’syourphotos,giantmusiccollection,importantdocuments-datalossisalwayscostlyandstressful.Harddrivesalwayscrash,it’sjustamatteroftime,thereforeDOregularbackups.Especiallywhentherearesomanyfreebackupsoftwareoptionsthatcanrunregularbackupsautomatically.Justsetitoncetorunsc...[
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![](http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/speedtest01.png alt=Test your Internet Speed border=0><br>As you may realize, your internet speed does not only depend on your ISP, it also depends on the hardware and software used on your end of the line. If you are using hardware provided by your ISP, there shouldn’t be a problem. The bottleneck for speed often sits in the connecting computer. Here are a few tips to improve the overall throughput:<br><img src=http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/speedtest02.png alt= vspace=5 align=left border=0 hspace=10><br>(1) Connecting Port<br><br>This may seem obvious, but you should connect to the internet though an ethernet port, rather than a serial, parallel or USB port. If ethernet is not an option, it may be advisable to update your hardware.<br>(2) Enough RAM<br>Make sure your system memory can handle the load! If you want to browse fast, you will need to close other applications in case your RAM is maxed out.<br>(3) Fast Browser<br>Mozilla based browsers generally are among the fastest browsers, while still being comfortable to use. Whichever open source browser you pick, make sure you don’t overload it with extensions or addons, those will just slow your browser down dramatically. On the other hand, if speed and RAM are not an issue, go for the luxury!<br>Also there are a number of tweaks and addons to increase the speed of your browser.<br>(4) Increase Speed under Windows XP Pro<br>Windows XP Professional reserves 20% of your bandwidth for services like updates or spyware checks. If you would like to exploit this reserve, do the following:<br><br><br>1. Click [Windows] + [R] and type gpedit.msc in the Run window.<br><br>2. Under Computer Configuration expand the Administrative Templates.<br><br>3. Go to Network and click the QoS Packet Scheduler tab.<br><br><br>4. Double-click on Limit Reservable Bandwidth and enable it.<br><br>5. Finally change the Bandwidth limit to 0% and click Apply.<br><br>6. Reboot your computer and enjoy.<br><br><br>(5) Tweak Tools<br>There are a number of programs that promise to increase your internet speed. They may work, they may not. They all apply a number of changes to optimize your network settings. Whether or not they will really improve your internet speed or which one will work the best for you greatly depends on your system, hence it’s difficult to recommend an application.<br>For further reading I will refer you to a set of articles found on About.com. Start with DSL and Cable Broadband Speed Tweaks and work your way through the links at the bottom.<br>Which tools and tweaks worked best for you?)
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DoesyourISPdeliverthespeedyoupayfor?It’srathereasytotestyourbroadbandinternetspeed.However,thereareafewthingstokeepinmind.Forone,ISPsusuallypromisean“upto”speed,soyoucan’texpecttopperformanceatalltimes,that’spartofthedeal.DuringhightraffictimesyourISPwillsufferfromhighloadsandwillcertainlynotbeabletodeliverthemaximumspeed.Thusyou’dbestperformdifferentspeedtestsatdifferenttimepoin...[
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![](http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/speedtest01.png alt=Test your Internet Speed border=0><br>As you may realize, your internet speed does not only depend on your ISP, it also depends on the hardware and software used on your end of the line. If you are using hardware provided by your ISP, there shouldn’t be a problem. The bottleneck for speed often sits in the connecting computer. Here are a few tips to improve the overall throughput:<br><img src=http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/speedtest02.png alt= vspace=5 align=left border=0 hspace=10><br>(1) Connecting Port<br><br>This may seem obvious, but you should connect to the internet though an ethernet port, rather than a serial, parallel or USB port. If ethernet is not an option, it may be advisable to update your hardware.<br>(2) Enough RAM<br>Make sure your system memory can handle the load! If you want to browse fast, you will need to close other applications in case your RAM is maxed out.<br>(3) Fast Browser<br>Mozilla based browsers generally are among the fastest browsers, while still being comfortable to use. Whichever open source browser you pick, make sure you don’t overload it with extensions or addons, those will just slow your browser down dramatically. On the other hand, if speed and RAM are not an issue, go for the luxury!<br>Also there are a number of tweaks and addons to increase the speed of your browser.<br>(4) Increase Speed under Windows XP Pro<br>Windows XP Professional reserves 20% of your bandwidth for services like updates or spyware checks. If you would like to exploit this reserve, do the following:<br><br><br>1. Click [Windows] + [R] and type gpedit.msc in the Run window.<br><br>2. Under Computer Configuration expand the Administrative Templates.<br><br>3. Go to Network and click the QoS Packet Scheduler tab.<br><br><br>4. Double-click on Limit Reservable Bandwidth and enable it.<br><br>5. Finally change the Bandwidth limit to 0% and click Apply.<br><br>6. Reboot your computer and enjoy.<br><br><br>(5) Tweak Tools<br>There are a number of programs that promise to increase your internet speed. They may work, they may not. They all apply a number of changes to optimize your network settings. Whether or not they will really improve your internet speed or which one will work the best for you greatly depends on your system, hence it’s difficult to recommend an application.<br>For further reading I will refer you to a set of articles found on About.com. Start with DSL and Cable Broadband Speed Tweaks and work your way through the links at the bottom.<br>Which tools and tweaks worked best for you?<br>)
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DoesyourISPdeliverthespeedyoupayfor?It’srathereasytotestyourbroadbandinternetspeed.However,thereareafewthingstokeepinmind.Forone,ISPsusuallypromisean“upto”speed,soyoucan’texpecttopperformanceatalltimes,that’spartofthedeal.DuringhightraffictimesyourISPwillsufferfromhighloadsandwillcertainlynotbeabletodeliverthemaximumspeed.Thusyou’dbestperformdifferentspeedtestsatdifferenttimepoints...[
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WindowsVista除了继承Windows家族一些贯有的快捷键外,还新加入了一些新的快捷键。下面这一份WindowsVista快捷键大全将帮助你轻松使用Vista的快捷键。
常规快捷键
这些快捷键能够让你的计算机更容易使用。
Alt+双击:显示选中项目的属性
Alt+Enter:显示选中项目的属性
Alt+Esc:当项目打开时按顺序切换
Alt+F4:关闭当前活动项目或退出活动[
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![](http://img2.pconline.com.cn/pconline/0806/17/1326561_snap0622.jpg border=0>图1 驾车截图 上图是我在印第安那波利斯“驾车”的截图。 Geoquake(打开主页)上有一个很有趣的flash游戏,将车辆与Google地图结合在一起,你可以输入任何地点,然后在那里享受驾车的乐趣。这个游戏是利用Google Maps的API做成的。因此,你也完全可以做一个这样的游戏。 你可以选择实地模式,如上面的截图,或者地图模式,如下图:<img title=snap0623 alt=snap0623 src=http://img2.pconline.com.cn/pconline/0806/17/1326561_snap0623.jpg border=0>图2 地图选择<br>操作非常简单,四个方向箭头,外加“”等键位作为左右转向灯,咳咳,虽然不是在开真车,还是应该遵守交通规则的。你也可以用鼠标来控制方向。 游戏操作起来很没感觉,完全感觉不到赛车的抓地力,拐弯有些困难,而且最高时速只是160。 而且,地图只是作为一个背景,即使不是公路,你都可以畅通无阻地开。即使你开到海里,也不会发生意外。 要在某个地方驾驶,在location里输入地名即可,例如beijing(比较模糊):<img title=snap0625 alt=snap0625 src=http://img2.pconline.com.cn/pconline/0806/17/1326561_snap0625.jpg border=0>图3 使用北京地图 或者Google的总部:<img title=snap0624 alt=snap0624 src=http://img2.pconline.com.cn/pconline/0806/17/1326561_snap0624.jpg border=0>图4 google总部 驾驶前请勿喝酒。 :))
很牛X,利用Google地图驾车环游世界
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你或许经常用GoogleEarth“环游”世界,看到了很多奇观。你也或许经常玩赛车游戏,例如极品飞车、拉力赛、F1等等。或许你会抱怨F1游戏里只有不到20条赛道,极品飞车只能在一个城市里飙车,你想在全球任意一个角落飙车。显然对于普通人这是不现实的。那么,何不将赛车游戏和Google地图结合在一起呢?至少能得到精神上的满足。[
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![](http://image.techweb.com.cn/h000/h83/img200805280832460.jpg border=0><br><br><br>2. 苹果iPhone <br><br><br><br><img alt= src=http://image.techweb.com.cn/h000/h83/img200805280832461.jpg border=0><br><br><br>3. Facebook <br><br><img alt= src=http://image.techweb.com.cn/h000/h83/img200805280832472.jpg border=0><br><br><br>4. 微软Windows XP <br><br><img alt= src=http://image.techweb.com.cn/h000/h83/img200805280832473.jpg border=0><br><br><br><br>5. 联想ThinkPad X300 <br><br><br><img alt= src=http://image.techweb.com.cn/h000/h83/img200805280832484.jpg border=0><br><br><br><br>6. Flock <br><br><img alt= src=http://image.techweb.com.cn/h000/h83/img200805280832485.jpg border=0><br><br><br>7. Eye-Fi <br><br><br><img alt= src=http://image.techweb.com.cn/h000/h83/img200805280832496.jpg border=0><br><br><br>8. Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1 <br><br><br><img alt= src=http://image.techweb.com.cn/h000/h83/img200805280832497.jpg border=0><br><br><br>9. Harmonix Rock Band <br><br><img alt= src=http://image.techweb.com.cn/h000/h83/img200805280832508.jpg border=0><br><br><br>10. 维基百科 <br><br><br><img alt= src=http://image.techweb.com.cn/h000/h83/img200805280832509.jpg border=0><br><br><br>)
《PCWorld》网站日前评出了2008年最佳IT产品100百强,结果,苹果iPhone手机、Facebook和WindowsXP等纷纷上榜。
该评选活动始于1983年,至今已进入第25个年头。期间,尽管产品名称或种类不断更新,但获奖产品始终是集设计、功能、性能和创新为一体,当然价格也要合理。
排在首位的是新闻集团与NBC联合推出的视频网站Hulu,苹果iPhone位居第二,Facebook网站排名第三,微[
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