Updates about the upcoming Windows 7 OS

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7

Windows 7 (formerly codenamed Blackcomb and Vienna) is the next release of Microsoft Windows, an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, Tablet PCs, and media center PCs.

Microsoft stated in 2007 that it is planning Windows 7 development for a three-year time frame starting after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista, but that the final release date will be determined by product quality.

Unlike its predecessor, Windows 7 is intended to be an incremental upgrade with the goal of being fully compatible with existing device drivers, applications, and hardware. Presentations given by the company in 2008 have focused on multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows Shell with a new taskbar, a home networking system called HomeGroup, and performance improvements. Some applications that have been included with prior releases of Microsoft Windows, most notably Windows Mail, Windows Calendar, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Photo Gallery, are no longer included with the operating system; they are instead offered separately (free of charge) as part of the Windows Live Essentials suite.

Windows 7 includes a number of new features, such as advances in touch, speech, and handwriting recognition, support for virtual hard disks, improved performance on multi-core processors, improved boot performance, and kernel improvements.

Windows 7 adds support for systems using multiple heterogeneous graphics cards from different vendors, a new version of Windows Media Center, Gadgets being integrated into Windows Explorer, a Gadget for Windows Media Center, the ability to visually pin and unpin items from the Start Menu and Taskbar, improved media features, the XPS Essentials Pack being integrated, Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE), and a redesigned Calculator with multiline capabilities including Programmer and Statistics modes along with unit conversion.

Many new items have been added to the Control Panel including: ClearType Text Tuner, Display Color Calibration Wizard, Gadgets, Recovery, Troubleshooting, Workspaces Center, Location and Other Sensors, Credential Manager, Biometric Devices, System Icons, Action Center, and Display. Windows Security Center has been renamed the Windows Action Center (Windows Health Center and Windows Solution Center in earlier builds) which encompasses both security and maintenance of the computer.

The taskbar has seen the biggest visual changes, where the Quick Launch toolbar has been merged with the task buttons to create an enhanced taskbar or what Microsoft internally refers to as the "Superbar". This enhanced taskbar also enables the Jump Lists feature to allow easy access to common tasks. The revamped taskbar also allows the reordering of taskbar buttons.

Screenshots have appeared demonstrating a new feature called 'Peek'. Peek is a quick way of making all visible windows transparent for a quick look at the desktop. A Microsoft spokesman said that "this will be useful for users who want a quick look at the news" in reference to RSS gadgets on the desktop.

For developers, Windows 7 includes a new networking API with support for building SOAP based web services in native code (as opposed to .NET based WCF web services), new features to shorten application install times, reduced UAC prompts, simplified development of installation packages, and improved globalization support through a new Extended Linguistic Services API.

At WinHEC 2008 Microsoft announced that color depths of 30-bit and 48-bit would be supported in Windows 7 along with the wide color gamut scRGB (which for HDMI 1.3 can be converted and output as xvYCC). The video modes supported in Windows 7 are 16-bit sRGB, 24-bit sRGB, 30-bit sRGB, 30-bit with extended color gamut sRGB, and 48-bit scRGB.

Windows 7 adds online versions of Spades, Backgammon and Checkers.

My reaction to this: well, I am so much disappointed because most Windows programs that were staples of the previous Windows releases would not be included in the OS. Although you can download or purchase these through Windows Live Essentials, which functions the same way as the Google Pack, which makes things a bit hard. Well, all I can say is we don't have to throw yet our Vista OS's, since it lacks functionality as compared to the previous Windows releases.

However, I guess I can only make a definitive review of this after getting my hands on it this last quarter of 2009.

Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion preview

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekken_6:_Bloodline_Rebellion

Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion is the update to Tekken 6. It features new characters, stages, items and customization options. It also gives the game a balance update from characters and items. It is was released to Japanese arcades in December 2008, and is slated for an October 2009 release for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. It is also currently shown as a demo in the Namco-Bandai AM SHOW.

Though the storyline for Tekken 6 has yet to be translated, fan-based translations and gameplay trailers have revealed that Jin Kazama was the canon winner of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5, and for unknown reasons has begun using the Mishima Zaibatsu for world conquest, declaring war on several nations and even space colonies until the entire world is at war.

Meanwhile, Kazuya Mishima has discovered the division of G Corporation that tried to kill him, and takes his revenge by murdering them all. Kazuya then takes control of G Corporation and uses it as the only power in the world to counter the Mishima Zaibatsu. By this time, the world sees G Corporation as its only saviour and Kazuya is viewed as a hero, although his true intentions are to kill Jin and steal his part of the Devil Gene to stop him interfering with his own plans for world domination. Using G Corporation's newfound popularity to his advantage, Kazuya puts a bounty on Jin's head, dead or alive. Furthermore, Heihachi Mishima, father of Kazuya and grandfather of Jin, seeks to reclaim his Zaibatsu, having been unconscious throughout the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5. Jin, having anticipated this, announces the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 to rid himself of Kazuya and his other enemies once and for all.

This new version will feature two new characters: Alisa Boskonovitch, a cyborg with jet wings and spinning limbs who may be the cybernetically - enhanced daughter of Doctor Boskonovitch; and Lars Alexanderson, an unknown descendant of Heihachi Mishima. A number of new items and customization options were showcased in the trailer. There will also be all-new CG character art, just as there was a change in art from Tekken 5 to Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection. Upgrade kits will also be available for owners of current Tekken 6 machines.

Actually, I already played this update at Trinoma. All I can say is that it's more fluid and easy when it comes to controls. The CGI have improved a bit, and the pre-fight animation of all the characters were changed just like in Dark Resurrection. The only down side is the occasional lags that occur when using a data card.

I guess we just have to wait for the definitive PS3 version of the game in order to give a precise review of the game.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy

Just wanna give you an up-close look to the newest game in the Final Fantasy franchise that will commemorate its 20th year in the business.

Yep, I am talking about Dissidia: Final Fantasy which would be released for the Playstation Portable this 2009.


The game can be classified as a RPG, since it uses progressive controls, and a fighting game, as well mainly because of the way the battles were illustrated and iterated for the game. The story goes like this: two entities of good and evil(Cosmos and Chaos) waged war on each other, causing the order of the multiverse to collapse. When Chaos' army of villains began overwhelming the peace of the universes, Cosmos recruits a couple of heroes from the diff. Final Fantasy universes in order to counter the villains and defeat Chaos to restore the order of the multiverse.


Here are the diff. characters that will be present for the game:

Hero	Original game	Japanese Voice actor	English Voice actor
Warrior of Light	Final Fantasy	Toshihiko Seki	TBA
Firion	Final Fantasy II	Hikaru Midorikawa	TBA
Onion Knight	Final Fantasy III	Jun Fukuyama	TBA
Cecil Harvey	Final Fantasy IV	Shizuma Hodoshima	TBA
Bartz Klauser	Final Fantasy V	Sōichirō Hoshi	TBA
Terra Branford	Final Fantasy VI	Yukari Fukui	TBA
Cloud Strife	Final Fantasy VII	Takahiro Sakurai	TBA
Squall Leonhart	Final Fantasy VIII	Hideo Ishikawa	TBA
Zidane Tribal	Final Fantasy IX	Romi Paku	TBA
Tidus	Final Fantasy X	Masakazu Morita	TBA
Shantotto	Final Fantasy XI	Megumi Hayashibara	TBA

Villain	Original game	Japanese Voice actor	English Voice actor
Garland	Final Fantasy	Kenji Utsumi	TBA
Emperor	Final Fantasy II	Kenyuu Horiuchi	TBA
Cloud of Darkness	Final Fantasy III	Masako Ikeda	TBA
Golbez	Final Fantasy IV	Takeshi Kaga	TBA
Exdeath	Final Fantasy V	Tarō Ishida	TBA
Kefka Palazzo	Final Fantasy VI	Shigeru Chiba	TBA
Sephiroth	Final Fantasy VII	Toshiyuki Morikawa	TBA
Ultimecia	Final Fantasy VIII	Atsuko Tanaka	TBA
Kuja	Final Fantasy IX	Akira Ishida	TBA
Jecht	Final Fantasy X	Masuo Amada	TBA
Gabranth	Final Fantasy XII	Akio Ohtsuka	TBA

Each character will have a corresponding EX form or second form. Like for example, Sephiroth can transform into his One-winged Angel appearance, while Cloud can unlock his appearance on Advent Children.

There will be 50 summons on the game, each with a different effect and use. They can be accessed with the use of summon stones.The story will be narrated within the perspective of the Cid of Final Fantasy I.

So, that's about it for now. I'll give you a review once I get my hands on it. Alright? Anyway, thanks to Gamespot.com and Wikipedia.org for the info.

Flaws in Internet Explorer being reported thru media...

Source: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/111811
Tue Dec 16, 2008 11:49AM EST

The major press outlets are abuzz this morning with news of a major new security flaw that affects all versions of Internet Explorer from IE5 to the latest beta of IE8. The attack has serious and far-reaching ramifications -- and they're not just theoretical attacks. In fact, the flaw is already in wide use as a tool to steal online game passwords, with some 10,000 websites infected with the code needed to take advantage of the hole in IE.

Virtually all security experts (as well as myself) are counseling users to switch to any other web browser -- none of the others are affected, including Firefox, Chrome, and Opera -- at least for the time being, though Microsoft has stubbornly said it "cannot recommend people switch due to this one flaw." Microsoft adds that it is working on a fix but has offered no ETA on when that might happen. Meanwhile it offers some suggestions for a temporary patch, including setting your Internet security zone settings to "high" and offering some complicated workarounds. (Some reports state, however, that the fixes do not actually work.)

Expedient patching or switching are essential. Security pros fear that the attack will soon spread beyond the theft of gaming passwords and into more criminal arenas, as the malicious code can be placed on any website and can be adapted to steal any password stored or entered using the browser. It's now down to the issue of time: Will Microsoft repair the problem and distribute a patch quickly enough to head off the tsunami of fraud that's about to hit or will it come too late to do any good?

Meanwhile, I'll reiterate my recommendation: Switch from Internet Explorer as soon as you can. You can always switch back once the threat is eliminated. (To clarify: You don't need to uninstall IE, just don't use it for the time being.)

Intel Core i7- Updates

Actually, this news was a bit late na. But I'm sure this will interest techie fans out there.

Sat Nov 1, 2008 3:01AM EDT

At long last, Intel is set to roll out its latest update to the Core line of CPUs, and it's a big one. Called Core i7, it officially arrives this month, but a final, official date has still not been set. (Most have speculated that November 17 is the arrival date, but I've seen reports that it will officially be out before next weekend.) You will, however start seeing official reviews of i7-based systems starting tomorrow, so the time is nigh.

Here's the essential scoop on Core i7.

Formerly known by the code-name Nehalem (often misspelled Nahalem), this is a major upgrade to the Core 2 family of CPUs which have been the performance leader and standard-issue components on desktops and laptops since 2006. i7 will initially be available only on desktop PCs, though. Server and laptop versions are still in the works.

Architecturally, the new chip is said to mark the biggest single-cycle change since 1995's Pentium Pro. It's easy to see why: It's packed with loads of new features and looks to dust anything else on the market in performance. For example: The frontside bus (long a bottleneck in CPU design) no longer exists; it's replaced by Intel QuickPath, which now connects the CPU to I/O processing functions. I/O performance under this design should be improved by up to a whopping 10 times.

The first models are all quad-core designs, but i7 allows for up to eight cores on a chip. Those designs are likely to come in 2009. With all designs, all the cores and controllers are on a single die, unlike some earlier multicore CPUs.

Memory controller features are expanded, with support for DIMM slots in sets of three instead of two: Expect 3GB and 6GB RAM options to be the common alternatives.

Hyper-threading, a technology innovated back in the Pentium 4 era, is back. Theoretically it allows for more effective multitasking, though with such gargantuan power on the die, it will be hard to quantify what difference the return of Hyper-threading makes without some fancy benchmarkin'.

While I rarely review desktop PCs, I'm definitely looking forward to getting the first i7-based laptop on my desk. No ETA on those bad boys, alas. Stay tuned.

Source: http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/null/109390;_ylt=AhdTbOqdDQj1cy0ZtKU7Fo7PMZA5

Feast of the Black Nazarene (January 9, 2009)

Yesterday was the feast of the Black Nazarene at Quiapo, Manila. This year's celebration was different from the previous ones, regarding the fact that the persons behind this feast changed a lot of things for this day, like the route of the procession, the masses, the manner of celebrating the feast, plus the technological features being used by the police and the committee to ensure the success and security of the celebration.

First things first. Why am I posting this in the first place?

It's because I am really interested by how these people were compelled and motivated to do this practice, despite of the risks that may befall to them.

They have a variety of reasons to do so. Some of them just wanted to have fun, while most people have a certain wish, or desire that they want to be fulfilled like healing a sickness and the like, while some just use this event as an opportunity to actuate their petty deeds.

I've seen first-hand the actual influx of the devotees, as well as the preparations being made along the way while I was walking around UN Avenue.

I just hope that they do realize that it's not the idol that's actually being glorified here. It's the Good Lord himself that must be praised, even though he is unseen. Faith is enough for us to feel his undying presence..

I'm ending my post here.. :) Ta ta!

Cool Friday.. :)

Let me just sum up everything that has occurred yesterday. It was a cool day, albeit tiring. But I don't even have any regrets. I've had fun with the person I'm with yesterday. And yes, it was all great.

So, let me start telling what happened.

It was a dreary, cold Friday morning. I am aware that we don't have any classes that day, but still I have to go to San Beda that morning, so that I'll be able to retrieve my ASP book from my classmate. She borrowed that kasi since last week, and I have to get it because we have a project to do, and I direly need a reference. I really forced myself to wake up that early, even with the fact that I just slept for an hour. Yah, I slept at about 4:30 am. I'm an insomniac lately so sue me for that.

So, I quickly dressed myself and went to school hurriedly to avoid the traffic. I met my classmate probably an hour after my arrival at Recto avenue.

What's quite noticeable is the big influx of Quiapo devotees waiting ang roaming around Recto and Carriedo. Most of them were adults, while some kids prompted themselves to join the scuffle as well.

So after leaving my classmate, my friend Yuri asked me to join him at MoA. Actually, I don't really have the proper mood to go to such places that day, given the fact that I want my sleep so much.

But yet I decided to join him. I kind of miss his company kasi. Just for the sake of keeping up with one of my best friends and having a good time with him.

Before making it upon Buendia, I have to deal with the crowded LRT train that I rode on. God, it's irritating. But then, I have to bear with that, since it's the only way I know to avoid the traffic scuffle being cause by the preparations for the Black Nazarene's procession.

After making it upon Buendia after half an hour, I met up na with Yuri. I kinda liked his new hair, hehe.. But it's still the same person that I appreciated for all these years.

We've had fun with each other. As usual, we did some trippings while on MoA. The normal things that we usually do when we're together. The kulitan and vanity moments, the foodtrips and so much more.

What's more enjoying is our conversation after such a long time. He has matured a bit, and I like that. That made me feel so comfortable with him. Now, I know why Leanne loves this guy, haha!

The most exciting part actually was when we played Tekken 6 at Powerstation. We challenged some players there and we even fought each other. I won the first fight but he bounced back after I claimed my 6th win. Afterwards, both of us played when Yuri arrived at the final stage. God, we were screaming there because of so much excitement, haha! It was great.

Thanks Yuri for inviting me out.. :) I'll never forget this day.

It was a cool Friday.. I have no regrets..

My Debut :)

Hi! Welcome to my blog!

Actually, I have no idea about blogger.com. It's just that a friend of mine got me into this so I decided to make a new one, plus the fact that I'm inspired by the ideas that my close friend instill into his blog posts.

So, tada! Here's my new blog: Princess Journal.

I'm here to keep you up about what's fresh around the corner, as well as sharing you some things about me.

Nuff' said. Let's begin the ride. :)