This is a pretty common problem of those users who have Intel GMA Series graphics or their screen resolution is slightly wider that most of the games and applications support.

Solution:

There are two simple solutions to this problem.

Solution 1:

First is that there is an option provided by Intel Media Graphics Accelerator, using this option you can either fix the Screen aspect ratio or expand it.  Path to this option is given below along with figure.

Control Panel -> Intel GMA Driver for Mobile ->Display Settings->Aspect Ratio Options

Select Full Screen option and apply the changes.

However this solution doesn’t work in most of the cases as the Apply button is disabled and selected option doesn’t seem to work. So 2nd solution is applied for those 1st solution didn’t work.

Solution 2:

This solution surely works for most of the cases as I have applied this to many laptops.  There are few very simple steps.

1. Uninstall the Intel GMA drivers and program that you installed for Windows 7.
2. Go the your Systems Drivers page on the web and Download the latest drivers and application for Windows Vista. This is the core solution yet found by me that vista drivers seem to work well and provide the solution of aspect ratio problem.
3. Before installing the Vista compatible Drivers you have to add the compatibility to the drivers for Windows 7 before installing them.  Locate the downloaded setup file then got to its properties by right clicking and then find the “Compatibility” tab at the top and check the Option “Run this program in compatibility mode” and select Windows Vista from Drop down list.  Also check the option “Run as Administrator” and Apply the changes as shown in figure.

4.   A warning will appear telling you that you are going to install the old drivers as compared to the new installed one. proceed forward and install the drivers.  Restart your PC.

If you find some problem then quickly restore your windows back to the old state.

That is it you are done with the solution. I hope this solution will help alot of people out there like me.

I came across this Burner named BurnAware Free . I found it very simple yet very effective.

Description:

BurnAware Free is a free CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc burning software. It is ideal for users with basic disc burning needs as backup, creating data, audio, MP3 music, DVD-Video discs and burning disc images. Free, easy to set up, it enables you to save your files to disc quickly and provides clean, flexible interface to help you complete your burning tasks much faster.

Features:

1. Create data and multisession CD/DVD/Blu-ray Discs.
2. Create Audio CDs and jukebox CD/DVD/Blu-ray Discs.
3. Create DVDs-Video.
4. Create and burn disc images.
5. Supports all current hardware interfaces (IDE/SCSI/USB/1394/SATA).
6. Supports UDF/ISO9660/Joliet Bridged file systems (any combination).
7. On-the-fly writing for all image types (no staging to hard drive first).
8. Auto-verification of written files.
9. Supports CD-Text.
10. Clean, multilingual, easy to use interface.
11. Supports unicode for multi-byte languages.

Score:

I would give it  (8.5 out of 10 ).

This is the first for Pakistan in 3D gaming industry and before the game was released there was lot of demand of boxed version of the game as well.  Although this game has not created much hype as compared to other cricket games but still this game is lot better than what you think.

Official Trailor:

Lets talk about the Gameplay:

• Well most cricket games have been criticized for their unrealistic gameplay but it is not the case with CR because you really can’t come on the pitch and start hitting big sixes unrealistically.
• There are almost 35 different shots or combos as the game says with 3 special keys push , slog and loft.  In bowling there are some extra special deliveries and different ways of deceiving the batsman.
• The artificial intelligence of the game is too good. Your shot selection , your timing and positioning in the crease really matters while batting. Unlike other games when you play across the line of the ball, you can edge the ball to slips or loft it, if your settled meter is empty.
• Multi-player games are on the hype these days therefore CR’s Multi-player mode will really increase the game’s ranking much higher.
• Very interesting feature of the game is its online gaming support because playing online is a real fun. You can play play matches as well as ranked matches. Ranked matches are used in ranking the leaderboard of the game.
• Graphics of the game are not very good. They need to improve on that. Though their gameplay counters their not so good graphics.
• There are three different game modes. Exhibition mode, Revolution Cup and Revolution League.

My Score for the Game:

Game is now available for purchase from Steam. Its worth only 19.99 USD.

Gameplay – 8/10

Sound and Music – 7/10

Online Mode – 8/10

Graphics – 6/10

Customization – 9/10

Overall – 8/10

Just Follow these simple steps.

Steps:

• First of all you will need the latest developer version of the Google chrome, in order to install the extensions.

For that purpose download and install the latest google chrome from the following link

Google Chrome 4.0.249

For details on how to get started see the following post http://techtoggle.com/2009/12/google-chrome-beta-extensions-now-available-in-the-gallery/

• After the successful installation, Go to the extensions page and Download the StumbleUpon extension by clicking Install button right at the top.
• After the installation you will notice a toggle button just next to address bar as shown in figure.

• Simply login to the toolbar and then start stumbling as you do in Firefox using the stumble button in the toolbar.

Login

Stumbling:

Replying:

• Thats all. Its very easy. Start Stumbling on Chrome as well.

One of the most basic design objective of google chrome was to have minimum light-weight UI which is in a way conflicting with adding lot of features and extensibility because somehow it slow downs the startup time and increases memory usage of the system.

The use case list as a starter given by the developers team comprises of following items.

• Bookmarking/navigation tools: Delicious Toolbar, Stumbleupon, web-based history, new tab page clipboard accelerators
• Content enhancements: Skype extension (clickable phone numbers), RealPlayer extension (save video), Autolink (generic microformat data – addresses, phone numbers, etc.)
• Content filtering: Adblock, Flashblock, Privacy control, Parental control
• Download helpers: video helpers, download accelerators, DownThemAll, FlashGot
• Features: ForecastFox, FoxyTunes, Web Of Trust, GooglePreview, BugMeNot

Extensions Gallery :

Couple of days ago chromium team released beta of extensions in the extensions gallery as a step forward. Extensions are really easy to create, install and uninstall without restart. For this purpose the team launched a gallery which contains more than 300 extensions. (available for windows and linux).

Google Developers Video:

Note that you will be required to install google chrome latest beta Developer version to be able to install extensions.

Useful Links:

Here is the download link to Beta Developer Version.

Here is the download link to Extensions gallery.

Windows 7 Concept Ads:

Aero Shake:

You can navigate your desktop easily with windows 7. Just give the active window a little shake to quickly shake away the clutter.

Personalization:

You can easily personalize your desktop and user interface according to your mood and your usage.

Windows Live Movie Maker:

Movie making now as easy as never before using Windows live movie maker. Just publish your movie directly to internet like youtube.

Its Not About Icons, Its about Ideas:

Your PC, Your life:

Your PC becomes your entertainment zone. And when it’s time to get some work done, new features help you cruise through your PC like a professional.

For Kids, Kylie’s Conversations :

The happy words just keep on coming as Kylie creates another slideshow to share even more good news about Windows 7 with her friends.

Good News:

Get a Mac Ads, reply to Windows 7 Ads(3 in one):

Mac suggests Windows 7 is the same old thing as ever before like Vista and Windows XP and they try to convince the consumers that Mac is the ultimate solution to their pain and frustration.

7 secs to Windows 7:

This seven seconds demo series is what i like the most. A quick blast through Windows 7 features.

CheapyD & CampingKev vs. Windows 7 Whopper:

Celebrating the launch of Windows 7 in Japan, the Windows 7 Whopper is 791 grams or 1.74 pounds of Burger King beef.

If you have a google wave sandbox account please do participate in this wave and tell about your experience of using google wave. you can also sign in and participate using your gmail account if its activated for google wave.

On the pitch, critical gameplay fundamentals have been enhanced to ensure that FIFA Soccer 10 mirrors real-world soccer, providing more sophisticated ball control, and physical interaction. On attack, players now analyze space more effectively, curve their runs in an attempt to stay onside, create passing lanes naturally, and drive for more variety in attacking options. On defense, new concepts like position priority enable defenders to multitask so dangerous spaces left open by teammates out of position are covered. Plus, slide tackle targeting, press marking, and better urgency clearance logic provide new options that make defending a tactical skill in FIFA Soccer 10.

Official date of release is October 20, 2009. However demo version is now available to get your hands on the game. You can download the game for PC, Playsation or XBox 360.

Game Requirements:

CPU with 2.4 GHz (single-core)
512 Megabytes of RAM (1 GB required for Windows Vista)
DirectX 9.0c Compatible 3D accelerated 128 MB video card or equivalent
(must support Shader Model 2.0 or above)
DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card
MS compatible mouse
Keyboard
Please note that 16 bit colour is not supported

Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista
Note that Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows ME, and Windows NT 4.0 are not supported.
The title may function in Windows 7, however this operating system is not officially supported.

FIFA Soccer 10 Demo can be downloaded from Here.

Full game version  is available on different torrents. If you want that you can have a try if its working.

Torrent Mirror 1

Torrent Mirror2

Torrent Mirror 3 (PS2)

Torrent Mirror4 ( IPhone )

Starting from the big news obviously. Two big releases expected are Windows 7 and later in 2010 , Google chrome OS.

Windows 7 :

Bill Gates earlier said that the next operating system of the company will be shipped as soon as 2009 and the current release dates of windows 7 seem to justify the owner’s statement. The current release date is october 22 2009.

Windows 7 is almost out of  development stages (codename BlackComb). It is expected by the customers that windows 7 will provide lighter and slimmer profile as compared to Vista.

All in all, Windows 7 is shaping up well. It’s a far more modest release than Vista was, but it’s no worse for that. The new OS introduces a compelling combination of welcome innovations and much-needed polish, and that’s exactly what Microsoft needs right now. Vista’s foundation was solid, and Windows 7 just makes it better.

said Peter Bright, ArsTechnica

Windows 7 free trial is now available for tech pros at no charge and is limited for 90 days of usage. You can download the free trial of enterprise edition from here as soon as it is available.

Download from Here

Google Chrome OS:

This july google officially announced that they are working on a project named Google chrome OS. Though it is intended to be installed on netbooks but still people are waiting to see when google will open source the code and release it for use.

The main features of Google Chrome OS are speed, security and simplicity and the fact that it will be very lightweight makes me more curious about it. The user interface is minimal and most of the user experience takes place on the web. And according to the Google guys, as they did for the Google Chrome browser, they are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don’t have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates.

Here is a nice little video preview of the google chrome OS framework.

Apple Multi-Touch Tablet:

The good news for all the fans of Apple inc is Apple tablet Pc that is going to be released in 2010 and Steve Jobs is quite satisfied with the device. This is a 10 inch , 3G enabled tablet. This device will be probably price between iPhone and an affordable mac notebook of apple and it will come with the OS version similar to current Mac OS X .

Further Reading from Here.

Nokia Maemo Based Tablet and N900 Phone:

The top leading mobile phone company has not given up its fate infront of giants like apple and google but it is working on its own platform called Maemo 5. It prepares for its annual conference and spotlight is on N900 Phone which is Maemo 5 based.

Main features of the phone are its large screen, QWERTY slide out keyboard and proportions bigger than a smartphone. These N series of Nokia will have mobile version of the linux called Maemo.

Further Reading from Here.

Intel’s Moorestown and New Moblin Linux:

Earlier this year intel gave details about the future launch of its Moorestown chip platform and told the release date as in mid 2010. This launch will also provide new version of moblin which is a linux based OS of intel specially designed for small devices. Interestingly it is 3G technology based and it consumes 10 times less power when idle as compared to other current devices running intel atom. this release might also provide capabilities of HSPA and WiMax technology.

Microsoft Office 2010(codenamed Office 14):

Microsoft office 2010 will be a big release because of its revolutionary features and online support. Office 2010 Web apps will be competing against google Docs which is the current leader in the online version of documentation. It will be interesting to see what features does Web apps provide ( See this article Office Vs Google Docs) . We are sure that the desktop version of the Office will be better and more rich.

Office 2010 will be as to Office 2007 as Windows 7 is to Windows Vista in my point of view.

Further Reading from Here.

Intel Xeon Nehalem-EX Processor:

No doubt Intel Xeon Nehalem-EX will be the heart of Intelligent and high end Intel Server Platforms. They will provide countless technical advancements and it will boost enterprise computing to great extent.

Nehalem will be having eight cores inside a single chip supporting 16 threads and 24MB cache.

Few of the features of Xeon Processor are as follows.

• Intel Nehalem Architecture built on Intel’s unique 45nm high-k metal gate technology process
• Up to 8 cores per processor
• Up to 16 threads per processor with Intel® Hyper-threading
• Scalability up to eight sockets via Quick Path Interconnects and greater with third-party node controllers
• QuickPath Architecture with four high-bandwidth links
• 24MB of shared cache
• Integrated memory controllers
• Intel Turbo Boost Technology
• Intel scalable memory buffer and scalable memory interconnects
• Up to 9x the memory bandwidth of previous generation
• Support for up to 16 memory slots per processor socket
• Advanced RAS capabilities including MCA Recovery
• 2.3 billion transistors

Video Preview:

Chvrolet Camaro Transformers Special Edition:

With the great success of the movie Transformers II , chvrolet pushed out the Transformers Special Edition for the fans of the movie. Car is expected to be released in 2010. This is the fifth generation of the chvrolet camaro.

It is powered by LS3 6.2L V8 producing 318 kW when it is combined with 6 speed manual. When it is combined with 6 speed automatic the L99 V8 producing 300 kW is installed. Its production began in March 2009 as a 2010 model.

Picture Preview:

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

I guess its enough of technology world now its time for some fun stuff expected to be released in 2010. Lets see them.

Resident Evil After:life :

Mill jovovich will reprise her signature role as Alice in this fourth release of the video game based movie which takes off from where Resident Evil Extension ended in Japan.

Its release date is 27 August 2010.

Tag line: She is back and She’s bringing a few of her friends.

Now lets turn towards the world of video gaming because i know the list is not complete without the inclusion of gaming industry news.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo Wii) :

Super mario galaxy 2 is upcoming video game in development stages for Nintendo Wii console. It is the next version of super mario galaxy. Its game play is similar to that of the previous version but the focus is on 3D planets of different sizes and landscapes. Bee suit power up will be available. Mario will be riding a bipedal dinosaur named Yoshi and there will be lot of fun playing such a nice and legandary game.

Grand Theft Auto (The ballad of Gay Tony) rumored(PS3):

Gamespy is claiming that Rockstar has confirmed that a new game of GTA series is under development stages. We all have played GTA vice city and San Andries which were quite good. So Rockstar knows that their most paying game is GTA and not any other game. It is expected that the game will be ready in the next year october or so.

StarCraft II:

Star Craft is no doubt one of the best games , so it is not a surprise that the real time strategy fans were not happy when Star Craft II was announced. Blizzard has improved the graphics and increased the units but left the huge all out battles unchanged . T0o often game developers try to rebuild video games but why do they rebuild perfection?

Star Craft 2 – Cinematic Preview – Click here for more home videos

The soap is apparently just like iPhone in shape and colour. It has flat screen and icons in it as well, and also a button at the bottom. Creaters of the soap claim that it is one of their coolest products and many people will like this soap.

palm pre and blackberry versions of the soap are also available.