TabCloser closes all Firefox tabs from a single domain

TabCloser is a Firefox add-on that lets you close all tabs that share a domain name. For example, if you’ve been searching for something and find you have 6 Google search tabs open, you can close them all with a single click. Or rather, a right click on one of the tabs and then a click on the “close all… tabs” option and then a third click to make sure you really do want to close those 6 tabs. So umm, 3 clicks. Still, if you’ve got more than 5 or 6 tabs open that you want to close at once, TabCloser might come in handy.

The plugin isn’t quite perfect, as it won’t notice slight variations on a domain. For instance, if you want to close docs.google.com and www.google.com at the same time TabCloser can’t help you.

Windows 7 Media Center screenshots

I first came in contact with Windows 7 when Microsoft released the M3 build to a select group of private testers on Connect, back in December.

Windows 7 M3 made its way to my HP tablet PC and it is running on it – solid and fast for a few weeks now. It will be replaced this weekend with the new Windows 7 Build 7000 though.

But Windows 7 Build 7000 is already installed on my Windows Media Center in the lounge. I run an Apple Mac mini as a Media Center PC, booting into Windows via Bootcamp. It’s a machine small and silent enough to be in the lounge.

Until now I had been using dvbviewer to watch Freeview (DVB-T) with good results. The receiver is a Hauppagge HVR-900, and while the whole setup struggles a bit with very high definitions channels (such as TV3) it does well on the other HD channels.

Windows 7 – Styles and Desktop Slide Shows

While Microsoft’s attempts to streamline and simplify the Windows 7 user interface are arguably the number one focus for this new Windows version, personalization isn’t far behind. According to the software giant, a huge percentage of Windows users customize their PC desktop with a picture, using either a personal photo or something that they’ve downloaded from the Web. And users are clamoring for more ways in which to customize the PC experience and make it their own. In Windows 7, Microsoft offers two key desktop customization features that address these needs: Styles and desktop slide shows.

Put simply, Styles are a formal combination of desktop background, Aero glass window color, sound scheme, and screen saver. Windows 7 comes with a number of built-in Styles, and users can create their own by building off of them. Styles can be saved, of course, and they’re also somewhat portable, meaning that they can be packaged up and copied from machine-to-machine. Microsoft expects users and third party partners to trade and perhaps even sell Styles online when Windows 7 is finalized.

Also, Microsoft is building on a feature that was previously unique to Windows XP/Vista Starter Edition by providing built-in Windows 7 Styles that are unique to different regions around the world. The Beta version of Windows 7, for example, includes Styles oriented towards Australia, Canada, Great Britain, the United States, and South Africa.

Lavasoft releases 10th anniversary edition of AdAware

It’s hard to believe that Lavasoft first released AdAware 10 years ago, but it’s true. To celebrate the occasion, they’ve released an Anniversary Edition of the pioneering anti-malware application.

Apart from the obvious update to the UI, several under-the-hood performance tweaks have been implemented. The scanner now uses less than 20% CPU and can process almost 40MB/s. Memory consumption has been reduced more than 70% over the 2008 edition. Rootkit removal has also been added, and integration with Windows Security Center has been improved.

All three licenses are available for the Anniversary edition (free, plus, and pro). As always, AdAware is for Windows systems only.

If you need help finding the actual free download link as opposed to the TrialPay one, clicking here will send you to the correct download.com page. It’s also mirrored on FreewareFiles.

Installers and updates crashing in Windows 7? Here’s your fix.

Despite all the shouting about Windows 7 being good enough to run as an every day OS, here’s another reminder that there’s still work to be done.

Many users are reporting crashes during install operations, including Windows Update. Rafael Rivera of Within Windows has found the issue arises from a problem with the Software Quality Management Client. How ironic.

The problem only seems to occur when machine throttling is enabled in the registry and when the Customer Experience Improvement Program is running.

If you’ve experienced this problem, Microsoft has a workaround. Open regedit, navigate to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\SQMClient\Windows\DisabledSessions and delete anything other than the default value.

If you don’t see the MachineThrottling value, run gpedit.msc and click Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Internet Communication Management > Internet Communication Settings and double click Turn off Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program. Tick enable and click on OK.

Don’t forget to submit your bugs via the Send Feedback tool. If you’re excited about the Windows 7 beta you’ve been using, you may as well take a few seconds now and then to help improve it!

PS3 Firmware Update 2.60 Announced

Come to think of it, it has been a while since the last PlayStation 3 firmware update. Remember back in 2007, when the updates came on a monthly basis for a while? Well, anyway, another one is coming soon.

As announced over at the official PlayStation blog (check out the unveiling video), firmware update v2.60 isn’t far off, and it’s designed to “enhance the system’s media capabilities.” First up is a new Photo Gallery application, which is a definite upgrade: we’ll get a new suite of tools for sorting through our photo collections; the pictures we have can be separated out into special groups according to criteria. So if you want to organize your collection by date or even something more specific like “number, ages or facial expressions,” you can do so. Once you’re done doing that, you can set up a cool slideshow – set to music! – and create photo playlists. This application will have to be installed separately from the XMB after the firmware update has been downloaded, though, so don’t forget that little detail. In addition, v2.60 features:

• Guest access to PlayStation Store This enables non-PlayStation Network members to browse through the storefront to check out the latest games, demos, videos, etc.
• DivX 3.11 support Videos in this format can now be played on PS3.

When Sony said they intended to make the PS3 a fully functional and capable multimedia machine, they weren’t exaggerating. And just think, there are many more years of updates to come…

What’s New in Windows 7: The Taskbar

Nokia’s Comes With Music service plans world tour

Nokia’s all-you-can-eat Comes With Music service has been humming along quite nicely across the pond, but until now, we’ve been left in the dark about its plans for world domination. No more, as a recent Reuters report has it that the unlimited music service should be headed to Australia, Asia and Singapore later this quarter and Latin America / USA sometime this year. We’re also told that more corners of Europe should get served in the future, though no window of time was handed out there. It should be interesting to see if any carriers jump in to subsidize these, but our gut feeling says they’ll be sold for a premium unlocked at your nearest Nokia flagship.

Windows Mobile 6.5 To Be Unveiled Next Month

All those Windows Mobile users waiting for Windows Mobile 7 are going to have to wait a little longer, but at least now they’ll have something to keep them busy while they wait. Next month, Microsoft is reportedly planning to unveil Windows Mobile 6.5 and accompanying services at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, which is taking place between February 16 and 19.

Why You Should Go 64-Bit With Windows 7

You might’ve skipped the Vista train, thinking it was like Under Siege 2, minus Steve Seagal. Or not. Either way, you’re probably gonna jump onboard Windows 7. When you do, it’s time to go 64-bit.

Why Should I?
We explained what’s so awesome about 64-bit in detail a couple months ago, but to recap in a single word: Memory. With 32-bit Windows, you’re stuck at 4GB of RAM, and even then, you’re only using about 3.3GB of it, give or take. With 64-bit, 4GB of RAM is the new minimum standard, and with 4GB, you can run tons of applications with zero slowdown. Windows 7 (and Vista for that matter) runs so beautifully with 4GB of RAM you’ll wonder how you ever did with less. It makes your system more futureproof too, so you can take your system to 8GB, 32GB or even a terabyte, before too long.