Confidential Microsoft figures reveal the estimated retail price of Office 2007 Ultimate edition in the UK will be a staggering £600 - 68 per cent more expensive than Microsoft's suggested US retail price.
Read more here:
www.pcpro.co.uk/news/98967/

I couldn't help but be tickled by these entries on the support page of the new Microsoft Zune music player...

SYMPTOMS
When you try to install the Zune software on a Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition-based computer, you receive the following error message:
Operating System Not Supported

CAUSE
This issue occurs because the Zune software supports Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 with Rollup Update 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. This update is available in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 900325.

However, the Zune software does not support previous releases of Windows XP Media Center Edition.

THINGS TO TRY
1.
If you are using Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 but you do not have KB article 900325, visit the Microsoft Windows Update Web site. Then, install KB 900325 before you can install the Zune software.
Note The Zune software cannot be installed on computers that are running Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2002 or Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004.

Clear?
Fantastic!

And there's more...

If the Zune device does not appear in Device Manager, follow these steps:
1.
Connect the Zune device to another port on the computer, such as a USB port on the back of the computer. Do not use a USB hub.
2.
If this action does not resolve the issue, connect the Zune device to another computer or to an Xbox 360 console to determine whether the Zune device is detected in a different setup.
If the Zune device appears in Device Manager, register ZuneSP.dll. To do this, follow these steps:
Note A .dll file is a set of functions that can be executed or data that can be used by a Windows application. In this case, ZuneSP.dll provides the service in Windows Media Device Manager (WMDM) for Zune devices.
a.
Click Start, click Run, type regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\Zune\zunesp.dll", and then click OK. You receive the following message:

DllRegisterServer in C:\Program Files\Zune\zunesp.dll succeeded.
b.
Click OK.
4.
If Zune Software still cannot detect the Zune device, remove and then reinstall Zune Software. To do this, follow these steps:....

You can tell that Christmas morning is going to be buckets of fun!

Lightbox JS is a simple, unobtrusive script used to overlay images on the current page. It's a snap to setup and works on all modern browsers.

Read more and download here:

www.huddletogether.com/projects/lightbox2/

Magnetic Photo Rope from photojojo.com
These are sent from America, so the postage is a bit pricey, but they do look neat.
Hang photos along a wire rope.

2 for $20 plus $10 postage.

Jonathan Ive, the man behind Apple's iconic iPod and iMac, has become a CBE in the New Year Honours list.

Read more here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4569912.stm

The new Smart for Two has been unveiled... and I want one.
It is due to hit dealers and roads in April 2007.


For in depth details and photos visit here:
www.thesmartclub.com/board/showthread.php?t=9678

See the YouTube video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooco5tId41s

Ready 2003... and it looked pretty...
Time has passed, and so to the dream, it seems.

The replacement for the ageing Windows XP is still not quite with us... and from all reports bears no resemblance to the promises.
Check out the video on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=b9ifQvQCO7Y

Snapz Pro X 2 allows you to effortlessly record anything on your screen, saving it as a QuickTime® movie or screenshot that can be emailed, put up on the web, or passed around however you please. Snapz Pro X 2.0 costs $69 (£36.50)

The latest version (2.0.3) is Intel Mac compatible.
www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/snapzprox/

If you are looking for my Podcasting Guide click HERE

Assignment: Podcast is a mini-website dedicated to providing pupils and teachers with everything they need to know to make their own internet audio programmes.

Find out more and watch the online video guide here:
http://www.bteducation.org/img/lib/dialogics/AssignmentPodcast/index.html

There is a good video tutorial of Microsoft Photo Story here:

http://www.bteducation.org/resources/view.ikml?id=184

The BT education resources require a free registration.

The Rasterbator was featured on the Gadget Show recently. Attempting to use the site in the days following the show was fruitless as the servers were obviously swamped with visitors. After a week however things are back to running smoothly and with relative speed.

The Rasterbator creates huge, rasterized images from any picture. Upload an image, print the resulting multi-page pdf file and assemble the pages into extremely cool looking poster up to 20 meters in size.

Give it a try. Images must be less than 1MB.

http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/

http://www.digitalmediacentre.org

The Digital Media Centre is found at:
South Hill Park, Ringmead, Birch Hill, Bracknell, Berks RG12 7PA
Box Office telephone- 01344 484123

Check out the examples at:
http://www.spellboundanimation.co.uk

Leading PC manufacturer Acer has accused Microsoft of ratcheting up the cost of Windows by effectively forcing consumers to opt for the Premium version of Vista.

Acer claims that the Vista Home Basic - the new entry-level Windows - is so poorly featured that consumers will simply reject it. "The new [Vista] experience you hear of, if you get Basic, you won't feel it at all," said Jim Wong, senior corporate vice president at Acer. "There's no [Aero] graphics, no Media Center, no remote control."

Read more HERE.

For photos from Mac Expo 06 click HERE