WindowBlinds 7 is here, and some of the older tutorials and guides show the older user interface, and since WB7 was such a big change I wanted to create some new guides instead of updating old ones.  This time we are going over the basics of using WindowBlinds to change the visual style of Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7.

If you don’t already have WindowBlinds, you can grab a free trial at www.windowblinds.net.  You can also purchase the full version there, or get it as part of the Object Desktop suite of desktop enhancements. 

This is the main configuration window.

The bottom is where you will find your skin list of all installed skins, and you can easily move through the list by “swiping” with your mouse.  Clicking a skin from the list will show a preview of the skin in the window above so you can get a quick look at what the skin will look like.  At the very bottom is the tabs where you will find options such as coloring, sub-styles, textures, etc. We will talk more about that in another tutorial.

You can download additional skins from www.wincustomize.com.  Just double-click the .wba file and it will automatically be installed into your skin list.  Just choose the skin you wish to use, and click ‘Apply Changes’ in the upper left-hand area.  That’s it!  Your skin will be applied and you will have taken the first step in customizing your PC.

The month is starting to wind down, and this has been a really exciting week especially with the pre-loading of Mass Effect 2 starting today!  Last week I mentioned we needed a nickname for the Impulse publishing team, and our fan on Facebook posted some good suggestions.  Some of the suggestions were “the Impulsinators”, “The Impulse Drive”, “The Impulsives”, and “The Impulsers”.

I personally favor the “Impulsinators”.

Well anyways, lets take a look at the weekly roundup on Impulse !

Articles to check out:

• The importance of optimization
• Windows 7 Superbar Stomps the Old Taskbar – Part 1
• DeskScapes 3.1 Supports Multi-Monitor Wallpapers
• Elemental: The MUST HAVE 2010 TBS requirements
• Impulse gets jump lists
• This Week in Skinning - January 22nd
  

New Releases on Impulse:

• Bob Came in Pieces
• LogonStudio 1.7
• DeskScapes 3.1
• 4x4 Hummer
• Classic Car Racing
• 1C Racing Mega Pack

Coming Soon:

• Elemental: War of Magic
• Command and Conquer 4
• Star Trek Online
• Mass Effect 2

Weekend Impulse Buys:

		Most Kalypso Games 50% off!

LogonStudio 1.7 was released recently, and for most people they use it to change their Windows logon screens to their favorite wallpaper or image.  That is great, but speaking with a good friend yesterday he told me about how they use LogonStudio and I thought it was a fantastic idea that I wanted to pass along.

I will just quote him here:

“@IslandDog It's a fantastic branding tool. We use it on all client systems with our own small logo inserted as well, so they remember us ”

That was from my friend John Obeto from www.absolutelywindows.com and Logikworx. 

Whether you have a business that works on client systems, or if you do some side work on friends or families PC’s, what a great way to help spread the word about yourself or company!  Open up your favorite graphics editor and place your logo, website or social media text link so it’s there when people turn on their PC’s.  Take that image and drag it into LogonStudio and you now have your own personalized logon!

Of course, this is a simple and quick solution, but if you are looking for corporate solutions, be sure to click here for more info.

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope your week went well, and I hope you are enjoying the beta look at WinCustomize 2010 .  Your feedback has been great and we appreciate the help given so far. 

Now for this weeks picks!

	clipPaper by B2R This is a fun and unique CursorFX theme.  If you get tired of the Windows cursor, this will certainly make a big change.
	ThunderBallz by amitsaran This looked like a cool idea for a static wallpaper, but being animated is much cooler!
	Black Shine 2IP by pinchecl This is a black version of another IP pack, but as usual pinchecl comes up with an awesome design.
	One Lonely Night by DEVJIT This wallpaper just really stuck out of the crowd to me this week.  Great job!
	Night Launch by vlad Wow!
	S.U.I.Y. by theAVMAN Once again theAVMAN comes through with a slick WB skin.  Great use of color and transparency throughout.

In Windows, one aspect of the user interface that most people see all the time is the taskbar.  It is obviously one of the most useful pieces as it contains the tools to launch and monitor applications and other sorts of various data.  In the skinning world it’s also one of the most important areas to skin as it’s a huge part of the overall UI.  The evolution of the Windows taskbar has come a long way, but Windows 7 has taken it to the extreme and literally stomps all over the old style taskbar found in Windows XP and Vista.

First, lets take a look at the Windows XP taskbar.

It’s pretty simple, it does what it was intended to do.  There wasn’t much advanced functionality here, at least not by default.  It was possible to add some very cool features using something like WindowFX, which in the screenshot below, it was able to add previews for minimized windows in the taskbar.

In comes Vista, which brought some much needed improvements in the taskbar area, but overall it wasn’t that much different as far as functionality.  The most exciting update was live previews in the taskbar as shown below.  It was a nice addition but still nothing groundbreaking to speak of.

With the release of Windows 7, we saw a huge update in the Windows taskbar, now dubbed the “Superbar”.  Not only was this a visual change to a point, it also introduced more functionality than we have ever seen before. 

Lets take a look at some of the new offerings.

Jump Lists

If I had to pick a personal favorite, this would be near the top.  Right-clicking a program icon in the taskbar gives you an expanded menu with a variety of options depending on the application itself.  This is a quick way to access items like recent files, quick tasks, application functions, etc.

Take the jumplist for Impulse for example:

Right-clicking the icon gives you quite a choice of options.  You can select recently played games, favorite applications, common tasks like going to the Impulse Store, and more.  Not all applications support jumplists yet, but more and more are being updated all the time.

Visually, this will be one of the most noticeable changes in Win7.  Gone are the days of the taskbar with the optional small quick launch icons.  Now the icons are bigger, and more accessible.  One of the most handy features here is Aero Peek.  If you work with a bunch of different windows open like I do, you will appreciate this. 

Just move your cursor over the icon of an open window icon and you will see a thumbnail of that open file and can easily switch between windows without having to minimize or move any of them.  It also works well with applications like Internet Explorer, which will show each open tab as a separate window which you can go directly to.

Today we have covered the basics of the Windows taskbar, and just a couple of the cool new features in the Windows 7 Superbar.  Stay tuned for part 2!

DeskScapes 3.1 is currently in beta for Object Desktop subscribers, and should be released in the very near future.  One of the main new features is the support for multi-monitor setups.  There have been tons of forum posts asking how to have different wallpapers on different monitors as this is something not supported in Windows by default.

DeskScapes 3.1 is now giving you that ability.  Remember, this will also work for static wallpapers, not just animated wallpapers. 

We are already at the halfway point in January, and we are definitely off to a great head start.  The Impulse publishing crew, which we need a nickname for, has been cranking out new releases, updates, and more as fast as they can.

There are some great titles out this week, so lets get to it!

Articles to check out:

• Elemental Multiplayer Revealed
• Another XP .Msstyle on Windows 7
• JoeUser Cares: Haiti Relief
• Oculus lives!
• Demigod - what's next?
• More DeskScapes 3.1 Screensh...

New Releases on Impulse:

• Champions Online
• Tribe
• Ice Land 2
• Take Command: 2nd Manassas
• Tom Clancy’s EndWar
• Mass Effect 2 (Pre-order)
• Star Trek Online Digital Deluxe Edition (Pre-order)
• Fluttabyes

Weekend Impulse Buys:

DeskScapes 3.1 is looking really good, with some great new features added.  Here are a few more screenshots to check out.

We’re getting a steady stream of new objects in.  Back when DesktopX was first made, we included a bunch of cool objects made by Paul Boyer.  That was 10 years ago.  So for DesktopX 4 we really want to revisit this with what can be done using today’s technology.

Stay tuned.

January has started off pretty well, especially in the wallpaper category.  While I’m speaking about wallpapers, lets take a moment to congratulate the winners of our Winter Dreams contest!  I’m trying to come up with some ideas for the next contest, maybe something to do with Valentines Day?

Well lets check out this weeks picks!

	Optix DX by RedneckDude This is based off the WB skin from MikeB314, and as usual RND creates an equally cool DX Theme.
	Menubar Weather 8 pack by RedneckDude Yes he gets two in a row, but hey, it’s deserved.  This is a very cool and useful weather pack.
	Aqua by CarGuy1 Even here in Florida it’s been quite cold, so scenes like this are welcome on my desktop.
	Razer Tabbed & Side Dock by WebGizmos Razer is an awesome WC subscriber WindowBlinds skin, and now there are some great matching docks.
	Alien zone wall pack 2 by madcat21 This “futuristic” wallpaper pack is slick.  Download it.
	Frosted by Mirsguy This WB skin has a clean, clear, and minimal style.  Just about perfect.  Great work!