A new update for the DeskScapes 3 beta has been released today.  DeskScapes is an application that lets you have animated wallpapers on your Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 (DS3 beta only).  There are hundreds of animated wallpapers, also called .dreams, available for download on sites such as WinCustomize.com.

The current beta of DeskScapes 3 is available for download if you have an active Object Desktop subscription, and is available through Impulse.

The latest update includes:

• Dream effects – Apply effects to .dreams allows you to change the way they look with cool looking filters
• Hybrid Dream Support – A Hybrid Dream is a new type of .dream that mixes static and animated images, which use significantly less resources
• DreamMaker with Hybrid Support

I’m pretty glad it’s Friday, how about all of you out there?  Just a quick note about WinCustomize.  The new site has entered a new phase of internal beta testing and it’s looking pretty sweet.  More news soon.

Now for this weeks picks!

	VoX by BoXXi This is a matching CursorFX theme for the VOX master skin, and it’s just fantastic .  Great job!
	The Ring System DX I’m getting a kick out of this DX theme.  A great and fun design.
	NegativeGravity by Ausvet This is a slick animated wallpaper.  Grab it.
	Magnetek by Xiandi A cool dock background for ObjectDock to match 2of3’s WindowBlinds theme.
	They Come in the Night by DEVJIT I love the design.  This is great.
	Purity by LightStar This is a very clean and sleek theme.  Beautiful design so be sure to download this one.

It’s a roaring Friday and we have another stack of sweet deals on Impulse this weekend.  While I have your attention, remember that time is running out to get into this phase of the Elemental: War of Magic beta by pre-ordering.  Get in before the end of September or you will have to wait until the next beta opening.

Now lets check out this weekends deals!

	Project Aftermath for 50% off - $4.99
	Fairy Tales – Three Heroes for just $19.99
	East India Company is 50% off - $19.99
	Capitalism II is 50% off - $6.99
	Age of Booty is 50% off - $4.99
	Scrapland for just $6.99

Check out the current sales we have going on in Impulse.

http://www.impulsedriven.com/explore/onsale

I came across the XP .msstyle convertor tool today, and I was very curious of what an XP visual style would look like on Windows 7 after conversion to a WindowBlinds theme.  To my surprise, it actually looks pretty good.

A little work needs to be done in SkinStudio, but overall the conversion worked pretty well.  I’d like to know the interest in wanting to use old XP themes on Windows 7.

A brand new feature in WindowBlinds 7 , and one of the coolest is the ability to add textures to a WindowBlinds theme.  This opens up a whole new area of desktop customization as it can easily bring a new look to old or new themes.  WindowBlinds current has 20 textures available, and you can easily add your own for even more advanced customization.

Texture files can be found in: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Stardock\WindowBlinds\Textures

A tip for creating textures:

For those of you who want to make .texture files, you should make a copy of an existing .texture file and open it in notepad.  You will then see there are three sections.  One for the taskbar, one for the startmenu and one for the frames.  The images do not have to be the same for all three.

Edit the file pointing to new images (saved as .TGA in the same folder) and you have a new texture.

For skin authors, you can also put .texture files in your skin folder and they will only show for that skin.

The screenshots below show an example of a theme without and with a texture applied. 

For more information about WindowBlinds, please visit the sites below.

www.windowblinds.net

www.objectdesktop.com

Today we are happy to announce an update to the WindowBlinds 7 Beta.  The WindowBlinds 7 beta is currently available for active subscribers to Object Desktop , and can be downloaded via Stardock’s Impulse. 

New in this update:

1. XP toolbar & animations settings are back in the UI. They are under Settings now
2. On Vista the sidebar skin settings are back in the UI. Also under Settings.
3. Explorer backgrounds tab has been added to the UI. This will show on XP, Vista AND Windows 7.
4. New Textures tab added to the UI.
5. Support for enlarged menus on Vista / 7
6. Some additional skin sections added for Vista / 7 including new shadow sections.
7. The fixes for the start button clipping on multiple monitor Win7 boxes are in this build.
8. The old WB UI has a bigger button for the new UI and says Beta 2 rather than Beta 1.
9. You can drag wallpapers to the large preview area and it will copy them into the wallpapers folder off WB skins as it used to in WB6. Note that its the large preview area and NOT the list itself.

Today is a busy day, so lets get right into this weeks featured theme picks.

	EcoGlass by B2R This CursorFX theme is unique in its design, and that’s why I like it.
	The Captain’s Gadget by theAVMAN This is just slick.  No need for more words, just download it.
	Win7Rayz by Ausvet This is a very cool animated wallpaper.  Bright colors and smooth animation.
	Four cubes by IdetSneg It’s hard to see some of the details in the preview, but this is a very cool wallpaper set.
	First Winter by kenwas The details here are amazing.  Still not sure whether I’m looking at a 3D render or a painted picture.
	Test by Xiandi This is the WindowBlinds theme for the Test series.  Great job!
	Magnetek XP by 2of3 I can always expect a fantastic WB theme from 2of3, and once again I’m not disappointed.

It’s time once again to wrap up this week, and as is customary we will kick the weekend off with another round of Impulse Weekend Buys!  Aside from these specific deals, I would also recommend checking out the newly released on Impulse, Civilization IV series.  Don’t forget to check out Majesty 2 which was just released this week.

Now for the Impulse Weekend Buys!

	Pre-order Tropico 3 for just $32.50 – 10% off
	Scavenger is 50% off - $4.99
	Droplitz is 50% off - $4.99
	Aztaka on sale for $14.95

This is a video I created for the Object Desktop website.  It’s showing how you can take a “normal” Windows desktop and transform it into something much more using the included desktop enhancement components.

Summer is starting to wrap up, although the heat down here isn’t letting up anytime soon it seems.  This summer was a great one for skinning, as it didn’t slow down too much which is usual during this time of year.  I’m also seeing more and more new faces around, so welcome to any new skinners we have!

Now for this weeks picks!

	Santa – Rear View by Mark Snyder I think we have our first Christmas skin for the year!
	Custom Clocks by Richard Mohler The details are just superb, and make a great DX gadget.
	Dark World by CarGuy1 This is just a sweet .dream.  Put it with a dark WindowBlinds theme and it’s perfect.
	Ozone V@ by Snowman Snowman is bringing us some great themes for RightClick, and this is one of my favorites.
	Ming’s Backyard by Gammeldansk I just really like the scene in this wallpaper.  Great job.