18 Mar 2022

Microsoft PowerToys – Useful or Just Toys?

Utilities, Windows 10, Windows 11
TL;DR Microsoft PowerToys The short version of this article is, if you are not currently using Microsoft PowerToys (assuming you're on Windows 10 or 11), then stop what you're doing and install them now. There are some great capabilities provided by the PowerToys that you will no doubt find useful. For a bit of a history lesson and an overview of whats available in Microsoft's PowerToys, including my two favorite PowerToys, read on! A Really Short PowerToys History Lesson If you've been using Windows long enough, you might recall PowerToys for Windows 95 or PowerToys for Windows XP. If not,…
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28 Dec 2015

App Studio–Where’s it at Now?

Development, Visual Studio 2015, Windows 10
Nearly a year and a half ago I wrote about Windows Phone App Studio. In that article, I walk through the basic steps of creating a simple Windows Phone app that uses my blog site RSS feed to list and display articles. Nothing too fancy or even complex but it was enough to show that you could create an app that does “something” relatively easy and have it up and running on your devices very quickly.Fast forward 16 months and Microsoft’s App Studio is now simply, App Studio and is still designated as “Beta”. It is no longer Windows Phone…
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01 May 2015

Microsoft HoloLens–Hands on at Build 2015

Conferences, HoloLens, Windows 10
During the last few minutes of the Day 1 Keynote at Build 2015, Microsoft’s Alex Kipman announced that “hundreds” of HoloLens devices had been brought to Build for developers to try out. There was instant excitement that was just as quickly followed up with disappointment. Alex went on to explain that attendees were required to sign up (via a web site) for a chance at getting their hands on the much-anticipated device. I, along with a friend that joined me at Build, signed up immediately. A few hours later, we both received e-mail messages letting us know that we were…
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05 Oct 2014

Mastering Multiple Desktops in Windows 10

Windows, Windows 10
Some Quick Background Information For years, Windows has had the ability to easily switch between running applications by pressing the ALT+TAB key combination. As one would expect, this still works, just as it always has, in the Windows 10 Preview. Also, since Windows Vista, the WIN+TAB key combination provided an alternate view for switching among tasks – one that takes advantage of hardware graphics acceleration. What’s New in Windows 10 With Windows 10, there is also now an option of creating and switching among multiple desktop configurations. Firstly, to create an additional desktop, you can press WIN+CTRL+D. Doing so will…
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