performance

I split my work time about evenly between Windows XP and Vista. Let me tell you, I'll take Vista 99 days out of 100. Vista's safer than XP, it looks better than its predecessor, and it runs at least as fast as XP.

Performance has been a knock on Vista since the operating system was released, but there are some relatively simple ways to give Vista a little goose so it performs some common operations a tad faster. These five tips should shorten your workday:

Put an encrypt/decrypt option on your context menu If you frequently encrypt … Read more

If your system is lagging or CPU performance just isn't want you think it should be, try out this helpful monitoring program.

MKN Performance Monitor has a basic interface with graphic readouts and several points of statistical information. As stated in its name, this program monitors computer performance by displaying two graphic readouts of processor usage and input/output rates. Below the graphs, users will find a real-time display of the processor, I/O, and system performance. We liked that the information was also available when the program was minimized. A quick hover over the system tray icon brought … Read more

We'll admit that we were very intrigued by this free Firefox add-on, which promises a way to see and compare results from multiple search engines. But after we put it to the test, we found some of its features vague and its user interface awkward to navigate.

Right off the bat, we found several issues with SearchAll's user interface. A single search field and a single button are introduced in a completely new toolbar that seemed to take up more space than it needed. A three-panel display is used to show search results, but there wasn't enough … Read more

For users who do not enjoy using Windows' Start Menu, ProgramLaunch offers an alternative. While this may be a good idea for many, this program is not the efficient rescuer its manufacturers believe it to be.

This free download displays itself as a small tray you can move anywhere on your desktop. On it, users see a clock, a calendar, a Recycle Bin, and a power meter. From this general starting point, there is absolutely no direction provided for the program. Users must blindly right and left click the icons and the empty space in hopes of moving forward. Understandably, … Read more

Smule, the makers of popular musical iPhone application, Ocarina, has just released a new music application today that pushes its social music experiment even further. Leaf Trombone (99 cents) lets you "play" your iPhone like a trombone by sliding your finger on the touch screen to create different notes and you can even play with a musicbox-like accompaniment.

After you launch Leaf Trombone, you can practice on your own to the tune of several user-uploaded old standbys like Auld Lang Syne, Yesterday, and even Happy Birthday. To help you follow the notes, leaves gently blow across the screen … Read more

If you understand what the headline means, keep reading. If not, go here to get up to speed.

If you've got a laptop running an Intel Cantiga mobile chipset and want to get the best memory performance from it, Kingston Technology would like you to know about its first XMP-ready HyperX DDR3 SO-DIMMs. The 1,066MHz Kingston ultralow latency (CL5-5-5-15 @ 1.5v) memory kits passed Intel's XMP certification process.

Available as a 4GB pack (2GB by two) at an MSRP of $212, the sticks are preprogrammed with both JEDEC and XMP profiles.

As Intel prepares to invade Nvidia turf, large companies at the Intel server chip rollout Monday stated--in some cases quite objectively--what graphics chip suppliers need to do to make this technology more palatable for high-performance computing.

Besides competing in the gaming graphics market, Intel is eying large high-performance computing customers such as Dreamworks Animation (whose "Monsters vs. Aliens" opened last weekend to large box office numbers) for its future Larrabee graphics chip.

Nvidia is already a player in the so-called General Purpose GPU space, which applies graphics processing units (GPUs) to high-performance computing. As described by Nvidia, high-performance … Read more

As the weather changes and we all start to get a little warmer, barbecues across the nation are going to be wheeled out of their hibernation spots. Getting the grill together requires perhaps a little cleaning, finding a suitable location, and of course, collecting all the accessories. I am always down for a barbecue, but that doesn't necessarily mean I am always ready for one. I keep my charcoal in one area, lighter fluid in another, and my utensils are scattered all about. While some people may have their grilling act together a bit more, I would certainly benefit … Read more

Whether or not you think the Xbox 360 could use a motion controller, Performance Designed Products (or PDP) will be releasing such a device for the console this fall called the Gametrak Freedom. While the Freedom will use several accelerometers for mapping pitch, roll, and yaw, the controller differs from the Wii remote because of something called ultrasonic 3D positioning.

Unlike the Wii remote, which uses an infrared (IR) lamp for operation, the Freedom will come with two sensors that will be placed on both sides of your display. This setup will enable a more accurate dimensional detection along with … Read more