Darren Straight's Blog

ICT Enthusiast and photographer.

By - Darren Straight

Facebook opens platform to other social networks

Online social network site Facebook has now opened up its developer platform to other social networking sites. The move comes in response to criticism that developers wouldn’t create applications for Facebook because the website is too “closed” to be an effective market, and sets up a potential clash between Facebook’s now open platform and OpenSocial, the open development platform initiative Google

By - Darren Straight

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RC Standalone Packages Available for Download

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) RC should be used to update a PC running Windows Vista RTM to Windows Vista SP1. This standalone package will install SP1 as well as any applicable pre-requisite packages. The 5-Language standalone package supports installations on all versions of Windows Vista with one or a combination of the following languages installed: English, German, Japanese,

By - Darren Straight

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 RC Public Availability Program

The Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) Release Candidate (RC) is now available to the public. In addition to previously released updates, SP1 contains changes focused on addressing specific reliability and performance issues, supporting new types of hardware, and adding support for several new technologies. SP1 also addresses some management, deployment, and support challenges. Things to know before you download

By - Darren Straight

The Voice of the London Underground is silenced!

Emma Clark, known to many as the voice of the London Underground due to having voiced most of the in-train and station announcements for the tube, has recently been fired after telling the Mail on Sunday that she thought the transit network was dreadful. “The thought of being stuck in the Tube with strangers for minutes on end and having to listen to

By - Darren Straight

Photo Gallery is now on Microsoft Update

Kristen Miller a Program Manager for Windows Live Photo Gallery, has recently published a blog post in which tells us that the team have recently deployed Windows Live Photo Gallery 2008 via Microsoft Update. So if you have Microsoft Update enabled on your PC and had the BETA installed, then your BETA build should have been upgraded to the final release

By - Darren Straight

Free Microsoft Exam SCCM 2007

Microsoft is apparently looking for beta test takers for the SCCM 2007 exam. (This is the product that replaces SMS 2003.) The following code below will allow you to take the exam once free of charge. If you pass you will receive credit toward the new Microsoft certifications MCTS and MCITP. If you fail, you can re-take the exam once

By - Darren Straight

Notable Changes in Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate

Good news for those looking forward to Microsoft’s Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1). Microsoft has very recently published a 17 page document detailing notable changes in Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) Release Candidate. Here’s the full list – though beware you may get bored of reading it all! 😉 Hardware Ecosystem Support and Enhancements Adds support for new UEFI (Unified

By - Darren Straight

Two-thirds of PC owners lose data but simply dont know how to protect it!

New research into the habits of 1,626 UK PC owners has revealed that a staggering two-thirds (65%) have lost precious data or files that were stored on their PC’s hard drive. The research, conducted by Tickbox.net on behalf of online backup provider Carbonite (www.carbonite.co.uk), also found that despite this high rate of data loss experienced, almost a quarter (24%) of

By - Darren Straight

Download Camtasia Studio 3.1.3 for Free

TechSmith Corporation, the company behind Camtasia Studio the Screen Recorder, is currently running a fantastic special offer in which you can download a fully functional version of Camtasia Studio 3.1.3 for FREE and upgrade (optional) to Camtasia Studio 5.0 for only £88. Ok here’s what you have to do to grab Camtasia Studio 3: Step 1. Download the program by clicking on

By - Darren Straight

Coolgorilla $100 Million Free Mobile Games Giveaway

In a move that will apparently save mobile consumers an estimated $100 Million over the next three years, software developers Coolgorilla have today begun distributing third party mobile software applications completely free of charge. The move now enables mobile users unlimited access to download free mobile games many of which consumers would normally expect to pay between $5-$10 for. There