Computer Tips From A Computer Guy

Use All the Features of Windows 7 Magnifier Program

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 04:32 AM PDT

Since Microsoft first came up with a utility to magnify the screen, it's been promoted as an "Ease of Access" utility to help people with vision problems see the screen better, but now that they've enhanced it, almost anyone can get some benefit from this nifty little utility; but those that use laptops perhaps might find it most useful of all.

The reason is due to the way a lot of people use laptops. If you're like a lot of other people, and use your laptop in bed when you're lying back against your pillow, you likely find that the screen winds up a little farther away than you'd like, making it difficult to read small text; enter, Windows Magnifier program.

To run the program, either find it and run it from your Accessories folder, under Ease of Access, or more quickly, by typing in Magnifier in the Search box, then pressing the Enter Key.

When it launches, it looks like this:

Magnifier, has three sections, the zoom-in and zoom-out buttons that are used to increase or decrease magnification (the + and – buttons); the Views menu, which allows you to change how Magnifier works when it magnifies, and finally, the Options icon, that allows you to adjust or change certain options that are now available with Magnifier.

The zoom in and out buttons are fairly straightforward; to zoom in, click the "+" button, to zoom out, click the "-" button. You should notice that the magnified area appears to move closer or farther away.

It's not until you click on the Views menu that you'll notice much difference between Windows 7 and previous versions of Magnifier; now instead of having just a predefined portion of your screen dedicated to showing you your magnified area, you have three options: Full screen, Lens and Docked.

Full screen causes your entire screen to be magnified, though it won't happen until you click on the big "+" icon. When you go off the edges with your cursor, the screen will move to keep up with you.

Before:

After:

Lens on the other hand, creates an image that looks like a rectangular magnifying glass that has been held up just in front of your screen, magnifying just the area underneath. It looks like this:

You can move the magnifier around on the screen to hover over just the part you want to read; this is generally the most effective use of the magnifier tool due to it's ease of use.

Docked, is where a portion of the your screen is used to show a magnified image of what is under your cursor; it's what used to be your only option. It looks like this:

In the above image, the top part of the screen is the viewing area, it's showing a magnified version of the lower part.

Next on the Magnifier screen, next to the Views drop-down menu, is the Options icon:

Clicking on it brings up this pop-up window:

At the top, the scroll bar allows you to adjust how much the "+" and "-" buttons zoom in and out.

Under the scroll bar is a color inverter option that does just that, inverts the colors on the area that is being magnified, in case that might help make reading easier for you.

Under the color inverter option is a list of three check boxes: Follow the mouse pointer; Follow the keyboard focus and Have Magnifier follow the text insertion point. All three of these options allow you change the focus of control when items have been magnified.

In short, the Magnifier utility program is no longer just for people with vision problems; because of its new increased flexibility, many more people will find it useful for their unique circumstances.

Copyright © 2007
Online Tech Tips.
Aseem Kishore (digitalfingerprint: a59a56dce36427d83e23b501579944fcakmk1980 (209.85.224.87) )

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Use All the Features of Windows 7 Magnifier Program

Premium Headphone Comparison: Beats By Dr. Dre vs. Sleek By 50 Cent vs. Roc Nation Aviator

Posted: 05 Apr 2011 05:23 AM PDT

In the rap music world, big names like Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, and Roc Nation (Jay-Z), can move millions of records in record time. However, recent trends have shown that these artists' can move more than records, as rap backed headphones have quickly taken over the industry.

As technology fuses with pop culture, trends and endorsements such as Jay-Z's deal with headphone manufacturer Skull Candy will only grow and culminate.

As he is one of the original innovators of hip hop music, Andre Young (Dr. Dre), is also an innovator in the tech world. His Monster Beats deal was the first archetype among the three musicians' headphone ventures.

Because Dre's deal was so successful, Monster has also branched out by using other celebrity endorsers such as Sean P. Diddy Combs and Lady Gaga. Dre's popularity in the music industry helped Monster Cable to become a recognizable name in the headphone industry in no time flat.

The Rap Headphone Battle of The Century

1. Beats By Dr. Dre (Monster Cable/Audio)

With their slick style and premium audio capacity, Dr Dre's Monster Beats are the best overall choice out of the three rap endorsed ear muffs. Not only do they produce the best bass among competitors, but the mids are just as strong.

Some have complained about highs not coming through quite to their satisfaction, but remember, these headphones are basically engineered for rap music… and rap music, they do well.

The style factor is obviously there, and these are probably the best looking (arguably) among any headphone out there right now. There's a reason why this headphone line started a counterfeit/knockoff trend.

2. Roc Nation Aviator (Skull Candy/Jay-Z)

Roc Nation Aviator headphones, at this point, have not gotten near the advertising treatment that Dre's Beats have. This makes them slightly less known, and slightly less popular. However, Jay-Z in combination with the trendy, headphone based company Skull Candy, have created quite the masterpiece.

This is not only a masterpiece to look at, but a masterpiece to the ears as well. Bass comes in decent with the Aviators, but not quite as booming as the Beats. Mids are not as distinguishable, and sound quite similar on both Aviator and Beats. Highs on the Aviators might be slightly better than on Beats, but that is most likely due to the bass power that Beats produce, making the highs clearer on the Aviators.

Aviators are currently priced at about half as much as Beats Studio, the best headphones in the Beats lineup. This is quite the noticeable price difference, but of course, the Beats Studio are the superior headphone. For a better comparison, Roc Nation Aviators parallel Beats Solo headphones tightly, and the price is similar.

3. Sleek By 50 Cent (Sleek Audio)

Save the best for last? That might be the case if you are looking for the best wireless headphones off the market; because these headphones aren't even officially released yet!

Although we are still waiting for the official release and for consumer reviews to come pouring in, these headphones have been tested by several tech reviewers, CES goers, and other audio enthusiasts already.

The verdict? Sleek By 50 Cent has received a lot of positive hype. For a wireless headphone, the sound quality is reviewed as being very good. However, that may play some loss in overall audio quality to a wired headphone, such as Beats or Aviator.

Other Headphone Brands

As far as buying advice goes, it's always best to test any pair of premium headphones before buying. If you can, test with the type of music that you listen to most often, because some headphones seem to be better with certain types of music than others. Of course, you can probably find a pair of Bose out there that are better than all three of these premium headphones, but the price will strongly reflect that.

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Premium Headphone Comparison: Beats By Dr. Dre vs. Sleek By 50 Cent vs. Roc Nation Aviator