Entries tagged with themes - Channel 10

Add “I’m a PC” To Your Windows Live Messenger

sarahintampa — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:28:00 GMT

Are you a PC, too? If so, you can now show your PC pride by downloading the new Theme Pack for Windows Live Messenger which features an array of icons from the new commercials, including the guy who plays the PC and various slogans like “I’m a PC” and “I’m a PC and a human being.” (I stuck with the simple “I’m a PC” myself.)

The pack also comes with new Messenger backgrounds, too, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the default background, blue with “I’m a PC” written in fading white text across it. Then again, I’m not a fan of any Messenger background come to think of it. If you want to adjust your background, too, just open a conversation window then go to Tools –> Backgrounds from the menu there. Remember, you won’t see this menu unless you’re in the conversation window itself.

I was going to set my background back to “none,” but then I saw the white background with math equations in light blue which also came with the theme pack. Hmm, I might consider that one since it’s very light in color which I like as it makes conversations easier to read.

If you want the new Messenger pack, you have to be signed into Messenger first. Then open IE and click here. The pack will then automatically install.

PageRage Dresses Up Your Facebook Profile

sarahintampa — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:08:00 GMT

I’m not sure why you would want this, but a new app called PageRage will let dress up your Facebook profile so it looks more like a profile found on MySpace instead. (Yikes!) That’s too bad because one of the nicest things about Facebook is it’s clean and simple look and feel, without the busy backgrounds and image-heavy designs that are so prevalent throughout MySpace.

With the new Facebook app PageRage, you now can customize your Facebook profile with new themes that change both the background and the color schemes of your Facebook profile page. Some of these themes are basic, solid backgrounds, but others are quite busy.

Before you freak out and think this is the end for Facebook, take comfort in the fact that you can only see the new themed profiles if you have the PageRage application installed yourself. If you don’t want to see themes, just don’t install it.

The app works via a browser plugin which uses something called Yontoo Layers. Yontoo Layers create a virtual layer over your browser window. I’m not sure entirely how that all works, but it sounds a lot like what the Firefox extension Stylish offers.

I know. Facebook themes, ick. I definitely won’t be…oh wait…is that a pink one? Awesome.

Xbox Dashboard Themes

sarahintampa — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:25:00 GMT

You may have heard about the new Xbox Experience which was announced at this year’s E3 Conference. This refresh will bring with it a bold, new design for the Xbox dashboard. Since some gamers have purchased themes in the past, there was concern that these would no longer work, but that was not the case. The new dashboard will indeed retrofit existing Xbox 360 themes in addition to offering new ones (in fact, using it at all is optional.) Also, the new dashboard has a more detailed download page for Xbox Live Marketplace content. Major Nelson gave everyone a sneak peek at how an existing theme might look on the new dashboard. He has also added a few photos to his flickr stream to show you how things may appear in other areas of the dashboard.

Create Custom Themes With Vista Style Builder

sarahintampa — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:32:00 GMT

Have you always wanted to build your own theme for Vista? You can with a new application called Vista Style Builder and the How-To-Geek has a great walkthrough to get you started with doing so. The Vista Style Builder application lets you modify the visual style of your Vista theme or even import styles from XP to be used on Vista. Also, if you’ve found a style you liked on the web, like on devianART, for example, you can also open that file up in the program and use it as a starting point. From there, you can completely customize every aspect of the UI and theme, using the software’s easy-to-use built-in tools. The program is not available just yet, so bookmark this download page and check back soon. The program will not be free and pricing info is not available yet, but the How-To-Geek promises it will be reasonable.

Discovering Great XP and Vista Themes

sarahintampa — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:57:00 GMT

I was recently stumbled across a link to this XP Zune theme when searching for ways to jazz up my older laptop. I had forgotten, but I used to really love this theme! The theme was sort of a take off on the also awesome “lost” XP theme - Royale Noir, but with a few tweaks. It’s sort of funny to look at this today, nearly two years later, as I’m running Vista. I still have a very similar color scheme going on now – a dark taskbar and Start Menu and a simple background that shows off my widgets and icons (I guess I’m not much for desktop cleanliness after all). The only variation is that I have blue/greenish windows now. Of course, this led me down the path of looking for a way to customize Vista's themes even more. I know Stardock has professional software to do so, but what about a simple free theme? I ended up here where I discovered a whole slew of themes, skins, and wallpapers for Vista, including the sleek and simple Chocolate Theme (pictured). Nice!

Stardock Releases MyColors

sarahintampa — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:23:00 GMT

The team at WinCustomize has just announced that their MyColors skinning suite is now available to the general public. For anyone interested in skinning Windows, running MyColors is going to be a lot of fun. With the application of a MyColors theme, you can completely transform your version of Windows - GUI, icons, gadgets, wallpaper, and all. The MyColors suite will offer many themes that appeal to sports fans - like themes from the NBA, NHL, and NCAA - but there are other themes available as well. For example, Ford and GM are offering themes featuring their vehicles, but Windows geeks will want to check out the "Diamond theme," a theme that is very much like Aero Diamond, one of the concepts floated around before the Vista team settled on Aero Glass. If you're already running Stardock's WindowBlinds or Object Desktop, you can still run MyColors without uninstalling those items. The Diamond theme is free, as is the MyColors app, but the other themes are available for purchase at $20 each.

Free Themes for Messenger

sarahintampa — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:39:00 GMT

Microsoft site Messenger Cafe is a site dedicated to games and activities for Windows Live Messenger. And right now, you can visit this page to get some free theme packs to add to your Live Messenger. The packs available now include a Winter Theme pack, some Halloween themes, a "funky chicken" pack, a back-to-school pack with unique emoticons, and a Christmas-themed Howard the Elf pack. According to this blog post, there was a Halo 3 theme pack, but that one seems to be MIA. Hey guys, can we have it back now?