Windows Mobile has an inbuilt alarm system that works quite well, but it has some limitations. It is not finger friendly, there is no snooze feature, and we are limited to what sound files we can play as an alarm.

SnoozeAlarm II is a small program that can turn your Windows Mobile device into a worthwhile alarm clock. The buttons are large, making it easy to configure and set. Most importantly, there is a snooze button which is easy to press when you wake up. The snooze time is also configurable.

SnoozeAlarm II lets you wake up to an MP3 file rather than the default WAV files that come with Windows Mobile.

The only feature that SnoozeAlarm II doesn’t have which I would like to see is a feature to set the alarm to sound on weekdays only. Strangely enough, the built in Windows Mobile alarm does allow for.

Grab your copy for free from Spoontools.com.

Have you ever pressed the send button in Outlook, only to suddenly realise that you forgot to add the attachment, or that you are sending it to the wrong person?

Both Outlook 2003 and 2007 have a feature, where you can attempt to recall a message, effectively unsending the email message. This has got me out of trouble in the past. It is nice to be able to add in that after thought, or to remove that risky remark.

A recalled message is invisible on the recipients computer, as long as the recall takes place before the email has been downloaded onto their computer.

This recall feature is not totally reliable. Much depends on how quickly you send the recall message. However, there is no harm in giving this a try when it is needed.

To try it out, open up your sent items folder and double click on an email message. The email will open up in a new window. In Outlook 2003, Click on the actions menu. In Outlook 2007, click Other Actions. Finally, select Recall this message. It’s that simple.

Since the release of Office 2007, Outlook 2007 has included a nifty preview feature where you can see the contents of Office documents within Outlook itself, without needing to load up the entire program. Adobe included a preview handler into Acrobat 8.1, so previewing of PDF files within Outlook would also be possible.

These preview handlers (which tell Outlook how to preview the file) can save a lot of time, as there is no need to load up an entire program to view a document. So, we are covered for the standard Office documents and PDFs, but what about other types of files like audio or video files?

I came across a site jam packed with with these preview handlers ready to download, and a few links to other sites on the topic. The site features a preview handler that uses Windows Media Players ActiveX. This means that a wide range of media files can be previewed from within Outlook 2007. There is no need for external media players to be tampered with anymore, nor playlists altered.

Also on this site are handlers for previewing zip files, html files and various other source code files. After installing these packs, I can’t think of any file I would would want to preview that is not supported.

These handlers work in both XP and Vista, but they do require MS Outlook 2007.

For a lot more information, and the downloads, check out the Azar Family Site.

I have received many requests from readers asking how to quickly change the default audio device in Windows. This can be useful as many computers now have various audio devices which can be used. For example, you may want to use one playback device which is connected to PC speakers for playing games and Windows sounds, and another playback device which is connected to a sound system for music or movies.

Windows lets you change the device that audio is sent out of, in the Sounds and Audio options within the control panel. While this method works, it can be tedious to navigate to, especially if you want to change your playback device regularly. Many individual programs also let you choose which audio device will be used for playback, but then changing the playback device within the program requires a separate set of preferences to navigate through.

I came across a couple of tools that make switching the default playback device much easier, and that offer much more control over your audio devices. These tools are System Tray Audio Device Switcher (STADS), and Quick Sound Switch (QSS). Both are great utilities, but they do things slightly differently, and both offer slightly different features.

In this article, I will run through what they both do so that you can decide which one is best for your needs.

Read the rest of this article »

Most of the pokie/slot machines in Australia are made by a company called Aristocrat. They make interesting games which are lots of fun to play. Their games all include special features, lots of playable lines, great animations, and an amusing soundtrack. All of these things make them very popular.

Evidence of this popularity can be seen in pubs around the nation, which almost always have a dedicated pokie room. The only problem is that it is against the law to get one of these machines installed at home without a license.

We can now play these games in the comfort of our own home, and there’s no need to spend a cent. This is supposedly thanks to someone internal to Aristocrat releasing these ROMs to the public. These are not remakes, but the actual ROMs that are used in the machines that are played in clubs all across Australia.

There are 4 ROMs in all to download. These include 50 Lions, Atlantis, Orchid, and one of my favourites, Indian Dreaming (shame about the included link feature). Each ROM comes with an emulator which represents the buttons on a real Pokie machine.

The ROMs are downloaded from RapidShare, so if you are not a member, you may need some patience for the download to be made available to you.

Read more, see more screenshots, and get the links for the ROMs from the ShareMe.org forums.