In the movie Forest Gump, the main character says; "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna' get." Likewise, I occasionally go the Microsoft Power Toys site to see what may be there because you never know what sweets you may find. As you probably know, the PowerToys are utilities designed by Microsoft to help you do things that out-of-the-box XP can't. Not all them have mass appeal, but some do (like the ClearType Tuner, which should be a standard part of Windows because it can make on-screen type easier to read). Some of the utilities that I haven't seen since that last time I visited include:
Color Control Panel Applet - Professional-level photographers and designers know that getting consistent, accurate color from file to screen to print and beyond is a requirement for great results. This new tool helps you manage Windows color settings in one place. Download or learn more.
SyncToy - With new sources of files coming from every direction (such as digital cameras, e-mail, cell phones, portable media players, camcorders, PDAs, and laptops), SyncToy can help you copy, move, and synchronize different directories. Download or learn more.
RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer - Are you a serious photographer? Now you can organize and work with digital RAW files in Windows Explorer (much as you can with JPEG images). This tool provides thumbnails, previews, printing, and metadata display for RAW images. Download or learn more.
As I mentioned, not all of these utilities will have mass appeal, but feel free to check out these new ones as well as the others. Note, as Microsoft says, although they have taken care to create useful programs, none of them are supported (which is different from having a bra strap or underwire break, but I digress). So, don't come crying to them (or me) if you try one and it causes all manner of problems for you. YMMV. Use at your own risk. Insert disclaimer here.
Aloha!
