If you are bored with the hills-and-clouds interface of Windows XP, then a copy of Microsoft's latest Plus! package might be for you.
The newly released Microsoft Plus! Digital Media Edition (or Plus! DME), turns Windows XP's blue feel into a cool digital-entertainment platform with mixed results.
The new version of Plus! adds a selection of colours and customisable features to Windows XP.
One such feature is Photo Story, a video slideshow program that works like a digital photo album creator. It runs on top of Windows Media Player 9, and allows users to add narration, music, zooming and panning to Jpeg images. Users can send the finished digital slide show to others by e-mail.
Photo stories are saved as Windows Media Video files and can be burned to VCDs.
The Plus! pack also includes an analogue recorder for converting old vinyl and tape recordings into compressed Windows Media Audio (WMA) files. To use this recording feature, audio cables must be used to connect the record player to the computer's sound card.
The application then takes control and will record for a specified period of time, automatically detect and split tracks, reduce hiss and pop, and allow the user to add title and artist information to each song.