Synergy allows you to use one keyboard and mouse across multiple systems and they don’t even have to be the same OS.  Well it’s just been updated with a new project on Google Code called Synergy+.  This is an essential application for me.  The list of bugs that have been fixed is quite long too and it’s fantastic to see updates to this brilliant concept

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Just spotted this and it’s worth sharing.  UK Money saving site Quidco (get an account and you’ll make loads of money – I do) have got a deal on SkyPlayer at the moment.  You can get 3 months for the price of 2 and £20 cash back through the site, the total saving is about £55 give or take and it’s a nice way to try the service (it will cost you about £38.50 a month I think) and it works on your 360 and Media Center (although the content differs).

James has a superb step by step on how to make one of the best looking keyboards work with Windows 7.  I’m jealous he owns one.

How to pair an Apple Wireless Keyboard with Windows 7

One of my favourite blogs is DataViz, they’re experts in Infoporn.  This is a superb rendering of how the various forms of 3D work; in case you need to know.

[updated so that you can read the darn thing!]

Hulu is fantastic, unless of course you happen to not live in the US then it’s a chocolate teapot unless of course you use a VPN to make the service think you’re in the US.  The name “geotarding” has been applied.  TV Gorge have currently overcome this and have lots of shows available for free online streaming.

It’s TV hell either, the lineup includes:

• The current series of 24 (and previous series)
• 30 Rock
• CSI (xyz)
• Chuck
• V

In fact there are lots and lots and lots of available shows, and the quality is pretty good.  The site requires flash, no shock there, an seems quite snappy.  I can’t find anything on the site that indicates that it’s not got agreements in place with content providers, but I do wonder if this will get geotarded soon.

[via Download Squad (who rock)]

Lifehacker have a very interesting how to all about how to run whole home audio over your homes internal phone wiring.  It’s kind of a neat solution if you have this in your home already…interestingly I’ve recently stripped my home wiring out since I don’t need it, kind of which I hadn't now.

It’s a very detailed solution and as you can see from the left it’s quite simple…no really it is quite simple.

I’d be interested if anyone’s doing this or has repurposed any other home wiring for the same kind of solution.

Wow, I knew we were going to get a 3D offering from Sky but this is something else!  So fast…  Sky are broadcasting the first ever 3D sports match, a football (soccer for you US types) er on Sunday.

Yep, a world first, and in the UK the first ever 3D sports on TV and it’ll be between Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League this Sunday.  It’ll be available to anyone with a 3D TV (so no one then) and a bunch of pubs have been given some TVs to use for the show.  There’s one in Manchester for Ian to go to.

To support this landmark broadcast, the nine pubs – located in London, Manchester,  Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dublin - have been kitted out specially with some of the first ‘3D Ready’ TV sets to reach the UK and Ireland.   As 3D TVs become more widely available, Sky will roll out its 3D channel to hundreds of pubs from April, allowing football fans across the country the opportunity to experience a live Premier League match in 3D each week. 

And also interesting to read how they do it:

To make the 3D preview a reality, Sky Sports will produce two edits of its live coverage of Sunday’s game at the Emirates Stadium, one for its HD channel feed and another dedicated to 3D.  Eight specially engineered 3D camera rigs will house sixteen of Sky’s high definition cameras, to provide comprehensive stereoscopic coverage from all angles.  The 3D broadcast will be supported by Sky’s dedicated 3D production team and purpose built 3D outside broadcast truck, which will enable live mixing between camera positions, slow motion replays and the use of innovative 3D graphics. There will also be a dedicated commentary team to support the 3D edit.

This is gonna be very cool stuff folks this 3D lark.  Sky’s full consumer service launches in April, best get them 3DTVs on the market folks…

Full details in the press release

Wow, talk about a cool way of looking at tweets.  This, my friends, is Seesmic Look, the second output from Seesmic since they’ve started developing closely with Microsoft.  I’ve just downloaded it and started to play, and it’s very sexy looking.  @Loic (runs Seesmic) has just launched the product and you might be thinking “what the hell, this isn’t Media Center related”.  Well it is.

Just like Media Center it’s works brilliantly with the Media Center remote and it’s fully touch enabled.  Super cool.  Developer folks, this is what you can do.

Seesmic Look is designed to be far more consumer friendly than any other Twitter client.  I looks stunning and it focuses on getting Twitter content in front of your eyes.  You can get it here

--Simon May

Techcrunch has an interesting article about Apple moving iTunes into the cloud, it certainly represents and interesting idea.  According to the article the plan is for a fully fledged cloud based iTunes, perhaps removing the need for a local install, certainly it could make purchases a great deal easier over the web.  There’s also the possibility of an API (which our developer community would right, imagine being able to purchase the track from a Media Center interface).

I wonder if we could see a Microsoft, cloud based Media Player or store?

As Brandon just reminded me, there is the Zune store which already is cloud based, yet another thing that Zune has over the iPod / iPhone…unless of course you don’t live in the US or Canada.  I’d love to see a Zune store API too though, I like APIs.

Anyway, a little off topic but lots of us need to use iTunes for those iPods and iPhones…Do you buy from iTunes, would you if it was easier? (I don’t unless I’m mobile and stuck for something to listen to)

--Simon May

Sarah’s written a great and very, very, comprehensive article for On10.net about all the different options for watching TV in Windows Media Center without a TV tuner, she covers:

• Hulu
• PlayOn
• Boxee
• SecondRunTV
• TunerFree
• TubeCore
• ZeeVee
• SkyPlayer

Wow, it’s impressive there are so many options…

Simon May