gHacks technology news » aero peek http://www.ghacks.net A technology blog covering software, mobile phones, gadgets, security, the Internet and other relevant areas. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:31:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 WinShake Adds Aero Peek And Share To Windows Vista and XP http://www.ghacks.net/2009/10/12/winshake-adds-aero-peek-and-share-to-windows-vista-and-xp/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/10/12/winshake-adds-aero-peek-and-share-to-windows-vista-and-xp/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:27:47 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=17195 windows softwareAero Shake and Aero Peek are two new features in the Windows 7 operating system. Aero Shake allows a user to shake a window a few times to minimize all other windows that are currently visible on the computer desktop. Aero Peek on the other hand makes it possible to either peek to the Windows desktop or a specific window without having to minimize all windows that lay on top first.

The developer of WinShake has used these two concepts as the foundation of the application. But instead of being satisfied with the functionality additional features were added. WinShake offers the following core features to the user:

  • Improved version of Show Desktop: This version only minimizes windows that can be minimized (it keeps gadgets for example on the desktop). It also remembers the window that was on top before minimizing and restoration works even if new programs are opened in the meantime.
  • Shake functionality similar to Aero Shake in Windows 7: All but the selected windows can be minimized by double-clicking the title of that window.
  • Peek functionality similar to Aero Peek in Windows 7: A ctrl-click on the WinShake icon in the taskbar displays the computer desktop to the user. The items on the desktop are accessible to the user.
  • Peek Top: Option to make a window on top of another window transparent. A double-click on the X button of the window will do the trick.
  • Taskbar Peek: A middle-click on an icon in the taskbar will display that window to the user.

winshake

Several settings are available after right-clicking on the WinShake icon in the Windows taskbar. It is for example possible to change transparency levels, edit the animation speed or change the mouse-keyboard combination that is used to initiate the action. It should come as a surprise to many users that WinShare uses less than 4 Megabytes of computer memory while running. WinShake is available for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2003. It can be downloaded at the developer’s website.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/10/12/winshake-adds-aero-peek-and-share-to-windows-vista-and-xp/feed/ 2 Aero Peek For XP And Vista http://www.ghacks.net/2009/01/04/aero-peek-for-xp-and-vista/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/01/04/aero-peek-for-xp-and-vista/#comments Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:27:23 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=9618 Aero Peek is one of the new features that gets introduced in the new Microsoft operating system Windows 7 that is poised to come out later this year. Aero Peek actually refers to a set of features that are introduced, one of them with the ability to show the computer desktop hiding all active windows in the process. The feature in Windows 7 is enabled by hovering over an icon in the Windows 7 Task Bar.

AeroPeek for Windows XP and Windows Vista tries to mimic that behavior. It works by clicking on the program’s system tray icon which will hide all active windows and display the computer desktop instead. Another click on the icon will display the windows again. This is different from the behavior in Windows 7 as it is now possible to interact with desktop elements.

The main use for this feature however is the display of desktop gadgets and other information that are displayed on the desktop. It is different from pressing [Windows D] which will minimize all windows and bring them back upon pressing the keyboard shortcut again. Windows D may change the active window when used while Aero Peek will always return to the window that has been active before.

aero peek

Still most users will probably prefer the Windows D shortcut as it does not require another software to be running permanently in the background. Aero Peek requires the Microsoft .net Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 and a computer running Windows XP or Windows Vista.

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