The WinCustomize SkinCast has made it to episode #4, and the momentum keeps going and the support so far has been great. Both Zoomba and I are still relatively new to this whole podcasting thing, but I think we are getting the hang of it.  Just a quick recap of what the SkinCast is exactly for people just now seeing this.  The WinCustomize SkinCast is a podcast dedicated to basically all things related to desktop customization, the technology behind it, and the community that drives it. 

iTunes: Episode #4

Link: Episode #4

Stardock is pleased to announce the “official” public release of MyColors. MyColors makes applying premium suites a snap. A MyColors theme includes everything a user needs to completely and safely transform the Windows experience - a new Windows GUI, a new set of icons, gadgets, wallpaper, etc.

Now available on CNET, MyColors includes the “Diamond theme” which gives Windows XP and Windows Vista users a glimpse at Aero Diamond (one of the concepts Microsoft considered for Windows Vista before going with Aero glass). Diamond supports blurred glass even on Windows XP, a completely new icon set, gadgets and more.

The included Diamond theme is free, and MyColors itself is free as well. Additional suites can be purchased such as themes licensed by the NBA, NCAA, Ford, and others. Even if you don’t purchase additional themes, you still get a phenomenal suite for both Windows Vista and XP.

Download: MyColors

SkinStudio 6 was released today! SkinStudio is a free application designed to easily create skins for WindowBlinds for both Windows XP and Vista.

“SkinStudio 6 is a complete rewrite of previous versions of the program. Over time, as the number of elements of Windows that could be changed increased, the older versions of SkinStudio became very complex. SkinStudio 6 is re-designed to provide skinners a step-by-step way of creating their own Windows visual styles that, upon completion, can be applied with WindowBlinds.”

Free version is available, along with the Pro version for $19.95.

Link: SkinStudio 6

The DeskScapes 2.0 preview release has arrived! No longer will .dreams be limited to Vista Ultimate only.  If you have Windows Vista you can download the DeskScapes 2.0 preview and check out some of the included animated wallpapers.

Stardock is pleased to announce that the DeskScapes 2.0 preview version is now available. DeskScapes allows users of Windows Vista to have animated wallpapers on their desktop. It runs the Stardock created .DREAM format which can contain videos as animated wallpapers or dynamically generated content. The goal of the preview version is to evaluate the variety of hardware configurations out there running Windows Vista in order to see how well different types of Dreams run. The three included Dreams were especially chosen to check out 3 very different types of capabilities.

Download: DeskScapes 2.0 Preview

January started the year off great, and going in to February, submissions to the .dream gallery just keep getting better and better. We have several .dream creators starting to make quite a name for themselves, and I am still very excited for what we will see throughout the year.

Download links to all the featured .dreams can be found at the link below.

Link: http://www.wincustomize.com/articles.aspx?aid=302775

Brad Wardell has written his yearly assessment of the state of skinning. It’s a very good and in-depth look at the ups and downs of skinning (desktop customization). 2007 was a bit rocky because of Windows Vista, and Brad gives a good insight of what some of the problems were. He also gives us a look at what is upcoming in 2008, which seems very exciting.

The State of Skinning: 2007 Edition

CursorFX is a free program that allows users to customize their mouse cursors in ways far beyond what Windows is capable of doing on its own.  CursorFX is the replacement for CursorXP which only ran on Windows XP systems.  CursorFX runs on both Windows Vista and XP, and updates the Windows mouse cursor engine to support fluid animations, alpha blending, effects, real-time shadowing, user-action mouse states, mouse cursor resizing on the fly, color changing, trails, and much more.

A gallery for CursorFX cursor themes is available on WinCustomize.com to download hundreds of free mouse cursors, trails, effects, and more.  CursorFX is a free program. A plus version is available for $19.95 that adds more features.

Download:  www.cursorfx.com

For almost the past year, animated wallpapers on Vista have been exclusive for Vista Ultimate owners.  Stardock DeskScapes was released soon after which brought some amazing enhancements including dynamic and triggered wallpapers, the new .dream format, and more.

The first beta of DeskScapes 2.0 has arrived for Object Desktop users.  DeskScapes 2.0 will run on any version of Vista that is Aero capable.  Object Desktop subscribers will also get access to four exclusive dynamic .dreams.

You can find out more about subscribing to Object Desktop by visiting the link here:  www.objectdesktop.com/

Stardock released WindowBlinds 6.02 yesterday.  WindowBlinds allows users to completely change the looks and feel of both Windows Vista and XP by applying new visual styles.

WindowBlinds 6.02 is a maintenance release designed fix some reported bugs, improve skin changing speed, and add support for MyColors themes.

Users can purchase an enhanced registered version which adds additional functionality for $19.95 (or get it as part of Object Desktop which adds several additional programs and costs $49.95).

Free trial download and more information available at:  www.windowblinds.net

There is just over a day left in the WinCustomize Charity/Subscription Drive.  For the last several weeks a portion of the proceeds from a subscription or sale of a premium desktop skin would go to the Child’s Play charity.  There has been a great response, but the end of the drive is coming up and there is still some time to help.

Giving a gift subscription or desktop skin is a perfect last minute gift for just about anyone, especially someone who lives far away as the gift can be delivered  almost instantly.

For more information visit the WinCustomize Charity/Subscription Drive page.