My Five Favorite Features of Windows 7 – and a $50 Giveaway!
A few weeks ago, I posted about going to Staples on a secret computer mission to buy a new PC. I talked a bunch about how great the customer service was and how easy they made it to not only buy the computer, but to transfer all of my files from my old machine to my new one.
I’ve been able to play around with my new desktop, outfitted with Windows 7, for awhile now.
It has been great. This is my second machine with Windows 7 and I’m not disappointed. There are so many fabulous new features. Let me talk about a few of my favorites.
New customization options. I love the new options for customizing my desktop and themes. I’ve had a computer since 1996 so let me tell ya, I was ready to move on from the flying Windows and other stuff! The new desktop and theme options are beautiful to look at and easy to install. I’ve got the “Scenes” option installed and it rotates my desktop through several gorgeous, girlie images that are pleasing to the eye.
Snipping Tool. This is my hands-down favorite feature of Windows. Because I do a lot of writing and blogging, like here for Smart Mom Picks, I spend a good part of my day needing to grab images off my screen and edit them down to size for web publishing. Snipping Tool makes this a breeze. No more hitting Alt-Print Screen and then having to copy an image into Paint, and then resize it to only show the parts of the screen I actually need. Snipping Tool lets me take a screenshot of all or any portion of my screen and save it as an image. It is a HUGE timesaver for me!
Peek. I hate when I have multiple windows open (which is always) and I want to look at my desktop to see if a file is on the desktop. Before Windows 7, that required me to minimize all of my windows. Not anymore! With Peek, I click on the far end of my taskbar and it shows me a quick glance at my desktop while my windows disappear just for a few seconds. Cool!
Parental Controls. Windows 7’s parental controls are great. They let you set limits on when and for how long kids can be on the computer, as well as control which games and programs they’re allowed to use. You can download Windows Family Safety for free, too, which sets controls for websites and chats.
Jump Lists. This is another productivity-builder in the taskbar. Let’s say you’ve got IE open and Microsoft Word. Both are in the taskbar. Wait! You want to go back to a web page you visited an hour ago. Right click on the IE logo in your taskbar, and you’ll get a list of your recently visited or frequently-visited sites, so you can just click and go. Same with MS Word – right click, and see a list of documents you’ve worked on recently. SO nice to not have to hunt for files or your browsing history!
Today, we’re giving one of our lucky Smart Mom Picks readers a $50 gift card to Staples.
Rules for Smart Mom Picks $50 Gift Card Giveaway
1. One winner will be selected to receive a $50 Staples gift card via random drawing. Note: eligible only to residents of the continental U.S.
2. Giveaway will be open until 9 p.m. PST Sunday, April 3rd.
3. Mandatory Entry: You must leave a comment on this post saying what feature you think you’d like best on Windows 7! Please include your email address/way to contact you if you win.
4. Extra Entries: You can receive one additional entry for each of the following activities. You MUST leave a separate comment for each extra entry or it will not be counted:
- liking Smart Mom Picks on Facebook,
- following Smart Mom Picks on Twitter,
- or tweeting about the giveaway: $50 gift card #giveaway from @smartmomtweets. Enter for a chance to win! Go here: http://bit.ly/gEbFXh
You must leave a separate comment for each extra entry or it will not be counted.
5. Winner Notification. Winner will be notified via email or Twitter. Winner will have 48 hours to respond with mailing address or another winner will be selected.
Good luck and have fun!
Disclosure: Smart Mom Picks received a free Windows PC machine to complete this review. The opinions I’ve expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint.
