LyteByte » Gadgets

How to easily connect External Monitors or Projectors from Windows 7?

Mr.Byte — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:06:36 +0000

Connecting to devices like printers or networks has been made very simple in Windows 7. Connecting to an external monitor or projector also is very simple with only at the touch of a button for a customized setting. You may use this method to connect your laptop to a HDTV or HD Monitor so that you can watch videos from Hulu or Netflix in high definition.

So how to connect Windows 7 with external monitors or projectors?

Once you connect the DVI or HDMI cable, provided both the devices are powered on, Windows 7 should automatically duplicate the display in both the devices. If its not connected, try using the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + P.

You will get different choices like to duplicate, extend or projector only.

If you want to change the resolution of the display go to Windows –> Search for ‘Connect to External Display’. Here you can change the resolution of each display separately.

Tip:

If you are using this method to watch videos from Netflix, use it in projector mode only. By this method, only your HDTV or HD monitor is set and thereby you can get the best streaming quality. Netflix streams video based on the resolution of the computer monitor and your network speed!

How to open a jammed CD or DVD drive on a PC or Laptop?

Mr.Lyte — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:16:39 +0000

Sometimes if the CD or DVD drives are old they tend to get stuck for one reason or the other. But its very easy to open a stuck CD/DVD drive using a paper clip.

So let see how to open a stuck CD or DVD drive.

That’s my laptop and lets assume its DVD drive is stuck!

Now we need a Paper Clip. Just make sure its not too thin or too thick.

Search for a small reset hole on the CD or DVD drive. Most of the time you might have never noticed it until now.

Stretch the paper clip so that you can use it to insert inside the reset hole.

Most of the times, or at least in what I have experienced, you don’t need power supply to open the drive when using this method. So you can turn the power supply off.

Use the paper clip to poke inside the reset hole until the DVD drive opens by itself. Sometimes it might be little resistive but use a little force.

Hope this tutorial helped you in opening your stuck CD or DVD drive.

How to Connect A2DP Bluetooth Stereo Headset with Vista?

Mr.Byte — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 03:54:00 +0000

I just got a Motorola Motorokr S9-HD Bluetooth Stereo headset to connect with my Nokia N95 8GB and with my Vista Home Premium laptop, HP Pavilion Entertainment PC DV 6500.

This Motorola S9 headset is one of the best A2DP Bluetooth headset (A2DP – Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) that are available now in the market. Connecting this with my Nokia N95 was a very easy task (I also tried connecting with other Sony Ericsson phone, it was also very simple and straight forward). But connecting with my Vista laptop took me a while to figure it out.

The coolest Option lets to connect both Vista and Phone to the same headset at the same time:

Here is my biggest reason why I wanted this Bluetooth headset to set both with my phone and vista laptop. Imagine you are watching a movie or listening to songs from your laptop using this headset, when you get a call in your phone, the movie or song automatically pauses, you take the call using the headset and after you are done with the call, the movie or song automatically resumes. So here you have a headset which is connected with both phone and vista computer at the same time.

Drivers for Bluetooth in Vista:

Many advised to change the Bluetooth drivers that came by default with Vista saying it doesn’t support A2DP. But I just managed to get it to work without changing my Bluetooth drivers as I had my HP Bluetooth Module driver from Broadcom.

Before I proceed these are the Bluetooth drivers that are in my laptop currently.

Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator – 6.0.6001.18064 – Microsoft

Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network) – 6.0.6001.18000 – Microsoft

HP Bluetooth Module – 5.1.2535.0 – Broadcom

Bluetooth Hands-free Audio – 6.0.1.3700 – Broadcom

Bluetooth Stereo Audio – 6.0.1.3700 – Broadcom

So here is how to connect A2DP Bluetooth headset with Vista:

1. Make sure Bluetooth is active in your computer. Click the Vista Start button and type Bluetooth in the Search box. From the results in top select Bluetooth Devices under Programs. (Note: If Bluetooth Devices is not listed then it means you computer does not have Bluetooth)

2. From the Options tab, make sure all the options are checked.

Allow Bluetooth devices to find this computer
Allow Bluetooth devices to connect to this computer
Alert me when Bluetooth device wants to connect

Also if you prefer select options like Show the Bluetooth icon in the notifications area.

3. Now turn on the Bluetooth headset. Click the Devices tab in the Bluetooth Devices window and click Add.

4. In the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard check My device is set up and ready to be found and click Next.

5. It will search for all the nearby turned on Bluetooth devices and it will list all the devices including Bluetooth headset. Choose the headset and click Next.

6. Choose a Passkey in the next window for security purposes. Usually the device may come with some documented security code (For example, Motorola S9 HD Bluetooth Headset has the Passkey 0000)

7. Now it will connect and install the drivers needed.

8. In the next window click Finish.

Now even if the Bluetooth headset is connected, you may not be able to hear any music from the headset.

So here is the tweak you need to do to make it work. Go to Bluetooth Devices and select the headset under Audio Devices and click the Properties at the bottom.

Select the services tab and make sure you have Headset checked, this is what is responsible for A2DP stereo connections. Check all necessary and click OK.

Now go to Audio tab in the Bluetooth Devices and make sure Bluetooth Stereo Audio says its connected. If not select and click Connect at the bottom.

Even now you may not be able to listen through your Bluetooth headset using A2DP.

So, Go to Start –> Control Panel –> Hardware and Sound –> Sound –> Manage audio devices. Now under Playback select Bluetooth Stereo Audio and select Set Default.

Some Points to be Noted:

1. Now you should be able to hear the music in both speakers using stereo mode. If not try closing the players or browsers and start them again.

2. Make sure you don’t play anything while changing any options that I had mentioned above. It may cause the program not to respond or crash.

3. If you are absolutely sure that you have done all these steps, try restarting the system.

How to use inbuilt webcam in HP Pavilion Entertainment PC to record videos and snapshot?

Mr.Byte — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:11:31 +0000

After writing the post about my customized HP Pavilion DV6500 Entertainment PC with Windows Vista, many have been looking for some issues and solutions. One of the major issues and doubt is how to use the inbuilt webcam in HP laptops.

Use the HP QuickPlay button which is located at the top of the keyboard to start the QuickPlay. Usually the QuickPlay buttons are highlighted in blue color and if its not highlighted then it may be either disabled during startup or the driver is not working. Check this post on how to add or remove startup programs and applications or check this post to find where you can download drivers for HP Pavilion Entertainment PC.

If the HP QuickPlay is disabled, you may also start it by going to Start –> type quickplay in the seach box –> Enter.

In the QuickPlay, Click the Video Icon.

From the Source section, if you find HP Webcam, double click to start it. Or if you don’t find it, check for USB Video Device and double click it. This will start the webcam.

Use the Record button at the bottom to record the webcam video and the Snapshot Image button to take pictures using the webcam. The recorded Videos will be stored in Public -> Public Videos -> HP Webcam.

You can also use the webcam with the Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, Skype etc. Use the webcam button in the messenger software and it will automatically start the webcam.

My Experience with Nokia N95-4 8GB (US Edition) After 1 Week of Usage

Mr.Byte — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:08:19 +0000

Its been a week since I got my Nokia N95 8GB, the north American edition (N95-4) with 3G. Before I begin, I should say I am Loving It!!! The fourth black edition of Nokia N95 was released last month (March 2008). I was waiting to get Sony Ericsson Xperia, but looks like I had to wait for a long time. Anyway I could not resist getting this phone as in most of the list of top phones I checked out, Nokia N95 was ahead of iPhone!

So far the experience was good. I have AT&T connection with unlimited MediaNet which has made the experience even better with 3G.

Price Range of Nokia N95 8GB US Edition

The price range is around $700 and the initial quoted price in Nokia webpage was $799. Dell had initial offer for $511 + Tax which comes to around $600 but it lasted only for first 250 customers and I missed it. Finally the next good deal I could get was from JR.Com and I got it for $650 with Tax.

Here is the review on my experience with Nokia N95-4 8GB

Initial setup with the Network (AT&T)

The initial setup was very simple. As soon as I put my 3G SIM card from AT&T and switched on, the setting wizard automatically setup the parameters for SMS, AT&T MMS, AT&T Media Net and AT&T Internet. Incase if one cancels to do the initial setup or change the service provider, you can access the Initial Setup Wizard from Menu -> Tools -> Utilities -> Setting Wizard. This will take care of the rest. This is very handy as otherwise you have to enter all the details manually and which is very tedious.

Data Networking.

One thing I liked about the Internet access from N95 through ATT is that it switched from 2G networks and 3G networks seamlessly. When the network is crowded or fluctuating, the data access moved seamlessly from GPRS (General Pocket Radio Service) to EGPRS (Enhanced GPRS) or EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) to 3G or 3.5G without deterring any user web experience.

2G Network – GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network – HSDPA 850 / 1900 – US version (High Speed Downlink Packet Access)

When I tested the speed using DSL Reports Mobile Speed Test, it gave 150 – 160 KBPS when I was browsing through EDGE. And an amazing speed of up to 723 KBPS while browsing through 3G or 3.5G.

At home, it easily connected to the Wireless LAN and the browsing speed was even better and good. I got around 1300 KBPS when browsing in my home wireless network. N95 comes with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g.

Other networking features like USB, UPnP and Bluetooth were also handy. I usually sent the downloaded applications to my phone through Bluetooth and it was stored in the message folder.

Call Quality

The incoming call quality was very good but it was too responsive to the surrounding noise. The receiver at the other end always complained about the surrounding noise.

camera

The 5 MP (2592 x 1944 pixels) camera in Nokia N95 with Carl Zeiss optics is one of the features that made to consider buying this phone and I was not disappointed. The Auto mode in the phone suited most of the photos I took but there were significant difference when I choose the category manually. Here are two pictures, one was taken in auto mode (Left Pic) and another one in Landscape mode (Right Pic).

The general categories that are available are Auto, User defined, Close-up mode, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night, Night Portrait.

Sports mode was also very good and accurate enough to capture fast moving objects for a 5MP camera.

Also other features like auto-focus, self timer, sequence mode makes this one of the best digital camera phone. If you are a professional photographer, features like Color Tone, View Finder Grid, White Balance, Exposure Compensation, Sharpness, Contrast, Light Sensitivity makes N95 Camera even better.

Leaf Close Up Shot by N95-4 8GB

One thing I found about the flash is, I had to turn off before taking pictures of glossy surface as the reflection of the flash was highly prominent.

Other pictures taken by my Nokia N95 in Flickr

The video capture is at the rate of 30fps which was good enough to capture even moving objects with good clarity.

Here is an example of the video of moving objects that I took with my Nokia N95 8GB. Obviously, the quality was much higher when I took and YouTube reduced the quality.

Video of Moving Objects Taken By Nokia N95-4 8GB

GPS

Another best feature in N95 8GB was the GPS which now comes with Assisted GPS (A-GPS). Also N95-4 8GB came with 6 months free voice turn by turn navigation. Nokia maps were good but it takes a little while to find and lock the initial position. I downloaded Google Maps with GPS and it was able to lock the initial position faster than Nokia Maps. The accuracy was also really great, when the car was over the railway track while crossing, it showed exactly that the car was over the track!

Audio

The audio quality was really good as well the radio receiving capability (though not all radio stations were received good). I believe the audio can be even better with a higher end headphones like Shure, Bose or Ultimate Ears which has noise canceling features. The headphone that came with N95 was really good indoors but in outdoors I had to keep the volume really high. But I should say that even when I kept the phone in full volume, it was not unpleasant.

Video

The replay of the video was good and even the streaming videos from YouTube and other sites were really good. Also the audio-video sync was perfect. The video playback in the landscape mode was amazing to watch long videos.

Applications

Since Nokia N95 has Symbian, it comes with the advantage of having lots of applications. Also the new field of applications that have started to come out are with the Accelerometer. To name a few accelerometer applications for N95, Nokmote, RotateMe, ShakeSMS, FlipSilent, Rock N Scroll.

Memory – Mass and Phone

Phone memory has 133 MB and Mass memory has 8 GB (Actual usable memory – 7.49 GB). For some applications like Yahoo! Go 3.0 requires that you install them on phone memory. When I first installed it in Mass Memory, it was very slow. So its better to install all the frequently used applications in phone memory.

Battery

Though N95 8GB has new 1200mAH Li-ion battery, it does not long last if you are using all through the day. It also consumes more if you are using applications like GPS, Accelerometer, or Camera. The first two days when I had the phone when I was literally using the phone the whole day (I was almost using all the features), the battery ran out before I could get back home. Now even when I use phone for couple of hours for calling along with music and other features, it longs till I go to sleep. But anyway one has to charge it everyday.

Keypad

The keys are very tightly packed and if you are looking forward to type long messages and mails through this phone then it may be little tough.

Slider

The two way slider is a different perspective from other phones but its still wobbly and little loose as pointed out by many earlier N95 users.

PC Suite, Sync & Firmware Update

Unfortunately, though Nokia PC suite works, Nokia software updater still doesn’t support N95-4 8GB version. The firmware versions of Europe edition and North American edition differs and there are no updates yet for North American editions.

Here is the firmware version for my Nokia N95-4 8GB

Use *#0000# to find the Nokia firmware version
V 1.2.011
28/01/08
RM-421
Nokia N95 (A6.01)

Since both the edition numbers totally vary there are no way to verify if the firmware for N95-4 8GB has the updated features from European edition. But the features like automatic rotation from Portrait to Landscape has been introduced in the new firmware update in European edition but its still not available in N95-4 American Edition.

Yet Another HP Pavilion Entertainment PC at Home – dv9700

Mr.Byte — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 03:56:51 +0000

5 months ago I mentioned that I got a new customized HP Pavilion Entertainment Notebook – dv6500. Now my roommate got another HP Laptop as I recommended him to buy it.

It’s a customized HP Pavilion dv9700 Entertainment Notebook PC and its little bigger than what I have as its 17 inch. As I told before, I am a fan of HP and I love their sleek design!

Check out different imprint finish they have for laptops.

HP Imprint Artist

HP Imprint Verve

Other imprint finishes include Influx, Dragon, Radiance (this is what I have in my laptop), Echo, and Trace.

(Imprint details and pictures from HP Shopping)

Here are some of the details regarding HP dv9700:

Operating System : Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
Processor : Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7250 (2.00 GHz, 2 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
Memory : 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Display : 17.0? WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1440 x 900)
Graphics Card : 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS with DirectX 10
Networking : Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
Hard disk : 320GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (160GB x 2)
DVD Drive : LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
Battery : High Capacity 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
No TV Tuner with Remote Control

Other features :
HP Imprint (Radiance)
Fingerprint Reader,
Webcam,
Microphone ,
Remote Control.

Slots, Pins and other features on the Left Side:
Security cable Slot,
S-Video-out jack,
External Monitor Port,
Expansion Port 3,
RJ-45 (network) jack,
RJ-11 (modem) jack,
HDMI port,
2 USB port,
1394 port,
Digital Media Slot.

Slots, Pins and other features on the Right Side:
Express Card Slot,
Optical Drive,
USB Port,
Power Connector.

Slots, Pins and other features on the Front Side:
Power light,
Battery light,
Drive light,
Wireless Switch,
Wireless light,
Consumer infrared lens,
Audio-in (microphone) jack,
2 Audio-out (headphone) jack.

Windows Experience Index:
Here is the list of subscore for all different parameters.
Processor (3.9) : Calculations per second
Memory RAM (3.4) : Memory operations per second
Graphics (3.2) : Desktop performance for Windows Aero
Gaming Graphics (4.4) : 3D business and gaming graphics performance
Primary Hard Disk (4.9) : Disk data rate transfer

Rock n Scroll – Accelerometer and Motion based Input Application for Nokia N95

Mr.Byte — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:23:35 +0000

I was just amazed when I saw the video of RockNscroll application from Keynetik for Symbian phones especially Nokia N95. This application lets the user to give input to the phone based on the hand motion while he is holding it. It works on the principle of Dual Motion and Step Motion Sensor Technology.

If you are not able to view here, click here to view it in YouTube.

For example, when you are in the page where there are lots of applications and the first application is highlighted but if you want to choose the next application, you just move the phone to that side with a bit of force. To select the application, move the phone downwards and if you want to go the previous page move the phone upwards.

You can also change the input modes, so that the selection moves if you just tilt the phone rather than applying a forceful move. This is much useful when you are selecting a big song play list or similar things. Also like Apple iPhone, you can change the direction of the screen from portrait to landscape or vice versa.

The best of all is that this input method improves the gaming experience, where you don’t click or press any buttons, you just tilt the phone anyway you want and the target moves. It’s just awesome! You need to have it to experience it. I guess this will be the best application for any handheld devices like mobile phones (especially higher end phones like Nokia N95, Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, iPhone) with Symbian or Windows Mobile, Gaming devices like Sony PSP etc.

And the next best thing is that IT’S FREE!!! But still its in beta, you can signup in Keynetik forum to download.

What to Look for When You Buy a Home Photo Printer?

Mr.Byte — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:36:11 +0000

Last week I wrote the post about ‘How to create your own photo mosaic from your photo collection?’ and more often when we have some special photos of memories, we share it with our friends and family and last but not the least we tend to print it down. One may put these photos in a frame and keep it in a shelf around the living room or bedroom or may stick it on the refrigerator. Whatever it is, we expect it to be of good quality if not the highest quality as a home user.

As much as the confusion reigns in buying any product in this competitive world, it exists before buying a photo printer for home as there are thousands to choose from. The best way is to consider it category by category and go on in an elimination round. Think what is the purpose of the photo printer that you are willing to buy and this may determine the money you may want to put on it which usually ranges from $50 to $500 or more.

Yes, this is a new sleek printer from Samsung and Apple.

So here are the features that I would recommend to look for before you make up the decision:
Resolution
The first one that I would look into is the resolution in dpi (Dots per inch) also known as Max H-Resolution Color. But look carefully here as you infer the quality of the print from these numbers because this dpi varies for different technology like ink-jet or thermal or laser. DPI usually varies from 300 to 4800 or above and thermal printers have low numbers than ink-jet. But whatever it is, it’s better to get one a decent one from the category of your choice if not the highest. The highest and the latest would always mean the costliest, so it’s better to settle for the second best and you can also keep it for a reasonable time before you buy the next home photo printer. So buy a standard one like 1200 by 4800 dpi for ink-jet which is same as 300 by 300 dpi for thermal dye printers.

Brand
Buying a branded one usually tends to be a costlier one but you can it without thinking too much. It’s like paying insurance for your product. If you are willing to do a well research on other brands that you are considering to buy, it may be a better choice. The better ones are usually from HP, Canon, Epson, Xerox, Lexmark etc.

Size
The regular size of photos is 4 by 6 inches or little bigger than that is 8 by 10 inches. Most photos that you would print often would be within these sizes. But if you are a large photo enthusiast, you may consider tabloid sizes like 11 by 17 inches or even bigger tabloid 13 by 19 inches. These sizes would be great for wall hangings. But it’s better to settle for 8 by 10 inches and you can always print these extra large ones from a store.

Printer Type and Technology
Here the printer type we have considered is home photo printer but you can also buy printers which are also suited for regular day to day printing so that you need not have two printers near your computer! Considering the technology, the poplar ones for photo printing are ink-jet or thermal dye printers than laser. Most of the thermal printers are better than ink-jet for long lasting looks of the pictures and making it water proof.

Speed
Speed is the main factor when it comes to cost. Most of the printers may give the same quality but some offer high speed printing while maintaining the quality. As a home user, you may settle for low speed and save lot of money.

Operating Cost
You may end up buying a printer of your choice now and maybe reluctant to use it later because the running cost of using photo papers and ink may be very high. You may think that you can use third-party inks and paper but each printer is designed to work at its best with a particular ink, paper and software which run behind it. The physics behind the operation of the technology differs from product to product. You may see a slight difference in quality if you use third party products but if that’s reasonable quality, it may be the better choice.

Other Features:
Number of Ink Colors – Higher number of ink colors may give professional quality of pictures but may not be necessary for home user.
Connectivity – You can always connect the printer with USB to your computer. Higher connectivity features like wireless, connecting to multiple computers at the same time are of necessity but of choice.
Scanner – Again it’s only by choice. It’s a matter of need and want.
Other features like compatibility, built in additional features like CD or DVD -writer, Digital and multimedia card reader, touch screen, preview screen, laminator etc add up the price tag so it’s better to decide what you want exactly.

To make your choice better, you can always read some printer reviews before you go to the store or order it online.

My New HP Pavilion Entertainment PC – dv6500

Mr.Byte — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 19:53:35 +0000

Note: After writing this post, many have started asking questions regarding issues with HP Pavilion Entertainment PC – DV6500 and other related laptops. I have tried to answer most the issues at the end of this post and in the comments section.

It’s been a while since I got my new laptop and I couldn’t post any details on that earlier. So here it is…

It’s a customized HP Pavilion dv6500 Notebook PC and I love it. I am a fan of HP and all the desktops and laptops that I have got so far are from HP. I love their sleek design!

Operating System : Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
Processor : Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7300 (2.00 GHz, 4 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
Memory : 2GB DDR2 (2 Dimm)
Display : 15.4″ WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
Graphics Card : 383MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS with DirectX 10
Networking : Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
Hard disk : 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
DVD Drive : LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
Battery : High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Other features :

HP Imprint (Radiance)
Fingerprint Reader,
Webcam,
Microphone ,
Remote Control.

Slots, Pins and other features on the Right Side:
Express Card Slot,
Optical Drive,
USB Port,
Power Connector.

Windows Experience Index:
All the subscore including gaming graphics are above 4.3 but the graphics score for Windows Aero is only 3.2 and so the Base Score of Windows Experience Index is 3.2. Here is the list of subscore for all different parameters.
Processor (4.9) : Calculations per second
Memory RAM (4.8) : Memory operations per second
Graphics (3.2) : Desktop performance for Windows Aero
Gaming Graphics (4.3) : 3D business and gaming graphics performance
Primary Hard Disk (4.6) : Disk data rate transfer

Issues and Solutions: Many of you have been visiting here looking for some issues and solutions. First search in the comments if there are any issues realated to yours and for any following comments with solutions. If not write down your comments and I’ll try my best to solve them.

Software and Driver downloads for HP Pavilion DV6500

Here are some of the most frequently asked issues:

HP Quickplay not working: First try to updated or reinstall the HP quickplay driver. Download from the link provided above. Or HP quickplay may have been disabled in the startup, read this post for more details on how to add or remove programs from the startup.

HP Webcam: Using HP webcam to record videos and take images and other uses from HP QuickPlay.

Monitor goes blank: Sometime the monitor goes blank, read this post for more details.

Battery not charging: Remove the battery completely from the laptop. Wait for sometime (like a min to discharge any static or residual current) and then assemble it. This is more like the same solution when the monitor goes blank which I have described previous to this one.

Bioscrypt Verisoft Access Manager: How to Register, Backup and Restore Credentials in Bioscrypt VeriSoft Access Manager?

Other Useful Links:

HP USA Support – Check for different options on the sidebar after you click the link

Contact HP USA

Update: Yet Another HP Pavilion Entertainment PC at Home – dv9700

Enhance Vista Sidebar Clock With Vista Orb Clock

Mr.Byte — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 14:11:27 +0000

I had posted few pictures of the sidebar clocks for Vista in my last post, “How to Set Up Multiple Clocks in Vista?“. These skins for the Vista sidebar clock does not come with the default package and if you are wondering where you can get them, read on…

Vista Orb Clock is the sidebar gadget based on the windows Vista Icons. It has 12 new skins for the sidebar clock (5 Vista Orbs, Windows Media Center, Windows Live, Windows Media Player, CD, 2 Globes & the blue compass).

This is by far the great designs for Vista sidebar clocks I have seen.
Download Vista Orb Clock from Windows Live Gallery