uTorrent 2.0 went gold a few days ago, and the latest stable version of the incredibly popular torrent client introduces several useful new features for those who haven't been playing around with the beta.

The first and most technical, but also most important, is the introduction of uTP. The uTorrent Protocol will natively prevent one person's connection from crowding out all the others. In a blog post, Simon Morris, the vice president of product management for uTorrent's parent company BitTorrent, predicted that uTP would result in faster average download speeds. This network congestion mitigation could result in Internet service providers being less hostile to torrenting, he said, and he hoped that it would result in a friendlier environment between network operators and the network users.

Basically, uTP will slow down all torrent traffic until whatever is causing the congestion is cleared up.

However, while uTorrent's programmers are banking on uTP changing the torrenting world for the better, they've also been pragmatic in adding features to version 2.0. The transfer cap feature, accessible from the Preferences menu under Options, allows users whose ISPs have set download and upload limits. Importantly, the feature also includes the ability to track the upload and download rates over a recent time period. The default is set to 31 days.

Skins have sort of come to uTorrent 2.0, but don't expect a simple interface for switching them around. There's no "skins" menu option, so they must be added manually. Once you've selected one from the uTorrent skin site, it must be saved to your uTorrent folder. On Windows XP, that's C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application Data\uTorrent. On Vista and Windows 7, that's most likely E:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\uTorrent. If you're not sure, on any Windows system you can type %appdata% into your search box and hit enter. Once you restart uTorrent, you should see the new skin in use.

There's a redone installation process, as well. New users will find a built-in speed test and other automatic tweaks for high-traffic uploaders, although be warned that you'll still be opted-in to the Ask.com toolbar. The full list of changes in uTorrent 2.0 can be found here. Users who like to live on the edge can grab the uTorrent 2.1 beta, as well.

Who doesn't want their PC to start faster? Even if you've trimmed the list of Windows' start-up apps, as described here in October 2008, you may still find your PC starts too slowly.

A year ago, I wrote about the free Startup Delayer from R2 Studios that lets you adjust how Windows loads your start-up programs. Two useful free tools for trimming your PC's roster of start-up apps are Pirisoft's CCleaner and Microsoft's (formerly SysInternals') AutoRuns. The problem is, you can do massive damage with such registry-editing programs--to the point of making your machine unbootable.

More than one way to start Windows
The first step in rooting out the cause of interminable boots is using the System Configuration utility's "Diagnostic startup" option. Press the Windows key (in XP, the Windows key plus R), type msconfig, and press Enter. Under the General tab, select "Diagnostic startup" and click OK. When you restart Windows, only basic services and devices will be available. With this option selected, Windows should start in just seconds.

System Configuration's "Selective startup" option lets you exclude system services and/or start-up items when Windows loads. Microsoft provides more information on these and Vista's other System Configuration options in a Help and How-to article, Using System Configuration. Similar information for XP is available in Microsoft's "System Configuration Utility overview."

If you'd like to get a closer look at your PC's start-up performance, one of Vista's internal monitors breaks down boot speed by application and process. You can view this data in the Event Viewer utility, as Ed Bott describes in "Microsoft's hidden diagnostic tool unlocks Vista start-up secrets."

Try a faster security solution
Sometimes, balky (and bulky) security software is the source of such slowdowns. Not all security software is created equal. Back in 2006, Oli Warner examined What Really Slows Windows Down and pointed the finger squarely at the big-name security programs.

Even though recent releases of antivirus and other security apps are faster and have much smaller footprints, you might be able to shave precious seconds off your daily boot times by switching to a faster security program. For example, in last October's "Security software that won't slow you down," Dwight Silverman of the Houston Chronicle marveled at the speed of Microsoft's free Security Essentials.

In some situations, slow starts go with the territory
It didn't take long for me to figure out that on my Vista PC, the three programs slowing start-ups the most were my security software, automatic-backup service, and virtualization app. In all three cases, I'm willing to live with the slowdown in exchange for the protection the programs afford me.

I'm otherwise happy with the security app. Once it has started, it's fairly unobtrusive, and most importantly, the program has kept the machine malware-free. The backup service is another keeper; it has saved my bacon on more than a few occasions, and like the security program, I'm hardly aware of the utility's near-real-time backups--after it loads, that is.

Since I don't start the machine in a virtual mode, I could set the virtualization program not to run at start-up. However, I'm forever downloading, installing, testing, and uninstalling the programs I review, so it's convenient to enter my PC's sandbox simply by clicking the virtualization app's icon in the taskbar's notification area.

I don't mind putting another 10 or 15 seconds between me and the start of my workday if doing so might save me from having to spend hours later recovering from a PC catastrophe.

Originally posted at Workers' Edge

It's standard fare for Google to incubate a mobile app feature on one platform before rolling it out to the others. That's why an update on Tuesday to Android's Google Maps app will please Android users, who will see an uptick in productivity on the Maps, but will excite few other Google mobile-watchers on the whole.

We've seem both new features that Google is rolling out to Android phones in other guises. There's star syncing (we first heard about it in December), which stores the places you mark as favorites on your Google account, so you can access them later; for instance a shop you flag on your desktop and pick up again from your mobile when roaming the streets.

Google is also outfitting Maps on Android with search suggestions based on your history, which Google calls "personalized suggestions," an overstatement in our opinion. Tapping into your search history is an old, albeit useful, trick that Google has long employed in its mobile search app on various platforms, not to mention on Google.com.

Google slipped a juicy tidbit into its blog post, saying that users of the navigation app will see a new "night mode" that automatically activates after sundown to dim the colors on the map for viewing that's purportedly kinder on the eyes.

To use both features in the updated Google Maps 3.4, you'll need to make sure that your Web history is switched on and that you're signed into your Google account. Nexus One users will see over-the-air updates starting Tuesday. Everyone else will need to check the Android Market for updates rolling out by the end of the week.

Originally posted at Android Atlas

I'm old enough to remember the heyday of graphic adventures. Space Quest, The Secret of Monkey Island, Full Throttle--these were the inventive, engaging point-and-click pastimes of my youth.

Alas, the genre died out years ago, but every now and then we see a flicker of resurgence--like when Revolution's Broken Sword debuted way back in 1996. Since then, the game has been ported to just about every platform, mostly notably the Nintendo DS last year.

Now, Broken Sword: Director's Cut is available for iPhone and iPod Touch. It's a lush graphic adventure representing the best of the genre, with a compelling plot, challenging puzzles, and welcome doses of humor. Check out the Hollywood-worthy trailer:

If you've never played a game like this (and if you're under the age of 30, you probably haven't), it's like an interactive animated movie.

As the murder-mystery plot unfolds, you explore various globe-spanning locales, looking for clues, talking with other characters, and solving puzzles. The pace is slow, the gameplay linear--players who have itchy trigger fingers or five-minute attention spans should definitely look elsewhere.

Those who enjoy this kind of thing, however, will be in hog heaven. Broken Sword looks absolutely dazzling on the iPhone, and its touch-driven interface couldn't be simpler. Tap the screen to move your character, drag your finger to inspect, use, or take an item; it's all very intuitive.

Early graphic adventures were notoriously quiet affairs, but Broken Sword features professional voice acting that adds greatly to the experience. (Interestingly, the DS version lacked the voices--to its detriment, I think.)

If this game is any indication, the iPhone is the perfect platform for the rebirth of graphic adventures. (In fact, the iPad would be even better, thanks to its larger screen.) Although the $6.99 price tag may seem steep, keep in mind that you're getting at least 10 hours' worth of gameplay. Maybe it's just me, but I'm lucky if I get an hour from the average 99-cent puzzler.

While you're at it, be sure to check out Myst and Monkey Island, both of which are also available for the iPhone.

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas