The Digital Workshop blog has moved

Thanks for visiting the ship’s website!  We haven’t shut down our blog operations, but rather we have moved all of our efforts into one main blog.  This is to ensure that the experience for you, the guest, is one that is slightly easier because of more frequent posts, fresher content, and knowing that everything is in one great place.  The URL for the new website is:

http://haldigitalworkshop.wordpress.com/

At this site you’ll find new content, great feedback from all of our Techsperts, as well as useful links like Handout Downloads, and great information from Windows.

Thank you all for your support and for following along with the Digital Workshop.

Cooler Cruising!

After a hot season cruising the Panama Canal, the Statendam is headed to much cooler weather in Canada and Alaska!  Here are a few shots of some of the gorgeous scenery from a couple of the Canadian ports we’ve visited.

If you’re interested in how to create some beautiful panoramic shots like the ones you see above, visit the Holland America Line Digital Workshop powered by Windows on your next Holland America Line cruise.  Or visit http://download.live.com to get free software that will allow you to make these images!

Windows 7: Definitely a worthwhile upgrade from XP!

I often get asked, “should I upgrade to Windows 7?” My answer, of course, is YES! If you’re sailing onboard the Statendam or any other Holland America ship, be sure to check out the Digital Workshop class “A New Window To Your World” to see some great new features in Windows 7. We’ll show you Pinning, Instant Search, Snip, Snap, Shake, Peek, Gadgets, and much more!

So how does Windows 7 stack up against Windows XP and Windows Vista? The folks at Microsoft put together a great chart highlighting the differences between these versions. Check it out: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/compare?T1=tab20
-Techspert Chase

ms Statendam Digital Workshop, powered by Windows

Perfect group photos with Photo Fuse!

Taking group photos can be quite an effort! You know how it goes – everyone gets together, you snap the photo, but inevitably one person is blinking. So you take another one, and now maybe someone else is looking away!

With Windows Live Photo Gallery and it’s unique Photo Fuse feature, you can create a perfect group photo every time. All you have to do is select the photos you want to fuse, click the Create tab, then Photo Fuse. Next, select the area of the photo you’d like to change, and you’ll see a list of replacement photos. Just click the one you like and voila! A perfect photo!

On the left is a group photo and on the right is a Photo Fuse composite of that photo and several others.

Come learn how to use Photo Fuse hands on in the Digital Workshop, powered by Windows. We’ll see you onboard soon!

Panoramic Views of Acapulco

Sometimes it’s nice just to look at pictures of the amazing places Holland America cruise ships visit, so here are some panoramic photos from a lovely part of Acapulco, Mexico.  Enjoy!

If you would like to learn how to edit photos, along with loads of other fun and useful things, come to the Holland America Line Digital Workshop (Powered by Windows) on your next cruise!

Unlocking the Power of Your PC and the Web with Internet Explorer 9!

Microsoft has now released Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) RC (Release Candidate), which goes beyond previous web browsers that use only 10% of your computer’s processing power and unlocks the other 90%.  IE9 taps into your graphics processor through Windows and utilizes the full potential of your PC, allowing the web to perform like an application installed directly on your computer.  What does all that actually mean to you?  It means that your experience on the Internet will be faster, smoother, and oh-so-much sweeter!

To explore all the fantastic new features of IE9, click the following link:  http://www.beautyoftheweb.com/#/productguide/top-features. 

If you’d like to see how IE9 compares to other web browsers, click this link:  http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/products/ie-9/compare-browsers.

To dowload Internet Explorer 9 RC, click the picture below:

To the Cloud!

Lately I’ve been getting questions about “The Cloud” from guests in the Digital Workshop…wondering what it is and how they use it.  To use Microsoft’s own words, “Windows Cloud connects and shares everything with your PC”, but you might still be wondering what it actually IS and how it will really benefit you.  Well, it’s Windows Live Essentials and all the fantastic free programs that includes!  A huge part of this is SkyDrive (www.skydrive.com), which will allow you to upload pictures, videos, Word documents and so much more (up to 25GB!) and access them from anywhere that has internet.  All of this is what’s being called “The Cloud”.  You can find out all about it and how to use it by going to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/cloud/.

Welcoming in 2011 on the Statendam

Celebrating New Year’s on a ship means decorating the Showroom at Sea and doing it up right!  Here are some pictures of the Statendam New Year’s celebration:

 

Let your New Year’s resolution be to book a cruise with Holland America Line and take classes in the Digital Workshop powered by Windows!

Guest’s Dolphin Sighting!

One of the great treats of being on a cruise ship is seeing wildlife unexpectedly. A Statendam guest recently spotted some dolphins swimming and jumping near the ship, was lucky enough to have his camera ready and shared his pictures with all of us!

Passing through the Panama Canal

Today on the Statendam, we’re going through the Panama Canal on our way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, so I decided to stitch together some panoramic photos of guests, Forward and Aft, enjoying our journey.

Guests on the Statendam, Forward, enjoying the Panama Canal

Guests on the Statendam, Aft, enjoying the Panama Canal

If you’re interested in booking a cruise through the Panama Canal, visit www.hollandamerica.com to check out great deals and itineraries.  If you’d like to be able to make stunning panoramic stitch photos, download Windows Live Photo Gallery at http://download.live.com and be sure to check out the Digital Workshop on your next Holland America Line cruise!