In a bid to entertain the world for free, EA is launching Battlefield Heroes, a third person cartoon shooter. Windows Live Messenger is fast becoming an entertainment hub, with millions of users. Staying in contact couldn't be easier, and now you can start video calls, voice chat, shared folder sending, webcam viewing and even on-demand TV. Most new games are available through Steam, and it includes friends, groups and invitations. A great way to discover new music, or to choose from your own collection, which could contain thousands of tracks.Ĭatapulting PC gaming into the 21st century, Steam lets you download and play the latest games and provides a great multiplayer platform, too. The Filter searches your music and video collection to create playlists and suggest others you might like. Take a trip into nostalgia and play those old DOS games in their full glory by bringing DOS back to your PC with DOS Box. You can stream video, or download programmes to your computer to watch in high quality whenever you want. The BBC's on-demand video service iPlayer has exceeded all expectations, taken the country by storm and is used by millions of viewers. The free internet TV service promised growth when it launched last year, and it's delivered, with new content being added almost daily, and deals being brokered with major television networks. Social networking hits music with Last.fm, which enables you to listen to music, get recommendations, stream radio tailored to your tastes and get local gig information

Instead of carrying your music with you, access it from anywhere with an internet connection, using a web page to browse your PC. Orb enables you to access your media anywhere in the world, and stream it over the internet.

Transcode 360 converts your files as you play them into files your Xbox can handle. Streaming media can be a fiddly business, and if you use your Xbox 360 as a Windows Media Extender, you might find the restrictions of DivX and Xvid irritating.

Cool apps for mac computer