I had heard that loads of tools are available for turning off the Laptop or desktop monitors when not in use before. Eventually, today I happened to come across a free tool ‘MonPwr’ which lets us turn our Laptop/desktop monitors on with just a click of a mouse button – and keep it turned off until we left click the mouse or press the ‘Enter key’ or ‘Spacebar’. It’s even cool that it does not effect any of the running processes on your PC. Rather, it will save power and extend your monitor’s life.
The user interface of this utility is very small as can be seen in the size of the screenshot above and has only two options, one to turn off monitor and second one (+) to add the utility to Windows startup.
Well, I have been using it now and yes, it’s too easy to use and takes very less resources. Moreover, MonPwr keeps the monitor turned off even if you accidentally jerk the mouse. It’s compatible with all versions of Windows for the PCs and Laptops. Also, the application does not require any installation.
So, the usage is just simple – just run the executable and click ‘Turn Off’ to turn off your monitor. To turn it back on, double click the mouse or press the ‘Enter key’ or press the ‘Spacebar’ whichever is at your convenience.. Interestingly, any other keys/mouse jerks will not turn on the monitor, ensuring that it will not accidentally turn on when you leave it turned off.
Click here to download the tool, use it and become an energy efficient guy.
Dynamites are small. Rather I would say, good and powerful things come in small packets. Truely, I never imagined before that a mouse which is attached to every desktop PC can be so powerful today. Yes, I am moved by what the technology Multipoint has to offer us. A multipoint is all about playing with different mice in a single PC platform.
Have you ever attached more than one mouse to a single computer? Just check out yourself and find out if you are in dilemma! The result is, you share a single cursor, of course. Well, not if you have the new MultiPoint technology.
Suppose, we take an example of a school in remote Nepal. When say 40 students with only four PCs among them, 10 students crowd around each machine. Within each group a dominant student – often the smartest, strongest, or the oldest child – takes center position and controls the mouse. While other students point, gesture and vie for control of the mouse, they ultimately have no direct control of the PC and often lose interest and shift their attention elsewhere.
The obvious solution to this problem is to buy more PCs, of course thereby boosting the PC-to-student ratio. However, many schools simply can’t afford more PCs. And, even with more machines, traditional PC set-ups do not allow for collaborative learning and teamwork.
But, with Microsoft MultiPoint, things my change. As I say again, a Microsoft MultiPoint is a simple, powerful technology enabling multiple users to share a single PC using multiple mice or other peripherals and to learn technical skills in the process. The technology helps shift the student from passive to active learning, and the collaborative environment adds a whole new layer of value to the PC in the classroom. In addition, MultiPoint offers a more affordable way to decrease student-to-PC ratios.
Furher, Microsoft MultiPoint, is doing two things. First, it is supporting collaborative learning, where students are engaged in group activities and learning from one another. Second, it is a cost effective mechanism for expanding the reach of computing hardware. Cheap input devices allow many children to interact simultaneously with a computer, greatly reducing the cost per student. The reality in our country is that the number of computers available for education is severely limited, so this simple yet amazing mechanism makes it possible for many more students to access computers in a pedagogically sound manner. 
To add a note, Microsoft is extending the challenge of designing new solutions based on MultiPoint to students participating in the Imagine Cup 2010 Poland – Microsoft’s premier competition for technology students, which provides a forum to encourage creative and technological innovations among university students worldwide.
MultiPoint is just one of a number of efforts driven by Microsoft to create economic, social and educational opportunities for people around the world. The innovation came from the world-class labs of Microsoft Research, and the company believes that technology such as MultiPoint can have a positive impact on people in emerging markets.
Please, click here to view a very interesting example of Multipoint enabled Software.