7 Best Windows (Alternative) Shell Replacement Programs

Looking for some good desktop/shell replacement programs for Windows? For those of you who feel the need, the need to customize, an alternative shell to the Windows shell is the best solution. So what exactly is a shell replacement? It’s basically a program that will integrate with Windows and replace the default shell. The shell is GUI interface that you use to run programs or view files, etc.

By replacing the shell, you can completely change the look and feel of the GUI. Usually when replacing the Windows shell, users are looking for more control and customization options than what is provided in Windows. Also, a lot of shells end up using less resources than the default shell. There are a lot of different shell replacement programs out there. Some have rich graphical user interfaces and some are very minimal. In this article, I will list out some of the best replacement shells for Windows.

All of the shells are easy to uninstall if you don’t like them, which is good. They won’t go replacing system files and messing up your computer if you end up not wanting to

Emerge Desktop

Emerge Desktop is probably one of the most popular Windows replacement shells out there. It replaces Windows Explorer, the task bar, the start button and pretty much everything else. You can also use desktop customization tools like RainMeter to really create some crazy unique desktops like the one shown above. It’s completely open source and they have a lot of tutorials and a very active forum, so you can quickly learn the software and how to start customizing. Works great with dual monitors too.

Sharpenviro

Another good shell alternative is Sharpenviro. It works on Windows XP, Vista and 7. You can create multiple toolbars that are similar to the Windows task bar, but you can customize them and they can also include real-time info like monitoring CPU, taking notes, getting weather reports, etc. You can also customize pretty much everything, which is the hallmark of  a good shell replacement program. Sharpenviro also supports multiple monitors, which is essential nowadays since a lot of people have more than one monitor. You can also create virtual desktops to manage your desktop windows.

LiteStep

LiteStep is another awesome replacement desktop for your Windows PC. Just install it and then start installing themes, scripts or modules. You can customize your desktop in a multitude of ways and it’s all open source and free. Using LiteStep with some of the modules requires a little more technical experience than some of the other programs, but it can do just about anything you want if you get into it. LiteStep has been around for a very long time and the latest release was in 2009, so a few years back. However, the themes and modules are still being updated/created by users.

Talisman Desktop

Talisman Dekstop is a commercial shell replacement that has a good number of themes you can download to fully customize your desktop environment. You can create multilevel desktops, desktop panels, and lots more. With a little bit of self-learning, you can customize the task bar, system tray, clock, start menu, explorer interface, etc.

AstonShell

AstonShell is definitely not my favorite shell replacement program, but it might be great for some! If you really liked specific themes like Christmas or Disney, etc, then you can use AstonShell to download all kinds of crazy themes and convert your desktop into whatever you like. It’s definitely not for those who want a minimalistic look or a modern look. Also, AstonShell is not free, so you’ll have to cough up $30 if you really want to convert your desktop into something crazy.

bbLean

For those of you who like the minimalistic look for your desktop, bbLean is a good choice. It hasn’t been updated since 2009, but a lot of people still love using it because of the simple GUI interface. But just like with most shell replacement programs, new themes are always being created.

CarioShell

CarioShell is a decent Windows shell alternative that allows you to access your files and programs faster from the desktop. It’s not as robust as the other shell programs and hasn’t been updated in a while. However, it still is a good program and works overall. You don’t have nearly as many customization options like you do with Emerge Desktop and others.

Overall, there aren’t a lot of shell replacements out there and only a a handful of really good ones. If you are using a Windows shell replacement program that I haven’t mentioned here, feel free to let us know about it in the comments. Enjoy!

Unreal Engine powered Wild Blood Android Game Released by Gameloft

The games addicts can now test a new Android app as Gameloft has just released a new interesting (at least on paper) action role-playing game (RPG) with high end features and with an exciting story line. I am talking about Wild Blood, which is the first Unreal Engine powered game developed by Gameloft and offered for the Android platform. As mentioned, the RPG can be anytime downloaded from Google Play, as Wild Blood has just been released; its price and features along with a short preview of the game play can be checked during the following lines.

As the Wild Blood is being powered by Unreal Engine we were expecting to see the best graphics of any Gameloft game released so far, but as usual things could be better. Anyway, the game is looking really good and you will have to own a real high end smartphone or tablet (SGS3 for example) in order to run it to its high quality graphics and not to enjoy only the defaulted to lower quality. Anyway, according to the users who had already tried the Wild Blood Android RPG, it seems that the graphics are not that spectacular after all; but I’m guessing that for making a proper opinion about the same, you will have to test the game by yourselves.

If we are to talk about the Wild Blood gameplay, then here is what you need to know. The hero of the game is knight Sir Lancelot who will fight against numerous demons and creatures commanded by Morgana Le Fey, the action taking place on King’s Arthur kingdom. As the name states, you will get the desired action, as the player will be able to kill many enemies, use special powers and discover more than 10 locations until the journey ends. Also, a few puzzles must be completed on your way, so the game is quite interesting, maintaining the interest and the curiosity all the time. Of course a multiplayer mode is available as you can play against 8 friends, Capture the Flag and Team Deathmatch modes being featured by Wild Blood.

Now, if you want to get the Wild Blood Android RPG, you should go on Google Play and search for the same, or you can use the link from here. The app has an initial size of 698 MB, but an extra 200 MB will be added once you start the game (so you need almost 900MB of space in order to enjoy the tool). The Wild Blood price is $6.99, which is not much as we are talking about a quite interesting game with high end features and with a great story line, so you must try it. Do share your impressions and opinions with us and with other users by using the comments area from below.

Get UNLIMITED REAL LIKES on Your Fan Page for FREE

This method will give you Unlimited REAL Likes on your Fan Page for Free. It's not the usual ewhoring style technique on Facebook, but with a very clever twist on it.

First, create a hot chick profile on Facebook. Make it look legit, don't put a photo of Megan Fox on your profile. But make sure that the profile picture is good looking and skimpily dressed. Choose Twilight, Mills and Boons, Justin Bieber and all those tacky stuff as interests. Make it as feminine as it can be.

Search "add me" in the Facebook Search and choose the active pages. There is one particular page (profile pic - Swiss plus sign in blue) which has more than 70K likes and it allows you to post picture. The page is unmoderated and very active. Post extremely provocative pictures and say add me. You will get loads of friend requests. Post frequently. And in the meantime continue adding people who have posted in those pages. But be careful, don't add too many people at once or your account will get blocked.

Very soon your profile will have hundred or even thousands of friends. Now comes the twist. Convert your Facebook profile to a Facebook Fan Page. This way all your friends will be automatically converted to fans. Search "Convert facebook profile to page" on Google. Click on the first result which is from facebook and follow the directions from there. While converting MAKE SURE that you categorize your page as a BUSINESS page. This trick works only on product or business pages.

You must be wondering "But wait, this won't give me unlimited likes...". No, it will. Continue reading. Once your page is ready, transfer the page to another account, which you have created for managing pages. Make that account the sole admin of the page.

Now create another hot chick profile on Facebook and follow the earlier steps. Once you are satisfied with the number of friends, convert this profile to a fan page as well. Now comes another clever twist. MAKE SURE that the PAGE NAME is EXACTLY THE SAME as the one you have earlier created, and both must be BUSINESS PAGES. Now transfer this page again to the same account, where you transferred the previous page. Just to clarify, when I say the page name, I literally mean the Page Name, NOT the custom url.

So, now that account, where you transferred both the pages will have 2 pages will have the exact same page name. Now MERGE both the pages. Please note you can only merge the Page with fewer likes into the one with more likes. To do so:


First make sure all the duplicate pages are having the same name.
Go to the Page with the most likes. This will be the one you'll keep.
Go to Admin Panel -> Manage -> Edit Page -> Resources -> Develop your page.


Only if you have duplicate pages under same name, you will be able to see the option Merge duplicate pages.
Click on Merge duplicate pages.


It will give you a pop up. (Your fans will be carried over but you will lose all the content.)
Check in the pages you need to merge and click Merge Pages.


Again it will give you a Popup.
There you can see a warning stating that only your likes and check-ins will be merged not the content. Content in the duplicate pages will be permanently deleted, so be careful and make sure there are no important content.
If you have any content that need to be merged, you have to upload them manually to primary fan page.
Once you click Merge Pages it will show you a confirmation.
Now your pages have been successfully merged.


An Important Point

When you convert your profile to a fan page, the page name has to be very similar to your profile. Since you probably won't want such a name, here's a nifty little trick to get almost any page you want. After you have created the profile - go to settings - name - and click edit. Add an alternative name but check the box for not displaying it on the profile. Put your desired page name as your alternative name, which can be drastically different from the actual profile name. Facebook still won't accept all alternatives names. But get creative here as well. For example if you put Blackhatworld Lounge as your alternative name, Facebook will deny it since Lounge is a common dictionary word. But if you put Blackhatworld L as your alternative name, it will accept it. While converting, if you put Blackhatworld Lounge as your page name, Facebook will accept it, since it's very similar to one of your name!

Just rinse and repeat the above steps and get unlimited fans for your page.