All apps are set up on my Windows 7 laptop and everything's running smoothly, so that means it's time to spruce up the look and feel. I'm quite pleased with the freely available Tokyo Tower Windows 7 Theme. It has a nice gradient sunset over the horizon filled with purples through blues. I'm pretty sure the picture was taken from the top of Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills.

Hit the jump to see the desktop screenshot.

Everyone has a slew of apps they can't live without. I've compiled a list of apps I snag after a fresh Windows 7 install...

Hit the jump to see the list of apps and start downloading like mad. o_0

Tim Sneath on msdn.com has compiled a list of 30 Windows 7 secrets. Excellent for anyone who enjoys productivity.

The new keyboard shortcuts (and mouse gesture equivalents) for the new window management features allow you to dock windows to the sides, maximize/restore the window vertically (without changing window width), move a window to another monitor, hide all non-active windows, peek at the desktop (allowing you to see gadgets or icons without moving windows), set focus to the taskbar, or launch apps from the taskbar, all just with simple key combinations involving the Windows key.

Another useful tip is to Shift+Right-Click a folder to show the "Open Command Prompt Here" option in the context menu, which sets current working directory to that folder within the command shell.

Hit the jump to see more Windows 7 tips