If you’ve ever tried to change the look and feel of Windows then you know it can be a time-consuming and complicated affair. Outside of just changing your wallpaper, you can spend hours adjusting all the little display settings or resort to using complicated software that never really works right. Today we take a look at the technology of two companies that offer quick, easy solutions with dramatic, impressive results. From transforming your desktop into 3D, to replacing all the logos, icons, and accents with more stylish ones, including a set for Star Trek fans. Plus, some wild themes for the PlayStation 3 and PSP.

BumpTop.com

Free 

Designed for computers running Windows Vista, BumpTop adds a three-dimensional room to your desktop, one where your files and icons take on the behavior of real world objects. You can shift and move them about as you would on a real desk surface and use special gestures, such as drawing a lasso around a group of files, to quickly gather them up into organized piles. You can add slideshows and sticky notes to the walls and a set of shortcut wall icons make it easy to transfer files to web-based services including Facebook and Twitter. Should you want to go back to the old desktop, it’s as easy as closing a regular program and happens just as fast. The basic version, which includes almost all of the features is available for free. You can also purchase a “Pro Version” for $25 that includes a few extras and technical support. Read my full review here.

 

HyperDesk Themes

$15 US 

Designed for Windows XP (Vista coming soon), The Skins Factory’s HyperDesk Themes will completely replace the trim and accents used by Microsoft to brand their operating system. Once you download and install their file, the effects will quickly and easily transition. Each of their packages include multiple themes and style selections and you can use their control menu to swap and change them as you please. While their own DarkMatter designs offer high quality graphics and a slick style, the company also does some incredible things with key brands, including desktop sets for Disney’s Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Pixar’s Wall-E, and their latest, Star Trek: The Original Series.

The best part of the HyperDesk sets is the free widget add-on. Designed to work with Yahoo’s own widgets software, the HyperDesk widget is an animated media remote that works with both Windows Media Player and iTunes. In the case of the Star Trek set, the widget “teleports” into existence onto your desktop and plays the signature sounds from the classic television series. Read my full review here.

Each of the HyperDesk sets includes multiple themes, with one each for Kirk (Command), Scotty (Engineering), and Spock (Science)

 

HyperDesk Themes For PlayStation 3 And PSP

$5-$10 US 

The Skins Factory has started offering their slick themes for both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable systems. While not as transformative as their Windows desktop sets, they use the same basic theme customization system used by Sony themselves, their themes include more detailed icons and stylized wallpapers. Each package includes multiple themes and is easy to install, simply transfer the files over to a memory stick and access them through the system’s own settings menu.

Just as they have done with their Windows sets, The Skins Factory will be releasing branded themes and starting today are offering their Star Trek: The Original Series themes for both the PS3 and PSP.