Tunes - Tuneflow

Just in time for all the new holiday computers running Windows Vista, Microsoft launches to their new Vista Answers community, a tech help forum where users ask questions and Vista experts offer answers.

Windows only: If you're eager for a simple, non-browser, quick-starting app that will let you get remote desktop access to your mom's desktop, your struggling friend's laptop, or nearly any other machine, Ammyy Admin is just about perfect for your needs. The 128KB, no-install app opens and gives you a dedicated client ID number.

If you're a power searcher, or other people think you are, and you're getting tired of constant requests for answers to questions that a quick Google search would provide, try Let me google that for you. Enter a search term, click the Google Search button, and a link appears that you can copy, paste and send to your friend.

iPhone only: Inventive iPhone app Direct Line navigates automated phone systems to get you directly to an operator without having to sift through menu options yourself. To use it, just launch the app, tell it who you want to call (it supports hundreds of searchable companies), and let it take care of the rest. You can simply turn on your speakerphone and let Direct Line do its work.

When you've just about had it with an incorrect bill, a faulty product, or anything else you have to call a 1-800 number for, waiting for the automated operator to finish listing all the buttons you can push can feel like rubbing salt in the wound. Dial a Human, a web directory of shortcuts and end-runs around unnecessary prompts, eases the pain.

Microsoft is offering unlimited toll-free tech support calls for compatibility and installation issues with Windows Vista (Service Pack 1) through March 2009, in nearly any country.