Microsoft, Amazon and Sears get Black Friday tech deals underway
We are just over a week away from Black Friday, the traditional kickoff of the holiday shopping season. It's the day when normally sedate citizens forget their manners and trample anyone standing between them and the desired item. Much of this tradition has moved online in recent years, but the scene at retail stores still borders on crazy.
While the offerings of many locations have been leaking out to the internet over the past few days, three of the heavy hitters stand out. Microsoft, while running a number of brick and mortar stores, is traditionally an online entity, Amazon is completely internet-based and Sears is an old-school physical location retailer that has tried to make the online move. Three businesses in very different positions.
Microsoft showcases new devices for 'New Windows'
Windows 8.1, like its predecessor, is designed to run on a multitude of different devices -- desktop PCs, laptops, tablets and hybrids. When Microsoft first unveiled Windows 8 last year, there weren’t many products which really took advantage of the new Modern UI.
Fast forward to present day, and that’s all changed, with loads of touch screen devices available from all the major manufacturers including ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Nokia, and Samsung.
End of an era -- bidding farewell to Winamp
This was bound to happen sooner or later, although I would have preferred the latter. Winamp has announced that, starting December 20 2013, the site and associated cloud services will no longer be available to the public. What is even worse is that the longstanding media player will also be pulled from winamp.com. This is a sad moment indeed.
I have fond memories of Winamp, which makes it difficult for me to imagine a world without it. After all, when I got my first computer -- more than a decade ago -- it was one of the few pieces of software that came installed on my measly Windows 98 Second Edition PC. At the time, Winamp was my portal to listening to my favorite music. We have bonded and having to see it go away after all this time makes me feel like I'm never going to meet a best friend ever again.
Smart watches unlikely to top holiday shopping lists
There’s been a considerable buzz surrounding smart watches in the last few months but it seems that they won’t be featuring in many letters to Santa. According to technology research specialists Gartner, premium pricing combined with a vague idea of the benefits they can offer will lead to disappointing smart watch sales.
"Samsung and other well-known vendors have recently entered the smart watch space, yet the products we have seen so far have been rather uninspiring in terms of design, available apps and features," says Annette Zimmermann, principal research analyst at Gartner. "As a result, Gartner predicts that wearable devices will remain a companion to mobile phones at least through 2017, with less than one percent of premium phone users opting to replace their phone with a combination of a wearable device and a tablet".
Opera 18 for Android gets a tablet-oriented revamp
Opera Software has released Opera 18 for Android, a major redesign with every aspect of the browser interface being optimized for larger Android tablets.
"We poured a great deal of thought into the Opera for Android tablet version," says Johan Schön, SVP for Mobile Consumer Browsers, Opera Software. "The size of devices and mindset of users make the tablet very different from its smaller cousin, the smartphone, and we have to respect that. In Opera 18 for Android, we have spent hours and hours tweaking, and fiddling with the placement of, even the most minute detail, just to get that top tablet feel".
Acer Aspire R7 gets the Haswell treatment
On the weekends, I often go to Best Buy with no intention of buying anything. In other words, I am a technology window-shopper. It is actually quite interesting to observe the habits of consumers while playing with the latest gadgets. While I typically visit all sections of the store, I make it a point to stop and play with one of my favorite computers -- the Acer Aspire R7. Sadly, I am not yet in need of a new computer, so I always leave without buying it.
This laptop is special to me because in a sea of similar devices, this one stands out. You see, it features some unique features such as the patented Ezel-Hinge, which allows the display to be manipulated into a myriad of positions; including a tablet mode. However, it also features a trackpad positioned above the keyboard, rather than below. Is your mind blown? Boom.
Troubleshoot tricky PC problems with SpyStudio
In an ideal world, diagnosing software problems would be easy. If a program couldn’t find a vital DLL or Registry key then it would display a detailed error message, describing both the problem and solution, so you could get everything working again with the minimum of hassle.
The real world, of course, is very different: failing programs will generally crash, lock up, or display an error message which means almost nothing at all. Checking with the developer, or searching for your symptoms online may offer some clues. But if you’re getting nowhere, then SpyStudio 32-bit and 64-bit might be able to help you understand what’s going on.
Windows Phone doesn't need more half-baked apps, so why launch Instagram?
Like my colleague Brian Fagioli said yesterday in his story announcing the arrival of Instagram on Windows Phone, the lack of apps is frequently among the criticisms that pundits have for the tiled smartphone operating system. It is very much a real problem, but one which is slowly getting remedied through new releases such as Instagram, Vine and Waze. More halo apps are coming, there is no question about it, but are those -- or will they be -- good enough?
When pundits say that Windows Phone has an app problem, the consensus is they are referring to the number of apps available in Store. I believe that it will slowly shift towards the quality of apps available in Store. Again, this would be -- and is -- another real issue. The examples that best emphasize this are Vine and, most recently, Instagram.
Microsoft’s anti-Google merchandise is a new low
I like a joke as much as the next person -- maybe more, seeing as I’ve had a couple of humor books published in the UK -- but I prefer my jokes to be funny, rather than pathetic, which is why I’m not laughing at the news that Microsoft is now selling anti-Google clothing and other merchandise.
If it was April 1, and the Scroogled product line -- comprising of a mug, hat, T-shirts, and a hoodie -- had appeared on the web, I would have smiled at the silliness of it. Maybe even applauded the gag. But the fact that it’s a real thing, just makes me shrug in an unsurprised fashion at the new low to which the software giant has sunk.
Download the Windows 8.1 ISO using a Windows 8 key and some simple trickery
It’s great that Microsoft has made Windows 8.1 entirely free to owners of Windows 8, but unfortunately you’re limited to installing the update through the Windows Store -- unless you’re an MSDN subscriber there’s no ISO you can grab to install the operating system how and when you like.
But as enterprising Reddit user redditorfor0seconds has discovered, there is a way of getting your hands on the ISO that only requires you to have a Windows 8 retail or MSDN key (but not an OEM key, apparently). It’s incredibly straightforward too, just follow these simple instructions:
Windows Phone continues to score premium apps -- gets Instagram and Waze
Windows Phone detractors are often similar in their complaints -- they love the device and underlying operating system but a lack of apps is the achilles heel. However, a lack of apps on any platform is problematic. Developers are attracted to platforms with many users but users are attracted to platforms with many apps. Essentially, whichever platform gets the early start, and establishes a dominant app library, will be the most popular. The old adage is, "the early-bird gets the worm" -- Apple and Google got the head-start and Microsoft hit the snooze button. In other words, Microsoft allowed the other companies to eat its worm.
However, another adage is "slow and steady wins the race". Microsoft hopes that Windows Phone is the tortoise and its competition is the hare. Today, the company announces two blockbuster apps have made their way to its mobile operating system. Microsoft employee Michael Stroh puts it best by saying "I'm happy to announce that Instagram and Waze are now available in the Store for Windows Phone 8". Yes, two wildly popular apps have found their way to Windows Phone 8, joining the likes of Vine; another popular score by Microsoft.
Google braves Sauron, takes Chrome to Middle Earth
Orcs, trolls, balrogs, ring wraiths, dark lords -- it's a dangerous world out there, especially if you are a hobbit. Despite these dangers, Google has elected to brave Middle Earth, taking its cross-platform browser along for protection. The company does so in the name of improving the web experience, specifically for mobile devices.
Chrome for Android now supports technologies ranging from WebGL and WebRT to Web Audio, and Google is anxious to show this off. It's doing so through a new interactive experience, based on the timeless J.R.R. Tolkien books and award-winning Peter Jackson movies -- The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
Awww yeah, Microsoft announces the Developer Awwward
There are far too many award shows nowadays. It seems like every week, the entertainment industry puts on a show to give itself awards -- Oscars, Emmys and MTV Music Awards to name a few. However, what about the nerds and geeks? Where are the awards for people like web developers? Sure, they aren't trendy and don't dress in meat-clothing like Lady Gaga, but they deserve awards nonetheless. Microsoft apparently agrees with this sentiment as the company announces the all-new Developer Awwward as a part of the coveted website awards, Awwwards.
"We're delighted to announce there’s a new web award celebrating websites that seek to balance innovative design with quality code. In conjunction with Awwwards, today we are launching the Developer Awwward, which recognizes the work of web developers and designers who care about the inner beauty of their websites. The Developer Awwward was inspired by the amazing work behind some of the best experiences on the web that demonstrate what it means to be inclusive of all people, regardless of device or browser", says Microsoft.
Extra, extra -- Google Play gets a Newsstand, read all about it
Google's Android platform is on fire these days, with a new operating system, a latest and greatest smartphone, in the form of the Nexus 5 and rumors of an updated 10-inch tablet coming soon. However, the company is also known for killing off products, which makes today's announcement of a newsreader for Android all the more interesting.
Newsstand, according to the search giant, "puts the news you care about most front and center and presents stories that interest you based on your tastes". However, before you jump the gun and think this is Reader reincarnated, know that the service is a bit different.
WildPackets gives enterprises improved network analysis
As business networks get faster it's inevitable that traffic levels increase. But often older network and security tools can't keep up with the latest 10G and 40G data rates which means admins can be left in the dark about what's happening on their networks.
A study by TRAC Research has found that 59 percent of IT leaders are concerned about the number of dropped packets and 51 percent are concerned about the reliability of data captured by current network analysis solutions.
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