Three tools to tame Windows 8
Users of Windows are known not only for their love of tweaking, but also for their love of knocking the product they use -- how many people who use nothing but Windows do nothing but complain about the way it looks or works? The release of a new version might be seen as a time for Microsoft to address the issues and annoyances that have plagued their customers, but for many upgraders, the switch to Windows 8 brings a new batch of things to get irritated about.
While some of the new irritants are fairly major, such as the relegation of the Start menu, other more cosmetic issues are something that can be more easily addressed through the use of third party tools. Winaero produces a collection of tools designed with tweakers in mind, specifically those who are running Windows 8. If you’re the kind of person who tires of their desktop wallpapers quickly, Desktop Background Tuner provides you with a means of customizing the rotation of a series of images to help keep things interesting.
Finally! More people use Windows 7 than XP
Just in time for Windows 8's debut, its predecessor surpasses the version released 11 years ago. In August, Windows 7 usage finally exceeded XP, according to Net Applications. The operating systems released in September 2009 and October 2001, respectively. In-between, Microsoft shipped ill-fated Vista, which carries stigma reserved for few major Microsoft products -- Bob, Windows ME and Vista, most notably.
NetApps released the findings today, as part of its monthly data dump on browser and operating systems. The methodology isn't exact and, contrary to many other reports, doesn't reflect market share but usage share -- and there is a huge difference. Market share typically measures something finite, such as X number widgets sold over Y time period. Usage share measures, say, the number of people using big screen and little screen TVs, and the same people might use both. More people may now use Windows 7 but some of them may also use XP.
'The Android operating system, clear and of itself was not something that infringed'
I'm watching a video interview Bloomberg's Emily Chang conducted with Apple-Samsung trial foreman Vel Hogan three days ago. At 9:17, he makes a provocative statement: "The Android operating system, clear and of itself, was not something that infringed".
Do you believe him? I ask, because pundits fell over themselves this week claiming that the jury verdict means big trouble for Android and Google.
Republicans: Friends of Technology?
In case you haven't already noticed, it's the quadrennial presidential election season in the United States; the time when the two dominant political parties state their goals and methods of attaining them, and work to put their chosen party leader into the office of President of the United States.
At the Republican National Convention this week, the Republican party both nominated Mitt Romney as its candidate for president, and outlined its platform, its "statement of who we are and what we believe."
A+ Proxy Finder locates and rates HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS proxies
If you’d like to find a good proxy server to keep you anonymous online then there are plenty of online sources which claim they can help. These lists aren’t always reliable, though -- some recommended servers may not work any more, others aren’t as anonymous as you might think -- and you can spend quite some time manually checking their various suggestions before you find anything that suits your needs.
If all that sounds too much like hard work, then, you might prefer to use the free A+ Proxy Finder, which automates the process of locating and evaluating HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS proxies.
Samsung is dateless and desperate on prom night
A soap opera. That's how I would describe this week's revelation that Samsung is cozying up to Microsoft and the forthcoming Windows Phone 8. Still stinging from its recent court loss to Apple, the South Korean juggernaut appears to be hedging its Android bets by embracing one of the two remaining underdogs in the mobile OS race (the other being Research in Motion).
No matter how you slice it, Samsung's executives are running scared. And who can blame them? Apple will do whatever it takes to crush the little green man from Mountain View (it's a Jobsian legacy thing). And the fact that its chief hardware rival is getting squeezed in the process is simply gravy.
How to install Ubuntu on Oracle VirtualBox
There is no denying that Ubuntu is one of the most popular and easy-to-use Linux distributions available and at the same time a viable alternative to the conventional operating system of choice, Windows. Before you decide to install, you should test it on a virtual machine first, which is where Oracle VirtualBox comes into play.
With Oracle VirtualBox you get all the benefits of installing Ubuntu on a virtual machine but without paying for virtualization software like VMware. It's powerful and easy to set up -- perfectly suited for the job at hand.
Windows 8 suffers from the Microsoft Bob effect
Windows 8 is just over a month from hitting the market and my sense is that this initial release, at least, will be at best controversial and at worst a failure. Microsoft is simply trying to change too many things at once.
What we have here is the Microsoft Bob effect, where change runs amuck simply because it can, compounded in this case by a sense of panic in Redmond, Wash. Microsoft so desperately needs Windows 8 to be a huge success that they’ve fiddled it into a likely failure.
Use Type light to create and edit fonts
If you’re not happy with your PC’s current fonts then a few seconds at Google will find you thousands more, easy to install and, often, entirely free of charge.
If your needs are very specific, though, the free Type light could help you to alter an existing font, or even create something entirely new to your own specifications.
Adobe Flash for Android lives again in United Kingdom
Two months ago my colleague Patrick Roanhouse wrote "ADOBE FLASH IS DEAD -- on mobile!" and that looked like the end of Flash Player on Android, but as it turns out it is not. According to the BBC, Adobe has brought back Flash Player on the Google Play UK. What made them change their mind?
Flash Player for Android's UK revival can be attributed to pressure placed by strategic local partners. BBC requested the San Jose, Calif.-based corporation to postpone axing Flash Player, since the underpinning of the organization's iPlayer is Flash. The interesting bit is that BBC has refused to comment on its request to bring back Flash to Google Play, but acknowledges working with Adobe on an alternative video player -- sure sounds like great timing to revive it until a new product replaces iPlayer.
Flash Player might not be dead now, but don't expect it to live for long. The software is no longer updated and once the "strategic partners" get up to speed with newer technology, it will vanish forever. That is, if there are no unforeseeable requests in the future.
Dropbox Experimental Edition 1.5.27 brings new Mac features
Dropbox has announced a major update to its pre-release Experimental Edition backup and sync software. Dropbox Experimental Edition 1.5.27 has been rebuilt using Python 2.7 (the current stable build, Dropbox 1.4.17, is based on Python 2.5).
Dropbox describes the result as “a Dropbox client that is faster to run, and easier for us to develop new features”. By way of example, version 1.5.27 includes a number of major new features, largely aimed at OS X users.
Sound Lock evens audio so you won't disturb those sleeping or studying
It’s late at night, and you’d like to watch a movie on your PC, but there’s a problem: Set your system volume at a level where you can comfortably hear the dialog and quieter moments, and action scenes are often way too loud, annoying if you’re hoping not to disturb the neighbours.
You could try to adjust your volume down to some compromise level, of course, or perhaps keep altering it throughout the movie. But it might be easier just to install Sound Lock, which allows you to resolve this issue in a single step. The idea is that you first set your system volume to a level where you can hear even the quietest parts of your movie (or music, or game, or whatever else you’re playing).
Smartphones shipments soar in China, Android benefits
CEO Tim Cook describes China as Apple's second-most important region. For good reason. IDC predicts that smartphone shipments to the People's Republic of China will pass the United States this year. There's the question, which benefits more: Android or iPhone/iOS?
"The PRC smartphone market will continue to be lifted by the sub-US$200 Android segment", Wong Teck-Zhung, IDC senior market analyst, says. "Near-term prices in the low-end segment will come down to US$100 and below as competition for market share intensifies among smartphone vendors. Carrier-subsidized and customized handsets from domestic vendors will further support the migration to smartphones and boost shipments. Looking ahead to the later years in the forecast, the move to 4G networks will be another growth catalyst".
Kindle Fire is so successful, we aren't making any more
I've seen some desperate bone-headed, PR moves before, but Amazon's newest is one to long remember. When Apple announces a press event, the InterWebs erupt with speculation about what it can be. When product inventory is low in stores on some fruit-logo product, rumors explode about something new in the pipeline. Amazon has to work harder, issuing today a press release that Kindle Fire has sold out, ahead of next week's press event. Could the retailer be any less subtle, while revealing sales data that is absolutely nothing but meant to be something.
BetaNews founder Nate Mook nails exactly what's wrong with Amazon's gambit to drum up excitement ahead of the September 6 event. Earlier today he forwarded the Kindle-Fire sell-out email, writing: "It's SOOOO successful. So we're not making any more". That sums it up.
Opera 12.02 is an essential update
Norwegian browser developer Opera has updated its cross-platform browser. Opera 12.02 features minor security and stability updates, making it an essential update for all users.
The update comes less than 48 hours after Opera also released a new snapshot of its pre-release version of Opera NEXT 12.50 with a major core update, adding new features such as keyboard text selection and options for adding extensions to Opera’s context menus.
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