Windows 8 apps are essential to its success ...
This is not a pretty picture for Microsoft Surface or even Windows 8. It is the availability of hundreds of thousands of apps that make getting used to the new Windows User Interface (UI) worthwhile.
Windows 8 app releases grind to a near-complete halt - Windows 8, apps, Microsoft, Windows, Windows RT, software, operating systems, HP, Blackberry, Palm - PC World Business:
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Review: Malwarebytes
A great companion to most resident Virus Scanners ...
I couldn't agree more with the recommendations in this article. I have been scanning with MalwareBytes on a monthly basis for years!
Review: Cover all the bases with Malwarebytes: To cover all your bases, anti-malware software is great to have running in conjunction with any anti-virus application.
I couldn't agree more with the recommendations in this article. I have been scanning with MalwareBytes on a monthly basis for years!
Review: Cover all the bases with Malwarebytes: To cover all your bases, anti-malware software is great to have running in conjunction with any anti-virus application.
Monday, 11 February 2013
Keep Windows 7 on Windows 8
The ultimate conversion app back to Windows 7 ...
There have been a few already but this one is the best so far, allowing considerable configuration options to customise your Windows 8, sorry Windows 7 experience!
How to keep the look of Windows 7 on Windows 8:
Not everyone is happy that Microsoft has ditched the Start Button, one of the main features of Windows for the past 15 years, but it’s ok, because you can bring it back. It’s a feature that many wish Microsoft hadn’t removed, or changed considerably so that it was vastly different from what it once was. With the release of Windows 8, the Start Menu and Start Button have now become something else, with the new grid-based interface – formerly known as “Metro” – taking its place.
This is great with a touchscreen or excellent trackpad... but it's not even close with a regular mouse.
If you have a touchscreen, it makes Windows more useable than ever, with slick gestures across the screen making the Windows experience flow well. If you have a decent trackpad, the experience is almost as good as a touchscreen, with gestures allowing you to scroll through your apps and quickly pull up multiple applications. But if you have neither, the new Start screen is hard to get your head around, with the whole thing not really designed for anything outside of the new technology Microsoft and other vendors want us to buy. The more we use Windows 8, the more we like it, but still, we’re often left wondering why Microsoft didn’t just leave the legacy interface in there for people that wanted to upgrade but lacked this new touch-friendly hardware.
The traditional look of Windows. How we've missed you.
Good news, though, because you don’t have to wait for Microsoft to realise that it should have left the functionality there in the first place, and you can make Windows 8 look and feel just like Windows 7, Vista, and yes, even XP. To do this, you’ll need to grab a program called “Classic Shell,” an application that is essentially free, though the developer does take donations.
The app is pretty simple to install and use, and features numerous options to change the interface of Windows 8 into one that’s a little more accommodating, especially for a user that really wants the touch-friendly stuff in Win 8 to just, well, go away.
One Windows 7 style interface coming up!
Classic Shell goes beyond the Start Button replacement, too, with the options menu including a nifty setting for skipping the Metro screen – what Microsoft’s new touchscreen grid-based Start Bar used to be called – and running the desktop mode from the get go, so that when you switch your Windows 8 machine on, the desktop and the old Start Bar will load.
Sick of the Windows 8 shortcuts appearing whenever you drag your mouse into the right corner? CHARMS BEGONE!
The applications can be seriously customised, too, and while many people will be content with the basic settings, once you switch “All Settings” on, you’ll find a way to remove the Windows 8 shortcut charms from the top right, the task manager from the top left, as well as switch the home button to any image you want, including the new Windows 8 logo or even – if you can find one – a Windows XP “Start Button”. If you have a Windows 8 machine and aren’t into this new look that Microsoft is essentially forcing on you, we’d check this out, as it essentially gives you the power of the new Windows, but with a more familiar look and feel.
There have been a few already but this one is the best so far, allowing considerable configuration options to customise your Windows 8, sorry Windows 7 experience!
How to keep the look of Windows 7 on Windows 8:
Not everyone is happy that Microsoft has ditched the Start Button, one of the main features of Windows for the past 15 years, but it’s ok, because you can bring it back. It’s a feature that many wish Microsoft hadn’t removed, or changed considerably so that it was vastly different from what it once was. With the release of Windows 8, the Start Menu and Start Button have now become something else, with the new grid-based interface – formerly known as “Metro” – taking its place.
This is great with a touchscreen or excellent trackpad... but it's not even close with a regular mouse.
The traditional look of Windows. How we've missed you.
The app is pretty simple to install and use, and features numerous options to change the interface of Windows 8 into one that’s a little more accommodating, especially for a user that really wants the touch-friendly stuff in Win 8 to just, well, go away.
One Windows 7 style interface coming up!
Sick of the Windows 8 shortcuts appearing whenever you drag your mouse into the right corner? CHARMS BEGONE!
iPhone falling behind?
Some interesting comments about Apple's competitors ...
Has the iPhone fallen behind the competition? Steve Wozniak thinks so:
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has put the cat amongst the proverbial pigeons again by claiming the iPhone is now playing catch-up in the smartphone game. Speaking to Germany's Wirtschafts Woche site, Woz said increased competition from Android manufacturers like Samsung has left Cupertino 'somewhat behind' when it comes to some features. The bearded tech icon said: "Currently we are in my opinion somewhat behind. "Others have caught up. Samsung is a great competitor. But precisely because they are currently making great products."
Has the iPhone fallen behind the competition? Steve Wozniak thinks so:
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has put the cat amongst the proverbial pigeons again by claiming the iPhone is now playing catch-up in the smartphone game. Speaking to Germany's Wirtschafts Woche site, Woz said increased competition from Android manufacturers like Samsung has left Cupertino 'somewhat behind' when it comes to some features. The bearded tech icon said: "Currently we are in my opinion somewhat behind. "Others have caught up. Samsung is a great competitor. But precisely because they are currently making great products."
Against the grain
Given Apple's long-held assertions that Samsung was able to catch up purely because it 'blatantly copied' the iPhone's designs and user-interface, Wozniak's comments certainly go against the grain. But this is nothing new. In the past he has praised Microsoft's Windows Phone software as being more beautiful than iOS and recently said the Microsoft Surface tablet made him think "Steve Jobs had been reincarnated." In October he claimed that Apple would be wise to bring iTunes to the Android mobile platform, which practically no-one inside Infinite Loop would say is a good idea.No slump
Despite his assertions that Apple is falling behind, Woz doesn't foresee Apple encountering problems due to its high profit margins and a customer loyalty fostered by the continued release of high-quality products. He also explained why he continues to line-up alongside the public at Apple launch events rather than simply have a new iPhone or iPad sent over. He added: "The launch of a new Apple product is for me like a big, major concert in which you absolutely must attend personally. It's history. Sure, I could order online or call the store manager... But that would be nothing. "No, I will have the experience like any normal customer. But one thing is certain. If Apple would make lousy products, I would not be in line."Surface Pro Preview
Very interesting first look at MS Surface Pro ...
Surface Pro preview: Triple-play UI is its best innovation: As a hybrid tablet/laptop, Microsoft Surface Pro makes a bold pitch to reinvent the portable PC, but a few big caveats get in the way. Read TechRepublic's product preview.
Surface Pro preview: Triple-play UI is its best innovation: As a hybrid tablet/laptop, Microsoft Surface Pro makes a bold pitch to reinvent the portable PC, but a few big caveats get in the way. Read TechRepublic's product preview.
Saturday, 9 February 2013
Windows 8's falls further
Some very interesting statistics on current OS usage ...
Windows 8's usage uptake falls further behind Vista's: Windows 8 fell further behind the pace of Windows Vista's uptake last month, a metric company said today, even as usage share of the new operating system continued to slowly climb.
Windows 8's usage uptake falls further behind Vista's: Windows 8 fell further behind the pace of Windows Vista's uptake last month, a metric company said today, even as usage share of the new operating system continued to slowly climb.
MS Surface Pro Storage
MS Surface Pro has limited storage for $1,000 tablet ...
That Windows 8 laptop at $600 is looking better all the time! At least you will probably end up with about 400 GB of storage available!
64GB Microsoft Surface Pro to ship with only 36 percent of storage available:
On Feb. 9, Microsoft will finally be releasing the Surface Pro to the masses eagerly awaiting the company's more robust entry into the tablet battle. Unlike the Microsoft Surface RT, which uses Windows RT, the Surface Pro will include the full Windows 8 Pro operating system. That notion alone has been a key reason may supporters have chosen to wait for the more expensive, but more powerful, tablet. However, those devoted faithful may soon be a bit disappointed for another reason altogether, as the Surface Pro isn't going to come with storage as spacious as advertised.
The Surface Pro is compatible with USB 3.0 and includes a microSDXC card slot for expandable memory, but that doesn't make the lack of on-board storage any easier to swallow.
That Windows 8 laptop at $600 is looking better all the time! At least you will probably end up with about 400 GB of storage available!
64GB Microsoft Surface Pro to ship with only 36 percent of storage available:
On Feb. 9, Microsoft will finally be releasing the Surface Pro to the masses eagerly awaiting the company's more robust entry into the tablet battle. Unlike the Microsoft Surface RT, which uses Windows RT, the Surface Pro will include the full Windows 8 Pro operating system. That notion alone has been a key reason may supporters have chosen to wait for the more expensive, but more powerful, tablet. However, those devoted faithful may soon be a bit disappointed for another reason altogether, as the Surface Pro isn't going to come with storage as spacious as advertised.
Space invader
According to Microsoft, the base model Surface Pro with 64GB of storage will actually only come with 23GB of free storage. That means Windows 8 Pro and whatever other default programs and apps come loaded on the tablet will leave just 36 percent of the hard drive open for users. The 128GB model fares just a bit better, with 85GB (64.8 percent) of the storage space left open for consumers to use. Of course, this is par for the course, as the Surface RT also went through some similar memory troubles. The 32GB Surface RT included just 16GB of storage when it arrived, and the 64GB version allowed users to work with 46GB of space.The Surface Pro is compatible with USB 3.0 and includes a microSDXC card slot for expandable memory, but that doesn't make the lack of on-board storage any easier to swallow.
MS ships Surface Pro tablet
Eventually true Windows 8 on a tablet ...
Microsoft's Surface RT is really Windows 8 "Lite" as it will not support the vast array of Windows software applications that have been around for years. However, I am not sure why you would go for a Microsoft Surface Pro at $900 when you can get a perfectly good Intel i5 laptop with a decent keyboard for $600!
Microsoft to ship Surface Pro tablet Feb. 9: Microsoft will ship the Surface Windows 8 Pro tablet with an Intel Core i5 processor on Feb. 9, with prices starting at US$899.
Microsoft's Surface RT is really Windows 8 "Lite" as it will not support the vast array of Windows software applications that have been around for years. However, I am not sure why you would go for a Microsoft Surface Pro at $900 when you can get a perfectly good Intel i5 laptop with a decent keyboard for $600!
Microsoft to ship Surface Pro tablet Feb. 9: Microsoft will ship the Surface Windows 8 Pro tablet with an Intel Core i5 processor on Feb. 9, with prices starting at US$899.
1M Surface RT tablets sold
Hardly a huge surprise ...
Some insights as to the reason for the low sales numbers for Microsoft's Surface RT.
1 million Surface RT tablets sold in last quarter, UBS says: Microsoft's Surface RT tablet sold 1 million units in the fourth quarter, fewer than expected, according to a UBS analyst.
Some insights as to the reason for the low sales numbers for Microsoft's Surface RT.
1 million Surface RT tablets sold in last quarter, UBS says: Microsoft's Surface RT tablet sold 1 million units in the fourth quarter, fewer than expected, according to a UBS analyst.
What’s great about Windows 8?
Succinct and to the point ...
Note that from the 1st February the upgrade costs have increased substantially.
What’s so great about Windows 8?:
Many of us are pretty familiar with Microsoft’s Windows operating system, and have used it in various forms on our PCs for years. With the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft’s bold new direction has left at least a few of us scratching our heads. So what’s different about Windows 8, and should you upgrade?
Note that from the 1st February the upgrade costs have increased substantially.
What’s so great about Windows 8?:
Many of us are pretty familiar with Microsoft’s Windows operating system, and have used it in various forms on our PCs for years. With the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft’s bold new direction has left at least a few of us scratching our heads. So what’s different about Windows 8, and should you upgrade?
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