Microsoft has released a lot of information about the new Xbox 360 UI and what features it will bring to the entertainment system as well as some juicy Windows Phone details. Check it all out inside!
Samsung manages to sneak a release of their newest tablet. Should be on the shelves within the next 6 weeks or so. Take a look at the specs inside and check out the pics!
A couple in Boston spends a little time, and even less money, making a few green living spaces in Boston, MA. Click to Read On.
Blogging is Dead would like to thank you, the readers for all of the support (and page views!) you've given us over the last couple month. It's time now that we open the doors to bigger opportunities.
We would like to introduce the new, paid site, TechCyb.org. This new site is available and live NOW and I would love for each and every one of you to check it out. This site will no longer be maintained and/or updated so make sure you check out TECHCYB.ORG to get the latest in tech news.
So, as I was stumbling around my Windows 8 Developer Preview (running as the only OS on my laptop, I know, I know... dangerous) and downloading a much needed ISO file, I found that Windows 8 is quite happy with mounting and running an ISO no matter what the source. While there isn't much in the way of other information here it just goes to show that Microsoft has been thinking quite a bit about this new Windows offering. They've covered the design phases and have implemented many of the new technical gizmos and gadgets that us geeks (and nerds [and pirates?]) need on a regular basis. It sure beats downloading a shady mounting program or downloading any program for that matter. It's quick and easy and the ISO's appear in "My Computer" as a disc in a virtual drive. Here are some quick screenshots I took to give you an idea.
As you can see in the shots above the mounting process is a one (right) click process. It's super simple and Microsoft slipped it in without so much as a note. You know how they do.
So, what do you think of the integrated mounting in Windows 8? Will you be sticking to your downloaded program or will you use Microsoft's quick and easy solution to mount your pirated ISO's?
EDIT: I felt that I should add an explanation of what an ISO is for everyone who may not be educated in file extensions of today. An ISO, or International Organization for Standardization, is a disc image file from an optical disc. Basically, this means that if you were to take a software disc (any one, doesn't matter) and "rip" it, much like you would with an audio CD, you would essentially get an ISO file. All in all, an ISO file is a file that keeps the structure of a software disc in tact. These files can then be mounted to a virtual disc drive, as if it were a physical disc being inserted into your computer's disc drive and run just like any physical software disc you may buy.
Pirates often download this type of file from file sharing sites or torrents because they are an easily distributed file that, like I mentioned earlier, keeps all the files in tact. They are also easily modified so if the supplier needs to add extra information to the ISO, such as additional hacks and info, they can do so with little effort.
This article has been updated to ad additional photos taken with the HTC as well as a demonstration of the 720p capabilities. A few new remarks have been added to the end of the "Camera" section.
A quick initial note. I will not be reviewing this phone and comparing it to other OSes. I intend to review this phone solely on the phone's features rather than Windows Phone's feature set as best as I can.
By this point most everyone following Windows Phone knows about the Titan and the hardware it holds. Well I was lucky enough to snag myself an HTC Titan at the Windows Phone Inner Circle Event that was held last night in downtown St. Louis. I figured this would be a great way to write my first hands on review, seeing as the phone still won't be released for another week in the US.
To start, the phone I won was an unlocked, unbranded, HTC Titan. It was clear that this is not the same Titan that AT&T will carry because it's missing the obvious at&t branding as well as it being boxed with a european wall charger. Neither of these are an issue to me (and the unbranded note makes it even more attractive to me) but I was a little worried that it may not be the same exact phone that AT&T will be bringing to the table.
Update: This was a non-issue. The phone is the exact same offering as the AT&T phone will be, just unbranded.
Hardware:
To quickly recap what, exactly, the HTC Titan is packing, here's a quick and simple list of specs.
- 4.7" SLCD (Super LCD) Screen (400x800)
- 1.5 GHz Processor
- 16 GB Memory
- 512 MB RAM
- 8 MP Rear Camera with dual LED Flash and 1.3 MP Front Facing Camera (more on these later)
To start, the screen is very bright and very, well, big. It's no lie that this is absolutely the biggest Windows Phone on the market, as of now, and one of the biggest phones on the market period (of course dwarfed by the 5" Samsung Note).
The combination of the 1.5 GHz processor and Windows Phone OS makes this a very quick and snappy experience with virtually no lag when swiping, dragging, zooming, and opening apps. It goes to show that with proper hardware/software integration the user experience can be extremely satisfying.
While I was looking to snatch up a 32 GB phone this year I must say that I am not completely upset by the small storage. I have quick and easy access to skydrive, spotify, and even my Google Music beta account which makes it easy for me to access my music (which is what takes up most of the space on my phones) from anywhere.
At just 9.9mm thick and utilizing a unibody design, the HTC Titan feels excellent in the hand and while the large screen may be too big for some, I found it to be just in my taste.
Initial Start-up:
When turning on the phone you are greeted with a soft tone and a blaringly bright white screen that quickly changes (perhaps not quickly enough) to an HTC and Windows Phone intro. When the phone starts up you are asked to sign in with a Windows Live or Hotmail account (or set one up). I, of course, chose to use the same login as I use for my Xbox gamertag. As you continue setting up the phone it asks you for a few more initial logins, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, GMail, etc. I found this very quick and painless and very straight forward. Very good for a first time smartphone user.
After set up, I toyed around with the phone and browsed the settings and finally had everything set up for use in the US. Of course, those of you purchasing this phone subsadized through AT&T shouldn't have that issue at all.
Camera:
The HTC Titan comes equipped with an 8 MP camera with an F2.2 lens, dual LED flash and BSI sensor. The camera, from what I've used it for so far, has taken excellent photos all around. As with many phone cameras you're going to have some issues in low light but not as much as I've seen on other premium phones. The dual LEDs really help light up the photo but can also result in photos being washed out if you're not careful.
As with all Windows Phones (required by Microsoft) the HTC Titan has a two stage, dedicated camera button which makes taking pictures a very comfortable experience on this phone. Another Windows Phone exclusive is the quick camera launch from the lock screen. Because all Windows Phones have dedicated hardware buttons, Windows was able to utilize this feature very well. A long press of the camera button, while on the lock screen, will bring up the camera app. After taking a photo you'll even have the option of sharing it while still locked.
While I, of course, wouldn't use this camera for any professional photos, I would trust this phone to take excellent vacation and event quality photos. I would say this is a borderline point-and-shoot replacement. On that note, the zoom is something that will not likely replace point-and-shoots for a long time due to the space restrictions on the lens. The first phone with optical zoom will be the first casual camera killer.
One feature that was exclusive to the HTC device is panorama stitching. I was able to very quickly, and very accurately, take a quick panorama and stitch them together. The result, when used in confined spaces, is a curvey, almost surreal image. It makes for a very fun effect when indoors and a very useful capture method outdoors.
Quick panorama from the break room of my "other" job.
Inside the settings in the camera app you'll find tons of options. Some of them being "Effects" which is the usual Sepia, B&W, etc., "Burst Shots" which takes 6 pictures at a very rapid speed (the shutter lag on this device is non existent), "White Balance" which is the usual options such as Daylight, Fluorescent, etc., "Contrast", "Saturation", and "ISO" ranging from 100-800. You'll also find adavanced settings which contains Face Detection, Metering Mode, and Flicker Adjustment.
The HTC is also capable of recording 720p video. I have not been able to test this feature but I will upload a test video within the next 24 hours.
UPDATE 11/12/11: Alright I managed to snag a video using the 720p mode on the HTC Titan. Below are some additional comments and the video.
So when I went and shot the video on the HTC Titan it was overcast and overall not very nice out. However, the Titan performed on par with other phones of it's stature given the weather. One feature I did learn about this phone is that while filming you can turn on the dual LEDs for some additional light to really make a dark scene pop. I have not used this feature as of yet, but it's a safe bet that it will mostly only work on objects close to the camera.
In addition to the video below I have posted some additional pictures taken from the same area (same bad weather) as well as some more appropriate panorama shots. These are all taken without changing settings in phone or on the computer, however, the phone should, in theory, perform better when using the additional white balance and ISO settings.
Here's the video uploaded at 720p:
Here are some additional shots taken with the camera:
And some outdoor panoramas:
Performance:
While I have already touched on the performance and speed of the OS, I would like to quickly touch on battery life.
While I have only had the phone for a day (and don't intend to run a harsh battery drain test on my phone) I have no complaints. I went through a day of above average use (showing it off to everyone uses quite a bit of data time) and as I sit here now 20 hours later, it stil isn't dead. Microsoft has gone and taken the extra step, however, to ensure that you won't be stuck without a phone in case of emergencies. When the phone is about to take it's last breath of the day it will prompt you to turn on a sort of power saving mode in the settings. This, according to Microsoft, can extend your battery life for an extremely large amount of time. However, as you might guess, your live tiles will not be updated and your phone will not send/receive email updates. It's a nice feature for when you may be somewhere unfamiliar and away from a charger.
While benchmark apps are hard to come by on Windows Phone I managed to snag one up from the marketplace and put the Titan through it's paces. In WP Bench the Titan, when run three times, averaged at about a 98 which is amongst the top 5 (as of now) on the WP Bench charts. Not bad seeing as the only other competition is coming from Samsung's Focus S (as shown in the charts). One of the results of the benchmark was an average of 41 frames/s which should make for some excellent gaming.
The HTC Titan does not take advantage of the LTE service on at&t (it's not supported on Windows Phone... yet) but it does use the HSPA+ which is plenty fast for even the most demanding users. Since I was given the UK version I had a bit of an issue getting it set up on AT&T's data network but after I got it all up and running it stayed connected to the H+ network the whole day (St. Louis, MO). I was very pleased to be able to quickly get my updates, make my downloads, and most of all, show off the feature set of the phone to the people around me.
Call quality on the device is good, but not superb. The person on the other end sounds almost distant requiring me to turn the volume all the way up on the speaker. However, this could just be me. I have not yet received any complaints of issues from the other end so it's a safe bet that call quality is on par with other flagship devices. This brings me to my final point. The HTC Titan gives you the option to output 5.1 surround sound to speakers, or headphones, when available. HTC is known for emphasizing sound quality in their devices and they didn't fail here. Listeing to music and in game sounds from the speaker is often pleasing and far from the ear splitting highs we hear from a lot of other phone speakers.
Summing It Up:
If you're in the market for a Windows Phone and you can't decide between the Titan and the Focus S, you can rest assured that you won't be wrong in choosing either. HTC, in my opinion, feels better in the hand than the Focus S and looks a lot more like a flagship device. Samsung tends to stick with their plastic designs while HTC often utilizes a sleek metal body. Overall, the device was very quick and responsive, gave excellent results accross the board, was easy to set up and use, and is feature packed to the brim, so much so that you'll find yourself trying to think of an app to download, because you simply aren't given a need as with other OS flavors.
Got questions or comments? Post 'em up in the comments section below and I'll get back to you!
As always, don't forget to follow us on Twitter for the latest updates: DeadBlogIsDead.
Due to the recent flooding in Thailand, which produces 40% to 45% of the worlds HDD's, PC manufacturers and buyers alike should prepare for hard drive supply shortages. Prices for hard drives will also begin to rise, some up more than 30%. As early as the beginning of November, Thailand's production started to be affected by the flooding. Production at some factories was directly shut down due to the flooding, others were halted due to poor access, and power outages.
The extent of the damages to the factories and production, will not not be known untill the flooding recedes. The IDC (Global marketing firm) says that the industry will most likely be able to restore the HDD production when the waters recede, but the recent shortages will continue to restrain supply for some time.
Asus joins the PCIe arms race with their new P8Z68 DELUXE/Gen3 motherboard by adding the new PCIe 3.0 slots, which is capable of up to a 16GB/s transfer rate, but is still backward compatible with earlier PCIe implementations. The new board features two of these new 3.0 slots, which are SLI and CrossFireX ready. It has four Dual Channel DIMM slots, that will support up to 32GB of DDR3 memory modules. The Intel Socket LGA 1155 is compatible with the widely popular core i3, i5, and i7 processors, so you could pack alot of power into this trimmed down motherboard. Not to mention that it has Intel's newest Z68 chipset, so every expansion device will be running directly through the fastest end of any chipset, the northbridge!
A quick look at the ports you'll find on the motherboard.
PCI-SIG, the special interest group that oversees the PCIe standard, has already officially announced that the work on the PCIe 4.0 standard has already begun, but not to worry, as new as PCIe 3.0 is, it's going to be around for some time before the average consumer has to stress out over PCIe 4.0! In the U.S. the P8Z68 DELUXE/Gen3 looks to be priced around the $250 range. So It's definitely not a bad buy if Asus is your thing.
The HTC Radar 4G is finally making its way into T-Mobile stores. Pre-loaded with Mango, the HTC Radar 4G will come to T-Mobile on November 2 for $99.99 with a new 2 year contract.
The HTC Radar will be the first Windows Phone in the US to ship with Windows Mango installed. The deivce runs a 3.8-inch LCD touch screen on a 1-GHz Snapdragon processor. The rough dimensions are 4.7x2.4x0.4 inches and weighs about 4.8 ounces. It comes equipped with a 5-megapixel camera (with dedicated camera button) and 8GB of on-board storage. More thoughts after the break.
These specs may seem underwhelming, but it's clearly not supposed to blow people away. HTC's "Titan" will obviously be their flagship Windows Phone device this holiday. The Titan boasts a 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor and a 4.7-inch screen.
According to benchmarks on both phones, the Titan runs about 50% faster than the Radar, due to the 50% faster processor.
While T-Mobile's 4G isn't up to par with AT&T or Verizon it does offer the fastest HSPA+ 21 network. T-Mobile is still working with issues from the merger and is unable to launch true LTE 4G at this time.
At the Nokia World conference there was an interesting bit of technology being displayed. A new flexible prototype phone. The screen bends and twists which adds another layer to the control of the device. As with motion gestures, each bend and twist has a unique function, whether it be zooming, selecting, etc.
It is a new idea that has been toyed with but seeing a real life prototype makes it that much more appealing. There has been some mention of 2015 as some sort of hopeful deadline. We hope to see it sooner (and believe it can be done sooner).
Check out the hands on in the video below:
Feel free to leave your comments in the comment section below!
Here at Blogging Is Dead we strive to bring you the latest and greatest in tech news. That's why we will be staying up late tonight to make sure we bring you the latest from Nokia World 2011. Tune in to this blog post and make sure you refresh, updates will be streaming in starting at 3 am central and will be rolling for an hour or so. We will pick up again (on this same post!) tomorrow. All day. On the 27th we will come back with any updates we may have missed and make sure that every one of you stays up to date on the latest from Windows Phone and Nokia!
UPDATES::
- Things have kicked off here at Nokia World! Stay Tuned!
- Elop has stepped on stage, let the fun begin!
- Elop wants Nokia to be special, which brought about the Windows Phone connection.
- Nokia is the leader in open NFC.
- Nokia manufactures over 365 million phones a year and is going to be releasing four new phones now!
- Nokia Asha 200, Nokia Asha 201, Nokia Asha 300, Nokia Asha 303 have just been announced!
- Nokia is pushing to bring internet to the "next billion people"
- Asha 300 features a full QWERTY keyboard and 5MP Camera
- Asha 200 features dual SIM and full QWERTY keyboard w/ up to 32 GB of storage featuring the loudest speaker and longest battery life of its class
- Asha 201 also features a full QWERTY keybaord w/ up to 32 GB of storage featuring the loudest speaker and longest battery life of its class
- WhatsApp has been brought to these devices
- Nokia Asha 303 features a capacitative screen, full QWERTY keyboard, and Nokia Maps
- Series 40 phones (the 4 above) have partnered with Angry Birds
- All the above phones come with a Nokia cloud browser.
- The Nokia Lumia 800 has been announced!
- This phone is available in 3 colors
- Lumia is the "first real Windows phone"
- Apparently the Lumia 800 looks awesome. or else....
- The Lumia "defies convention"
- The Lumia 800 is a "uniquely Nokia experience", on the back is a Carl Zeiss camera, the front holds a curved, clear black, display.
- A little introduction on the basics of Windows Phone. Many people's first Windows Phone will be a Nokia. I could live with that!
- The Lumia 800 features a F2.2 Aperture Lens, "great" low light flash, works great under "normal" circumstances (no real specs on the camera!?)
- Some unique things that Nokia has brought to the Lumia 800:
-- Nokia Drive which will be free on the phone. The only Windows Phone with full turn by turn voice guidance.
-- Nokia Music (new service) and Mix Radio. Easy to use, music discovery app. Mix Radio is a locally relevant set of mixes that are pre set with full length tracks for free. No registering or logins. You can create your own mixes as well. You can fully download one of the mixes to your phone for offline play and pin them to your start screen.
-- Nokia is bringing an app with ESPN. The app brings all things ESPN to Windows Phone. This will only be available for Nokia phones.
- The announcement of the Nokia Lumia 800 was very... empty? Cool software additions, but what are the specs!?
- Nokia Lumia 710 just dropped, lower price point, available in multiple colors. 3.7" clear black display and still includes all of the additional software. Comes in black, white and can ship with more colors for the battery cover.
Lumia 800 (left) and Lumia 710 (right)
- Nokia announces public transportation app and an augmented reality app (perhaps similar to Google Goggles?)
- Nokia is the global leader in locally relevant content.
- Nokia partnered with Monster to release new headphones
- Nokia is aiming towards the 25 year old market. That's not surprising.
- The first launch of the 30 second television ad. "Experience the amazing everyday" That's the slogan that is going to sell these devices.
- Nokia dropped some new videos on YouTube (unrelated to the conference) Will be posting them soon!
- Here's the other advertisement that dropped.
- Nokia Lumia 710 and 800 are shipping out right now! These devices are coming to France, German, Italy, UK and a few other European countries in November. Hong Kong, India, Russia, Taiwan and others before the end of the year. 710 will be shipped to Asia before the end of the year. Both will be coming to the US in early 2012. LTE products will be delivered. 800 is about 420 Euros (about $585) and the 710 is about 200 Euros (about $280).
- Lumia 800 = 1.4Ghz processor with a dedicated GPU, 16GB of storage, and a class-leading Carl Zeiss camera, all capped off with a 3.7” “ClearBlack” display that offers beautiful colors and razor sharp picture. - Lumia 710 =It has the same processor and storage as the Nokia Lumia 800, and will be available in white and black with a number of different colored backs, including black, white, cyan, fuchsia and yellow.
Make sure you follow us on twitter to get the updates even faster!
Most of you know that Nokia World isn't being held until tomorrow but what we have here might be a bit more information than they were hoping to leak pre-conference. Thanks to WinRumors we have some pics and info on phones that will be released tomorrow. Make what you will out of the pics below, but don't jump to conclusions. This is still just a rumor and could very well be fake. Being released tomorrow should be the Nokia "Sea Ray" or Lumia 800 and the "Sabre" or Lumia 710. Both will run Windows Phone and both will more than likely be released in Europe first, where Nokia's foot hold is strongest. Many rumors point to an early 2012 release in the US but we still cross our fingers that tomorrow will bring different news.
Check out the additional pics of the devices below and let us know what you think in the comments!
On October 26 Nokia will be holding it's Nokia World conference in London. It's the moment a lot of Windows Phone fans have been waiting for as this could mean the release of several new Windows Phones made by Nokia.
Attending the conference will be several big names. Obviously Nokia's CEO, Stephen Elop, will be speaking alongside many other higher ups in Nokia's team. Aside from Nokia, Windows will have several big names from their Windows Phone team including Corporate Vice President, Joe Belfiore. Several other companies will have their upper level staff present as well, one of these companies being EA games.
This day is sure to bring us some much wanted information. We are looking at the release of what could be about 3 phones for the Windows Phone platform, the Nokia 800 or "SeaRay", a smaller version called "Sabre" and there's even chance that a more business focused device will be launched under the name "Ace".
Shots of the Nokia "Sea Ray" when it was shown by Stephen Elop.
Some news states that Windows Phones on Nokia hardware will not be available until 2012 but the conference should verify or deny this rumor.
Many people have been asking why Nokia is so significant to Windows Phone. Most everyone knows about their partnership to create new Windows Phones on Nokia's top of the line hardware, but many people are unaware of what kind of leverage this gives Nokia. Nokia now has the power to tinker with hardware and even software in the Windows Mobile devices they launch. Because they have a special partnership with Microsoft, Nokia has the ability to add their own software suites as well as create phones that don't exactly fall within the minimum specs that Microsoft has given to other OEMs. Nokia will be the only company that will be allowed to make these changes, thus giving them a lot of leverage when you're comparing a Nokia versus any other manufacturer.
All these rumors have us excited and should make you excited too if you plan on your next phone being a Windows Phone... phone.
It's no doubt that Steve Jobs was an inspiration to the tech community in every way. Many people may not realize it, or care to, but I (and I'm sure many others) would like to explain to you a little something.
Without Steve Jobs, advancement would have slowed, who else would take the risks? Without him, we wouldn't see the absolutely stunning mobile technology we have today, again, who would have taken the risks?
Steve Jobs was famous for being the risk taker, the one willing to fail if it meant taking another step further. At this time I feel that no matter what company you may stand behind, whether you like Apple's products or not, you must realize how much this man gave us.
One last note, Steve Jobs is/was the CEO of Pixar, inc. Many people were not aware of this and I feel it's important that this man represented art in many forms. Not just future technology.
You will be missed, Steve Jobs, be at peace.
You can read Apple's statement (and submit your own) HERE.
You can also see a little bit about what Bill Gates had to say HERE.
Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011)
Have you been looking at your Netflix and Hulu+ subscriptions wondering why nothing ever gets better? Why the selection of instant streaming is so few?
Well, according to Microsoft you may be getting exactly what you asked for (finally, right?).
Microsoft released a good bit of information today revealing how they intend to change the way we watch tv in a radical way. This could mean a lot for their stance in the current tech market, especially the phone market. They announced, today, that "nearly 40 world-leading TV and entertainment providers, including Bravo, Comcast, HBO, Syfy, and Verizon FiOS" will begin providing live TV and video-on-demand services via the Xbox 360 in the next couple months.
This new experience will also be complimented by the new user interface that is being brought to the Xbox 360. This UI is called "Light UI" (Coming Spring 2012) and is heavily based on their Metro UI (found in Windows 8 and Windows Phones). They also strive to completely incorporate the Kinect system wide, which, with the UI changes, should make for a very sleek experience. Along with complete Kinect integration comes complete Windows Phone integration.
Kinect integration will bring system wide motion and voice control. The usual commands appear to apply, but it also looks like Bing will be used to search for content which can be done with a controller, keyboard, or your voice.
With the phone integration, you'll get far more control than you did in the previous Xbox applications. This application will be called the "Xbox Companion App" and serves as a multipurpose media remote for your 360. You can use the phone to find the content you wish to view on your 360. You'll have access to the same, full catalog that the Xbox 360 does. After finding the content you wish to view or download to your Xbox you can find more details about that content. As an example, if it's a movie, you'll get links for the actors that lead to more movies by that actor and so on and so forth. After you have selected what you would like to view you simply hit play and the content is displayed directly on your Xbox 360. The Windows Phone then turns into a media remote with video playback controls.
Xbox Companion App will be a free download for all existing Windows Phone owners and seems like it will be baked into new models. Some of the features can be seen about a minute into the above posted video.
Those who own a Windows Phone should be incredibly happy at this point because it looks like Microsoft has opened the door to their latest update a little bit more. Microsoft has stated that over half of all Windows Phone users will have their update available with everyone else receiving theirs after some more testing and feedback.
Redmond appears to be just as blown away as everyone at how smoothly the update has rolled out. Earlier this year the smaller NoDo update rolled out incredibly smooth but even that left something to be desired compared the ease this update has had out of the gates.
Like anything else tech related, users have figured out how to "cut in line" and get their update ahead of schedule. I won't go into it here but a quick Google search should yield some quick and painless methods that are completely safe.
Interestingly enough, Samsung managed to sneak in a release of a new tablet, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. This tab will be available in 16GB and 32GB sizes. It uses a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU to run Android 3.2 Honeycomb. It also features a 7" LCD screen with a 1024x600 resolution. It does include a front and rear facing camera at 2 and 3 megapixels respectively and is able to shoot 720p video with the rear camera. It goes without saying that this will ship with Samsung's TouchWiz UI built right in to the tablet along with 1GB of RAM. It has all the usual connection options from WiFi, Bluetooth, EDGE, and 3G. It looks like the tab will release in Austria and Indonesia at the end of October with international releases being shortly after.
In Boston, MA two people have successfully constructed a few LEED Platinum-level living spaces for the same costs as constructing a home using conventional methods. The project took the couple extensive research and a lot of planning to bring the home together.
The pair filled the home with energy-efficient appliances and equipped it with solar panels to reduce high energy costs.
"There were a lot of misconceptions. We wanted to show that this makes sense environmentally and financially and that it can happen in Dorchester," said Loesch. "We wanted the community to understand that it can be done." (cnet News)
The houses also include high-tech entertainment systems, a modern security system, and some home automation. Vivint provides the couple with these essentials by allowing them to control the climate and atmosphere in their home from a smart phone or computer. This system will continue to grow and add additional features as time moves on.
High-tech entertainment system also displays news from the net.
Vivint security and climate control system.
Vivint can also be controlled from a smart phone.
Two of the LEED certified homes have now been rented out.
Alright guys I have a very exciting article for you today. I am going to go hands on with Windows 8 (Developer Build). This could be a bumpy ride so hang on!
Note: This post is coming from within the developer build
So I am going to attempt to give a good description based on what it's supposed to be (an alpha build) rather than what it's going to be in a year or so.
At the initial install you're greeted with a similar install screen to that of Windows 7. After which you are given some options for partitioning, deleting, and formatting drives (using the same Windows 7 screen). Most of the initial setup screens remain the same, however in the developer build you aren't asked a lot of questions at the first startup (such as time/date settings and all of that). In fact, all you are asked is PC Name, Username, Password and Password Hint.
Once you login for the first time you are greeted with a very rich and colorful UI, called Metro UI, by Windows:
Metro UI is Windows' new stylish interface.
You can scroll around and look at the 28 free developer applications that come with the build. There are plenty of fun little demo apps to get you started in the world of Windows 8 from games to social apps. Lightweight applications will be a welcome addition to Windows 8 if this is any proof of how they will run.
Labyrinth, one of Windows' demo apps.
Bitbox, a music sampling application.
Another thing you will notice is that Windows 8 has a different set of instructions. At first, without guidance, it may take you a bit to realize where all your bars and menus are. The "Start" menu is hidden in the bottom left corner, only to be shown wen you hover the mouse over it (this may be a setting switch, but I couldn't find it anywhere in this build). You may also find that getting to a normal looking desktop only takes one click (on the "Desktop" application), Here, you are greeted with a Windows 7 styled desktop. The difference is, where the round start button used to be, there is a square button with the windows logo. Upon clicking this button you are brought back to the Metro UI screen. So any apps that would normally be in a start bar, are now tiles on the Metro screen.
The start menu is tucked away in the bottom left corner.
One thing that confused me at first, and required some research, was the lack of application exiting. When in the desktop view you can exit any and all normal programs using the same "x" we all know and love. The Metro screen is another story. Upon exiting an app, your only option is to go the bottom left of the screen and hit start which will take you back to the metro screen which doesn't give you the sense that you're actually closing the app and that's because, well, you're not. Windows 8 does something different here. With the low powered apps that run on the Metro screen, Windows takes over and decides when to cut the power based on a timeline and power consumption by more recent apps. However if you have a backlog of apps running and you decide to check it out in the Task Manager (still found under Ctrl+Alt+Delete) you will see that the apps you quit a while ago are in a "suspended" state. A sort of freezing method where Windows only has to remember small pieces of data in order to bring the app back up to speed when you reenter it.
The new Task Manager "suspends" applications.
Windows 8, isn't clunky like evolving operating systems tend to be. In fact, Windows 8 (even just being the developer build) is incredible at task management within itself. Windows 8 has been shown to run less processes than Windows 7 as well as managing cores and CPU speeds better and more efficiently. This makes Windows 8 a snappy, and smooth experience.
In fact, once you get used to hidden menus and out of the ordinary task management, the experience becomes totally refreshing, rather than stressful as you may think it is upon first startup. I've had a lot of fun in Windows 8 in the last 24 hours, testing every single app, downloading some programs of my own, and really digging into the system.
Speaking of which, the control panel is another interesting note. At first, you get a control panel that is rather plain, and has only simple controls, but at the bottom of the Control Panel screen, is a button that will take you to the classic Windows 7 control panel if the option you need isn't displayed in the Metro Control Panel. While this may seem like a poor way of doing things, I found that many of the basic options a user would need are there, without confusing them with Hardware management and all of that stuff. (Trying to get to device manager to install my built in Wi-Fi driver is what clued me in to the new Control Panel)
The Metro Control Panel doesn't have all the options up front.
The Classic Control Panel is still here though.
Essentially, Windows 8 will be everything you loved about Windows 7 with a flashier "Start" menu and app browser, as well as incredible task management. I would expect Windows 8 to sell as well, if not better, than Windows 7 did.
By putting out a public download, they made it easier for developers, and experienced users, to offer suggestions about what to change in Windows 8. Right now, I believe I haven't spent enough time with new OS to complain. Everyone knew it had a tad bit of a learning curve (not like switching to a Mac, but what you would expect it to be by looking at the pictures) but from my experience it has only taken me a day to get used to the setup and (while I'm not positive) I feel that there is or will be an option to return you to a fairly classic desktop experience.
I will continue to bring you updates about my findings with Windows 8 in the hopes that together we can make it an incredible OS. The addition of apps will make this edition of Windows a very universal and easily developed platform. Windows 8 is expected to run on PCs and Tablets, as well as a trimmed version for phones.
In case you are wondering about the specs I am running this on:
Windows 8 Developer Build x86 (I will be downloading and triple booting x64 soon)
AMD Phenom II x6 1055t Processor
4GB RAM
1 TB Hard Drive (50GB partitioned to Windows 8)
Integrated Graphics (HD Radeon 4200)
TrendNet Wireless N Wi-Fi card (needed drivers from their site to operate)
Aside from the Wi-Fi, Windows 8 quickly recognized everything I plugged in to it (wired and wireless USB keyboards, wireless USB mouse, 250GB external HDD, Canon Powershot SX30 IS). I don't currently have any USB 3.0 devices to test my 3.0 ports but I would assume that support is built in, even in this build.
Overall, Windows 8 gets my approval and, while I don't think it's ready for market, I believe that they should have no issues getting a Beta out by late first, early second quarter next year and with their attitude lately, they could have the OS out easily by this time next year.
If you want to give Windows 8 a shot just click HERE to download it legally from Windows.
If you aren't too adventurous you can always Google how to run it in a virtual machine.
