There’s been a fair amount of debate recently about whether running Android apps on Windows machines is good or bad for Microsoft. Quite a few pundits maintain that it’s a bad thing, at least some saying that the availability of Android apps reduces the incentives for Windows developers to make quality modern UI apps for […]
ASUS Transformer Book Duet Skimps on the Resolution
January 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment
As much as I love the idea of a powerful machine that can run both Android and Windows 8.1, it seems like every vendor who’s made one has missed the boat on some important aspect. Of course, Samsung’s ATIV Q, in addition to offering only 4GB of RAM (to be shared between both OSs), was […]
Windows 8 Tip: App Availability Indicator
October 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment
One of the nice things about Windows 8.1 is that various system settings are synced across machines using SkyDrive. As long as you connect to your Windows Live account when you set up a new machine, those settings can be automatically applied. I noticed the following icon on some of my Start screen tiles, and […]
My Top 22 Tablet Apps: How Does Windows 8 Hold Up?
October 10, 2013 by 1 Comment
I went through this mental exercise when I was a webOS fan back in the day: what apps must webOS have available to make it a viable near-term platform for me? I thought I’d do the same today for Windows RT/8 tablets. And so, here are the X apps that Windows RT/8 tablets must have […]
Get Windows 8.1 Pro Upgrade for $78.89 (Kind Of)
October 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
A number of Amazon sellers, such as Tech Direct, are letting the Windows 8 Pro Upgrade go for $78.89 right now, which is normally $129.99. Therefore, you can buy it today, and then take advantage of the free Windows 8.1 update when it releases on October 17. What a deal. Here’s a link: Microsoft Windows […]
Microsoft’s Windows Strategy: Can it Work?
September 28, 2013 by 2 Comments
As I watched this new Windows 8.1 commercial yesterday, I was struck by how clearly it lays out the value of Microsoft’s “three screens and a cloud” strategy. I was also struck by how much sense this strategy makes to me. Apparently, Ray Ozzie came up with this phrase all the way back in […]
Windows 8: Features, Not Bugs
September 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment
ZDNet posted a story today that listed 10 things that are wrong with Windows 8 tablets. I agree with some of the points made and disagree with others, and there were a few that I thought are worth some additional discussion. After having used Windows 8 consistently (including Windows 8.1), I’m finding myself a bit […]
Small Windows 8 Tablets Make No Sense (Update: I’m Wrong)
September 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment
First there was the Acer Iconia W3, an 8” tablet running Windows 8 that was generally panned for, at least, having a terrible screen. Now, with IFA looming, a number of other small Windows 8 tablets (say, less than 10.1”) are expected for being announced. The Toshiba Encore is the next, and it seems […]
Stardock Start8 Really Works
September 4, 2013 by 2 Comments
Okay, so, I gave some impressions of Windows 8 in another post, where I concluded that the new OS works fine when you have at least a Windows 8 gesture-enabled touchpad. I suggested that you avoid Windows 8 if you have a machine (notebook or desktop, really) with a non-gesture-enabled touchpad (or mouse). My reason: […]
How I’ve Learned to Work Effectively in Windows 8
August 19, 2013 by 5 Comments
When Microsoft released the new Ribbon-based interface in Office 2010, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. It was as if Microsoft had unleashed a biblical plague. Indeed, the general consensus (or hope) for awhile was that Microsoft would see the error of their ways and return to the menu structure of old. Flash […]