Windows 8 goes mobile: Another desktop environment says "hi" to the touchscreen world.

Another desktop environment says "hi" to the touchscreen world. I am pretty much an operating system agnostic. I am happy with the Mac OSX interface on my MacBook. If it has any real weakness, it is that is relies to much on fancy gestures, when a simple keyboard shortcut is more comfortable to use. Past two months I have spent most of my time on Fedora 15 and Ubuntu 11.10 Beta 1 Linux, both running the Gnome 3 Shell desktop environment. Gnome 3 is my favorite operating system desktop environment, it does not appear to be very popular. If Gnome 3 Shell ceases to be a viable option  I have no problem switching to Ubuntu Linux and the Unity Desktop environment. The one operating system I have not used in over 9 months, is the most popular of all. Microsoft's Windows. I recently installed Windows 8, and like the Gnome 3 and Unity desktop environments, it has also migrated to a more graphical desktop which could be used for both devices that rely on finger manipulated touchscreens and physical keyboards.

Gnome 3

The old guard is not happy. When you talk of desktop environments, in Linux at least, you find scores of angry voices objecting to the new graphically oriented Gnome 3 Shell and Unity Desktops. Apparently it is the same on the Windows side. With the new touchscreen and keyboard friendly Windows 8, the sentiments seem to be the same. For many the preferred desktop for Linux was Gnome 2, which is actually rather similar to Window 98 or XP in form and function.  

Windows 8 goes mobile. I have a strong suspicion that those who object to the new desktop environments spend most of their time on computers with large screens. You can manipulate font and icon sizes in Windows 7 for smaller screens, but in the end there is only so much you can do, and it really works better on larger screens. Install Windows 8 on a 14-inch or larger machine, and you will think it looks different. On small 10 to 11  inch laptops, Window 8 really shines. 

And I think this is the correct way to go. With internet having gone mobile and prices highly portable devices having dramatically gone down in the past few years, more and more computing will be done on "the road" with devices with smaller screens. At this point in time, how many people really want a large desktop sitting on a desk attached to a large screen, when you can plug any modern laptop directly to your giant LCD TV via HDMI?

For the average Joe, having a interface on their phone, nearly identical to the one in their tablet and which looks almost the same as the one in their desktop would be preferable.  

Windows on the Phone

Windows on the desktop

If you are the kind of person who reads blogs like this, having one unified desktop environment may not seem that important to you. Why change what had worked well for so long? 

Canonical (Ubuntu), Gnome and Microsoft are going with one size fits all interfaces. This may not be too appealing to old hands who have been using computers for the better part of one or two decades and cut their teeth on a big bulky 14-inch desktop. The new interfaces target the new younger generation of users who will cut their teeth computing on a small 3-4 inch screen. 

It's a whole new world. Get used to it.

Read more »

Globe CloudFone Ice: Android @Php4,990

With a price of Php4,990 the Android powered Globe CloudFone Ice with a 3.2-inch 320 x 480 screen looks like a steal. The Globe CloudFone Ice is actually a Huawei U8500, which was released in 2010. It runs Android 2.1, Eclair and is not upgradeable to Android 2.2 (Froyo) or Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). While specifications online indicate that this phone runs on Android 2.1, the version being sold by Globe Telecom runs Android 2.2.

These days we only recommend phones running Android 2.2 or higher. Why? Android 2.2 runs 4x faster than Android 2.1. Android 2.2 allows apps to be stored on the SDCard. With Android 2.1, apps can only be installed on the internal memory.

The Globe CloudFone Ice was clearly launched to challenge Smarts Netphone. The Globe CloudFone Ice it is not an equivalent to the Smart Netphone. Smarts Netphone is a new phone with a service package built around it. The Globe CloudFone Ice is really just an obsolete Android phone sold for a low price. Still  Php4,990 for an Android 2.1 device is not bad, but I really would not recommend it. for an Android 2.2 device is not a bad deal.


Article updated.

Read more »

P7310ZSKH4 Android 3.1 Honeycomb Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9'' WIFI Asia ROM

Here's the first original stock ROM on the list for Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9" WIFI GT-P7310. This firmware build number is P7310ZSKH4 with CSC-BRI Taiwan file which pulled from Asian version of Tab 8.9 Wifi only. This is Android 3.1 Honeycomb which the Embedded-Operating System since its release.
Samfirmware announced the first stock ROM release that has been pulled from Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9" WIFI GT-P7310.

Note: This is for Galaxy Tab GT-P7310 8.9" Wifi Asian version only. Do not ever try to flash this in other Galaxy Tab varieties, for it might end up bricking the device. See the Galaxy Tab GT-P7310 8.9" Wifi specs details below or check the about phone info of your Tab before using this stock ROM.

Software-Environment
Embedded-Operating;System: Google Android 3.1
Browse devices running this OS
Microprocessor,;Chipset
CPU;Clock: 1000 MHz
CPU: NVIDIA Tegra 2 250 T20
Browse devices based on this microprocessor
Memory,_Storage:capacity
RAM;capacity: 1 GiB
ROM_capacity: 15.2 GiB
Display-Type: color transflective TFT , 16777216 scales
Display;Diagonal: 8.9 "
Display-Resolution: 1280 x 800
Video;out: 1280x720 (720p) resolution
Sound
Microphone(s): mono
Loudspeaker(s): stereo
Audio;Output: 3.5mm
Control_Peripherals
Positioning+Device: Multi-touch screen
Primary+Keyboard: Not supported
Directional+Pad: Not supported
Scroll_Wheel: Not supported
Interfaces
Expansion:Slots: microSD, microSDHC, TransFlash
USB: USB 2.0 client, 480Mbit/s
micro-USB
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
Wireless_LAN: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n
Infrared:Gate: Not supported
Multimedia_Telecommunication
Analog;Radio;Receiver: Not supported
Digital_Media:Broadcast+Tuner: Not supported
Satellite+Navigation
Built-in-GPS+module: Supported
Complementary;GPS+Services: Assisted GPS, Geotagging
Built-in;Digital_Camera
Main:Camera: 3.1 MP
Autofocus+(AF): Supported
Optical+Zoom: 1 x
Macro-Mode: Supported
Built-in-Flash: mobile light (LED)
Secondary;Camera: 1.9 MP
Additional+Details
Built-in+accelerometer: Supported
Battery: removable
Battery-Capacity: 6000 mAh

You can grab the P7310ZSKH4  via samfirmware.com in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9'' WiFi P7310 Android Firmware page.

Read more »

AMD Fusion E-450 shootout: Sony Vaio YB VPCYB35AG v. Samsung Series 3 305U1A

Sony Vaio YB

I got word from the Sony Concept Store at the Mall of Asia that the updated Sony Vaio YB, model number VPCYB35AG is now available. The laptop has the following specifications:

• AMD Dual-Core E-450 APU with AMD Radeon™ HD 6320 Graphics
• Genuine Windows® 7 Starter 32-bit
• 11.6 inch wide (WXGA: 1366x768) TFT colour display
• 2GB RAM
• 320 GB (Serial ATA, 5400 rpm) hard drive
• Weight: 3.2 pounds
• HDMI Output

This is an upgraded version of the AMD Dual-Core E-350 powered Sony Vaio YB released last February. It is offered in the same three colors as before: silver, silver with a green lid and silver with a pink lid. Is is also offered in a new color, with the entire laptop in a nice stark corporate looking black.

The retail price is Php26,999, which is 3K less than the release price of the Sony Vaio YB released last February. 

Subjectively, the Sony Vaio YB was my favorite AMD Fusion powered ultraportable. Objectively, in comparison with the HP Pavilion DM1-3016AU, the HP DM1 was the better deal. 

Samsung Series 3 NP305U1A

How does the new Sony Vaio YB fair? The new Sony Vaio YB challenger is now the newly released Samsung Series 3 305U1A. Both laptops are powered by AMD E-450 APU, have 2GB of RAM and 11.6-inch screens. Here is a quick comparison of their other specifications:

Weight

Sony Vaio YB - 3.2 pounds

Samsung Series 3 NP305U1A - 2.7 pounds

Storage

Sony Vaio YB - 320GB

Samsung Series 3 NP305U1A - 500GB

Battery

Sony Vaio YB - 3500 mAh

Samsung Series 3 NP305U1A - 4000 mAh

Operating system

Sony Vaio YB - Windows 7 Starter

Samsung Series 3 NP305U1A - Windows 7 Home Basic

Price

Sony Vaio YB - Php26,999

Samsung Series 3 NP305U1A - Php23,900

Not much of a competition actually, the Samsung wins in all the categories where the two laptops differ. On subjective matters, I like the Sony's keyboard better.

What about the HP Pavillion DM1? Well it still runs on the older AMD E-350. While the E-450 is just a 50MHz bump on processor speed it it support DDR1600 memery and the graphics chip can overclock on demand 200MHz faster than the E-350. The E-450 is substantially faster, taking the HP Pavillion DM1 out of consideration until it gets its own upgrade. Check of the E-350 v. E-450 benchmarks here at Mobility Update.

Read more »

HTC Titan Enables Video Calling Feature After Windows Mango 7.5 Update

Most awaiting update, we all been waiting for so long from the Microsoft none other than the Codenamed Mango 7.5 had stepped ahead to bring the video calling support . This was the major update from the Microsoft which we all been waiting to use this kind of new features on windows 7 phones. After this Mango 7.5 update windows 7 phones gained strength on mobile market and they could compete with the present OS platforms. As they demonstrated the video calling feature on the HTC Titan with new software application called Tango, it was cross–platform video calling app which was already available on both Android and iOS market.

As this cool new feature will be packed with the upcoming next generation models like HTC Titan and Radar, both mobiles having front facing camera. Unfortunately the previous windows 7 phones does not have front facing camera.  Sad to hear that they will definitely miss this new feature forever.

As the video seems flawless and pretty smooth. We assume that this feature might be supported on both 3G and through the Wi-Fi. And one more thing it’s pretty cool that we could actually switch the camera so that we could show them what we are gonna show without turning your phone. Pretty Cool ahh..As there are pretty lot more features on their way to us. We gonna love the windows once again.

Read more »

Things You Need to be aware of iPhone 5

Apple iPhone 5 is about to roll out this October. The Hype is already created and lots of fictions, rumors and many predictions about the features, introductions of iPhone 5 are going all over world and are going really crazy. I even find over 20,000 Dedicated iPhone 5 websites are posting the regular updates which certainly drives the attention from Apple Lovers all over the world. iPhone turned as a professional business machine. Apple iPhone apps for business make your life really organized.

All these predictions may be true or may not be. But the popularity of Apple’s Innovation is the major reason for its crazy fan base. I’d like to say that Apple iPhone 5 is going to break all shackles and boundaries of SmartPhone Market. 

Read more »

Read more »

Now on Windows 8

Windows 8 Developer Preview runs surprisingly well on my old laptop which has only 1GB of RAM and is powered by a dual 1.8GHz Intel Core2 Duo processor. Basically, four year old specifications. Before going any further, I installed Windows 8 on a laptop which is essentially now just a back-up machine. I do not recommend that you install it in your primary PC. This is a Developer Preview Release. It is not even a beta yet. That being said, it works well and I have not had any crashes so far. The only thing I had to do was to install a the Intel Graphics driver (you can use Windows 7 drivers).  I am actually posting this while running Windows 8. Well, that is all for now. Here are a few screenshots.

Here is the start screen. To get here you hide to "swipe" up
 on the screen with the mouse (or less spectacularly tap the space bar), just like on a mobile phone.

Clicking on the icon (er... Tile) labled Desktop brings you to a familiar looking desktop. 

The traditional Windows Start menu is gone.
To find your Apps (yep... no longer call programs), go to Search.

If you use a Windows Phone 7 device, parts of it should look pretty familiar. If you use both a Windows Phone 7 device and a Windows 7 PC you should have no problem getting use to the new set-up. Initial impressions? It is different. I am not sure whether I like this or not, but it does work, and it is surprisingly fast. Will use it for a few weeks to give it a fair shake.

Read more »