May 2013 ~ Computing Compendium

I keep wanting to stop having negative Microsoft stories, but this is failure in a whole new area.

Xbox is rather successful with consumers, but Microsoft has to date not really made a profit with it. [The consoles are subsidized so that Microsoft loses money when they come out, but then makes money when people buy games... so far this cycle has generally led to a near zero profit.]

A few days ago I pointed out this story:
Xbox One: The Most Restrictive Game Console Ever Made

Now, Windows uber-pundit, Paul Thurrott writes:

It’s very possible that the Xbox One, by trying to be all things to all people, will simply be yet another Windows 8. And that is not what Microsoft needs right now.

See his whole article here: What if Xbox One is Another Windows 8?

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Saturday, 25 May 2013

Google Service News

Posted on 17:10 by Unknown

Google Plus Photos limit upped to 15GB for Auto Backup with new features

Not Just Another Notes App: Why You Should Use Google Keep

Now you can scan documents to Google Drive using your phone - Liliputing

Talk to your browser! Voice search included in latest Chrome update - Android Authority

Dropbox vs. Google Drive vs. Amazon vs. Skydrive: Which One Is Fastest? – ReadWrite

Google Wallet is taking over for Checkout - Android Authority

Google's Flirtation With Being A Hardware Company Is Over – ReadWrite

You might want to compare this next article with my article: Are Google or Any Cloud Based Products Trustworthy?
Your Cloud Provider Is Toast. Now What? – ReadWrite

Why Google gets so much credit

Now you can upload your own books to Google Books, read anywhere - Liliputing

Down with file attachments! Hail to the Google Docs API update | Application Development - InfoWorld

What I learned using only Google products - Computerworld

Video: Testing Out Google’s Conversational Search in Chrome – Droid Life

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Android News

Posted on 17:06 by Unknown

Sorry there is so much... but I've cut and cut... there's just a lot of news.

Of particular importance are these two articles:

Cheap Hisense Sero 7 LT and Sero 7 PRO tablets out at Walmart
and

VOYO A15 tablet packs an 11.6 inch screen, Exynos 5250 processor

These offer tablets very similar to the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 for $149 and $228 respectively.

They are clearly superior to the iPad mini ($329) and the iPad 2 ($399) [Apple's biggest selling tablets].

The eleven inch tablet is competitive with the iPad 4.

Apple clearly needs to rethink its pricing or it may be a grim holiday season.

Agent smartwatch hopes to take on the Pebble

Making Android Pay: 5 Tips To Topping The Charts On Google Play

A smoother Drive app for Android | Google Drive Blog

HP's Android-powered SlateBook x2 is a Transformer series competitor

Android has become a hedge against Microsoft and Windows

Recon Jet goes up against Google Glass, aimed at outdoorsy crowd

Unity adds free mobile game development for Android and iOS | PCWorld

Ultra fast Tegra 4i shown off at CTIA in Las Vegas - Android Authority

DailyTech - High School Student Creates 20-Second Cell Phone Charger

How Google Is Wooing Developers To Make Apps For Android First – ReadWrite

Is the Samsung Galaxy Mega coming to AT&T? - Android Authority

Tronsmart MK908 quad-core Android TV stick performance (video) - Liliputing

Amazon.com: Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Scanner for PC and Mac (PA03656-B005): Computers & Accessories

Making Android Pay For Developers: Checking Out The New Tools In Google Play – ReadWrite

Android Dramatically Extends Lead With Open Source Developers – ReadWrite

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Chrome and Chromebook News

Posted on 16:58 by Unknown

Google Is Prepping A Sneak Attack On Microsoft Office – ReadWrite

Chrome 27 arrives with 5% faster page loads, File System API to save and synchronize data on Drive, and more - The Next Web

Maybe the Point of Chromebooks Isn’t Chromebooks | TIME.com

Check out the new Acer C710-2487 Chromebook | Geek with Laptop

$199 Acer C7 Chromebook with 16GB SSD coming soon - Liliputing

Review: HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook • The Register

The Awesome New Technology That You'll See on the Web This Year

What is Google planning with Chrome? - Android Authority

Apple claiming Google Now infringes on Siri patents - Android Community

Google launches Portable Native Client for cross-platform web apps - Liliputing

Chrome for Mac Gets Rich Notifications With Action Buttons and Apps Menu - Chrome Story

"Peppy" Another Chromebook with Intel Haswell Chip Shows Up in Chrome OS Code - Chrome Story

Google Chrome Browser Keeps Winning Converts: 10 Reasons Why

SAP Says Their Latest Web Apps Are Optimized For Chrome

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Google already ruling the world?

Posted on 16:49 by Unknown

There is a huge amount of Google News this week. I've broken it up into 4 different posts, but the lists are still too long. I've worked in the computing field for 30 years - never before have I seen the rate of innovation that Google is currently maintaining.

Last week, I reported on the huge announcements by Google at Google I/O that seemed have been missed by the trade press entirely.

Well this week, Kevin C. Tofel writing for GigaOM proves he's not asleep:
How Google plans to rule the computing world through Chrome

This is the most important news from Google, probably ever!

Here is a summary of what is going on:

Read more »

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Non-Android Linux News

Posted on 16:45 by Unknown

Linux Mint is my favorite desktop Linux distribution.
Mint 15: Today's best Linux desktop (Review) | ZDNet

Can gaming be the turning point for Linux on the desktop? | News | TechRadar

Wow an actual Linux Laptop... I cannot wait for Bay Trail, then I can have one with no fan!
Asus 1015E 10 inch notebook with Ubuntu coming soon for around $215 - Liliputing

Logitech Adds 'Linux Compatible' Option to Product Site; Sign of Good Things to Come? - HotHardware

Tizen is the new mobile OS from Samsung and Intel. I expect it to become the number 3 mobile OS in the next year or so [displacing Windows 8 Phone and Blackberry 10]. Tizen, like Android, works on more than just phone and tablets.
Unity adding Tizen Linux support | Game Development | News by Develop

Tizen Linux demo on an ultrabook (video) - Liliputing

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Miscellaneous News

Posted on 16:39 by Unknown

The Windows Kernel's Achilles' Heel

I have always found this "feature" of Windows annoying. In fact, I once had a Windows 7 laptop eat itself because I had no choice but to close it before it was finished updating. It is incredibly rude that Microsoft does this at all.
Stop Windows from Restarting Your Computer After Updates

This would work for many other similar things as well.
Make a MacBook Dock with Sugru and a Few Cables

Windows 8 Users Don't Use Metro Apps

What to Look for in an Ergonomic Office Chair

Xbox One: The Most Restrictive Game Console Ever Made

Math-o-mir: write mathematical equations on your PC

I don't normally cover new PC's but HP is looking unusually innovative with these new items:
HP Envy Rove is a 20 inch desktop PC that's also a 12 pound tablet

HP redesigns Envy and Pavilion laptops for 2013, including one with a 3200 x 1800 screen

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Wednesday, 22 May 2013

Strange, Possibly Humorous News

Posted on 12:02 by Unknown

Not one of the articles below were intended to be funny, though some are worth a chuckle anyway.

This evokes the question: Has anyone called out for pizza delivery from the International Space Station?
3D Food Printer Could Sustain Long-Distance Space Explorers

The Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game as spectator sport:
Get Ready for e-Sports

U.N. Urges Eating Insects; 8 Popular Bugs to Try

Apple is a strange place:
Apple asked me for my BANK statements, says outraged reader

Use These Secret NSA Google Search Tips to Become Your Own Spy Agency

For only $2,200 you can show those iPhone users that they are not the only one who can spend too much on a phone!
Samsung Galaxy S4 in gold!

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Sunday, 19 May 2013

Google I/O 2013 - What the Trade Press Missed

Posted on 17:27 by Unknown

In many ways, the thing I found most interesting about Google I/O 2013 was how little the trade press understood what Google was doing. If one looks at the developer sessions, what was stressed, and the fact that the only announcement we should expect "later this year" would be about Chrome/Chromebooks, it is kind of clear where Google wanted developers to head.

Read more »

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Saturday, 18 May 2013

Google I/O 2013 - What the Trade Press Understood

Posted on 14:46 by Unknown

Google I/O 2013 was much more developer oriented this year. This caught the trade press off guard and they seem to have missed some of the most important things. They did however pick up on the numerous small announcements that were made there. Google announced 900 million Android activations and 48 billion app downloads. I've divided the relevant links into Consumer and Developer announcements:

Read more »

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Tuesday, 14 May 2013

Linux and Open Source News

Posted on 19:32 by Unknown

KickStarter project to make a documentary about Open Source:
History of Linux: Time For Open Source Documentary

Two articles about a study of software quality:
Study: Open Source Delivers Superior Quality... Up To A Point

Linux code is the 'benchmark of quality,' study concludes

Linux Mint is my favorite Linux desktop distribution:
How Mighty Mint became one of the most popular Linux distros

Feature set of Linux 3.10 defined

What Are The Major Changes That Android Made To The Linux Kernel?

International Space Station now using Linux instead of Windows:
Penguins in spa-a-a-ce! ISS dumps Windows for Linux on laptops

How An Open Source Operating System Jumpstarted Robotics Research

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Google News - Pre I/O

Posted on 19:24 by Unknown

Google I/O starts tomorrow!
Here's a link for live coverage:
Official Blog: We’re going live from Google I/O

The AndroVM blog has an intriguing post (says there will be a big announcment at I/O):
Big announcement to come
(These are the people that make an Android VM for you to run anywhere you can run Virtual Box.)

Tomorrow, there will be a ton of new Google news... here are some items I've been holding that I don't want to get lost in the deluge.

If you like Google Now... here's a cool list of commands:
Google Now Voice Commands

Adobe has apparently made a killer app for Android:
Adobe Photoshop Touch Is Almost Picture Perfect

Google to make 2-step verification mandatory

Google Cloud Messaging Comes to Chrome and Chrome OS, Brings Push Notifications

Bluetooth On Chrome OS Now Supports Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)

"Text" - A Simple Text Editor for Chrome and Chrome OS - Runs Offline, and Has Syntax Highlighting

Google triples free cloud storage for Drive and Gmail to 15GB | Android Community

Nvidia Raises Its Shield

I think I sent this device in a different article some time ago... it is still cool though:
Who Needs a Watch When Your Phone Has Two Screens?

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Monday, 13 May 2013

Less Microsoft and Apple Coverage

Posted on 20:51 by Unknown

Microsoft and Apple are now considerably less relevant to the future of Computing than when I started this blog six months ago. The "news" is consistently about what they are doing badly and is generally boring...

Let me give you some examples:

Read more »

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Monday, 6 May 2013

Intel News (Silvermont)

Posted on 21:16 by Unknown

Intel announced its Silvermont line of chips today. This is the line where the soon to ship Bay Trail chips will come from. They look to be on track to ship chips that have lower power usage and similar performance to the highest end ARM chips. They are promising pricing that should make them competitive to ARM.

Here are three articles that cover this news:

Intel launches the 22nm Silvermont Atom core

Intel Silvermont Architecture: Does This Atom Change It All? : Can Silvermont Take Atom From Zero To Hero?

Intel’s Silvermont Architecture Revealed: Getting Serious About Mobile

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