Microsoft Visual Studios 2013

This should get developers attention! Visual Studios 2013 baby! No, only preview has come out but the official will hopefully come soon. I've tried looking for other code editors but none could compare to my Visual Studios Pro 2012. So I am going back to Visual Studios when 2013 comes out. I wish they had a lite version of VS where it wouldn't install 4 to 10gb of stuff. So I will probably get just VS for web to save space. Plus, it installs a bunch of advanced stuff I probably won't ever use. So when anyone hears VS 2013 comes out, give us a holler! Happy Coding. :)

Office 2013 Promotional

      Office 2013 is here and is the newest Microsoft office suit. The home edition comes with Word 2013, PowerPoint 2013, Excel 2013, and OneNote 2013. The business edition comes with Word 2013, PowerPoint 2013, Excel 2013, OneNote 2013, Access 2013, Publisher 2013 and Outlook 2013.

Word is for creating beautiful documents, easily work with others, and enjoy the read.

PowerPoint is for designing and deliver beautiful presentations with ease and confidence.

Excel is for easily discovering, visualize, and share insights from your data.

OneNote is for taking notes and have them when you need them.

Access is for building a professional app quickly to manage data.

Publisher is for creating professional-grade publications that make an impact.

Outlook is for managing your email, schedules, contacts, and to-dos.

All of the office programs are on office.com 

Nokia Lumia 1020

Amazing Camera
     I don't know about you but the Nokia Lumia 1020's camera is amazing! If you didn't already hear about it, the phone houses a 41 mega-pixel camera. That packs an astronomically high 4 million pixels into an image. That is just crazy pro quality there. Image provided by WP Central.

comiXology app review

    Overview

              I know there are plenty of comic book reader friends out there looking for a review of the conglomerate known as comiXology a cross platform app that acts like a digital locker for your precious graphic goodies. Personally I'm a fan of a novel or a movie but a graphic novel acts like a good middle in the road to visualize what is happening without sound (unlike DeviantARTs newest motion books which are amazing, btw). So I decided to spring for comiXology despite a few bad reviews. Overall I thought app was good, had a large category of titles, and the design was good in theory but the app was sluggish some and there wasn't a home button.

Functionality

      It's kind of hard to define "functionality" for a comic book reader app, but if your talking guided panes view, large title category, some free titles, and good prices (noted I'm not the guy for comic book prices I'm going on rates for books then translating them into comic book prices) then you have to use the comiXology app. Buying comics require a credit card and an account even if you are just looking for free ones (like me). After a simple in app registration you can buy books to your hearts content without leaving the app (unlike Kindle) and reading them straight from the glorious cloud. Of course you can choose to download for offline reading for summer road trips where some graphic entertainment is essential. One thing I wasn't happy about (as usual) was the lack of sharing. Every app should use the sharing charm even if it just posts a message to social media saying your using/enjoying etc in comiXology and since it is a website where you can get graphic novels they should at least include a link which guarantees free marketing even if only about 5% of their users use it. So the core functionality is good only thing is the app isn't completely fluid and it can be a bit hard to maneuver around the app on a laptop.

Design

      This is a two fold part. First part is the main page/store. The use of rectangles/boxes has a template look but somehow it looks good. The store isn't hard to maneuver around and purchasing is easy. The reading experience is great feeling very gratifying. The guided view is my favorite and I really enjoy using it with the cool use of zooming and focusing on one pane instead of having to zoom in constantly. Design is good enough for this kind of app and can't see how you could improve it.

Conclusion

      4/5 Good app has some great bones with a great ecosystem. As a first time user I was using the app fluently after about 10 minutes of fiddling around. I am not a collector (don't have any big graphic novel collection just a few like a classic fav of mine Bone the first free one of course) or a big fan but the app as a novice was a great experience. I recommend it if you have an existing comiXology account with a big collection of media.

Q&A with Clay Shirky

The Internet Of Things
Clay Shirky is a man of good insight to technology and it's impact. Listen to this audio about The Internet of Things.

Read the whole Q&A with Clay Shirky and Steve Clayton - http://blogs.technet.com/b/next/archive/2013/07/24/q-amp-a-with-clay-shirky.aspx#.UfCPsPko7IV

Great British Chef's app review!

Overview

     Never have I seen such an impressive Windows 8 app since My History Digest. The Great British Chef's app was featured by about every Windows 8 related Microsoft blog's plus the Windows Store labeled as the best app ever for Windows 8. Being Jamaican/Italian I was a bit leery on the British part but I decided to take the plunge regardless. I thoroughly used the app (thinking about making the oxtail recipe actually) and was pleased with the beautiful animations and how they put content first.

Functionality

      At first the app takes about 20 seconds to open which feels like eternity. I was pretty ticked off at the app for making me wait but then the app finally started working and I was like WOW! The app felt like butter with all the animations etc. It had every thing under the hood and more! The live tile worked, the animations made it look better, the way the app flowed with text was nice, and the snap view is amazing. Never have I seen an app that I couldn't fully capture with screenshots. Another nicety was the addition of videos showcasing recipes. The video function worked well and fast. The last benefit was the addition of sharing functions that made it feel fully functional.

Design

     Need I say more? The design as JJ might say is DYNAMITE!

Conclusion

5/5 This app is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Everything about the app was good not ONE bug.

This is the Future: Houseboats

Modern Houseboat

On Lake Rummelsburg Berlin, Germany Welcome Beyond has decided to build a "Modern Houseboat" that features a modern design with clean lines, plenty of boxes, and plenty of empty space. The entire houseboat is 645 square feet of pure minimalistic design. Never have I seen such architecture on a boat with all straight clean lines that flow smoothly throughout. It gives off an aesthetic feel without looking like a hospital.

 The Design

Living Room

      The design aesthetic is exceptionally clean. Everything has clean lines, little clutter, and smooth surfaces. Much like Microsoft Design Language it features a beautiful clean design minus chrome. The small size is completely maximized because of the clean furniture. Everything about the design screams clean and efficient. From the fireplace to the beige walls it feels like something you might find in an expensive resort somewhere in the Alps.

The Future

   
    In a not too distant future the design of most homes will change featuring a more "space age" look that minimalistic Industrial designers world round tout. One of the more famous minimalistic people was Steve Jobs a man I'm not enamored with, but he really had a taste for good design. It was said his houses featured little furniture and promoting more clean lines. Take a look at the iPhone or Macbook Air. The design is very clean and modern (albeit not my favorite and a does get boring) that shows where the potential for clean design can go. The modern houseboat is not only beautiful it is cheap (relatively). Even though it may be surrounded by less than optimally designed boats, houses, and factories it is a testament of where design can fly.