Windows 8 Upgrade Offer??

Well we have been hearing some specualtion about a Windows 8 upgrade and now it has come out on microsoft's website for $15.00 you get Windows 8 pro on your Windows 7 PC.  http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/upgrade-offer Now this is plain dirt cheap for a Pro version of Windows. https://windowsupgradeoffer.com/en-US/ will let you sign up before next February and you get Windows 8 pro for $15.00!!  

Download Windows 8 Release Preview!!

I am dead serious I have the link and this is no gimmick!! I am downloading it right now and the link can be found below!! http://www.windows8update.com/2012/05/31/download-the-windows-8-release-preview-here/

Samsung keeps on Innovating

Samsung has a long list of innovations such as the Smart tv, smart appliances (you can listen to music with your refrigerator) biggest smart phone aka phablet, dual screen camera, smart camera, and now the do it all Samsung Galaxy One with a built in projector. This is the first tablet to feature a built in projector but not the first Windows prototype device to feature one. The LG EXPO was a Windows Mobile 6.5 (not Windows Phone 7 same platform different UI and market) and was to be featured on AT&T. It did come out and was not a very big hit even though I only remember it because of the funny commercial they made for it. The Galaxy brand is very classic of Samsung to brand their devices flagship or second generation design (Samsung Nexus became Samsung Galaxy Nexus). The importance of Samsung entering the tablet market for Windows 8 (also featuring the flagship Samsung Series 7) is that even though Microsoft has a lot of money they can not only take the burden of advertising alone. Samsung to date is the largest cell phone maker followed by Nokia and Apple with LG and HTC gaining traction. Samsung has already dabbled in the Android tablet market and has had some moderate success especially with the Verizon 4G market. Also we already know they have an excellent legal team so when Apple goes for round 100 Samsung will back up their devices and win. This prototype device is actually a really beautiful designed tablet. As shown is the many functions that can be made with this device. It looks to have two cameras and has a dual featured pop out stand to use for the projector, for watching a movie, preforming normal Office functions, and what ever rocks your boat. The screen looks like it is 11.6 or 12.1 inches and with the projector included it is pretty thin. 

The stand concept is not new to the mobile market and HTC the Taiwanese smartphone giant has quite a few smartphones with kickstands which were not really good at their jobs. This stand looks firm and solid and should be able to stand up to pressing your finger against it in any spot and what ever other torture you do to your tablet. 

This shot to me is very controversial since it depicts Windows 8 with a Start button which the recent Consumer Preview does not have. The start button was what Metro was built on and has been a very big argument since most power users have essentially cried about not having a button that when they swipe from one side of the screen or move their mouse into the bottom right or left corners brings up the charms bar. 

One of the biggest things we use our tablets for is reading. Now what I see is all newspaper no interference which is very uniform for Metro. The good part that Microsoft learned Apple hasn't is a uniform design that is hardly seen. Also the amount of Apps is not as good as quality apps. Apple may have over 500,000 apps the most hardcore Apple fanboy will tell you there is a lot of junk apps. I believe Microsoft will be able to get all of the good quality apps into the Windows 8 Marketplace without the more junkier apps. 

Now the lucky couple who hopefully gets to keep their Samsung Galaxy One is watching a 1080p movie with their tablet no tv screen required. Of course a clean white wall would be the best to fully enjoy your movie. Also the tablet can efficiently project images up to 8 feet which is great for sitting your device down on a coffe table like this couple did. Also the projector  is more than a novel concept, but a valuable money saver in the working/student environment. 

Like I was saying perfect for meeting were you do not have an overhead and are trying to deliver a cutting edge power point. The coolest point about this picture is the tablet is projecting itself showing off the goods of a Metro interface. The current Samsung Windows tablet the Windows 8 flagship device did not have a stylus holder and this looks like it has that hole covered no pun intended. 

Here we have two Galaxy Ones using the Remote Desktop app. Of course an Ipad could never pull this off by itself unless helped by a great immortal device with Splashtop Streamer and a projector like the Galaxy One. What this just did is have the one Galaxy One turn the other into a desktop, keyboard, and multi gesture touch pad. I wish I could do that!!

Another innovation is that the projector can rotate which can be very helpful depending on your environment.

Now this is what I call multi-tasking. Instead of having a large monitor showing you your Skype conversation just use the projector  while you chat with whom ever you choose. 

Angry Birds Space is a very popular game and can be a large factor if an OS has any success. Since Angry Birds Space is not yet available for Windows 8 Marketplace it must have been used using Bluestacks the Android emulator that can run any Android app on your home computer. 

I know some friends who love to draw and the pen would be a great advance over buying an additional stylus with an Ipad and not being able to accurately draw since it does not have an active digitizer layer. 

The presence of the Galaxy One if it ever gets out of the drawing room (and the hands of a select few testers) will be a great help to Windows 8 and my words to Samsung is keep on innovating and I want one of these really bad!!

 

Windows Phone 7 UI review

Test Subject: HTC Trophy

OS Version: Windows Phone 7.5 Mango

Rating 4.7/5

Performance

     Windows Phone 7.5 is a big step up from 7.0 with over 400 bug fixes and a more beautiful, natural, and ergonomic design. Multitasking is much better in Mango and the overall performance is very zippy. Some of the big things is more apps able to run in the background, message threading, more stable UI, and a whole lot more apps. On the HTC Trophy apps loaded up fast and games ran very quickly. Windows Phone is very minimal and everything is bigger, faster, and better than other mobile operating systems. Internet Explorer 9 is not what you think it is big bulky and always in the way. This time around it is almost non existent and the address bar is at the bottom of the screen and is much improved in quality and speed. Also the entire look and feel is more refined. I prefer this OS to any other and hope to see some of WP7 (marketplace apps) on Windows 8.

Marketplace

     Windows Phone 7.5 brought in a lot of mainstream apps but not enough for many picky consumers. Adobe reader, ESPN, Shazam, Pandora client, Tune In radio, and Iheartradio shows you that they have great music choices for the regular music streamer. There is a ton of Xbox Live games for the true gamer at heart and the average daily Joe like angry birds, Hydro Thunder Go, fruit ninja, and Pac Man Rally. Even at 70,000 apps it is still found lacking in some departments but also has some very unique apps that I found like the free Tom and Jerry app with 100+ episodes and for $3.99 you can get the best outdoors app to date SAS Survival Guide with not only the best selling book in the app it also includes video gallery, comprehensive picture database of edible and non edible plants and animals, and pop quizzes to test how smart you are in the wild! Windows Phone apps are the best looking and quickest loading apps out in the smartphone arena.

Design

     The Windows Phone 7 team must have taken a long time planning the layout of a otherwise unknown Operating System. The important thing about the layout is the ease of use of the WP7 platform. The main thing to know about the design or layout is the unique metro layout. The idea behind the "metro" look is putting the user first. The word metro derives from a subway station where there is a whole bunch of metro or retro stores underneath the ground. The entire metro interface follows you wherever you go even especially in every app. The whole design has a similar character trait with Apple's IOS platform uniformity. In Android you do not get the same experience where ever you dare enter. With IOS it is the same look wherever you go even if it is not a very refined look. Also the only thing able to be customized is the background and all you see is a wall of apps which do not tell you anything except for the few with little red notifications on them. With Windows Phone 7 you get a beautiful Start menu which you can choose to pin certain items and things like the temperature on your weather tile or how many and who e-mailed you all show up without you actually going into the app. The whole fluid minimal design puts the user up front and personal with what you want not just random bloatware. It may have a ways to go but for me it does the job well and beautifully. 

Score 9.5/10

 

Best Iphone 4S Competitiors

I have been hearing many complaints from my base on my partially biased review on the Iphone 4S (biased toward Apple not Android) and have decided to do another review except showing the 3 main phone OS other than IOS which are Android, Blackberry, and Windows Phone 7. I personally am a Windows Phone fanboy but today I am going to give an unbiased review of the top dogs of these respective phones.

#1 Android - Samsung Galaxy Note

     Android is the most popular phone/tablet operating system and the Galaxy Note is a wonderful combination of phone and tablet a.k.a phablet. One of the biggest detractors of the Iphone 4S is the small 4 inch screen. The Galaxy Note has a 5.3 inch screen which may be a bit big for your hands but ultimately comes with alot of perks including a S stylus, faster and more productive 1.4GHZ dual core processor, 8mp rear camera with LED flash and full 1080p video recording, Super AMOLED screen (Active matrix organic light emitting diode) which is far superior in quality and performance, and a suite of apps dedicated to the big screen and perfect for your stylus such as a solid note taking app and the Samsung touch whiz skin layer similar to the HTC sense UI. Also Android is growing quickly with approximately 500,000 more or less apps and games, and with the new Google Play store it features 14 million songs and 100 free songs with a new Google Music account, all the latest and greatest movies available for 24 and 48 hour rental for low prices, and google books has over 3 million books for all subjects and gets 5 stars for research papers especially on Azerbaijan! This is a solid choice even though the 2 year contract price starts at $249 depending on your carrier. If you need a ton of apps and a really large screen this is your best buy.

#2 Windows Phone 7 - HTC Titan II

     This was a very hard choice for me since all of the Windows Phones are the same. Microsoft has done a great job with their propiertary OS especially since it has surpassed Blackberry in 2010 in app count. Market share and carrier availability is low since almost all phones are on AT&T and all the other carriers except T-Mobile have only one. (T-Mobile has two). The big factors for the HTC Titan II is the biggest camera sensor to date a whopping 16mp camera with 1080p video recording, a large screen is also great at 4.8 inches, and all Windows Phones come with Office Mobile apps preinstalled (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, and One Note), and it has 4GLTE functionality which the Iphone can only do 3G. The reason I chose this as number two is because Windows Phone has 70,000 apps to date and even though it got a late start among the 500,000 app count giants it still made 10,000 apps faster than anyone in the market even if they were not the first. Also it passed Blackberry in app count in May 2011 and is expected to pick up market share and app reliability when the launch of Windows 8 and WP8. The idea behind this is that you can synchronize your documents, apps, and files all on one account. With this idea developers will come and so will consumers. This is a great phone for $199 on a two year contract with AT&T only unless you buy one unlocked off of Amazon. Also Windows Phones are extremely cheap unlocked some going for $139 refurbished with excellent specs. 

#3 Blackberry - Torch

     This is the only touch screen powered phone by Blackberry and is the only phone on our list which is smaller than the Iphone at 3.7 inches. This is underspecced compared to our other competitors on the list bearing a 5mp rear camera with 720p hd recording, Blackberry 7 also BB10 upgrade able which features an Android emulator so you can run any Android app on your Torch, this is the first Blackberry that is all touch and is aimed at consumers and BYOD (bring your own device) establishments, and features the lowest price on our list at $179 on Verizon Wireless. The Torch is a big step in the right direction for the dying RIM even though they still have more market share than WP7 and has one of the most money making app stores around people do not will not buy it because it is a Blackberry. RIM has to learn how to stop scaring consumers and bring them into the "Bold Fold."

   Wrap-UP

All of these OS are very respective in all that they do and all have similar features that rival the boring IOS. Android features Google Voice Search which is much like Siri which you can ask questions and it will direct you to the right answer and can text by voice. Also live wallpaper brought in by Android 2.3 update is a beautiful touch to the boring row of apps in IOS. Windows Phone 7 has the most dynamic look of all the OS there is. Live tiles show you how many e-mails, messages, missed calls, and facebook notifications you have and are big and bold in color. Also Bing search acts alot like Siri and does the same as Google Voice but can also earn you Bing rewards with each search gathering prizes like $5 Amazon gift cards. Lastly Blackberry has a voice search client and a mostly boring but functional UI. I prefer WP7 since it has Office built in for free and all WP7 phones have 25GB free of cloud storage on Skydrive which syncs with your Windows or Mac pc. 

The New Skypad Family

The new Skypad family is more advanced, stronger, faster, and even bigger. The Skypad Protos is a 9.7 inch Super IPS 1024x768 widescreen beauty device. This powerhouse is packed with a 1.2 GHZ Arm Cortez and has a wopping 10 hours plus battery life. Also a full 1 GB of ram and a MALI GPU for excellent gaming performance. This is my current favorite of the Skypad family and hope to see her excell as a Ipad competitor. Here is the more detailed information. 
Videos and photos are rich with color and vibrancy on the all-new 9.7” Skypad Protos tablet featuring a high-def IPS display that brings images to life! The high capacity 6,000mAh battery allows you to stay connected playing games and browsing the web for 25% longer than other tablets.
The High Def IPS Display Protos features an incredible 1024 x 768 resolution with clarity and vibrancy typically found on more expensive tablets. The vivid 9.7" display offers you the comfort of a big screen so you can lose yourself in your favorite movies, books, and games for hours on end.
Bluetooth and Dual Hi-Res Cameras
Connect compatible Bluetooth devices such as speakers, headphones and keyboard that will function up to 30 feet away from the tablet. With two (2) high resolution cameras, capture life’s cherished moments or share some quality face time with family and friends.

Games, Apps, Shopping, and more…
Download apps for playing games, streaming the latest videos, shopping on-line, or staying in touch with family and friends. The pre-installed 1Mobile Marketplace offers hundreds of thousands of free apps including 1000’s of games specifically made for Android. You can also download the Amazon App Store application from Amazon.com.

1Mobile Marketplace

1Mobile's unique user interface makes it simple and easy to download the latest apps you have been craving for.
 With over 200,000 free and popular apps such as Facebook, Netflix, Angry Birds, Skype, Amazon Mobile and Kindle,
 the 1Mobile Marketplace of apps will keep you entertained and coming back for more.

  




























eReader and Cookbook
Compatibility with the most popular reading 
apps offer you the freedom of not being tied
 down to a specific bookseller. 
The Recipe search app embedded into the 
tablet is the ultimate cookbook for the kitchen.
Media for the Big Screen
Don't be tied down to the small screen. 
When it’s time for some serious viewing fun, 
connect the Protos to an HDTV or monitor via 
HDMI (cable not included) to enjoy HD movies, 
3D** and gaming on the big screen.

**Stereoscopic 3D images are only viewable when connected via HDMI to a 3D capable monitor or television.

The next in line successor is the Skypad Gemini due to be out in May. It is supposedly to be a 7 inch gaming tablet which I view as a more updated version of  the Skypad Alpha 2 with a new 2.0 mp front camera in a more desirable position, Bluetooth 2.0, 1GB of RAM, 8 GB of storage, and the micro hdmi cable which makes this a much better buy than the Alpha. This is an excellent gift for kids if you IT professional parents know how to install the GAPPS software. This tablet will be an excellent choice for anyone and you can read more about it below. I hope to be reviewing this tablet when it comes out.  
The Next Generation of Tablet is Here...with Bluetooth Compatibility and Hi-res Webcam
     The all new SKYPAD Gemini races into action fueled by the powerful 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor + Mali-400 GPU. Gemini handles apps, browsing, streaming, and gaming like no other Tablet. The capacitive touchscreen can recognize up to 5-points of touch, perfect for effortless navigation of the web, any game, or application.
Bluetooth and Hi-res Webcam
We've integrated Bluetooth 2.0 for pairing your Tablet with favorite wireless accessories. In addition, there’s a hi-res 2.0MP front-facing webcam and internal mic for Internet calling and video chatting with family and friends. All of this adds up to our most feature packed tablet yet.

7" (diagonal) LCD Display

• Powerful 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A8, next generation graphics, 1GB RAM and 8GB of storage for smoother & higher definition of gaming.

• Capacitive multi-touch display for better gaming, faster navigation, and pinch-to-zoom functionality.

• Integrated hi-res 2.0MP front-facing webcam and internal mic for Internet calling and video chatting with your family and friends.

Games, Apps, Shopping and more…
Download apps for streaming the latest videos, playing games, shopping on-line, or staying in touch with family. The pre-installed 1Mobile Marketplace offers hundreds of thousands of free apps including 1000’s of games specifically made for Android. You can also download the Amazon App Store application from Amazon.com.

1Mobile Marketplace
1Mobile's unique user interface makes it simple and easy to download the latest apps you have been craving for. With over 200,000 free and popular apps such as Facebook, Netflix, GT Racing, Kindle, and Amazon Mobile, the 1Mobile Marketplace of apps will keep you entertained and coming back for more.

Android 4.0 OS with more intuitive multi-tasking and navigation - a new UI and improved performanceThe high capacity battery which will get you up to 6 hours of gaming, movies, music, reading and web browsing.The ultimate in wireless connectivity with Bluetooth 2.0 for pairing your favorite accessories, and Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n that has been optimized for incredibly fast downloads over the web.

Family and Entertainment Companion...
The included family gaming and Recipe Search apps turns the tablet into a great family companion as well as the ultimate cookbook for the kitchen. It also makes a great bedside e-Reader.

When it’s time for some more serious entertainment, connect Gemini to an HDTV or monitor via HDMI (cable not included) to enjoy HD movies, 3D**, and gaming on the big screen.

**Stereoscopic 3D images are only viewable when connected via HDMI to a 3D capable monitor or television. 

   

  The next and final newcomer is the vastly unknown Skypad Pocket is to replace the old Primer Pocket and be the 5 inch pocket friendly version of the excellent Skypad family. There is no information on this product and only one picture on their website. I believe this will be a great family to rival the Ipad family. 


Prices: $169 Gemini and $264 for the Skypad Protos as advertised on Amazon
Update: prices are slashed on the Skytex website: $139 for the Alpha 2  $159 for the Gemini and $249 for the Protos with 5GB of free cloud storage on the Protos only.