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Microsoft: Back in the Game Part 2 – Windows Phone 8

So we are now into the second half of our “Back in the Game” coverage. While there has already been an article on Windows Phone 8 already, this article aims only to introduce all of the features we know of at the moment of the upcoming mobile operating system without venturing too deep into actual buying advice or other criticisms.

Microsoft first released its Windows Phone operating system (up from Windows Mobile 6.5) less than two years ago with Windows Phone 7, which received an update to “Mango” less than a year ago. While plentiful in features, Windows Phone 7 lacked one thing. This one thing is probably the first thing that people think of when when they buy a smartphone today – apps. Yes, Windows Phone has never had that massive big name app support that Apple and Google have had with iOS and Android respectively. However, Microsoft aims to put that to rest with their new Windows Phone 8 ecosystem.

The Kernel
What is this kernel you speak of? No, Microsoft have not planned to use corn to power their latest smart phones. The kernel is the core, the base, the operating system in its barest form, and what Steve Ballmer and co. have done, is to use the same Windows NT core that drives Windows 8…named the truly imaginative “Windows Core”.

Now, this won’t amaze most readers out there, and those with good memories may remember that during the keynote for the first iPhone, Scott Forstall said that iOS, or what was named iPhone OS back then, was also a version of OS X, their Macintosh operating system. Doesn’t that mean that Redmond is simple copying Cupertino? No, iOS was implemented in a way that OS X provided the simple and most basic operating system to install apps and run like it should. App developers were still required to learn how to use the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK). WP8 running on the same Windows Core enables those currently developing Windows 8 apps to immediately start developing WP8 apps using their current SDK because of this new ecosystem. WP8 will have the same file system, encryption etc as Windows 8. This does not mean that Windows 8 programs will be able to run on WP8, but it means that there will be no time wasted when it comes to rolling out apps. Those developers who have been reluctant to learn the iPhone SDK or any other mobile SDK no longer need to and can get to work immediately. This radical change has not affected current apps though as the 100,000 apps present in the Windows Phone Store at the moment will still run fine on any new WP8 handsets.

So what does using the Windows Core bring to the table for app developers then? The Windows Core will bring features such as Multi-Core Processor support, HD resolution and SD card support. Windows Phone 8 can theoretically support up to 64 cores. The shared codebase allows developers to use existing libraries such as C++ and SQLite, which will run natively on the mobile OS. Probably the best news for games developers is DirectX support. Games developers can be building the Windows and Windows Phone game at the same time. With series classics such as GTA 3 and Max Payne being ported to iOS and Android, in a few years time as mobile graphics power improves, we may see more PC games of now and yesteryear being easily ported to the Windows Phones. Crysis anyone?

Carrying a wallet was so last year
WP8 phones will also have built in NFC support. Near Field Communication is a feature that Google built into its Android operating system allowing contactless payments…and that’s about it. Remember Apple’s Passbook app that saves our tickets, and other e-paperwork? Well what do you get when NFC + Passbook have a love child? I present WP8’s Wallet hub. A place where credit cards, membership cards and other pieces of valuable plastic can be stored and then USED from the phone in participating stores. I can just imagine Orange taking advantage of this with the Orange Wednesdays deals – get your code, reserve seats, save into Wallet hub, go to cinema, hover phone on top of NFC device, claim free seat and purchase ticket using the credit card information already saved in the Wallet hub. Simples.

Where's wallet?

It is now safe to remove your…
I am sure that many of you iPhone users have been frustrated over the fact that your iTunes library on your iPhone cannot be altered through interfacing with the phone itself. I personally have been. It needs a connection to the computer wired or wireless. Well because Windows Phone 8 uses the same Windows Core as Windows 8, users can find a friend with the another WP8 phone with a song that they like, load it onto an SD card, plug it into their own phone and then either save it to their own or play it through the Media Centre thanks to WP8’s ability to simply register the SD card as removable storage and easy interacting with files and folders on it. I can’t for the life of me get the SD card to register on my iPhone, wait…

Windows Phone Start Screen
What about the interface? Any phone’s UI is the thing that people will interact with most and arguably is a make or break for any phone. Can’t really have a phone that does amazing things but people actually hate using it. The Windows Phone interface has always been a love or hate affair. Windows Phone 7 introduced a new meaning to the word “Tiles”. No they aren’t icons, they are tiles, just like widget and gadgets are different, right Microsoft? Anyways, Windows Phone 7 offered a thing called Live Tiles where the icons representing their respective apps are animated showing relevant information from how many emails or missed calls there are to the latest trending photos on flickr. They simply provided additional bits of information. The main page was also rather unbalanced as there would be a small arrow to the top left of the screen which led to the list of all the apps.

I love a photo of me putting on makeup on my homescreen.

Windows Phone 8 introduced Windows Phone Start Screen. Gone is the arrow and gone is list of apps. Now, all your apps seem to appear on your main screen but I’m sure that we will get some kind of a launcher or something in the final release. Now, users can customise the size of their live tiles allowing them to easily view what they are interested in and reduce the size of the lesser viewed tiles. I can just imagine that I’ll be spending hours getting the perfect tessellation of different sized apps with little to do with use, purely aesthetics. A game of tile tetris maybe?

Skype
Windows Phone 8 has Skype integration to the max (or to the deep…deep integra- oh you get the picture). Skype will be an app available for download and upon installation will integrate with the People Hub, Phone Dialer and probably the Wallet hub too. Microsoft has done the simple task of not bothering to create its own single platform communicator such as BBM or FaceTime and instead use an already existing, good communicator that is Skype.

Where are we again?
Nokia has always been well known for its ability to deliver a good and reliable Maps experience and since last year, after announcing the partnership with the Finnish mobile company, Microsoft’s Bing service has been slowly aligning with Nokia Maps. Nokia Maps will bring offline support and much better global coverage, something Bing Maps and even Google Maps have been lacking in. The Nokia NAVTEQ data will now also be available to developers that can take advantage of the Maps system that will be present on the phone and use it within their own applications. This potentially means that if an enterprising third party wished to develop a Navigation app for Windows Phone 8, the final product could actually be just a front-end that is utilising the existing Maps data present on the phone.

Business and Enterprise
Finally, Windows Phone 7 lost a huge chunk of market share to the leading business mobile brand RIM due to its lack of many features useful to the business user. With this new move to Windows Core, the same Enterprise encryptions that are used in the Windows Desktop environment have been made accessible on the mobile platform, opening up all kinds of business and enterprising applications. I would not be surprised to see some kind of seamless native synchronising between Windows Phone 8 and Windows Home Server.

What about current Windows Phone users?
There is good news for those on previously released handsets as Microsoft will be rolling out Windows Phone 7.8, which adds many but not all of the features of WP8 to existing handsets. Although Microsoft has not disclosed what particular features will or will not be available for upgrade, the new Windows Phone Start Screen will be.

So as we see, Microsoft has opened the door to the great possibilities of Windows Phone 8 – but remember that the summit was for developers, and new consumer features will be announced nearer to the launch date. I look forward to seeing a future where at the swipe of a phone, I can redeem my vouchers, pay for and save my flight tickets in one go, play on a game that was written by experienced PC game developers whilst chatting to a friend on Skype and copying over some files from an SD card I borrowed from my brother. I can currently only do one of those things with my iPhone. I believe Microsoft is truly back in the game with an amazing concept that if executed well, should be able to dominate the mobile market. DeThroning the fruit and the robot is certainly going to be hard but when the final product comes out, I have a feeling we are going to see some game changing.

Nokia Purity HD Headset Review

There’s a peculiarity in the technology world. Nokia is, in many ways, the undisputed media king. Dolby Surround Sound, untouchable cameras (HTC’s new flagship One series, boasting its camera, still pales beside the Nokia N8, not to mention the jaw-dropping 808 PureView), TV-Out, HDMI, superior audio output without headphones, and the 808 PureView records sound at such a high quality that it’s like you’re really there. Mass storage mode lets you drag any file onto the phone, and you can plug your USB stick into the phone and play the video, music or photos on a TV, which is great if you’re staying in a hotel. The N900 would wirelessly play media from computers on the Wi-Fi network, and these could then be played on the television via the TV-Out. And, if you were watching a film via TV-Out, you could multitask without interfering with the display on the television, say if you wanted to look up the actor on IMDB. Features such as these made Nokia phones incredibly close to genuine computers, and users were not left thinking “i’ll have to wait until i get back to my laptop”.

Yet, for some reason, Apple is considered the king of media. Apple, whose devices play only the iTunes file format – forget AVI files and click-and-drag here. Apple, who will play media from the phone or tablet to the television only if you own Apple TV. Apple, whose cameras have only just started to take decent photos provided it’s not nighttime, because an LED flash is apparently good enough. Apple, whose audio output through the iPhone’s speakers is so tinny and weak as to be barely listenable. Any sensible person would consider this a slight dichotomy – how could a company whose devices do more, regardless of the file format and output, and take better pictures, and sound better, and interfere less with the user’s actions, be considered inferior to a company whose devices do relatively little, and only if the user follows strict criteria?

The reason is probably because Apple invented the iPod, the go-to portable music player. Portable music is convenient, but it’s always been a trade off because of poor sound quality – audiophiles aside, many people neglect to think of the quality of headphones and consider them all equal. With the iPhone’s speakers so bad as to make music not worth listening to, it’s a sad fact that the supplied headphones aren’t much better. In recent times, though, headphones have received more attention, especially with the Beats headphones accompanying HTC handsets. Nokia has also been paying attention to this entertainment sphere and has now released the Nokia Purity HD Headset, designed to offer the best portable music listening experience ever. For those using them on a Nokia Lumia device, the headphone lead can also be used to pause, skip, forward or rewind tracks, answer calls and talk hands-free.

This is all good on paper, but do the headphones live up to the hype, especially the “High Definition” title?

In a word: Yes. The Purity HD headsets are extremely comfortable, designed for the padding to rest around the ears rather than on them. They come in a range of colours designed to match the colour of the phone, including black, cyan, magenta and white. The quality delivered through the headphones is second to none; few would argue against the fact that typically listening to music on a mobile phone yields a poorer listening experience than on a stereo or through other speakers. The Purity HD headset, however, seems to have finally overcome this. The audio levels sound exactly as they were intended, with a perfect blend of treble, mid and bass. Compared to other headphones, on-ear and in-ear, the difference in quality is noticeable immediately, especially on songs with prominent bass or low-end. Perhaps the ultimate positive result was that they even made the iPhone’s music sound good.

One of the main features of the Nokia Lumia range is the inclusion of music apps, like Nokia Music and Mix Radio. With Mix Radio, users can launch the app and choose a genre, from blues to jazz and pop to disco, then select a decade or a random playlist, with no login required, offline playback and no usage fee. In other words, the Lumia range provide a hefty amount of free music to be listened to at any moment in time even if the user doesn’t transfer any of their own collection to the device. And with top of the range headphones to accompany it, all Lumia owners can enjoy a stellar listening experience as and when they want to.

Apple made a huge marketing campaign over the iPhone containing an iPod. Perhaps now Nokia needs to make a similar campaign informing the public that they can have their own customisable, portable radio wherever they go, so they can break away from their standard playlists. And with the Purity HD headphones, they can finally enjoy listening to the music they enjoy the way it was meant to be listened to, no matter where they are.

Why Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 Upgrade Path is Correct

Since Microsoft unveiled key aspects of Windows Phone 8 yesterday the company has received some flak for not allowing current generation Windows Phones to get the new operating system in full. Instead, handsets running Mango will get updated to Windows Phone 7.8, which brings the new start screen, continued updates, new apps, and more details will follow nearer the release date. While some users feel betrayed by buying a new handset like the Nokia Lumia 900 only to find it won’t receive Windows Phone 8, Microsoft is right in its decision.

The reason for the ire against Microsoft is because today people buy a phone and expect it to receive software updates in future. However, a look at competing systems shows it isn’t rosy for them either. Android is well known for its fragmentation, and there are modern Android phones that are at least one or two software updates behind the latest. Ice Cream Sandwich was supposed to be the operating system that changed that, but Gingerbread is still the most widely used Android software on the market. To make matters worse, while Microsoft is offering Windows Phone 7.8 to existing users, Google offers nothing to handsets that can’t get a full update. It also often leaves the update process to OEMs and carriers, whereas Microsoft is offering Over The Air (OTA) updates to bypass the carriers. This means that all Windows Phone users will be getting something, while a competing provider often offers nothing.

Microsoft’s approach also circumvents Apple’s problematic approach. Apple does not offer all features to all phones, even if it can run – Siri was an app that worked fine on the iPhone 4, but when Apple baked it into the OS they made it so it can only work on the 4S, forcing users who wanted it to upgrade. When the company offered iOS5 to the 3G and 3GS handsets, the Internet was awash with disgruntled customers who had notice a massive decline in performance and speed of their phones, because the hardware wasn’t capable of running it properly.

So what Microsoft has done is the sensible option – release a “Windows Phone 8 lite” for existing handsets so that the features that will run will be provided, and anything that can’t be provided will be reserved for new handsets. While it isn’t yet known exactly what features will be coming in 7.8, like Skype integration, at least users know they will definitely get an update to improve their experience, which is not true of Android users. Most of the changes in Windows Phone 8 are hardware related, like MicroSD support, multi-core support, higher screen resolutions and NFC, and of course these changes cannot come to existing phones just like previous iPhones did not sprout a front-facing camera or Retina display when Apple announced them. Indeed, this is a main point in the online discussion of events – while the tech blogs are quick to bash Microsoft’s decision, when Apple does something similar or even worse to its mobile consumers, silence ensues.

More to the point, Microsoft’s changes were wholly necessary. The existing kernel for Windows Phone does not allow for the seamless integration and interaction between Windows Phone and Windows 8, so a change had to be made. This change was better to happen now while the userbase is relatively small rather than wait for the operating system to gain more marketshare. By causing this disturbance now, Microsoft has hopefully laid a path to prevent an identical situation happening in the future, and more importantly has laid a very solid foundation for users to enjoy an excellent product in the near future, with unparalleled communication between the phone, tablet and PC. While some users may be peeved that they’re not getting Windows Phone 8 in full, the upshot is that a very new experience in computing will come out of it.

Microsoft: Back in the Game Part 1 – Surface

So Microsoft has been pretty busy this week. It has held two live events almost back to back showcasing some new software and hardware. That’s right, H-A-R-D-W-A-R-E. We’ll talk about that first, shall we? What is this new piece of hardware? Well, for many moons leading up to the announcement, several rumours had SURFACED as to what Microsoft potentially had up their sleeves and on June 18th, not one, but two tablets were announced.

Eurgh, fingerprints.

Both tablets are Microsoft branded as opposed to being manufactured by HP or Dell and running Windows like computers we see today. Both tablets are 10.6 inches and both are named Surface but it is the suffixes and size that separate them. The first tablet is “Surface for Windows RT”. As the name suggests, it is designed only to run Windows RT. Windows RT is the slimmest of all Windows 8 releases as it only allows Metro apps to be installed and run making it the perfect OS for a tablet. Surface for Windows RT has the usual WiFi capabilities and USB connections and is driven by a Nvidia Tegra processor all in a slim 9.3mm form factor weighing 1.5lbs.

Another four millimetres thicker and we move onto “Surface for Windows 8 Pro”. Weighing in at just under 2lbs, this model comes with the Pro version of Windows 8 meaning that you get the full Windows 8 experience with Metro as well as the generic Windows desktop we all love. With the heavier operating system, the hardware is also more substantial compared to Surface for ‘RT. Surface for ‘Pro steps things up a gear with an Ivy Bridge CPU, USB 3.0 and a larger battery.

Looks like there a reflection of a window in the...oh no, it's actually the logo.

Both tablets feature a pop out kick stand. The Surface for ‘Pro will come in 64GB and 128GB flavours whereas the RT version will come in 32GB and 64GB. Users may also choose between two addons, a Touch or Type keyboard.

Lets hope there are more colours to choose from...

This was a highlight for me personally. Adding only an additional 3mm to whichever Surface model you are using, the Surface Touch Cover looks like a a regular tablet cover similar to the Apple Smart Cover but if Apple’s one was smart, then this would be genius. The cover features a multitouch keyboard as well as a trackpad. The keys are slightly raised so users can actually feel the keys plus they are pressure sensitive so fingers can be rested on the keys before typing without firing off any letters, unlike on regular touch screen keyboards. Microsoft is also catering for those not into the whole touch thing with a Type Cover which has tactive keys instead of the pressure sensitive ones. Both act as a cover, although personally I would go with the Touch Cover for two reasons – one, it is pretty cool; and two, the surface of the keyboard is covered in a sort of soft felt finish that will not scratch the display, the Type Cover, wierdly, doesn’t have this even though it could be easily implemented.

So that that wraps up Part 1 in our coverage of honestly, a huge step for Microsoft. I most definitely will be getting myself a Surface. I have not decided which version yet but watch this space as a review may just appear. Stay tuned for Part II where we will look at Microsoft’s new mobile OS which does not disappoint. At all.

The Sins of Proprietary: Retina Display MacBook Pro totally upgrade proof.

Thinking of buying that shiny new 15 inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display? Are you slightly short of cash at the moment so planning on going for the lower spec with smaller RAM and HDD and then upgrading those down the line? If you answered yes to both then proceed to my third question, for which the answer will be the same as the last two: Are you going to be kicking yourself when you realise that Apple’s new flagship portable device is the least upgradable notebook of any in kind?

The kind folk over at ifixit performed their extensive teardowns they do with most electronics that have come to the market. Their findings are pretty disturbing. There is basically no way that the average consumer can upgrade this laptop in any way or shape. At all.

So what can’t be upgraded that could have been in the previous versions? Well the MacBook Pros have always been pretty open giving consumers the ability to add more RAM and hard drive space and more seasoned computer “fiddlers” may have also replaced their optical drive with another hard drive. None of this can be done now, especially the changing of the optical drive as, well, there isn’t one to replace.

As you can see above, two rows of memory chips, plus an additional two rows which are on the reverse, are all soldered onto the motherboard. Planning on getting 8GB and upgrading to 16GB yourself when you need it? No happening. This also spans to the storage space. SSD as standard is great but what happens when you start running out of the 256GB of space on it? With the previous MacBook Pros you just get a bigger SSD, stick it in, and clone from your Time Machine backup and you are up and and running again. Not here.

From what we can see in the photos, that thin strip of chips that is being lifted is the SSD. Some good news is that it is not soldered which means that it can be swapped. Bad news: swapped with what? What looks like an mSATA connection is actually a proprietary slot that only exists in the Retina MacBook Pro so your upgrade options are only viable if you own another Retina MacBook Pro and you want to swap drives with that or have a friend with one who wants a smaller drive. Possible? Sure. Likely? Probably not. And then we come to the battery. The 2009-2010 edition MacBook Pros had removable batteries. The later models had them locked inside of the chassis but they were still replaceable. The batteries on the Retina MBP? Glued.

That’s right, ifixit found that all six cells are glued to the system and any tampering will likely void your warranty.

And finally, we come to that beautiful screen. Surely if there was a dead pixel or some kind of error with the display, all Apple would have to do is remove the lid, open up the display swap out the panel right? Right…? Wrong. The panel is sealed shut inside the display assembly. But that’s not too bad, I hear you say…this also means that if something goes wrong with your iSight camera, WiFi or Bluetooth, then you’d have to replace the whole display assembly as well. Ah. Why? Because the antennas and the camera module are all sealed inside that display assembly. Imagine you just ran out of warranty, and then your iSight camera packs it in or your WiFi stopped responding. On the old MacBook Pros, you’d take it in and they’d charge you for a new camera or some antenna cables. Now, they’ll probably charge you for a whole Retina Display assembly. Ouch.

To conclude, what does all this mean for the consumer and the rest of the world? Well first of all, if you are planning to buy one of these then you need to be thinking far, far ahead and wondering if you would ever need more than what you are configuring your system with now. Oh and did I mention if you didn’t need the quicker processor and opting for the 2.3Ghz one, you then don’t have the choice of the bigger SSD, you are stuck with the 256GB on? This forces you to dish out all the dosh for the higher end model with more configuration options which you don’t need just because you want the larger storage space. This is a classic marketing ploy; giving customers what looks like choice but actually, if they want one small upgrade, they have to take the lot and pay for it.

The new MBPs are also worse for the environment now. With the introduction of the unibody design, the 2009-2011 MacBook Pros were crafted in highly recyclable aluminium and glass. Good. Now that aluminium is glued to the glass, it creates all kinds of difficulties for the recycling industry.

So. The new Retina Display MacBook Pro. A step forward in technology. A step forward in profit. And a big step forward in greed.

Is the Internet for Them or for Us?

Recent internet governance is ambiguous at best as it’s no longer just the domain of that strange guy you see on the bus. It’s the domain of anyone who wants to try and take control of it. Conspiracy theorists have tried to yell and scream over the years that the governments of the world are attempting to use their tentacles to ensnare the internet and take it over like some strange Japanese porn flick, and it turns out they were right.

Internet ball — I wonder what's in the centre? I hope it's chocolate.

As we can see from recent legislation in the UK, the government is attempting to force internet providers to make all information about email messages and web history available to police for approximately one year. And we all know about internet restrictions in China and Iran. In fact, even little Ethiopia is getting in on the act as they attempt to bring in more restrictions to bring the internet under the control of the state.

What’s clear is this: internet governance is now a very real possibility.

Is there anything we can do about it though? The answer is absolutely. We can take on the governments of the world because we know that they are slow and clunky. If one of their security fields can be bypassed then it will take them months, and sometimes years, to sort out the problems again. I’m not worried for the conspiracy theorists or the computer geeks out there because people like us laugh in the face of the state’s attempts at restricting access to certain areas. Just look at the recent Pirate Bay ban. One proxy later and I’m back in my lovely bay of brothels, seadogs, rum, and questionable downloads.

Can the government take the whole thing over?

My answer is absolutely not. The only way that they could do this is if they turned into a dictatorial state where they directly admitted that they were controlling the internet. At the moment we are still playing a guerrilla game as they still pretend that they are doing this in the interest of justice and law. And as any good computer user knows, that couldn’t be more wrong. Those who deal in crime will not be fooled by some minor blocking techniques. All this will catch is the novices and the innocent, so in other words it’s a complete waste of time. And it’s not just a waste of time, it’s a £1.8 billion waste of time from the UK taxpayer.

The Dictator

For now, I can confidently say that the freedom of the internet still lives on and internet governance has not yet come into force in the western world, but I do have my fears. Those computer novices will be suffering already, but those with even the slightest nugget of knowledge will still be safe. I don’t think that there will be any outright control over the internet anytime soon. However, our freedom will be steadily eroded away in the coming years.

Get those tinfoil hats out, conspiracy theorists and normal people alike!