Apple Patent Wars Strike Again

Could this be the return of physical keyboards?

Are you kidding me? Just when they released something that I was totally excited about, they do something that completely turns me away from the company yet again. Apple has filed another patent case; but this time, the patent is on touch typing and multi-touch. Now that this case has been upheld, this means that there is a possibility of a BAN of most Android handsets on the market. Now several OEMs like Microsoft and Nokia are fine because of the way Microsoft and Apple has cross-licensed patents all the time. However, that being said, this is a complete disaster for not only OEMs like Samsung, Sony, Lenovo, and .etc, but for the entire mobile device industry has a whole. The reason I say that is because competition drives innovation. Competition is what drives technology forward. If Apple were to ban upright over a half of their competition, then we could see the progression of mobile devices slow down dramatically. And from a consumer stand-point, this is scary business since we love choices and options. Apple is basically ripping that out of our hands.

To be honest, I find that what Apple is doing is completely ridiculous. What I wanted to see from Apple was a company that innovates, not a company that throws punches left and right. How the technology industry works is by companies leapfrogging each other. In fact, this practice is shown in almost every industry. For example, Auto manufactures. Car manufacturers like Mercedes Benz, Mazda, and many others, have made their own variation of BMW's iDrive System. A simple and easy controller to navigate through a car's entertainment system. So what does BMW do in response? They continue to improve upon it, nothing more. Not the kind of response Apple is currently putting together.

There are solutions for Android OEMs. One of which is to go back to the physical keyboard. Whether that would be the solution everyone follows is unknown. However, what is clear is what Apple's current motive is.

Let us know how you feel about this verdict in the comment section!

Kill the start button in your windows 8.1

Start button is back, yeah! How about........No. People kept complaining about the Windows button is gone, to me it's the best thing ever. I used Windows XP and 7 and I hate it all the time, it's just useless to me, I barely touched that button, all I do with it was Start->cmd. That's it, and this thing occupied an icon space in my task bar, what a waste of space.

When Windows 8 deleted the button for Windows 8, it's such a good news to me. But people started to complain it's disappearance and in Windows 8.1, it's back.....again. Seems like I'm not the only one who doesn't like the Windows 8.1 start button. Because people finally get used to it's disappearance or because the button was even useless than the one before with a terrible look.

Lots of people complain about it's limits. All you can do with this new one is the list in this picture. No access to recent programs or direct search or links to folders.

So, why waste a space in the task bar to put a ugly and useless button there. Let's kill it. =]

Here's how you do it.
Step 1: Click HERE to download StartIsGone
Step 2: Run the x86 ver if you have a 32bit Windows 8.1 or x64 ver if you have a 64bit Windows 8.1
Step 3: Run it at start up
Step 4: Enjoy Windows 8.1 without the Start button every time you boot your computer

Source:
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/
http://winaero.com/

Everything you Need to Know About Slowdowns Caused by RAM

Have you ever heard to expression "download some more RAM"? Many tech savvy would tell you that this is a joke and could potentially harm your computer should you follow that statement.

RAM, is short form for "Random Access Memory". In short, RAM is how much usable memory that your computer has at its disposal. There are two parts in choosing memory kits. One of course is the capacity of the module. The other is the speed the module runs at. In short, the speed of the module would not matter to the average end user. The reason being is that the difference in performance wouldn't be noticeable in daily applications like editing documents and browsing the internet. However, capacity size is where things really start to matter. It's no big deal when you have a surplus of memory for the daily tasks you do. However, once you start running out of memory, what ends up happening is that your computer will now use allocated space in the Hard Drive as memory. And since the speeds of which hard drives run at in terms or reads and writes is no where near the blazing speeds of a memory module, you can anticipate dramatic system slow downs once you hit and go over that barrier.

So you way be wondering how you can see if you have enough RAM or not. A simple way to find out is by going into your Task Manager (CTR + ALT + DELETE). Under "Performance" you can see a graph of how much free memory you have left at your disposal.

If you find that your system is running slowly and you are running short on memory, there are a few tricks you can do to free up some of that memory. One of which is see how many tabs you have open in your Internet browser. Internet browsers are one of the biggest memory hogs in a system and the more tabs you have open, the more memory it's going to take up since all that information has to be stored for quick access.

If you can't change your internet habits, then looking into a RAM upgrade could be a solution for your computer slow down problems. That being said, make sure that your system has support for higher memory capacities. Most modern computers (even about 3 or so years old) don't have a problem with higher RAM capacity support. However, many older systems do have a limit of how much RAM they can handle or account for. And make sure you are getting the right kind of modules for your specific system. Most modern systems nowadays use memory called DDR3 SDRAM. DDR stands for Double Data Rate and SDRAM stands for Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory. Older systems could be running on DDR2 SDRAM or DDR1 SDRAM, older standards of DDR SDRAM. So make sure you find the right kit for your system. (DDR1 and DDR2 are already phased out standards, meaning finding these parts could be both pricey and hard to come by. In this case, a completely new system with a more modern platform could be the better route to follow.)

If you are still facing slow downs, then the problem might be elsewhere. These could include viruses or ad-ware infections, software problems or just plain old aging hardware. If that's the case, you may want to consider re-installing your OS or an entire platform upgrade.

Mac OSX Mavericks, Finally Something From Apple I Got Excited For

Ever since the first addition of Mac OSX, it has been named after some feline of some sort. Now however, Apple is ditching that naming scheme and has released Mavericks during their live press conference today.

Now the user interface may look unchanged. In fact, it looks the same as the OS that was shipped out for several years. Most of the improvements done on the OS was to the workings under the hood. Mavericks is promising higher battery efficiency and the usual bunch. But an interesting feature Apple has come up with is the ability to compress memory for inactive RAM. Which means you could have up to 6 GBs of data on 4 GBs of RAM. Pretty cool stuff. Other changes are higher allocated system RAM as a GPU frame buffer so the GPU can grab more memory on demand. The average user might wonder how it would apply to them. Well the answer is that Mavericks now supports Open GL which is claimed to show up to 1.8x faster performance with supported workloads. 

Other additions include iBooks and Maps Apps, better multi-display support as well as the ability to view notifications on the side so they don't become a big distraction. 

And here's the kicker, the update is FREE for users who have bought an Apple computer in the last few years. Even iMacs dating back to 2007 are eligible for the upgrade.

Link to Apple's Upgrade Page

Changes like these are actually pretty exciting. For the longest time, OSX seemed very dull to me. Nothing about the OS really seemed to appeal to me in any way shape or form. With Mavericks, I can see a larger reason why I would consider adding Mac in my toolkit. 

ThinkPad Yoga - The Newest Addition to Lenovo's Convertible Ultrabook Series

When Lenovo first released its first IdeaPad Yoga Ultrabook, there was nothing else on the market like it. Instead of having a detachable or wireless keyboard accessory if you wanted a notebook typing experience, you just flip the screen over.

A year later, Lenovo brings this revolutionary technology to their ThinkPad line of Business oriented mobile PCs. From day one, the biggest complaint with the original Yoga was that the user was still mashing keys on the keyboard while in tablet mode. Lenovo has addressed this uncomfortable issue with not the best solution, but still one that does the job well. What they had done is that they motorized the frame around the keys. Meaning, when the screen is flipped around, frame will rise up and sit flush, aligned with the keys. Then, a lock clamps the keys in place so you can't press them even if you tried. Lastly, little feet pop out between the keyboard and the surface you're placing the device on for extra grip so that the device does not slide all over the place.

As expected from the ThinkPad line of products, the fit and finish of the device is exceptionally high. Because of the new keyboard design, Lenovo has had to fit a stronger hinge, and a larger chassis, meaning that unfortunately, this feature will not make its way into the Yoga 2 Pro. That being said, the Yoga 2 Pro will still get its set of new upgrades.


The device is still loaded with the usual ThinkPad bells and whistles in terms of specs and features. A 1920x1080 display for that Full HD experience, up to an Intel Core i7 Processor to drive productivity levels, high security connectivity options, and optional touch pen accessory, the ThinkPad Yoga is a seriously flexible convertible Ultrabook for the business professional on the go.

Google invading Windows 8

Google has recently launched a new version of Google chrome for developers that has a new layout when you run Google Chrome in Windows 8 app mode.
This version basically has a Chrome OS layout, which you can say, it is a Chrome OS since this platform is build on top of a browser, running everything in the "cloud".

 When you are using this, you can have 80% of the user experience as a Chromebook user. You can feel what you can do with it, and pretty much a lot you can't. Personally, I am sure i cannot live with that thing, maybe only because I am not an intensive Chrome apps user. As you can see I don't have much apps installed. And when I am running this on a Windows tablet, it is a complete nightmare.

So now lets dive into this "OS". You have a toolbar that includes an app launcher, Chrome apps that you can pin on it, and a clock. That's it, everything you have.
There are a few limitations and differences between an actual Chrome OS. You cannot set a wallpaper in this layout, and you cannot make any change to the system. That's why you cannot find icons like wifi and other stuff that you could expect in a Chrome OS.

Multitasking was great with this "app". You can make use of the split screen function that Windows 8 provide, and the multi-screen inside the chrome app itself. This breaks through the limitation of having two tasks on screen at the same time. You can have multiple screens doing different work and an app sized big or small .

If you want to try this interface of google chrome app click "HERE" and click Dev channel for windows to download it. After you had download it, set it to your default browser and have fun.

Windows 8.1, The Anticipated Upgrade

The iconic Windows 8 Start Screen with Modern UI

October marks the one year anniversary of Microsoft's game changer Operating System, Windows 8. The month also marks the release of Windows 8.1, formally known as Windows Blue. The precise dates as as follows:

October 17 - Free update for current Windows 8 users through Windows Update

October 18 - Available for purchase through retail or pre-installed on a new PC.

The Start Button makes its return

Probably the most talked about change is the return of the start button. But just to be clear, this is just the Start Button. The Start Menu we all know and love all the way from Windows 95 to Windows 7 unfortunately doesn't a return. However, this is still a major improvement. Particularly for touch screen users because this allows easier access to the Start Screen. With the original Windows 8, Microsoft left less than a centimeter of space between your first application on the task bar and the edge of the screen. This quirky placement mated with many manufacturers building thick bezels around touchscreens made trying to get to the Start Menu almost impossible half of the time. Thus forcing users to either through either the Charms Bar or the Start key on the keyboard to get to the Start Screen. Now with a more definitive object to press, this ongoing problem has been solved without the use of third party software.

 

The new 8.1 Start Screen

Another key feature of this update is the tweaks Microsoft has done to the Start Screen. With 8.1, users can now personalize their own Start Screens even more to their liking with more tile sizes and the ability to name groups of applications. Other features like having the wallpaper be displayed as the Start Screen background has been implemented. The master list of applications has been re-organized and separated between Start Menu apps and desktop applications.

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Reviled first in Windows 8, the split screen function is finally designed to be usable in a productive manner. The problem with the original implementation was that Windows 8 apps or the desktop was only given a set amount of space if they we. And this reserved portion barely took up even a quarter of the page. Any attempt to extend this space would either cause the content to be minimized or extend across the entire screen.
With 8.1, users are not only given more space by default, but several different size options to choose from. Thus making far more possibilities of this feature used for productivity.

Some more tweaks including the ability to go straight onto the desktop on start up rather than going to the Start Screen were included. Overall, Windows 8.1 is not an entirely new operating system. Rather, its just like those old service packs Microsoft offered in XP, Vista, and 7 but named differently. That being said, as a current Windows 8 user, these really should have been features that were incorporated in Windows 8 when it first came out back in 2012.

Groups can now be named for better organization