Despite giving other OS's such as Chrome OS, Ubuntu & OSX a try, I've always come back to Windows as my OS of choice. While it lacked it visual appeal, Windows 7 always seemed like the most all-round solid choice in terms of stability, UI design and compatibility. So I've been looking forward to the Windows 8 update, and the Metro interface appeared to be a big step up from Aero. Expecting the Release Preview to be a finalized, stable version, I decided this was the time to try it out.
Start Screen
This is the biggest change in W8, and one of the better ones. Instead of the fiddly scrolling menus of the old Start menu popup, the new screen present apps as a full screen grid of icons. Along with full screen search, it's much easier to find apps. The Metro interface here looks great too.
That said, I rarely used the W7 Start menu anyway, with all of my commonly used apps pinned to the taskbar, so personally the new Start screen in a welcome but unnecessary addition.
Taskbar
The taskbar is completely unchanged from Windows 7, even down to the glowing Aero style. The whole thing clashes horribly with the new task switcher and 'charms' menus, which are awkwardly brought up by hovering in the corners of the screen, which I often trigger by accident.
I can't see why Microsoft didn't redesign the taskbar to fit with the new menus, I can only think they expect people to rely solely on the full-screen metro apps while the old desktop/taskbar is phased out - but I don't see a chance of this happening any time soon.
Explorer
Explorer has had a subtle Metro style applied which fits better with the OS. The new ribbon menu is home to a vast array of new sorting and selecting options which range from useful to inexplicably unnecessary. I personally welcome the additions but it's hard to see an average PC user be anything but confused.
Settings
The Control Panel has been a mess in Windows for many years, so I was pleased to see that Start Screen is home to a beautiful new full screen settings interface, similar to Chrome OS with categories on the left and details on the right.
Unfortunately, this is only half the story. Many options are missing here, which requires the user to delve into the classic and cluttered Windows 7-style Control Panel. It would have been far better if Microsoft had moved everything to the new menu, but instead the settings are even more confusing than they were before.
Performance
Two days of use and three critical crashes already isn't a good start for W8, but I expect these bugs will be gone before the final release. Speed-wise I can't say I've noticed a huge improvement from W7 on my Samsung Series 7, but it's no worse either.
Conclusion
Windows 8 mixes well designed new features with disappointingly unchanged elements from Windows 7, which ultimately don't fit together and make the overall experience confusing and a headache to use. If this was a early alpha I'd be optimistic, but as a release preview which probably won't change much before release, I'm left wondering if Windows has any future at all.
I wouldn't recommend upgrading from W7 to the release preview, the (very) few improvements don't make up for the confusing user experience and poor stability. I'm hoping Microsoft have some big surprises to pull before the final release.
Sunday, 3 June 2012
Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Chrome OS Aura
I was surprised to turn on my Chromebook today to find that the OS had been given a complete overhaul - no longer just a simple Chrome browser, but now a more traditional style desktop with arrangeable windows, a dock, a desktop with wallpaper and various other new features.
The multiple windows are probably the best thing here, as one of my gripes with Chrome OS was the lack of a way to arrange windows next to each other for multitasking. I'd have hoped for a more Windows 8 style snapping though, rather than a classic free-for-all - it's too easy now to get lost in the open Windows, a problem that always plagued other OS's.
I'm less taken by the dock - it looks nice enough but I don't see why it couldn't have been merged with the tab bar - for me this had always been more than sufficient for switching between tasks. There's also a problem with the bar auto-hiding, as there's now no way to have the clock and battery permanently on screen.
My least favourite thing here is the desktop, I never used it on Windows or Mac and loved to see it gone in Chrome - but now it's back in full force, complete with wallpapers and shortcuts. What purpose does this have that the New Tab page didn't already do?
It's great to see Chrome OS evolving but I think it's essential that the changes complement the revolutionary concept of a browser-only OS and don't slip back into old traditions.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Laser Eyes
In a bit of a deviation from my usual tech posts, I had laser eye surgery last week and this is a quick summary of how it went and what to expect if you're thinking of getting it done.
I was very shortsighted in both eyes (-3.5), previously I'd worn contacts or glasses, but not liked the hassle of either. The price of standard lasik surgery at Optical Express works out about the same as 15 years of contacts, so seemed like a worthwhile investment (or at least that was how I justified it).
The surgery is a surreal experience but nowhere near as bad as I expected, I barely felt a thing after the initial anaesthetic drops (which is only a mild sting). The eyes feel sore for a few hours but not painful, and after the first day it's just a slight dryness.
My vision seemed great immediately after the surgery and by the evening I could see as well as I could with contacts. After a day or two my vision was even better than that.
I couldn't be more impressed with how easy and effective the surgery is, and would definitely recommend it. There are risks involved, and results aren't always perfect, but I think it's well worth taking the chance.
I was very shortsighted in both eyes (-3.5), previously I'd worn contacts or glasses, but not liked the hassle of either. The price of standard lasik surgery at Optical Express works out about the same as 15 years of contacts, so seemed like a worthwhile investment (or at least that was how I justified it).
The surgery is a surreal experience but nowhere near as bad as I expected, I barely felt a thing after the initial anaesthetic drops (which is only a mild sting). The eyes feel sore for a few hours but not painful, and after the first day it's just a slight dryness.
My vision seemed great immediately after the surgery and by the evening I could see as well as I could with contacts. After a day or two my vision was even better than that.
I couldn't be more impressed with how easy and effective the surgery is, and would definitely recommend it. There are risks involved, and results aren't always perfect, but I think it's well worth taking the chance.
Thursday, 2 February 2012
New Website
I just launched a complete redesign for my portfolio site at www.marklunney.com.
The aim of the site is to help promote my HTML5 web app work, so the site itself is designed to look more like an app than a traditional website. To maintain compatibility with older browsers, the site doesn't rely on HTML5, mostly being powered by jQuery and the wonderful Isotope library.
Have a look and let me know what you think, I'm not sure how people will take to the very non-standard design, but I think it suits my work better than my old site did. Suggestions for improvements are welcome.
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Samsung Chronos (Series 7) Review
After clinging on to my Dell Studio 15 for over 3 years, I was finally tempted into buying a new laptop by Samsung's Series 7 Chronos. I picked up an i7 model for £849 on Amazon, which seemed like a great deal for high-end specs.
The laptop looks great in all-aluminium, especially in dim lighting with the backlit keys glowing. It's not quite as stylish as Samsung's Series 9 or as thin as some ultrabooks, but it's better than any 15" Windows machine I've seen, and about on par with a Macbook Pro.
The laptop could be lighter, it's just light enough to carry around but I'd be happier if they'd trimmed off some weight by ditching the DVD drive. The US has a slightly smaller 14" version without a numpad, I'd definitely have chosen this over the 15" if it had been out in the UK.
The display has a decent resolution and very thin bezel, so appears bigger than other laptops this size. It's bright but the viewing angles aren't great, so I find myself tilting it a lot to get the right angle.
Like any worthwhile new laptop the Chronos has USB 3.0 ports, with which I get file transfers about 10 times faster than with USB 2.0. There's a HDMI too but unfortunately no VGA, maybe it's outdated but I still used my old one quite a bit. Edit - my bad, there's a converter in the box!
The speakers aren't as good as I hoped, as with my Dell they suffice for videos but it's hard to listen to music on them, with very little bass and a tinny sound. If you're using this for all your music listening without earphones, look elsewhere.
The trackpad is pretty terrible, there's no differentiation between left and right clicks so it's easy to mix up the two. I use a mouse at home so can live with this, but when carrying it about it would be good to have a better trackpad.
The laptop unsurprisingly comes installed with Windows 7, which I liked when it came out, but admittedly feels outdated now. With Windows 8 beta out soon and the option of installing Linux it's hardly a bad thing though - at least it's not OSX.
My main problem is that I've had a few crashes when playing online video, seemingly related to the graphics display driver. I never had a crash with my Dell so this is really concerning, I expect it's fixable but this is a bad sign for a new high end laptop. Edit - Fixed the crash by turning off hardware acceleration in Flash. Guess Adobe is to blame here.
(Updated Summary) I wasn't blown away by the Chronos at first but after finding solutions to the small issues I had, I'm starting to appreciate the incredible battery life (7+ hours), fast speed, great backlit keyboard and good port selection. The lack of bloatware is also a big plus over other Windows laptops. Overall it's not a perfect machine, but for a modest price I think the Chronos is one of the best Windows laptops available currently, but with CES around the corner, it's hard to see that lasting long.
Monday, 28 November 2011
Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.0, First Impressions
My first Android phone was HTC's Desire HD a year ago, and the Galaxy Nexus looked like a great opportunity to upgrade - being the first new Android with a major software upgrade and nearly all-round improved specs.
The the first thing I noticed was how insanely light it is compared to my Desire HD, despite having a larger screen. Partly this is due to the plastic build, and although I'll miss the DHD's aluminium frame, the trade-off is definitely worthwhile, and the Galaxy Nexus still feels well built.
It was great to see all my Apps automatically download when I first turned on the phone. A couple are missing as they haven't been updated for Android 4.0, and my beloved Swype keyboard also won't work yet*, but I expect these will be fixed soon enough.
The most promoted new features in Android 4.0 haven't blown me away. Face unlock is fun to try, but I'm not convinced it's any quicker or safer than pattern unlock. Android Beam will only work with other Galaxy Nexus's currently - bit pointless when I don't know anyone else with one.
The new on-screen buttons work well, and the choice to remove Menu and Search makes things a lot simpler. Apps like YouTube can hide the buttons giving extra screen space, which is a genius idea - just too bad not many apps take advantage of it (yet).
Where Android 4.0 really shines though is the vast amount of small improvements. A lot of these, such as customizable dock items, Chrome bookmark sync and improved folders and contacts were things I'd added to Android 2.3 with third party apps, but that often resulted in a mess of styles and UI's. Having them all built in the system makes the OS far nicer to use, and it was satisfying to uninstall about half my apps just for not being needed any more. For average users who don't bother too much with customizations, it's a massive step forwards.
The screen is the first in the UK with 720p, and along with Samsung's super bright display it looks incredible. I'd say the resolution increase from QHD is only slightly noticeable, maybe something to do with the pentile matrix, but this is still the best screen I've seen on any current smartphone.
Some people have complained about the camera only being 5mpx, but I find photos more clear than the 8mpx shooter on my Desire HD. My only possible gripe is that zooming can look a bit grainy, not something I noticed before.
After a few days of use it's hard to judge the battery life, but it seems to get through a day with most of it's charge left. I still wouldn't risk going away for a night without my charger, but it seems pretty good considering the display size.
If you're thinking of switching to a Galaxy Nexus it might be worth waiting to see what Android 4.0 flagships Samsung and HTC come out with next year, not only for hardware improvements but also to give certain apps to catch up with Android 4.0 and make full use of it's potential.
If you are buying a new Android handset now though, I'd say don't even consider any phone still shipping with 2.3 - Android 4.0 is lightyears ahead.
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*It's February, and Swype for Android 4.0 is here! First impressions are that it works as well as before, I think it's massive improvement on the stock keyboard.
Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Things I want to see in Android
With an announcement of Android Ice Cream coming any week now, here's a few not-often-mentioned things I'd like to see added, in either the upcoming or a subsequent release.
More Chrome-like Chrome-lite
Considering that the Android browser is often referred to as Chrome-lite, it surprises me how little it has in common with desktop Chrome. It's understandable that there needs to be major differences between the two, but there's some obvious areas where similarities could be a major selling point.
There's a lot of behaviours that could be the same, but aren't. Like the Omnibox for example - in Chrome you get a drop down list of suggestions when you type a keyword, but Android leaves you wondering what's going to happen next. The browsers greatly lacks tabs, which work well in alternatives like Firefox.
There could be huge potential if data could be synced between the two browsers, I'd like to be able to access my desktop bookmarks without the need for a flaky app.
Google seem reluctant to brand the Android browser as Chrome - maybe to avoid confusion with Chrome OS, but now that almost every other company has made the jump (Firefox, Safari, IE9), I'll be happier when I see the Chrome icon in my Android dock.
Better Web App integration
Native mobile apps are my biggest annoyance with smartphones at the moment. I find it ridiculous that a company would develop an App that only works on one device, though developing for one platform is only slightly better. It's good to see some companies moving to cross-OS web apps, but this is a problem on Android where it doesn't treat them anything like native apps.
Android should allow web apps access to a web-based API to let them specify an App icon, request to add itself to the homescreen and work with Intents to seamlessly work with the OS like a native app. I see no reason why they couldn't be given access to Android features like the camera, notifications or even the phone - all with tight permissions required.
It's probably a long way off but I'd like to see native apps phased out on all mobile OS's and every web app designed to work across all platforms.
Online Hub
The web-based Android market was one of the best things to happen to Android this year, making it much easier to find Apps and manage your account. I'm also a big fan of Google Contacts, which lets you save and manage contacts from your web browser - a feature not many people seem to know about.
It'd be great if Google merged all these browser-based Android management sites into a single online hub, making them more discoverable and easier to manage at the same time. Better still, there's a lot of features they could add - SMS management, phone tracking, cloud file storage and integration with Google Music and Books.
Android Messenger - Huddle?
BBM is one of the main reason that so many people still use Blackberrys, and Apple have already caught on with the upcoming iMessage. With the highest mobile market share it would seem crazy if Google missed out on having their own free messaging system - except they already do in the Huddle App bundled with Google+.
The trouble with Huddle is that it requires a Google+ account, and even G+ users don't seem to be using it much yet. Google should spin it off as a more standalone product, keeping it well integrated with Google+ but allowing anyone with an Android phone to jump on board too. Bundle it as a default App with Android and reduce the focus on SMS to a memory of a time before smartphones.
More Chrome-like Chrome-lite
Considering that the Android browser is often referred to as Chrome-lite, it surprises me how little it has in common with desktop Chrome. It's understandable that there needs to be major differences between the two, but there's some obvious areas where similarities could be a major selling point.
There's a lot of behaviours that could be the same, but aren't. Like the Omnibox for example - in Chrome you get a drop down list of suggestions when you type a keyword, but Android leaves you wondering what's going to happen next. The browsers greatly lacks tabs, which work well in alternatives like Firefox.
There could be huge potential if data could be synced between the two browsers, I'd like to be able to access my desktop bookmarks without the need for a flaky app.
Google seem reluctant to brand the Android browser as Chrome - maybe to avoid confusion with Chrome OS, but now that almost every other company has made the jump (Firefox, Safari, IE9), I'll be happier when I see the Chrome icon in my Android dock.
Better Web App integration
Native mobile apps are my biggest annoyance with smartphones at the moment. I find it ridiculous that a company would develop an App that only works on one device, though developing for one platform is only slightly better. It's good to see some companies moving to cross-OS web apps, but this is a problem on Android where it doesn't treat them anything like native apps.
Android should allow web apps access to a web-based API to let them specify an App icon, request to add itself to the homescreen and work with Intents to seamlessly work with the OS like a native app. I see no reason why they couldn't be given access to Android features like the camera, notifications or even the phone - all with tight permissions required.
It's probably a long way off but I'd like to see native apps phased out on all mobile OS's and every web app designed to work across all platforms.
Online Hub
The web-based Android market was one of the best things to happen to Android this year, making it much easier to find Apps and manage your account. I'm also a big fan of Google Contacts, which lets you save and manage contacts from your web browser - a feature not many people seem to know about.
It'd be great if Google merged all these browser-based Android management sites into a single online hub, making them more discoverable and easier to manage at the same time. Better still, there's a lot of features they could add - SMS management, phone tracking, cloud file storage and integration with Google Music and Books.
Android Messenger - Huddle?
BBM is one of the main reason that so many people still use Blackberrys, and Apple have already caught on with the upcoming iMessage. With the highest mobile market share it would seem crazy if Google missed out on having their own free messaging system - except they already do in the Huddle App bundled with Google+.
The trouble with Huddle is that it requires a Google+ account, and even G+ users don't seem to be using it much yet. Google should spin it off as a more standalone product, keeping it well integrated with Google+ but allowing anyone with an Android phone to jump on board too. Bundle it as a default App with Android and reduce the focus on SMS to a memory of a time before smartphones.
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