Opinion Archive

Ghost Recon Future Soldier Multiplayer Experience

– April 24, 2012

The Beta

The Ghost Recon Future Soldier Beta has started and has left us impressed with the game. Having played the beta multiplayer for about a week, I got a feeling that Ubisoft has another hit in their hands with the third-person-shooter Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. In the ‘Conflict’ multiplayer beta you play as either team ‘Ghost’, American Soldiers with high tech gadgets that perform covert operations or the classic/cliche opposing Russian team. The ‘Conflict’ game type, which is the only game mode provided, is an objective based game mode. Throughout the match you are given objectives such as protecting an EMP for the opponent team that wants to sabotage it or capturing a supply package. Unlike most other shooter games Ghost Recon does not treat players who run and gun friendly. Cover is your best friend in this game and intel is the goal.

Before the match starts you are give the option to chose between a few classes of soldiers. You can pick a rifleman, a heavy gunner type. This class has the option to carry heavy machine guns that can pin an enemy with suppressive fire. The rifleman class also has extra armor making him the class with the most endurance. Expect powerful weapon upgrades.

The Scout class carries with it an invisible cloak which activates when staying still in one spot. It is the coolest of all the gadgets if I do say so myself. Upgrades to the cloak can be made for longer lasting effects. The scout class is basically the sniper of the team. Long range battle with invisibility makes for a dangerous combination.

The Engineer receives some of the most helpful tech of all. They are given sensor mines to locate hidden enemies and defense turrets. Playing around with a UAV is the highlight of the engineer class.

Each class receives a whole bunch of other weapon upgrades and gadgets and with ‘GunsSmith’ you can create and customize a weapon to create hundreds of different weapons to choose from. The good stuff helps your team coordinate attacks and by finding the intel’s location.

Overall, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier feels different but fresh from past Ghost Recon games. It has some hiccups like Ubisoft’s server failing to be found, but this is just a beta and I expect them to work out the kinks by the time this game is shipped. To learn more check out some of the videos below.

Follow and like Zunited to keep up with your Xbox gaming news.

Will Windows Phone 7 Devices Get Apollo? Our Thoughts

Dario

– April 24, 2012

There has been a huge debate lately on the possibility of current generation devices for Windows Phone receiving and updating to the Windows Phone 8 OS, aka Apollo. Without a peep from Microsoft about this issue, speculation has run rampant after Paul Thurrott vehemently stated via a “source” that no current generation devices would be capable of accepting the new Apollo version due to hardware limitations.

It’s a rather touchy subject, specially since we are half a year away from the unveiling of WP8, and if Thurrott’s claims hold true, thousands of new Lumia 900 owners, many new to the ecosystem, could be left with outdated hardware just months into their new contracts.

With that, our Zunited team has gathered here to share their opinions on the matter, discuss the ramifications of leaving current generation devices stuck on WP7 and the possibility that some or all devices will get the new updated OS.

Josh Martin – So what I think with this whole debacle is that current gen Windows Phone devices (excluding Lumia 800/900) will get the Tango update which will bring performance improvements, as well as limited added features. I’m guessing each OEM will do a refresh of a firmware on top of that to compliment it and then development will stop there (which is fair in my opinion).

Lumia 900 will get the update in my opinion because they have the horsepower to run the type of things that Apollo is claiming to bring. They obviously don’t support NFC or things like that, but otherwise, they will become the new basic standard for future Windows Phone devices.

Randall Cloud – I believe that all Windows Phones will receive the Windows Phone 8 update, and at the very least all Windows Phone 7.5 devices definitely will. Microsoft has officially come out on record saying that all devices will be upgraded and then later came out saying that all 7.5 devices will be upgraded. They have never said anything that should cause anyone to believe that they will not upgrade all devices and especially doubt whether they will upgrade 7.5 devices. They said that all devices will receive at the very least 2 full updates. That means that 7.0 devices will upgrade to 7.5 and then to 8.0 and that might be their limit, where 7.5 devices will update to 8.0 and something after that, and that might be there limit.

All rumors and speculations that older handsets will not upgrade to 8.0 is just that, rumor and speculation. It comes from a psychological need to stir the pot, to create some controversy that makes the news sites seem like they matter. None of the claims have been substantiated. I’m not saying Microsoft can’t change their minds, I’m just saying that they haven’t yet and we don’t need to fill their mouths with things they haven’t said, if we stick to the last official reports, we’ll be fine.

The same thing happened with Skype, where they officially claimed it would be out at the end of February, and that was that. The weeks that followed were full of rumors and speculation that they had changed their mind or had new plans, but in the end, it was released in Feb.

Again the same thing has and continues to happened with WOA. Windows has said from the beginning that there will be a desktop on WOA, it may not run all the same applications, but it will be there. There were months where rumors started flying that the desktop was gone, even though Microsoft never even hinted at such a thing. Then when Consumer Release came out, they again stated in no uncertain terms, that WOA has and will continue to have a desktop.

Anna Yap – Looking at Microsoft’s history, I definitely think that Apollo will go out to all phones (that can take the firmware i.e. Mango devices). As in their Zune line, they constantly were updating the firmware of all the generations, although full use was stunted on previous iterations of the device. This would probably be Microsoft’s best option, and it would be in the interest of OEMs to do the same.

People could use Apollo on current gen devices, realize they like it and want full capability, and then buy a phone that does have it. Microsoft is trying to promote their device and create a real community out there, and I think it would be more harmful than helpful for them to cut off previous devices. Perhaps there might be a limit as to which devices get the update (super old devices may not get it) but I think the newer ones definitely will.

Tyler Rowe – Starting fresh would mean that Microsoft would be “giving up” on the pioneers of it’s new Windows Phone platform. I think that the outrage of such a move would separate these few pioneers from Microsoft all together.

Apple and Google would have a field day with this news, and I would anticipate that they would offer a deal where one would be able to trade in their “old” Windows Phone device for a new Android/iPhone for a discounted price or free. Windows Phone is picking up steam and doing well for Microsoft to cut ties, and Windows Phone users who used to be Zune fans couldn’t take the heartbreak of owning two completely unsupported devices and would most likely jump ship. Windows Phone is becoming less of an underground group and more mainstream everyday as people realize that iPhone and Android are at their peak and stale. The ramifications of leaving out the first Windows Phone users to this next update will far outweigh any benefit gained by not taking the time to support current devices. It would simply be a bad business decision to start fresh.

We all remember what happened when Internet Explorer was ignored for a length of time. Things began to get pretty hairy and eventually others took over (firefox, etc.).

Cristian Reyes – I am actually not very sure. Microsoft has already created fragmentation with the Tango refresh. Skype can’t run on some low end devices, at least from what we know, and I am guessing a few other apps won’t run on it either. I think unlike Google’s fragmentation issues, Microsoft will try to control it. They will have the low end devices with Tango, average level devices with current Windows Phone software and high end Apollo/Windows Phone 8 will support ‘Super Phones’ like the leaked road map stated. There are only a few Windows Phone devices out there and I am sure that most of the ones people have are Nokia phones.

Nokia is rumored to be testing the latest update and I believe that rumor. Nokia has been very supportive to their customers giving them $100 because of those data connection issues which were fixed via an update. Nokia hears the outcry of their Lumia owners and I am sure they will deliver. As for the other OEMs I have little hope for them. Although there has been a huge outcry on this subject I don’t think it really matters for the average consumer. In a world where most people think Droid is the name of the OS, software updates could matter less to them. Have you seen the picture of Beyonce using a Blackberry? I’m pretty sure she’s not upset it will not be upgraded to BBOS10.

Kevin Femmel – I’ll play devil’s advocate. Would it be so bad if Microsoft didn’t allow Apollo on all phones? The answer is: probably not.

It would upset some Windows Phone users for sure. Microsoft has done a good job of avoiding the fragmentation of Windows Phone by controlling the specs of phones running it, a problem many people have with Google’s popular smartphone OS.

But Microsoft is no stranger to leaving a user base high and dry. We all should remember the Xbox getting the axe months before the Xbox 360 came out.

It’s natural to shift focus to the newest product that a company is producing. No surprises there. It was a surprise however that Microsoft decided to not support the original Xbox with much software after 2005. They ceased production of the home console months before the Xbox 360′s November launch.

While this action was despised by many gamers life went on. The original Xbox was a great lesson in how to make a video game system successful for Microsoft and they rebooted the brand at the right time. After the 360 released gamers immediately turned from disappointment in the Xbox being cut off so quickly to their anticipation for Halo 3 and Gears of War.

Ultimately I don’t think Microsoft has to allow Apollo on all phones, maybe even nothing but new handsets. Should they allow it on as many phones as possible? Ideally, but they need to focus all attention on making whatever the next step in Windows Phone more awesome than we could have previously imagined just like they evolved the Xbox brand with the 360.

Dario Camacho – This might be the reason we feel Microsoft should be the Microsoft of old, and just leak information outright. How tight they have kept the info from leaking about Windows Phone 8 is rather admirable, but now it’s creating this uncertainty about just what their plans are, and how they will deal with current Windows Phone devices, and their spanking new customers. Which I might add, they want to keep loyal going into Apollo.

With the Lumia 900 selling briskly, selling out at AT&T stores as well as the virtual retail, we have to assume that Windows Phone, and Nokia for that matter, are in the upswing and obtaining marketshare as well as mindshare. This is good. This is what we wished happened from day one.

It could all be erased by Windows Phone 8 restrictions in the fall.

That being said, I doubt that Microsoft will leave early adopters and current generation owners in the wake of Windows Phone 8. It would be bad business, and it would cripple Microsoft’s reputation. They have made some good strides in that department. In fact, I think that Microsoft will have an easier time of implementing WP8 on older hardwear, just in the fact that they made such great strides in minimalizing performance setbacks compared with the competition. iOS and Android both run on higher specs, yet usability and responce between WP, iOS and Android is very minimal. Sure there are restrictions–screen resolutions, multi-core processors, 1080p playback–but let’s keep in mind that Windows Phone 7 runs fantantastic on a single processor. Why would they bog down and for that matter lock down Windows Phone 8 to only run on such high spec hardware?

We have to consider Nokia in this matter as well. Their bread and butter isn’t in the high end smartphone, but rather their low-end devices. They rule the roost for low end hardware, and all the work and expectations of Tango to minimize the Windows Phone 7 OS’s to run on low end specs would be all for naught. They need the ‘next billion’ customers, Nokia more so than Microsoft. Windows Phone 8 could hamper that development. Nokia wouldn’t want that, and I’m sure Apollo will allow for low end specs to utilize the new OS.

Not everyone will get the full Apollo update, and most likely it will be a tier of versions for the different types of hardware out there. The full version is for super phones that allow for high screen resolutions, 1080p playback and all the other goodies techies want. For functionality and general operations like messaging, calling and web surfing, you’ll get a slightly lower tier update (something along the lines of what we have now, but with added OS optimizations) and for Tango devices the barest of updates, but that add some new things to the fold.

Other than that, and I think Microsoft is playing with fire.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter!

Half a decade later: Have you thrown out your OG Zune packaging?

Michael Collado

– April 1, 2012

In the summer of 2006, I remember seeing something online about Microsoft’s new product — the Zune. It was in a time when I had never owned a portable media player before, when it seemed everyone and… ahem… his or her (mechanics!) mother had one (and I’m not just saying that because it’s a popular phrase), when I was longing for an Apple iPod endlessly. But something about the elusiveness of the Zune caught my attention, so I put it on my Christmas wish list. Lo and behold, that holiday season, I received my first MP3 player: the Microsoft Zune.

Oh, man. It was so cool. It was a brown brick with green edges that weighed a ton — and I loved it! (That was, until, it fell and damaged thanks to someone’s carelessness and I had to wait until the Zune 80 was released.) I would listen to my, perhaps, 200 songs loaded from my Windows XP laptop. Heck, I could even “squirt” to other Zuners (as they became known) if I wanted to — and did once on my school bus. I remember the fact that someone else who was using a Zune being in my vicinity was absolutely enthralling! So, I sent my squriting request… only to be rejected. Goodness, the possibility of puns here. I even bought a leather case for it to protect the freakin’ cylinder block that it was!

My Brownie, the Zune 30 — also known as the “OG Zune” — still sits snug in that leather case in my desk drawer. It turns on if you charge it, but can’t synch any songs due to the unfortunate accident. However, the other day, while cleaning out some stuff, I found the original packaging for my Brownie. I opened it and found the beige interior with “orangenta” zigzags, the brown cable boxes, and that warm “Wel-come to the social” message. That message could not be any more true… even ’til this day.

Even so, I opted to throw out the packaging.

It’s been more than five years since the Zune made its debut, and every year I would see my Zune packaging just sitting on a shelf, collecting dust. But every year, I would decide to keep it. It reminded me of all the fond memories I had because of a piece of technology. See, the Zune truly did welcome me into the social, just as it did for plenty of others. Because of it, I spent countless hours discussing tech and entertainment and even politics with Zune lovers worldwide; because of it, I helped run one of the more successful Zune communities and blogs on the net; because of it, I have made long lasting relationships and friendships with people I would never have met otherwise. As pathetic as that may sound, it’s unequivocally the truth. Somehow, I thought holding on to that packaging meant that I could hold on to 2006, and 2007, and 2008…

But truth be told, it was just collecting dust. The Zune is dead. Well, it’s physicality is dead. But that doesn’t mean my memories are dead. There’s still something that pulls me into the allure of its experience — for some reason it’s just so darn compelling! — and yet I sit here having just received a text on my iPhone while typing this on my MacBook, posting on a site that’s changed focus from just Zune to general Microsoft, as we live in a community waiting for the next Windows Phone and Windows 8 news. The world changes, technology grows, and most would even say it’s for the better.

I remember when news was breaking that Microsoft wasn’t going to continue making new Zune hardware and commenters freaked out that this sparked the end of an era they loved. It’s true, the era is over. But a new era is just beginning. And we’re all still here, geeking out about the latest technology, all stemming from that hipster/indie image we fell in love with in 2006.

They say: out with the old, in with the new. That very well may be true. The less-than-cool image Microsoft upheld during the Zune era is on its way out. Windows 8 looks great (if challenging), Microsoft understands how horrible Internet Explorer used to be, and heck Zunited even posted about Microsoft’s new image recently. And Windows Phone, as per usual, is getting rave reviews. Somewhere, in all of these new products, lives a little bit of Zune… or at least, lessons learned from Zune. It’s saddening that the Zune had to be collateral damage, but its philosophy remains very much alive.

And the community that made it unforgettable, the same.

Microsoft Creating a “Hip” Brand

CoryRS

– March 29, 2012

Microsoft is breaking out of its old, bland persona it used to have. Microsoft is actually looking pretty good, especially in comparison to its competitors.

What? Don’t believe me? Well, while Apple and Google are caught up in their privacy issues and everything else they’re dealing with now, Microsoft has been gaining ground. This is apparent in the Tumblr blog, “The Browser You Loved To Hate.” Microsoft is doing a good job of shedding the title of being boring and uptight, as the page is both humorous and free-flowing. They even acknowledge the fact that previous versions of Internet Explorer have not been that impressive. The general message is, “It’s good now.”

Another way Microsoft is freshening up is by redesigning the logo for Windows. It might not seem like a big step, but it’s an effective way of broadcasting Microsoft’s new direction with Windows.

Microsoft looks even better when compared to its competitors – Apple and Google. Google’s users have been disappointed with some of the changes that were recently made, including Google+ integration and the new privacy policy. Apple has also been having their own privacy issues. Microsoft simply hasn’t been having any of these issues recently, thus giving it a temporary advantage.

We just hope this trend continues. What do you think? Let us know!

Where Apple was “Inspired” by Microsoft

CoryRS

– March 16, 2012

As some of you may know, some Apple fanboys think that all Microsoft does is copy Apple. Surely you know somebody who has that mindset, whether it’s a friend, co-worker, or maybe even a family member. It’s time we point out some of the moves Apple made that provides evidence that Apple is truly inspired by Microsoft and their Zune.

The Design

The Zune, from day one, always had its vertical screen. Apple’s iPod, on the other hand, started with the traditional horizontal screen. The screen’s length is greater than its height. This all changed with the release of the iPod Touch. This was the first iPod to have a vertical screen. However, everything about the design of the iPod touch was new, so we’ll let that slide. After the iPod touch was the iPod Nano Chromatic. This iPod looked almost identical to the little Zunes; the Zune 4, 8, and 16. Somehow Apple was able to pass this off as an original idea.

Zune 4/8 next to the iPod Nano Chromatic

The Nano Chromatic looked very similar to the Zune 4/Zune 8

Social Netowrking

The Zune social was another element that’s been around since the beginning. It allowed users to find people with similar listening habits to share music with. For me it has always been an excellent tool for discovering new music. It was a great concept. If you don’t think so just go ask Apple. In 2010, Apple launched Ping; “a social network for music.” It works much like the Zune social. In Ping, you can follow your friends and… artists? Can you do that in the Zune Social? Actually, yes you can. This can be done on the Zune website. Another “original” idea by Apple.

Slogan

Do you know what slogan is currently on the Zune website’s homepage? For most of you, it would be “your entertainment, everywhere” Recently, the slogan on the iTunes page has changed to “your entertainment. Everywhere.” There is no way this could be an accident!

This was no coincidence. It looks like Microsoft had some good ideas and Apple took notice. The disappointing part is how few people noticed.

Nokia Lumia 900 Rumors and Facts: Dystopia in the Message

Dario

– March 9, 2012

Yesterday, out of the web pages of BGR.com came news of the delay of Nokia’s flagship device, the Lumia 900. Many enthusiasts, inspired Microsoft geeks and tech junkies were eagerly anticipating the arrival of the smartphone that so overwhelmingly took CES by storm. What many viewed as the true champion device to wake up the masses to Windows Phone, the lightning rod to spring an anemic 2% market share upwards, was just around the corner.

Then it all shattered.

In one fell swoop the air started dissipating out that congratulatory balloon. No confetti, no parade, just disenchanted fanboys looking at Nokia and AT&T in disgust. How could they? Why now? Are they afraid of the iPad 3, is that it? What the f$#% is going on?

Yet, in all honesty, they didn’t do anything wrong. AT&T and Nokia never gave us a definite due date. In fact, the most concrete quote that we actually have from either of those two companies regarding the release date is , “in the coming months.” That’s it.

No mention of March 18th. No mention of a specific date that we could get our grubby little hands on this wonderful device. There is neither a mention of that other “specific” date of April 22nd.

Where those dates actually came from are unspecified, yet reliable sources that both brg.com and Paul Thurrott claim gave them an inside track. They might be right. We can never say they were trying to be disingenuous–just passing the message along. We took it and ran with it. What was just a rumor became fact, over time.

Not Nokia and AT&T could be faulted for how that message took a life of its own. Yet, in reality they should be. It is their fault, in an involuntary way.

Along the road, they forgot to control the message, and folks, if you want the masses to sway to your every word you must always control the message. Always.

If you don’t, you have what Nokia and AT&T have here. A whole lot of mess that they weren’t even a part of. Yet a simple, calculated timeframe would have alleviated this heaviness that has come forth last night. People are mad, and in a way it’s their right.

For one, as soon as Nokia or AT&T heard these March rumors, they should have squashed them with a small announcement. Dispel them quickly and move on to a tidbit of information that clicked with their schedule. They didn’t, and that March 18th date stood out as fact.

When it comes down to it, this level of secrecy surrounding the launch window of the Lumia 900 should never have been standard procedure. With the huge upside of CES, Nokia and AT&T should have been drumming up that rolling thunder approach that we’ve heard of so much. There should have been clear signs of when that launch window should have been. Delivering that message would have worked wonders to keep that CES mojo going.

Instead, the mouths went mute. When have we heard an inkling of a due date? What was the point of revealing the Lumia 900 at CES if you were going to wait three months to release it? Wouldn’t Barcelona and WMC would have been a much more perfect place to do so? Right now, that gestation period between reveal and launch is killing the momentum, the goodwill of CES.

And if any other company in tech right now (other than RIM) needs the winds of momentum on their backsides it’s Nokia. They need a slam dunk. They need the Lumia 900 to succeed in the U.S. as bad as Blackberry 10 needs to work for RIM. With this year marching onto Q2 already, the Lumia 900 is becoming irrelevant each month that passes, specially with Apollo handsets coming, presumably, 7 months away.

The Apollo update is a real hurdle for Nokia and other OEMs. It’s another pendulum swing that will leave generation 2 devices slightly at a disadvantage when news of what new goodies will be included in the fall update. People looking at the current batch of phones coming from HTC and Nokia might just wait for the next best thing in the fall. A dead zone is fast approaching that may keep people away until Apollo, yet that’s a problem if rapid adoption is key to making Windows Phone relevant.

There is a fine line to be had here, and Nokia is keeping itself on its razor’s edge. Keeping such a tight lip on the Lumia 900 might have been a good strategy before the reveal, but with such a great success and the sheer amount of publicity after CES, the time to deliver, and deliver quickly has long past.

With such a strong message that, yes Nokia is a game changer, and Windows Phone is a great OS to partner with its hardware, the message was lost along the way.

Tick-tock Nokia. Tick. Tock.

Will Sony Make A Windows Phone?

Cristian Reyes

– March 4, 2012

Will Sony make a Windows Phone? That is the big rumor that has been going around lately. Various new sites speculated that Sony would reveal a Windows Phone at MWC, but that did not happen. Instead, Sony revealed a couple of Android phones and went on to talk about its features. Even though Sony has not declared that they are working towards delivering a Windows Phone, I believe it is inevitable.

Sony was one of the first OEM’s to get on board the Windows Phone band wagon by manufacturing a prototype Windows Phone device. Before the official launch of Windows Phone, Sony backed out because of one reason, Xbox. As Windows Phone users know, Xbox has a huge presence on Windows Phones and Microsoft makes it mandatory that it is bundled with the operating system itself. Sony has its own gaming platform to support through its Sony Computer Entertainment division, which houses the Playstation team. Had Xbox not been present in the OS, we would have seen Sony’s Xperia line of phones running Windows Phone OS. Heck, we might have even seen Sony Xperia Play that allows for classic Playstation one gaming.

Prototype Sony Windows Phone

Although Sony was reluctant to make a Windows Phone back then, Sony might not have a choice to be so anymore. Now that Windows 8 has been revealed, critics are giving the new reboot praises for its features and innovation. One of the main features of Windows 8 is Xbox gaming. From what we have seen from the Consumer Preview, Windows 8 will rely heavily on Xbox for gaming and Microsoft will also make it mandatory to have it bundled. Where will Sony turn to for it’s Vaio laptops? Unlike the mobile space, the dominant force in computing is Windows. Sony has no choice but to build its hardware with Windows 8, meaning it has no choice but to put up with Xbox.

Sony must have seen this coming, as Sony has been changing drastically through the last year and making bold decisions. One of them is the fact that Sony has been announcing publicly that their PlayStation suit will cross platforms. Rumors have recently pointed toward HTC Android phones being integrated with the PlayStation Suit. Sony knows that PlayStation can not reach the masses if it is contained in its Xperia phones. Windows Phone allows for Xbox to reach any phone, further increasing its popularity. Sony keeps its divisions independent and since its SCE division is licensing PlayStation towards other OEMs, why should the Sony Mobile Communications division care if Windows Phones come with Xbox, especially since its Computer division will be making hardware for Windows 8, that also has Xbox bundled? Sony has hinted in the past at working with other mobile operating systems if they see the potential benefits. If all of that does not convince you, then take a listen to this. Microsoft is rumored to be in talks with Sony’s Television division to incorporate Microsoft’s Kinect technology into Sony’s TVs.

Xbox Companion App on Windows 8

So what if Sony does build hardware for Windows Phone? If Sony does indeed build a Windows Phone, I wouldn’t be surprised if PlayStation is involved some way or another. As I recall, OEMs can build hubs of their own like HTC’s hub which presents users to the HTC Sense UI. Sony has the chance to build some sort of PlayStation Store within their hub if they want. Sony could also present their PlayStation Suite to Windows 8, which would be completely logical. There are many PC gamers out there and Sony can use Windows 8 to reach millions of people around the world. The ball of course is in Sony’s court, and we will keep a close eye on them here at Zunited.

Do you guys believe there will be a Sony Windows Phone anytime soon?

What’s New in Windows 8

VisionCloud

– March 2, 2012

There is no doubt that Windows 8 will be great on new tablets and touch based computers, but what about the average user who already owns a normal PC and will face the decision of whether to upgrade or not. A lot of emphasis has been placed on touch interfaces in Windows 8 which leaves the average keyboard and mouse user feeling a little left out in the cold. So for you users of older versions of Windows, I have compiled a partial list of 10 new features in Windows 8 which can enhance your computer experience.

1. It Will Work with What You’ve Already Got

My first impression of Windows 8 came during the install process. It checked compatibility issues and then installed the OS over top of Windows 7. What was so remarkable about this was the fact that it kept all my applications, settings, favorites, passwords, files, it just kept everything. There was not a single program that I had to reinstall and I wasted no time transferring files from my old computer, or even from Windows. Installing Windows 8 on a PC currently running Windows couldn’t be easier.

Of course, the install gives you options to only keep files you choose, or to keep nothing at all from your old Windows install in case you should want a clean install, but having the ability, and defaulted at that, to keep everything how you already have it is absolutely revolutionary to Windows, the install was so easy, no one will ever need to hire a tech to come upgrade their OS again.

On top of keeping all files, programs and settings, Windows 8 is designed to work on the hardware you have. If you can run Windows Vista – 7, you can run Windows 8. If you can run XP, chances are you can still run Windows 8.

One topic I know is on everyone’s mind is “but my computer doesn’t have a touch screen, Windows 8 won’t work or will be hard to use on my computer.” Let me put those worries to rest by saying that a Mouse and Keyboard will work just fine on Windows 8. If we are to compare the usability of Win8 on touch screen vs. Win8 on mouse and keyboard, yes the touch is going to be way more fun, and in many ways easier to use. However, if we are to compare mouse and keyboard on Windows 8 vs. mouse and keyboard on Windows 7, Windows 8 is just as easy if not easier to maneuver with a mouse and keyboard than Windows 7. I’m not going to lie, there are a few things that take some getting used to, it may take a day or two of use before it feels 100% natural, but the experience getting there is still pretty fluid and once you are naturalized, you will be way more productive, connected and up to date on Windows 8 than you ever could be on Windows 7. And the touch on Win8 vs. the touch on Win7; not even a competition, that is where Win8 excels.

2. Split Screen

With the new Metro style apps, Windows 8 gives you the ability to split your screen. This allows you to view one metro app in a minimalist view and view the other in full screen. It is easy to switch apps in either of the two panes and this gives you a whole new level of Window-ability.

When writing apps for Metro, developers have the ability to define what content will show in the minimalist side and how it will be displayed. This often gives you quick access to what’s most important. For example, the chat app lets you maintain conversation while you go about your normal business on the computer.

It is important to mention that the desktop along with all running applications is treated as a single Metro application.

In the image above, the desktop is on the right side with a preview of all the running applications you can find on the desktop. Click any of those icons and it will open up to that program.

An example of the People App on the left side with the desktop on the right.

You mix that spit screen with Windows snap controls that is carried over from Windows 8 and you get the ability to quickly, effectively and easily split your screen into three working panes, making it easier than ever to get stuff done.

3. XBOX Integration and Control

Last night I was sitting on the couch in my living room doing homework. Generally, I like to listen to music or watch TV as I work through my classes each night. It used to be that I either had to sacrifice some of my laptop screen to a TV show and work in the remaining space or go into the living room and use Kinect gestures or voice to get a TV show running. With Windows 8, there are some new controls to help out with that.

The XBOX Companion app that was recently released on Windows Phone 7 and then followed on other devices has now come to Windows 8. This allows you to search for videos, music, games or applications that you can then broadcast to your connected XBOX. Combine that with the split screen mentioned above and you get to continue working on your computer while you control the XBOX quite literally on the side

4. New Multiple Monitor Support

Windows has always exceled at multi monitor support, but in Windows 8 it makes even more improvements. The most noticeable and for me the best improvement is the extension of the start bar (app bar) all the way across all screens. Windows 8 not only lets you see the app bar on all screens but lets you customize what shows up on the bar.

My configuration is set so that I see pinned applications only on the main screen, and each app bar only shows the applications that are open on that screen, but many other configurations are possible.

5. New Task Manager

The Task manager has always been for the more experienced of PC users. Most people don’t dare mess around inside of it because it all looks like something only a hacker on TV would understand. Windows 8 has revamped the task manager for the first time since it was released on Windows 95, and it looks great now. I won’t go into too many details of what you can do, but hopefully you get the point.

6. Cloud Integration

Windows 8 just like most mobile platforms has as strong emphasis on cloud storage. It comes installed with a SkyDrive app that allows you to copy to and copy from your Microsoft SkyDrive account as well as including SkyDrive albums in your photo app. Windows 8 doesn’t stop there, in the photos app, you’ll have access to several cloud storage options for photos including SkyDrive, Facebook and Flickr with more to come in the final release.

Windows 8 also pulls all your contact lists from any email addresses you add to your computer, Facebook, your live account and many other sources and gives you a complete list of all your contacts in one easy to use place, just like it does on Windows Phone.

7. It Goes Where You Go

One of most exciting aspects of Windows for me is the ability to take it with you, and this happens in two ways. First off, when you sign into Windows using your Microsoft Account, all your settings and favorites are synced to the cloud. When you log into a secondary computer, say your work computer, using the same account, all those settings are then synced between your two computers. This gets rid of the necessity to set up each computer just the way you like it, now you can set up once and have it sync to all of your computers. For me this is immeasurably useful as I currently have my laptop that I use for work, a laptop I leave at my house as a media center and soon will have a Windows 8 tablet. I want my experience on those three devices to be as uniform as possible, and with Windows 8, that is more possible than ever.

The other way that Windows goes with you is through Windows Go, the ability to install Windows 8 to a flash drive. With a flash drive version of Windows 8, you can carry around all your files, settings and programs on a flash drive, plug into any PC, boot up and be running on your familiar computer. The potential here for Professionals and Enterprise users is amazing, the ability to have your computer with you everywhere, without lugging around the actual physical hard drive.

These two options make Windows more portable than ever and help to unify the user experience across devices.

8. Built In Anti-Virus

When I installed Windows 8 yesterday morning, the only program that it could not carry over from Windows 7 was Microsoft Security Essentials. Why could Microsoft’s Windows not run Microsoft’s own security software? Because it already has it built into the OS.

With windows 8, Windows Defender has been (re-)upgraded into a full fledged security suite. The reason this is great for the end user is that it eliminates the need to buy high-priced security software to protect your PC. It now comes standard and for free. Also, Microsoft has a tendency to update their Security Definitions nightly which means your computer will never be more than 23 hours behind on how to combat the latest threats.

Windows Defender runs quietly in the background, taking up little to no system resources and best of all, it is highly non-invasive. Many security platforms have a tendency to pop up every 30 seconds and try to be in your way as much as possible. Windows Defender simply does not.

: Pictured: Windows Defender not being annoying.

9. Live Tiles

If you’ve heard about Metro on Windows Phone, or Metro on XBOX or even Metro on Media Center then you’re familiar with the concept of live tiles. Live tiles are large tile icons that give you up-to-date information as well as acting as a shortcut to open apps. Metro on Windows 8 has got them now too.

Now you will always be up to date on what matters most to you.

10. New File Management

For the most part, the file system and the file structure are the same, what has changed is the way that Explorer handles some of the everyday tasks it has been tasked with.

The new Windows Explorer ribbon is one of the first things you’ll notice when browsing your files. This ribbon gives access to many quick command such as delete, copy, move and paste as well as many advanced features that only experienced users knew how to find in Windows 7, such as Mapping Network Drives, viewing or not viewing hidden files, hiding or showing known file extensions and many more.

It may be a while, but eventually you are going to try copying several files at once, we all do it eventually. In older versions of Windows, you used get multiple file transfer boxes popping up all over the place if you tried to transfer more than one thing at a time, in Windows 8, it all shows up together.

You’ll notice that you also now have the ability to pause and resume transfers as well as cancel them easily. If you click on more details, you’ll see graphs showing current transfer speed and history.

Windows 8 is different and that will definitely take some getting used to. I have also found a few things I don’t like about Windows 8, (hopefully things that will be fixed by the time it goes live later this year,) but overall Windows 8 is a refreshing change and has already begun to make my job and my life easier and more convenient.

If you’d like to test it for yourself, and determine whether Windows 8 is the right fit for you, you can get the Consumer Preview here.

Have you already been testing Windows 8? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Survey Says… Windows Phone Not Boring

VisionCloud

– February 23, 2012

Windows Phones

Joe Wilcox of betanews asked readers “Are You Bored with
Your Windows Phone?” in an article last week. The readers responded with a
resounding “No.” Joe explains that he had heard a few comments about Windows
Phone users getting bored and since the UI is very similar to what will be
coming out in Windows 8, he wanted to know what to anticipate; would he end up
bored with his computer running Windows 8?

A week later and after over a hundred reader comments, Joe
Wilcox reports that no, Windows Phone is not boring. Many users came out of the
woodworks to let him know that they are not bored with their phone.

As a user of Windows Phone (HTC Radar) I can join my voice
to theirs and say, I am not bored of my Windows Phone. The fluid, easy to use
UI feels natural and amazing to use. The look and feel of it says new and
sleek, something that I crave in my technology. My old Android phone, as much
as I loved it was cluttered and slow to perform, I would spend hours setting up
an app or feature that was designed to save me a few seconds of a process that
was unreasonably convoluted. I can’t say much about iOS as I’ve never used it,
other than to fix my bosses phone, but Windows Simply put is still, after
several months of use, not boring, it is exciting and fun and keeps me wanting
more.

Even the greatest generals have battles that go sideways in war.

Brian Weston

– February 16, 2012

I love my Windows Phone (as is evident by all my gushing in previous posts) and I really think the Windows Mango OS is beautiful, fast, and cool. My phone of choice to enjoy Mango is the HTC Radar from T-Mobile; a thin, compact, speedy phone all contained in a slick metal body. The specs may seem underwhelming if you were to compare it to, say, a Samsung Galaxy or some other high powered Android. But specs don’t matter when the OS is James Bondish enough to operate correctly with the hardware and dare I say, the cloud (aka the web). So the phone is great…that is, until it is not great. And right now, it’s not great.

All of the mobile phone companies have decided that ‘unlimited’ is really code for limited with regards to mobile data usage. In my case, T-Mobile has a 2GB unlimited limit. Meh. Whatever. I am not going to argue with them, so when I am in proximity to Wifi, I just use that to save on my data bandwidth usage. That’s all fine and dandy until THIS happens: you connect to a wireless network via Wifi, obtain an IP Address and the like and…voila! Nothing. You see, the HTC Radar has a pesky little bug where you are connected to a Wifi network but there is no up/down data flow unless you turn the Wifi connection off and on again. If you are lucky, you may re-establish data flow but only in limited doses before it goes out again.

HTC, T-Mobile, Microsoft…no one has a viable answer, although I have seen this issue posted on numerous forums so I know it is not me or just my phone. I held out hope that update 8107 would fix the problem, however, those hopes were soon dashed. It did not. Today I backtracked and did the unthinkable…I did a master reset on my phone to see if that solves the issue. Results are pending.

What have I/we learned? Well, while Microsoft has developed an excellent smartphone alternative to Android and Apple, they are not impervious to the really dumb technology guffaws of their competitors.