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Tech News & Commentary
Something’s brewing on the “Surface” … Windows 8 has arrived!
After several months of waiting, Windows 8 has arrived. Microsoft has released 3 different versions of the new operating system: two for Intel-based PCs (Windows 8 & Windows 8 Pro) and Windows 8 RT for ARM-based tablets like the Microsoft Surface. Windows 8 upgrades are priced at just $39.99 (online download only) for anyone using an existing product. The offer is valid until January 31, 2013. After that, the OS will cost more. You can also buy a boxed version at a store for $69.99.
Microsoft announced a while back that certain users can snag Windows 8 for $14.99. This only applies to those who purchased a Windows 7 PC between June 2, 2012 and Jan. 31, 2013. If you’re in that category of users, you can register for the offer here before Feb. 28, 2013. Microsoft will then send an email with a promotion code and purchase instructions.
With the release of Windows 8, new computers and tablets went on sale, including Microsoft’s own “Surface with Windows RT“. Unfortunately, consumers still have to wait a little longer for the Surface with Windows 8 Pro. The Surface with Windows RT starts at $499 and comes with 32GB of storage, a USB port, micro-SD card slot, and an integrated kickstand on the back. Keep in mind, as we have warned you on our show, Windows RT is not Windows. It’s a MOBILE OS that runs a mobile versions. Runs a mobile version of Office, but that’s it. If you want to run real Windows apps on a Surface tablet, you’ll need to wait for the Surface PRO. However, the Surface RT is well-designed, fast, and nicely built.
Did you upgrade to Windows 8? Why or why not? What do you think so far? Join the conversation on our Facebook Page, or call us toll-free: 1-800-899-INTO (4686) or send us a voice message using our free “Into Tomorrow” app.
Benjamin in Raleigh, North Carolina listens on News Talk WPTF 680 AM and asked: “What do you think about the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 that’s going to be released on Verizon? I think I want to get one of those.”
Let’s start with the obvious: it’s huge! The Galaxy S3 has a big screen, the Galaxy Note 2 has a movie theater for a screen! Depending on your preference that can be great or terrible, the big screen gives you more room to take notes or read emails or do anything you’d do with your phone’s screen, it also makes it bigger, and less comfortable to hold and carry around in your pocket.
The phone is basically a big stretched out Galaxy S3 with a pen and some apps that use it, you get a similar user interface, a similar overall experience, it’s certainly a high end phone, it’s responsive, and if you like the big screen you should enjoy the phone.
The stylus is probably not super useful day to day, you can jot down notes, but you don’t have a lot of space to do it, even with the larger screen, and it’s not super comfortable. Some apps support the use of the Stylus, but it’s typically for stuff you can do with your fingers as well, so the stylus itself is probably not a huge selling point.
The phone is mostly about the roomy screen. It’s a powerful quad-core phone, an LTE phone, a Jelly Bean phone, a phone with a bright screen, all those things are great, but it has competitors in those areas. What’s unique about the phone is the big screen. The Galaxy Note 2 features a 5.5-inch SUPER AMOLED HD screen with a resolution of 1280-by-720 pixels. If you like it, you’ll get a good, modern phone with a roomy screen. If you don’t, you’ll get a good, modern phone that you’ll find uncomfortable to carry and hold.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast
“This Week in Tech History” Weekly Feature with Chris Graveline
Facebook Participation:
We asked: “Windows 8 is here! Please share experience with us. Are you happy with it so far? Any horror stories to share? Or are you not planning to upgrade?”
Here are some of the responses we got:
John in New Jersey said: The big day was a big bust for me. First, there was no midnight opening. Then, there was supposed to be an 8am opening. I was at the store in Bridgewater, NJ at 4am and spoke with the employees who said the 8am opening was cancelled. I got to the store at 9:45, I was #34 in line. There was an Xbox that was given away. However, if you were not planning on buying the Surface RT (which I was not) there was no point in being there. An utter waste of time 🙁 Instead of being a celebration of a new OS and new mentality it was simply a line to wait on to buy the Surface RT. I am waiting on the Surface Pro, not an easy wait and I still don’t understand WHY they are putting 3 months between the two. If I had been buying the Surface RT I would have gotten ad-free access to Xbox Music. Oh, I was offered a bottle of water several times. Does this change my commitment to Windows 8 and the Surface? No. Do I feel jilted? Yes.
Mark replied with: I believe they have delayed delivering the Surface Pro because (1) the price on it will be a bit staggering — I expect it to be more expensive than many Ultrabooks, and (2) the shortcomings of Windows RT will become immediately apparent when you compare it side-by-side with the Pro and Windows 8.
John later posted the following on our wall: “Living in a Windows 8 upgrade hell. I have never in my life had to call Microsoft for help, but installing Windows 8 has become such a trial I broke down and had to today. Has it helped?? Not so much yet.
Dale said: “No I am not planning to down grade my computer to windows 8. My windows 7 and Ubuntu are doing fine. Why are you calling it an upgrade? Windows 8 reminds me of Microsoft Bob. In fact. Windows 8 could be Bob 2.0.”
Ralph in Nashville, Tennessee listening on Super Talk WTN 99.7 FM asked: “I have a Kindle Fire and I have Internet in my house. I would like to take the Internet with me for the Kindle Fire. How do I go about doing that?”
If you’re using a first generation Kindle Fire, you only have a WiFi option. Obviously, you’re not limited to using your Kindle Fire on your own WiFi network only, so if another network is available wherever you want to use it, you can just connect to it but assuming you want to use it somewhere without WiFi, you can look at either a MiFi device or, if you have a smartphone, at a wireless tethering plan for your phone, that would give your Kindle Fire the 3G or 4G connection it’s lacking.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use aircards designed for computers. WiFi tethering is pretty much your only option to add mobile broadband capabilities to your Kindle Fire.
Having your smartphone tethered to your tablet might be expensive or it might be included in what you already pay, so you should check with your wireless provider. For example, T-Mobile wasn’t charging for tethering, nor does Verizon if you have one of their new Share Everything plans.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Tom in Albuquerque, New Mexico listens to the podcast asked: “I have noticed that when I transferred my photos of the hot air balloon fiesta from my phone to my laptop they are all Upside down and it’s turning into a pain to right side them up to see. Is this some kind of “special feature” of the iPhone or is there some kind of setting that needs to be slapped?”
You’re experiencing a known problem that came along with iOS 5. Apparently, if you take pictures or video using the volume key as your shutter, and the key is facing up the pictures and videos may import into windows upsde down. Either Apple is adding EXIF information to pictures in a strange way, or Microsoft is not always reading EXIF information the normal way. Nobody seems to be very clear on which one’s the case.
The fact that it happens with videos as well as pictures points to Apple though, since EXIF doesn’t really work with videos.
For now it seems like you have two options:
1) the easiest option, is to either shoot with the volume button facing down at the ground and either release the shutter with your left thumb, or by pressing the on-screen button, which will be on your right.
2) if you don’t mind making things a little harder, you can manually rotate the pictures and videos when you import them into Windows.
There’s an option 3 that is too drastic to mention seriously, but you could always stop using Windows, since it only happens in Windows, or an iPhone.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Guests in this hour:
Karl T. J. Volkman, Chief Technical Officer – SRV Network
Have you upgraded to Windows 8? Are you feeling a little lost or frustrated? Karl offers some helpful tips for us.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT with Rob: M Projector Sleeve
– Product designed specifically for the iPhone. It’s a “dock-and-play” device.
– With this projector, you can display video or pictures on a wall, on the ceiling, on the side of a tent, on a car door, or … well, pretty much any surface. The screen size can go from 6-inches to as big as 60-inches diagonal with a resolution of 640 x 480.
– The sleeve is fairly thin and lightweight, so it can fit in your pocket or purse. And, you can still use the other phone functions while it’s in the sleeve.
– After you fully charge the Projector Sleeve using the provided USB cable, you dock your iPhone by simply sliding it in. Turn on the projector, adjust the focus using this dial on the side, and you’re ready for Instant Cinema!
– 3M says you can get up to 100 minutes of projection. That’s probably not enough time for a movie like “The Dark Knight Rises” which runs for 165 minutes. But, the projector still works if you plug it in to charge while in use.
– The sleeve can also charge your iPhone while it’s projecting.
– The 3M Projector Sleeve fits the iPhone 4 or 4S only and is available now for under $230. You can find it online at Amazon.com or buy it at Target stores.
– We hope they’ll release a version for the iPhone 5 in the near future – and maybe even for Android devices. We’ll keep you posted.
– If you don’t have an iPhone 4 or 4S to use this product, don’t worry. 3M has other mobile projectors you may be able to use with your device.
Willy in Columbia, Missouri listening Online asked: “I have a Macbook Pro and I just recently upgraded my software to the Mountain Lion. I was running Parallels on there so that I can run my Windows 7 program as well. it was working well until I downloaded Mountain Lion. Wondering if you guys know anything about the conflicts there because I’m getting the message that my Parallel is now dysfunctional. It’s pretty strange that Apple doesn’t give you that information before you purchase those products.”
Actually, Parallels released the information a while back. For Parallels to work under Mountain Lion, it has to be updated to version 7.0.15104, that long version number was released before Mountain Lion so that users wouldn’t suffer any disruptions. You can still download the file, we’ll link you to the download from this week’s show notes.
You usually won’t get notices about issues like these from the makers of the OS, you’ll get them from the individual software makers simply because there are thousands of programs that will run on a given OS, and the company that puts it out can’t test them all, instead they distribute early betas of the operating system so that companies can test their own software and adjust it.
You should know that if you download this file, running the installer will re-install Parallels, but it will not affect your virtual machines, so everything should still be there after the installation finishes, even if your computer says it’s reinstalling Parallels.
If you want to be extra sure, just copy and paste the virtual machine to another directory and keep the copy until you’ve verified that your old virtual machine still works.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners:
Magix: Copies of Music Maker 2013 – Create your own tunes! Even beginners can easily create music.
Microsoft: Copies of Microsoft Streets & Trips 2013 Software
Steve Nicholls: Copies of his book “Social Media in Business – Succeeding in the New Internet Revolution” – A guide to the understanding of social media’s business value.