Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on February 4, 2012
Why Desktop Apps Would Be Bad News for Windows 8 Tablets
At Microsoft's Build conference, Michael Angiulo, corporate vice president of Windows Planning, Hardware and PC Ecosystem, displays a prototype Windows 8 tablet. Photo: Microsoft
Windows 8 represents a huge departure for Microsoft.
First, the platform is slated to run on both x86 processors for PCs, and on ARM chips for tablets. Second, it’s a single OS platform with two distinctly different user interfaces. You’ll be able to divide your time between the touch-optimized Metro, which borrows its look, feel and navigation from the Windows Phone OS, and a traditional Windows 7-like desktop experience.
On desktop PCs, this dual-interface approach shouldn’t be a problem. Metro doesn’t demand many resources. It should run on PCs just fine.
But there’s still a nagging question: How will legacy desktop applications run on ARM-based tablets, if they run on ARM at all? Desktop apps can be resource hogs, and ARM-based tablets may not have the horsepower to run these programs quickly and elegantly. Not only could application performance suffer, but desktop apps could also suck battery capacities dry.
Well, a bit of clarity is maybe, possibly emerging. A Thursday report says Microsoft might allow a limited number of Windows 8 desktop apps to run on ARM-based tablets.
Microsoft is considering “a restricted desktop for Windows 8 ARM,” sources at The Verge say. Applications would have to earn special certification, and would likely be limited to Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office. This jibes with reports that Microsoft has been working on a lighter-weight version of Office for tablets.
We asked Microsoft to clarify, and received a “no comment.” However, past statements from Windows lead Steven Sinofsky suggest ARM tablets won’t support the desktop component of Windows 8.
“We’ve been very clear since the very first CES demos and forward that the ARM product won’t run any X86 applications,” Sinofsky said to investors at a financial analyst meeting in September. “We’ve done a bunch of work to enable a great experience there.”
So how do developers feel? Alexandre Brisebois, a senior .Net developer at RunAtServer, thinks it would be best for Microsoft to offer the same Metro and desktop interfaces everywhere, on both x86 and ARM devices. Conversely, Darren Baker, the business development director at Sogetti Global (a company that makes custom Windows products for businesses), says offering a desktop interface of any kind could be problematic for new tablet users.
“People would buy an ARM tablet, and think they have this copy of MS office thats going to run there, but it won’t,” Baker says.
Nonetheless, the Windows 8 dual user interface scheme does offer Microsoft and hardware companies a chance to rethink the tablet space as it exists today. This could lead to a tablet that’s both interesting and well-integrated with other Windows products.
“Youre actually going to see tablets that are focused on a specific kinds of tasks: video acceleration for media, or you have legacy app compatibility for desktop users,” Baker says. “Its not really about the tablet itself. Its about what you can enable with the tablet.”
Baker used a theoretical United Airlines app as an example scenario for different use cases:
“If they develop an app for end users, it’s going to be I need to use this to get information quickly, then move on with my life. They will develop an app for the Metro UI. Itll launch, get you flight details, and then you can go on to what you want to do next. If an app’s geared toward someone who’s sitting at a desk, they may not need the Metro UI at all, just the desktop interface. Then they could just have a Metro tile that gives you Metro information as needed.”
With the beta of Windows 8 coming out later this month, Microsoft’s tablet plans should soon be revealed. But for now, only one things’s for sure: Regardless of whether the desktop U.I. will appear on ARM tablets, Windows 8 tablets will offer a dramatically different alternative to Apple and Android tablets.
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on February 3, 2012
Google Beefs Up Android Market Security
Beginning with Thursday's launch of security tools, the Android Market is going to become much safer for users. Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
Android’s spirit of openness is one of the platform’s biggest selling points. It’s a come-one, come-all approach to app developers who want to get their wares out to the masses. But with such openness comes a huge liability: app security. With no roadblocks in place for developers who want to upload their apps, there’s potential for spyware, malware and other nasty apps to sneak inside Google’s mobile market.
Google wants to fight back. The company unveiled a new security service for the Android Market today that aims to auto-scan uploaded Android applications to detect potentially malicious apps more quickly, ideally before users download them. Code named Bouncer, the new service searches for threats without requiring any pre-approval process, continuing to keep the Market as ‘open’ as it has always been.“Once an application is uploaded, the service immediately starts analyzing it for known malware, spyware and trojans,” wrote Google VP of engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer in a company blog post. “It also looks for behaviors that indicate an application might be misbehaving, and compares it against previously analyzed apps to detect possible red flags.”
The new security service has already been working for the past few months. After finding an app that violates the rules — be it malware, spyware or whatever — the Android team takes the application down and bans the developer account from uploading any more apps. Further, Google continues to check new Android developer account sign-ups, so repeat offenders won’t continue to upload nasty apps under a different user name.
“Application scanning doesnt just happen at the time of upload,” Lockheimer wrote. “We continuously analyze existing applications, too. That way, as our knowledge and technology improve over time, we can better monitor and analyze all apps in Android Market.”
In the world of mobile apps, there are certain positive aspects to cultivating a walled garden. Apple’s App Store only approves apps after putting them through a rigorous approval process, ultimately nixing apps that aren’t up to snuff for whatever reason — be they malware, or merely crappy pieces of software. In theory, this makes for a curated, quality-controlled experience inside of the app store; it’s like walking through Nordstrom’s rather than WalMart.
Google’s philosophy differs from this completely. Espousing a culture of openness, the Android Market requires no vetting process for pre-approving apps, no censor as to what sort of content can go in (unless it specifically violates the Android developer distribution agreement), no wait times to get apps inside the market. Even the Android platform itself is built atop open-source software. For all intents and purposes, it’s everything Apple’s App Store isn’t.
And Apple’s approval process can raise the hackles of those not privy to the company’s standards. Developers often grouse about the amount of time it takes to move an app through Apple’s approval process — anywhere from a few days to a few weeks — and that’s only compounded when an app is rejected and the developer is forced to resubmit it. Further, Apple’s guidelines for taste are highly subjective. In 2010, the company famously banned a comic book version of James Joyce’s Irish literature classic, Ulysses, for including a picture of cartoon breasts. If the same app were submitted to the Android Market, Google philosophy would essentially be, “bring on the boobs.”
At the same time, there are drawbacks to openness. The very nature of a non-vetted, open market means it is more susceptible to malicious applications, a fact often promoted by third-party security researchers. Mobile security outfit Lookout claims over $1 million was stolen from Android users in 2011 as a result of “mobile threats,” according to a report released in December.
There’s a big caveat to that stat, however. Most of the malware discovered isn’t on the official Android Market. Instead it’s uploaded to third-party alternative markets, many of which are Chinese and not easily accessible.
“The official Android Market is the smaller target,” McAfee mobile security researcher Jimmy Shah told Wired in an interview. “Thats the area weve seen the least malware in thus far.”
Moreover, you’re more likely to be targeted if you’re engaging in app piracy, or trying to download apps for free on third-party markets that you’d otherwise have to pay for on the official market.
“Its like saying if you dont want to get mugged, dont walk into a dark alley,” Shah said.
In other words, Android Market users who keep their nose clean and steer clear of stealing apps don’t have much cause for concern. And if users are still worried about the apps they’re thinking of downloading, Shah suggests browsing the user-submitted review history found on every individual app’s market listing.
Ultimately, Google’s new services are another stopgap in keeping mobile devices safe. But if you aren’t stupid and don’t download crappy knock-off apps from unofficial sites, you’ll probably be fine anyway.
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on February 3, 2012
8 Essential Gadgets for Hosting a Killer Super Bowl Party
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You’ve got the biggest TV, the spankin’est surround-sound system, and the roomiest couch. So guess what: All your rowdy friends will be coming over to your place to watch Sunday’s game.
With Super Bowl XLVI only days away (it’s Feb. 5), you’ve got some prep work to do around the house to make sure everything goes swimmingly. All the big stuff is covered — the TiVo is ready, beer is stocked, and your wings delivery guy is on speed dial. But if you fail to focus on the finer details of Super Bowl party revelry, your hosting efforts will end up more Kyle Williams than Rob Gronkowski. Read More…
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on February 2, 2012
Gadget Lab Podcast: Motorola Razr Maxx, Headphone Wars, Beats by Dr. Dre
runMobileCompatibilityScript(‘myExperience1423509842001
‘, ‘anId’); brightcove.createExperiences(); Read More…
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on February 1, 2012
8 Killer iOS Apps That Shined at Macworld 2012
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At this year’s Macworld | iWorld event, iOS apps took center stage — which wasn’t hard for a trade show of ever-diminishing relevance. Apple no longer supports the show with the grand spectacle of an iDevice product reveal, and the event isn’t even called “Expo” anymore. The show’s tagline is now “The Ultimate iFanEvent,” and last week’s gathering felt more like a fantasy con than a buzzing hive of product announcements and demos.
But at least the 2012 show, which closed Saturday, had the Mobile Apps Showcase pavilion, which featured about 75 mobile app developers demonstrating their wares. We checked out the action, and here are our picks for the apps you need to know about most. They’re not necessarily the best apps, but they point to interesting new directions for mobile content. Some have been available for a few months, others just launched, and others should debut in the coming months. Read More…
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on January 31, 2012
Hands-On With the Changers Solar Charger
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I live in sunny Spain, so there’s no problem charging gadgets with solar energy pretty much all year round. The problem has been cost and practicality. Until now. For the past month or so I have been testing the Changers solar charger, a rugged, lightweight solar panel and battery. Read More…
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on January 30, 2012
