Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 8th Jan 2013 23:27 UTC
So, a rudimentary jailbreak for Windows RT made its way onto the web these past few days. Open source applications were ported right away, and it was confirmed that Windows RT is the full Windows - it's exactly the same as regular Windows, except that it runs on ARM. Microsoft responded to the jailbreak as well.
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Member since:2005-11-13
For me, the potential for running the same apps on desktop and tablet (and hopefully phone in the future) holds a lot of appeal.
But you can't, can you? Save for a "handful" of brand new Metro apps, the vast bulk of Windows software doesn't run on both. Essentially, it's like saying that you're going to buy a computer now in the hopes that at some point in the future you hope somebody will develop something that will run on both your tablet and your PC.
But you can't, can you? Save for a "handful" of brand new Metro apps, the vast bulk of Windows software doesn't run on both. Essentially, it's like saying that you're going to buy a computer now in the hopes that at some point in the future you hope somebody will develop something that will run on both your tablet and your PC.
Well, of course I can't do that YET, which is the reason why I'm still running Android
And I'm not even sure Metro will pan out into a mature ecosystem, but I hope it does. If you're developing an app for grocery lists that integrates across devices, you'd be crazy to tie it to some Windows-specific functionality (and automatically kill most of your market). Most all software is developed in two tiers here, a generic back-end, and a specific UI front-end. Metro only lowers the barriers for UI design, but it in no way eases the problems with data sharing.
I think you're missing the point here. I tried about a dozen different grocery apps on Android until I found one I liked. But it has absolutely no online sync functionality whatsoever, so I can't input items on my computer with a real keyboard, as I would like. The todo list app I use DOES have online sync, but the web interface is kind of janky. I guess I could use something like Bluestacks, but then how do I get my data and settings over to the phone/tablet? Now, if all the Android apps I used where I wished to have interoperability with my desktop had slick web frontends that made data input seamlis on the desktop, you and I would not be having this conversation, except for apps like Google Plus et al, where I want desktop notifications WITHOUT needing a goddamn extension for whatever browser I'm using.
With Metro, every app that you have on a tablet will automatically work on the desktop, and most of them let you save to Skydrive, which makes swapping back and forth a breeze. I'm hoping they'll eventually port all this to Windows Phone as well.
Obviously, I understand that this is mostly theoretical at this point, since there aren't a lot of useful apps out yet. I'm just speaking of the potential of it all and why I am excited about Metro, not what the situation is right now. If I'm running Windows-only devices, I don't care if the stuff uses only Windows technology. In fact, I would consider that a bonus.
Edited 2013-01-10 00:19 UTC
Member since:2006-02-15
I think you're missing the point here. I tried about a dozen different grocery apps on Android until I found one I liked. But it has absolutely no online sync functionality whatsoever, so I can't input items on my computer with a real keyboard, as I would like.
Evernote should do what you want. AFAIK it can do check-lists, there's an app for almost all platforms, and you can sync it online. I don't use Evernote myself, but I just thought to mention it to you in case you find it useful.
News
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 22:33 UTC
Official Apple statement on PRISM and privacy: "Regardless of the circumstances, our Legal team conducts an evaluation of each request and, only if appropriate, we retrieve and deliver the narrowest possible set of information to the authorities. In fact, from time to time when we see inconsistencies or inaccuracies in a request, we will refuse to fulfill it." This is basically Apple re-publishing their earlier statement in a more official manner. You either believe it, or you don't.
Linked by Anonymous on 06/18/13 22:26 UTC
The open source Contiki operating system and its commercial Thingsquare distribution are making strides towards the connected home. According to a Computerworld article, a new LED light bulb manufacturer is putting small computers into their light bulbs. Each computer runs the Contiki OS, which gives each bulb an IP address and allows them to be controlled with a smartphone application. To connect the bulbs to the application, the bulbs use both Wi-Fi and the much lower power IEEE 802.15.4 mesh technology.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 22:25 UTC
"Google asked the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Tuesday to ease long-standing gag orders over data requests it makes, arguing that the company has a constitutional right to speak about information it's forced to give the government. The legal filing, which cites the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech, is the latest move by the California-based tech giant to protect its reputation in the aftermath of news reports about sweeping National Security Agency surveillance of Internet traffic." Draining the ditch after the cow has drowned in it.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 17:45 UTC
"I can't find one person who has been using the Nexus 7 for an extended period of time, and hasn't seen a massive downgrade in performance. Just what kind of downgrade are we talking here? I cannot pick up my Nexus 7 without experiencing problems like a lag of ten seconds, or more, just to rotate the display; touches refusing to acknowledged; stuttering notification panel actions; and unresponsive apps." Fully and utterly agreed. My Nexus 7 was blazing-fast and awesome for a few months, and at some point, it just started sucking. Just like that. I've tried loads of ROMs, and nothing helps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 17:32 UTC, submitted by poundsmack
A new release of the hobby operating system MenuetOS! The release notes are a bit non-descript, but you'll have to take what you can get: "updates and improvements (picview, httpc, ehci, ...)".
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/17/13 17:58 UTC
"The Internet is one of the most transformative technologies of our lifetimes. But for 2 out of every 3 people on earth, a fast, affordable Internet connection is still out of reach. And this is far from being a solved problem. There are many terrestrial challenges to Internet connectivity - jungles, archipelagos, mountains. There are also major cost challenges. Right now, for example, in most of the countries in the southern hemisphere, the cost of an Internet connection is more than a month's income. Solving these problems isn't simply a question of time: it requires looking at the problem of access from new angles. So today we're unveiling our latest moonshot from Google[x]: balloon-powered Internet access." Insane.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/17/13 17:52 UTC
"MineAssemble is a tiny bootable Minecraft clone written partly in x86 assembly. I made it first and foremost because a university assignment required me to implement a game in assembly for a computer systems course. Because I had never implemented anything more complex than a 'Hello World' bootloader before, I decided I wanted to learn about writing my own kernel code at the same time. Note that the goal of this project was not to write highly efficient hand-optimized assembly code, but rather to have fun and write code that balances readability and speed. This is primarily accomplished by proper commenting and consistent code structuring." Just cool.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 21:03 UTC
Jon Rubinstein, former CEO of Palm: "Well, I'm not sure I would have sold the company to HP. That's for sure. Talk about a waste. Not that I had any choice because when you sell a company you don't get to decide that. Obviously, the board and shareholders decide that. If we had known they were just going to shut it down and never really give it a chance to flourish, what would have been the point of selling the company? I think the deal we had with Verizon really hurt us, but who knew that at the time? These things are all hindsight."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 20:46 UTC
"And so it is with Dell's Alienware X51 R2, a small form factor gaming PC in console digs. It's shaped similar to Microsoft's Xbox 360 Slim, and though it's slightly larger than either a 360 or PlayStation 3, the X51 R2 would be right at home in a living room setting nestled next to a large screen TV. Indeed, it's adept at running Steam's Big Picture mode, and if your primary objective is to play games in the living room, go ahead and consider the X51 R2 a hybrid game console." This is obviously not the only machine like this - still, these are very valid console alternatives even for those that don't like being hunched over with a cramped WASD-claw. Also, PC gamers among us: could you get away with the $699 model for gaming?
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 17:32 UTC
From Bloomberg: "Microsoft, the world's largest software company, provides intelligence agencies with information about bugs in its popular software before it publicly releases a fix, according to two people familiar with the process. That information can be used to protect government computers and to access the computers of terrorists or military foes." The lid has officially been blown off.More News »
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Member since:
2007-04-18
But you can't, can you? Save for a "handful" of brand new Metro apps, the vast bulk of Windows software doesn't run on both. Essentially, it's like saying that you're going to buy a computer now in the hopes that at some point in the future you hope somebody will develop something that will run on both your tablet and your PC.
This, so far, isn't an argument for Windows 8, it's just about a messaging and notification frame that doesn't suck. Android 4.2, for instance, already has that (you can respond to notifications, including responding to messages, directly from the notifications panel).
On Android 4.2 you do, for both phones and tablets.
What does the UI have to do with app functionality? If you're developing an app for grocery lists that integrates across devices, you'd be crazy to tie it to some Windows-specific functionality (and automatically kill most of your market). Most all software is developed in two tiers here, a generic back-end, and a specific UI front-end. Metro only lowers the barriers for UI design, but it in no way eases the problems with data sharing.
Why would you be carrying those around? How about a wireless dock? I already have a 27'' Samsung "wireless dock" monitor with UWB. Get within a few feet of it with my laptop and it automatically hooks up my monitor, sound, USB ports with keyboard and mouse and network to it, no need to attach cables, or even take the machine out of the bag. Now imagine being able to do so with your tablet, or better yet, phone! Noo, clearly, why would anybody want to do that?