GeekwithEnvy

Computers

Halo 2600

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Halo2600

Looking for an action-adventure style video game for your Atari 2600? Well, then Halo 2600 is just the game for you. Created by Ed Fries, who was in charge of game publishing for Microsoft, Halo 2600 features many different zones and 64 different screens along with power-ups and shields. The gameplay is actually quite fun as you run around shooting aliens and switching from screen to screen. The game even offers up a legendary mode if you successfully complete the game.

If you’re looking for something fun to get rid of your boredom but don’t own an atari 2600 or have one of these awesome cartridges? No need to worry, you can play Halo 2600 online.

Need A MacBook On The Fly? Just Head to The MacBook Kiosk

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MacBookKiosk
MacBookKiosk (Photo Credit: Drexel.edu)

Drexel University is now home to a new type of vending machine that dispenses MacBooks to students to help them get their assignments completed. The machine carries up to twelve 15″ MacBooks. These MacBooks can be used for 5 hours and any time spent over the limit will result in a late fee. The rental is free of charge and only requires that Drexel students scan their student ID. If this system proves to be successful we could see more these  types of vending machines in the future.

 

CES only a Few Days Away

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Yes, it’s the world’s largest annual innovation event and one of my favorite things about starting the new year! The International Consumer Electronics Show will feature thousands of new gadgets to check out and of course we will do our part to bring you updates.

The International CES will be held in Las Vegas on January 8th – 11th. It truly is a major geek out and I can’t wait to see what comes out of this years event. You can get all the event info on the official CES website.

Here’s a look back at CES 2012.

Windows 8 Feels Like a Dud

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product_win8-startscreen_Web

I have been tinkering around with Windows 8 since the developer preview and I was pretty excited initially about it’s release, but now that it’s finally here, I am feeling like something is majorly wrong with this version of Windows.

One only needs to spend 60 seconds with Windows 8 to realize that it’s not Microsoft’s best work. I have been working with people just about everyday trying to help them easily transition to the new operating system and it’s proven to be quite a challenge. You know something is wrong with your shiny new OS when PC hardware manufacturers, like Gateway, need to place an icon somewhere on the screen to help you shut down your computer. In case you missed it, we have put together a brief how-to that shows you how to make such an icon for yourself.

Windows 8 dosen’t fully commit to one user-interface and that alone will drive you crazy. You will find yourself wanting to exist in one space or the other but ultimately you will need to switch between both. This issue leaves Windows 8 feeling disconnected from itself and it’s just downright frustrating. There a many aspects of the new tile UI that I enjoy but it’s just not built to be productive. Many of the applications that I use day-to-day require me to move to the legacy desktop and therefore I spend almost all of my time there.

There are hidden menus in each corner and once they are open, they frequently disappear unexpectedly. When the menus do stay open, I have trouble fumbling through a poorly designed search system to find files or applications that I need. Changing settings or just trying to obtain Windows updates through the new tile based UI is buggy and most of the time I end up, once again, heading back to the legacy desktop.

Your design should be intuitive and new users should feel welcome when they first see Windows 8. Even though you shouldn’t have too, there is almost no attempt to guide the user in the right direction besides a small animation toward the end of the Windows 8 installation that explains how to bring up the hidden menus that are at the edge of the screen.

Even app developers don’t seem confident in the new OS. The lack of a solid app base is killing Windows 8 more than anything, we need a reason to enjoy our new tile system with full screen applications. Many major software companies have avoided making Windows 8 apps that work with the new tile UI, and those who have adapted have buggy applications that don’t feel like their worth the hard drive space.

I believe Windows 8 is the worst release of Microsoft’s OS software to-date. I would consider myself to be advanced user with knowledge of many different operating systems and yet I find it difficult to perform routine tasks. This one screams out “I’m a DUD!”. What’s worse is that I am starting to feel like the guinea pig here and I am just waiting for Microsoft to ask me to shell out more money for a rushed copy of  Windows 9 due to the failure of Windows 8’s poor design.

Honestly, Windows 8 is a mess and we can only hope that Microsoft will do the right thing and fix many of the issues that plague the new OS today, with the release of a service pack in the near future. I am trying to remain optimistic about Microsoft’s ability to create a next-gen OS that’s sleek, functional, easy-to-use, and that works seamlessly across all of my devices, but I’m loosing faith.

A Moment For Nostalgia, Netscape Navigator

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Ah yes, I remember it all so well, there was a time where Netscape Navigator dominated the web as the world’s number one web browser. During the 1990’s it seemed that no one could touch Netscape.Netscape Logo

Why was this web browser so popular and what happened to it? The internet has been around for decades and it can be traced back as far as the 1960’s, but it wasn’t until the 1990’s that the internet started to gain momentum in the family home.

There were a few good options for browsing the web but Netscape was by far the most popular. Netscape became popular due to it’s innovative features, many of which we still use today, like the cookie, and JavaScript. Another big feature of Netscape was having the ability to display page content before the entire page has loaded. This feature dramatically improved the user’s experience of using the internet.

Netscape Navigator
Netscape Navigator (source: Wikipedia)

Netscape continued to stay in firm control of browser usage over the next few years as they continued to improve their browser, but a shadow hung over the company. As sales of Microsoft Windows continued to rise so did the usage of Internet Explorer (IE) and Netscape wasn’t happy about it. They weren’t unhappy because of competition but because of the way Microsoft was getting users to make the switch. Internet Explorer was included with every copy of Windows and most users didn’t feel the need to use any other browser because they really didn’t ever have to make a choice, one was just provided. This obviously makes for a pretty unfair fight and it’s partially the reason why Netscape Navigator began to loose traction with consumers. Microsoft continued to push Internet Explorer out in front of users through other methods including working IE into internet service provider bundles, which greatly reduced the visibility of Netscape and eventually led to it’s demise.

Fortunately for us the “browser wars” still go on as Internet Explorer goes head-to-head with other great browsers like Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari. This competition drives innovation forward and at the very least offers some choices. Netscape Navigator was a beast in it’s day and it’s original release demands our respect. Netscape may never regain it’s throne, as it is now no longer supported, but it will always be remembered as an important part of internet history.