GeekwithEnvy

Microsoft

It’s No Longer Blue, It’s Windows 8.1

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Windows 8 LogoThe next update to Windows 8, which was codenamed “Blue”, now has an official name, Windows 8.1. That sounds about right, there’s really no need to put any spin on it, just increment and improve please. Windows 8 is an adventure and whether you love it or hate it, it’s clear that the OS needs a bit of repair and a whole lot of love. The update will be available for free.

One of the biggest problems I have with Windows 8 is it’s dual personality. Currently, the new UI doesn’t allow you to access to all of the settings that are available in the control panel, instead you end up back in “Desktop Mode” with the “old” control panel open. The experience needs to feel complete and flipping between old and new just breaks up the flow. It needs to be one or the other. Windows 8.1 will hopefully address some of these issues by fully integrating your settings into the new UI.

This is the first of many updates that will eventually hit Windows 8 users as Microsoft has ramped up their update release schedule. Some see this new cycle as an advantage for Microsoft as it allows them to keep things “fresh”. Others have criticized the new cycle saying that updates could be a lot less stable and/or secure since they have less time to work out the bugs. No matter what we think, Microsoft has chosen a direction and time will tell whether it was the right direction.

 

 

Microsoft Wants Nook Content for $1 Billion

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nookHD

Microsoft is reportedly looking to acquire the digital portion of Nook Media LLC and they are offering up $1 Billion for the deal. This move, if made, could help boost Microsoft in the e-book market along with a stronger presence in education, an area that Microsoft could use some help. It’s important to note that it doesn’t appear that Microsoft has any interest the hardware that Nook has, just it’s “digital assets”.

Nook hasn’t really seen great sales as of late and struggles to get any significant traction among similar hardware. This acquisition by Microsoft could prove to be beneficial for everyone involved but it’s still unclear whether or not a deal like this will go through.

3DMark Wants to Benchmark Everything

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3dmark logo3DMark, the go-to benchmarking software, is not only improving it’s Windows based tests but it’s also moving onto other types of hardware besides the PC. Apple iOS, Android, and Windows RT are all fair game when it comes to being benchmarked by 3DMark.

I must admit that I never really thought about benchmarking my smartphone, it’s kind of interesting idea. We read the specs on our tablets and smartphones and we know how much memory we have  and what our screen resolution is but do we really know just how much power we have to work with ?

When it comes to performance in multitasking, surfing the web, or gaming we really don’t think of measuring it all, at least not as often as we should. For the most part we download our apps and they run, but can they run better? How far can we push the hardware, what are the limitations, and how does it stand up against the competition?  These are all great questions that can be answered by a trusted benchmark tool that provides a standard to go by.

The new benchmarks are visually, much improved and a leap ahead from previous iterations. There are three benchmarks, FireStrike for Windows gaming PC’s, CloudGate for Windows Notebooks and home PC’s, and Ice Storm for Android, iOS and Windows mobile. This is great for enthusiasts who really want to get a clearer picture of what’s going on under the hood of their favorite non-PC devices.

To make things even better, the basic version is free and can be found at 3DMark along with complete details on the benchmarking software.

Next Gen Xbox Tech: IllumiRoom

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IllumiRoom is an augmented reality device that projects images around your television. The projector is meant to sit on a coffee table and fill the room with visual content form your video games. Microsoft shows off a demonstration of IllumiRoom in action and it’s pretty amazing. I can see a ton of potential in something like this and it’s definitely one of those features that makes a statement, something we haven’t really seen to much of in regards to console tech lately.

IllumiRoom

The project works together with Kinect in order to analyze the area around the television so that it can auto-adjust it self to better work with your surroundings. Besides making the images appear outside the limits of your television, it even has the ability to change how things near your TV actually look. The video above shows exactly how all of this comes together. This could easily become the biggest feature of the next-gen Xbox, which is due to be announced on May 21st.

Control Your Xbox With Your Kindle Fire

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Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD owners can now dive deep into the Xbox experience with SmartGlass, which is now available on the app store for Amazon.

XboxSmartGlass Logo

SmartGlass offers up a variety of cool features including connecting with your Xbox friends to talk and compare achievements along with being able to see your avatar. You can also have complete control over music and videos on your Xbox right from your Kindle Fire.

This is just the first step towards making our consoles more connected then ever. Tablets and consoles can co-exist quite well together and soon we will see more advanced features, like live streaming of video game content, become standard.

You can find full details about SmartGlass and download it though Amazon now.