Windows 8 Preview coming in 1st week of June and SkyDrive apps now

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Stephen Pate

Microsoft President Steven Sinofsky drops news of Windows 8 Preview at Japan’s Windows 8 Dev Days along with new SkyDrive apps

Microsoft President Steven Sinofsky announces June Windows 8 Preview

The Windows 8 Operating System just got another page written when Microsoft President Steven Sinofsky dropped the shoe in Japan at Windows 8 Dev Days.

The new and hotly anticipated operating system will get another preview in the first week of June 2012.

There was not press release, no blog entry – just this photo posted on Twitter and the usual short Twitter message “Announce…Windows 8 Release Preview first week of June. Here’s the announce from Japan’s Windows 8 Dev Days.” Continue reading →

Review – Acer T231H Touch Monitor for Windows 8

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Stephen Pate

Acer T231H bmid is the only reasonably priced monitor capable of multi-touch with Windows 8

Acer T231H Windows 7 and 8 touch monitor

Surprisingly the Acer T231H bmid is the only $300 monitor that delivers a multi-touch in Windows 7.

Once I started using this monitor, it was hard to give it up, so I bought another one to replace an old Samsung.

There is only a small cost premium over a non-touch monitor. Continue reading →

Windows 8 It’s All In The Touch

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Stephen Pate

This video helps you learn the simple tricks that make Windows 8 navigation a breeze

Once you get used to the few new navigation tricks in Windows 8 Consumer Preview it seems like second nature.

Watch the video and we’ll cover the basics after the story break.
Continue reading →

Windows 8 Consumer Preview boots faster than an iPad

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Stephen Pate

Speed is everything with computers and Windows 8 is headed for the Indie 500 winner’s circle

Updated – Most of the articles that are being printed about Windows 8 imply you must upgrade and adopt Windows 8 this fall. Windows 8 is being designed for new computers.

However, Windows 8 is such an improvement over previous versions of Windows, I predict tens of millions of people will want to make the upgrade. Continue reading →

First Look – Acer T231H monitor delivers multi-touch for Windows 8

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Stephen Pate

The Acer T231H bmid LCD Monitor together with Windows 8 Consumer Preview puts a biggie-sized iPad on your desk

Acer T231H 23" multi-touch monitor with Windows 8 Metro home screen (click for larger image) Photo NJN Network

Windows 8 needs two things to be a hit on the desktop – a multi-touch monitor and touch pad. Acer delivers the multi-touch experience with the T231H bmid. The monitor is stunning. At under $350 retail, it leads the pack of competitive monitors we have investigated. Continue reading →

PC sales headed for 400 million in 2013

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Stephen Pate

Apple’s Post-PC Era claim is more marketing hubris than fact with PC shipments 6 times higher than iPad

Unit sales 2012 - (Chart - Aquilium Group)

By Stephen Pate, Aquilium Group – At the new iPad announcement, Apple CEO Tim Cook called this the “Post-PC era.”

In terms of real market size, Apple’s claim of the demise of the PC doesn’t hold up. Continue reading →

Apple developing new audio file format to offer adaptive streaming

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Stephen Pate

Format will provide high- or low-quality files to iCloud users

Neil Young, who has claimed that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs wanted to develop high-resolution audio options (photo Neil Young LeNoise)

Guardian.co.uk – Apple is working on a new audio file format that will offer “adaptive streaming” to provide high- or low-quality files to users of its iCloud service.

The new format could mean that users can get “high-definition” audio by downloading to an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Alternatively, it could offer a streaming service – like that of Lala.com, the music streaming and online storage company, which Apple acquired late in 2009.
Continue reading →

Windows 8 Guide for Business tips hat to mobile and network performance

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Stephen Pate

Users will like the new pretty face – business will like Windows 8 for employee efficiency, enhanced security, network connectivity, multiple form factors, energy conservation, and Internet Explorer 10

Windows 8 soft keyboard user interface (illustration Microsoft)

By Stephen Pate – Aquilium Group - While some will focus on the touch interface, there are substantial improvements in Windows 8 that addresses energy costs, organizational security and productivity both within the corporate network and through mobile access. Continue reading →

Apple Will Lose Tablet Market in 2012

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Stephen Pate

Android and Blackberry have already made deep in roads in the iPad’s presumed invincibility

Blackberry Playbook (image RIM)

Last May, the media was calling Apple’s iPad the unbeatable market leader. In less than a year Apple has lost major market share to Android and RIM.

RIM quietly gained 15% of the tablet market in Canada by dropping the entry-level price to $199 and aggressively selling through its own channel. Top corporate and government accounts could purchase Blackberry Playbooks at Christmas for as little as $99. Continue reading →

iStrobosoft guitar tuner app review

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Stephen Pate

Peterson iPhone and iPad apps are accurate and low cost strobe instrument tuners

iStrobosoft iPhone app

Peterson has two apps for the iPhone and iPad that give the musician strobe tuning accuracy for about $10. The iPad app is being discounted to $9.99 until January 31st, 2012.

I wanted to see just how accurate the iPhone Peterson would be. I was not disappointed, although the under $20 Snark SN-1 clip on tuner was almost as accurate.

Last night I was practicing guitar while the news was on. It was handy to refresh my tuning without looking for a tuner. I’m not sure if musicians will risk damaging their iPhones in a studio or stage environment to use the iStrobosoft app. The practicality of the iStrobosoft tuner for those uses is up to each person to decide.

Peterson Strobe Tuners have been the pinnacle of stringed instrument tuners for decades and known for accuracy and high cost. Continue reading →

Samsung’s Transparent Galaxy Tab will kill iPad

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Stephen Pate

Transparent and shape-able screens from Samsung will define the next technological advance

In 2013 Samsung will upset the tablet market with a transparent and potentially bendable hand held device. A transparent tablet is right out of Minority Report and Tron Legacy and will have a much higher cool factor than the iPad 3, 4 or 5.

Only a few months ago, pundits were predicting no one could unseat Apple’s near total dominance with the iPad. Those days are over for Apple.
Continue reading →