Windows 8 Installation for Dummies

Okay, spared you all; no blah blah blah this time!  Let's just go straight to the point. Following is the recommended procedure to get the new Windows goodness on your PC:-

• Firstly, my advice is to install a fresh version of Windows than upgrading your current windows. I do not want to elaborate what happened to my Lenovo G450 last time (Windows 8 Developers build) but trust me it's better to install Windows 8 on a separate partition which you can access and manipulate from your current windows. Also, the consumer preview expires in March 2013.

• Download the Windows Consumer Preview relevant to your PC capabilities, 32 or 64 bit. The 64-bit version is recommended for 4GB RAM or more.

• If you already have unallocated space, great! Just create a partition by performing a quick format in FAT 32 only. This can be done  using Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Computer Management and by choosing Disk Management under Storage.

• If there is no unallocated space on you hard drive, make sure you have at least 20GB free space (25GB or 30GB is recommended) on any of the partitions (even combined free space from all partitions will do).

• After you have made sure you have enough free space, shrink the volume(s) using the same Disk Management tool to create a cumulative unallocated space of 20GB or more. Now, create a new partition in FAT 32 from this unallocated space.

• Once the empty partition is created, you are all set to install Windows 8. The downloaded ISO can be burnt into a disc or can also be used virtually using Daemon Tools or Virtual CloneDrive. It can also be installed from a bootable USB disk or hard drive using the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool.

• The easiest and the least cumbersome way is to use a Virtual DVD drive and mount the ISO. Skip the AutoRun because this will only upgrade the current OS and will not give options to install on a separate partition.

• Explore the contents of the ISO. Go to the Sources folder and run the Setup.exe file. This will launch the installer which can't be more self-explanatory.

• You can change the default OS and the timer settings in the new Boot Screen. It's probably better to keep the non-Windows 8 OS as the default.

Touch-Screen devices: The primary appeal of Windows 8 is touch. It's a beautiful amalgam of the Metro Style UI of Windows Phone 7 yet keeping the Windows 7 design sense intact. A mouse and keyboard works but does not do complete justice to the UI. So the best way to test Windows 8 on a touch-screen. The best touch-screen device we know obviously is the iPad 2.  Use Windows 8 Consumer Preview on the iPad as follows:-

• Install Splashtop HD on your iPad
• Install Splashtop Streamer on your PC
• Splashtop HD automatically detects your PC if connected to the same wireless network

To say the experience is seamless, is a valid exaggeration. The resolution settings and touch-responsiveness is almost perfect. So far this is the best way to get Windows on your iPad, OnLive Desktop is a strong contender of course.

Note: Instructions for installation of Windows 8 on a Mac shouldn't be much different than the regular Boot Camp / Dual-boot procedure.

Enjoy your Windows 8!!

PS: "Only a dummy knows what a dummy wants". Please comment below if you actually used this tutorial of all the ones on the interwebs.

Let's write about Sony! Nah, HTC it is!

After the high profile break up of Sony - Ericsson, Sony re-branded it's Mobile division as Sony Mobile, which deserves appreciation. As seen from the website, Sony Mobile is here with quality products and marketing. It's revamped line of Xperia smart-phones along with the SmartWatch and SmartTags is rather impressive, the utility and value for money of the latter is questionable though. So all this lead to extreme anticipation, hopes and sleepless nights before MWC 2012 ( sorry for being so dramatic ). 

At MWC, I must say, HTC stole the show! Subtle yet effective marketing, brilliant hardware and not to forget the software that beats them all. That is when I decided that HTC deserved the next post on GeekyVerses ;) After the launch of Galaxy Nexus and ICS, an ICS phone from HTC was very much awaited.

HTC launched its new line of smarphones branded as One. Following are the highlights:-

• One X : This is the beast that everyone's drooling over. Packed with a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB RAM, 4.7" HD display, 32GB internal storage (no SD card support) what else could you ask for in a smart-phone? One X is coming exclusively to AT&T in the US however sporting a dual-core Snapdragon S4 which is not at all a slouch compared to its four-cored counterpart, at least according to reviews so far.

• One S and One V : Unlike Apple's one-size fits all philosophy, HTC has a phone for everyone. The One S is a smaller smart-phone with 4.3" display, 16GB on-board storage and a dual-core Qualcomm processor. This one is comping to T-mobile in the US. The One V is a descendant of the HTC Legend with it's characteristic chin design.

• Sense 4 : The HTC Sense 4 along with Ice Cream Sandwich is the killer feature here. This is undoubtedly the most fluid Android till date, thanks to the quad-core goodness. Transitions are smooth and the dedicated multi-tasking button reveals an interface similar WebOS's or more recently Windows Phone 7's multi-tasking interface but with 3D cards which can be swiped off the screen to end an app. HTC is touting the new camera with f/2.0 lens and HDR claiming blazing shutter speeds and simultaneous video and image capture which is something so basic and useful you would wonder why don't smart-phones already have it.

• Dropbox Integration : Smart move by HTC and Dropbox to compete with the iCloud. They are giving you a 25GB cloud storage free with the device for two years.

• Beats by Dr Dre : The HTC-Verizon Rezound was the first phone to incorporate Beats and boy did  it zound amazing!! Now the HTC One phones come with this premium audio technology.

• Wireless Media Link : This may not be so fancily named as Air Play but it does the job, probably more elegantly. It's like a WiFi dongle connected to your TV and boom you can mirror everything you do on your phone to your TV with a three finger swipe gesture. Multi-tasking on the phone with simultaneous video playback on the TV is also enabled. Sadly this is exclusive to the One series.

HTC expects sales to start sometime in April here in the US. Pricing is not released yet but one can expect the One X to cost somewhere around the $199 price tag, after all they are all striving to end iPhone's tyranny.

Let's Roku!

It's been a while I have written something (actually useful :P). I have been waiting to come across something that is so useful that it can't be avoided. Yes, Roku definitely fits in that category.

For someone who has never heard the word Roku, it is a internet video streaming set-top box. In short, it let's you watch your favorite internet videos on your TV without having to connect your desktop or laptop and fighting with resolution settings. The whole process is so effortless and worthwhile that you would be shocked why you hadn't got this earlier.

Roku achieves this by a WiFi modem embedded in that tiny box which connects to your WiFi network and is ready to go. The whole interface is flawless and the navigation is so efficient with a remote that can't be simpler to use. Like most devices now, Roku too works around the concept of apps. There is an app for most Internet video streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Cnet, etc. There are apps even for international TV channels with free and subscription services.

For $49, it is a steal. There are other variants of Roku which let you stream 1080p HD channels and also allow you to play games like Angry Birds with a motion-sensitive controller like the Wii. This one costs $99 and is totally worth the buck. Although Apple TV pretty much does the same job, so do many other streaming players, the amount of content available, ease of use and the price point make Roku the winner.

To sum it up, Roku is THE REASON to get a TV if you didn't already. The best part is, it works with absolutely any TV as it comes with the conventional composite AV cable.

iAnalyze iPhone 4S!

After a day filled with speculation, anticipation, suspense, revelation, disappointment and retrospection, here I am with my final thoughts and analysis of the iPhone 4S.

Before I get into iPhone stuff, let's evaluate everything else they presented at the keynote. 

• Cards: Neat concept. Right price point. You may not use it (or claim not to use it) but trust me, most people would love to use a service like this. Make custom greeting cards on your iDevice and send it to your loved ones just by a tap.
• iCloud: This was revealed during the WWDC in the summer. Pretty awesome stuff. Though it is difficult to implement a cloud service with 100% reliability, we have to see what Apple has to offer in this segment.
• iOS 5: Again, this was revealed at WWDC 2011. New notification system, volume button to be used as camera dedicated button, twitter integration, iMessages and 200 other features.
• iPod: Nothing really new here. Very disappointing! No new hardware absolutely. And they still keep the iPod Classic. And there is the white iPod Touch and new price points for the entire product line. That's it, nothing revolutionary here.

Next the iPhone. After months of wait for the iPhone 5, I officially declare disappointment here. Why?? Read on..

• The name sucks: iPhone 4S? Come on iPhone 5 would have sounded way cooler and would be in tune with iOS 5.
• No design revamp: This is the biggest disappointment of all for sure. Apple devices are purchased by some (Okay all! Whom am I kidding?) just for the oomph factor and appeal. No redesign would discourage many people from getting the next iPhone even though 'it's all new in the inside'.
• Absence of a larger screen: Yeah, many people expected Apple to come up with an iPhone to match up the Sensations, Infuses, Evo 3Ds in the screen size category. But nah. Nothing's bigger here. Same old (beautiful) 3.5 inch retina display with the same resolution. Again, as I said no design changes absolutely. This is sticking to Apple's philosophy of the right form factor and they always believed 3.5" was the right screen size for a smart phone and 10" for a tablet.
• Same front-facing camera: FaceTime is an amazing app, no doubt. But a VGA camera never gave justice to the brilliant retina display. An upgrade to the front-facing camera was very much required.
• Larger battery: No change in the size of the device implies that the battery is of the same size. iPhone does have some significant battery life but when it comes to battery life nothing can be sufficient.

Now after a day full of Apple, Tim Cook and iPhone 4S bashing, it's time to analyze and understand why Apple did what they did and I believe it is normal and justified to some extent. Let me explain. 

Apple has always crippled its devices to ensure regular product updates. Read more about this here. Now every iPhone too lagged behind other phones in the industry in some aspect or the other, be it camera, display size or 3G/4G speeds (Apple prefers not to comment on what is 3G or 4G). But still they were successful devices and sold millions given their productivity and because sex sells (Apple devices are darn sexy!!). Apple kept away the disappointment by its amazing design. This time that is missing though and that is the source for all the Apple hatred and reduction in stock prices today.

Otherwise, iPhone 4S is truly the 'Most amazing iPhone yet'. It is definitely one of the best smart-phones out there and a worthy upgrade to the iPhone 4. The following is what makes it worth the buck:-

• Dual core proprietary Apple A5 processor (Yeah, the iPad 2 already has it), they claim 7x faster performance to A4
• New camera system with 5 lenses, back illumination, 1080p HD video recording
• Siri (I hate the name BTW), although a beta software demo, was pretty impressive and promising
• The whole package of iOS 5 and iCloud

Final Verdict: If you already own an iPhone 4 and give a damn about the design of the smart phone you carry and want a change from the iOS ecosystem, go get an Android phone (Samsung Galaxy S II please!) and if you never owned an iPhone or any other scenario, get your iPhone 4S, what are you even thinking!!

P.S. To read what I earlier expected from the next iPhone, please read my earlier blog post on The next iPhone Unicorn. 

5 reasons why WebOS doesn't make the cut (Published on Rediff.com)

Read on Rediff.com

WebOS is one of the  innovative mobile OS platforms out there with a very unique interface. In fact it's card UI concepts have been adapted ( copied ) by other companies ( cough.. RIM) too. Palm's proprietary OS which is now HP's hasn't been very revenue generating though.

After what Apple did in 2007 with the iPhone, yeah they snatched market share from every other smart-phone manufacturer, all the mobile phone companies went crazy. Palm was one of them. Palm has seen some tremendous success in its time with Palm OS and devices like the Treo and Centro. However, the introduction of new devices to compete with the iPhone in 2009, viz. Palm Pre and then Palm Pixi later could hardly make a statement, irrespective of their aggressive yet unappealing marketing. HP saw use in WebOS and wanted to revive its mobile phone business and went on to acquire Palm to lead to one of the major acquisitions in the tech industry. HP now plans to embed WebOS into printers and PCs too.

Sure, there is tremendous potential in WebOS. In fact, its SDK is rated as one of the best platforms to develop for, on par with iOS SDK. Yet, most WebOS devices are still sitting in stores waiting for consumers to grab them. Following are the reasons why WebOS could not make it:-

1.  Attracting developers / Mediocre App Content

As earlier mentioned, WebOS does have a developer-friendly SDK. But it has certainly failed to attract many developers. The success of any mobile OS platform is directly proportional, to say the least, to the quality and quantity of the apps on it. The success of iOS and Android has always been directly linked to its App Store and App Market, respectively. On the other hand, WebOS has a mediocre ( Mediocre?? You kidding me? I was just being polite!) app store. It's in the news that HP is now gearing up by attracting developers to develop apps equivalent of the other platforms.

2.  Operator Collaboration

Mobile phones in the US and most European countries are sold with the concept of subsidy. There is a contract involved thus discounting on the price of the device which the operator charges indirectly over a period of say two years. This might look irrelevant to the readers from India and other countries but trust me it is not. Only the success of a device in it's primary and initial target markets will compel the manufacturers to foray into other markets or countries if you will. The reason Palm Pres and Pixis have not seen the light of day ( or even the darkness of night) in India is because it was a disaster in the North American market. Palm stuck to Sprint for a very long time, which itself was a sinking ship ( nah, it was a paper boat and still is). Apple on the other hand first approached Verizon and then Cingular (now AT&T) and was exclusive to AT&T for almost 4 years. That was a wise choice and the rest is history. Though WebOS devices are now offered on almost all operators in the US now, it will take a while to recover from the Sprint exclusivity debacle.

3.  Appeal / Form Factor of devices

Sure they are cute. But that is the problem. Palm's devices have always been uni-sexual in their appeal. I am not saying the Palm Pre is entirely feminine, but honestly the device appealed more to the fairer sex. Also, the size and unnecessary inclusion (many would think otherwise) of a physical qwerty keyboard could have reduced the overall appeal of WebOS devices.

4.  Touch feedback

WebOS devices have a very unique haptic feedback. Let me explain. When you click on an app or just any empty space on the screen, the screen responds by making few concentric circles at the point of contact. Feedback is very essential in devices especially the ones with touch-screens because we humans have seen some horrible touch-screens in our times ( also read as resistive touch-screens), but this feedback is unsatisfying and inconsistent.

5.  Marketing

Remember that Palm Pre commercial with that cute lady. Yeah I know, how can you forget that, and that too for all the bad reasons. The ads were irrelevant and did not portray what the device can actually do. Also, the mention of Sprint itself is a deal breaker,now that is going back to point 2. Well, Palm, that is not the way you introduce a revolutionary product ( at least they thought so ). HP has to learn a lesson or two from Apple in terms of marketing (and millions of lessons in other categories). Apple's commercials are subtle and to the point and there are no beautiful ladies to distract your attention. The device is the only form of beauty and elegance on the screen.

I know there are many Palm / HP fans out their waiting for the right WebOS device to be launched and released in their respective countries. Let's hope the next iteration of WebOS devices strikes gold. I don't see any success for HP with the TouchPad or the Pre 3 or the Veer.

P.S. : Please bear with my parenthesized sarcastic humor.