Showing 61-70 of 78 results
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Sorry Redmond, I'm just not feeling it
Life, James Hein, Published on 09/01/2013
» My parents bought a new ultrabook and it was my job to set it up for them. Since all new home computers now come with Windows 8 it was a chance to take the PC version of the operating system for a test drive. So far I am not impressed. One of the first things I did was install an aftermarket Start button to keep it closer to their previous Windows experience. There are a number of these available, most of them are free and not only return the Start button but some of the original Windows 7 functionality you may like. Take a look at a few of them and decide what things you want or need to have.
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Ink and incremental change as Apple continues to fall
Life, James Hein, Published on 26/12/2012
» This year will be an interesting one and a little like 1998 because the world marketplace will be struggling, there will be little disposable income to go around, sales figures will be down and as a consequence there will not be a strong push to move computer technology very far. In the smartphone arena I predict that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will eclipse the iPhone 5S for two reasons. The 5S will be a catch-up model to the S3 with nothing special about it and at the same time the S4 will be well ahead of the 5S in functionality. Up until the iPhone 4, Apple dominated the market. With the release of the 4S and the passing of Steve Jobs things started to go downhill as Apple started to become reactive to the marketplace instead of a market driver. It moved to litigation and protectionism over inventiveness and innovation. So the downward slide of Apple will continue through 2013.
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A pattern of patent complaints
Life, James Hein, Published on 07/11/2012
» In what should come as no surprise to anyone, moments after Windows 8 was released someone claimed they put boring coloured squares on a screen first. The claimant is SurfCast and they say they did the equivalent of Live Tiles, what Microsoft is calling a coloured square you can click on or touch activate, first. Their patent from 2004 is for a "system and method for simultaneous display of multiple information sources". If for example you look up a screen shot of Xerox's Windows equivalent that appeared before Windows 1.0 you will see what looks a lot like a Windows 8 screen that was designed a long time before the year 2000.
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Great e-book reader with built-in light
Life, James Hein, Published on 31/10/2012
» Well it has arrived, my new Paperwhite Kindle. It is small, light, and the text is clear. It is very easy to use with sensible touch areas. The built-in light is great for darker reading areas and the battery technology will allow me to keep it on the whole time and still get a long reading life from the unit. I bought the Wi-Fi version because that is all I need to access my Amazon account. This model does not have any extras like the ability to play music or audio books, so if you need this stick with the earlier models for the time being. For the person who wants to replace their book reading with an electronic device that can be used in the dark then this is perfect and exactly what I want.
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Is Twitter's number up?
Life, James Hein, Published on 17/10/2012
» Some time ago the stock exchange in the US had problems because online trading was new and how quickly people would react to a perceived change in the market was unexpected. Fast forward to 2012 and the age of the tweet and online flash mobs and we find ourselves in a similar situation but with a broader scope.
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Barcoding gets better
Life, James Hein, Published on 10/10/2012
» Everyone has seen a barcode, a little strip of lines that represents a simple alphanumeric code, typically used for keeping track of stock items. There had been no need to improve on this for a long time.
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How to create your dream house with a 3D printer
Life, James Hein, Published on 21/08/2012
» It wasn't that long ago when printing something involved at least one sheet of paper and some ink. In recent times this has changed to no sheet of paper, an engineering plan and some exotic printing materials.
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Farewell to two decades of navigating the currents
Database, James Hein, Published on 05/01/2011
» I had written and submitted this article before I heard the news. The Bangkok Post is reorganising its publication and Post Database is all but vanishing in the new format. So as far as I know this will be my last article as 'Currents' is one of those that will vanish in the reorganisation.
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As predicted, several predictions were wrong
Database, James Hein, Published on 29/12/2010
» It is that time of year when I look back and see how my annual predictions went. This was a bit of a strange year for the technical world because we are still in the effects of a financial crisis. Major buyers like the US have high unemployment and less disposable income to drive the buying that drives the release of new toys. This meant that things happened slower than they normally would in a growing economy.
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Why digital tagging can be both a gift and a curse
Database, James Hein, Published on 22/12/2010
» Long time readers will know that I support the idea of Google Maps, Google Earth and even Street View. There are a myriad of excellent uses that such technologies can be out to. Like most tools, they can be used in different ways, especially if they are combined with other technologies.
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