Microsoft resmi merilis sistem operasi terbarunya, Windows 8, Jumat (26/10/2012). Pengembang aplikasi (developer) menyambut hangat kedatangannya, yang diyakini membawa angin segar dalam hal pengembangan maupun bisnis. Kelebihan dan kekurangan apa saja yang ada di Windows 8?
Microsoft kini membuka toko aplikasi online di Windows 8, yang diberi nama Windows Store. Dengan adanya toko aplikasi online ini, para pengguna diharapkan tertib mengunduh aplikasi dari Windows Store. Ini memudahkan developer dalam mengontrol aplikasi mereka.
Yusak Setiawan dari TigaBelas Technology mengatakan, Windows Store membuka peluang bagideveloper Indonesia untuk menembus pasar global. Microsoft telah membuka pendaftaran akun Windows Store sejak Agustus 2012 . Agar sebuah aplikasi masuk ke Windows Store, dibutuhkan penilaian yang cukup ketat.
"Ketat memang. Lebih ketat dibandingkan Android. Tapi kalau dibandingkan dengan iOS, masih lebih ketat iOS," kata Yusak.
Agar sebuah aplikasi bisa masuk ke Windows Store, pihak pengontrol dari Microsoft memeriksa terlebih dahulu konten dan kerapihan tampilan antarmuka penggunanya (User Interface/UI). Waktu yang diperlukan untuk pemeriksaan itu kurang lebih sepekan. Jika UI sebuah aplikasi menyimpang dari ketentuan, bisa jadi tidak lolos.
Selain kategori game, aplikasi yang ingin masuk ke Windows Store, diharuskan mengusung tampilan Windows 8-style UI, mengacu pada desain kotak-kotak seperti bentuk lantai. Tampilan ini sebelumnya akrab disebut Metro Style. Namun, sejak Agustus lalu, Microsoft mengubah nama Metro Style menjadi Windows 8-style UI. Selain itu, developer juga bisa memanfaatkan fitur Live Tile untuk menyajikan konten terkini dan Charm Bar agar aplikasi terkesan lebih hidup dan interaktif.
Windows 8 kini tidak hanya berjalan di PC, tapi juga di tablet yang menggunakan prosesor berarsitektur x86 dan ARM.
Keberadaan komputer kategori baru convertible, juga membuka peluang bisnis baru bagideveloper. Convertible adalah komputer yang bisa difungsikan sebagai tablet ataupun PC. Beberapa produsen komputer membuat komputer yang bisa digeser. Jika dibuka atau digeser ke atas, ia akan berwujud seperti notebook. Tapi jika ditutup atau digeser ke bawah, ia nampak seperti tablet. Ada pula produsen yang membuat tablet, namun disertai dengan dock papan ketik(keyboard).
Vice President Navcore Nextology Farid Zulkarnain berpendapat, komputer convertible menjawab permasalahan pengguna tablet yang selama ini kurang nyaman bekerja dengan sentuhan jari. "Bagaimanapun, banyak orang yang lebih nyaman bekerja dengan keyboard, touchpad, ataupun mouse," kata Farid saat dijumpai KompasTekno beberapa waktu lalu.
Di sinilah tantangan baru bagi developer, bagaimana membuat aplikasi untuk dua modus bentuk fisik, sehingga aplikasi tersebut nyaman digunakan saat convertible difungsikan sebagai tablet maupun PC.
Kekurangan
Sejak windows 8 hadir, Microsoft menginginkan agar semua aplikasi (kecuali game) dapat mengadopsi tampilan Windows 8-style UI. Beberapa pengembang aplikasi sebenarnya kurang nyaman dengan peraturan ini. Semua aplikasi akan terlihat sama, dengan desain kotak-kotak. Dalam pelatihan membuat aplikasi Windows 8, pertanyaan semacam ini sering dilontarkan paradeveloper.
"Nilai keunikan sebuah aplikasi jadi hilang. Semua jadi kotak-kotak," kata Yusak.
Untuk mengakalinya, menurut Yusak, developer bisa memainkan desain pada latar belakang, tata letak, ataupun teks.
Ada pula developer yang menganggap tampilan kotak-kotak ukuran terkecil di Windows 8 masih terlalu besar. Jika pengguna memasang banyak aplikasi, maka akan terlihat banyak kotak-kotak berjejer ke kanan. Pengguna harus terus menggeser halaman tampilan utama untuk mencari aplikasi yang hendak dibuka.
Namun, pengguna ini bisa mengatasi masalah ini dengan masuk ke modus tampilan desktop.
Untuk membuat aplikasi di Windows, dibutuhkan software Visual Studio, yang di dalamnya terdapat alat-alat untuk membangun aplikasi. Bagi perusahaan rintisan (startup), harga softwareVisual Studio terbilang mahal. "Kalau mau bikin aplikasi keren, pakai Visual Studio versi Express. Tapi harga lisensinya mahal. Ini berat untuk startup yang masih merintis seperti kita," kata Dedi Mulyana dari Garuda Studio asal Bandung.
Para developer juga berharap, Microsoft dapat melakukan sosialisasi mendispilinkan pengguna agar mengunduh aplikasi dari Windows Store. Ini dilakukan untuk menekan angka pembajakan aplikasi. Selain itu, beberapa developer juga berharap Microsoft bisa menjual aplikasi berbayar dalam mata uang Rupiah, sebagau upaya meningkatkan kesadaran menggunakan aplikasi berbayar, dan dapat mendorong penciptaan aplikasi lokal.
Source : Kompas.com
Sabtu, 03 November 2012
yoursfaithfully: Samsung Use Windows 8 in Tablet Laptop
yoursfaithfully: Samsung Use Windows 8 in Tablet Laptop: Metrotvnews.com, New York: Microsoft rilis sistem operator baru Windows 8 di New York, Amerika Serikat, Kamis (26/10). Sementara Samsung ...
Samsung Use Windows 8 in Tablet Laptop
Metrotvnews.com, New York: Microsoft rilis sistem operator baru Windows 8 di New York, Amerika Serikat, Kamis (26/10). Sementara Samsung memproduksi sejumlah laptop pintar yang juga berfungsi sebagai tablet.
Pengguna gadget bisa menggunakan Windows 8 untuk PC ataupun komputer tablet. Perubahan terbesar itu dilakukan Windows selama 17 tahun terakhir.
Tak mau kalah, Samsung merilis gadget two in one terbaru yaitu laptop tablet: Samsung Ativ Smart PC. Pengguna tinggal menekan satu tombol untuk mencopot keyboard pada laptop. Beratnya mencapai 744 gram dengan ketebalan 0,99 centimeter. Daya baretainya bertahan hingga 14,5 jam.
Ativ menggunakan sistem operator Windows 8 dan Apps khusus Samsung. Samsung sengaja menggunakan Windows 8 untuk mengembalikan gairah pengguna gadget yang lebih memilih Smartphone dan Tablet.
Windows 8 Claimed Compatible with Anything Devices
Metotvnews.com, Singapura: Windows 8, sistem operasi komputer milik Microsoft yang baru saja diluncurkan diklaim mampu memenuhi selera penggunanya. Dengan tampilan 'interface' yang mampu diubah-ubah sesuai dengan platform pengguna, Windows 8 akan memberikan perbedaan dari sebuah pengalaman komputasi.
"Dua versi Windows 8 (untuk desktop dan tablet PC) bukan untuk membuat bingung pengguna, melainkan untuk fleksibilitas penggunanya. Pilihan bergantung dengan versi gadgetnya. Mereka tinggal memilih sesuai kebutuhan saja," kata Presiden Direktur Microsoft Asia Pasifik Tracey Fellows di sela-sela peluncuran Windows 8 di Singapura, Kamis (25/10).
Windows 8 sendiri didesain untuk memenuhi kebutuhan pengguna pada platform desktop dan tablet PC sekaligus. Ini dapat terlihat dari tampilan interface dalam Windows 8 yang mampu ditampilkan dalam versi desktop maupun versi geser yang menjadi ciri khas sistem operasi dalam tablet PC.
Tracey tidak memungkiri, gaya hidup dan cara berkomputasi kini telah berubah. Komputer yang dulu hanya digunakan untuk bekerja, kini telah menjadi bagian gaya hidup keseharian dengan berbagai fitur hiburan yang dimilikinya.
Selain itu, piranti yang tampil makin ringkas dan kebutuhan manusia yang semakin banyak membuat dukungan sistem operasi komputer menjadi kian strategis dan sentral. "Tablet PC akan menjadi perangkat masa depan. Karena itu, Microsoft perlu mengembangkan aplikasinya sesuai dengan perangkat tersebut," tukas Tracey.
Dia menambahkan, pengguna Windows 8 dapat membuat atau menggunakan konten dalam satu piranti (device) tanpa harus bertukar ganti. Dukungan sistem komputasi awan membuat pengalaman berkomputasi menjadi berbeda.
Pengguna dapat dengan nyaman bermain game sekaligus mencari kesenangan melalui satu tablet. Bahkan, satu piranti dapar digunakan banyak orang dengan pengaturan yang berbeda sesuai dengan keinginan masing-masing. "Satu piranti bisa digunakan untuk banyak orang dengan dengan Windows Live Id. Dan tentunya ada 'parental control'," kata Tracey.
Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft Asia-Pasifik Andrew Pickup menambahkan, keruwetan para pengguna komputer yang kerap kali membawa berbagai 'gadget' untuk memenuhi banyak kebutuhan harus disederhanakan. "Pada ahirnya, mereka tidak lagi membutuhkan dua atau tiga peranti, cukup satu saja," tukas Andrew.
Microsoft sendiri mengklaim Windows 8 sudah digunakan oleh lebih dari seribu jenis komputer dan tablet PC beragam merek. Selain itu, Windows 8 juga didukung dengan jutaan aplikasi dari pihak ketiga yang tersedia di Windows Store.
Windows Store segera tersedia di 231 pasar di seluruh dunia, termasuk Australia, Kamboja, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Jepang, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Filipina, Singapura, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, dan Vietnam. Adapun dukungan dari developer aplikasi Indonesia terus bertambah.
Setidaknya ada 44 aplikasi buatan developer aplikasi lokal yang dapat digunakan pada Windows 8. Selain itu, beberapa developer aplikasi Indonesia saat ini juga sedang mencoba membuat aplikasi baru dan mendapatkan sertifikasi developer aplikasi dari Microsoft.
"Dua versi Windows 8 (untuk desktop dan tablet PC) bukan untuk membuat bingung pengguna, melainkan untuk fleksibilitas penggunanya. Pilihan bergantung dengan versi gadgetnya. Mereka tinggal memilih sesuai kebutuhan saja," kata Presiden Direktur Microsoft Asia Pasifik Tracey Fellows di sela-sela peluncuran Windows 8 di Singapura, Kamis (25/10).
Windows 8 sendiri didesain untuk memenuhi kebutuhan pengguna pada platform desktop dan tablet PC sekaligus. Ini dapat terlihat dari tampilan interface dalam Windows 8 yang mampu ditampilkan dalam versi desktop maupun versi geser yang menjadi ciri khas sistem operasi dalam tablet PC.
Tracey tidak memungkiri, gaya hidup dan cara berkomputasi kini telah berubah. Komputer yang dulu hanya digunakan untuk bekerja, kini telah menjadi bagian gaya hidup keseharian dengan berbagai fitur hiburan yang dimilikinya.
Selain itu, piranti yang tampil makin ringkas dan kebutuhan manusia yang semakin banyak membuat dukungan sistem operasi komputer menjadi kian strategis dan sentral. "Tablet PC akan menjadi perangkat masa depan. Karena itu, Microsoft perlu mengembangkan aplikasinya sesuai dengan perangkat tersebut," tukas Tracey.
Dia menambahkan, pengguna Windows 8 dapat membuat atau menggunakan konten dalam satu piranti (device) tanpa harus bertukar ganti. Dukungan sistem komputasi awan membuat pengalaman berkomputasi menjadi berbeda.
Pengguna dapat dengan nyaman bermain game sekaligus mencari kesenangan melalui satu tablet. Bahkan, satu piranti dapar digunakan banyak orang dengan pengaturan yang berbeda sesuai dengan keinginan masing-masing. "Satu piranti bisa digunakan untuk banyak orang dengan dengan Windows Live Id. Dan tentunya ada 'parental control'," kata Tracey.
Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft Asia-Pasifik Andrew Pickup menambahkan, keruwetan para pengguna komputer yang kerap kali membawa berbagai 'gadget' untuk memenuhi banyak kebutuhan harus disederhanakan. "Pada ahirnya, mereka tidak lagi membutuhkan dua atau tiga peranti, cukup satu saja," tukas Andrew.
Microsoft sendiri mengklaim Windows 8 sudah digunakan oleh lebih dari seribu jenis komputer dan tablet PC beragam merek. Selain itu, Windows 8 juga didukung dengan jutaan aplikasi dari pihak ketiga yang tersedia di Windows Store.
Windows Store segera tersedia di 231 pasar di seluruh dunia, termasuk Australia, Kamboja, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Jepang, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Filipina, Singapura, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, dan Vietnam. Adapun dukungan dari developer aplikasi Indonesia terus bertambah.
Setidaknya ada 44 aplikasi buatan developer aplikasi lokal yang dapat digunakan pada Windows 8. Selain itu, beberapa developer aplikasi Indonesia saat ini juga sedang mencoba membuat aplikasi baru dan mendapatkan sertifikasi developer aplikasi dari Microsoft.
Review About Windows 8
Reviewing an operating system is an odd endeavor, because people don’t really use operating systems; they use applications. The OS should be as transparent as possible, acting as a platform for applications. In today’s cloud-driven world, however, the notion that your application will run in a single OS is tenuous at best. Toss in the increasing use of smart devices, whether phones or tablets, and the idea of a single-platform operating system is less relevant now than it was just a few years ago. These days we have “ecosystems”—Microsoft, Apple, or Google, take your pick.
That said, PC users still expect their Windows applications to run as before, and they want to have the same control over their laptop and desktop computers as they’ve always had. New software features should enable users to do more. And as the reaction to the late, unlamented Windows Vista illustrated, all the shiny new bells and whistles should not harm performance or require new hardware.
Can Windows 8 meet its goal of being one aspect of a new Microsoft ecosystem while maintaining its roots in the PC? Can existing computers run Windows 8 without the need for expensive new touch displays? Will the revamped Windows 8 user interface turn off existing Windows users or pull them into the ecosystem? I’ll try to answer those questions and others as I dive deeply into Windows 8.
This review is based on the Windows 8 final release—what Microsoft calls the “release to manufacturing,” or RTM, version. The final release is available to Microsoft TechNet and MSDN subscribers. Desktop PCs, laptops, and tablets ship with Windows 8 preinstalled on the official launch day, October 26.
We ran Windows 8 on a moderately high-end desktop system along with a standard (nontouch) monitor, mouse, and keyboard. We also used a Samsung Series 9 laptop with an Elan touchpad supporting full multitouch gestures.
The Windows 8 user interface
Windows 8 tries to get you to tie your Windows login to your Microsoft account; it’s optional, but if you do link the two, the Windows login and password serve as your Microsoft account login and password. Enabling this link allows tighter integration with the remote and cloud-based features of the new OS.
As mentioned previously, Windows 8 is designed to be part of an ecosystem, alongside Windows Phone and Windows RT. Microsoft believes in this idea so strongly that it has made the Windows 8 user interface (formerly called Metro) the primary interface for Windows users. PCs with the new OS installed will boot into the Windows 8 interface; the OS offers no built-in way to set it to boot to the traditional Windows desktop.
The Windows 8 interface acts as the Start menu now. Instead of appearing as columns of small icons that pop up when you click the Start button, all your applications show up as tiles on the Windows 8 Start screen. You can also search for an application by typing its name when you’re in the Start screen; the results list autosorts as you type more characters.
It’s important to realize that the Start screen is no more Windows 8 than the Start menu was Windows 7 or Windows XP. The screen exists as a launchpad for applications, not as a desktop replacement. That concept is easy to forget, since the Start screen occupies the entire display. Even so, Windows 8 apps consume the entire screen, whereas desktop applications can still run in a window on the desktop.
However, not all desktop applications appear on the Start screen by default. Some accessory apps, such as Paint, live in the Apps screen. You can force these programs to appear in the Start screen by right-clicking them to select them and then clicking Pin to Start at the bottom of the screen. Nevertheless, getting to the Apps screen is simple: Right-click a blank area in the Start screen and then click the All apps icon at the lower right.
This is where you’ll run into a fundamental change in how you interact with Windows. Previously, right-clicking an object on the desktop always brought up a context menu, giving you a choice of actions to take. In the Windows 8 interface (but not the desktop), right-clicking now produces a bar at the bottom of the screen containing assorted context-sensitive items. It’s a jarring change, but the arrangement makes sense within the context (no pun intended) of a touch-based display such as a tablet’s. (Context-clicking still works the same way when you’re in the Windows desktop.)
Live tiles are among the key features of the Windows 8 Start screen. While normal (non-live) tiles measure 150 by 150 pixels, most live tiles are double-wide (310 by 150 pixels) and display dynamic information. The People tile, for instance, shows you tweets and Facebook posts from your feeds, assuming that you’ve set them up. As you install apps from the Microsoft Store, more dynamic tiles may appear. Live tiles first appeared in a broad fashion in Windows Phone 7 and Xbox 360 updates, but will exist across all Microsoft platforms going forward.
Navigating the Start screen is easy. If you’re using a mouse with a wheel, moving the wheel scrolls left and right. If you’re using a touchpad, swiping left and right (with one finger) scrolls the tile list. You can drag individual tiles to any location.
Navigating the desktop
Microsoft now partitions applications into “Windows 8” apps (formerly known as “Metro” apps) and desktop applications. The latter are those programs we all know and love from previous versions of Windows, including Microsoft Office.
You cannot boot directly into the desktop, since Microsoft wants the Start screen to be users’ initial experience with Windows 8. For most people, this restriction may not be an issue, but certain vertical applications (specialized programs, such as those for point-of-sale PCs) need to boot directly into a desktop environment. Until Windows 8 versions of such programs become available, users requiring vertical applications should stick with earlier versions of Windows.
If all you need to do is launch an application, you can simply click its tile in the Start screen. If you need robust file management and navigation features, you have to access the desktop. After you boot the machine, pressing the Windows key sends you to the desktop. Unfortunately, the Windows key isn’t consistent in this behavior: If you’re in an app, pressing the Windows key always returns you to the Start screen. Press it again, and you’re in the most recent Windows 8 app. Instead, to move to the desktop consistently, you need to be in the habit of pressing Windows-D. Another option is to move the pointer to the lower left of the screen and click there (though this method works only if you have used no other app recently).
Except for the omission of a Start menu, the desktop mostly behaves the same in Windows 8 as it did in Windows 7. So how do you reach commonly used features such as the Control Panel, the file explorer, and the Run command? Move your pointer to the lower-left corner and right-click, ignoring the Start-screen peek that pops up. This is the simplified Start menu; you can also bring it up by pressing Windows-X. Or you might prefer to use the search function, entering “Control Panel” or “Run” as the search terms.
Microsoft has chosen to leave the Windows 8 desktop bare, as it did with Windows 7. Given the absence of the old-style Start menu, you may wish to add the system and user-file icons by right-clicking the desktop and selecting the Personalize menu. After you have added those two icons, you can pin them to the Windows 8 Start screen.
Connecting to networks is easier than ever, once you have installed the right drivers. Windows 8 enumerates and displays all of your networked devices—including DLNA devices, network folders you’ve set up, and other computers residing on the network—in any file manager window.
The appearance of individual windows has changed. Gone are the faux transparency and the fake beveled edges, replaced by a completely flat appearance. If you click one of the menu items (such as ‘File’), each window will show a Ribbon similar to the Office 2010 Ribbon. (The Ribbon isn’t sticky, though; it shows up only when you click one of the top-menu items.) The Ribbon contains, in one location, all the information that previous versions displayed in a series of menus and submenus.
Ultimately, navigating the new desktop is similar to getting around the old version, but the absence of a full Start menu may throw you off at first. Using hotkeys, and customizing the desktop and Start screen, might help you become more comfortable in the short run. Once you get used to navigating the system, it’s as transparent as the old one—just different.
The touch experience
The PC you own today almost certainly lacks a touchscreen. You may have a laptop with a touchpad, but most existing touchpads can't take full advantage of the touch capabilities inherent in Windows 8, since they lack the edge detection that is built into recent touchpad hardware.
On the other hand, your next PC may very well have full ten-point multitouch support, even if it's a stock desktop PC. Manufacturers are starting to ship desktop displays with touch capability; the first touch-enabled displays have built-in capacitive touch sensors, which work via a USB connection to the PC. Future touch displays might communicate through some flavor of wireless, including Bluetooth.
More likely candidates for built-in touch are mobile PCs, including traditional clamshell laptops and convertible units that you can transform into tablets, either by concealing the keyboard or by detaching the display, which can act independently as a tablet.
Windows 8 is a different experience with a touch-enabled display, even if you're using such a display with a stock desktop system. At first, you don't think you'll use the touch capabilities. But then your kids come up and start touching the screen—after all, these days young users are growing up expecting displays to be touch-enabled. I've been running Windows 8 on a desktop PC equipped with an Acer T232HL touchscreen display, and although I use the mouse some of the time, I find myself reaching out to use gestures on the screen at other times.
As for other desktop-PC options, look to the emerging generation of all-in-one PCs, such as Sony's 20-inch Tap 20 and the updated version of Lenovo's A720, which are shipping with Windows 8. The Tap 20 is unusual in that it has a built-in battery, which allows you to move it around the home easily and use it as an oversize tablet.
With any touch display, you tap app tiles to launch software, swipe the display to access other features, and use multitouch gestures, such as pinch-to-zoom to enlarge or shrink what's on the screen. Touch support makes the Start screen more usable, though the user interface still has some rough spots. For example, if you swipe your finger in from the left just a little, you get thumbnails of currently running or suspended applications. But slide it a bit too far, and one of those apps takes over the screen. You need to develop a delicate touch (no pun intended) to take full advantage of the interface.
Despite Windows 8's new features, performance tweaks, and improvements over Windows 7, its touch support will likely be the defining factor. And despite some imperfections, the touch interface works smoothly. After you use it for a few days, the old way of using Windows will start to seem slightly cumbersome.
Windows 8 on tablets
One of the big reasons for the creation of Windows 8’s new Start screen is the emergence of tablets. Microsoft has tried and failed on several occasions to create a market for tablet PCs, but the models released during those attempts have always been clunky and difficult to use. The gargantuan success of Apple’s iPad—with its streamlined interface and its relentless focus on encouraging content consumption instead of serving as a general-purpose tool—seems to have clarified Microsoft’s goals.
Even so, Microsoft is planning to support two types of tablets. The first type, which resembles the company’s original Tablet PC concept, consists of convertible laptops running Windows 8. Even Microsoft’s Surface Pro is just a thinly disguised laptop that emphasizes touch interaction over keyboard input.
The second type will carry a slightly different flavor of Windows 8, dubbed Windows RT. This version runs only on tablets using ARM processors, rather than Intel or AMD processors. ARM doesn’t make its own hardware, but licenses its processor technology to other companies such as Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments. These companies design system-on-chip (SoC) products, which typically consume very little power relative to their performance. (The iPad, for example, uses an ARM-based SoC that Apple designs and builds.)
Windows RT tablets will have a restricted version of Windows 8. Although such tablets will include the traditional desktop, you will have access to the desktop only on a limited basis, to run preinstalled applications such as Office. You will not be able to install desktop programs; instead, RT tablets will focus on the Windows 8 apps you buy through Microsoft’s Store.
In contrast, tablets with Intel-compatible processors can run the full PC version of Windows 8, and offer complete access to the desktop. They’ll probably cost more than RT tablets, too, as they’ll need broader expansion options, bigger batteries, and more memory. Intel-based tablets will almost certainly be heavier and bulkier, as well: For example, Surface Pro, which has an Intel Core i5 CPU, weighs about a half-pound more than Surface RTdoes.
The existence of two types of tablets on the market may end up confusing consumers, though the differences in price will likely drive shoppers in one direction or the other.
The Microsoft Store
Late to the game, Microsoft is adding a store to Windows, much like the marketplaces for Mac OS X, iOS, and Android. If you want to buy apps from the Microsoft Store, you need to create a Microsoft account.
Perhaps I should say stores, since you’ll find more than one store within Windows 8. You buy Windows 8 apps by clicking the Store tile—but you purchase music by launching the Music app, and you buy videos by launching the Video app.
Even more confusing, the app store is called just the “Store” while the music and video stores are named Xbox Music and Xbox Video. (Of course, both the Music app and the Video app are media playback tools as well, though they are less robust compared with Windows Media Player or the likes of iTunes. The new operating system’s lack of a unified Windows 8–style media player is a pretty significant hole.)
Navigating the Microsoft Store is similar to navigating the Start screen. Featured apps come in individual tiles, and are sorted by groups; each group also has a ‘Top Free’ tile and a ‘New releases’ tile. As of this writing, however, the Store listed only about 1000 apps, so Microsoft has a little catching up to do. The number of apps available at the official Windows 8 launch on October 26 will be more telling.
Personalizing Windows
If you don’t like Windows 8 out of the box, you can customize it, with some exceptions. Perhaps the most controversial exception (as mentioned earlier) is the fact that you can’t set Windows to boot directly to the desktop, though third-party utilities promise to enable this.
Since the Start screen consists of groups of tiles, moving your favorite or most commonly used tiles to the left side of the screen is pretty easy. You can also specify the tile size (normal or double-wide) and turn off live-tile updates if you find them distracting. In addition, you can group tiles by program type, such as business applications, games, and so on.
One configuration option that Microsoft has buried in the past is the startup configuration. In older versions of Windows, customizing which applications launched on startup required entering the Msconfig system-configuration utility. In Windows 8, you can select which applications launch at boot-up with the new Startup tab in Task Manager, which you can easily launch in the simplified Start menu.
Some customization configurations are less obvious. One example concerns the games you might buy from Valve Software’s Steam download service. When you install a game from Steam, the procedure asks you whether to create a desktop shortcut. But that shortcut isn’t an application shortcut; it’s actually a URL, which points to the local Steamapps folder where the game is installed. If you right-click a URL shortcut, you’ll find no option to pin it to the Start screen. Instead, you have to copy the shortcut to the Start Menu folder (yes, it’s still called the ‘Start Menu’ folder), typically in C:\Users\user folder\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu.
Desktop customization is also available, except for the obvious lack of Start-menu tweaks. The taskbar is present, as it was in Windows 7, and you can pin applications to it as before.
Graphics improvements
Nearly all of the desktop and Start-screen functionality now relies on acceleration from your machine’s graphics processing unit. Many of Windows 8’s windows subsystems use the DirectX API. HTML5 and SVG (scalable vector graphics) also depend on GPU acceleration, in the form of enhanced 2D geometry rendering. Applications tell Direct2D what to draw in the form of 2D objects, such as circles and rectangles, plus additional features such as color and style. The API converts the instructions into a format suitable for Direct3D, which passes the instructions to the GPU. As a result, normal desktop windows will likely see substantial performance increases.
On top of that, Microsoft has added a new programming interface, DirectText, which offloads text rendering to the GPU. Text-rendering performance in desktop programs and in Windows 8 apps is double that of Windows 7—often better than double.
Why, then, did Microsoft return to “flat” windows, eliminating the transparency and other 3D effects it used in previous editions of the OS? Direct2D and Direct3D will also work with Windows RT and Windows Phone 8, and removing the eye candy will help Windows perform equally well across diverse platforms.
Storage and file system
Windows 8 includes a new file system called ReFS (Resilient File System). It’s compatible with most NTFS file features, and, as the name suggests, it adds features to improve data integrity. Features left out include BitLocker, compression, and 8.3-format short filenames. What ReFS brings to the table is improved data verification and auto-correction: ReFS continually scans the file system, including rarely used older files, to ensure they haven’t become corrupted, repairing bad disk clusters and moving data as necessary. Note, however, that ReFS works only on secondary drives, not boot drives. Your boot drive will still be NTFS.
If you’re worried about encountering a problem that may force you to reinstall Windows, you’ll be pleased to learn that reinstalling Windows is now much easier; in fact, Windows 8 provides multiple levels of system repair.
The Reset option nukes the hard drive and reinstalls Windows from scratch. You can use this option to get the machine back to a factory-fresh Windows install, without the need for a new Windows key or the Windows setup disk.
If you prefer something less drastic, the Refresh option resets important Windows settings but maintains your personal files and installed Windows 8 apps. Note, though, that it doesn’t keep desktop applications, so you might wish to first uninstall or deregister software that will need reinstallation and activation.
Finally, you can customize the refresh process by using the “recimg” command-line tool. Using recimg makes an image of your current version of Windows—including installed desktop applications—and makes that the default image when you refresh your PC. Then, when you run Refresh, you’ll still reinstall Windows from scratch, but you’ll also retain your desktop applications. You will need to run recimg occasionally if you have desktop programs that you don’t want to reinstall all over again.
Windows 8 and SkyDrive
The new operating system ships with a Windows 8 app for the SkyDrive cloud-storage service. If you have a Microsoft account, you begin with 5GB of SkyDrive space.
Out of the box, SkyDrive shows up as a Windows 8 app, but it does not appear in the file manager on the desktop; to make that happen, you need to download and install the SkyDrive desktop application. Once you download the application, install it, and link it to your Microsoft account, both the Start screen and desktop become coupled to your SkyDrive.
Assuming that you’re logged in to your Microsoft account, SkyDrive is available as the default storage for many applications, but you can change that on a per-application basis. Of course, that default setting could cause you to consume your 5GB allotment of free storage pretty quickly. An additional 20GB costs $10 per year, while 100GB costs $50 per year.
SkyDrive has several important drawbacks that for many users may make it less viable than local hard-drive storage or competing cloud services. First, it imposes a 2GB limit on individual files, so the high-definition video you took of, say, your child’s soccer match might not copy to your SkyDrive if it’s bigger than 2GB. Second, Microsoft restricts the types of files you may upload: Illegally copied commercial content is prohibited, and so are files that contain nudity or excessive violence.
Microsoft has been vague when asked for the specifics of how it defines and detects prohibited content. Although it’s understandable that the company would ban the uploading of illegal content, Microsoft’s decision to serve as a moral authority on prohibited private material seems excessive.
Microsoft Office integration
Microsoft Office 2013, still in beta at this writing, is more tightly tied to Windows 8 than any previous version of Office was to any older OS. Like Windows 8, Office 2013 is closely coupled with SkyDrive: If you sign in with Office to your Microsoft account, you can specify SkyDrive as Office’s default storage location. This arrangement is handy if you’re constantly moving between a home system, a laptop, and a work computer.
In addition, Office 2013 seems to perform better on Windows 8 than on Windows 7, most likely because the new Office takes full advantage of the GPU acceleration built into Windows 8. The overall look of Office 2013 also matches that of the new OS, mimicking the Windows 8 look and feel.
Bottom line
Windows 8 is almost here, and system makers are readying new models. Some will be touch enabled or otherwise optimized for Windows 8, while others will be similar to existing PCs. For some time, PC sales have been down, partly because everyone has been waiting to see what Windows 8 will be like on new systems. Although we’ve delved into the RTM version, and we like what we see, the success of Windows 8 will depend on how rapidly customers adopt the new user interface and the hardware to support it.
Under the hood, Windows 8 offers performance improvements, a new file system, easier recovery from system problems, better cloud integration, and numerous minor enhancements. However, the Start screen seems to overshadow all the cool new stuff. Although admittedly the original Start menu created some controversy when it launched years ago, Windows 8’s Start screen seems much more polarizing. Toss in Microsoft’s overly aggressive stance in trying to sell apps and content, and some users will likely rebel. Of course, you can avoid much of that hard sell simply by using a local account rather than tying your Windows account to a Microsoft account. But in doing that, you’d miss a lot of what’s intriguing about Windows 8.
In some ways, Windows 8 also highlights Microsoft’s tribal nature; for example, “Xbox Music” stands alone as its own thing, rather than as part of the Microsoft Store. Internal company differences shouldn’t confuse users, as some of these moves probably will.
Love it or hate it, Windows 8 is ushering in a new era of cloud-connected Microsoft services, a unified user interface, and more-robust social media interaction. Younger users may find Windows 8 more attractive than some old-school computer users will. It’s a risk that Microsoft needed to take to try to remain relevant in today’s connected, mobile world. Only time will tell whether it’s the right risk at the right time.
Windows 8 isn’t for everyone. If you’re mostly a desktop PC user comfortable with Windows 7, upgrading to Windows 8 is probably not worthwhile. If you’re a mobile user who needs easy access to the complete Microsoft ecosystem, including SkyDrive, Windows 8 is definitely a good fit. If your needs lie somewhere between those two extremes, give Windows 8 a close look; the cost is low, but you’ll need to learn your way around the new Start screen and make sure that your existing software runs well in the new OS.
Source : pcworld.com
How to Restore or Recovery Windows 7
Saat ini Windows 7 sudah banyak digunakan pada komputer dan notebook baru. Microsoft merekomendasikan menggunakan Windows 7 dan meninggalkan Windows XP dengan alasan keamanan yang lebik baik dan fitur yang canggih.
Saat menggunakan Windows 7 mungkin terjadi error atau crash sehingga komputer tidak berjalan dengan normal. Kamu dapat merestore atau recovery Windows 7 dengan mudah dan tidak perlu membawanya ke tempat service komputer. Berikut cara restore atau recovery Windows 7:
Jika komputer Anda masih bekerja dan Anda dapat mengakses Control Panel, atau jika Anda ingin mengembalikan image system backup Anda ke komputer yang berbeda, ikuti langkah berikut:
3.Klik system image yang Anda buat sebelumnya untuk memulihkan komputer Anda, kemudian ikuti langkah-langkah berikut ini.
Jika Anda tidak dapat mengakses Control Panel dan Anda tidak memiliki disk instalasi Windows atau disk perbaikan sistem, menggunakan metode ini untuk mengembalikan komputer Anda:
1.Restart komputer Anda dengan menggunakan tombol power komputer.
2.Lakukan salah satu dari berikut:
Jika komputer Anda hanya memiliki satu sistem operasi yang terpasang, tahan tombol F8 saat restart komputer Anda. Anda harus menekan F8 sebelum logo Windows muncul. Jika logo Windows muncul, coba lagi.
Jika komputer Anda memiliki lebih dari satu sistem operasi yang terpasang, gunakan tombol panah untuk menyorot sistem operasi yang Anda ingin memulai, dan kemudian tekan F8.
3.Pada layar Advanced Boot Options, gunakan tombol panah untuk menyorot Repair komputer Anda, kemudian tekan Enter.
4.Pilih layout keyboard, dan kemudian klik Berikutnya.
5.Pilih user name, type the password, dan klik OK.
6.Pada menu System Recovery Options, klik System Image Recovery, dan kemudian ikuti petunjuk.
Jika Anda tidak dapat mengakses Control Panel, Anda dapat mengembalikan komputer Anda menggunakan disk instalasi Windows atau disk perbaikan sistem (jika Anda memilikinya).
1.Masukkan disk instalasi atau perbaikan sistem disk.
2.Restart komputer Anda dengan menggunakan tombol power komputer.
3.Jika diminta, tekan sembarang tombol untuk memulai komputer dari CD instalasi atau disk perbaikan sistem.
Jika komputer Anda tidak dikonfigurasi untuk memulai dari CD atau DVD, periksa informasi yang datang dengan komputer Anda. Anda mungkin perlu mengubah komputer pengaturan BIOS. Untuk informasi tentang pengaturan BIOS, periksa situs web produsen komputer Anda. Untuk informasi lebih lanjut tentang BIOS, lihat buku petunjuk yang disertakan.
4.Pilih pengaturan bahasa Anda, dan kemudian klik Next.
5.Klik Repair your computer. Langkah ini hanya berlaku jika Anda menggunakan disk instalasi Windows.
6.Pilih opsi recovery, dan kemudian klik Next.
I hope this can help everyone
Saat menggunakan Windows 7 mungkin terjadi error atau crash sehingga komputer tidak berjalan dengan normal. Kamu dapat merestore atau recovery Windows 7 dengan mudah dan tidak perlu membawanya ke tempat service komputer. Berikut cara restore atau recovery Windows 7:
Menggunakan Recovery Control Panel
Jika komputer Anda masih bekerja dan Anda dapat mengakses Control Panel, atau jika Anda ingin mengembalikan image system backup Anda ke komputer yang berbeda, ikuti langkah berikut:
- Buka Recovery dengan mengklik tombol Start dari tombol Start, dan kemudian klik Control Panel. Pada search box, ketik recovery, kemudian klik Recovery.
- Klik Advanced recovery methods
3.Klik system image yang Anda buat sebelumnya untuk memulihkan komputer Anda, kemudian ikuti langkah-langkah berikut ini.
Menggunakan Preinstalled Recovery
Jika Anda tidak dapat mengakses Control Panel dan Anda tidak memiliki disk instalasi Windows atau disk perbaikan sistem, menggunakan metode ini untuk mengembalikan komputer Anda:
1.Restart komputer Anda dengan menggunakan tombol power komputer.
2.Lakukan salah satu dari berikut:
Jika komputer Anda hanya memiliki satu sistem operasi yang terpasang, tahan tombol F8 saat restart komputer Anda. Anda harus menekan F8 sebelum logo Windows muncul. Jika logo Windows muncul, coba lagi.
Jika komputer Anda memiliki lebih dari satu sistem operasi yang terpasang, gunakan tombol panah untuk menyorot sistem operasi yang Anda ingin memulai, dan kemudian tekan F8.
3.Pada layar Advanced Boot Options, gunakan tombol panah untuk menyorot Repair komputer Anda, kemudian tekan Enter.
4.Pilih layout keyboard, dan kemudian klik Berikutnya.
5.Pilih user name, type the password, dan klik OK.
6.Pada menu System Recovery Options, klik System Image Recovery, dan kemudian ikuti petunjuk.
Menggunakan disk instalasi Windows7
Jika Anda tidak dapat mengakses Control Panel, Anda dapat mengembalikan komputer Anda menggunakan disk instalasi Windows atau disk perbaikan sistem (jika Anda memilikinya).
1.Masukkan disk instalasi atau perbaikan sistem disk.
2.Restart komputer Anda dengan menggunakan tombol power komputer.
3.Jika diminta, tekan sembarang tombol untuk memulai komputer dari CD instalasi atau disk perbaikan sistem.
Jika komputer Anda tidak dikonfigurasi untuk memulai dari CD atau DVD, periksa informasi yang datang dengan komputer Anda. Anda mungkin perlu mengubah komputer pengaturan BIOS. Untuk informasi tentang pengaturan BIOS, periksa situs web produsen komputer Anda. Untuk informasi lebih lanjut tentang BIOS, lihat buku petunjuk yang disertakan.
4.Pilih pengaturan bahasa Anda, dan kemudian klik Next.
5.Klik Repair your computer. Langkah ini hanya berlaku jika Anda menggunakan disk instalasi Windows.
6.Pilih opsi recovery, dan kemudian klik Next.
I hope this can help everyone
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE II - SPECIFICATION
Network
·
3G: HSPA+21Mbps
(HSDPA 21Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps)
(HSDPA 21Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps)
·
4G LTE: 100Mbps / 50Mbps
Processor
·
1.6 GHz quad-core processor
OS
·
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
Display
·
140.9 mm (5.5") HD Super AMOLED
(1,280 x 720)
Dimension
·
80.5 x 151.1 x 9.4 mm, 180g
Battery
·
Standard battery, Li-ion 3,100mAh
Memory
·
16/32/64GB User memory + 2GB (RAM)
·
microSD slot (up to 64GB)
S Pen
Optimized Features
·
S Pen Experience
- S Note, S Planner, Email with
hand-writing
integration
- S Pen Keeper
- Quick Command, Easy Clip, Photo Note,
Paper Artist
- Shape Match, Formula Match
integration
- S Pen Keeper
- Quick Command, Easy Clip, Photo Note,
Paper Artist
- Shape Match, Formula Match
1 Step
tasking / Multitasking features
·
Air View
·
Popup Note, Popup Video
·
Page Buddy / Tag Buddy / Word Buddy
Connectivity
/ Sharing Features
·
Bluetooth® v 4.0 (Apt-X Codec
support) LE
·
USB 2.0 Host
·
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5
GHz), Wi-Fi HT40
·
Wi-Fi Direct
·
NFC
·
S Beam
·
Samsung AllShare Play & Control
·
Samsung AllShare Cast (WiFi Display)
- Mirroring & Extention
- Mirroring & Extention
·
Samsung AllShare Framework
Other
·
Samsung TouchWiz / Samsung L!ve
Panel
·
Samsung Kies /Samsung Kies Air
·
Samsung ChatOn mobile communication
service
·
Smart Stay, Direct claa, Screen
Recorder,
Quick Glance
Quick Glance
·
Samsung ChatOn mobile communication
service
·
Samsung S Suggest
Camera
·
Main (Rear) : 8 Megapixel Auto Focus
Camera with LED Flash, BSI
·
Sub (Front) : 1.9 Megapixel VT
Camera, BSI
·
Best Photo, Best Face, Low light
shot
Video
·
Codec: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, VC-1,
DivX, WMV7, WMV8, WMV9, VP8
·
Format: 3GP(MP4), WMV(ASF), AVI,
FLV, MKV, WebM
·
Full HD(1080p) Playback &
Recording
Audio
·
Codec: MP3, OGG, WMA, AAC, ACC+,
eAAC+, AMR(NB,WB), MIDI, WAV, AC-3, Flac
·
Music Player with SoundAlive
·
3.5mm Ear Jack
Content /
Services
·
Samsung Apps
·
Samsung Hub
- Game Hub
- Media Hub (US only)
- Learning Hub / Music Hub / Video Hub
※ The availability of each Samsung Hubs may
differ by country
- Game Hub
- Media Hub (US only)
- Learning Hub / Music Hub / Video Hub
※ The availability of each Samsung Hubs may
differ by country
Sensor
·
Accelerometer, RGB Light, Digital
Compass, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer
GPS
·
A-GPS
·
Glonass
Enterprise
Solutions
·
On Device Encryption (H/W)
·
Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
·
VPN(F5, Cisco, Juniper)
·
MDM(Sybase Afaria, MobileIron, SOTI,
Good)
·
CCX
·
VMware MVP
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