Touch

For the Love of Mobile MS Apps on Windows 10

McAkins Editorials, Microsoft, News, Operating Systems , , , , , ,

It is weekend, which means I have a few minutes to rant about my frustration on the direction MS is going concerning Mobile Apps (the so called Metro/Modern/Universal Apps) and Windows 10.

As you may recall, Microsoft put out the news this week they will nix their Lync Metro App in preference of the Desktop Skype App. Of course all the yuppies were clapping and shouting “giddy on” to Microsoft without considering the consequences and the trend this is setting.

The trend I see at the moment is the rejuvenation of the Desktop, a complete reversal of Microsoft from its mobile-first strategy of two or three years ago. Put bluntly, the Desktop people have won at Microsoft. Fine and good you say, but it didn’t address the reason why MS went full mobile a few years ago. Continue reading →

Windows 10 Will Bring Touch Friendly Context Menus to the Desktop

Nazmus Khandaker Microsoft, MS Windows , , , , , , ,

Responsive Context Menu Featured

With Windows 10, Microsoft will bring dynamic context menus to the desktop. In Windows 8.x and earlier, context menus on the desktop and desktop apps are too small to tap with the finger comfortably.  In modern apps in Windows 8.x, the context menus were large enough to tap, but some might have found it too large to use with the mouse. Continue reading →

New Windows 10 Touch Features in Build 9860

Nazmus Khandaker Microsoft, MS Windows, Operating Systems , , , ,

Windows 10 preview build 9860 was released to the public for testing on October 21, 2014, and it includes a lot of hidden gems. Today, I’ll talk about a couple of neat features that people might have not yet discovered. There are new touch features in Windows 10 that makes the desktop much easier to use with touch.

Windows 10 TP Start Screen 9860 Continue reading →

Sneak Peek into the Future! A Day Made of Glass

Nazmus Khandaker Techtronica, Uncategorized , , , , , , ,

corning glassWe are living in an ever changing world. The pace of innovation in technology has been increasing since the beginning of humanity. Today, the change is so rapid, technology we have today becomes outdated in standards in less than a year.

We are living an a very different world than we did just 10 years ago! Imagine what this word will be like 10 to 20 years from now. Corning wants to sharing its view of the future with you. Many of the things you see hear are already available today in its primitive form, including tablets, HD mirroring, and Microsoft Surface tables. So, without further ado, let’s sit back, relax, and take a sneak peek at the future.

Continue reading →

Learn Why the Start Menu is Gone in Windows 8

Nazmus Khandaker Operating Systems , , , , , , , ,

Learn why such an old and integral feature of Windows is removed with Windows 8. The Windows “Start” menu was introduced with Windows 95. At the time of this recording, 17 years after the debut of the “Start” button, Microsoft finally removes it with Windows 8. The question is, why. Watch this video to find out!

Continue reading →

iPhone App Spotlight: X Invasion 2

Nazmus Khandaker Hardware & Devices, Techtronica , , , , , , , ,

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The other day, I was bored. So I pulled out my iPod touch, and was browsing through the Arcade Games section of the App Store. I looked at a few… didn’t see anything good. I downloaded a turkey shooting game, and a hedgehog launching game… they were o.k. Then I found a game called “X Invasion 2”. The screenshots looked pretty cool. So I downloaded it. That was probably the best decision I’ve ever made in the app store.

X Invastion 2 is — I want to say THE best, but thats might not be not true – iPhone game that I’ve ever played. Its easy to pickup on how to play, and yet is challenging. There’s a campaign mode, where you complete missions such as destroy 5 UFO’s, land in a runaway, defend your base in the middle of the night, and lots more. And there’s an Arcade mode, just trying to knock down as many planes as you can before you get shot down. Or crash.

If you’ve ever played a realistic flight simulator (or flown a real airplane) you’ll recognize that the controls aren’t… well, realistic. But they still fit the game, and make it easier to focus on aiming and shooting.

Another pro to this game; its free! (At least it is at the time of me writing this…) So If I were you, I’d waltz over to the App Store and download this game right now!

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Jailbreaking your iPod touch

Nazmus Khandaker Techtronica , , , , , , , , , ,

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A screenshot of my jailbroken iPod touch, with the
Glasklart theme applied.

Notice: I cannot be held responsible to any damage that occurs to your iPod touch/iPhone whilst following this tutorial.

If you were like me, then you’ve probably seen here and there, people talking about how they jailbroke their iPhone, and how awesome it is, and how much cooler it looks, etc… Then you asked how it works, and heard it involved hacking. A red light immediately goes off, and you back away… But I’m here to tell you: Jailbreaking is legal, (see this article) and I’m here to show you how to do it!

Step 1:

 Turn off your iPhone, and click the Prepare to Jailbreak (DFU) button. Follow the instructions. Then click Jailbreak

Step 3:
After less than a minute, the program should be finished. Click Quit

Step 4:
You should see some white words scrolling on a black background. Just wait a minute or so for them to finish. Then your iPhone should boot normally. Enter your password, if you have one.

Step 5:
Almost finished! Go to the very last app page on your homescreen, and tap the Loader. It should have a white Icon. In the app, tap the Cydia button. If it asks if you want to remove the Loader, tap Yes. Once it finishes, it may or may not restart your iPhone. If it doesn’t, just press the Home button.

Alright, you’re iPhone is jailbroken! You can go to Cydia and download apps that are for jailbroken iPhones only. I did this on my iPod touch, 3rd Generation, Version 4.1.

Touching Windows 7: The Facts

McAkins Hardware & Devices, IT, Security, Privacy, Software & Services , , ,

For all of you complaining that Windows 7 is not fit for Touch, you need to be informed before coming to this conclusion. Most of you have not used Windows 7 with a Touch-enabled device, I think the misconception arise from this lack of reference. The windows you see when you are using your desktop with mouse and keyboard is not the same windows you will see when Windows 7 is installed on a Touch-enabled device. Windows 7 literarily lets the beast loose when installed on appropriate device, and since not many people have these devices, it is justifiably misunderstood.

To help you lot I have compiled here a list of items I have come across online to help in your education, of course the best education will be if you can get Touch-enabled device for yourselves. Enjoy!

1. Paul Thurrott’s SuperSite for Windows: Windows 7 Feature Focus Tablet PC and Windows Touch

2. See Touch in action at Long Zen’s site: Touch panning (a.k.a. kinetic scrolling) in Windows 7

3. Now get the full lowdown from the Windows Engineering group: Touching Windows 7
You’ll be surprised how much thought went into the design of Windows 7 for Touch.

It is incredible how ignorance can spread in human nature, and since we’ve got the Net, ignorance has exploded considerably, you don’t have to verify the news anymore, all you need do is hear it from a hear-say, and you spread it further. We are all unfortunately a bunch of talking-heads now. We are being fed with propaganda and malice, intelligent analysis of an issue is no more the bane of the day.

Given the numbers of haters there on the Net, spreading FUD about anything Microsoft have never been so easy. The gospel of hatred and misinformation is being perpetrated from the Temple of Apple and Linux Churches, and the disciples are busy as ever spreading the rumors without ever checking the fact.

Windows 7 is Touch-aware, if you want to verify it, get a Touch-enabled device or shut up if you don’t have the fact. You don’t love it because you don’t see it, you don’t see it, because you don’t have it, you don’t have it because you don’t know it. Now you know, go have it, then you’ll love it.