Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » août 20, 2013

BetaNews.Com (9 non lus)

Gameloft bringing more games to Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8

Publié: août 20, 2013, 8:08pm CEST par Wayne Williams

I’ve played many a Gameloft game on my iPad (and other iOS devices), and although the company now likes to focus on Freemium titles packed with ridiculous in-app purchases, it is still a name synonymous with quality gaming.

Which is why it’s great news for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 devotees that the company plans to bring 15 of its new games to both of those platforms over the next twelve months, starting with Asphalt 8: Airborne and Dungeon Hunter 4 this fall.

Announcing the move, Steve Guggenheimer, corporate vice president of Developer and Platform Evangelism, Microsoft says, "We’re thrilled to work with a gaming industry leader such as Gameloft to deliver top casual and core titles to our customers this holiday. We strive to make Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 the best platform for gaming. With top gaming companies such as Gameloft investing in the platform, it is evident that there is no better time for game developers and gamers alike to choose Windows".

While there’s no word on the full list of Gameloft games coming to Microsoft’s tiled operating systems, titles confirmed to arrive by the end of the year include the previously mentioned Asphalt 8: Airborne and Dungeon Hunter 4, as well as Despicable Me: Minion Rush, Total Conquest, Six Guns, and UNO & Friends.
ID@Xbox gives indie developers the chance to sell games directly on Xbox One

Publié: août 20, 2013, 5:34pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Becoming a developer for platforms such as iOS and Android is relatively simple, but the same has not always been true for anyone looking to break into the world of serious gaming. Microsoft is keen to help out, and the new Independent Developers @ Xbox (ID@Xbox) program aims to make it possible for small-scale devs to work in the same arena as the big players.

At Gamescon, Microsoft today unveils details of the program and Director of ID@Xbox, Chris Charla, is keen to welcome the next generation of developers who will usher in a new breed of games. The scheme will enable developers to publish their own games on Xbox One and gain access to the same development kits and resources that are already available to leaders in the market.

The option of appearing in the Xbox One Store alongside big titles is something that is going to appeal to any developer looking to get noticed, and ID@Xbox does not seem to be a cut-down offering for small-time game companies. Chris Charla points out that through the program, all developers have access to the same features including Achievements, Gamerscore, Kinect and Xbox SmartGlass.

At the moment the program isn’t open to just anyone interested in trying their hand at game development. Microsoft is currently looking for "professional independent game developers who have a proven track record of shipping games". But looking at the longer term, the firm is keen to push the idea that "anyone with a retail Xbox One will be able to develop, publish, and sell their game". Of course, the company will be "evaluating each developer application individually on its own merits".

More details about the program can be found at the ID@Xbox website where it is also possible to register as a developer.
Full Throttle Override lets you maximize the performance of specific apps

Publié: août 20, 2013, 5:20pm CEST par Mike Williams

If you’re looking to maximize your PC’s speed then enabling the High Performance power plan (Control Panel > Power Options) applies CPU and system tweaks which might help. But there’s a problem: the plan increases energy use, and mobile users will probably find their battery doesn’t last quite as long.

It makes sense to use the High Performance setting only occasionally, then -- and that’s where Full Throttle Override comes in. This tiny tool will automatically enable the High Performance plan for specific applications only, and restore your previous plan just as soon as they close.

The program arrives as a very compact executable (112KB), so we were surprised to see it included an installer as well. Setup is quick and easy, though, and on completion we right-clicked its system tray icon to begin.

All you really need to do is click "Add program…" and browse to whatever executable file you like. Repeat the process a few times, and when you launch any of those programs later, Full Throttle Override will switch to the High Performance plan for you.

You shouldn’t expect too much from this; if there’s any speed benefit at all then you’re most unlikely to notice it.

Still, you might gain a percentage point or two in some situations. And if you would normally consider changing your power plan manually then Full Throttle Override is a simple way to automate the process.

And, of course, switching to the High Performance plan isn’t just about raw speed. You can also turn off options like the screen saver, for instance, which could be useful for media players, presentation tools, and anything else where you might want to leave the system apparently unattended for longer than usual.

Full Throttle Override isn’t going to turn your humble notebook into a lightning-fast supercomputer, then, but it just might save you a little time and hassle. Give it a try.
Google Maps and Waze -- the integration begins

Publié: août 20, 2013, 4:39pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

Google purchased mapping firm Waze back in June, bringing two services that many mobile users feel are among the best on the market under the one roof. The acquisition led to speculation that the unique features offered by Waze would slowly be rolled into Google. Much of Waze's information is crowd-sourced, such as accident reporting, traffic delays and even police radar.

That speculation begins leading to fruition today as the search giant rolls out step one. "No one likes getting stuck in traffic. That’s why the Waze and Google Maps teams are working together to harness the power of Google technology and the passion of the Waze community to make it easier to navigate your daily life", says Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps.

Incident reports, including all of the ones I previously mentioned, will continue to appear in Waze, but now also within the Google Maps app as well. This will be effective in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Switzerland, UK and the US.

Google, referring to the Waze app, also says "the Android and iOS versions of the app have been updated with Google Search. Wazers will now have access to even more search results when navigating. Google Search joins other search providers making it easy to find favorite businesses and any local address". The Waze app will now have access to Google Street View, as well.

So far Google shows no signs of intending to take the technology from Waze and then kill the service, though given the company's penchant for getting rid of services, it will always loom as a possibility.
ImBatch adds image batch renaming

Publié: août 20, 2013, 3:41pm CEST par Mike Williams

High Motion Software’s freeware image batch processing tool ImBatch has hit version 1.80, and the new release sees some very welcome additions.

Top of the list is a Rename task, which sees the program able to batch rename an entire folder according to its EXIF or IPTC metadata, height, width, size, creation/ modification/ last accessed dates, and many other attributes.

A new Color Balance task allows you to adjust your image RGB values by a set amount.

It’s now possible to tweak the brightness and contrast of all your selected images, too. Although again this is manually and by a fixed amount.

The Publish on Facebook task now has a parameter allowing you to post to a specific page.

And Italian has joined the already lengthy list of supported languages.

The new Rename task is the clear highlight here. While not as flexible as specialist tools, it’s a very capable first attempt and includes plenty of useful extras (you’re able to set case to all lower or all upper, for instance). Not bad at all, especially considering it’s only 6 weeks since the last ImBatch release; we’ll be very interested to see where the program goes next.
Businesses must focus on optimizing IT costs Gartner warns

Publié: août 20, 2013, 1:17pm CEST par Ian Barker

After years of cost cutting through the recession, businesses now have the challenge of continuously optimizing their IT costs. According to a survey of over 2,000 chief information officers worldwide, 65 percent see the main barrier to optimization as the mindset needed for all resources to work towards the same goal.

"Organizations don't often achieve the desired results from their optimization initiatives, and costs end up returning into the business," says Sanil Solanki, research director at Gartner. "CIOs should consider incorporating five key principles into their organization's cost optimization practices to form a basis for continual optimization. These principles are geared toward avoiding the danger of tactical cost initiatives, which may seem to generate savings in the short term, but can mean costs returning into the business in the long term".

The five principles Solanki identifies are accountability, agility, discipline, simplification and transparency. Accountability ensures that the IT department can manage the demands that the organization makes of it. Agility guarantees a good balance between resources and a flexible response.

Discipline ensures that someone is accountable for IT cost optimization and that, preferably, the process is led from the top by the CIO. Simplification reduces complexity in order to control costs, Gartner estimates that overly complex systems can add as much as 25 percent to IT unit costs. Finally, transparency makes sure that the business understands what IT can do for it and that IT understands its role in the business.

For a more detailed analysis you can register to get a copy of the report Five Principles Underpin IT Cost Optimization from the Gartner website.

Photo Credit: Dusit/Shutterstock
Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S -- Windows 8 done right [Review]

Publié: août 20, 2013, 12:01pm CEST par Brian Fagioli
My relationship with Windows 8 is very tumultuous; sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it. However, this is due to the inherent problem with Windows 8 -- depending on what you are doing with it or what hardware you are using it on, the experience is different. I have used Windows 8 devices that are wonderful and others that are horrible. I often ponder, what if there was a device that could change based on what I was doing? I am happy to say, such a device exists and its called the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S.

The name "Yoga" is very appropriate as the convertible laptop offers multiple positions. No, I am not talking about the downward-facing dog -- this device can be a laptop, tablet and desktop. Lenovo calls these modes "Laptop", "Tablet", "Tent" and "Stand". However, "Tent" and "Stand", in my opinion, have duplicate functionality -- I refer to both of these as "Desktop Mode".

Multiple Positions

As a laptop, the device works as you would expect from Lenovo -- wonderfully. The chiclet-keyboard is outstanding; it offers a very pleasing typing experience. Even though this is an 11-inch device, the keyboard is not cramped. In fact, it feels very roomy and I was able to type as fast on it as any other keyboard. I especially appreciate the rubberized texture around the keyboard, it is very comforting on my wrists and has a premium feel.

While the keyboard is a dream, the touchpad is average at best. On more than one occasion, the two-finger scrolling was erratic and did not work -- it would register as a single finger and move the mouse pointer instead. It didn't happen often but it happened enough to notice. Again, it is not a bad trackpad, it's functional, but it does not seem to be on par with the premium nature of the rest of the package.

Where Windows 8 really shines is on a tablet. On the Yoga 11S, by folding the screen all the way back so the keyboard is facing outwardly, tablet-mode is enabled. I know what you are thinking, and yes -- your fingers will hit the keys. However, the designers at Lenovo intelligently set the keyboard to disable in tablet mode. It feels a little weird at first but you quickly get used to it.

Lenovo does include a keyboard slip-cover if you so choose to use it. It is basically a pouch that slips over the keyboard-half of the device. It's a nice touch, but I consider it just one more thing to carry and lose.

Surprisingly, I found the desktop-mode to be my favorite of the bunch. Whether in "Tent" or "Stand" mode, the laptop acted as a touch-screen monitor with the keyboard hid behind it. When coupled with the wonderful Logitech TK820, I could comfortably recline at a desk. If you feel an 11-inch screen is too small, you can easily connect a larger monitor using the full-size HDMI port -- awesome!

As I stated earlier, "Tent" and "Stand" modes basically do the same thing; just in different ways. They present the display in such a way as to hide the keyboard. This allows the user to focus and become immersed in the screen. "Tent" is basically positioning and placing the laptop in an upside-down letter "V", whereas "Stand" puts the keyboard face-down on a surface.

Which you decide to use comes down to preference. I would probably lean towards "Tent", since the idea of putting a keyboard face-down on a surface just bothers me. The laptop is designed for this; there will be no pressure on the keys. However, from a germ-perspective, it is probably less sanitary.

Performance and Specs
- Processor -- 3rd Generation Intel Core i5-3339Y Processor (1.50GHz 1600MHz 3MB)
- Operating System -- Windows 8, 64-bit
- Display -- 11.6" HD LED Multitouch 1366x768
- Graphics -- Intel HD Graphics 4000
- Memory -- 8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
- Hard Drive -- 256GB SSD
- Network Card -- Lenovo BGN Wireless 2.4GHZ
- Bluetooth -- Version 4.0
- Battery -- 4 Cell Lithium-Ion
- Ports -- USB 3.0 x 1, USB 2.0 x 1, SD card reader, Headphone, Microphone, HDMI-out
Yes, you read that right; 3rd-generation Intel Core i5 -- Ivy Bridge instead of Haswell. While the 4th-generation Core i5 would be preferable, it should not be a deterrent for consumers. Ivy Bridge is still a very fast and capable chipset. At no point in my testing was the Yoga 11S sluggish or laggy. In fact, I would call it very fast and impressive.

Haswell would have helped battery life but again, Ivy Bridge is no slouch. I can easily squeeze a full-day's use out of the Yoga 11S.

While the display is not 1080p, it is absolutely gorgeous. Text is crisp and clear while videos and pictures are bright and realistic.

Sadly, the wireless card does not seem to be dual-band. I recently purchased a sixth-generation Apple Airport Extreme with both bands enabled. While my Nexus 7 (2013) sees the 5GHz band, the Yoga 11S does not. This is very disappointing but not a deal-breaker. After all, what is the point of simultaneous dual-band if you put every device on the same band?

Linux

While Windows 8 and the Yoga 11S are a match made in heaven, the Lenovo laptop and Linux are like water and oil. I tried to install Ubuntu and Fedora via flash drive but was unsuccessful. I spent an hour fiddling with the BIOS and secure-boot (why Microsoft? Why?) but ultimately gave up. This is probably for the best anyway as Linux distributions are not yet fully-optimized for touch; sorry Canonical, Unity will get there eventually.

Conclusion

Overall, this is the greatest Windows 8 laptop I've had the pleasure of using. It gives me the best of all worlds. I decide the position in which I want the laptop -- I am the boss of my computing. Whether I want to type a paper at my kitchen table, relax on my couch with a tablet or sit at a desk with a monitor, the Yoga 11S has my back.

Microsoft chose this particular laptop to compete against the iPad in a recent advertisement. While they are two very different devices, I think Microsoft is on to something. iPads cause a student to compromise, the Yoga 11S doesn't -- it is the perfect back-to-school laptop and much cheaper than buying a Macbook and an iPad.

I highly recommended this device.
Surface Pro -- is Windows 8 the biggest failing of this expensive tablet?

Publié: août 20, 2013, 9:16am CEST par Mark Wilson

Almost every time I have written about Microsoft in the past, I have been accused of being on the company's payroll when I write something positive, or being a hater out to bash the firm when I write something negative. Fair warning to anyone inclined to make such accusations (and a slight spoiler); this is one article in which I am going to sit firmly on the fence.

Let’s get one thing out of the way to start with. I quite like Windows 8. It’s not perfect and I have my complaints, but it is my primary operating system on three computers, and has been for some time. Until now, my only experience of Windows 8 has been on a traditional desktop and a laptop -- this means I have only interacted with the OS using a combination of a keyboard, mouse and trackpad.

Perhaps this is why I have developed a universal loathing for everything modern/Metro related in Windows 8; navigating with a keyboard and mouse seems clunky, slow, unintuitive, and awkward. Getting my hands on a Surface Pro gave me a chance to put a theory of mine to the test.

Since Windows 8 was first released, I had the feeling that it was a poor hybrid. As far as I’m concerned, there is little wrong with Windows 8’s traditional desktop mode. But used on a regular desktop machine, it has always felt to me that the 'modern' side of things was tacked on almost as an afterthought.

Maybe that’s not quite it. Perhaps what I’m trying to say is that the 'modern' aspects of Windows 8 felt to me like a half-finished mobile operating system. It was clearly designed with touchscreen devices in mind but it was bolted onto standard Windows regardless.

For me this conjured up two possibilities. Firstly that Windows 8 proper just wasn’t different enough to Windows 7. By adding the 'modern' facet, users are presented with a choice, with the perception of added value -- hey, it’s almost like two operating systems for the price of one!

But the modern/Metro/mobile side of things -- even though I had only previously looked at it from a desktop point of view -- seemed underpowered. It lacked the finesse of iOS. It lacked the punk rock attitude of Android. It was fluffy, cutesy, clumsy and… big. It felt as though Microsoft did not have enough faith in this side of the operating system to release it as a product in its own right, be that because of an underlying reliance on standard Windows architecture or due to the mobile aspect being under-developed.

For me, it basically made Windows 8 feel slightly directionless. It couldn’t quite decide what to be, so it tried to be everything. I’d long wondered if using the same operating system on a touchscreen monitor or a tablet would change my mind. A Surface Pro (I veered firmly away from Windows RT) came into my possession, so it was time to find out.

On the Surface

There’s certainly a lot to like about the Surface Pro. In terms of build quality it is hard to fault. It is a delightfully solid piece of hardware, albeit it verging on the heavy side. As an iPad and Android tablet owner, the size and weight difference is quite noticeable. Still, considering this is essentially a notebook/ultrabook, it’s more than forgivable.

The screen is just lovely. Packing a resolution of 1920 x 1080 into the same physical space as my Samsung NC10, which did 1024 x 768, makes things look wonderfully crisp and bright. The touchscreen itself is -- perhaps obviously -- intuitive. Being familiar with iOS and Android probably did nothing to help here, everything just works pretty much as you would expect.

I’m not much of a fan of on-screen keyboards, and my Android tablet has been used as testing ground for more keyboard apps than I care to remember. The stock Windows keyboard is about as unpleasant as they come, so I was pleased to have access to a Touch Cover and Type Cover.

Both keyboard/cover hybrids work in the same way, snapping magnetically into place and providing a full-sized keyboard that doubles up as a screen-protecting case. The Touch was too unpleasant to use. The flat keys offered no tactile feedback and required precise finger positioning that was not easy with no guiding key edges to work with.

The Type keyboard is far better in my opinion, more closely resembling a laptop keyboard. But there is a slightly odd keyboard layout and some strange decisions have been made. The left Shift key is too small, the arrow keys are badly positioned and whoever thought it was a good idea to drop the Prt Scr key is in need of serious interrogation.

It was great to be able to navigate through Windows without using a mouse. Launch Explorer with a prod. Scroll through files with a drag. But on numerous occasions it was obvious that the bulk of Windows is not ideally suited to touchscreen operation, and this is certainly true for a lot of apps.

Switching out of desktop mode was a different story. Here apps have been designed with finger pokes in mind. Interface elements are larger and easier to hit without having to think about it too much -- but this does come at the expense of features. There are few 'modern' apps that are not mere shadows of their desktop counterparts.

So have I been sold on 'modern' Windows 8? Well, I can see its appeal a little more clearly, but for me it still doesn’t quite work. Just like Windows 8 tries to be everything to everyone, so I get a very similar feeling about the Surface Pro.

The software means that it is not as great to use in tablet mode as either Android or iOS, but at the same time you are able to use all of the apps you are familiar with. Used in laptop mode, neither of the keyboards I tried out were perfect -- the Touch Cover particularly so -- and the fold out stand meant that it was difficult to use on my lap. I had to find a surface to use my Surface.

Summing Up

So yes, I do like the Surface Pro. I’m not sure I’d go so far as to say I love it, but it has won me over. That said, whether used as a tablet or a laptop, it feels as though compromises are being made. I haven’t decided which mode works best yet, but my preference for regular Windows 8 coupled with on-screen-keyboard-phobia found me switching to laptop mode more often than not.

It’s a shame. Surface Pro could be a great tablet. As much as I like Windows 8, I can’t help but feel this is really what has prevented Surface from taking off. Oh, that and the absurd original price tag.
Latest Microsoft ad targets students while dissing iPads

Publié: août 20, 2013, 12:27am CEST par Mark Wilson

In a recent ad Microsoft levelled its guns at Google, but this time around it is Apple who finds itself in the crosshairs. The thinly veiled attack pits the Lenovo Yoga against Apple’s iPad in a bid to win favour in time for the ‘back to school season’.

The advertisement is set in a lecture hall and finds the lecturer’s audience divided into three distinct camps -- old-school pen and paper fans, iPad users, and a solitary student with a convertible Windows device. As the cue comes to start taking notes, the Windows user casually stops playing the word game she was engrossed in, flips the Yoga into ‘notebook’ mode and starts typing.

Meanwhile, the other students scrabble to attach keyboards, stands and other peripherals to their iPads, panic as pens fail to work, and even email Microsoft-girl to ask for a copy of her notes.

As well as highlighting the flexibility of convertible, hybrid devices such as the Yoga, the ad also manages to focus on the multitasking capabilities of Windows 8. Not bad going for a 30-second commercial.

YouTube commenters have been quick to point out that the advertisement compares products that are in completely different price brackets.