Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Dell XPS 17 L702X Upgraded To Windows 8

I finally had the time to upgrade my humble gaming laptop. The upgrade from windows 7 to 8 took about 45 minutes and was very straight forward.

The only problem is that the touch screen stopped working. The N-trig drivers I downloaded from both Dell and N-trig website cannot run under Windows 8, even though it says Windows 8 on the download page. I googled around and came across a forum post recommending I deactivate Intel graphics. I did that and the touch screen worked after rebooting the machine.

Initial thoughts on the new Windows OS: it is fast, really fast. Arranging icons on the new start menus interface is not as responsive as arranging apps on iOS. I like the windows App Store as it has many good looking apps. unfortunately, most of which are website-apps, we got Apple to thank for that.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

My Email To PC Gamer Magazine

Dear Future Publishing and PC Gamer,

Why don't you implement auto downloads of new digital magazines? Why do I have to keep the magazine app open for it to download? I have to keep touching the screen every few minutes to prevent the iPad screen from locking and therefore stopping the download process (ten minutes later)

Apple has given you the ability to auto download new issues on newsstand without opening the app. Please make use of it. Apple's example was "wake up in the morning to find your new issue waiting for you."

It usually takes me a few retries for every subscription to fully download the latest issue. It would be great if the new issue just shows up "waiting for me" every month.

Please implement auto download, I'm sure it's just a few lines of code to add this feature your platform. And I'm also sure it's going to make ALL your digital subscribers happy too.

If you might think that some subscribers might not like auto downloads, then make it optional in the app settings. It is a win-win situation.

I know this is a very long email but the issue is very important (no pun intended.)

Thanks,
Loyal Reader

Sent from my iPad

Monday, January 28, 2013

Updated Look at Kuwait Browser Market Share

Good news. Compared to the last time I checked, Internet Explorer usage is declining and Chrome usage is dramatically increasing. I'm guessing that by end of 2013 Chrome will finally be the leading browser in Kuwait.

Source: StatCounter Global Stats - Browser Market Share

Microsoft Surface Pro at Kuwait's Infoconnect

I went by the Microsoft booth at Infoconnect expo and got some hands-on time with the Surface pro. It is thin and light. Keyboard is very thin but thick enough to protect the screen. The Indian salesman at the Microsoft booth claimed the battery life is 6 to 8 hours. I believe it won't reach 5 hours in the best case.

The device will cost 199 Kuwait Dinars (around 700 US Dollars) with the keyboard. And it is already available (unofficially and with a higher price tag) at xcite and eureka stores all around Kuwait.

I also purchased a full version Windows 8 for 25 KD ($88) and was offered the Windows 8 pro upgrade for 19 KD but declined. I believe 6 KD difference is worth it to go for full version. The salesman also gave me anti-virus software for free (which I threw away almost immediately).