Microwaves and Computers - what?

Comparing a personal computer to a microwave seems almost heresy, but one writer managed to do it. And he did it well. According to many reports, the PC is dead, but Brad Chacos managed to express the reality in a better way. In a lot of consumer’s minds, you need a PC, but you don’t always need to have the greatest and latest. We look towards tablets and smart phones for our latest devices, and we buy them because we feel as though we need them. We generally purchase a new desktop or laptop when our previous one has given up the ghost. For example, my laptop will be three years old this summer, so now I am just waiting for it to break before I buy a new one. I’m like a lot of people and use my smartphone for most of my computer needs. There is definitely a place for computers (desktops, laptops, etc.) within each home, but it has taken a place where it’s standard, not a desire for the best. The hardware hasn’t changed much within the past decade, which is why it has gotten to this status within homes. There are changes coming, and the leader of it is Windows with their Surface tablets which are creating new ideas for hardware, such as hybrids, touchscreen notebooks, all-in-ones, and many others. I definitely recommend reading this article. It brings up a lot of really great points, and it definitely has a more positive spin than the “PCS are dead!” stuff you read everywhere.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2034820/pcs-arent-dead-theyre-microwaves.html

Robots - iPhone Robots

I was skimming through articles on Wired.com, and I saw one that said something about the common man’s robot being headless… so I decided to check it out. The article started out discussing how we have all these cool technological devices in our homes, but no robots, even though that was a big thing of the sci-fi future before. This group got together and created a base (with wheels, so it’s movable) for an iPod/iPhone. You download the Romo app (that’s what the robot is called), and it gives the device a face, and it’ll even change features and track you with the sensor. They’re working on creating a lot more advances for it, such as facial recognition between family members and friends, so that it has a “personality”. You can control your Romo with another iOS device, so you could potentially use your outdated phone as the “brain” and face of the Romo, and your current phone as the controller. It looked like they’re even attempting to bring this to the Android market, as well. I think it’s really interesting how our smartphones have become central to our lives, and this is just an example. Our phones are finding ever more uses in our lives and how they interact with us daily. The hardware and the software is there, we just have to learn how to apply it all in a way that is affordable for the “common consumer”. One of the great things about this is that the team opened up the software coding and everything to let other developers create programs that are compatible with Romo, and thereby making it even better and a bigger part of the consumer’s life. One of my favorite parts about the article was the video at the end that gave a spiel about Romo, which I have included a link to on this page.

http://www.wired.com/business/2013/02/common-mans-robot/
http://vimeo.com/51263340#

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office: the software that has always been “needed”. In fact, I’m using it right now for assignments such as this. I’m using the Office 2010, while the Office 2013 was just officially released. I have always loved Office, but as times are changing, I don’t think I will go for it again. They’ve turned it into subscription applications, instead of the buying-once perpetual license. If you discontinue your subscription, then you are unable to create or edit documents and you will only be able to view and print them. This makes your application almost worthless. You can store your documents on the SkyDrive, and you’ll have access to your documents in multiple locations. They’re not technically stored in “the cloud”, but it sure feels that way. So while I have loved Microsoft Office for years, when it comes time for me to upgrade, I will probably stick with a free source that performs the tasks I need, such as Google Drive or OpenOffice. I am not willing to go to a subscription service for my Office suite, while I am willing to shell out some extra cash to buy it and have that version forever. Maybe I’m old-fashioned that way, but it’s the way I bought all of my games and software before, and I loved it.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026564/microsoft-office-2013-is-here-hands-on-impressions-and-buying-advice.html

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026981/microsoft-office-subscription-plan-sparks-questions-and-here-are-answers.html

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2027057/four-reasons-you-dont-need-the-new-microsoft-office.html

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026666/not-ready-for-office-2013-here-are-five-open-alternatives.html

Post-World Backup Day: Hardware

World Backup Day was last Sunday (March 31)! So it's been about a week. I found a handy article about backup drives (although it didn't include information about backup software). It recommends getting a backup drive that is at least double your hard drive size. So if you have a 500GB hard drive, then get a 1TB backup drive. The article also goes through some options of the hardware of backup drives. Maybe my next post will be about software? Now, speaking of World Backup Day... I think it's time for me to go and backup all my data. My laptop is a little aged, so it's always good to be prepared!

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2032508/in-honor-of-world-backup-day-how-to-protect-your-data.html