Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Football Fever? Let’s Bring It Down a Notch with These Android Apps And Calm Your Nerves





Preface

The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international men's football tournament, that taking place in Brazil from June 12, 2014 to July 13, 2014 and the tournament has commenced. It will be the second time that Brazil has hosted the competition, the previous being in 1950. Brazil will become the fifth country to have hosted the World Cup twice, after Mexico, Italy, France, and Germany.

The first match was between Brazil and Croatia. The schedules are stock chock with dozens of matches for the next four weeks and it’s a tedious task to keep track of the matches. Fortunately for the players in us, there’s a plethora of applications helping us to stay updated rather than being drowned in the status information of each player, team, and matches throughout the tournament.

The national teams of 32 countries will take part in the tournament, with matches to be played in 12 cities throughout Brazil. It is scheduled to be the first World Cup to be held in South America since the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, the first time two consecutive World Cups are staged outside Europe, and the first time two consecutive World Cups are staged in the Southern Hemisphere, since the 2010 World Cup was held in South Africa. It will also be the first World Cup to use goal-line technology.

Here are some of the applications that we’ve chosen to check scores, tidingses, match schedules, and spotlights of the FIFA 2014 World Cup. This article is dedicated to all the soccer fanatics out there.





This is FIFA’s official mobile app and the best associate to rely upon for information regarding the 2014 World Cup. Hundreds of competitions, thousands of goals, and over a million minutes of football every single week! From the Bundesliga to the Barclays Premier League, MLS to La Liga, the World Match Centre provides unrivalled coverage of 197 leagues across the globe. Personalize your World Match Centre with national teams, competitions, and clubs ensuring you never miss kick-off, the final whistle or any action in-between ever again.





This app lets users know all about the World Cup including live scores, team details, real-time updates, and an account of all the matches played. The app displays the next games on your home screen, Information about the stages of the World Cup, and viewing the match in progress on the home screen. You can follow your team, whatever it is: Brazil, Germany, Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, Colombia, South Korea, Ivory Coast, Croatia, Ecuador, Spain, USA, France, Ghana, Greece, Holland, England, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Switzerland, or Uruguay.





Follow all the action and drama of football with the new ESPN FC app, starting with the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Breaking news and analysis are a click away. ESPN FC also delivers comprehensive coverage of all the major club leagues with videos, highlights, news, opinion and personalized reports so you can stay on top of your favorite teams.





This application lets you follow games of the World Cup in Brazil. It is easy to use and you can quickly access the most needed data by defining contents of tabs. The features are full data customization - tracking chosen teams, groups, matches and conferences, schedule of all matches in the championship, match details including scorers, line-up, substitute players, cards, the list of substitutions, add/removal of own tabs, browsing results in off line mode - without Internet connection, history of previous results of finals, news about the current tournament, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, setting application specific time zone.





This app allows you to view match results, latest news, videos, images, ranking and match details. Also you receive Push Notifications about latest news and current matches, score, goals, penalty, red card, etcetera.





This app is a special version of SofaScore LiveScore for the Brazil 2014 World Cup. Mundial in Brazil 2014 covering results, groups, match schedules, fixtures, date charts, top scorers, videos, goal highlights, and tables. SofaScore LiveScore is live score sports app with widgets. With the mobile app you can follow sport results and scores in all major leagues, tournaments, and events. You can also create a list of favorite teams and games which will enable your phone to receive notifications and video highlights for football. With SofaScore you’ll never miss an important match again.





FotMob is the #1 football app, covering over a 100 leagues and the only app that gives you audio coverage for football. The app has also got live commentaries written by football experts for the major leagues in English, German, and Spanish. It also featured Live scores with alerts, match stats, lineup, stats, goals, cards, penalties, missed penalties, assists and substitutions, Tables, Fixtures, News from the top football leagues and top club news, Top scorers, Favorite teams. The app covers the Premier League, Championship, League 1 & 2, Conference, Eredivisie, Bundesliga, 2. & 3. Bundesliga, Serie A, Serie B, La Liga (Liga BBVA), MLS (Major League Soccer), Europa League, Champions League, World Cup 2014, Ligue 1 & Ligue 2, Mexican league, Scottish Premier League, Allsvenskan, Superettan, Tippeligaen, Adeccoligaen, and most other football/soccer leagues.





Super Scores features live scores, latest football news, latest football video, table, round, fixtures, and in-depth statistics including team statistics, player statistics and competition statistics. Plus live match info including important events, real-time statistics, minute-to-minute commentaries, and match analytic by experts with extremely easy-to-use interface. It features exclusive World Cup 2014 Brazil content including Team Profiles, Exclusive Interviews, All-Star IX, Cities Guild, Key Qualifying Moments, Features inside Brazil. In the World Cup mode, with only a single tab, you can easily follow all the World Cup staff.

The key features are Live scores, Fastest unlimited push notifications, Latest football news, Latest football videos, TV Schedule, Live commentary (English only), Match analytic (preview/review, English only), Live match statistics, Lineup and injuries, Head-to-head statistics, Betting statistics (result, double chance, correct score, margin, HT/FT, over/under), Player transfers, League table & live table, Fixtures, Round, Top scorers, top assist, top yellow cards and top red cards, Competitions, teams, players statistics, Customize theme, Customize font size, Easily share video, news, commentary, preview/review to social network, Coverage of over 350 competitions (more than 80 countries).





LiveSoccer is a football app that allows you to follow all the major football leagues (2014/2015) and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and get real-time notifications for your favorite teams in all competitions. With a rich User Interface, and designed with usability in mind, you’ll have live football in your hands. Using LiveSoccer you can track live matches from more than 300 worldwide football leagues and the 2014 World Cup. The key features are Track live matches from more than 300 worldwide football leagues and the 2014 Brazil World Cup, Customizable Push Notifications of live events (goals, match final results, red/yellow cards, substitutions and more) for all teams, Text based live events and commentaries by professional journalists, Match lineups, including players’ photos, Head2Head match analysis, Match statistics.





FIFA World Cup 2014 Live Scores, Schedule, and Standings. The key features are World Cup 2014 live scores, World Cup 2014 schedules, World Cup 2014 point tables, Latest News from FIFA RSS feed. Do note that this was not created or is endorsed by FIFA.





With this app you get up to date play-by-play match commentary in the Live Ticker, latest news, and never miss a game with the comprehensive World Cup planner. With Onefootball Brasil you won’t miss a minute of the action. You’ll get all the latest national team news, detailed World Cup news before and during the tournament, exclusive Live Ticker for all matches of the tournament, match schedules, results and statistics, personalized push notifications, videos from press conferences and interviews, Pre- and postgame news coverage for all matches. You can also chat with other fans from around the world live during a match and express your opinion on all the latest news





This application lets you follow games of World Cup 2014 in Brazil. The app follows the latest news and history of previous World Cups. You can quickly access the most needed data by selecting items to get the latest information about football events. The key features are: get a digital countdown of the days remaining before the World Cup begins, schedule of groups, matches and conferences, match details, latest results and statistics, history of previous World Cup results, news about World Cup Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, latest photos from Instagram, get match details and news using Twitter timeline, watch videos from the official FIFA channel on YouTube, find places of events using Google Maps.





The app lets you view live scores and push notifications, opinion polls, and video highlights for more than 420 football leagues and cups around the world. As well as being a live score app known and loved internationally, Forza Football is simultaneously changing the face of football by liberating and sharing the collective opinion of fans from all over the World. Live Scores feature: Set alerts for your favorite teams, and pin matches you’re interested in, Receive detailed customized push notifications per team or per match – for goals and cards, Pre-match line-ups with formations and player photos, Incredibly quick, accurate updates compared to other football apps.

With the Opinion Polls feature you can Share your opinions about your team and see them match up with other fans, Answer poll questions about the squad, the manager and the chairman, Get your voice heard around the world, Be part of a collective movement to change the way football fans are listened to.

Conclusion and Thoughts

If you are a football enthusiast who wants to keep a track of all the updates regarding matches, teams, players and live scores, any of these applications will be of great help. Apart from these, there are applications for real time football games, wallpapers, live wallpapers and more.


TAGS: Football, FIFA, World Cup, Brazil, ESPN, BBC, Android, Live Score Addicts, Results, Live Score, Soccer, Goals, Videos, Highlights, Premier League, Champions League, Futbol


Image Credit: Getty Images, LatinTimes

[ABOUT: Devesh Prabhu is an avid blogger and has been blogging posts and rants on many subjects through his various blogs. He has been associated with the blogosphere for the past 8/9 years and inadvertently left the blogging scene albeit to concentrate on his personal life, but his desire to be among his readers brought him back.]

[NOTE: The article "Football Fever? Let’s Bring It Down a Notch with These Android Apps And Calm Your Nerves" first appeared on the Komputer Knowledge Blog.


[DISCLAIMER: All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at anytime and without notice.]

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Top 10 Smartphones with 1 GB RAM and Cost Below Rs. 10,000/-



There has been a flurry of value for money smartphones being released over the past few months in the Indian market in the budget range (below Rs. 10,000/-) and all trying to compete with each other on the basis of price and features provided.

I have listed the Top 10 Smartphones which have 1 GB RAM and are costing below Rs. 10,000/-.


Moto E (Rs. 6,999/-)

4.3 Inch QHD IPS display, 960 x 540 pixels, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
1.2 GHz dual core Snapdragon 200 processor, 400 MHz Adreno 302 GPU
5 MP Back Camera without flash, NO Front Camera
1 GB RAM
4 GB internal memory, expandable up to 32 GB
Android 4.4 KitKat
1,980 mAh battery


Micromax Unite 2 (Rs. 6,999/-)

4.7 inch IPS display, 800 x 480 pixels,
1.3 GHz quad core MediaTek MT6582 processor
5 MP Back Camera with LED flash, 2 MP Front Camera
1 GB RAM
4 GB internal memory, expandable up to 32 GB
Android 4.4 KitKat
2,000 mAh battery


Xolo Q600s (Rs. 7,499/-)

Xolo Q600s Specifications
4.5 inch screen with a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels
1.2 GHz quad core processor Broadcom BCM23550 processor
5 MP Back Camera with LED flash, VGA Back Camera
1 GB RAM
4 GB internal memory, expandable up to 64 GB
Android 4.4 KitKat
2,000 mAh battery


Lava Iris X1 (Rs. 7,999/-)

4.5-inch (854 x 480 pixels) capacitive touchscreen IPS display
1.2 GHz quad-core Broadcom BCM23550 processor with Videocore IV GPU
8 MP Back Camera with dual LED flash, BSI+ sensor, 2 MP Front Camera
1 GB RAM
4 GB internal memory, expandable up to 32 GB
Android 4.4.2 KitKat
1,800 mAh battery


Spice Stellar MI-509 (Rs. 7,999/-)

5-inch FWVGA screen, 480 x 854 pixels, IPS LCD
1.3 GHz quad-core processor
8 MP Back Camera with LED flash, 2 MP Front Camera
1 GB RAM
4 GB internal memory, expandable up to 32 GB
Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
2000 mAh battery


Intex Aqua i5 HD (Rs. 9,899/-)

5-inch HD (1280 × 720 pixels) OGS display
1.3 GHz quad-core processor
13 MP Back Camera, 5 MP Front Camera
1 GB RAM
4 GB internal memory, expandable up to 32 GB
Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
2000 mAh battery


Micromax Canvas Elanza 2 A121 (Rs. 9,340/-)

5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD capacitive touch screen display
1.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 200 (MSM8212) processor
Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)
8 MP Back Camera, 2 MP Front Camera
1 GB RAM
4 GB Internal Memory, Expandable up to 32 GB
2,000 mAh Battery


Karbonn Titanium S5 Plus (Rs. 8,799/-)

5 Inch QHD (720p) IPS Touch Screen Display
1.3 GHz quad-core processor
8 MP Back Camera, VGA Front Camera
1 GB RAM
4 GB Internal Memory, Expandable up to 32 GB
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
1,800 mAh Battery


Micromax Canvas Juice A77 (Rs. 7,999/-)

5-inch (854 x 480 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
1.3 GHz MTK 6572 Dual Core Processor
5 MP Back Camera, VGA (0.3 MP) Front Camera
1 GB RAM
4 GB Internal Memory, Expandable up to 32 GB
Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
3,000 mAh Battery


Xolo Q1000 OPUS (Rs. 7,328/-)

5-inch (854 ×480 pixels) FWVGA capacitive touch screen display
1.2 GHz BCM23550 Quad Core Processor
5 MP back Camera, VGA (0.3 MP) Front Camera
1 GB RAM
4 GB Internal Memory, expandable up to 32 GB
Android 4.4.2 Jelly Bean
2,000 mAh Battery

Conclusion


All these devices are a compelling buy with their closely matched feature set and performance. I would call it a buyer’s dilemma in the sense that the end-user is the ultimate factor who would decide to go with which phone as per his/her liking and brand that they are most associated with.





Image Credit: Sulekha


[ABOUT: Devesh Prabhu is an avid blogger and has been blogging posts and rants on many subjects through his various blogs. He has been associated with the blogosphere for the past 8/9 years and inadvertently left the blogging scene albeit to concentrate on his personal life, but his desire to be among his readers brought him back.]

[NOTE: The article "Top 10 Smartphones with 1 GB RAM and Cost Below Rs. 10,000/-" first appeared on the Komputer Knowledge Blog.

[DISCLAIMER: All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at anytime and without notice.]

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Wammy Titan 3 Octa Core Review – A Balanced Approach



The Wammy Titan 3 Octa is powered by a MediaTek MT6592 octa core processor clocked at 1.7 GHz coupled with a Mali 450 MP GPU. The Wammy Titan 3 Octa is priced at Rs. 14,990/-. The handset comes with Aqua Protect technology, which will cost Rs. 1,500/- extra should you consider going with it. There is also another Rs. 500/- extra for shipping.


Box Contents

The box pack is in line with current Samsung slim packaging. It contains the Wammy Titan 3 Octa Core handset, the battery is a 3200 mAh battery, quick start guide, magnetic flip cover, travel charger, data cable with micro USB pin, earphones (non in-ear) is included in the box pack. Most of the video reviews I’ve seen on the net indicate that it comes with two batteries, but I did not receive an extra one in my box.


Visual Design

The Titan 3 Octa is in fact a duplicate or a clone of Samsung Galaxy Note 3. The build quality is good and the rear side looks like leather but is actually plastic with textures. The volume rockers are to the left, the power button is on the right, micro USB port and mic at the bottom, and a 3.5 mm audio jack on the top. On the rear, there’s a 13 MP camera with LED flash and a 5 MP camera on the front. At the bottom front, there are two touch sensitive navigation buttons and a physical dedicated button in the centre line the ones on Samsung devices.


Dimensions / Display

The screen is 5.7 inches and is a HD IPS-LCD display with OGS Dragon Trail Glass with full lamination and supports a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels (320 PPI) with 16 Million colors and supporting 5 point touch. The touch sensitivity is really good as well as the viewing angles and color reproduction. The handset is 8.81 mm thick and weighs in at about 169 grams.


The Operating System

The handset runs on Android 4.2.2 and is upgradeable to 4.4 KitKat when it becomes available. Though I’m not sure how this would be implemented, either through OTG or through direct service. Either way, you’ll have to wait and see.


Memory / Storage

The device is available in Black and White. I bought the black handset. The device runs on Android 4.2.2 (it is upgradeable to 4.4 Kit Kat when released) with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage. The Micro SD card slot supports SD cards up to about 64 GB. Of the 16 GB internal storage, 1.15 GB is allocated for apps and roughly about 12 GB is for phone storage. Although the handset does not support OTG I was able to connect an iBall Hybrid OTG USB Pen Drive and it worked without any flaws. Maybe the latest handsets coming have been updated for recognizing OTC devices.


Handset Performance

The Wammy Titan 3 Octa performed really well in all departments be it casual usage, browsing internet through Wi-Fi, listening to music, running heavy applications or using benchmarking apps, and playing games. The handset did not show any lags.


Benchmark and Statistics


Benchmark Scores
Application Used
Scores Obtained
AnTuTu 4.4.2
26067
CPU Prime
6357
GPU Bench
8493
III Mark
10102 ms
MultiTouch Tester
5 Points
NenaMark 1
55.7 fps
NenaMark 2
55.8 fps
Quadrant Standard
13366
SQLite Performance
29.423 sec
Vellamo
HTML 5
1762
Metal
531



Games (the fun stuff)

I installed Asphalt 8 and GT Racing 2 and they worked fairly well in high graphics mode. The handset was able to play a lot of the high-end games with relative ease and at high graphics settings.


Video / Camera (front and rear)

The Wammy Titan 3 Octa can play full HD videos. The rear camera is a 13 MP AF camera with LED flash and the front camera is 5 MP. The camera quality is good, but with little grains when pictures are blown up. This shouldn’t be worrying as most people don’t look too closely to pictures. I do feel that they could have gone with a better camera. The rear camera can record FHD videos at 30 fps.


Sound and Music

The audio quality of Wammy Titan 3 Octa is good and there are no issues as far as I could tell with notification/ringtones and music being loud and clear. There was no crackling or hissing sounds that I could make out at high volumes, though I would not do that as it would harm the speakers in the long run.


Battery

The battery is of 3200 mAh and should let you comfortably go through your day-to-day activities with ease. However, if you are using CPU-intensive apps or plan on playing games on end, be warned, the battery tends to heat up. When the temperature is above 45 degrees or more, a message will pop-up telling that the battery is over temperature and to remove the battery.

Using the handset for the first time running benchmark apps (with Wi-Fi on) the battery dropped by 11% and max temperature was 43 degrees. Next, I played Asphalt 8 and with auto brightness for 15 minutes the battery dropped by about 10% and the max temperature was 48 degrees. That’s when I got the battery over temperature message.

For normal or average usage, there will be no issues. If you want to play high-end games in hot or humid environments, the battery heats up pretty quickly. The battery does drain fairly quickly when using processor-intensive applications.


Others / Extra

The Wammy Titan 3 Octa is powered accelerometer, magnetic, light, and proximity sensors. The LED notification only supports red color. USB/Bluetooth, WAP, WI-FI (802.11 b/g/n, supports Wi-Fi hotspot), supports Wi-Fi direct, A-GPS, EPO assistance, 3G, WIFI, GPS, FM, Bluetooth, Tethering & Portable Hotspot.


Verdict (at last…)


The Wammy Titan 3 Octa is something that everyone would want from a powerful smartphone. The performance is smooth, camera quality should have been better (but I’ll live with it). 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage is an added advantage. The dual SIM Wammy Titan 3 Octa handset is available for a price of Rs. 14,990/- and with aqua protect it will cost Rs. 1500/- extra. It’s a very good buy for the price considering its feature. I don’t mind the brand as long as the device works and provides me with what I require. I do feel the camera and battery performance should have been better.




[ABOUT: Devesh Prabhu is an avid blogger and has been blogging posts and rants on many subjects through his various blogs. He has been associated with the blogosphere for the past 8/9 years and inadvertently left the blogging scene albeit to concentrate on his personal life, but his desire to be among his readers brought him back.]


[NOTE: The article "Wammy Titan 3 Octa Core Review – A Balanced Approach" first appeared on the Komputer Knowledge Blog.


[DISCLAIMER: All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at anytime and without notice.]

Monday, April 28, 2014

Wammy Titan 3 Octa Core Overview



WickedLeak has been on a launching spree in India and after the recently launched Wammy Passion X Octa Core phone last month has come up with another offering, the Wammy Titan 3 Octa Core. Both handsets come powered with the company’s Aqua Protect technology, which will cost Rs. 1,500/- extra should you consider going with Aqua Protect. Another thing to consider is that there would be an extra Rs. 500/- for shipping.

According to the official site, the Wammy Titan 3 Octa Core handset has dual SIM (micro + Normal SIM) slots. It will be available in Black and White and runs on Android 4.2.2 (upgradeable to 4.4 Kit Kat) with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage. There is a Micro SD card slot supporting up to 64 GB cards.

The Titan 3 Octa Core is a 5.7 inch handset with IPS screen and Dragon Trail Glass supporting a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, making it 320 PPI. The handset weighs in at about 150 grams, and is 8.9 mm thick.

The Octa Core processor is a MediaTek 1.7 GHz MT6592 coupled with a Mali 450 MP graphics processor (GPU). To juice things up in the photography department, there’s a 13 MP auto-focus camera on the rear with LED flash and a 5 MP front camera. The handset supports 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, and GPS with A-GPS support. The 3200 mAh battery should pull you through the day with moderate to semi-heavy usage as viewing e-books, browsing the internet, and listening to music.


More to come...












[ABOUT: Devesh Prabhu is an avid blogger and has been blogging posts and rants on many subjects through his various blogs. He has been associated with the blogosphere for the past 8/9 years and inadvertently left the blogging scene albeit to concentrate on his personal life, but his desire to be among his readers brought him back.]


[NOTE: The article "Wammy Titan 3 Octa Core Overview" first appeared on the Komputer Knowledge Blog.



[DISCLAIMER: All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at anytime and without notice.]



Friday, March 21, 2014

Microsoft And Its Windows Operating System (An Opinion)



Microsoft has been on an update spree lately and is trying hard to promote Windows 8.1 Update 1 to many corporations, nations, and individuals alike. From the time that I have been using Microsoft Windows (starting from 95 and then moving on to 7), I’ve found that much of OS has changed (for the worse) and it’s now nowhere near as easy, even for a fairly advanced user as me.

Something happened to Microsoft along the way and it was mostly and predominantly at the time that Steve Ballmer took over as CEO from Bill Gates and went on to ruin the company’s tried-and-trusted methodology of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ I might just be in the mood to forgive Microsoft for Windows Vista, but after Windows XP and all it’s variations, the upgrade to Windows Vista and then 7 was just marred with various issues and bugs and other things that I wouldn’t want to mention here.

Basically put, over the years in its evolution, Microsoft lost it mojo and became centered towards profit-mongering turning a blind-eye to its users’ needs and requests to make it OS more user-centric and to make it even more, I would call it, crude to put it in blunt terms. When you are designing an OS you have to have users’ perspective and views in mind. You just cannot have something be made that you think is going to go down well with your current users and prospective customers. You have to woo them with all the fanfare, but also give them something that they are happy and content with.

It’s not like you’re baking a cake for your evening tea-party where your invitees will give you feedback instantly on your cooking skills. To make the perfect OS you have to be willing to wait for it to cook and bake and see that all your ingredients are mixed properly and gel well in the oven through the alpha and beta stages and lastly you are able to give a proper finished product to your users and customers. The thing with Windows is that with its every evolution it has become a humungous monolithic beast of sorts and is now finding it hard to maintain its own against rival OS’s like Linux and its various flavors.

For the most part, Microsoft was on the right track with Windows XP and it lasted the company a good old ten years of revenue and a growing user base loyal to it. What ruined things for it was the introduction on Windows Vista and then Windows 7 and now Windows 8.1 Update 1. The tried and trusted formula was experimented upon which led to disaster after disaster and people jumping ship to other OS’s looking for greener pastures.

The one thing I find intriguing about Windows is that with every new iteration of Windows is it has higher hardware requirements (read recommended settings) to properly function. When you try and provide all-you-see with your OS be it in terms of functionality or glam-sham, the hardware requirements tend to increase. It is as though if Microsoft is trying to boost the PC hardware sales by changing the requirements with every new release of Windows.

I’ve been an avid user of Microsoft Windows and over the years I have found the OS to be dysfunctional to say the least. Just by adding more bells and whistles to it does not necessarily make it better nor does making a basic version with less functionality make it usable. What Microsoft needs to do now is to go back to the drawing board and make the next version (Windows 9) more usable and much more like Windows XP.



One of the most asked and talked about feature is the ‘classic’ interface of XP that many people are wanting. One cannot start to grapple with the fact that Microsoft has not implemented this in either Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 Update 1. The question is, why is Microsoft not doing this? What does it stand to gain by alienating users and prospective customers?

Hope Microsoft is able to see its shortcomings and able to reinvent itself before it is doomed like many other tech companies before it. If Microsoft has to be once again be relevant (for its own good) it is high time that it starts listening to its users and make drastic changes to it OS.







[ABOUT: Devesh Prabhu is an avid blogger and has been blogging posts and rants on many subjects through his various blogs. He has been associated with the blogosphere for the past 8/9 years and inadvertently left the blogging scene albeit to concentrate on his personal life, but his desire to be among his readers brought him back.]


[NOTE: The article "Microsoft And Its Windows Operating System (An Opinion)" first appeared on the Komputer Knowledge Blog.

[DISCLAIMER: All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at anytime and without notice.]