Category: Computer Systems

The computer in the tablet-driven world

 

Toshiba Thrive AT1S0 7" tablet

Toshiba AT1S0 7″ Android tablet

At the moment, the tablet computer is being seen as a device to replace regular laptop and notebook computers as the commonly-used portable computing device. But I see the tablet and laptop being able to work complimentary to each other.

For example, I would see the laptop or notebook as being used for long-term intense work such as content creation whereas the tablet can be used for “at-a-glance” reading and browsing. The devices that are able to assume both functions, whether as a detachable-keyboard “hybrid” or a convertible with a “swivel-screen” or “slide-out screen” can provide a bridge between these functions.

Windows 8 Modern UI start screen

Windows 8 “Modern UI” start screen – optimised for touchscreens

This has been augmented by Windows 8 being able to facilitate the “best of both worlds” for content creation when used with a convertible or touch-enabled computer. Here, the “Modern” user-interface can become a dashboard and some of the applications optimised for this interface set themselves up to allow you to read or browse. Whereas you may be able to run a Desktop application which adjusts itself for content creation with the regular keyboard and mouse as the control tools.

The tablets that are run using Android, iOS and Windows RT perform their complementary tasks very well and work the part for ad-hoc viewing.

What kind of tablet?

For example, the 7” units like the Apple iPad Mini, the Google Nexus 7 and the Toshiba AT1S0 are good for bring-it-out-at-the-moment applications where you keep the unit in your handbag or coat pocket. Here you could provide a link to Websites that you need to show others or keep reference material like PDF-printed manuals or online Bibles on these devices.

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet with stylus

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet – fit for business

Conversely, the 10” units like the Apple iPad, the Acer Iconia A500 Series or the ASUS Transformer Prime are good for reading, viewing and surfing in the couch although the small Windows 8 convertible and hybrids could satisfy the same game. You could even view photos and video material comfortable and personally on these devices. In some cases, most of these tablets have a way of showing the pictures held on our camera’s or camcorder’s SD card either through an integrated card slot, a third-party “On The Go” cable and SD card reader or, in the case of an Apple iPad, an SD card adaptor.

If you are thinking of one device, I would place the convertibles as being suitable for this purpose. A detachable-keyboard “hybrid” computer can work well when you want the benefits of a lightweight tablet but want to be able to have a keyboard that you don’t have to bring along with you. On the other hand, it is worth looking at the “convertibles” which have the screen able to be arranged as if a tablet yet they become a regular laptop computer.

It would be hard to think of a screen of 12” or lager as being suitable for touch-based computing on a tablet computer but the convertibles and detachable-keyboard hybrids of this size would also come in to their own when you use the keyboard. Conversely, the 10”-11” computers may be awkward with content creation when you use the keyboard yet the are a natural for touch-based “browsing”.

Here, you would have to place weight on what you are wanting to use this computer for and choose the size of screen you want. As well, it is worth getting as much RAM and secondary-storage capacity as you can afford when you buy these computers so you can multitask easily and have room for the programs and data you take along with you.

Interested about the HP Envy x2 that is being promoted on TV? A review is coming soon

Any of you who have watched MasterChef The Professionals lately may have seen some TV ads running for the HP Envy x2 detachable-keyboard hybrid notebook.

This unit is a basic Intel-driven Windows 8 notebook that converts to a tablet by you separating it from the keyboard. It is pitched as something you could use primarily as a tablet yet use the keyboard to do text entry.

Very shortly, I will be receiving one of these units for review as the first of the Windows 8 touch-enabled computing devices of this year and who knows what it will be like as a computer for its application.

Game On with a Gaming Tablet PC

Article

Project Fiona Now the Razer Edge: A Full-on Gaming Tablet

My Comments

Previously, “full-on” gaming has been focused at highly-strung “gaming-rig” desktop PCs running the latest version of Windows. Lately there have been a few performance laptops like what Alienware releases that would please the Starcraft fanatic and a few all-in-one computers with performance credentials that would suit gamers like the HP Z1 have come on to the market.

Similarly, NVIDIA have run a special games app store for their Tegra ARM processors where “full-on” games are made available for some of the Tegra-powered Android tablets such as the ASUS Transformer Prime. But now Razer have set up a Windows 8 tablet PC that isn’t any weakling when it comes to games performance.

This is a highly-customisable touchscreen computer that is driven by the current-generation Intel Core processors. As for graphics, this would have the discrete NVIDIA chipsets and its secondary storage is SSD rather than the hard disk. Personally, I would go for the “Pro” version which has up to 256Gb storage and could cater for a few games that have all the extra downloadable content or mods such as extra characters, civilizations or maps.

There are options to control the tablet PC such as a game-controller dock as well as a keyboard dock. One limitation I would suspect that this unit would have is that it chews through the batteries very quickly due to the performance components needed to keep those characters moving.

This is another example of how the new integrated touchscreen computers are being shoehorned to suit diehard “World-Of-Warcraft” gaming enthusiasts or multimedia enthusiasts rather than still being considered “toys”.

ASUS has shown up with a professional-grade Ultrabook

Article

Asus prépare un ultrabook en version professionnelle | 59Hardware.Net (France – French language)

My Comments

ASUS have been doing further work on the Ultrabook genre of ultraportable computers ever since this genre was defined. Now they have pitched a 14” Ultrabook for intended launch that has features that are desired for a media professional’s workstation. Here, this computer is pitched as a bridge between something that would provide what the mainstream laptop would offer but be one you can stuff in to your backpack as you ride off to work or that favourite Wi-Fi-equipped café.

Here the Pro BU400V series is equipped with the 14” screen that can yield a 1366×768 or higher-resolution 1600×900 display depending on the model you order. The display will be powered by a dual-GPU graphics subsystem with the discrete chipset being a NVIDIA NVS-5200 with Optimus “automatic overdrive switch” and 1Gb of display memory.

The main engine would be either an Intel Ivy Bridge i5-3317U or i7-3517U processor with the main memory being either 4Gb or 8Gb. As for secondary storage, there is the choice of a 320Gb or 500Gb hard disk or a 256Gb solid-state storage subsystem.

Of course the connectivity would satisfy most needs with USB 3.0, external display connectivity via HDMI or VGA, and an SD card slot. It would connect to the home or small-business network via Gigabit Ethernet or 802.11a/g/n wireless. Of course, as a current well-bred notebook, this unit has the Bluetooth 4.0 Smart Ready wireless connectivity.

But, really. who would this computer really suit?

I would recommend this as being a lightweight “shoulder-bag”/ “backpack” notebook for those of us who want the benefit of improved graphic performance such as serious digital photographers / videographers who do “on-the-road” editing. On the other hand, this would work well with gamers who want to have something to play that favourite PC game on while on the road.

Using a NAS to hold operating-system updates

The current situation

Netgear ReadyNAS

A network-attached storage can come in handy for storing software updates rather than downloading them frequently

Operating system and application developers are now being required to provide updates for their products during the product’s service life and beyond. This is to provide for a computing environment that is performs in an efficient, secure, reliable and optimum manner. The updates may be released at regular intervals such as on a monthly basis or in response to a situation such as the discovery of a bug or security exploit.

New devices

A common situation that happens with most regular and mobile computing devices when a user takes delivery of them is that the user downloads a large data package to bring it up to date. This may be done many times if multiple units running the same platform are purchased.

Many devices

Similarly, a household may have multiple units running the same operating environment and they have to keep these up to date. The typical example of this may be a family with two or three children who are at secondary school. Here, they may have two or three computers for the children to use as well as one computer per adult. This could be brought about with the older child being given a more powerful computer as they enter senior high school or another computer given to the younger children as they start their secondary school.

But the same bandwidth would be used again and again to update each and every device. This may not be a problem for a couple with one device per adult but would be a problem when you are thinking of environments with more than two devices which is fast becoming the norm.

Using a network-attached storage to locally cache updates

Somehow the network-attached storage devices need to be able to support the ability to locally hold updates and patches for operating systems and applications used in computers on a home or small-business network.

The practice is performed frequently with large-business computer setups because of the number of computers being managed in these setups. But it could be practiced with home and small-business setups using a simplified interface. This could be based on the use of a local-storage application for regular or mobile client operating environments which supports this kind of local updating.

A local client application to manage system-update needs

Here, the local-client software could register which operating environment the host computer runs and what eligible applications are on the system so as to prepare an “update manifest” or “shopping list” for the computer. The “shopping list” would be based on the core name of the software, no matter whether different computers are running different variants of the software, such as home laptops running Windows 7 Home Premium while a work-home laptop runs Windows 7 Professional. This manifest would be updated if new applications are installed, existing applications are removed or changed to different editions or the operating system is upgraded to a different version or edition.

A local software manifest held by the NAS

This manifest is then uploaded to the NAS which runs a server application to regularly check the software developers’ update sites for the latest versions and updates for the programs that exist on the “shopping list”. There could be a “commonality” check that assesses whether particular updates and patches apply across older and newer versions of the same software, which can be true for some Windows patches that apply from Windows XP to Windows 7 with the same code.

At regular intervals, the NAS checks for the updates and downloads them as required. Here, it could be feasible to implement logic the check the updates and patches for malware especially as this update path can be an exploit vector. Then the computers that exist on the network check for new software updates and patches at the NAS.

Software requirements

Such a concept could be implemented at the client with most regular and mobile operating systems and could be implemented on network-attached storage devices that work to a platform that allows software addition.

It would also require software developers who develop the operating systems and application software to provide a level of support for update checking by intermediate devices. Initially this could require setups that are particular to a particular developer being installed on the client device and the NAS, but this could move towards one software update solution across many developers.

A change of mindset

What needs to happen is a change of mindset regarding software distribution in the home and small business. Here, the use of local network storage for software updates doesn’t just suit the big business with more than 50 computers in its fleet.

It could suit the household with two or more children in secondary school or a household with many young adults. Similarly a shop that is growing steadily and acquiring a second POS terminal or a medical practice that is setting up for two or more doctors practising concurrently may want this same ability out of their server or NAS.

Conclusion

The NAS shouldn’t just be considered as a storage device but as a way of saving bandwidth when deploying updates in to a household or small business who has multiple computers on the same platform.

The perfect expansion module for those Ultrabooks

Article

VMultra bundles USB hub, DVD drive, SD slot and 500GB HDD to form ultimate laptop peripheral — Engadget

My Comments

Previously, I have written some articles on the USB-connected expansion modules that can extend the functionality of those Ultrabooks and similar ultraportable computers. Here, I was

This included my reviewing a Sony VAIO Z Series premium ultraportable that was equipped with one of these modules that had an integrated slot-load Blu-Ray player.

But what amazes me about this particular VMultra expansion module is that it is effectively acting as a “storage hub” with an SD card reader, DVD burner and a 500Gb hard disk, thus adding at least three extra drive letters or disk icons to your computer. This also is effectively adding on an external hard disk to the computer for use in keeping “main office” work on the desk while you have “portable” work in the computer. Expect this unit to be equipped with a USB 3.0 host interface as well as a multi-port USB hub that most likely continuously self-powered so you can also charge those gadgets off it.

This could become the start of the expansion module that is more about a virtual system unit for an ultraportable, being equipped with onboard secondary storage, DisplayLink video functionality, audio functionality and the like to be kept as an “at home” or “at office” option.

Product Review–HP Pavilion dm4 Beats Edition Notebook Computer (DM4-3114TX)

Introduction

I am reviewing the latest revision of the HP Pavilion dm4 Series of 14” “laptop-bridge” notebook computers. This computer is a technically-revised version of the previously-reviewed HP Pavilion dm4 notebook (DM4-3015TX) in the way that it has been equipped with the third-generation Intel Ivy Bridge chipset. This has allowed for more of the newer technologies including improved integrated graphics, more USB 3.0 ports and inherent support for Bluetooth 4.0 “Smart Ready” low-power technology.

HP Pavilion dm4 Series notebook computer (dm4-3114tx)

Price
– this configuration
RRP  AUD$999
Form factor Regular laptop
Processor Intel Ivy Bridge i5-3210 cheaper – other options
extra cost – other options
RAM 4Gb shared with graphics
Secondary storage 640Gb hard disk DVD burner, SD card reader
Display Subsystem Intel HD integrated graphics + AMD Radeon HD 7570M discrete graphics 1Gb discrete graphics memory
Screen 14” widescreen (1366×768) LED backlit LCD
Audio Subsystem Intel HD Integrated audio
Audio Improvements Beats Audio by Dr Dre
Network Wi-Fi 802.11g/n
Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 Smart Ready
Connectivity USB 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0
Video VGA, HDMI
Audio 3.5mm audio input-out jack, digital audio via HDMI
Operating System on supplied configuration Windows 7 Home Edition
Windows Experience Index – this configuration Overall: 4.9 Graphics: 4.9
Advanced Graphics: 6.3

The computer itself

Aesthetics and Build Quality

HP Pavilion dm4 Series Beats Edition laptop (dm4-3114tx)The HP Pavilion dm4 computer is aesthetically similar to the previous dm4 Series laptop that I previously reviewed with the same black shell and rubberised palmrest and keyboard surround.

Similarly it doesn’t overheat even when used on your knee or resting on your bed even when I was watching SBS On Demand video material. There is some venting on the left-hand side of the laptop which will help with keeping it cool.

User Interface

The HP Pavilion dm4’s keyboard was big enough to allow me to fully touch type comfortably and the keys had enough throw to provide the desirable feedback. The only thing that I didn’t like was that the markings were written in that same dull red which can be hard to read. Oh yeah, there was still the B key being a stylised representation of the Beats Audio logo.

As for the trackpad, it didn’t behave in a hair-trigger manner when you were typing away. It was also easy to locate, and had the distinctly-identified buttons for both the primary and secondary buttons. This goes against the grain with most laptops where the buttons are effectively part of the trackpad square. This can allow you to easily feel where you are to press when you are to click an option or pop up the context menu.

Audio and Video

For the visual experience, this HP Pavilion laptop came up very smoothly with the video even though it uses a dual-GPU setup. This allows it to work very capably with most video content, but I would recommend having the ability to switch between the discrete and integrated video subsystems manually as well as automatically. As with most laptop and similar computers targeted at consumers, you still have the glossy screen which can be annoying in some viewing environments.

The Beats Audio sound tuning still comes through on music and movies. This didn’t matter whether you were using the integrated speakers or different headphones. For example, the sound effects still come through strongly even on cheaper cans as well as the Turtle Beach cans even though I turned the Beats Audio processing on and off. The speakers still have the same limitations that are put on them by the small cabinet size that is required of laptop design thus less likely to achieve a full-bodied sound.

Connectivity, Storage and Expansion

HP Pavilion dm4-3114tx Beats Edition notebook right hand side - DVD burner, 3.5mm audio input-output jack and USB 2.0 socket

Right-hand-side connections – DVD burner, 3.5mm audio input-output jack and USB 2.0 port

The HP Pavilion dm4 Beats Edition’s connectivity options were very similar to the previous version although one of the USB sockets was a USB 2.0 rather than a USB 3.0. As well, it was equipped with the latest Bluetooth 4.0 Smart Ready technology so it can work with the low-power devices that this technology can offer.

HP Pavilion dm4-3114tx Beats Edition notebook left hand side - VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, 2 x USB 3.0 ports

Left-hand side connections – VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI and 2 x USB 3.0 ports

The secondary-storage options are similar to what you would expect for an average-priced 15” consumer laptop. This is where it has decent hard-disk capacity as well as a DVD burner and SD card reader.

Battery life

The HP Pavilion dm4 was economical on the battery life for day-to-day work thanks to the new chipset and, again, the implementation of dual-mode graphics which uses the right chipset for the task.

The battery lasted for around four hours running a DVD movie on continuous play.which was very close to the previous version of this model. This was although I had Windows Live Writer going so I can make notes and I had the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth running. This runtime would be relatively close to today’s expectations for the new Intel Ivy Bridge platform as it would for its Sandy Bridge predecessor.

Limitations and Points Of Improvement

Personally, I would like to see HP offer two different configurations for the Pavilion dm4 Series while keeping this screen size. Here, it could benefit from a variant that has more RAM similar to the previous version. This could also mean that HP could equip it with the Intel i7 processor for a faster machine.

Similarly, the HP dm4 Series could also benefit from 802.11a/g/n dual-band Wi-Fi wireless networking. As well, an illuminated keyboard withe the letters shown in red would make up for the dark-red keyboard lettering. As Windows 8 is coming on to the market, the HP dm4 Series could benefit from a touchscreen or a Window-8-optimised touchpad.

Conclusion

HP Pavilion dm4-3114tx notebook computer lid viewThis current version of the HP Pavilion dm4 Beats Edition laptop may be like some other manufactured products that were technically revised and had some features that their forbear had missing from the current version. But like the previous model, this model continues what the series is all about – that is a good “all-rounder” portable computer that can be carried in your bag or satisfies environments where you may be tight on space but have the features and expectations of a mainstream regular laptop.

Why purchase as much storage capacity as you can afford when you buy a computing device

Toshiba Tecra R950 business laptop

Toshiba Tecra R950 business laptop

Very often, I notice people who are buying a computer, tablet or similar device purchase the device based on the price without thinking of the issue of the unit’s secondary-storage capacity.

But in most situations, the cheaper variants of these devices have lesser storage capacity. This may not be an issue if the device is serving as a secondary computing device and you are likely to either use a auxiliary storage devices like external hard disks, removable SD cards or cloud-hosted / network-hosted storage with the device regularly. What can happen as you use that iPad or laptop is that the main storage capacity fills up and it feels as though there is a noose around your neck as there is less storage capacity on your device for you to store programs or data. In some situations, the device doesn’t perform as well as it should.

You also think of having to frequently purge your system of data that may be “put away” but is to be on hand for use at a later time. In some cases, this activity may cause you to dump data that you may later regret dumping.

Toshiba AT300 10" Android tablet computer

Toshiba AT300 10″ Android tablet computer

But you can avoid this with new computing devices especially those you expect to use as your main computing devices if you buy or specify as much storage capacity as you can afford. For example, I encouraged someone who was in the market for an iPad to think of the higher-capacity models because people tend to have them full of photos, music, email and apps very quickly.

In most cases, your device’s storage capacity can be a key bargaining point when choosing that device. For example, you may have something of AUD$100-200 between one storage class and another more capacious storage class for a tablet or a laptop. Some dealers may also try to offer the variant with more capacity for the same price as the model that you are after and have budgeted on.

There is also a reality that as time passes on, the cost of data storage does reduce for a particular capacity due to Moore’s Law.

So if I buy or specify a computing device for someone, especially if the device is expected to be a main or sole computing device, I would make sure that there is as much hard disk, SSD or other storage space as you can afford.

Touch-enabled Windows 8 computers–where to go

Introduction

I am writing this piece about the newer crop of Windows-8 computers that will be equipped for touchscreen computing. This will explain the different types that will be available and how to get on board this platform.

Types

Portable

Tablet

This class of Windows 8 portable is a simple touch-sensitive tablet that can come with a keyboard and mouse. If you don’t have the keyboard with the computer and you want to do some text entry, these computers will use a touchscreen virtual keyboard for this purpose. Because Windows 8 uses the Bluetooth and USB class drivers for input devices, you can use third-party keyboards and mice that connect via these interface methods. This can come in handy with using the Bluetooth keyboard attachments that are available for iPads and Android tablets.

An extension of this class is Sony’s VAIO Tap 20 which is a 20” tablet that isn’t considered all that portable. Here, this one works with supplied keyboard and mouse accessories but can work as a tablet. It also has a kickstand so it can work like the typical all-in-one computer.

Detachable-keyboard hybrid

These portable computers use a supplied detachable keyboard module that clips to the screen. They take this example from the Android-powered ASUS Transformer Prime and operate in two different forms.

The inexpensive varieties have the keyboard and, in some cases, a trackpad just as a controller device powered by the tablet. But most of the desirable variants would have extra functionality in the detachable keyboard such as an extra battery, USB ports, etc. Here, the computer can benefit from a large range of extra abilities when the user wants to enjoy these benefits.

Convertible

Here, the screen swivels or folds over to become a tablet or the computer can open and close like a regular laptop. An example of this type that I reviewed was the Fujitsu Lifebook TH550M that I previously reviewed and you might be able to claw for cheap on the secondhand market. This is one of the classes of computer that can benefit those of us who want to use the computer for a lot of text entry like working on documents or Excel spreadsheets. Similarly, they can he angled in a manner that benefits viewing or showing content like pictures, PowerPoint presentations, video or Web pages.

The simpler variants fold over so that the keyboard is exposed whereas other types have the screen swivel vertically on a pedestal or horizontally through a frame. These ones may have an increased risk of damage if you try to rotate the screen further in a similar way to what can happen with most digital cameras that have the fold-out screens.

Slider convertible

These computers such as the Sony VAIO Duo 11 appear like a tablet in normal use. But the keyboard on them slides out from underneath the screen and the screen can be tilted up using an integrated kickstand.

Most of them may, at the most, use an integrated thumbstick as the secondary pointing device. Here, you may find that the Bluetooth wireless mouse may be more important for these computers if you want that gradual pointing or scrolling ability that these devices have.

Touch-enabled laptop

The mainstream portable option may simply be a regular clamshell laptop computer that is equipped with a touchscreen. The manufacturers would find this easier to offer as an incremental option for their designs thus offering it across the board.

Most manufacturers are offering as a cheaper alternative a laptop that doesn’t have a touchscreen. Instead these machines use a highly-optimised trackpad that is flush with the palmrest, perhaps with a ridge surround the trackpad. This provides proper support for multi-finger touch operation thus providing some support for Windows 8’s touch gestures. This may be a confusing experience for you if you are working your laptop at one area while you view the screen at another area.

For customers, this could be a cost-effective entry point to the touch-enabled Windows 8 experience for a portable or transportable application.

Desktop

Touch-enabled all-in-one

Most all-in-one Windows desktop computers, like the Sony VAIO J Series that I previously reviewed, will have a touchscreen but Windows 8 and its Metro user interface would make the touchscreen come in to its own on these computers. A few of these computers are gaining respect as far as performance is concerned, thus allowing them to be used for intense gaming, video editing or other intense work.

Regular desktop with touchscreen monitor

Most of us who have regular desktop computers and want to upgrade to Windows 8 could upgrade the monitor to a touch-enabled screen. Similarly a newer regular desktop, whether tower-style or low-profile, could be specified with a touchscreen monitor.

The touch-enabled monitors nay require a USB connection to the host computer as well as the DVI or HDMI video connection.

At the moment, it may be hard to look for a reasonably-priced touchscreen monitor, especially with the preferred DVI, HDMI or DisplayPort sockets. This is because quite a lot of computer retailers, especially the “big-box” retailers, don’t sell them at all or sell them at an exorbitant price. The best result may be to do some online shopping or visit independent computer specialists for these monitors.

Confusing issues

Already own a tablet

If you already own an iPad or Android tablet, you may think that purchasing a touch-enabled Windows computer isn’t necessary. This is even though you may use the iPad or Android tablet with an accessory keyboard to create content.

In some ways, the touch-enabled Windows 8 computer may be a way of extending the touch-driven computing experience you started to enjoy with your mobile-platform-based tablet. Here, you could think of working with a touch-enabled large-screen laptop as a main or sole computer with the tablet serving as a casual-use unit. Similarly equipping the desktop computer for touch computing, whether through purchasing an touch-capable all-in-one or adding a touch-enabled monitor to the existing desktop may achieve this goal.

Similarly, you may own a Windows 7 computer that has an integrated touchscreen or is hooked up to a touchscreen monitor. Here, if the computer is equipped to modern specifications such as a recent-standard processor and at least 2Gb of RAM, preferable at least 4Gb, it may be a good break to update this unit to Windows 8.

Considering a touch-enabled computer less productive

Some of you may find that the touch-enabled computer less productive. This can be so if you expect to enter a lot of text such as working on spreadsheets or preparing copy. It may not be a worry if you just compose short emails or work the Social Web.

These kind of users should place value on a keyboard as being part of the computer and use the touchscreen primarily for navigation and coarse selection purposes. The main screen in Windows 8 does work properly with the touchscreen as do applications that are written ground-up for Windows 8.

The touch-enabled virtual keyboard can come in to its own in a few situations such as entering foreign-language characters, especially those languages with non-Roman alphabets. This can be enabled if you can implement different keyboard layouts for the virtual keyboard and the hardware keyboard. As well, the virtual keyboard can be useful for entering confidential data if you use a desktop computer that you suspect has been equipped with a keystroke-capture hardware “bug”.

Windows RT computers

There are some tablets and detachable-keyboard hybrid computers out there that use ARM processors and run the Windows RT variant of this operating system. One example of this is the Microsoft Surface detachable-keyboard hybrid. These won’t be able to run the software that is currently available for the Windows platform because this software is written to work on the Intel microarchitecture.

Rather, you have to download extra software from the Windows Store which is the integrated app store for the Windows 8 / Windows RT platform. There will be some software like a home-student variant of Office on these computers so you can “get going” with this platform.

Software in the Windows 8 touchscreen world

The iOS and Android mobile operating environments have exposed the world of touchscreen computing to the consumer. This will lead to various expectations for how the user interface will be designed for various classes of program.

A good place to start for finding this software is the Windows Store which is the platform’s app store. As with all app stores, you may find yourself in a situation where you have to sift through the poor-quality “shareware-grade” software to find the good-quality gems. For example, I would start with the official clients for the online services you use or Windows-8 ports of known software titles from known authors.

Web-browsing

This will become a “chrome-free” application with you having to “drag” to the window edge to call up browser functions or the address bar. In Windows 8, there will be some reliance on the Charms Bar which is selected from the right of the screen for some functions like searching.

Office applications

This class of application would benefit from touch, more as a way to locate the cursor to a point in the text or a particular cell or object in the document. You would still use the cursor keys or the mouse for fine-tuning the location of the object.

These applications would have you touch items on the ribbon bars to instigate processes or select options. In some ways, you could see “full-screen” dashboards being used to select options such as creating new documents or applying themes.

Of course, the keyboard and mouse still remain as the tools to remain productive in these applications. Here this would encompass creating the content as well as manipulation parts of the content so you can be sure it looks right.

Gaming

Most game types can benefit from the touch-screen user interface for handling game objects, coarse menu selection or coarse navigation. Some games may exploit the multi-touch option for swivelling or panning the point-of-view or providing “true-to-form” manipulation of objects by allowing the player to turn or grip the object.

Of course there may be issues with slow touchscreens which may impact gameplay with games that require real-time interaction like action, sport or “real-time strategy” games. This would evolve over time as manufacturers create highly-responsive touchscreens that are suited to real-time interaction.

What could happen for most games is to require support for multiple user interfaces such as keyboard, mouse and touch with the ability for the player to determine which interface suits their current gameplay needs.

It is also worth knowing that some existing games may be touch-enabled “out of the box” or through the latest downloadable software patch. For example, Civilization V has been “touch-enabled” through the latest downloaded patch for those of you who have Windows 8.

How to go about buying in to the Windows 8 touchscreen world

I would suggest that you buy in to the Windows 8 touchscreen world as you purchase newer computer hardware. This is more so as more manufacturers introduce this hardware to the market in increasing numbers and at increasingly-different price points.

Convertibles, to some extent sliders, are a good portable solution when you like entering a lot of text as well as wanting to take advantage of the touchscreen as a tablet. The detachable-keyboard hybrid would suit those of us who want the lightweight tablet but like to be ready to do text entry.

If you have the traditional desktop computer as your main computer, whether as the classic “tower” look or a low-profile chassis, I would suggest that you factor the cost of a touch-enabled monitor in to the total upgrade cost for Windows 8. This could be something to evolve to at a later stage as you consider upgrading the monitor. On the other hand, an “all-in-one” desktop can satisfy your needs if you want something more elegant and less cumbersome.

Conclusion

Once Windows 8 gets a stronger foothold, whether through people purchasing new computer equipment or upgrading existing Windows systems to this operating system, touchscreen computing will start to acquire a newer momentum.

Touch-enabled Windows 8 computers–where to go

Introduction

Sony VAIO J Series all-in-one computerI am writing this piece about the newer crop of Windows-8 computers that will be equipped for touchscreen computing. This will explain the different types that will be available and where to go when entering this new world of computing with a regular computer.

Computer Types

Portable

Tablet

This class of Windows 8 portable is a simple touch-sensitive tablet that can come with a keyboard and mouse. If you don’t have the keyboard with the computer and you want to do some text entry, these computers will use a touchscreen virtual keyboard for this purpose. Because Windows 8 uses the Bluetooth and USB class drivers for input devices, you can use third-party keyboards and mice that connect via these interface methods. This can come in handy with using the Bluetooth keyboard attachments that are available for iPads and Android tablets.

An extension of this class is Sony’s VAIO Tap 20 which is a 20” tablet that isn’t considered all that portable. Here, this one works with supplied keyboard and mouse accessories but can work as a tablet. It also has a kickstand so it can work like the typical all-in-one computer.

Detachable-keyboard hybrid

These portable computers use a supplied detachable keyboard module that clips to the screen. They take this example from the Android-powered ASUS Transformer Prime and operate in two different forms.

The inexpensive varieties have the keyboard and, in some cases, a trackpad just as a controller device powered by the tablet. But most of the desirable variants would have extra functionality in the detachable keyboard such as an extra battery, USB ports, etc. Here, the computer can benefit from a large range of extra abilities when the user wants to enjoy these benefits.

Convertible

Here, the screen swivels or folds over to become a tablet or the computer can open and close like a regular laptop. An example of this type that I reviewed was the Fujitsu Lifebook TH550M that I previously reviewed and you might be able to claw for cheap on the secondhand market. This is one of the classes of computer that can benefit those of us who want to use the computer for a lot of text entry like working on documents or Excel spreadsheets. Similarly, they can he angled in a manner that benefits viewing or showing content like pictures, PowerPoint presentations, video or Web pages.

The simpler variants fold over so that the keyboard is exposed whereas other types have the screen swivel vertically on a pedestal or horizontally through a frame. These ones may have an increased risk of damage if you try to rotate the screen further in a similar way to what can happen with most digital cameras that have the fold-out screens.

Slider convertible

These computers such as the Sony VAIO Duo 11 appear like a tablet in normal use. But the keyboard on them slides out from underneath the screen and the screen can be tilted up using an integrated kickstand.

Most of them may, at the most, use an integrated thumbstick as the secondary pointing device. Here, you may find that the Bluetooth wireless mouse may be more important for these computers if you want that gradual pointing or scrolling ability that these devices have.

Touch-enabled laptop

The mainstream portable option may simply be a regular clamshell laptop computer that is equipped with a touchscreen. The manufacturers would find this easier to offer as an incremental option for their designs thus offering it across the board.

Most manufacturers are offering as a cheaper alternative a laptop that doesn’t have a touchscreen. Instead these machines use a highly-optimised trackpad that is flush with the palmrest, perhaps with a ridge surround the trackpad. This provides proper support for multi-finger touch operation thus providing some support for Windows 8’s touch gestures. This may be a confusing experience for you if you are working your laptop at one area while you view the screen at another area.

For customers, this could be a cost-effective entry point to the touch-enabled Windows 8 experience for a portable or transportable application.

Desktop

Touch-enabled all-in-one

Most all-in-one Windows desktop computers, like the Sony VAIO J Series that I previously reviewed, will have a touchscreen but Windows 8 and its Metro user interface would make the touchscreen come in to its own on these computers. A few of these computers are gaining respect as far as performance is concerned, thus allowing them to be used for intense gaming, video editing or other intense work.

Regular desktop with touchscreen monitor

Most of us who have regular desktop computers and want to upgrade to Windows 8 could upgrade the monitor to a touch-enabled screen. Similarly a newer regular desktop, whether tower-style or low-profile, could be specified with a touchscreen monitor.

The touch-enabled monitors nay require a USB connection to the host computer as well as the DVI or HDMI video connection.

At the moment, it may be hard to look for a reasonably-priced touchscreen monitor, especially with the preferred DVI, HDMI or DisplayPort sockets. This is because quite a lot of computer retailers, especially the “big-box” retailers, don’t sell them at all or sell them at an exorbitant price. The best result may be to do some online shopping or visit independent computer specialists for these monitors.

Confusing issues

Already own a tablet

If you already own an iPad or Android tablet, you may think that purchasing a touch-enabled Windows computer isn’t necessary. This is even though you may use the iPad or Android tablet with an accessory keyboard to create content.

In some ways, the touch-enabled Windows 8 computer may be a way of extending the touch-driven computing experience you started to enjoy with your mobile-platform-based tablet. Here, you could think of working with a touch-enabled large-screen laptop as a main or sole computer with the tablet serving as a casual-use unit. Similarly equipping the desktop computer for touch computing, whether through purchasing an touch-capable all-in-one or adding a touch-enabled monitor to the existing desktop may achieve this goal.

Similarly, you may own a Windows 7 computer that has an integrated touchscreen or is hooked up to a touchscreen monitor. Here, if the computer is equipped to modern specifications such as a recent-standard processor and at least 2Gb of RAM, preferable at least 4Gb, it may be a good break to update this unit to Windows 8.

Considering a touch-enabled computer less productive

Some of you may find that the touch-enabled computer less productive. This can be so if you expect to enter a lot of text such as working on spreadsheets or preparing copy. It may not be a worry if you just compose short emails or work the Social Web.

These kind of users should place value on a keyboard as being part of the computer and use the touchscreen primarily for navigation and coarse selection purposes. The main screen in Windows 8 does work properly with the touchscreen as do applications that are written ground-up for Windows 8.

The touch-enabled virtual keyboard can come in to its own in a few situations such as entering foreign-language characters, especially those languages with non-Roman alphabets. This can be enabled if you can implement different keyboard layouts for the virtual keyboard and the hardware keyboard. As well, the virtual keyboard can be useful for entering confidential data if you use a desktop computer that you suspect has been equipped with a keystroke-capture hardware “bug”.

Windows RT computers

There are some tablets and detachable-keyboard hybrid computers out there that use ARM processors and run the Windows RT variant of this operating system. One example of this is the Microsoft Surface detachable-keyboard hybrid. These won’t be able to run the software that is currently available for the Windows platform because this software is written to work on the Intel microarchitecture.

Rather, you have to download extra software from the Windows Store which is the integrated app store for the Windows 8 / Windows RT platform. There will be some software like a home-student variant of Office on these computers so you can “get going” with this platform.

Software in the Windows 8 touchscreen world

The iOS and Android mobile operating environments have exposed the world of touchscreen computing to the consumer. This will lead to various expectations for how the user interface will be designed for various classes of program.

A good place to start for finding this software is the Windows Store which is the platform’s app store. As with all app stores, you may find yourself in a situation where you have to sift through the poor-quality “shareware-grade” software to find the good-quality gems. For example, I would start with the official clients for the online services you use or Windows-8 ports of known software titles from known authors.

Web-browsing

This will become a “chrome-free” application with you having to “drag” to the window edge to call up browser functions or the address bar. In Windows 8, there will be some reliance on the Charms Bar which is selected from the right of the screen for some functions like searching.

Office applications

This class of application would benefit from touch, more as a way to locate the cursor to a point in the text or a particular cell or object in the document. You would still use the cursor keys or the mouse for fine-tuning the location of the object.

These applications would have you touch items on the ribbon bars to instigate processes or select options. In some ways, you could see “full-screen” dashboards being used to select options such as creating new documents or applying themes.

Of course, the keyboard and mouse still remain as the tools to remain productive in these applications. Here this would encompass creating the content as well as manipulation parts of the content so you can be sure it looks right.

Gaming

Most game types can benefit from the touch-screen user interface for handling game objects, coarse menu selection or coarse navigation. Some games may exploit the multi-touch option for swivelling or panning the point-of-view or providing “true-to-form” manipulation of objects by allowing the player to turn or grip the object.

Of course there may be issues with slow touchscreens which may impact gameplay with games that require real-time interaction like action, sport or “real-time strategy” games. This would evolve over time as manufacturers create highly-responsive touchscreens that are suited to real-time interaction.

What could happen for most games is to require support for multiple user interfaces such as keyboard, mouse and touch with the ability for the player to determine which interface suits their current gameplay needs.

It is also worth knowing that some existing games may be touch-enabled “out of the box” or through the latest downloadable software patch. For example, Civilization V has been “touch-enabled” through the latest downloaded patch for those of you who have Windows 8.

How to go about buying in to the Windows 8 touchscreen world

I would suggest that you buy in to the Windows 8 touchscreen world as you purchase newer computer hardware. This is more so as more manufacturers introduce this hardware to the market in increasing numbers and at increasingly-different price points.

Convertibles, to some extent sliders, are a good portable solution when you like entering a lot of text as well as wanting to take advantage of the touchscreen as a tablet. The detachable-keyboard hybrid would suit those of us who want the lightweight tablet but like to be ready to do text entry.

If you have the traditional desktop computer as your main computer, whether as the classic “tower” look or a low-profile chassis, I would suggest that you factor the cost of a touch-enabled monitor in to the total upgrade cost for Windows 8. This could be something to evolve to at a later stage as you consider upgrading the monitor. On the other hand, an “all-in-one” desktop can satisfy your needs if you want something more elegant and less cumbersome.

Conclusion

Once Windows 8 gets a stronger foothold, whether through people purchasing new computer equipment or upgrading existing Windows systems to this operating system, touchscreen computing will start to acquire a newer momentum.