The new Xbox: has it come full circle?

English: The Xbox console with the S controller, made by Microsoft. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now don't worry, this isn't about the hardware and which one is better - Xbox One or PS4. No, I'm more interested in the peculiar sub-branding Microsoft has taken, or has had to take since the first Xbox console.

Now after the first iteration, the second one was called Xbox 360. The executives (marketers?) wanted to emphasise the all encompassing role of the new device. Apart from its primary function as a game console, it was supposed to be the hub of entertainment in a home. I personally thought that they just didn't want to appear to be offering anything lesser than their competitor - Sony.
In reality both devices were roughtly equivalent in terms of power and graphics. Yet, it was feared calling it 'Xbox 2' would instantly demote it to the new iteration by Sony - its PS3.

So regardless of the justifications and departments that were responsible for the branding, it has culminated in the new Xbox offering being called the Xbox One - a reboot of sorts in terms of branding. So that would make the first one Xbox Zero. Or wait will that be the next version coming in the next 7 years or so. Or Xbox X (ten? X marks the spot? if y is 5 solve for x...)

Anyway it appears that Microsoft might have worked itself into a naming quandry come the next console.

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Microsoft Wedge Keyboard - First impressions

I just opened up my new Microsoft Wedge Keyboard, courtesy of my lovely girlfriend. First impressions in combination with my Samsung Note 8:

• Setting up and pairing was effortless - a three step process at most.
• Smooth and no discernible lag. 
• Probably the smallest blue tooth keyboard out there with full sized keys. I felt it was a bit of a stretch too much to the enter key, but on second glance it seems the same distance as my full sized keyboard, which I never had any issue with before.
• Some of the extra keys have some functionality - 
• Esc is a handy back button
• The context key opens up settings
• The Play button started up my music player
• And, think I had some volume control.

As such it's a windows 8 keyboard and functionality would been almost entirely directed towards that. I have yet to establish a report based on constant use. I guess I'll end up using it mostly at work, and my tablet as well.

It does feel somewhat substantial, with polished metal trimming around the edges that wrap around to a matte base of the same material.

The cover is extremely durable. There are two lips on either side made of the same rubber as the back and, sliding it on was very cumbersome and some of the keys were being pried whilst trying to do it. The only option, for someone as pernickety about my technology as me, was to place it on some other way, which required some deft and unnecessary manoeuvring.

It doubles as a stand for your tablet, although mine already has a cover slash stand, so didn't use it. And it apparently turns off the keyboard when closed. I guess i'll take their word for it.

Some indicator on the side would've been handy. There's only a light buried between the top reaches, north of the home row keys. And as such indicates the state and blinks when it is in connect mode. A nifty toy or a productivity/creativity increasing tool, time will tell.

IDE conflict - course a new path Mr. Zulu

Image by None via CrunchBase

Ok, when it comes to Star Trek, or any pop cultural references, my knowledge is pedestrian at best. So excuse the title.

In keeping with my current mission, I've been trying to amalgamate and hasten my learning efforts. To that end I was playing around meddling in the forbidden arts of  Javascript/HTML/CSS/PHP or HTML5 if you will. But I ran into a hitch.

I was using two different IDE's - one for PHP, the Eclipse PDT IDE; and one for general purpose web tomfoolery, Aptana Studio 3, which is based on Eclipse.

The latter supports several technologies, "HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and Ruby. Supports the latest HTML5 specifications. Includes information about the level of support for each element in the major web browsers."1 The former is focuses primarily on PHP, although a few others are present in the menu system.

Now the issue arose when I was redeveloping my portfolio page to something more current and active. When I tried to work off the same workspace to use XAMPP, the IDE's started going a bit haywire. For one I can't access the same workspace when one is already running and one set of folders seem to persist while the other has vanished.

Anyway, i'm sure there might be workarounds for it but for the moment I'll have to forego Eclipse PDT and use Aptana for my main web development mayhem.


1 http://www.aptana.com/products/studio3

Happy 10,000! My blog has passed the 10,000th mark

Ok, I was hoping to have a bit more hoopla about this but at the moment this is all I can muster. So happy 10,000th! it was a few days ago but better late than never.
 I'm hoping to do a full redesign soon of the layout, but it'll have to wait for the moment.

Anyway here's a little trip back to the very first post - Barebones Daily.

Understanding Modulo operator in Javascript conditionals

Titel WikiBook JavaScript (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I'm just trying to clear up an issue I've had with using logic conditionals and the Modulo operator  '%'. Assuming it is language independent, it might be relevant to other languages. However in this discourse, it is primarily JavaScript focused.

Now the Modulo operator is used to find the remainder between two numbers, like so:

 4 % 6  yields a remainder of 4
14 % 4 yields a remainder of 2 etcetera

Now that's very straight forward. When it comes to using it as a test in an conditional such as an if statement, i.e.

 if (4 % 1) {...
    } else {...
      }

the else branch of the conditional would run. Now why would that be?

Well the Modulo operator works by dividing the first number by the second one, so 4 divided 1 would be 4, but the % operator would only return the remainder which in this would be nothing. So that would translate to zero which in most cases is considered equivalent to false.

So to further illustrate the point, to check if a number is divisible by 3, we would rationalise:

 if (n % 3) {...
    } else {...
      }

would mean the first conditional branch tests the number NOT being divisible by three. This is because, in order for the condition to be true would mean returning any remainder which would mean the number will not divide by three evenly. And any value other than a zero would translate to the condition as being true in JavaScript.

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Learning Javascript - environments and pathways I've taken

Aptana (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Most of the languages I've been learning have all had a slew of integrated development environments(IDEs) to pick from. Ok, maybe a handful of core ones which are highly popular.

For open source, free IDE's there's one name which is almost synonymous with Java - Eclipse. Now I've mentioned Eclipse for Java numerous times. It comes in various flavours, namely for various environments for any one language, depending on industry or related application to different languages altogether.

Until now, I've been using Eclipse Java IDE for refreshing my Java knowledge on the quest to gain Oracle certification, learning Android Application development and a PHP variant to learn, surprise surprise - PHP/MySQL.

For JavaScript however, I felt like I was meandering at best even with a good book. True I could just use notepad and a browser but the wonders of IDE were not quite apparent till I started my quest to enter any-which way and with any sacrifice into the wonderful world of programming and the rewards it must ensue.

Yet I had still failed to find any. Luckily I managed to find viable resources which also provided browser based engines to write and test the code huzzah. I've mentioned them in my previous posts. One is CodeAcademy and Jqfundamentals.com. I've primarily been on Codeacademy and have made progress and have yet to use Jqfundamentals.

On CodeAcademy I've completed the Javascript route and yet feel somewhat green under the gills. I've started jQuery, but would love to continue with pure Javascript. Surely jqfundamentals would be ideal to round up any deficiencies in knowledge but I also found a great book - Head First HTML 5. It delves into Javascript quite nicely.

Now after all this preambling rambling, I will come to the point, which I've slightly traipsed around already - I'd prefer some decent IDE to learn HTML5/CSS/Javascript with.

The answer comes from the good people at Aptana, although I think they were bought up by Appcelerator. It's open source and used for web application development including HTML5, CSS3, Javascript, Ruby, Rails, PHP and Python*. Aptana Studio 3 comes as a standalone IDE or as a plugin for Eclipse. I didn't want to further complicate my Eclipse with yet another programming system so chose the standalone instead.

So go forth and be bountiful in your programmatic tresses. 


*http://www.aptana.com/products/studio3

Samsung, then and now: Change

Being a design student in one of my former existences, I have more than a passing interest in design and packaging. After all I would have ended up in package design had I not been more drawn towards web and I.T. (Not of Stephen King fame).

Also, being that one of the key tenets of this blog is product/design review I figure this post would be ideal. To that end I chanced upon packaging for two Samsung products,

Galaxy S2 Plus

& Samsung's vanguard wonder product of the year, the inimitable

Galaxy S4.

They were chosen due to the fact they are available to me and no other reason.  

The Galaxy S2 Plus was released nearly two years prior to the Galaxy S4, so it would be interesting in terms of how far technology has traversed in that period. So firstly let's start with the specifications:

 

Samsung Galaxy S Plus specifications

Samsung Galaxy S4 specifications

Processor & Memory

Purely from what's on the packaging information, The S2 touted a 1.4 Ghz single core architecture with 512 MB RAM, while the S4 boasts 1.9 Ghz Quad Core processor with 2 GB RAM.

The S Plus had variants of 8 - 16 GB internal memory with expandable micoSD slot of upto 32 GB. The S4 on the other hand has 16, 32, and 54 GB internal memory variants with microSD expansion of upto 64 GB. Why anyone would want that much memory I don't know. As Bill Gates may or may not have said, more than 640k of memory? Where we're going we won't need roads Marty.

Connectivity

The S2 is 3G (HSPA+) capable with fallback to the, then typical, 2.5G(GPRS) and 2.75G(EDGE), for mobile data connections. This translates roughly to average real world throughput, based on availability, terrain,  number of users etcetra, of 168Mbits/22Mbits for HSPA+, 135kbps for EDGE, and 35kbps for GPRS.
The S4 is heir to the much awaited 4G LTE with claims of 300Mbits downlink and 75Mbits uplink. Support for 4G networks is tenuous to non-existent at the moment.

Screen

The S Plus employs a Super AMOLED (pronounce Ammo- LEAD; not Amoo-leed, or anything else silly like that)  4"  WVGA screen. Not entirely certain, but with 480x 800 pixels, I think it pretty much beat the screen resolution on my first IBM PC clone circa 1994.

The S4 has the same technology behind its screen but is full HD capable. Its 5" screen boasts a whopping 1080 x 1920 resolution. Thats impressive considering the Iphone 5 has only a 1136 x 640 pixel screen resolution.

Both phones feature capacitive touchscreens.The S4's 441 ppi is nearly twice the pixel density of the S Plus's 233 ppi. The Iphone 5 comes around 326 ppi, but owing to its smaller screen and coating seems to maintain better clarity and saturation from personal experience.

Sizewise, both the Galaxy S Plus and Iphone 5 are 4". The leap from 4" to 5" barely seems to provide additional bulk as might be suspected. At the same time it does not provide, visually, more in terms of screen real estate. This purely from viewing PDF ebooks, which is my screenbane of most devices at present. For most consumer usages, I expect the screen to be more than adequate.

Camera

The Galaxy S Plus has a 5 megapixel camera and VGA (0.3 megapixel) front facing camera. It can also record HD video.

The Galaxy S4 has a 13 megapixel camera and a 2 megapixel front facing camera. It has full HD (1080p) video recording. A video made of a street band on a busy thoroughfare produced sharp fluid video. The audio was high quality without harsh noise or tinniness found in most mobile phone recordings.

Battery

The S Plus has a 1650mAh battery to the S4's 2600mAh. But the higher processor count and OS features of the S4 translates to higher consumption of energy. As such, the higher ampere rating might not necessarily enable stark increases in battery life.

Packaging

Without going into contents, the package alone has transformed from the classic tech offering expounding the various features and capabilities to a more subdued and minimalist attitude.

Samsung Galaxy S Plus

Samsung Galaxy S4

Gone are the neutral grays and whites of the traditional tech offerings and instead ensconced in pseudo symbolic organics to reflect the sustainable efforts of the company and to further the notion of the Galaxy S4 as a natural extension of a person's life than just another must have.

Samsung Galaxy S4

MMmm Soy based ink.

Samsung Note 10.1. An excellent tablet or is it?

I've finally gotten my hands on a tablet, the Samsung Note 10.1 N8010 series (WiFi only, no 3G). I traded in my Ipod classic to get money off the purchase. So now I am completely Apple free. Now I've not had the chance to use the tablet much but here are a few points of note(pun no intended) I've noticed so far.

Weight

Unless the device is rested, using proper holder/cover, this is somewhat tricky to hold and angle for use.

I've invested in a cover which also doubles as a prop stand, both vertically and horizontally. The Samsung note 8 seems a good optimum size for a tablet and boasts a faster processor. My next venture will be that one since most other specs are equal, bar the processor, battery duration and weight.

Screen

The screen resolution is adequate for most uses, but those used to higher resolutions would notice some details. But only just. Both the Note 10.1 and Note 8 has the same screen resolution 1280 x 800, but owing to the smaller screen size, the Note 8 has 189 ppi to the Note 10's 149 ppi.
In bright light conditions the screen does present a problem common to most touch screens, finger prints and smudges galore. The glare issue isn't much considering it can be compensated for by increasing the brightness.
This is where the pen comes in handy. Even though it seems superfluous to the touch screen experience the S-Pen has a lot to be desired for.

 

S-Pen

The Note series incorporates the Samsung S-Pen stylus which is an integrated into the body. This prevents wayward accessory syndrome. Wacom tablet technology is utilized which presents pressure sensitivity (1024 levels) and other benefits not found in similar devices.

My device however seems to be having issues. One of the reasons I bought this device was so I could practice and improve my drawing skills. But being an used device I'm wagering that this device has had some damage. So till such time as I come across a new stylus I cannot be sure to the true usefulness. ***There are several tutorials online to adjust the pens sensitivity and something else, but requires having to pry open the button. I've done that and mucked around with combinations for nearly an hour but it just reverted back to slightly annoying in a few days.***

I use a trust flex tablet on my pc to sketch and even though I'm not up to commercial quality just yet, I do manage decent drawings and sketches .

 

 TouchWiz

Initially I was concerned with Samsung's TouchWiz interface, but it's just an overlay and doesn't pose much issue with app development as I initially worried it might require proprietary tools and development as opposed to vanilla Android such. It does have a certain appeal and there are ways of rooting to plain Android schemes but unless if you are an ardent purist I suggest against it.

Flash

Image via CrunchBase

Flash, ah ahhh, he'll save every.... er ahem. Another bone of contention is Flash. Whereby it was supported until a few odd months ago. Now it is no longer de rigeur Android, but could be installed via non-google play installers to support Flash once more. Huzzah. Why it was removed no one knows. There exist YouTube apps (especially the official one) which allows to peruse the youtube videos all the live long day, but if you happen to venture to other sites featuring flash content, you are out of luck, unless if you do the aforementioned.

 

Overall Experience

The experience on it so far has been smooth, although I do primarily use it for reading PDFs and my Kindle app. The device does come bundled with Photoshop Touch edition. I figure it is primarily a photo editor and does not lend well to sketching. I have see the sketching ability on YouTube using a note 10.1 but owing to the pen situation I have still to verify it.


Battery life is adequate, considering you do not leave WiFi running and there are few built in features to better handle power depletion but at a hit on performance. Bar the weighty issue making it somewhat unwieldy, this is a very good tablet with top-notch specs for the person seeking a productivity enhancement tool as well as a entertainment device.

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Limbo brings platform games back with a vengeance

Limbo Screenshot (Photo credit: JesseRad)

Limbo is one among few of recent platform games which is reinvigorating a genre which was all but lost by being outgrown and evolving to the great 3D craze which almost directly followed its virtual obsolescence (read more here).


The artwork is sombre without being overly brooding. The reductionist non-existent colour palette is offset by layered atmospheric scenes and complimented with intricate attention to detail and mechanics which alone is impressive. After playing the downloadable demo, it is evident that this is not just a looker. The puzzle solving element requires more than serial advancing and requires non-standard thinking to counter.

The minimalism is carried throughout the game with a very short menu system and control system which consists of moving, jumping and using objects. The very minimal sounds are more than adequate with certain end game effects enough to make this writer jump.

Try the demo now it's available at http://limbogame.org/ on Windows, Mac, PS3 and Xbox 360. For fans of platformers this one is sure not to miss.

Where have all the Platform Games Gone?

Super Mario Bros,  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Platform games were one of the mainstay genres in the early to mid 90's popularized by the likes of Super Mario Bros. Owing to improving hardware processing capabilities, developers sought novel ways to gain audiences, with the result that platformers were slowly relegated to handheld devices or flash games.

This neglected genre has had some noteworthy editions of indie fame, such as Braid and Super Meat Boy, quite recently. With it has come a resurgence and has reinstated its proliferation on all major gaming platforms.


The latest in this genre, Limbo is an excellent marriage of art, gameplay and entertainment. Click here to read more.

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Man of Steel: A review.

Superman: The Man of Steel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Man of Steel was released yesterday, today being the 15th of June 2013.

Starring Henry Cavill and Amy Adams, this reboot sees stylistic aspects reminiscent of other Zack Snyder titles replace the pristine sleekness with more brooding tones.

It is welcome for most sequences which occur on earth, but the view of Krypton itself is more akin to Star Trekesque gritty metallic architecture rather than an alien race with its homologous designs and history.

The score is spectacular courtesy Hans Zimmerman. That coupled with the promising trailer set the expectations high for a great piece around the mythology of Superman origins and first ascension to full power.

However, what occurs is deft foreshortening, in some parts apropos, in an effort to blend the first two sagas of the early 70's visions of the Superman movies. This leaves a gaping void in the mythology, to people familiar with the comic origin arcs or the 70's movies. True no movie would have the duration required to expound the details of the origin story but at least devoting one whole movie to cover the most salient ones would have sufficed.


While a few aspects of the comic arc was illustrated, far few details were overlooked for this to be anything other than a tepid recasting. There is no great gems of wisdom, nothing more than a passing mention of the reason of Superman's abilities, nor exquisite battles which further delves into the abilities or limits of an early Superman coming to maturity. The battles that occur hardly engross the viewer to the brink of hopelessness nor the triumph of overcoming insurmountable odds while promoting the mythology, nothing to merit a re-viewing.

The sequences of the early super boy and wandering recluse is the saving grace of this film. Those sequences were well developed and executed, bar the oil rig fiasco which looked much better in the trailer. Some of the visuals were breath taking, however, that won't be enough to rescue the whole movie. Enough material has been spun into the movie to enable more than a handful of variegations, though. So any takers for sequels to redeem this attempt? Anyone?

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After Earth

After Earth is a coming of age, re-conciliatory trek slash science fiction. Starring Father-son duo of Will and Jaden Smith, this offers a subtle blend of special effects. The interior design is somewhat more of a new age tryst than the straight lined, modular designs prevalent in most sci-fi. Earth is typical in its tapestry and not unfamiliar to what could be found in most unspoilt wildernesses.

Based on the plots main setting, Earth circa 1000 years from now, where most life evolved to hunt down humans is misleading in more than one way.  Firstly, how can a planet devoid of humans evolve to hunt humans, unless if they meant something similarly sized and physically inferior. And less than a handful of animals were shown to engage the young Jaden Smith. That too with minor adaptations if any to hunt humans.The only exception is the alien lifeforms that came aboard the craft as a training specimen for new recruits.

The pace is somewhat languishing and the uptake similarly from most viewers lukewarm, if the snores of one of the audience members is anything to go by. There are intermittent plot hitches spread at almost regular intervals to ensure some level of interest.

The core myth is hardly tenable to provide likelihood of offshoots. It was hardly tenable for the plot itself.

An appealing movie if you liked Soldier (Starring Kurt Russell, 1998) and/or whole wheat bread.

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