Technology Ramblings

OneDrive, iCloud, Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, etc, etc, etc.  There are a lot of choices out there for cloud based storage.  But should you use it or take advantage of the local storage options and build your own cloud. Having accounts with MS, Apple, Box and Google I have access to several cloud storage providers.  So all in probably 100GB or so of "free" cloud storage.  I do utilize some of automated cloud storage features for example my Nokia 521 Camera Roll is automatically sync'd with OneDrive - so kind of nice for sharing photos.  I've also tried Cloud based Music storage (more on that below) as well as Apple iCloud for apps, music and other purchases that sync across my iPads.   But outside of those use cases, I don't rely on Cloud storage. Why ?   So several reasons.  First - it's expensive.  While all of these services offer a free 5 - 10 GB allocation - buying anything more is pricey.  Using MS OneDrive as an example ...

Back in August I authored a post on Windows 8.1 Preview describing my initial thoughts and asking the two key questions. Can I use this day-to-day ? Would I recommend this to others ? Nine months later the answers are yes and no.   So yes I do run Windows 8.1 everyday.  My primary desktop still dual boots to Windows 7 as well, but I rarely go back now.  So what has changed ? Actually not much.  MS has updated many of their Modern apps, but I still find a lot of them to be average at best.  I have been able to install W8.1 versions of all of my key Windows 7 apps - DVDFab, Handbrake, VirtualBox, VLC, Meta-X, etc.  They all seem to work perfectly fine, but they are all Desktop versions.   I will say I am impressed my Windows 8.1 speed and stability.  But then again I really never had any issues with W7.   There are still the same general navigation issues I mentioned back in August 2013, but I think I just got used t...

The Windows Desktop is ubiquitous - it's everywhere in it's various versions and for many it is the only desktop OS that they have ever known.  But the question is - is Windows still relevant ? To me the answer is maybe - There is more competition today than ever and while MS still holds a very large market share in the desktop space - the reality is more and more folks are either A) moving away from the desktop entirely or B) looking at one of the desktop OS alternatives. So let's look at the alternatives.  At the desktop you can now easily go with MacOS, one of Linux distros like Ubuntu or Mint or the newest player in Google ChromeOS.  From a day-to-day usage perspective each of these alternatives actually can provide a reasonable experience depending on your computing needs.    If you're a typical desktop user - what do you need ?  Okay so Email, Web, IM, some form of word processing, maybe spreadsheet and presentation. Then add basic media ca...

If the announcements made this week by Microsoft and Nokia were any indication of the Mobile Strategy at Microsoft, then like you, I am scratching my head trying to determine if this was shrewd, desperate or just plain stupid. First, Microsoft announced a number of new OEM partners for Windows Phone including Lenovo, LG, Foxconn and others.    Then Nokia announced their strategy for the next billion devices and it encompassed two new ASHA ultra-low end devices and three new Android devices that would utilize Microsoft services like Outlook.com, OneDrive and Skype called the X line. So what's going on here ?    First let's take a look at where Windows Phone sits in the market place today. It's hard to believe, but Windows Phone (WP) is now 3.5 years old and it's success has been very mixed.   Worldwide, WP holds about a 3.7% market share - a very distant 3rd to Android and iPhone.  For example here in the US, Windows Phone holds about a 5% market s...

Since it's announcement last year, I have been intrigued about the potential of the new High Efficiency Video Coding also known as H.265. According to the original specifications - the promise of H.265 is much higher fidelity and greatly improved compression over the current H.264 standard that has been in place for a decade. For those of us who rip/covert DVD and BR videos into libraries we can share or load onto mobile devices, the potential is very cool.    Suddenly the ability to reduce the storage and networking impact while still maintaining video quality is a game changer. I have been waiting for some of the various ISVs to begin to integrate the new codecs in the their products and wanted to see how well this new technology works. So recently the folks over at Div-X release their HEVC Plug-in for version 10.1 of their converter and player products.   And so I decided to give it a try. So here is the good, bad and ugly on H.265 conversion. The Good - It...

At the end of 2013, Windows Phone was a distant 3rd in US Smartphone market share at around 5% depending on the market source with Apple and Google taking 43% and 51% respectively. While that 5% number shows over 150% growth from 2012's 2.2% share, two very concerning trends came out. First, was the primary driver for that growth was the availability of the cheap Windows phone from Nokia - the 520/521 series.   Second was that Nokia accounted for well over 90% of all Windows Phones sales. So why are these two trends dangerous and what does that mean for Windows Phone going forward ? Dependence on Cheap Phone for Market Share growth While there is certainly a market for an entry level smartphone and Nokia certainly proved they can produce a good quality entry level device with the 520/521, the reality is MS makes very little money selling these devices.  They also have been discounted quickly.  The "retail" price for the 521 for example was $149. ...

Anyone who has been involved with computing and digital storage recognizes the value of backup.  Even with much improved MTBF of traditional HDD and the advent of SSD - the reality is that drives, controllers, etc can fail and the potential loss of data can be devastating.  No one wants to loose all of their kids photos or their music and video collection. The challenge has always been - which is the best way to backup and what should I backup ? While there are all kinds of methods and software that can provide data protection and backup services.  I've taken the following route. I use a two drive approach to my primary storage.  First is an SSD acting as the OS drive.  In my case, I multi-boot that drive to Windows 7, 8.1 and Ubuntu Linux.   Second is my data drive where I keep all my relevant content. This includes all Documents, Photos, Music, Videos, etc.  It is very easy in Windows to point your profile to a different drive for the defa...