GeekwithEnvy

Windows

How to Tell If You Are Taking Advantage of USB 3.0

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USB (Universal Serial bus), how did we live with out it?

gravisGamePad
Gravis GamePad

It’s probably a safe bet to say that most of the people who use USB technology have no idea what the world was like before it existed. Remember PS/2 and RS-232 connectors?It used to be a very different world when it came to how we connected devices to our computers.

Imagine having a different type of connector for each device you connect to your computer, that was reality in the early years of computers. I remember plugging in my Gravis Game Pad into the sound card, yes that’s not a typo, which had a midi/joystick port next to the 3.5mm jacks for microphone and audio out.

Fortunately for all of us, USB which was officially introduced in 1996, standardized the way we connect devices to our computers. We no longer had to worry about which device needed what port and which device would work on what type of hardware, everything became “universal”. The USB standard has undergone a few changes over it’s lifetime with each version slightly more stable and faster than the last.

USB1
USB 1.0

Transfer speeds for USB 1.0 are 1.5 Mbit/s and 12 Mbit/s

USB2
USB 2.0

Transfer speeds for USB 2.0 are 480 Mbit/s

USB 3.0

Transfer speeds for USB 3.0 can be up to 5 Gbit/s

Of course there are many other changes that go along with each USB release besides just transfer speeds. Changes to USB have also included power management and simultaneous two way transfer. The USB connector is really amazing, everything from keyboards to cell phones utilize this amazing interface and USB 3.0 is even better.

Now that we know how much faster USB 3.0 is compared to 2.0 (about 10 times faster) we need to know if were even using it. It may be difficult at first to tell which technology you’re using because USB 3.0 ports are backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and therefore look identical to their 2.0 counterpart . If you haven’t bought a new computer in last year or so you probably don’t have USB 3.0.

In some cases an indication that you may have USB 3.0 will be a blue colored USB port on the computer itself, but the best way to tell is to check your hardware configuration via your preferred OS.

Microsoft Windows

You can check your computers hardware on Windows machines by right clicking “My Computer”, then “Manage” and then “Device Manager”.

Locate USB and you should see “USB 3.0” somewhere in the hardware description.

Mac OSX

Similarly, in OSX you can click the Apple logo in the top left of the finder bar, click “About this Mac”, then “More Info” and then “System Report”.

So is it worth all of the fuss? Absolutely! I have a USB 3.0 external hard drive and data transfer speeds are incredibly fast compared to 2.0 models. Any device using 3.0 should perform significantly better.

Microsoft Security Essentials

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I was asked today about which programs are good for general Windows PC protection against a variety of malware and as always I suggest both free and paid applications but somewhat surprisingly, Microsoft Security Essentials comes up as one of my favorite free anti-malware solutions.

SecurityEssentials_Logo

What’s to like about MSE? Well, for starters it’s free but it’s also very easy to use. MSE doesn’t have a ton of garbage filling up the UI and it offers a selection of easy to use and useful features. MSE doesn’t bog down your system, it simply does what it needs to do and then quietly monitors the system in the background, providing real-time protection with out eating up a ton system resources.

MSE is updated daily to ensure that the latest threats won’t get through. Scan times are fast compared to some other applications and the only time you have to wait for any significant amount of time during a scan is when MSE performs it’s first system scan or when you run a “Full Scan”, otherwise, my scans only take about a minute or two with the longest scan time being approximately five minutes, when using “Quick Scan”.

Another thing that I enjoy about MSE is that it doesn’t seem to get in the way of the stuff that I know isn’t malware. I know this sounds strange but if you have used a variety of ant-malware products, you probably understand where I am coming from on this one. Having to go in and make exceptions for all the software that I know is supposed to be running on my system is time consuming and annoying, not to mention that you inevitability end up missing something that runs in the background and supports another main application, then you get to spend the next twenty minutes trying to find out what’s being blocked and causing your application to crash and or stall.

Just like any other malware solution it’s never going to be perfect and as always the best protection against malware is common sense. Tread the inter-webs carefully  and be proactive in reducing your risk of getting malware. Stick to sites that you know and don’t open random emails with weird attachments. I know it sounds like a no brainer but it happens all the time, sometimes we get tricked into doing something we shouldn’t. Even email from friends and family can be loaded with bad stuff, often these “loaded” emails are passed along even without the senders knowledge, so be careful.

Microsoft Security Essentials works on all three of the most popular Windows versions including XP,Vista,and Windows 7, the only major requirement here is that you have a genuine copy of Windows running. If your unhappy with your current malware solution, I recommend giving MSE a shot, remember you can always go back to what you had before and did I mention it’s free?

You can obtain Microsoft Security Essentials here.

Xbox Music Looks To Be a Great Move For Microsoft

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Zune wil be rebranded as Xbox Music in the relatively near future and I like the direction Microsoft is taking it’s re-imagined entertainment app. Xbox Music will not only be available on Xbox but also on Windows 8 PCs,tablets, and Windows Phone as well.

The new service will allow existing subscribers to migrate through the rebranding with ease and users will still have access to the same content they had before the switch. The buzz surrounding the new application is getting louder as we draw closer toward the end of the year and we hope to hear more official details on the new service soon.  Our best guess is the app will be released along with Windows 8 and could feature ad-based music streaming similar to Spotify, but it’s only a guess.

I have always liked the Zune player but I have preferred the iPod over the years mostly because I owned an iPod first and didn’t want to figure out how to transfer everything over to a new system, not that it’s overly complicated, but because I have really never had a good enough reason to switch. I have however have used Zune software for Windows and generally liked the experience. With the release of Xbox Music I will gladly jump right in as I plan on doing a review of the app as soon as it is available.

The Xbox itself is really my favorite Microsoft experience as it combines all of my entertainment needs into a simple, easy-to-use interface. Although many argue back and forth about whether PSN is better than Xbox Live, I still think that Xbox Live is done really well, even when you consider it’s faults. With my solid library of games and media on my Xbox, having a well integrated Music service, especially one with free streaming music, will complete my media experience on the Xbox.

The Xbox is really more than just a gaming console, it really has become a media hub, this was Microsoft’s goal and they have done a really god job with it. Thinking ahead to the next obvious direction for Microsoft’s console, I can only imagine that this new music service will be integrated with SkyDrive to allow for a complete cloud solution to allow you to access your media from any other device running Windows 8. This should line them up pretty well with Apple and their cloud services, with the exception of not having a gaming console.

As Windows 8 rolls out we will be anticipating the release of Xbox Music and hopefully we will be rewarded with a solid media library and music streaming app.

The Windows 8 Desktop and Moving on From the Mouse

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The desktop computer has been number one in homes around the world until recently. We demand portability and technology has forever changed because of it.  Laptops and tablets have replaced our big box desktop computers and it seems very few are missing them. However, desktop computers are still necessary for many things and are still widely used by businesses and those who just need a little more than what a laptop can offer.magictrackpad_handWEB

For the longest time companies like Microsoft had been trying to emulate the Windows desktop experience on portable handheld devices, which was ok but not ideal for a touch screen. Eventually, things began to change and the mobile OS began to stand out on it’s own.

Apple’s iOS  and the iPhone changed how we thought a mobile OS should work. Mobile operating systems began to be developed and designed primarily around touch input . These changes worked so well that software companies started creating OS software for desktops that integrated many of the UI features of mobile operating systems into the desktop experience, and it worked.

OSX is a great example of how bringing mobile features to a desktop UI can work really well. Many iOS users will likely find it very easy to get into OSX as it has a similar feel to it. Microsoft has done the same with Windows 8, which looks and feels a lot like Windows Phone.

So, we have a touch based UI on the Windows PC and this is where the main disconnect for Windows 8 comes into play. I have mentioned before that Windows 8 overall looks pretty good  and should work very well with any tablet but it feels downright weird to use with a mouse in a desktop environment. One of the features of OSX that I really like is the ability to use gestures on the touchpad and this is exactly what I think Windows 8 needs in order to feel right.

The mouse has long since been a part of our graphical user interface experience and never before have we needed to move away from it, until now. The touchpad with gestures, in most scenarios will make your interaction with Windows 8 on both desktops and laptops much smoother. With the exception of maybe gaming, I can’t see why I would need a mouse when you can have a touchpad that offers everything you need and more.

Ready or Not Windows 8 is On it’s Way

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Well, it’s been really fun talking about how different Windows 8 is and how crazy it all seems but we are slowly approaching the release date for the new OS and some feel it just isn’t ready.

product_win8-startscreen_Web

I would argue that any OS is never really ready when it first releases. There are so many things that will likely only be discovered when the masses begin to upgrade  and tear apart the shiny new OS. This process of fix-on-the-fly  is nothing new for Microsoft and I’m sure we won’t be happy with the new OS until the first service pack releases or maybe even the second for that matter.

What is truly important here is that Windows users really try to look at Windows 8 as something entirely new and try not to compare it to Windows 7. The world is changing and Microsoft is adapting with it, and this is a great thing. Many of us hate change and for this reason alone we tend to look at Windows 8 and feel like we will never upgrade. However, as we march forward and watch Microsoft make one of the biggest changes to it’s operating system since the ‘Start’ button, I wonder what I plan to do personally.

product_win8-keyboard_Web

Do I jump in? Do I wait a few months ? What computers do I upgrade first and do I upgrade all of them or just one? These are the questions that I’m trying to answer, even as I write this I’m trying to figure out what I will do.I have been experimenting with the developer preview and the release preview and I still feel very uncomfortable using Windows 8 with a mouse and keyboard. I don’t know why I can’t seem to shake this feeling. This OS is designed to work with touch and it feels like the laptop and desktop experience is an afterthought.

I’m pretty patient when it comes to OS software, I have tried just about every semi-popular OS out there from obscure linux based OS’s to OSX and back to mobile OS’s. Generally I give an operating system a fair shake up until it’s first major patch. Once we reach the first major patch, if I still feel it’s not working for me, I will usually move on to something else.

When we look at Windows 8 we can’t forget that it’s not just about how we feel about the new OS, it’s also about the faith that hardware manufactures put into the new OS. After all, the hardware is useless with out a good operating system to make it work. Let’s not forget that Microsoft is also going to be releasing it’s own tablet with Windows 8 on it, which will have Microsoft competing directly with those same hardware manufactures that Microsoft want’s Windows 8 to run on.

What about developers? what will they do with existing titles? How will they fit-in with the new OS? Is this change something that developers want to engage in? Some developers feel threatened by Windows 8 and feel that they will be forced to operate within a “box”.  Take the keyboard and mouse out of the equation and now you either are forced to work with touch or an Xbox controller.  Something doesn’t feel right here and I can quickly begin to understand why.

Now, take all of this crazy change and bundle it up in a nice, shiny, new Microsoft store that you build right across the street from the Apple store and you’ve got a front row seat to historic change in the world of technology.

To sum things up, I say if you support Microsoft then use Windows 8 and provide all the feedback you can to help Microsoft build the software you want to use. This is the only way they can get a real feel for what consumers want and need from their software. In the meantime I remain optimistic about Windows 8 and hope to see it succeed.