Tag: Windows 8

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Lenovo CES Assault: Miix 2 10 tablet, Yoga 2, and Flex Laptops

YOGA 2 (13'')_Orange_Standard_04

Windows 8 really comes alive with hardware built for its unique UI. After scoring some early success with the original Yoga, Lenovo is pushing farther into new form factors for Microsoft’s OS.

A new consumer variant of the Yoga 2 will feature 11 and 13 inch displays. The 11 will be powered by a lower power Intel Pentium processor, while the 13 steps up to a Core i5. Both rock the same swivel hinge which can flip the laptop screens around into full tablet PC’s. I’m really stoked to see the orange lid return from the Yoga 2 Pro. A nice touch of branding for a company mostly known for Thinkpads.

The Miix 2 is one of the more sought after mini-tablets for Windows 8 users. Now the Miix line is expanding with 10” and 11”  slates. The 10 has an Intel Atom quad core and 2GB of RAM. The 11 will step up to a Core i5 with up to 8GB of RAM, and both are sporting 1080p LCDs. Continue reading “Lenovo CES Assault: Miix 2 10 tablet, Yoga 2, and Flex Laptops”

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App Review: Poker King Texas Hold ‘Em

037Are you a poker fan and just can’t get enough of the game? You should check out Poker King developed by Geax Game Inc. Poker King is one of the top rated poker games for Windows 8 phones, Android and iOS.

This app was very well designed and very easy to use. The graphics are very easy on the eyes and well polished.  Playing Poker King is very smooth and you can choose to play in Sit-N-Go, Tournament,  or browse tables to play at.

One of the nice features while searching for a table to play at is the option to choose the fast option. If you regularly play poker on your phone then you know how frustrating it can be when another player is taking his sweet time trying to figure out their next move. When you choose a table with the fast speed, you will have a shorter time to make your move thus making the game a lot faster and enabling you to play more games in a shorter period of time.

Poker King’s game features: Continue reading “App Review: Poker King Texas Hold ‘Em”

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First Impressions: The Lenovo IdeaCentre Flex 20 – A 20″ inch Windows 8 Hybrid All-in-One

holding the lenovo flex 20Well this guy is a monster.

Lenovo has really embraced the idea of alternative design as it relates to Windows 8. Instead of just a basic consumer all-in-one, they’ve built out a hybrid 20″ touchscreen slate with up to 3 hours battery run time, an adjustable hinge, wireless keyboard and mouse, and table top gaming accessories.

There’s a LOT of machine to cover, so let’s get to it!

Shop for the Lenovo Flex 20.
Lenovo Flex 20 Speaker Test.

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Viber releases new app for Windows 8

viber for windows 8 screenshotViber is quickly becoming one of the primary third-party competitors to services like Google Voice and Skype. Allowing users to call, text, and send voice and video messages to each other over the internet. They rolled out a service during the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, allowing people to call land lines, which became a standard part of the Viber package.

Now they’re expanding their service again, with a proper Metro app for Windows 8. This is pretty significant, as it continues their build out on being a global service. Currently supporting Android, iOS, Blackberry, Windows Phone, traditional Windows Desktop, and OSX. Now Windows 8 Hybrids and tablets can utilize the service without leaving the modern UI. Doubly helpful for folks using Windows RT, which can’t install third party software.

If Viber is the way you keep your family connected, it’s always nice having an additional option for how you might use that service.

Viber in the Windows App Store.

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Halo: Spartan Assault released for XBox One on December 24th

halo spartan assault video game somegadgetguy screenshotOne of the best games for Windows Phone and Windows 8 is now making its way to the XBox One this Christmas Eve.

Spartan Assault is a top down arcade style dual stick shooter set in the Halo universe with all of your favorite weapons and power ups. Over 30 missions will be on tap, and 343 Industries has polished up the game to be displayed in glorious 1080p at 60fps. Console gamers will also have access to a new online co-op mode to plow through missions with their bestest pals on Live. You lucky dogs.

This new take on Halo will launch at $15, but if you’ve already purchased the game for Windows Phone or Windows 8 (or purchase it before Dec. 15) you can get it for $5. If you’ve been looking forward to Halo: Spartan Assault, you should really jump on buying it now as you can schnag it for Windows 8 and XBox for$12, instead of $15 for the XBox standalone version.

Check the teaser trailer below.

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Quick Tip: Stream movies and music in the background on Windows 8 and RT

youtube on windows 8Reader question!

500embo has a problem. When streaming Youtube in Windows 8, he can’t find a way to keep the audio playing in the background whenever his browser isn’t on the screen.

Fret not, it’s an easy trick. Here’s how!

;aoisdn;aoisdn

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Ask Juan: Now that I own an RT tablet, will Windows RT disappear?

lumia 2520 20Just got this question from a reader. Jim asks:

As a recent purchaser of a Nokia Lumia 2520 tablet I am starting to get a little concerned about Windows RT folding or at least developers not making apps. Is this real and if so what does that mean for my tabby?

Hey Jim! First of all congrats on the Lumia! It was my Windows Tablet pick of the year!

So here’s the deal.

Windows RT as we know it today probably wont stick around long, and as the owner of a 2520 this is a good thing for you…  Continue reading “Ask Juan: Now that I own an RT tablet, will Windows RT disappear?”

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Google Sneaking Chrome OS onto Windows 8 Computers?

chrome os running on a windows 8 touchscreen hybrid laptop somegadgetguy

So all the hemming and hawing from the Chromebook faithful, that Chrome OS was SO much more than JUST a fancy browser slapped onto low power laptop hardware. It would seem like that’s not entirely true… In a good way…

The newest dev channel update of the Chrome browser for Windows 8 appears to essentially be the entire Chrome OS. When used within the ModernUI interface users have full access to the entire suite. Microsoft opened the door for this by allowing browsers other than IE to interface with the “Metro” ecosystem. Now you can have all the benefits of Google’s cloud OS on your Windows 8 machines. Loading it onto my hybrid also opens up some interesting possibilities. We haven’t seen Chrome OS on a proper slate tablet yet. That’s been Android territory, yet swiveling my Lenovo Twist into slate mode affords me a perfectly usable Chrome OS experience using a combination of Google’s UI and Microsoft’s virtual touch controls and keyboard. It’s kind of meta…

An app launcher at the bottom left gives you access to Chrome app, and Google favorites GMail, Search, Docs, and Youtube are docked at the bottom too. Performance has been solid for me after a couple hours of tooling around, but many are complaining of occasional crashes. Also, if you’re not running a lot of RAM, Windows 8 is very aggressive about shutting down Metro apps if you’re doing a lot of multi-tasking. In all though the experience has been very enjoyable, and updates to browser touch support make Chrome OS on Win8 almost as smooth as Microsoft’s native offerings.

It’s a pretty twisted end run around the traditional PC market. Now legit Chromebooks will face more competition from traditional PC’s in offering up the same OS, but still giving users access to legacy Windows software. This takes any potential risk out of using Chrome OS. Thinking generationally, a user could pick up a Windows Hybrid today, load up this new Chrome Browser, spend all their time in Chrome OS, and by the time they’re ready to shop another system, decide to walk away from Microsoft’s offerings altogether…

As a side note, now would be the time for Google to start unifying their app base. Bringing the variety of Android Apps to Chrome’s ability to handle things like documents and office software could put a serious hurt on Microsoft while they’re trying to unify their UI across all screen sizes.

Plus, Microsoft would have to compete for people’s attention on computers people already purchased. Wow.

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