Tag Archives: Tablet

Angry Birds Star Wars Edition for Windows RT 66% more expensive than iPad version

Angry Birds Star Wars Edition for the iPad is as good or better than the original Angry Birds (I’m not a fan of the other versions). So, I was interested to see the game appear in the Windows RT app store. Unfortunately, the version for RT costs 66% more than the iPad version: $4.99 vs $2.99.

While making more money per sale for developers is a good thing. I think Windows RT app prices need to be competitive with versions of the same app on other platforms.

Note: Composed this app entirely using a Surface with Windows RT. The biggest problem was finding an image editor. None of the RT apps provided freehand cropping. Will discuss how I worked around this in a future blog item.

Nice Nexus 7 case with magnetic sleep/wake & tip of the hat to BSCstore

The $13 MoKo(TM) Slim Cover Case for Google Nexus 7 (left in the photo) is nice case at an amazingly low price. The only disappointment was that it did not have the advertised ability to sleep and wake the Nexus 7 because it lacked the magnet to work with the Hall Effect Sensor in the tablet. However, within 24 hours of receiving the case (which worked fine otherwise), I received an email from the vendor BSCstore (sold through Amazon) acknowledging the problem and promising to ship a replacement case free of charge. I received a second email a few days later asking me which of several cases I would like to get as a replacement. I chose the MoKo(TM) 360 Degree Rotatory Detachable Cover Case for Google Nexus 7 (right in the photo) which, I learned later, is a $16 case.
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Why it doesn’t matter that Microsoft alienated its hardware partners with the Surface tablet announcement


There was a lot of speculation about what Microsoft would announce on their June 18 mystery event. Some speculators dismissed the possibility that Microsoft would announce their own branded tablet as they ended up doing because of the belief that that Microsoft would not alienate their hardware partners. Yet, as Reuters reports, only a few big hardware partners were notified days before the event. And, some like Acer and Asus were left completely in the dark.

Microsoft kept PC partners in dark about Surface

Let’s take a look at a brief history of Microsoft and its touch screen mobile device hardware partners to understand why it doesn’t matter if the Microsoft Surface tablet alienate hardware partners.
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Why Microsoft insists tablets run Windows instead of Windows Phone (Windows CE)

I’ve been wondering why Microsoft’s decision makers choose to use Microsoft Windows for tablets instead of the Windows CE platform that underlies Windows Phone. Windows CE was designed for devices like tablets that benefit from lower hardware requirements, lower power use, increased security, and instant on-off (suspend-resume). A Windows CE based tablet would be lighter and less expensive. More importantly, every piece of software written for a touch display. You could argue that the Metro-only ARM based tablets would have software designed just for tablet displays too. But, is a computer that can’t run “legacy” Windows software of much use? The point of using Windows is to access all the software available right now.

However, if you look at PC shipment numbers, Microsoft’s tablet strategy and statements like There’s nothing more important at Microsoft than Windows by CEO Steve Ballmer make sense (Network World).
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Usability expert Jakob Nielsen does not like the Kindle Fire

Jakob Nielsen took the Amazon Kindle Fire through its paces and doesn’t seem all that impressed.

Kindle Fire Usability Findings

His complaints:

  • Heavy
  • Lack of physical buttons
  • Miserable magazine reading experience
  • Slow screen updates
  • Bad UI design (e.g., graphic buttons that are too small)

My take based on a brief (about an hour) use of the Kindle Fire is that it is a pretty good tablet experience for the price ($200). I would recommend it to people who don’t want to spent $500 or more for an iPad. The Kindle Fire may be the best Android tablet available at the moment in my opinion.