tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45608327494272069162024-03-13T11:45:59.730+01:00Internet Explorerbaskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-86110857325701158262017-01-06T15:09:00.001+01:002017-01-07T16:58:58.606+01:00Samsung’s new Chromebooks offer the best of two worlds<h4>
<a href="https://medium.com/@Baspower_/samsungs-new-chromebooks-offer-the-best-of-two-worlds-b213d1b94bf6#.9u2nb8uph" target="_blank">Read this post on Medium</a></h4>
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There have been rumors about a new OS, <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/09/24/googles-merged-android-chrome-os-andromeda-may-be-teased-on-october-4th/">Andromeda</a>, all throughout 2016. Andromeda would be a combination of Chrome OS and Android, but Google has always denied something like this was going on. Hiroshi Lockheimer, responsible for Chrome OS, Android and Google Play told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/01/future-android-pixel-google">The Guardian</a> last month that a merge of code would not be happening, “ but we are doing is to bring the best of both systems to each other.”<br />
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<a href="https://blog.google/products/chromebooks/new-generation-chromebooks-designed-work-millions-apps/">The Samsung Chromebook Plus and Chromebook Pro</a> seem to do exactly that. For a while, select Chromebook models were able to run Android apps, but these new devices, which Samsung developed in partnership with Google, are built around this possibility. They are convertible from laptop to tablet, have a touchscreen and a built-in pen.<br />
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I <a href="https://medium.com/@Baspower_/chrome-os-the-future-of-personal-computers-is-already-here-90ccf13364ef#.mawjpnbcm">wrote about Chrome OS</a> before and I also <a href="https://medium.com/technology-explained/android-on-a-pc-does-it-make-sense-160e9fb4fca9#.1945qa82n">tested Remix OS</a>, which is essentially Android for PCs. I then thought that Android was a little limited as a full desktop OS, especially when using an app like Chrome, which doesn’t have extensions on mobile. With a device like this, you get both all your favorite Android apps + a full version of Chrome.<br />
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Actually, I think this might also be the best Android tablet, because Chrome OS is simply suited better for a larger display than Android these days. So, I’m wondering where Google takes this in 2017.<br />
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Chrome OS already was perfect for most average computer users. A lot of people buy expensive Macbooks while all they do is reading email and watching Netflix. Convertible Chromebooks might be — just like Microsoft’s Surface — a good replacement for both a tablet and a laptop.
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baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-56074082222163075032016-11-16T23:50:00.001+01:002016-11-16T23:52:49.395+01:00Google Play Newsstand now also has a web version — beware of filter bubbles<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Roboto; padding: 0px;">
Google Play Newsstand already was one of my favorite ways to find articles about topics I’m interested in on my phone and tablet, but the service now also has a web version. </div>
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Recently, Google Play Newsstand was redesigned on mobile and that is officially announced today: “[The redesign] focuses on three big improvements: personalization, rich media, and the extension of our platform to the web.” </div>
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<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="716" data-orig-width="758" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Roboto; margin: 20px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><img data-orig-height="716" data-orig-width="758" height="472" src="http://66.media.tumblr.com/aba823546d84ea647d87df46f74cd7f4/tumblr_inline_ogr9h89Dif1sobsb7_500.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-style: italic; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: auto;" width="500" /></figure><figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="752" data-orig-width="758" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Roboto; margin: 20px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><img data-orig-height="752" data-orig-width="758" height="496" src="http://66.media.tumblr.com/ecdd803b269e7aefccb067b4240898cf/tumblr_inline_ogr9scuBhm1sobsb7_500.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-style: italic; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: auto;" width="500" /></figure><figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="534" data-orig-width="559" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Roboto; margin: 20px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><img data-orig-height="534" data-orig-width="559" height="477" src="http://65.media.tumblr.com/58a5e93a2f2ebf8a1f288ee5673ba641/tumblr_inline_ogr9syE5ny1sobsb7_500.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-style: italic; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; width: auto;" width="500" /></figure><hr style="background: rgb(236, 240, 241); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; font-family: Roboto; height: 2px; margin: 30px auto; max-width: 160px; padding: 0px; width: 160px;" />
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Just like with more and more Google apps nowadays, the new Newsstand uses <i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.google%2Fsearch%2F%3Fq%3Dmachine%2520learning&t=MzM5M2FkMDE0Zjg3ZTg0ZjA5NTMwNGVkZTcyNDhlMjk1OWI4NWRmNixJODU2a2xiYg%3D%3D&b=t%3AdD8i07-BoV7m8AO-ExfL9w&m=1" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #780994; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.14s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">machine learning</a> </i>to find the best articles for you. The app now shows a personalized briefing when you open it, but of course you can also browse your favorite topics. Each article has a feedback option, so if you’d like to see less about Donald Trump, you can tell Google so by simply clicking a “show me less” button.</div>
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If available, articles will load in the <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ampproject.org%2F&t=NzcyMmIzZTcxN2VkNDE2MjBjZTBkZGRiZDQyOWQxYzdkMjdhMDQyNSxJODU2a2xiYg%3D%3D&b=t%3AdD8i07-BoV7m8AO-ExfL9w&m=1" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #780994; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.14s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">AMP format</a> and there is support for videos and nice images.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The dangers of personalized news</span></div>
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Apart from fake news, personalized news also could give an unrealistic view of the world. If a user could literally say “don’t show me this, but more of that”, he will end up with a list of articles that includes only topics he likes and opinions he agrees with. This is not different on Facebook or Twitter of course where you can first of all follow only the people you want to follow and tell the platform you liked a post. This way, during the election a lot of people will have seen more positive stories about Trump and more negative stories about Clinton and vice versa. </div>
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News has always been personalized in some way obviously. People have always decided what newspaper they bought and which news broadcast they watched and maybe news is never really objective, because it’s written by humans, but with all the options available today, you are the editor in chief of your own newspaper — your reality. This is called a <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFilter_bubble&t=OTU3ZDZlYzk3MTVkNGY1MDc1ZTVhNDliZjUzOTBiMTVlOGE2NTZlMixJODU2a2xiYg%3D%3D&b=t%3AdD8i07-BoV7m8AO-ExfL9w&m=1" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #780994; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.14s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">filter bubble</a> and I think it’s important people are aware of this and companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter should make sure the bubble doesn’t become a fortress. </div>
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The new Newsstand is available for <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fgoo.gl%2FwalTPV&t=ZmJiMzQ5ZGE3MmMzZWMwNDg2YzNlMzQzMDM4ZmExZDYxNGNjOTEyOSxJODU2a2xiYg%3D%3D&b=t%3AdD8i07-BoV7m8AO-ExfL9w&m=1" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #780994; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.14s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">Android</a>, <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fgoo.gl%2FhBtyPX&t=YWUyMzk0M2VhMGViNjRmNTgyNGFkZmJhNDIxNjIzYzA0MzE1ZmY5MyxJODU2a2xiYg%3D%3D&b=t%3AdD8i07-BoV7m8AO-ExfL9w&m=1" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #780994; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.14s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">iOS</a> and the <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsstand.google.com%2F&t=M2FmZTExNDliNzZjYzg2M2IwNDhmYWVkOTQ1YTEyMjA3ZmQyNWY5YyxJODU2a2xiYg%3D%3D&b=t%3AdD8i07-BoV7m8AO-ExfL9w&m=1" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #780994; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.14s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">web</a>.</div>
baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-16060350538222870182016-08-17T04:03:00.002+02:002016-08-17T04:07:21.129+02:00Two interesting days of Track Cycling and two controversial Team GB medals at Rio 2016On Monday, Mark Cavendish won a silver medal in the omnium after a controversial crash, which he caused. Many, myself included, think he did that on purpose, both based on the footage (<a href="https://streamable.com/hyo2">https://streamable.com/hyo2</a>) — in which he can bee seen looking back twice — and his "moments" in road cycling, which are well known by cycling fans. Cavendish has not been found guilty.<br />
I was watching BBC and the commentators barely spoke about the moment and didn't ask questions about it when a reporter interviewed Cavendish after the race. In my opinion, that was quite remarkable.<br />
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On Tuesday, Jason Kenny won gold in keirin, supposedly after a false start earlier in the race along with Malaysian Azizulhasni Awang, who ended up winning bronze. The rules state “in the case when one or more riders pass the back wheel of the pacer before he leaves the track, the race will be stopped and rerun without the rider[s] at fault, which will be disqualified.” Both riders were not disqualified.<br />
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Later in the race, German Joachim Eilers also had a false start. He wasn't disqualified. I think because of the fact that the other two riders weren't disqualified earlier. If true, that would mean the rules were broken twice during that race.<br />
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This story by +<a href="https://plus.google.com/102891355072777008500">The Telegraph</a> makes things even weirder for me:<br />
<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2016/08/17/how-two-team-gb-data-analysts-helped-jason-kenny-during-farcical/">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2016/08/17/how-two-team-gb-data-analysts-helped-jason-kenny-during-farcical/</a><br />
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I recommend reading the full report, but it basically suggests that the decision not to disqualify Kenny was (partly) based on Team GB footage. I don't know about the rules on this, but in my opinion objective decision making is not possible anymore when that happens.<br />
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Here you can see Team GB head coach Iain Dyer discussing with chief commissaire Alex Donike <a href="http://imgur.com/xdU2gXU">http://imgur.com/xdU2gXU</a><br />
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It's not the first time this year a British cyclist is involved in controversy. In the Tour the France, Chris Froome ran up part of a mountain without his bike. A move that could only mean disqualification according to some experts. That didn't happen.<br />
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Rules exist to ensure fair play. If rules are broken, fair play isn't possible anymore. What do the Olympics or Olympic medals even mean then?baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-52411422900447660542016-05-25T00:25:00.000+02:002016-05-25T00:25:55.207+02:00MacBook Pro 2016 rumors<a href="http://ift.tt/1TuKcni">Opinion: What can we expect from the 2016 MacBook Pro, and will it be worth the wait?</a>:<br />
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I hope the MacBook Pro will not become another victim of Apple’s obsession for thinness. Because this is a “pro” device, I think people demand a lot of ports, including USB 3.0 and maybe even HDMI. The touch strip rumor is both interesting and weird. Yes, it offers opportunities to customize keys in specific apps, but it sounds like a gimmick.
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<a name='more'></a>I never typed on a new MacBook keyboard, but most people seem to hope the new MBP won’t use the new butterfly mechanism.
In general, I think most people just want a Skylake upgrade.<br />
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Personally I find the infinity display on the Dell XPS 13 very appealing, so I’d love to see that. Let’s hope these new MacBooks come in fiscal Q4 and not calendar Q4, because it’s a long-overdue update…
baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-84349582953235777612016-05-20T00:46:00.000+02:002016-05-20T00:46:19.357+02:00Quick thoughts on Google I/O 2016I'm excited about all the <i>Google Assistant</i> stuff. Google Home is not something I'd personally need at this point, but I think it has more potential than something like Echo (except for shopping, probably).<br />
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Allo is something I'd totally use, but I don't really understand why they are keeping Hangouts alive. Sure, it could be an enterprise tool, but so far it's not clear to me if Allo could be a full replacement. My guess is that it will be Android/iOS only for some reason, but I'm hoping they will take the Telegram approach and make it available everywhere.<br />
The bot-chat part of Allo also is a really interesting extension of Google voice search. AI is what's finally going to make our smartphones smart.<br />
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From a much larger perspective, bots and voice recognition mean that we no longer have to adapt to the computer, but the computer adapts to us, to our natural language. It took a while, but we are finally there.<br />
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I've been running the Android N preview from day one, but there were some pleasant surprises. But the seamless upgrades are a huge deal. I'm glad they looked at Chrome OS and brought that over to Android.<br />
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Speaking of Chrome OS, Android apps on Chromebooks are a huge, huge deal. The addition of the Play Store will make Chrome OS a realistic Windows replacement for even more people. Maybe I missed it, but not talking about this in the keynote is so weird.<br />
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The announcement of Android Instant Apps got me really excited. There are so many use cases for this. If it will eventually be as seamless as they promise, I think it's going to be a much used feature.<br />
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What excites me about Daydream (apart from the fact that such a nice name isn't no longer attached to a screensaver) is that it shows a realistic future of VR, where all you need is your phone, a headset and maybe some controllers. Phones are amazingly powerful and with 4K displays and Unity and Unreal support, Daydream could mean great VR for a mass audience at a reasonable price.<br />
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I could keep my eyes open, but I wasn't really focused when they talked about Android Wear 2.0. There is literally nothing that excites me about wearables at this point. I don't even want to write about it.baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-43095930419601974822016-01-15T00:28:00.000+01:002016-01-15T00:28:00.357+01:00Android on a PC, does it make sense?<script async="" src="https://static.medium.com/embed.js"></script><a class="m-story" data-collapsed="true" href="https://medium.com/technology-explained/android-on-a-pc-does-it-make-sense-160e9fb4fca9">Android on a PC, does it make sense?</a>baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-14362448167641852852015-12-11T00:02:00.002+01:002015-12-11T00:29:27.579+01:00Report: "The Pixel C was probably never supposed to run Android"<h4>
According to a <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/12/the-pixel-cs-bumpy-road-from-chrome-os-concept-to-android-adoptee/" target="_blank">great report</a> by Ron Amadeo from Ars Technica, Google's recently launched Pixel C tablet was never supposed to run Android, at least not from the start.</h4>
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It was supposed to run a touch-friendly version of Chrome OS, called "<a href="http://gigaom.com/2014/06/12/what-is-athena-for-chrome-os-tablet/" target="_blank">Project Athena</a>" at the time. But that was eventually canceled. Next, there were signs that the device would run both Android and Chrome OS, but that also didn't happen. Apparently Google wanted the device to be released anyway and it was announced as an Android tablet with a keyboard at the event in September.<br />
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This clearly explains why the hardware and software do not feel in sync, as is stated by most reviews. A few people who worked on the tablet said in a <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3w3x7p/hi_im_andrew_here_at_google_and_im_with_the_team/" target="_blank">Reddit AMA</a> that Android N would bring improvements to productivity, possibly multi window support.<br />
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So, a lot has been going on internally at the Chrome OS/Android side of Google. There are recent reports of a Chrome OS/Android merger, which was denied by Google. My guess is that they have been and will be figuring out what the future of Chrome OS and Android will be and it's good that they're experimenting and not afraid to cancel a project, although maybe they should have completely canceled the Pixel C, or at least delay it until the software was ready.<br />
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I'm still interested in a Chrome OS/Android hybrid, especially because the way Chrome OS receives updates is just great (comparable to the Chrome browser). Let's see what the new year brings.baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-63405423749483146222015-11-30T00:55:00.000+01:002015-11-30T00:55:15.883+01:00Browse the web like Snowden - tips to regain online privacy<script async="" src="https://static.medium.com/embed.js"></script><a class="m-story" data-collapsed="true" href="https://medium.com/technology-explained/privacy-on-the-web-take-back-control-432a62990fc0"></a><br />
<a name='more'></a><a class="m-story" data-collapsed="true" href="https://medium.com/technology-explained/privacy-on-the-web-take-back-control-432a62990fc0">Privacy on the web — take back control</a>baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-36811087043027028272015-10-24T12:22:00.002+02:002015-10-24T12:31:24.303+02:00Popcorn Time is dead, except it isn’t<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d0nF3T85uIU/VitdjrcKb5I/AAAAAAAA6Fc/WmMs05MDgXQ/s1600/butter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d0nF3T85uIU/VitdjrcKb5I/AAAAAAAA6Fc/WmMs05MDgXQ/s320/butter.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Today, the people behind popcorntime.io, one of the most popular Popcorn Time forks, closed the doors. The reason is a bit vague, but also today, coincidence or not, they released a “legal” version called <a href="https://butterproject.github.io/" target="_blank">Butter</a> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK3ZP6frAMc" target="_blank">tu tu tu tu tu tu tu</a>). It’s basically Popcorn Time, the same code, without the lines that made it controversial.<br />
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BitTorrent, the technique used by most PT apps, itself is not illegal. The protocol is meant to make downloading big files faster by using multiple sources (that’s why Popcorn Time is illegal in most counties; you are both downloading and uploading copyrighted material). This can obviously be used for movies and shows, but also for legal or “open” stuff. Butter is open-source, which means that anyone could take the code and make a new version. And yes, as you probably have guessed, you can also use it to make a PT clone. In fact, if everything would have gone according to plan, popcorntime.io would have also been based on Butter. Butter would have been in the open, and popcorntime.io simply just a fork (while still open-source). The creators presumably hoped this would make fighting claims from content-owners a bit easier.<br />
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It’s only just a matter of time before new PT versions arrive. Actually, there are other forks from the original Popcorn Time that still function. In recent weeks, we learned about a browser version made by a fifteen-year-old boy, which since then has had some trouble, like most other browser-related initiatives. Problems often are related to take-downs by the hosting companies, that might not be too happy with the controversial service.
Completely getting rid of applications based on code that is up for grabs is <br />
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<a href="https://medium.com/technology-explained/popcorn-time-is-dead-except-it-isn-t-1c9e6766d7cf#.88yei3cue" target="_blank"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Read on Medium</b></span></a>baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-46430295964731683642015-10-20T19:29:00.002+02:002015-10-20T19:29:57.114+02:00HTC One A9 announced<div class="tumblr-post" data-did="c51ca96b81dfb22b47838899fd646115273df521" data-href="https://embed.tumblr.com/embed/post/xNyxCIk7P9VUSCWsvvJoPA/131563477115">
<a href="http://baskeetelaar.tumblr.com/post/131563477115/htc-one-a9-preview-the-verge">http://baskeetelaar.tumblr.com/post/131563477115/htc-one-a9-preview-the-verge</a></div>
<script async="" src="https://secure.assets.tumblr.com/post.js"></script>baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-80601261922983376262015-09-29T23:59:00.001+02:002015-09-29T23:59:18.125+02:00Hey Google, check your USD to EUR calculator<script async="" src="https://static.medium.com/embed.js"></script><a class="m-story" data-collapsed="true" href="https://medium.com/@Baspower_/hey-google-check-your-usd-to-eur-calculator-d0728bdfc60d"></a><br />
<a name='more'></a><a class="m-story" data-collapsed="true" href="https://medium.com/@Baspower_/hey-google-check-your-usd-to-eur-calculator-d0728bdfc60d">Hey Google, check your USD to EUR calculator</a>baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-78610966228236068122015-09-11T15:50:00.000+02:002015-09-11T15:50:29.163+02:00Apps are the future of TV, but do they have to be on the TV?Apple is not the first company to see apps as the future of TV (although they might think they are), but the question is if the apps have to be on your TV. <a name='more'></a><br /><br />I was excited about smart TVs, but I realized that it (Apple TV, Android TV) does a lot of things my Chromecast can do as well, for a considerably lower price. With Chromecast, the interface is on your phone or tablet. Why does it have to be on the screen? The only thing I need on the big screen is the content itself, after I pressed play. Sure, I cannot play games on my Chromecast, but that’s what “real” gaming consoles are for. <br /><br />I never used a smart TV (except for a shitty Samsung a few years ago), so I don’t know how well the navigation works, but I do know that the apps and touchscreen on my phone and tablet work great.baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-64941447715430839502015-08-22T17:36:00.002+02:002015-08-22T17:39:42.064+02:00Call of Duty: Black Ops III Beta impressions<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-96953e33-560d-83ed-55c8-ac417be1877d"></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having not played last years Advanced Warfare, the double jumping and wall-running was completely new for me when I started playing the Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta. And to be fair, I was a bit skeptical about it. I didn't really have fun playing Ghosts and went back to the older games instead. After reading hands-on experiences in the months before this beta and after a few days of playing it, all the doubts are gone.</span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Surprisingly, the game feels very much like Call of Duty and that's mostly because the new moves are all optional. You can run on every wall, but sometimes you can use it in a more tactical way by skipping a portion of the map or perhaps even by running on an outside wall. When you press and hold the prone button while running, you make a power-slide. Pressing and holding the jump button makes you thrust through the air. These actions are tied to a meter, which prohibits you from continually using them. You can decide for yourself how you combine these actions, so you could do a wall-run, float through the air and immediately do a power-slide when you land.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's also possible to swim in this CoD. You can even shoot and reload while doing that. It's a good way to surprise your opponent, but if someone spotted you, you might be a bit more vulnerable. You don't need a perk to sprint endlessly, which makes that the pace of the game is a bit higher, although it appears to be a bit slower than a few months ago, if I may believe people who then played it.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You no longer play as unnamed soldiers, but every player chooses a character, a so-called specialist. Each specialist has a unique weapon or ability. Before the match starts, you pick a specialist and either its ability or its weapon. The special becomes available after a while and you can decide to use it or save it for a later moment. Some specials help you identify enemies, another makes you run faster and there's one that lets you glitch to a previous position. On the weapon side there are weapons that can be used by everyone, like a grenade launcher, or ones that require more skill, like a bow and arrow. There even is one that reminds me of Scaramanga's Golden Gun. If you're not good enough to get a scorestreak reward, you still have something special and powerful. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are four maps (originally three) playable in the beta and I like all of them, to my own surprise. Not all maps contain water and some maps have more wall-run routes than others, but that means that there is a nice balance and that it never feels gimmicky. The biggest problem right now are the spawn points, especially in game modes like capture the flag where there is respawn time and you might only get to live a few seconds before being shot to dead again by an enemy on the lookout.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Melee not always results in a direct kill, which kind of disappoints me, since I think it requires skill, as does chaining wall-runs, jumps and slides.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What matters most is that I have so much fun playing the game. Perhaps that's because of the level cap. Because of that, not all specialists and killstreaks can be unlocked, so there isn't a lot of air support yet. It remains to be seen if the full game is as well balanced as the beta or that there is too much chaos. The specialists seem to be a nice addition, as they can turn out great if used at critical moments.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><iframe width="450" height="253" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ca4FhXS5V5E?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-13033177755353108082015-08-17T13:29:00.002+02:002015-08-17T13:32:56.318+02:00Right, the iPad...<a name='more'></a><script async src="https://static.medium.com/embed.js"></script><a class="m-story" data-collapsed="true" href="https://medium.com/@Baspower_/right-the-ipad-db6558ebe40c">Right, the iPad…</a>baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-65384552706292119992015-07-20T00:39:00.000+02:002015-07-20T00:43:15.380+02:00The world beyond Windows and OS XCould Linux replace your default OS?<br />
<a name='more'></a><script async src="https://static.medium.com/embed.js"></script><a class="m-story" data-collapsed="true" href="https://medium.com/technology-explained/the-world-beyond-windows-and-os-x-a3bbefa37e5f">The world beyond Windows and OS X</a>baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-58008079869958577652015-06-22T22:53:00.003+02:002015-06-22T22:54:38.245+02:00Make lists a core part of TwitterOne of the tougher things about selling the idea of Twitter to new users is that it serves a different purpose for everyone, so communicating what Twitter exactly is, is hard. You can’t simply tell them “hey, welcome to Twitter, this is how you should use it.”<br />
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I think they should focus on the interest-based community aspect, because people will follow their friends anyway. And Twitter is a great way to learn from and interact with people you admire or connect with people who share the same interests as you.<br />
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Perhaps Twitter should remove the option to make your profile private, because I think you miss out on an important part of the experience. However, I think most people who use Twitter have an open account. But there are also people who never tweet at all and that isn’t a bad thing, because you could also use Twitter as a replacement for an RSS reader.<br />
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In my opinion, the best thing they can do is trying to figure out what someone’s interested in during sign-up. I don’t know if they already changed it, but the last time I made an account they suggested random people, which doesn’t make sense.<br />
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Personally, I have a lot of lists. Lists is a pretty hidden feature, but I think they are essential when it comes to grouping multiple interests. It’s comparable to Google+ circles. I even think lists should become a core part of what Twitter is, because:<br />
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<ol>
<li>it’s easier for users to manage the accounts they follow (right now, that’s a hell of a job if you follow a lot of accounts)</li>
<li>multiple interest-based timelines provide a higher interesting tweets/total tweets ratio</li>
<li>this could result in a higher engagement ratio</li>
<li>it’s immediately clear what people are interested in so you can give better tweet/account suggestions and trending topics</li>
<li>you can target ads more precisely</li>
</ol>
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I really like this <a href="https://medium.com/@michaeledwards/re-imaging-twitter-ea4e1139fe12" target="_blank">re-imagining of Twitter</a>. And the proposed idea of “stories” that you can follow makes a lot of sense to me. One of my favorite news apps is Circa, because I can follow news stories and every time something new happens, a new card of information is added to the already existing cards. This way I don’t have to look for updates, because they’re coming to me and I can immediately see what previously happened without reading through a long summary or introduction. It works great on mobile, because each card is just a short burst of information. If I need more, I can click a link and visit the source.baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-26363091123386710642015-05-19T17:31:00.003+02:002015-05-19T17:31:37.432+02:00Apple needs to drastically change to succeed at IoT<br />
<a name='more'></a>“HomeKit is a framework in iOS 8 for communicating with and controlling connected accessories in a user’s home. You can enable users to discover HomeKit accessories in their home and configure them, or you can create actions to control those devices. Users can group actions together and trigger them using Siri.”<br />
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This is Apple’s introduction to HomeKit on its developer website. HomeKit was announced at last year’s WWDC conference and it promised to be more than an internet of things (IoT) system. It’s a framework for home automation. It enables devices, called accessories, to communicate with each other and with your i-device. A release date has yet to be announced, but that might happen as soon as WWDC this June.<br />
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However, it will not be easy for Apple to win the IoT war. Google already has IoT hardware on the market through the acquisition of Nest and is heavily focused on consumer data. Much more than Apple, but it might be key to succeed. Samsung already makes a lot of household machines and has the ability to create its own dedicated chips.<br />
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Let’s say Apple enters the IoT hardware business. Will people buy products for premium prices if there is a lot of competition that has much more experience with household machines and other things and sells them for less? And as I wrote earlier, it’s important that all these systems are open. We need to have a standard (like HTTP/HTML for the web) for these devices to communicate. I want to be able to buy the best smart fridge magnet out there, but it has to be able to communicate with the fridge that is possibly made by another manufacturer. Apple’s ecosystem is very closed however.<br />
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The new Apple Watch only works with an iPhone for example and HomeKit also seems to be centered around Apple devices. For now, Apple relies on third party hardware in the form of those accessories, which is quite unique on its own. I expect the Watch to play an important role in controlling the accessories. But is it smart to only focus on your own devices? What if people decide there are better alternatives to the iPhone at lower prices?<br />
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In our Apple initiation, we cited the IoT as a long-term threat to Apple as we believe the most viable route to monetizing the IoT not to be in the sale of the items at a premium price to alternative items, but the synthesis of their data streams. — Maxim Group<br />
The question is whether or not it’s necessary for Apple to sell its own hardware. The reason Apple’s phone succeeded was because other smartphones sucked. the reason the iPad worked was because other tablets sucked. What if those third party accessories suck as well?<br />
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Other companies might have an advantage over Apple, so Apple has to drastically change. If it wants to sell hardware, it needs to ditch its premium pricing or it will have to rely on third parties. And it needs to gather a lot of data too. Something other companies have been doing for their entire existence.baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-11069425959972770262015-05-15T20:51:00.002+02:002015-05-15T20:53:26.253+02:00Instant Articles are just another solution"Our website has a responsive design, so we don't need an app"<a name='more'></a><br />I don't know if load times really are 8 seconds, but yes, native apps are most of the time faster and yes, they do offer a better user experience. I think part of the problem is that we are so used to browser tabs. Right now I have 10 tabs opened, and even more on average. For me, tabs don't work as well on mobile as they do on PC. Yes, you have tabs in Chrome for phones, but I prefer the way they are displayed on tablets, in a more desktop like way. <br /><br />IMO this would enhance mobile browsing, but it doesn't solve the load time "problems". The author of <a href="https://500ish.com/facebook-instant-karma-4a4bd4f3eca">this article</a> seems to be a fan of in-app browsers. I totally dislike them, as these don't have tabs at all. Since its launch I've been using Link Bubble, which solves, especially in combination with TapPath, a lot of the loading problems. While scrolling through my Twitter feed, I can single-tap a link to have it opening up in a bubble, double-tap it to immediately save it to my Pocket reading list and when I tap three times it opens in Chrome (obviously this is all customizable). This might even be better than Facebook's new Instant Articles, because most of the time I don't even have time to read it when I come across it. <br /><br />As a news site however, I think it's better to have a native app, which might even allow offline reading. Although there are alternatives like Google Play Newsstand and Flipboard and if you use it the way I do, even Pocket. <br /><br />Whether or not you should join the Instant Article program, I don't know. It's a bold move however, but I will probably turn it off, if I used the Facebook app at all. baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-24760002338297502012015-05-03T14:34:00.000+02:002015-05-03T14:34:00.328+02:00Goodbye Secret, victim of its own successRando was an app from a while ago that I really enjoyed. You could send a picture to a stranger and he or she could send one back. You could only see the location. Apps like these are (anti)social experiments that are almost never meant to last, either because the user base isn’t large enough or the things they’re sharing are too… personal.<a name='more'></a><br /><br />I respect the people who create these apps, often without a clear business model, but benefiting from the controversy that draws media attention. Yet it appears tough to not have it work against you as it is what draws people in, but it also might make them want to leave.<br /><br />Unfortunately, now Secret is the victim of its own controversy. Rando and Secret took a different approach. Rando limited the user and could be called anti-social and because of its smaller user base I never encountered a picture that I turned away from. These users enjoyed the concept. It’s nosecret that anonymity brings out the worst in people. It’s for that reason Google decided to use real names in YouTube comments a while ago. So a place without obvious rules, although not meant for it, is a troll’s heaven. However I do believe that with a smaller, more devoted audience, like with Rando, Secret could have been the place its creators wanted it to be.<br /><br />Over 15 million people used Secret. That’s no small number and as far as I know it was still very popular. But who wants to work on a product that not at all represents the vision you had when the adventure started?<br /><br />I hope this doesn’t mean the end of controversial apps. Perhaps someone will sometime be able to find the right balance. In the end, the app itself didn’t do much wrong. The people who used it made it what it was.baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-35703143233967010752015-04-15T13:44:00.000+02:002015-04-15T13:44:42.525+02:00My childhood favoritesThere are some movies you watched and some games you played as a kid you probably will never forget. I often saw something in a movie I wanted to do myself, because it looked so cool. I watched those movies unlimited times and played the games for way too many hours, often without fully understanding the game or playing any story missions.<br />
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The first Spider-Man movie, released in 2002 is one of my favorites. No matter how many Spider-Man movies there will come in the future, this one will always be the best for me.<br />
Spider-Man 2 is one of my favorite games. Not because of the story or the graphics or whatever, but merely for the fact that I could swing like Spider-Man (I don't think any of the newer games are as good at web-swinging as that one by the way). For hours I just swung trough New York, occasionally bumping in to an invisible wall, because I didn't unlock that part of the city, and I never would. Sometimes I found an open door on a rooftop which would lead me to a gang hideout. An awesome fight followed.<br />
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The only missions I really played were the "?" missions. I saved many people who, for some reason, were hanging from a skyscraper (I couldn't always make it in time, unfortunately).<br />
Another one of my favorite childhood movies is 2 Fast 2 Furious, which is, besides Tokyo Drift, the only Fast & Furious movie I've ever seen, but I watched it a lot. Also with this movie there was a game where I could replay all the cool stunts: Need for Speed Underground 2. Unarguably the best game in the NfS franchise. It even had Brian's Nissan Skyline. Again, I didn't play the campaign, but only cared for the free roam mode, hitting top speeds accompanied by Rise Against's Give It All or Spiderbait performing Black Betty. Look for those songs on Youtube and you will find many people looking for NfSU2 nostalgia.<br />
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I also had a lot of fun playing Everything or Nothing's multiplayer and 2-player karts in Mario Kart Double Dash worked really well. All those memories are from around 2003. I don't remember anything else about that time, except for the European football championship in 2004. The games and movies really left their mark on my history. Those are the things you tell your kids about and they'll think: yeah whatever, old movies and games with bad graphics.<br />
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As a kid, the quality of a movie or a game is much less important than when you get older. I'm always afraid to rewatch those movies and replay the games, because memories are better than realities. Although Spider-Man 1 didn't age at all in my opinion. And hey, I'm up to the best web-swinging ever in the Spider-Man 2 game. I bet crashing into yellow barrels or white unmarked vans in NfS wouldn't hurt either. I should rewatch 2F2F as well, it's been a while. Perhaps I also should see 7, if only to say goodbye to the guy I pretended to be as a kid.<br />
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baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-60128059320045672202015-03-29T14:59:00.002+02:002015-03-29T14:59:41.261+02:00Android apps won’t save Windows PhoneApps have been Microsoft’s longtime Windows Phone problem. Not every major app is on the platform and the ones that are, are often not on par with the Android and iOS versions. For example, Windows Phone users are left wondering if the recently released Periscope, that didn’t even find its way to Android at launch, will ever be at the platform. There are some developers making great third party clients, Poki (Pocket) for example, but this is only possible when the official app maker has a decent API system and appreciates third party work.<a name='more'></a><br /><br />Thinking about possible solutions, one that comes to mind is the addition of Android apps. Being able to download and use Android apps on a platform that isn’t Android is not new; BlackBerry added this function with the release of BlackBerry 10 phones to make the platform more accessible for app lovers. This could also work for Microsoft. There are some disadvantages, however.<br /><br />Running Android apps on a platform that isn’t Android requires an emulator. And it’s all about delivering a smooth and fast experience. But if the <a href="http://www.neowin.net/news/android-apps-and-windows-the-relationship-takes-a-step-forward">Neowin rumors</a> are true, Microsoft is seriously investigating the possibility. Not only brings this technical difficulties with it, but it might have legal consequences as well. Google might not really like Microsoft’s idea to bring native Play Store apps to Windows and the relationship between the two companies isn’t that great lately, with Google being harsh about serious bugs that aren’t fixed and Google is not actively developing new apps for Windows Phone. The addition of Android apps on Windows Phone doesn’t mean that we will see any Google apps (or any Google Play only apps for that matter) either, since Microsoft isn’t an official Android OEM. Microsoft might include its own Android app store or use Amazon’s.<br /><br />I don’t think Microsoft should bring Android apps to Windows Phone, but instead focus on their new effort with Windows 10: universal apps. This basically means that a developer can bring his app to more form factors, using the same code base. Windows apps work better in Windows 10 in general, now that they can be opened in windows, like normal programs on laptops and desktops. For a user, a nice suite of apps is important. If Microsoft can manage to have every Windows desktop app on Windows Phone and vice versa, it will create a more seamless experience between devices for its users. Still, developers have to actually start making and supporting apps, but if this could be as effortless as updating one code base, it will be much more appealing to developers to have a Windows app.<br /><br />Microsoft is leading the way, with completely new versions of Office and other apps. By bringing Android Apps to Windows Phone it might kill the developer community altogether, not only for Windows Phone, but also for desktop apps.<br /><br />The addition of aAndroid apps could mean that users decide to switch over to Android, because they have more apps and presumably a more solid and smooth experience. BlackBerry has its own unique selling points, like a physical keyboard or business-focused software, but I’m not sure Windows Phone is strong enough to differentiate itself.<br /><br />Windows Phone is fighting a tough battle against Android and bringing your enemy in, doesn’t sound like a good idea.baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-4872171139556007932015-03-10T22:46:00.002+01:002015-03-10T22:46:25.315+01:00Apple makes artThe Watch UI looks unintuitive and overly complicated. There are so many things you can do, too many things. I wouldn’t be surprised if they announce that you can read magazines on it, because they really seem to believe people want to do things like that on a very very tiny display. There isn’t a killer feature. Perhaps it’s its design, but it is not really appealing to me as some of the circular smartwatches.<a name='more'></a><br />For whom is this? This is a question that could be asked about smartwatches in general however. Sure, eventually everything is going to be smart, but I’m waiting for a device that has great battery life. I might be even more concerned about my phones battery, since the watch needs to be connected to it to actually do any of its cool things. But the Apple Watch is more expensive than the required iPhone and this is just wrong in my opinion.<br /><br />Apple felt the Watch should be more than a notification device and they understand that the way a watch looks is as important as what it does. But it makes no sense to view photo albums on such a small display.<div>
<br /><img height="359" src="https://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/max/800/1*HUUqVPa5HlyBVVRzA-izig.jpeg" width="400" /><br /><br />I think Jony Ive isn’t as much a UI designer as he is an industrial designer.<br /><br />Apple is heavily focused on design. The new MacBook looks stunning, but based on the first hands-on experiences and internet-opinions it doesn’t come without compromises. The keyboard is not as great as Apple says it is. People say the same thing about the trackpad. It only comes with one (one-size-fits-all) port. And the processor isn’t that fast for such an expensive machine.<br /><br />I don’t know how Apple internally works, but I could imagine Ive and his team come up with this great design and the engineers start working to make sure everything fits into the body. And they deliver absolutely outstanding work. The battery might actually be my favorite thing about the new MacBook. Can you imagine what kind of challenges they face, with Apple’s trend to make everything thinner each year? Perhaps they went too far this time. Car manufactures have these amazing concept cars that will never be available on the market. Both the MacBook and the Watch are Apple’s concept cars.<div>
<br /><img height="261" src="https://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/max/1023/1*nxm_6EosXQMQf_d6Pcqnmw.jpeg" width="400" /><br /><br />What kind of company is Apple? Is it a design company? Is it a marketing company? Is it a software company? Is it a hardware company? I think it makes art. Everything they make is visually stunning and therefore you can even find it in museums. This is a design-first approach that not many companies are able to mimic. Sure, both the MacBook and the Watch are first-generation products, but they are too expensive to be test objects. Art is meant to be looked at and maybe that’s also the case with Apple’s newest products.</div>
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baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-82753455522563808932015-03-03T18:57:00.000+01:002015-03-03T18:57:27.668+01:00Mistakes Google made with Google+The whole “Google is splitting up Google+” news brings some speculation with it and I think Google could (or should) communicate this in a better way. Announce this and tell everything right away or wait until I/O and avoid the confusing situation we’re in now<br />
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I, for one, do not think changes will be that drastic. Many people aren’t using Photos and Hangouts right now, because they’re part of Google+ (Hangouts is pretty standalone, yes, but I think it would benefit from a native desktop client). Google just wants more people everywhere and to be honest, I think Photos definitely deserves more users, because it’s a great service.<br />
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The term “splitting up” is confusing however. Obviously since all Google services are connected, Hangouts and Photos will be just a click away and auto backup is neat, so that won’t be going anywhere. It’s just that you will be able to use these things outside of the Google+ environment.<br />
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If you think about it, Hangouts and Photos are re-branded products. Hangouts once was Google Talk and I think Google failed in delivering a smooth transition from Talk to Hangouts. If I remember correctly, at one point we had Hangouts in Google+ and Talk in Gmail. The name itself was (and is?) confusing, because Hangouts were the video calls. And today there is still a difference in functionality between the mobile and desktop versions of the app.<br />
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Photos basically is Picasa, but again it’s very confusing. Does Picasa still exist or not? The website is still up and you can download the program. I can imagine that people who used and liked Picasa were not very happy when the Picasa web-album URL was redirected to Google+. They don’t want to use Google+, they want to use Picasa.<br />
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I’ve been thinking about these things in this way for a while, but now is a good time to share it, I guess.baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-5114566192359753962015-02-24T23:36:00.001+01:002015-02-24T23:37:12.722+01:00The Walking Dead should have ended here<div class="section-content">
<div class="section-inner layoutSingleColumn">
<div class="graf--p graf--first" id="e308" name="e308">
I know it’s not but Sunday’s episode of <i class="markup--em markup--p-em">The Walking Dead</i>
was the series finale. It was emotional but was it emotional enough?
Probably not. But how could a story like this possibly end?<br />
<a name='more'></a> When Rick
dies? When everyone dies? With a cure? Hell, I don’t even want this to
end with a cure. This is a never ending story, not a fairytale. (Harry
Potter should have died, yes)</div>
<div class="graf--p graf--first" id="e308" name="e308">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p" id="3995" name="3995">
I
don’t read the comics so I don’t know what’s coming next, perhaps the
best has yet to come. But honestly, I wouldn’t mind leaving this group
behind and moving on to another one, in another place or maybe even
before the outbreak. The webisodes showed there is so much more possible
in this universe.</div>
<div class="graf--p" id="3995" name="3995">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf--last" id="f611" name="f611">
If
this all ends with a cure, I don’t think I would want to go back in
time and follow a different group if I already know the outcome.</div>
</div>
</div>
baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4560832749427206916.post-13128278671913448812015-02-17T23:14:00.001+01:002015-02-17T23:14:30.043+01:00My request to everyone involved in the creation of Internet of ThingsThe Internet of Things (IoT) is coming soon and, in some ways, already here. It’s not just about making smart devices, but they also need to be aesthetically pleasing, so it seems. Look at the Nest products or the recently announced Eero. But there are some questions I have.<br />
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What if I buy a Nest thermostat and maybe even their smoke detector, does that mean the rest of my smart home products also need to be from Nest? Will it be possible for all my devices to seamlessly communicate even though they are not made by the same manufacturer?<br />
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As long as there are no standards, Microsoft, Apple and Google are willing to fight for that. Also, how will devices communicate with each other? They don’t need WiFi for that. I imagine one central hub that connects to the internet and all communication goes through that hub.<br />
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In the ideal situation, I think we need something like W3C, but new versions of the technology should be introduced faster.<br />
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There are multiple efforts for home device communication standards and undoubtedly more are on their way, but for users it should be effortless. We only need one technology that works well, like WiFi.<br />
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It’s only a matter of time before the next smart household device is announced, but let’s not waste years arguing about what should be this standard. This does not benefit any of us.baskeetelaarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320247915188586800noreply@blogger.com0