Live Mesh vs. the New SkyDrive application
In this edition of the Mailbag: Reexamining Microsoft Signature, dwell Mesh vs. the new SkyDrive application, adding comments and write-up ratings on my site, enabling Hyper-V in glass windows 8, whether the Barnes & Noble and Microsoft alliance modifications my preference for Kindle, Nokia Lumia 900 cloud features in contrast to iPhone, and glass windows 8 and notifications.
If you have questions, please e-mail me.
Microsoft Signature PCs revisited
A volume of shoppers have emailed me this week about Walter Mossberg’s coverage of Microsoft’s Signature computer program. offered his position since the top level apple company backer in the mainstream media, he was very good about the program overall:
I found the Signature [PC] versions a whole lot cleaner and easier to navigate and faster within a volume of checks … at my speed tests, Signature beat all the stock devices on all my trials, however the margins weren't dramatic, usually from a few of seconds to twenty five seconds … at my opinion, it makes for any better experience for the user.
Hooray for Walt. But as a reminder, I’d just be aware that I published about Microsoft Signature effectively over a year ago. using the benefit of the great offer more experience now, I would want to include a few of other comments about this service.
First of all, Signature PCs are demonstrably excellent to precisely the exact same PCs supplied with a computer maker. They are devoid of the computer maker-supplied crapware that virtually nobody wants or needs, and consist of a handful of Microsoft methods (crapware?) that I get desirable. That, mixed with vital energy management and general performance tuning ensures that Signature PCs, on average, carry out a whole lot better than precisely the exact same appliance supplied through the computer maker. These distinctions can be not subtle, as Mr. Mossberg seems to think.
Signature PCs are limited, however, in two vital ways.
First, while you don’t actually have to dwell near a Microsoft retail store to consider borders of this program—you can acquire the PCs online as well—there are vital strengths associated to support and hands-on help. And if you ever don’t own a Microsoft Store near you—as most don’t—Signature isn’t as viable.
Second, be careful that you could be getting that which you consider you could be getting. Signature continues to be kind of a mom and pop operation within Microsoft, an internal startup of sorts, and the choice of PCs on offer is a scaled-down subset of what’s obtainable in the outside world and, more important, the offered devices can often be a little bit away from date. This is especially vital in occasions like now when many computer makers are refreshing their lineups. Just be careful not to inadvertently order last year’s HP laptop, or whatever, when you designed to order the new Ivy Bridge-based machine.
Regardless, Signature is a awesome program. I endorse it, especially if you ever do materialize to dwell near a Microsoft Store.
Live Mesh vs. SkyDrive application
I’ve also obtained an great offer of e-mail about the new SkyDrive app and whether it will replace dwell Mesh and, if so, whether it will adopt some missing dwell Mesh features just before that happens. While I do create about these two methods in Cloudbusting: SkyDrive Vs. dwell Mesh Vs. search motors Drive vs. Dropbox, it truly is perhaps worth examining these issues a little bit further.
First, I’ve asked. And while Microsoft isn’t really prepared to discuss explicitly what it really ideas to do, I consider it is fair to say that dwell Mesh will at some time disappear. No term on the routine yet, but I take that to end up a definite.
I was told, however, that the recent SkyDrive app is only a beta and that Microsoft will be improving it just before a final, shipping launch later this year. Furthermore, I was informed that Microsoft was conscious of the issue of syncing multiple folders and is looking into this.
My gut experiencing is that the SkyDrive app won't ever support the syncing of multiple folders, as does dwell Mesh, but that it will at some time allow you ascertain which folders to sync to each PC. ideal now, it is a dumb on/off thing.
With this in mind, there are some workarounds which could make the SkyDrive app more viable for you. One of them is to use a fairly esoteric NTFS element acknowledged as symbolic links to emulate the multiple folder sync capabilities of dwell Mesh producing utilization of the SkyDrive app. Various shoppers have composed up explanations of this process, but here’s an great one from Jan Hannemann.
If you skip the remote desktop computer functionality of dwell Mesh, investigate out Logmein Hamachi, a free (for non-commercial use) VPN solution which may allow you take advantage of the Remote desktop computer interconnection program in glass windows to remote desktop computer into your other PCs. I use this program regularly, and not merely does it work great, however the remote desktop computer experience is excellent to that of dwell Mesh, to boot.
Comments and write-up ratings in your site?
Sepp S. asks:
I desired to get away from a comment on your blog, but it truly severely isn't possible, i am logged in. What am I executing wrong?
This will be modifying very soon, i am told, however the SuperSite for glass windows is really three sites in a single ideal now on account of the truth of the matter that of the way in which it evolved. The “main” area of the site is a web site, not a blog, which dates back once more to 1998 (before there were blogs). In late 2010, Penton imported the thousands of content material articles that designed up the site right into a more modern content material management system and merged them, somewhat, with two other sources of articles: The SuperSite Blog, which must have been a separate system created years ago to accommodate the truth of the matter that the important thing site could handle blogging, and content material from glass windows IT Pro, which includes my day-to-day news articles, weekly editorials, and print magazine articles.
Today, you are gonna be capable to comment on my SuperSite site posts, although not my SuperSite articles. And you are gonna be capable to comment on the glass windows IT Pro content, but only if you ever do so from www.windowskeymall.com.
Again, it will be changing. Sometime soon, you are likely to handle to comment on all of my articles, irrespective of the source, and do so directly from the SuperSite. Sorry for the delays.
Enabling Hyper-V in glass windows 8?
Dimitris T. asks:
I was taking a look at glass windows 8 virtualization with Hyper-V and I seen on the general performance tab of the new process Manager that it says, "Virtualization: Not capable". I understand that my laptop computer doesn't fulfill the needs for the Hyper-V feature, although VMware and Virtualbox run smoothly, but is this information appearing on the process Manager satisfactory for a person to know that he can't run Hyper-V on his glass windows 8 desktop?
That position will not equate to Hyper-V compatibility. The Virtualization entry in process Manager describes whether your processor facilitates any hardware virtualization features and, if so, whether they are enabled. On my Core two Quad-based desktop, for example, Virtualization is outlined as "Enabled," which it is, but my system can't run Hyper-V 3.0, because it demands features in second-gen Core i3/5/7 processors.
The easiest way to ascertain whether you are gonna be capable to use Hyper-V to is to open glass windows Features and find out if it is available or not (it will be grayed out in the latter case).
Hyper-V is what is acknowledged as a type-1 hypervisor. But VirtualBox and VMware Workstation are just applications that run under an OS, or what is acknowledged as a type-2 hypervisor. Type-1 hypervisors have stricter hardware needs but offer dramatically better general performance (and other features).
Does the Barnes & Noble and Microsoft alliance change anything along with your e-book platform recommendations?
Joe A. asks:
You've been very vocal in your support of Amazon and Kindle. Does the recent announcement between B&N and Microsoft change your thoughts close to e-reader platforms?
Not for me... this all comes lower to ecosystem. Amazon's continues to be better/bigger. One point I would want to ascertain is publishers back once more the way to proceed content material between the NOOK and Kindle ecosystems. possibly that’s a little bit as well customer-friendly to even consider.
Mistakes in Lumia 900 article?
Francis P. got up on the wrong facet of the bed:
I found it rather intriguing that the volume of mistakes within a specified write-up [sic]. iCloud: write-up statements there exists a deficiency of it. glass windows cell phone utilizes SkyDrive and does what nearly all of the write-up claims it will not do. Auto picture uploading: Again, it does it with SkyDrive and auto uploads to all my personal computers and my Xbox.
While iDevice users can instantly upload pictures to iCloud in full sizing and resolution, the similar element in SkyDrive is terrible by comparison: It uploads only tiny, horribly compressed versions of the pictures that are not suitable for backups and look horrible on an HDTV.
PC-Free Usage: Yep, glass windows cell phone will not require a PC. In fact, when you setup the program for the very first time, if you ever setup Wi-Fi on the device, asks [sic] if you ever wish to setup mobile sync when you get home. But even that isn’t necessary, unless you desire all your music onto your device.
Windows cell phone very a whole lot demands a PC. you aren't able to down load program updates without tethering your cell phone to the PC. you aren't able to sync content--music, television demonstrates and movies, or (in most markets) podcasts--without connecting to a PC. you aren't able to down load full-sized, full-resolution copies of your pictures without connecting to a PC. And through the way, this is true even over Wi-Fi sync: your pc continues to be a essential area of all these activities, whether they are physically connected or not. Everything outlined over can be completed directly from an iPhone, with out a computer or Mac.
What’s sad is I don’t even work at microsoft office product key microsoft office product key and have absolutely had this cell phone for less than a week and i am noticing all these issues. really frustrating.
That’s not all that’s sad about this little exchange.
Windows 8 and notifications?
Matt F. asks:
Is Microsoft which include a notification middle of some kind in glass windows 8? i am unclear I've seen one or have got word of one at all. I consider it's a key misstep if not integrated from the get go.
There's a centralized notification element for apps. In the buyer Preview build, the preview apps have a inclination not to trigger many notifications, apart from the Messaging notifications you could have noticed. you are gonna be capable to ascertain the configuration interface for notifications in computer controls (under Notifications) and there's a global switch for them (which is modifying a little bit in the subsequent milestone) in the controls bar (WINKEY + I, at the bottom).
So there really is no centralized area that shops all the notifications until they've been examined out or clicked on? i am speaking like iOS's notification middle that pulls lower from the top.
No. only a standardized way for apps to existing notifications.
I really hope that Microsoft includes a notification middle for the launch Preview then. That's a key misstep if so. It's one of the important thing features glass windows cell phone needs, and I was hoping it could be rectified with glass windows 8 (as glass windows cell phone will be based away of it). it may be really annoying hearing the notifications and not understanding the things they were for because they went away the screen just before you make a decision on to were capable to consider it away from your pocket book or something.
I have a inclination not to consider anything of that magnitude is heading to alter for the launch Preview. The bottom platform was finished early this year.
What are your thoughts on that? Don’t you get it a little bit annoying with glass windows cell phone not owning one even?
No. I get it more annoying owning to "clear out" notifications on Android and iPhone. dwell tiles furnish their very own reminders of unseen notifications.
That said… it is a fair point. Apple, for example, is adding a Notification middle to Mac OS X “Mountain Lion,” which should ship later this year. I suppose Microsoft’s point is which they by now own an individual area to try to find missed notifications—the dwell tiles on the Start screen, as noted above—and that delivering however an additional UI to investigate this things reeks of micromanagement.
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