Windows on ARM fixes much that is wrong with Windows, but lack of apps makes it Microsoft’s big risk

By tim, on February 10th, 2012 Follow tim on Twitter

Vendors who create new platforms work hard to attract developers, because high availability of apps is seen as essential for success. This is why, for example, RIM is offering free PlayBooks to developers who submit apps to BlackBerry App World.

Why then would Microsoft deliberately and consciously choose to release a new family

…continue reading Windows on ARM fixes much that is wrong with Windows, but lack of apps makes it Microsoft’s big risk

Users petition Asus over locked bootloader in Asus Transformer Prime

By tim, on January 3rd, 2012 Follow tim on Twitter

The new Asus Transformer Prime TF201 Android tablet is winning praise for its performance and flexibility. It is driven by NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor and can be equipped with a keyboard and dock that extends battery life and makes the device more like a laptop.

All good; but techie users are upset that

…continue reading Users petition Asus over locked bootloader in Asus Transformer Prime

Why developers need a Mac

By tim, on November 24th, 2011 Follow tim on Twitter

I am by no means an Apple fan. For one thing, I find Windows (and Linux) stable and fast, so you are not going to hear me argue that my computing life was transformed once I made that Switch (with a capital letter). Admittedly that is partly because I am familiar with how to

…continue reading Why developers need a Mac

Windows 8 Tablet in June 2012? If so, I am betting ARM not Intel x86

By tim, on November 21st, 2011 Follow tim on Twitter

An interview with Paul Amsellem, new boss at Nokia France, includes this remark:

Et en juin 2012, nous aurons une tablette fonctionnant sous Windows 8

which even my schoolboy French can translate:

and in June 2012 we will have a tablet running Windows 8

Now, that is sooner than I had expected based

…continue reading Windows 8 Tablet in June 2012? If so, I am betting ARM not Intel x86

PCs down, Android up: astonishing figures from Gartner show shift to mobile

By tim, on November 15th, 2011 Follow tim on Twitter

Want to know why Apple is suing Samsung over Android, or why Microsoft is re-imagining Windows as a touch-friendly mobile OS? Look no further than Gartner’s latest report on European and worldwide sales in the third quarter of 2011.

First, this release shows PC sales in Western Europe, not helped by HP’s dithering over

…continue reading PCs down, Android up: astonishing figures from Gartner show shift to mobile

Quick thoughts on Xcode and Objective C versus Microsoft’s tools

By tim, on November 4th, 2011 Follow tim on Twitter

I have been trying out JetBrains’ AppCode which meant working in an Apple development environment for a time. I took the opportunity to implement my simple calculator app in iOS native code.

Objective C is a distinctive language with a mixed reputation, but I enjoy coding with it. I used Automatic Reference Counting

…continue reading Quick thoughts on Xcode and Objective C versus Microsoft’s tools

Delphi XE2 FireMonkey for Windows, Mac, iOS: great idea, but is it usable?

By tim, on October 24th, 2011 Follow tim on Twitter

I am sure all readers of this blog will know by now that Delphi XE2 (and RAD Studio XE2) has been released, and that to the astonishment of Delphi-watchers it supports not only 64-bit compilation on Windows, but also cross-platform apps for Windows, Mac OS X and even iOS for iPhone and iPad (with

…continue reading Delphi XE2 FireMonkey for Windows, Mac, iOS: great idea, but is it usable?

A few observations on Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango”

By tim, on September 28th, 2011 Follow tim on Twitter

I received a Windows Phone running version 7.5 “Mango” for review yesterday. Here are some initial observations; I am not going to call it a review after such as short time.

There is still no screen capture utility – well, there is this one but it requires a developer accounts. So no screens,

…continue reading A few observations on Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango”

Adobe to ship Flash 11 and AIR 3, repositions Flash vs HTML 5

By tim, on September 21st, 2011 Follow tim on Twitter

Adobe has announced that Flash 11 and AIR 3 will ship in early October.

There are significant changes in this release.

Flash gets Stage 3D (previously codenamed Molehill), a set of low-level 3D APIs, GPU accelerated where hardware allows, which will make console-like 3D graphics and games possible in Flash. Stage 3D wraps DirectX

…continue reading Adobe to ship Flash 11 and AIR 3, repositions Flash vs HTML 5

Building Windows – when Microsoft shows its hand

By tim, on September 12th, 2011 Follow tim on Twitter

I’m in Anaheim, California on the eve of Microsoft’s BUILD conference. I have heard the phrase “wait until BUILD” so many times from Microsoft over the last few months that it has given this conference a special flavour. After Wednesday, the company will have to think of another way to avoid awkward questions like

…continue reading Building Windows – when Microsoft shows its hand

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