Intel To Rename Next Atom CPUs, Will Be Called x3, x5 And x7

The Intel Atom CPUs are an integral part of the Windows 10 puzzle. Maybe even the most integral. These low cost chips can now be found on all manner of Windows hardware.

From budget tablets to highly affordable multimedia computers that are perfect for home theater use.

In fact, after wandering in the hardware wilderness, these processors have finally found success in the past couple of years. The Intel Bay Trail platform, in particular, brought these delightful chips to the mainstream.

But despite being a hit with hardware vendors and consumers alike, the Atom line is still confusing. Good thing, then, that the chip maker intends to change the entire naming scheme.

According to this report, Intel aims to rename and brand its upcoming Atom processors similar to how the Core series — which is essentially dividing them into Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 so as not to cause any confusion amongst buyers.

The Atom line has so many different series and naming schemes that it gets almost impossible to determine which chip is better than the other.

Hence, the Atom collection will soon be divided into the x3, x5 and x7 brands.

The Atom x3 chips are set to take position in the low end (tablets and smartphones), the Atom x5 midrange (laptops, tablets and 2-in-1 devices), and finally the flagship Atom x7 chips for more premium hardware (PCs and mobile) this year.

Welcome change, and just in the nick of time.

The next generation Intel Atom processors are set to be unveiled in March at the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2015) trade show. In a week, then.

HardwareStrategy

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Samsung Smartphone Market Share Crumbles To 10%

Things seem to be going from bad to worse for the South Korean giant. Samsung smartphone market share for Q4 2014 has tumbled to the lows of just 10%. Incredible, yet, expected.

Which means that the company’s smartphone dominion is almost over.

Which also means that Samsung might have no choice but to launch a few Windows Phones to test out the waters. The company already hinted recently that it may release a handset or two powered by Windows 10 for Phones.

But as this report indicates, with mobile shipment data from Strategy Analytics, Samsung’s global smartphone market share hit these rock bottom figures.

Just a quarter, but it is perhaps the most important three months period of a year.

And then there is this talk from Reuters that Samsung is looking to freeze wages on home turf in South Korea for the first time in six year. Not confirmed by the company, but given the fact that its mobile division has experienced a descent of 60%, this may well be accurate.

Not to say that the company cannot stage a comeback from here.

But if Microsoft can deliver with Windows 10 for Phones, Samsung might not want to be left out of Windows Phone party, if it can find profits there — no one likes to leave money on the tablet, surely not a company that is under attack from all quarters in the mobile world.

This year could be interesting.

HardwareMicrosoftMobileStrategyWindows PhoneWindows Phone 10

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Comes Preloaded With 3 Microsoft Apps

It’s that time of the year again! With MWC 2015 about to kick off, Android manufactures are about to unleash new hardware, with the Samsung Galaxy S6 being one of the more anticipated ones.

The smartphone has been in all kinds of news and leaks.

But one interesting report claims that the handset will not feature any bloatware from Samsung. If anything, it appears that Samsung has inked an agreement with Microsoft to bring their apps and services on the Galaxy S6.

Sure a bunch of S Apps will be included on the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge.

And these devices will come with packed with all the usual Google applications — as most Android powered handsets do.

However, the source reveals that Redmond will have three apps preinstalled on the phone, and these include popular choices like OneDrive, OneNote and Skype. These are set to be grouped together in a folder called Microsoft Apps.

Samsung and Microsoft have not been on the best of terms recently, with the Korean company very much pulling out of the Windows ecosystem, both on the PCs and mobile.

In fact, both were involved in a legal spat, which was settled earlier this month.

This added exposure, however, will be good for Microsoft, and bring its mobile solutions to the forefront, particularly OneDrive and OneNote.

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Windows App Studio Updated With Several New Features

Microsoft developed the Windows App Studio to tackle the app situation on modern Windows platforms head on. This web based system allows anyone to easily create their applications.

Applications that work on both Windows and Windows Phone.

Over the past few months, Redmond has refined the service, and people with limited programming and coding experience have crafted their apps using it. Today, the company has refreshed the popular tool with a lot of new features.

One of the most requested of changes is finally in — the Logo and Image Wizard makes it possible to upload images (in JPEG and PNG formats), which can be automatically loaded into the icons, tiles and splash screens of a given application.

They can also be cropped and zoomed from within.

Additionally the connectors for Facebook and YouTube have been updated to use the latest API.

Previous features have also been enhanced. These include the simulator, improved screenshots, a fully responsive Home Page, improved HowTo formatting for easier and more intuitive navigation, along with notable increase in the overall performance of the tool.

This update also brings eight new theme templates that are fully customizable. Redmond makes it a point to mention that this is another highly requested feature from users.

Speaking of users, some 2.5 million have already registered for, and are using, the tool.

You can take it for a spin here on the Windows App Studio Beta website.

MicrosoftWindows 10Windows 10 Developers

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Lenovo’s Official Statement about the Superfish Incident; List of impacted systems

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There is no doubt over the last 24 hours or so you have heard and read a lot about this entire Superfish malware incident with Lenovo.

Also read: My Take on Lenovo, OEMS and Junkware on new computers and Microsoft vs. SuperFish here at the SuperSite for Windows.

Lenovo has released a few different statements over that same period of time plus they have been active on social media eventually taking ownership of the poor decisions that were made. In addition, they have promised to move the discussion forward within the industry relating to what is pre-installed on consumer computers.

Of course, as a couple of commenters have said on our site and social media, Lenovo’s actions will speak louder than any apology they offer.

The following is an official statement from Lenovo about the incident and wraps all the different sources up into one bundle.

At Lenovo, we make every effort to provide a great user experience for our customers. We know that millions of people rely on our devices every day, and it is our responsibility to deliver quality, reliability, innovation and security to each and every customer. In our effort to enhance our user experience, we pre-installed a piece of third-party software, Superfish (based in Palo Alto, CA), on some of our consumer notebooks.

We thought the product would enhance the shopping experience, as intended by Superfish. It did not meet our expectations or those of our customers. In reality, we had customer complaints about the software. We acted swiftly and decisively once these concerns began to be raised. We apologize for causing any concern to any users for any reason – and we are always trying to learn from experience and improve what we do and how we do it. Superfish technology does not profile nor monitor user behavior. It does not record user information. It does not know who the user is. Users are not tracked nor re-targeted. Every session is independent. Users are given a choice whether or not to use the product.

We stopped the preloads beginning in January. We shut down the server connections that enable the software (also in January, and we are providing online resources to help users remove this software. Finally, we are working directly with Superfish and with other industry partners to ensure we address any possible security issues now and in the future. Detailed information on these activities and tools for software removal are available here:






http://ift.tt/1EbkvOY



http://ift.tt/1EbBD72







To be clear: Lenovo never installed this software on any ThinkPad notebooks, nor any Lenovo desktops or smartphones. This software has never been installed on any enterprise product — servers or storage — and these products are in no way impacted. And, Superfish is no longer being installed on any Lenovo device. In addition, we are going to spend the next few weeks digging in on this issue, learning what we can do better. We will talk with partners, industry experts and our users. We will get their feedback. By the end of this month, we will announce a plan to help lead Lenovo and our industry forward with deeper knowledge, more understanding and even greater focus on issues surrounding adware, pre-installs and security. We are eager to be held accountable for our products, your experience and the results of this new effort.

I am disappointed there is not anything in this statement about the certificate which was installed and allowed Superfish to monitor secure sessions on the computer. That by-passing of security with a bad certificate is a major concern in this situation.

Lastly, just in case you wanted to see if a Lenovo product you purchased may have been affected we have been provided this list by Lenovo:

G Series: G410, G510, G710, G40-70, G50-70, G40-30, G50-30, G40-45, G50-45



U Series: U330P, U430P, U330Touch, U430Touch, U530Touch



Y Series: Y430P, Y40-70, Y50-70



Z Series: Z40-75, Z50-75, Z40-70, Z50-70



S Series: S310, S410, S40-70, S415, S415Touch, S20-30, S20-30Touch



Flex Series: Flex2 14D, Flex2 15D, Flex2 14, Flex2 15, Flex2 14(BTM), Flex2 15(BTM), Flex 10



MIIX Series: MIIX2-8, MIIX2-10, MIIX2-11



YOGA Series: YOGA2Pro-13, YOGA2-13, YOGA2-11BTM, YOGA2-11HSW



E Series: E10-30

Now that you have another read on Lenovo’s official stand does it change what grade would you give Lenovo's response to the Superfish situation?

But, wait…there's probably more so be sure to follow me on Twitter and Google+.

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Dropbox App on Windows Phone receives a timely update

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Timing is everything.

On Thursday Rod wrote about Microsoft extending 100GB of OneDrive storage to verified users of Dropbox as a gift for signing up and installing OneDrive on their devices/systems.

I was even able to get this 100GB of additional storage, which is only valid for a year, for my OneDrive account by signing up for Dropbox and then validating that brand new account.

Well this offer of storage was sent out by Microsoft on Thursday and then Friday morning Dropbox released a big update to their Windows Phone app. Coincidence or coordination?

Maybe is it just good timing but the update to the Dropbox app is a solid one plus getting 100GB of additional cloud storage on OneDrive is never a bad thing is it?

So go ahead and install the Dropbox app on your Windows Phone, sign up for a new account and the free 2GB of storage they offer then grab some bonus OneDrive storage and see the benefits of having additional storage which is accessible wherever you might be.

Let’s take a look at the updated Dropbox app – first the new features:

- Ability to create, access and manage shared folders directly in the app including unshare the folder and editing folder members.



– Shared folders can now be pinned to your Windows Phone Start Screen for quick access



– Improved non-English language support

Of course they also mentioned the ubiquitous fixed our most common bugs.

The app itself has a very clean and intuitive interface which is easy to navigate and adheres to the Windows Phone app design principles we are used to including tap/hold for context menus and pivots to swipe between pages of the app.

Dropbox Main Page

Dropbox Settings Page

Dropbox Context Menu

Dropbox Camera Uploads Folder

Dropbox Create Folder Menu

Dropbox Share Menu

Trivia: Did you know that this app is developed and maintained by the very well known Windows Phone developer Rudy Huhn?

Download Dropbox for Windows Phone (Version 1.1)

But, wait…there's probably more so be sure to follow me on Twitter and Google+.

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Windows Apps Weekly for 22 February 2015 – Nextgen Reader

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This week’s featured app is another universal app that is on both Windows and Windows Phone and for me is the center of all the sharing of links and news that I do each day.

In July 2013, when Google shut down their Google Reader service, I decided to move all of my RSS feeds over to one of the new substitutes that popped up in Reader’s place – Feedly.

Feedly had a solid web based interface and was very flexible but I really wanted to have that service available in an app on my platforms. Luckily, Feedly soon opened up a program that gave app developers early access to an upcoming API and one of the apps that got that access for Windows/Windows Phone was Nextgen Reader.

The developer of Nextgen Reader, Gaurav Kalra, actually built the app for himself initially as he shared when he was recently profiled on the Lumia Conversations blog about his experience developing for the Windows platform. I am glad he shared his work!

Nextgen Reader allows you to share items from your Feedly RSS feeds to all the popular social media sites as well as OneNote and email. For me the OneNote sharing is how I collect items together for my weekly Observed Tech podcast and since it is set as my favorite tool I can do that sharing with one button click.

Download Nextgen Reader App for Windows

Download Nextgen Reader for Windows Phone

But, wait…there's probably more so be sure to follow me on Twitter and Google+.

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What if Two Factor Authentication fails with your Microsoft Account?

Pixabay

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Two weekends ago I decided to try out the XDA method of installing Windows 10 on my Nokia Lumia 1520 to see Windows 10 on my unsupported handset. It took me several cycles of trying the hack and included resetting my 1520 to factory defaults a few times.

The hack became so popular that Microsoft eventually closed the door to that hack by updating the Windows Insider app on Windows Phone.

So it was in the course of that weekend of testing that I ended up resetting and revalidating access to a few of my Microsoft accounts multiple times as I moved my 1520 between the Windows 10 for phones technical preview and Windows Phone 8.1.

I lost track of how many times I had codes sent to my phone to verify my identity on those accounts but I use the same cell number, as many of you do, as my primary number for those accounts. Of course, with two factor authentication enabled I also use a secondary email address to get those codes.

At some point late on that Saturday I started to see an error when I asked for a code to be sent by SMS to my phone for validating one of my three main Microsoft Accounts I access daily. It simply read There was an error sending that message, try again later.

Without much to work with in the error department or any further explanation of how to resolve this error, I was stuck with being unable to validate one account with an SMS. I was also unable to validate my identity using the secondary email address because I could not remember what email address I had used.

When presented with the options to validate your Microsoft Account you see the phone number and are asked to verify the last 4 digits so the SMS can be sent. Of course that threw the mysterious error now and was unusable on any of my Microsoft Accounts.

If you have also setup a secondary email account for two factor authentication then that is also presented but only the first 2 letters and the full domain of that email address is shown on screen. You are required to type in the entire email address to get the code sent to you for validation. Of course, the resulting screen does not confirm or refute that you used the right email address – it just says if you entered the correct email address a code would be sent.

Normally validating an account using this method is not a problem but I had used an obscure variation of an email address and despite the two letter hint I could not remember the secondary email address at all. Couple that with the inability to get a security code via SMS and I was dead in the water with this one Microsoft Account.

So what is one to do at this point? Luckily, I could still receive email from this account because it was working on my other devices so while it was frustrating to be unable to set the account up on my 1520 it was not the end of the world either. I figured I could wait for the timeout period to pass so that I could once again get security codes texted to my phone for validation.

You would be amazed at how hard it was to get an answer to that question though. I tried through Microsoft Account support, both via Twitter and directly chatting with them through the support site, and the only answer I received was about 24 hours.

I must add here that I was very impressed with how Microsoft handles locked out accounts that use two factor authentications. No matter how much I asked to verify my identity using other methods, they have a lengthy form you can fill out to provide details of recent emails on your account to help unlock the account, or explained my circumstances on what happened they never budged on the fact that since my account was enabled with two factor authentication they could not immediately unlock it.

My options were to validate it with the text or email method, which as explained earlier, were both unavailable to me or to submit a request to validate my identity and change one of my authentication methods. The only issue with changing one of my authentication methods was that it would take 30 days to make the change. This was intentional to dissuade those who may be trying to hack your account.

So I was suitably satisfied that Microsoft had my accounts safety and security protected even though it was my own actions that locked me out in the first place. However, I was still stuck and unable to add this account to my phone.

I dutifully attempted to validate the account each day and received the same cryptic error everytime however, on the 7^th day I was once again able to send security codes to my phone and got into the accounts settings and had it working again on my phone. So if anyone ever asks how long does it take for SMS codes to reset after being used too much in a short period of time for security codes – the answer is one week.

Now during my lock out I was tweeting about the situation and received a few helpful suggestions.

One of them was to use Windows Phone Authenticator app to get a generated code to validate your identity. This works great and I have it setup on my primary Microsoft Account but it requires that you access your advanced security settings for your Microsoft Account to establish the connection between that account and the Authenticator app. Since I could not get a code to my phone or remember the email address I had selected as my secondary option this was not possible. After regaining access to my account settings I did set this up on that account immediately.

Another suggestion was the last resort recovery code on the account. This is another one that works very well however, it is also one you must prepare for as it requires that you access those advanced security settings and print out/save a unique recovery code to regain access to that account. This is another option that I took advantage of as soon as I was able to fully access my account settings.

Of course, when I got back into the advanced security settings of my Microsoft Account I was also able to see that obscure secondary email address I had selected. Immediately after shaking my head in disbelief that I had not remembered it, I changed it to something much more memorable to prevent that from happening again.

So bottom line here is two-fold.

First – Microsoft will not break when it comes to protecting your account if you cannot properly validate your identity using the two factor authentication options selected.

Second – there are ways to back up your two factor authentication methods if they become unusable or inaccessible but they require being setup before that access is lost.

So to stay safe and maintain access to your Microsoft Account be prepared for all contingencies.

But, wait…there's probably more so be sure to follow me on Twitter and Google+.

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Product Review: Inateck BTSP-10 Plus Bluetooth Speaker

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I love pleasant surprises. My most recent one came in an Inateck-branded box.

I've reviewed a bunch of Inateck products over the past couple years, which you can find here on Supersite and also over on WindowsITPro. Inateck products are sometimes hit-and-miss and I've blasted them when it was required. But, when they're good, they're great. And, such is the case with the Inateck BTSP-10 Plus Bluetooth Speaker.

I've had the speaker for about a week, but only got the chance to really test it out the last three days. Color me impressed, but this speaker is clearly one of the best.

Construction

The speaker is solidly constructed. I don’t make it a habit to drop my devices on purpose, but the speaker looks and feels like it could take a tumble or two. It's solid inside and out. The plastic that wraps the speaker is very rigid and strong. The bottom of the speaker sports four non-skid, low profile legs, making it extremely difficult to knock around or slip off a surface.

I have no qualms just tossing this into a backpack and I fully expect it to survive a trip anywhere. The speaker does come with a drawstring carry bag to help eliminate nicks and dings, but I'll never use it. And, I really don't believe its necessary, considering the solid construction.

Battery Life

I've not tested the full range of battery life yet, but I will this week. The wife and I are headed out of town to a remote cabin to celebrate our 25^th wedding anniversary. Inateck says the battery will last a full 10-15 hours. 10 or 15 is quite a discrepancy, but I plan to run it until it chokes. Fortunately, the speaker gets its recharge power from a standard USB connection, so I can use any of my multitude of chargers. This means I can also charge it in the car if it comes down to that.

I've not used it constantly during my three days of testing – just an hour here and there – but so far it's holding up and I didn't even take the time to charge it yet. It went from its box directly to operation.

Ease of Use

This is truly a dummy's device. Connecting to through Bluetooth is pretty simple. If you've had trouble with Bluetooth connections in the past, the simplicity of this speaker eliminates that. Bluetooth discovery is almost immediate, and pairing takes only a few seconds. And, then each time you want to reconnect, simply tap the Bluetooth button on top of the device and it relinks automatically. I've yet to have one of those quirky situations we've all experienced with Bluetooth, where it just won't connect despite connecting just fine a few hours earlier.

Once connected and sound starts streaming, the Bluetooth button doubles as the pause/play button. Also conveniently placed on top (next to the Bluetooth button) sits separate volume up and volume down buttons.

One thing to keep in mind…this is a speaker – just a speaker – though a very excellent one. A year or so ago I purchased a Braven 600 for around $149 (you can find that full product review on myITforum.com). The Braven is also a Bluetooth speaker, but it also provides hands-free con-call operation and mobile charging.

The Braven has been a good traveling companion. But, while it does offer features other than just sound, I've really never found a great use for them. I thought I would, but it never happened that way. Instead, I've counted on it for delivering sound in hotel rooms for music and movies. I can say this with confidence: I will be retiring the Braven for the Inateck. The sound quality difference is just too vast. It's almost the difference between listening to AM radio versus having a live orchestra in the room with you.

Ports

I noted earlier that the speaker charges using a standard USB charging port. Additionally, if you don't want to use Bluetooth for some odd reason, it does also offer a line-in AUX port. All of the provided ports, including the power button, sits on right-hand side of the speaker and they are recessed so you can't accidentally turn it off.

Sound

Ultimately, the value of any speaker comes down to the sound. I have one word that could adequately describe this speaker: LOUD. I guess it has to do with the double 3-watt precision-tuned drivers, multi-band compressors and high performance composite diaphragm. But, I need to give it an additional accolade. The clarity of sound is fantastic. Sound is just as clear at low volume as it is at the top level. And, that top level is almost ear shattering. As I mentioned already, it puts my Braven to shame.

Bottom Line

The Inateck BTSP-10 plus is a wonderful speaker. Bluetooth works flawlessly. It's solidly constructed and the sound is amazing (LOUD and clear). It doesn't have a gaggle of features beyond just providing sound, but if you only need a good speaker to travel with, you'll find that this is a great one.

You can find it on Amazon for around $50: Inateck Portable Hi-Fi Wireless Bluetooth 4.0 Speaker

[Want to discuss this further? Hit me up on Twitter, on Google+, or LinkedIn]

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Three generations of Intel HD Graphics tested

Intel’s introduction of the first modern Core processor in 2008 was a major change in direction, and not just because of its break away from the Netburst architecture behind which powered Pentium 4. The company also made a pledge to take graphics performance seriously, and it made good on that promise. When the first Intel HD Graphics showed up in 2010 alongside the new Core mobile chips, it more than doubled performance over the preceding Intel Graphics Media Accelerator in some games.

Today, five years later, Intel’s crusade for improved integrated graphics continues. Each new generation of Core brings a much bigger boost in graphics performance than per-core processor performance. Nowhere was this more apparent than with the fifth-generation Core launch, as Intel’s own slides claimed a mere four percent boost to productivity, but a 22 percent surge in gaming.

But these impressive gains have occurred in the face of more demanding games and ever increasing display resolution. Over the past five years, laptops have leaped from a typical resolution of 1,024 x 768 to 1080p, and premium models push 4K.

To find out what this means for real-world performance, we rounded up five different models of Intel HD graphics spanning three generations; HD 4000, 4200, 4600, 5500 and 6000. Let’s see what progress looks like.

The hardware

We used a variety of hardware to perform this test. An Apple Macbook Air running Boot Camp with fully updated Intel graphics drivers served as our stand-in for third-generation Core processors with Intel HD 4000.

Related: Check out the details of Intel’s fifth-generation integrated graphics

Next up we have the fourth-generation chips, represented by the Acer Aspire Switch 11 and Zotac Zbox Oi520, which offer Intel HD 4200 and 4400, respectively. The latter is particularly important, as it’s the most common IGP from the outgoing family. Most Intel-powered notebooks sold over the last year have HD 4400 inside.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Dell’s XPS 13 (2015) and Intel’s NUC with Core i5 processor, with HD 5500 and HD 6000, respectively, carry the banner for the fifth and most recent generation. Aside from the Iris 6100, which not a common choice, HD 6000 is the quickest graphics solution currently available with Core processors.

Obviously, it’s impossible to conduct an absolute apples-to-apples test. The Veriton’s Core i5-3337U is not as quick as the NUC’s Core i5-5250U, so processor performance will be in play here, as well. It’d be ideal to test each IGP with the same processor, but ultimately the point is moot, as Intel HD Graphics can’t be used independently of the processor it’s paired with.

3DMark

Futuremark’s 3DMark is essentially the industry standard among graphics benchmarks, and it provides a generalized look at performance that usually translates well to real-world games. Let’s dive right in and see how Intel has matured over the years.

These results are not difficult to interpret. Intel’s HD 4200, the low-power IGP for the thinnest and lightest fourth-generation Core systems, is the obvious loser. Second-worst is Intel’s HD 4000, the headliner of third-generation mobile graphics, which is just slightly beaten by HD 4400, the most common fourth-generation IGP.

3DMark BenchMark

Cloud Gate/Fire Strike score – Higher is better

The new kids in town, HD 5500 and HD 6000, quite easily defeat HD 4400, but the difference between them is less than expected. It’d be reasonable to think doubling execution units would lead to a major performance bump, but that’s not what’s happening here. Instead we see HD 6000 offer an extremely modest gain of just under five percent.

An improvement that slim might not be noticeable in games, but it’s possible 3DMark’s results aren’t entirely on target. Let’s see what happens when we test real games.

World of Warcraft

Blizzard Entertainment

Blizzard’s famous massively multiplayer game is over 10 years old, but it’s not a cinch for modern hardware to handle. The game has been updated significantly over the years with new areas, new textures and, most recently, new character models. There’s also been a general increase of stuff in the game, from foliage to particle effects to larger areas. Can today’s Intel HD hardware handle this evolving title?

World of Warcraft

The improvement between each generation of hardware is harder to see here than you might expect, particularly in the leap between HD 4000 and HD 4400. It turns out the mid-range integrated graphics most people actually have in their fourth-generation Core notebook isn’t much quicker than the best third-generation graphics solution.

We were surprised by the scores, so we re-tested HD 4400 with an Acer Aspire R13, which we’d just received from Acer. The story didn’t change. Intel HD 4000 and HD 4400 are virtually tied in this incredibly popular MMO.

Intel HD 4000 and HD 4400 are virtually tied in this popular MMO.

The new IGPs offer a significant leap in performance, though the size of that leap depends on the level of detail selected. At the low preset, Intel’s HD 6000 is no more than 10 percent quicker than HD 5500, but at high detail the difference grows as large as 40 percent.

Clearly, the added execution units in HD 6000 have an impact, but it’s arguably a futile effort. The HD 6000’s average framerate of 25 in World of Warcraft at high detail and 1080p is barely inside the envelope of what can be called playable, but our test was not conducted during a raid, which would surely turn the game into a slideshow. Even a brand-new notebook will prove most comfortable at medium or even low detail if 1080p the resolution desired.

Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth

Firaxis

The latest title in the Civilization series, Beyond Earth is built on the same engine as the incredibly popular Civilization V. These two games have consumed more player hours than any strategy franchise on Steam in 2014. Both games can be demanding in late-game scenarios because large numbers of units, cities and improvements appear at once.

We tested the game using the built-in benchmark, which is represents a very harsh late-game environment. In the real world, the game will run more smoothly than these numbers suggest, but testing in a worst-case scenario is a good idea. Being forced to abandon a late-game scenario over performance issues can cause serious nerd-rage.

Though it failed to soar far above 30 frames per second on any hardware at any level of detail, Beyond Earth proved playable on all Intel graphics tested, HD 4200 aside. The game doesn’t look great at minimum detail and 1,366 x 768 but, at an average of 27 FPS on Intel HD 4000, it was manageable.

Kicking resolution up to 1080p knocked HD 4000 and HD 4400 off the playable pedestal even at minimum detail, but the new HD 5500 and HD 6000 solutions maintained their composure.

Civilization: Beyond Earth

When we fired up the game at high detail and 4x MSAA, though, Intel struggled. None of the integrated graphics solutions provided a playable experience at either resolution; not even close.

It’s worth noting that, once again, Intel HD 4000 and HD 4400 are essentially neck-and-neck: in fact, HD 4000 slightly won in three of the four benchmarks. HD 6000’s improvement over HD 5500 also proved minimal, so much so it’s hard to say the former offers a meaningfully better experience. Most gamers are not going to notice a few extra frames per second.

Battlefield 4

DICE/Electronic Arts

The latest game in DICE’s famous shooter franchise is no longer at the absolute cutting edge of graphics, but it’s still quite demanding, particularly at high detail. Even low-end desktop video cards chug on it at 1080p resolution. Does that mean it’s absolutely too much for Intel HD to handle?

In summary; yes. None of the solutions managed better than 30 frames per second on average, even at low detail and 1,366 x 768 resolution. The closest, predictably, were the two newest, HD 5500 and HD 6000, though even they were three frames shy of the 30 FPS standard. Minimum framerates hit the upper teens. That means noticeable chop occurred in gameplay on both IGPs.

Battlefield 4

Turning detail up to high at 1,366 x 768, or going to 1080p, resulted in an essentially unplayable experience. At 1080p and high detail all five IGPs became slideshows, making the game almost impossible to play.

Battlefield 4 reaffirmed the essential tie between Intel HD 4000 and HD 4400, its supposedly more advanced cousin. It also cast further doubt on the effectiveness of HD 6000. In this game it performed essentially the same HD 5500, which begs the question; what are the 24 extra execution units doing? Perhaps there’s a driver-level issue at work here, as this is the only benchmark that saw HD 6000 offer no benefit at all.

Conclusion

These tests produced interesting results.

Our first surprise came from the competition between HD 4000 and HD 4400. We expected that the latter would provide a marginal boost over its predecessor, but in fact the two are virtually tied. While it’s true that HD 4400 was not the quickest fourth-generation mobile graphics chip, it’s also true that HD 4400 was by far the most commonly encountered, as it shipped with the widely used Core i5-4200U (and its close siblings). It appears the fourth generation’s graphics performance was, in practice, more of a side-step than a leap forward.

Intel’s fifth generation is a definite leap forward, even in HD 5500, which appears to be the new mainstream graphics champion. The boost in speed over HD 4400 approaches 40 percent in select Battlefield 4 test loops, and exceeds 20 percent general. Those figures are enough to make a noticeable different in games. Beyond Earth can be enjoyed at 1080p and minimum detail on the HD 5500, for example, while HD 4400 struggles to handle the same load.

Even Intel HD 6000 failed to serve up more than 30 FPS in World of Warcraft at high detail and 1080p.

We’re more suspect of HD 6000. The version we tested was in Intel’s NUC; we haven’t encountered it in a notebook yet. We have no reason to think the NUC would perform worse than a mobile system, though, and the latest drivers were installed. Given the rise in execution units from 24 to 48 we expected to see major boosts in speed, but instead HD 6000 offered gains of around 10 percent over HD 5500.

Related: Civilization: Beyond Earth review

There’s reason to think it’s a moot point, anyway. Even HD 6000 failed to serve up more than 30 FPS in World of Warcraft at high detail and 1080p resolution, and it just barely exceeded 30 FPS at the same detail and 1,366 x 768. No Intel graphics solution came close to 60 FPS in Beyond Earth or Battlefield 4, and the latter title wasn’t playable above 1,366 x 768 and low detail even on HD 6000. It is technically possible to enjoy new games on Intel integrated graphics, but the experience is not ideal.

Yes, Intel does offer quicker versions, such as Iris 6100, but its high-end solutions are found in a vanishingly small fraction of the systems. Most buyers end up with HD 4000, HD 4400 and HD 5500, and these IGPs continue to struggle with modern games at 1080p resolution. Intel hasn’t been resting on its laurels; the leap between HD 4400 and HD 5500 is substantial. Yet it’s not enough to keep pace with increasing game quality and improving panel resolution.

The answer to the question “Can Intel HD play this game?” remains the same as ever: “Probably. But you won’t enjoy it.”

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50% Windows Phone Developers Make At Least $500 Per Month

App development on Microsoft’s platforms has been a pressing issue for a while now, but some new statistics show that Windows Phone developers are finding notable success.

Well, most of them are anyway.

VisionMobile conducted a survey involving some 8,000 mobile app developers, which placed the Windows Phone platform squarely in third place when it comes developer appel. Android led the chart with 71% share, while iOS took in second place with 54%.

But a total of 30% of developers are now building applications for Windows Phone, a steady increase from the 28% in third quarter of 2014 and 26% in first quarter of 2014.

In fact, all mobile platforms experienced growth here — even the under fire BlackBerry had positive numbers to report, posting an increase from 11% in Q3 2014 to 13% in Q1 2015.

When it comes to money, though, there is more good news.

Some 50% of developers on Windows Phone are making up to $500 every month, 14% of them get as much as $5,000 during the same timeframe. A lucky few, 4% of them make between $50,000 and $200,000 every month.

Real success here.

Microsoft is betting on the concept of universal apps on Windows 10, allowing the same app to run on both desktops and mobile devices. This is sure to provide app developers with even more opportunities.

Hopefully the issue of lack of apps on Windows Phone will be addressed in the coming years.

MobileStatisticsStrategyWindows PhoneWindows Phone 10

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Some Users Feel Windows 10 For Phones Has A Desktop Look

Convergence? Well, that’s the price you pay. Microsoft wants to bring it platforms closer with Windows 10 and Windows 10 for Phones, so as to offer a similar experience across all devices.

From traditional PCs to tablets and phones.

But this is an idea that has to be done just right — this means not just making the transition between devices easier, but also offering a powerful operating experience, cross platform. However, this approach is not without its detractors.

Some users that tried Windows 10 for Phones have taken to the UserVoice channel criticizing Microsoft for making the mobile operating system feel too similar to its desktop counterpart.

They label it as desktop-first, mobile-second experience:

“The mobile experience, from the technical preview, does not look like the Windows phone experience was developed for a phone, but one ported to a phone.”

In fact, a weighty new suggestion is being thrown around, asking for the company to implement new gestures for faster and easier navigation on mobile devices. Everything must be within reach, they say, and not just on top left corner of larger phones.

Obviously referring to the new Settings screen in the preview version of Windows 10 for Phones.

A preview version that is practically the first public build of the upcoming OS. Surely, many things are going to change by the time the final version of Windows 10 for Phones sees daylight.

But people have their concerns, and they are keen on sharing them.

What do you folks think? Is Microsoft going a little too far in its quest for unification of the various platforms? So much so that the individual characteristics of each are sacrificed? Do tell.

MicrosoftMobileStrategyWindows PhoneWindows Phone 10

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Internet Explorer Getting A Highly Requested Feature

In the form of asm.js support to the Chakra JavaScript engine that powers both Internet Explorer and the new Spartan browser. Microsoft is finally bringing this to Windows 10.

The company has been, up until now, fairly open and transparent when it comes to the development progress of the two browsers it plan on including in its next operating system — with regular updates to what new features they are in line to receive.

And this time around, Redmond has detailed the addition of what is top 10 request for IE.

Interestingly, the software titan has been working with the Firefox development team to implement support for asm.js, which is generally utilized for transpiling (source-to-source compiling) C/C++ code to run on the web.

Probably the main reason why this is being implemented.

But working with Mozilla should ensure that both companies leverage the skills and knowledge of each other in implementing the technology. In fact, Mozilla are the original developers of this important new web technology.

Both Firefox and Chrome utilize it for notable performance boosts.

Microsoft has confirmed that the feature will be part of Windows 10, and fingers crossed we get to see it in action in a future demonstration on either Internet Explorer or Spartan.

MicrosoftWindows 10

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Get 100 GB Free OneDrive Storage If You Have A Dropbox Account

The cloud storage war just got a whole lot interesting! Microsoft is now offering free OneDrive storage to customers, a full 100 GB of space, as long as they have a Dropbox account.

Pretty neat way to target a close competitor.

Although this free capacity is only valid for one year, chances are that the company will renew this promotion in some way or form. Even if it doesn’t, this is a hefty 100 GB of free online storage for one year. And the offer only takes a few mouse clicks to redeem.

All you need to do is verify that you have a Dropbox account — which can be done by saving a document to the service. Takes only 10 seconds.

Microsoft and Dropbox have closely worked together these past few months in order to improve integration in the Office suite of productivity applications, but Redmond would still prefer customers to choose its cloud storage solution over the competitor.

It helps with brand loyalty, and ties users into the ecosystem.

Plus, considering the fact that OneDrive is an integral part of Windows 10 (on desktop and mobile), an offer like this will help acquaint new users to the cloud hosting service.

Anyway, if you have a Dropbox account then great, sign up for this promotion. If not, simply create a free one over there, and avail this offer.

Instructions here.

MicrosoftMicrosoft OneDrive

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New Discount Gets You The Surface Pro 3 For Just $699

Microsoft have rolled out a number of promotions and discounts for its Surface Pro 3 tablet over the year, yet the entry level model was never available with a price cut.

Understandable, yet frustrating — as many people wanted to get their hands on the base model.

They can do so now, as Redmond has introduced a new $100 price cut for this version, which means you can now purchase it for only $699. Almost a perfect price for an almost perfect device, the cheapest it has been since launch in May 2014.

Obviously, the biggest limitation of this model is the storage space on offer.

While the base version of the Surface Pro 3 makes do fine with an Intel Core i3 processor inside that runs at 1.5GHz clock speed, the 4GB of RAM is also okay for most tasks, it is the 64GB of internal storage that is clearly not enough for a device that is supposed to replace your laptop.

For most other tablet it may have worked, but not here.

Still, you get what you pay for.

And fortunately, Microsoft not only offers plenty of OneDrive cloud storage but also access to a USB port for external storage. There are ways to get around the limited storage space. Not to mention the rest of the package is top notch, and as good as it gets on Windows powered tablets.

If you are interested in an affordable Surface Pro 3, now is the time to buy.

HardwareMicrosoftMicrosoft Surface Pro 3

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Installing Windows 10 Technical Preview on the HP Stream 7

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Yesterday I shared my initial thoughts and impressions about the HP Stream 7 and mentioned that I had installed the Windows 10 Technical Preview on it.

The HP Stream 7 is one of those devices that if you try to upgrade Windows 8.1 to the technical preview using the Windows Update method you will get the error about it not being able to install on a compressed operating system.

This does not mean the device can’t run the technical preview – it just means upgrading to it is off the table. That means a fresh install is the only choice available to anyone who is seeing this error.

So I went off in search of a solution and found a great support forum post at the HP Support forums that gave me the basis for installing the Windows 10 Technical Preview on the Stream 7.

Of course, your mileage may vary depending on your device but the key thing is to create yourself a Recovery Drive so that, if all else fails, you can always revert your device back to Windows 8.1.

So here is a rundown of the steps I took to get Windows 10 up and running on the Stream 7.

1. Create a Recovery Disk by searching for create a recovery drive on Windows 8.1 on your Stream 7 and running that process. Once it is complete store this somewhere safe as it is your ticket back to Windows 8.1 if the Windows 10 install process fails.

2. Download all of the Windows 8.1 drivers from the HP Stream 7 Software and Drivers page and save them on a USB drive. You will not need the Bios, Firmware, Diagnostic or Utility downloads. These driver files have cryptic numeric names so be sure to save them with a name that will remind you what they are for. This will make the driver install process much easier later on as there is one driver that must be installed first.

3. Download the 32 bit version of the Windows 10 Technical Preview, in this case build 9926, to your desktop computer. That ISO is available at http://ift.tt/1v5BsmV and you must be signed in as a Windows Insider to access this list.

4. Download Rufus to create the bootable USB drive that will contain the Windows 10 Technical preview ISO files. This is a straight download – no install necessary. Once it is running you need to make sure you select the following settings for the bootable drive:

- Partition scheme GPT partition scheme for UEFI computer



– File system FAT32



– Cluster size 4096 (the default)



– New volume label Windows 10 TP will work just fine and can actually be anything



– Under Format Options leave the default checkmarks in Quick format; Create a bootable disk using ISO Image and Create extended label and icon files.

Be sure to click on the ISO icon that is next to ISO Image and select the Windows 10 Technical Preview ISO you downloaded earlier.

Click Start and Rufus will build your bootable USB drive.

5. Collect together a wired mouse, wired keyboard, a powered USB hub that has at least three ports on it plus grab an On-the-Go (OTG) cable. Since there will not be any touch or Bluetooth drivers when you first install Windows 10 on the Stream 7 you need the wired mouse and keyboard to interact with the install process. The powered USB hub is also where you will plug in the bootable USB drive with Windows 10 on it for the OS installation.

Funny note about this stage for me – the only wired mouse I had around was this one:

Here is what the entire Dr. Frankenstein setup looked like with the hub and everything hooked up to the HP Stream 7:

6. Make sure the HP Stream 7 has a good charge on it to run during this install process. I started mine with the device having a 75% charge.

7. Once you have everything collected together and your bootable USB drive is ready it is time to start the install process. Shut down Windows 8.1 on the Stream 7 and plug the OTG cable into the Stream 7’s MicroUSB port then plug in a USB cable to connect the Stream 7 to the USB hub. This usually uses a USB A to B style cable. Also plug in the wired mouse and keyboard to the USB hub.

Now start the Stream 7 back up and enter the recovery options menu by pressing the power button and volume down rocker together until the system begins to power up. On the menu you should see an entry for UEFI USB and then the install process for Windows 10 will begin.

At this point you should be in familiar territory if you have ever performed a Windows install. The system will boot the USB drive and start the install process. When you are prompted about which type of install be sure to click Advanced as the upgrade option will not work on the compressed OS. Once you are shown the list of drives on the screen delete all of the partitions that are shown and that should leave you with about 29GB of storage space on the Stream 7.

Now start the install process and the it will continue by copying the install files and getting things ready for the first reboot. Since the MicroUSB port on the Stream 7 is 2.0 this will be a slower process then you would normally experience installing Windows from a USB drive to an SSD – just the consequence of having to use the USB hub to access the installation drive.

Once this process is complete and the system is ready to restart be sure to remove the bootable USB drive with the Windows 10 install files on it because if you don’t the system may boot back into the initial install setup process.

After this restart the install process will continue and like I said earlier it will be very familiar. Continue the install and setup until you arrive on the desktop.

Since there is no wireless drivers that means the install process will prompt you to create a local user account instead of asking for your Microsoft Account. You will be able to switch this account over to a Microsoft Account through PC Settings after everything is installed and working.

So once you arrive on the desktop it is time to install the system drivers that you downloaded earlier. You will need to grab the USB drive that you saved all of the driver files on and plug it into the powered USB hub. That drive will now be recognized and you can access it through File Explorer in Windows 10.

The first driver to install is the Intel Chipset, Graphics, Camera and Audio Driver Combo Pack. Once that is installed and you reboot you can install the other drivers in any order. Those remaining drivers should be:

- Realtek High-Definition (HD) Audio Driver



– Goodix Touch Controller Driver



– Kionix G-Sensor Enabling Driver



– Realtek RTL8723BS 802.11n SDIO Wireless LAN Drivers



– Realtek RTL8723BS UART Bluetooth Driver

Some of these will prompt you to restart and some will not. Once they are all installed and you have rebooted one last time to make sure everything is working as expected then you can go ahead and check for Windows Updates, convert your local user account to a Microsoft Account, install your apps and get the system setup to your liking.

This process should work on other small format devices that have a compressed OS just make sure you have that backup and Recovery Drive as a safety net should the install fail for some reason.

Any questions or comments about the process please let me know and enjoy your Windows 10 testing!

But, wait…there's probably more so be sure to follow me on Twitter and Google+.

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MSN Apps for Windows Phone Get Fixes and Improvements

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Overnight, several of the MSN-branded apps for Windows Phone captured an update. I noticed it morning and started digging through the details to see if new features were added. Generally, though, when a bunch of updates comes through without any major feature announcements, you can expect them to be simple bug fixes.

Other than minor fixes and improvements, there's not much here. But, whenever an update is available you should probably install it, or allow it to install if you have the Store app configured to automatically update apps.

The MSN apps included in the mass update are: Weather, News, Health & Fitness, Travel, Sports, and Money.

One particular fix that should please most is in the Weather app. After a period of time, the Live Tile would stop working. That issue is fixed in this update.

Also of note, and not a specific MSN-branded app, the Video app also received minor fixes and improvements.

Don't have the apps already? Here's the links to the Windows Phone store:

MSN Weather for Windows Phone 8.1

MSN News for Windows Phone 8.1

MSN Health & Fitness for Windows Phone 8.1

MSN Travel for Windows Phone 8.1

MSN Sports for Windows Phone 8.1

MSN Money for Windows Phone 8.1

[Want to discuss this further? Hit me up on Twitter, on Google+, or LinkedIn]

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Next Windows 10 PC Build Possibly Due in Late February, Early March?

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With Windows 10 for phones Technical Preview finally making its way out to select handsets yesterday, many have already started wondering if a new Build for the PC is on the horizon. Microsoft promised quicker Build releases, after all. And, if rumors that Windows 10 might make an official OEM launch sometime in June or July can be believed, Microsoft needs to hurry it up.

I suppose it's safe to assume those asking are part of the larger group whose Lumia models were not included in yesterday's first Technical Preview wave. It was like waking up Christmas morning to find the Grinch stole only the presents with your name on them and you had to sit there in silence, watch everyone else gleefully rip into their stash, and then pretend to be happy for them. Of course, if you watch Twitter, no one is happy and no one is sitting in silence.

Well, Christmas for everyone else may come yet this month.

When asked about a new PC Build for Windows 10, ringmaster and chief of the Windows Insider program, Gabe Aul, said this…

@callum90ish@thekotpsot No We don't expect to do another PC build tomorrow or following week, but do expect another WU update next week

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) February 13, 2015

And, later…

@BartokGabi17@callum90ish@thekotpsot Yes, I said faster than the time between 9879 and 9926. It will be.

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) February 13, 2015

So, Gabe has gone back to being riddle master. It seems to be a role he enjoys very much. I likened him to the Riddler from the old Batman TV series, but maybe it's more like the interaction between Bilbo Baggins and Gollum in The Hobbit…

It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,



Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.



It lies behind stars and under hills,



And empty holes it fills.



It comes out first and follows after,



Ends life, kills laughter.

It was a long couple months between Builds 9879 and 9926. So, Microsoft has quite a span to work with when fulfilling its promise of quicker Build releases. 1 month, 29 days?

Important to note in Gabe's first response, though, is that something should come through Windows Update next week for Windows 10 Build 9926. As always, it's good to stay on top of updates, even for a beta product. The updates could be required to successfully install the next available Build. And, if that's the case – if the Windows Update delivery is in preparation for a new Build – it could still come this month.

[Want to discuss this further? Hit me up on Twitter, on Google+, or LinkedIn]

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Windows Phone Recovery Tool for Windows 10 Technical Preview for Phones

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For some, installing and using the Windows 10 Technical Preview for Windows Phones has worked pretty well. But, for others, the ride has been a bit bumpy. Even handsets Microsoft reported to be supported for this first wave have had problems for one reason or another. Microsoft knew this would happen, so the company released a recovery tool along with the first Build so users can recover from frozen or trashed phones.

Rollback functionality was promised and Microsoft delivered, however, the mechanism is a bit different than everyone originally thought. The Windows Phone Recovery Tool is designed as a PC application. It should run on most versions of Windows, but I've confirmed that it works on Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 9926, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7. So, instead of a function built directly into Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones, recovery requires that the Windows Phone be connected to an available USB port on a PC.

The direct download: Windows Phone Recovery Tool

While this direct download link is correct now, Microsoft could alter the download link and file name in the future, so it's best to use the link placeholder page on Microsoft's site if you have problems downloading it. Here it is… Having problems with your phone?

Since the Windows Phone Recovery Tool is a PC application, you must connect your Windows Phone to your PC using a USB cable to start the restore process. The restoration is basically a wipe and replace scenario, so make sure you have good backup. Of course, you should already have already performed a backup before installing Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones on your supported device. You did do that, right?

The restoration process erases all personal content and then restores the handset to the latest version of Windows Phone for your specific device.

Here's a quick look at the application's other options…

Settings – Preferences

Make it pretty…

Settings – Network

For custom connection requirements…

Settings – Troubleshooting

Create a log file that can be delivered to support…

[Want to discuss this further? Hit me up on Twitter, on Google+, or LinkedIn]

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