Questioned cloud Microsoft's universal Windows apps plan.

With the release of Windows 10, Microsoft is emphasizing development of universal Windows apps.

The OS provides platform convergence with Windows running on a single, unified core, meaning an app targeting the universal Windows platform can run on every Windows device. However, the universal Windows plan keeps changing, stressed analyst Rob Sanfilippo, of Directions on Microsoft, who questioned the plan's usefulness at this point with Microsoft de-emphasizing Windows phones.

Universal applications provide the most utility when transitioning between Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile devices; Windows desktop PCs, laptops, and tablets all provide the same experience already, SanFilippo said. "The biggest challenge is getting the same app to run on these devices and phones. But Microsoft's recent de-emphasis on Windows phones has gutted the promise of Windows 10 Mobile, leaving the primary usefulness of Universal Applications -- same app on desktop-laptop-tablet and phone -- in question." Microsoft, in fact,may not see as many upgrades to Windows 10 Mobile as planned, with many phones lacking the prerequisite software updates.

Initially, the plan featured a developer strategy for organizing code and minimizing work to target the same application for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1. "Today it refers to the capability to build a single application binary -- usually with the Modern, aka Metro design style -- that runs on Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, and other systems that are or will be Windows 10-compatible, such as Xbox One, Surface Hub, IoT devices and HoloLens," said Sanfilippo.

The Visual Studio 2015 software development platform, released July 20 features project templates for building Universal Windows apps via languages including C#, Visual Basic, C++, or JavaScript.

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Belkin Plus 7-port USB2.0 Hub

If there’s one universal truth to personal computers, that you can never have enough  USB ports. Doubly so when the front USB ports o your computer suddenly crash from overuse.  That’s why today we bring you an in-depth review of Belkin’s  7port USB 2.0 Hub.

Hub Design

The Belkin Plus Hub bears a rather unique design. Measuring 6”*3.5”, the hub is rather thin but a bit on the long side due to the USB ports being arranged horizontally instead of vertically. The end result is slightly more desk space being used but when combined with the slim profile it makes the hub much more manageable when it’s being stacked. You’ll notice that in the center of the hub next to the two top-mounted USB ports is a small rectangular hole, meant for stacking on top of another 7 port plus hub’s two USB ports for a snug fit. The hole is surrounded by a large section of blue molded rubber that contrasts with the hard white plastic that makes up the rest of the hub.

If the hub isn’t being stacked however, the hole can make the overall appearance somewhat awkward. The molded plastic turns into a cable management clip on the right side of the hub for keeping your PDA and iPod data cable handy.

Hub Performance

As a technology enthusiast, gamer and over clocker, I have never been one to go easy on my hardware. I expect things to run at full capacity without any crashes of hiccups. thankfully Belkin passed with flying colors. The Plus USB was fully loaded with managing Logitech G15 gaming keyboard with a gaming mouse plugged into the keyboard, handling the video stream from USB monitor, playing back the video from USB 2.0 web camera, synchronizing iPod while charging it as well as cell phone. The Plus Hub managed to get a little warm throughout the ordeal, but not nearly as hot as a laptop or hard drive can get. This device include a USB sound card with playback controls, an MP3 player, a webcam, a game pad and two external hard drives. Using 2.0 Hub introduced no slow-downs when the drive was the only device connected, peaking at 23.5MBps. considering the hub must maintain internal communication between 7 devices including a game pad that uses an interrupt protocol, these results are actually pretty.

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Motorola Pro+

 

The Pro+ is Motorola’s latest business- focused Android handset, featuring a full QWERTY keyboard and is geared towards stealing some of the BlackBerry lunch. Can it entice us away from RIM’S range of devices, though?

Design

The Pro+ includes a 3.1-inch capacity touch screen that’s bright and sharp. The resolution is 640X480 pixels.  These days, there’s really no excuse for a second-class QWERTY keyboard though, so the one on the Pro+ is a disappointment. It has 35 smallish keys, and while it’s nice to see the “@” symbol and a voice input key right up front, the keys are unnecessarily fiddly to use. The number keys are also arranged in a single line along the top, as with a computer. It’s not terrible, just not as good as you’ll find on similar keyboards from BlackBerry, HTC and Sony Ericsson.

Performance

While the keyboard is below par, the performance is even more so., despite a good-looking spec including a 1GHz processor backed by 512MB RAM, the Pro+ operates alarmingly slowly and there’s distinct lag when moving between apps. Some of the blame may be down to the Moto blur user interface, which is deeply integrated into the operating system.

Moto blur offers a selection of boxy widgets that show your latest social networking updates, including dedicated boxes for your very favorite people. Usefully, you can resize the boxes depending on how important you think they are. You can also sync with your PC using the Moto Phone Portal, which can connect both via wired USB connection or Wi-Fi.

Camera and web

The 5-megapixel camera offers autofocus and an LED flash as well as a broad suite of editing facilities. There are also quick options to share your photos online.

The Android web browser looks as it should, but tends to render pages a little too slowly for comfort, and despite supporting Flash video, often looks jerky when streaming. However, there’s a full version of Quick office available, allowing you to create and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.

There’s 4GB of memory on board, though you can add up to 32GB more via microSD card. The 1500mAh battery holds up pretty well, delivering a good day and a half’s worth of fairly heavy use.

Conclusion

The Motorola Pro+ looks good on paper, with an improved screen, updated Android OS, decent build quality and an okay camera, as well as Quick office, but its slow performance and less than impressive keyboard count against it.

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Canon PowerShot SX150

 

Design

The sx150 isn't the smallest compact by any means at 113*73*46 mm,but its ergonomic exterior feels robust, without being heavy. The rear features well laid out menu controls and a 75 mm(3-inch) LCD screen. While a decent size, the image quality of the screen is average at best, and undermines one of the camera's most impressive features.

Shooting pictures is quick and easy; design wise, there's very little to stop you from whipping the camera out is an instant and capturing the moment. A dedicated video recording button features on the back for quick access to shooting video, and the long 12x zoom lens on the front is quiet-only in almost-silent situations will its operation be audible in any videos you take.

Features and performance

Features wise, the 14-megapixel 5x150 offers some excellent perks for a compact camera: a wide 28mm lens with  12x optical zoom, over 30 automatic scene modes, 720p HD video capture with stereo sound and most interestingly, full manual shooting controls.

Manual shooting and image quality

For budding amateurs, the SX150's full manual controls offer more creative options. These controls-which let you manually dictate exposure time and aperture size-aren't unheard of on compact cameras, but Canon has implemented them effectively for users wanting to experiment with a more hands-on approach to photography, so to speak.

Video capture

The sx150 shoots at a resolution of 1280x720 pixels(720p) in H.264 video format. The camera's optical image stabilization helps videos remain jerk -free, and overall quality is excellent.

Conclusion

Overall the Canon sx150 is impresses. It combines great picture and video quality with advanced controls in an attractive body. The LCD, however is a disappointment. as it won't let your pictures show you how good they are when you're still out and about shooting but it shouldn't be a sticking point for most people.

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