Considering that Windows 8 is still relatively new, and that a lot of people are still trying to adapt to the new operating system with its unorthodox design and layout changes, problems are nothing surprising. One of the issues, apart from the subjective criticism that the operating system has been receiving, is certain folders slowing down under Windows 8. More specifically, this complaint has been lodged repeatedly against the Downloads folder, whereby users claim that clicking the Downloads directory from the sidebar, to the actual folder’s contents loading up, can take up to 10 minutes in worst cases. While I haven’t personally encountered the problem, there are some steps that you can take to remedy the situation, not just for Downloads, but for any folder that slows down under Windows 8.
JoinedNovember 9, 2012
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One of the biggest hindrances with buying a top-of-the-line smartphone, is the premium price that you have to pay for it. There are usually two ways of how high-end phones are sold; either you pay the full price to the manufacturer and get an unlocked device, whereby getting the freedom to go with whatever network fancies you. Or, you may opt to buy the phone through a wireless carrier, where you pay a much subsidized rate for a big trade-off: getting stuck with that carrier for the term of your contract. In the latter case, the carrier pays the full price to the manufacturer but sells you the device at a much lower rate, and in turn, locks down the smartphone to their network, so you cannot use a SIM card from another network just like that. That’s a generally agreeable rule for most users.
There’s one very big difference between Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android: how the updates and fixes work. Of course, there are much more differences than merely that, but this one has its own significance. So, if Apple messes something up in one iOS update, users will have to wait for the company to release another before that issue can be fixed. Be it battery woes to some driver having one line of code messed up, you have to rely on, and wait for, Apple to fix it (unless you’re jailbroken, that is). With Android, however, that’s now how things work. If something’s wrong with even a newly released device, chances are high that someone from the massive developer community will come up with a generally-implementable fix.
There’s no shortage of unofficial CyanogenMod versions for various Android devices, and sometimes, those even get merged in the mainline, providing better, more official support. However, it’s almost always more exciting to find out that a device is getting official ROMs from the get go. In that regard, the Nexus line up of devices has always received special love from the original CM team. It makes sense, too, since these devices are Google’s flagships, and whenever a new Android version is out, they’re the first ones to official receive it, even before the source code goes live on AOSP. The best should get treated by the best, don’t you agree?
Amongst all smartphone platforms, Android holds a certain appeal to power users. This is because none of its competitors offers the level of control and customization for that technologically elite crowd that Android puts on the table. From cooking custom ROMs based on a stock one, to concocting an entirely new mix from AOSP, to the likes of hybrid creations like the famous ParanoidAndroid series, which has now extended to a large number of devices, there’s always something for everyone in Google’s mobile operating system. Then, there’s that other kind of control – the one that lets the user play around with things like battery longevity, and factors associated with it. Among those, control over CPU is of great importance. Why? Because next to the screen, there’s nothing as bad as an over-hungry CPU drinking through your battery juice in a matter of mere hours. Don’t believe me? Ask someone who’s faced the recent bug with CM10, where the device didn’t go into deep sleep!
A new Facebook app? Does it really deserve a mention? What’s so special about it? Why should I consider recommending it to my readers? What does it have to offer that current ones don’t? These, and some more, are generally the questions I ask myself whenever I come across a new client for any platform – iOS, Android, Windows, or anything else – for the social networking giant. There are some obvious reasons for that. Being the largest social network on the planet, Facebook has no shortage of client apps – both official and third-party – for any platform. Some of these, like the one for iOS, are really functional and decent, while others are catching up pretty rapidly, and the Android counterpart is no exception. With all of that, a new player like oStream does make one raise eyebrows. However, after my run with the unofficial Facebook client for Android, I was pretty impressed, and satisfied enough to recommend it for your downloading pleasure.
Perhaps no version of Microsoft Windows received as much hatred from both the users and experts alike, as Windows 8. There had been faux pas from the Redmond giant earlier – I , for one, haven’t forgotten Windows ME, or Windows Vista – but the funny thing was, Windows 8 wasn’t either of those. The general negative sentiment towards it usually stems from the fact that Microsoft opted to ‘force’ the users out of their comfort zone for the sake of a better, updated and modernized look. Well, hate it or love it, that’s what we got now.
In a few earlier posts of mine as well, I have stated the biggest challenge that I faced when I jumped ship from iOS to Android – the terrible battery life of the phone, and the quest to improve it. It’s not really a particular device’s fault, either; the way Android is coded, it’s bound to eat more battery. Nevertheless, there were quite a few tips and tricks that I came across, along with apps like JuiceDefender that worked wonders as per masses, and perhaps rightly so. However, then I came across another reliable source that advised against using the said app, since that actually contributed to poor battery life, according to them. Beyond that, JuiceDefender is paid if you want total control, so that’s another caveat.
Flash has been one of the largest building blocks of the internet. Maybe not fundamental, but it’s hard to argue that Flash didn’t play a very vital role in creating and shaping the web as we’re used to it now. From Macromedia to Adobe, and from MiniClip games to catchy animations on websites, Flash technology outlived its days of glory when Steve Jobs declared a war on the platform by not supporting it on iOS – so much so that Adobe, the curators of Flash, finally decided to pull the plug on it, themselves.
It’s always nice to see an app come to life that makes easier something that should’ve been that way from the get go, but wasn’t. However, that also depends on what platform you’re dealing with. Android, for one, and its fan following, for another, have always held in high esteem the platform’s ability to truly multitask, and it certainly deserves credit for that. Nevertheless, from my personal experience (and preference, before you label me biased), I believe iOS had app switching better than Android from day one, when it introduced a form of multitasking of its own. Try jumping from one app to the other on an iPad, with its multitasking gestures, and you’ll truly get what I mean.
