One week after receiving my 8.1 Dell which I purchased online at Dell’s site for $150.00 off on Black Friday to replace a ten year old XP system I can weigh in on Windows 8.1.
Overall I like the new OS. The start page is slick tiles and all. I can access every thing I need to, some in a different way. The desktop File explorer icon gets you to folders, Windows key and X shortcut gets you to into all system management functions such as control panel and task manager.
My only complaint is the Mail App. I was able to set it up to access both my live.com and att.net imap mail in one place which I like.
It however is not usable for things like “Send link by email” in Internet explorer or the “Scan to email” function on my Brother printer or email a picture from Photo Gallery program.
I had to install my copy of Office 2003 and the Outlook Mail program does work to enable the functions the Mail App would not.
“It however is not usable for things like “Send link by email” in Internet explorer or the “Scan to email” function on my Brother printer or email a picture from Photo Gallery program.”
Exactly. When your products don’t work with other of your own products, you gotta start asking yourself about who’s running the operation.
I was ready to move on from my Blackberry about a year ago. I started shopping. First place I looked was the Window’s Phone. I did this because synchronization with Office is a key requirement.
With version 7 of their phone OS, they dropped USB synchronization of their phones with Office. You CAN synchronize your phone, of course, if you are willing to send all of your contacts, email, and what not TO THE CLOUD. It’ll synch with the cloud.
This was before Snowden too. Then Snowden started dropping secrets about cooperation between MSFTGOOGLEYAHOO and the NSA, and I just smiled.
iPhone? Same deal - send your stuff to the cloud, and you’re good.
Android? Same deal, only with Google.
The only company that supports USB synch with Office?
Blackberry. I stuck with my Blackberry, even though at the time you couldn’t get one that had 4G support. You can now, but I can’t upgrade yet.
As for the PS4 numbers. The only reason why the numbers are even is because MSFT went worldwide while the PS4 only came out in US and CAN.
I’m not saying the Xbox One isn’t a good console, because it is. I’m saying that if the strategic goal of big IP players is to have console dominance (whether that is smartphones, PCs, tablets, or gaming devices), MSFT isn’t going to meet that goal.
My company develops software for the PC. I want MSFT to win. One set of tracks makes it easier for third party companies to flourish.
Ballmer ROYALLY screwed that up, permanently. He took his foot off of Apple’s throat, and Apple will end up coming back and killing them off as a result, only it won’t be Apple, because they never learned from their first mistake against MSFT.
Google got in there with Android, and now it isn’t even a contest. There are more Android devices out there than all other phone OS’s combined.
Even MSFT is incapable of learning from its OWN mistakes. There was a version of Office that prevented you from opening and using documents created from previous versions of Office. There was such a hue and cry about it that they ended up having to provide a free upgrader, and then they NEVER did that again for Office.
The Gaming division never learned this, apparently, from the Office division and so Xbox One players are stuck with a THE MOST expensive console with a VERY limited list of titles, utilizing ZERO of their loyal customer’s investment in their 360 console and title’s.
Mulally, if he is brave enough, should come in and teach these people some simple marketing lessons that could reestablish MSFT as a player again.
Lord knows they have the cash. They just don’t have any respect for their customers, and the killer is arrogance in strategic decision making. MSFT has a stage four case of it.