BBM on Android and iPhone ASAP Please

I'd definitely use BBM on my Samsung Galaxy

The head dude at Blackberry, a Mr Chris Green (who is even more epic for sharing his name with my step-dad) has announced the Blackberry Messaging Service will be going cross platform. Users of Android and iPhone devices will soon be able to use the service too. I'm totally excited by this!

A few years ago I worked in a Call Centre for a mobile phone network. One day a group of us where invited to a new training session to play with the new Blackberry phones (can’t remember which one’s they where), and a couple of corporate folks where doing their best to sell us these phones too. I was never a big fan of Blackberry’s. The keypad is too small for people like me with huge hands, hence why I have my Samsung Galaxy S3…it’s the perfect size for me.

While I was never interested in Blackberry’s, myself and a couple of friends in the same training class where loving the BBM system. Pinging away, sending messages to each other, completely ignoring the important training we were all receiving. For a whole 10 seconds we seriously considered buying a Blackberry. Then we came to our senses and realised 90% of the messages we sent had some type of misspelling in them. Not one of us could use the keypad properly.

But now, as I'm staring at my S3, I can see it working. By opening up the system to other devices Blackberry could be onto a winner. The 60 million monthly users could treble in the space of months, and then keep increasing as the months turn to years.

Only down side I can see is the lack of information about Windows Phone’s. To me personally it’s not really a big issue because I hardly know anyone with a Windows Phone (Google and Apple seem to have a 50% - 40% share within my close friends and family, with Blackberry having the over 10%), but that’s probably why Blackberry didn't mention them. If this ratio is continued everywhere then what’s the point in supporting them? At least they still have Skype.

The sooner BBM goes cross platform the better. I'm excited by it, and I can finally get around using the pesky Keypad’s. I love my Galaxy!

Friday GameFest – Returning to Far Cry 2

No you haven’t missed a weekend, I've just been ridiculously lazy and didn't post my gaming blog on Friday. So I'm doing it today…Monday! Smashing the system!

‘But why the wait in adding this blog?’ I hear you say. Well, it’s good news. I only went and finally finished GTA IV. Oh yeah, I'm so happy right now. 3 years of my life all to hear that glorious ‘ping’ telling me I have unlocked the GTA IV platinum trophy. I’m totally rubbing my nipples in pleasure right now…

Aaaanyway…we must move on. While I'm back in the gaming groove it’s time to return to one of the games that I mentioned last week as one of the reasons I took a year long sabbatical from video games.

Far Cry 2. The game that bored me into submission.

I'm going to be open minded this time though. I’ll give it the chance it deserves. After all, it has been sat on my shelf for about 4 years. I was so excited about this game when it was first announced as coming to PlayStation 3. Online multiplayer had the potential to be awesome, the map creation tool seemed promising, and in the story mode the hunt for the Jackal seemed intriguing.

4 years on I know what to expect. Online is buggy as hell (you have to quit after the 3^rd game to prevent the server from losing your stats), the map creator is just as good as it promised to be, and the story is, shall we say, slow. Apart from that it’s a half decent game.

To get into the swing of this I have spent the weekend online playing some multiplayer death matches and uprising games. Surprisingly the number of people still playing this game, 4 years on, is still reasonably high. Match lobby’s needs a lot of improvement though, only the host can start the game, and a lot of the time they just sit in the lobby waiting for loads of people to join, wasting 20 minutes of your life. And if the host quits, we all get kicked off the server.

A couple of people messaged me online too while playing. Turns out the ranking system is the reason so many people are still playing this game. It takes 1.5 million XP to get to rank 30, the highest possible rank, and you’re lucky if you get 200+ XP per game. For people like me who get a buzz from 100% finishing a game this is slightly insane.

This could take a while...

Anyone got any suggestions?

Hiding Folders on a Network

It is possible to hide folders on a network, but even if these files are hidden, if the person accessing the folder knows its location within its file directory, they will still be able to view the files and folders.

Add a $ symbol to the end of a folder name to hide it from visible directories. E.g. - 'My Folder' would be renamed 'My Folder$'.

This prevents it from being visible in situations where you are browsing for a folder or file location. However if I then knew the location of this folder (C: drive for example) and physically typed in 'C:\My Folder$\', I would still be able to see all the content. With this in mind its a double edged sword - yes it hides it but it doesn't block access.

Windows 8 Really Needs a Start Button

A Start Button in Windows 8? Yes please!

So I've just went online to check the latest news and, would you believe, one of my wishes may finally be about to come true. The mighty Microsoft are issuing an update to Windows 8, and one of the rumours circulating is that it will bring the Start button back to the Desktop view.

Up until Windows 8 Microsoft have been extremely consistent in how each release of their Windows Operating System looks and feels, something which they should be praised for. It is unquestionably the reason why so many people have remained loyal to the System even though other systems such as Macs and Linux have been nibbling away at their dominance. Although change is good, gradual change and improvements is better.

I personally welcome this news of the return of the Start button and hope it actually happens. Windows 8 without an obvious Start button is just plain silly. I remember the first time, a few months ago, when I got asked to set up a Windows 8 laptop. I’d heard about the new tile interface and was excited to see how it worked…up until the point where I couldn't figure out how to open the Control Panel. I remember the awkward 2 minutes I had afterwards trying different things to make it work. Turns out you just type and it finds it!

The problem Microsoft had was in creating a system that was consistent and worked on all types of devices. People are used to swishing and scrolling on their tablets and mobile phones, but not so much on computers. Computers are great because you have to sit in front of it, click a few things and stuff starts to happen. With tablets and mobiles the tiles work because they update themselves and you expect the device to be updating itself in the background.

I’m all in favour of the tiles and the concept of trying to find the holy grail of user interface design, one which looks similar on many devices. Just do it gradually. Why change something that isn't broken?

The Start button is your gateway to everything. Bring it back, and make the tiles an optional extra. As time goes on more and more people will get used to the tiles and look to use it more. You still have that concept of gradual change, but people are so used to the Start button it really needs to be in there.

On a positive note – thanks for listening to the consumers Microsoft. All those billions of dollars you spend on consumer research really are worth it. Other companies should take note of that too.

Adobe Starts Subscription for Popular Products

Subscription Based Models have Become Popular in Recent Years

Adobe is introducing a subscription model for many of its most popular programs, including Photoshop and Dreamweaver.

Up to now, customers had perpetual access by paying a single fee for Adobe's Creative Suite.

From next month, continuing access to the programs, either individually or as a whole, will demand a monthly fee.

Standalone versions will still be available but will not be upgraded.

The change was announced at Adobe's annual Max conference, at which it details the latest updates to its products.

Adobe spokesman Scott Morris said the move to a subscription system would free the company from its traditional 18 to 24-month upgrade cycle. From June, he said, improvements would be released as they became available.

At Max, Adobe said the standalone version of its Creative Suite, which bundles together 16 programs, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Audition, Dreamweaver and Premiere, would be frozen at version 6. Bug fixes would be made available for this version but new features and enhancements would not. Currently, the standalone version of Creative Suite 6 costs about £1,800 from Adobe.

Those who want to keep up with upgrades and changes to Creative Suite would have to take out a subscription to Adobe's Creative Cloud - a web-based system through which customers can manage what they do with the different tools. In return, customers get access to the software as well as an online storage system and project management tools.

In the UK, access to all programs in the Creative Cloud costs £47 a month provided customers agree to pay for at least a year. If customers opt to pay month-to-month the cost is £70. Access to individual applications costs just under £18 a month if customers sign up for a year.

Discounts would be available for those that signed up before 31 July, Adobe said.

"Customers have to come to terms with the end of perpetually licensed software," IDC analyst Al Hilwa told the Associated Press.

The move to a subscription model is the culmination of a long experiment by Adobe to see if customers would pay monthly for access. Adobe said it now had 500,000 subscribers for Creative Cloud after running a pilot programme for a year.

Adobe is the latest in a number of large software firms that have moved to a cloud-based or subscription model. Microsoft has also introduced Office 365, a subscription version of its set of office productivity programs.

Article originally published on BBC News - 7th May 2013

Friday GameFest - So Close to GTA IV Platinum

Should have got the helicopter!

I can’t believe its taking more then 3 years for me to finish this game. As it stands I’m currently $400,000 away from the platinum trophy on GTA IV.

In my defence I have been doing other stuff too. While this game has been left occasionally gathering dust on my shelf I’ve been enjoying other games. Gran Turismo 5 was pretty awesome, Hydrophobia wasn’t so good, and I haven’t even mentioned the downer Final Fantasy XIII put me on.

In fact, the reason it has took me 3 years to finish GTA IV is because of Final Fantasy XIII…and Far Cry 2. Two games I was looking forward to tremendously this generation, and when I got them I was completely underwhelmed by them. XIII was a good game, just not a good Final Fantasy, and Far Cry 2 was just too boring. You only have to sit through the opening sequence to realise this isn’t going to be an exciting game.

So bad where these games I stopped playing any games for about a year. Games I should have been enjoying where left unloved and abandoned. That was until I borrowed Gran Turismo 5 from my cousin and fell back in love with gaming again.

It may become apparent reading this that I am basing my completion of a game on whether or not I have earned the Platinum trophy. Say what you want about them, some folks loathe them, but I think they’re awesome. It’s added a whole new level of epicness to my gaming experience. I now have a means of demonstrating I have finished a game, and it’s made for great competition amongst my friends.

But yes, 3 years is far too long. I’m now grinding my way through the same repetitive game on GTA IV called Hangman’s Noose over and over again. Less then 100 games to go! Still enjoyable (especially when the game glitches or you accidently blow up your partner in crime), but once I’m finished I’m going to take great pleasure in doing a Liberty City deathmatch and just dropping grenades on random people from a helicopter.

How has everyone else faired with GTA IV and the other games I mentioned?

Splashing Cash - Hartlepool Mail Article

Young dippers Leoni Dendrickson and Rebecca Watkins (right) with representatives of Huntsman, Families First and Hartlepool Carers

Money raised by a Greatham chemical firm during Seaton Carew’s Boxing Day Dip has been handed over to two grateful charities.

Staff and family members from Huntsman Pigments manufacturing site at Greatham collected £2,500 when they took the plunge in the icy waters at Christmas.

All the sponsorship has now been collected and cheques for £1,250 were handed to Hartlepool Families First and to Hartlepool Carers at a presentation ceremony.

Shelia Simmons, HR administrator at Huntsman, who co-ordinated the dip team, said: “Our team wore pink tutus so we raised a smile as well.

“We’d all do it again.”

Karen Gibson, of Hartlepool Carers, which has almost 100 volunteers to help support young and adult carers, said: “Part of the money will be used for a celebratory meal to thank our volunteers for the help and support they give carers, such as help with shopping, taking people to appointments, or providing a sitting service to give carers a break.

“The rest of the money will be used to provide respite activities for young carers, and to improve security.”

Catherine Cawley, from Hartlepool Families First, thanked everyone who helped to raise money will support their work with special needs children.

December’s dip, which was organised by Hartlepool Round Table, saw 326 people walk, wade, run and swim in the cold sea for a host of different charities.

Huntsman was one of the main sponsors with the dip being managed by Allan Wise, who is a technician at Huntsman’s Greatham site and chairman of Hartlepool Round Table.

He said: “The Boxing Day Dip is becoming a very popular event.

“Over 2,500 people came to support their friends and families this year.

“There was a real carnival atmosphere”.

Huntsman Pigments manufactures pigments everything from paints and plastics to cosmetics and food.

Originally published by Hartlepool Mail 19/04/2013 12:24