Imperdible video sobre la polinización, algo que jamás podría ver el ojo humano

Imperdible video sobre la polinización, algo que jamás podría ver el ojo humano:

Ya todos sabemos que la naturaleza es  inteligente, misteriosa y por sobre todo hermosa. Lamentablemente, nuestras características humanas no nos permiten ver una serie de procesos que ocurren en nuestras narices. Por fortuna la tecnología ha avanzado y gracias a ella existen cámaras que permiten grabar situaciones que nuestro ojo jamás podría ver, como captar imágenes diminutas, la cámara lenta o capturar meses de grabación que hoy podemos ver en un minuto desde nuestro computador.

Un trabajo de casi 35 años nos presenta el  cineasta, director, productor y fotógrafo Louis Schwartzberg. Se trata “la belleza oculta de la polinización” una verdadera obra de arte que rescata la hermosura de la naturaleza en rito que varias especies de aves e insectos, tienen con las flores en la romántica y maravillosa polinización.

Son millones de segundos de grabación, que Schwartzberg edito entregando todo su corazón. El cineasta es un enamorado de la naturaleza y decidió hacer estas grabaciones cuando se enteró de la importancia de las abejas en nuestro planeta y el problema que estas corrían, esto y una oferta de Disney fueron suficientes para entregar toda una vida al registro audiovisual de pequeños pero espectaculares procesos que se dan en nuestro planeta. Un verdadero carnaval de colores, amor y equilibrio.

Fuente: Louis Schwartzberg y la belleza oculta de la polinización (Camara Viajera)

How to Build a Portable Solar Generator

How to Build a Portable Solar Generator:

For those who are traveling a lot, especially in places where facilities like water or electricity are missing, there are a few ways to enjoy the comfort of a real home. Only in a smaller version. The article "Building a solar generator", written  by Bill Brooks shows some of the steps how a trailer house can be set up to run on green energy in places you can not use the regular power sources by running on solar power.

The electricity is provide by batteries in this version of the house, and for proper functioning they have to be recharged periodically. There is a propane generator attached to the house, but for one who wants more of green energy, solar power is a better choice. By this, costs can be lowered considerably, and while  solar power comes free, buying propane doesn't.

In many cases, solar panels are mounted on the rooftops of the trailer house. This allows the panels to run on direct sunlight, as long as the sun shines in the daytime. The downside of this is, then the trailer has to be parked permanently in the sunlight. Some parking places might also have obstacles, or trees that are getting into the way, in this case the original idea is not really working. Parking locations are not designed by the sunlight, and you might end up parking your trailer in quite the opposite direction, and this will considerably lower the output of the solar panels.

So the best idea is to put the solar panels detached from the house itself, so they can be positioned into the direct sunlight. This way they can be easily repositioned. There are other devices that can be added to the equation and so the cart can be used as a real solar generator. With the use of a battery, an inverter and a solar controller, the cart can be tuned up to be a great solar generator device.

What parts should be used to build the Solar Generator

The so called SolGen 160, the solar generator is built up by four parts. Two solar panels of 80 watts each, summing up 160 watts together. The charge controller of the solar device works on 30 amps. You can use a deep cycle battery, which is rated at a capacity of 210 amp hours altogether. The used inverter can provide an output of 1100 watts, talking of AC power, and the peak output of this is at 2200 watts of power.

Simplifying things a little the solar generator, if it works under ideal, proper conditions, provides a weekly rate of 460 amps. This should be enough to charge up a 12 volt battery. This output makes it possible to fully recharge the battery in an interval of 3 up to 4 days. By using 25% of the battery capacity on a daily basis, you are able to fully charge your solar generator during the next day. Now that you have the "power", with the energy acquired you can nicely run a laptop, a television set, or a microwave as well. By this you can have the comfort in your tiny house you used to have in a real home, no matter if you are parked near the forest, in the desert, or on a mountain top.

How to assemble such a solar cart

You can simply use 2×3 for building the framing of the cart, and close it with a T-1 siding on one part. The measurements of the cart are 4 feet wide, with 4 feet long and it is 4.5 feet tall, not such an enormous device. The first step of building the cart is a wooden frame that goes all around the panels, holding them together at a 45 angle degree. You also need some braces that go across the L-frames, so you can fit them tightly together. By using screws, you then have to attach the frames.

The T-1 siding is designed to be the enclosing part of the cart. And you might also want to put a floor for it, so you need another piece of plywood. For safety and comfort, there should be added doors, at the back of the cart so you can get to the components of the cart and the battery easily. The final step is the painting of the cart, this prevents it from leaking energy, and you have to attach the wheels of course, cause we were talking of a mobile cart.

 

The next important aspect of the cart are the costs, so let's take a look:

The approximate costs of the SolGen 160 mobile solar generator cart are around $1500 by using the following parts:

- solar panels which cost at around $850
- the box plus the battery goes for another $180
- the solar controller device at $100
- the power inverter at $70

Until now we have a subtotal of $1200.
Now we have to add the costs of the cart which goes for another $300.
So the total price of our Solar Generator on Wheels is $1500.

The most expensive parts, when building such a solar cart are the the 2×3 lumber pieces and the T-1 siding. Purchasing the wheels, the paint and the used hardware are only a minor cost, and they can be purchased locally, at cheap prices at the hardware stores.

Although the other components can be purchased locally as well, they can be bought on-line too. From Amazon.com you can get the controller, the inverter and the solar panels. Also everyone should design this cart fit to his needs. With fewer components and less expensive equipment you can build a smaller or a cheaper version of such a solar cart.

[via Tiny Hose Listings]

El yate de Steve Jobs ya está aquí y es espectacular

El yate de Steve Jobs ya está aquí y es espectacular:
El lanzamiento comercial de la biografía de Steve Jobs desveló ciertos detalles de su persona y, en muchos casos, sirvió para matizar y enriquecer muchas de las peculiaridades de su vida. En uno de los capítulos del libro se mencionaba que el propio Jobs afrontaba el reto personal de crear un yate muy particular que, tal y como podemos apreciar a través de las primeras fotografías y vídeos, no pasará precisamente desapercibido. Y es que Venus, como así se llamará, cuenta con un diseño espectacular y muy diferenciador.
Un año después de que el cáncer doblegase su fuerza vital, paradójicamente cobrará vida una de sus últimas creaciones. Muy ligado con la tecnología y como si de un producto más de Apple se tratase, Venus finalmente saldrá del astillero holandés  Koninklijke De Vries, en donde durante los últimos años se dio forma al aluminio a través del diseño plasmado en un papel por Philippe Starck, orientado con el toque personal del propio Steve.
Aún se desconoce cuál será el futuro de la embarcación pues podría parecer que ya no tiene sentido alguno tras la desaparición de su “progenitor”. Solo sabemos que en el acto de su bautizo y botadura tendría que estar merecidamente Steve Jobs, aunque eso ya no será posible. Sin embargo, allí estará su esposa Laurene Powell acompañada de sus tres hijos –Reed, Erin y Eve-, producto del matrimonio con el fundador de Apple.
Será un acto muy emotivo, pero los amantes al trabajo del genio de la manzana tendrían que ver en un “simple” yate hasta donde fue capaz de llegar la mente inquieta de Cupertino. ¿Por qué? Simplemente porque tan solo es necesario echar un vistazo al diseño del barco de recreo para rememorar el arte de Jobs.
En la actualidad podemos encontrar modelos más extravagantes, incluso mucho más espectaculares en tamaño que lo que los 80 metros de eslora de Venus. A pesar de todo, el yate de Jobs resaltará por encima de todos por su diseño. Las imágenes y vídeo aparecidos en la Red ofrecen una primera perspectiva de cómo el diseñador francés fusionó a la perfección las ideas del alma máter de Apple, que hasta ahora solo habíamos tenido ocasión de comprobar en los iPod, iPhone y iPad, con el diseño naval. Ciertamente el resultado es ya no espectacular, sino que el adjetivo que mejor lo define es el de diferenciador.
Una vez a bordo, tan solo hay que dirigirse al puesto de mandos para notar cómo el barco emana por los cuatro costados la esencia de Jobs. Todo está cuidado hasta el más mínimo detalle, como a él le gustaba, pero tal vez lo más llamativo es la presencia de siete iMac de 27 pulgadas. Y es que la tecnología cobra gran protagonismo en el yate que, además, es uno de los navíos más ligeros que se conocen gracias a la mayoritaria presencia del aluminio en su construcción, junto a una cubierta de madera de teca.
No obstante, la “pequeña obsesión” de Steve con el vidrio (que viene de lejos, del impacto que recibió del diseño de las casas que visitaba con su padre) también queda patente en su barco, en el que forma parte estructural del mismo, con grandes ventanales y puertas corredizas. Para ofrecer tal combinación de materiales, el astillero tuvo que recurrir a cristal de alta resistencia, específicamente realizado para Venus.
Otras de las características son la terraza con jacuzzi en proa. Sin lugar a dudas, el yate de Jobs no pasara desapercibido e indiferente para todos aquellos que tengan la ocasión de verlo en mar o en el amarre del puerto de su próximo destino…  A continuación os dejamos con un pequeño vídeo, no sin un alto componente emocional para todo aquel que conozca todos los detalles de la historia.
Pinche aquí para ver el vídeo


El artículo El yate de Steve Jobs ya está aquí y es espectacular se publicó en Movil Zona : Portal especializado en telefonía móvil.

Cinco trozos de sabiduría de Gandhi para el Movimiento Verde

Cinco trozos de sabiduría de Gandhi para el Movimiento Verde:

Mahatma Gandhi no era un ecologista, o por lo menos no cómo se los piensa hoy. Para empezar, el término y movimiento no existían en la época de Gandhi (1869-1948). En segundo lugar, el propio Gandhi estaba más preocupado por la situación de la humanidad que por el planeta como tal. Sin embargo, el trabajo y espíritu de Gandhi han sido una fuente de profunda de inspiración para los activistas sociales, políticos y ambientales durante varias generaciones.

Así que, en su cumpleaños número 143, te cuento sobre cinco citas inspiradoras del Mahatma para el Movimiento Verde.

1.- “Hay algo más en la vida que aumentar su velocidad”

Para el autor de la entrada original, esto significa rechazar el fetichismo del progreso, rechazar el consumo desmedido, pero también creo que va por qué tanto nos paramos a mirar, a estar, a disfrutar del otro y con el otro. ¿Tu qué crees?

2.- “Primero te ignoran, luego se ríen de ti, luego luchan contra ti; entonces ganas”

Esto es una importante secuencia de eventos que nos recuerda las fases del movimiento verde. En un comienzo, sus preocupaciones son ignoradas, ya sea de forma voluntaria o por ignorancia. Más tarde, cuando las conocen, se burlan de ellas, ya sea porque piensan que eres un chiflado o porque algunos se ven amenazados por tus ideas. Hoy, las corporaciones se ríen de nosotros en alguna parte mientras poco a poco avanza el Movimiento Verde.

3.- “La diferencia entre lo que hacemos y lo que somos capaces de hacer bastaría para solucionar la mayoría de los problemas del mundo”

Todo lo podemos corregir. En este momento, tenemos el suficiente conocimiento para suplir un 80% de la necesidad energética mediante energías renovables para el año 2050. Claro, si se logra cerrar la brecha entre tecnologías y política/economía.

4.- “La interdependencia es y debe ser tan ideal del ser humano como la autosuficiencia. El hombre es un ser social”

A pesar de que históricamente renunciamos a esa comunidad descomunal en la que participábamos y las cosas nos llevaron a una búsqueda de la razón donde todo se normó y dispuso para el orden y el individualismo, es importante tener presente que somos seres sociales, que dependemos total y completamente del otro. Claro, es necesario que nos importe el otro como sucedía miles de años atrás, antes del nacimiento del hombre.

5.- “Cuando admiro lo maravillo de una puesta de sol o la belleza de la luna, mi alma se expande en adoración al creador”

No importa qué o cómo defines al creador, Gandhi expresa acá sobrecogimiento y asombro ante el mundo a nuestro alrededor. Un mundo en el que antes habitábamos y del cual nos escindimos.

Fuente: 5 Bits of Gandhi’s Wisdom for the Green Movement (Treehugger)

Microsoft Surface review: A tale of two tablets

Microsoft Surface review: A tale of two tablets:
Some time ago, top executives at Microsoft (MSFT) realized the company needed to make some major strategic changes to adapt in a marketplace that was in the early days of a huge shift. Many would argue that the decision came later than it should have, and they could present some solid arguments. Microsoft’s entry into the tablet space and re-entry into the smartphone arena indeed came late, and the company has paid the price for its mistakes thus far. From the look of things, however, this giant has legs.






















Microsoft is pushing hard to reinvent Windows and on top of that daunting mission, the company is also in the process of reinventing itself. In this first act, Microsoft brings us the Surface.
The Surface tablet is the culmination of three years of development, and Microsoft sees it as the perfect stage for its new Windows platform. Windows 8/RT represents a departure from the Windows operating system that users are accustomed to, and more than a few feathers will be ruffled as a result. Windows 8 is a chimera of sorts, merging the tile-based user interface from Windows Phone and the standard user interface from Windows 7 into a single platform. Windows RT, the version of Microsoft’s new OS that powers this first version of the Surface tablet, drops nearly everything from the Windows 7 side of the equation and only the new look and functionality remains.
Before we get into the Surface itself, let’s clarify exactly what Windows RT is and is not. This is important, since Microsoft has not yet made clear exactly how it will accomplish this tricky task.
While speaking with Windows group president Steven Sinofsky at Microsoft’s headquarters last week, I asked how Microsoft planned to educate users about the important and confusing differences between Windows 8 and Windows RT. Some parts of his response were comforting. For example, Microsoft is devoting a tremendous amount of time and resources to training in-store staff and even more time and resources will be spent on marketing. A portion of the campaigns Microsoft has planned will apparently be devoted to making clear the differences between Windows 8 and Windows RT.
Some parts of Sinofsky’s response were disconcerting, however. At one point, he drew a parallel between Windows 8/RT and OS X/iOS on the iPad. Users don’t have much of a problem telling the OS on a MacBook apart from the OS on an iPad, so why should they have issues with the new Windows? Yikes.
Imagine booting up an iPad for the first time, seeing the OS X desktop exactly as it appears on a MacBook, and then finding out you cannot run any OS X software on the device. As odd as that scenario sounds, that is exactly the situation Microsoft is facing with the next-generation Windows OS.
Sinofsky was certainly right about one thing he said, though: This is a temporary issue.
As awkward as having the same interface on two very different operating systems sounds, it may be the case that it seems awkward simply because it is novel. Microsoft’s new tile-based user interface, which once bore the name “Metro,” is the new face of Microsoft. Smartphones will have it, tablets will have it, notebooks will have it, desktops will have it and TVs will have it thanks to the Xbox. Different branding may have helped make the learning curve less steep — Windows “Phone,” for example, makes it clear that you’re using a version of Windows built for phones — but in time, the differences between Windows 8 and Windows RT will be widely known and understood.
So, to put the differences as simply as possible, Windows RT is a brand new platform with a tile-based user interface. It cannot run x86 code like older versions of Windows can. Instead, it can only run applications built specifically for this new platform and distributed through Microsoft’s Windows Store.
Windows 8, on the other hand, is Windows RT combined with classic Windows. It can do everything Windows RT can do and it can run the aforementioned apps distributed in the Windows Store, but it also has a separate “Desktop.” The Desktop view looks exactly like Windows 7 minus the Start button and Start menu — though you can get them back if you want — and it can run x86 code. With a few inevitable unforeseen exceptions, Windows 8 can run all of the old Windows software you know and love like Outlook, QuickBooks, Photoshop and so on, and this software will look and act just like it did on Windows 7.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the Surface.

THE HARDWARE

At 1.5 pounds, the Surface’s weight falls very close to that of Apple’s (AAPL) iPad despite the tablet’s larger display, and Microsoft says that the 10.6-inch display size is perfect for a device that is as much about content creation as it is content consumption.
Of note, Microsoft uses the word “perfect” quite often when discussing its new tablet and it’s more than just marketing. During my trip to Redmond it was obvious from the start that Microsoft is incredibly proud of the Surface, and of the team that built it. “Great people make amazing products,” Sinofsky told reporters during a presentation. “Amazing products don’t make great people.”
One of the main factors in keeping the Surface at a manageable weight despite its above-average display size is the material Microsoft selected for the device’s case and many components.

The outer case, chassis and a number of internal parts are composed of a material Microsoft calls “VaporMg,” with Mg being the chemical symbol for magnesium. Without delving too deep into the process, Microsoft melts magnesium down to a molten state and then injection molds it at dimensions as thin as 0.65 millimeters. The result is remarkably strong and durable — know of any other tablets you can ride around like a skateboard? — but also light since less material is used.
Microsoft’s VaporMg is very durable and difficult to scratch. Maybe Apple should consider licensing it for future iPhones. The dark material does tend to pick up fingerprints very easily, but a few quick swipes with a cloth or on a T-shirt or pants leg cleans it right up.
The face of the Surface is also covered with Gorilla Glass 2, a thinner, lighter version of Corning’s most durable mass-market glass product. This further reduces the slate’s weight without compromising durability. Only one button, a capacitive Windows home button, is located on the front of the Surface below the screen and a front-facing HD camera sits above the display.

Small stereo speakers sit on either side of the display when the Surface is held in landscape mode, and they sound decent. Don’t expect much deep low-end out of these diminutive speakers, but they’re fine for listening to music while you work and they’ll also be more than adequate for video chats.
On the left side of the slate beneath the speaker sits a standard 3.5-millimeter audio jack and a volume toggle, and the right edge is home to an HD video-out port as well as a full-sized USB 2.0 port (it’s pretty awesome to be able to connect a standard USB flash drive or any regular accessory to the Surface without an adapter) and Microsoft’s proprietary magnetic power cable connector.
The top edge of the tablet holds a power button and dual microphones while Microsoft’s proprietary magnetic accessory connector sits on the bottom. Initially, Microsoft’s Touch Cover and Type Cover will be the only accessories that can make use of the connector but the company confirmed that third parties will soon be able to build compatible accessories. There are battery life implications with these accessories since the Surface powers anything connected to this port, so Microsoft wants to ensure that access by third parties is tightly controlled.
The smooth metal back of the Surface is blank for the most part, which I think enhances the look of the device. An area across the top of the back covers the tablet’s various antennas and houses a rear-facing HD camera, which is seated beneath its lens at an angle so that the user can hold the tablet normally while taking a picture instead of having to lift the tablet and hold it perpendicular to the subject. The only printing on the back of the device is a small Windows logo at the center of the kickstand.

The Surface’s kickstand is a key element that is crucial to the overall user experience. Where kickstands on smartphones are odd and unnecessary, a stand on a device of this size makes watching movies a joy compared to other tablets. When the kickstand is combined with a Touch Cover, Type Cover or Bluetooth keyboard, the tablet experience is instantly transformed into a notebook experience. The Surface sits at the perfect angle while propped up by the stand, and the device can comfortably be used on a lap, on a desk or on an airplane tray table.
The kickstand also covers a microSD card slot that is capable of reading cards up to 64GB, tripling the available storage on the entry-level Surface model and doubling it on the high-end version.

By nature, the most important part of any tablet is the display and Microsoft put a great deal of time and effort into crafting the panel on the Surface.
For better or worse, Microsoft came out swinging ahead of the Surface’s launch. Several Microsoft executives went on record in claiming that the display on its new tablet is sharper than the Retina panel on Apple’s third-generation iPad. This obviously confounded technology enthusiasts, who are used to comparing displays on paper using a single metric: resolution. How could Microsoft possibly state that the 1,366 x 768-pixel Surface display is superior in any way to the 2,048 x 1,536-pixel panel on Apple’s iPad?
Without delving too deep into the science cited by Steven Bathiche, director of research for Microsoft’s Applied Sciences group, during my visit to Redmond and later on Reddit, the bottom line is that a number of different factors contribute to the perceived quality of a display panel and resolution is only one of them.
Resolution and pixel density both play big roles, as does the sub-pixel configuration, contrast and several other factors. Then there are also other things at play, such as the reflective qualities of the glass that covers a display and the touch-sensing elements beneath it. Just as processor clock speed and core count are among dozens of key elements that impact the performance of a PC or tablet, resolution and PPI are not the end of the story when it comes to display quality.
That’s all well and good in theory, but how does the Surface display stack up against Apple’s Retina-equipped iPad in practice? In my head-to-head tests, I have found that the answer isn’t cut and dry.

Where brightness, color saturation and contrast are concerned, the edge goes to the iPad. Looking at the same image or web page on both devices, I find that blacks are deeper, whites are brighter and colors are much more vibrant on Apple’s Retina panel then they are on the Surface.
In terms of clarity and sharpness, it’s a tough call. At normal usage distances between about 18 and 24 inches, my eyes can’t see much of a difference in many cases. For reading text though, I found that I definitely prefer the Surface. ClearType is great for displaying smooth characters, but Microsoft’s display is also much warmer than Apple’s and this has a significant impact while reading or doing almost anything for an extended period of time.
My eyes did not strain at all after using the Surface for hours on end (portions of this review were written on the Surface). The warmer tones help a great deal I’m sure, but I also found that using a panel with slightly less contrast is more comfortable over long periods of time. The exception is probably watching movies — the cooler tones and better contrast of Apple’s Retina display really make movies come to life compared to the more muted tones on the Surface.

Things definitely change when lighting is less than optimal.
Like modern OLED panels and even Apple’s own iPhone 5 display, Microsoft’s Surface utilizes an optically bonded screen, which the third-generation iPad does not (Apple’s fourth-generation iPad, which was announced on Tuesday, remedies this). It also utilizes in-cell touch technology.
Since the combination of these two technologies eliminates all air between the inside of the glass cover and the actual display panel, light is met with less resistance. In line with another one of Microsoft’s claims, I found that there is much less bothersome reflection coming off the Surface compared to the iPad, which makes a huge difference in many common lightning situations (like outside viewing, for example).
You’ll see reviews and various tests that include photos of each display panel examined under a microscope and while I can’t say which panel will win out in this scenario, I can say this: Unless you have microscopes in place of eyeballs, it doesn’t really matter.

The Touch Cover and Type Cover are the last pieces of the hardware puzzle that I’ll cover in this review.
Microsoft’s first TV commercial for the Surface — which was not well received by some members of the tech community — focuses almost entirely on the Touch Cover, and for good reason: It’s brilliant.
When Surface team members had the initial idea for a detectable book cover-like keyboard, they agreed that the accessory had to be no more than 4.2 millimeters thick to make the experience as good as possible. The end result is just 3 millimeters thick, and it’s awesome.
Microsoft’s Touch Cover is a polyurethane cover that is held in place magnetically and features an integrated soft-touch keyboard with a trackpad. I find it to be the perfect compromise between a traditional tablet typing experience (tapping on glass) and typing on a standard keyboard.

Because the Surface includes a 10.6-inch display, the device happens to be just wide enough to support a cover with a full-size keyboard. If you’re thinking that’s not a coincidence, you’re correct. By supporting an ultra-thin, feather-light full keyboard accessory, the Surface instantly becomes one of the best tablets on the planet in terms of productivity without adding any bulk. Typing on a soft polyurethane keypad is not the same as typing on a regular keyboard of course, but I got pretty good with it after a few days of practice.
Bear in mind, there is definitely a learning curve. Here’s what happened the first time I sat down with the Surface and pecked away on the Touch Cover:

I am typing on the Microsoft Surface’s Touch Cover. I’m actually doing just as well here ss I would on a normsl keyboard. Not really, but it’spretty close. Ok, not really.
For wjatever reason, I find myself missingthe “A” a lot. It’s prettyannoying. I’m also missing the spacebar s bit now.
The bottom line, though, is that I’m typing much faster here thsn I do on glass. I can also see the entire display, which is great. Nothing else on the market offers sn experience anything like this, so I’m sure it will tske some time to get used to.
I’ll stick with it and circle bsck next week. But seriously, why can’t I type a damn “A”?

It took a few days, but I got used to the $120 accessory and I can now type much quicker on the Touch Cover than on any glass tablet display. I would say I can type between 60% and 70% as fast as I can on the Logitech diNovo Edge keyboard I use on a daily basis, which isn’t bad at all.
And yes, I can type a damn “A” now.

For those who prefer a more standard typing experience, $130 gets you a Type Cover, which basically transforms the Surface into a legitimate notebook computer. It’s a little more than twice as thick as the Touch Cover, but it includes a real full-size plastic keyboard and it works well. The cover itself has a soft-touch rubber feel on the top that is very comfortable to rest your wrists on, and the bottom is a nice gray felt material.
And yes, by the way, the covers click into place just like they do in Microsoft’s commercial.

THE SOFTWARE

One look at a picture of the Microsoft Surface online, and you get a pretty good idea that we’re dealing with some terrific hardware. The software, however, is a bit of a mystery.
Windows 8 and Windows RT are Microsoft’s big gamble. The company has managed to amass a 92% share of the global PC market according to Net Applications’ September numbers, and both familiarity and consistency have played big roles in Microsoft’s success. Now, the familiar face of Windows has been pushed aside and replaced with something that is completely unfamiliar to anyone who hasn’t used a Windows Phone. And considering Windows Phone’s current position in the smartphone market, that means this new look is unfamiliar to just about everyone.
It’s easy to be melodramatic and freak out about Windows’ new look. It is jarring, without question. Windows itself was pretty jarring when people made the transition from MS-DOS, but I think they got over it.

I wrote about Windows 8 and its new UI in some detail back in February, and at that time I saw a lot of promise in this risky operating system. I still do. People are creatures of habit and there is no doubt that it will take some time for the PC-using public to familiarize themselves with the new interface. There will be plenty of complaints voiced in the coming months (and years, even) but I think people will come around. When you get over the shocking realization that, yes, Windows is now different, you begin to realize that the new home screen makes a lot of sense.
It’s simple, really. Your new Windows home screen is an array of tiles, not files. Say it with me: “Tiles, not files.”
The days of cluttered, disorganized desktops are over and done on Windows RT. In its place is a grid of tiles that represent various apps installed on the Surface. And yes, for those who never quite grasped the concept of the Windows desktop and scattered various files all over their home screens, Windows RT’s tiles can also link directly to individual files of your choosing.
I should note that the standard Windows desktop we’re all familiar with is alive and well, but it is no longer the Windows “home screen.” Regardless, feel free to clutter it up all you want.
Apps themselves have a new look as well. Windows software has historically been anything but consistent. Graphics and interfaces varied from program to program, and few guidelines existed for the purpose of creating similar experiences across different apps. Windows RT is a different story entirely.
While Windows 8 will run all of the legacy Windows software you know and love (and hate), Windows RT will only run new applications built specifically for the Windows Store. These apps all share a common user interface characterized by tiles, clean lines, side-scrolling and a very minimal look overall. As is the case with Windows Phone on a smaller scale, some people will like this new look, some will hate it and some will shift from one group to the other over time. Personally, I like the new interface but there are some categories of apps where I would prefer a more standard experience.
This takes us to an interesting problem that has historically never been an issue for Windows but has always been an issue for Windows Phone.

As big as Microsoft is and as massive as the Windows user base is, Microsoft gets to embark on this all-too-critical journey from the same position as other newcomers to the tablet space: On the ground floor with precious few apps.
The Surface doesn’t have a 1password app so logging in to all of my accounts is a huge hassle. It doesn’t have an HBO GO app — and the stripped down version of Internet Explorer for Windows RT doesn’t support Flash, which is needed to play videos on the HBO GO website — so I can’t watch several of my favorite shows and I can’t stream new movies. It doesn’t support Google’s (GOOG) Chrome browser or Firefox so I can’t easily access all of my bookmarks or sync open tabs between devices. It doesn’t have a (usable) Twitter app so I have to make do with Twitter’s awful website. It doesn’t have a Spotify app so I don’t have access to much of my music collection. I could go on, but I’m sure you get the idea.
On the flip side of the coin, the Surface ships with full versions of Microsoft Word 2013, Excel 2013, PowerPoint 2013 and OneNote 2013, and these apps provide the best productivity experience I have ever seen on a tablet.
The issue of third-party Windows RT apps may or may not be resolved over time. If users embrace this new look and patronize the new Windows app store, developers will take heed. On the other hand, if developers fail to see promise or don’t find success with this new breed of Windows apps, they may dictate the success or failure of Windows RT.
Microsoft has created a scenario where developers do not have to embrace this new platform in order to remain active in the Windows ecosystem. Instead, they can address Windows 8 by building x86 software just as they have for years, and they will still have access to hundreds of millions of Windows users. Windows 8 — the “full” Windows experience — will likely proliferate much more quickly in the early days since it will ship on laptops and desktops from a wide range of vendors, while very few Windows RT devices will be available at launch. Developers can also continue to build Web apps, some of which will work in Microsoft’s new Windows RT browser and all of which will be accessible in the full version of Internet Explorer in Windows 8.
And yes, both browsers still share the same name.

Despite the Surface’s quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 chipset and 2GB of RAM, Windows RT is not always as smooth as I would like. Apps sometimes take a few extra beats to open, and in some cases opening an application on the Surface is much more like launching an app on an old Windows PC than on a modern tablet. Mail is an example of an app that often takes its time to open, and it also doesn’t seem to be in any rush to load new mail — anyone used to Outlook as their email client will feel right at home.
The good news, though, is that Windows RT was built for multitasking. Commonly used apps can and should be left open, and switching between apps is as easy as swiping in from the left side with a finger or touching a mouse cursor to the top- or bottom-left corner of the display. Open apps come back to life instantly, and the animations that transition the user from one app to another are quick and smooth. Apps can also be placed side by side in split screen mode, and they can be resized by simply dragging an edge.
Third-party apps are a mixed bag. While the situation will hopefully improve as developers gain experience with the platform, I have played with a number of apps that were downright painful to use. Well-made apps perform quite well though, and scrolling through them or tapping from screen to screen is nice and fast.

I should also note that I also ran into some problems during my initial setup. The Windows Store found 15 app updates for me as soon as I finished my initial configuration of the Surface. The initial Windows RT setup, by the way, is fantastically simple compared to earlier versions of Windows and it takes just a couple of minutes to complete.
When I chose to install these updates, Windows tore through the first 10 in no time. On the eleventh app, it hung. After about five minutes with no progress, I canceled the downloads and returned to my home screen only to find that my Mail, People (contacts) and Calendar apps were no longer pinned. “Pinning,” by the way, is the term for creating a tile on the home screen for a specific app, bookmark or file.
So I hit the search key — Windows 8 and RT have a great new universal search function — and could not find any of these apps on the device. I was also not able to reinstall them because the Store indicated that they were already present on my system. When a reboot did nothing, I chose to reset the machine and start over. This wasn’t a big inconvenience since I had not yet started using anything on the Surface and the reset process takes only a few minutes. Had this issue presented itself a few days, weeks or months into my usage, I would not have been a happy camper.
As a whole, though, the Windows RT experience on the Surface is a good one and I have not run into real any problems since that initial snag.

One of the things that seemed to scare early reviewers most when discussing Windows 8 and Windows RT was the manner in which Microsoft chose to reinvent common functions. We’ve all seen the video of an elderly gentleman fumbling around the new OS and struggling to perform even the most basic of tasks. While the video is certainly amusing, it’s also misleading.
For one thing, this man did not watch the short intro displayed during the initial Windows setup that outlines the few simple mouse or touch gestures needed to navigate the new interface. And I know my generation doesn’t have the best memory, but try to dig deep into the recesses of your minds and recall what teaching your parents and grandparents to use a Windows machine was like many years ago.
To ensure you don’t run into the same problem as this poor man, let’s look at all of the scary new things you need to remember:

• Swipe up on the lock screen to input your password and unlock Windows. On a non-touch device or when using a mouse and keyboard, simply tapping the Enter key will bring you to the login screen.
• Swipe in from the right side or touch your mouse cursor to the top- or bottom-right corner of the display to access Search, Share, the Windows start button, Device controls and system settings.
• Swipe in from the left side or click your mouse on the top- or bottom- left corner of the screen to open the previous app.
• Swipe in from the left and then back to the edge of the screen to open a visual representation of all recent apps, and tap one to open it. The same can be done by touching your mouse cursor to the bottom-left corner and moving up, or to the top-left corner and moving down.
• Inside an app, swiping up from the bottom or down from the top will open the app menu. The same can be done with a mouse by simply right-clicking in any open space on the screen.
• Closing an app completely instead of leaving it open in the background has confused some people, but it really couldn’t be easier. Simply move your mouse cursor to the top of the display where your pointer icon will become a hand, click and hold to grab the window, and then drag it down to the bottom of the screen to close the app. Actually, I suppose it could be easier — on devices that support touch like the Surface tablet, one quick swipe starting off the display at the top and continuing down the bottom of the screen will do the trick.

I think most of us can handle that, and those who can’t will learn over time just as they did when they first started using Windows years ago. And any time you get tripped up, simply start typing “H E L P” right on the home screen and universal search will pop up with a link to Microsoft’s online support site.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Microsoft is the biggest software company in the world, but its first piece of Windows hardware is a beauty.
The company sought to reinvent the PC with the Surface, and to “bring all that goodness to the kind of device you can carry with you at all times,” according to Windows boss Steven Sinofsky. In this regard, Microsoft has accomplished its goal. The Surface is light and portable, and the battery gave me a full day of usage without a problem. Functions such as streaming video will obviously cut into battery life, but you’ll still go longer in between charges than you would with any popular Windows or Mac laptop.
Oh and by the way, there is absolutely no bloatware, crapware or whatever else you want to call it on the Surface, which is yet another point in Microsoft’s favor as it enters the Windows hardware market and competes against the very vendors that perfected the practice of ruining user experiences with unwanted garbage.
While Windows 8 is the version of Microsoft’s new OS that has split personality disorder, the Windows RT-powered Surface truly is a tale of two tablets. On one hand, it is an engineering feat with a design that is novel and functional. It really is the perfect combination of a tablet and a notebook thanks to the Touch Cover and the Type Cover, and I felt right at home with the Surface the moment I turned it on. On the other hand, the software experience does not feel like home. It’s new, and for many it will be scary.
But we are not Luddites. We can handle this.
The move to separate Windows 8 and Windows RT this way was a necessary one in the context of Microsoft’s interface unification strategy. And in order to build a lighter-weight OS that could power less expensive devices and compete with the likes of Apple’s iPad, Microsoft needed a “Windows Lite” solution. Some concessions could certainly have been made in order to better distinguish Windows RT and Windows 8, but this is the path Microsoft chose.
Windows RT has a lot of growing to do. The faster Microsoft can get developers on board, the better — and the early days will be slow-going in some respects as a result of this lack of apps. But even as it stands today, the Surface provides a terrific experience right out of the box and it will only get better over time.