Buying a New Computer? Beware the Crapware!
This is a topic I've mentioned before but it's important this time of year because so many people buy new computers around the end of the year. Computer manufacturers are always trying to boost their margins. Five or ten dollars per computer might not seem like much but if you sell millions of computers, it adds up. Manufacturers install "helpful" applications on your computer and tell you that they're useful. What they don't explain as well is that the applications are trial versions and the manufacturers receive payments if and when you buy the full version of an application.
That doesn't seem so bad but these "free" applications usually load when you start the computer and, if you don't buy, they nag. And nag. And nag. Hence the descriptive epithet, "crapware".
I can think of three ways to eliminate the crapware or avoid it altogether. Avoiding it is the best choice and it's one of the reasons that I don't buy computers from big-box stores and big-name manufacturers when I can avoid it. If you buy from a local assembler, you can avoid the entire mess because they don't install crapware. Avoiding a problem is even better than solving a problem.
If you buy a big-name computer, you still have some recourse. Some manufacturers still provide full standard copies of the operating system on CD or DVD. If so, you can just boot to the optical drive and reinstall the operating system, leaving out all of the crapware. At best, that option is in the "maybe" category, though, because most manufacturers provide either an OEM version of the operating system on a disc that they have modified to include their crapware. And most computers are sold these days without any CD or DVD. You'll probably be offered an option to create a "recovery" disc but guess what it will contain!
So the option behind door number 3 is to find a way to rid the computer of the crapware. Fortunately, a few applications exist that can help. The tools can, however, bring problems of their own and if you're not careful, they might remove something you want to keep.
- PC Decrapifier doesn't have to be installed and it knows how to eliminate much of the junk that comes with new computers. You'll have to buy it, but it's inexpensive—just $5 (although if you're a PC technician, you should spend an extra $15 for the license.)
- WinPatrol offers more control and the cost of that control comes in reduced ease of use. A free version exists but it comes with a limited feature set. If you decide to give WinPatrol a try, you'll want the $30 version.
- Revo Uninstaller offers several levels of removal power and has both free and paid versions ($30). If you've already removed applications from the computer, Revo can examine the computer, find leftover files and Registry entries, and remove them, too. I have seen instances in which Revo becomes a bit too helpful, though, and removes more than you might want it to.
- SlimComputer is more of a multi-purpose tool that also offers the ability to remove applications you don't want. I've talked about SlimComputer previously and find its cloud-based crowd-sourced approach interesting. SlimComputer, which is free, can turn off applications that start automatically and re-order startup items to allow the computer to start more smoothly.
- CCleaner (formerly called CrapCleaner) detects startup applications and allows you to control whether they start with the computer or not. It can examine both the computer and the Registry to find things that are no longer used. Beware, though, that you need to examine the list of items CCleaner will remove because I have encountered situations in which it caused certain Photoshop filters to stop working because it deleted what it thought were unnecessary Registry entries. Both free and paid versions exist.
So if you're thinking about buying a new computer (and a lot of people do that this time of the year), keep in mind that you have options when it comes to crapware.
Pixels May Be on the Way Out
Whether you pronounce it pix-EL or PIX-el, these little dots have been the basis for televisions, computer screens, and digital photography. The tiny square dots (millions of them) are what make up the picture from your camera but a British firm says that the pixel's days are numbered.
If you're familiar with computer graphics, you know that two methods exist by which you can create an image: pixels and vectors. Pixels are generally considered to provide more photo-realistic images, which is one of the reasons that they're used for photography. Vectors, which are mathematical representations of what are called primitive shapes (lines, rectangles, and circles), are ideal for text and other similar shapes.
In recent years, programs such as Adobe Illustrator (a vector program) have been able to deal with pixel images and programs such as Adobe Photoshop (a pixel program) have been able to include vector components. It is possible to create a highly photo-realistic vector image in Illustrator by tracing a pixel image.
Sebastian Anthony, writing in Extreme Tech, describes the obvious problem with pixel-based images: As the resolution increases, the number of pixels increases dramatically. In addition to that, pixel-based images can't easily be enlarged. The result is jagged edges because enlarging pixel-based images just makes the original pixels larger. Vector images, on the other hand, can be made larger or smaller without suffering from "jaggies".
The Extreme Tech article describes research by Philip Willis and John Patterson of the University of Bath in England. The two have created a video codec that replaces pixel bitmaps with vectors. They call it Vectorized Streaming Video (VSV) and Anthony says they're working "with Root6 Technology (a company that specializes in transcoding) and Smoke & Mirrors (a post-processing studio) to bring the codec to market."
A demo system is expected within the first half of 2013. The process is apparently similar to Adobe Live Trace and Anthony notes that the biggest issue with photo-realistic vector graphics is the coloring of spaces between the geometric shapes "but apparently Willis and Patterson have solved this."
It's hard to imagine a world in which the pixel has been completely replaced by vectors but I can see a time when a hybrid approach would be most welcome. For example, it's possible now to enlarge a small pixel-based image by first tracing it to create a vector image and then enlarging the vector image. The result is almost always better than any method used to enlarge a small pixel-based image any other way.
If you'd like to read Anthony's Extreme Tech article, it's here and the researchers' explanation is in this PDF.
Looks Like Spectrum Usage Will Change. Again.
In the old days, the Federal Communications Commission and the International Telecommunications Union chopped up the radio spectrum into specific chunks: This piece was for use by international shortwave broadcasters, that one was for TV stations, other chunks were allocated to amateur radio, police, or taxi cabs. That system worked well for several decades. Then came computers and cellular telephones.
On Wednesday, the FCC voted to approve a notice of proposed rulemaking that would allow wireless carriers, researches, and business users to reserve the same bit of spectrum, varied by region and time. The process is described in an article by David Talbot in the MIT Technology Review. Initially the rule would apply to a small section in the 3.5GHz band, now used exclusively by high-power military radar services.
Talbot explains that this new concept is important because growth and economic viability of wireless communications depends on intelligent control of the finite resource called "spectrum". There's lots of spectrum out there but only a few relatively small sections include frequencies that can be used for communications. Some wavelengths produce signals that can travel long distances but are subject to atmospheric disturbances (think AM radio) while others are less prone to weather-induced problems but don't reach as far (think FM radio). Higher frequencies have more bandwidth and can pack more information into the signal.
The article says that the FCC will probably recommend "the biggest regulatory change in decades: One that allows a newly available chunk of wireless spectrum to be leased by different companies at different times and places, rather than being auctioned off to one high bidder."
This actually makes so much sense that it's surprising nobody thought of it sooner. Mobile data traffic is growing so fast that it's increasingly difficult to manage and reserving entire chunks of spectrum nationally for a single purpose doesn't make sense. Frequencies that might be in high demand in metropolitan areas for mobile data would today be unavailable to research scientists in remote Montana because of the old system's rules. Under the new plan, usage could be more flexible.
Talbot's article says the initial impact will be to "open up a piece of spectrum in the 3.550 to 3.650 gigahertz band now used by radar systems."
The rule could also allow new technologies to be tested under conditions similar to how they would be used. Talbot notes that inventors now have to test their devices in sections of spectrum where no usage is licensed. That means that their new devices have to complete with baby monitors, garage door openers and other similar devices. A company that wanted to test a new application could simply license a set of frequencies for a specific period in a particular location.
The complete MIT Technology Review article is here.
The Adobe Report
I (only half) jokingly suggested to one of my contacts at Edelman PR, the company that represents Adobe, that I'm going to have to start a new program just to report on updates from Adobe. This week there were updates to Camera Raw (which means that Lightroom has also been updated) and Photoshop has some new features.
If you wonder why Camera Raw updates require Lightroom updates, it's because both Photoshop and Lightroom use the capabilities provided by Camera Raw. The only difference is that Camera Raw is a plug-in for Photoshop while it's an integral part of Lightroom.
The updates provide support for 20 new cameras from Canon, Casio, Leica, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax and Sony. As with all Adobe updates, the new software corrects several bugs that were reported via Adobe's community discussion site.
Lightroom 4.3 and Camera Raw 7.3 are available on the Adobe website. Any owner of Lightroom 4 can download the update for free. Photoshop CS6 users can download the new Camera Raw plugin without charge. Both are available for Mac and Windows computers.
You'll find additional information on the Adobe website.
Probably the more significant news from Adobe this week is an update to the Creative Cloud offering. When Adobe announced Creative Cloud, one of the major advantages for members was described as having immediate access to application improvements. This week the company provided access to more than a dozen new features for Photoshop.
The New Features
On the Mac, Photoshop now supports Retina (or HiDPI) displays. This feature was also made available to what Adobe calls "perpetual license customers" as a free update.
Smart-Object support has been added for Blur Gallery and Liquify effects. That means that these effects can now be applied non-destructively.
Photoshop makes it possible for users to export CSS code for text and objects as well as to import color swatches. Both of these features will be welcome additions for users who design websites.
The Crop tool has been improved so that it provides better control and improved feedback. This is one of those deceptively small improvements that can turn out to be important time savers.
Conditional Actions allow users to specify rules under which a scripted action occurs. One example that Adobe suggests is designing different watermarks for vertical and horizontal images and then having Photoshop select the right one to apply based on the image's format.
Creative Cloud Connection was also added this week. It's a desktop application that automatically syncs files to a Creative Cloud account whenever files are saved to a specific Desktop folder.
The promised Creative Cloud for Teams went live this week providing all the standard Creative Cloud features for a group of users and expanding the online storage per user from 20GB to 100GB.
Creative Cloud membership for individuals costs $50 per month and users who upgrade from Creative Suite 3, 4, or 5 pay $30 per month for the first year. Creative Cloud Team memberships cost $70 per month.
Short Circuits
Are We Really Too Stupid to Use Windows 8?
I continue to encounter "reports" by computer "experts" who say that Windows 8 is a disaster. In general, these are the same people who said that Windows 7 was a disaster and who said that Vista was a disaster (well, blind luck allowed them to get that one right.) Before that, they had said that XP was a disaster. And Windows 2000 was a disaster. You may have noticed a pattern here. Whatever version of Windows was new and different was "a disaster". By the "logic" put forth by these pundits, only DOS 1.0 was perfect.
So I was surprised to see "New HP laptop offers some compelling reasons to consider Windows 8" as the headline in an e-mail from CNET this week. The subhead said "While the MacBook Air is a wonderful design, it's not perfect. And HP offers some compelling reasons to consider a Windows 8 laptop."
Brooke Crothers described the new Windows 8 offerings from HP: "The MacBook Air is a fine design (I use one every day) and the new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is an even better design. But the Apple way isn't the only way. Here are three features that the MacBook ain't got."
Ain't got? What does Crothers list?
- Built-in 4G: "The EliteBook Revolve offers built-in 4G LTE or HSPA+. Wi-Fi-only MacBooks are getting a bit stodgy. It's almost 2013. 4G should at least be optional on a MacBook. [I]f 4G is an option for the iPad, why not for a tiny 2.4-pound MacBook Air? And if HP is including it in an ultrabook like the Revolve, you can bet there's a reason: some of HP's business customers are demanding it."
- Touch screen: "I've said this before and I'll say it again. Touch is de rigueur for any mobile device now. And two years from now, a portable device without a touch screen will be an anachronism. Like a keyboard without a mouse. Fact is, HP offered a touch-screen tablet long before the iPad. Unfortunately, it was saddled with Windows XP. And HP (and Microsoft) could never see beyond the stylus as an input medium."
- Docking station: "I used HP docking stations for years (which the Revolve includes). They were a godsend. When you need to pick up and run, it's just a matter of popping the lappy out. No disconnecting and reconnecting cables. And good docking stations (like those from HP) offer every port under the sun. So by plugging into the dock, you get the range of ports typically found only on desktops."
So it's good to see that at least some of the pundits are willing to consider that computer users might actually be smart enough to use the new version of Windows (which really isn't all that much different from the previous version of Windows) and that the new version of Windows actually brings some useful features to the table.
Redbox Prepares to Fire a Salvo at Netflix
The clear leader in video streaming today is Netflix, just as the company is the leader in DVD rentals, but Redbox (the operator of those red boxes that rent a limited range of DVDs from locations in and near stores) is about to launch a streaming service.
Redbox says that it will offer an unlimited streaming-video plan. The service may be unlimited but the selection is limited to movies from Warner Brothers and the Epix pay-TV channel. For $8 per month, subscribers have access to streaming video and 4 nights of DVD rentals. Make that $9 per month if you want Blu-ray discs.
The lowest-priced plan Netflix offers that includes both streaming and DVDs is $16 per month. Want to sign up? Sorry, but not so fast. Taking a play from Google's strategy book, the service is by invitation only until sometime next year. Initially only Warner Brothers movies will be included in the deal and if you think that it might include Redbox video game disc rentals, you'll be disappointed. Clearly this is a service for people who are more interested in movies (specifically those by Warner) than anything else.
Redbox Instant by Verizon's library (about 5500 titles) is much smaller than what's in the Netflix collection (60,000 titles available for streaming). This is a similar strategy to the Redbox kiosks, which include the top 200 recent movies from the major studios, DVDs rent for $1.20 per night and Blu-ray discs for $1.50. The Netflix DVD library consists of about 100,000 titles.
Life on the Bleeding Edge
The desktop system upgrade (new hardware and Windows 8) that I wrote about earlier this month included a solid-state hard drive that has dramatically improved the startup time but it also caused a bit of consternation when it suddenly disappeared. When I say "disappeared" I mean that the computer would no longer boot and the disk drive didn't appear in the BIOS list of drives. This account also illustrates why I continue to recommend dealing with a local system assembler who will be interested in ensuring your satisfaction.
Solid-state drives have been around for a few years but the technology is still relatively new and anything that's new can be subject to a variety of amusing anomalies.
I sometimes need to convert DVDs to ISO images and I sometimes need to burn ISO image files to DVDs. What I've found is that either of these operations can sometime confuse the computer. When the computer is confused, the DVD optical drive continues to spin and any attempt to shut down the reading or writing application fails. Any attempt to shut down the computer fails.
The only solution is to shut off power to the computer. ("A computer's attention span is only as long as the wire that connects it to the outlet.") What I found, though, is that the SSD won't boot after an abrupt power-off reset. When I look at the BIOS settings, the drive isn't there and no combination of warm or cold resets makes it appear, or so it would seem. What I found is that eventually the drive does appear. Turning the power off for several hours resolves the problem but this is hardly a solution.
So I talked with TCR's Marshall Thompson, who researched the problem and found that this is a known problem and that a firmware upgrade should fix the disappearing hard drive problem even if it won't have any effect on the root cause: failed reading from or writing to the DVD drive.
We're still trying to sort out the problem that causes the system to fail when reading or writing an optical disc, but the problem of the disappearing boot drive has probably been resolved. As Marshall Thompson says, "I have 3 computers with SSDs as the primary drive. I have not had problem number one but I still consider them 'new' technology and that always has me on my guard."
The takeaway is this: If you want to play with new toys, it's a good idea to know somebody who will have your back—just in case.
The author's image: It's that photo over at the right. This explains why TechByter Worldwide was never on television, doesn't it?
