Adobe Illustrates the Point

I'm always at a loss when it comes to describing Adobe Illustrator because it has always seemed needlessly difficult to use, but the latest Creative Cloud version is slowly converting me from a skeptic to a believer, if not yet a fan. Adobe has added several new features to this version and each of them strives to make the application more usable.

Adobe has added more than 3 new capabilities to this version, but I'm going to limit this review to just 3: TouchType, the ability to synchronize settings between 2 computers, and the process of creating new brush tools from existing images.

TouchType

This is the new feature that allows users to select one or more letters and make modifications such as moving the letter, changing its size, or rotating it. I started with this blue "flip".

To use the Touch Type Tool, you can type Shift-T (when anything other than the text tool is selected) or choose it from the Text menu.

After selecting the tool, you'll be prompted to select a letter. I decided to work with "i".

After making the letter larger, I positioned it lower so that it would align with the bottom of the letter "p". I didn't notice at the time that there was too much space between the "i" and the "p".

Then I inverted the "i" and selected the "p" so that I could fix the spacing problem.

Much better.

But maybe I had intended to type "flap" instead of "flip". After making all of these text modifications, can I still edit the text?

Yes, I can, but now the width has changed because "a" is considerably wider than "i" and the word no longer fits on the art board.

But note that the new letter is inverted, just as the "i" was.

Also note that the inverted "a" is too high and there's a problem with the spacing between the inverted "a" and the "p".

Now I've further modified the inverted "a" and positioned it so that the top of the letter aligns with the top of the text and the bottom of the letter aligns with the descender on the "p".

But I'd really like the "a" to be angled a bit and red.

Easy enough, but the inverted "a" looks too much like an "e", so maybe I really need the letter to be rotated to a more normal position.

Like this.

I wanted the "a" to overlap the "l", but this is as far left as I could move it using the Touch Type function. To make any more radical movements, I need to convert the letters to paths, just like in the old days, and then they are no longer editable.

But, having converted the text to shapes, I can do anything I want to the individual letters.

Here I've moved the "a" down and to the left, the "p" has been moved up.

This is a good example of why I don't design logos.

Sync or Swim

The Creative Cloud applications may be installed on two computers — 2 Windows machines, 2 Macs, or one of each — and you may want to ensure that your settings are the same on both machines.

In the past, this involved making a list of the settings, going to the other computer, and manually modifying the preferences.

Creative Cloud makes it possible to select all settings or specific settings and then synchronize them to your other computer.

Making Your Own Brush with an Image

Real designers might like to create a specialized brush stroke that can be used to create outlines. I'm no designer (as should be painfully obvious), but I thought that I'd see what I could do.

After creating a graphic that consists of 5 lines, I dragged the result into the brushes palette.

As if by magic, I now have a new brush.

I was given the opportunity to select the effect that would be applied to straight lines, inside and outside corners, and line ends. I've done that here.

But I didn't particularly care for what my selection did to outside corners.

So I returned to the setup dialog and made some changes.

This is the final result that shows the improved outside corner effect.

Trouble on the Road to Windows 8.1

For most people, the upgrade from Windows 8 to 8.1 will be routine, but some people will experience trouble and, for a few, the process has been no fun at all. I thought maybe you'd want to know about some of the things to watch out for.

I've upgraded several computers and, with one exception, they've been routine procedures. Those who have Windows Surface RT tablets (those are the ones that I feel Microsoft should never have built because they run only apps and not legacy applications) found that installing the upgrade made the system unusable.

The problem is so severe that Microsoft took two nearly unprecedented steps: First, it apologized for the mistake. Second, it has withdrawn the Windows 8.1 RT upgrade until the problems can be resolved.

For a while, other manufacturers made RT-based tablets, but everyone else has dropped RT models. By "everyone else", I mean Asus, Dell, Lenovo, and Samsung. Those companies all still make Windows tablets, but they have all dropped tablets that run RT and Microsoft has continued to muddy the tablet waters by introducing new versions of the Surface tablet (the well regarded standard Windows tablet and the RT version) this week.

So if you have an RT-powered device, you'll have to wait for the upgrade. If you have a standard Windows 8 machine, your upgrade will probably be without any major problems, but you should be prepared for an anomaly or two.

I first upgraded an older computer that isn't essential and that process worked fine. That was in September. Then I upgraded a desktop and a notebook computer and those upgrades were problem-free. The final two upgrades, a notebook and a tablet, had to wait until Windows 8.1 was "generally available" on the 17th.

The notebook upgrade appears to have been without problem, but I haven't completed the analysis. The tablet experienced two problems that are common.

Non-Functional Drivers

This is probably the most likely problem that updates will experience and usually it's a quick, easy fix. Following the update, the tablet's disk performance was horrid, network throughput dropped from 15Mbps to about the speed of a fast modem, and videos that once played smoothly were so rough and jerky that they were unusable.

Because the tablet had an OEM version of Windows and because it was still under warranty, I called Acer support. The technician I spoke with appeared to be located in a very noisy room in India, but he responded quickly when I described the problem, confirmed my suspicion that new drivers would probably fix the problem, and provided the URL where I could find the drivers. (support.acer.com)

Most manufacturers provide Web-based resources similar to those provided by Acer. A Drivers and Manuals button on the main page took me to the right part of the site, but options to enter the tablet's serial number or model number didn't work. Instead, I used a series of menus to arrive at the proper location: Windows 8.1 64-bit.

The page listed 6 drivers for the tablet (Realtek Audio Driver 6.0.1.7040, Intel Chipset Driver 9.4.0.1026, Intel Management Engine Driver, Intel Other Drivers [DPTF] 7.1.0.2103, Intel VGA Driver 10.18.10.3304, and Atheros Wireless LAN Driver [WLAN+Bluetooth driver] 10.0.0.263) ranging in size from 5MB to nearly 400MB. I downloaded these on a desktop system because the tablet's connection was so slow, copied them to a thumb drive, and then from the thumb drive to the Desktop on the tablet.

All of the new drivers installed without incident, except for the Intel VGA driver. The installation program told me that the computer didn't meet minimum specifications for installation, so apparently it's intended for desktop systems with nigh-powered graphics devices. One wonders, though, why the Acer download process included this file after being told that the device in question is a tablet and not a desktop system.

Following installation of the drivers, which required several reboots along the way, the tablet's excellent performance returned, more or less. There are still some problems, but they're relatively minor.

Although the Lenovo notebook continued to work pretty much as expected following the update, I found 11 driver updates and the resulting performance seemed to be a modest improvement.

No Access to the Windows Store or Apps

Every Windows App that I tried to open either crashed or reported that I had no Internet access and the Windows Store app would not open because it also reported no Internet access. Legacy applications running on the tablet had no problem with access, so the problem was clearly only on the Metro side of the house.

Assuming that you've already confirmed that the Internet connection is working by connecting to a website using a standard browser, the first thing to check when you can't connect to the Windows Store is the computer's date and time setting. It's the first thing to check not because it's the likely culprit, but because it's easy to check. If the date or time is wrong on the computer, you can't connect to the Windows Store. (Yes, this is something that only Microsoft would do.) It's easy to check, though, as Microsoft explains here.

If the date and time are correct, the step is also easy. Using a browser on the Desktop interface, download the Apps Troubleshooter and run it. If your experience is anything like mine, this is where you'll find the problem and the Apps Troubleshooter will fix it.

The final things to try before calling on Microsoft for help are slightly more involved, but not difficult:

Clear the Store's cache by pressing the Windows key and "R" to open the Run dialog. Type "wsreset.exe" (without the quotation marks, of course) and press Enter. Reboot the computer and try the Store again.

The final, and least likely, culprit would be problems with a proxy server. To check this, the Windows key and "R" to open the Run dialog; then type "inetcpl.cpl" (without the quotation marks) and press Enter. Click the Connections tab on the dialog that will appear and then click LAN Settings. If "Use a proxy server for your LAN" is checked, uncheck it and then click OK. If no the box is not checked, just click OK without making any changes.

There's more information about the Windows Store here or you can log on to Microsoft's support site and post your question there. Be sure to mention all of the steps you've already taken so you won't be asked to do them again.

Short Circuits

Gartner Confirms that 2013 is the Year of the Tablet

The numbers seem to suggest that tablets are about to sweep regular computers from the face of the planet. Gartner, one of the two primary high tech research firms has revised its predictions to show tablet sales growing by more than 53% this year while PCs will decline more than 11%. Previously, Gartner had suggested a 43% hike for tablets and a 7% decline for computers.

There's no question that tablets are selling well, probably because they're new and people who own notebook and desktop computers see value in the smaller devices. Taking myself an an example, this year I have purchased a "full-size" tablet (one that's about 10 inches across) and a mini tablet (one that's about 7 inches across). I find both of them to be useful, but for different things. And I have also replaced a notebook computer even though I spend most of my time working on desktop systems.

So a lot of people have bought tablets instead of replacing a notebook or desktop system. Some of those people will find that they can do everything they need to do with a tablet or some combination of devices that might include tablets and phones, but many will undoubtedly realize, when an existing notebook or desktop computer finally expires that it will need to be replaced with a like unit.

The most seriously threatened computers now are large desktop systems because today's notebooks are powerful enough to do what desktop systems used to do. I've mentioned high-end video, audio, and photo users and their continued need to desktop systems with lots of storage and big monitors. That, I think, will continue. Many businesses will continue to buy desktop systems because they're more cost effective for employees who don't need the portability that notebooks provide. I would expect to see at least a small surge in desktop systems within the next year or two.

Nonetheless, Gartner's numbers are breathtaking, particularly if you're a manufacturer. As recently as April, Gartner's predictions suggested significantly smaller gains for tablets and not as large a fall-off for desktops.

Next year, Garner says, tablet shipments will continue to rise and desktop sales will continue to fall. The prediction is that next year desktop sales will exceed tablets by only about 18,000 units. And the smaller tablets are placing pressure on both larger and smaller devices. Instead of smart phones, many buyers will probably opt for 7-inch tablets this year.

Android growth continues with 38% of the tablet and smart phone market this year, perhaps 45% next year. Apple's IOS devices are expected to increase a bit from this year's 12% to 14%. Research In Motion will drop from about 1% to 0.8%. Windows-powered tablets and phones will be on pace with Apple's devices, increasing from about 14% to 15% while the share for all other type of devices will drop from 35% to 26%.

At least that's what Gartner's crystal ball suggests.

Will Facebook Ever Get it Right?

This week Facebook removed a video that showed a woman being beheaded and then promised to modify its guidelines for when to allow gory videos on the site. My only question is why it took so long.

On Monday, Facebook's PR flacks said that the video of a masked man beheading a woman in Mexico would be permitted so long as the content is posted in a manner intended for its users to "condemn" the acts rather than celebrate them.

A day later, following near universal condemnation, the Facebook flacks were back with an update: "When we review content that is reported to us, we will take a more holistic look at the context surrounding a violent image or video."

Ya think?

Once upon a time, the public relations vice president was expected to advise corporate management to do the right thing, not to spin the situation to make blue appear to be yellow. The PR flack continued, "We will consider whether the person posting the content is sharing it responsibly, such as accompanying the video or image with a warning and sharing it with an age-appropriate audience."

Is there an "age-appropriate" audience for a video of a beheading?

Facebook does routinely remove pornography, hate speech, and other content the company considers to be unacceptable, the company now is placing itself in a position to judge whether images and videos are "in the public interest" or being shared for "sadistic pleasure".

Pogue Heads to Yahoo

Well, that was certainly a surprise. David Pogue, who has been the most popular NY Times technology reporter for more than a decade will be leaving the newspaper and moving to Yahoo, where he will start a site based on consumer technology.

Pogue has been at the newspaper for 13 years. In addition to his column there, he has created many videos for the newspaper's website and his Pogue's Posts blog is popular and it won a business journalism award in 2010.

According to Pogue's site on Tumblr, he will be "writing columns and blog posts each week, of course, and making my goofy videos ... but my team and I have much bigger plans, too, for all kinds of online and real-world creations."

It may be only coincidental, but Walt Mossberg will also be leaving the Wall Street Journal, where he's been writing about technology since before Alex Bell invented the telephone, to join Kara Swisher in creating a company that runs high-tech conferences.

Both Pogue and Mossberg have provided interesting and worthwhile insights into technology issues. Their respective newspapers will miss them.