Extending the Surface Power Supply

Posted on February 10, 2013 at 17:21 by Julian Kay

The power supply that comes with the Microsoft Surface for Windows RT is a little short. I’m unsure if it is comparable with other tablets – as it is my first – however I find it a pain to plug in to the wall and use on the other side of the sofa.

Thankfully, it is no major issue as the Surface PSU takes a standard figure 8 cable, which can easily be added to extend it out.

This is very similar to the cable I got with my Apple MacBook from 2008. Though it has to be said, Apple have done a better job overall, because they included both the shorter and longer cables in the box with the machine. Microsoft do not.

The Death of Outlook & Exchange for Task Management

Posted on January 3, 2013 at 09:00 by Julian Kay

Windows Mobile

Rewind to around 2005 – 2006, I had recently discovered the works of David Allen’s Getting Things Done, and I had started looking for more resources and found the likes of Merlin Mann and others. These people were telling me that it was possible to do all the things you want to do by keeping track of all the tasks and commitments in a simple, trusted system.

Just like now, I was living mostly in a Microsoft ecosystem – I had a Windows Mobile Smartphone, I used Outlook & Exchange for my email and all my computers ran Windows.

I read a book called ‘Take Back Your Life! Using Outlook to Get Organized & Stay Organized‘ which took many of the principles behind Getting Things Done and implemented them in Microsoft Outlook to help keep track of what’s important.

  • Outlook Tasks – universal capture for all ideas as well as a single place for next actions
  • Outlook Calendar – the ultimate way to track professional and personal commitments
  • Outlook Email – a large amount of incoming tasks would come through email and processed directly from the inbox
  • Outlook Notes – sticky notes that could be used to make lists and capture ideas to be processed later, this was later superseded by OneNote for Windows Mobile – a separate download.

Outlook was ideal for this, because it also synchronised using both Microsoft Exchange and ActiveSync – software that ran on your computer and would sync your Windows Mobile device when attached. As Windows Mobile was my mobile operating system of choice it included Tasks, Calendar, Email and Notes without any extra software. It was Outlook, in my pocket.

Windows Phone

Fast-forward to 20012 – 20013, and the importance of Outlook has diminished significantly. Not by my choice.

The support for Outlook or Exchange Tasks in Windows Phone is very low. In Windows RT the situation is even worse, there is no way of getting access to Exchange tasks without third party software, and no way to flag emails to follow up. If I can’t use it on all my computers, it’s not worth using the feature at all.

These days I use a combination of other apps to follow up on actions – the Mail, Calendar, People, and Messaging applications allow me access to Exchange Mail and Calendar – but I manage notes and tasks through OneNote – which is fantastic for capturing but not so hot for reviewing, processing or planning.

Over the years I have actually moved away from using purely digital capturing and planning tools, favouring paper notebooks in some cases. However, I feel that Microsoft has not done enough to keep the functionality that they used to have for task management, and that they’re missing a trick by letting the functionality fall behind.

By focussing their smartphone and tablet efforts on consumer tasks and social networking, I believe they have lost a lot of the value they had by giving users ‘Outlook in their pocket’ – I hope they bring it back.

Kindle Paperwhite

Posted on December 23, 2012 at 14:17 by Julian Kay

Kindle Paperwhite Home Screen

Three years ago I got a Kindle – the first international version that Amazon released. The e-ink screen technology has moved forward over the last three years and I thought it would be a good time to look at upgrading to a more modern ebook reader. After waiting to see what ‘NewCo’ announced* (very little) I decided to go with what can only be described as the best ebook reader on the market – the Kindle Paperwhite.

The Kindle Paperwhite not only has a higher resolution screen with higher contrast, it also has an adjustable front lighting system which produces some fantastic results. I tend to have the light quite low most of the time, which is just right for my eyes to make the screen as legible as possible. I did find that having the screen too bright when in a dark room produced a kind of ghosting effect on my eyes. Though when I have been in a well lit room having the light nice and bright was quite comfortable indeed.

Reading on the Kindle Paperwhite

The software has been improved too, offering a new home screen which features large book covers, rather than the textual list of the previous versions. There are also new fonts and reading options, including a new indicator at the bottom which tells you how long there is left in the chapter or book in hours, rather than just a bar. This makes me much more likely to finish a chapter or two in one sitting, rather than just stopping part way through.

Kindle Paperwhite

Like my previous Kindle, I decided to get the optional leather cover. This time the cover includes a magnetic grasp which keeps it closed, and also turns on the device as you open it. My Kindle spends most of its time in the cover, but sometimes it is nice to take it out and feel how thin and light the Kindle Paperwhite really is. Overall, the case was an integral part of my decision to upgrade to the Kindle, and I think it’s something that Amazon has done really well.

If you’re looking to get a device dedicated to reading, the Kindle Paperwhite definitely gets my recommendation. From the amazing screen technology and high quality accessories, to the rich ecosystem and availability of reading material, I get the feeling this device is going to be by my side for at least the next three years.

* I mostly live in a Windows ecosystem and now that Microsoft and Barnes & Nobile have entered into a partnership, I figured it may be the right time to look at switching my ebook provider. Much to my dismay, the Nook devices that were announced in late 2012 were nothing more than Android tablets designed to compete with the Kindle Fire, not the Metro-style ebook reader I was hoping for.

Leonid Meteor Shower at Kielder in November 2012

Posted on November 24, 2012 at 13:36 by Julian Kay

Last weekend a few members from The York Astronomical Society travelled up north to Kielder Observatory for the peak of the Leonid Meteor Shower.

As soon as I arrived at the observatory I got my camera out and started taking photographs of the night sky. While it may not have been the clearest I’ve ever seen the sky at Kielder, it certainly was more impressive than the recent Autumn Star Camp which ended up being a bit of a washout.

Gary Fildes had a quick chat to us before we all set off to look through the instruments – including their 14″ Meade LX200 and 20″ Split Ring Equatorial telescopes. Both of which provided very impressive views of various deep sky objects including Jupiter and Andromeda.

Talking of Andromeda, I had to do my usual dark sky test to see how well it came out in a 30 second photograph using my Canon 7D. As you can see, there are a lot of stars in this photo.

As per usual I pointed my camera around Cassiopeia to get a nice picture of the Milky Way including Andromeda to the right.

As you can see, Andromeda is visible even when zoomed out, and at full size you can make out even more detail than previous attempts back home in Thorner or light polluted Scarborough.

I just goes to show how impressive the dark skies at Kielder Observatory really are. You can also see the full resolution photographs on Flickr.

Microsoft Touch Mouse

Posted on November 15, 2012 at 13:13 by Julian Kay

Last week a couple of us in the office decided to treat ourselves to a Microsoft Touch Mouse each – mostly because they were on special offer on Amazon.

So far, I really like it. Like the last few Microsoft mice I’ve had, it’s optical, wireless and uses BlueTrack optical technology. The difference is that this time the whole front of the mouse is touch sensitive.

Scrolling content in Windows 8 is just as smooth as you’d expect, and there are additional gestures to make using the touch-centric operating system faster to use with a mouse:

  • Two fingers up and down – show and hide the app bar
  • Two fingers from the left – switch application
  • Two fingers from the right – show the charms
  • Three fingers up and down – zoom in and out
  • Thumb up and down – backwards and forwards

It’s a little larger than the Arc Touch Mouse that I used up until now, which is probably a good thing for everyday use in the office but it is not quite as compact in my work bag.

The extra weight means there is no chance of accidentally moving the cursor while using it like a touchpad for scrolling through content. Overall I’m quite pleased with the results, and I’ve even got used to the (optional) reverse scrolling.

Pros

  • Great size and weight
  • High build quality
  • Fantastic gestures on Windows 8

Cons

  • Horrible Exposé-like interface on Windows 7
  • You have to lift your left finger to right click (like a Magic Mouse)
  • No middle click at all (like a Magic Mouse)

Two Weeks with Microsoft Surface

Posted on November 14, 2012 at 09:00 by Julian Kay

Two weeks ago I finally got my Microsoft Surface for Windows RT. On the run up to the launch of the first Surface device, I started to think about if I’d actually be able to use the Surface for Windows Pro as my only computer as I had planned.

The trouble is that the form factor is not a laptop replacement, it’s a tablet which has a ‘ready to work’ mode which can be used easily on a desk. A laptop has a stable base and a screen which can be tilted to any angle – so getting real work done is still doable on your lap. I don’t have a desk at home, just a coffee table, so when I want to write some code or a long blog post – I tend to sit cross-legged on the sofa and type away. This is quite tricky to do with the form-factor that Microsoft has chosen for the first two Surface devices.

As a first time tablet owner there are a huge amount of benefits which are more related to the form-factor rather than the individual device, but for me having the Microsoft Surface has been a really fantastic and new experience.

Being able to surf the web and use application while laying down or standing up are pretty obvious, but there are more subtle benefits like being able to take it to work every day without my bag getting really heavy. Plus it’s always nice to have all your personal stuff available to use at lunch time, including emails and OneNote notebooks.

In the first two weeks have found a few suggestions for improvements to the design of the hardware:

  • The keyboard case should really have a magnetic grasp
  • Power Cable is a little short (though it can be extended)
  • Windows Phone earphones don’t work as expected

These improvements aside, the Surface has already proven to be a fantastic companion device, and due to the nature of the keyboard and kickstand design it has become my go-to device for email and instant messaging. In the last two weeks my MacBook has spent most of its time in a draw while the Surface has been my primary machine for personal use.

As someone who is a Windows developer and lives in a Microsoft ecosystem (Office 365, SkyDrive, Xbox etc.) it’s the ideal tablet for me, and I’m really pleased I got it.

Now if only I could find a Windows 8 laptop to replace my ageing MacBook and I’ll be sorted.

Uni Sign Pens

Posted on November 13, 2012 at 09:00 by Julian Kay

Last time I ordered some Japanese pens from JetPens I got myself two Uni Sign Pens – red and black with the fine tip.

For a while I had been using Uni Brush Pens for making notes on A4 paper, however after prolonged use the tips start to get softer. The Sign pen has a much smaller tip and gives a thinner and much more uniform line while keeping the text nice and bold.

I find the pigment ink to be very good too, and it doesn’t bleed or go through a Moleskine notebook. Though I was disappointed to find that they’d printed the barcode on an otherwise very attractive gold-trimmed barrel.

Pros

  • Feels really good to write on both A4 and Moleskine
  • Thick uniform lines
  • Great ink

Cons

  • Why would you put a barcode on the barrel?

Scarborough Astronomy in November 2012

Posted on November 12, 2012 at 09:00 by Julian Kay

At the weekend myself and a few other members of The York Astronomical Society journeyed over to Scarborough for an evening of astronomy and good times. As well as looking through my friend’s telescopes – I also positioned my camera skyward to see what the dark skies of suburban Scarborough had in store for me.

As you can see there are still a large amount of stars that are visible by using a 30 second exposure, even tough there is a distinct orange glow when compared to roughly the same photographs taken from the dark skies of Thorner – my home village.

With Andromeda being my new favourite benchmark for dark skies, I performed my usual routine of pointing my camera towards the bright stars of Cassiopeia – here marked with the green lines. Andromeda is just to the right located inside the green circle.

In the full resolution picture you can see that Andromeda is clearly more than just a regular field star, even with the increased amounts of light pollution when compared to the streetlight-free Thorner image below.

I think this really goes to show the difference that street lights and other forms of light pollution has on astrophotography. Thankfully, it’s dark enough back home for me not to need an expensive filter for my camera.