Cristopher Hall, Author at Argyll Free Press

AT&T Begins 5G Field Testing This Year

February 13, 2016 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

Fabled to be capable of being 10 to 100 times faster than 4G, the new type of network seems to have caught the eyes of phone carriers as AT&T begins 5G field testing this year. This doesn’t mean that 5G will actually become a reality this year too, as technology needs to pick up on the new type of data connection too.

However, it could mean that this is the beginning to carriers starting to work on their 5G network coverages and see how the new generation of super-fast wireless technology fares.

However, to no surprise, AT&T seems to be just ahead of the curve the tiniest bit as it proudly released a 5G roadmap recently, displaying a lot of information regarding the patented technologies such as network function virtualization, millimeter waves and software-defined networking that the 5G network would be reliant on. It is the second carrier to officially announce its 5G-related plans, right next to Verizon.

The speeds that the 5G network aim for may sound unfathomable to some; especially since you wouldn’t start by measuring them in megabits per second, but in gigabits per second. Which is quite something given that not everyone is getting that on their optic fiber internet connections at home yet.

This means that at such speeds you would download an HD movie in mere seconds and the time a video starts streaming after you hit the play button to be somewhere as low as 5 milliseconds. This is a very much welcomed innovation for mobile devices as statistics show that over 60% of the network traffic recorded in 2015 was achieved via videos.

And now as we move into the age of virtual reality and devices more performant than ever before, the network technology needs to follow suit as specialists expect a large increase in network traffic once again. And the mere way that 5G is built makes it a lot more efficient because it supports multiple radio interfaces.

While AT&T wishes to partner with Ericsson and Intel and try to push 5G solutions as early as the second quarter of 2016, this is not a feasible ambition for regular users and may just be put in place for internal use only. A more realistic plan is the one that Verizon describes: along with the combined efforts of Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm and Samsung, the company plans for the technology to be available to consumers no sooner than 2020.

No matter how much wishful thinking is at work here, an entire new type of network will mostly likely take a long time to implement all over the United States.

Image Source: 1

The Repercussions of the iPhone Error 53

February 9, 2016 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

After numerous users have been left with a non-functional iPhone 6 or 6S after attempting to upgrade to the latest iOS 9.3, Apple may be facing the repercussions of the iPhone error 53 through a potential class action suit against them. This is hardly a surprise as it’s undeniable that the company could have handled the situation with a lot more class than it has.

In essence, error 53 is the iPhone killer – as some would call it – as any iPhone 6 or above user that has been experiencing issues with their home button or has, at one point, fixed a broken home button in a third party service center and tried to update to the latest iOS version ended up with an unusable phone. As soon as someone would try to update, they would receive the Error 53 screen; that would instantly brick the phone and you would have nothing else to ado but to literally buy a new phone.

With no notice from Apple, no fix for it and no apparent plan to make it up to the ones affected, Apple seems to be facing potential class action suit. The company defends itself against accusations by stating that “Error 53” is a hardware issue caused by the user and that Apple cannot honor repairs via standard warranty. Even if ‘caused by the user’ mostly means that they resorted to non-Apple repair stores instead.

Some users already believe that Error 53 is nothing other than Apple’s attempt to throttle the third party service center market and leave no alternative for users other than using Apple’s own repair services. iOS 9.3 seems to have been built to detect unauthorized repairs and/or use of unauthorized parts and instantly brick the phone as a result.

A law firm from Seattle, PCVA, has stated that it will begin an investigation on the matter in order to possible motion a class-action suit against Apple because of the belief that Apple is deliberately forcing users to no other alternative than their own repair shops.

Other individuals believe that this is a method of protecting its users however, considering that the fingerprint data stored on the device would otherwise be leaked.

But because the issue had no prior notice and there’s a vehement refusal of the company to assist the ones who have fallen victim to Error 53, Apple surely hasn’t made a lot of fans with this ordeal. And because simply having to buy a new smartphone wasn’t enough, Error 53 also instantly wipes out all of your stored data – photos, texts, apps – so unless you had all of that backed up, you would lose it forever.

Image Source: 1

The iOS 9.3 Update Error 53 Bricks Your iPhone 6

February 5, 2016 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

A huge notice for any iPhone user attempting or considering to switch to the new version of the operating system is the fact that the iOS 9.3 update error 53 bricks your iPhone 6. There has been a fair amount of individuals that have already fallen into the trap and now have to deal with completely unusable phones. And they can’t even be held accountable for it on nearly any degree either.

Never mind the mere hassle of getting your phone upgraded to the latest iOS version with the common nuisances such as not having enough space, having to back your data up and so on. Some individuals who have recently attempted to upgrade were greeted by an Error 53 screen and can no longer restore their phone or do anything with them.

The reason? While it’s not 100% clear yet, the number one suspect seems to be non-Apple performed fixes to the phone. At least this is the only thing that the victims of the error seem to have in common: nearly all reported to have gone to a non-Apple service center to repair their home button. The ones who have not reported that instead said that they are experiencing issues with the home button at the time of the update.

This is a ghastly thing to consider, especially since a part of the people who are currently staring at their never-to-function-again phones because they had no other alternative than to go to a third party service center due to the lack of Apple stores where they live, for example.

Naturally, an uproar was expected to come. It didn’t take long either; ever since Apple stated that there is nothing else that can be done if you’re plagued by error 53 than to buy a new replacement, it’s not unheard of for people to speculate that this is a poor attempt by Apple at a ‘money grab’ while also subtly attacking the third party phone repair market.

The most worrying part of it all is the fact that Apple is not actively attempting to stop this from propagating. Not only has Apple not even made an effort to officially announce the issue to people who attempt to update their system to the latest iOS 9.3, but they are not restricting the possibility of upgrading to those they detect to have made third party repairs.

If you know your phone to have issues with the home button or have had them in the past and fixed them anywhere else than an Apple Store, it’s advisable that you refrain from upgrading until Apple releases an official fix or remedy to the situation. It is unknown what fate the already affected devices will have.

Image Source: 1

Scientists Are Reconsidering the Giant Impact Hypothesis

February 4, 2016 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

Scientists are reconsidering the giant impact hypothesis that was universally agreed on in 2001 as the favored way in which our planet’s moon was formed. The original theory that suggested that a foreign planet with the body size of Mars known as Theia or Orpheus had collided into the side of planet Earth somewhere nearly 4.5 billion years ago. The debris and particles that were created as a result drifted under the Earth’s gravitational pull for a while until they coalesced into what we know as the Moon today.

While the thesis was supported by a great amount of evidence and scientists even managed to simulate what a collision such as that one would’ve looked like and how the moon was eventually formed, recent study suggests that while there’s very little doubt that an Orpheus once existed, the collision may not have happened the way it was imagined until now.

Scientists have been studying oxygen isotopes form the moon rocks taken by the rovers of the Apollo missions, with the basis that each planet has its personal oxygen signature, differentiated by various degrees from one another. According to that theory, if the Earth’s moon was indeed made up mostly of the remnants of Orpheus, then our natural satellite should have a different oxygen signature than our planet.

Turns out that the oxygen isotopes of both Earth and the Moon are near identical, which would instead suggest that the latter could rather be considered a piece of the Hadean-era Earth. That is why the new theory suggests that Orpheus didn’t just side-swipe the Earth, but instead had a head-on collision with the planet and got incorporated in it in the process.

If that is truly the case, then it would explain how both Earth and the Moon have the same oxygen signature. When Orpheus got swallowed into the Earth, particles and debris of both planets were spewed out of the host planet’s atmosphere which slowly coalesced, giving both bodies the same signature.

On top of that it is believed that Theia (Orpheus) was actually a growing planet at the time of impact, a theory that actually eases the belief that the two fused instead of side-swiping each other in order to create the moon.

Image Source: 1

Microsoft HoloLens Hopes to Revolutionize Watching NFL

February 3, 2016 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

In its role as an NFL technology partner, Microsoft HoloLens hopes to revolutionize watching NFL games for the fans by employing augmented reality headsets. In theory, Microsoft hopes that the helmets would not only provide a personal view and projection of the game on various surfaces, but would also give the users complete control over what they watch, who they watch, or what kind of information regarding the game they can pull out.

This is not something that is planned only for the viewers, however, as coaches and even players could benefit from such a device. By seeing things the same way a fan would, teams could adjust and change the kind of game plan they are using, all thanks to a better overview of what is happening on the field.

A small attempt at integrating technology into the favorite sport of so many Americans has already been done through the Xbox One. Thanks to the sensors that are sewn into player jerseys that send RFID data directly into the app, which can then be used to create averages, records and numerous statistics regarding a particularly player’s performance, for example.

But the presentation video of how Microsoft actually sees the HoloLens playing a role in what NFL is concerned is actually a lot more impressive than anything tracking sensors could achieve by themselves. Starting with things such as a full-scale holographic player bursting out of your wall and immediately being surrounded by its personal statistics, hanging in midair and ending with downright watching the game on your coffee table, while also gaining full control of what and when you watch.

Manipulating the 3D video and the kind of information the HoloLens would display seems to be done through motion and gesture controls; at least that is what Microsoft hopes to be able to achieve. The information displayed about particular players, as shown in the video, could be split into two types, depending on who is using the AR application.

While fans could see just the player performance and full-scale holographic models of the players, coaches could gain insight on other details of the watched player, such as level of hydration, core body temperature or other types of information related to health factors of the player.

Image Source: 1

Rainfall May Be Influenced by the Position of the Moon

February 2, 2016 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

Following a study that stretched over a length of 15 years, two scientists from the University of Washington have concluded that rainfall may be influenced by the position of the moon. Tsubasa Kohyama and professor John Wallace have studied data gathered by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission between 1997 and 2012 in order to detect if the moon doesn’t, by any chance, have something to do with the rainfall patterns on Earth.

It would appear that the moon has more to do with rainfall, even if it’s not as drastic as the gravitational pull that it has on oceans at a planetary level. The scientists’ conclusion was that while the moon is either directly overhead or underfoot, it creates an increased air pressure level, which in turn allows more moisture to be preserved.

For example, when the moon is directly overhead, its gravitational pull will morph the shape of the Earth’s atmosphere, causing it to expand while being subjected to higher atmospheric pressure. Because the effect of the higher pressure is an increase in temperature, it becomes less likely moisture to be released. In other words, it is less likely to rain.

This is the most recent discovery that the scientists have made; this is after all, a study that has been ongoing for years. Previous discoveries have slowly built up to the conclusion that the study suggests. A previous discovery that was made in 2014 helped reach the point that the study that was published last Saturday in the Geophysical Research Letters is making.

The two scientists had concluded somewhere in 2014 that there was a definite connection between the air pressure on Earth and the moon’s phases because the former seemed to increase during particular moments of the moon cycle. Based on that knowledge, the two scientists were able to detect the slight difference in numbers and finally reach the conclusions that is supported in the paper.

However, even though the authors have clear proof of their theory, it is not a fact that has a major effect on the way we should regard precipitation. The conclusion that the two scientists have reached is only something that remains relevant only in the academic field as the overall variation due to the moon’s phases only amounts up to 1% so it’s hardly a relevant factor in our day to day lives. This may, however, lead to further discoveries of our moon’s effect on the planet.

Image Source: 1

NASA Imagines a Flight Over Ceres in a Computer Rendered Video

February 1, 2016 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

Just earlier last week, a new animation was released, depicting the way NASA imagines a flight over Ceres in a computer rendered video. This does not mean that the stunning images you can see in the video are any less than realistic.

In the absence of real life footage – at least in the way the public expects it – NASA has always been known to find the most exquisite ways of showing the workings on the universe. While close shots of the surface of our own planet depict the way the city lights and planetary magnetic field graze the Earth and look like form outer space, more distant celestial bodies in our solar system aren’t as easy to immortalize.

While satellites and probes can only show us so much information about the way things look from the big black void out there, the result is rarely clear enough to serve as an entire mapping of the studied object.

And out of all the places that are within reach of mankind in our own solar system, the Asteroid Belt is most likely one of the most unsafe ones – especially for unmanned spacecrafts. The NASA mission that lasted from August to October 2015 and employed the numerous cameras and sensors mounted on the Dawn spacecraft. Throughout the 3 months, Dawn’s framing camera team situated on Earth, at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), worked to create an accurate 3D mapping of the surface of Ceres.

Ceres is a dwarf planet and yet considered the largest body that can be found in the asteroid belt that rests between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Made of rock and ice, the planet is believed to have remnants of liquid water in an entire internal ocean, deep underneath the outer layer of ice. Because of the presence of ammonia in its outer composition, it is believed that Ceres originated from much further away – the Kuiper belt that rests on the outer edge of our solar system.

The video released by NASA depicts the many craters that the surface of Ceres keeps as a reminder of the rough conditions of our solar system’s asteroid belt. The movie depicts the planet in color – something that real footage is not common to have – in order to highlight the different materials that can be found in the surface. This is a mere example of the mystery surrounding the dwarf planet as scientists are amazingly intrigued by the potential of Ceres of being one of the place where life may have – at one point – existed in microbial form.

Image Source: 1

Oculus Quill Can Be Used to Create Movies

January 27, 2016 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

It seems that the new virtual reality technology can serve for more than our mere entertainment, as Oculus Quill can be used to create movies. Oculus Story Studio has used the new tool to produce the upcoming motion picture Dear Angelica, featuring brilliant visuals. The studio was created exactly one year ago and has produces two other movies in the meantime.

The first motion picture focused on virtual reality is Lost, which was followed by Henry, a 3D animated movie. However, Dear Angelica is the first one that used the new tool named Oculus Quill. Will it be different from the other two? Yes, since not only does it display the full potential of virtual reality, but also involves the user in the story.

The story follows a teenage girl who is reflecting on her life by taking a look at her mother’s memories. As the viewer finds out more about her, the world starts being painted around them, and each stroke of the brush reveals new details. You can decide whether you wish to follow the story, follow the brush or simply take a look at the art. All these elements are visible no matter where you are standing. Should you wish to take a closer look at something, all you need to do is lean in.

The wonderful visual effects were created with the help of the previously mentioned Oculus Quill. This new tool can be used to create art by the simple movement of the hand, and is quite similar to the Tilt Brush from HTC Vive. Unfortunately, Oculus Quill will not be available for everyone to use. For the moment, only Oculus illustrators will be able to create visual art with the quill. On the other hand, the HTC Vive tool can be bought by all users.

This is truly an extraordinary opportunity for artists to be able to put all their emotions in their art and to represent it as closely as they can to the ideas they have in their minds. As a result, viewers will more easily understand the meaning of their art. Since Oculus Quill can be used to create movies, it can also display the progress of a painting, thus conveying movement to the still images. Wesley Allsbrook, illustrator of Dear Angelica, declared that this is all she has ever dreamed of. Who knows, maybe soon enough we will have moving and talking pictures on the walls, just like Hogwarts had those portraits hanging on its corridors.

Image Source: 1

HP Envy 4500 Review – Remastering the Roots of Inkjet

January 19, 2016 By Cristopher Hall 1 Comment

The HP Envy 4500 ink jet printer is the best example of the kind of device that is certainly capable of many and yet not particularly amazing at any. However, coming from a long line of all-in-ones, the Envy 4500 is one of the very first to have come into existence and bring high versatility into an affordable and relatively small package.

The entire idea that was placed behind the Envy printer series was to design a printer that would be capable of handling anything you ever need for it to do without skimping on the way it looks. In other words, the kind of printer which is made for home use, designed to go well with the surroundings of any of your rooms thanks to its low profile build.

One would believe that with all the benefits of owning a low profile printer that can do basically anything and is far from being pricey far exceed any cons that the HP Envy 4500 may come with should certainly give the printer a much closer look before making a purchase. There is a fairly good reason for which this printer should not be taken for granted in some scenarios you may be thinking of putting it at work in.

Pros:

Highly affordable
Capable and versatile
Both wireless and USB connectivity
Duplex printing
Cheap black cartridges
XL cartridges available

Cons:

Photo printing is not the greatest
Color cartridges easily expended and don’t even come separately per color
Slow
Just meant for casual use, and not office or small businesses

HP Envy 4500 Design

Aesthetically, this HP Envy printer is by far one of the most pleasing units you’ve seen so far – and that is thanks to a number of design decisions and even the mere purpose that HP gave this device. As I’ve mentioned in the overview above, the HP Envy 4500 is meant to be discreet and easy to place anywhere in your home. It’s a lot smaller than any office printer you may have ever seen and can inconspicuously fit in any room you may want to place it in. Without the paper tray opened up, the Envy 4500 occupies even less space and resembles a plain black box.

Featuring either matte black surfaces or the glassy finish on its front portion where you’ll find the control panel and dedicated, direct control button, the HP Envy 4500 is a much better alternative to the light-colored alternatives. It measures 390 x 445 x 608 mm, making it small in overall size but a little on the wide side. It’s also wise to take into account the fact that it weighs 5.5 kilograms (around 12 pounds) before you decide where to place it.

However, in comparison to its younger brothers, namely the HP Envy 5660 and HP Envy 7640, it’s probably the sleekest and most definitely the smallest example of their all-in-one printers. The top is where you’ll find the scanner system, naturally. However, look a little lower and you’ll notice that the entire scanner glass surface can open up to reveal the interior of the device. This is where you’ll find both of the cartridges, making it a breeze whenever you have to change them, as well as give you an easy to access method of fixing most paper jams, if they ever occur; even if they are unlikely.

There is a rather upsetting thing about the color cartridge, while we’re at it, that I have to admit takes off a few points of the HP Envy 4500. Sadly, you don’t get separate magenta, yellow and cyan cartridges, and instead have to rely on just one for all of your colors. That being said, if you ever require to print a red-centric series of photos for example and you run out of the necessary ink but you’re still halfway through the yellow and cyan, you’d have to change the entire color cartridge altogether, which is an absolute waste.

HP Envy 4500 Design – Control Panel & Buttons

The entire front-facing control panel area is particularly simplistically designed and doesn’t give you that many buttons to get lost and confused in. Featuring a 50mm LCD display, you will be able to control most of your printer’s abilities straight from it. The monochrome screen makes it easy for you to navigate through the menus, though it doesn’t make use of touchscreen capabilities and you’ll have to navigate using the arrow buttons on its immediate right hand side. Similarly, it’s not possible to view thumbnails of photos you wish to print.

The menu itself is a succinct hub of controls and useful sources of information. You can select through the type of functions you want the HP Envy 4500 to perform, check onto the status of your printer as well as do things such as verify the current ink levels. That way you’ll never be unpleasantly surprised by an unfortunate lack of ink when it is most needed.

Most of the buttons you’ll find on the printer’s front panel are somewhat related to navigation of the on-screen control panel: Home, Back, Up, Down arrows and OK. You’ll find the dedicated power button on the left end of the front panel and a secondary row of buttons a little further to the right. The three located here are – from top to bottom – the wireless function, the web printer option as well as a help or troubleshoot button.

HP Envy 4500 Design – Ports

In terms of ports, the HP Envy 4500 remains just as minimal as its design choice. Considering the very purpose the printer was originally designed for and the belief that you won’t be hooking up 5 computers to it alone, you will only be getting an USB 2.0 port, which you can find on the rear side of the printer. Naturally, you will also find the power port there as well, on the bottom right side. There is no Ethernet port available.

HP Envy 4500 Design – Paper tray

Seeing the way the HP Envy 4500 is constructed to begin with, you will find both the designated paper tray and output tray alike as soon as you pull down the door. The paper tray has a maximum capacity of 100 sheets of paper which doesn’t rate very well; then again, the output tray is limited at 30 pages so this ends up being a little self-defeating in the very end. All of this does, however, comes across as quite natural for a printer that isn’t made for office or small business use.

Even then, the paper tray isn’t made to store extra paper in the printer whenever you don’t need it. The printer door can’t close if you load paper in, meaning that more often than not it will force you to load paper when you actually need to print something out rather than let it stay in. In more than just one situation this may turn out to be a bit of a hindrance.

The paper tray is, however, adjustable, giving you a perfect fit for any size paper or envelope you wish to choose, while making sure you keep it centered.

HP Envy 4500 Features

Considering that the HP Envy 4500 is an e-all-in-one printer, it can literally handle pretty much everything you set it up to. The inkjet cartridge does both black and white and colored printing, and the Envy is able to handle photo copying and scanning alike, while also doing a great job when it comes to photo printing – that is, as long as your cartridge lasts you at least.

HP Envy 4500 Printing

Given its status as an inkjet printer, the speed rates that the HP Envy 4500 seems to perform at are incredibly good, especially when it comes to monochrome printing. The printer can yield you about 9 pages per minute in black and white and even about 5 pages when printing in color; possible to slow down a fair bit when trying to print out full scale photographs for example. You can make it faster and even reduce ink consumption by printing in draft mode, but that will have a noticeable impact on quality.

Thankfully, the printer has duplex printing capabilities, meaning that printing on both sides of the paper is ridiculously easy to do. Not only that but the Envy 4500 seems to actually be set to duplex printing by default so no extra setting up is even required – unless you wish to specifically set it to single side printing. As a downside, however, there is no automatic document feeder.

Even though it’s not necessarily only related to printing alone, a detail worth mentioning is the HP Envy 4500 different cartridge capacities that it comes with. You can either opt for a standard cartridge or an ‘XL’ high-yield one; the standard ones are rated to yield up to 180 monochrome pages and 150 color pages per charge, while the XL ones can go up to 455 black & white and 310 color pages.

This gives you the option to pick whatever is more suitable to your printing habits. And because inkjet cartridges are fairly cheap ($15/$21 for standard and $30/$32 for high-yield), the HP Envy 4500 once again comes out to be a very affordable printer to have in your home, on more than one level.

And while we’re at it, it’s also great to know that HP is offering a special plan called “Instant Ink” for the Envy 4500 and few other printers as well that will automatically detect when your machine is running low and mails out a new one for you. This, however, comes for a monthly subscription; on the bright side, you can choose your preferred price plan for the amount of HP Envy 4500 ink you require.

HP Envy 4500 Scanning & Copying

One of the greatest parts of the HP Envy 4500 wireless printer is that it is capable of handling other functions such as scanning or copying directly off of its control panel, without you needing to move back and forth between the device and your computer. The scanning function will allow you to choose your preferred type of file before proceeding for example, giving you .jpeg or .pdf as viable options.

On the other hand, however, scanning speeds did not seem to be particularly fast, especially when trying it out on very detailed photos for example. At an optical resolution of 1,200 x 2,400, I’m not 100% sure that 2 minute long scans are very much excusable. Then again, your normal document page scan shouldn’t take longer than about 20 seconds, which is pretty much standard.

In the case of copying, speed once again proves to not be the strongest point of the HP 4500 printer. At 25 seconds for a single A4 monochrome copy and nearly 40 seconds for a color copy, things aren’t looking too great if you have to get things done and you’re in a rush.

Lastly, seeing that the printer is mostly oriented towards home use, it was not built to handle faxing. You can, however, find that particular feature on its younger yet larger scale brother, the HP Envy 7640.

HP Envy 4500 Connectivity – Wireless vs. USB

As I’ve mentioned a few sections up, the HP 4500 Envy is capable of multiple ways of keeping your devices connected to it in order to make a quick job whenever you need it. That consists of a wireless connectivity as well as the default USB.

While you can only have a device connected to the printer via USB, given its sole 2.0 port, the wireless printing offers a lot more versatility and availability alike. As soon as your printer is connected to your local wireless network, you’ll be able to detect it immediately and send all the wanted documents or photos to it directly, without going through all the hassle of physically connecting it.

HP Envy 4500 Setup & Software

The setup process is as painless as you can expect. While the HP Envy wireless printer does come with a physical copy of the driver needed which afterwards will most likely require an update, you can easily download the latest software build right away. And that is, in case your operating system doesn’t automatically do it for you right away.

Once you successfully manage to get through the advertising and offers that the wizard is likely to take you through, you can do a fair amount of customization to your printing process for example by making use of the dedicated software. Nevertheless, the printer software will make necessary modifications to its internal settings whenever you select a specific type of paper you wish to use for example. Similarly, you get to choose out of 3 levels of printing quality, a borderless printing option for photos as well as the possibility to create user profile-based sets of settings.

HP Envy 4500 Verdict

To wrap up everything that we learned about the HP Envy 4500, there are some clear aspects in which this printer shines and some where it is downright ghastly. Its low profile, small-sized yet not overly professional build makes it one of the greatest choices you can hope for if you’re simply looking for an occasional printer to have in your home that won’t tax you much on ink and maintenance. If all you expect to do with it is print out necessary household documents and the occasional color necessity.

In an office scenario, however, the HP Envy 4500 is not likely to make the cut. Its very small cartridge capacity, speed, lack of fax capabilities and automatic document feeding or even things such as the very small paper tray it offers are very much counter-productive, even for small businesses.

The HP Envy 4500 comes at the prices between $79.99 and $99.99, depending on the retailer you choose. It is not, however, still sold by HP itself so if you’re considering purchasing it, you will have to opt for third party sources instead.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Bombshell: Windows 7 Gets the Boot when it Comes to Next-Gen CPUs

January 19, 2016 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

Bombshell: Windows 7 gets the boot when it comes to next-gen CPUs because Microsoft will cease to provide support, says the company. Most likely a strategy to forcefully-push their Windows 10 OS, which has had a quite impressive start.

Although Windows 10 has a lot of redeeming qualities, there are still a lot of pesky issues that keep users not wanting to change from Windows 7 and 8. However, the time will come when upgrading your rig won’t be an option if you don’t plan on moving further with your OS as well.

Terry Myerson, Devices Group Executive and Windows Vice President, has taken to the official Windows Blog to announce the company’s decision. The post starts with Myerson praising how well Windows 10 performs when paired with Intel’s 6th generation Skylake CPUs. Myerson adds that it makes graphics better by up to 30x, and it increases battery life by 3x.

But, unfortunately for us Windows 7/8 users, Myerson’s news aren’t that great. The VP, while acknowledging that there are still a lot of people still using older Win OSes, and that transitioning to Win 10 is quite hard, especially for businesses, says the clock is ticking, and we will eventually have to jump ship.

Ten years ago, Windows 7 was designed. That’s before x64/x86 SOCs even existed. For Win 7 to run properly on any new modern piece of tech, firmware and device drivers are needed to emulate the OS’s expectations when it comes to power states, bus support and interrupt processing. This is extremely challenging for security, graphics, WiFi and more, says Myerson.

The company will continue to support Windows 7 – compatibility, reliability, and security; on last-gen CPUs, until January 14, 2020. Windows 8 and 8.1 gets a similar treatment, yet their date is a little bit extended to January 10, 2023.

With new silicon generations introduced, writes Myerson, they will need the latest Windows OS, at the time, to work. Take Intel’s upcoming CPU Kirby Lake, AMD’s Bristol Ridge, and Qualcomm’s 8996 – all three will work only if the user has Windows 10.

A list will be available next week, regarding what Skylake devices the company will continue to support on Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1. It will be maintained until next year – July 17, 2017. Afterwards, only the most quintessential Windows 7 and 8/8.1 security update will roll out for said configurations. If it doesn’t pose as a risk to the compatibility or reliability of the Windows 7 or 8/8.1 on other devices, that is.

The news is quite shocking, mainly because a large number of Windows users haven’t taken the step forward to install Microsoft’s latest OS. Partly because the internet is riddled with articles that bash how terribly-made Windows 10 is, and because people just don’t want to move to something that they might not like, when they are happy with what they already have.

Image Source: 1

HP Envy 4500 Design

HP Envy 4500 Features

HP Envy 4500 Setup & Software

HP Envy 4500 Verdict

Categories